Owing to the steep dose fall-off curves of high precision and accuracy radiation therapy (RT) modalities such as stereotactic body RT (SBRT), treatment plans with extraordinarily small margins to organs at risk (OARs), such as the spinal cord, has been made possible. With this development, patient movements during treatment, i.e. intrafraction motion (IFM), must be monitored more closely. This master thesis was aimed at developing an A-mode ultrasound prototype to detect the motions of the cervical spine as part of an IFM management (IFMM) system. Current IFMM systems have several drawbacks, including invasiveness and indirect measurements.The existing prototype was tested in order to identify areas of improvement. The prototype developed was equipped with a preconditioning circuit that retains the frequency information of the signal. Furthermore, software was developed based on wavelet filtering and enveloping using the Hilbert transform. Multiple logic algorithms were added in order to handle lost signals, competing echoes, echoes from soft tissues etc.The newly-developed prototype was found to have higher accuracy and precision than the pre-existing prototype. It was also more robust when measuring distance to the spine. A difficulty in segmenting the echo for bone arises for low quality signals. Therefore a compromise exists between setup time, including probe adjustment, and signal quality. Future work includes the manufacturing of a new neck rest to enable robust probe adjustment and fixation.


The main goal of the Ceara Integrated Water Resource Management Project (PROGERIRH) for Brazil is to meet the demand for the drinking water supply system and secondly, to promote development of irrigation and fisheries and the protection of aquatic communities and settlement. The development of irrigation is to be coupled with an integrated plan for the use of the reservoir. It will increase a sustainable water supply for multiple uses, and improve the efficiency of the state of Ceara's integrated water resources management system, thus decreasing the vulnerability of poor populations to cyclical drought. It will further promote soil and vegetation management in tributary watersheds, to enhance water conservation, in turn, minimizing erosion. Natural water storage mechanisms will be maximized, through adequate management of critical micro-basins, and groundwater resources. Moreover, it will promote the improvement of land use through the appropriate management of micro-basins. The project is apt to undergo some negative environmental impacts, but there are also several measures to mitigate them. The most severe of these impacts are: 1) loss of natural habitats; 2) ecological impact of reservoir water releases on fresh water stream flows over coastal estuaries and their vegetation, fishes, and other species; 3) increasing salinity of the reservoirs; 4) inter-basin infestation of unwanted and harmful fish species; and 5) water-borne diseases.


Radical right populist (RRP) parties are often described as Männerparteien, predominantly led by, represented by, and supported by men. Yet recently, these parties have elected more women. Under what conditions do we see this increase in women MPs? This paper presents a novel argument of strategic descriptive representation: electorally struggling RRP parties with large gender gaps in voter support increase their proportion of women MPs to attract previously untapped women voters. To test this argument, we develop the most comprehensive dataset to date on women MPs and gender differences in voter support across Europe and over time, covering 187 parties in 30 countries from 1985 to 2018. Our analyses confirm that RRP parties engage in strategic descriptive representation when they are both struggling electorally and suffering from a gender gap in support. Additional models reveal that this tactic is largely unique to RRP parties.


The purpose of this project is to improve the bank account opening process and save the time of opening a new bank account at Palestine Islamic Bank (PIB) by at least 20%, using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. To achieve this, the researcher used value tools of the LSS to gather data on the key measures for the account opening process in accordance with the DMAIC Methodology (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control), and the root causes for the extra-long time required to open a new bank account. The results showed that the implemented test at Al-Bireh branch has reduced the average time of opening a new bank account by 61.4%, i.e. from 38 minutes to 14.7 minutes, alongside reducing the customer's waiting time at the Bank through eliminating some steps. In parallel, the researcher has developed a new standard for the bank account opening process with control charts to monitor the prospective key performance indicators. It is crucial to state that LSS methodology is a comprehensive framework, which includes specific improvement tools for achieving sustainable results in reducing the time rate in bank account opening process at PIB. In order to do so, it is recommended that the Bank should continue with the improvement actions, particularly by focusing on internal and external communication, practical trainings, periodic feedback and control activities.


High strain rate superplastic forming is the key issue of the industrial application of superplastic ceramic and is also an effective approach to achieve "near-net shaping" of ceramic parts with complicated shape. The sol-gel method was adapted to synthesize the nano-sized composite powders. A three-phase nanocomposite ceramic Al2O3-30mol%YSZ-30mol%MgAl2O4 (AZ30S30) was prepared by using hot-pressing sintering in vacuum. Then the superplastic forming of a ceramic part with relatively complicated shape was accomplished and some new characters in superplastic forming were studied. The results demonstrate that as-sintered ceramic is a typical inter/intra granular nano-structured composite. Because the dispersed second phase inhibited the growth of the alumina matrix grains in deformation as well as in sintering, the material behaves excellent superplastic formability. The extrusion forming at a high strain rate was achieved and the part in cup shape was obtained. The yttrium element segregated obviously at the grain boundary after deformation, which demonstrated that the yttrium element directionally diffused during the deformation. The mechanical properties of the ceramic did not change much after extrusion. The maximum hardness of as-deformed composite ceramic is 32GPa, a litter lower than that of 35GPa before deformation.


: Conversion of vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) into the cofactor forms methyl-Cbl (MeCbl) and adenosyl-Cbl (AdoCbl) is required for the function of two crucial enzymes, mitochondrial methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and cytosolic methionine synthase, respectively. The intracellular proteins MMACHC and MMADHC play important roles in processing and targeting the Cbl cofactor to its destination enzymes, and recent evidence suggests that they may interact while performing these essential trafficking functions. To better understand the molecular basis of this interaction, we have mapped the crucial protein regions required, indicate that Cbl is likely processed by MMACHC prior to interaction with MMADHC, and identify patient mutations on both proteins that interfere with complex formation, via different mechanisms. We further report the crystal structure of the MMADHC C-terminal region at 2.2 Å resolution, revealing a modified nitroreductase fold with surprising homology to MMACHC despite their poor sequence conservation. Because MMADHC demonstrates no known enzymatic activity, we propose it as the first protein known to repurpose the nitroreductase fold solely for protein-protein interaction. Using small angle x-ray scattering, we reveal the MMACHC-MMADHC complex as a 1:1 heterodimer and provide a structural model of this interaction, where the interaction region overlaps with the MMACHC-Cbl binding site. Together, our findings provide novel structural evidence and mechanistic insight into an essential biological process, whereby an intracellular "trafficking chaperone" highly specific for a trace element cofactor functions via protein-protein Background: Two intracellular proteins, MMACHC and MMADHC, functionally interact for cobalamin trafficking. Results: MMADHC crystal structure reveals protein-interacting regions and unexpected homology to MMACHC; mutations on either protein interfere with complex formation via different mechanisms. Conclusion: Complex formation likely depends on prior cobalamin processing and can be broken by disease mutations. Significance: MMACHC-MMADHC heterodimerization forms the essential trafficking chaperone delivering cobalamin to client enzymes.


Objective Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) is the standard medication used for chemical thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke when used within 4.5 hours from time of last known normal. Recent randomized trials demonstrate superiority of mechanical thrombectomy when combined with IV tPA versus IV tPA alone. Real world outcomes of patients who receive IV tPA beyond 4.5 hours from last known normal have not been well studied in large patient cohorts undergoing mechanical thrombectomy. The Trevo Registry is designed to assess real world outcomes of the Trevo Retriever in patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke. This is the largest prospective study for acute stroke intervention that has currently enrolled 1267 patients with 90 day outcomes data. Outcomes of patients who received IV tPA after 4.5 hours of symptom onset combined with mechanical thrombectomy were studied. Methods The study design is a prospective, open-label, consecutive enrollment, multi-center, international registry of all patients who undergo mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke using the Trevo stent retriever as the initial device. Enrollment is expected to reach 2000 subjects at up to 100 sites. Subgroup analysis of enrolled patients who received IV tPA beyond 4.5 hours of symptom onset and with 90 day follow-up was performed. Results As of July 2016, a total of 994 patients were enrolled. The median NIHSS at admission was 15.5 (IQR 11–20). 478 patients (48.7%) received IV tPA within the 4.5 hour window or less from last known normal with a median procedure time of 50 min (8–286 min). In the 5% of patients treated who received IV tPA beyond 4.5 hours from time last known well, the revascularization rate was 90.5% and the rate of intracranial hemorrhage 2.1% and 90 day mRS ≤2 was 37.4%. The symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage rate was 1.8% using ECASS III criteria. Subgroup analysis of patients who received IV tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset and those receiving it beyond 4.5 hours showed no significant difference in patient demographics or medical comorbidities. In addition, there was no difference in complication rate or 90 day outcome between the two groups. Conclusions The Trevo Retriever Registry represents the first look at real world data with stent retriever use in the era of clinical trials showing the overwhelming benefit of stent retrievers to treat large vessel occlusive acute stroke. This data represents real world use of the Trevo Retriever including those who received IV tPA beyond 4.5 hours from initial stroke symptoms and adds to the data from recent trials with restricted eligibility criteria. Disclosures H. Hedayat: None. M. Binning: None. E. Veznedaroglu: None. R. Budzik: None. J. English: None. B. Baxter: None. B. Bartolini: None. D. Liebeskind: None. A. Krajina: None. R. Gupta: None. R. Nogueira: None.


The spin and intensity of optically trapped polariton condensates are studied under steady-state elliptically polarized nonresonant pumping. Three distinct effects are observed: (1) spin inversion where condensation occurs in the opposite handedness from the pump, (2) spin and intensity hysteresis as the pump power is scanned, and (3) a sharp ``spin collapse'' transition in the condensate spin as a function of the pump ellipticity. We show these effects are strongly dependent on trap size and sample position and are linked to small counterintuitive energy differences between the condensate spin components. Our results, which fail to be fully described within the commonly used nonlinear equations for polariton condensates, show that a more accurate microscopic picture is needed to unify these phenomena in a two-dimensional condensate theory.


Using a battery on a household level has become easier after the launch of Tesla's Powerwall. Storing electricity during daytime's PV overproduction or charging the battery during night with an attractive tariff is the most prominent applications. This paper explores the economic impact of the usage of residential battery storage combined with solar photovoltaics (PV) based on real load data from Northern California, USA. A data-driven, deterministic model to benchmark electricity cost savings for single households is presented and the financial viability of such systems is scrutinized for California. Our results indicate that under current capacity and price points, battery systems have limited financial viability and have a payback period exceeding 20 years in most cases. We deepen our analysis and compare the results of our deterministic model to that of a stochastic model to demonstrate that for an hourly time resolution the deterministic model provides an adequate benchmark for estimating cost (within 3%) savings with a short (1/60th) computation time.


A robust controller of wind turbine pitch angle is designed by using the quantitative feedback theory based on the analysis of wind power system model in this paper. The controller design methodology is to select the system parameters quantitatively at different wind speed disturbances in order to optimize the response time and the output stability. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the controller can control the speed stability of wind power system with strong robustness to uncertain disturbances of the system parameters when the wind speed fluctuates randomly.


The phytopathogenic bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi, unlike other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, is able to metabolize the beta-glucosides, arbutin, and salicin. A previous genetic analysis of the E. chrysanthemi arb genes, which mediate beta-glucoside metabolism, suggested that they were homologous to the Escherichia coli K-12 bgl genes. We have now determined the nucleotide sequence of a 5,065-bp DNA fragment containing three genes, arbG, arbF, and arbB. Deletion analysis, expression in minicell systems, and comparison with sequences of other proteins suggest that arbF and arbB encode a beta-glucoside-specific phosphotransferase system-dependent permease and a phospho-beta-glucosidase, respectively. The ArbF amino acid sequence shares 55% identity with that of the E. coli BglF permease and contains most residues thought to be important for a phosphotransferase. One change, however, was noted, since BglF Arg-625, presumably involved in phosphoryl transfer, was replaced by a Cys residue in ArbF. An analysis of the ArbB sequence led to the definition of a protein family which contained enzymes classified as phospho-beta-glucosidases, phospho-beta-galactosidases, beta-glucosidases, and beta-galactosidases and originating from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, archebacteria, and mammals, including humans. An analysis of this family allowed us (i) to speculate on the ways that these enzymes evolved, (ii) to identify a glutamate residue likely to be a key amino acid in the catalytic activity of each protein, and (iii) to predict that domain II of the human lactate-phlorizin hydrolase, which is involved in lactose intolerance, is catalytically nonactive. A comparison between the untranslated regions of the E. chrysanthemi arb cluster and the E. coli bgl operon revealed the conservation of two regions which, in the latter, are known to terminate transcription under noninducing conditions and be the target of the BglG transcriptional antiterminator under inducing conditions. ArbG was found to share a high level of similarity with the BglG antiterminator as well as with Bacillus subtilis SacT and SacY antiterminators, suggesting that ArbG functions as an antiterminator in regulating the expression of the E. chrysanthemi arb genes.


Human resource (HR) professionals are increasingly challenged to play strategic roles in organizations and demonstrate how HR functions are linked with organizational performance. This study describes the current state of human resource management practice in the Philippines through HR's work systems and roles. It evaluates the relationship of these variables with: (a) perceptions of organizational performance, (b) employee productivity, (c) human capital depletion, and (d) financial performance. Respondents of the survey included HR and line managers in 41 firms. Results indicated that HR units in Philippine organizations are weaker in the strategic HR roles. Significant relationships were obtained with HR roles and work systems and perceptions of organizational effectiveness.


OBJECTIVE
Early adversity, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), is a risk factor for the development of substance use disorder (SUD). ACEs are associated with earlier initiation of substance use. This study examines the relationship between ACEs and age of initiation of substance use using a survival analysis. It is hypothesized that individuals with higher ACEs will have an earlier age of initiation.

METHOD
Participants were recruited from the University of Kentucky's Laboratory for Human Behavioral Pharmacology. Participants were 18 years or older, English-speaking, and actively partaking in substance use. Participants were not in or seeking treatment for substance use. A paper screening protocol was completed. ACE scores were calculated and age of initiation was noted. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to predict substance use initiation by ACE score.

RESULTS
A total of 107 responses were analyzed. An average number of 2.3 ACEs (SD = 2.2) were endorsed with 24% of participants reporting 4 or more ACEs. Higher ACE scores were associated with cigarette smoking and non-medical prescription opioid use onset, demonstrating a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.14 and 1.19, P-value of .02 and .01, and 95% confidence intervals of (1.02, 1.28) and (1.04, 1.37) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant association was found between higher ACE scores and earlier initiation of cigarette and non-medical prescription opioid use, consistent with prior research. Primary prevention of ACEs, screening, and intervention in childhood may be unique approaches to decrease the risk of substance use/SUD.


This study sought to identify the market entry strategies adopted by Unilever Kenya Limited to enter the Kenyan market. It was a case study based on Unilever Kenya Limited and data was collected using an interview guide. Face to face interviews and a telephone interview were carried out. The study found out that all the plants run by Unilever Kenya Limited are acquisitions that are 100% owned. Unilever Kenya Limited owns 100% of the stock. This wholly owned subsidiary is the preferred entry mode since the Unilever's competitive advantage is based on its technological competence, it gives the firm tight control over operations in different nations which is necessary in engaging global strategic coordination and finally 100% share in the profits generated in a foreign market belong to the firm.Their factory in Nairobi's Industrial area was acquired from the Kenya govermnent whereas the 8 tea factories and plantations at Limuru and Kericho were acquired from Brooke Bond Kenya. The firm has a very strong presence in Kenya in that it's the biggest private sector employer in Kenya with a workforce of over 20,000 employees. The results of the study will be valuable to the firm, academicians and researchers, present and would-be investors among others.


Bloodbrain barrier impermeability presents a probl em while treating malignant and degenerative disorders of the central nervous system, such as brain cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The protective bloodbrain bar rier blocks many drugs from acting on brain cells. A method for delivering drugs directly to the affected area may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy in brain tumors and reduce its toxic effect on healthy cells. The new innovative technique that uses ultrasound and drugladen "micr obubbles" to deliver concentrated chemotherapy drugs to the inner lining of blood vessels. Microbubbles destruction has been proposed as an innovative method for noninvasive delivering of drugs and genes to different tissues. They are used to carry a drug until a specific area of interest is reached, and then ultrasound is used to burst the microbubbles, causing sitespecific delivery of the bioactive materials. The microbubbles as drug carriers have an average size less than that of red blood cells, i.e. they are capable of penetrating even into the small blood capillaries and releasing drug and genes under the action of ultrasound field. Targeting ligands are attached to the surface of the microbubbles (i.e. targetedmicrobubbles), which have been widely used in cardiovascular system and tumor diagnosis. This review focuses on the characteristics of microbubbles that give them therapeutic properties and some important aspects of ultrasound parameters that are known to influence microbubble� mediated drug delivery. In addition, current studies involving this novel therapeutic application of microbubbles will be discussed.


Climate change, rapid economic developments and further growth of the human population
are regarded as the major drivers of increasing water-related problems worldwide.
The changing hydrological circumstances and water demand patterns pose a challenge to
the management of water resources systems as these systems are designed to maintain
a fragile balance between water supply and demand. With the projected changes, this
balance is likely to be disrupted, ultimately requiring adaptation of the existing infrastructure.
In many water resources systems reservoirs are the key element to ensure a
stable water supply. Yet, since reservoirs can be characterized as rather inflexible types
of infrastructure, one of the few options for adaptation is to adjust their operation. It is
however unclear to which degree of water supply and demand changes this so called dam
reoperation is still possible.
The objective of this thesis is to determine whether reoperation of the Xin'anjiang-
Fuchunjiang reservoir cascade (Hangzhou Region, China) is an effective adaptation strategy
to mitigate potential impacts of climate change and regional socio-economic developments.
We follow a scenario-based approach to explore the effects of various likely
degrees of supply and demand changes for the future period between 2011 and 2040. The
outcomes are compared to the control period 1971-2000. Population growth, increasing
industrial production and changing land use are considered as driving forces for increasing
water demand, while climate change is investigated as process influencing water supply.
The scenario-wise changes in water supply and demand are used as forcing for the WEAP
water allocation model, which is employed to simulate reservoir performance. This performance
is measured using the Shortage Index (SI) as indicator for water shortages and
the Mean Annual Energy Production (MAEP) for hydropower generation.
The impact of climate change and socio-economic developments on the reservoir system
is determined by simulating the performance of conventional operating rules for both the
control period and each future scenario. We find a SI of 0.007 for the control period and
values ranging from 0.05 to 0.92 for the investigated future scenarios. The largest annual
deficit is 3.9 billion m3 (15% of the annual supply requirement), simulated in the high water
stress scenario. Even though the increasing SI implies that more drought problems are
likely in the future period, the deficits are still fairly small compared to what is generally
regarded acceptable in the literature. Next to the increasing water shortages, simulation
of the various scenarios shows a decrease between -12.8% and -16.3% for the MAEP.
In a second step the water allocation model is interlinked with the NSGA-II metaheuristic
algorithm in order to derive long-term multireservoir operating rules adapted
to each scenario. Based on the optimization results, we conclude that for this case dam
reoperation is an effective adaptation strategy to reduce the impact of changing patterns
of water supply and demand. Compared to conventional operation, operating rules that
are adapted to the forecasted changes can reduce the SI with approximately 72% while
the MAEP shows an average increase of 5.4%. Due to the fact that the average inflow
in all scenarios is lower than during the control period, adapted operating rules cannot
completely restore the system performance to that of the control period. The performance
gains for energy production are thus limited to avoiding unnecessary spills and maintaining
an optimal head over the turbines.


The molecular expression profiles of zebrafish ep2a and ep4b have not been defined to-date. Phylogenetic trees of EP2a and EP4b in zebrafish and other species revealed that human EP4 and zebrafish EP4b were more closely related than EP2a. Zebrafish EP2a is a 281 amino acid protein with high identity to that of human (43%), mouse (44%), rat (43%), dog (44%), cattle (41%), and chicken (41%). Zebrafish EP4b encoded a precursor of 497 amino acids with high amino acid identity to that of mammals, including human (57%), mouse (54%), rat (55%), dog (55%), cattle (56%), and chicken (54%). Whole-mount in situ hybridization revealed that ep2a was robustly expressed in the anterior four somites at the 10-somites stages, but was absent in the somites at 19 hpf. It was observed again in the pronephric duct at 24 hpf, in the intermediate cell mass located in the trunk, and in the rostral blood island at 30 hpf. Ep2a was also expressed in the notochord at 48 hpf. During somitogenesis, ep4b was highly expressed in the eyes, somites, and the trunk neural crest. From 30 to 48 hpf, ep4b could be detected in the posterior cardinal vein and the neighboring ICM. From these data, we conclude that ep2a and ep4b are conserved in vertebrates and that the presence of ep2a and ep4b transcripts during developmental stages infers their role during early zebrafish larval development. In addition, the variable expression of the two receptor isoforms was strongly suggestive of divergent roles of molecular regulation.


A WSN image watermarking algorithm based on multi-wavelet was proposed. When the instability of image transmission in wireless sensor networks was considered, the proposed algorithm can increase the capacity of the image watermark. In this paper, the wavelet transform coefficients were analyzed by the noise visibility function. And the bits were embedded into the coefficients which have more ability to the tolerance of the noise according to the designated threshold. We achieved the adaptive adjustment in the watermarking strength combined with the JND in the wavelet domain. The experimental results show that the improved watermarking algorithm was adapted to a grayscale image. It can improve the information capacity and the identification capability of the grayscale images greatly. In addition, the renovated algorithm was feasible in the high-capacity watermarking and the watermarking capacity was increased obviously. It provided methods and means for the high-capacity watermarking, and also provided a new way for the further research in the new watermarking technology.


Spectral Compression Positioning™ (SCP) is an innovative method for deriving positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information from Signals of Opportunity (SoOps). The method enables precise PNT in GNSS obstructed environments providing expanded coverage, reliability, and accuracy. This paper introduces the core principles of SCP-based PNT and explores both autonomous and network-based implementation architectures. Providing precise, cost-effective, and autonomous positioning information for navigating indoors or in GPS obstructed environments is a technical challenge that remains largely unsolved. Advances in hybrid Wi-Fi/A-GPS positioning and inertial technologies have yet to deliver meter-level accuracy without the need for custom infrastructure or extensive RF fingerprinting. SCP technology offers a unique alternative approach to current RF-based positioning techniques that readily exploits terrestrial and orbital Signals of Opportunity without the requirement for purpose built infrastructure or a priori knowledge of the signal source location and clock states.


A conceptual framework is introduced for the design of tool surface topographies in bulk metal forming processes. The objective of the design is to control friction to desired levels while minimizing wear of the workpiece and tool surfaces and adhesive metal transfer between the workpiece and tool. Central to the design framework are the tool/workpiece interface properties of lubricant retention and interface permeability. Lubricant retention refers to the capacity of an interface to retain lubricant rather than freely channel it to the exterior of the tool/workpiece conjunction. Permeability refers to the capacity to distribute lubricant to all areas within the conjunction. These properties lead to the concept of two-scale surface topography consisting of a fine scale background of interconnected channels on which is superimposed an array of coarser-scale cavities. Control of friction and wear is achieved by designing the tool surface topographies at these two scales to address the unique tribological conditions of specific bulk metal forming processes. The coarser scale is designed to ensure adequate supply of lubricant within the conjunction. The finer scale is designed to ensure adequate delivery of lubricant to all parts of the conjunction where nascent workpiece surface is being formed. The design concepts are illustrated with results from laboratory experiments using the rolling process as an example, and comparing the performance of various roll surface topographies under similar processing conditions. A two-scale surface topography consisting of hemispherical cavities distributed across a background surface of finer scale, interconnected channels was shown to reduce friction compared to a single-scale ground finish, but not as much as a single-scale coarse topography consisting of densely-packed cavities produced by an electrical discharge treatment. On the other hand, the smoother cross-sections of the cavities, especially when elongated in the direction of greatest relative motion, produced significantly less wear than either of the single-scale tool surface treatments. It is concluded that two-scale engineering of tool surface topographies based upon the concepts of lubricant retention and interface permeability can provide a broad basis for achieving desired levels of interface friction while minimizing workpiece surface wear and adhesive material transfer in many metal-forming processes.


Vaccines were urgently needed in 2009 against A/H1N1 pandemic influenza. Based on the H5N1 experience, it was originally thought that 2 doses of an adjuvanted vaccine were needed for adequate immunogenicity. We tested H1N1 vaccines with or without AF03, a squalene-based adjuvant, in children. Two randomized, open-label, trials were conducted. Participants 3–17 y received two injections of 3.8 µg or 7.5 µg hemagglutinin (HA) with adjuvant or 15 µg HA without adjuvant. Participants aged 6–35 mo received two injections of 1.9 µg or 3.8 µg HA with full or half dose adjuvant or 7.5 µg HA without adjuvant. All subjects 3 to 17 y reached seroprotection (hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer ≥ 40) after the first dose of the adjuvanted vaccine, and 94% and 98% in the 3–8 and 9–17 y groups respectively with the non-adjuvanted vaccine. In children aged 6–35 mo responses were modest after one dose, but after two doses virtually all children were seroprotected regardless of HA or adjuvant dose. In this age group, antibody titers were 5 to 7 times higher after adjuvanted than non-adjuvanted vaccine. The higher responses with the adjuvanted vaccine were also reflected as better antibody persistence. There was no clustering of adverse events that would be suggestive of a safety signal. While a single injection was sufficient in subjects from 3 y, in children aged 6–35 mo two injections of this A/H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine were required. Formulation of this vaccine with adjuvant provided a significant advantage for immunogenicity in the latter age group.


Research criteria proposed by Apley for identification of children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) have been widely adopted, but many researchers have deviated from the original definition. Ambiguities in Apley's criteria and problems caused by departures from his definition are discussed in this article. Many inconsistencies in research results may have been created by the decision of some researchers to exclude children with presumed organic causes for their pain from RAP study samples. Further precision and comparability of research results may be gained by using the two-stage approach to classification that is proposed in this article. The first stage requires no medical evaluation but is based strictly on the correspondence of RAP symptoms to temporal arid severity criteria. At the second stage, subgroups of RAP are specified by using results from medical assessments or detailed patterns of symptoms. It is also suggested that researchers specify the temporal features of RAP and provide measures of impairment. Like Apley's criteria, the revised approach to classification allows the comparison of community- and school-based samples with children who have undergone medical evaluation for RAP. J Dev Behav Pediatr 20:307-313, 1999. Index terms: recurrent, abdominal, pain, child, classification, stomachache.


In this paper, we propose a multi-agent system (MAS) to simulate a community of beings that move, eat, reproduce, trade and auction, among other activities. We demonstrate how beings using primitive rules result in emerging, non-primitive behaviour. Heterogeneity of real world entities is captured by allowing the user to give the beings different biological characteristics (e.g. level of intelligence and risk taking) using a control panel. Our paper focuses on our modifications and additions to the work inspired from the sugarscape problem [2]. Interesting statistics are obtained from test-runs. The MAS and the GUI that allows the user to control and observe the model were developed using our Agent Base Environment built on top of the Mozart Programming System; a general-purpose development platform that supports concurrency, distribution, resource-aware and symbolic computation.


The article explores the ways in which the discourse and affect of miracle is performed in Philippine cinema, with the view of understanding how it exploits and inevitably corrupts mysticism and spiritual belief. Central to this project is the woman miracle worker, the visionary who is made to bear the exceptional gift of otherworldliness as well as the stigma of being bared as false and fictitious. This double coding becomes a productive site of critique of the miracle in the various unveilings of history in film and social life.


Structured RNAs bind ligands and are attractive targets for small-molecule drugs. A wide variety of analytical methods have been used to characterize RNA-ligand interactions, but our experience is that most have significant limitations in terms of material requirements and applicability to complex RNAs. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) potentially overcomes these limitations, but we find that the standard experimental framework measures notable nonspecific electrostatic-mediated interactions, frustrating analysis of weak RNA binders. SPR measurements are typically quantified relative to a non-target reference channel. Here, we show that referencing to a channel containing a non-binding control RNA enables subtraction of nonspecific binding contributions, allowing measurements of accurate and specific binding affinities. We validated this approach for small-molecule binders of two riboswitch RNAs with affinities ranging from nanomolar to millimolar, including low-molecular-mass fragment ligands. SPR implemented with reference subtraction reliably discriminates specific from nonspecific binding, uses RNA and ligand material efficiently, and enables rapid exploration of the ligand-binding landscape for RNA targets.


The recent proliferation of information technology designed to support or enhance an individual professional's task performance has made the investigation of technology acceptance increasingly challenging and significant. This study investigates technology acceptance by individual professionals by examining physicians' decisions to accept telemedicine technology. Synthesized from relevant prior research, a generic research framework was built to provide a necessary foundation upon which a research model for telemedicine technology acceptance by physicians could be developed. The research model was then empirically examined, using data collected from more than 400 physicians practicing in public tertiary hospitals in Hong Kong. Results of the study suggest several areas where individual "professionals" might subtly differ in their technology acceptance decision-making, as compared with end users and business managers in ordinary business settings. Specifically, physicians appeared to be fairly pragmatic, largely anchoring their acceptance decisions in the usefulness of the technology rather than in its ease of use. When making decisions to accept a technology, physicians expressed considerable concerns about the compatibility of the technology with their practices, placed less importance on controlling technology operations, and attached limited weight to peers' opinions about using the technology. Based on results obtained from this study, the initially proposed framework for technology acceptance by individual professionals was revised to a "hierarchical, three-layer" structure with the individual context at the inner core, the implementation context on the outermost layer, and the technological context residing in the middle. Implications for information systems research and telemedicine management practice that have emerged from the study's findings are also discussed.


The immunology of pregnancy involves a series of systemic and above all local events, at the feto-maternal interface. These immunological events may explain the paradoxical non-rejection and development of the allogeneic conceptus within of the maternal body. The immunodeviation of the maternal immune system towards fetal tolerance may be altered or insufficient leading to true abortive diseases. The alteration of this tolerance may be the result of auto-immune abnormalities, particularly when autoantibodies are discovered in woman's serum. These antibodies are the antithromboplastin, antiphospholipid and antinuclear antibodies. They can be responsible for abortion even if the clinical symptoms of the lupus disease are absent. Abortive events occur at all stages of pregnancy. Table 1 shows that abortions with autoantibodies are more frequent when the accident occurs in the late stage of pregnancy. The therapy with corticoids and aspirin will be modulated in connection with the results. The second immune etiology is an insufficient production of immunological events usually involved in normal pregnancies. The current means available to detect this incompetency are imperfect because only systemic factors may be explored when local events are the most involved. We found a good correlation, in these women with recurrent early abortions of unknown etiology, between the production of anti-husband lymphocytes (AAP) and the success of a subsequent pregnancy. Women who suffer from recurrent spontaneous abortions of unknown etiology, without autoimmune abnormalities and without antipaternal antibodies (AAP), may profit from a therapy using the husband's leucocyte injections, which allows them to give birth to a normal child in 85% of the cases, whereas without treatment the success rate is only 37% of the pregnancies. When this therapy is applied in accurate conditions, its inocuousness seems well established. Another kind of this immunomodulator therapy has been reported: it uses unrelated donor leucocytes. Its efficiency seems to be similar to that of the husband's leucocyte injections.


We develop a quality-adjusted cost index to estimate expected returns to investments in new technologies. The index addresses the problem of measuring social benefits from innovations in service sector inputs, where real output is not directly observable. We forecast welfare gains from two U.S. Advanced Technology Program innovations equaling 25%-50% of expected price, and aggregate consumer benefits of $1-$2 billion, relative to trends in existing technologies. Our model's probabilistic parameters reflect uncertainty about prospective outcomes and in our hedonic estimates of shadow values for selected product attributes. The index can be readily adopted by research and development (R&D) managers in industry and government.


The article overviews cross-border cooperation across Polish borders in the last three decades. Deeply rooted in conflictive border legacies and border shifts in the first half of the twentieth century, they quickly became locations of symbolic reconciliation with neighbours and functional cooperation aiming at economic development. The non-linear character of these processes resulted from the changing political environment in the region.


Research on texture has been pursued along two different lines. The first line of research, pioneered by Julesz (1962), seeks the essential ingredients in terms of features and statistics in human texture perception. This leads us to a mathematical definition of texture as a Julesz ensemble. A Julesz ensemble is the maximum set of images that share the same value of some basic feature statistics as the image lattice /spl Lambda//spl rarr/Z/sup 2/, or equivalently it is a uniform distribution on this set. The second line of research studies statistical models, in particular, Markov random field (MRF) and FRAME models (Zhu et al., 1997), to characterize texture patterns locally. In this article, we bridge the two lines by the fundamental principle of equivalence of ensembles in statistical mechanics (Gibbs, 1902). We prove that 1) the conditional probability of an arbitrary image patch given its environment, under the Julesz ensemble or the uniform model, is inevitably a FRAME (MRF) model, and 2) the limit of the FRAME (MRF) model, which we called the Gibbs ensemble, is equivalent to a Julesz ensemble as /spl Lambda//spl rarr/Z/sup 2/. Thus the advantages of the two methodologies can be fully utilized.


Kinematic reliability is an essential index assessing the work performance of robotic manipulators. In general, the kinematic reliability of robotic manipulators is defined as the probability of the pose or position error falling into a specified tolerant region. Therefore, this work proposes an efficient method to conduct kinematic reliability analysis for robotic manipulators under rectangular and spherical allowable safe boundaries in terms of dimension and input uncertainties. First, based on the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff formula and Lie group theory, the mean and covariance matrix of the distribution of the pose error are analytically determined. Then, the expectation propagation of the multivariate Gaussian and saddlepoint approximation method are employed to calculate the probabilities of kinematic reliability under the rectangular and spherical safe boundaries, respectively. The proposed method takes into account the boundness of the random error variable and is available for arbitrarily distributed errors. Finally, a spatial six degrees-of-freedom industrial robot is used as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method by comparison with other methods. The comparison results indicate that the proposed method has higher accuracy and efficiency.


The main objectives of this thesis can be expressed as follows: (i) To prove the importance of small-scale mining to the society and economy of a country, (ii) Why and how to manage a small mine by using different approaches, Small mines play an important role in the socio-economic system of a country. They also provide employment to the people of remote and backwaard areas. A Small scale mining industry, like tourism, is a major source of income in many countries around the world and can be a good source of foreign exchange. Historically, most large mines started on a small basis which indicates that many major ore deposits are discovered by small mining companies. Due to the importance of small-scale mining, it is not possible to ignore this important sector of the industry. It appears that majority of small mining units are malfunctioning due to a lack of proper and experienced management and due to which they receive less attention from governments and various mining agencies throughtout the world. But, if small mine reserves are exploited properly, many areas in the globe can become prosperous and self sufficient. The main objective of conducting this research was to identify the problems faced by small-scale mining operations and suggesting probable solutions. The research by the author indicates that in various countries very little work has been done on the management of small mines Although attention was focussed on the small mining industry in the Asia-Pacific region it has been attempted seriously to cite a few examples from other countries such as India, Canada, and the US, where the small mining industry industry plays a significant role in the economy, to prove its importance. Since, no experimental work was involved due to the nature of the project the attention was focused on a desktop study. It was also decided to emphasise small gold mines due to its importance and high unit value in theworld market . The information collected during the process of this research showed that the areas like mine finance, infrastructure, cost analysis, exploration, mme investment analysis, and different mining and processing methods should be addressed. The author believes that further research should be carried out,in such areas as computer application, central milling facilities, labour training and education programs. The author also believes that an owner of a small gold mine should be properly informed by the state authorities and I or different mining agencies regarding pncmg mechanisms.


Sir, Recent publications, including those in your journal (1, 2) advocate the use of i.v. ibuprofen-lysine for pharmacological closure of a haemodynamically signiŽ cant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants. We are not judging the relative effectiveness of ibuprofen vis-à-vis the closure of a PDA. That is not our Ž eld of expertise; we leave that to well-qualiŽ ed commentators such as Drs Cotton and Clyman (3, 4). We would, however, like to address another aspect of these papers. All relevant publications state that ibuprofen seems to have fewer renal side effects than observed with indomethacin. This is based on the Ž ndings of less (or no) reduction in urine output and a minimal rise in serum creatinine levels after i.v. ibuprofen-lysine treatment compared to that reported with indomethacin. In our view, urine collections from sterile bags used in one of the studies (also in that of Dani et al. (2)?) are not very accurate, not even in the best neonatal intensive care units. Furthermore, we have recently shown that serum creatinine levels have to be factored for the degree of prematurity of the infant (5), which has not been done in any of the studies. The more premature the infant, the higher the serum creatinine levels. This is due to the very unusual occurrence of tubular creatinine reabsorption at this young age in premature infants (6). Even more important are our studies with aspirin, indomethacin and ibuprofen in neonatal rabbits, the well-accepted animal model for the study of neonatal renal function in the human newborn and particularly the premature infant (7, 8). In this neonatal animal model, all three non-steroidal anti-in ammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have the same adverse renal effects, with increased renal vascular resistance (RVR), a measure of renal vasoconstriction, and a fall in renal blood  ow (RBF), glomerular Ž ltration rate (GFR) and urine volume (UV). This is fairly speciŽ c for the neonatal period, since the renal response in young adult rabbits (12 wk of age) is greatly attenuated! Table 1 summarizes our Ž ndings. We add, in parentheses, that i.v. lysine had no adverse renal effect. Fortunately, the renal side effects of all NSAIDs are often transient, unless other factors such as hypoxia— not infrequently encountered in premature babies— aggravate the renal picture, in which case intrinsic acute renal failure may ensue with all its complications, either short or long term. For this reason, we raise our voices to warn against a perhaps too optimistic initial evaluation of the renal side effects of NSAIDs, including ibuprofen, in newborns. To paraphrase Dr Cotton: don't discard the notion of their renal "toxicity" just yet!


 Abstract — Lignin is a major constituent of woody biomass, and exists abundantly in nature. It is the major byproducts from the paper industry and bioethanol production processes. The byproducts are mainly used for low-valued applications. Instead, lignin can be converted into higher-valued gaseous fuel, thereby helping to curtail the ever-growing price of oil and to slow down the trend of global warming. Although biochemical treatment is capable of converting cellulose into liquid ethanol fuel, it cannot be applied to the conversion of lignin. Alternatively, it is possible to convert lignin into gaseous fuel thermochemically. In the present work, trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, a model compound for lignin, which closely resembles the basic building blocks of lignin, is gasified in an autoclave with ethanol at elevated temperatures and pressures, that are above the critical point of ethanol. Ethanol, instead of water, is chosen, because ethanol dissolves trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid easily and helps to convert it into lighter gaseous species relatively well. The major operating parameters for the gasification reaction include temperature (673-873 K), reaction pressure (5-25 MPa) and feed concentration (0.05-0.3 M). Generally, more than 80% of the reactant, including trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and ethanol, were converted into gaseous products at an operating condition of 873 K and 5


Size-assortative mating is a nonrandom association of body size between members of mating pairs and is expected to be common in species with mutual preferences for body size. In this study, we investigated whether there is direct evidence for size-assortative mating in two species of pipefishes, Syngnathus floridae and S. typhle, that share the characteristics of male pregnancy, sex-role reversal, and a polygynandrous mating system. We take advantage of microsatellite-based "genetic-capture" techniques to match wild-caught females with female genotypes reconstructed from broods of pregnant males and use these data to explore patterns of size-assortative mating in these species. We also develop a simulation model to explore how positive, negative, and antagonistic preferences of each sex for body size affect size-assortative mating. Contrary to expectations, we were unable to find any evidence of size-assortative mating in either species at different geographic locations or at different sampling times. Furthermore, two traits that potentially confer a fitness advantage in terms of reproductive success, female mating order and number of eggs transferred per female, do not affect pairing patterns in the wild. Results from model simulations demonstrate that strong mating preferences are unlikely to explain the observed patterns of mating in the studied populations. Our study shows that individual mating preferences, as ascertained by laboratory-based mating trials, can be decoupled from realized patterns of mating in the wild, and therefore, field studies are also necessary to determine actual patterns of mate choice in nature. We conclude that this disconnect between preferences and assortative mating is likely due to ecological constraints and multiple mating that may limit mate choice in natural populations.


To assess the soil heavy metal pollution, there are so many methods, such as the mono pollution-factor, the comprehensive Nemerow pollution-factor and so on. Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) is one of the major contents of gray system theory. The method of GRA was used in the application of environmental impact assessment, such as water pollution research. In this paper, we designed the new practical method of the heavy metal pollution evaluation, which is focus on six soil heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn). According to the consenting range of environment level by the National Environmental Standard (GB15618-1995), we have done our researches.


This is Chapter 4 of the draft textbook "Reinforcement Learning and Optimal Control." The chapter represents "work in progress," and it will be periodically updated. It more than likely contains errors (hopefully not serious ones). Furthermore, its references to the literature are incomplete. Your comments and suggestions to the author at firstname.lastname@example.com are welcome. The date of last revision is given below. (A "revision" is any version of the chapter that involves the addition or the deletion of at least one paragraph or mathematically significant equation.)


Effects of single and chronic administrations of ethanol into rats on activity of soluble and membrane-bound forms of enkephalin convertase were studied in various parts of brain. Regional alterations in the patterns studied dependent on duration of alcoholization were observed. Enkephalin convertase appears to be involved in development of tolerance to alcohol.


SUMMARY This paper deals with the problem of collision course checking in a dynamic environment for mobile robotics applications. Our method is based on the relative kinematic equations between moving objects. These kinematic equations are written under polar form. A transformation of coordinates is derived. Under this transformation, collision between two moving objects is reduced to collision between a stationary object and a virtual moving object. In addition to the direct collision course, we define the indirect collision course, which is more critical and difficult to detect. Under this formulation, the collision course problem is simplified, and complex scenarios are reduced to simple scenarios. In three-dimensional (3D) settings, the working space is decomposed into two planes: the horizontal plane and the vertical plane. The collision course detection in 3D is studied in the vertical and horizontal planes using 2D techniques. This formulation brings important simplifications to the collision course detection problem even in the most critical and difficult scenarios. An extensive simulation is used to illustrate the method in 2D and 3D working spaces.


Sarkisyan G, Gay LJ, Nguyen N, Felding BH, Rosen H. Host endothelial S1PR1 regulation of vascular permeability modulates tumor growth. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 307: C14–C24, 2014. First published April 16, 2014; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00043.2014.—Understanding vascular growth and maturation in developing tumors has important implications for tumor progression, spread, and ultimately host survival. Modulating the signaling of endothelial G proteincoupled receptors (GPCRs) in blood and lymphatic vessels can enhance or limit tumor progression. Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is a GPCR for circulating lysophospholipid S1P that is highly expressed in blood and lymphatic vessels. Using the S1PR1enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) mouse model in combination with intravital imaging and pharmacologic modulation of S1PR1 signaling, we show that boundary conditions of high and low S1PR1 signaling retard tumor progression by enhancing or destabilizing neovasculature integrity, respectively. In contrast, midrange S1PR1 signaling, achieved by receptor antagonist titration, promotes abundant growth of small, organized vessels and thereby enhances tumor progression. Furthermore, in vivo S1PR1 antagonism supports lung colonization by circulating tumor cells. Regulation of endothelial S1PR1 dynamically controls vascular integrity and maturation and thus modulates angiogenesis, tumor growth, and hematogenous metastasis.


By research of simple tubular joints, thin-shell element analyses have been conducted for thousands of DTK joints frequently used in offshore structures in this paper. These joints are subjected to axial load, by use of nonlinear least squares fitter, the above results are derived a new set of parametric equations, in terms of several non-dimensional geometric ratios γ, ξ, β, τ and θ with the Origin software. Separate analyses have been conducted for the difference of SCFs in DTK joints and SCFs for TK joint from empirical formulas. The SCF results of these joints could act as a good reference for both further academic studies on SCF of other complex joints and engineering designing works.


Propolis means a gum that is gathered by bees from various plants. It is strongly adhesive resinous substance, collected, transformed, and used by bees to seal holes in their honeycombs. Bees use it to seal holes in their honeycombs, smooth out internal walls, as well as to cover carcasses of intruders who died inside the hive in order to avoid their decomposition. Propolis also protects the colony from diseases because of its antiseptic efficacy and antimicrobial properties. It also has been reported to possess various biological activities, namely anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and hypolipidemic. The aim of this review is to evaluate the hypoglycemic effect of propolis since a little number of researches studied this effect when we compare with the huge number of papers that reported many other biological activities.


The economic literature has largely overlooked the importance of repeat migration. This Paper studies repeat or circular migration as it is manifested by the frequency of exits of migrants living in Germany, and by the number of years away from the host country using count data models. More than 60% of the guest worker generations currently living in Germany, the largest European immigration country, are indeed repeat migrants. The findings indicate that immigrants from European countries, the less educated, those with weak labour market attachments, younger and older people (excluding middle ages), and newcomers and the more seasoned are significantly more likely to engage in circular migration and to stay out of Germany for longer. Males exit more frequently than females but do not differ in the time spent out. Those migrants with family in the home country remain out longer but are not more frequently out.


A paleoseismic study conducted along the Cholame segment of the San Andreas fault provides evidence for three earthquakes and the amount of lateral offset for the most recent event (1857 Fort Tejon earthquake). Excavations at the Las Yeguas (LY4) site include five fault-perpendicular, two parallel, and several hand-dug trenches. Abruptly truncated sand and silt layers that are not correlative across the fault zone constrain the timing of the penultimate event (L2) between cal. A.D. 1030-1300 and 1390-1460. Vertical offset, shearing, and fracturing of silty sand and gravel units that overlie L2 and historical artifacts that bracket the timing of the MRE (L1) provide evidence that the most recent ground-rupturing event, L1, occurred between cal. A.D. 1390-1460 and ∼1865. L1 is likely the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake. Tectonic silt-filled fractures that dissect historic gray-tan silt and sand suggest a ground shaking or a triggered slip event (L0), which occurred after L1. Three-dimensional excavation of an alluvial fan edge (unit 4) indicates that 3.0 ± 0.70 m of near-fault brittle slip occurred during the 1857 earthquake at this site.


Li metal has been widely regarded as a promising anode for next‐generation batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and low electrochemical potential. The unstable solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) and uncontrollable dendrite growth, however, incur severe safety hazards and hamper the practical application of Li metal anodes. Herein, an advanced artificial SEI layer constructed by [LiNBH]n chains, which are crosslinked and self‐reinforced by their intermolecular LiN ionic bonds, is designed to comprehensively stabilize Li metal anodes on a molecular level. Benefiting from its polymer‐like structure, the [LiNBH]n layer is flexible and effectively tolerates the volume change of Li metal anodes. In addition, this layer with high polarity in its structure, helps to regulate the homogeneous distribution of the Li+ flux on Li electrodes via the further formation of LiN bonds. The designed [LiNBH]n layer is electrically nonconductive but highly ionically conductive, thus facilitating Li+ diffusion and confining Li deposition beneath the layer. Therefore, under the protection of the [LiNBH]n layer, the Li metal anodes exhibit stable cycling at a 3 mA cm−2 for more than 700 h, and the full cells with high lithium iron phosphate and sulfur cathodes mass loading also present excellent cycling stability.


Net farm income for all representative farms in 2013 will be lower than in 2004. Low-profit farms, which comprise 25% of the farms in the study, may not have financial resiliency to survive without off-farm income. Costs are projected to increase faster than yields, which will pressure net farm income downward. Cropland prices and cash rental rates are projected to increase slightly in all regions. Debt-to-asset ratios for most farms will increase slightly throughout the forecast period. Debt-to-asset ratios for the low-profit and small-size farms are higher than those for large and high-profit farms.


The applications of stochastic methods in design by reliability include the better utilisation of hydrological information. With statistical methods one can evaluate the safety component of hydraulic systems. Based on these, extra safety features can be added to ensure the reliable performance of an hydraulic system. One such example is the design of a dam, which features a number of random variables, each with a very distinct and quite different probability function. This book reports on developments in stochastic hydraulics across a wide range of applications, including river hydraulics, sediment transportation, waves and coastal processes, hydrology, hydraulic works and structure, and environmental hydraulics.


BACKGROUND: Penetrating cardiac injuries are a dramatic and lethal form of trauma. Most of these patients reach the hospital already dead or in severe shock. The prognosis is determined by early diagnosis and operation. In this study, we discuss the effects of the etiology of trauma, the state of presentation in the emergency department, and the treatment approaches on the morbidity and mortality in penetrating cardiac trauma treated in our clinic. METHODS: Fifty-two patients treated due to penetrating cardiac injury were investigated retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, etiology of the injury, arrival time at the hospital, physical examination findings in the emergency room, diagnostic methods used, and surgical methods applied were determined along with the results. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 48:4, and mean age was 27.86+/-13.73. The etiology was stab injury in 46, gun shot injury in four and iatrogenic trauma in two patients. Surgery was applied in emergency condition for all cases. Cardiac injury was repaired using primary repair technique. Hospital mortality was determined as 15.4% (8 patients). CONCLUSION: Penetrating cardiac injuries lead to shock in a very short period of time because of bleeding and/or pericardial tamponade. Early diagnosis and prompt thoracotomy are the fundamental factors affecting patient outcome after penetrating cardiac injury. Language: tr


During the past decade companies' Social Responsibility (SR) has gained a significant importance globally. SR is companies' ideology, politics and practice when they voluntarily follow the principles of human, society and environment respect in the relations of all the stakeholders from society, business and government. Although small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are evolving to play a significant role within the modern global economy, SR in SMEs has still received relatively little attention. Obviously, the success of SR strategies depends on the quality of staff performance in this field, which is largely related to the quality of education on SR. Whereas it is a lack of know-how and experience to support the systematic integration of SR practices in the management process of SMEs, there is a need of specific training materials and tools strictly adjusted to fit their needs and expectations. This article is based on the analysis of needs of competences on SR from SMEs' and Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions'/universities' perspective obtained from two different surveys. The paper provides a summary of the existing SMEs' activities, needs and perspectives, with a special focus on the issues from the new international standard on SR ISO 26000. The results of the research show that the training resources for companies should be suitable to attain more specific purposes of SMEs and include comprehensive information about SR's profit. Moreover, all training materials need to be easily accessed and simple to understand and to apply and must offer such kind of training that could ensure deep knowledge on SR not only for the top management of the company, but primarily for the employees, on purpose to raise their consciousness.


Synopsis Geomorphological mapping provides evidence for two former low-level corrie glaciers on Hoy, both defined by end moraines. Five 10Be exposure ages obtained from sandstone boulders on moraine crests fall within the range 12.4 ± 1.5 ka to 10.4 ± 1.7 ka (weighted mean 11.7 ± 0.6 ka), confirming that these glaciers developed during the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stade (LLS) of 12.9–11.5 cal. ka bp, and demonstrate the feasibility of using this approach to establish the age of LLS glacier limits. The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of one of the glaciers (99 m) is the lowest recorded for any LLS glacier, and the area-weighted mean ELA for both (141 m) is consistent with a general northward ELA decrease along the west coast of Britain. The size of moraines fronting these small (≤0.75 km2) glaciers implies that glacier termini remained at or close to their limits for a prolonged period. The apparent restriction of LLS glaciers to only two sites on Hoy probably reflects topographic favourability, and particularly the extent of snow-contributing areas.


Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) results from reduced levels of the survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein, which has a well characterized function in spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoprotein assembly. Currently, it is not understood how deficiency of a housekeeping protein leads to the selective degeneration of spinal cord motor neurons. Numerous studies have shown that SMN is present in neuronal processes and has many interaction partners, including mRNA-binding proteins, suggesting a potential noncanonical role in axonal mRNA metabolism. In this study, we have established a novel technological approach using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and quantitative image analysis to characterize SMN-protein interactions in primary motor neurons. Consistent with biochemical studies on the SMN complex, BiFC analysis revealed that SMN dimerizes and interacts with Gemin2 in nuclear gems and axonal granules. In addition, using pull down assays, immunofluorescence, cell transfection, and BiFC, we characterized a novel interaction between SMN and the neuronal mRNA-binding protein HuD, which was dependent on the Tudor domain of SMN. A missense mutation in the SMN Tudor domain, which is known to cause SMA, impaired the interaction with HuD, but did not affect SMN axonal localization or self-association. Furthermore, time-lapse microscopy revealed SMN cotransport with HuD in live motor neurons. Importantly, SMN knockdown in primary motor neurons resulted in a specific reduction of both HuD protein and poly(A) mRNA levels in the axonal compartment. These findings reveal a noncanonical role for SMN whereby its interaction with mRNA-binding proteins may facilitate the localization of associated poly(A) mRNAs into axons.


Amaranthus spinosus Linn. (Amaranthaceae) is found throughout India. This tree species has been of interest to researchers because it is a medicinal plant employed in the Indian traditional system of medicine. Pharmacognostic standardization; physico-and phytochemical evaluation of the roots of Amaranthus spinosus was carried out, to determine its macro-and microscopical characters, and also some of its quantitative standards. Microscopical studies were done by using the trinocular microscope. Total ash, water-soluble ash, acid-insoluble ash, sulfated ash values, and alcohol-and water-soluble extractive values were determined for physico-chemical evaluations. A preliminary phytochemical screening was also done to detect different phytoconstituents. Microscopically, the root showed cork, cortex, stellar region, and calcium oxalate crystals. Powder microscopy showed anamalous secondary growth in between the xylem vessels and Calcium Oxalate crystals in the cortex region. Total ash was approximately three times more than acid insoluble and water soluble ash. The ethanol soluble extractive was approximately the same as the water soluble extractive. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of the Petroleum-ether extract using Benzene : Ethyl acetate (6 : 1), showed six spots. In the chloroform extract, using Benzene : Ethyl acetate (4 : 1) nine spots were seen, and in the ethanol extract, using Chloroform: Methanol (93 : 7), only four spots were observed, using Iodine vapor as a viewing medium. Phytochemically, the root exhibited terpenes, alkaloids, glycosides, and sugars. These findings might be useful to supplement information with regard to its identification parameters, which are assumed significant in the way of acceptability of herbal drugs, in the present scenario, which lacks regulatory laws to control the quality of herbal drugs.


: The interrelations of lipid levels, arterial hypertension and relative body mass were studied in 3907 men aged 40 to 59 years. Growing body weight was seen to be associated with marked increases in cholesterol and triglyceride levels and a decrease in alpha-cholesterol level. Growing relative body mass was further associated with elevated systolic and diastolic pressures. Cholesterol, triglycerides and alpha-cholesterol concentrations increase with elevation of arterial pressure. The latter finding is not related to increase in body weight and is relatively independent. However its mechanisms are still obscure.


Abstract Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, opted to kneel during the American National Anthem throughout the 2016 NFL season as a symbolic protest against racial injustice and police brutality throughout the United States. His actions provoked criticism when the media focused on Kaepernick's alleged unpatriotic and anti-military stance. Using the concept of media framing, this paper analyses the newspaper coverage of Kaepernick's protest. We identify four key frames which can be scrutinized and understood using the theoretical framework of the protest paradigm. In an innovative approach the research also analyses the coverage of Kaepernick in 2020, in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder at the hands of a police officer, which sparked worldwide anti-racism protests. This paper builds on the understanding of media framing towards an individual's protest and the consequences they face.


We propose a novel class-based micro-classifier ensemble classification technique (MCE) for classifying data streams. Traditional ensemble-based data stream classification techniques build a classification model from each data chunk and keep an ensemble of such models. Due to the fixed length of the ensemble, when a new model is trained, one existing model is discarded. This creates several problems. First, if a class disappears from the stream and reappears after a long time, it would be misclassified if a majority of the classifiers in the ensemble does not contain any model of that class. Second, discarding a model means discarding the corresponding data chunk completely. However, knowledge obtained from some classes might be still useful and if they are discarded, the overall error rate would increase. To address these problems, we propose an ensemble model where each class information is stored separately. From each data chunk, we train a model for each class of data. We call each such model a micro-classifier. This approach is more robust than existing chunk-based ensembles in handling dynamic changes in the data stream. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to classify data streams using the class-based ensembles approach. When the number of classes grow in the stream, class-based ensembles may degrade in performance (speed). Hence, we sketch a cloud-based solution of our class-based ensembles to handle a large number of classes effectively. We compare our technique with several state-of-the-art data stream classification techniques on both synthetic and benchmark data streams, and obtain much higher accuracy.


Abstract The operation parameters for the supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2) evaporation method greatly affect the properties of the prepared drug-loaded micelles. In this study, the effects of those key parameters on the drug-loading content (LC) and drug entrapment efficiency (EE) are discussed. It is observed that EE and LC of the micelles are slightly increased with the enhancing temperature and the copolymer molecular ratio of hydrophilic/hydrophobic segment, while decreased with the enhancing ScCO2 evaporation rate. The pressure and volume ratio of ScCO2 to H2O are observed the optimum condition. In addition, the verification experiment is carried out under the obtained optimizing parameters. The prepared micelles exhibit relatively regular spherical shape and narrow size distribution with the EE and LC value of 70.7% and 14.1%, respectively.


We explore cosmology in the decoupling limit of a nonlinear covariant extension of Fierz-Pauli massive gravity obtained recently in arXiv:1007.0443. In this limit the theory is a scalar-tensor model of a unique form defined by symmetries. We find that it admits a self-accelerated solution, with the Hubble parameter set by the graviton mass. The negative pressure causing the acceleration is due to a condensate of the helicity-0 component of the massive graviton, and the background evolution, in the approximation used, is indistinguishable from the {Lambda}CDM model. Fluctuations about the self-accelerated background are stable for a certain range of parameters involved. Most surprisingly, the fluctuation of the helicity-0 field above its background decouples from an arbitrary source in the linearized theory. We also show how massive gravity can remarkably screen an arbitrarily large cosmological constant in the decoupling limit, while evading issues with ghosts. The obtained static solution is stable against small perturbations, suggesting that the degravitation of the vacuum energy is possible in the full theory. Interestingly, however, this mechanism postpones the Vainshtein effect to shorter distance scales. Hence, fifth force measurements severely constrain the value of the cosmological constant that can be neutralized, making this scheme phenomenologically not viablemore » for solving the old cosmological constant problem. We briefly speculate on a possible way out of this issue.« less


After World War II, particle physics became a dominant research discipline in American academia. At many universities, alumni of the Manhattan Project and of Los Alamos were granted resources to start (or strengthen) programs of high-energy physics built around the promise of a new and more powerful particle accelerator, the synchrotron. The synchrotron was also a source of very intense X-rays, useful for research in solid states physics and in biology. As synchrotron X-ray science grew, the experimental practice of protein crystallography (used to determine the atomic structures of proteins and viruses), garnered funding, prestige, and acclaim. In Velvet Revolution at the Synchrotron, Park Doing examines the change in scientific practice at a synchrotron laboratory as biology rose to dominance over physics. He draws on his own observations and experiences at the Cornell University synchrotron, and considers the implications of that change for the status of scientific claims. Velvet Revolution at the Synchrotron is one of the few recent works in the sociology of science that engages specific scientific and technical claims through participant observation--recorded evocatively and engagingly--to address issues in the philosophy of science. Doing argues that bureaucratic change in science is neither "top-down" nor "bottom-up" but rather performed in and realized through recursively related forums of technical assertion and resistance. He considers the relationship of this change to the content of science, and the implications of this relationship for the project of laboratory studies begun in the late 1970s.


Purpose of review IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated disease of unknown cause. It predominantly affects the biliary tract [IgG4-associated cholangitis (IAC)] and pancreas [autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP)] of mostly elderly men. Accurate diagnostic tests are lacking. Patients benefit from predniso(lo)ne treatment. However, disease relapse is often seen. This review will address pathophysiological aspects and advances in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Recent findings The role of IgG1 and IgG4 in the pathophysiology of IgG4-RD was studied in mice which showed more intense organ damage of pancreas and salivary glands when IgG1 rather than IgG4 of patients with IgG4-RD was injected. Coadministration of IgG1+IgG4 led to dampening of IgG1-mediated injury supporting the view that IgG4 exerts immune-dampening effects. IgG4+ B-cell receptor clones identified by next-generation sequencing and the IgG4/IgG RNA ratio in human blood assessed by quantitative PCR were able to accurately distinguish IAC/AIP from primary sclerosing cholangitis or pancreatobiliary malignancies. Long-term treatment with low-dose prednisolone was safe and reduced the number of flare-ups in patients with AIP. Summary Early diagnosis by a novel accurate and easy-to-use qPCR test may prevent life-threatening complications, unnecessary interventions and fatal course because of misdiagnosis. Prednisolone treatment remains the standard of care in patients with IgG4-RD.


Background The lack of functional information in thoracic CT remains a limitation of its use in the clinical management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Purpose To compare the distribution of pulmonary ventilation assessed by a CT-based full-scale airway network (FAN) flow model with hyperpolarized xenon 129 (129Xe) MRI (hereafter, 129Xe MRI) and technetium 99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid aerosol SPECT ventilation imaging (hereafter, V-SPECT) in participants with COPD. Materials and Methods In this prospective study performed between May and August 2017, pulmonary ventilation in participants with COPD was computed by using the FAN flow model. The modeled pulmonary ventilation was compared with functional imaging data from breath-hold time-series 129Xe MRI and V-SPECT. FAN-derived ventilation images on the coronal plane and volumes of interest were compared with functional lung images. Percentage lobar ventilation estimated by the FAN model was compared with that measured at 129Xe MRI and V-SPECT. The statistical significance of ventilation distribution between FAN and functional images was demonstrated with the Spearman correlation coefficient and χ2 distance. Results For this study, nine participants (seven men [mean age, 65 years ± 5 {standard deviation}] and two women [mean age, 63 years ± 7]) with COPD that was Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage II-IV were enrolled. FAN-modeled ventilation profile showed strong positive correlation with images from 129Xe MRI (ρ = 0.67; P < .001) and V-SPECT (ρ = 0.65; P < .001). The χ2 distances of the ventilation histograms in the volumes of interest between the FAN and 129Xe MRI and FAN and V-SPECT were 0.16 ± 0.08 and 0.28 ± 0.14, respectively. The ratios of lobar ventilations in the models were linearly correlated to images from 129Xe MRI (ρ = 0.67; P < .001) and V-SPECT (ρ = 0.59; P < .001). Conclusion A CT-based full-scale airway network flow model provided regional pulmonary ventilation information for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and correlates with hyperpolarized xenon 129 MRI and technetium 99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid aerosol SPECT ventilation imaging. © RSNA, 2019 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Schiebler and Parraga in this issue.


Localization capability is usually required and designed for wireless networks. Although many localization algorithms have been proposed, the refinement issue of guaranteeing the location accuracy is still in its early stage of development. This paper compares different ranging technologies for localization measurement. Specifically, we analyze infrared, ultra sonic, radio frequency and ultra wideband as different choices. After a comparative study the paper recommends ultra wideband as the best candidate for accurate range-based localization system in the short-range wireless network scenario.


As a consequence of equality audits, it was identified that some staff were not always sure where to find relevant information with regard to equalities. In an attempt to make information readily accessible it was decided that as part of the remit of the Equality and Diversity strategy group, to develop a resource on the VLE – "Equality for You". On the recommendation of the student representative on the group it was decided to make this resource available to both staff and learners. The resources consist of information specific to Motherwell College, including notes of meetings, general information on equality, equality impact assessments and each of the 9 protected characteristics is listed with web-links, power points and videos clips that can be used either in class, placement or during individual study. Various links were incorporated to college policies to show how they link with the equality agenda. To assist with the dissemination of the new development, the e-learning technologist included pop-up announcements for staff and learners. Presentations were made at the Head and Support Mangers' meeting and Learning and Teaching committee. To maintain currency, updates are undertaken weekly and in the first two months since launch the resource had been accessed by more than 240 individuals.


Vehicle suspension systems and suspension working space are of great interest to designers and researchers of road vehicles. This paper deals with an investigation into the influence of suspension spring stiffness on vehicle dynamics. A mathematical model of a quarter vehicle for twin spring, passive and active suspension systems is developed. These systems are compared in terms of their relative performance capabilities. The vehicle itself is treated as a rigid body undergoing vertical motions. Also, a longitudinal half vehicle model for passive suspension is used to investigate the effect of front and rear spring stiffness on the vehicle dynamics. A chassis dynamometer was used to perform the experimental work. The predicted results were compared with experimental measurements. The experimental and theoretical results obtained indicate that the mathematical model produces optimistic results for the vertical direction of body acceleration and suspension working space. The effect of using active suspension elements to obtain improved ride is discussed. The results obtained give a solution to the vehicle dynamics problem and show optimum values of spring stiffness and damping coefficient.


As academic learners and companies are turning to e-learning courses to achieve their personal and professional goals, it becomes more and more important to handle service quality in this sector. Despite scientific research conducted to personalize the learning process and meet learner's requirements under adaptive e-learning systems, however, the specification and management of quality attribute is particularly challenging due to problems arising from environmental variability. In our view, a detailed and high-level specification of requirements supported through the whole system lifecycle is needed for a comprehensive management of adaptive e-learning systems, especially in continuously changing environmental conditions. In this paper, we propose a runtime requirements monitoring to check the conformity of adaptive e-learning systems to their requirements and ensure that the activities offered by these learning environments can achieve the desired learning outcomes. As a result, when deviations (i.e., not satisfied requirements) occur, they are identified and then notified during system operation. With our approach, the requirements are supported during the whole system lifecycle. First, we specify system's requirements in the form of a dynamic software product line. This specification applies a novel requirements engineering language that combines goal-driven requirements with features and claims and avoid the enumeration of all desired adaptation strategies (i.e. when an adaptation should be applied) at the design time. Second, the specification is automatically transformed into a constraint satisfaction problem that reduces the requirements monitoring into a constraint program at runtime.


This paper reports a study of three beginning secondary mathematics teachers and how their reflective practice developed during a one-year university teacher education program and concurrent professional fieldwork experience or practicum. The participants were interviewed three times during the practicum and once more in their first year of teaching, to investigate the nature and depth of their self-reflections about the practicum and their relationship with their supervising teachers. A three-stage, hierarchical model of reflective practice (Lee, 2005) was used to interpret the interview responses. Results show some improvement in the participants' ability to reflect on their teaching during the practicum, while also highlighting the importance of the practicum school context in their professional formation and professional development. The beginning teachers developed a greater capacity for reflection in their first year of teaching, but even then their responses were generally descriptive in nature rather than demonstrating critical reflection. We suggest some reasons for this.


This research note uses a median legislator model to assess the claim that racial redistricting leads to conservative policy outcomes. I examine policy preferences of southern representatives to the U.S. House in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Surprisingly, the fraction of southern representatives who were liberal, that is, to the left of the House median, increased after racial redistricting. To explain this empirical pattern, I develop a simple formal model of redistricting's electoral effects. In the model, racial redistricting in a conservative state increases the number of members of that state's delegation to the left of the U.S. House median, thereby moving national policy outcomes to the left.


Abstract A new sputtering ion source has been installed at CEDAD (Centre for Dating and Diagnostics) at the University of Salento in Lecce, Italy. The installation of the new ion source, capable of accepting both solid and gas samples, required significant modifications of the existing low energy injector of the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system. The new ion source is connected, through an in-house designed gas handling interface, to an elemental analyzer which combusts the samples to carbon dioxide and splits the gas into an IRMS system and also to the gas feed line of the ion source. This arrangement allows the simultaneous measurement of C, N content (in the EA), carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic ratios by IRMS and radiocarbon (14C) by AMS on samples with masses in the microgram range. The results of different tests performed to find optimal operational conditions and to improve the system performances are presented. The performances of the system as a function of the diameter of the glass capillary used to feed the source and the pressure of the gas mixture in the syringe are also presented. The achievable precision and blank levels are discussed together with the results obtained in environmental studies.


To locate accurately the occurrence of a partial discharge in a power transformer winding, a wide frequency band model of the winding is required. In this paper a wide frequency band Multi Conductor Transmission Line model (MTL) is employed to simulate the propagation of PD signal in transformer windings. The MTL model is briefly reviewed and the related equations of the model are reformulated to easily simulate occurrence of a PD signal along the winding. Software is developed in Matlab to calculate the windings resonance frequencies and the magnitudes of overvoltages occurring between different disks along the winding. Then propagation of PD signal in a power transformer (900MVA, 525kV), is simulated using the (MTL) model with frequency dependent parameters. Also this method is employed to model the laboratory transformer winding.


Experimental studies between 1978 and 2004 on ambipolar (tandem) mirror traps are reviewed. Results on the formation of ambipolar ion-confining barriers and the formation of thermal barriers for thermally insulating electrons in ion barriers from plasma confined in a solenoid are discussed. Achievements on improving longitudinal plasma confinement and limiting transverse plasma losses in the trap are reviewed. The reasons for the limited density of solenoid plasma in TMX-U and GAMMA-10 machines are discussed. Some results on the MHD stabilization of plasma and on the suppression of plasma microinstabilities are reviewed. Prospects for constructing ambipolar fusion reactors are discussed


Mediating Effect of Decentering on the Relationship between Self and Psychological Wellbeing of Students Abstract This study has been carried out in order to investigate the mediating effect of decentering on the relationship of self discouragement and psychological well-being of undergraduate students. The data of self discouragement, decentering and psychological well-being were obtained. Finally, the total data of 243 undergraduate students were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows. Finally, the total data of 243 undergraduate students were analyzed. Second, decentering partially mediated the relation between self discouragement and psychological well-being. In other words, self discouragement impeded decentering and influenced on psychological well-being negatively. The implications and limitations of this study were discussed.


SUMMARY: The sensitivity to various antibiotics of certain facultatively anaerobic bacteria when growing under aerobic or anaerobic conditions was compared. The antibiotics tested were: dihydrostreptomycin, penicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, carbomycin, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline. Dihydrostreptomycin was unique amongst the antibiotics tested in being less active against facultative anaerobes when they were growing anaerobically than when growing aerobically. Dihydrostreptomycin was relatively inactive against Clostridium welchii and C. novyi, and its action was governed by the inoculum size. Dihydrostreptomycin is not a useful selective agent for the isolation of C. welchii.


This paper presents results on the development and application of a three-dimensional (3-D) microstructure assembly technique-Plastic deformation magnetic assembly (PDMA). In PDMA, certain part of the microstructure to be assembled is plastically deformed by the magnetic force generated from the interaction between a magnetic material piece deposited on the microstructure and an external magnetic field. As a result, the entire microstructure can remain at a rest angle with respect to the substrate surface due to the plastic deformation. The amount of plastic deformation and the rest angle are found to he strongly dependent on the properties and the geometric parameters of the deformation region of the microstructure and also the magnetic material piece. A general design rule for PDMA has been given, PDMA is capable of batch-scale assembly. It has been successfully applied to fabricate novel micromachined devices with high yield and good controllability. As an example, the results of a novel vertical planar spiral inductor realized by the application of PDMA have also been presented in the paper.


This thesis explores the linkages between corporate governance and corporate finance, making use of a large panel of Chinese listed firms over the period 2003-2010. We investigate three main themes.
First, we examine the impact of managerial ownership and other corporate governance variables on firms' exporting decisions, which are characterized by considerable risk and information asymmetries. We document that both export propensity and intensity increase with managerial ownership up to a point of around 23%-27%, and decrease thereafter. We also find a negative association between state ownership and export intensity. Furthermore, we observe that the larger the board size, the lower the firm's export propensity and intensity, and that firms with a higher proportion of independent directors in the board are generally less likely to export. These findings are driven by privately controlled firms during the post-2006 split share structure reform period.
Second, we examine the relationship between managerial ownership and corporate investment decisions. We find that investment decisions are systematically related to managerial ownership in two ways. Firstly, managerial ownership exerts a positive direct effect on corporate investment decisions, by aligning management's incentives with the interests of shareholders. Secondly, we document that, by acting as a form of collateral to lenders, managerial ownership helps to reduce the degree of financial constraints faced by firms.
Third, we examine the impact of ownership and corporate governance on agency costs. We measure the latter in two ways: using the sales to assets ratio, and the general administration and selling expenses scaled by assets. We find that, especially in the post-2006 split share structure reform period, increased managerial ownership and debt financing work as effective corporate governance mechanisms, by mitigating agency problems. We also find evidence that while legal person shareholding helps to mitigate agency costs for privately controlled firms in the post-reform period, large boards of directors are associated with higher agency costs in government controlled firms.
From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that the Chinese government's recent policies aimed at reforming ownership structure and encouraging managerial ownership in listed firms have helped to reduce agency and asymmetric information problems, thereby enabling firms to enhance investment efficiency and international activities. Our study recommends that greater attention should therefore be paid to compensation contracts of the management team and to board characteristics, and that state ownership should be further reduced. This would help further enhance resource allocation efficiency and sustain high levels of economic growth.


The purpose of this study is to assess the causes of medical staff absenteeism and turnover in case of Arbaminch General Hospital. In addition, it explores the consquences/ impact of absenteeism and trunover on patients care,workload on medical staff and reputation on Arbaminch General Hospital. To this end, the study employed a descriptive, correlation and regession analysis. Data was collected using closed ended structured questionnaires by applying Likert scale which were filled by full time medical staff (N= 50). The findings indicate that demographic factors such as marital status, working experiences, educational level and have significant negative correlation with absenteeism and turnover. Organizational factors such as working condition and work load have positive significant correlation with medical staff absenteeism and turnover. In contrast, all studied organizational factors such as compensation/ incentive program, promotional opportunities, managerial style, training and development and career development are significantly negatively correlated with both absenteeism and turnover. The findings also indicated that medical staff absenteeism and turnover had consequences on patient care, increasing workload on existing staff, and bad reputation for hospital. Furthermore, both absenteeism and turnover have resulted in demoralization of existing medical staff at Arbaminch General Hospital. Keywords: Demographic Variables, Job Factors, Organizational Factors, Patient Care, Demoralization, Absenteeism, Turnover DOI : 10.7176/JHMN/58-04