This dissertation uses tools and models from labor economics to study two information problems in healthcare markets: the uncertainty of patients regarding the quality of medical care and the asymmetry of information between physicians and patients. These problems may lead to market failure and impact patient care, but our current understanding of the consequences of each is imperfect. I first consider patients' difficulty in determining the quality of medical services, focusing on technical skill of cardiac specialists. While it is difficult for patients to judge the skill of cardiac specialists due to information problems, referring doctors may have access to quality information unavailable to patients. This chapter considers whether the referral relationship between primary care physicians and specialists mitigates problems arising from patients' lack of information in this context. In particular, I measure the extent to which referring doctors learn about specialist quality by observing patient outcomes and use this information to select specialists on patients' behalf. This chapter presents a model of the referral relationship with public learning by PCPs about specialist quality. The model makes predictions for specialists' careers. In general terms, the model predicts that careers of specialists should diverge by quality over time. I test predictions of the model using the universe of Medicare claims filed by cardiac specialists in the U.S. from 1996-2005. Specifically, I compare careers of higher and lower quality specialists using a new measure of specialist quality that is robust to nonrandom patient sorting. The evidence suggests some degree of learning by PCPs: lower quality specialists are significantly more likely to drop out of the labor market and to change geographic markets over time. For young cohorts, learning also results in improved sorting of patients to providers based on risk characteristics over time. The next chapter, which is joint work with M. Marit Rehavi, addresses the asymmetry of information between physicians and patients. Specifically, it measures the extent of agency problems arising from this inequality, focusing on the decision to perform C-sections. We do this by comparing the probability of receiving a C-section for physician-patients with the probability for non-physician professionals. The research design exploits the fact that physicians are better informed regarding the appropriateness of recommendations and treatments than the average professional. As such, treatments for this group provide a near-fully-informed baseline that allows us to isolate the effects of information and agency problems. We carry out this analysis using vital statistics data from the state of Texas, including every registered birth from 1995-2008. We find evidence consistent with agency problems in the physician-patient relationship. Physician-patients are approximately 5% less likely to have a C-section than other highly educated patients, controlling for relevant medical factors. This difference is even larger when the mother is the physician, and it comes almost entirely from non-emergecy C-sections. Findings are consistent with significant agency problems, and these appear to have increased in importance over the sample period.


The objective of this article is to assess labour income and employment effects in Romania coming from rural development and structural policies defined in the proposed 2007-09 EU accession financial package. The methodology used is based on a multiregional I-O model derived by a three-stage estimation procedure. Main results show that EU accession will lead to large positive effects in Romania, which vary according to the region considered. In this connection, the South and the North- East regions are those on which benefits tend to concentrate. Finally, policy would seem to reduce regional and sectoral income disparities, leading to more balanced development. On the contrary, in terms of employment, policy would increase divergences, albeit, from an analysis of single region economy, a general tendency to a reduction of sector disparities is noticed.


Inertial measurement units (IMU) provide a convenient tool for gait stability assessment. However, it is unclear how various gait characteristics relate to each other and whether gait characteristics can be obtained from resultant acceleration. Therefore, step duration variability was measured in treadmill walking from 39 young ambulant volunteers (age 24.2 [± 2.5] y; height 1.79 [± 0.09] m; mass 71.6 [± 12.0] kg) using motion capture. Accelerations and gyrations were simultaneously recorded with an IMU. Harmonic ratio, maximum Lyapunov exponents, and multiscale sample entropy (MSE) were calculated. Step duration variability was positively associated with MSE with coarseness levels = 3-6 (r = -.33 to -.42, P ≤ .045). Harmonic ratio and MSE with all coarseness levels were negatively associated (r = -.45 to -.57, P ≤ .004). The MSE with coarseness level = 2 was negatively associated with short-term maximum Lyapunov exponents (r = -.32, P = .047). The agreement between resultant and vertical acceleration derived gait characteristics was excellent (ICC = 0.97-0.99). In conclusion, MSE with varying coarseness levels was associated with the other gait characteristics evaluated in the study. Resultant and vertical acceleration derived results had excellent agreement, which suggests that resultant acceleration is a viable alternative to considering the acceleration dimensions independently.


Groundwater contamination and soil salinisation are a major environmental problem worldwide. Living organisms depend largely on groundwater for their survival and its pollution is of course of major concern. It therefore goes without saying that remedial processes and understanding of the mathematical models that describe contaminant transport is of great importance. The theory of contaminant transport requires understanding of the water flow even at the microscopic level. In this study we focus on macroscopic deterministic models based on differential equations. Here contaminant will refer to nonreactive contaminant. We aim to calculate Lie point symmetries of the one-dimensional Advection-diffusion equation (ADE) for various forms of the diffusion coefficient and transport velocity. We aim to employ classical Lie symmetry techniques. Furthermore, reductions will be carried out using the elements of the optimal systems. In concluding, the ADE is analyzed for selected forms of the the diffusion coefficient and transport velocity via the potential symmetry method. For the potential symmetries obtained, we investigate the associated invariant solutions.


Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder strongly associated with dopamine dysregulation. Catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) is a candidate gene for schizophrenia that encodes an enzyme involved in the metabolic inactivation of dopamine. The COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism has been associated with schizophrenia and has significant inter- and intra-ethnic variations. We examined a possible association between the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism and schizophrenia in Saudis, taking into account gender and functional symptoms. Saudi subjects including 172 unrelated schizophrenia patients and 177 matched controls were analyzed for allele and genotype distribution of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism. We found significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies between patients and controls. The frequencies of Met(158) allele (A) and genotype Val(158)Met (GA) were significantly higher in patients compared to those in controls. On the other hand, the frequencies of Val(158) allele (G) and genotype Val(158)Val (GG) were significantly higher in controls than those in patients. We found a significant association of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism with schizophrenia. Moreover, male patients with the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism had increased risk for schizophrenia compared to female subjects. However, no association was noticed with the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism and negative or positive symptoms of schizophrenia. These results provide evidence for a role of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism in the etiopathophysiology of schizophrenia in Saudi population. It appears that the association of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism with schizophrenia is mediated by gender.


Abstract:  Although total impervious area (TIA) is often used as an indicator of urban disturbance, recent studies suggest that the subset of impervious surfaces that route stormwater runoff directly to streams via stormwater pipes, called directly connected impervious area (DCIA), may be a better predictor of stream ecosystem alteration. We evaluated the differences between TIA and DCIA in the Shepherd Creek catchment, a small (1.85‐km2), suburban basin in Cincinnati, Ohio. Imperviousness determinations were calculated based on publicly available geographic information system (GIS) data and parcel‐scale field assessments, and these direct assessments were compared to DCIA calculated from published, empirical relationships. Impervious and semi‐impervious area comprised 13.1% of the catchment area, with 56.3% of the impervious area connected. When summarized by subcatchments (0.26‐1.85 km2), TIA measured in the field (11‐23%) was considerably higher than that calculated from the National Land Cover Data Imperviousness Layer (7‐18%). In contrast, TIA calculated based on aerial photos was similar to TIA calculated from field assessments, thus indicating that photo interpretation may be adequate for catchment‐scale (>25 ha) TIA determinations. While these GIS data sources can be used to calculate TIA, on‐site assessments were necessary to accurately determine DCIA within residential parcels. There was a wide variation in percent connectivity across parcels, and, subsequently, DCIA was not accurately predicted from empirical relationships with TIA. We discuss applications of DCIA data that highlight the importance of parcel‐scale field assessments for managing suburban watersheds.


This conceptual paper draws together the seemingly disparate concepts of business continuity and inclusive design with a two-fold overarching aim. Firstly, the paper aims to make a case for people-centred approaches to business continuity planning, particularly in areas of real-time assessment, building agile and resilient organisations, and new value creation. This is ful fi lled by tracing recent developments in business continuity thinking and business continuity management practice, that highlight a shift from a purely functional approach, to a more holistic, embedded, dynamic, people-centred and strategic stance. Secondly, the paper aims to propose new applications of inclusive design for business impact in general, and business continuity in particular, thereby extending the business case for inclusive design as outlined in British Standards (BS 7000 – 6:2005). This is ful fi lled by highlighting the rationale, value and emergent opportunities in this area. In bringing the two concepts and their respective theory and practice together, the paper also presents recent discussions on the intersection of design thinking and business continuity, which demonstrate the potential value that a design-led approach can bring to enable people-centredness and inclusion in the domain of business continuity. Additionally, the paper proposes a fi rst-level de fi nition of ' people-centred business continuity ' which is considered a steppingstone in the research process for further investigation in both theory and application.


We consider the problem of minimizing a convex objective function $F$ when one can only evaluate its noisy approximation $\hat{F}$. Unless one assumes some structure on the noise, $\hat{F}$ may be an arbitrary nonconvex function, making the task of minimizing $F$ intractable. To overcome this, prior work has often focused on the case when $F(x)-\hat{F}(x)$ is uniformly-bounded. In this paper we study the more general case when the noise has magnitude $\alpha F(x) + \beta$ for some $\alpha, \beta > 0$, and present a polynomial time algorithm that finds an approximate minimizer of $F$ for this noise model. Previously, Markov chains, such as the stochastic gradient Langevin dynamics, have been used to arrive at approximate solutions to these optimization problems. However, for the noise model considered in this paper, no single temperature allows such a Markov chain to both mix quickly and concentrate near the global minimizer. We bypass this by combining "simulated annealing" with the stochastic gradient Langevin dynamics, and gradually decreasing the temperature of the chain in order to approach the global minimizer. As a corollary one can approximately minimize a nonconvex function that is close to a convex function; however, the closeness can deteriorate as one moves away from the optimum.


An important aspect of respiratory management in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is the elimination of secretions. Methods utilized for secretion management in patients with SCI includes endotracheal suctioning and mechanical in-exsufflation (MI-E). Surveyed here is a group of patients with SCI who have had experience with both endotracheal suctioning and MI-E via tracheostomy, to determine patient opinions and experiences regarding the 2 techniques. The survey was administered to 18 patients with traumatic SCI, with an average age of 34. 72% were ASIA A, 22% percent were ASIA B, and 6% were ASIA C, with neurological level of injury ranging from C-1-T-3. Results indicate that patients found MI-E significantly less irritating (p < 0.001), less painful (p < 0.001), less tiring (p = 0.01), and less uncomfortable (p < 0.001) than endotracheal suctioning. In a direct comparison, 89% of patients preferred mechanical in-exsufflation to suctioning. In addition, 89% of patients found MI-E faster, 78% found MI-E more convenient, and 72% found MI-E more effective than suctioning. This study demonstrates that all measured aspects of patient experience are more positive for MI-E than for endotracheal suctioning.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this in vitro pilot investigation is to assess the accuracy of the preemptive individually fabricated root analogue implant (RAI) based on three-dimensional (3D) root surface models obtained from a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan, computer-aided designing (CAD), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology and to measure the discrepancy in congruence with the alveolar socket subsequent to placement of the RAI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eleven single-rooted teeth from nine human cadaver mandibles were scanned with the 3D Accuitomo 170 CBCT system. The 3D surface reconstructions of the teeth acquired from the CBCT scans were used as input for fabrication of the RAIs in titanium using rapid manufacturing technology. The teeth were then carefully extracted. The teeth and RAIs were consequently optically scanned. The mandibles with the empty extraction sockets were scanned with CBCT using identical settings to the first scan. Finally, the preemptively made RAIs were implanted into their respective sockets, and the mandibles were again scanned with CBCT using the same scan settings as previous scans. All 3D surface reconstructions (CBCT 3D surface models and optical scan 3D models) were saved for further analysis. 3D models of original teeth and optical scans of the RAIs were superimposed onto each other; differences were quantified as root mean square (RMS) and Hausdorff surface distance. To obtain an estimate of the fit (congruence) of the RAIs in their respective sockets, the volumetric data sets of the sockets were compared with those of the root part of RAIs congruent with the sockets.

RESULTS
Superimposed surfaces of the RAIs and the original tooth reveal discrepancy for RMS, volumetric geometry, and surface area varying from 0.08 mm to 0.35 mm, 0.1% to 7.9%, and 1.1% to 3.8%, respectively. Comparing volume differences of the alveolus with the socket corresponding part of the RAI resulted in every case the volume of the socket being greater than the root part of the RAI ranging from 0.6% to 5.9% volume difference.

CONCLUSION
The preemptive CAD/CAM-based RAI technique might offer promising features for immediate implant placement. However, due to the lack of prospective clinical data, further research is needed to fine-tune and evaluate this technique.


This paper presents a novel framework for automatic speech-driven gesture generation, applicable to human-agent interaction including both virtual agents and robots. Specifically, we extend recent deep-learning-based, data-driven methods for speech-driven gesture generation by incorporating representation learning. Our model takes speech as input and produces gestures as output, in the form of a sequence of 3D coordinates. Our approach consists of two steps. First, we learn a lower-dimensional representation of human motion using a denoising autoencoder neural network, consisting of a motion encoder MotionE and a motion decoder MotionD. The learned representation preserves the most important aspects of the human pose variation while removing less relevant variation. Second, we train a novel encoder network SpeechE to map from speech to a corresponding motion representation with reduced dimensionality. At test time, the speech encoder and the motion decoder networks are combined: SpeechE predicts motion representations based on a given speech signal and MotionD then decodes these representations to produce motion sequences. We evaluate different representation sizes in order to find the most effective dimensionality for the representation. We also evaluate the effects of using different speech features as input to the model. We find that mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), alone or combined with prosodic features, perform the best. The results of a subsequent user study confirm the benefits of the representation learning.


Task switching and interruption effects—slower and (often) less accurate responses when a task changes compared to that when a task remains the same—have been investigated from both theoretical and applied vantage points (e.g., Altmann & Trafton, 2007; Jersild, 1927; Rogers & Monsell, 1995). The task switching research has typically used simple tasks with high stimulus-response (S-R) overlap, but there is a need to use different methods and tasks to test the boundaries of task switching effects and the theories used to explain them (Logan, 2003). This thesis examined the costs of switching between a recognition memory task, which is a more complex task than those typically used, and a magnitude judgement task (for the number of dots in a spatial array), which is the type of simple task that has been used (e.g., Altmann, 2002; Monsell, Sumner & Waters, 2003). Across seven experiments, participants switched between the recognition and magnitude tasks in predictable 1, 2, or 4-trial runs. The first two experiments examined task switching effects on recognition memory performance, with Experiment 2 investigating whether specific recognition processes (i.e., recollection and/or familiarity) were affected by switching tasks. Experiment 3 investigated the recovery from a task switch for both tasks and included a visual, task switch "reminder" cue in an attempt to improve switching performance. Finally, Experiments 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B examined evidence for two well-known task switching phenomena, the practice effect and the preparation effect. The results led to four critical conclusions: (1) switching between two tasks with minimal S-R overlap produced significant RT and accuracy switch effects; (2) the cost to recognition memory accuracy did not reflect an impairment to controlled recollection processes; (3) the magnitude and persistence of task switching effects changed as a function of practice within an experiment; and (4) there was little evidence that participants began to switch tasks in advance of stimulus presentation. The results reported in this thesis provide a clear example of task switching driven by the type of stimulus (word or dots), where a change in stimulus type (i.e., from word to dots array or vice versa) initiated the time consuming process of retrieving/activating the appropriate task set. Future research will need to clarify whether the stimulus-driven nature of switching between the recognition and magnitude tasks remains when using different task switching paradigms and when S-R overlap is reintroduced.


BACKGROUND
Concerned about threats to the integrity of clinical trials in a research environment increasingly controlled by private interests, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has issued revised guidelines for investigators' participation in the study design, access to data, and control over publication. It is unclear whether research conducted at academic institutions adheres to these new standards.

METHODS
From November 2001 through January 2002, we interviewed officials at U.S. medical schools about provisions in their institutions' agreements with industry sponsors of multicenter clinical trials. A subgroup of the respondents were also asked about coordinating-center agreements for such trials.

RESULTS
Of the 122 medical schools that are members of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 108 participated in the survey. The median number of site-level agreements executed per institution in the previous year was 103 (interquartile range, 50 to 210). Scores for compliance with a wide range of provisions--from ensuring that authors of reports on multicenter trials have access to all trial data (1 percent [interquartile range, 0 to 21]) to addressing the plan for data collection and monitoring (10 percent [interquartile range, 1 to 50])--demonstrated limited adherence to the standards embodied in the new ICMJE guidelines. Scores for coordinating-center agreements were somewhat higher for most survey items.

CONCLUSIONS
Academic institutions routinely engage in industry-sponsored research that fails to adhere to ICMJE guidelines regarding trial design, access to data, and publication rights. Our findings suggest that a reevaluation of the process of contracting for clinical research is urgently needed.


Abstract Drawing on the relational turbulence theory, this study explored the associations of self, partner and relationship uncertainty, and partner interference and facilitation with psychological distress symptoms during the COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders. A longitudinal study of 313 individuals was conducted in Israel at three time points, spanning from the first lockdown (April 2020) and through the alleviation of the severe restrictions (June 2020). Multilevel modelling indicated divergent associations between the different sources of relational uncertainty and interdependence and somatization, depression and anxiety. Further analyses pointed to divergent findings regarding how change in self, partner and relationship uncertainty predicted change in somatization, depression and anxiety over the course of the study, depending on whether the three sources of relational uncertainty were analysed separately or simultaneously in the same model. Change in interference from a partner did not predict changes in psychological distress. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.


I returned to China from the United Kingdom in 1953, then worked in Purple Mountain Observatory. It was the early days of new China. The elder generation of astronomers was undertaking an effort of "repairing broken and filling defect" during those post-war years, and started planning and laying the foundation of modern astronomy. Under their leadership, I started a journey of astronomy whose main task was construction. The journey has been full of twists and turns. As a result of the "Great Leap Forward" in 1958 and the 1966 launch of the decade-long "Cultural Revolution" period, the situation of construction in astronomy was similar to that in other sciences, suffering bad effects. Not until the "Reform and Opening up" period after those events was construction able to continue, and various disciplines and international connections began to open. A "passage" had gradually developed. In this new circumstance, I kept pursuing the pioneers to explore a forward direction. Looking back today, this journey has been three periods of a four generation relay. This article is divided into three sections that describe my research work in these times that I recall: (1) Looking back at the beginning of the return and tracing the footprints of the founders. (2) Recalling my radio astronomy tour. (3) Retrospection and expectation of LAMOST.


The processes involved in the development of high‐altitude, low‐relief areas (HLAs) are still poorly understood. Although cosmogenic nuclides have provided insights into the evolution of HLAs interpreted as paleo‐surfaces, most studies focus on estimating how slowly they erode and thereby their relative stability. To understand actual development processes of HLAs, we applied several techniques of cosmogenic nuclides in the Daegwanryeong Plateau, a well‐known HLA in the Korean Peninsula. Our denudation data from strath terraces, riverine sediments, soils, and tors provide the following conclusions: (1) bedrock incision rate in the plateau (~127 m Myr−1) is controlled by the incision rate of the western part of the Korean Peninsula, and is similar to the catchment‐wide denudation rate of the plateau (~93 m Myr−1); (2) the soil production function we observed shows weak depth dependency that may result from highly weathered bedrock coupled with frequent frost action driven by alpine climate; (3) a discrepancy between the soil production and catchment‐wide denudation rates implies morphological disequilibrium in the plateau; (4) the tors once regarded as fossil landforms of the Tertiary do not reflect Tertiary processes; and (5) when compared with those of global paleo‐surfaces (<20 m Myr−1), our rapid denudation rates suggest that the plateau cannot have maintained its probable initial paleo landscape, and thus is not a paleo‐surface. Our data contribute to understanding the surface processes of actively eroding upland landscapes as well as call into question conventional interpretations of supposed paleo‐surfaces around the world. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Asteraceae is the largest plant family in México with about 417 genera and 3113 species, and with more than 60% of them being endemic. Phylogenetic relationships at subfamily and tribal levels have been previously resolved employing both nuclear and plastid molecular markers. However, Asteraceae species native to Mexico have been underrepresented in such phylogenies. To tackle this issue, the taxon sampling of this study included 90 Asteraceae species native to México, four species from the Caribbean, 119 previously sequenced species, and six outgroups. With this sampling, all the Asteraceae subfamilies and all of the tribes recognized to date are represented. The analyzed dataset consisted of eleven chloroplast markers (atpB, matK, ndhC, ndhD, ndhF, ndhI, ndhJ, ndhK, rbcL, trnL‐trnF, and 23S‐trnA). We present two phylogenetic reconstructions obtained by maximum likelihood and pseudocoalescent methods. Besides, we present a time‐calibrated phylogeny, which is used to infer the best configuration of diversification rate shifts. Our results show that Mexican species are distributed mainly in the subfamily Asteroideae (80 species), followed by Cichorioideae (6 species), Carduoideae (2 species), and Mutisioideae (2 species). Four net diversification rate shifts were found: One near the base of the tree and four within Asteroideae subfamily. Our extended sampling of the family with the representation of native species to Mexico allowed us to identify important events in the evolutionary history of the family.


The implementation of climate stability accounts for the most challenging contemporary global governance predicament that seems to pit today's generation against future world inhabitants. In a trade-off of economic growth versus sustainability, a broad-based international coalition could establish climate stability. As a novel angle towards climate justice, this paper proposes to search for a well-balanced climate mitigation and adaptation public policy mix guided by micro- and macroeconomic analysis results, and a new way of funding climate change mitigation and adaptation policies through broad-based climate stability bonds that also involve future generations that complement taxation and emission trading system solutions. Contemporary climate stability financing strategies are discussed in order to derive recommendations how market economies can be brought to a path consistent with prosperity and sustainability. Finding innovative ways how to finance climate abatement over time coupled with future risk prevention as well as adaptation to higher temperatures appears as an innovative and easily-implementable solution to nudge overlapping generations towards climate justice in the sustainability domain.


The effects of the intracellular iontophoretic injection of Na+ ions have been quantitatively compared with adaptation in ventral photoreceptors of Limulus. We find that: (a) both light adaptation and sodium injection are associated with a decrease in the variability of the threshold response amplitued; (b) both light adaptation and sodium injection are associated with a decrease in the absolute value of the temporal dispersion of the threshold response time delay; (c) the same template curve adequately fits the intensity response relationships measured under light adaptation and Na+ injection; (d) both light adaptation and Na+ injection produce a fourfold decrease in response time delay for a desensitization of 3 log units; (e) the time coures of light adaptation and dark adaptation is significantly faster than the onset of and recovery from desensitization produced by Na+ injection; (f) unlike local illumination, Na+ injection does not produce localized desensitization of the photoreceptor. These findings suggest that a rise in intracellular Na+ concentration makes at most only a minor contribution (probably less than 5%) to the total adaptation of these receptors in the intensity range we have examined (up to 3 log units above absolute threshold). However, changes in intracellular Na+ concentration may contribute to certain components of light and dark adaptation in these receptors.


The micro grid conception permits small distributed energy resources (DERs) to act during a coordinated manner to produce a necessary quantity of active power and supportive service once needed. This paper proposes an approach of coordinated and integrated management of solar PV generators with the most power point following (MPPT) management and battery storage management to produce voltage and frequency (V-f) support to an islanded small grid. Also, active and nonnative/reactive power (P-Q) management with star PV, MPPT and battery storage is projected for the grid connected mode. The management ways show effective coordination between electrical converter V-f (or P-Q) management, MPPT management, and energy storage charging and discharging management. The paper additionally shows a good coordination among taking part small resources whereas considering the case of fixing irradiance and battery state of charge (SOC) constraint. The simulation studies area unit dispensed with the IEEE 13-bus feeder check system in grid connected and islanded small grid modes. The results clearly verify the effectiveness of projected management strategies. The simulations area unit dispensed in Mat science lab and Simpower systems.


Nobody can forget the devastating 7.0magnitude earthquake that struck poverty-stricken Haiti, Port-au-Prince recently on 12 January 2010. At least 75,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands became homeless; authorities are worried about sanitation and outbreaks of disease in the region. The camps are full of people and there are not even the most basic facilities for any others. Humanity obliges us to help them in any possible way. I reviewed the literature about the hepatitis E virus infection in Haiti and I would like to draw the scientists' attention to this important topic in this time of crisis.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) graft implantation can improve the appearance of the nasolabial fold.

METHODS
Single-blinded cohort study in a private facial plastic surgery practice. Treatment and control patients were selected from those presenting for aesthetic surgery. All patients underwent rhytidectomy with SMAS imbrication by a single surgeon. In addition, treatment patients underwent subcutaneous implantation of excised SMAS strips to the nasolabial fold. Treatment and control patients were matched for any other simultaneous procedures known to affect appearance of the nasolabial folds. Preoperative and postoperative photographs were graded by 3 blinded observers using the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale to evaluate the nasolabial fold. Postoperative photographs were evaluated approximately 3 months and again 1 year after the procedure.

RESULTS
Compared with controls, there was a significant difference in the nasolabial folds of patients undergoing SMAS implantation at the 3-month postoperative evaluation (P = .03; chi(2) = 4.696). This benefit was lost when the results were evaluated 1 year after the procedure (P = .88; chi(2) = 0.0212).

CONCLUSION
Superficial musculoaponeurotic system implantation to the nasolabial folds offers modest temporary improvement to this area in patients undergoing rhytidectomy with SMAS imbrication.


This book draws on the case of the Shona and other Bantu people of Africa to argue that names are not mere identity tags. Names are an important cultural symbol of the people who give and bear them. The book challenges linguists and other social scientists to pay particular attention to the significance of names in the study of language use in society. Equally, it demonstrates the importance of names as part of the distinctive repertoire of Shona cultural heritage. Each Shona sentential name is a statement about that reality of being Shona. Carried in each name are sentiments that reflect on prevalent social, economic and political relations. The book focuses in particular on social names, religious names and war names inspired by such events as Zimbabwe?s war of liberation.


This paper summarizes the results of the impact evaluation of the Access to Information pilot project on empowerment of citizens in poor municipalities in the Dominican Republic. Among the dimensions of empowerment investigated are civic knowledge, awareness and use of the right to information, perceptions of and trust in public services and institutions, civic participation, and measures of local governance. Data were collected in two rounds: a baseline round at the end of 2010 and a follow-up round in mid-2012. No impact is found on awareness and the use of information under the specific Access to Information rules. However, it is observed that individuals address more general complaints to governments as a result of the Access to Information program regardless of whether these are classified under the ATI law or not. Some positive and statistically significant impacts are found on local government responsiveness, prioritization and decisions about the municipal budget, and trust in and satisfaction with some local government services.


Stimulation of human blood monocytes (adherent mononuclear cells) and the monocytic cell line, THP-1, by IL-1 or TNF-alpha leads to the up-regulation of IFN-gamma receptors. Scatchard analysis using 125I-IFN-gamma revealed a twofold increase in the number of IFN-gamma receptors on THP-1 cells without an alteration in the affinity of the receptor. The potential functional significance of this induction of IFN-gamma receptors on monocytes and THP-1 cells was investigated by examining the effect of IFN-gamma on MHC class II Ag expression by these cells. Both IL-1 and TNF-alpha enhanced the IFN-gamma-induced HLA-DR expression (> twofold) and this effect was inhibited by antibody to IFN-gamma. In the case of human monocytes, IL-1 or TNF-alpha, each by themselves also increased HLA-DR expression, which was also abrogated by antibody to IFN-gamma. The data suggest that the immunopotentiating effects of IL-1 and TNF-alpha are mediated in part by enhancing IFN-gamma receptor expression on monocytes and macrophages. This presumably would increase the capacity of IFN-gamma to activate macrophages, enabling them to express HLA-DR and present Ag more effectively.


World War I was a conflict fought between 1914 and 1918. WWI involved most of the world's greatest powers across 5 continents. There were over 15 million deaths and even more casualties. August 4th will mark the 100th Anniversary of its beginning.


The paper discusses the relationships between tourism and international
 business. The research is based upon combining various theoretical concepts,
 significant empirical experiences and own attitudes of the authors. The key
 conclusion of the paper is that, despite of the partial progress in
 understanding tourism businesses, the relationships between tourism and
 international business need additional stimulus. In other words, more
 complete research in the related domains is needed in future. Any
 understanding of tourism is inadequate without appreciating the contributions
 that international business might bring, yet at the same time international
 business is incomplete in its coverage of international trade unless tourism
 is considered. The consumption-driven agenda of much tourism research has
 been favoured over supply-side discourses of the production process it self.
 That is why the role of major transnational companies, setting the trends
 that other types of firms in the tourism sector follow is focused in the
 paper.


Introduction: A correct diagnosis and optimal treatment planning is essential for success in implant dentistry. Proper diagnosis of bone quality is an important part of the diagnostic procedure. Objective: The purpose of this study was to correlate the tactile sense of the surgeon in the assessment of bone density to the histomorphometric analysis of bone quality. Methods: In this study, 56 bone samples from 33 patients were harvested from implant sites with trephine drills. The samples were analyzed with Image J software. In the samples following parameters were measured: BV/TV, superficial cortical plate thickness, the number and thickness of haversian canals in cortical bone and the number, thickness and distance of trabecules in cancellous bone. The clinical hardness of bone during drilling was evaluated by surgeon according to Misch. GEE analysis with exchangeable correlation structure and linear model was used to evaluate the relationship between the tactile sense of the surgeon and histomorphometric parameters and all analysis was adjusted for two confounding variables: gender and location. Results: There were 51.79% implants in D2 samples and 48.21% in D3. Bone classification according to Misch was significantly correlated to distance of trabecules in cancellous bone (P-value=0.05), and shown marginally significant correlation with mean superficial cortical bone thickness (P-value =0.07) and number of haversian canals (P-value =0.005) in cortical bone. Discussion: There were differences between our results and others. The authors believed that these differences mainly are because of confounding factors, that in this study were eliminated. The clinical finding during surgery can approximately explain the histologic properties of bone. Conclusion: It is concluded that tactile sense of the surgeon can exhibit the histologic properties of the bone, and we are able to estimate the healing prognosis of the bone in implant placement.


Water cavitation technique can be applied to modify the surface strength of materials as an attractive new peening route. By inducing cavitation of ultrahigh speed water due to water-jet, the numerous impacts induced by the cavitation bubbles impact can produce compressive residual stress on material surface in the similar way as that by shot peening. In the present paper, an automobile part of steel gear shaft with complex shape is processed by water peening process. Compressive residual stress induced by water peening was measured to investigate the surface strengthening effect as a quantitative factor. The residual stresses on the tooth surface of the gear are measured by X-ray diffraction method. The effect of process conditions such as water outlet pressure, standoff distance of the nozzle, and peening time are discussed. To investigate the effect of heat treatment, carburizing-quenching is implemented to the gear shaft. By comparing the residual stresses of the tooth before and after water peening, the effectiveness of water peening process on surface strengthening is verified for a quenched gear shaft.


We aimed to verify the association and correlation between pain and QoL in people with VU treated in a Brazilian Primary Health Care (PHC) lesions treatment center. This is an observational, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, carried out in a service specialized in the treatment of chronic injuries, linked to 29 PHC units. Sociodemographic and health characterization instruments were used. The Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) and Visual Analogue Pain Scale (VAPS) also were used. The Kruskal-Wallis test verified the association between the scalar variables of QoL and pain intensity. With Spearman's correlation test, we verified the level of correlation between the scales applied. A total of 103 patients participated in the study. Higher QoL scores associated with moderate pain were found, especially in the Physical role functioning, Physical functioning, and Vitality domains. Correlation analysis showed its greatest (moderate) strength in the interaction between the highest scores in the Physical role functioning and Emotional role functioning domains with the lowest pain levels.


The greater percentage of the graduates living in and outside Nepal is employed but they are not satisfied with the employment due to less salary scale. The respondents were from 23-50 age groups who graduated in between 1989 to 2000. Eighty one percentages of the respondents are currently living in Kathmandu valley, fourteen percentages are outside the valley in Nepal and five percentages are currently outside Nepal. The origin of the graduates is almost equally from both Kathmandu valley and outside the valley. The graduates are from various engineering backgrounds such as mainly from civil engineering followed by electrical and electronics engineering, architecture engineering, computer engineering and mechanical engineering. The survey shows that seventy seven percentages are not satisfied with their salary as the income range is not sufficient. This underemployment has led to economic, social and psychological problems. The survey reveals that political instability in the country is the main cause for current unemployment or underemployment followed by lack of opportunities and corruption. The respondents expressed that with political stability in the country organizational development can be enhanced which plays significant role in the employment process. Better education with proper educational policies also leads to skilled graduates that can meet the demand of the global market. According to the survey government is mainly responsible for the unemployment problem in the country and government should play an important role in formulating better economic policies, political stability with secured opportunities for investors and organizational development through international links for better employment opportunities establishing new job areas. Key words : Urban Unemployment; Engineering Graduates DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jie.v8i1-2.5126 Journal of the Institute of Engineering Vol. 8, No. 1&2, 2010/2011 Page: 301-310 Uploaded Date : 20 July, 2011


Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are nonhematopoietic
multipotent cells displaying immunomodulatory, pro-angiogenic
and reparative properties that were demonstrated both in animal
and human models and has generated markedly increasing interest
in a wide variety of biomedical disciplines. The International
Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) proposed minimal criteria
to define human MSCs: MSCs must be plastic-adherent, have a
phenotype of CD105+, CD73+, CD90+, CD45-, CD34-, CD14-,
HLA-DR-, and have the capacity to undergo in vitro
differentiation to osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes.
We optimized techniques for isolation of MSCs from bone marrow
and adipose tissue, their expansion in humanized serum-free
culture system, cryopreservation, transport, quality control
and potency testing and established protocol for their
manufacturing in validated GMP aseptic conditions in Clean
Rooms. It was necessary to establish humanized serum free cell
culture system without risk of ineligible immune reaction and
transmission of zoonoses. The best expansion potential was
achieved in medium DMEM supplemented with 5% platelet lysate
made from trombocyte apheresis. Controls of the production as
contamination control and visual control of morphology and
confluence are carried out during the cell expansion; cell
number and viability are monitored at every cell harvest. To
prevent the decrease of MSCs quality and proliferation rate,
not more than 4 passages are performed, however, MSCs are
tested for genetic stability in third and sixth passage by
karyotyping and CGH. Release criteria take into account the
effectiveness and safety of the product: cell number according
to indication, 80% viability and immunophenotype fulfilling
ISCT criteria and excluding impurities. MSCs from bone marrow
and adipose tissue had similar morphology, immunophenotype and
differentiation potential. MSCs from adipose tissue displayed
higher proliferation rate and lower senescence ratio. Genetic
stability was preserved even in higher passages. MSCs are
resident in the source tissues in small numbers of nucleated
cells, but can be readily expanded in vitro to provide
sufficient number of GMP grade cells for local and systemic
cellular therapy (10-50 x 106 cells for local and 1-5 x 106 per
kg for systemic administration). The methods used in the
manufacturing protocol will be validated and the clinical
protocol will be approved by Czech State Institute for Drug
Control. Supported by the Ministry of Education of the Czech
Republic, NPVII-2B06058, NPVII-2B08066 and endowment fund
"Jistota".


: Perioperative pulse oximetry was performed on one hundred consecutive abdominal surgical patients to audit our management of perioperative oxygenation. Oximetry was performed preoperatively, in the recovery room, and daily in the ward until discharge or the sixth postoperative day, with prescribed oxygen therapy continuing during measurement. Twenty-nine patients had saturations of 90% or less on a total of fifty-one occasions. Twenty-nine patients were prescribed prophylactic oxygen therapy, but seven had oxygen therapy stopped prematurely and were found to have saturations of 90% or less. In this group of patients, clinical assessment of oxygenation and the need for oxygen therapy was inadequate. Intermittent oximetry is rapidly and simply performed, and by detecting patients with arterial haemoglobin desaturation, could improve oxygen prescribing in the perioperative period.


The National Hockey League (NHL) consists of 30 teams which are located in all diverse types of markets around North America. With these teams being in different size markets, it is becoming more difficult to survive in the rigid economic times. With sports being a billion dollar industry, the NHL is an organization who is really struggling because of the lack of support from fans and sponsorships. With money being an issue, owners of these 30 NHL teams, have to make a decision whether they want to be a winning organization or a profitable organization. With this being said owners need to think about how much money their players are making. My research question is: What is the return on investment of NHL players? How does the return on investment compare to the value of a player? This research being performed will benefit the academic community because it will open up the job markets for the NHL. With moving the idea of using statistical data to determine a players worth, we are able to validate the idea of saber metrics in the NHL. This can add a whole new field of study in the academic community. It will also benefit the sport community, because it will give owners of sport organizations the knowledge needed to spend their money wisely when deciding to sign a player. Finance is a very important aspect in sports, and doing this research we can predict future values to find ways for NHL owners to make a profitable organization. With this being said, the players also want to make sure they are making what they are giving back to the organization. Document Type Undergraduate Project Professor's Name Katharine Burakowski Subject Categories Sports Management This undergraduate project is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/sport_undergrad/75 Value of an NHL Player Ryan McGinnis St. John Fisher College Value of an NHL Player to an NHL Franchise 2


How morphogenetic movements are robustly coordinated in space and time is a fundamental open question in biology. We study this question using the wing of Drosophila melanogaster, an epithelial tissue that undergoes large-scale tissue flows during pupal stages. We showed previously (Etournay et al., 2015) that pupal wing morphogenesis involves both cellular behaviors that allow relaxation of mechanical tissue stress, as well as cellular behaviors that appear to be actively patterned. The core planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway influences morphogenetic cell movements in many other contexts, which suggests that it could globally pattern active cellular behaviors during pupal wing morphogenesis. We show here, however, that this is not the case: there is no significant phenotype on the cellular dynamics underlying pupal morphogenesis in mutants of core PCP. Furthermore, using laser ablation experiments, coupled with a rheological model to describe the dynamics of the response to laser ablation, we conclude that while core PCP mutations affect the fast timescale response to laser ablation, they do not affect overall tissue mechanics. In conclusion, our work shows that cellular dynamics and tissue shape changes during Drosophila pupal wing morphogenesis are independent of one potential chemical guiding cue, core PCP.


Satellites are crucial for the modern world to function properly as they provide Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and global communication. However, the data that is stored on these satellites can be corrupted by the radiation found in space, and its bits can be improperly flipped. In the past, Forward Error Correction (FEC) algorithms were selected based on their strength and implemented to correct these bit flips back to their original values. This thesis seeks to determine if the strength of the FEC algorithms Reed Solomon (RS) code and Reed Solomon Product Code (RSPC) directly translates to their effectiveness. These algorithms were coded and tested in Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) and on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) under controlled parameters, including the data set sizes, number of bit flips introduced, and the distribution of the bit flips within the data set. From the experiment's results, these other factors significantly influenced the effectiveness of the algorithms as well. Knowing what factors influence the algorithm's effectiveness enable better decision making as to which FEC algorithm to use for a given set of circumstances. The RS codes should be used if the size of the data set is small enough for a single-instance RS code and the range of expected bit flips is narrow and lower than the code's correctable limit. If the data set is large or the range of expected bit flips varies widely and surpasses the RS code's correctable limit, the RSPC should be used for a higher overall success rate in exchange for a lower number of bit flips with a 100% correction rate.


The burden of providing care to a family member, who has a mental illness, has been investigated in the past. However, limited research has focused on how parents cope, as they attempt to maintain a functional family life, when they have a child with a mental illness. This study explored, using a descriptive correlational design, the: (i) differences between parents of a child with mental illness, regarding caregiver burden, coping patterns, and demographic characteristics; (ii) effect parental educational level, parental working status, educational level of the child, diagnosis of the child, and family economic status have on parental caregiver burden and coping patterns; (iii) relationships among caregiver burden and coping patterns; and (iv) demographic characteristics of parents and children that predict caregiver burden and parental coping patterns. Data were collected via interview using structured questionnaires, from 97 mainland Chinese parents who had a child with a mental illness. The findings revealed the parents perceived significant caregiver burden, while caring for their child with a mental illness, yet used limited coping patterns to maintain a functional family life. Also, a significant negative correlation was found between the parents' caregiver burden and the way of coping. Parental physical health and the child's educational level were the best predictors of caregiver burden, while parental physical health and educational levels were the best predictors of the way of coping. Findings suggest that effective nursing interventions should be instituted to help parents of a child with mental illness cope with caregiver burden, while maintaining a functional family life.


This study investigated the effects of international mobility on adolescent identity development and explored the mediating role of changes in social relationships. We implemented a prospective comparative study design including 457 sojourners (German high school exchange students) and 284 non-sojourners (German adolescents who remained in Germany; 73.3% female; Mage = 15.63, SD = 0.78), and measured students' identity commitment and reconsideration on 3 occasions over a period of 18 months. The measurements were taken 6 weeks prior to departure (Time [T]1), 7 months after the sojourn experience had begun (T2), and 7 months postreturn (T3), thereby covering both central phases in the context of international sojourning: the transition abroad and the reentry transition. Two identity domains (i.e., Friends and Home) were examined. Longitudinal latent change analyses indicated both transition-specific and domain-specific identity processes. Sojourners showed a relative decrease in Friends commitment and a corresponding increase in Friends reconsideration over time. Although pronounced increases in Home commitment were found for sojourners during the transition abroad, their Home commitment declined throughout the reentry transition. Inverse trends were recorded for sojourners' Home reconsideration trajectories. Multiple mediation analyses revealed sojourn-related changes in subjective closeness toward parents but not friends as a mechanism that partially explained the effects of international mobility on identity development. For future directions, we discuss the role of life events and social relationships as inalienable contexts for identity dynamics.


Abstract. There are few multi-decadal observations of atmospheric aerosols worldwide. This study applies global hourly visibility (Vis) observations at more than 3000 stations to investigate historical trends in atmospheric haze over 1945–1996 for the US, and over 1973–2013 for Europe and eastern Asia. A comprehensive data screening and processing framework is developed and applied to minimize uncertainties and construct monthly statistics of inverse visibility (1/Vis). This data processing includes removal of relatively clean cases with high uncertainty, and change point detection to identify and separate methodological discontinuities such as the introduction of instrumentation. Although the relation between 1/Vis and atmospheric extinction coefficient (bext) varies across different stations, spatially coherent trends of the screened 1/Vis data exhibit consistency with the temporal evolution of collocated aerosol measurements, including the bext trend of −2.4 % yr−1 (95 % CI: −3.7, −1.1 % yr−1) vs. 1/Vis trend of −1.6 % yr−1 (95 % CI: −2.4, −0.8 % yr−1) over the US for 1989–1996, and the fine aerosol mass (PM2.5) trend of −5.8 % yr−1 (95 % CI: −7.8, −4.2 % yr−1) vs. 1/Vis trend of −3.4 % yr−1 (95 % CI: −4.4, −2.4 % yr−1) over Europe for 2006–2013. Regional 1/Vis and Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions are significantly correlated over the eastern US for 1970–1995 (r = 0.73), over Europe for 1973–2008 (r ∼ 0.9) and over China for 1973–2008 (r ∼ 0.9). Consistent "reversal points" from increasing to decreasing in SO2 emission data are also captured by the regional 1/Vis time series (e.g., late 1970s for the eastern US, early 1980s for western Europe, late 1980s for eastern Europe, and mid 2000s for China). The consistency of 1/Vis trends with other in situ measurements and emission data demonstrates promise in applying these quality assured 1/Vis data for historical air quality studies.


ABSTRACT The objectives of this study are to validate an Indonesian version of the Chiba Interprofessional Competency Scale (CICS29) and measure the interprofessional competencies of undergraduate health-care students following their completion of an interprofessional education (IPE) course. This study used a cross-sectional design and was preceded by a cross translation of the instrument and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which confirmed that the Indonesian-version CICS29 has good internal consistency comparable to the original model. The Indonesian version was then administered to 723 health-care students who had completed a community-based IPE course. Based on data gathered from 707 respondents (97.8%), it was found that their interprofessional competency was relatively good (mean score: 127.9 out of 145, 88.2%). The dental students scored consistently lower compared to students of other faculties, both in the overall CICS29 and all five of its subscales, three of which are specifically related to teamwork. The study has provided support for cross-cultural validity of undergraduate health-care students' interprofessional competency measures using CICS29. Further efforts are necessary to ensure that the students understand their roles and internalize the collaborative values and practices of all health professions.


The role of architecture and nanoenvironment in the catalytic properties of dendritic polymers containing 4-(dialkylamino)pyridines was investigated in the context of acylation reactions employing sterically demanding tertiary alcohols as substrates. Frechet-type benzyl ether and aliphatic ester dendrimers were prepared in a convergent manner from a common trivalent core containing three DMAP groups while a linear polymer was dendronized with aliphatic esters using a divergent growth scheme. Catalysis experiments clearly indicate that nanoenvironment plays the dominant role in determining the activity of the polymer catalysts, with the polyester platform being superior to the benzyl ether. Polymer architecture played little or no role in affecting catalysis. With respect to molecular transport and catalysis, this represents the first comparative study of the effect of architecture and nanoenvironment using structurally similar dendritic materials.


The damage caused by insect pest is the continual factor for the reduction of rice production. To date, 232 rice insect pest species are identified in Bangladesh and more than 100 species of insects are considered pests in rice production systems globally, but only about 20 - 33 species can cause significant economic loss. The major goal of this study is to explore all the possible ways of developed and proposed technologies for rice insect pests management and minimize economic losses. Insect pests cause 20% average yield loss in Asia where more than 90% of the world's rice is produced. In Bangladesh, outbreak of several insects such as rice hispa, leafroller, gallmidge, stem borers and brown planthopper (BPH) occurs as severe forms. Based on previous reports, yield loss can reach upto 62% in an outbreak situation due to hispa infestation. However, BPH can cause 44% yield loss in severe infestested field. To overcome the outbreaks in odd years and to keep the loss upto 5%, it is necessary to take some preventive measures such as planting of resistant or tolerant variety, stop insecticide spraying at early establishment of rice, establish early warning and forecasting system, avoid cultivation of susceptible variety and following crop rotation. Subsequent quick management options such as insecticidal treatment for specific insect pest should also be broadcasted through variety of information systems. Advanced genomic tool can be used to develop genetically modified insect and plants for sustainable pest management. In addition, to stipulate farmers not use insecticides at early crop stgae and minimize general annualized loss, some interventions including training rice farmers, regular field monitoring, digitalization in correct insect pests identification and their management (example; BRRI rice doctor mobile app), and demonstration in farmers field. Each technology itself solely or combination of two or more or all the packages can combat the insect pests, save natural enemies, harvest expected yield and contribute to safe food production in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Rice J. 25 (1) : 1-22, 2021


Summary: Reversion studies with a variety of different lipoamide dehydrogenase mutants of Escherichia coli k12 led to the discovery of a class of partial revertant which no longer required succinate for aerobic growth on glucose but retained all the other nutritional characteristics of the Lpd− phenotype. These revertants were given the phenotypic designation Lpd−Sin+ to denote their succinate independence, and mutations in the gene(s) designated sin were considered responsible for generating the succinate-independent phenotype of lpd mutants. Enzymological and genetic studies confirmed that the revertants retained their lpd mutations. Moreover, all of the 24 independent revertants tested possessed sin mutations located in the gal region of the chromosome, presumably suppressing by an intergenic and indirect mechanism. The sin mutations exhibited no allele specificity for suppression and they were recessive to the wild-type sin
+ allele in merodiploid strains.
A common feature of the Lpd−Sin+ revertants (succinate-independent derivatives of lpd mutants) was a deficiency in succinate dehydrogenase. On their own, the sin mutations produced a phenotype analogous to that of sdh mutants. Furthermore, the probable identity of sin and sdh mutations was confirmed by reconstruction studies in which an lpd sdh double mutant was shown to exhibit an Lpd−Sin+ phenotype. It was concluded that the requirement for exogenous succinate by mutants lacking lipoamide dehydrogenase (and hence overall 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activity) can be eliminated by inactivating succinate dehydrogenase because the latter enzyme depletes the intracellular succinate and succinylCoA pools by removing succinate faster than it can be supplied by other endogenous mechanisms. In fact, it would appear that the presence of active succinate dehydrogenase is responsible for the nutritional requirement for succinate of mutants lacking overall 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activity during aerobic growth on glucose. A gene-dosage effect on the activities of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex was also demonstrated with corresponding merodiploid strains.


MOTIVATION
In functional genomics, it is frequently useful to correlate expression levels of genes to identify transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) via the presence of common sequence motifs. The underlying assumption is that co-expressed genes are more likely to contain shared TFBS and, thus, TFBS can be identified computationally. Indeed, gene pairs with a very high expression correlation show a significant excess of shared binding sites in yeast. We have tested this assumption in a more complex organism, Drosophila melanogaster, by using experimentally determined TFBS and microarray expression data. We have also examined the reverse relationship between the expression correlation and the extent of TFBS sharing.

RESULTS
Pairs of genes with shared TFBS show, on average, a higher degree of co-expression than those with no common TFBS in Drosophila. However, the reverse does not hold true: gene pairs with high expression correlations do not share significantly larger numbers of TFBS. Exception to this observation exists when comparing expression of genes from the earliest stages of embryonic development. Interestingly, semantic similarity between gene annotations (Biological Process) is much better associated with TFBS sharing, as compared to the expression correlation. We discuss these results in light of reverse engineering approaches to computationally predict regulatory sequences by using comparative genomics.


This article, written by two Indigenous female identifying social work practitioners, academics, and researchers with lived experience of violence, is based on a preliminary research project with survivors of trafficking and those who offer them support services. It includes the voices of women, two-spirit, and trans women who have been trafficked, tackle the issues of the current impacts of colonization and structural racism as the root of gender-based violence, and offer pathways forward at the grassroots and systemic levels. The authors also argue that research into gender-based violence toward Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and trans women be controlled and owned by Indigenous peoples and communities.


Dicer is a crucial enzyme for the maturation of miRNAs. Mutations in the Dicer gene are highly associated with Pleuro Pulmonary Blastoma-Family Dysplasia Syndrome (PPB-FDS, OMIM 601200), recently proposed to be renamed Dicer syndrome. Aside from the pulmonary phenotype (blastoma), renal nephroma and thyroid goiter are frequently part of Dicer syndrome. To investigate the renal phenotype, conditional knockout (cKO) mice for Dicer in Pax8 expressing cells were generated. Dicer cKO mice progressively develop a glomerulocystic phenotype coupled with urinary concentration impairment, proteinuria and severe renal failure. Higher cellular turnover of the parietal cells of Bowman's capsule precedes the development of the cysts and the primary cilium progressively disappears with cyst-enlargement. Upregulation of GSK3β precedes the development of the glomerulocystic phenotype. Downregulation of β-catenin in the renal cortex and its cytosolic removal in the cells lining the cysts may be associated with observed accumulation of GSK3β. Alterations of β-catenin regulating pathways could promote cystic degeneration as in other models. Thus, miRNAs are fundamental in preserving renal morphology and function. Alteration of the GSK3β/β-catenin pathway could be a crucial mechanism linking miRNA dysregulation and the development of a glomerulocystic disease.


Three new human medulloblastoma (MB) cell lines (D384 Med, D425 Med, and D458 Med) and their transplantable xenografts were examined for antigenic expression with antibodies against neuroectodermal antigens, cytoskeletal proteins, neuroendocrine markers, glioma-associated antigens, tenascin, human lymphocyte antigen molecules, epidermal growth factor receptor, and T-cell antigen by indirect immunofluorescence, avidin-biotin complex peroxidase immunohistochemistry, and immunoblot methods. We found that each of the three cell lines expressed vimentin; low-, middle-, and high-molecular-weight neurofilament proteins; and the synaptic vesicle membrane glycoprotein synaptophysin. Each of the cell lines also reacted with antibodies against neural cell adhesion molecules, but none of them were positive for antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein, keratin, microtubule-associated protein tau and microtubule-associated protein 2, human lymphocyte antigen-DR, epidermal growth factor receptor, and T-cell antigen. Immunoreactivities with anti-tenascin and anti-glioma-associated antibodies were variable in these cell lines. Anti-human lymphocyte antigen-A,B and anti-beta 2-microglobulin antibodies reacted with xenografts of D384 Med and D425 Med and were weakly positive for a small population of D384 Med cultured cells. In summary, the detection of neurofilament proteins and synaptophysin and the absence of glial fibrillary acidic protein provide strong evidence for a neuronal phenotype of D384 Med, D425 Med, and D458 Med.


The growth of electronic means of surveillance has presented the U.S. Supreme Court with new constitutional issues, particularly concerning an individual's right to privacy. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, are particularly susceptible to these concerns due to their ability to aerially record audio or videos, take photographs, or otherwise document their surroundings. Outside of commercial or personal use, governmental entities, such as local law enforcement, have begun utilizing drones for various purposes, including, amongst other things, border monitoring, crime-scene photography, and aerial surveillance.1


Objective The aim of the study was to conduct a comparative investigation to evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine as a hypotensive agent by presenting a new protocol for administration versus the conventional protocol in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Materials and methods Forty patients of ASA grade I-II scheduled for FESS were equally randomly assigned to two groups: the DEX group and the DEXnew group. The DEX group received dexmedetomidine at 1 μg/kg diluted in 10 ml normal saline 10 min before surgical incision (SI), followed by intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine at 0.2-0.7 μg/kg/h according to the hemodynamic status and BIS. The DEXnew group received dexmedetomidine at 1 μg/kg diluted in 10 ml normal saline 10 min before SI, followed by intravenous top-up doses of 1/4 of the loading dose over 2 min in the form of intravenous shots to maintain MAP between 65 and 70 mmHg. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), cortisol level, fentanyl consumption, emergence time, and recovery from anesthesia (modified Aldrete score) were recorded. The sedation score and time to first analgesic request were recorded. Results In the DEX group there was a statistically significant decrease in MAP at 30, 45, 60, and 90 min after SI in comparison with preoperative MAP. In the DEXnew group also there was a statistically significant decrease in MAP at 30, 45, 60, and 90 min after SI in comparison with preoperative MAP. There was a nonsignificant difference as regards intraoperative fentanyl and postoperative pethidine consumption between the two groups. There was a significant decrease in the total amount of consumed dexmedetomidine in the DEXnew group (118 ± 14.6 μg) compared with the DEX group (189.4 ± 22.7 μg). Emergence time was significantly shorter in the DEXnew group (5.34±1.83 min) compared with the DEX group (9.45 ± 2.02 min). Conclusion This modified protocol of dexmedetomidine administration is safe and effective for controlled hypotension, providing an ideal surgical field during FESS. Compared with the conventional protocol of dexmedetomidine administration, the modified protocol offers fewer side effects; significant decrease in dexmedetomidine consumption, faster emergence time, and better modified Aldrete scores.


The positive correlation between gun prevalence and homicide rates has been widely documented. But does this correlation reflect a causal relationship? This study seeks to answer the question of whether more guns cause more crime, and unlike nearly all previous such studies, we properly account for the endogeneity of gun ownership levels. We discuss the three main sources of endogeneity bias - reverse causality (higher crime rates lead people to acquire guns for self-protection), mismeasurement of gun levels, and omitted/confounding variables - and show how the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) can provide an empirical researcher with both a clear modeling framework and a set of estimation and specification testing procedures that can address these problems. A county level cross-sectional analysis was performed using data on every US county with a population of at least 25,000 in 1990; the sample covers over 90% of the US population in that year. Gun ownership levels were measured using the percent of suicides committed with guns, which recent research indicates is the best measure of gun levels for cross-sectional research. We apply our procedures to these data, and find strong evidence of the existence of endogeneity problems. When the problem is ignored, gun levels are associated with higher rates of gun homicide; when the problem is addressed, this association disappears or reverses. Our results indicate that gun prevalence has no significant net positive effect on homicide rates: ceteris paribus, more guns do not mean more crime.


Abstract: This research aim to analyze influence of EVA (Economic Value Added), DER (Debt to Equity Ratio), ROE (Return on Equity), and PER (Price to Earning Ratio), to Return of Share with Corporate Social Responsibility as a moderating variable.Technique sampling is purposive sampling. The research is conducted on 42 companies, which consistently include in the Kompas-100 Index in Indonesia Stock Exchange with 3 (three) years (2010-2012) range of time. The estimation model being used is panel data regression, with Fixed Effect Method approach.Simultaneously, all variables have positive effect and significantto return of share. The estimation results in partial indicate that EVA havepositive effect but do not significant to return of share. DER, ROE, PER and CSR having significantly positive effect to return of share.Corporate Social Responsibility is significantly as a moderating variable of the relationship between EVA, DER, ROE, and PER to return of share. Keywords: EVA, DER, ROE, PER, CSR, Return of Share


Dharma Bhakti Husada hospital is a hospital type C which also serves labor. Midwives usually do a bent position for long periods during which the position is to help labor increases the risk of musculoskeletal disease ( low back pain ).This study is a descriptive observational study, by using cross-sectional design. The subject of this study is the population that has as many as 27 qualified midwives. The independent variables of this study were the individual characteristics (waist circumference, exercise habit, period of employment, age, anthropometric), the characteristics of working positions (standing, bending). The dependent variable was disorder of low back pain. Strength of association between variables were tested with contingency coefficient.The results showed that the Strength of association between LBP the following variables was moderate age (C = 0.313), years of service (C = 0.379), waist circumference (C = 0.261), height (C = 0.472), elbow height (C = 0.507) , a high waist (C = 0.477), shoulder height (C = 0.485), arm length (C = 0.348), length fathoms (C = 0.422), long standing position (C = 0.481), a bent position (C = 419). Whereas the strength of association between LBP and exercise habit was low (C = 0.143). Working position now is in danger of being according to the method Rula (level 3).It is recommended for the hospital to provide an adjustable obgyn table high and low with a range of 89-100 cm. The midwife are recommended to have a short break with sitting – standing technique while helping the delivery and do stretching in standing position.


Since 2008, a surge in large-scale land acquisitions, or land grabs, has been taking place in low- and middle-income countries around the globe. This contribution examines the gendered effects of and responses to these deals, drawing on nine studies, which include conceptual framing essays that bring in debates about human rights, studies that draw on previous waves of land acquisitions globally, and case studies that examine the gendered dimensions of land dispossession and loss of common property. Three key insights emerge: the evolving gender and land tenure literature provides valuable information for understanding the likely effects of land deals; some of the land deal issues transcend gender-equity concerns and relate to broader problems of dispossession and loss of livelihoods; and huge gaps remain in our knowledge of gender and land rights that require urgent attention and systematic integration of gender analysis into mainstream research.


Summary
Despite its central importance in organismal physiology, we have poor understanding of how metabolic rate is influenced by two key factors – food nutritional content and an organism's physiological characteristics.
We examined how variation in nutrients and physiological aspects of life history affect standard metabolic rate in Gryllus firmus cricket morphs that differ dramatically in flight capability and early-age fecundity.
Newly moulted female morphs were fed one of 13 diets that differed in concentrations of protein and carbohydrate. Carbon dioxide production, respiratory exchange ratios (RERs), nutrient intake and mass and lipid levels were measured.
CO2 production and RERs increased to a similar degree in both morphs as food macronutrient content increased. In contrast, no difference in whole-organism O2 consumption was observed across the protein–carbohydrate landscape or between morphs. Both morphs similarly increased food intake as nutrient concentration – particularly protein – decreased, but differed in mass and lipid gains, across the diets.
Modulation of the substrate used for respiration coupled with compensating aspects of morph-specific metabolism appears to buffer the effects of variable nutrient intake and life history on standard metabolic rate. That is, respiration rate can be highly canalized in the face of dramatic variation in both the external nutritional environment and internal aspects of intermediary metabolism.


Looming in on the threat-response circuit What are the neural elements that transmit threat-relevant inputs in the brain? Shang et al. systematically identified the key neuronal subtypes in the mouse superior colliculus underlying active avoidance and defensive-like behaviors. They found a pathway that responded to looming objects, linking input from the retina to the fear center in the brain. Science, this issue p. 1472 A newly identified subcortical pathway links visual inputs to the fear center of the brain. The fear responses to environmental threats play a fundamental role in survival. Little is known about the neural circuits specifically processing threat-relevant sensory information in the mammalian brain. We identified parvalbumin-positive (PV+) excitatory projection neurons in mouse superior colliculus (SC) as a key neuronal subtype for detecting looming objects and triggering fear responses. These neurons, distributed predominantly in the superficial SC, divergently projected to different brain areas, including the parabigeminal nucleus (PBGN), an intermediate station leading to the amygdala. Activation of the PV+ SC-PBGN pathway triggered fear responses, induced conditioned aversion, and caused depression-related behaviors. Approximately 20% of mice subjected to the fear-conditioning paradigm developed a generalized fear memory.


The interview was recorded at New York, on May 25, 1990 . The Interviewer was James Sutterlin. Sir David Hannay is a British diplomat who served as Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations from 1990 to 1995. In this capacity he represented the United Kingdom in the Security Council during Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. In 1996 he was reassigned and appointed Special Representative for Cyprus, serving in this capacity until 2003 when he became a member of the United Nations High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change which prepared a report on the subject for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Sir Hannay entered the British Diplomatic Service at the age of 34, with placements in Tehran and Kabul, and later in the foreign office in London in the Eastern Department. He was appointed second Secretary and then first Secretary of the United Kingdom Delegation to the European Community in 1965. In 1970, he was appointed first Secretary to the United Kingdom negotiating team for entry into the European Community. From 1973 to 1977, he held the post of Chef de Cabinet; and then Assistant Under-Secretary of State (European Community) at the Foreign Office from 1979-1984.

Sir Hannay was serving as Special Envoy to Cyprus at the time of the interview, conducted on 21 September 2000. He provided insight to the development of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), which was set up to ensure Iraqi compliance with policies concerning the production and use of weapons of mass destruction.


The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission aims at producing global and frequent maps of SMOS and will be launched in 2008. SMOS' single payload is a new type of radiometer called Microwave Imaging Radiometer by Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) operating at L-band in which brightness temperature images are formed by a Fourier synthesis technique. However, in the alias-free field of view where the brightness temperature images are reconstructed, a bias is present which has been found to be higher for high-contrast brightness temperature scenes (coastlines) and lower for homogeneous scenes (all oceans or lands). This scene-dependent bias will ultimately limit the achievable accuracy of the retrieved geophysical parameters, and it is particularly critical for the retrieval of sea surface salinity. This paper presents a general analysis of the origin of this bias, which is found to be actually due to the different measurement errors in the instrument observables (visibility samples). An improvement of the image reconstruction algorithm is then presented to mitigate it. As compared with the previous algorithm versions, the proposed improved reconstruction algorithm further decomposes the visibility samples into some new terms: ocean and land/iced sea, instead of just the Earth's disk over the sky background. This decomposition aims at further reducing the contrast (high-frequency components) in the differential image and, therefore, minimizes the impact of multiplicative errors, improving the radiometric accuracy. In addition, this approach proves to perform the image reconstruction in part of the alias regions and improves the quality of the reconstruction close to the coastlines.


This chapter discusses various project risks (e.g. completion risk, operating risk, currency risk, political risk, etc.). The business of project financing is founded upon the identification, assessment, allocation, negotiation, and management of the risks associated with a particular project. Indeed, as project finance lenders look to the revenues generated by the operation of the financed project for the source of funds from which that financing will be repaid, the whole basis for project financing revolves around an understanding of the future project revenues and the impact of various risks upon them. Projects face a variety of risks, and not all of these risks can be easily identified, mitigated, or contracted away. However, such risks can be assessed, allocated, and managed so that a project is commercially reasonable. The first step is to identify the material risks and the second is to decide how they should be addressed.


Objectives The investigation of proliferation markers expression Кі67 and apoptosis p53, bcl-2 in endometrial hyperplastic processes (EHP). Methods Data of 66 women endometrial tissue samples (mean age 47,3±4,5 years) were investigated: 52 with EHP and 14 healthy biphasic. According to proliferative processes differentiation 5 groups were obtained: 1 - simple hyperplasia without atypical cells-11 women; II - complex hyperplasia without atypical cells-18; III - simple hyperplasia with atypical cells-10; IV - complex hyperplasia with atypical cells -13 patients; V - control group morphologically unchanged endometrium-14. Immune hystochemical reactions with antibodies to Кі67, bcl-2, p53 (DAKO-Germany) were used. Results Кі67 expression was increased along with hyperplasic process progression: relatively low proliferative activity was in I group both in epithelial and stromal cells (6,34±1,31% and 1,05±0,43% respectively). In II, III and IV groups proliferative activity was raising. Кі67 expression in EHP was extremely focal. p53 expression was absent in I and V group, appeared in II group (8,35±1,34% and 2,34±1,09%) with maximum in IV group (56,6±4,08% and 27,94±2,31%) in both epithelial and stromal cells respectively. bcl-2 witnessed expression changes: EPH type and stage according to color distribution and intensity from groupII (5,6% strong staining(+++), 16,7% - moderate(++), 50,0% - weak(+), staining absence - 27,7% - (0)) to IV (26,7% - strong(+++), 40,0% - moderate(++), 13,3% - weak(+), 20,0% - absence(0)). Conclusions In EHP the immune hystochemical markers according to morphological changes sequence were observed. Mitotic activity increase is going along with apoptosis activation. Cells' death programmed processes disorders could be oncological prognosis predictors at EHP.


The advent of next generation sequencing has brought a revolution in the sequencing and availability of whole genome data for numerous plant species. However the genome sequencing of major staple food crops has been noticeably obscure and till relatively recently majorly unaccomplished. The obstacles for sequencing of genomes of the Poaceae grasses including sugarcane and the Triticeae wheat, barley and rye has been largely ascribed to the complex polyploid nature of their genomes, having undergone numerous evolutionary changes duplications and additions resulting in their huge modern genomes of today. Undertaking their sequencing has been a daunting task however due to the sequencing of wild grass relatives such as Brachypodium and Aegilops has been an encouraging step providing an essential framework and reference for deciphering the complex genomes particularly Triticum aestivum. This paper discusses the major challenges involved, the approaches taken and the up to date accomplished tasks for sequencing a few of the major large grass crop genomes


This thesis addresses the impact of the contemporary social security system on women living in England and Wales who are victims/survivors of rape and sexual abuse. It uses a triangular conceptualisation of violence, comprising direct, cultural, and structural violence, to explore the experiences of these women and to examine whether the social security system is involved in designing and implementing actions, decisions, practices and processes which are culturally and structurally violent and which prevent the women from meeting their basic needs, or living a "minimally decent life" (Miller, 2007). There were four main findings from this research. First, that the social security system as an institution plays an active role in exacerbating women victims/survivors mental and physical health conditions and is moving women further from recovery. Second, that the social security system is implementing policies which are both based on and involved in producing and reproducing cultural patterns which systematically denigrated the women by misrepresenting and stigmatising their identities, decisions, and actions, that is, the system plays an active role in misrecognising the participants. Third, in their interactions with the social security system, the women continually had their experiences minimised and disbelieved: the social security system as an institution is actively involved in invalidating the women's accounts of themselves and their lives, often in order to deny them entitlement to support. Fourth, the women's relationship with the social security system is one frequently characterised by abuse: not only were their prior experiences of abuse mirrored in their interactions with the system, but the interactions were sometimes experienced as abusive in and of themselves. By centreing the experiences of these victims/survivors of sexual violence and their interactions with the social security system, this thesis contributes to critical social policy literature and advances understanding of conditionality within the welfare system, and its impact on a marginalised group of women. It also furthers the scholarship of cultural and structural violence, firstly, by providing empirical evidence about how these phenomena occur in people's everyday lives and interactions, and secondly, by theorising these experiences as forms of misrecognition and invalidation. Finally, it has provided critical social policy with new conceptual tools to understand the experiences and impacts of the social security system. The findings of this thesis are based on in-depth qualitative interviews, and a small number of written submissions, with 16 women who self-identified as victims/survivors of rape and/or sexual abuse and who had also reported experiencing problems with their benefit claims at some point since 2012. Participants were recruited through a number of different avenues from locations throughout England and Wales. The research was conducted from a critical realist standpoint and drew on feminist principles to inform the ethical approach underpinning the research.


This work considers sensor based motion planning for rod-shaped robots in unknown environments. The motion planning scheme is based on the rod hierarchical generalized Voronoi graph (rod-HGVG). The rod-HGVG is a roadmap for rod-like robots, and is an extension of a prior roadmap for point-like robots. We give an incremental method to construct the rod-HGVG thereby enabling exploration of unknown environments. An important practical feature of the algorithm is its sole reliance upon the use of work space distance measurements to objects that are within line of sight. Such measurements can be readily provided by conventional range sensors. Moreover, motion planning in a configuration space is achieved without explicitly constructing each configuration space obstacle. A key result derived in this paper is the distance gradient between two convex sets.


Human sketch has already proved its worth in various visual understanding tasks (e.g., retrieval, segmentation, image-captioning, etc). In this paper, we reveal a new trait of sketches – that they are also salient. This is intuitive as sketching is a natural attentive process at its core. More specifically, we aim to study how sketches can be used as a weak label to detect salient objects present in an image. To this end, we propose a novel method that emphasises on how "salient object" could be explained by hand-drawn sketches. To accomplish this, we introduce a photo-to-sketch generation model that aims to generate sequential sketch coordinates corresponding to a given visual photo through a 2D attention mechanism. Attention maps accumulated across the time steps give rise to salient regions in the process. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experiments prove our hypothesis and delineate how our sketch-based saliency detection model gives a competitive performance compared to the state-of-the-art.


Introduction: Potato, Solanum tuberosum L. is an important crop with 5.24 million tons of production on 210,000 hectares of irrigated land in Iran. Several pests attack the potato crop which among them the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is the most important defoliating pest of potato throughout the world and Iran and considerably reduce crop yield. Growers rely on pesticides to control this pest in the field but this insect is well known for its rapid resistance development to pesticides, so that it has developed field resistance to nearly all insecticides used against it and it is now resistant to more than 40 chemical insecticides. The problems of insecticide resistance, combined with continuing environmental concerns associated with chemical pesticide use, have provided a considerable stimulus over the past 50 years for the development of alternative control methods. Host plant resistance is considered to be an important part of integrated pest management (IPM) system of this pest, which is compatible with sustainable control methods and can reduce the use of chemical insecticides .With the aim of identifying the existence of resistance resources, a study was conducted to evaluate and comparison the resistance index (PRI) of 33 potatocultivarsto the Colorado potato beetle. Detected resistant variety (ies) could be used as a resistance source for IPM programs of this pest.
Materials and Methods: Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to compare resistance index (PRI) of 33 potato cultivars to the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), in Naghadeh region during 2007-2008. In a choice test, the numbers of attracted beetles to each cultivar was determined as antixenosis index in the field. Also, Percentage of larval and pupal mortality were determined and used as the antibiosis index under greenhouse conditions. To evaluate the tolerance index, infested and non infested plots were planted and arranged based on a randomized complete block design under field conditions. In infested plots, each plant was infested by 40 medium larvae (second and early third instars) 15 days prior to the blooming of plants. At the end of season, yield loss in infested plots were determined and compared with non infested plots for each cultivar and used as the tolerance index. Normalized values for each category were computed on a zero-to-one scale by dividing the mean value of each variety evaluated by the maximum mean value of all entries. Normalized tolerance values were calculated as percent reductions of plant biomass relative to a non-infested control. Normalized indices for antibiosis (X), antixenosis (Y) and tolerance (Z) were used to calculate PRI in the formula: PRI = 1/(XYZ) (Inayatullah et al., 1990).
Results and Discussion: Combined analysis of variance showed that interactive effect of cultivar × year was significant for all of the indices at P=0.01. The cultivars Sinja, Bridjet and Cardinal with the least antixenosis index (Y), had the highest antixenosis resistance to the Colorado potato beetle in 2007, also the cultivars Cardinal, Carlita and Elles with the least antixenosis index (Y), had the highest antixenosis resistance to the pest in comparison to other cultivars in 2008. The highest antibiosis (X) resistance was observed in the cultivars Delikat, Carlita, Armada and Sinja with the least antibiosis index, in two studied years. The cultivars Satina, Cardinal, Santana and Nicola with the least tolerance index (Z), had the highest tolrence to the Colorado potato beetle in comparison to the other cultivars during 2007-2008. The cultivars Delikat,Bridjet and Cardinal ere the most resistant cultivars with 52.63, 36.30 and 29.87 PRI, respectively in 2007. In this year, the cultivars Diamont, Aparet and Velox were the most sensitive cultivars with 1.90, 2.06 and 2.26 PRI, respectively in comparison to other cultivars. In 2008, the cultivars Santana, Bridjet and Sinja were the most resistant cultivars with 48.56, 28.36 and 25.80 PRI, respectively and the cultivars Velox, Agria and Bright were the most sensitive cultivars with 1.90, 2.71 and 3.20 PRI, respectively in comparison to the other cultivars in 2008.
Conclusion: Significant positive correlation was observed between the plant resistance indices (PRI) in two study years (r= 0.499, P= 0.01). Results of this research revealed that the cultivars Bridjet, Delikat, Cardinal, Carlita, Sinja and Nicola with the highest PRI were the most resistant cultivars to the Colorado potato beetle in comparison to other cultivars during 2007-2008, suggesting that these cultivars can be used in the IPM program of the pest and resistance transfer to high yield varieties through plant breeding programs.


Over the years, successive St Lucian governments have embarked upon a number of reforms to improve the academic performance of all students. In that regard, the attainment of equity remains one of the main aspirational goals of the education system. Teachers are central to these reforms since they are at the forefront of educational work. The manner in which teachers are oriented during their pre-service training influences their teaching. Social justice teacher education which orients teachers to reflect on pedagogical and systemic issues that impact on student achievement is essential in preparing them to develop the skills, behaviours and predispositions fundamental to working for equity.
Drawing from qualitative research techniques, specifically, auto-ethnography, documentary research and critical theory, this study examines the pre-service teacher education curriculum used at the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St Lucia in order to determine whether student teachers are oriented to teaching practices that facilitate social justice and equity. The answer to that question emerged from critical analyses of data obtained from the wealth of my knowledge and experiences, related curriculum documents and from interviews with three faculty members and four student teachers.
The findings from my research indicate that the curriculum to which the student teachers are exposed is not underpinned by a philosophy of social justice and consequently student teachers of the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College are not oriented to socially just teaching. My findings also suggest that, despite the absence of a social justice agenda, there is openness among some staff and students of the Division to the inclusion of social justice in the teacher preparation curriculum.