Cystic nephroma is a rare, benign multicystic lesion of the kidney. This tumor occurs both in children and in adults. In children, it is highly prevalent in males; in adults, it is more frequent in women. The term "cystic nephroma" represents two apparently different entities: pediatric cystic nephroma, a benign form thought to originate from metanephric tissue, and adult cystic nephroma, considered as a lesion of mixed epithelial stromal tumor. The clinical presentation may be a palpable mass or nonspecific symptoms such as abdominal pain, hematuria, and urinary tract infections. In this review, we summarize the ultrasound imaging features of cystic nephroma and describe the characteristics of the most common renal cystic lesions and the differential diagnosis of cystic nephroma with other renal cystic lesions.


The bgl operon is silent and uninducible in wild-type strains of Escherichia coli and requires mutational activation for optimal expression. We show that transcription from the wild-type and the activated bgl promoter exhibits a growth phase-dependent enhancement that is highest in the stationary phase. We have assessed the effect of mutations in rpoS, crl, hns, leuO and bglJ, known to regulate bgl expression, on the growth phase-dependent increase in bgl activity. These studies show that this increase is greater in the absence of wild-type rpoS and/or crl. Our studies also indicate that while BglJ has a moderate effect on the expression of the bgl operon in the stationary phase in the absence of rpoS/crl, the modest increase in LeuO concentration in the stationary phase is insufficient to affect transcription from the bgl promoter. Measurements of the fitness of strains carrying the wild type or a null allele of crl showed that, while the strain deleted for crl exhibited a growth advantage over the crl+ strain in an rpoS+ background, it showed a low-level disadvantage in the presence of an rpoS allele that results in attenuated RpoS expression. Possible physiological implications of these results are discussed.


Activated defenses against herbivores and predators are defenses whereby a precursor compound is stored in an inactive or mildly active form. Upon damage to the prey, the precursor is enzymatically converted to a more potent toxin or feeding deterrent. In marine systems, activated defenses are only known to exist in a few species of tropical macroalgae. In this study, we examined an activated defense system in temperate marine macroalgae in which the osmolyte dimethylsulfo- niopropionate (DMSP) is converted to acrylic acid or acrylate, depending upon the pH, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) by the enzyme DMSP lyase upon damage to the alga. We surveyed 39 species of red, green, and brown algae from the Washington and Oregon coasts, and found high concentrations of DMSP in the chlorophytes Acrosiphonia coalita, Codium fragile, Enteromorpha intestinalis, E. linza, Ulva californica, U. fenestrata, and U. taeniata, and in the rhodophyte Polysiphonia hendryi. Con- centrations of DMSP ranged from 0.04% of the alga's fresh mass (FM) to 1.8% FM. We found signif- icant DMSP lyase activity in 1 green alga, U. fenestrata, and 1 red alga, P. hendryi, with DMSP cleav- age rates approaching 300 mmol kg -1 FM min -1 . Loss of DMSP and the production of DMS when the tissues of U. californica and P. hendryi were crushed suggested that physical damage results in DMSP cleavage. In laboratory feeding preference experiments, acrylic acid deterred feeding by the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis at concentrations of 0.1 to 2% FM and by S. purpura- tus at 0.25 to 2% FM, while the precursor DMSP functioned as a feeding attractant to both sea urchins. In contrast, feeding by the isopod Idotea wosnesenskii was not deterred by acrylic acid even at concentrations as high as 8% FM. Our data suggest that DMSP may function as a precursor in an activated defense system in diverse species of temperate macroalgae and may possibly contribute to the widespread success of the Ulvophyceae. This chemical system is also found in unicellular phyto- plankton, and presents an opportunity to compare and contrast the ecological role of chemical defense among micro- and macroorganisms.


Background: Data-informed decision making is influenced by organizational, technical, and behavioral factors. Behavioral factors are the major contributing factors for data-informed decision-making practices. This study aimed to explore health workers' perceptions of data-informed decision making at primary health care units in Awi zone. Method: A cross-sectional qualitative study was undertaken to explore health workers' perceptions on the barriers of health data-informed decision-making practices. Eleven healthcare workers were purposively selected from primary hospitals, health centers and health posts. Medical doctors, nurses, midwifes and health extension workers were selected as key informants for the in-depth interview. The selected healthcare workers were asked about their perceptions that affect health data use practices. The data obtained was analyzed through thematic analysis using Open Code software. Analysis was performed using three themes namely, organizational, behavioral, and technical barriers of data-informed decision making. Results: All the health care workers including health extension workers utilized a data-informed decision-making practice at least once during their point of care. Five of the eleven key informants reported their data-informed decision-making practice as reviewing quality of facility data, while none of them reported data-informed decision-making practices for their monthly performance monitoring. Behavioral factors included negligence, workarounds, and skill gaps. Organizational factors included staff turnover and shortage of recording tools. Technical factors included high workloads which lead to data error and paper-based systems were considered major barriers to data-informed decision-making practices. Conclusion: Data-informed decision-making practices were low at primary health care units. Behavioral, organizational, and technical factors contributed to the decreased use of data. [ Ethiop. J. Health Dev .


Evaluation systems to assess the biotic integrity of plant communities exist for some ecosystems, but not the increas; ingly rare coastal prairies of Louisiana. A list of plant species occurring in Louisiana's coastal prairie was created and coefficients of conservatism (C) were assigned for each species. A Floristic Quality Index (FQI), which is calculated using the C values provided by a panel of experts, can be used to evaluate prairie remnants and restorations. We assigned C values from 0-10 based on their estimated degree of association with prairies of various levels of natural quality and their to lerance of disturbance. Those species given a rank of 0-3 are deemed to be colonizing species found in a variety of habitats and are adapted to fairly severe disturbance. Species with C values of 4-6 are those that are often common in fairly high~quality coastal prairie, occur in other community types and are moderately tolerant of disturbance. Species with rankings of 7-8 are associated with high quality natural prairie habitat and slight distur~ bance. Those species ranking 9-10 are those restticted to very high-quality habitat and have a high fidelity to coastal prairie. U nl ike FQI systems devised for other areas, we also weight the coefficients assigned to nonnative species found in coastal prairie. We believe that the presence of exotic species in a native plant community lowers the conservation value of that community. Consequently, we assigned C values from -1 to -3 to nonnative species based on the perceived threat of their invasive potential and ability to exclude native species. Including the C values of exotic species allows the calculation of an adjusted floral quality index that provides an additional dimension to floristic quality analysis. This index will be of va lue to restorationists, managers and others involved in assessing the integrity of natural areas and developing management strategies based on these criteria.


One-pot synthetic gallosilicate nitrate cancrinite (CAN) framework topology have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions at 100 °C. The synthesized product was characterized by, X-ray powder diffraction, IR, Raman and 29Si, 23Na MAS NMR spectroscopy, SEM and thermogravimetry. The crystal structure refinement of pure nitrate cancrinite has been carried out from X-ray data using Rietveld refinement method. Gallosilicate cancrinite Na8[GaSiO4]6(NO3)4(H2O)6 crystalline hexagonal with space group P63 and a = 12.77981 A (2), c = 5.20217 A (1), (Rwp = 0.0696 Rp = 0.0527). The results by MAS NMR spectroscopy confirmed the alternating Si, Ga ordering of the gallosilicate framework for a Si/Ga ratio of 1.0. A distribution of the quadrupolar interaction of the sodium cations caused by the enclatherated water molecules and motional effects can be suggested from the 23Na MAS NMR. Thermogravimetric investigation shows the extent of nitrate entrapment, stability within the cancrinite cage and decomposition properties. SEM clearly shows the hexagonal needle shaped crystals of nitrate cancrinite.


This is the portion of the Faculty file of Freeman Dyson containing correspondence from 1982-1986. Some folders in the Director's Office Faculty files series include a processing note with the heading "Items Removed." These removed items are now located in the offprint collection of the Institute's Historical Studies-Social Science Library.


We present the Snapshot Hubble U-band Cluster Survey (SHUCS), a project aimed at characterizing the star cluster populations of 10 nearby galaxies (d < 23 Mpc, half within ≈12 Mpc) through new F336W (U-band equivalent) imaging from Wide Field Camera 3, and archival BVI-equivalent data with the Hubble Space Telescope. Completing the UBVI baseline reduces the age–extinction degeneracy of optical colors, thus enabling the measurement of reliable ages and masses for the thousands of clusters covered by our survey. The sample consists chiefly of face-on spiral galaxies at low inclination, in various degrees of isolation (isolated, in group, merging), and includes two active galactic nucleus hosts. This first paper outlines the survey itself, the observational datasets, the analysis methods, and presents a proof-of-concept study of the large-scale properties and star cluster population of NGC 4041, a massive SAbc galaxy at a distance of ≈23 Mpc, and part of a small grouping of six giant members. We resolve two structural components with distinct stellar populations, a morphology more akin to merging and interacting systems. We also find strong evidence of a truncated, Schechter-type mass function, and a similarly segmented luminosity function. These results indicate that binning must erase much of the substructure present in the mass and luminosity functions, and might account for the conflicting reports on the intrinsic shape of these functions in the literature. We also note a tidal feature in the outskirts of the galaxy in Galaxy Evolution Explorer UV imaging, and follow it up with a comprehensive multi-wavelength study of NGC 4041 and its parent group. We deduce a minor merger as a likely cause of its segmented structure and the observed pattern of a radially decreasing star formation rate. We propose that combining the study of star cluster populations with broadband metrics is not only advantageous, but often easily achievable thorough archival datasets.


Developing a moral business person is not easy. Universities and polytechnics have always undertaken some degree of responsibility for teaching ethics. Increasingly students are exposed to real world work issues when assigned to cooperative education placements. The workplace demands graduates not only consider ethical issues, but also requires them to consider ethical action. In this research project the author reviewed the ethical requirements of the Industry Based Learning course in the Bachelor of Business at Unitec, Auckland with a view to informing teaching and learning practice. The aim of the research was to evaluate student learning in ethical issues and learn more about student experiences and how delivery and student support mechanisms for students could be improved. The author examined student writing (learning journals and reflective essays) and interview text to explore student knowledge of ethical values, their decision making processes and their ability to take ethical action. Students were completely comfortable with the ethical values on which the research was based. They spoke articulately about the ethical issues they found in their placements. Students used a variety of decision making processes with mixed success. Most students reported feeling vulnerable in taking ethical action and that their emotions prevented them from acting as professionals in the workplace. Ethics is an essential part of business education for both professional and non professional graduates. In the Industry Based Learning course in the Bachelor of Business placements gave students a unique opportunity to explore their ethical understandings, to practice their reasoning skills and to experiment with taking ethical action in a guided and supported environment. As a result of the research the course coordinator introduced a variety of teaching and learning strategies to support students in their placements and prepare them for the changing and variable nature of the workplace.


Visual fixation locations were founded on the tines by measuring saccades amplitudes which occur during reading. Fixations ara san to be on the right Naif of the verbs though :hey occur on the left .h.alf of the other vords. This finding was considered likely to be resulied from the agglutinative property of Turkish Language.


Chemical descriptors encode the physicochemical and structural properties of small molecules, and they are at the core of chemoinformatics. The broad release of bioactivity data has prompted enriched representations of compounds, reaching beyond chemical structures and capturing their known biological properties. Unfortunately, 'bioactivity descriptors' are not available for most small molecules, which limits their applicability to a few thousand well characterized compounds. Here we present a collection of deep neural networks able to infer bioactivity signatures for any compound of interest, even when little or no experimental information is available for them. Our 'signaturizers' relate to bioactivities of 25 different types (including target profiles, cellular response and clinical outcomes) and can be used as drop-in replacements for chemical descriptors in day-to-day chemoinformatics tasks. Indeed, we illustrate how inferred bioactivity signatures are useful to navigate the chemical space in a biologically relevant manner, unveiling higher-order organization in natural product collections, and to enrich mostly uncharacterized chemical libraries for activity against the drug-orphan target Snail1. Moreover, we implement a battery of signature-activity relationship (SigAR) models and show a substantial improvement in performance, with respect to chemistry-based classifiers, across a series of biophysics and physiology activity prediction benchmarks.


Testing of the tomographic and photographic system is a prerequisite for successful reproduction of minor details particularly in tomography of the temporal bone. A test phantom has been developed, consisting of a single layer of small metal balls which can be adjusted to varying inclinations to the tomographic plane. It involves a simple procedure for examining the homogeneity and stability of the tomographic layer at wide movement angles and may also be used for calculating the layer thickness.


A business process architecture (BPA) model depicts business processes in an organization and their relations. An artifact for generating BPA models is proposed as the outcome of a design science research project. The proposed artifact consists of a method (i.e., a set of concepts, a proposed notation, and a detailed procedure), which is termed the domain-based BPA (dBPA) method due to using domain models as a starting point. The dBPA method tackles issues of currently available approaches: lack of structured inputs, limited consideration of process relations types, and restricted use of industry-standard modeling languages. The paper formalizes the dBPA method and illustrates its application in the manufacturing industry. Evaluation of the dBPA method revealed that practitioners perceived it as useful to achieve its goal with the benefits of being objective and clear and allowing to create complete and understandable BPA models that enable the integration of processes and the software that automates them.


Evidence-based policy and practice tends to operate on a belief that knowledge is obtained through objective observation and reasoning, leading to 'rational decision-making'. But the work of producing such knowledge is typically more 'messy', more iterative and more non-linear; features of the knowledge production process only made more pronounced by imperatives such as co-production. Just over a decade ago Smith and Anderson traced out a position countervailing to that of the predominant – yet, at that stage, only tentative – 'policy (re)turn' in human geography and set about charting a new course of research, variously promoting and encouraging a more enthusiastic laying bare of the researcher's positionalities and emotional sensitivities. In this paper we wish to briefly reassess the 'emotional turn', via a case study centring on the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) research programme to highlight the challenges of translating emotions into a policy making environment. In our project we examined the ways in which the materialities of ICT (and new technology more broadly) are embedded in everyday life. How people feel, their emotional sensitivities, towards the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) we argue is crucial for understanding the potential impact of the current public policy thrust to move to the online delivery of public services (or egovernment). Adding emotional sensitivities in the body of knowledge when in dialogue with policy makers we suggest enriches evidence based policy that centres on behaviour change.


The outdoor recreation component of the 2010 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment provided projections and modeling of participation and intensity by activity. Results provided insight into the future of multiple outdoor recreation activities through projections of participation rates, numbers of participants, days per participant, and total activity days. These projections can be considered in managing potential shifts in outdoor recreation. In anticipation of projected trends, resources can be allocated appropriately by each outdoor recreation activity, or by the settings in which these activities take place. Decades of marketing and consumer research have established that an industry depends on and benefits from satisfied customers. In this study, we apply a widely used tool with origins in marketing research known as importance-performance analysis (IPA) to better understand visitor satisfaction with recreation settings on national forests. The results from IPA can supplement planning for improving efficient provision of recreation opportunities through management of setting attributes, which in turn could reinforce activity popularity and intensity. With the systematic and consistent data collection methodology in place from the National Visitor Use Monitoring Program, we assessed visitor ratings of importance and satisfaction on multiple attributes related to national forest recreation, as well as overall satisfaction and crowding ratings, over two recent survey periods (rounds 2 and 3) spanning 10 years. These attributes ranged from those in the natural domain (e.g., condition of natural environment and quality of scenery) to the developed setting (e.g., availability of parking and condition of parking lots). We classified the attributes into one of four IPA management actions and also conducted an intertemporal analysis to assess sustainability. The significance of changes in importance and satisfaction between rounds can provide insight into potentially problematic shifts, such as declining satisfaction in conjunction with increasing importance. Overall, users of the national forests were satisfied and found the attributes important. We identify relative overperformers and underperformers to better inform the allocation of resources within site type per attribute for the RPA regions and the Nation.


Abstract. In this work, we investigate the NOx emissions inventory in
Seoul, South Korea, using a regional ozone monitoring instrument (OMI)
NO2 product derived from the standard NASA product. We first
develop a regional OMI NO2 product by recalculating the air mass
factors using a high-resolution (4 km × 4 km) WRF-Chem model
simulation, which better captures the NO2 profile shapes in urban
regions. We then apply a model-derived spatial averaging kernel to further
downscale the retrieval and account for the subpixel variability. These two
modifications yield OMI NO2 values in the regional product that are
1.37 times larger in the Seoul metropolitan region and >2 times larger
near substantial point sources. These two modifications also yield an OMI
NO2 product that is in better agreement with the Pandora
NO2 spectrometer measurements acquired during the South
Korea–United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) field campaign.
NOx emissions are then derived for the Seoul metropolitan
area during the KORUS-AQ field campaign using a top-down approach with the
standard and regional NASA OMI NO2 products. We first apply the
top-down approach to a model simulation to ensure that the method is
appropriate: the WRF-Chem simulation utilizing the bottom-up emissions
inventory yields a NOx emissions rate of 227±94 kt yr−1, while the bottom-up inventory itself within a 40 km
radius of Seoul yields a NOx emissions rate of
198 kt yr−1. Using the top-down approach on the regional OMI
NO2 product, we derive the NOx emissions rate from
Seoul to be 484±201 kt yr−1, and a 353±146 kt yr−1
NOx emissions rate using the standard NASA OMI NO2
product. This suggests an underestimate of 53 % and 36 % in the
bottom-up inventory using the regional and standard NASA OMI NO2
products respectively. To supplement this finding, we compare the
NO2 and NOy simulated by WRF-Chem to observations
of the same quantity acquired by aircraft and find a model underestimate.
When NOx emissions in the WRF-Chem model are increased by a
factor of 2.13 in the Seoul metropolitan area, there is better agreement with
KORUS-AQ aircraft observations and the recalculated OMI NO2
tropospheric columns. Finally, we show that by using a WRF-Chem simulation
with an updated emissions inventory to recalculate the air mass factor (AMF),
there are small differences (∼8 %) in OMI NO2 compared to
using the original WRF-Chem simulation to derive the AMF. This suggests that
changes in model resolution have a larger effect on the AMF calculation than
modifications to the South Korean emissions inventory. Although the current
work is focused on South Korea using OMI, the methodology developed in this
work can be applied to other world regions using TROPOMI and future satellite
datasets (e.g., GEMS and TEMPO) to produce high-quality region-specific
top-down NOx emissions estimates.


As the technology becomes an advance and transform business functions, more organizations are diverted from maintaining the data in traditional to transfer their data into the cloud. Cloud provider support for easy accessibility to servers, application services and databases that helps the organizations to make them free from storing, managing and sharing information. The cloud computing provides businesses flexibility and easy access to data anytime and anywhere. In such case the organizations are dependent on the cloud providers. Cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google etc. have a strong security measures but it having some security breaches. Cloud based applications itself are very secure but when they are interact with each other in that case it may be possible user data to be exposed in the process. Day by day the complexity increase in the systems and threats are real on data. To maintain a high quality security standard the organization has to continuous at regular time interval the penetration testing and security testing should be performed. Organizations choose as per their need SaaS, IaaS and PaaS platforms for their corporate environment, due to the security and compliance with regulatory requirements at a cloud platform. This paper discusses various security aspects of cloud computing environment.


This research provides a novel approach for the determination of water content and higher heating value of pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil from Napier grass was used in this study. Water content was determined with pH adjustment using a Karl Fischer titration unit. An equation for actual water in the oil was developed and used, and the results were compared with the traditional Karl Fischer method. The oil was found to have between 42 and 64% moisture under the same pyrolysis condition depending on the properties of the Napier grass prior to the pyrolysis. The higher heating value of the pyrolysis oil was determined using an oildiesel mixture, and 20 to 25 wt% of the oil in the mixture gave optimum and stable results. A new model was developed for evaluation of higher heating value of dry pyrolysis oil. The dry oil has higher heating values in the range between 19 and 26 MJ/kg. The developed protocols and equations may serve as a reliable alternative means for establishing the actual water content and the higher heating value of pyrolysis oil.


Canada's Assisted Human Reproduction Act is long overdue for Parliamentary review. We argue that the current regulation of research using human reproductive materials is not proportionate, not responsive to the uncertain threats posed to human and environmental health and safety, and is not considerate of diverse values in a democratic society. We propose tailored regulatory carve-outs for in vitro research for currently prohibited activities, such as gene editing, and for the exercise of Ministerial Discretion for access by Canadians to experimental in vivo interventions that are currently prohibited, such as mitochondrial replacement therapy. Our recommendations are bounded by constitutional constraints that recognize political and practical challenges in keeping oversight of this research under Federal jurisdiction, whether conducted in academic or private sectors. The proposed nuanced regulatory scheme should be overseen by a new national Agency, modeled on a blend of the Canadian Stem Cell Oversight Committee and Assisted Human Reproduction Canada.


The computation of thermalt properties of dusty plasmas is substantial task in the area of science and technology. The thermal conductivity (λ) has been computed by applying polarization effect through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of two dimensional (2D) strongly coupled complex dusty plasmas (SCCDPs). The effects of polarization on thermal conductivity have been measured for a wide range of Coulomb coupling (Γ) and Debye screening (κ) parameters using homogeneous non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (HNEMD) method for suitable system sizes. The HNEMD simulation method is employed at constant external force field strength (F*) and varying polarization effects. The algorithm provides precise results with rapid convergence and minute dimension effects. The outcomes have been compared with earlier available simulation results of molecular dynamics, theoretical predictions and experimental results of complex dusty plasma liquids. The calculations show that the kinetic energy of SCCDPS depends upon the system temperature (≡ 1/Г) and it is independent of higher screening parameter. Furthermore, it has shown that the presented HNEMD method has more reliable results than those obtained through earlier known numerical methods.


Polymorphisms of the gene encoding the regulator of G protein signaling, subtype 4 (RGS4), may be associated with schizophrenia. Among first-episode schizophrenia patients, they are also associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) volume. The DLPFC is a key region that regulates heritable cognitive functions implicated in schizophrenia pathogenesis. To further understand the relationship of RGS4 variants to schizophrenia, we examined their associations with cognitive functions among schizophrenia patients and their relatives. We analyzed 31 multiplex, multigenerational Caucasian families with schizophrenia recruited on the basis of 2 affected first-degree relatives. All participants underwent a computerized neurocognitive battery that evaluates accuracy and speed (response time) of performance on abstraction/mental flexibility; attention; verbal, spatial, and face memory; and spatial ability. "Tag" single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) representing common polymorphisms were genotyped. Measured genotype analyses accounting for family relationships were performed using Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routines. SNPs rs10917670 ("SNP1") and rs951439 ("SNP7") were associated with face memory speed (P = .0003) at a significance level that survived Bonferroni correction (P = .039). The same SNPs have earlier been reported to be associated with schizophrenia. There also were uncorrected associations with rs10917670 ("SNP1") and rs951439 ("SNP7") on face memory efficiency (P = .03) and verbal memory efficiency (P = 0.02), rs28757217 on abstraction/mental flexibility speed (P = .02) and verbal memory efficiency (P = .03), SNP18 (rs2661319) on spatial memory accuracy (P = 0.02) and face memory speed (P = .03). RGS4 polymorphisms are associated with variations in cognitive functions and contribute a small but statistically significant proportion of variance in a family-based sample.


We develop, apply, and test a new measure of the marriage tax: the reduction in future spending from getting married. Our measure is a comprehensive, actuarial (expected) present value. It incorporates all major and most minor US tax and benefit programs, weighing the present value of additional net taxes from marrying along each marital survivor path by the path's probability. And it assumes clone marriage—marrying oneself—to ensure the living-standard loss from marrying is unaffected by spousal choice. We calculate our marriage tax for young respondents using the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). The marriage tax rate—the percentage reduction in expected future spending from marrying—averages 2.69 percent. This sampleweighted average is comparable to losing several years of earnings and is much higher in some states than others. Average marriage tax rates are also highly income dependent. Nationwide, the average marriage penalty imposed on people with low incomes is roughly twice that levied on the rich. Low-income females with children face particularly stiff marrying penalties, primarily in the form of lost benefits, both in-cash or inkind. The variation in marriage taxation is particularly striking and ranges, across our sample, from negative 74.4 percent to positive 45.8 percent. We use the American Community Survey to study the impact of our marriage tax (imputed via a SCF statistical match) on marrying rates. Our tax on remaining lifetime spending matters—a lot. This is particularly true for low-income, single females with children. Absent the tax, 13.7 percent more would marry each year. Cumulatively, 7.5 percent more would be married at age 35. These are much larger effects than arise using the conventional marriage-tax measure. Our findings are robust to adjusting for partial benefit take-up and respondents marrying higheror lower-income versions of themselves. Given the importance of marriage to child development and a host of economic indicators, heavily penalizing marriage might have far-reaching, deleterious consequences. JEL classification: H2, H31, J12, J18


: The diagnosis related groupings (DRGs) prospective pricing reimbursement system is already affecting nursing service budgets and unit level staffing patterns. As cost containment pressures rise, nurse administrators have to seriously reexamine primary nursing as a viable care modality. This article discusses the compatibility of DRGs and primary nursing. Approaches to future research on measuring outcomes to assess the continued use of primary nursing are suggested.


Why did some social movement organization (SMO) families receive extensive media coverage? In this article, we elaborate and appraise four core arguments in the literature on movements and their consequences: disruption, resource mobilization, political partisanship, and whether a movement benefits from an enforced policy. Our fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analyses (fsQCA) draw on new, unique data from the New York Times across the twentieth century on more than 1,200 SMOs and 34 SMO families. At the SMO family level, coverage correlates highly with common measures of the size and disruptive activity of movements, with the labor and African American civil rights movements receiving the most coverage. Addressing why some movement families experienced daily coverage, fsQCA indicates that disruption, resource mobilization, and an enforced policy are jointly sufficient; partisanship, the standard form of "political opportunity," is not part of the solution. Our results support the main perspectives, while also suggesting that movement scholars may need to reexamine their ideas of favorable political contexts.


Author(s): Buyanin, Alexander | Advisor(s): Salmeron, Miquel; Somorjai, Gabor A | Abstract: The self-assembly and optoelectronic properties of model crystalline organic semiconductor films was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Small molecule organic semiconductors serve as model systems for the active materials in organic electronic devices. Applications such as organic solar cells and light-emitting diodes rely on organic polymers and small molecules for their properties but the performance of these organic devices could still yet be improved compared to the inorganic-based devices. The aim of this work is to study different structure-property relationships in model organic systems to gain a better understanding for designing organic electronic material. Other spectroscopic and structural techniques are used to complement the spatial mapping capability of AFM, providing a more comprehensive view of the fundamental processes governing organic semiconductor films. First, self-assembled oligothiophenes with different surface functionalization are studied for the role humidity has on the electronic properties of a monolayer film. In-situ AFM and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) show that the water vapor is found to change the electronic properties of films with hydrophilic surface termination groups leaving hydrophobic films unaffected. Next, different indigo small molecules are self-assembled at the air-water interface into crystalline structures. The role of intermolecular interactions is found to play a critical role in the indigo crystal morphology. The self-assembled indigo crystals are studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy revealing the presence of H-aggregate formation during self-assembly. Further studies of the electronic properties of the indigo crystal films are performed using electrical AFM techniques and field-effect transistors. Finally, a scheme for the fabrication of flat field-effect transistors using graphene photolithography is presented. Graphene field-effect transistors are fabricated and tested providing a platform to study more accurately thin organic semiconducting films. This dissertation demonstrates the advantage of studying model systems of organic semiconductors with nanoscale precision with the aim of designing better performing organic electronic devices.


Gronotoma micromorpha is a solitary egg-pupal and larval-pupal parasitoid. In a previous study, the developmental time of this parasitoid decreased with the age of its leaf miner host, Liriomyza trifolii, being significantly longer when the host was 0-day old (= 0-24 h old egg) than when 4 days old (mature larva) at the time of parasitization at 25°C. In the present study, the suitability and acceptability of 0 and 4 day old L. trifolii as hosts for G. micromorpha, and the ovipositional preference of this parasitoid for these two developmental stages of the host were examined. No significant difference was found in the size of the parasitoid offspring that emerged from hosts parasitized at these two developmental stages. There was no significant difference in the acceptability of the two developmental stages of L. trifolii in no choice tests, but 4 day old larvae were preferred to 0 day old eggs in choice tests. Moreover, parasitization of eggs by G. micromorpha did not appear to result in more of the eggs dying before they hatched. Non-reproductive killing (host feeding and host stinging without oviposition) of host eggs by this parasitoid was also not detected.


The complex geodynamic history of the Paratethys periodically fostered the evolution of a highly endemic biota with only limited exchange between the neighboring Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific provinces. The resulting very peculiar fossil assemblages forced the introduction of a regional chronostratigraphic subdivision for the Western/Central and Eastern Paratethys respectively. For the Central Paratethys we present a summarized and updated database for the individual stages, and we review the current status for correla- tion with the Mediterranean stratigraphic framework. The Miocene Central Paratethys stages were defined on exclusively paleontological criteria in type sections (holostratotypes and faciostratotypes). They are all bounded by either sedimentary hiatuses or distinct facies changes, inferred to mark lowstands in sea level, and not a single boundary stratotype has been defined. Some correlating tie-points to the Mediterranean succession are based on calcareous nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifers; magnetostratigraphic correlation is very limited. All stages can be assigned to the putatively third-order sea level cycles, with the Eggenburgian, Badenian and Pannonian Stages each spanning three cycles and the Ottnangian, Karpatian, and Sarmatian one each. The Karpatian/Badenian boundary correlates with the Burdigalian/Langhian (Early/Middle Miocene) boundary, and the Sarmatian/Pannonian boundary correlates with the Serravallian/Tortonian (Middle/Late Miocene) boundary. The correlation to third-order cycles and the detection of astronomical signals suggest that not only a regional but also a strong global signal is present in the rock record of the Central Paratethys. Since the current defi- nition of a stage includes its global spread, formally defined regional stages are redundant and therefore also not necessary for the Central Paratethys. However, if stages are essentially regional, then a regional scale as for Central Paratethys would be much more appropriate.


The disappointing recovery after the crisis has sparked renewed interest in the medium-run outlook of advanced economies. Lower population growth and its impact on labour supply gained widespread prominence. This column takes a more general view identifying the impact of the evolution of demographic structure, or the entire age profile, on the macroeconomy. Age profile changes have significant implications for savings, investment and growth but also affect innovation activities. The population aging predicted for the next decades is found to be a significant factor in reducing output growth and real interest rates across OECD countries.


A clinician diagnosis of asthma is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in people with sickle cell disease (SCD). We hypothesized that a screening program would help identify children with asthma needing referral to pulmonary clinic. We conducted a single-center project to screen patients with SCD for asthma using a previously validated questionnaire (Breathmobile) and for pulmonary function abnormalities with portable spirometry. Participants with a positive questionnaire and/or abnormal spirometry were referred to pediatric pulmonary clinic. We evaluated clinical associations with abnormal spirometry and questionnaire responses. Of the 157 participants, 58 (37%) had a positive asthma screening questionnaire. Interpretable spirometry was available for 105 (83% of those eligible) and of these, 35 (34%) had abnormal results. The asthma questionnaire was 87.5% sensitive [95% confidence interval (CI) 74.8-95.3] and 85.3% specific (95% CI 77.3-91.4) to detect a clinician diagnosis of asthma. Participants with positive questionnaires were older (mean age 12.2 vs. 9.9 years, P = 0.012). Spirometry identified 16 additional participants who had normal asthma questionnaires. Seventy-four participants (47%) were referred to pediatric pulmonary clinic and 25 (34%) of these participants scheduled clinic appointments; however, only 13 (52%) were evaluated in pulmonary clinic. Clinic-based asthma screening and spirometry frequently identified individuals with asthma and pulmonary function abnormalities. Only 22% of those referred were eventually seen in pulmonary clinic. The impact of improved screening and treatment on the pulmonary morbidity in SCD needs to be defined and is an area for future investigation. In addition, case management or multidisciplinary clinics may enhance future screening programs.


A method is presented which determines the steady-state solution of nonlinear eddy current problems. The unknown potentials are represented by Fourier-series and the nonlinear behavior of the material is split into a linear and a nonlinear term using a fixed-point technique. This approach leads to decoupled linear equations for each harmonic component. To take the nonlinearity into account, several fixed-point iterations have to be made. The method avoids calculating transient processes which normally have to be stepped through if using time-stepping methods. The present method is illustrated by two 2-D examples


In the literature, there are many studies on greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from dairy barns, however their values are varied. The national inventory of gaseous air pollutants is performed by using theoretical standard emission factors according to the international methodology: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP). The aim of the study was to determine the values of greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O) and ammonia emission factors during pilot research in commercial barns. The study was conducted in six livestock buildings for dairy cows located in the Wielkopolska Voivodship. The studied barns differed in a construction, the type of resting area and the manure removal system. The 18 daily measurements were made, the 3 test series in each barn. The mean calculated values of greenhouse gases and ammonia emission factors were: 135±47 kg·yr-1·cow-1 (103.4±35.9 kg·yr-1·LU-1) for CH4, 0.91±0.74 kg·yr -1·cow-1 (0.70±0.57 kg·yr-1·LU-1) for N2O and 8.9±5.2 kg·yr -1·cow-1 (6.9±3.9 kg·yr-1·LU-1) for NH3 The converted on 1 LU (livestock unit = 500 kg), CH4, N2O and NH3 emission factors differed from factors used by National Centre for Emission Management in 2013. The determined factors in this study were lower about 20% for CH4, higher about 21% for N2O and lower about 67% for NH3.


Skull base pseudotumors, or tumefactive fibroinflammatory lesions (TFIL), are tumors characterized by local destruction with benign histopathology. Treatment includes surgery and steroids with varying degrees of symptom relief. A 45-year-old female presented with right otorrhea and middle ear effusion, which progressed to CN V3 pain/numbness, trismus, headache, and autophony. MRI showed a diffuse infiltrating mass in the right infratemporal region involving the trigeminal ganglion. Biopsy revealed benign fibromuscular and adipose tissue with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, giving a diagnosis of TFIL. Resection would be very difficult given tumor location. Initial treatment included an extended course of steroids without response, and interval disease progression. Two courses of rituximab 375 mg/m2 weekly × 4 given 3 months apart were then completed with excellent tolerance. With sixteen months following induction, the patient reports minimal symptoms with radiographic findings confirming continued disease regression. Rituximab is a potential treatment option for patients with TFIL without response to steroids.


Background Breast feeding in conflict settings is known to be the safest way to protect infant and young children from malnourishment and increased risk of infections. This systematic review assesses the evidence on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in conflict settings. Methodology We conducted a search in PubMed and CENTRAL and also searched for grey literature from the year 1980 to August 2019. We included studies conducted in settings inflicted with armed conflict; which comprised settings undergoing conflict, as well as, those within 5 years of its cessation. Studies were included if they discussed IYCF practices, barriers, programmes and guidelines to promote and improve IYCF practices. Two review authors independently evaluated and screened studies for eligibility and extracted data; followed by a descriptive and thematic analysis. Results We included 56 studies in our review including 11 published articles and 45 reports from grey literature and broadly classified into four predetermined sections: epidemiology (n=24), barriers/enablers (n=18), programmes/interventions (n=15) and implementation guidelines (n=30). Epidemiological evidence shows that IYCF practices were generally poor in conflict settings with median prevalence of exclusive breast feeding at 25%, continued breast feeding at 29%, bottle feeding at 58.3%, introduction to solid, semisolid or soft foods at 71.1% and minimum dietary diversity at 60.3%. IYCF practices were affected by displacement, stress, maternal malnutrition and mental health, family casualties and free distribution of breast milk substitutes. To improve IYCF, several interventions were implemented; including, training of health workers, educating mothers, community networking and mobilisation, lactation-support service, baby friendly hospital initiative, mother–baby friendly spaces and support groups. Conclusion The evidence suggests that IYCF practices are generally poor in conflict inflicted settings. However, there is potential for improvement by designing effective interventions, responsibly disseminating, monitoring and implementing IYCF guidelines as prescribed by WHO development partners, government and non-government organisations with dedicated funds and investing in capacity development.


Detailed knowledge of the image of the point spread function (PSF) is necessary to optimize astronomical coronagraph masks and to understand potential sources of errors in astrometric measurements. The PSF for astronomical telescopes and instruments depends not only on geometric aberrations and scalar wave diffraction but also on those wavefront errors introduced by the physical optics and the polarization properties of reflecting and transmitting surfaces within the optical system. These vector wave aberrations, called polarization aberrations, result from two sources: (1) the mirror coatings necessary to make the highly reflecting mirror surfaces, and (2) the optical prescription with its inevitable non-normal incidence of rays on reflecting surfaces. The purpose of this article is to characterize the importance of polarization aberrations, to describe the analytical tools to calculate the PSF image, and to provide the background to understand how astronomical image data may be affected. To show the order of magnitude of the effects of polarization aberrations on astronomical images, a generic astronomical telescope configuration is analyzed here by modeling a fast Cassegrain telescope followed by a single 90° deviation fold mirror. All mirrors in this example use bare aluminum reflective coatings and the illumination wavelength is 800 nm. Our findings for this example telescope are: (1) The image plane irradiance distribution is the linear superposition of four PSF images: one for each of the two orthogonal polarizations and one for each of two cross-coupled polarization terms. (2) The PSF image is brighter by 9% for one polarization component compared to its orthogonal state. (3) The PSF images for two orthogonal linearly polarization components are shifted with respect to each other, causing the PSF image for unpolarized point sources to become slightly elongated (elliptical) with a centroid separation of about 0.6 mas. This is important for both astrometry and coronagraph applications. (4) Part of the aberration is a polarization-dependent astigmatism, with a magnitude of 22 milliwaves, which enlarges the PSF image. (5) The orthogonally polarized components of unpolarized sources contain different wavefront aberrations, which differ by approximately 32 milliwaves. This implies that a wavefront correction system cannot optimally correct the aberrations for all polarizations simultaneously. (6) The polarization aberrations couple small parts of each polarization component of the light (∼10-4) into the orthogonal polarization where these components cause highly distorted secondary, or "ghost" PSF images. (7) The radius of the spatial extent of the 90% encircled energy of these two ghost PSF image is twice as large as the radius of the Airy diffraction pattern. Coronagraphs for terrestrial exoplanet science are expected to image objects 10-10, or 6 orders of magnitude less than the intensity of the instrument-induced "ghost" PSF image, which will interfere with exoplanet measurements. A polarization aberration expansion which approximates the Jones pupil of the example telescope in six polarization terms is presented in the appendix. Individual terms can be associated with particular polarization defects. The dependence of these terms on angles of incidence, numerical aperture, and the Taylor series representation of the Fresnel equations lead to algebraic relations between these parameters and the scaling of the polarization aberrations. These "design rules" applicable to the example telescope are collected in § . Currently, exoplanet coronagraph masks are designed and optimized for scalar diffraction in optical systems. Radiation from the "ghost" PSF image leaks around currently designed image plane masks. Here, we show a vector-wave or polarization optimization is recommended. These effects follow from a natural description of the optical system in terms of the Jones matrices associated with each ray path of interest. The importance of these effects varies by orders of magnitude between different optical systems, depending on the optical design and coatings selected. Some of these effects can be calibrated while others are more problematic. Polarization aberration mitigation methods and technologies to minimize these effects are discussed. These effects have important implications for high-contrast imaging, coronagraphy, and astrometry with their stringent PSF image symmetry and scattered light requirements.


A voltage measurement methodology is presented, based on the principle of a vibrating capacitance, but implemented electronically. A transconductor with time-varying gain synthesises the vibrating capacitance, the peak to peak charge current of which changes as different DC voltages are applied to the capacitively coupled input. This technique allows for the non-invasive measurement of DC voltages. Experimental results show that the amplitude of the output signal can indeed be used to determine input voltage, with the response being dependent upon the capacitance values in the circuit and the frequency of a locally applied signal that is independent of the voltage being measured.


Drummers have largely been neglected in scholarly literature on music and education,
despite being active in large numbers in popular music and having an increasing presence
in the music education arena. The study explores the identities, practices and learning of
kit drummers in the UK from an emic perspective, using a mixed methodological
approach with a focus on qualitative sociological enquiry drawing on interpretative
phenomenological analysis and grounded theory. Semi-structured interviews were
conducted with 15 teenage drummers and 12 adult drummers; both age groups were
interviewed to allow for consideration of whether adults' reflections on their formative
years differ greatly from those of teenage drummers today. Secondary data were gathered
from a brief questionnaire conducted with 100 more drummers to support and
contextualize the richer interview data. Data were also taken from relevant biographies,
audio/visual media and journalistic sources.
A review of relevant literature was undertaken, looking at sociology, sociology of music,
education, music education, psychology, psychology of music, ethnicity, and gender. The
literature review leads to the proposed new model of the Snowball Self which
incorporates the constructs of identity realization, learning realization, meta-identities and
contextual identities. The thesis then explores the empirical data. It analyzes the data in
relation to the central research focus of identities, practices and learning, and also
examines to what extent the data support or refute the suggested model of the Snowball
Self.
Findings describe a rich variety of roles and identities in drummers' relationships with
musicians and non-musicians. Participants exhibit eclectic musical tastes, and tend as
they grow older to feel a stronger sense of what is 'their' ethnic music. Drummers learn in
multi-modal ways, usually with a keen awareness of exemplars of their art and craft. The
world of kit drumming is highly masculine, which presents a range of opportunities and
challenges to drummers of both sexes. Kit drummers' identities, practices and learning
are found to be intertwined as drummers each exist quasi-independently in a web of
interdependence. Drummers drum; therefore they are, they do, and they learn — in a rich
tapestry of contexts and ways.


Glycidol fatty acid esters (GEs) are food process contaminants detected in edible oils. It has been thought that glycidol is released from GEs by lipase in vivo, and shows genotoxicity. While DNA damage from glycidol has been reported, there is very little information on the DNA damaging potency of GEs in vivo. Therefore, we estimated DNA damage of glycidol and glycidyl oleate, which is one type of GEs, using the standard comet assay and a formamidopyrimidine glycosylase(Fpg)-modified comet assay. ICR male mice were orally administrated glycidol and glycidyl oleate (1.0 and 2.0 mmol/kg body weight) at 24 and 3 hr prior to dissection. In the standard comet assay, DNA damage (tail length and % tail DNA) in liver, kidney and blood samples of glycidol-treated groups were increased in a concentration-dependent manner. In Fpg-modified comet assay, glycidol showed DNA damage with higher sensitivity compared with the standard comet assay. DNA damage was not observed in the administration group of glycidyloleate in the standard comet assay. However, in Fpg-modified comet assay, glycidyl oleate showed significant DNA damage in the liver, kidney and blood samples compared with the standard comet assay. In this study, it was revealed that glycidol and glycidyl oleate induce DNA damage, such as oxidative and alkylation damage, recognized by Fpg protein.


Family planning remains gendered and is mostly a role relegated to women. Since the introduction of family planning programmes in Kenya in the 1970's, the uptake of family planning services by men has remained low. The aim of this study was to establish the factors that hinder the utilization of family planning services among men in Mugumoini location, Nairobi City County A descriptive crosssectional research design was used. Convenience sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire and supplemented with key informant interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed statistically while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study results indicate that men have a high level of knowledge about the existence of family planning. However, their knowledge on the male contraceptive methods is limited to the use of male condoms. The study also revealed that utilization of family planning services among men was low. Barriers that emerged in this study as hindering the utilization of family planning services include fear of vasectomy, gender norms, lack of male friendly services, substance abuse and lack of time. The study concluded that men recognize that they have a role to play in family planning but admit that there are barriers to the utilization of family planning services. The study therefore recommends the implementation of transformative family planning programmes that will actively engage men in the family planning agenda. Gender mainstreaming into family planning programmes will also be crucial to address the gender norms that make men shy away from family planning issues.


At the Academic Medical Centre (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, it was decided to set up a research code committee. The first thing that was done was to define what were considered the most relevant types of scientific misconduct: falsification, plagiarism and invasion of privacy. The committee decided that prevention is better than cure and therefore developed a guideline for desirable behaviour, i.e. how to act scientifically with care and integrity, instead of a guideline on what not to do. The committee also proposed an ombudsman whose services are available to all participants in research in the AMC, and to whom misconduct can be reported. The research code is a loose-leaf system, since new issues will come to the fore and included issues will need to be changed. This committee has created a code that provides a firm basis for scientific integrity within the AMC.


Distributed energy resources (DERs) installed in active distribution networks (ADNs) can be exploited to provide both active and reactive power reserves to the upper-layer grid (i.e., sub-transmission and transmission systems) at their connection point. This paper introduces a method to determine the capability area of an ADN for the provision of both active and reactive power reserves while considering the forecast errors of loads and stochastic generation, as well as the operational constraints of the grid and DERs. The method leverages a linearized load flow model and introduces a set of linear scenario-based robust optimization problems to estimate the reserve provision capability (RPC) area of the ADN. It is proved that, under certain assumptions, the RPC area is convex. The performance of the proposed method is tested on a modified version of the IEEE 33-bus distribution test system.


An epidemic of dengue type 2 infection occurred in North Queensland during 1992 and 1993. A random serosurvey of 1,000 residents of a population that experienced this epidemic only during 1993 was conducted to determine the proportion of the population at risk for secondary infection in the event of another epidemic with a different serotype. The ability of an ELISA to detect prior exposure to the dengue virus was compared with the hemagglutination inhibition assay. Dengue 2 virus plaque-reduction neutralization assays were performed to evaluate the specificity of the antibody response. Antibodies to dengue virus, or closely related flaviviruses, were detected in 61.9%. Seroprevalence increased with age and correlated well with known previous epidemics in the region. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA was 99.2% and 96.2%, respectively. An estimated 26% of the population was infected during the 1993 epidemic.


UMTS is one step ahead from the 2.5G network GPRS and supports faster data rates with wide coverage area. GPRS and UMTS are already deployed in many countries but seamless handover between GPRS and UMTS still remains as a stumbling block for the service providers to fulfill the continuously increasing customer demand for internet and data access in the IP-based wireless network and to maintain incessant connection for the itinerant service consumers. In this paper we propose a method that mongrelizes 3GPP IMS and MIPv4 to resolve the seamless inter-system handover between UMTS and GPRS with a result of no packet loss and minimum latency so that the itinerant service consumers can get services without any interruption. Keywords-UMTS; GPRS; IMS; OPNET; handover


Multidrug resistance-1 (MDR-1) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified as associated with the treatment outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in Caucasians; yet, similar evidence is lacking for Asian populations. A total of 101 AML patients were enrolled in the current study. Two MDR1 SNPs (C3435T and G2677T/A) were analyzed with PCR/RFLP assay. As regards C3435T polymorphism, C/C genotype was significantly correlated with lower functional P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity in leukemic blasts (7.5%) compared with C/T (10.7%) or T/T genotype (19.9%, p = 0.029). In genotypic analyses, C/C at -3435 (p = 0.05) and G/G at -2677 (p = 0.04) were strongly associated with a higher probability of complete remission (CR). In addition, the 3-year event-free survival (EFS) was higher in G/G genotype at -2677 (60.6%) than nonG/G (21.9%; p = 0.0241), in C/C at -3435 was higher than nonC/C genotype (p = 0.0139), and was higher in GC haplotype homozygote (58.2%) than nonGC homozygote (22.6%; p = 0.0427). In a multivariate analysis, the group without GC haplotype showed worse EFS (p = 0.030), with unfavorable cytogenetic risk (p = 0.008). However, no differences were noted in overall survival according to the MDR1 SNPs (p = 0.491 for C3435T and p = 0.955 for G2677T/A).


In this paper, a fault detection algorithm for multiple grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) array configurations is introduced. For a given set of conditions such as solar irradiance and photovoltaic module temperature, a number of attributes such as power, voltage and current are calculated using a mathematical simulation model. Virtual instrumentation (VI) LabVIEW software is used to monitor the performance of the GCPV system and to simulate the theoretical I-V and P-V curves of the examined system. The fault detection algorithm is evaluated on multiple GCPV array configurations such as series, parallel and series-parallel array configuration. The fault detection algorithm has been validated using 1.98 kWp GCPV system installed at the University of Huddersfield. The results indicates that the algorithm is capable to detect multiple faults in the examined GCPV plant and can therefore be used in large GCPV installations.


The future and development of the high-rise metropolis presents a number of fundamental challenges. The standard of living experienced by those that have migrated could be seen as drastically reduced due to issues such as overcrowding, noise pollution and the stratospheric costs of living in a city. These can be classed as profoundly negative impacts which will only amplify in their power over time. Megacities will expand and become more densely populated and hence more crowded. Though the temptation to move to a city can be alluring, these challenges will only increase as time passes. London as an example of a developed city has experienced the brunt of many of these challenges. Congestion, a low standard of public services and overcrowding that of course leads to competition for these services can be seen by simply walking through London's Victoria train station. The dreams people may have of an extremely high standard of living are shattered when faced with the reality of these increasing challenges. It is therefore profoundly important to investigate the principles of the developed city; as in the ways and mechanisms in which the megacity can be a warm, habitable place to live. This paper will investigate these principles and potentially put forward ideas for how the megacity can develop moving forward in order to contribute to providing better places for the planet's population to live.


Plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. metamorphose when they change from a pelagic to a benthic habitat during settlement. The effect of developmental stage (i.e. before, during and after metamorphosis) on the vulnerability of reared plaice was tested in laboratory experiments with the epibenthic brown shrimp Crangon crangon as predator. The developmental effect was studied in the presence and absence of the alternative prey Corophium volutator to investigate if the predator's preference for plaice would change with developmental stage. In addition, I investigated the size dependency of shrimp predation on metamorphosing plaice. The vulnerability to predation de- creased from the last bilaterally symmetrical stage to the early juvenile stage of plaice, with meta- morphosing plaice being intermediate in vulnerability. The decrease was primarily caused by a developmental change in the ability to evade the predator following an encounter. Presence of alter- native prey decreased mortality in all developmental stages of plaice, but no interaction was found between the effect of developmental stage and alternative prey to indicate a change in prey prefer- ence by the predator. The rapid change in vulnerability to predation during metamorphosis suggests that the developmental stage at settlement is of great importance for the initial survival of plaice recruits. Predation by shrimps on metamorphosing plaice was inversely size-dependent and related to the predator's ability to hold on to the prey once captured.


Bilateral Investment treaties have been a source of political controversy in recent years because of the alarming increase in the investor state dispute settlement cases. Against this backdrop, the paper analyses the issues with diffused reciprocity imbibed in BITs leading to the unequal distribution of rights and obligations between developed and developing countries. The hypotheses developed within this analytical framework that a) BITS increases the risk of litigation and b) BITs negatively impacts on the net benefits of countries, are tested empirically using multivariate regression models using country pooled and panel data. Our conclusions are that the investors initiate higher number of cases against countries with BITs. Moreover, the net benefits accruing to countries are seen to be substantially lower for countries with BITs. Our findings support the growing view that a re-look at the traditional BITs model is warranted with a focus to evolve a new generation foreign investment policy framework that together with promoting foreign investment will also enable regulation of investment in keeping with host country public policy.


Gentrification and territorial stigma are understood to be closely linked, yet the workings of the governance networks which underlay this relationship have seldom been explored in depth. This paper seeks to develop understandings of this relationship by showing how the interactions which occur in decision-making processes at the local level culminate in particular strategies for regeneration. It draws on interviews and document analysis to map out and examine networks of governance in Middlehaven, a territorially stigmatised area of Middlesbrough, UK, which has been targeted for regeneration, and indicates the methodology used for tracing the emergence of regeneration strategies in order to reveal how gentrification emerges as a policy response to territorial stigma. In doing so, this paper highlights the relationship between institutional arrangements, governance networks, and approaches to urban change in the context of a territorially stigmatised space in a post-industrial town, and indicates how neoliberal governance occurs in practice at the local level. By highlighting how particular strategies of gentrification which gain traction are embedded in local governance configurations, the paper challenges policy approaches to territorially stigmatised spaces which frame gentrification as an inevitable outcome.


This is a story of a determined and discerning individual who has dedicated his life to applying ICT for the welfare of the common man. We have known entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, social entrepreneurs, social workers and Level 5 Leaders, coined by Jim Collins. But to find a combination of all in a bureaucrat in a state government in India is perhaps the last thing one would even dare to dream. We would like to call him a "Burentrepreneur". Korath took up the challenging role of Director Akshaya, a Government of Kerala department after 20 years in the Indian Army, an MBA degree from Amrita University, an inspiring visit to KODA (NIA), South Korea, and a few years as a consultant. Within a short span of two and half years, he helped increase the average earnings of the 2000 odd Akshaya entrepreneurs multifold, and established Akshaya as the best proactive Citizen Service Center in the country. Korath says, "I have been living on the edge, all these months. It has been a 24×7 task for 365 days in a year." Korath managed Akshaya on corporate lines. His district coordinators speak of a dashboard that enables them to keep track of around 100 to 200 Akshaya centers in real time. Use of available IT features made such feats possible. Kerala is the first state in India where all commercial taxes are paid on-line (G2B) through the Akshaya centers. Around 30 different government services (G2C) are provided through these centers. One can get his / her UID done, ration card application made, application for a Teacher Eligibility Test filed, register for several central government sponsored insurance schemes, reserve railway tickets etc. Two districts in Kerala have been completely digitized for e-service delivery. In addition, the centers provide opportunities for e-Learning, B2C services, C2C services and G2G services. The centers provide direct employment to approximately 20,000 citizens in the state. "Punctuality is Progress" is the slogan that Korath had pasted on the wall behind his table. He applied the principles of Business Process Re-engineering, ERP and Cloud Computing. At one stage, he managed the transfer of more than INR 200 million from individuals to the state exchequer within three days, by-passing several procedural requirements at significant personal risk. He developed excellent teams, team-leaders and instilled trust within the organization. He encouraged everybody to think, he gave them the freedom to criticize him openly, but he requested them to cooperate with each other. Korath believes that his model can easily be replicated all over India. He denies the suggestion that the literacy levels of Kerala enabled him to achieve these results. He quotes data to show that the entrepreneurs' at the most backward areas of Kerala have been the most successful. He looks forward to roll out similar services all over India.


Oxidative stress and inflammatory cell death/tissue damage have been implicated in a wide array of human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, inflammatory joint diseases, cardiovascular dysfunctions as well as ageing. Oxidative stress mediates the activation of transcription factors such as NFκB that, in turn, induce the transcription of certain genes promoting cytokine production. Release of these cytokines results in the enhancement of inflammatory responses and activation of endothelial cells in distant organs. The inflammatory cascade is then triggered by the induction of adhesion molecules and the generation of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. Given that reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS respectively) generated by infiltrated neutrophils into distant organs act directly as noxious agents reacting with molecular components, thereby enhancing inflammatory processes and therefore influencing cell viability, ROS and RNS have become potential therapeutic targets for prophylactic biofactors (Fig. 1). Whilst their production by phagocytic cells is, of course, essential for the eradication of invading pathogens, and the capacity of selected chemotherapeutic agents to generate such species in specific 'target' cells is well known in cancer research, the novel therapeutic actions and potential mechanisms of action of ozone as a microbicidal agent in clinical dentistry are now being advocated. The focus of this special issue "Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine: From Inflammation to Biotechnology" prominently encompasses the pivotal roles of ROS and RNS in the pathogenesis of many clinical conditions (together with their involvement in the ageing process of lower (yeast) cells, and higher organisms including plants), and discusses the potential applications of dietary-derived antioxidants to interfere with the biomolecular mechanisms of these processes and hence offer realistic therapeutic or prophylactic potentials. These studies include evaluations of a specific mushroom extract to reverse the blockage of gap junctional intercellular communication elicited by 12-O-tetradecanolphorbol-13-acetate,


Abstract The Roman market was a paragon of effective public-debt management. The reason for this success was the confidence that the Camera Apostolica (Apostolic Camera)—the main government body—was able to inspire throughout the centuries, thanks to the low risk and the relatively high returns that it could guarantee in comparison with other lenders and instruments (though few significant investment alternatives were available in the area). A long-term analysis of the organization and administration of the Roman public debt, as well as the people involved in it, reveals that the central government of the Papal States established a stable financial system earlier than traditionally supposed and that, unlike that of other European states, it often used the capital raised from bond issues for charitable and productive purposes.


In Irpinia, to grasp the extent to which the multiform and varied castellated density still has today, it is necessary to look at its hilly and mountainous landscapes or read the toponyms of its villages: from the recent study carried out in the Province of Avellino, there is a list of 78 castles still visible in elevation, a very high figure if you consider that the entire provincial territory is composed of 118 municipalities, for a percentage of almost 70%. The period of study in which this research is based on Irpinia's fortification (castles, walls, towers and defensive walls) is part of the period in which the various foreign dynasties conquered the Regnum Siciliae giving rise to a military architecture which goes from the Longobard domination (568-774) to the advent of the Normans (1130-1194) and the Swabians (1194-1268), to retrace the phases of the coming first of the Angevins (1268-1435) and then of the Aragons (1442-1503).


Stereotypes shape inferences in philosophical thought, political discourse, and everyday life. These inferences are routinely made when thinkers engage in language comprehension or production: We make them whenever we hear, read, or formulate stories, reports, philosophical case-descriptions, or premises of arguments – on virtually any topic. These inferences are largely automatic: largely unconscious, non-intentional, and effortless. Accordingly, they shape our thought in ways we can properly understand only by complementing traditional forms of philosophical analysis with experimental methods from psycholinguistics. This paper seeks, first, to bring out the wider philosophical relevance of stereotypical inference, well beyond familiar topics like gender and race. Second, we wish to provide (experimental) philosophers with a toolkit to experimentally study these ubiquitous inferences and what intuitions they may generate. This paper explains what stereotypes are (Section 1), and why they matter to current and traditional concerns in philosophy – experimental, analytic, and applied (Section 2). It then assembles a psycholinguistic toolkit and demonstrates through two studies (Sections 3-4) how potentially questionnaire-based measures (plausibility-ratings) can be combined with process measures (reaction times and pupillometry) to garner evidence for specific stereotypical inferences and study when they 'go through' and influence our thinking.


Religious organizations in Kenya are empowered by the Education Act to participate in the management of schools and colleges that they sponsor. These religious sponsors include: the Quaker Church; the Catholic Church; Africa Inland Church; Salvation Army Church; Seventh Day Adventist Church; Church of God; Presbyterian Church of East Africa; Methodist Church; Baptist Church; Anglican Church of Kenya and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church. The Quaker Church dominates sponsorship of schools in Bungoma East District. However, doubts have been raised regarding its contribution to public secondary school management. This was because there was very scanty documented information on the role of the Quaker Church in Educational Institutions. The purpose of this study was therefore to establish the contribution of the Quaker church to management of public secondary schools in Bungoma East District. A conceptual framework was used to focus on the contribution of the Quaker church to the management of public secondary schools. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The study population consisted of 25 Principals, 25 Board of Governors (BOG) chairpersons, 25 Parents Teachers Association (PTA) chairpersons, 329 Teachers, Quaker Church Education Secretary (QCES) and the District Quality Assurance and Standards Officer (DQASO). Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 22 Principals, 22 BOG chairpersons, 22 PTA chairpersons and 118 teachers. Saturated sampling technique was used to select one QCES and one DQASO. Document analysis guide, Questionnaires and Interview schedules were used for data collection. Face validity of the instruments was determined by experts in the Department of Educational Management and Foundations. The outcome of the pilot study was used to enhance the instruments reliability by correcting the inconsistencies and ambiguities noted. Quantitative data obtained from closed ended questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics in form of percentages and frequency counts. Qualitative data collected from open-ended questionnaire and interviews was transcribed and analyzed on an on-going process as themes and sub-themes emerged from the data. The study established that: The contribution of the Quaker church to staffing in secondary schools in Bungoma East was through panel of selection in accordance to Teachers Service Commission guidelines. The Quaker church's contribution to school discipline management was mainly through pastoral programs conducted during weekend challenges, rallies, Sunday services, counseling and special prayer days by chaplains. The contribution of Quaker church to financing of education was generally minimal because of lack of funds. However, the main contribution was school establishment by providing physical facilities, land in particular on which virtually all Quaker sponsored schools were built. The Quaker church motivated teaching staff in its sponsored schools through creation of peaceful working environment. The study concluded that the Quaker church's contribution to public secondary school management was minimal and this was attributed to challenges it faced and its principles of simplicity and non-interference. The study recommended that: The Quaker church should incorporate competent Quaker educationists who are well founded in educational management in its school programs to replace the less informed nominees on school boards. The Quaker church should be actively involved more in the appointment of process of secondary school principals to enhance mutual co-existence among all key stakeholders in education management. The Quaker church should train and deploy more chaplains to all of its sponsored schools for effectiveness in pastoral programs and guidance and counseling.


Contemporary far-right politicians increasingly diffuse messages through social networks. This article argues that online communication may prove effective for political engagement because it can create emotional reactions against certain groups, in a process that I call "emotional antagonism." An example of emotional antagonism is online Islamophobia, which considers Islam as supposedly incompatible with democratic values and tends to conflate Muslims with migrants. Through qualitative observations and textual analyses of tweets, this article explores the following questions: How do certain online exchanges emotionally frame Muslims as the social "others" in relation to European culture? Why and how does the Internet facilitate the spread of emotional antagonism? What type of political propaganda and participation is connected to affective online Islamophobia? The article analyses two case studies: 1) Islamophobic tweets sent in the aftermath of the British referendum in 2016, with the hashtag #Brexit; 2) Anti-Muslim tweets that contain the hashtag #chiudiamoiporti (close the ports), launched by Italian Vice Prime Minister Matteo Salvini in 2018 to support anti-migration measures. The article shows that exploring emotional antagonism can add complexity to the current understanding of Islamophobic conflicts, of social media platforms' characteristics, and of political participation based on online communication.


Diagnostic standardization requires substantial effort, including detailed specification of procedures in a written protocol and training of examiners in such procedures. Success is neither automatic nor assured. It is essential to monitor performance through replicate examinations and/or computation of examiner variance. When examiner variance exceeds permissible limits, consideration should be given to discarding the data.


Low alloy multiphase TRansformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels offer an excellent combination of a large uniform elongation and a high strength. This results from the composite behaviour of the different phases that are present in these steels: polygonal ferrite, bainitic ferrite and a martensite/austenite constituent. In order to obtain a clear understanding of the behaviour of the different constituents within the multiphase steel, they were prepared separately. The stress-strain relationship of the different single phase and multiphase steels were simulated with physically based micromechanical models. The model used to describe the stress-strain curves of the separate phases is based on the Mecking-Kocks and Seeger-Kocks theories and uses physical properties such as the microstructural properties and the chemical composition of the different phases. Strain-induced transformation kinetics, based on a generalized form of the Olson-Cohen law, were used to include the influence of the transformation of the metastable austenite. Static stress-strain properties of multiphase steels were modelled by the successive application of a Gladman type mixture law for two-phase steels. The model yields detailed information of stress and strain partitioning between the different phases during a static tensile test. A model for the dynamic stress-strain properties of ferritic steels is also proposed.


The preferable conformations of the inhibitory transmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its specific inhibitor bicuculline are due to the occupation of the GABAreceptor by a part of the bicuculline molecule that is isosteric with the biologically active conformation of GABA. In the present review are described characteristics of sodium-independence receptor sites and evaluated the regional distribution of postsynaptic receptor binding for GABA in the central nervous system. The postsynaptic GABA receptor has been labeled by direct binding of 3H-GABA. The structural analogues and antagonists of GABA were investigated for inhibition of GABA binding. The developmental changes in the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase, the GABA uptake mechanism and GABA receptor binding in embryo brain were examined. Different models for the GABA-receptor interaction are considered. Data of the stoichiometry of GABA-receptor interactions indicate that the interaction is probabilistic and that 3 molecules of GABA are needed to activate the receptor probabilistically. It was found that 1 molecule of picrotoxin was capable of blocking the interaction with 3 GABA molecules. The hypothetical model of cooperative action of GABA-recepto-inophore complexes involving membrane mobility is also discussed. The transitive complex GABA with ligand binding of Na+, Cl- and the conformational changes of GABA-receptor is proposed.


During the last two years the natural foci of plague in the North Caucasus were controlled with relatively low intensity. Nevertheless, every year rodents of different species and their fleas, both infected with Yersinia pestis, were detected in all 5 foci. According to the available data, no intensive, expanding epizootics were registered at the period under consideration. In the areas where stable manifestations of plague, irrespective of the density of the population of vector rodents, were observed for decades only a few infected rodents or local epizootics of plague were mainly registered.


causes. There is an increasing public awareness of the relevance of diet to health and the possible role of added ingredients in causing a wide range of physically and psychologically distressing symptoms. The chapter on epidemiology of food sensitivity in childhood is therefore fashionable and nicely written. The author examines the reasons for lack of accurate data about the prevalence of food allergy and concludes that well controlled population based prospective studies are required to shed light about problems related to food allergy. The monograph ends with a very enjoyable and stimulating two chapters on why it is that allergic diseases are becoming common and the genetic basis of allergy. The authors conclude that studies on environment and genetic predisposition will contribute to understanding the illness. This is a timely and very stimulating book which is well produced and carefully compiled. Each chapter is well referenced providing an easy access to key epidemiological papers. I highly recommend it to all those who have a concern about the environment and an interest in clinical allergy. NABILJARAD


Theoretical reaction rates in the temperature range 0.01 x 10(9) less than or equal to T(K) less than or equal to 10.0 x 10(9) are calculated in the statistical model (Hauser-Feshbach formalism) for targets with 10 less than or equal to Z less than or equal to 83 (Ne to Bi) and for a mass range reaching the neutron and proton driplines. Reactions considered are (n, gamma), (n, p), (n, alpha), (p, gamma), (p, alpha), (alpha, gamma), and their inverse reactions. Reaction rates as a function of temperature for thermally populated targets are given by seven analytical parameter fits. To facilitate comparison with experimental rates, the stellar enhancement factors are also tabulated. Two complete sets of rates have been calculated, one of which includes a phenomenological treatment of shell quenching for neutron-rich nuclei. These extensive datasets are provided on-line as electronic files, while a selected subset from one calculation is given as printed tables. A summary of the theoretical inputs and advice on the use of the provided tabulations is included. (C) 2000 Academic Press.


Magnesium metal and its alloys have been investigated as promising biomaterials for internal bone fixation devices. Previous reports have shown that magnesium fixation devices enhance fracture healing in animal models while exhibiting biocompatibility and biodegradability. Moreover, mechanistic studies have indicated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) display an osteogenic response to increased magnesium (Mg2+) concentrations in culture medium. We sought to study the signaling pathways underlying Mg-mediated osteogenesis in human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs). We hypothesized that Mg2+ could be inducing the osteogenic response of hBMSCs in a calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) dependent manner. In the present study, hBMSCs were stimulated with basal medium (BM) supplemented with 10 mM MgSO4 (10-Mg), 4 mM CaCl2 (4-Ca) or 10 mM CaCl2 (10-Ca) at different time points. Western blot results showed a similar trend of CaSR phosphorylation in response to 10-Mg and 4-Ca media. Although this phosphorylation peaked at 15 minutes with both 10-Mg and 4-Ca media, it was not significantly higher than with BM alone. PKC-δ and Erk 1/2 are two downstream kinases of the CaSR. Both kinases have been reported to play a pivotal role in the differentiation of osteoprogenitors by regulating the expression of key osteogenic markers. We showed that hBMSCs exposure to 10-Mg medium resulted in significant phosphorylation of PKC-δ relative to BM. In contrast, Erk1/2 did not exhibit significant changes in its activity with 10-Mg medium. In addition, qPCR data showed upregulation of Cx43, ALPL and Col10A1 following hBMSCs treatment with 10-Mg medium. Similarly, a trend of upregulation of Runx2 mRNA was seen with 10-Mg medium; however, this upregulation was not statistically significant. VEGFA, a key angiogenic marker, was downregulated at the mRNA level by 10-Mg medium at a late time point (3 weeks). Chemical blocking of CaSR by its selective antagonist NPS2143 only potentiated ALPL expression, but did not have any effect on VEGFA or Col10A1. In conclusion, we propose a potential mechanism by which PKC-δ and Cx43 could mediate the osteogenic response of hBMSCs to increased Mg2+ concentrations. The suggested functional activity of PKC-δ might be regulated by a CaSR upstream signaling mechanism.


We propose a novel approach for answering and explaining multiple-choice science questions by reasoning on grounding and abstract inference chains. This paper frames question answering as an abductive reasoning problem, constructing plausible explanations for each choice and then selecting the candidate with the best explanation as the final answer. Our system, ExplanationLP, elicits explanations by constructing a weighted graph of relevant facts for each candidate answer and extracting the facts that satisfy certain structural and semantic constraints. To extract the explanations, we employ a linear programming formalism designed to select the optimal subgraph. The graphs' weighting function is composed of a set of parameters, which we fine-tune to optimize answer selection performance. We carry out our experiments on the WorldTree and ARC-Challenge corpus to empirically demonstrate the following conclusions: (1) Grounding-Abstract inference chains provides the semantic control to perform explainable abductive reasoning (2) Efficiency and robustness in learning with a fewer number of parameters by outperforming contemporary explainable and transformer-based approaches in a similar setting (3) Generalisability by outperforming SOTA explainable approaches on general science question sets.


The trend towards decline and stabilization of the AIDS epidemic in Brazil should be analyzed carefully, since aggregate data can mask regional or local inequalities in such a large and diverse country. The current study reevaluates the epidemic's spatial dissemination and the AIDS-related mortality pattern in Brazil. The study considered all AIDS cases diagnosed in individuals over 18 years of age and living in Brazil, as well as AIDS deaths recorded in 1998-2008. Three-year moving average rates were estimated, and a spatial analysis was conducted using a local empirical Bayesian method. The epidemic was only found to be expanding in the North and Northeast regions, while declining in the rest of the country, especially in the Southeast. According to the findings, the apparent stabilization of AIDS mortality tends to mask regional disparities. Social determinants of health and regional disparities should be taken into account in program development and policymaking


Cyanobacteria, the only bacteria that can carry out oxygenic, i.e. plant-type, photosynthesis, can be engineered with the methods of synthetic biology so that they acquire the ability to convert CO2 directly into biofuel and/or commodity chemicals, i.e. thereby bypassing the formation of the entire complex set of (macro)molecules that jointly form biomass. This approach has become known as 'direct conversion' and has been shown to be feasible for several products already, even upon significant scale-up. Here we explain and this concept of 'direct conversion' trough natural photosynthesis and discuss its limitations and potential further improvement.


Distributive justice is an aspect immensely debated in studies of philosophy, political, behavioural and social sciences both in mainstream or Islam. Given its  increasing relevance to the global village we share and the intensity of socio-economic problems invariably related to the distribution of resources amongst us, this  work is aimed at adding value through a deeper understanding and appreciation  of justice placed by the Syariah in all domains of of our economic lives. The existing  works within this area appear to lean mostly towards redistributive mechanisms  available in the revealed knowledge. Hence a comprehensive analysis of the no- tion of distributive justice from the theoretical level translated into practical terms is expected to contribute significantly to policymakers committed towards finding permanent solutions to economic problems especially in the Muslim world. It is a modest yet serious attempt to bridge the gap between distributive justice in letter and spirit as clearly ordained in the Holy Quran. The entire analysis is based on critical reviews and appraisals of the all relevant literary on distributive justice in Islamic Economics. The final product is a conceptual framework that can be used as a blueprint in establishing the notion of justice in the distribution of economic resources, i.e. income and wealth as aspired by the Syariah.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop and examine an integrated mediating model that contains relationship benefits as the relationship antecedents; trust, relationship commitment and gratitude as mediators; and repurchase intention as the relationship consequence in a service business context.

Design/methodology/approach
The study recruited 253 respondents to test the proposed model. A partial-least-square-based structural equation modeling was adopted to evaluate the measurement of research constructs and test the research hypotheses that underpinned a proposed conceptual model.

Findings
The results show that confidence benefits increase trust more than social and special treatment benefits; social benefits have the most influence on relationship commitment; and special treatment benefits most greatly enhance feelings of gratitude. Thus, depending on the improvement objectives, marketers can accordingly choose the proper relationship benefits as a primary approach. Furthermore, both the direct and indirect effects of confidence benefits and social benefits on repurchase intention were significant.

Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is that all research variables were measured at a static point rather than as they were developing. Ignorance of the temporal sequence may incur the concern of possible spurious causal relationship inferences.

Practical implications
The study's findings offer several important implications for service providers, which, in this study, were separated into high (e.g. such as hairdressing, beauty and massage) and low personal contact service groups (e.g. telecommunications and equipment maintenance). First, social benefits are more effective at increasing gratitude in the low personal contact service group, and at boosting trust in the high-contact group. Second, special treatment benefits increase gratitude much more in the high-contact group than in the low personal contact group. Third, gratitude has a much stronger effect on repurchase intention in the high personal contact group than in the low-contact group.

Originality/value
The interactions among relationship benefits, mediators (i.e. trust and relationship commitment) and outcomes remain unclear. Although the importance of gratitude as a mediator in relationship marketing (RM) has been shown, little research has examined how relational benefits influence repurchase intention through the combined mediating effects of commitment, trust and gratitude. Therefore, this study advances RM theory by examining the degree of additional explaining power that gratitude contributes to the commitment–trust model. The study also makes a practical contribution by building a research model to understand the nature of mediating roles played by relationship commitment, trust and gratitude in the service industry.


European Union (EU) pursues a long-term structural approach to political development and modernization, in which ethical considerations blend with security and economic objectives. The concept of polyarchy offers a plausible model of the EU's vision. It is used by liberal political scientists to denote an open, pluralist political, and socio-economic system. More critical political economy theorists emphasize the constraining and insulated features of capitalist polyarchy (which is understood as a sophisticated but anti-democratic system). The EU's strategy and impact can be critiqued in regard to both concepts: the liberal vision of polyarchy and the radical interpretation of this as a relatively diffuse but hegemonic system. In regard to its policies for Egypt, one notes an effort to develop social democracy, participatory development, small businesses, and general pluralism. However, the bulk of its policies continue to support pre-existing elites and the transnational sector of the economy, with a limited role for civil society. Thus, the EU's activity lends itself to the more hegemonic interpretation of polyarchic development. This does not mean that this is how Egypt will actually develop. EU policies are refracted through Egyptian institutions and have complex, multifaceted, impacts on socio-economic and political structures.