ABSTRACT Background Flashbacks are a form of multisensory memory that are experienced with a "happening in the present" quality. Pain flashbacks are a re-experiencing of pain felt at the time of a traumatic event. It is unclear how common pain flashbacks are. Aims The current study was designed primarily to assess the prevalence of pain flashbacks in a sample of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods We assessed the prevalence of pain flashbacks over a period of 2 years in patients (n = 166) referred to a psychological trauma service in the UK. Patients underwent a clinical screen for PTSD and completed a self-report measure of pain flashbacks. Results Pain flashbacks were classified as present in 49% of a sample of complex trauma patients meeting criteria for PTSD. Pain flashbacks were positively associated with the extent of pain at the time of trauma. Conclusions Pain re-experiencing in PTSD, and its relative absence in nonclinical populations, supports an account of memory in which perceptual details can be re-experienced when memories have been encoded under conditions of extreme stress. It may be possible to conceptualize some cases of unexplained pain as pain flashbacks or of having a trauma origin.


Landscape heterogeneity is a general feature of natural environments, strongly affected by habitat fragmentation. It can affect a population's dynamics and probability of extinction. Fragmentation increases among-patch isolation and decreases patch size, resulting in a reduction in available resources in smaller patches. To persist, animals must be able to translate the variation imposed by fragmentation into adaptive energy allocation strategies that enable populations to avoid extinction. This means that physiological adaptations are expected to reflect changes in landscape configuration, especially in the size of the natural habitat patches and degree of isolation among them. We propose a novel, integrative conceptual framework in which spatial characteristics of the environment, imposed by fragmentation, lead to specific life-history traits that increase survival (at the individual level) and decrease the likelihood of extinction (as an emergent property at the population level). We predict that a resource allocation trade-off between the life-history traits of reproduction and dispersal along a fragmentation gradient will emerge. Populations occurring in patches of different sizes and isolations along gradients of fragmentation and productivity will exhibit differences in the strength of the dispersal-reproduction trade-off. Emerging from this framework are several explicit and testable hypotheses that predict that the dispersal-reproduction trade-off will be shaped by landscape heterogeneity imposed by fragmentation. Hence, this trade-off serves as the mechanistic link that translates environmental variation created by fragmentation into variation in species abundances and population dynamics by lowering local extinction probability and increasing overall population persistence.


We present a scanning device for 32-band multi-spectral imaging of paintings in the 380÷800 nm spectral region. The system is based on contact-less and single-point measurement of the spectral reflectance factor. Multi-spectral images are obtained by scanning the painted surface under investigation. An adjustment procedure was established and calibration was performed by means of a set of seven matt ceramic color tiles certified by National Physical Laboratory (UK). Colorimetric calculations were carried out in the XYZ colorimetric space, by following the CIE recommendations and choosing the D65 standard illuminant and the 1931 standard observer. Measurement campaigns were carried out on several paintings in situ and at the INOA Optical Metrology Laboratory located inside the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. As an example we report herein on the measurements carried out on the Madonna in gloria tra Santi by Andrea Mantegna, (at present in the Pinacoteque of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan). Multivariate image analyses (MIA) were performed by considering the multi-spectral images as three-way data set. The stack of detected images were unfolded in a 2D data matrix and analyzed by the conventional Principal Component Analysis (PCA).


Abstract Aims The associations between suicidal behaviours and childhood maltreatment (CM), as well as Internet addiction (IA) have been extensively examined. However, few studies pay attention to different types of CM and all stages of suicidality, including suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal plans (SP) and suicidal attempts (SA). Moreover, little is known regarding the mediation of IA on the relationship between CM and suicidal behaviours. The study aims to explore the direct effect of CM and IA on three stages of suicidal behaviours, and the indirect effect of CM on suicidality via IA. Methods A total of 16 130 high-school students aged 12–18 were recruited using a stratified cluster sampling strategy across five representative provinces in China. Relevant information was collected by a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analysis and structural equation model were used to examine the associations. Results During the last year, 16.0% of participants reported suicidal behaviours. Specifically, 7.9% reported SI only, 4.6% reported SP but no SA, and 3.5% reported SA. The prevalence of neglect, physical abuse and IA in moderate to severe were 28.9, 19.9 and 33.1%, respectively. After controlling for demographic characteristics and confounding factors, such as loneliness, psychological resilience, and social support, moderate and severe neglect, physical abuse and IA were associated with an increased risk of SI, SP and SA (p < 0.01). The total effect of neglect and physical abuse on suicidal behaviours were 0.152 and 0.172, respectively (p < 0.001). The mediation proportion of IA on the association between neglect and suicidal behaviours, as well as physical abuse and suicidal behaviours were 22.4 and 18.0%, respectively. Conclusions CM and IA are independently associated with suicidal behaviours among Chinese adolescents. Moreover, IA plays a mediating role on the relationship between CM and suicidality. Targeted interventions for adolescents' suicidal behaviours should focus on those who have experience of CM and IA.


1. Giant fibres were found not to activate leg motoneurones during evasion.

2. A pathway of small axons having a conduction velocity of 1.5-35 m./sec. was found to govern leg activation during escape.

3. This pathway remains functional after giant-fibre degeneration after the giant axons have been severed from their somata.

4. Movements of the antennae were found to be activated by the giant fibres simultaneously or slightly earlier than movements of the legs.

5. It is suggested that a general alarm system is activated by the giant fibres concomitantly with activation of the leg motoneurones by a slower conducting pathway.


Social networks have attracted billions of users and supported a wide range of interests and practices. Users of social networks can be connected with each other by different communities according to professions, living locations, and personal interests. With the development of diverse social network applications, academic researchers, and practicing engineers pay increasing attention to the related technology. As each user on the social network platforms typically stores and shares a large amount of personal data, the privacy of such user-related information raises serious concerns. Most research on privacy protection relies on specific information security techniques such as anonymization or access control. However, the protection of privacy depends heavily on the incentive mechanisms of social networks, like users' psychological decisions on security execution and socio-economic considerations. For example, the desire to influence the behaviors of other people may change a user's choice of security setting. In this paper, a game theoretic framework is established to model users' interactions that influence users' decisions as to whether to undertake privacy protection or not. To model the relationship of user communities, community-structured evolutionary dynamics are introduced, in which interactions of users can only happen among those users who have at least one community in common. Then the dynamics of the users' strategies to take a specific privacy protection or not is analyzed based on the proposed community structured evolutionary game theoretic framework. Experiments show that the proposed framework is effective in modeling the users' relationships and privacy protection behaviors. Moreover, results can also help social network managers to design appropriate security service and payment mechanisms to encourage their users to take the privacy protection, which can promote the spreading of privacy behavior throughout the network.


The Government of Kenya introduced Performance Contracting (PC) in the public service as one of the tools to improve service delivery. The public service is confronted with many challenges that constrain customer satisfaction as an indicator of service delivery. The study was guided by the following objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of performance contracting on customer satisfaction in the public universities in Kenya, The study was based on the assumption that all the respondents were aware of the government policies on performance contracting in public universities. The study used descriptive survey research design and the target population for the study was 132,021 subjects comprising of 84,290 students, 15,937 academic staff, 31,789 non-teaching staff and 05 directors of performance contracting in the five public universities. For a population of 132,016 subjects, a normal sample size of 384 respondents was appropriate for the study but 507 respondents were used to take care of attrition. Purposive sampling was used to select the directors of performance contracting and simple random sampling and stratified sampling to select academic staff, nonacademic staff and students. Questionnaires for the staff and students and interview schedule for director performance were used for data collection. Piloting of the instruments was done in three public universities which had similar characteristics with the sampled universities. Reliability of the instruments results was tested using split half technique and Cronbach formula was used to compute reliability. Reliability coefficient of the academic staff, non-academic staffs, directors of performance contracting and students were found to be, 0.81, 0.78, 0.73 and 0.79 respectively. Data was analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 18. Descriptive statistics used for data analyses were mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics used was Pearson's Product Moment Correlation and regression analysis. The study achieved a response rate of 93%. The study established a positive correlation between the effectiveness of performance contracting and customer satisfaction with r= 0.403 from the staff respondents and r= 0.204 from students respondents. Therefore, the study concludes that there is a strong positive association between performance contracting and customer satisfaction in the public universities in Kenya. The study recommended that the public universities should reward staff that performs well as part of customer satisfaction. The findings of the study could be significant to policy makers in performance contracting to come up with improved models of improving customer satisfaction in public sector and public universities. The study could also provide university management with data that can help strengthen customer satisfaction in universities. Keywords : Performance Contracting, Conflict Resolution


EXP31130A and EXP31598A were applied as repeat applications on June 5 and July 23, 1997 to perennial ryegrass maintained at 3.0 inches. Application rates were 0.18 and 0.36 lbs. AI/A (31130A) and 7.0 and 14.0 fl. oz/prod/A (31598A). Each treatment was applied with and without Sequestrene 338 iron chelate, at the rate of 0.1 oz/m. Untreated and iron-only controls were included in the test. Ryegrass was generally unaffected by either compound, under the conditions of this test. Inclusion of iron (in the tank mix) was more beneficial for EXP31598A, than for EXP31130A. Untreated controls generally had lower performance scores, than did turf which received either herbicide compound. Treatment effects for overall turfgrass quality were significant only on three of ten evaluation dates, and on one of ten evaluation dates for turfgrass color. In general both compounds appear safe to use on high cut perennial ryegrass turf under summer conditions in a desert environment.


ABSTRACT Golden hamsters have four times the body size of mice, raise very large litters and are required to produce large quantities of milk during the 18-day lactation period. We have previously proposed that they may be prone to being limited by their heat dissipation capacity. Studies where lactating females are shaved to elevate their heat dissipation capacity have yielded conflicting data so far. With their short pregnancy of ∼18 days, the large litters and the reported high skin temperatures, they may serve as an ideal model to elucidate the role of epilation for energy budgets in lactating mammals. We shaved one group of lactating females dorsally on the sixth day of lactation, and tested if the elevated heat dissipation capacity would enable them to have higher energy intakes and better food-to-milk conversion rates. Indeed, we observed that females from the shaved group had 6% higher body mass and 0.78°C lower skin temperature than control females during lactation. When focusing on the phase of peak lactation, we observed significantly higher (10%) gross energy intake of food and 23.4% more milk energy output in the shaved females, resulting in 3.3 g higher individual pup weights. We conclude that shaving off the females' fur, even though restricted to the dorsal surface, had large consequences on female energy metabolism in lactation and improved milk production and pup growth in line with our previous work on heat dissipation limitation. Our new data from golden hamsters confirm heat dissipation as a limiting factor for sustained metabolic rate in lactation in some small mammals and emphasise the large effects of a relatively small manipulation such as fur removal on energy metabolism of lactating females. Summary: Shaved lactating solitary golden hamsters show increased rates of milk energy output and pup growth, and provide experimental support for heat dissipation limits.


Yeast prions are self-templating amyloid aggregates composed of misfolded cellular pro- teins. In order to propagate, yeast prions must be broken into heritable seeds that are passed to subsequent generations. The replication step of the prion propagation cycle is accomplished by the actions of molecular chaperones, which bind to and serve the fibers through a process called disaggregation. Prions can be thought of as molecular diseases that have hijacked the chaperones for their continued existence. When viewed in this way, the study of yeast prions has been very informative about the interactions among of the molecular chaperones. This chapter focuses on the role of a single Hsp40 or J-protein, Sis1, in the propagation of yeast prions. While Sis1 seems to be required for the mainte- nance of many different prions, various prions depend on Sis1 in different ways, perhaps due to differences in underlying amyloid structure. New evidence is emerging that Sis1 is important for processes that may not involve prion replication activity, providing an intriguing alternative explanation for the observed differences in the prions' reliance on Sis1.


Background: Stroke is a major cause of death in South-East Asia, but few empirical data exist on its risks in Asian populations. Methods: 235 cases and 682 age-matched controls of women of reproductive age (20–44 years) were recruited in 14 hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia, between 1989 and 1993. Medical history was collected by a structured interview. In subsamples, glucosuria, serum cholesterol level and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. Results: In these young and lean Muslim women, with few users of tobacco, alcohol or oral contraceptives, risk factors related to increased weight were strongly related to stroke occurrence. A history of hypertension or diabetes or increased serum cholesterol level showed odds ratios (ORs) of 13.9, 7.4 and 3.7, respectively. A BMI >27 (unadjusted for its potential consequences) caused an OR of 2.9. High social class and higher level of education (both OR 0.7) were associated with a lower risk of stroke, but levels of risk factors were higher in higher socio-economic classes. Conclusion: The expected transition in lifestyle, characterised by a higher intake of calories and less physical activity, will increase stroke risks in Indonesian women. Increasing wealth should go together with raising levels of health education on nutrition and physical activity.


The parametric study of automotive composite bumper beam subjected to frontal impact is presented and discussed in this paper. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of steel and composite material on energy absorption of automotive front bumper beam. The front bumper beams made of e-glass/epoxy composite and carbon epoxy composite are studied and characterized by impact modeling using LS-DYNA V971, according to United States New Car Assessment Program (US-NCAP) frontal impact velocity and based on European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee. The most important variable of this structure are- mass, material, and Specific Energy Absorption (SEA). The results are compared with bumper beam made of mild steel. Three types of materials are used in the present study which consists of mild steel as references material, Aluminum AA5182, E-glass/epoxy composite and carbon fiber/epoxy composite with three different fiber configurations. The beams were subjected to impact loading to determine the internal energy and SEA and to reduce mass of the conventional bumper beam. The in-plane failure behaviors of the composites were evaluated by using Tsai Wu failure criterion. The results for the composite materials are compared to that of the reference material to find the best material with highest SEA. LS-DYNA Finite Element Analysis software was used. The results showed that carbon fiber/epoxy composite bumper can reduce the bumper mass and has highest value of SEA followed by glass fiber/epoxy composite.


This study focuses on war experiences, war-related distress, and health. It is based on face-to-face interviews in a representative survey of 1,000 Kosovar Albanians. Results show that direct war experiences have a stronger impact on war-related distress and health than indirect war experiences. The strongest predictor among crucial single experiences was being held prisoner of war. Among Kosovo-Albanians, direct war experiences may have had a strong effect on war-related distress, even 4 years after the end of the war.


The fhl1 gene encoding four-and-a-half LIM protein-1 (FHL1) and its spliced isoform, SLIMMER, is mutated in reducing body myopathy, X-linked myopathy with postural muscle atrophy, scapuloperoneal myopathy, and rigid spine syndrome. In this study we have identified a novel function for SLIMMER in delaying skeletal muscle apoptosis via an interaction with the proapoptotic protein Siva-1. Siva-1 was identified as a SLIMMER-specific-interacting protein using yeast two-hybrid screening, direct-binding studies, and glutathione S-transferase pulldown analysis of murine skeletal muscle lysates. In C2C12 skeletal myoblasts, SLIMMER and Siva co-localized in the nucleus; however, both proteins exhibited redistribution to the cytoplasm following the differentiation of mononucleated myoblasts to multinucleated myotubes. In sections of mature skeletal muscle from wild type mice, SLIMMER and Siva-1 co-localized at the Z-line. SLIMMER and Siva-1 were also enriched in Pax-7-positive satellite cells, muscle stem cells that facilitate repair and regeneration. Significantly, SLIMMER delayed Siva-1-dependent apoptosis in C2C12 myoblasts. In skeletal muscle sections from the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, SLIMMER and Siva-1 co-localized in the nucleus of apoptotic myofibers. Therefore, SLIMMER may protect skeletal muscle from apoptosis.


Numerical calculations of the pressure and electrical contribution to the Helmholtz interaction free energy for two uniformly charged sheets interacting across 1 : 1 electrolyte solution are presented. The model differs from that considered by most other workers in that the electrolyte is allowed to penetrate the charged surfaces. Further, in addition to the cases of constant charge and constant potential, the case where the surfaces contain reversibly ionised groups is considered. In order that the results may have some relevance to cell–membrane interactions, all the numerical calculations are done using parameters which represent approximately the conditions in physiological saline solution. The results for constant potential are identical to those obtained for impenetrable interacting charged sheets. The results for constant charge differ in an essential way. Specifically, the pressure in the limit of zero separation tends to a constant value whereas for impermeable surfaces it is, for small separations, inversely proportional to the square of the separation and thus diverges as the separation approaches zero. Consequently, the difference between constant potential and constant charge for this model is not as marked as differences obtained by other workers who studied impermeable surfaces. As one might anticipate, the results for reversibly ionised surfaces lie between the two extremes of constant charge and constant potential. Present calculations differ from those of Gingell in that the complete Poisson–Boltzmann equation is solved numerically.


Educational scholars have examined the relationship of philanthropy and its contributions to the public university. Yet, there has been little discussion of the influence of philanthropy on the governance space of the public research university, and specifically as conditional philanthropy may affect academic integrity and shared governance. In this chapter, we consider these larger issues in the context of a study of a recent case. Drawing on public records, interviews, and university documents, the chapter examines conditional donation of The Charles G. Koch Foundation (CKF) to the Florida State University (FSU). We suggest that the Koch Foundation gift appears to illustrate a new model of governance based philanthropy. It has done so by tying donations to control or influence of the internal governing mechanics of an academic unit of a public university. This model has generated controversy. Though there was substantial faculty and student backlash, the model appears to be evidence of a new philanthropic relationship between the public university and substantial donors, one in which donors may change the nature of traditional shared governance relationships within the university. We maintain that instances of such "new" strategic philanthropy require greater focus on and sensitivity to shared governance and faculty input as a way to ensure accountability, especially to preserve the integrity of the academic enterprise and its public mission where donors seek to leverage philanthropy into choices relating to faculty hires, courses and programs traditionally at the center of faculty prerogatives in shared governance.


In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the shape-controlled synthesis and characterization of colloidal Au–Cu alloy nanostructures. Then we review the studies on the plasmonic properties of the Au–Cu alloy nanoparticles, which are different from that of the nanoparticles composed of pure Au or Cu due to the synergism between Au and Cu. The Au–Cu nanoparticles with tunable composition and geometry have been applied in heterogeneous catalysis for many reactions such as CO2 reduction and have shown good catalytic activity. They have also been demonstrated to be effective in killing tumor cells using photothermal therapy. At the end of this review, we provide our perspective on the future work on the synthesis and applications of Au–Cu alloy nanoparticles.


Bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas perforans is a major disease of tomatoes, leading to reduction in production by 10-50%. While copper (Cu)-based bactericides have been used for disease management, most of the X. perforans strains isolated from tomatoes in Florida and other locations worldwide are Cu-resistant. We have developed DNA-directed silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) grown on graphene oxide (GO). These Ag@dsDNA@GO composites effectively decrease X. perforans cell viability in culture and on plants. At the very low concentration of 16 ppm of Ag@dsDNA@GO, composites show excellent antibacterial capability in culture with significant advantages in improved stability, enhanced antibacterial activity, and stronger adsorption properties. Application of Ag@dsDNA@GO at 100 ppm on tomato transplants in a greenhouse experiment significantly reduced the severity of bacterial spot disease compared to untreated plants, giving results similar to those of the current grower standard treatment, with no phytotoxicity.


We investigate the effect of covalently modified graphitic surfaces on the formation of single-layer covalent organic frameworks (sCOFs) at the solid-liquid interface. The impact of different densities of grafted aryl species was tested on the on-surface synthesis of three distinct imine-based 2D sCOFs. The grafted aryl species that act as defects provide steric barriers to the progress of the Schiff-base reaction, and can be locally removed to start the 2D polymer healing process. This unique strategy provides a general approach to study in situ this dynamic covalent on-surface chemistry.


The research focused on the glucosinolate (GLS) breakdown products formed during the fermentation of cabbage. A relationship between the contents of degradation products in fermented cabbage and native GLS in raw cabbage was investigated. The effect of fermented cabbage storage on the contents of individual compounds was also assayed. Ascorbigen formed from one of the degradation products of glucobrassicin (indole GLS) was found to be a dominating compound in fermented cabbage. Irrespective of the time of fermented cabbage storage, the content of ascorbigen reached approximately 14 micromol/100 g. Neither the content of isothiocyanates, the major degradation products of aliphatic GLS, nor that of cyanides exceeded 2.5 microM. Storage of cabbage caused periodical increases and decreases in the contents of cyanides and consequent declines in the contents of isothiocyanates. The highest relative contents (expressed as a percentage of the native GLS content) of degradation products--ranging from >70 to 96%--were reported for the products of glucoraphanin degradation, whereas the lowest-- <5% --were reported for the products of sinigrin degradation.


The live broadcast is the most effective tool of the television news. The privilege of real-time witnessing the event, where it occurred, is enjoyed only by the audience of the television news. However, this privilege is not only realized by the speaker, but also by news reporter, camera and the cameraman. This study aims to reveal out the sexist approach to the women in the primetime news. In the study, "critical discourse analysis" method and relevant techniques are applied. Kanal D, Kanal 7, NTV, TRT 1's primetime news are recorded by a media monitoring agency from 05.12.2011 to 11.12.2011 and pursuant to the aims and context, the representation style of women in primetime news was examined. When all resultant data is evaluated, our results are supportive of and approves the findings of similar studies. The media is generally dominated by sexist discourse against the women. To date, the man had shaped the woman as he desired and he continues to do so using media texts. The presence of woman is focused on the mother, the wife and the instrumental object at the public field. Women and problems about being woman are superficially addressed.


Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes have been of the emerg- ing contaminant threatening human health. The overuse of antibiotics, both in human patients and, importantly, in livestock, has led to an explosion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, both in the U.S. and around the world. The prediction from the World Health Organization (WHO) is that, if nothing changes, the future will look a lot like the past— where people die from minor injuries that become infected. One of the goals should be a long-term sustainable balance with everything in our environment, including bacteria to promote human health. Different microbial techniques have been employed to study the occurrence and spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment, preventing us from returning to a pre-antibiotic era. Dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes to the environment is an important factor causing an increased prevalence of resistant patho- gens. Their spread to multidrug-resistant pathogens is one of the most emerging clinical challenges.


Lithium ion insertion into electrode materials is commonly used in rechargeable battery technology. The insertion implies changes in both the crystal structure and the electronic structure of the electrode material. Side-reactions may occur on the surface of the electrode which is exposed to the electrolyte and form a solid electrolyte interface (SEI). The understanding of these processes is of great importance for improving battery performance. The chemical and physical properties of water and alcohols are complicated by the presence of strong hydrogen bonding. Various experimental techniques have been used to study geometrical structures and di(R)erent models have been proposed to view the details of how these liquids are geometrically organized by hydrogen bonding. However, very little is known about the electronic structure of these liquids, mainly due to the lack of suitable experimental tools. In this thesis examples of studies of lithium battery electrodes and liquid systems using soft x-ray emission spectroscopy will be presented. Monochromatized synchrotron radiation has been used to accomplish selective excitation, in terms of energy and polarization. The electronic structure of graphite electrodes has been studied, before and after lithium intercalation. Changes in the electronic structure upon lithiation due to transfer of electrons into the graphite 1/-bands have been observed. Transfer of electrons in to the 3d states of transition metal oxides upon lithiation have been studied, through low energy excitations as dd- and charge transfer-exciations. A SEI was detected on cycled graphite electrodes. By the use of selective excitation di(R)erent carbon sites were probed in the SEI. The local electronic structure of water, methanol and mixtures of the two have been examined using a special liquid cell, to separate the liquid from the vacuum in the experimental chamber. Results from the study of liquid water showed a strong influence on the 3a1 molecular orbital and orbital mixing between water molecules upon hydrogen bonding. Apart from the four-hydrogen-bonding structure in water, a structure where one hydrogen bond is broken could be separated and identified. The soft x-ray emission study of methanol showed the existence of ring and chain formations in the liquid phase and the dominating structures are formed of 6 and 8 molecules. Upon mixing of the two liquids, a segregation at the molecular level was found and the formation of new structures, which could explain the unexpected low increase of the entropy.


Abstract In this paper, a novel neural network is proposed, which can automatically learn and recall contents from texts, and answer questions about the contents in either a large corpus or a short piece of text. The proposed neural network combines parse trees, semantic networks, and inference models. It contains layers corresponding to sentences, clauses, phrases, words and synonym sets. The neurons in the phrase-layer and the word-layer are labeled with their part-of-speeches and their semantic roles. The proposed neural network is automatically organized to represent the contents in a given text. Its carefully designed structure and algorithms make it able to take advantage of the labels and neurons of synonym sets to build the relationship between the sentences about similar things. The experiments show that the proposed neural network with the labels and the synonym sets has the better performance than the others that do not have the labels or the synonym sets while the other parts and the algorithms are the same. The proposed neural network also shows its ability to tolerate noise, to answer factoid questions, and to solve single-choice questions in an exercise book for non-native English learners in the experiments.


A generalized truncated least squares adaptive algorithm is presented in this paper. The algorithm is a generalization of the algorithms by the truncated least squares method (TLSM) and the least squares method (LSM). The TLSM utilizes truncated data and is effective for systems with drastic parameter variations. This method is sensitive for small parameter variations and also for any disturbance. To accomodate the variations of the estimated parameters, a performance index of TLSM is generalized to include a new term of parameter variations in the form of a linear combination. The combination parameter introduced acts as an ability of adaptivity.Adaptive control experimentations of the liquid level controlled system is presented which show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Seasonal variations and proximity to polluted sites, among other factors, play a vital role in soil composition. The impact of spatio-seasonal changes on bacterial and heavy metal content on and around the platinum mine tailings dam, Rustenburg, South Africa, was assessed. Tailings and topsoils collected during summer and winter were examined for bacterial abundance, physicochemical parameters and metal contents using standard methods. Data were analysed using ANOVA, correlation and cluster analyses. Bacteria counts were 2.5 × 105 to 1.0 × 106 and 3.5 × 105 to 7.8 × 105 CFU g−1 in summer and winter, respectively. Molecular identification revealed the presence of the bacterial species Paenibacillus lautus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Significant (p < 0.05) differences were obtained between chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) concentrations in both seasons but not with bacterial counts. Although higher bacterial abundance was observed on sites 1 and 2 in both seasons. Relative abundance of Ni > Cu > Cr was observed with significantly (p < 0.05) higher concentrations in winter. Pearson's correlation (p < 0.05) and cluster (r = 0.60, p < 0.05) analyses confirmed strong positive correlations between bacteria and Cr, Cu and Ni concentrations. The high bacterial presence on sites in proximity to the dam may indicate metal tolerance of these species.


Despite the large quantity of researches and publications achieved during the last three decades about 3D building modelling by using Lidar data, the question of inner roof plane boundaries modelling needs to be more extracted in detail. This paper focuses on detection and 2D modelling of building inner roof plane boundaries. This operation presents an imperative junction between roof planes detection and 3D building model generation. Therefore, it presents key procedure in data driven approaches. For achieving this purpose, roof boundaries are classified in four categories: outer building boundaries, inner roof plane boundaries, roof details (chimneys and windows) boundaries and boundaries related to non-detectable roof details. This paper concentrates on detection and modelling of inner roof plane boundaries and roof details (chimneys and windows) boundaries. Moreover, it details the modelling procedures step by step that is envisaged rarely in the literature. The proposed approach starts by analysing the adjacency relationship between roof planes. Then, the inner roof plane boundaries are detected. Finally, the junction relationships between boundaries are analysed before detecting the roof vertices. Once the 2D roof model is calculated, the visual deformations in addition to modelling accuracy are discussed.


In an MMSE based turbo equalization system, a soft mapper calculates the symbol mean and variance based on extrinsic Log-Likelihood-Ratios (LLRs) information coming from a Soft-Input Soft-Output (SISO) decoder. In this paper, we investigate the complexity of this module, and in particular, we employ a 3-segment linear approximation approach to calculate the mean and variance of data symbols from LLRs. For FPGA and VLSI implementation, we propose novel piecewise linear functions which map LLR to the mean and variance directly without the use of any two-variable-input multipliers. Simulation results for 16-QAM and 64-QAM show that the no multiplier approach has close BER performance to the 3-segment linear approximation approach with multipliers.


Aims: The coordination of neurons to execute brain functions requires plenty of oxygen. Thus, it is not surprising that the chronic hypoxia resulting from chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) can cause neuronal damage. Injury in the cortex can give rise to anxiety and cognitive dysfunction. This study investigated what causes hypoxia-induced neuronal injury and what strategies might be used to protect neurons against such damage. Results: This study found that hypoxia in primary cortical neurons caused neurite retraction, a caspase-6-dependent process. The hypoxic stress activated caspase-6 within the neurite, leading to microtubule disassembly and neurite retraction. The effect of hypoxia on caspase-6 activation, microtubule disassembly, and neurite retraction was alleviated by nitrite treatment. The protective role of nitrite was further supported by the observation that the active-site Cys146 of caspase-6 was S-nitrosylated in hypoxic neuro-2a cells treated with nitrite. We further validated the beneficial effect of nitrite on neuronal function against hypoxic stress in vivo. Using the wild-type or Apo E-/- mice exposed to chronic hypoxia as a model, we demonstrated that supplementing drinking water with nitrite suppressed active caspase-6 in the cortex of the brain, concomitant with the prevention of hypoxia-induced anxiety in the animals. Innovation: These results are the first evidence of a new pathway for the activation of caspase-6 and the first to indicate that nitrite can protect neurons against chronic hypoxic insult. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that nitrite holds great potential for the treatment of diseases such as COPD associated with hypoxia-induced neuronal injury.


This work aims to verify a theoretical model in which hypothesized the association of human values and antisocial and criminal behavior. In this case, the values of social orientation – collectivist – explain negatively the deviant behavior; on the other hand, the personal value orientation individualist is positively associated with deviant behavior. 504 young, male and female, between 15 and 22 years old participated in this study. They answered the antisocial and criminal behavior Scale, the Questionnaire about basic human values and social demographics. The program AMOS GRAFICS 18.0, created a hypothesized model, observing a negative association between social values and deviant behaviors and positive relationship between persona l values and the same conduct.


A US sample (N = 360) of psychology educators assessed 73 writing skills and competencies with regard to (a) the importance of each and (b) the typical performance of the top half of local psychology majors. An analysis of gap scores yielded results showing that specific skills, such as supporting claims with citations and proofreading ability, are areas in need of greater emphasis and renewed pedagogical attention by instructors. Educators may use the results of this study to help to identify areas of increased need for writing instruction regarding undergraduate psychology education.


Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are potential contributors to plant nutrition and pathogen suppression in low input agricultural systems, although individual species of AMF vary widely in their functional attributes. Recent studies at HRI and elsewhere have suggested that in some agricultural systems inoculum of AMF is substantially lower under conventional management relative to that under organic management. Further studies have suggested that conventional management selects AMF communities with limited benefits to their plant hosts relative to those in organic systems. There is a need to investigate the generality of these findings, and their implications for the productivity of organic systems, particularly during the period following conversion to organic management.

The current project was designed to pull together existing understanding of the role, and potential role, of AMF in organic systems, and to identify sites and develop methods for use in a subsequent research programme. The project had three objectives:

01 To deliver a literature review covering current knowledge of the role of AMF in conventional and organic agricultural systems.

The review considered the ways in which management influences the structure and functioning of AMF communities, including their contributions under conventional and organic management, and recommendations for future research needs.

02 To establish the extent of differences in AMF inoculum between organic and conventional systems, covering a range of management practices.

Paired organic and conventional fields at 12 sites from across England were selected to investigate the relationships between management, AMF communities and soil chemistry. Organic and conventionally managed soils showed no significant difference in soil chemical properties (Organic C, total N, total P, extractable P, K, Mg). However, organically managed soils had greater AMF spore numbers and root colonisation potential, and therefore higher AMF inoculum potential, than conventionally managed soil. The relative difference in AMF spore numbers between organic and conventionally managed fields increased with time since conversion. Differences in AMF inoculum potential between organic and conventionally managed fields, and between farm sites, could not be related to differences in soil chemistry.

03 To develop a method suitable for characterising AM fungus communities in soil libraries, based on 18S rRNA terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP)

 T-RFLP was shown to provide a rapid semi-quantitative method for analysis of AMF community diversity. However it was clear that primers currently used to amplify AMF are selective and do not allow diversity of the whole AMF community to be determined. Additionally these primers amplify contaminant fungi which need to be removed from the T-RFLP profile prior to analysis. However, contaminant diversity was shown to be low.
The project has identified sites and techniques which could be valuable in future research to study the role of AMF under organic management. The study has also highlighted a number of key areas in which further research is needed in order to harness AMF to improve sustainability and productivity of organic and other agricultural systems. In particular, there is a need to determine the extent to which AMF diversity varies between organic and conventional management, the rate and mechanisms by which AMF diversity increases following conversion to organic production, the relationships between AMF diversity and crop nutrition/ pathogen control, and the soil factors controlling the effectiveness of AMF inoculum.


While garnet Li ion
conductors are attracting considerable interest as potential solid state
electrolytes for Li ion batteries, a key challenge is to improve the
conductivity, which is associated with the Li content in the structure, and to
overcome the challenges of sintering dense electrolyte membranes. In this work
we show that Zn doping on the 16a octahedral Nb site leads to substantially
improved sintering in both Li5La3Nb2O12
and Li6La3ZrNbO12. As a result of the enhanced
sintering, and the associated increase in Li content, the conductivities in
both garnet systems were significantly enhanced on Zn doping, up to 2.1 x 10-4
Scm-1 at 25 oC for Li6.6La3ZrNb0.8Zn0.2O12.
This doping strategy therefore represents a promising approach to improve the
relative density and, hence, ionic conductivity of garnet solid state
electrolyte materials for possible solid-state battery applications.


In this thesis we explore thulium doped silica fibre based sources, focusing on laser and amplified spontaneous emission behaviours. We analyse new ways of improving fibre cavity performances by first demonstrating a novel way of manufacturing doped fibres showing high pump absorption whilst retaining ease of use for cleaving and splicing. This new process offers a trade-off between circular and non-circular fibre geometries by maintaining advantages of both configurations. An implementation process on fibre drawing towers is detailed for future large scale production of highly circular active fibres with high mode scrambling, resulting in high pump absorption comparable, and potentially higher, to octagonal fibre. We then introduce a new way of improving fibre tip movement insensitivity in free-space feedback arms by utilising corner-cubes as reflective elements, with results showing transverse fibre tip movement of more than a millimetre in specific configurations whilst maintaining high feedback efficiency. Output power variation of less than 35% was demonstrated over a translation window of ±1.2mm in some cases. Exploiting the movement insensitive properties offered by a corner-cube, a tunable ring laser based on fibre tip movement and a Fabry-Perot etalon is demonstrated. Up to 5nm of quasi-continuous fine tuning is proven with a theoretical accuracy of 8pm/μm fibre tip movement and a linewidth lower than 1.5GHz is demonstrated. Potential for rapid wavelength scanning and for much broader tuning over a window of few tens of nm is proposed with further modifications of the experimental setup to allow wider fibre tip movement without feedback losses appearing. Focus is then centred on the broad tuning capabilities on thulium doped silica fibres and a CW laser source allowing tuning over more than 130nm in the 2μm band is described. Tuning is achieved by the use of a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) coupled with a diffraction grating, allowing further spectral shaping. Up to 8.5W of output power is displayed, pump power limited, with capabilities for multi-wavelength emission and spectral power density shaping by adjustment of the micro-mirror matrix reflective pattern. Modification of the system was explained in order to achieve different requirements, either by improving tuning range, accuracy or minimal line width. Utilising the fast dynamics of a doped fibre cavity, a cavity is built around an acousto-optic modulator to frustrate lasing in order to create a feedback tolerant pulsed amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source. This source was designed to allow generation of a pulsed wavelength-controllable ASE via the use of a DMD coupled with a diffraction grating. A core-pumped setup is demonstrated, reaching tuning from 1860 to 1950nm and a cladding-pumped architecture is built for longer wavelengths generation to improve compatibility with amplifier stages. This source displayed tuning performances from 1940 to 2020nm with peak power of up to 1.5kW and pulses shorter than 100ns. Multi-waveband behaviour is demonstrated and output bandwidth is controlled through the DMD. A cladding-pumped amplification stage is described and amplification of the ASE output by 15dB, reaching up to 72W, pump limited, was demonstrated corresponding to peak powers of more than 5kW. Prospects for pumping of a ZGP OPO cavity with an ASE are discussed, detailing the potential benefits of utilising a bandwidth-adjustable ASE source for mid-infrared generation


performed every week to measure the ulcer healing. Results ADMSCs delivered by the endoscopic submucosal injection led to more efficient healing of NSAID-related gastric ulcer, with a significant wound closure observed by day 7 compared with the control (IDDF2018-ABS-0194 Figure 1. B, C). Ulcers in the ADMSCs group displayed enhanced re-epithelization and angiogenesis, and reduced inflammation on day 7 and 21 (IDDF2018-ABS-0194 Figure 1. D-G). Moreover, few engrafted ADMSCs showed myofibroblast and epithelial cell phenotype in vivo, suggesting the stem cell-assisted ulcer healing may not rely on cell differentiation (IDDF2018-ABS0194 Figure 1. H, I). A further experiment with submucosal injection of MSC-derived secretome revealed that the therapeutic efficacy of NSAID-related gastric ulcer was comparable to stem cell transplantation (IDDF2018-ABS-0194 Figure 2. A, B). Profiling analysis showed significant up-regulation of genes associated with inflammation, granulation and extracellular matrix remodelling (IDDF2018-ABS-0194 Figure 2. C, D). In addition, the ErK1/2-MAPK pathway was activated by injection of ADMSCs or MSC-derived secretome (IDDF2018-ABS0194 Figure 2. E, F). Conclusions Our results showed that endoscopic submucosal injection of ADMSCs served as a novel approach to promote healing of NSAID-related gastric ulcer, while the paracrine activity of stem cell played a more important role in this process (IDDF2018-ABS-0194 Figure 2. G).


Although an increased body mass index is associated with lower mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), known as the "obesity paradox," the relationship of abdominal fat levels with all-cause mortality has rarely been studied. We investigated the impact of computed-tomography-measured abdominal fat levels (visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA)) on all-cause mortality in this population. A total of 201 patients undergoing HD were enrolled and cross-classified by VFA and SFA levels according to each cutoff point, VFA of 78.7 cm2 and SFA of 93.2 cm2, based on the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve as following; group 1 (G1): lower VFA and lower SFA, G2: higher VFA and lower SFA, G3: lower VFA and higher SFA, G4: higher VFA and higher SFA. During a median follow-up of 4.3 years, 67 patients died. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed 10-year survival rates of 29.0%, 50.0%, 62.6%, and 72.4% in G1, G2, G3, and G4 (p < 0.0001), respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio was 0.30 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05–1.09, p = 0.070) for G2 vs. G1, 0.37 (95% CI 0.18–0.76, p = 0.0065) for G3 vs. G1, and 0.21 (95% CI 0.07–0.62, p = 0.0035) for G4 vs. G1, respectively. In conclusion, combined SFA and VFA levels were negatively associated with risks for all-cause mortality in patients undergoing HD. These results are a manifestation of the "obesity paradox."


During a 20-month period 55 strains of Aeromonas species were isolated from 53 children with diarrhea. The isolation rate of 2.5% for Aeromonas compared with the rates of 4.5% for Shigella, 3.3% for Salmonella, 2.7% for Campylobacter and 0.05% for Yersinia. In 45 children Aeromonas was the sole bacterial enteropathogen identified. Aeromonas was also isolated from 2 (0.5%) of 380 asymptomatic children. Despite its known lack of identifiable virulence properties, Aeromonas caviae was the most prevalent species, accounting for 69% of the isolates. None of the A. caviae strains produced cytotoxin by the 51Cr release assay and 12.5% were weakly enterotoxigenic by the infant mouse assay. All of the Aeromonas sobria and 71% of Aeromonas hydrophila were positive for both toxins. Ninety-two percent of the children with Aeromonas-associated diarrhea were younger than 3 years; 84% of the cases were seen between May and October. The majority of the children had an acute onset of watery diarrhea. Fever and vomiting were most commonly associated with the isolation of A. sobria. Eight children had chronic or intermittent diarrhea lasting for weeks to months before consultation; A. caviae was the isolate in all these cases. Several complications possibly related to Aeromonas intestinal infection were observed. These included Gram-negative bacteremia, intussusception, internal hernia strangulation, hemolytic uremic syndrome and failure to thrive in patients with chronic diarrhea.


The most challenging aspect of pseudobulbar affect is differentiating it from depression. Episodes of uncontrollable, sudden, and even inappropriate emotions may point to neurologic or psychiatric conditions.


This paper seeks to better understand the use of haptic feedback in abstract, ubiquitous robotic interfaces. We introduce and provide preliminary evaluations of SwarmHaptics, a new type of haptic display using a swarm of small, wheeled robots. These robots move on a flat surface and apply haptic patterns to the user's hand, arm, or any other accessible body parts. We explore the design space of SwarmHaptics including individual and collective robot parameters, and demonstrate example scenarios including remote social touch using the Zooids platform. To gain insights into human perception, we applied haptic patterns with varying number of robots, force type, frequency, and amplitude and obtained user's perception in terms of emotion, urgency, and Human-Robot Interaction metrics. In a separate elicitation study, users generated a set of haptic patterns for social touch. The results from the two studies help inform how users perceive and generate haptic patterns with SwarmHaptics.


Organic aerosols represent one of the main sources of uncertainty affecting attempts to quantify anthropogenic climate change. The diverse physical and chemical properties of organic aerosols and the varied pathways involved in their formation and aging form the basis of this uncertainty, preventing extensive and accurate representation within regional and global scale models. This inability to constrain the radiative forcings produced by organic aerosols within the atmosphere consequently acts as a limitation to the wider objective of providing reliable projections of future climate. Biomass burning constitutes one of the main anthropogenic contributions to the global atmospheric organic aerosol (OA) burden, particularly in tropical regions where the potential for perturbations to the climate system is also enhanced due to higher average levels of solar irradiance. Emissions from biomass burning have been the subject of an intense research focus in recent years, involving a combination of field campaigns and laboratory studies. These experiments have aimed to improve the limited understanding of the processes involved in the evolution of biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA) and contribute towards the development of more robust parameterisations for climate and chemical transport models. The main objective of this thesis was to use datasets acquired from several different global regions to perform a broad analysis of the BBOA fraction, with the extensive temporal and spatial scales provided by such measurements enabling investigation of a number of key uncertainties, including regional variability in emissions and the role of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in aging smoke plumes.Measurements of BBOA mass concentration obtained using Aerodyne Research Inc. Aerosol Mass Spectrometers (AMS) were used to calculate characteristic ?OA/?CO ratios for different environments, accounting for the effects of dilution and contrasting fire sizes to give a proportional representation of OA production. High levels of variability in average ?OA/?CO were observed both between and within different regions. The scale of this variability consistently exceeded any differences between plumes of different ages, while a widespread absence of any sustained increase in ?OA/?CO with aging indicates that SOA formation does not provide a net increase in OA mass. Despite this lack of OA enhancement, increasing proportions of oxygenated OA components in aged plumes highlight the chemical transformations occurring during the evolution of BBOA, and the additional influence of OA loss through evaporation or deposition.Potential drivers of variability in ?OA/?CO at source, such as changes in fuel types and combustion conditions, were investigated for controlled fires carried out within a combustion chamber. These laboratory experiments revealed a number of complex relationships between BB emissions and source conditions. Although ?OA/?CO was shown to be influenced by both fuel properties and transitions between flaming and smouldering combustion phases, the extent of these effects was limited, while variability between fires exceeded levels observed for ambient measurements. These findings emphasise the complexity of the BBOA lifecycle and the need to address the extensive uncertainties associated with its various constituent processes, in order to improve understanding of eventual climate impacts from biomass burning.


Undocumented immigrants in the United States face risks of discrimination, surveillance, and deportation. We investigate their technology use, risk perceptions, and protective strategies relating to their vulnerability. Through semi-structured interviews with Latinx undocumented immigrants, we find that while participants act to address offline threats, this vigilance does not translate to their online activities. Their technology use is shaped by needs and benefits rather than risk perceptions. While our participants are concerned about identity theft and privacy generally, and some raise concerns about online harassment, their understanding of government surveillance risks is vague and met with resignation. We identify tensions among self-expression, group privacy, and self-censorship related to their immigration status, as well as strong trust in service providers. Our findings have implications for digital literacy education, privacy and security interfaces, and technology design in general. Even minor design decisions can substantially affect exposure risks and well-being for such vulnerable communities.


This study introduce a new postprocessing methodology for constructing probabilistic forecasts based on climatology and deterministic forecasts. The Climatology Cumulative Probability Regression (CCPR) methodology is based on transforming the climatology cumulative distribution function (cdf) to a new probabilistic forecast, where the transformation procedure is determined by the deterministic forecasts. We base the transformation on fitting a beta cdf on the scale of climatology cumulative probabilities (CCP-scale). The mean of the beta pdf is modelled by a logit link where the linear predictor have different forecasts as covariates. This methodology is flexible to include different forecasts and lead times. The methodology was tested for streamflow data at the catchment Osali in south western Norway for four different lead times. In the case study, we applied the methodology where we successively added more deterministic forecasts into the model, starting with the hydrological forecast, adding the persistence forecast and finally adding the sliding window climatology forecast. When evaluating predictive performance using cross validation, the case study found that the inclusion of the persistence forecast is important for short lead times. When both the hydrological and the persistence forecast was included, the sliding window climatology forecast added little extra predictive information.


3 Abstract: Research suggests limited attention has been paid to the role played by non-profit community-based organizations in offering violence prevention program- ming within school settings. This action research project emerged from the desire of researchers, community-based organizations, school systems and funders to ex- plore the specific challenges and opportunities faced by local non-profit community- based organizations when offering school-based violence prevention programming for children and youth. Data revealed challenges in the delivery of violence preven- tion programming, including lack of consistency and coordination with schools and lack of programming for diverse children and youth. Opportunities for improvement and steps toward action are discussed.


The l1-regularized Gaussian maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) has been shown to have strong statistical guarantees in recovering a sparse inverse covariance matrix even under high-dimensional settings. However, it requires solving a difficult non-smooth log-determinant program with number of parameters scaling quadratically with the number of Gaussian variables. State-of-the-art methods thus do not scale to problems with more than 20,000 variables. In this paper, we develop an algorithm BIGQUIC, which can solve 1 million dimensional l1-regularized Gaussian MLE problems (which would thus have 1000 billion parameters) using a single machine, with bounded memory. In order to do so, we carefully exploit the underlying structure of the problem. Our innovations include a novel block-coordinate descent method with the blocks chosen via a clustering scheme to minimize repeated computations; and allowing for inexact computation of specific components. In spite of these modifications, we are able to theoretically analyze our procedure and show that BIGQUIC can achieve super-linear or even quadratic convergence rates.


We explore a novel paradigm for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) point classification in mobile laser scanning (MLS). In contrast to the traditional scheme of performing classification for a 3-D point cloud after registration, our algorithm operates on the raw data stream classifying the points on-the-fly before registration. Hence, we call it preregistration classification (PRC). Specifically, this technique is based on spatial correlations, i.e., local range measurements supporting each other. The proposed method is general since exact scanner pose information is not required, nor is any radiometric calibration needed. Also, we show that the method can be applied in different environments by adjusting two control parameters, without the results being overly sensitive to this adjustment. As results, we present classification of points from an urban environment where noise, ground, buildings, and vegetation are distinguished from each other, and points from the forest where tree stems and ground are classified from the other points. As computations are efficient and done with a minimal cache, the proposed methods enable new on-chip deployable algorithmic solutions. Broader benefits from the spatial correlations and the computational efficiency of the PRC scheme are likely to be gained in several online and offline applications. These range from single robotic platform operations including simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms to wall-clock time savings in geoinformation industry. Finally, PRC is especially attractive for continuous-beam and solid-state LIDARs that are prone to output noisy data.


We study investments in R&D and the formation of R&D clusters of firms which are competitors in the market. In a three stage game, firms first decide on the budget allocated to their R&D department, then form research clusters and finally compete in quantities. The second stage cluster formation is modeled by the unanimity game introduced in Bloch(1995). We show that for any distribution of R&D investments, an equilibrium of the second stage cluster formation exists and is generically unique up to a permutation of firms which chose the same investment. Restricting to two investment levels in the first stage, we provide a complete characterization of the equilibria of the three stage game. We show that for some range of investment costs, equilibria with no-investment co-exist with equilibria where a large fraction or even all firms invest in R&D. Furthermore, in the high-investment equilibrium firms over–invest compared to a scenario where research clusters are ex-ante fixed and also compared to the welfare optimum. JEL Classifications: C71, C72, L13, O30


Both epithelial injury and inflammation are characteristic findings in the centriacinar regions of the lungs of rats exposed to ozone. In humans such effects could lead to long-term lung damage and disease. In animals, neoplastic change in the lungs after exposure to ozone has been described previously. The possible relationships between inflammatory cell recruitment, epithelial injury, and hyperplasia, with special regard to the important role of repair processes in leading to increased incidence of tumors in some species, have been addressed in the present study. We have previously described that leukocytes from lungs inflamed by different agents can injure epithelial cells in vitro. We have suggested that this leukocyte-mediated epithelial injury could enhance epithelial turnover in ozone-exposed lungs and so enhance the likelihood of tumor development. We, therefore, set out to test the hypothesis that bronchoalveolar leukocytes from ozone-exposed lungs can injure epithelial cells in vitro. PVG rats were exposed to 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 parts per million2 (ppm) ozone for seven hours per day for up to four days. On the morning following the last exposure, bronchoalveolar lavage was used to sample the bronchoalveolar leukocytes and the following parameters were assessed: total number, differential leukocyte count, production of oxidants, ability to degrade fibronectin, and ability to injure epithelial cells. In addition to these parameters, which were measured at all concentrations and time points in limited experiments, we also assessed macrophage size in short-term culture and inflammation in histological sections of lungs. Total number of lavageable cells was not affected by ozone inhalation. However, the percentage of macrophages decreased with ozone treatment and the percentage of neutrophils increased on days 1 and 2 at 0.6 and 0.8 ppm ozone. There was no significant effect of ozone exposure on the ability of neutrophils to degrade fibronectin or injure epithelial cells. Production of superoxide anion in response to stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate was significantly decreased by exposure to 0.6 ppm ozone, as described in previous studies. Macrophages from the lungs of rats exposed to ozone were larger than control macrophages.


This paper is concerned with regions of cities, or 'City Regions' and the capacity of culture as a mechanism of social development in the twenty-first century. It focusses on a case study research project 'Yorkshire 21' (Y21), funded by Leeds Beckett University, UK. This interdisciplinary project united academic researchers with local communities to enable small-scale, culture-led community regeneration projects in Yorkshire. It was born out of the university's mission to engage with and contribute to the well-being of the region, and to increase public engagement with academic research by establishing a conversation between scholars and members of the public. Following the exemplar of a series of creative writing community history workshops held as part of the project, the article examines a smallscale study of culture-led regeneration in a specific City-Region of the United Kingdom. Critically exploring community-led regeneration as a strategy based on recovery and valorization of local culture, the article proposes the centrality of community contributions to culture-led regeneration projects in contemporary UK City-Regions.


In this thesis I have chosen to study the use of crowdsourcing in Swedish archival institutions as well as the influence this methodic platform has on the work of modern archivists. This also raises the question whether the nature of the platform is in any way influenced by the attitude working professionals might have towards crowdsourcing as a legitimed working method. This investigation is based on case studies and interviews with archivists from select Swedish institutions and also the methodology of two now ongoing crowdsourcing projects.The theoretical framework on which this composition is based comes from the work of Gregory Asmolov and his work on crowdsourcing platforms and their functionality as tools of governing. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) is applied to analyze how the method of crowdsourcing is utilised by archival institutions and influenced by their daily routine in conjunction with Governmentality as the chosen way of studying how these platforms might control their users.From the results of the performed case studies, two discourses emerged based on the view on quality concerning gathered information amongst the involved subjects. The first of these discourses places it´s trust and faith in users themselves where validity is of a lesser concern than the actual availability of information through the concept of "wisdom of the crowds". Discourse number two represents an alternate perspective where quality of information is of the outmost importance and requires the supervision of professionals upon the work of common users. Through the course of this study I have come to find that the use of crowdsourcing in Swedish archival institutions is mainly controlled by the archivist in charge´s attitude towards this specific working method and in a larger context also formed by the basic archival discourse, legal questions and financial matters of the last century.This is a two years master's thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.


INTRODUCTION
Severe inflammatory conditions, as severe sepsis/septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), are related to high morbidity and mortality. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized trials to assess if blood purification with continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) reduces mortality in these settings.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
Online databases were searched for pertinent studies up to March 2017. We included randomized-controlled trials on the use of CVVH as blood purification technique in comparison to conventional therapy in adult patients with severe sepsis/septic shock or ARDS but no acute kidney injury needing renal replacement therapy.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Eleven studies and 679 patients were included in the analysis. Patients who received CVVH had significantly lower mortality compared to conventional therapy (96 of 351 [27.35%] patients in the CVVH group vs. 129 of 328 [39.33%] in the conventional therapy group, OR=0.58 [95% CI: 0.42, 0.81], P=0.002, I2=10%, number needed to treat: 8) at longest follow-up available.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, low-quality evidence indicates that blood purification with CVVH might be associated with a significant reduction in mortality when performed in patients with sepsis or ARDS. The evidence is still insufficient to support a definitive conclusion of benefit. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials, adequately powered for mortality, are needed to clarify the impact of CVVH on these conditions.


We introduce a class of first-order methods for smooth constrained optimization that are based on an analogy to non-smooth dynamical systems. Two distinctive features of our approach are that (i) projections or optimizations over the entire feasible set are avoided, in stark contrast to projected gradient methods or the Frank-Wolfe method, and (ii) iterates are allowed to become infeasible, which differs from active set or feasible direction methods, where the descent motion stops as soon as a new constraint is encountered. The resulting algorithmic procedure is simple to implement even when constraints are nonlinear, and is suitable for large-scale constrained optimization problems in which the feasible set fails to have a simple structure. The key underlying idea is that constraints are expressed in terms of velocities instead of positions, which has the algorithmic consequence that optimizations over feasible sets at each iteration are replaced with optimizations over local, sparse convex approximations. In particular, this means that at each iteration only constraints that are violated are taken into account. The result is a simplified suite of algorithms and an expanded range of possible applications in machine learning.


BACKGROUND
Chemokines and their receptors are a large family of molecules that control the trafficking of immune cells during their development and in response to inflammation. Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) derives from the neoplastic transformation of lymphocytes at different stages of differentiation and may show systemic, nodal and extranodal localisation as well as metastasis in different sites.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of the chemokine system in the pathology of NHL and as a potential drug target in this disease.

METHOD
The expression of chemokines and receptors by different NHL subtypes as well as their likely functional role in terms of lymphoma tissue localisation, lymphoma growth, tumour angiogenesis and recruitment of immune cells are reviewed. The data regarding antagonists or chemokines as potential therapeutic agents for NHL is discussed.

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS
NHL's express functional chemokine receptors, which, at least in part, dictate tissue localisation and perhaps metastatic potential. Different types of chemokine antagonists have been tested in vitro and in vivo and several peptide or small molecule inhibitors have reached Phase I/II clinical trials for different diseases. Although the field is in its early days, interesting compounds are being developed, directed especially against homeostatic chemokine receptors.


A number of studies that compare the effectiveness of data presented in graphic form versus data presented in tabular form have been performed. Results have been mixed. In a study by Dickson et al. (1986) that used business students as subjects it is suggested that task variables are paramount in the determination of such effectiveness. It is suggested that the type of data and type of subject used in the work by Dickson et al. favored tabular presentation and compromise any generalization of their conclusions. The current study finds that user training/expertise is a critical variable in determining the effectiveness of graphs versus tables. The conclusion drawn is that a user-friendly system should make both modes available so that the users have the option of selecting their preferred mode. >


Abstract Changes in fifteen urine, blood and exhaled breath BoEs of HPHCs representing classes of compounds reported by FDA to be significant contributors to smoking-associated disease risks were measured in 105 clinical-confined subjects following randomization and a five-day forced-switch from usual brand conventional combustible cigarettes to: (i) exclusive commercial e-cigarette use; (ii) dual-use of commercial e-cigarettes and the subject's usual cigarette brand; or (iii) discontinued use of all tobacco or nicotine products. Levels of urinary biomarkers in subjects that completely substituted their usual cigarette with e-cigarettes were significantly lower (29–95%) after 5 days. Percent reductions in eight of nine urinary BoEs were indistinguishable to smokers who had quit smoking, except for nicotine equivalents, which declined by 25–40%. Dual users who halved self-reported daily cigarette consumption with e-cigarettes exhibited reductions (7–38%) in eight of nine urinary biomarkers, but had increase (1–20%) in nicotine equivalents. Reductions were broadly proportional to the reduced numbers of cigarettes smoked. Dual user urinary nicotine equivalents were slightly higher, but not statistically significant. After 5 days, blood nicotine biomarker levels were lower in the cessation (75–96%) and exclusive use groups (11–83%); with dual users experiencing no significant reductions. All subjects experienced significant decreases in exhaled CO. Decreases in the cessation and exclusive groups ranged from 88–89% and 27–32% in dual users. Exhaled NO increased in the cessation and exclusive groups (46–63% respectively), whereas the dual users experienced minimal changes. Overall, smokers who completely or partially substituted conventional cigarettes with e-cigarettes over five days, experienced reductions in HPHCs.


We present results of a survey experiment aimed at assessing context effects on reporting life satisfaction, exerted by raising awareness of fundamental life domains before eliciting overall life satisfaction, through questionnaire manipulations. Psychologists refer to similar context effects, generated by providing more details about the object of a subsequent evaluation, as 'unpacking effects'. The longitudinal structure of our experimental design allows us to assess the effects of the questionnaire manipulation both between and within subject. In our sample of university students, asking subjects to report satisfaction with life domains before reporting overall satisfaction with life generates a robust unpacking effect, as it shifts upwards the subsequent mean overall life satisfaction evaluations. In addition, raising awareness about life domains significantly increases reliability and validity of self‐reported life satisfaction, by reducing the dispersion of responses and increasing the association between life satisfaction and life domain evaluations. We also detect heterogeneous effects across subgroups of our sample—such as people with children or in bad health—and discuss implications of these findings for research on life satisfaction.


Observations regarding caloric intake, growth, and food-related behavior of 14 children with Prader-Willi syndrome have shown that they need fewer calories than normal children to maintain their weight in an appropriate weight channel, and that they exhibit peculiar food-related behavior that in some instances is present before the onset of obesity. Most of them can be prevented from gaining excessive weight or can lose weight if they and their caretakers receive appropriate counseling on how to provide low-calorie food and how to make other food inaccessible. In 12 of the 14 children, a reasonably successful weight-control program was achieved for up to five years. A biological basis for many of the noted observations is assumed, but the exact nature of the defect remains elusive.


In this paper, we develop some results based on Relational model (Klimova, et al. 2012) which permits a decomposition of logarithm of ex- pected cell frequencies under a log-linear type model. These results imply plain answers to several questions in the context of analyzing of contingency tables. Moreover, determination of design matrix and hypothesis-induced matrix of the model will be discussed. Properties of maximum likelihood estimators of the model parameters are obtained. Some new model resid- uals and an alternative symmetric chi-square criterion are given. Two real examples illustrate the method.


The photovoltaic power generation and active filter (PV-AF) system can realize photovoltaic grid-connected power regulation, and meanwhile it can also improve the power quality of power grid effectively. The four-leg grid-connected inverter has successfully been used in the three-phase four-wire system. In this paper, a three-dimensional space vector pulse width modulation (3D-SVPWM) method based on the gh$\gamma $ coordinate system for a four-leg inverter has been proposed. As the switching vectors of the four-leg inverter are in the three-dimensional space, it is difficult to realize the complex modulation process. In order to simplify the modulation process, the reference vector is placed into gh$\gamma $ coordinates in the proposed modulation strategy, and then the vectors are selected and the duration times are acquired directly by a group of intermediate variables, which could be obtained by linear transformation of the coordinates. As the intermediate variables are used, the modulation can be easily implemented by the proposed modulation strategy without excessive mathematical calculations. The simulation and experimental results all confirmed the validity and effectiveness of this strategy.


The environment and society constitute a complex of elements and interactions. Thus, an understanding of the processes in which the environment and psychosocial elements are involved may not be gained from knowledge of just one isolated variable. Based on such premises, the present paper, which summarizes the results of a series of studies, adopts work relationships as its main focus, but in addition, it has two complementary objectives. One is to present some analyses on the interaction between human actions and the environmental changes that have been taking place in the region of the Upper Paraná River floodplain and in its boundaries. A secondary aim is to show how those two factors have been changing people's working and living conditions and the identity configuration of some of the human groups that live at that site.


The length-tension relationship of a preparation of the dorsal body wall of the leech Haemopis sanguisuga was determined. Passive tension is low except at very long lengths of the preparation, when it rises steeply. It is due mainly to the epidermis present in the preparation. The active tension curve is very flat, with tension being reduced only at very short and very long lengths. This shape is explained in the context of the myofilament arrangement of the muscle fibres. It may be that thin filaments can form cross-bridges with different thick filaments at different lengths of the preparation.


Objectives: To evaluate the validity of parents' self reported home safety practices concerning smoke detectors, bike helmets, car seats, and water heater temperature. Setting: Parents of children 12 years old and under whose child had made at least one visit to a study clinic in the years 2000–2003. Methods: As part of a randomized controlled trial to improve patient provider communication and preventive practices, parents' responses to telephone interview were compared with observations of safety practices during a home visit. Home visits were completed within nine weeks of the telephone interview. Parents were not told that the visit was part of a validation study and home visit observers were unaware of the interview responses. The authors calculated sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative predictive values, and their corresponding confidence intervals. Results: Sensitivity (0.78 to 0.98) and positive predictive values (0.75 to 1.00) were high for all items. Specificities and negative predictive values were more variable and the highest estimates (specificity 0.95 to 1.00, negative predictive value 0.95 to 0.97) were for car seat types. Conclusions: The results suggest that parent self report practice of certain injury prevention behaviors (owning a car seat, hot water temperatures) is reliable, whereas self reports on other practices (working smoke detectors, properly fitting bike helmets) may be overstated.


This paper argues that we should think of community as being about social relationships rather than a 'thing' that is 'lost', 'found' or 'made'. The paper draws on the philosophy of Roberto Esposito and the sociology of David Studdert to highlight the overlaps in their approaches to community. Both argue that community is ontological, as unavoidably 'with us'. The paper then draws upon two empirical examples to argue that this approach could enable a different kind of public policy in relation to community. Policy would focus on existing relationships as the starting point for any efforts to effect social change. The implications for contemporary debates about localism are explored at the end of the paper.


We report appreciably high concentrations of ethanol (82 and 102 mg/dL) in specimens of urine collected from two victims of date rape. Both girls (aged 15 and 18 years) suffered from diabetes mellitus, but adamantly denied drinking any alcohol before or after the incident. The presence of glycosuria and high risk of fungal infections in female diabetics suggests that ethanol was produced in vitro by fermentation after voiding. Making a routine test for sugar in the urine and ensuring that the sampling tubes contain sufficient sodium or potassium fluoride to inhibit glycolysis are recommended practices. A specific marker for post-sampling synthesis of ethanol might also be used such as the 5HTOL/5HIAA ratio.


The city of Viamao is located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, in the Rio Grande Sul State, southern Brazil. The Mae d'Agua dam was built in 1962 and, due to the lack of urban planning during the last forty years, received large discharges of sediments and contaminants (organic and/or inorganic). This study aimed to use the geochronology technique using the lead element 210 (210Pb) through the cores of sediments sampled from the Mae D'agua dam and to establish the chronology of the sedimentary layers over the last four decades, in addition to the characterization of the sedimentation processes in the Mae D'Agua reservoir and to size the sediment volumes silted in the reservoir in the current scenario, year 2014 (year of sampling) and thus, to present the total sediment concentrations during the 40-year silting. The sediment column, bathymetry, bibliographical references and GIS resources were used to infer the process of urbanization and sedimentation process of the dam, and representative samples were collected in June 2014, using sediment cores distributed in the dam area. The sediment cores were extracted through the "Piston core" sampler. With the results obtained, graphs and tables were generated to create the mathematical models and later the sedimentation maps, establishing correlations with the sedimentation geochronology studies during the last four decades (layers of sedimentation generated in each of these periods). There were periods with high sedimentation rates, mainly during the acceleration of the process of urbanization of the basin resulting in a total sediment volume of 44% of the useful volume of the project, which drastically reduces the capacity of the Mae d'Agua dam. Keywords: Urban dams, Sediments, Sedimentation of dams.


A small dipole magnet designed for use in high-radiation environments that uses metal-oxide cable-in-conduit-conductor has been constructed and tested for magnetic properties. The conductor consisted of 42 strands of 0.5 mm diameter wires, in a conduit with outer dimension of 10 mm times 10 mm. The magnet carried about 8 kA. This gives an engineering current density of 80 A/mm2. The current density in the cable bundle is approximately 1 kA/mm2.


Background Introducing new practices in complex environments like the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is challenging, but is important in order to improve care. There is a need to better understand the process of implementation in complex environments in order to develop more effective ways of embedding new practices into routine care. Methods Following the successful introduction of a guideline based intervention to improve the nutritional care of preterm infants on NICU, qualitative staff interviews were carried out to understand the factors affecting implementation. Data were analysed using the framework of Normalisation Process Theory (NPT). NPT considers that new practices become normalised when staff understand them (coherence), engage with them (cognitive participation), enact them (collective action) and can see the benefit of them in their work (reflexive monitoring). Results 22 staff interviews were carried out. Key factors in successful implementation were the desire for consistent practice and the distribution of nutritional decisions to nurses and junior medical staff. Clear guidelines empowered these groups to make consistent decisions, allowing a move away from a consultant led model, which was felt to be less consistent. Being able to see the benefits of the new practices in their daily work and their patients was a key driver for continued investment by staff. Conclusions Desire for improvements and consistency in care are a potent driver for change, and empowering new groups of staff to make decisions offers a relatively untapped way of implementing change. Seeing benefit from new practices over time reinforces their use.


Abstract Most European states use M. S. Molodensky's concept of normal heights for their height systems with a quasigeoid model as the reference surface, while the rest of the world rely on orthometric heights with the geoid as the zero-level. Considering the advances in data caption and theory for geoid and quasigeoid determinations, the question is which system is the best choice for the future. It is reasonable to assume that the latter concept, in contrast to the former, will always suffer from some uncertainty in the topographic density distribution, while Molodensky's approach to quasigeoid determination has a convergence problem. On the contrary, geoid and quasigeoid models computed by analytical continuation (e.g., rcr technique or KTH method) have no integration problem, and the quasigeoid can always be determined at least as accurate as the geoid. As the numerical instability of the analytical continuation is better controlled in the KTH method vs. the rcr method, we propose that any future height system be based on normal heights with a quasigeoid model computed similar to or directly based on the KTH method (Least squares modification of Stokes formula with additive corrections).


We developed a framework for constraint routing in multi-domain optical network which combines PCE with service plane. With the distributed routing computation characteristic of PCE and the adaptability of service plane for service attributes, the framework provides an optimal SLA-based constraint routing strategy. Experiment results verify our framework and strategy.


The work reported in this paper addresses the calibration of four types of partial discharge (PD) emulator required for the development of a PD Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Three partial discharge (PD) emulators have been constructed: a floating-electrode emulator, and two internal PD emulators. Both DC and AC HV power supplies are used to initiate PD which is measured using concurrent free-space radiometry (FSR) and a galvanic contact method based on the IEC 60270 standard. A new method of estimating absolute PD activity level from a radiometric measurement is proposed.


Indigenous chickens show extensive physical diversity. However, industrialization and globalization of chicken in the 21 st century has affected and limited their genetic resources to industrial breeds. Continuous selection for rapid growth and more egg production has resulted in the loss of disease resistance and overall immuno-competence hence a projected increase in disease-related costs in the future. Genetic control of disease resistance is one of the most important targets of breeding schemes in future. In India a breed of chicken resistant to most viral diseases (kuroiler) has been identified and is being crossed with improved breeds to increase disease resistance. It is not known in Kenya if there exists pockets of poultry with genes of resistance to any of the common diseases that often reduce profitability of poultry industry. It was hypothesized that the Kenyan indigenous chickens have no diversity and potential viral disease resistance genes. This study aimed at obtaining information to facilitate indigenous chicken breeding stock development, to come up with a stock that would be potentially resistant to most common viral diseases. One hundred and fifty indigenous chickens with diverse morphological features were obtained from Kenya especially in areas where it is perceived that no cross with industrial breeds has occurred and kept at InCIP-Egerton University Njoro. Eighteen microsatellite markers were used to study genetic diversity among and within populations. Presence of viral disease resistance genes: Mx1, TVB*R, TVB*S1 and TVB*S3 was investigated. Using GDA software, population genetic indices were characterized. Statistics related to genetic variation were estimated using GenALEx6. Mean percentage polymorphic loci was 96.71% and 4% AMOVA and PhiPT (fixation index) of 0.042 was seen among the eight ecotypes, p-value of 0.003 at 95% CI. MCW0123 marker had the highest variance of 13% among populations. Mean He ranged from 0.351±0.031 (SIB) to 0.434±0.022 (BM) with a grand mean of 0.399±0.011 obtained across the populations using the SSRs and grand mean He of 0.313±0.023 observed when the SNPs were used. Nei's genetic distance ranged from 0.016 (SIB/WP) to 0.126 (NR/SIB). DARwin6.501 analysis software was used to draw the population dendrogram and two major population clusters were observed, also seen with PCoA. It also established presence of the viral disease resistance genes: 21.33% having the homozygous A and 58.67%, the heterozygous A/G allele of the Mx1 gene (potential resistance to IAV and NDV). TVB*S3 genotype seen in 24% of the samples show potential resistance to ALVE but not B and D subgroups. Sequencing of the TVB202 amplicons would show clarity of the P4, P5 and P6 possible TVB genotype combinations for strong inference of viral diseases resistance since the XbaI enzyme used failed to restrict the PCR products. Crossing the chicken types with potential resistance to ALVE, IAV and NDV with susceptible ones would enhance survival fitness of the indigenous chickens. These resistant breeds should be selected for breeding purposes.


Research from multiple disciplines confirms that income diversification is a common
strategic response to challenges in the external environment and is recognised as a measure
of financial health. Whilst universities under financial pressure can hardly be considered a
new phenomenon, regulatory changes and increased competition in England have brought
this pressure into sharp relief. The realisation that the sector is keenly sensitive to external
factors has led universities to seek to diversify their funding base and reduce their
dependence on any one source of income.
However, not all universities appear equally able to generate additional revenues. This
research focuses on understanding the antecedent factors underpinning this variance so that
university leaders are better equipped to develop strategies to improve their long-term
financial sustainability, and policymakers are better informed to support them.
Whilst the available literature suggests income diversification in higher education is of
importance to theory and practice, there appears to be a lack of an explicit measurement of
it, and a generalisable explanation of the necessary factors to achieving it. This study
employs an explanatory sequential mixed method design to offer a more nomothetic
explanation than currently exits to suggest why some universities are more successful than
others in developing a diversified income portfolio. By using the qualitative findings to
interpret the quantitative results, a richer explanation of any causal effect is developed.
Adopting a resource-based view as the theoretical framework to drive the inquiry, this study
tests 13 hypotheses derived from extant research that link attributes of a university's
resources and capabilities to its level of income diversification. In developing the dependent
variable, a model for measurement and a national income diversification index is also
produced. The hypotheses are tested using secondary and archival data from 2012/13 to
2016/17 for all publicly-funded, non-specialist universities in England. This is supported by
16 interviews conducted with vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, and directors of
finance from universities in this focal population.
The findings suggest a university's focus on research provides the dominant explanation for
a more balanced income portfolio and consequently, a higher income diversification index
score. The scale of income that research can generate can be large enough to have a
meaningful impact on creating more balance in the portfolio. Moreover, income from research can register against a number of income categories thus increasing its balancing
effect. The research intensity of a university also builds reputation that has a 'halo' effect on
all other areas of income generation. The findings also show that universities need to be
organised to exploit their research. Incentivising staff to seek commercial opportunities and
having staff dedicated to business engagement contribute to explaining the variance in levels
of income diversification.
The study concludes by highlighting its contributions to theory, knowledge, and practice,
and making recommendations for university leaders and policymakers.