Cooperation among ASEAN countries formed since 1967 through Bangkok Declaration. In development, ASEAN agreed to establish ASEAN Community in 2020. This relationship was upgraded within the ASEAN Summit in Singapore in 2007 which agreed on the ASEAN Charter to strengthen the position and legal status of ASEAN in realizing the cooperation among ASEAN countries, and as a guide in ASEAN Community formation, the Blueprint is prepared. One of the pillars of ASEAN Community is the establishment of ASEAN Economic Community, which talk about liberalization of trade in services. The implementation of the trade liberalization in ASEAN will increasing and provide convenience and also increased intra-ASEAN market access as well increasing transparency and speeding up the adjustment of regulations and standardization of domestic. Indonesia already ratified ASEAN Charter with Law No. 8 of 2008. Therefore, Indonesia is obliged to implement the provisions of ASEAN Charter. Treaty on liberalization of trade in sevices has been initiated in ASEAN Framework Agreement (AFAS) in 1995 and Indonesia also ratified by Presidential Decree No. 88 in 1995. Law No. 7/2014 on Trade, also regulates the trade in services as Indonesia's commitment within the ASEAN Economic Community. The liberalization of trade in services within ASEAN framework is a challenge for Indonesia to prepare human resources or skilled menpower with competence to compete with menpower from other ASEAN countries. This situation can also be used as an opportunity for Indonesia to prepare and compete with other ASEAN members but on the other hand they can be vast potential market for ASEAN countries.


This thesis relates Coriolanus to traditions of Renaissance and Reformation thinking
on Hercules and Hydra, which had acquired new connotations in the age after neglect
during the Middle Ages; and this study investigates the play's engagement with that
material and more precisely its active relationships to texts and ideas at present
under-represented in its critical reception and especially by Shakespearean critics.
Coriolanus highlights the conflict between the patricians including heroic Coriolanus
and the plebeians, and Coriolanus describes the plebeians as "the many-headed
multitude" like "Hydra" (2.3.16-17; 3.1.96). Coriolanus is compared to Hercules
(4.6.104), and battle between Hercules and the many-headed Hydra is suggested in the
play. If Hydra symbolises subjects, likewise Hercules stands for rulers. In short, the
closer examination of Hercules and Hydra leads us to a deeper understanding of
Shakespeare's presentation of rulers and subjects. In the Introduction, a preliminary
analysis of Coriolanus will elucidate the significance of the mythical hero and monster.
Chapter 1 will discuss the roots of the phrase "many-headed multitude" in Coriolanus:
it is a reflection, in complex form, of the really existing social instability in late Tudor
and early Stuart England, which experienced many rebellions and famines; and it is in
the tradition of Renaissance Humanism. Building on this material, Chapter 2
explores the way some European monarchs compared themselves to Hercules. The
next two chapters analyse Herculean "eloquence" and "virtue," which are
quintessentially Humanistic terms, and they trace the use of the "eloquent" and "virtuous" Hercules as a model for European monarchs in the Renaissance. Finally,
we study Hydra as a symbol of "the flexibility of the self" in the Humanistic tradition.
This study employs the methodology of the iconology of the Warburg School and the
history of ideas, referring to Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Holbein's engravings, and
Alciato's emblem books, etc.


This paper describes a small wind generation system where neural network principles are applied for wind speed estimation and robust control of maximum wind power extraction against potential drift of wind turbine power coefficient curve. The new control system will deliver maximum electric power to a customer with light weight, high efficiency, and high reliability without mechanical sensors. The concept has been developed and analyzed using a turbine directly driven permanent-magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). In addition, the proposed method is applied to a 15-kW variable-speed cage induction machine wind generation (CIWG) system. The simulation studies of a PMSG small wind generation system and experimental results of a CIWG are provided to verify the validity of the method.


Abstract Objective Alcohol consumption may play a role in the development of obesity but the relationship between alcohol and weight is still unclear. The aim of our study was to assess the cross-sectional association of intakes of total alcohol and of specific alcoholic beverages (wine, beer and spirits) with waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI) in a large sample of adults from all over France. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Participants were free-living healthy volunteers of the SU.VI.MAX study (an intervention study on the effects of antioxidant supplementation on chronic diseases). Subjects For 1481 women aged 35–60 years and 1210 men aged 45–60 years, intakes of total alcohol and specific alcoholic beverages were assessed by six 24-hour dietary records. BMI and WHR were measured during a clinical examination the year after. Results A J-shaped relationship was found between total alcohol consumption and WHR in both sexes and between total alcohol consumption and BMI in men only (P < 0.05). The same relationships were observed with wine (P < 0.05); men and women consuming less than 100 g day−1 had a lower BMI (men only) and WHR than non-drinkers or those consuming more. Spirits consumption was positively associated with BMI (linear regression coefficient β = 0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09–0.34 and β = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.06–0.39 for men and women, respectively) and WHR (β = 0.003, 95% CI: 0.001–0.005 and β = 0.003, 95%CI: 0.0002–0.006) in both sexes in a linear fashion. No relationship between beer consumption and BMI or WHR was found. Conclusion If confirmed in longitudinal studies, our results indicate that consumption of alcoholic beverages may be a risk factor for obesity.


The research is part of a survey for the detection of the hydraulic and geotechnical conditions of river embankments funded by the Reno River Basin Regional Technical Service
of the Region Emilia-Romagna. The hydraulic safety of the Reno River, one of the main rivers in North-Eastern Italy, is indeed of primary importance to the Emilia-Romagna regional administration. The large longitudinal extent of the banks (several hundreds of kilometres) has placed great
interest in non-destructive geophysical methods, which, compared to other methods such as drilling, allow for the faster and often less expensive acquisition of high-resolution data.
The present work aims to experience the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for the detection of local non-homogeneities (mainly stratigraphic contacts, cavities and conduits) inside the Reno River and its tributaries embankments, taking into account supplementary data collected with traditional destructive tests (boreholes, cone penetration tests etc.). A comparison with non-destructive methodologies likewise electric resistivity tomography (ERT), Multi-channels Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), FDEM induction, was also carried out in order to verify the usability of GPR and to provide integration of various geophysical methods in the process of regular maintenance and check of the embankments condition.
The first part of this thesis is dedicated to the explanation of the state of art concerning the geographic, geomorphologic and geotechnical characteristics of Reno River and its tributaries embankments, as well as the description of some geophysical applications provided on embankments belonging to European and North-American Rivers, which were used as bibliographic basis for this thesis realisation.
The second part is an overview of the geophysical methods that were employed for this research, (with a particular attention to the GPR), reporting also their theoretical basis and a deepening of some techniques of the geophysical data analysis and representation, when applied to river embankments.
The successive chapters, following the main scope of this research that is to highlight advantages and drawbacks in the use of Ground Penetrating Radar applied to Reno River and its tributaries embankments, show the results obtained analyzing different cases that could yield the formation of weakness zones, which successively lead to the embankment failure. As advantages, a considerable velocity of acquisition and a spatial resolution of the obtained data, incomparable with respect to other methodologies, were recorded. With regard to the drawbacks, some factors, related to the attenuation losses of wave propagation, due to different content in clay, silt, and sand, as well as surface effects have significantly limited the correlation between GPR profiles and geotechnical information and therefore compromised the embankment safety assessment.
Recapitulating, the Ground Penetrating Radar could represent a suitable tool for checking up river dike conditions, but its use has significantly limited by geometric and geotechnical characteristics of the Reno River and its tributaries levees. As a matter of facts, only the shallower part of the embankment was investigate, achieving also information just related to changes in electrical properties, without any numerical measurement. Furthermore, GPR application is ineffective for a preliminary assessment of embankment safety conditions,
while for detailed campaigns at shallow depth, which aims to achieve immediate results with optimal precision, its usage is totally recommended.
The cases where multidisciplinary approach was tested, reveal an optimal interconnection of the various geophysical methodologies employed, producing qualitative
results concerning the preliminary phase (FDEM), assuring quantitative and high confidential description of the subsoil (ERT) and finally, providing fast and highly detailed analysis (GPR). Trying to furnish some recommendations for future researches, the simultaneous
exploitation of many geophysical devices to assess safety conditions of river embankments is absolutely suggested, especially to face reliable flood event, when the entire extension of the embankments themselves must be investigated.


Summary Trachoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. The disease is caused by an intracellular epithelial Gram-negative bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. The presence of children, overcrowding, and the lack of water in the household are factors that predispose to the transmission of the disease. The disease may remain asymptomatic but some patients many complain of redness, irritation, and ocular discharge. The principal initial clinical manifestation is a follicular conjunctivitis that may lead to conjunctival scarring, entropion, trichiasis, corneal thinning, and ulceration. Some patients develop corneal scars that lead to loss of vision. Despite the remarkable progress in our understanding of Chlamydial infections, the basic mechanisms involved in tissue damage and scarring remain to be elucidated. There are several effective therapeutic modalities for trachoma. Azithromycin oral single dose was found to be safe and effective in children with active trachoma. Conjunctival biopsy specimens obtained from adult patients receiving a single oral dose of azithromycin showed sustained high levels of azithromycin (above MIC of chlamydia) for up to 2 weeks after intake. These prolonged high levels of azithromycin in the conjunctival tissue following a single oral dose makes the drug suitable for the treatment of endemic trachoma.


*This research was carried out as part of NWO research project 611-304-019, 'Address: Free University, Department of Economics and Econometrics, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.


Understanding temporal and spatial patterns of in-stream temperature can provide useful information to managing future impacts of climate change on these systems. This study will compare temporal patterns and spatial variability of headwater in-stream temperature in six catchments in the piedmont of North Carolina in two different geological regions, Carolina slate belt and Triassic basin. The NC Neuse River Buffer Rules were established in the 1990s to protect nutrient sensitive waters through maintaining and protecting existing buffers. These buffers can also moderate diurnal fluctuations and stream temperature maximums. In October 2007 six catchments ranging from 12 to 46 hectares (i.e., four on Hill Demonstration Forest and two on Umstead Research Farm) with perennial stream channels were outfitted with stream discharge, meteorological and water temperature monitoring equipment. There were similarities in winter and summer daily maximum stream temperature and mean diurnal fluctuations within the paired and larger watersheds. However, the winter and summer water temperature patterns varied significantly between geological regions. There were smaller ranges in summer diurnal fluctuations (e.g., 0.4 C to 2.0 C) compared to winter fluctuations (e.g., 0.3 C to 4.7 C) in all watersheds, suggesting that the trees along the riparian buffers are moderating the affects of air temperature on water temperature by reducing wide fluctuations in temperature. A regression model predicted that a 2 C increase in daily maximum air temperature would increase daily maximum water temperature 0.6 C to 1.0 C in the winter and 0.2 C to 0.8 C in the summer between watersheds.


Due to the higher increase in the oil industry activities in Iraq, since there are a little information of the environmental status of the areas around the refinery locations, and the concerns of a possible environmental pollution that will cause health and life threats to living organisms, this study was carried out.To understand the status of heavy metals pollution in areas inside and surrounding Al-Daura refinery activities, (17) testing locations were chosen, ten locationsoutsidethe refinery and sevenlocationsinside it.One additional location was chosen in a rural (control) area, in the University of Baghdad, to compare between the heavy metals concentration in the study area and a sample from the rural area not affected by the pollution. The soil samples have been taken from (5 and 60 cm) depth from the top surface of the soil . Three samples were taken from each depth for each location to take an average of results.All the samples of soil were taken during the period from Dec/2010 to Feb/2011.The experimental work has been includes the heavy metals concentrations, such as Zinc, Nickel, Lead and Cadmium, have been measured at each selected depth for each testing locations .The results indicate that the mean concentration of Zn and Ni is (62.4 µg/g) and (100 .5 µg/g) respectively and this valuesexceeded the mean allowable value by ( Alloway, 1995 [2]; Kabata-Pendias and Pendias, 1992 [6]).The most concentrations of Zn, Ni and Pb, with some exceptions, accumulate at the top soil and decrease with the depth except Cd.


A two-step route to polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites characterized by a large extent of nanoplatelet delamination is presented. It consists first in the preparation of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL)-grafted clay masterbatches (containing ∼30 wt% clay) by in situ intercalative polymerization of e-caprolactone (CL) in bulk. The CL polymerization is promoted at the surface of organo-modified clays bearing targeted amounts of alcohol functionalities used as initiating species. The influence of alcohol concentration on clay platelets coverage by PCL has been studied by atomic force microscopy. In a second step, these masterbatches are readily dispersed in commercial matrices (PCL, PVC, chlorinated polyethylene) via rather conventional melt blending. The morphology of the resulting nanocomposites has been characterized as well as their thermal and mechanical properties. Interestingly enough, this "masterbatch" process can be extrapolated to another type of nanocomposites, i.e., polyolefin carbon nanotube nanocomposites. Accordingly, homogeneous surface coating of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is first achieved by in situ polymerization of ethylene as catalyzed directly from the nanotube previously surface-treated by a highly active metallocene-based complex. This polyolefin coating allows for the destructuration of the native nanotube bundles leading upon further melt blending with, e.g., ethylene-co-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), to high performance nanocomposites with finely dispersed MWNTs.


In the presence of a complex classical dynamics associated with a mixed phase space, a quantum wave function can tunnel between two stable islands through the chaotic sea, an effect that has no classical counterpart. This phenomenon, referred to as chaos-assisted tunneling, is characterized by large fluctuations of the tunneling rate when a parameter is varied. To date, the full extent of this effect as well as the associated statistical distribution have never been observed in a quantum system. Here, we analyze the possibility of characterizing these effects accurately in a cold-atom experiment. Using realistic values of the parameters of an experimental setup, we examine through analytical estimates and extensive numerical simulations a specific system that can be implemented with cold atoms, the atomic modulated pendulum. We assess the efficiency of three possible routes to observe in detail chaos-assisted tunneling properties. Our main conclusion is that due to the fragility of the symmetry between positive and negative momenta as a function of quasimomentum, it is very challenging to use tunneling between classical islands centered on fixed points with opposite momentum. We show that it is more promising to use islands symmetric in position space, and characterize the regime where it could be done. The proposed experiment could be realized with current state-of-the-art technology.


We investigate the effect of variational autoencoder (VAE) based data anonymization and its ability to preserve anomalous subgroup properties. We present a Utility Guaranteed Deep Privacy (UGDP) system which casts existing anomalous pattern detection methods as a new utility measure for data synthesis. UGDP's approach shows that properties of an anomalous subset of records, identified in the original data set, are preserved through the anonymization of a VAE. This is despite the newly generated records being completely synthetic. More specifically, the Bias-Scan algorithm identifies a subgroup of records that are consistently over- (or under-) risked by a black-box classifier as an area of 'poor fit'. This scanning process is applied on both pre- and post- VAE synthesized data. The areas of poor fit (i.e. anomalous records) persist in both settings. We evaluate our approach using publicly available datasets from the financial industry. Our evaluation confirmed that the approach is able to produce synthetic datasets that preserved a high level of subgroup differentiation as identified initially in the original dataset. Such a distinction was maintained while having distinctly different records between the synthetic and original dataset.


In the present paper, nanocrystalline diamond films (NDFs) were fabricated on optical glass using microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPACVD). The suitable processing parameters are as followings: methane concentration 3% in argon, total deposition pressure 13.3 kPa, substrate temperature 500 °C. The diamond films were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. In vitro osteoblast cell cultures and platelet adhesion tests were applied to evaluate the biocompatibility of the nanocrystalline diamond films (NDFs). All results indicate that the diamond films exhibit better tissue compatibility and hemocompatibility which are very suitable for biomedical applications.


Kiesel, Violet A. M.S., Purdue University, December 2016. Diallyl Trisulfide Modulates Notch Pathway Components in Breast Cancer Cells. Major Professor: Dr. Silvia D. Stan. Breast cancer affects one in eight women throughout the course of their lifetimes creating an immediate demand for novel prevention strategies against this disease. The Notch signaling pathway is often aberrantly activated in human malignancies including breast cancer. Alpha secretases, including A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease (ADAM)10 and -17, are proteases that play a key role in the cleavage of cell surface molecules and subsequent ligand-mediated activation of Notch signaling pathway. High expression levels of ADAM10 are clinically associated with lower disease-free survival in breast cancer patients. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of diallyl trisulfide (DATS), a bioactive organosulfide found in garlic and other Allium vegetables, on Notch pathway components, specifically alpha secretases, in an in vitro model of breast cancer. Here we report for the first time that DATS inhibits the expression of ADAM10 and ADAM17 in estrogen-independent MDA-MB-231 and estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells, as well as in Harvey-ras (H-Ras) transformed MCF10A-H-Ras breast epithelial cells. We also show that DATS inhibits the Notch ligands Jagged-1 and Jagged-2. Furthermore, we show that DATS treatment reduces overall cell viability in MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and MCF10A-H-Ras cells, and that DATS treatment reduces


A numerical model is developed to describe the kinetics of the microstructure evolution in an atomized droplet of Mg-9wt%Al alloy. The model is coupled with the heat transfer controlling equations to simulate the solidification process of the atomized droplets. The numerical results show that the microstructure development is a result of the common action of the nucleation and growth of grains. The nucleation events take place at a critical supercooling for a given droplet. As the droplet size decreases, the critical supercooling increases significantly. The volume fractions of the phases formed during the period of the recalescence, the segregated solidification and the eutectic reaction are sensitive to the droplet size. It is demonstrated that the developed model describes the microstructure evolution process well.


In the Azorean rock-pool blenny Parablennius sanguinolentus parvicornis two sequential reproductive tactics occur. Larger and older males establish breeding territories, while some of the smaller males become attached to nest-holder territories, acting as satellites on these territories, which they help to defend while trying parasitic fertilizations when females go in the nests to spawn. In the present paper we tested the effects of the androgens 17alpha-methyltestosterone (MT) and 11-ketotestosterone (KT) in the expression of male secondary sex characters and bourgeois behavior in satellite males. One week after satellites were implanted with Silastic tubes containing MT, KT, or castor oil (control), androgen-treated satellites had developed male secondary sex traits such as longer and wider male-type genital papilla and anal glands that secrete a sex pheromone, both traits being less expressed or absent, respectively, in satellite males. Androgen treatment had no effect on the gonadosomatic index or on the development of the testicular gland. KT treatment had a positive effect on relative liver weight. In terms of behavior, androgen-implanted individuals were less aggressive both in a mirror test and toward females when these were introduced into their tanks. MT-treated individuals spend more time inside the provided nests. Only androgen-implanted satellites managed to have the females entering their nests. When given a chance in a group tank either to try to attract females to their own nest or to act as satellites of an already established nest-holder's nest, MT-implanted males spent significantly more time in their own nest than near the nest-holder nest. These data suggest that androgens, particularly testosterone, may be involved in mating tactic switching in this species.


In retail, there are predictable yet dramatic time-dependent patterns in customer behavior, such as periodic changes in the number of visitors, or increases in customers just before major holidays. The current paradigm of multi-armed bandit analysis does not take these known patterns into account. This means that for applications in retail, where prices are fixed for periods of time, current bandit algorithms will not suffice. This work provides a remedy that takes the time-dependent patterns into account, and we show how this remedy is implemented for the UCB, ε-greedy, and UCB-L algorithms, and also through a new policy called the variable arm pool algorithm. In the corrected methods, exploitation (greed) is regulated over time, so that more exploitation occurs during higher reward periods, and more exploration occurs in periods of low reward. In order to understand why regret is reduced with the corrected methods, we present a set of bounds that provide insight into why we would want to exploit during periods of high reward, and discuss the impact on regret. Our proposed methods perform well in experiments, and were inspired by a high-scoring entry in the Exploration and Exploitation 3 contest using data from Yahoo! Front Page. That entry heavily used time-series methods to regulate greed over time, which was substantially more effective than other contextual bandit methods.


Since the beginning of life on earth, the environment has been polluted by waste, both natural as well as synthetic (man-made). In the case of natural waste however, the environment by itself controls the effect of contamination. But in the case of synthetic materials, the pollution is higher even in trace concentration and this may go on accumulating, leading to disastrous effects on the environment and ecology. Industrial wastes containing heavy metals and pesticide residues fall in this category. The major point sources of pesticide pollution are wastewater from agricultural industries and pesticide manufacturing and formulating plants. Hence the waste from these sources must be removed or destroyed before discharge to the environment. There have been several methods practiced for the treatment of wastewater. However many of them are not able to achieve hundred percent satisfaction. Environmental pollution and destruction on a global scale as well as lack of sufficient clean and natural energy sources have drawn much attention and concern to the vital need for ecologically clean chemical technology, materials and processes. This is one of the most urgent challenges facing chemical scientists. Recently, light-induced photocatalytic reactions have gained a lot of attention for the purification of wastewater.


In this paper we present a novel algorithm aiming at connecting members of a community equipped with mobile devices based on their location. Initially, these users are far from each other and they are not able to benefit from the high speed of Wi-Fi ad-hoc mode, and thus they can not exchange real-time media such as streaming music. Based on a centralized server, we employ user locations in order to direct them to new locations where connectivity is available. We distinguish two types of user behavior, cooperative and non-cooperative. The former, follows the commands of movement systematically whereas the latter has its own movement. Our objective then is to maximize the number of connected users while minimizing the traveled distances walked by cooperative users.


FACTS devices such as thyristor controlled series compensators and thyristor controlled phase angle regulators, by controlling the power flows in the network, can help to reduce the flows in heavily loaded lines resulting in an increased loadability of the network and reduced cost of production. Congestion management using FACTS devices requires a two step approach. First, the optimal location of these devices in the network must be ascertained and then, the settings of their control parameters optimised. This paper presents the development of simple and efficient models for optimal location of FACTS devices that can be used for congestion management by controlling their parameters optimally. Three different objectives have been considered and the results are compared. The effectiveness of the purposed methods is demonstrated on a 5-bus system and a 75-bus Indian system.


Abstract The controversy around the RSC & The Wooster Group's Troilus and Cressida (Stratford-upon-Avon 2012) among the spectators and critics in Britain revealed significant differences between the UK and the US patterns of staging, spectating, and reviewing Shakespeare. The production has also exposed the gap between mainstream and avant-garde performance practices in terms of artists' assumptions and audiences' expectations. Reviews and blog entries written by scholars, critics, practitioners, and anonymous theatre goers were particularly disapproving of The Wooster Group's experimentation with language, non-psychological acting, the appropriation of Native American customs, and the overall approach to the play and the very process of stage production. These points of criticism have suggested a clear perception of a successful Shakespeare production in the mainstream British theatre: a staging that approaches the text as an autonomous universe guided by realistic rules, psychological principles, and immediate political concerns. If we assume, however, that Troilus and Cressida as a play relies on the dramaturgy of cultural differences and that it consciously reflects on the notion of spectatorship, the production's transgression of mainstream patterns of staging and spectating brings it surprisingly close to the Shakespearean source.


This thesis describes the synthesis and characterisation of several fluorinated aliphatic, aliphatic and aliphatic ether polycarbonates. The thesis is divided into four sections. In the first section the origins and motivation for the work are discussed, essentially the work forms part of a long term project concerned with the development of a predictively useful correlation between the structure of a polymer repeat unit and its glass transition temperature (Tg). In the second section the various methods for aliphatic polycarbonate synthesis are critically discussed together with the reason for selecting the method used in this work. The third section describes the progressive development of the eventually successful synthetic method and its application to the preparation of ten polycarbonates. The final section is concerned with the detailed characterisation of the polymers obtained, in particular with establishing that they were high polymers of the correct structure, and the measurement of their glass transition temperatures and thermal stabilities. The results of this work suggest that the theoretical oasis for the prediction of the glass transition temperatures of polymers is not presently particularly reliable. Part of the difficulty in developing a more predictively useful theory arises from the uncertainties associated with published values for Tg and a useful contribution of this work is to provide a further ten reliable data points for well characterised materials.


The Welfare State and Beyond was first published in 1984. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.The welfare state emerged in a number of industrialized countries after the First World War as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism. The aim of architects of the welfare state was to abolish the injustices and hardships that accompanied capitalism and to do so without wholesale social or economic revolution. Establishment of the welfare state created something close to euphoria among many observers; it was, it seemed, the answer to many, if not all, troubling social questions. But it eventually became obvious that this type of society was not immune to problems. In The Welfare State and Beyond Gunnar Heckscher examines four Nordic countries-Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden-not to either criticize or defend the welfare state but to shed some light on a number of questions: Has the welfare state achieved what it attempted? Are the results generally held to be satisfactory? What important problems remain unsolved and what types of solutions have been proposed? Although Heckscher has been associated with the Conservative party in Sweden, his objective, clear-eyed analysis cites both the accomplishments of the welfare state and the troubling problems that still await resolution.


Background. The etiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is complex.This study was conducted to evaluate the pregnancy-related maternal risk factors of ADHD. Methods. 164 ADHD children attending to Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics compared with 166 normal children selected in a random-cluster method from primary schools. ADHD rating scale and clinical interview based on Schedule for Affective disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (K-SADS) were used to diagnose ADHD cases and to select the control group. Results. The mean maternal age at pregnancy, duration of pregnancy, and the mean paternal age were alike in two groups. The ADHD children's mothers compared with those of control group had higher frequencies of somatic diseases, psychiatric disorders, and alcohol and cigarette exposure during the pregnancies (P < 0.01). Also birth by cesarean section was more common among mothers of ADHD children (P < 0.001). These factors plus trauma to the abdomen during pregnancy were significantly predictors of ADHD in children. Conclusions. Some pregnancy-related maternal factors may be considered as environmental risk factors for ADHD. Each of these factors considered in our study as a risk factor needs to be tested and confirmed through next methodologically appropriate researches in this field.


IntroductionYouth with complex-needs are vulnerable as a consequence of exposure to social adversity and/or chronic health conditions, and are at a high risk of school failure and justice involvement. Information about the patterns of service use across government sectors that influence the life outcomes of complex-needs youth is unknown.
Objectives and ApproachYouth with complex needs often engage with multiple services across multiple government sectors for extended periods of time. Understanding the patterns and trajectory of their service use may inform programs, decision makers and government in the optimal allocation of resources to increase their life outcomes. It may reveal where and when interventions would be most effective to improve the life course for vulnerable youth. In this study, through a unique approach to link over 20 administrative longitudinal datasets and a novel trajectory clustering technique, the patterns of service use among complex-needs young Albertans is revealed and visualized.
ResultsA trajectory clustering technique was applied to reveal patterns of service use among complex-needs individuals. Compared to the general population, higher proportions of youth with complex needs lived in low socio-economic neighborhoods, suffered from mental health issues, were high cost health service users, and had lower rates of high school completion. Furthermore, youth having complex needs for a longer period of time and who required multiple complex services in a given year had the poorest outcomes, in terms of high school completion, mental health issues, and other health problems. The majority of complex-needs youth came in contact with services via the education system, followed by child services/welfare.
Conclusion/ImplicationsThe trajectories of service use among complex-needs youth reveals that these individuals are primarily identified through education. Consequently, educational supports would best address the development of effective programs including mental health supports and other needs.


Online communities have become one of the most common forms of organizations on the Internet. They are integral to the functioning of resources such as Wikipedia and form the backbone of many software development efforts, particularly Open Source Software. Going back at least a decade, researchers have examined various issues related to online communities. They have examined different forms of participation and highlighted the problems encountered in maintaining and growing these communities. One important finding from this literature is that it is critical to nurture and support newcomers for communities to thrive. Newcomers are essential for any organization and their successful participation determines their performance, turnover, motivation, and overall productivity and innovation in an organization. Empirical literature on how newcomers become part of an organization focuses primarily on socialization and assimilation. Studies have examined how newcomers proactively seek
information, how information acquisition leads to formation of social relationships and assimilation in the work environment, and how newcomers move from peripheral to full participation within a community of practice. Despite the recognition of the importance of newcomers, few studies have looked at how newcomers actually participate in online communities and what role, if any, technology plays in this process. In this special issue we plan to further explore the role of newcomers in online communities.


Serum and urine levels of cephaloridine were measured during 20 treatments in the higher dosage schedule. The mean serum level was 36 pg./ml. (range 8-64 Mug./ml.) and the mean urine level 2,129 pg./ml. (range 64-8,000 /Ag./ml.) up to five hours after injection irrespective of the number of prior doses given. Thus cephaloridine proved to be well tolerated and reasonably free from side-effects at these doses. The minimal inhibitory concentration of H. influenzae has been found to be very variable (range 0.1-40 1,g./ml. or higher) and It would seem worthwhile to increase the daily dose still further to determine whether a better response could be obtained with this organism. Preliminary studies would suggest that *6 or 8 g. daily would not be unreasonable. I should like to acknowledge the help received from Professor C. H. Stuart-Harris. The bacteriology was supervised by Dr. J. Colquhoun.


The goal of this project was to develop a system that identified magnesium demand for struvite formation by monitoring conductivity changes during continuous injection of magnesium chloride in several swine manure slurries. The conductivity of six manure slurries was monitored to identify the response due to magnesium chloride injection (MgCl2) and struvite precipitation. Struvite precipitation is a technically feasible treatment method for phosphorus removal and recovery from manure slurries (Burns et al., 2003; Bowers and Westerman, 2005a). Swine manure slurries often require the addition of magnesium (Mg 2+ ) to force struvite precipitation. The quantity of Mg 2+ required for maximized phosphorus removal can be determined through laboratory tests. Optimized struvite precipitation in a field setting requires a real-time method to determine Mg 2+ addition rates during a land application event. This article discusses the requirements of an automated control system which monitors and controls the injection of Mg 2+ to force struvite precipitation, accounting for real-time variations of magnesium demand. Theoretical predictions and pure solution tests provided information capable of determining the magnesium demand for struvite precipitations. After testing six different manures in triplicate, the conductivity responses did not follow theoretical predictions and failed to provide any indication of optimum magnesium injection rates for phosphorus removal.


With the advent of data mining technology, cluster analysis of items is frequently done in supermarkets and in other largescale retail sectors. Clustering of items has been a popular tool for identification of different groups of items where appropriate programs and techniques in data mining like Market-Basket analysis have been defined for each group separately with maximum effectiveness and return. For example, items frequently purchased together are placed in one place in the shelf of a retail store. There are various algorithms used for clustering. Hierarchical algorithms find successive clusters using previously established clusters. These algorithms usually are either agglomerative ("bottom-up") or divisive ("top-down"). The paper presents the Market-Basket Analysis using Agglomerative ("Bottom-up") hierarchical approach for clustering a retail items. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering creates a hierarchy of clusters which are represented in a tree structure called a Dendorogram. In agglomerative hierarchical clustering, dendrograms are developed based on the concept of "distance" between the entities or, groups of entities.. The clustering will done in such a way that the Purpose of Market-Basket Analysis will achieve.


The optimal portfolio of a utility-maximizing investor trading in the S&P 500 index and cash, subject to proportional transaction costs, becomes stochastically dominated when overlaid with a zero-net-cost portfolio of S&P 500 options bought at their ask and written at their bid price in most months over 1990-2013. Dominance is prevalent when the ATM-IV is high, right skew is low, and option maturity is short. The portfolios include mostly calls and positions are overwhelmingly short. Similar results obtain with options on the CAC and DAX indices. The results are explained neither by priced factors nor a non-monotonic stochastic discount factor.


This present study involves the assessment of activated sludge based on the roles of proteins and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in continuous flow activated sludge treatment systems. The first objective of the study is to investigate the applicability of total protein quantification to estimate the quantity of active biomass. Activated sludge samples from three industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and a lab-scale plant were analysed for this purpose. The total protein concentration of the sludge was compared to the conventional biomass parameters, i.e. suspended solids (SS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS), and correlated to the respirometric activity measured by the oxygen uptake rate (OUR). In both industrial and lab-scale plant samples, VSS showed the strongest correlation to the OUR, followed by SS, while total protein concentration showed weak or no correlation. Therefore, it is concluded that there was no direct relationship between protein content in activated sludge to the activity thus total protein concentration is not suitable to be used to measure active biomass.
Most problems related to activated sludge systems involve sludge separation problems. The second objective of this study was to determine the roles of the EPS components in sludge settleability and dewaterability. For this purpose, the protein, humic acid and carbohydrate contents of bound EPS were correlated to the sludge volume index (SVI) and capillary suction time (CST), which represented sludge settleability and dewaterability respectively. The results were contradictory between the industrial and lab-scale plant samples and the correlations, if any, were weak. As the EPS properties seemed to differ from plant to plant, defining the roles of the EPS from their 'bulk' contents was found to be inconclusive and speculative at best.
The third aim was to investigate the total protein and EPS at a molecular level to obtain more conclusive information on how they affect sludge properties and nutrient removal efficiency. For this purpose, activated sludge samples were subjected to nitrogen and phosphorous limiting conditions, two common problems in activated sludge process. Label-free quantification (LFQ) proteomics analyses were performed to determine the qualitative and quantitative changes in the protein expressions of total protein and EPS under these conditions. Differential protein expression illustrated that the system adopted different strategies towards mitigating the effects of nutrient deficiency. N-limiting period caused the upregulation of various antioxidant enzymes and DNA-binding protein from starved cells (Dps), signifying the system reacted to protect the cells from oxidative stress and DNA damage. The system also reacted by increasing nitrogen uptake through GS/GO-GAT system and the expressions of urease and nitrogenases. Phosphorous limitation also caused the upregulation of various antioxidant enzymes but it was not clear how the system regulated phosphorous uptake in this condition. With the help of proteomics, there is now more appreciation for the roles of the EPS in activated sludge process. EPS was found to contain chaperones, transport proteins, antioxidant enzymes, and other proteins that are essential for cell integrity under normal conditions as well as under environmental stress. This study proved that the application of quantitative proteomics using LFQ-MS is beneficial in retrieving various information about the state of sludge and gaining further understanding of the activated sludge process.


Dynamic impact experiments of man-made rock were carried out with the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) apparatus in this paper. The impact process was analyzed and the influence of rock porosity on dynamic mechanical behavior was investigated. The stress-strain curves in rock were obtained by the one-dimensional stress wave theory. The curve lays foundation for numeric simulation of rock fracture under impact loading. The damage profiles of rock specimen under the impact loading show that the man-made rock exhibits obvious shear damage under the impact loading because it is a typical porous medium containing large quantities of defects such as pores, cracks and grain boundaries at the microscale. The experimental results also indicated that rock porosity plays an important role in dynamic mechanical behavior.


In this study five German models of animal ethics are analysed. Three theological and two philosophical models representing anthropocentric, sentientistic, biocentric and ecocentric perspectives are presented. The analysis is based on six key terms: the view of the human being, the view of the animal, normative ethical theory, value/worth, dignity, and ethology. One focus is the relation between theoretical statements and the practical treatment of animals. Special interest lies in farming conditions for pigs, a highly exploited animal. Another focus is how the theological and philosophical perspectives influence methods of argumentation and practice. The models are elaborated further in three comparisons of the key terms and the two focuses. In addition, the models are discussed within a critical framework and finally, a theocentric model is suggested. When animals are regarded as moral objects, knowledge about situations causing suffering or frustration becomes important. In relation to this, it is shown, that when a model suggests a practice that does not cohere with the consequences of acting that can be drawn from its theoretical statements, an important reason for the incoherence lies in deficient consideration of ethological research. It is claimed that ethology can contribute significantly to animal ethics, to improving the conditions of animal husbandry, and a coherent relation between theory and practice. It is also shown, that when describing the models, it is more relevant to distinguish between theistic and atheistic views than between theological or philosophical ways of argumentation. Further, it is shown how a radical change in animal husbandry can follow from a theistic and theocentric animal ethics.


This paper presents new evidence on international trade and worker outcomes. It examines a big world event that produced an unprecedentedly large shock to the UK exchange rate. In the 24 hours in June 2016 during which the UK electorate unexpectedly voted to leave the European Union, the value of sterling plummeted. It recorded the biggest depreciation that has occurred in any of the world's four major currencies since the collapse of Bretton Woods. Exploiting this variation, the paper studies the impact of trade on wages and worker training. Wages and training fell for workers employed in sectors where the intermediate import price rose by more as a consequence of the sterling depreciation. Calibrating the estimated wage elasticity with respect to intermediate import prices to theory uncovers evidence of a production complementarity between workers and intermediate imports. This provides new direct evidence that, in the modern world of global value chains, it is changes in the cost of intermediate imports that act as a driver of the impact of globalization on worker welfare. The episode studied and the findings add to widely expressed, growing concerns about poor productivity performance relating to skills and to patterns of real wage stagnation that are plaguing contemporary labour markets.


Recently developed lead‐free incipient piezoceramics are promising candidates for off‐resonance actuator applications with their exceptionally large electromechanical strains. Their commercialization currently faces two major challenges: high electric field required for activating the large strains and large strain hysteresis. It is demonstrated that design of a relaxor/ferroelectric composite provides a highly effective way to resolve both challenges. Experimental results in conjunction with numerical simulations provide key parameters for the development of viable incipient piezoceramics.


Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of velocities in the back squat between one repetition maximum (1RM) and submaximally loaded repetition maximum (RM) conditions, specifically in regard to what has been described as the minimal velocity threshold (MVT). The MVT describes a minimum concentric velocity that an individual must reach or surpass in order to successfully complete a repetition. Design : To test the presence of a MVT, participants were tested for 1RM and RM back squat ability. The mean concentric velocities (MCV) of the last successful repetition of each condition were then compared. Methods : Fourteen male participants familiar with the back squat volunteered to participate in the current study (age = 25.0 y ± 2.6, height = 178.9 cm ± 8.1, body mass = 88.2 kg ± 15.8). The mean concentric velocity (MCV) during the last successful repetition from each testing condition was considered for the comparison. Results : Results indicated a non-significant negative relationship of MCV between the 1RM and RM conditions ( r = -0.135), no statistical difference between testing conditions ( p = 0.266), with a small-to-moderate effect size ( d = 0.468). Conclusions : The results of this study suggest that MVT should be further investigated to enhance its use in the practical setting. Additionally, coaches considering using a velocity-based approach for testing athletes should use data from either 1RM or RM conditions, but not both interchangeably. Coaches should be cautious when considering group averages or comparing velocity data between athletes, which may not be appropriate based on our results. ( Journal of Trainology 2017;6:9-12) resistance training pro-grams using a


BACKGROUND:Injectable formulations of diclofenac have long been available in Europe and other countries. These formulations use a default dose of 75 mg of diclofenac delivered IV over 30 to 120 minutes or as an IM injection. A novel formulation of injectable diclofenac sodium, Dyloject®, is solubilized with hydroxypropyl &bgr;-cyclodextrin (HP&bgr;CD) so that it can be given IV or IM in a small volume bolus. In this multicenter, multiple-dose, multiple-day, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group phase 3 study, we investigated whether lower doses of HP&bgr;CD diclofenac delivered as a small volume bolus would be effective for the management of acute pain after abdominal or pelvic surgery. METHODS:Adults with moderate and severe pain, defined as ≥50 mm on a 0 to 100 mm visual analog scale, within 6 hours after surgery were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1 ratio) to receive HP&bgr;CD diclofenac, 18.75 mg or 37.5 mg; ketorolac tromethamine 30 mg; or placebo. Patients in all treatment arms received a bolus IV injection every 6 hours until discharged. They were observed for at least 48 h, and for up to 5 days. Rescue IV morphine was available any time, up to a total of 7.5 mg over a 3-hour period. The primary efficacy measure was the sum of pain intensity differences from 0 to 48 hours after study drug initiation. RESULTS:Three hundred thirty-one patients received ≥1 dose of study drug. Over the first 48 hours, both IV HP&bgr;CD diclofenac doses, as well as ketorolac, produced significant reductions in pain intensity over placebo (all P < 0.05), as well as significant reductions in the need for rescue morphine administration. Both doses of HP&bgr;CD diclofenac, as well as ketorolac, significantly reduced rescue morphine dosages, as compared to placebo (P < 0.0001), and time to rescue morphine administration was significantly increased by treatment with 18.75 mg diclofenac and ketorolac. The overall incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 20.2%. No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported in either diclofenac dose group, whereas only 1 was reported in the ketorolac group. CONCLUSIONS:For patients with acute moderate and severe pain after abdominal or pelvic surgery, repeated 18.75 mg and 37.5 mg doses of HP&bgr;CD diclofenac provided significant analgesic efficacy, as compared to placebo. Significant analgesic efficacy was also provided by the active comparator ketorolac. Both HP&bgr;CD diclofenac and ketorolac significantly reduced the need for opioids.


Purpose Determine the incidence and amount of isolated pelvic fluid in males, stratified by age, on outpatient pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations performed for lower back or extremity pain. Methods After institutional review board approval, 161 pelvic MRIs performed on males for musculoskeletal or neurologic indications over an 18-month period were retrospectively reviewed for isolated pelvic fluid by 2 radiologists. Patients with a potential etiology for the fluid were excluded. Volume and maximal 2-dimensional measurements of fluid were calculated. Statistical analysis included logistic regression, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and &khgr;2 tests. Results Twenty (44.4%) of 45 patients 5 to 29 years old, 5 (10%) of 50 patients 30 to 49 years old, and 4 (6.1%) of 66 patients older than 50 years had isolated pelvic fluid (P < 0.001). Mean volume of fluid was 2.5 mL; 97% (28/29) had less than 10 mL. Mean maximal 2-dimensional measurement was 2.1 cm2; 93% (27/29) had less than 6 cm2. Conclusions Isolated fluid is greater than 7 times more common on outpatient pelvic MRIs in males younger than 30 years compared with men older than 49 years. Fluid rarely exceeded 10 mL or 6 cm2.


Have Your Coffee Cake and Earnings, Too! Do you dream of escaping the rat race by becoming the proprietor of your own bed and breakfast inn? The lure of leaving the 9-to-5 grind behind to live, work and play in a beautiful home nestled in a resort or small town is a powerful one. When you can spend your days puttering about in the kitchen or garden, meeting new people, entertaining guests in a lavish and enviable setting, and collect an income while you're at it, who wouldn't leap at the chance? This guide, based on the experience of scores of successful B&B operators, will tell you everything you need to know to make that dream a reality. We've interviewed lots of people out there on the front lines of the industry-all around the country- to learn the nitty-gritty, hands-on tasks, tips and tricks to successful B&B innkeeping. We reveal valuable secrets: Finding the right location Buying property Licensing Setting pricing policies Promoting the business Hiring good people We've also packed out pages with helpful tips so that you can get up and running on your new B&B as quickly as possible. Whether you have a spare bedroom or are looking for a small inn, this guide can help you earn a comfortable income by welcoming a steady stream of new friends into your home. You can bask in the warmth of your guest's praises and the rewards of hard work well done. You'll earn a living doing something you love- and that's priceless.


Solar energy is increasingly being used for a large number of human activities. Determination of shadow or illuminated zones, and, subsequently, the quantity of insolation are important inputs to these applications. Sun position model and topographic data form the basic input for shadow determination. A variety of sun position models and topographic data, with varying degrees of accuracies, are being used. This paper presents a methodology for determining the compatibility between any particular sun position model and a topographic data, thus leading to an optimal combination in their use. As the interaction of sun rays and 3-D terrain results in shadow, the compatibility is analyzed analytically and graphically by modeling error propagation in determination of shadow coordinates using 3-D topographic data and sun position algorithms. Results are shown for two distant locations.


The purpose of this research is to discover the reason why China internationalizes its currency yuan. In the realm of neorealist, state will seek ways to improve its power vis-a-vis other countries, in which this action contributes toward change in international system. One essential way is having an international currency. England and the U.S. proved the importance of pound sterling and dollar's role to underpin their hegemonic status at their time. An international status of yuan now is China's priority along with its increasing ambition to be the next hegemon, whilst the U.S. suffers its declining power particularly in economic field.


Purpose: Quantitative relationships between treatment-induced changes in tumor size and circulating tumor cell (CTC) counts, and their links to overall survival (OS), are lacking. We present a population modeling framework identifying and quantifying such relationships, based on longitudinal data collected in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) to evaluate the value of tumor size and CTC counts as predictors of OS. Experimental Design: A pharmacometric approach (i.e., population pharmacodynamic modeling) was used to characterize the changes in tumor size and CTC count and evaluate them as predictors of OS in 451 patients with mCRC treated with chemotherapy and targeted therapy in a prospectively randomized phase III study (CAIRO2). Results: A tumor size model of tumor quiescence and drug resistance was used to characterize the tumor size time-course, and was, in addition to the total normalized dose (i.e., of all administered drugs) in a given cycle, related to the CTC counts through a negative binomial model (CTC model). Tumor size changes did not contribute additional predictive value when the mean CTC count was a predictor of OS. Treatment reduced the typical mean count from 1.43 to 0.477 (HR = 3.94). The modeling framework was applied to explore whether dose modifications (increased and reduced) would result in a CTC count below 1/7.5 mL after 1 to 2 weeks of treatment. Conclusions: Time-varying CTC counts can be useful for early predicting OS in patients with mCRC, and may therefore have potential for model-based treatment individualization. Although tumor size was connected to CTC, its link to OS was weaker.


Social navigation is a promising approach for supporting privacy and security management. By aggregating and presenting the choices made by others, social navigation systems can provide users with easily understandable guidance on security and privacy decisions, rather than requiring that they understand low-level technical details in order to make informed decisions. We have developed two prototype systems to explore how social navigation can help users manage their privacy and security. The Acumen system employs social navigation to address a common privacy activity, managing Internet cookies, and the Bonfire system uses social navigation to help users manage their personal firewall. Our experiences with Acumen and Bonfire suggest that, despite the promise of social navigation, there are significant challenges in applying these techniques to the domains of end-user privacy and security management. Due to features of these domains, individuals may misuse community data when making decisions, leading to incorrect individual decisions, inaccurate community data, and "herding" behavior that is an example of what economists term an informational cascade. By understanding this phenomenon in these terms, we develop and present two general approaches for mitigating herding in social navigation systems that support end-user security and privacy management, mitigation via algorithms and mitigation via user interaction. Mitigation via user interaction is a novel and promising approach to mitigating cascades in social navigation systems.


Shell Explores Plans for North Slope Development
 Dutch oil major Shell is looking to further develop its North Slope oil position in Alaska. The company's offshore unit applied to form the West Harrison Bay Unit offshore from the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska with plans for drilling and exploration.
 The proposed West Harrison Bay Unit comprises 18 leases in West Harrison Bay approximately 34 miles northwest of the Colville River Unit. Shell holds 100% working interest in those 18 leases, covering more than 78,000 acres in the proposed unit.
 The company is identifying partners to share in the risk and costs, with plans to drill exploration wells in the West Harrison unit with at least one sidetrack each in 2023 and 2024.
 Because economic uncertainty from the pandemic and oil-price crash made negotiations difficult with potential partners, Shell requested the initial West Harrison Bay exploration plan to be for 5 years to allow enough time to find a partner and improve its plan.
 The wells would target the Nanushuk oil formation first identified by the Repsol-Armstrong Energy partnership in the Pikka Unit. The shallow, conventional formation also forms the basis of ConocoPhillips' large Willow oil prospect to the south of Harrison Bay and is believed by many in the industry to be prolific across much of the western North Slope.
 Shell has been operating in Alaska since the 1950s when it began exploration in the Cook Inlet Basin. It acquired the West Harrison Bay leases in 2012, and redirected focus to the leases in 2017, generating five standalone prospects in the Nanushuk and multiple leads in the Torok formation and Jurassic Alpine-like plays.


In this paper, we explore the use of local feature histograms for view-based recognition of free-form objects from range images. Our approach uses a set of local features that are easy to calculate and robust to partial occlusions. By combining them in a multidimensional histogram, we can obtain highly discriminative classifiers without having to solve a segmentation problem.

The system achieves above 91% recognition accuracy on a database of almost 2000 full-sphere views of 30 free-form objects, with only minimal space requirements. In addition, since it only requires the calculation of very simple features, it is extremely fast and can achieve real-time recognition performance.


Systematic reviews published in the quality improvement and continuing education literature have noted that the lack of standardized terminology for categorizing and describing various interventions in published studies is a major obstacle to drawing conclusions about their effectiveness. A case in point is practice facilitation and educational outreach. Although they are 2 long-standing interventions with some common characteristics, researchers studying 1 intervention may be unfamiliar with the other given the relatively separate literatures that have developed around both sets of terms. A comparison of articles included in recent systematic reviews of practice facilitation and educational outreach revealed a small but significant overlap of articles, journals, key words, and noncorresponding authors, but no overlap of corresponding authors. Based on these findings, the authors join the call for the creation of an intervention taxonomy and its application to these and other continuing education interventions.


The performance of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus was evaluated in continuous culture with media containing concentrations of xylose (8 to 20 g/liter) greater than those previously reported. The ethanol yield declined from to 0.42 to 0.29 g of ethanol per g of xylose consumed when input xylose was increased from 4 to 20 g/liter. Yields of both total C2 and C3 products from consumed xylose and of cell biomass from ATP produced declined as the input xylose concentration was increased, which was not the case when glucose was the substrate. This suggested that yeast extract functioned as a significant energy and carbon source for cells in fermentations of xylose but not of glucose. The feasibility of this interpretation was confirmed by (i) the calculation of the products theoretically obtainable from yeast extract and (ii) the observation of significant quantities of fermentation products in inoculated sugar-free media. Markedly different patterns of metabolism for the two sugar substrates were also evidenced by the cell yield for glucose being twice that of xylose at elevated sugar concentrations. It was noted that caution must be exerted when results obtained at low xylose concentrations are extrapolated to predict those which can be obtained at higher concentrations.


Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, Sustainable Development has been increasingly accepted as a way to run businesses by balancing economic, environmental and societal responsibilities. Important aspects of environmental responsibility are the utilisation of natural resources and the disposal of wastes. These are addressed here.Manufacturing processes and integrated manufacturing chains applied in the petrochemical industry are analysed in terms of feed, energy and chemicals that are consumed. Several chemical intermediates and polymers with large consumption of energy and/or chemicals are readily identified. These may be prime candidates for process improvement efforts.Two indices are proposed for the preliminary evaluation of the recycle options of major polymers. They allow discrimination between materials that need to be reused, those that can also be depolymerised and those for which pyrolysis/gasification or incineration with energy recovery are also responsible options.


We develop single-photon sources that simultaneously combines high purity, efficiency, and indistinguishability. We demonstrate entanglement among ten single photons. We construct high-performance multi-photon boson sampling machines to race against classical computers.


Companies are continuously working towards system and process improvement to remain competitive in a global market. There are different methods that support companies in the achievement of that goal. This paper presents an innovative process that combines lean, simulation and optimization to improve the material flow of a manufacturing company. A description of each step of the process details the lean tools and principles taken into account, as well as the results achieved by the application of simulation and optimization. The project resulted in an improved layout and material flow that employs an automated guided vehicle. In addition, lean wastes related to transport, inventory levels as well as waiting times were reduced. The utilization of the process that combines lean, simulation and optimization was considered valuable for the success of the project.


Abstract Optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electron probe microanalyses were conducted on a migmatitic metapelite to investigate the effects of alpha radiation and subsequent alteration at the interface between uraninite inclusions and the host minerals biotite, chlorite and albitic plagioclase. The study reveals (1) anomalous colouration under the polarizing microscope; (2) pertinent changes in the characteristic Raman spectra of host phases; (3) reaction aureoles, composed of secondary phases (viz. chlorite and K-feldspar) of various sizes (~15-45 μm) within biotite and plagioclase, respectively; (iv) K-feldspatization and sericitization of plagioclase at the grain boundaries; (5) agreement between the observed α-penetration depths and the Monte-Carlo simulation results; and (6) dissolution textures within the matrix monazites. Analysis of the compositions of the reaction aureoles in albitic plagioclase reveals a systematic distribution of K-feldspar-, LREE- and clay-rich zones; while the same in biotite is composed of secondary chlorite. The growth sequence of the secondary phases indicates an influx of a K-rich fluid, following intense radiation damage, efficiently superimposed by LREE-metasomatism and later acidic alteration. These changes took place under low-temperature (≤150°C) conditions, wherein radial cracks (within plagioclase) and cleavages/fractures (within biotite) favoured fluid infiltration-circulation into the reaction aureoles. Depletion of the LREEs from the dissolved matrix monazites and their enrichment as a discrete LREE phase within the damaged aureoles in plagioclase demonstrate micrometre-scale LREE mobility.


The word "cheat" is, more often than not, accompanied by a negative connotation. However, for some it is a familiar word that deserves a more positive light.
This wrench was bent by the employment of a bar, commonly called a cheater bar, placed on the wrench handle to generate more torque and ease the use thereof. This is only accomplished through using a cheater bar.
The use of a cheater bar increases a laborer's ability to work while also mildly bending the wrench. Taking on the role of a leader increases the work that can be done while also placing a load on the back of the leader. Unlike this wrench, the load a leader bears cannot be seen, but should be recognized and appreciated as this wrench is now.


The retention, success, and well-being of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in the United States is a critical issue in the field of higher education. Colleges and Universities across the United States often reflect intractable conflicts and dynamics of the larger society. Consequently, institutions of higher education have grappled with the dynamic of systemic and interpersonal racism throughout history. Racial and ethnic microaggressions is a recent dynamic that has been described to impact the well-being of college students of color. Racial microaggressions are perceived intentional or unintentional slights that have been suggested to impact the self-esteem of college students. The following is a two-paper mixed method dissertation pilot study examining the relationship between racialethnic microaggressions, self-esteem, and perceived social support among college students in the United States. The first paper is a literature review examining racial-ethnic microaggressions, self-esteem, and perceived social support. The second paper is a mixed method pilot study among college students examining the relationship amongst the three variables. A sample of (N = 5) semi-structured interviews were conducted for the qualitative section of the second paper and a sample of (N = 81) college students completed a survey which included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Racial and Ethnic Microagressions Scale. A descriptive and correlational analysis was conducted in the quantitative section of the second paper and a thematic analysis was utilized for the qualitative section. Findings from this pilot study identify a correlation among selective variables, emerging themes, protective factors, and implications for future research. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Social Work (DSW) First Advisor John L. Jackson, Jr., PhD Second Advisor Howard Stevenson, PhD


Abstarct Haemophilia is the oldest known rare genetic bleeding disorder that disrupts the blood clotting process. Although the level of haemophilia care has improved substantially, the problems of management in developing countries are poor awareness, high costs of treatment, inadequate diagnostic and coagulation screening facilities and scarce factor concentrates for therapy. We present here the problems in the perioperative management of a case of haemophilia A in India. It portrays the current picture of haemophilia management in many developing countries around the world.


The designs of alluvial channels by the tractive force method requires information on the distribution of wall shear stress over the wetted perimeter of the cross-section. The present study was undertaken in order to provide some details on actually measured shear distributions and, hence, to check the validity of currently available design information. The latter is entirely analytical in origin and is based either on the assumption of laminar flow or on over-simplified models of turbulent channel flow. The experiments were carried out in a smooth-walled laboratory flume at various aspect ratios of the rectangular cross-section. Wall shear stress was determined with Preston tubes which were calibrated by a method exploiting the logarithmic form of the inner law of velocity distribution. Results are presented which clearly suggest that none of the present analytical techniques can be counted upon to provide any precise details on tractive force distributions in turbulent channel flow.


Traditionally, the economist defines the objectives of regulation, and the legal scholar designs the more appropriate procedures to implement it. This paper is intended to question this view, showing that economic theory - particularly game theory and information economics - could represent a valuable tool for understanding how the enforcement of laws is administrated. In this direction, the paper provides a critical survey of the achievements of a recent field of law and economics, namely the economic analysis of extrajudicial procedures. The findings of this literature show that modelling civil and criminal suits as games under incomplete information provides an interesting theory of pretrial negotiations and plea bargains and some normative predictions about the welfare effects of the negotiated enforcement of laws.


In a recent study, the capillarization of normal prostatic tissue and prostatic carcinoma tissue was characterized by means of explorative methods of spatial statistics. In the present paper, an attempt was made to go beyond the explo-rative approach and to characterize the point process of the capillary profiles on sections by means of a parametric model. For this purpose, the flexible class of Gibbs processes was considered. Specifically, stationary Strauss hard-core processes were fitted to the observed point process data. The goodness of fit achieved by the model was checked by simulations with the Markov chain Monte Carlo method using the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. Model fitting and simulations were performed with the help of the spatstat package under R. The observed point patterns were in some cases compatible with realizations of stationary Strauss hard-core processes for all ranges of spatial interaction. However, deviations from the model were found for one or more domains of ranges in other cases. In the tumour tissue, a highly significant decrease of the interaction parameter of the Strauss hard-core process could be found as compared to the normal prostatic tissue. This finding is discussed in terms of a loss of the normal lobular architecture of the glands in the tumour tissue.


A photosynthetic reaction center (RC)-based electrode system is one of the most promising biomimetic approaches for solar energy transduction which is a renewable and environment-friendly source of energy. However, the instability of RCs in a non-cellular environment and the unfeasible scalability of electrode materials hamper the promising application of these systems. Herein, we report a highly stable and scalable RC-electrode system in which RCs are directly immobilized on a flexible and transparent mercapto reduced graphene oxide (mRGO) electrode. RCs immobilized on a mRGO film retain their photoactivity after twenty-week storage under darkness and even after 24 h continuous illumination at room temperature under aerobic conditions. The remarkable stability and mechanical flexibility of our system offer great potential for the development of a flexible RC-based biomimetic device for solar energy transduction.


Environmental Change: Key Issues and Alternative Approaches describes and explains the significance of past and contemporary environmental and climatic change. It outlines the conceptual framework for studies of environmental change by posing key questions and presenting the results of relevant research. It provides a non-specialist introduction to models in environmental change research and to the study of past environmental changes. Covering the last 400 000 years, special emphasis is placed on past periods of rapid warming, the nature of climatic variability over the last 1000 years and the dramatic and accelerating changes in the Earth system heralded by the industrial revolution. The book is extensively referenced and illustrated. This book provides a balanced, non-specialist basis for understanding and exploring the scientific issues underlying global change for advanced undergraduates in geography, environmental, earth, biological and ecological sciences.


Probabilistic RoadMaps (PRMs) have been successful for many high-dimensional motion planning problems. However, they encounter difficulties when mapping narrow passages. While many PRM sampling methods have been proposed to increase the proportion of samples within narrow passages, such difficult planning areas still pose many challenges. We introduce a novel algorithm, Spark PRM, that sparks the growth of Rapidly-expanding Random Trees (RRTs) from narrow passage samples generated by a PRM. The RRT rapidly generates further narrow passage samples, ideally until the passage is fully mapped. After reaching a terminating condition, the tree stops growing and is added to the roadmap. Spark PRM is a general method that can be applied to all PRM variants. We study the benefits of Spark PRM with a variety of sampling strategies in a wide array of environments. We show significant speedups in computation time over RRT, Sampling-based Roadmap of Trees (SRT), and various PRM variants.


Backgrounds and Objectives : Cancer of the cervix is the most common cancer in Thai women with an estimated 16.4% of all cancer in females. It has been proposed that cigarette smoking among HPV positive women is one of the co-factors which likely influence the risk of cervical cancer progression. The association between cervical cancer development and the duration or the dose of cigarette smoking of the family members, however, was still unclear. This study is determined to evaluate the association between passive smoking as well as other factors such as HPV infection and cervical cancer in Northeastern Thai women. Methods : A case–control study was undertaken with 55 cases of SCCA and 55 age-matched healthy controls. HPV DNA was analyzed in cervical specimens with the GP5+/6+ primers. The information regarding sexual behaviors, reproductive history, contraceptive use, and history of smoking were collected from all subjects. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Khon Kaen University No. HE 450333. Results : HPV infection, prolong oral contraceptive pills use, age at first delivery, number of sexual partners and smoking status of partners revealed statistical different increase risk for cervical cancer with the odds ratio of 38.74, 12.72, 11.10 and 4.92-fold respectively with p <0.001. Statistical higher risk for cervical cancer was observed in present smoker 4.68-fold ( p <0.01). Smoking duration more than 20 years of partners increased the risk of cervical cancer 3.05 with p<0.05. Multiple sexual partners showed 4.09-fold increased in the risk for HPV infection with p <0.01. Conclusions : The data suggest that HPV infection, oral contraceptive pills use, age at first delivery were associated with cervical carcinogenesis among Northeastern Thai women. Moreover, smoking status and duration of smoke of partners also affect on cervical cancer. This indicated that, passive smoking may affect cervical cells abnormality, consequently cervical cancer development directly in this population. Therefore, to prevent cervical cancer or HPV infection, administration of knowledge on sexual behaviors and effects of smoking into public health program is important and, at the same time, a nation-wide screening scheme for the cervical abnormalities including HPV-typing is awaited in Thailand. Key Words: Cervical cancer, Passive smoking, Risk factor, HPV


Calabazas Creek Research, Inc., in collaboration with Fermilab and Communications & Power Industries, LLC, is developing a phase locked, 100 kW peak, 10 kW average magnetron-based RF system for driving accelerators. Phase locking will be achieved using an approach originated at Fermilab [1] that includes control of both amplitude and phase on a fast time scale.


The doctrine of Responsibility to Protect, as initially set out in the Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty of 2001, is difficult to place within the usual framework of IR theories (liberal internationalist, realist or radical) or International Political Theories (communitarian, cosmopolitan). This is primarily because by framing the issue of intervention in terms of the protection of civilians, the devisers of the doctrine attempted to de-politicise the act of intervention. An examination of the ICISS Report, the UN's World Summit Outcome Document of 2005 and the experience of the application of the doctrine to the Libyan crisis of 2011 demonstrates that this attempt has not succeeded, and that the 'antipolitical' nature of Responsibility to Protect is a weakness not a strength. Still, the doctrine has had considerable success in changing the terms under which intervention is discussed at the UN and elsewhere.


Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is one of only two naturally known antagonists of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) identified to date. Specifically, AGRP antagonizes the brain melanocortin-3 and -4 receptors involved in energy homeostasis. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) is one of the known endogenous agonists for these melanocortin receptors. Insight into putative interactions between the antagonist AGRP amino acids with the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) may be important for the design of unique ligands for the treatment of obesity related diseases and is currently lacking in the literature. A three-dimensional homology molecular model of the mouse MC4 receptor complex with the hAGRP(87-132) ligand docked into the receptor has been developed to identify putative antagonist ligand-receptor interactions. Key putative AGRP-MC4R interactions include the Arg111 of hAGRP(87-132) interacting in a negatively charged pocket located in a cavity formed by transmembrane spanning (TM) helices 1, 2, 3, and 7, capped by the acidic first extracellular loop (EL1) and specifically with the conserved melanocortin receptor residues mMC4R Glu92 (TM2), mMC4R Asp114 (TM3), and mMC4R Asp118 (TM3). Additionally, Phe112 and Phe113 of hAGRP(87-132) putatively interact with an aromatic hydrophobic pocket formed by the mMC4 receptor residues Phe176 (TM4), Phe193 (TM5), Phe253 (TM6), and Phe254 (TM6). To validate the AGRP-mMC4R model complex presented herein from a ligand perspective, we generated nine chimeric peptide ligands based on a modified antagonist template of the hAGRP(109-118) (Tyr-c[Asp-Arg-Phe-Phe-Asn-Ala-Phe-Dpr]-Tyr-NH(2)). In these chimeric ligands, the antagonist AGRP Arg-Phe-Phe residues were replaced by the melanocortin agonist His/D-Phe-Arg-Trp amino acids. These peptides resulted in agonist activity at the mouse melanocortin receptors (mMC1R and mMC3-5Rs). The most notable results include the identification of a novel subnanomolar melanocortin peptide template Tyr-c[Asp-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Asn-Ala-Phe-Dpr]-Tyr-NH(2) that is equipotent to alpha-MSH at the mMC1, mMC3, and mMC5 receptors but is 30-fold more potent than alpha-MSH at the mMC4R. Additionally, these studies identified a new and novel >200-fold MC4R versus MC3R selective peptide Tyr-c[Asp-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Asn-Ala-Phe-Dpr]-Tyr-NH(2) template. Furthermore, when the His-DPhe-Arg-Trp sequence is used to replace the hAGRP Arg-Phe-Phe residues in the "mini"-AGRP (hAGRP87-120, C105A) template, a potent nanomolar agonist resulted at the mMC1R and MC3-5Rs.


Silences can make or break the conversation: if two persons involved in a conversation have different ideas about the typical length of pauses, they will face problems with turn taking. Pauses occur in conversation for a number of reasons, for example for breathing, thinking, word-searching and turn taking management. In this dissertation, we explore the production and perception of pauses in speech. Our aim consists of three main parts: to describe and analyse the production of pauses, to investigate the perception of pauses, and to examine the role of pauses in turn-taking. Our hypothesis is that pauses fill varying functions, and that these functions depend on the context of the pauses. We believe that the duration of pauses may be linked to the pause type, and that we adapt the our pause lengths to the persons we are speaking to. Further, we suggest that pauses occur regularly throughout dialogues. We also hypothesise that the duration of pauses in speech affect the processing of speech. Pauses are tied to the process of turn taking, and as we learn more about the nature of pauses we may also be able to further develop our understanding of the process of turn holding and turn yielding. We will also be able to use the information about pause production and perception when modelling turn taking in dialogue systems. Our results show that pause lengths vary greatly across speakers, pause types and dialogues. Pauses tend to be entrained by speakers involved in dialogues, and pauses occur regularly throughout conversations. We also found evidence that pauses have a positive impact on memorising spoken utterances. While speakers adapt their pause lengths to the other speaker in the conversation, they are inclined to keep a consistent ratio between pause types, and this is not dependent on the conversational partner. While it is interesting to look at pauses separately, we need to put them into context to really understand their functions. To highlight the role of pauses in conversation, we proposed an updated turn taking model, where the results from our studies are integrated.


People's motives for food choice depend on a number of very complex economic, social and individual factors. A Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), an instrument that measures the importance of factors underlying food choice, was used to reveal the Serbian consumers' food choice motives by survey of 450 respondents of different age groups. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the motive items, using 11 factors. Previous research shows that the nutrition in Serbia is not balanced enough, and therefore the analysis of motives for food choice is considered a useful tool for the planning of more efficient public policies and interventions aimed at influencing healthier eating habits. Hence the results can be useful for researchers as well as for public institutions which deal with creating the strategy of public health or businessmen who produce and sell food products, because knowing consumer behaviour is necessary for product success on the market.


This article describes differences in the frequency of words/n-grams in television dialogue as compared with a variety of other corpora. It explores frequent lexico-grammatical patterns in the television series Gilmore Girls, in other fictional programmes, and in unscripted spoken and written English. Using ranked frequency lists, the 'dramedy' Gilmore Girls is compared both to unscripted language and to a corpus containing dialogue from ten other television series. The results allow us to describe both the specifics of the dialogue of this particular dramedy and the general characteristics of scripted television dialogue as compared to unscripted spoken and written language. The findings also confirm previous assumptions made on the basis of different data that television dialogue is more emotional, but less narrative and vague than naturally occurring conversation.


Background : Considering the psycho-social model of diseases, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of psychiatric intervention on the pregnancy rate of infertile couples. Methods : In a randomized clinical trial, 638 infertile patients referred to a university infertility clinic were evaluated. Among them, 140 couples with different levels of depression in at least one of the spouses were included in this substudy. These couples were divided randomly into two groups. The patients in the case group received 6-8 sessions of psychotherapy before starting infertility treatment and were given fluoxetine 20-60 mg per day during the same period. The control group did not receive any intervention. Three questionnaires including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) , Holmes-Rahe stress scale and a socio-demographic questionnaire were applied for all patients. The clinical pregnancy rates of the two groups, based on sonographic detection of the gestational sac six weeks after LMP , were compared. The data were analyzed by paired- T test, T -test, χ 2 and the logistic regression method . Results : The pregnancy rate was 47.1% in the case group and 7.1% in the control group. The pregnancy rate was significantly related to the duration and cause of infertility and the level of stress in both groups (p < 0.001 ). The pregnancy rate was shown to be higher in couples in which the male has a secondary level of education (p < 0.001 ). Conclusions: Psychiatric interventions greatly improve pregnancy rates, and it is therefore crucial to mandate psychiatric counseling in all fertility centers in order to diagnose and treat infertile patients with psychiatric disorders and help couples deal with stress. Abstract


Proximate aspects of diel vertical migration in the freshwater and marine environment are compared using data from the literature. Examples of migrations in both environments are presented, from which it is concluded that relative changes in light intensity before sunrise and after sunset are primary causes of migrations. Experiments have shown that photoreactive behaviour is enhanced in the presence of predators but inhibited by shortage of food. These factors are called secondary causal factors. A hierarchy of causal factors is proposed. In lakes fish exudates suffice but in marine biotopes like bays, it is possible that fish have to be actually present for enhancement to take effect. To what extent the presented stimulus-response mechanism holds for mesopelagic animals in oceans is discussed on the basis of vertical distributions of euphausiids.


OBJECTIVE
To study the protective effect and possible mechanisms of Dihydromyricetin(DMY)on PC12 cells injury in- duced by sodium nitroprusside( SNP).

METHODS
SNP toxicity cellular model was established using PC12 cells treated with SNP. Cell via- bility was determined by MTT assay. The apoptosis of treated cells was detected by Hoechst Staining. Effect of DMY on accumulation of ROS in PC12 cells induced by SNP was detected by fluorometric analysis. The pathways involved were studied by kinase specific inhibi- tors; The level of phosphorylated Akt and ERK1/2 was detected by Western blot with specific phosphor-antibodies.

RESULTS
SNP in- duced the apoptosis of PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. DMY dose-dependently protected PC12 cells from injury induced by SNP. Hoechst staining indicated that SNP decreased the number of viable cells and induced shrinkage and aggregation of the nucleus, whereas DMY attenuiated the toxic effects of SNP. The level of ROS induced by SNP in PC12 cells was decreased gradually by DMY. PI3K specific inhibitor LY294002 and the MAPK pathway specific inhibitor PD98059 attenuated the protective effect of DMY on SNP-induced injury of PC12 cells. However, the effect of DMY could be blocked by LY294002 and PD98059 respectively.

CONCLUSION
DMY possesses protective effect against apoptosis induced by SNP in PC12 cells,and its mechanisms may be partially related with Akt and ERK1/2 signaling.


In light of an increasing embrace of the notion of 'emancipation' by various theoretical and
political perspectives in recent years, this thesis aims to scrutinise the philosophical
connotations of the concept itself. It therefore returns to Karl Marx's distinction between
political and human emancipation, developed in his text 'On the Jewish Question', with the aim of
excavating its theoretical stakes. The core argument of the first part is that Marx draws a line of
demarcation between citizenship as the modern form of political, bourgeois emancipation realised by
the American and French Revolutions, and human emancipation as necessitating a different kind of
revolution that would allow for the constitution of a new type of social bond between the
individual and the social. Marx's formulation of the need for human emancipation is grounded in his
critique of political emancipation, which he regards as failing to recognise the dialectical
constitution of its social bond by both political and economic relations. The bourgeois social bond
moreover makes 'man' exist as an individualised being who can only relate to his or her political
existence and dependency on others in a mediated and abstract way. The second part turns to the
post-Marxist critiques of 'On the Jewish Question', starting in the late 1970s with Claude Lefort,
which coincide with a broader re-evaluation of the revolutionary legacy in France. It specifically
interrogates Etienne Balibar's alternative understanding of the form of emancipation achieved by
the French Revolution under the name of 'equaliberty', with which he defends the struggle for
citizenship as the unsurpassable horizon of a contemporary politics of emancipation. The aim is
here to develop a deeper understanding of Balibar's criticism of Marx's dividing line, which allows the French thinker's contribution to 'thinking emancipation after Marx' to be disentangled from his decision to distance himself from the Marxian approach.


: This review gives a description of the significance of the dentofacial development of both thumb- and fingersucking habits and dummy-sucking. Of all children about 60% has had a nonnutrive sucking habit during their youth. Sucking habits can have an influence on both the dental arches separately as well as on the intermaxillary relationship. Prolonged finger- and thumbsucking results in a disturbance of the dentofacial development in the anteroposterior, vertical and transverse directions. Dummy sucking has consequences for the development especially in vertical and transverse directions. With regard to dental complications it is advised to stop finger- and thumbsucking prior to the eruption of the permanent incisors and to stop dummy sucking before three years of age.


Mobile ad-hoc network is a collection of wireless mobile hosts forming a temporary network without the aid of any standalone infrastructure or centralized administration. Mobile Ad-hoc networks are self-organizing and self-configuring multihop wireless networks where, the structure of the network changes dynamically. This is mainly due to the mobility of the nodes. In the current study we have compared the performance of three MANET routing protocols AODV as reactive, DSDV and OLSR as proactive by using Freeway Mobility Model. These share some similar behavior, but the protocols internal mechanism leads to significant performance difference. We have analyzed the performance of protocols by varying network load, mobility and type of traffic (CBR and TCP). Freeway Mobility model has been generated by IMPORTANT (Impact of Mobility Patterns on Routing in Ad-hoc NeTwork) tool. A detailed simulation has been carried out in NS2. The metrics used for performance analysis are Packet Delivery Fraction, Average end-to-end Delay, Packet Loss, Routing Overhead, Normalized Routing Load and throughput. It has been observed that AODV (reactive) protocol performs better in CBR traffic and in case of real time delivery of packets but at cost of higher routing overhead. But in TCP traffic, proactive routing protocol OLSR gives better result. Over all performance of routing protocols in TCP traffic is much better than CBR traffic.


Platform planning is a strategy that can be effectively used to manage today's rapidly changing environment. It is the process by which core elements are identified and used as a foundation for future growth. Although platform planning is most often associated with product design, its value is now being acknowledged along other dimensions of marketing strategy such as brands, target markets, geographical markets, and business processes. This paper summarizes literature introducing different dimensions of marketing strategy that platform planning can be applied to. Next it introduces findings from engineering literature regarding the benefits and risks associated with this type of planning. Finally, it applies engineering knowledge to strategic decision-making in marketing. For example, engineering literature suggests that platform-based planning for global markets will allow firms to better balance the adaptation versus standardization decision but could lead to suboptimal designs and the emergence of grey markets.