Objective: In this study, clinical and vital parameters of 5 patients who were being followed up at intensive care unit due to H1N1 were retrospectively analyzed and the clinical findings that should not be overlooked were stressed. Method: Clinical follow ups of 5 patients whose H1N1 diagnoses were verified with PCR technique were recorded by the attending physician and vital parameters were recorded from patient files and an overall assessment was done. Results: Oxygen saturation of 4 out of 5 patients whose mean age was 48 years (range 43-59) was ≤ 85% on admission and all of four died. Symptoms had begun 4-5 days before admission in 3 of these dying patients, exact data could not be obtained in another patient due to mental retardation. Oxygen saturation of the only surviving patient was 91% on admission and symptoms had begun one day ago. All patients had an accompanying disease and one had pregnancy. A significant improvement was observed on chest X-rays of 2 out of 4 dying patients, a significant radiological improvement was not detected in the forth case as the patient died within 36 hours, whether an improvement was obtained was not evaluated with X-ray in the third patient as she was pregnant. Gastric doi: 10.26502/acmcr.9655019 drainage was present in the first 3 dying patients. The forth case could not be completely evaluated as he/she died early. Conclusion: The day of treatment commencement and presence of an accompanying disease were found as important factors for influenza-related mortality and we suggest that central nervous system (CNS) should be evaluated in patients whose clinical condition does not improve despite radiological improvement. In addition, blood drug level should be examined to see whether absorption is sufficient in case of high amounts of gastric drainage for providing an effective treatment.


In traditional reinforced concrete, the alkaline pore solution which passivates the steel rebars will get neutralized with time in an exposed environment. Therefore, to prevent corrosion initiation, the permeability of the concrete is reduced and extra-thick concrete covers the steel rebars. Aluminum is passive in the neutralized environment, but the calcium hydroxide formed during the cement hydration will dissolve the aluminum. By substituting 55% of the cement in traditional cement paste with fast reactive supplementary cementitious material (SCM), aluminum will be compatible over time. In the initial state however, before the SCM consumes the hydroxide formed during the rapid cement hydration by the pozzolanic reaction, aluminum may corrode. Hydrogen gas then develops, resulting in a porous cement region enclosing the rebars with potentially reduced bond strength. In the present work, the chemical stability of a sand-cast aluminum lattice embedded in a paste where cement is replaced by 55% calcined kaolinitic clay is investigated by gas chromatography and open-circuit potential during the cement hydration. The hydrogen gas development stagnated for all measurements, indicating that aluminum is compatible with the novel cement paste. Two stable potentials were observed for the non-heat-treated samples, indicating the formation of a metastable complex. Being able to use aluminum-reinforced concrete constructions would result in an extraordinary long service life with low cement consumption, which will potentially result in a substantial reduction in the third-largest CO2 emitting industry.


Physicians caring for children in trauma settings must consider and treat hypothermia as a cause for morbidity and mortality. Knowledge of treatment of accidental hypothermia with and without an asphyxial event is paramount. Clinicians need to identify hypothermia immediately and be aware of the overall management utilizing aggressive rewarming and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to help improve the survival of these critically ill children. This section reviews the epidemiology, clinical effects, and management options for accidental hypothermia in children.


This study aims to scrutinize the thin film flow of a nanofluid comprising of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), single and multi-walled i.e., (SWCNTs and MWCNTs), with Cattaneo-Christov heat flux and entropy generation. The time-dependent flow is supported by thermal radiation, variable source/sink, and magneto hydrodynamics past a linearly stretched surface. The obtained system of equations is addressed by the numerical approach bvp4c of the MATLAB software. The presented results are validated by comparing them to an already conducted study and an excellent synchronization in both results is achieved. The repercussions of the arising parameters on the involved profiles are portrayed via graphical illustrations and numerically erected tables. It is seen that the axial velocity decreases as the value of film thickness parameter increases. It is further noticed that for both types of CNTs, the velocity and temperature distributions increase as the solid volume fraction escalates.


Self-reported experiences are often poor indicators of outward expressions. Here we examine social power as a variable that may impact the relationship between self-reported affect and facial expressions. Earlier studies addressing this issue were limited by focusing on a single facial expression (smiling) and by using different, less sensitive methods that yielded mostly null results. Sampling, for the first time, self-reported affect repeatedly in response to different negative, neutral and positive stimuli, and measuring concurrent facial muscle activation via electromyography, we found that high power ( vs. baseline) increased the correspondence between self-reported positive affect and smiling. There was also an indication that high power ( vs. baseline) bolstered the association between self-reported negative affect and frowning but the effect did not pass more stringent criteria for significance ( p ≤ .005) and was therefore deemed inconclusive. The prediction that low power ( vs. baseline) decreases the correspondence between self-reported affect and smiling and frowning facial expressions was not supported. Taken together, it would appear that (high) power can impact the relationship between self-reported affect and facial expressions, but it remains to be seen whether this effect extends beyond smiling facial expressions.


In support of a country-wide educational reform, the Supreme Education Council created the Qatar National Education Database System. We describe this system and use analytic techniques to tentatively evaluate some aspects of the quality of its scaled attitudinal information. In particular, we stress the importance of developing criteria for ensuring the validity of "borrowed" measures. We also point to the desirability of longitudinal data quality research in the context of a culture in which measurement instruments such as questionnaires have gone from little or no use to a newly familiar feature of the educational landscape.


The South Australian (SA) Moratorium against genetically modified organisms (GMOs): (i) preserves food sovereignty for SA, (ii) it accords with global consumer sentiment, (iii) it validates SA's clean and green and natural image, (iv) it supports premium price agriculture, and (v) it avoids another Holden car crash experience in SA. General Motors recently wielded the axe on the Holden brand in Australia. Sovereignty for Holden had long ago been ceded to Detroit, USA, and, the company in Australia had persisted in ignoring consumer sentiment by promoting sedans (Commodores) long after consumer demand had moved on to SUVs (sports utility vehicles). With a GMO Moratorium, SA maintains sovereignty of its foodscape. Without a GMO Moratorium, the shots are ceded to Dusseldorf (Bayer & Monsanto), Basel and Beijing (Syngenta & ChemChina). Global consumer surveys reveal that consumers do not want GMOs on their plate (e.g. 60% of Chinese consumers say no to GMOs). Germany, Switzerland and China exclude their own GMO companies from selling and growing their own GMO products in their home countries. So, these GMO/pesticide companies seek far away 'mindless jurisdictions' which will allow their products. Australia has 51% of the world's certified organic agriculture hectares, and just 0.4% of the world's GMO hectares. SA is a world leader in Organics and accounts for 40% of the certified organic agriculture hectares of Australia. The SA GMO Moratorium safeguards this important premium sector. GMO crops are 'bargain basement' crops that sell at a price penalty (e.g. 7.2% price penalty for WA GM canola). There is no way of containing or recalling GMOs. Once released into the environment they knit themselves into the genetic fabric of the foodscape, without any mechanism for recall. Most Australian consumers think that GMO foods are unsafe (90% in a recent survey survey), they may be right. There is at present a point of difference that Australia has from USA, also a major food exporter. Food in Australian supermarkets is non-GMO - mandated GMO labelling means that Australian food manufacturers and retailers exclude GMOs. There is no means for effectively segregating GMO crops and nor for avoiding contaminating non-GMO farms. The sensible decision for the Parliament of South Australia is to leave the SA GMO Moratorium in place.


— We propose a new Markov model for the distributed coordination function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11. The model incorporates carrier sense, non-saturated traffic and SNR, for both basic and RTS/CTS access mechanisms. Analysis of the model shows that the throughput first increases, and then decreases with the number of active stations, suggesting the need for an admission control mechanism We introduce such a mechanism, which tries to maximize the throughput while maintaining a fair allocation. The maximum achievable throughput is tracked by the mechanism as the number of active stations increases. An extensive performance analysis shows that the mechanism provides significant improvements .


Background As global biodiversity declines, there's an increasing need to create an educated and engaged society. Having people from all ages participate in measuring biodiversity where they live helps to create awareness. Recently, the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for biodiversity surveys has gained momentum. Here, we test whether sampling eDNA and metabarcoding can be used for rapid urban biodiversity surveys for educational purposes. Materials & Methods We sampled 2×1 L of water from each of 15 locations in the city of Trondheim, Norway, including a variety of freshwater, marine and brackish habitats. DNA was extracted, amplified in triplicate for the COI gene and sequenced. The obtained data were analysed on the novel mBRAVE platform, an online open access software and computing resource. Results The water samples were collected in two days by two people and the lab analysis was completed in five days by one person. Overall, we detected the presence of 501 taxa identified as belonging to 435 species, representing 90 orders and 18 phyla. On average, only 5.4% of the taxa were shared among six replicates per site. Based on the observed diversity, three distinct clusters were detected and related to geographic distribution of sites. There were some taxa shared between the habitats, with a substantial presence of terrestrial biota. Discussion Our results match expected patterns of biodiversity in the landscape and show that with minimal sampling effort, hundreds of species can be detected. Thus, using eDNA analysis of water is promising for rapid biodiversity surveys, and it is likely that more detailed results could be obtained by optimising field and lab methods for particular groups of interest. We recommend that rapid eDNA surveys, with openly available services and softwares, can be used to raise awareness in the importance of biodiversity.


Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major cause of hospitalization and death in the United States. Moreover, as the average age of individuals increases around the world, early detection and diagnosis of AF become even more pressing. In this paper, we introduce a novel deep learning architecture for the detection of normal sinus rhythm, AF, other abnormal rhythms, and noise. Approach: We have demonstrated through a systematic approach many hyperparameters, input sets, and optimization methods that yielded influence in both training time and performance accuracy. We have focused on these properties to identify an optimal 13-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) model which was trained on 8528 short single-lead ECG recordings and evaluated on a test dataset of 3658 recordings. Main results: The proposed CNN architecture achieved a state-of-the-art performance in identifying normal, AF and other rhythms with an average F1-score of 0.83. Significance: We have presented a robust deep learning-based architecture that can identify abnormal cardiac rhythms using short single-lead ECG recordings. The proposed architecture is computationally fast and can also be used in real-time cardiac arrhythmia detection applications.


The coupled processes – the ππ scattering, ππ → KK, ππ → ηη and J/ψ → φππ,φKK – are considered in the 2and 3-channel approaches for studying f0-mesons. An applied modelindependent method of analysis is based on analyticity and unitarity and uses an uniformization procedure. It is shown that for obtaining correct values of the f0-meson parameters a one-channel dispersive equation (Roy's equations) analysis of the ππ scattering is not enough, even for the f0(600) which is in the elastic region of the ππ scattering below the thresholds of coupled channels. At least, the combined 3-channel analysis of data on coupled processes ππ → ππ,KK,ηη is needed, which is carried out adding the data on decays J/ψ → φππ,φKK from Mark III , DM2 and BES Collaborations. The latter allows us considerably to diminish possible scenarios of the resonance representations on the Riemann surface of the S-matrix, which give the similar description of the multi-channel ππ scattering and, however, the quite different parameters of some resonances. There are changed most considerably parameters of the f0(600) – now the obtained mass is in some accordance with prediction by S. Weinberg on the basis of mended symmetry. Some spectroscopic implications from results of the analysis are discussed.


We motivate Energy-Based Models (EBMs) as a promising model class for continual learning problems. Instead of tackling continual learning via the use of external memory, growing models, or regularization, EBMs have a natural way to support a dynamically-growing number of tasks or classes that causes less interference with previously learned information. We find that EBMs outperform the baseline methods by a large margin on several continual learning benchmarks. We also show that EBMs are adaptable to a more general continual learning setting where the data distribution changes without the notion of explicitly delineated tasks. These observations point towards EBMs as a class of models naturally inclined towards the continual learning regime.


Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a valuable and possibly underused agent in treating mild lupus. Whether this drug should be discontinued in pregnancy is still controversial. We studied the full obstetric histories of 33 women with lupus who had taken HCQ at some point during pregnancy. HCQ was not, apparently, teratogenic and we believe that continuation of this drug is probably safe in lupus pregnancies.


Spectral evaluation of global geopotential models (GGMs) is necessary to recognize the behaviour of gravity signal and its error recorded in spherical harmonic coefficients and associated standard deviations. Results put forward in this wise explain the whole contribution of gravity data in different kinds that represent various sections of the gravity spectrum. This method is more informative than accuracy assessment methods, which use external data such as GPS-levelling. Comparative spectral evaluation for more than one model can be performed both in global and local sense using many spectral tools. The number of GGMs has grown with the increasing number of data collected by the dedicated satellite gravity missions, CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE. This fact makes it necessary to measure the differences between models and to monitor the improvements in the gravity field recovery. In this paper, some of the satellite-only and combined models are examined in different scales, globally and regionally, in order to observe the advances in the modelling of GGMs and their strengths at various expansion degrees for geodetic and geophysical applications. The validation of the published errors of model coefficients is a part of this evaluation. All spectral tools explicitly reveal the superiority of the GRACE-based models when compared against the models that comprise the conventional satellite tracking data. The disagreement between models is large in local/regional areas if data sets are different, as seen from the example of the Turkish territory.


This study assesses the health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) effects of chorionic villi sampling (CVS) and genetic amniocentesis (GA), including both process and outcomes of prenatal diagnosis. The HRQL of 126 women participating in a randomized controlled clinical trial of CVS versus GA in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, was assessed in four interviews at weeks 8, 13, 18, and 22 of pregnancy. Statistical analyses included analysis of variance, repeated measures analysis of covariance, chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Student's t-tests, and paired t-tests. Utility scores for patients undergoing CVS exceeded those for GA patients at week 18 (p = 0.04). Utility scores for hypothetical health states did not differ significantly by trial arm. CVS results in slightly improved HRQL during prenatal diagnosis. This advantage needs to be weighed against the high disutility patients attach to infrequent outcomes associated with pregnancy losses, equivocal diagnoses, and diagnostic inaccuracy.


Ileum displays little active transcellular calcium (Ca2+) absorption but is credited with the bulk of Ca2+ absorbed in vivo. We examined the effect of taurodeoxycholic acid (TDC, 2 mM), a bile salt, on mannitol (MN, a marker of intercellular solute traffic) and Ca2+ fluxes in rat ileum. In the absence of electrochemical gradients between the mucosal (M) and serosal (S) bathing media in an Ussing chamber, net flux (Jnet) was observed in the S-to-M direction for both MN and Ca2+, i.e., the unidirectional secretory S-to-M flux (Js-->m) exceeded the absorptive M-to-S flux (Jm-->s). Mucosal TDC caused simultaneous increase in transepithelial conductance and Js-->m for both MN and Ca2+. This was followed by even greater increases in MN and Ca2+ Jm-->s, so that ultimately Jm-->s equaled Js-->m in each case. In control tissue, Js-->m for Ca2+ appeared to permeate exclusively through the intercellular MN pathway while part of Jm-->s for Ca2+ appeared to traverse through a non-MN route. After the TDC-induced increase in intercellular solute permeability, both Ca2+ fluxes appeared to traverse through the aqueous MN conduit. During the postprandial state, the presence of bile salts and the relative abundance of Ca2+ in ileal lumen can cause bulk Ca2+ absorption through the intercellular pathway.


Simulation models are an absolute necessity in the human and social sciences, which can only very exceptionally use experimental science methods to construct their knowledge. Models enable the simulation of social processes by replacing the complex interplay of individual and collective actions and reactions with simpler mathematical or computer mechanisms, making it easier to understand the relationships between the causes and the consequences of these interactions and to make predictions. As the formalism of mathematical models offering analytical solutions is often not suitable for representing social complexity, more and more agent-based computer models are being used. For a long time, the limited computing capacities of computers have hampered programming models that would take into account the interactions between large numbers of geographically located entities (persons or territories). In principle, these models should inform the conditions for the emergence of certain patterns defined at a macro-geographic level from the interactions occurring at a micro-geographic level, in systems whose behaviors are too complex to be understood directly by a human brain. Moreover, it is also necessary to analyze the dynamic behavior of these models with nonlinear feedback effects and verify that they produce plausible results at all stages of their simulation. This essential work of exploring the dynamics of modeled systems remained in its infancy until the late 2010s. Since then, algorithms combining more sophisticated methods, including genetic algorithms and the use of distributed intensive computing, have made it possible to make a significant qualitative leap forward in the exploration and validation of models. The result is an epistemological turn for the human and social sciences, as indicated by the latest applications realized with the help of the OpenMOLE platform presented here.


The ability to separate, identify, and quantify proteins from complex mixtures are key foundational methods across biochemistry teaching and research. In particular, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an important technique that is used to measure antigen concentrations in both industry and academia. There are four categories of ELISA, direct, indirect, competitive, and sandwich, each with their own applications. Sandwich ELISAs are used to determine antigen concentrations from complex mixtures of protein, such as a cell lysates, and are regularly used as medical diagnostics to diagnose illness and diseases ranging from hepatitis to celiac disease. One major problem with teaching the sandwich ELISA technique to students is the prohibitive cost due to the need to coat a 96‐well plate with a capture antibody. One solution to this problem would be to significantly reduce the role of each student in the lab, but this does not adequately prepare students to perform the procedure in a research or industry lab. Instead, this laboratory exercise teaches students the procedural knowledge needed to perform a direct sandwich ELISA, but uses a simulated experience performed within a wet‐lab environment. The presented scenario is the analysis of phosphorylated proteins within a synthetic signaling pathway, but because the lab uses simulated samples, it can be tailored to different topics and educational aims. The procedure is 10‐ to 26‐fold less expensive per student to deploy than an authentic sandwich ELISA. Students in the course report that the ELISA lab significantly strengthened the connection between theory and practice. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 48(1):67–73, 2020.


DOCUMENT RESUME AC 006 155 Taylor, Vienna Siders On-the-Job Training and the Older Worker. Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames. 68 52p.; M.S. Thesis EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$2.70 Analysis of Variance, Educational Background, Females, Financial Support, Investigations, *Job Placement, Males, Marital Status, Masters Theses, *Middle Aged, Mobility, Occupations, *On the Job Training, Persistence, Physically Handicapped, Race, Socially Disadvantaged, *Unemployed Based on information (1966-67) from the on-the-job-training program of the Iowa State Manpower Development Council, this study analyzed variations in placement among 123 applicants aged 45-65. Questionnaire variables were race, sex, age, marital status, physical or social handicap: education, weeks unemployed, occupational level, financial support, and willingness to relocate. The typical applicant appeared to be a 52 year old married white male, unskilled (10.4 years of education) , with two dependents, a social or physical handicap, and 5.3 weeks unemployment without unemployment compensation or other relief; he preferred local employment to relocation. Compared to unplaced workers, those placed were younger, were less willing to relocate, received much less outside income, and had a few more females and whites, a larger proportion married (21T more) , higher educational attainment (by 4%) , and 41% unmarried or divorced, socially handicapped, and relatively undereducated, but willing to relocate. Implications of these and other findings were suggested. (1y)


In recent years, a considerable research effort has been devoted to Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA). However, most of the work has been focusing on improving the methodology as such and providing guidelines for carrying out LCA studies. Much less effort has been dedicated to the exploration and analysis of the applications of LCA within the actual context of business. Which are the drivers for starting LCA activities in a company? Which are the main applications? Which business departments are involved? This is the kind of questions addressed by the present paper. The paper reports the results of a survey about the use of LCA in business in four selected European Countries, namely Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. 1600 questionnaires have been sent out to selected companies in the four countries. As expected, there are considerable differences between countries because of a different level of environmental awareness. However, there are some main com- mon results. The first one is that the cultural approach of Life-Cycle-Thinking is spreading out, but not yet the tool. LCA is not yet used as a routine tool for assessing environmental aspects of product inno- vation and it is still rather employed in a retrospective way than in a prospective one. Benefits of LCA are considered to be rather long-term ones. On the other hand, the large majority of firms is optimistic about the future use of LCA, most likely linked together with other instruments.


The US Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management has supported independent technical reviews of soil and groundwater projects at multiple DOE sites over the last 10 years. These reviews have resulted in significant design improvements to remedial plans that have accelerated cleanup and site closure. Many have also resulted in improved understanding of complex subsurface conditions, promoting better approaches to design and implementation of new technologies. Independent technical reviews add value, because they provide another perspective to problem solving and act as a check for especially challenging problems. By bringing in a team of independent experts with a broad experience base, alternative solutions are recommended for consideration and evaluation. In addition, the independence of the panel is significant, because it is able to address politically sensitive issues. The expert panel members typically bring lessons learned from other sites to help solve the DOE problems. In addition, their recommendations at a particular site can often be applied at other sites, making the review even more valuable. The review process can vary, but some common lessons ensure a successful review: • Use a multi-disciplinary broadly experienced team; • Engage the panel early and throughout the project; • Involve regulators and stakeholders in the workshop, if appropriate; • Provide sufficient background information; • Close the workshop with a debriefing followed by a written report. Many groundwater remediation challenges remain at DOE sites. Independent technical reviews have and will ensure that the best capabilities and experience are applied to reduce risks and uncertainties.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


COVID-19 pandemic has affected the educational system worldwide. Policies were created and implemented to guide the schools to offer flexible learning. Nevertheless, its implementation was partly in favor of those on the mainland. So, the author explored the lived experiences of teachers, parents, and learners in Science about their problems encountered, coping mechanisms, and perception of the learning modality in an island school. With this, an in-depth interview was employed to gather the data and was triangulated through observation and focus group discussion. Thematic analysis revealed that the complexity of the topics, the conduct of experiments and its materialization, and the unreliability scores of the learners were Science teachers' problems; their coping mechanisms were teacher-parent communication, additional learning resources, and house-to-house visitation; their perceptions disclosed that the learning modality is difficult. Participants' perception of the modular approach is attributed to their problems and coping mechanisms. Hence, the Department of Education may provide professional opportunities such as seminars, workshops, and training to enhance the skills of the teachers needed and relevant to the current setting of education. Keywords: Lived Experiences, Coping Mechanism, Problems Encountered, Perception


Developing accurate and efficient program analyses for languages with higher-order functions is known to be difficult. Here we define a new higher-order program analysis, Demand-Driven Program Analysis (DDPA), which extends well-known demand-driven lookup techniques found in first-order program analyses to higher-order programs. This task presents several unique challenges to obtain good accuracy, including the need for a new method for demand-driven lookup of non-local variable values. DDPA is flow- and context-sensitive and provably polynomial-time. To efficiently implement DDPA, we develop a novel pushdown automaton metaprogramming framework, the Pushdown Reachability automaton. The analysis is formalized and proved sound, and an implementation is described.


Sporting events attract millions of dollars in sponsorship and tourism, so a strong event brand is required. The event website quality is responsible for maintaining and attracting consumers and creating a positive attitude towards the brand. The purpose of this study was to examine key variables that affect the behavior of online sport event consumers. Specifically, it explores e-quality and e-satisfaction and how they influence the attitude towards the website and the brand. Structural equation model tests revealed that a positive quality can determine a positive attitude to the web site, even the consumer is not satisfied with it. On the other hand, the stakeholder needs to pay attention to maintain a high-quality web site if he wants to increase the attitude toward the brand to attract consumer to the sport event, because the event can generate revenue to the sponsors, cities and citizens.


Low rainfall in range areas restricts germination, growth and development of majority of range grasses. However, germination and establishment potential of forage grasses vary and depends on environmental conditions. Themeda triandra is an excellent known grass to grow under different environmental conditions. T. triandra naturally grows over an extensive geographical range on many soil types. Germination of T. triandra is the key factor in its establishment or re-establishment because its germination varies widely which is also affected by storage periods of seed. Germination response of Themeda to storage period was conducted in the laboratory. Four storage periods (Fresh seed, 6, 12 and 18 months old) seeds were sown in laboratory in germination trays placed in growth chamber in completely randomized design. Germination was counted till 40 days after sowing and percentage calculated thereafter. The 12 month old seeds gave the maximum 84% germination. On the basis of laboratory experiment, 12 months seeds were sown at 3 diverse locations (Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Talagang) with 4 spacing treatments (20, 30, 40 and Broadcast) in completely randomized block design. Germination was recorded for 40 days after sowing (DAS) and the maximum germination was observed in 25 - 30 DAS depending on the environmental conditions of experimental sites. Closer plant spacing (20 cm) gave the maximum (79%) germination at high rainfall area (Rawalpindi) while the least (52%) was recorded for the wider plant spacing at low rain fall area (Talagang).


To establish the basis for the reduced expression of the X determinant on leukemic blasts and the changes in antigenic expression that occur during myeloid maturation, the presence on myeloid cells of X and related structures was examined in conjunction with studies on the activities of the glycosyltransferases involved in their biosynthesis. Expression of X and sialyl-X was weak on blasts in comparison with neutrophils despite the presence of the requisite precursor structures. Much higher levels of 3-fucosyltransferase activity were found in blasts than in neutrophils when nonsialylated substrates were used, but, whereas the enzyme in neutrophils reacted equally well with 3'-sialylated and nonsialylated acceptors, the enzyme in blasts showed a marked preference for nonsialylated substrates. 6'-Sialyltransferase activity was strong in blasts but was not detectable in neutrophils, whereas a much lower level of 3'-sialyltransferase activity was present in both blasts and neutrophils. Dimethyl sulfoxide-induced maturation of HL60 cells was associated with (1) a decrease in both 6'-sialyltransferase and 3-fucosyltransferase activities, (2) a change in the substrate specificity of 3-fucosyltransferase towards that found in mature cells, and (3) increased cell surface expression of sialyl-X. These results suggest that the reduced expression of X in myeloblasts is related to the presence of the strong 6'-sialyltransferase, which uses the precursor substrate at the expense of the 3-fucosyltransferase and prevents the synthesis of X and sialyl-X. The developmental regulation of the levels of 3'- and 6'-sialyltransferases, and the level and specificity of the 3-fucosyltransferases, therefore controls the expression of X and its degree of sialylation.


Many children fail to master fraction arithmetic even after years of instruction, a failure that hinders their learning of more advanced mathematics as well as their occupational success. To test hypotheses about why children have so many difficulties in this area, we created a computational model of fraction arithmetic learning and presented it with the problems from a widely used textbook series. The simulation generated many phenomena of children's fraction arithmetic performance through a small number of common learning mechanisms operating on a biased input set. The biases were not unique to this textbook series—they were present in 2 other textbook series as well—nor were the phenomena unique to a particular sample of children—they were present in another sample as well. Among other phenomena, the model predicted the high difficulty of fraction division, variable strategy use by individual children and on individual problems, relative frequencies of different types of strategy errors on different types of problems, and variable effects of denominator equality on the four arithmetic operations. The model also generated nonintuitive predictions regarding the relative difficulties of several types of problems and the potential effectiveness of a novel instructional approach. Perhaps the most general lesson of the findings is that the statistical distribution of problems that learners encounter can influence mathematics learning in powerful and nonintuitive ways.


The evolution of Web 2.0 technologies has led to social media becoming new tool for public participation, where communities can easily be reached and where stakeholder can express their preferences on a continuous basis. The ongoing development has caused government to be faced with expectations to adapt its communication behaviour to the changing social online interactions. The purpose of using social media differs among local governments, in terms of marketing, information provision, civic participation or accountability. Our focus is to do in depth-analysis of this specific government type of communication, with focus on Czech municipalities. The research describes how local governments in Czech Republic use social media in communication with public. Subsequently we also focus on implications from the perspective of inter-municipal co-operation or whether municipalities determine their SN profile, its content and communication by the boarders (catastral territory) of the municipality. This discussion can set up the conditions for further research and assessment whether social networks could be used on the platform of inter-municipal co-operation.


In a number of graph search-based planning problems, the value of the cost function that is being minimized also affects the set of possible actions at some or all the states in the graph. For example, in path planning for a robot with a limited battery power, a common cost function is energy consumption, whereas the level of remaining energy affects the navigational capabilities of the robot. Similarly, in path planning for a robot navigating dynamic environments, a total traversal time is a common cost function whereas the timestep affects whether a particular transition is valid. In such planning problems, the cost function typically becomes one of the state variables thereby increasing the dimensionality of the planning problem, and consequently the size of the graph that represents the problem. In this paper, we show how to avoid this increase in the dimensionality for the planning problems whenever the availability of the actions is monotonically non-increasing with the increase in the cost function. We present three variants of A* search for dealing with such planning problems: a provably optimal version, a suboptimal version that scales to larger problems while maintaining a bound on suboptimality, and finally a version that relaxes our assumption on the relationship between the cost function and action space. Our experimental analysis on several domains shows that the presented algorithms achieve up to several orders of magnitude speed up over the alternative approaches to planning.


The majority of deaths due to tobacco in the twenty-first century will occur in the developing world, where over 80% of current tobacco users live. In November 2010 guidelines were adopted for implementing Article 14 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The guidelines call on all countries to promote tobacco treatment programs. Nevertheless, some experts argue for a strict focus, at least in developing countries, on population-based measures such as taxes and indoor air laws, which they consider more cost-effective than individual treatment. In this article we defend tobacco dependence treatment in developing countries. First, these experts understate the comparative cost-effectiveness of individual treatment programs. Second, they overlook numerous ethical considerations beyond cost-effectiveness that support individual tobacco treatment in developing countries. We conclude that the strict population-based focus in developing country tobacco control advocated by some experts is misplaced. In general, developing nations should combine population-based measures and individual tobacco treatment programs.


This study proposes a new particle swarm optimisation algorithm for combined problem of capacitor placement and network reconfiguration simultaneously in the presence of non-linear loads. Here, the minimising cost of real power losses and capacitor installation and also improving the power quality criteria have been pursued as the goals of an optimisation problem. In the proposed method, to achieve better control on the algorithm's exploration and exploitation capabilities, particles velocity will be dependent upon both particle's fitness and time. Perturbation module is adopted to perform perturbation on some particles and provide extra diversity to jump out from local optima and avoid premature convergence. The proposed model is implemented on two typical networks including 33-bus IEEE standard well-known test system and a 77-bus radial distribution network of Sirjan, Iran. Through showing numerical results, the performance of the presented method will be discussed in comparison to previously proposed ones. The numeric comparison also indicates that simultaneously capacitor placement and network reconfiguration lead to far better results than they are considered non-simultaneously. Furthermore, in regard to harmonic distortion, as a term of a multi-objective function, it also improves the power quality of the network during the reconfiguration and capacitor placement procedures.


This study was conducted to investigate the effect of using online discussion forums (ODFs) on students' learning, particularly on their achievement. In order to achieve this, a quasi-experimental design was implemented during one academic semester at one of the leading universities in Saudi Arabia. The sample of this study involved undergraduate students (N = 138) divided into two groups: the experimental group involved 67 students and the control group involved 71 students. The findings indicate that using ODFs is likely to lead students to gain a better achievement. In addition, statistical analyses reveal significant and positive relationships between student participation in ODFs and their final course mark, but no significant relationships between their participation in ODFs and grade point average. The social interaction and the collaborative nature in ODFs environments as well as the active learning in blended learning courses were likely to be the possible reasons for the increased achievement when students utilise ODFs to enhance traditional learning. However, contextual dimensions need to be given a great deal of attention in order to find satisfactory results.


Excerpt] This report explains when an employer may request genetic information from an employee as part of a wellness program with an inducement attached to participation and the requirements the employer must follow when doing so. It also discusses the EEOC's proposed rule whereby a spouse may be incentivized to provide his or her own medical information, which is also the employee's genetic information, as part of a wellness program.


When the first economics departments were proposed at Cambridge and Oxford, the proponents thought acceptance would be improved if economics could be seen as incorporating the methods of physics. The enterprise was premised on the existence of economic laws that describe invariant relationships between events. These event regularities, like gravity, were not affected by human action. Humans could adapt and use them, but not change them. Thus the metaphor of "mechanism" seemed appropriate and became embedded in economists' language. It is common to use the term market mechanism to link prices and commodities. This suggests the economy is like turning a crank attached to a set of gears where there is a fixed relationship between the crank's motion and the last gear's motion. The gears have no ideas of their own, they don't get mad; there is no cognitive element between events and action.


We have measured electron-circularly-dichroic asymmetries when longitudinally-polarized (chiral) electrons are scattered quasi-elastically by chiral halocamphor molecules: 3-bromocamphor (C10H15BrO), 3-iodocamphor (C10H15IO), and 10-iodocamphor. The proposed dynamic origins of these asymmetries are considered in terms of three classical models related to Mott scattering, target electron helicity density, and spin-other-orbit interactions. The asymmetries observed for 3-bromocamphor and 3-iodocamphor scale roughly as Z2, where Z is the nuclear charge of the heaviest atom in the target molecule, but the scaling is violated by 10-iodocamphor, which has a smaller asymmetry than that for 3-iodocamphor. This is in contrast to the asymmetries in the collision channel associated with dissociative electron attachment, in which 10-iodocamphor has a much larger asymmetry. All of the available electron-circularly-dichroic data taken to date are considered in an effort to systematically address the dynamical cause of the observed chiral asymmetries.


There are three reasons why companies have trouble finding and hiring top-notch executives. First, even organizations that are adept at selecting winners will have considerable difficulty because of the way in which managerial talent is distributed across a population. Second, assessing people for senior positions is inherently tricky for a number of reasons. For one thing, the differentiating competencies for top leaders are usually in "soft" areas - such as the ability to develop people or manage change efforts - each of which is very difficult to measure in any reliable way. Finally, powerful psychological biases impair the quality of the hiring decision. Nevertheless, organizations can overcome those obstacles by deploying a set of basic practices: Define before looking, cast a wide net, compare apples with apples, evaluate thoroughly, filter biases, limit the number of people involved, close the deal and facilitate the integration. Although some of those practices might seem obvious, many companies fail to follow them. All too often, for instance, organizations make the mistake of commencing an executive search before they know what they're really looking for. Or they unnecessarily restrict the search to certain markets, industries or geographic regions. Because of such mistakes, contends the author, the problem of poor appointments for top positions is serious and pervasive at many companies, even blue-chip corporations.


Secondary hypertension is a common condition with a broad differential diagnosis. Identification of the true cause of hypertension can be critical for guiding appropriate management. Here, we review hereditary conditions underlying the most common cause of secondary hypertension, primary aldosteronism, as well as other disorders impacting various levels of mineralocorticoid action. Recently, several pathogenic variants of ion channels have been described as etiologies of familial aldosteronism. Defects in steroid hormone synthesis cause hypertension in 11β-hydroxylase deficiency and 17α-hydroxylase deficiency, two types of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Inappropriate activation of mineralocorticoid receptors underlies the syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess and constitutive activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor. Finally, Liddle syndrome and pseudohypoaldosteronism type 2 are disorders impacting the function of renal sodium channels, the endpoint of mineralocorticoid action. We discuss the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of these low renin hypertension states that ultimately result in apparent excess mineralocorticoid activity.


Anecdotal evidence suggests that, even when academic staff are aware of the existence of a plagiarism policy, many still don't use it. They either prefer to deal with it in their own way, or ignore the issue. In order to encourage increased and improved use of the existing policy, we were interested in understanding staff concerns about plagiarism generally. As part of a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, a 3 hour workshop is devoted to Academic Integrity. At the start of the workshop, participants are asked to complete a survey on their experience and concerns regarding plagiarism, and their awareness of local policies and procedures. Staff are then asked to articulate their single biggest concern around academic integrity, and this collection of concerns and the ensuing discussion is used to direct aspects of the workshop. With different groups, the emerging group concerns will have different flavours; some teaching-focused, some student-focussed and some policy-focussed. The data from the surveys over the last 3 years gives an insight into staff awareness of policies and procedures at our institution as well as highlighting the general ethos and attitudes regarding student plagiarism. This paper will compare the collected data against early results from the IPPHEAE project staff survey. Knowledge about the levels of awareness of plagiarism policy amongst staff has implications for staff development. This paper will give an overview of various approaches to awareness raising and staff development that have been used in our institution, with an indication of the levels of success and factors contributing to this. Teaching staff concerns about academic integrity and their implications for staff development - ResearchGate. Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/261529988_Teaching_staff_concerns_about_academic_integrity_and_their_implications_for_staff_development [accessed May 7, 2015].


1. Direct transfusions of platelet-rich polycythemic blood, using the multiple syringe technic and siliconized apparatus, were performed in 14 cases of "idiopathic" ("megakaryocytic") and 8 of "secondary" ("amegakaryocytic") thrombocytopenia. Effects on platelet number and function, and on hemorrhagic manifestations were studied. 2. Platelets disappeared very rapidly from the circulation (one-half to twelve hours) in the 12 patients with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenia and in 1 patient with chronic thrombocytopenia with a low platelet count. They disappeared more slowly (twenty-four hours) in the other case of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia in which there was a higher platelet count. Essentially similar platelet disappearance curves were obtained in 2 patients, before and after unsuccessful splenectomy. In the patients with secondary thrombocytopenia, the survival of platelets in the circulation was much longer (average forty-eight to ninety-six hours). 3. Behavior of clot retraction and prothrombin activity of serum paralleled closely that of the platelet count. The bleeding time and capillary fragility usually remained improved for twenty-four to forty-eight hours after the platelet count had fallen to the initial level. Likewise, the hemorrhagic manifestations were improved in every case for many hours after the platelet level had returned to its original value. Similar, but less marked beneficial effects on the hemorrhagic manifestations were also obtained with transfusions of fresh blood from donors with normal platelet counts, provided fresh blood was used and precautions taken to prevent excessive loss of platelets. 4. Remissions were observed in 2 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenia following direct transfusion of polycythemic blood. In both cases, the injected platelets disappeared promptly from the circulation but within twenty-four hours the platelet count began to rise and a long-sustained remission became established. This finding suggests the possibility that polycythemic blood may contain a stimulatory principle which can determine or accelerate a spontaneous remission. 5. Conclusions. The prompt disappearance of injected platelets from the circulation of patients with "idiopathic" thrombocytopenia suggests a humoral destructive mechanism, which is not present in the "secondary" or "amegakaryocytic" cases. This destructive mechanism does not appear to originate in the spleen. Our observations do not exclude an inhibitory effect upon platelet production from the megakaryocytes of the bone marrow. Polycythemic blood may contain a platelet stimulatory factor.


Behavioural models for power amplifiers (PA) have traditionally been developed based on conventional AM-AM and AM-PM curves from one-tone measurements, which discounts the presence of memory in the system. However, as signal bandwidth increases in spread spectrum systems, memory effects become more severe. These effects result from the frequency response of matching networks, nonlinear capacitances of the transistors and the response of the bias networks. Multi-stage high power amplifiers require more accurate behavioural models to provide a better description of memory effects and highly nonlinear characteristics than memoryless models based on single-tone transfer characteristics. This is achieved using measured two-tone transfer characteristics of the amplitude and phase of the fundamental, IM3 and IM5 components, which have highly nonlinear components that represent the amplifier's significant memory. A statistical technique is then applied which allows accurate, fast and efficient prediction of the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) of the communication system without time-consuming time-domain simulations.


Amr Khaled is an Egyptian Muslim activist and television preacher based in Egypt who encourages both social commitment and individual self-fulfilment. Chosen by Time Magazine as one of the world s 100 most influential people, his prominence in the Arabic-speaking world is unparalleled. During the Mubarak era, his message seemed for the most part apolitical, but after the events of January 2011, he started using more explicitly political language. Susanne Olsson examines the differences between Amr Khaled s pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary messages and looking in-depth at how deals with the concepts of Islam and modernity. By examining issues such as Amr Khaled s use of mass media, his views on gender role and the nature of political and religious rule, Susanne Olsson offers a book which will appeal to those interested in the changes that Egypt has experienced over the last century."


This work presents a novel approach for recognizing faces in images taken from different illumination, expression, near frontal pose, partially occlusion and time delay. The method is based on one-dimensional discrete hidden Markov model (ID-DHMM) with new way of extracting observations and using observation sequences. All subjects in the system share only one HMM that is used as a means to weigh a pair of observations. The Haar wavelet transform is applied to face images to reduce the dimension of the observation vectors. The selection of the recognized person is based on the highest score, which is the summation of the likelihoods of all observation sequences extracted from image on both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Our experiment results tested on the AR face database and the CMU PIE face database show that the proposed method outperforms the PCA, LDA, LFA based approaches tested on the same databases.


This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fattening duration on carcass and meat quality traits of Saanen x Hair Goat (G1) hybrid male kids fattened in intensive, semi-intensive and extensive fattening systems. Two different
 slaughter times (120 and 150 days) were applied. Slaughterhouse weights of the kids for 120 and 150-days were measured as 31.22 kg and 31.03 kg in intensive fattening, as 30.08 kg and 27.26 kg in semi-intensive fattening and as 28.69 kg and 28.72 kg
 in extensive fattening system respectively. Hot carcass weights were measured as 15.29 kg and 15.98 kg in intensive fattening, as 14.48 kg and 12.85 kg in semi-intensive fattening and as 13.85 kg and 13.8 kg in extensive fattening system
 respectively. With regard to meat quality traits of pH24, pH45, water holding capacity, passive water loss and cooking loss, significant differences were not observed between fattening systems and between fattening durations. Warner-Bratzler peak
 shear forces decreased with prolonged fattening duration and the greatest marbling score was observed in 150-day intensive fattening system.


This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of scholarly lexicography of the Estonian language as a second language in an historical and a theoretical perspective. The paper describes what kind of information is presented traditionally in dictionary entries on the level of morphology, derivation, syntagmatic relationships and paradigmatic relationships. In addition, taking into consideration theoretical and practical viewpoints of modern lexicography on what kind of information should be presented in a dictionary entry so that the dictionary could be classified as a production dictionary (Apresjan (ed.) 2006; Atkins & Rundell 2008; Bo Svensе́n 2009; Novikov 2001; Siepmann 2006), the author is going to illustrate what kind of information should be added into the entries of a learners' dictionary of the Estonian language as a second language so that they could be used as production dictionaries. In an historical perspective the analysis of the learners' dictionaries, which were published during the last 160 years, indicated that dictionary compilers provide dictionary users mostly with information about inflectional formation; meanwhile, the information about word formation (derivatives, compounds), syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationships is almost neglected. On the other hand, learners' dictionaries meant for speakers of Estonian as a first language provide much more information: the information about inflectional formation, word formation, synonyms, antonyms, paronyms is presented explicitly. The information about syntagmatic relationships is presented mostly implicitly by means of examples at the level of phrases, clauses and sentences. The author puts forward detailed proposals for what kind of formal (inflectional formation, derivatives, compounds), semantic (mostly content-paradigmatic information) and syntagmatic (syntactic valency, collocations, idioms) characteristics should be given in a dictionary of the Estonian language as a second language and demonstrates practical implementations of explicit systematic description of syntactic valency and collocations of different parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, quantifiers).


In this note we draw attention to data which may require major revision of Dalradian stratigraphy and structure in northeast Scotland. The Central Highland sequence of the Dalradian and the Keith Division (Read 1955) of Banffshire are separated from the metasediments of the Banff Division by gneisses. These are referred to as the Cowhythe Gneiss (Read 1923), Queens Hill Gneiss (Harris & Pitcher 1975), Donside and Ellon Gneiss (Read 1955) and Inzie Head Gneiss (Read & Farquhar 1956) after the main areas of outcrop. The reader is referred to Read (1955, pl. 1) where the general distribution of the gneisses is shown. Their relationships to the Central Highland succession are often complicated by the large granitic intrusions of the post-tectonic Younger Granite suite. The generally accepted model for the region interprets the gneisses as migmatites developed from the Ben Lui and Ben Lawers schists (e.g. Read 1955, Harris & Pitcher 1975). Further they are considered to represent the migmatitic core of the Tay Nappe (e.g. Ashworth 1975). Read (1955) originally considered that the rocks of his Banff Division lay on a lag-surface (the Boyne Line) above the gneisses. The great recumbent fold of which the Banff Division formed the upper limb was called the Banff Nappe, and was considered to be a continuation of the Tay Nappe (Read 1955). Recent investigations by the authors reveal a sharp tectonic break between the Dalradian rocks of the Central Highlands/Keith Division and the gneisses. This break is marked by discordance and a major


Abstract : Successful space-based technologies like satellite imagery and GPS have increased military demand for a rapid-response launch capability. AF Space Command's Operationally Responsive Spacelift program was developed to ensure that the AF has the capability to launch a payload into orbit within hours of a tasking notification, and requires development of a new space launch vehicle. The Reusable Military Launch Vehicle (RMLV) is currently in the design phase. The AF Research Laboratory sponsored development of the MILEPOST simulation model in order to assess the turnaround time, and thus responsiveness, of various design alternatives. The focus of this thesis is to improve the fidelity of the MILEPOST model by assessing the logistics manpower required to support the modeled turnaround activities. The research determined the appropriate AF organizational structure and manpower requirements for RMLV ground support agencies based on the activities modeled in MILEPOST. This information will be incorporated into the model in future research efforts, resulting in the capability to evaluate RMLV design alternatives based on both turnaround time and workforce requirements.


Genomic heterogeneity has been observed in several solid tumor types. To investigate this phenomenon in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), we analyzed macroscopically distinct tissue samples of 12 resected tumors by a combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and DNA flow cytometry. Using a panel of centromeric DNA probes, numerical chromosomal aberrations were detected in 10 tumors, 9 of which showed a single DNA aneuploid peak. Imbalances in chromosomal copy numbers resulted in unique patterns of chromosomal aberrations for each tumor case. Two types of tumors could be distinguished, i.e., tumors (n = 5) containing a single aneusomic clone and tumors (n = 5) with multiple aneusomic clones. The center of this latter group of tumors was shown to be genetically more heterogeneous than the tumor margin. In conclusion, this study showed that 1) the pattern of chromosomal aberrations varies greatly between different HNSCC, 2) a major clone with a specific pattern of chromosomal aberrations has spread throughout most HNSCC, and 3) a subgroup of HNSCCs contains additional clones with a different pattern of chromosomal aberrations. Based on these results, HNSCC can be divided into a genetically more homogeneous and a genetically more heterogeneous group.


To support dynamic address translation in today's microprocessors, the first-level cache is accessed in parallel with a translation lookaside buffer (TLB). However, this current approach faces mounting problems. This paper introduces new ideas to enable the use of virtual addresses in the cache hierarchy. The major idea is the replacement of the on-chip TLB by a synonym lookaside buffer (SLB). The SLB translates synonyms into a primary virtual address, which is a unique identifier resolving all ambiguities due to synonyms in the memory system. We introduce various system configurations with SLBs and discuss all functional issues associated with them. An SLB is much more scalable than a regular TLB. It scales with memory data set sizes, physical memory sizes and number of cores in a multiprocessor. Moreover SLB entry flushes and shootdowns due to physical memory management are eliminated. We show performance data resulting from the simulation of several applications as diverse as scientific computing, database, and JAVA virtual machines. These evaluations target SLB miss rates and flushes as well as the impact of the SLB on cache miss rates. They show that small SLBs of 8-16 entries are sufficient to solve the synonym problem in virtual caches and that their performance overhead is negligible.


We provide a simple and intuitive measure of interdependence of asset returns and/or volatilities. In particular, we formulate and examine precise and separate measures of return spillovers and volatility spillovers. Our framework facilitates study of both non-crisis and crisis episodes, including trends and bursts in spillovers, and both turn out to be empirically important. In particular, in an analysis of sixteen global equity markets from the early 1990s to the present, we find striking evidence of divergent behavior in the dynamics of return spillovers vs. volatility spillovers: Return spillovers display a gently increasing trend but no bursts, whereas volatility spillovers display no trend but clear bursts.


The 2016 Agronomy Panel Survey (APS) for Tanzania is the first wave of a yearly farm household panel dataset collected under the BMGF-funded project Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA), in collaboration with the Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL). The APS is a detailed farm household survey with agronomic, yield and soils components for a focal field. This is a yearly panel survey, i.e. data are collected on the same households and fields every year for the duration of the project. The purpose of the data collection is severalfold: 1. To better document spatio-temporal variability in agronomic management and yield outcomes 2. To facilitate research on a. drivers of yield outcomes (i.e. role of alternative agronomic practices), and b. the determinants of farmer decision-making (i.e. in adopting particular agronomic practices) that contribute to observed yield outcomes 3. To test the hypothesis that farm-level socioeconomic data adds value to our understanding of yield outcomes (and, thus, our ability to predict such outcomes in the future, using geospatially explicit approaches) 4. To serve as a baseline for the evaluation of site-specific nutrient management tools, using randomized control experimental approaches, combined with econometric analysis of panel survey data.


Responses of motoneurons supplying two tail muscles (m. extensor caudae lateralis [ECL] and m. flexor caudae longus [FCL]) to stimulation of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF) and lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) were studied using intracellular recording in the decerebrate cat. Stimulation of the MLF and the LVN produced mainly excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) or mixed PSPs (EPSP/IPSPs), but inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) were also observed in a few motoneurons. The segmental latencies of early PSPs produced by MLF or LVN stimulation were distributed over a wide range, and PSPs with a segmental latency of mono- or disynaptic origin were observed in ECL and FCL motoneurons. The spatial facilitation technique indicated convergence of the descending pathways from MLF and LVN on a common interneuron.


We evaluated the prophylactic effect of 0.25% Clonidine HCl on the increase of intraocular pressure after Nd: YAG laser therapy. IOP of 150 eyes using Clonidine and 119 eyes without Clonidine were measured before and 0.5, 1, 2, 24 hours after Nd: YAG application. Various stages of angle-closure glaucoma and after cataract were both included in the treated and control groups and were compared respectively. Overall, the incidence of increase of IOP in the Clonidine-treated group was significantly less (9.3%) than the group without Clonidine (63.0%); the incidence of marked increase (> 1.06kPa) was also significantly less (2.0%) than those without Clonidine (18.5%). The peak value of IOP after laser therapy in the treated group did not exceed 3.06 kPa. Therefore, topical Clonidine is recommended as an effective and safe procedure to prevent the intraocular hypertension in Nd: YAG laser therapy.


This paper is related to algebraic aspects of referential relations in distributed systems, where the sites as states are assumed to contain pages, and each page as reference data involves links to others as well as its own contents. The links among pages are abstracted into causal relations in terms of algebraic expressions. As an algebra for the representation basis of causal relations, more abstract Heyting algebra (a bounded lattice with Heyting implication) is taken rather than the Boolean algebra with classical implication, where the meanings of negatives are different in the two algebras. A standard form may be obtained from any Heyting algebra expression, which may denote causal relations with Heyting negatives. If the evaluation domain is taken from the 3-valued, then the algebraic expressions are abstract enough to represent referential links of pages in a distributed system, where the link may be interpreted as active, inactive and unknown. There is a critical problem to be solved in such a framework as theoretical basis. The model theory is relevant to nonmonotonic function or reasoning in AI, with respect to the mapping associated with the causal relations, such that fixed point theory cannot be always routines. This paper presents a method to inductively construct models of algebraic expressions conditioned in accordance to reference data characters. Then we examine the traverse of states with models of algebraic expressions clustering at states, for metatheory regarding searching the reference data in a distributed system. With abstraction from state transitions, an algebraic structure is refined such that operational aspect of traversing may be well formulated.


To the Editor: Dr Bohnert and colleagues alerted the medical community to the dangers of higher opioid doses and their association with overdose death. Their study most likely missed cases of cardiac deaths from QTc prolongation, as the primary cause, methadone, was excluded from their investigation. However, the other major etiology of opioidrelated death is ventilatory suppression via opioid-induced central sleep apnea. Ventilation is consciously and reflexively controlled in the medulla with the nocturnal drive purely reflexive. If opioid ingestion is not restricted to the daytime, the suppression of ventilation by opioids can enhance the risk of nighttime hypoxemia with possible respiratory failure. Within 1 hour of ingestion of just 15 mg of oxycodone at 2 AM, precipitation of 91 central sleep apnea events occurred in a patient with chronic pain receiving longterm opiate therapy who previously showed no sleep apnea. Similarly, in a chronic pain patient taking regular hydrocodone and morphine, oxygen desaturation to 70% occurred within 2 hours following ingestion at about 1 AM of an additional 7.5 mg of hydrocodone, with events more prevalent during non–rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Opioids prolong non-REM sleep by decreasing REM sleep duration, accentuating nocturnal breathing risks. Opioid-mediated ventilatory suppression does not attenuate with duration of use, such that patients are at risk for opioid-induced ventilatory suppression throughout their ingestion course. The suggestion from Bohnert et al to minimize opioid doses to reduce overdose-related deaths would also be useful in reducing ventilatory suppression, which is also dose dependent, although it can occur at even low doses. Dose limitation further serves patient safety and public health in that dose minimization also reduces iatrogenic dosedependent addiction as well as diminishes the risk of diversion of prescription narcotics. However, dose minimization may require clinicians to undertreat a portion of patients. If clinicians reflected on the mechanisms of death, educated patients about the ventilatory suppression risks, and informed patients not to ingest short-lasting opioids within several hours of sleep and to take long-lasting, sustainedrelease opioids in the early morning only, the risk of death might be greatly reduced.


The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has unique implications for the anesthetic management of endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke. The Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care appointed a task force to provide timely, consensus-based expert recommendations using available evidence for the safe and effective anesthetic management of endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this consensus statement is to provide recommendations for anesthetic management considering the following (and they are): (1) optimal neurological outcomes for patients; (2) minimizing the risk for health care professionals, and (3) facilitating judicious use of resources while accounting for existing variability in care. It provides a framework for selecting the optimal anesthetic technique (general anesthesia or monitored anesthesia care) for a given patient and offers suggestions for best practices for anesthesia care during the pandemic. Institutions and health care providers are encouraged to adapt these recommendations to best suit local needs, considering existing practice standards and resource availability to ensure safety of patients and providers.


Previous studies of photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2 have focused on the most recently expanded, sunlit leaves in the canopy. We examined acclimation in a vertical profile of leaves through a canopy of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The crop was grown at an elevated CO2 partial pressure of 55 Pa within a replicated field experiment using free-air CO2 enrichment. Gas exchange was used to estimate in vivo carboxylation capacity and the maximum rate of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-limited photosynthesis. Net photosynthetic CO2 uptake was measured for leaves in situ within the canopy. Leaf contents of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), light-harvesting-complex (LHC) proteins, and total N were determined. Elevated CO2 did not affect carboxylation capacity in the most recently expanded leaves but led to a decrease in lower, shaded leaves during grain development. Despite this acclimation, in situ photosynthetic CO2 uptake remained higher under elevated CO2. Acclimation at elevated CO2 was accompanied by decreases in both Rubisco and total leaf N contents and an increase in LHC content. Elevated CO2 led to a larger increase in LHC/Rubisco in lower canopy leaves than in the uppermost leaf. Acclimation of leaf photosynthesis to elevated CO2 therefore depended on both vertical position within the canopy and the developmental stage.


Lake Tanganyika, part of the East African rift system, represents one of the most widely cited modern analogs for interpreting ancient rift lakes. To date, few published detailed sedimentologic studies of the modern sediments allow for comparisons to outcrop- and well-bore-scale observations within ancient strata. Four recurrent structural margin types exist along the alternating half-graben structure of the lake: hinged margins, axial margins, accommodation zone margins, and escarpment margins. The hinged margin consists of a series of structurally controlled benches over which long, continuous tracts of bioclastic lag deposits predominate; clastic sands are limited to moderate-size silty deltas and long, narrow shoreface sands. The axial margin is dominated by a wave-dominated, silt-rich delta system. Accommodation zone margins consist of bioclastic lag deposits atop structural highs, whereas carbonate and clastic mud accumulates farther offshore. Escarpment margins contain small fan-delta deposits alternating along shore with talus deposits; offshore carbonate and clastic mud is present away from active gravity-flow deposition. Total organic carbon (TOC) and pyrolysis data from fine-grained samples subtly reflect the contrasts in margin types, but these values are controlled more directly by water depth. Although facies are similar among all margin types, their spatial distribution, in particular the degree to which facies tracts trend parallel to shore, best discriminates among the different margin types. These data suggest that unique but predictable associations of reservoir, seal, and source facies exist along each of the different margin types.


An adjuvant program of fluorouracil for patients undergoing "curative" resection for adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum was initiated as a randomized clinical trial in January 1968. Patients were randomly assigned to an intraluminal fluorouracil or intraluminal control (saline) group and were so treated at the time of surgical resection if findings at operation indicated that all gross neoplastic disease could be resected. Those patients receiving intraluminal fluorouracil (30 mg/kg) received intravenous fluorouracil (10 mg/kg) on each of the first two postoperative days and five subsequent postoperative courses of oral fluorouracil (90 mg/kg) in each 18-day course over a one-year period. By July 1, 1975, there were 203 patients undergoing curative resection entered into the study. Survival and disease-free data, as of Dec 31, 1976, revealed no benefit from this adjuvant course of fluorouracil. These data support the need for continued randomized clinical trials of new and innovative adjuvant therapy compared with an untreated control group.


The feeling of ownership over a limb is a belief that is taken for granted. Unfortunately, some patients experience as if their hand or leg does not belong to themselves after suffering from a stroke. It is as yet unclear how to diagnose these impairments, what the underlying mechanism is and to what extent it can be influenced. This thesis investigated this phenomenon from a neuropsychological perspective. Body ownership impairments were objectified by an experiment in which body ownership was manipulated. On implicit and objective outcome measures, it was found that patients with body ownership impairments showed en enhanced susceptibility to manipulations of the body image, compared to healthy controls. This can be interpreted as if the demarcation between what belongs to them and what not, is weakened. Furthermore, it was found that impairments in left right orientation are associated with body ownership impairments. More specifically, patients with body ownership impairments and problems with identifying their fingers were more likely to be impaired on left right orientation test when mental rotation was required. Furthermore, we found that lesions to the right insula cortex were associated with impairments in mental rotation and left right orientation. These findings connects lines of research that show that spatial cognition might be related to body ownership, and that the insula cortex is important for mediating these functions. Finally, we discovered that affective, pleasant touch has an unique influence on body ownership as opposed to regular touch. Pleasant touch is conveyed by a specific kind of nerve fiber (CT fibers) which is activated when someone is stroked with a velocity around 3 cm/s on hairy skin. Pleasant touch is therefore processed differently in the peripheral nerves, but also in the brain. Interestingly, input from affective touch is processed by the right insula, the same brain area that is associated with body ownership impairment. In this thesis, we describe an experiment in healthy individuals that show that there is an enhanced body related illusion when the illusion is induced by affective touch compared to regular touch. This was specific for hairy skin (that contain CT fibers). This suggests that affective touch modulates body ownership. This is in line with observations of patients with body ownership impairments that show a tendency to caress their affected arm in a loving manner. These findings provide evidence that affective touch might be a promising candidate for relieving symptoms of body ownership impairments.


Banks as financial institutions must estimate the credit risk of their debtors. This is the basis of pricing a loan, determining appropriate interest rates and determining the mortgage required to each borrower. Since the continuity of bank activities largely depends on the amount of credit losses in a particular period, banks should consider the credit quality of their loan portfolio as a collection of debts. In this paper, the calculation of credit risk of corporates applying for loans has been investigated. Using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, effective criteria for credit risk have been analyzed. The neural network is used to extract an open box model that describes the relationship between effective criteria and the credit risk of the companies who apply for a loan. Neural network model has been run with historical data. Observations have been based on 174 corporate who had taken out a loan from a major Iranian bank named Mellat (All loans had been made during 2005 to 2008). The output of the model can predict credit risk of a corporate by at least 84% accuracy.


This work presents a knowledge-based handover anticipation scheme. We propose to construct a knowledge plane using intelligent agents. Agents are delegated to information collection for nourishing the knowledge plane and also, handover decision and a proper network selection. We use the parameters of RSS, bandwidth, cost, user preferences, and mobility pattern of the mobile user. We estimate the future attachment point for the mobile user and anticipate the handover. Finally, we analyze the performance of our approach for (1) assuring the quality of service for different types of ongoing sessions during the handover, (2) reducing handover latency, (3) reducing the ping-pong effect and (4) signaling overhead.


Media and entrepreneur support organizations glorify empire building entrepreneurs, reflecting a world-view of older generations. Research on nascent entrepreneurs reveals that few of them are building organizations that fit the old ideal. Instead, their priorities and the stories they are creating better reflect the career view of the generation now entering the workforce (Generation Y). When asked about future organizational success, the 187 nascent entrepreneurs in this study focused on relationships, integrity and lifestyle. This paper explores which types of entrepreneurs may be held up as exemplary as the Baby Boomers leave positions of power and Generation Y enters the workforce: What the stories may be, and what impact this may have on education, economy, families, and public policy.


This book explores a variety of biblical texts in order to clarify and better understand the relationship between the individual and the community in ancient Israel. Although much of the argument is focused upon Deuteronomy and the deuteronomistic history, other pentateuchal and prophetic texts are also probed. In particular, certain instances of divine retribution that are corporate in nature are explored, and it is argued that such punishments are quite common and completely understandable of the basic theological ideas that are operative in such cases. The examination turns to other biblical texts that appear to reject the notion of corporate divine retribution (e.g., Ezekiel 18). Here the focus is on whether these texts do in fact reject all forms of corporate divine retribution and how large a shift these texts signal in the biblical understanding of the relationship between the individual and the community. Finally, Kaminsky asserts that certain theological features explored in this study can be used by those scholars who argue that the enlightenment idea of individualism needs to be balanced by a renewed philosophical and theological emphasis on the individual's responsibility to the larger society.


Flood insurance payments can help households and businesses recover from an event and get the economy moving again. Premiums can also provide appropriate incentives to avoid or mitigate risk. This report examines dimensions of the changing flood insurance environment in New York City and explores the consequences for the city's residents and businesses.


Troger's base was discovered in 1887 by J. Troger and has a V-shaped structure with C2 symmetry containing a chiral, hydrophobic cleft creating an angle of 90˚. For many years its chiral cleft has been utilised for the stationary phase of chiral HPLC columns, a chiral resolving agent and as a chiral catalyst.
Over the past 30 years it has been reported that this interesting molecule can intercalate DNA, inhibit enzyme activity and behave as a synthetic receptor. The biological activity of the analogues of Troger's base has only been narrowly investigated. This investigation has generated a plethora of biologically interesting Troger's base derivatives via utilisation of 'click' chemistry on a novel
bis-azido Toger's base scaffold.
The detection of proteins quickly, efficiently and cheaply is a huge challenge and this project aims to use cheap, readily available gold compact discs as a novel platform for the portable detection and sensing of biological interactions on the gold CD surface. The use of a gold compact disc and its ability to bind self assembled monolayers will be investigated and the detection of these biological interactions via MALDI-TOF spectrometry will be probed. The (+)-biotin / streptavidin interaction will be used as a model study for these purposes with the ambition to develop this further with humanitarian and military applications.
The V-shape and 90˚ angle of Troger's base will be exploited to investigate its use as a scaffold for binding to gold compact discs for the development of surface based biological assays and proteomics.
The incorporation of stable isotopes into organic molecules will also be investigated and we report a new protocol for the mild and efficient deuteration of terminal alkynes and their subsequent use in organic chemistry.


Background It is uncertain whether a 4-week induction period of pegylated interferon and ribavirin increases early virological response (EVR) in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients. Methods HIV and HCV genotype 1- and 4-coinfected subjects were randomized to receive pegylated interferon-α2a 270 μg/week plus ribavirin 1,600 mg daily and epoetin-β for 4 weeks, followed by pegylated interferon-α2a at standard dosages plus weight-based ribavirin (WBR) dosage for 8 weeks (induction arm [IA]), or pegylated interferon-α2a plus WBR for 12 weeks (standard therapy arm [SA]). HCV RNA was determined at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 12. Ribavirin plasma trough concentrations were determined at weeks 4 (RBV-C4) and 12 (RBV-C12). Results A total of 67 patients were included; 33 in the SA and 34 in the IA. Overall, 25% received nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-sparing regimens. More patients achieved an HCV RNA decrease ≥1 log10 at week 4 in the IA than in the SA (62% versus 38%; P=0.017), but EVR rates were similar in the two groups (74% versus 59% in the IA and SA, respectively; P=0.15). Independent predictors of faster HCV RNA decrease at 12 weeks were higher RBV-C4 and younger age. RBV-C4 were higher in patients allocated in the IA and in those receiving NRTIs (P=0.039). Conclusions A 4-week induction with pegylated interferon-α2a plus ribavirin was associated with a greater decrease in HCV RNA at week 4; however, this did not translate into higher EVR rates. Higher RBV doses and avoidance of NRTI-sparing antiretroviral regimens might improve HCV treatment efficacy.


We introduce a new hybrid analysis technique for large scale PEPA models that combines stochastic simulation with ODEs, providing a finer trade-off between accuracy of the solutions and the associated computational costs. We describe a version that employs ODEs for the mean component counts and also a version using ODEs for second order moments. This enables the calculation of covariances of component counts and also improves the accuracy of the mean approximations . We look at various examples demonstrating the advantages and limitations of this approach.


Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a large group of diseases characterized by pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) > 25 mm Hg. Currently, specific medications are available for several groups of PH only. These are prostacyclin analogues, soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulators (sGCS), phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (iPDE-5), and endothelin receptor antagonists. Modern evidence-based pharmacological treatment of PH and therapeutic algorithm have been described in this review. Particular attention was paid to mechanisms of dysregulation of vascular tone including nitric oxide (NO-sGC-cGMP) pathway that is a target for sGCS and iPDE-5. A new class of sGCS principally differs from iPDE-5 and is very important for clinical practice. Safety, availability and benefit of switching from iPDE-5 to riociguat was investigated in the RESPITE trial. Results of main clinical trials of efficacy and safety of riociguat in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and thromboembolic PH were also discussed in this review.


Background Elevated levels of alcohol consumption among university students are well documented. Policy makers have attempted to combat this issue at a university, national and international level. However, approaches have failed to focus on the heterogeneous nature of alcohol consumption and the unique aspects of individual use. Tailoring public health policy to effectively tackle alcohol use is crucial. The current study aims to develop a taxonomy of types of alcohol consumer in the Irish university student population which could be useful in the design of public health policy to effectively reduce their high levels of hazardous alcohol consumption. Methods A previous study presented a taxonomy of six types of alcohol consumer among university students; however, it was based on mainly quantitative findings. In this study which employed Q-methodology, hundreds of possible statements were generated from this systematic review and a set of one-on-one interviews. These were reduced to six statements for each of the six consumption types. Participants were advised to scan through the 36 statements and fill the cards into a "forced choice, standardised distribution". Analysis was conducted using PQ Method software, devised for analysing Q-studies. Principal component analysis, followed by varimax rotation, was conducted to uncover the final factor information. As students distributed cards, they participated in an interview to outline how statements related to their drinking pattern. Results In total, 43 students completed the Q-study; 19 men and 24 women of which 11 were members of a university club, 12 a society and 20 non club or society members. A taxonomy of four distinct groupings of alcohol consumer were uncovered: the guarded drinker, the calculated hedonist, the peer motivated drinker and the inevitable binger. Factor loadings of each of the consumer groupings were noted for type description. Guarded drinkers were characterised by 'cautious, controlled enjoyment'. Calculated hedonists drank alcohol to feel pleasure, to enjoy themselves, to have fun and to become drunk. Peer influenced consumers drank "as a group … I wouldn't go drinking by myself ". Finally, inevitable bingers all reported hazardous alcohol consumption sharing that they drink until all the alcohol they have is gone, getting themselves into dangerous situations and forgetting parts of the night. Conclusion This is the first study to propose ideal types of alcohol consumption among a university student population. This typology, in addition to informing public policy decision making and targeted interventions, will also be a valuable analytic tool in future research.


Abstract. Flooding in Canada is often caused by heavy rainfall during the snowmelt
period. Hydrologic forecast centers rely on precipitation forecasts obtained
from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models to enforce hydrological models
for streamflow forecasting. The uncertainties in raw quantitative
precipitation forecasts (QPFs) are enhanced by physiography and orography
effects over a diverse landscape, particularly in the western catchments of
Canada. A Bayesian post-processing approach called rainfall post-processing
(RPP), developed in Australia (Robertson et al., 2013; Shrestha et
al., 2015), has been applied to assess its forecast performance in a Canadian
catchment. Raw QPFs obtained from two sources, Global Ensemble Forecasting
System (GEFS) Reforecast 2 project, from the National Centers for Environmental
Prediction, and Global Deterministic Forecast System (GDPS), from Environment
and Climate Change Canada, are used in this study. The study period from
January 2013 to December 2015 covered a major flood event in Calgary,
Alberta, Canada. Post-processed results show that the RPP is able to remove
the bias and reduce the errors of both GEFS and GDPS forecasts. Ensembles
generated from the RPP reliably quantify the forecast uncertainty.


The purpose of this explorative research was to explore the mood of a computer user and his or her use of keyboard and mouse. Twenty-six users (13 programmers and 13 frequent computer users) took part in the study. A background software application executing on participants' computers logged the keyboard key press and mouse click events. The correlations between moods of the participants and their use of keyboard and mouse show that it might be possible to create individual tailor made mood measures based on individuals keyboard and mouse use. The highest and lowest significant correlations found were r (63) = 0.39, p<= 0.01 and r (73) = -0.24, p<= 0.05 respectively. About 31% of participants showed significant correlations towards valence whereas about 27% showed significant correlations toward arousal. Further, the data shows that experience and self discipline might be a factor to predict people who show significant correlation between their behaviour and valence level. Similarly dutifulness might help in predicting people who show significant correlation between their behaviour and arousal level.


In April 1968, concurrent with the early stages of the student movement in Europe, the young Arte Povera artist Giovanni Anselmo installed his first solo exhibition at a Turin gallery. The sculptures shown there were not static objects, but rather demonstrations of invisible concepts like relativity. What emerged in Anselmo's first solo show and developed over the ensuing decade was a tactical resistance to the crystallization of his works into a single image or static object. This paper argues that this approach was also central to a critical understanding of the roles of the artist and the viewer during a time of great political foment in Italy and throughout Europe. I explore the relationship of Anselmo's sculptural interests to the currency of phenomenology in Northern Italy, the theorization of Arte Povera, in which he figures as a central protagonist, as well as to the socio-political challenges of the 1970s in Italy. Between 1967 and 1978, Anselmo endeavored to reveal tense fullness in empty spaces and to discover latent energy in seemingly inert materials by activating the viewer's ability to recognize them as small indications of a dynamic macrocosm. In the context of 1968 and the ensuing Anni di piombo, such macrocosmic glimpses might occasion a broadened worldview, in which the closed perceptual dialectic of self versus world could expand to include other, previously invisible, possibilities. From this expanded point of view prompted by Anselmo's presentation of energies, one can begin to understand, and even undermine, man-made ‗invisible' systems like government and class. By doing this through the form of the work rather than its explicit content, Anselmo models the notion of an artist using form as social commitment. This mode of working has resonance for many artists today, who may struggle with reconciling their material practices with political allegiances in an increasingly co-opted art market.


Ultra-fine and high-pure zirconium diboride powders were prepared by carbothermal reduction boronization of zirconia/boron carbide/carbon mixtures. Fine-scale mixing of the reactants was achieved by solution-based processing in which zirconium oxychloride (ZrOCl2⋅8H2O) as the zirconia-bearing precursor was precipitated in the suspension of boron carbide (B4C) and carbon powders in water. The carbothermal reduction boronization reaction was substantially completed at relatively low temperatures (<1600°C) and the resulting products (ZrB2 powders) had small average grain sizes (1~2 μm) and high purity (>99.6 wt%). The experiments indicated that excessive B4C and C were necessary during the carbothermal reduction boronization because of volatilization of boron and carbon elements. The effects of temperature and holding time on the synthesis of ZrB2 powders were also discussed.


CO2 emissions related to Cloud computing reach nowadays worrying levels, without any reduction in sight. Often, Cloud users, asking for virtual machines, are not aware of such emissions which concern the entire Cloud infrastructures and are thus difficult to split into the actual resources utilization, such as virtual machines. We propose a CO2 emissions accounting framework giving flexibility to the Cloud providers, predictability to the users and allocating all the carbon costs to the users. This paper shows the architecture of our accounting framework and ideas on how to practically implement it.


This paper presents the findings of an empirical work on attitudes towards the application of the gene technology to food production in Italy. It focuses on the importance of perception of risks, benefits and uncertainty in determining general attitude to foods produced by genetic engineering. Also, the role of general attitudes and perceived moral obligation in influencing the expectation of consuming foods produced by gene technology was analysed. A mail survey was organised and 434 subjects completed the questionnaires. The results revealed that more people had unfavourable attitudes towards the application of genetic engineering to food production than favourable. More people indicated low benefits than high, more people reported high risks than low risks. Also, more people agreed that there is high uncertainty about potential consequences by genetic engineering than certainty. The findings of regression analyses showed that the perception of benefits outweighed perception of risks in the impact on general attitudes towards the applications of genetic engineering to food production, whereas the perception of uncertainty contributed marginally to the prediction of attitudes. General attitudes appeared to be an important determinant of the expectation of consuming food produced by genetic engineering.


Risk parity has become an accepted investment strategy, to some degree. Its main advantage is its use of risk allocation, as opposed to the capital allocation used by the traditional asset allocation approach. A balanced risk allocation provides true diversification; therefore risk parity should deliver better risk-adjusted return over time. Despite the acceptance and the fact that the term "risk parity" has been in use for almost ten years, the investment community seems confused about risk parity's true definition. Is it just a quantitative risk-budgeting technique? Is it about operational leverage? Or is it about high exposures to fixed income and low exposures to equities? In this paper, the author aims to define the principle of risk parity investing. He then examines a sample of risk parity managers, using the return-based style analysis pioneered by William Sharpe. The results show that, according to the defined principle, a number of risk parity managers in our sample are not using true risk parity.