This study focuses on investigating the main elements that have an effect on women's decisions to enter a career in technology-oriented fields, and more specifically, to discover whether studying crafts, especially technical work, during basic education affects their decisions in this context. The study was carried out using a semi-structured questionnaire, and the data consist of the  responses from 12 female technology education teachers and 12 female engineering students. A qualitative theory oriented content analysis was carried out through identifying, coding, analysing and reporting the patterns within the data. The findings revealed that the most influential career anchor identified by all these women was a technical or functional competence. Secondly, their familiarity with the field was a relatively important element. These findings suggest some positive perspectives on women's interests in technology-oriented career paths, and indicating that supportive interventions can be implemented.


Little is known about the molecular mechanism of nucleotide excision repair in eukaryotes. Studies on human cells have been stimulated by the availability of excision repair-defective cell lines from patients suffering from the autosomal recessive disease xeroderma pigmentosum. Such studies have contributed appreciably to an understanding of the genetic complexity of excision repair in human cells. However, to date no human excision repair genes or gene products known to complement the repair defect in xeroderma pigmentosum cells have been isolated. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an interesting model for exploring the molecular mechanism of nucleotide excision repair in eukaryotic cells. As is true in human cells, multiple yeast genes are involved in this phenomenon and at least five genes are required for the specific incision of ultraviolet-irradiated DNA in vivo. These five genes have been isolated by molecular cloning and the nucleotide sequences of four of them have been determined. Each of these cloned genes will be used for overexpression of protein and it is anticipated that the purification and characterization of these proteins will provide insight into the biochemistry of nucleotide excision repair in eukaryotes.


In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. "John Polkinghorne's description of God offers an insight into what supports his belief in God. Each religion has a specific description of who God is understood to be. Polkinghorne believes that God must have a purpose, and a mind with which to ponder this purpose and make decisions. While we may not be clear on what this purpose is and to what extent this mind reaches, Polkinghorne believes that the universe would not otherwise exist without the presence of God. He does not explain why God's presence is veiled, but there has never been a case of anyone claiming to be the almighty creator and proving it. Many religions teach that God is always with us, (in our hearts, in our minds, in the flowers, etcetera,) and that we must have faith even though we cannot see or hear him. Because of this "veiled presence," he is worthy of worship. The idea of God fosters hope among believers. Those who believe are comforted in knowing that this hidden being has a plan for everyone, and while we might not know what that plan is, we have faith that God will us pull through somehow." This research paper is available in Verbum: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol6/iss1/11 Social Psychology of Religion


The "brain train" has emerged as a predominant narrative in developmentalist discourse portraying overseas scholars as unencumbered individuals riding the train from developing to developed countries for social and economic mobility. In this article, we problematize the metaphorical use of "brain" to describe overseas scholars as self-serving calculative individuals by approaching the scholars as subjects whose practices are contingent in specific geopolitical constructs and shaped by hierarchies of emotions. We take into account the individual stories of Indonesian scholars who currently work in Western academic institutions and look at the interplay between emotions and notions of citizenship as experienced and practiced by the scholars. The article contends that emotional relationships with the nation, despite notions of deterritorialization of citizenship, is difficult to escape for it endures and retains its presence despite vulnerabilities and struggles the scholar has to deal with. Further, the tenacity of the scholars" experiences in the territories they inhabit today not only question the notion of brain train, but also challenges the notions of nation and citizenship imagined and aggressively mobilized by the nation-state.


<italic>Objective:</italic> The aim of the study was to show if pulse rise times (PRTs) extracted from photoplethysmographic (PPG) pulse waves (PWs) have an association with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or its endovascular treatment, percutanoeus transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the superficial femoral artery. <italic>Methods:</italic> Lower and upper limb PPG PWs were recorded and analyzed from 24 patients who suffered from PAD. The measurements were conducted before and after the treatment, and one month later by using transmission-mode PPG-probes placed in the index finger and second toe. Ankle-to-brachial pressure index and toe pressures were used as references in clinical patient measurements. PRTs, i.e., the time from the foot point to the peak point of the PW, were extracted from the PWs and compared bilaterally. The results from the PAD patients were also compared with 31 same-aged and 34 younger control subjects. <italic>Results:</italic> Statistically significant differences were found between the pretreatment PRTs of the treated limb of the PAD patients and the same-aged control subjects (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p< 10^{-9}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, Mann–Whitney U-test). The changes in the PRT of the treated lower limb were observed immediately after the PTA (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p< 0.001$</tex-math></inline-formula>, Student's <italic>t</italic>-test), and after one month (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p< 0.0005$</tex-math></inline-formula>), whereas the PRTs of the non-treated lower limb and upper limb did not indicate changes between different examinations. <italic>Conclusion:</italic> Results show that a PRT greater than 240 ms indicates PAD-lesions in the lower limb. <italic>Significance:</italic> This proof-of-concept study suggests that the PRT could be an effective and easy-to-use indicator for PAD and monitoring the effectiveness of its treatment.


This study presents a method of simulating longer-term cash flows that reflect the cumulative effects of variation in seasons, prices, enterprise sequences and mixes and other management decisions. It can be used to develop full risk profiles on a whole-farm or individual-component enterprise basis for most dryland farms in southern Australia, at gross margin, profit or cash flow levels. This analysis concentrates on the cash flow implications of these various scenarios because cash flow is the indicator which includes all costs, and therefore demonstrates affordability and the long-term viability of the farm business entity. This study shows that the role of sheep in the mixed farming enterprise in south-eastern Australia is to reduce the exposure of the business to the relatively high cash flow variability associated with dryland cropping. In all districts studied, sheep have a cost of production about half that of cropping, and crop margins are more sensitive to rainfall variability. Sheep therefore reduce the risk of loss when compared with continuous cropping.


In this paper , we studied the effect of carbon fibers on the performance properties of polymer composites based on polytetrafluoroethylene. It was shown that the introduction of PTFE carbon fibers significantly improved tribological and mechanical properties of the composite. The correlation between the performance properties and supramolecular structure was found. Initial lamellar structure of the polymer became less in size without significant changes in morphology when filled. Such process was accompanied by the increase of crystalline regions number and the crystallinity degree of composite. Structural studies have shown that materials with more densely packed and highly crystalline structure have increased mechanical and tribological properties. The developed materials can be used in friction units of machines and devices, where the use of lubricants is not acceptable or restricted.


This paper characterises the properties of unsymmetric bistable carbon fibre composites actuated using a single piezoelectric macro fibre actuator. A piezoelectric–laminate combination under two-axis constraint was evaluated in terms of its load–deflection characteristics, snap-through force and stiffness. The load–deflection characteristics indicate that snap-through force and laminate stiffness increase as a function of piezoelectric actuator drive-voltage. Both snap-through force and laminate stiffness are significantly increased under two-axis constraint, as compared to single-axis constraint. Snap-through force and stiffness are shown to be affected by localised curvature variation caused by laminate ageing.


There have been efforts to promote use of woodfuel conservation technologies. These technologies include the improved charcoal stoves, the improved fuelwood stoves and the fireless cookers that can save woodfuel of upto 50%. This study was carried out to determine the social economic factors influencing adoption of these technologies. Income of the household and level of education were positively correlated to acquisition and use of the energy saving technologies. While the numbers of dependants and cost of improved woodfuel energy saving technologies were found as some of the social economic factors influencing adoption of these technologies.


BACKGROUND
Well-developed physical qualities may protect athletes from exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerate recovery following exercise. This study examined the influence of muscle strength and aerobic fitness on recovery from competitive soccer matches.

METHODS
Fourteen players from the English Premier League 2 (Age, 18 ± 1 yrs; height, 1.78 ± 0.54 m; mass, 73.8 ± 6.3 kg) were equally divided (median split) into a higher or lower group for muscle strength and aerobic fitness, according to their isometric mid-thigh pull (IMPT) and maximal aerobic speed test (MAST) scores, respectively. The following markers of recovery were assessed before (48-h pre-match), 12 h (M+1), 36 h (M+2) and 60 h (M+3) after ~3 matches: countermovement jump height (CMJ), reactive strength index (RSI), muscle soreness (DOMS) and wellbeing.

RESULTS
IMTP was positively correlated with the recovery of CMJ, RSI and DOMS following matches (P<0.05). In the high IMTP group, DOMS was lower at M+1 to M+3 (all P≤0.002; ES≥2.10), CMJ was ≥4% greater at M+1 to M+3 (all P≤0.001; ES≥2.21) and RSI was ≥3% higher at M+2 and M+3 (all P≤0037; ES≥1.25). Players in the H-MAST group did not recover quicker for any variable (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that stronger players recovered quicker after matches and highlights the importance of lowerbody strength training for soccer players.


Complex-valued time-dependent matrix inversion (TDMI) is extensively exploited in practical industrial and engineering fields. Many current neural models are presented to find the inverse of a matrix in an ideal noise-free environment. However, the outer interferences are normally believed to be ubiquitous and avoidable in practice. If these neural models are applied to complex-valued TDMI in a noise environment, they need to take a lot of precious time to deal with outer noise disturbances in advance. Thus, a noise-suppression model is urgent to be proposed to address this problem. In this article, a complex-valued noise-tolerant zeroing neural network (CVNTZNN) on the basis of an integral-type design formula is established and investigated for finding complex-valued TDMI under a wide variety of noises. Furthermore, both convergence and robustness of the CVNTZNN model are carefully analyzed and rigorously proved. For comparison and verification purposes, the existing zeroing neural network (ZNN) and gradient neural network (GNN) have been presented to address the same problem under the same conditions. Numerical simulation consequences demonstrate the effectiveness and excellence of the proposed CVNTZNN model for complex-valued TDMI under various kinds of noises, by comparing the existing ZNN and GNN models.


The theme detente has been used to highlight bacterial weapons and host defenses. Interactions on host surfaces "at the border" zone are usually subclinical events. If bacteria have initial success and invade, iron sequestration, serum bacteriocidins, opsonins and the phagocytic system keeps this a localized event. More virulent microbes have evolved mechanisms for evading the phagocytic system by developing thick cell walls with specialized structures or capsules. Fortunately, the host's specific adaptive immune granulocytes and macrophages response provides opsonic antibodies for efficient phagocytosis. The phagocytes' oxidative burst, granule disruption, and phagosome formation results in host superiority although prolonged co-existence may exist when certain bacteria successfully evade intracellular events.


Two large-celled bacterial species, Macromonas sp. and Chromatium sp., densely populate an upper boundary of the H2S layer of Lake Kaiike (bacterial plate). Growth of Macromonas sp. was examined from the laboratory incubations of the bacterial plate samples under different conditions. Enrichment of the bacterium was achieved in a medium of DUBININA and GRABOVICH (1984) which contained CH3COONa, casamino acids and yeast extract. H2S was inhibitory for the bacterial growth. Without addition of such organic matter into the bacterial plate sample, the bacterium could grow as long as Chromatium sp. existed in considerable quantity, and growth of Chromatium sp. was H2S-limited.


Family businesses are basically owner-managed enterprises with the family involved within the business. When, to family ties within the business, is added the biological inevitability of an eventual transfer of power, family succession becomes an alternative to selling the business–-a transfer based on non-market considerations. A framework for studying family businesses is proposed which has succession as its anchor. The succession process is where changes in management, in strategy, and in control are planned for and executed. The framework is built upon stages of the family enterprise which emanate from the biological reality of parent and offspring being separated by age and business experience but wedded together by "blood" and a shared family experience.


This paper describes the development of EDIFICE: Embedded Droplet Impingement For Integrated Cooling of Electronics. The EDIFICE project seeks to develop an integrated droplet impingement cooling device for removing chip heat fluxes over 100 W/cm/sup 2/, employing latent heat of vaporization of dielectric fluids. Micro-spray nozzles are fabricated to produce 50-100 micron droplets coupled with surface texturing on the backside of the chip to promote spreading and boiling. A novel features to enable adaptive on-demand cooling is MEMS sensing and MEMS actuation. EDIFICE is integrated within the electronics package and fabricated using advanced micromanfacturing technologies.


We propose an exact, general and efficient coarse-to-fine energy minimization strategy for semantic video segmentation. Our strategy is based on a hierarchical abstraction of the supervoxel graph that allows us to minimize an energy defined at the finest level of the hierarchy by minimizing a series of simpler energies defined over coarser graphs. The strategy is exact, i.e., it produces the same solution as minimizing over the finest graph. It is general, i.e., it can be used to minimize any energy function (e.g., unary, pair wise, and higher-order terms) with any existing energy minimization algorithm (e.g., graph cuts and belief propagation). It also gives significant speedups in inference for several datasets with varying degrees of spatio-temporal continuity. We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our strategy relative to existing hierarchical approaches, and the kinds of image and video data that provide the best speedups.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. The use of electronic health records allows for the application of a novel medication risk score for the rapid identification of ambulatory patients at risk of adverse drug events. We sought to examine the longitudinal association of medication risk score with mortality. This retrospective cohort study included patients whose data were available through electronic health records from multiple health care organizations in the United States that provided data as part of a Patient Safety Organization. Patients were included if they had ≥1 visit and ≥1 medication in their record between January 1, 2011, to June 30, 2017. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between continuous and categorized medication risk score with all-cause mortality. Among 427,103 patients, the median age was 50 years (interquartile range, 29–64 years); 61% were female; 50% were White, 11% were Black, and 38% were Hispanic; and 6873 had a death date recorded. Patients 30 to 49 years old had the highest hazard ratios (HRs), followed by the 50- to 64-year-olds and lastly those 65 years or older. Controlling for all covariates, 30- to 49-year-olds with a score of 20 to 30 (versus <10) had a 604% increase in the hazard of death (HR, 7.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.86–12.85), 50- to 64-year-olds had a 254% increase (HR, 3.54; 95% CI, 2.71–4.63), and ≥65-year-olds had an 87% increase (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.67–2.09). The medication risk score was independently associated with death, adjusting for multimorbidities and other conditions. Risk was found to vary by age group and score. Results suggest that pharmaceutical interventions among those with elevated scores could improve medication safety for patients taking multiple medications.


Thermoelectric power coefficient measurement techniques have been developed for numerous applications to guarantee material integrity by providing a non-destructive electronic property correlation to material microstructure, phase stability, specific solute additions, and lattice strain. How the electron concentration, the effective mass, and the dominating scattering mechanisms allow for non-destructive evaluation of materials will be described. Because thermoelectric power (TEP) is dependent upon numerous variables, additional non-destructive techniques are necessary to further characterize or classify the material or weldment. The concept of an electronic metallography laboratory is developed using additional collaborative NDE technologies.


Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders. First described in 1798 by Alexander Crichton, ADHD became widely known outside the medical profession with the publication of the story of Fidgety Phil ('Zappelphilipp') in Heinrich Hoffman' sb ook 'Struwwelpeter' in 1846. Since then, scientists and clinicians have been struggling to understand its causes. To date, there is neither a genetic test nor a brain scan to diagnose ADHD due to the fact that it is a heterogeneous collection of behaviours that appear to have different causes and symptoms. In view of the lack of an objective diagnostic method, the major difficulty that specialists face is to decide where to set the threshold between behaviours and states of mind that require medication or behavioural treatment and differences that can be left alone. The increased rate in diagnosis and stimulant use in ADHD recently raises several issues, notably, are we setting lower diagnostic thresholds because of societies' intolerance of behaviours and impairments associated with ADHD? This article discusses some of the controversies in ADHD diagnosis and treatment, including many medical, social, and ethical aspects.


With the socio-economic development and increasingly higher buildings, public concern is growing over high-rise fire evacuation issues. Considering the shortcomings of the existing escape device and methods, such as difficult speed adjustment, high demand for escaping skill, difficult unification of speediness and security, poor recycling etc, an integrated speed limited escape method is proposed by analyzing kinetics of high-rise evacuation. On one hand, the escape acceleration is limited by using centrifugal mechanism, on the other, according to the building height and people's weight, the landing speed of people is restricted by controlling the break height and braking force of brakes. The developed escape machine use the micro-controller to monitor the height and speed real-timely, control the brake automatically and start rope recycling mechanism after the landing, which achieves quick and safe escape. The experiment shows that when heavy object weighing around 75kg drops from a height of 14. 6m, the maximum speed reaches 3m/s, the landing speed is less than 0.5m/s and the falling time is within 7.5s, which achieves better escaping effect.


This chapter investigates the radio-wave propagation above irregular ground, including the troposphere, using physical optics computation. We briefly describe used simplifications, which substantially reduce numerical simulations. Using the principle of stationary phase, we can approximate the propagation over a terrain (the PO approximation of the vector problem with a 3-D surface) with a 2-D surface. Moreover, we approximate the reflection coefficient for a surface with random deviations considering the surface standard deviation and the local Fresnel reflection coefficient for the smooth ground. We present the novel computations of physical optics for investigations of radar coverage diagrams. We consider both monostatic and bistatic radars, the far-field antenna measuring ranges, and studies of air refraction index. We validate the calculations by both experimental results and the other numerical simulations. The experimental results changed during seasons and according to terrain and troposphere conditions including vegetation, cultivation, snow, and air temperature and pressure. environment circumstances and modifications.


We revisit the properties and astrophysical implications of the field white dwarf mass distribution in preparation of Gaia applications. Our study is based on the two samples with the best established completeness and most precise atmospheric parameters, the volume-complete survey within 20 pc and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) magnitude-limited sample. We explore the modelling of the observed mass distributions with Monte Carlo simulations, but find that it is difficult to constrain independently the initial mass function (IMF), the initial-tofinal-mass relation (IFMR), the stellar formation history (SFH), the variation of the Galactic disc vertical scale height as a function of stellar age, and binary evolution. Each of these input ingredients has a moderate effect on the predicted mass distributions, and we must also take into account biases owing to unidentified faint objects (20 pc sample), as well as unknown masses for magnetic white dwarfs and spectroscopic calibration issues (SDSS sample). Nevertheless, we find that fixed standard assumptions for the above parameters result in predicted mean masses that are in good qualitative agreement with the observed values. It suggests that derived masses for both studied samples are consistent with our current knowledge of stellar and Galactic evolution. Our simulations overpredict by 40–50 per cent the number of massive white dwarfs (M > 0.75 M ) for both surveys, although we can not exclude a Salpeter IMF when we account for all biases. Furthermore, we find no evidence of a population of double white dwarf mergers in the observed mass distributions.


Although the relevant standards, technical innovations, international rules, and safety-related regulations enforce the shipbuilding industry to improve the design and structural quality of the merchant ships, there are still many design-based failures that are being encountered by operators during the service period. Design-based failures that have an influence on the technical performance and operational efficiency cause minor or catastrophic consequences, increase human errors, and impair safety on board ships. This paper mainly focuses on examining the potential causes and effects of design-based deficiencies in ship machinery space on board merchant ships by referring to the outcomes of experimental surveys, ship deficiency reports, and marine accident statistics. In addition, a shipyard-centered information network on monitoring design-based failures is proposed for managing the gaps between designers, operators, and equipment manufacturers. It encourages the shipyard organizations to enhance the design and structural quality of the shipboard systems.


The lecithin content of lung, together with its surface tension properties, were determined in 34 stillbirths, and 61 neonatal deaths. Lecithin content ranged widely from 1·5 to 18·6% of dry lung tissue. In 24 cases the `palmitic-lecithin' was also measured; it formed 44-79% of the total lecithins. Since the two were related linearly, changes in palmitic-lecithin could be adequately studied by measuring total lecithins. Lecithin content was negatively correlated with minimum surface tension of lung extract in both fresh stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Cases with hyaline membranes had lung lecithin in the lower range (< 8% dry tissue). Lung lecithin content may be a measure of surfactant reserve. After 29 weeks' gestation, fresh stillbirths and neonatal deaths, other than those with hyaline membranes, had normal lung surfactant. The exception was a small group of infants having immature lungs lacking surfactant, and who survived less than 2½ hours; some of these, it is surmised, would have developed hyaline membranes had they survived longer. This was consistent with the fact that well-formed hyaline membranes were only found in infants that had survived for at least 3 hours. Surfactant deficiency probably develops only after birth (except in very immature infants), and as a consequence of an initial rapid consumption of surfactant to form a lining layer covering the alveolar surface, when a gas-liquid interface is created by aeration of lung. Surfactant deficiency, by promoting interstitial pulmonary oedema, is thought to be the immediate cause of hyaline membrane disease. A scheme for the pathogenesis of hyaline membrane disease is set out. It provides a possible mechanism for the different ways in which surfactant deficiency may arise in immature and mature infants. Cases where hyaline membranes occur with normal surfactant fall into three groups: (1) Cases with hyaline membrane disease that have survived several days, the lungs being in the stage of repair. (2) Cases with massive lung haemorrhage, with severe anaemia from haemolytic disease, or with heart failure; extravasation of oedema fluid or blood may be the common factor in this group. (3) Infants of diabetic mothers.


Polymers are receiving considerable attention as components in novel optical systems because of the tailored functionality, ease of manufacturing, and relatively low cost. The processing of layered polymeric systems by coextrusion is a method to produce films comprising hundreds to thousands of alternating layers in a single, one-step roll-to-roll process. Several layered polymer optical systems have been fabricated by coextrusion, including gradient refractive index lenses, tunable refractive index elastomers, photonic crystals, and mechanically tunable photonic crystals. Layered polymeric optical systems made by coextrusion can also incorporate active components such as photoreactive additives for multilayered patterning and laser dyes for all-polymer laser systems. Coextrusion is a process which allows for the flexible design of polymeric optical systems using layers with thickness spanning the nanoscale to the microscale.


EXPLORING THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS Nardos Sori Old Dominion University, 2015 Director: Dr. Lesley Greene The present and potential future effect of global warming on the ecosystem has brought climate change to the forefront of scientific inquiry and discussion. For our investigation, we selected two organisms, one from cyanobacteria and one from a cereal plant to determine how climate change may impact these biological systems. The study involved understanding the physiological and adaptive responses at both the genetic and protein function levels to counteract environmental stresses. An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is a key factor in global climate change and can lead to alterations in ocean chemistry. Cyanobacteria are important, ancient and ubiquitous organisms that can aid in the study of the biological response to increasing carbon dioxide. Climate predictions estimate that by the year 2100 atmospheric carbon dioxide will exceed 700 ppm. In our first study, we looked at the transcriptional effect of high pC 02 on the cyanobacteria, Trichodesmium erythraeum. Total RNA sequencing was used to quantify changes in gene expression in T. erythraeum grown under present day and projected pC 02 concentrations for the year 2100. Two bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the transcriptional data. The results from this study indicate that a substantial number of genes are affected by high pC 02. However, increased pC 02 does not completely alter any one specific metabolic pathway. As the climate shifts throughout the world, it becomes essential for crops to withstand weather changes. In our second study, we investigated the function of the temperature induced lipocalin (Tatil) from Triticum aestivum, which is proposed to help plants survive adverse conditions. This protein is part of a functionally diverse and divergent superfamily of proteins called the lipocalins; they share a common three-dimensional structure, which consists of an antiparallel (3-barrel and a C-terminal a-helix. Lipocalins are found in various organisms with a wide range of functions such as pheromone activity, lipid transport and coloration. Recently, proteins from wheat and Arabidopsis were identified as lipocalins through the elucidation of three structurally conserved regions. The study is particularly timely, as recent studies within the scientific community have shown that at higher temperatures wheat yields will decrease and production will decline by 6% for each 1°C increase. We analyzed the nature of conservation in a large group of sequentially divergent and functionally diverse lipocalins and identified seventeen highly conserved positions as well as built models of the native three-dimensional state of the wheat lipocalin. Based on these computational studies, the wild-type protein and three variants were chosen for a cellular localization study involving site-directed mutagenesis, a gene gun and a confocal microscope. The results provide support for the hypothesis that the L5 loop is involved in the association of the protein with the plasma membrane. We also developed an expression and purification system to produce the wild-type wheat lipocalin protein. Gel filtration chromatography eluted two different sized proteins. Based on the elution volume, one is believed to be the wheat lipocalin trimer while the other one is the monomer. Circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy show that the biological characteristics of the two proteins are different. In the study, Tatil maintains its structure up to approximately 50°C (122°F). In summary, we provide experimental data to better understand mechanistically how microorganisms and plants adapt to environmental change. In cyanobacteria, we show that T. erythraeum adapts to pC 02 increases by upor down-regulating its genes. In plants, we provide insight into the way in which Tatil interacts with the plant cell membrane as part of its putative function to facilitate robustness in response to temperature increases. The study of Tatil is vital as this protein is believed to help plants tolerate oxidative stress and extreme conditions which broadens our understanding of plant sustainability in different environments. To Jesus Christ, who had finished the work as He had started it.


This article connects two emerging debates in urban studies—the need to pay more attention to the role of nonhuman actors in urban planning and the ways in which media objects affect urban politics and planning—by examining how a video on Bogota's car‐free Ciclovia program facilitated the adoption and implementation of a similar program in San Francisco. The analysis shows that media objects have the capacity to act as fulcrums in processes of leveraging urban policy change owing to their potential to alter urban governance structures. The article analyzes the digital storytelling and 'eye‐opening' practices through which the video enabled policy changes to be implemented in San Francisco, while also tracing the local and transnational actors, networks and agendas that were involved in the production and circulation of the video through digital archival research and multi‐sited fieldwork. In doing so, it shows the active role that media objects play in shaping urban policymaking processes and provides an example of a relational methodology for studying the digital materialities through which urban policy ideas increasingly circulate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


Literacy lies at the heart of education and has been
formally enshrined as a basic human right since the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. For
centuries, acquiring literacy has been associated with
children needing to acquire knowledge about the
alphabetic code in order to read and write, but broader
understandings of what literacy is have developed over
recent decades. Internationally, literacy is now defined as
'the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create,
communicate, compute and use printed and written
materials associated with varying contexts' (UNESCO,
2013). It is recognised as the foundation for lifelong
learning, and as 'fully essential to social and human
development in its ability to transform lives. For
individuals, families, and societies alike, it is an
instrument of empowerment to improve one's health,
one's income, and one's relationship with the world'
(UNESCO, 2013). In this broader vision, literacy is a
platform for individuals to develop their knowledge and to
participate fully in society through diverse oral, written,
printed and digital media


The secondary signals emanating from increased glucose metabolism, which lead to specific increases in proinsulin biosynthesis translation, remain elusive. It is known that signals for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and proinsulin biosynthesis diverge downstream of glycolysis. Consequently, the mitochondrial products ATP, Krebs cycle intermediates, glutamate, and acetoacetate were investigated as candidate stimulus-coupling signals specific for glucose-induced proinsulin biosynthesis in rat islets. Decreasing ATP levels by oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors showed comparable effects on proinsulin biosynthesis and total protein synthesis. Although it is a cofactor, ATP is unlikely to be a metabolic stimulus-coupling signal specific for glucose-induced proinsulin biosynthesis. Neither glutamic acid methyl ester nor acetoacetic acid methyl ester showed a specific effect on glucose-stimulated proinsulin biosynthesis. Interestingly, among Krebs cycle intermediates, only succinic acid monomethyl ester specifically stimulated proinsulin biosynthesis. Malonic acid methyl ester, an inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase, also specifically increased glucose-induced proinsulin biosynthesis without affecting islet ATP levels or insulin secretion. Glucose caused a 40% increase in islet intracellular succinate levels, but malonic acid methyl ester showed no further effect, probably due to efficient conversion of succinate to succinyl-CoA. In this regard, a GTP-dependent succinyl-CoA synthetase activity was found in cytosolic fractions of pancreatic islets. Thus, succinate and/or succinyl-CoA appear to be preferential metabolic stimulus-coupling factors for glucose-induced proinsulin biosynthesis translation.


Detailed mapping of the Eastern Gabbro, Coldwell Complex, Ontario, revealed that the copper and platinum-group-element deposit on the Marathon property is confined to a coarse-grained to pegmatitic gabbro-diorite intrusion, the Two Duck Lake intrusion (TDLI). Exposed along the eastern boundary of the Coldwell Complex, the TDLI was emplaced as a sill whose orientation is slightly oblique to the general structure of the Eastern Gabbro. The TDLI has been subdivided into lower , middle and upper sub-units on the bases of lithological, textural, mineralogical, and geochemical criteria. Both border sub-units are sulfide-, base- and precious metal-enriched, and exhibit abundant evidence of host-rock assimilation. The primary mineral assemblage in the TDLI is plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene, Fe-Ti oxides, with accessory orthopyroxene, biotite, apatite; this primary mineral assemblage is essentially preserved in the core of the intrusion (i.e., the middle subunit). The Cu-PGE Marathon deposit, delineated mainly in the upper sub-unit of the intrusion, consists of disseminated Fe-Cu-Ni sulfides, and platinum-group-minerals derived by hydrothermal remobilization from primary magmatic sulfides. Enrichment in Cu and PGE resulted from partial replacement of original Fe-Ti oxides and pyrrhotite in the primary mineral assemblage by reaction with (a) residual magmatic fluid, and (b) fluids derived from the breakdown of host rock xenoliths and hydrothermal alteration along the lower contact of the TDLI.


In this paper we present EasyLocal++, an object-oriented framework that can be used as a general tool for the development of local search algorithms in C++. The basic idea of EasyLocal++ is to capture the essential features of most local search metaheuristics, and their possible compositions. This allows the user to address the design and implementation issues of new heuristics in a more principled way. Furthermore, the framework can easily be customized by an expert user allowing the development of new metaheuristics, and its architecture fully supports the reuse of code.


In the process of land and resources informatization, it will cause massive spatial data acquisition, processing, transmission, distribution and application. But, as an important channel of distributing spatial data, the cable and wireless communication network can't match the growth rate of spatial data for the reason of its limited bandwidth. So, this is a huge contradictions, and thus forms the obstacles of spatial information services. Therefore, to study multi-scale representation of spatial data and how to progressively transmit spatial data by the cable and wireless communication network which have limited bandwidth, is a specific solution for above-mentioned contradiction. In this paper, a progressive transmission schema which based on multi-scale representation of spatial data, spatial index and buffer strategy to support effective mobile GIS applications for spatial data in mobile environments is proposed. Research shows that this method can help to improve efficiency to transmit multi scale and large scale spatial data representation.


If Simon Flexner had been asked to classify himself, beyond doubt he would have deemed his place to lie amongst the most factual of men; for always he concerned himself with immediate situations and his logic was severe. He had no use for prophecy, and visionaries he could not understand. Yet he had vision of the sharpest, seeing the future implicit in the present; and he acted upon what he saw. From youth, as if with foreknowledge, he made himself ready for the needs of a coming time, moulding himself for its purposes, almost in detail. Flexner derived from an erudite Jewish family who were living in Bohemia when his father, then a boy, was sent off for education to an uncle, a rabbi in Strasbourg. There Morris Flexner grew up and for a brief while taught school before emigrating to the United States in 1853. Landing in New York he pressed on to New Orleans with two companions, to find opportunities in the French quarter; but instead they were found by yellow fever and within a few weeks Flexner alone was left alive. He lost no time in making his way up the Ohio River to the good climate of Kentucky, already a well-settled state, as the occupation he perforce took up sufficiently shows; for he became a peddler, tramping from house to house. Soon he was providing wares to other peddlers, and within a few years had become a merchant in hats at wholesale and was able to marry. His wife had grown up in Alsace and learnt dressmaking in Paris before journeying to relatives in Louisville, where she and Morris Flexner now set up their home. They both had been soundly taught by the world, possessed enterprise and acumen, and were familiar with the languages and ways of France and Germany. Simon was born in 1863, the fourth of nine children. The panic of 1873 wiped out his father's business, and his parents almost gave over the hope to educate their children for the professions. It is a measure of their despair that one day Simon's father, downcast and silent, led him by the hand to the neighbourhood plumber and offered him as apprentice. But so meagre was the ten-year boy that the plumber after one glance said no. This was 'S. F.'s' own story, told long after at an august dinner in his honour, to relieve an occasion which bore on him hard.


Ovarian cancers pose the greatest challenge for gynecological oncology. They are a heterogeneous, rapidly progressing and highly lethal group of malignancies and their etiology is still poorly understood. Among many hypotheses, explaining the pathogenesis of malignant tumors, chronic inflammation seems to play a significant role, which was proved in cervical, hepatic and esophageal cancers. The processes of inflammation and carcinogenesis are very much alike. Their similarity was experimentally confirmed by epidemiological, immunological, biochemical and genetic studies. Additionally this view is supported by indirect epidemiological and clinical evidence linking ovarian cancer with pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome. Chronic inflammation is a key factor in the pathogenesis of these illnesses. Moreover ovulation involving repeated damage and repair of the ovarian surface epithelium is in fact an inflammatory process. In this review, we focus on the role of inflammation in cancer initiation, promotion and progression with special emphasis on the ovarian cancer. We discuss the potential involvement of the fallopian tubes, endometriosis and microenvironment of tumors represented by cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and various enzymes that destroy the extracellular matrix. Considering that molecular biology is currently rapidly evolving, we focus on the function of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) in the pathophysiology of inflammation and cancer.


The Russian Platform and the Polish Lowlands were independent provinces in the Lower Cretaceous within the uniform zoogeographic Boreal-Atlantic Realm: the East-European and the Polish Province. Boreal ammonites dominated over the Russian Platform in the Berriasian, Valanginian, and Hauterivian, while in the Albian-Aptian the Tethyan ammonites of wide areal extent played essential part also in the boreal province. A mixed type of Boreal-Tethyan fauna appeared in the Polish Lowlands, with southern species dominating in the Berriasian, Late Valanginian, and Middle and Later Albian. The boreal ammonites were dominating in the Early Valanginian and Hauterivian. Common boreal species are of decisive importance for correlation of the Lower Cretaceous in both provinces including such genera as Riasanites, Surites, Borealites, Polyptychites, Dichotomites, and Simbirskites.


The flow rate of water flowing on a steel surface is considered to be one of the important factors strongly influencing the fatigue life of the steel, because the water flow produces difference in the local environmental conditions. The effect of the water flow rate on the fatigue life of a carbon steel was thus investigated experimentally. Fatigue testing of the carbon steel was performed at 289°C for various dissolved oxygen contents (DO) of less than 0.01 and 0.05, 0.2, and 1 ppm, and at various water flow rates. Three different strain rates of 0.4, 0.01. and 0.001 %/s were used in the fatigue tests. At the strain rate of 0.4 %/s, no significant difference in fatigue life was observed under the various flow rate conditions. On the other hand, at 0.01 %/s, the fatigue life increased with increasing water flow rate under all DO conditions, such that the fatigue life at a 7 m/s flow rate was about three times longer than that at a 0.3 m/s flow rate. This increase in fatigue life is attributed to increases in the crack initiation life and small-crack propagation life. The major mechanism producing these increases is considered to be the flushing effect on locally corrosive environments at the surface of the metal and in the cracks. At the strain rate of 0.001 %/s, the environmental effect seems to be diminished at flow rates higher than 0.1 m/s. This behavior does not seem to be explained by the flushing effect alone. Based on this experimental evidence, it was concluded that the existing fatigue data obtained for carbon steel under stagnant or relatively low flow rate conditions may provide a conservative basis for fatigue life evaluation. This approach seems useful for characterizing fatigue life evaluation by expressing increasing fatigue life in terms of increasing water flow rate.


This public housing project comprises two hundred units in Wilad Djallal town, located in the south-western part of the Biskra region in east-central Algeria. It is set in a mountainous desert area, characterized by scattered settlements and small villages, and serves a wide variety of middle-class families. The project as it was finally realized is the result of collaborative efforts between the architects and the local authority. With the clear aim of being responsive to the culture and environment of the region, the design and construction were developed over a period of more than ten years, based on social studies and surveys and a strong awareness of regional identity. During the course of the project, similar housing developments were built in the region by the same architects, employing the same technology, and adopting the same design features. The technology incorporates local construction techniques into standardized modern modes of construction. Through sensitivity to the climate and to the cultural traditions of the inhabitants, the reinterpretation of socio-spatial needs into a built form for public housing has resulted in a residential environment that is both functional and efficient.


The climate crisis has become an emergency. To have a chance of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees, carbon neutrality by 2050 is not enough. We need negative greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions to compensate for ongoing emissions from human activities, as well as for methane from melting arctic tundras, and carbon emissions from wildfires and drying and dying forests. Market forces, regulation and innovation may not save us, in view of market failures, Government failures, and the uncertainty that we will timely develop adequate carbon capture and sequestration technology. We need a coherent and consistent program of regulation, innovation, taxation, education, reforestation, and private cooperation. In markets where consumers' willingness to pay for sustainability is enough to cover at least the "true price" of goods, we may not need special rules to enable private cooperation beyond environmental standards and labeling, and arrangement to create a minimum efficient scale. Where willingness to pay is inadequate, cooperation may be needed to counter market failures, create economies of scale and scope, and to implement the polluter pays principle. The article describes a model for a "polluter pays" agreement between suppliers, that could be a template. It analyses this model under the "ancillary restraints" principles underpinning EU case law in Wouters and Albany, and under Article 101(3) TFEU. Consumers need not be fully compensated by in-market countervailing benefits – they profit even if they benefit from better access to non-market goods or out-of-market goods, and enjoy "a fair share" even if they are not fully compensated with in-market countervailing benefits, so long as the arrangements eliminate costs imposed on others (negative externalities) in accordance with the "polluter pays" principle, or otherwise reduce environmental or climate change harm to all consumers. The current EU Guidelines are too restrictive taking into account the wording of the Treaties and the case law of the CJEU.


DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGYBiological clocks all typically keep to a 24-hour schedule, which is logical because it helps keep organisms in tune with the normal day length. But now scientists have come across a new kind of biological clock, one that not only has a much shorter cycle, but also appears to be driven by a different kind of mechanism. In the 28 November issue of Cell , researchers report evidence that such a clock paces the development of the somites, blocks of tissue that form in regular arrays along the spinal cord of vertebrate embryos and give rise to vertebrae and muscles. They found that in the developing chick embryo, a gene called chairy undergoes repeated 90-minute cycles of activity, which seem to specify the orderly delineation of somites in the growing embryo.


Previous studies on the response of female and male turkeys to grazing have produced conflicting results, warranting further investigation. Our objectives were to quantify habitat use by female Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) during the nesting period and determine possible relationships between cattle grazing and nesting site selection. We also wanted to investigate changes in space use and pastures used by male Rio Grande wild turkeys in the presence and absence of cattle.

From 2000-2004, we located 351 nesting sites from radio-transmittered birds in the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Kansas. A logistic regression model comparing nesting sites to random sites indicated horizontal visual obstruction, vertical visual obstruction, and percentage of bare ground provided the highest predictive power (P < 0.003) for nesting site selection. Agricultural and upland zones were used less than available and riparian zones were used more than available (P < 0.001) for nesting; grazed pastures were used less than available and non-grazed pastures were used more than available (P < 0.05) for nesting. Statistical differences in measured vegetative characteristics were found primarily in compositional components among vegetative zones; upland zone nesting sites had a higher percent shrub component (P < 0.001) and riparian zone nesting sites had a higher percent grass component (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in measured vegetative characteristics among pasture types, but there were differences in what was available for nesting in grazed and non-grazed pastures. Grazed pastures consistently had less grass cover (P < 0.018) and more bare ground (P < 0.043). Because of cattle impacts on grass availability, grazing would likely have the highest impact on nesting in riparian zones due to the high use of grass in riparian zones as Rio Grande turkey nesting cover. An appropriate grazing plan to promote Rio Grande turkey nesting habitat would include grazing upland zones in the spring, when it likely has little impact on nesting site selection, and grazing riparian areas following nesting season.

From 2000-2004, we recorded telemetry locations of radio-transmittered male turkeys in the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Kansas. Area-observation curves indicated that a minimum of 25 locations per bird were adequate for home range calculation. The average home range size for adult male birds on all study sites was 1,830 ha and for juvenile male birds on all study sites was 1,475 ha. Our analysis of home range sizes of male turkeys at the Matador study area contained a lot of variation, and there were too many confounding factors that influenced home range sizes. However, we did find that 52.6% of male home ranges contained a known anthropogenic food source. A more effective analysis of cattle relationships involved comparing individual male locations with cattle presence or absence. We found no selection for grazed or non-grazed pastures (p > 0.05) by male Rio Grande…


Surface analysis plays a crucial role in determining a material character. These have led to increased use of non-destructive tests (NDT) due to their non-invasive nature. However, majority of the NDT rely on data acquisition through point to point scanning process. The techniques are also costly, less sensitive and some require material preparation prior to inspection. To overcome the highlighted challenges, a novel design for surface analysis set up based on Real Time Holographic Interferometry (RTHI) was developed. This was accomplished by aligning the Laser beam, analysing the Laser beam and determination of optimum conditions for recording of phase holograms. The alignment of the Laser beam was performed by adjusting Laser position until the beam struck the same point on a white screen in the near and far field and also ensuring back reflections along the optical axis. The purpose of aligning the Laser beam was to minimize geometrical aberrations in the optical set-up. The aligned Laser beam was analyzed using spectra 320 analyzer and power meter. The wavelength of the He-Ne Laser was 632.8nm and had a beam waist of 1.099rnm. The maximum power was 21.656~W which decreased to 21.197~W on introduction of an objective lens. To determine the optimum conditions for recording and processing of holograms, a transmission hologram recording set up was designed and assembled. Fundamental parameters such as exposure time, object profile, processing chemical compositions and the angle of polarization between the object and reference beams were investigated and analyzed. Optimizing these parameters resulted to high quality holograms as depicted by the diffraction efficiency. The maximum diffraction efficiency of the recorded object holograms was 16% at an exposure time of 20 seconds. Further study using plane wave transmission holograms resulted to hologram images of 21.1 % diffraction efficiency at the same exposure time. To test the design concept, three piston rings from a motorcycle piston were used as objects in the holographic set-up. The object holograms of piston rings were recorded and after processing the holographic plate, it was placed back on the holder. It was at this time, the piston ring was subjected to thermal stress and at the same time illuminated by reference and object beams. The generated interferograms were captured by a CCD camera for analysis. The results demonstrated interferograms abnormalities as a result of thermal stress. This was exhibited by interferograms bending and compressions. Using Atmosfringe version 3.3 and origin version 8.0 softwares an analysis of the interferograms was performed. The peak to valley aberrations ranged from O.0128A to 1.2989A for the whole range of measurements. Using the Fast Fourier Transform analysis of the interference fringes, phase changes were determined for each of the rings. From this result, it was evident that the three rings on the piston have different structural characteristics due to their function. The compression ring had less phase change in comparison with the oil control ring.


Objective To explore prognostic indicators of lung adenocarcinoma with leptomeningeal metastases (LM) and provide an updated graded prognostic assessment model integrated with molecular alterations (molGPA). Methods A cohort of 162 patients was enrolled from 202 patients with lung adenocarcinoma and LM. By randomly splitting data into the training (80%) and validation (20%) sets, the Cox regression and random survival forest methods were used on the training set to identify statistically significant variables and construct a prognostic model. The C-index of the model was calculated and compared with that of previous molGPA models. Results The Cox regression and random forest models both identified four variables, which included KPS, LANO neurological assessment, TKI therapy line, and controlled primary tumor, as statistically significant predictors. A novel targeted-therapy-assisted molGPA model (2022) using the above four prognostic factors was developed to predict LM of lung adenocarcinoma. The C-indices of this prognostic model in the training and validation sets were higher than those of the lung-molGPA (2017) and molGPA (2019) models. Conclusions The 2022 molGPA model, a substantial update of previous molGPA models with better prediction performance, may be useful in clinical decision making and stratification of future clinical trials.


The pulvinar is the largest thalamic structure in the center of the brain, reciprocally connected to a large diversity of cortical areas. It has grown more than other subcortical structures during primate evolution, which is one of the reasons why it is thought to be crucial to primate behavior. Taking the few studies on pulvinar electrophysiology and perturbation together, it is clear that the function of pulvinar is complex, and might be involved in a wide range of cognitive processes such as allocation of spatial attention, target selection, motor coordination, and even emotional processing or confidence. What most of the recent studies agree upon is that its function is strongly linked to voluntary movements, going well beyond purely relaying sensory information to cortical areas as initially thought, and making pulvinar a particularly interesting target for understanding the neuronal substrates of goal-directed behavior in primates. Especially the non-retinotopically organized, dorsal aspect of the pulvinar remains understudied and its contribution to perceptual and motor intentional processing remains speculative. Further investigation of dorsal pulvinar function in these processes should contribute to our understanding of how the brain processes visual information in order to select and execute appropriate actions and help to elucidate the function of this mysterious structure which has puzzled researchers for the last decades. Here, we provide new evidence of dorsal pulvinar involvement in goal-directed behavior, contributing to the ongoing discussion in the field about the role of pulvinar in visuomotor processing using a battery of different approaches in behaving macaque monkeys and humans.
First, we analyzed visual and motor related neuronal processing in the dorsal pulvinar during basic oculomotor tasks, visually-guided and delayed memory-guided saccades. In the memory-guided task, visual responses were more pronounced, time-locked and space specific (predominately contralateral), but overall pulvinar exhibits more motor related activity, in some cells prior to and during saccades, but mostly in the post-saccadic period. The patterns of motor-related activity were diverse, spanning contralateral and ipsilateral spatial tuning and also motor-related enhancement and suppression. Despite strong connectivity to parietal cortex, in this task most pulvinar cells did not show classical visuomotor delay period activity or pre-saccadic ramping of firing. Instead, delay period activity was typically suppressed (relative to initial fixation period) with no spatial preference, and delay period activity did not predict the upcoming movement in free-choice trials when two saccade options were available. However, on the level of synaptic processing represented by the local field potentials, the upcoming choice was encoded, suggesting that in principle the information about target selection was present before motor execution. Moreover, we show that a subset of pulvinar neurons exhibits properties similar to gain fields related to gaze position, suggesting that pulvinar encodes space not only in eye-centered, retinotopic reference frame, and might also be involved in visuomotor transformations.
To further assess the role of pulvinar function in target selection we investigated effects of dorsal and ventral pulvinar microstimulation in similar oculomotor tasks. Systematic variation of stimulation times relative to the behavioral states and stimulus/saccade onset revealed space-specific, time-specific, task-specific, and site-specific involvement of pulvinar in target selection, evident in microstimulation-induced modulation of spatial decisions in free-choice trials, and effects on saccadic reaction times. These results suggest that the dorsal pulvinar influences target selection when the decision and action are in close temporal proximity, and not when the visual processing and the motor response are separated by the intervening memory delay period.
One of main outstanding questions in studying spatial choice processing in general and in pulvinar research in particular is whether behavioral effects of causal perturbations or neurological lesions stem from perception or motor intention impairments. To dissociate sensory-perceptual and motor-intentional aspects of spatial deficits, we designed a novel "search-to-sample" task and tested in in groups of young and elderly human subjects and in the macaque monkey. The comparative aspect of this work was intended to establish experimental approaches that would allow drawing parallels between studies in neglect patients and in reversible pharmacological inactivation-based macaque model of spatial deficits. Although the effects of MRI-guided pulvinar inactivation in this task were small, they further support the idea that pulvinar is involved in motor-intentional processing, especially when compared with effects after control inactivation of the cortical temporal parietal occipital area (TPO) in the same monkey. The electrophysiological characterization of the area TPO however suggested considerable similarities between encoding of visuospatial and motor contingencies between this area and the dorsal pulvinar. Given that these two regions are both anatomically and functionally connected, this shows that functional contribution of specific regions has to be considered not in isolation but within the interconnected circuitry. At the same time, these data emphasize the importance of combining "correlative" recordings with causal interference approaches.
Additionally, we tested saccadic, grasping and reaching deficits of a patient with rare bilateral pulvinar lesion. The patient exhibited mainly postural deficits, specifically when reaching with the right hand (contralateral to the more pronounced lesion), accompanied by general slowing of movements and grasping deficits. These findings further support the idea that pulvinar might be involved both in guiding goal-directed actions and more specifically in sensorimotor transformations. In combination with findings from other related projects in our group, the results of this thesis indicate that the function of the dorsal pulvinar goes well beyond purely visuospatial or attentional processing.


Weather forecasting is predicting present state of weather by the help of analyzing collected data such as temperature, humidity, wind etc. to analyze atmospheric processes and determine how weather condition is going to change in future. Weather forecasting is important not only for prediction but also to prepare for future coming events if any such as cyclone, heavy rainfall, hails which can cause harm to the agricultural production of the country and hence affect the livelihood of the farmers. Continuous change in variance of time series over time; such a process is termed as Volatility. Heteroskecdascity refers to increasing variance in a way, such as increase in trend, this property of series is termed as Heteroskecdascity. Objective of the paper is to analyze, model and predict Rainfall time series of Delhi region from January 01, 2017 to December 31, 2018 using Heteroskecdascity model such as ARCH, GARCH, TARCH/ GJR-GARCH, EGARCH models to select most suited model on basis of probability value of the model hence calculated. Further, to analyze and choose model has full filled required conditions the model is checked for Serial Correlation, ARCH Effect, Normal distribution of Residuals, ARCH-LM test is applied, AIC, SIC values are calculated. GJR-GARCH model is most suited model among all models tested for modeling and analyzing rainfall. Model selection is done based on AIC value and SIC value calculated.


The Veterans Affair Department (VA) developed a medical informatics software application for managing all aspects of healthcare in the widely dispersed VA operation. VA manages more than 800 facilities that include hospitals, convalescent centers, tertiary care facilities, as well as many other facilities throughout the United Sates. Use of the medical informatics software application is mandatory for all personnel working at a VA facility. All personnel include specialists, generalists, nursing staff, clinicians, and administrators. The VA employs more than 80,000 employees throughout its facilities. The health care informatics product built by the VA is computerized patient record system (CPRS) and has more than 99 applications all available to all VA employees at all times. Additionally, CPRS provides multiple views of data. The multiple views include text, graphic, and imaging. Furthermore, all personnel can insert notes on patient interaction. This paper reviews training procedures at one VA location in the District of Columbia, USA, using a qualitative interview approach to better understand the quality of training perceived by the end-users for learning such a large application.


In the Mediterranean environment, drought is one of the extreme phenomena that has most direct consequences and complexity. It also has a direct social impact through the mass media, whose analysis, typology and characterization should be a priority in strategies to plan and mitigate effects. The appearance of droughts is slow, their occurrence is often not recognized until human activity and the environment have already been significantly affected, and drought effects persist for a long time after the drought has ended. The spatial distribution of droughts is highly complex, and significant variation in drought conditions is common between different locations. This makes it difficult to identify similar regions, especially in areas of climate transition, where the atmospheric influences are complex. This is the situation in the Iberian Peninsula (particularly the south of the peninsula), which straddles both temperate and sub-tropical climates and in which precipitation is highly variable and spatial variability is substantial. In this study, we analysed rainfall anomalies (Standardized Precipitation Index, SPI) over the last 50 years at four representative meteorological stations in southern Spain, two on the coast (Malaga and Algarrobo) and two at the headwaters of river basins regulated by dams (Antequera and Periana). The aims of the study were to (1) analyse the types of drought, and their frequency and intensity and (2) establish the dynamics and evolution of the social perception of droughts in the context of global change, brought about by the communications media. The results showed the SPI was a useful tool for identifying dry anomalies that may feature in our field of study of meteorological and hydrological drought, depending on its duration. Meteorological drought impact on the eco-geomorphological system is common and has had a particular development since the 1980s. Hydrological droughts are those that have had the greatest effect on water reserves, particularly when they occur in the headwaters of the watershed covered by reservoirs. Their importance has increased since the 1980s. Determination of drought periods and its impact mass media could have extraordinary relevance as a mechanism to establish the levels of awareness on sustainable use of resources. For future research, other socioeconomic and demographic variables should be considered to know the link between drought and water deficit. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society


Digital technologies are likely to be appropriated by the homeless just as they are by other segments of society. However, these appropriations will reflect the particularities of their circumstances. What are these appropriations? Are they beneficial or effective? Can Skype, as a case in point, assuage the social disconnection that must be, for many, the experience of being homeless? This paper analyses some evidence about these questions and, in particular, the ways communications media are selected, oriented to and accounted for by the homeless young. Using data from a small corpus of interviews, it examines the specific ways in which choice of communication (face-to-face, social media, or video, etc.), are described by these individuals as elected for tactical and strategic reasons having to do with managing their family relations. These relations are massively important both in terms of how communications media are deployed, and in terms of being one of the sources of the homeless state the young find themselves in. The paper examines some of the methodical ways these issues are articulated and the type of 'causal facticity' thereby constituted in interview talk. The paper also remarks on the paradoxical problem that technologies like Skype provide: at once allowing people in the general to communicate but in ways that the homeless young want to resist in the particular. The consequences of this for the shaping of communications technology in the future are remarked upon. © John Benjamins Publishing Company.


Managing the congestion is an old and legitimate claim of the cities. However, in spite of the promising solutions, the use of passenger cars outside the city centers did not decrease. The still hot topic requires a real solution.The goal of the traffic planning and management was to serve the traffic demands but with the increase in traffic, infrastructure development could not keep up, so this goal - theoretically - is not valid anymore. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift: the old goals are obviously not working, but new goals and the tools needed to achieve them have not yet been developed.According to the presented research, the operation of urban-suburban rush hour congestion radically differs from the way we have assumed so far, so a new framework was developed that describes this traffic operation. This framework allows us to look for new and valid management solutions and set new strategic and operational goals. In this paper, it is proposed not to build infrastructure for traffic demands, but to adapt the traffic demands to the infrastructure, by creating the optimal saturated traffic flow. This will prevent negative traffic dynamics and impacts on the network and provide higher quality and a more reliable road network operation. The research results have led us to theoretical questions such as the right of the limitation of the free routing on the road network.


This research explores private and public newspaper headlines on the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon from a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) perspective. The aim is to find out the lexical choice and rhetorical questions used in reporting the crisis, and how they portray the ideologies of the reporters and newspaper ownership, as well as shape readers' thoughts. Data for this study comprises 130 headlines collected from 29 randomly selected newspapers in Cameroon. Results show the use of vocabulary that shows imposition, tension and dialogue. Some rhetorical questions were also discovered. However, there was a lot of incompatibility in the way government and private newspapers reported the Anglophone crisis. Lexical choice in private newspaper headlines paint a negative picture of the Cameroon government, and pushes readers to see the government as deliberately refusing to show great attention to the crisis, and unable to protect its citizens. On the other hand, Cameroon Tribune hedge information on the crisis, swallows tension and advocates national unity. The state owned newspaper presents the Anglophone contestants in the crisis as perpetrators or terrorists who are frustrating children's future. Therefore, the newspaper publishers exercise power through language to influence the thought and opinion of Cameroonians on the Anglophone crisis.


An acclaimed economist and lifelong Palestinian nationalist Yusif Sayigh (1916-2004) came of age at a time of immense political change in the Middle East. Born in al-Bassa, near Acre in northern Palestine, he was witness to the events that led to the loss of Palestine and his memoir therefore constitutes a vivid social history of the region, as well as a revealing firsthand account of the Palestinian national movement almost from its earliest inception. Family and everyday life, co-villagers, landscapes, pleasures, outings, schooling, and political figures recreate the vanished world of Sayigh's formative years in the Levant. An activist in Palestine, he was taken prisoner of war by the Israelis in 1948. Later, as an economist, he wrote extensively on Arab oil, economic development, and manpower, teaching for many years at the American University of Beirut and taking early retirement in 1974 to work as a consultant for a number of pan-Arab and international organizations. A single chapter on Palestinian politics provides insights into his later activist work and experiences of working as a consultant with the Palestine Liberation Organization to produce an economic plan for an eventual Palestinian state.This fascinating memoir by a pioneer and major figure of the Palestinian national movement is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Palestinian life during the first half of the twentieth century as well as an account of some of the most pressing political and economic issues to have faced the Arab world for the better part of the twentieth century.


There has been an enormous amount of research in recent years in the area of thermo-chemical conversion of biomass into bio-fuels (bio-oil, bio-char and bio-gas) through pyrolysis technology due to its several socio-economic advantages as well as the fact it is an efficient conversion method compared to other thermo-chemical conversion technologies. However, this technology is not yet fully developed with respect to its commercial applications. In this study, more than two hundred publications are reviewed, discussed and summarized, with the emphasis being placed on the current status of pyrolysis technology and its potential for commercial applications for bio-fuel production. Aspects of pyrolysis technology such as pyrolysis principles, biomass sources and characteristics, types of pyrolysis, pyrolysis reactor design, pyrolysis products and their characteristics and economics of bio-fuel production are presented. It is found from this study that conversion of biomass to bio-fuel has to overcome challenges such as understanding the trade-off between the size of the pyrolysis plant and feedstock, improvement of the reliability of pyrolysis reactors and processes to become viable for commercial applications. Further study is required to achieve a better understanding of the economics of biomass pyrolysis for bio-fuel production, as well as resolving issues related to the capabilities of this technology in practical application.


This study analyzed 128 digital magazines through the lens of affordance theory in order to analyze the current state of digital publishing and establish a framework for the design and development of digital magazines. Twenty affordances were identified and categorized into four distinct groups: extend content, community involvement, utility, and entertainment. Overall, a nonlinear relationship between the number of digital subscriptions and the variety of affordances implemented in a magazine was identified. Additionally, the 20 affordances identified were analyzed against three previously established frameworks, including Gibson's original categorization of perceived, hidden,
and false affordances. This study provides valuable information for the media industry regarding the application of the theory of affordance and how it applies to digital magazines. In order for a digital magazine to be perceived as a successful adaptation of the print issue, it must provide the end user with a unique and immersive experience


The growing aging workforce comprises older workers with a concurrent family role. Guided by life span development and role theories, the primary study hypothesis was that rewards and stressors in the family and work domains would impact self-perceptions on aging because of the enhancement and conflict between these domains. The study sample consisted of workers older than 50 years with at least one of four family roles (spouse, parent of adult children, caregiver to an aging parent, and grandparent) from the 2010 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study (N = 5,628). Results showed that self-perceptions on aging were impacted directly by family and work stressors and indirectly by these stressors through work-family enhancement and conflict . Work and family roles are thus crucial to the identity of adults in later life.


A substantial number of studies have extended the work on universal properties in physical systems to complex networks in social, biological, and technological systems. In this paper, we present a complex networks perspective on interfirm organizational networks by mapping, analyzing and modeling the spatial structure of a large interfirm competition network across a variety of sectors and industries within the United States. We propose two micro-dynamic models that are able to reproduce empirically observed characteristics of competition networks as a natural outcome of a minimal set of general mechanisms governing the formation of competition networks. Both models, which utilize different approaches yet apply common principles to network formation give comparable results. There is an asymmetry between companies that are considered competitors, and companies that consider others as their competitors. All companies only consider a small number of other companies as competitors; however, there are a few companies that are considered as competitors by many others. Geographically, the density of corporate headquarters strongly correlates with local population density, and the probability two firms are competitors declines with geographic distance. We construct these properties by growing a corporate network with competitive links using random incorporations modulated by population density and geographic distance. Our new analysis, methodology and empirical results are relevant to various phenomena of social and market behavior, and have implications to research fields such as economic iolog geography, economic soc


Tigris and Euphrates are the main rivers in Iraq. The former has 5 main tributaries while the latter has no tributaries within Iraq. All these rivers exhibit meandering and/or shifting of their courses due to many reasons; such as mass movements and alluvial fan's development. The meandering and shifting of river courses due to mass movements is dealt with in this study. Many examples are given from different parts of Iraq within different rivers and streams. In each case, the geology of the involved area is described; the reasons of the shifting and/or meandering of the river course are given. GIS technique was used to determine the coverage of the involved area. Landsat, Google Earth and DEM images were used to indicate the suffered areas from shifting and meandering of the rivers and streams. When possible, age of the shifting and/or meandering of the river and stream courses was estimated; using exposure age determination; mainly depending on the presence of river terraces, erosional forms, vegetation cover and the maturity of the involved area. Some of the given examples of shifting of river courses were found to be still active; others are inactive. In many cases, indications for very large mass movement phenomena were seen. Moreover, some of the large involved areas are highly populated, others includes few houses and/ or farms. The majority of the meanders are developed due to mass movement phenomena; others are caused by alluvial fans and/or tectonic features, lime plunging of anticlines.


The nuclei of bovine spermatids and spermatozoa are surrounded by dense cytoplasmic webs sandwiched between the nuclear envelope and the acrosome and plasma membrane, respectively, filling most of the cytoplasmic space of the sperm head. This web contains a complex structure, the perinuclear theca, which is characterized by resistance to extractions in nondenaturing detergents and high salt buffers, and can be divided into two major subcomponents, the subacrosomal layer and the postacrosomal calyx. Using calyces isolated from bull and rat spermatozoa we have identified two kinds of basic proteins as major constituents of the thecal structure and have localized them by specific antibodies at the light and electron microscopic level. These are an Mr 60,000 protein, termed calicin, localized almost exclusively to the calyx, and a group of multiple-band polypeptides (MBP; Mr 56,000- 74,000), which occur in both the calyx and the subacrosomal layer. The polypeptides of the MBP group are immunologically related to each other, but unrelated, by antibody reactions and peptide maps, to calicin. We show that these basic cytoskeletal proteins are first detectable in the round spermatid stage. As we have not detected any intermediate filament proteins and proteins related to nuclear lamins of somatic cells in sperm heads, we conclude that the perinuclear theca and its constituents, calicin and MBP proteins, are the predominant cytoskeletal elements of the sperm head. Immunologically cross-reacting polypeptides with similar properties have been identified in the heads of rat and human spermatozoa. We speculate that these insoluble basic proteins contribute, during spermiogenesis, to the formation of the perinuclear theca as an architectural element involved in the shape changes and the intimate association of the nucleus with the acrosome and the plasma membrane.


The interest in developing inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases (IDNMT) as modifiers of epigenetic features for the treatment of several chronic diseases is rapidly increasing. Herein, we present insights of a chemoinformatic characterization of IDNMT focused on the analysis of the chemical space and structure–activity relationships (SAR) using activity landscape modeling (ALM). Analysis of the chemical space revealed two main groups of compounds whose chemical structures are associated with either cofactor analogs or non-nucleoside compounds. The ALM showed that non-nucleoside compounds have a continuous SAR while cofactor analogs have a rough SAR with several deep activity cliffs. Molecular modeling helped to explain the structural basis of the activity cliffs. The significance of the results is threefold: (1) the combined analysis of chemical space with activity landscape gave rise to a novel 'activity landscape sweeping' strategy that enabled a better structure-based interpretation of the SAR; (2) it is feasible – and advisable – to develop predictive models for non-nucleoside IDNMT studied in this work, and (3) structure-based interpretation of the SAR gave clear insights into the molecular mechanism of inhibition of novel IDNMT suggesting specific strategies to optimize the activity of leads compounds.


ABSTRACT We examined effects of customizability technology (also known as tailoring or personalization) on political selective exposure and political attitude polarization. Our experiment showed that selective exposure mediated the relationship between customizability technology presence and political attitude polarization. We also found that user-driven customizability (technology that enables users to modify their information environment) weakened the relationship between system-driven customizability (technology that modifies users' information environment unobtrusively, without active involvement of the users) and political selective exposure. This research contributes to a better understanding of how important characteristics of today's communication environment influence political selective exposure and political attitude polarization.


We present a technique for approximating a light probe image as a constellation of light sources based on a median cut algorithm. The algorithm is efficient, simple to implement, and can realistically represent a complex lighting environment with as few as 64 point light sources.


In this study, the effect of water absorption on mechanical properties of hemp fiber reinforced green composite(HGC) was examined. Plain woven hemp fabric was used as reinforcement. Emulsion type biodegradable resin was used as matrix. The composite was made by compression molding method. Water absorption rate and the effect of the ratio on the mechanical properties were examined. Following results are obtained. The water absorption rate increased with an increase of absorption time. The water absorption rate had an equilibrium state within 30 days. The duration was not dependent on fiber content. In the case of that specimen was kept in water 182 days, the strength decreased 70% of the ultimate one. But in the case that the specimen has dry process after water absorption process, the strength recovered 57%. The recovery ratio is not dependent on water absorption time. The strength reduction rate after dry process is not dependent on fiber content. The strength of resin decreased 62%, and the strength of fiber decreased 13% by water absorption. So the strength reduction of the composite is due to the effect of matrix.


The human DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system functions to repair mispaired bases in DNA that result from DNA replication errors and thereby prevents the accumulation of mutations due to such replication errors. Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), the most common form of inherited colon cancer, is associated with loss of MMR function. HNPCC is an autosomal dominant predisposition to early-onset colorectal cancer, often associated with an increased risk of extracolonic malignancies. Tumors are characterized by a high frequency of replication errors in short tandem repeats, known as microsatellite instability (MSI). The increased risk of developing cancer in HNPCC patients is nearly always due to an inherited mutation in a MMR gene, in most cases MSH2 or MLH1. Inactivation of the remaining copy of the gene by somatic genetic alteration results in a mutator phenotype. The most prevalent types of inherited genetic alterations in HNPCC are point mutations, deletions, insertions and genomic deletions. This thesis reports two novel types of germline genetic alterations of MMR genes in HNPCC patients. The first one involves methylation of the promoter region of the MLH1 gene. In one out of 14 HNPCC cases with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) and mutation-negative for MMR genes, DNA hypermethylation of one allele was detected in DNA isolated from blood. In the MSI-H tumor from this case, the unmethylated MLH1 allele was eliminated by loss of heterozygosity and the methylated allele was retained. This biallelic inactivation resulted in loss of expression of MLH1 in the tumor as confirmed by immunohistochemistry. This suggests a novel mechanism of tumorigenesis that nonetheless fits the two-hit tumor suppressor gene inactivation hypothesis (Knudson hypothesis). The second novel genetic alteration involves single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the regulatory areas of the MSH6 gene. Two SNPs were identified in the consensus sequence of two Sp1 transcription factor binding sites of the MSH6 promoter, resulting in altered promoter activity. Functional analysis showed that the MSH6 promoter contains seven functional putative Sp1 transcription factor binding sites, each bind Sp1 and Sp3 and all contribute to promoter activity. Analysis of the two mutant sites showed that the changes eliminated the Sp1 binding sites and were no longer bound by Sp1 and Sp3 transcription factors, resulting in reduced MSH6 expression at both the mRNA and protein level. In addition, the promoter with the two mutant sites was more sensitive to silencing by DNA methylation in vitro. This suggests that the polymorphic allele could be a preferential target of de novo methylation, resulting in transcriptional silencing of the gene.


In the juvenile legal system, many jurisdictions are adopting interventions that target girls for specialized treatment. The proliferation of so-called Girls Courts—or specialty courts designed to address the specific challenges faced by system-involved girl—is one such intervention. Girls Court rejects gender-blindness in the juvenile justice system in order to address the unique needs of system-involved girls. This Article enlists Critical Race Feminism to argue that, although well intentioned, these gender-specific juvenile courts enlist harmful gender stereotypes to guide girls towards an antiquated and hegemonic form of femininity. By examining the underlying assumptions that drive Girls Court, this Article assesses the line between gender-consciousness and gender stereotyping and critiques the role of law in entrenching harmful notions about what "good girls" ought to be.
Lifting ideologies from problem-solving courts, Girls Court purports to serve the most at-risk girls, with some jurisdictions placing special emphasis on holistic intervention for child victims of sexual exploitation. Girls Court targets girls, mostly girls of color, for enhanced scrutiny and surveillance. Although heightened services are needed for girls battling intersecting forms of oppression, this Article argues that Girls Court exemplifies important limitations to gender-specific reform. While the court's approach rightly acknowledges the role of gender in shaping outcomes for young people, it also targets girls for intrusive and punitive methods of social control. Girls Court funnels girls towards a very specific notion of girlhood—one centered in white, middle-class notions of femininity. Through criminalization, an emphasis on sexual purity, and a desire to instill obedience, Girls Court advances certain subordinating stereotypes about girls, particularly girls of color.

At its core, this Article argues for an increased duty of care when it comes to programming for girls. It urges a careful examination of all the messages we send, and the values we promote, when we target young girls for intervention.


This technical note studies the guaranteed cost of a quadratic criterion associated with a linear discrete-time switched system for all the set of admissible switching laws. The admissible switching laws are here the ones exhibiting a dwell time. The approach provided here is to design an upper bound and a parametrized family of lower bounds of the guaranteed cost as close as possible in order to obtain a certification of the guaranteed cost. The upper bound is determined via a switched Lyapunov function and the lower bounds are obtained via the numerical computation of the cost induced by particular periodic switching laws. The features of the proposed approach are illustrated by a numerical example.


Abstract. The More-Trondelag Fault Complex (MTFC) has controlled the tectonic evolution of Mid Norway and its shelf for the past 400 Myr through repeated reactivations during Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and perhaps Cenozoic times, the very last phase of reactivation involving normal to oblique-slip faulting. Despite its pronounced signature in the landscape, its deep structure has largely remained unresolved until now. We focused on two specific segments of the MTFC (i.e. the Tjellefonna and Baeverdalen faults) and acquired multiple geophysical datasets (i.e. gravity, magnetic, resistivity and shallow refraction profiles). A 100–200 m-wide zone of gouge and/or brecciated bedrock steeply dipping to the south is interpreted as being the Tjellefonna fault sensu stricto. The fault appears to be flanked by two additional but minor damage zones. A secondary normal fault also steeply dipping to the south but involving indurated breccias was detected ~1 km farther north. The Baeverdalen fault, ~12 km farther north, is interpreted as a ~700 m-wide and highly deformed zone involving fault gouge, breccias and lenses of intact bedrock. As such, it is probably the most important fault segment in the studied area and accommodated most of the strain during presumably Late Jurassic normal faulting. Our geophysical data are indicative of a Baeverdalen fault dipping steeply towards the south, in agreement with the average orientation of the local tectonic grain. Our findings suggest that the influence of Mesozoic normal faulting along the MTFC on landscape development is more complex than previously thought.


Optometrists, like all health care providers, should emphasize primary or preventive care. To provide this care optometrists must be aware of the risk factors for major causes of mortality. As an example, the risk profile for a white male age 45 to 49 years is given and discussed. Suggestions for primary vision care and detection of major risk factors by optometrists are also presented.


An investigation was undertaken in 10 villages (28 samples) of Basavan-Bagewadi taluka and 11 villages (38 samples) of Muddebihal taluka of Bijapur district to assess fluoride and other physicochemical parameters. And also to assess the clinical symptoms like dental and skeletal fluorosis, joint pains and gastrointestinal diseases and to find out the severity of the disease. A check list developed with the help of available literature and in consolation with nutritionists was used to record clinical symptoms. A sample survey was made after examination for both sexes between the age of 8-50 years at Basavan-Bagewadi and Muddebihal taluka. Fluoride content varies from 0.40-6.40 mg/L and 1.10-7.10 mg/L. However 12 samples were within the range, while 16 samples were above the permissible limits at Basavan-Bagewadi Taluka where as in Muddebihal taluka all the values are above the permissible limits of WHO respectively. The results show that, out of the 2992 examined 824 (25.89%) people have dental and skeletal fluorosis, 274 (9.15%) people have joint pains, 167 (5.58%) have gastrointestinal discomfort and excessive thirst at different stages in Basavan-Bagewadi taluka. Among 2696 examined, 812(29.49%) people had dental and skeletal fluorosis, 432 (16.18%) people had joint pains, 415 (15.54%) people had gastrointestinal discomfort and excessive thirst at Muddebihal taluka of Bijapur district.


Ventilation systems in buildings have been traditionally designed for the maximum projected number of occupants; while buildings often have fewer occupants than the maximum and in some cases can be unoccupied for extended periods. Changing the rate of outdoor air to reflect changes in the number of occupants in a space is referred to as demand control ventilation (DCV). A field study was performed using thermal sensors to determine the number of occupants using lecture rooms of an institutional building. The occupant data was used to calculate minimum ventilation for the lecture rooms using current ventilation standards from ASHRAE Standard 62.1. It was found that by current standards, the required ventilation is considerably less than the original design ventilation. Based on occupant data and variables specific to the lecture rooms, it was found that the ventilation can be reduced by at least 40% creating a potential for significant energy savings.


The preparation of this dissertation was mainly motivated by the desire to provide an overview of facilities for disable toilet in hypermarket especially at Klang Valley. These are intended to establish the good practice of Malaysian Standard to be adopted in the facility management of disable toilet at hypermarket. The study has specific aim and objectives to achieve in the end. The primary aim of this study is to highlight guideline and standard of Malaysian Standards (MS 1184:2002) in hypermarket. Second objective is to examine the confirmation of Malaysian Standard (MSI 184:2002) in case study examples and the third is to understand the responsibilities of Local Authorities for the disable person's facilities at hypermarket especially in the design stages or planning approval for new development projects. For the next objective is to measure the satisfaction level of disable person on that facilities and to propose recommendation for better living environment in the life cycle for disable person especially at public toilet. This dissertation includes the outlines of the introduction to the subjects and each sub topic, and also explained elaborate about the facilities for disable persons ami responsible body in Malaysia, statistic of disable persons and also standard facilities in Malaysia. Research methodology which had been applied in the eight (8) case studies is through observations, inspection to element and interviewing relates person of that issues. Then analysis and comparison between case studies due with guideline Malaysian Standard (MS 1184:2002) to ensure which are comply or not. Finally, conclusion from the research findings and development of recommendations for future improvement of disable toilet facilities