Notes on Contributors vii 1 Rethinking Care in a Development Context: An Introduction 1 Shahra Razavi 2 The Good, the Bad and the Confusing: The Political Economy of Social Care Expansion in South Korea 31 Ito Peng 3 South Africa: A Legacy of Family Disruption 51 Debbie Budlender and Francie Lund 4 Harsh Choices: Chinese Women s Paid Work and Unpaid Care Responsibilities under Economic Reform 73 Sarah Cook and Xiao-yuan Dong 5 AWidening Gap? The Political and Social Organization of Childcare in Argentina 93 Eleonor Faur 6 Who Cares in Nicaragua? A Care Regime in an Exclusionary Social Policy Context 121 Juliana Martinez Franzoni and Koen Voorend 7 A Perfect Storm?Welfare, Care, Gender and Generations in Uruguay 149 Fernando Filgueira, Magdalena Guti'errez and Jorge Papadopulos 8 Stratified Familialism: The Care Regime in India through the Lens of Childcare 175 Rajni Palriwala and Neetha N. 9 Putting Two and Two Together? Early Childhood Education, Mothers Employment and Care Service Expansion in Chile and Mexico 205 Silke Staab and Roberto Gerhard 10 Going Global: The Transnationalization of Care 233 Nicola Yeates Index 255


Streptococcus pneumoniae, an opportunistic human pathogen, acquires genes from its neighboring species of the mitis group of streptococci, which confer antibiotic resistances and allow it to produce diverse virulence factors. Most species of the mitis group are naturally competent, and they utilize the competence stimulating peptide (CSP) and the CSP-dependent competence regulon, a conserved quorum sensing (QS) circuit, to regulate their competence behavior. The dependence of the mitis group on this communication pathway makes QS a potential target to control their behavior. In this work, we sought to evaluate the impact of the native pheromones of the adjacent species of S. pneumoniae to modulate the activity of the S. pneumoniae competence regulon. Our results revealed the potential role of S. mitis as a modulator of QS in S. pneumoniae. Most importantly, our analysis also revealed that by using the native pheromone of S. mitis as a template, highly potent pan-group agonists and antagonists of the pneumococcal competence regulon could be developed. The newly developed QS modulators may have therapeutic utility in treating pneumococcal infections.


The publish/subscribe communication model is increasingly considered for implementing middleware infrastructures for widely distributed applications. Scalability issues and routing algorithms of such systems have recently been the focus of intensive research. So far little attention has been given to the security and management issues. In current publish/subscribe systems, malicious publishers can very easily insert bogus notifications which may propagated to a large number of subscribers. Moreover, there is no method to control what notifications the subscribers are authorized to receive. We describe a method to specify access control policy rules using expressions similar to subscription expressions. These policies define access rules for publish and subscribe functions and screening rules for notifications.


This article examines an option based portfolio insurance strategy where a fixed percentage of the portfolio is used to purchase in the money long-term call options with the remainder invested in a standard investment grade bond fund. Our results show a 90/10 portfolio, where 10% is invested in long term call options, has returns commensurate with the S&P 5000 while mitigating losses. These call option based portfolios don't require rebalancing during the term of coverage and are flexible enough to suit investors with very different risk tolerances and portfolio sizes. As constructed, these portfolios outperform put option based portfolio insurance strategies and perform as well as a CPPI, with the added advantage of not needing to be actively managed.


This Article argues that diversifying the federal judiciary with more women and men of color, but particularly with more women of color, is essential to moving forward and strengthening this country's democracy. Specifically, this Article responds to arguments by prominent feminists that having female "firsts" on the bench is not as critical as having the "right" women on the bench—"right" meaning those women who are invested in and supportive of what are traditionally viewed as women's issues. In so responding, this Article acknowledges the appeal of such arguments regarding judicial service from the "right" women, but contends that, while achieving "firsts" (and "seconds" and more) on the bench for white women may not be as important as it was in the past, it is still crucial for women of color, who are nearly absent from the federal bench. Much like the "firsts" of white female judges all over the nation held important symbolic meaning for the advancement of white women and helped to change societal perception about who is and should be a judge, so, too, will the same "firsts" for women of color. However, for women of color to have a similar impact on society as their white sisters, appointments of women of color to the federal bench must occur in meaningful numbers; they must represent more than mere tokenism, and they should include women of color with a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints.Part I of this Article reflects upon the progress that has been made on the federal bench with respect the progress that has been made on the federal bench with respect to increasing the number of women on the bench as well as the barriers that women have faced and still face on the bench by examining the history of women's entrance into the federal judiciary. Part II of this Article then examines the limits of that progress, revealing not only that more gender diversity on the bench has not occurred at equal levels for all women, particularly for women of color, during the last forty years. Finally, Part III of this Article argues that increasing women of color's access to and visibility within the federal judiciary will not only facilitate broader, more well-informed decision making by courts, but also will serve an important symbolic and representative purpose that legitimizes this country's democracy.


Objectives Mycoplama genitalium is a sexually transmitted organism associated with non-gonococcal urethritis in men and several inflammatory reproductive tract syndromes in women. Nucleic acid amplification tests are currently the only available methods for detection. The first commercially available real-time (RT-) PCR kits have been recently developed. We compared the TIB MOLBIOL LightMix® Kit Mycoplasma genitalium and the Diagenode Mycoplasma genitalium real-time PCR kit to the in-house TaqMan RT-PCR used routinely for the M. genitalium diagnostic. Methods DNA extracts from 50 M. genitalium-negative and 53 M. genitalium-positive urogenital specimens collected between January 2010 and May 2011 at the Bordeaux University hospital, France, were retrospectively and systematically selected and thawed. DNA had been extracted using the MagNA Pure DNA isolation kit I (Roche Diagnostics). DNA extracts were evaluated by the TIBMOLBIOL LightMix® Kit Mycoplasma genitalium and the Diagenode Mycoplasma genitalium real-time PCR kit (DIA-MG-050 vs2) in comparison with a M. genitalium in-house RT-PCR targeting the MgPa adhesin gene using the cobas z480 analyser (Roche Diagnostics). Results The in-house PCR was first evaluated using two thermal cyclers, LC480 and cobas z480 (Roche Diagnostics). As no significant difference was noted, the cobas z480 was used in the rest of the study. The clinical sensitivity was 98%, 92% and 100% for the LightMix® Kit Mycoplasma genitalium, the Diagenode Mycoplasma genitalium real-time PCR kit and the in house RT-PCR, respectively. The clinical specificity was 100% for both kits and 94% for the in house RT-PCR. There was no statistically significant difference between the clinical sensitivity and specificity of these 3 methods. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference between the cycle threshold mean of the in-house assay and those of both commercial kits. Conclusion Both commercial kits allowed prompt and specific results, validated by the use of an internal amplification control.


Motivation Mechanistic kinetic models usually contain unknown parameters, which need to be estimated by optimizing the fit of the model to experimental data. This task can be computationally challenging due to the presence of local optima and ill-conditioning. While a variety of optimization methods have been suggested to surmount these issues, it is not obvious how to choose the best one for a given problem a priori, since many factors can influence their performance. A systematic comparison of methods that are suited to parameter estimation problems of sizes ranging from tens to hundreds of optimization variables is currently missing, and smaller studies indeed provided contradictory findings. Results Here, we use a collection of benchmark problems to evaluate the performance of two families of optimization methods: (i) a multi-start of deterministic local searches; and (ii) a hybrid metaheuristic combining stochastic global search with deterministic local searches. A fair comparison is ensured through a collaborative evaluation, involving researchers applying each method on a daily basis, and a consideration of multiple performance metrics capturing the trade-off between computational efficiency and robustness. Our results show that, thanks to recent advances in the calculation of parametric sensitivities, a multi-start of gradient-based local methods is often a successful strategy, but a better performance can be obtained with a hybrid metaheuristic. The best performer is a combination of a global scatter search metaheuristic with an interior point local method, provided with gradients estimated with adjoint-based sensitivities. We provide an implementation of this novel method in an open-source software toolbox to render it available to the scientific community. Availability and Implementation The code to reproduce the results is available at Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1160343 Contact firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com


Identifying genome functionality changes our understanding of humans and helps us in disease diagnosis; as well as drug, bio-material, and genetic engineering of plants and animals. Comparing the structure of the protein sequences, when only sequence information is available, against a database with known functionality helps us to identify and recognize the functionality of the unknown sequence. The process of predicting the possible RNA sequence that a specific protein has originated from is called back-translation. Aligning the back-translated RNA sequence against the database locates the most similar sequences, which is used to predict the functionality of the unknown protein sequence. Providing massive parallelism, FPGAs can accelerate bioinformatics applications substantially. In this paper, we propose, FabP11FabP is also the name of a family of proteins, "Fatty-Acid-Binding Proteins"., an optimized FPGA-based accelerator for aligning a back-translated protein sequence against a database of DNA/RNA sequences. FabP is deeply optimized to fully utilize the FPGA resources and the DRAM memory bandwidth to maximize the performance. FabP on a mid-range FPGA provides 8.1 % and 23.3× (24.8× and 266.8 ×) speedup and higher energy efficiency as compared to the GPU-based implementation on a high-end NVIDIA GPU (state-of-the-art CPU implementation), respectively.


Background: BK virus-associated haemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) has emerged as a serious infection after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence, risk factors, and outcome of BKV-HC. Procedure: We investigated the incidence, risk factors and outcome of BKV-HC in 207 paediatric patients undergoing first allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation over a 10-year period. BKV-HC was defined as BK virus (BKV) detection in urine by PCR testing in association with genitourinary symptoms. Thirty-three patients were tested for BKV because of symptoms indicative of haematuria during the study period. Results: Twenty-three patients were diagnosed with BKV-HC at our institution. The cumulative incidence of BKV-HC in our series was 11.1%. The median age at diagnosis was 12.8 years (range: 5.8-18.6). The median time to haemorrhagic cystitis (HC) was 22 days (range: 4-42). The dose of cyclosporine was decreased as required to maintain the graft. Most patients received myeloablative conditioning regimens (92%) and there was a trend toward higher grade of HC in cord blood transplant recipients. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that older age (p<0.001) was significantly related to BKV-HC. All patients survived without sequelae except for one who succumbed to multi-organ failure. Conclusion: The majority of patients recover with conservative treatment. However, these conclusions should be regarded as preliminary in view of the retrospective and nonrandomised nature of this study.


The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the anesthetic combination of Tiletamine/Zolazepam on the cardiorespiratory function and electrocardiographic profile in captive maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus). Ten maned wolves were used in this study (6 males and 4 females). All animals were healthy, with an average body weight of 23.5±3.5kg, and age of 6.5±2.8years. The wolves were conditioned to be physically restrained by their keepers in order to minimize stress during assessment of pre-anesthetic parameters. Data on heart and respiratory rates, rectal temperature, mean arterial blood pressure and electrocardiography were collected. Pre-anesthetic physiological an eletrocardiographic parameters were collected before the administration of 5.1±0.73mg/kg Tiletamine/Zolazepam intramuscularly. Under anesthesia, electrocardiogram electrodes were placed on thoracic and pelvic limbs and eletrocardiographic data was recorded every 10 minutes for approximately one hour, totaling 6 electrocardiograms. Heart rate 153±20bmp, respiratory rate 29±6mpm, rectal temperature 38,4±1oC, mean arterial blood pressure 114±20mmHg, and the other electrocardiographic parameters did not change; however, the P wave amplitude changed from 10 to 50 minutes after anesthesia. The increase in the P wave on the animals in this study suggested an atrial increase, probably due to cardiac disease or just by increasing the heart rate during the capture.


In Database Theory, Multivalued Dependencies are the main tool to define the Fourth Normal Form and, as such, their inference problem has been deeply studied; two related notions appearing in that study are a syntactical analog in propositional logic and a restriction that maintains to this logic the same relationship as Functional Dependencies do to Horn logic. We present semantic, lattice-theoretic characterizations
of such multivalued dependencies that hold in a given relation, as well as similar results for the related notions just mentioned. Our characterizations explain better some previously known facts by providing a unifying framework that is also consistent with the studies of Functional
Dependencies.


Despite economic difficulties, the emphasis on and investment in teacher
professional development (PD) across the world continues, as countries
strive to improve educational standards to compete in a globalised
knowledge economy. However, researchers have little evidence of its impact
on teachers' professional practice. While it is acknowledged that PD needs to
be assessed and evaluated, there is little guidance as to how this might be
achieved. Much focus is on short-term impact, with longer-term impact often
ignored despite sustainability of practices being highlighted as critical for
school improvement.
This study set out to explore the impact of a collaborative PD initiative on
teachers' professional practice in five urban disadvantaged primary schools
in the Republic of Ireland. A qualitative approach was used to explore shortterm
and longer-term impact, along with factors that helped or hindered the
development and sustainability of the PD practice. The literature review
revealed gaps in existing frameworks for evaluation, resulting in the
development of a 'Professional Development Impact Evaluation Framework'
which is presented in the thesis. It demonstrates how the framework was
both developed from extant literature and critiqued through application, and
discusses its potential for evaluating the impact of a range of PD activities
and answering the call for accountability in these straitened times.
Findings revealed a PD legacy that resulted not only in practices being
sustained, but demonstrating a PD multiplier, where the impact of the
collaborative PD initiative extended beyond the initiative itself to include
many changes, even at a cultural level. Given the significance of the PD
multiplier, this study suggests that PD facilitators support such cultural
changes on a larger scale in schools. A significant feature of change is the
teacher as a change-agent, and this study proposes a number of typologies
of teacher engagement which may have some implications for teacher PD.
Impacting on these typologies were three key elements that contributed to
ii
teachers' professional learning and which reflect a developing notion of
agentic teacher professionalism: bottom-up approaches with top-down
support; autonomy and professional trust; and collaborative practices and
collective responsibility.


If a graph is in bridge position in a 3-manifold so that the graph complement is irreducible and boundary irreducible, we generalize a result of Bachman and Schleimer to prove that the complexity of a surface properly embedded in the complement of the graph bounds the graph distance of the bridge surface. We use this result to construct, for any natural number $n$, a hyperbolic manifold containing a surface of topological index $n$.


The Al2O3 films with a thickness of about 100nm synthesized by spin coating and thermally treated is applied for field-induced surface passivation of p-type crystalline silicon. The level of surface passivation is determined by
techniques based on photoconductance. An effective surface recombination velocity below 100 cm/s is obtained on 10Ω·cm p-type c-Si wafers (Cz Si). A high density of negative fixed charges in the order of 1012 cm?2 is detected in the Al2O3 films and its impact on the level of surface passivation is demonstrated experimentally. Furthermore, a comparison between the surface passivation achieved for thermal SiO2 and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiNx:H films on the same c-Si is presented. The high negative fixed charge density explains the excellent passivation of p-type c-Si by Al2O3.


In this note, we present a novel computerized real effort task based on moving sliders across a screen which overcomes many of the drawbacks of existing real effort tasks. The task was first developed and used by us in Gill and Prowse (American Economic Review, 2012). We outline the design of our "slider task", describe its advantages compared to existing real effort tasks and provide a statistical analysis of the behavior of subjects undertaking the task. We believe that the task will prove valuable to researchers in designing future real effort experiments, and to this end we provide z-Tree code and guidance to assist researchers wishing to implement the slider task.


Quantitative optical oscillator strength spectra for C 1s excitation and ionization of gas-phase biphenyl, decafluorobiphenyl, and 2,2'-bis(bromomethyl)-1,1'-biphenyl have been derived from electron energy loss spectroscopy recorded under electric dipole dominated conditions. The C 1s X-ray absorption spectrum of hexaphenylbenzene has been recorded in the solid state. The C 1s spectral features are interpreted with the aid of ab initio calculations for core excitation of benzene, biphenyl, hexafluorobenzene, and decafluorobiphenyl. A weak feature at 287.7 eV in biphenyl is identified as a C 1s --> pi(deloc) transition, characteristic of ring-ring delocalization. Its intensity and position are shown to be related to the average torsion angle and thus the extent of pi-pi-interaction between adjacent aromatic rings. The effects of perfluoro substitution on core excitation spectra are also characterized and discussed.


As the porcelain quality of the insulators, which are produced the world over, is very different, in this article the author wants to explain the importont connection between microstructure properties and product quality of strength-stressed high-voltage insulators. He indicates orientation parameters of materials and simple test methods for a reliable evaluation of microstrucure quality, which both may be an important aid for quality assurance. A comparison between the microstructures of various high-voltage porcelains shows considerable differences in material quality. Furthermore, the microstructure characteristics desired for a high-strength porcelain material providing long-term stability are explained on the example of a new bauxite porcelain, to become clear and controllable also for users.


The contemporary global conversation concerning human rights is centered around the concept of inherent human dignity. Because we lack an adequate justification for a concept of inherent worth that is capable of transcending national, generational, and religious barriers, however, cross-cultural progress in the realm of human rights is stifled. This paper serves as the initial phase of a project motivated by the desire to provide an indepth historical analysis of the conceptual development of dignity through philosophical thought in response to the current lack of a justification for human being's inherent possession of dignity. Providing an interpretation of an Aristotelian conception of dignity, this paper presents a cohesive account constructed through the lens of magnanimity and the most final good in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Whereas magnanimity has historically received negative attention from philosophers, I herein argue that magnanimity is something more closely related to the most final good in Aristotle's account. Moreover, because dignity as proper consideration of others is necessitated by magnanimity as proper consideration of self, dignity also plays an integral role in Aristotle's ethics. Through making possible the elevated virtue of magnanimity and undergirding the remaining moral virtues, dignity for Aristotle is something both instrumental and valuable.


The purpose of this paper is to develop a quantitative appraisal model for assessing the inclusiveness of built facilities in higher education institutions. The Building Inclusiveness Assessment Score, or the BIAS, developed is used to assess the inclusiveness of the built facilities in the Hong Kong University. Design/methodology/approach n In this study, a comprehensive review of relevant guides and manuals in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, the US and the UK is conducted. Two Multiple-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Non-structural Fuzzy Decision Support System (NSFDSS), are studied and compared and the latter is applied to analyse the weightings of inclusion attributes. On-site appraisals of 28 buildings in the Main Campus of the Hong Kong University are carried out and shortcomings resulting in exclusion are identified. Findings n Using the BIAS, the common areas of the built facilities in the Hong Kong University are appraised. As suggested by the preliminary result, the built facilities are not fully inclusive and there are ample rooms to improve their inclusiveness. Areas that require immediate attention are those related to the access and the safety of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Originality/value n Access audit and access appraisal are the methods adopted to appraise the inclusiveness of built facilities nowadays. This research seeks to obviate their shortcomings by minimising the subjective judgements of the assessors in the BIAS proposed. Compare with earlier studies in the subject, more quantitative elements are incorporated into the BIAS and its assessment procedures are detailed.


Informal kinship caregivers take on the responsibility of raising a relative's children in situations where those children cannot remain with their parents and are not in the custody of child welfare. The phenomenon is increasing; however it is difficult to obtain information from these families because of the difficulty locating them. As a result, there is limited research on this specific group of kinship care families. The purpose of this study was exploratory, using qualitative methods to gather information from informal kinship caregivers about their experiences caring for a relative's children, with a focus on the rewards and challenges within those experiences. A second purpose was to enable participants to tell their stories so that information could be used by practitioners and policymakers. The 14 participants in this study described a path to informal kinship care that began with precipitating events that resulted in the children's not being able to live with their parents, followed by the decision to provide care, and then the quest to obtain legal custody of them. The caregivers next began a journey through the experiences of being informal kinship caregivers, which included both rewards and challenges. Four themes emerged to characterize those rewards and challenges: experiences with family, experiences with systems, financial experiences, and emotional experiences. Participants provided recommendations for both practitioners and policymakers, which included


The structural properties of a flexible and semiflexible circular chain confined in an array of parallel nanoposts with a square lattice cross-sectional projection were studied using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. To address the effect of the circular topology, a comparison with linear analogs was also carried out. In the interpretation of the chain structural properties, the geometry of the post array is considered as a combination of a channel approximating the interstitial volume with the diameter dc and a slit approximating the passage aperture with the width wp. The number of interstitial volumes occupied by a chain monotonically increases with the decreasing ratio dc/wp regardless of the way the geometry of the post array is varied. However, depending on how the array geometry is modified, the chain span along the posts displays a monotonic (constant post separation) or a non-monotonic behavior (constant passage width) when plotted as a function of the post diameter. In the case of monotonic trend, the width of interstitial spaces increases with the increasing chain occupation number, while, in the case of non-monotonic trend, the width of interstitial spaces decreases with the increasing chain occupation number. In comparison with linear topology, for circular topology, the stiffness affects more significantly the relative chain extension along the posts and less significantly the occupation number. The geometrical parameters of the post arrays are stored in the single-chain structure factors. The characteristic humps are recognized in the structure factor which ensue from the local increase in the density of segments in the circular chains presented in an interstitial volume or from the correlation of parallel chain fragments separated by a row of posts. Although the orientation correlations provide qualitative information about the chain topology and the character of confinement within a single interstitial volume, information about the array periodicity is missing.


Submonolayer epitaxial growth is obtained by the deposition of less than a complete layer of atoms on a single crystal surface. It is of fundamental interest for industrial applications (e.g. in the semiconductor industry) as well as from the point of view of basic research. For example, it is known that nanometer-sized atomic structures (nanostructures) exhibit remarkable physical and chemical properties which can differ greatly from those of bulk matter. In order to investigate these properties, it is often necessary to create large quantities of well defined and possibly spatially ordered nanostructures. One way to achieve this result is self-organized growth where one deposits atoms on a clean crystalline surface and lets the growth process evolve freely. Here, nanostructures result from the atomic diffusion and aggregation processes taking place at the surface. Understanding the exact nature of these processes is of ongoing interest in the field of nanostructure growth. In this thesis we report about submonolayer growth experiments of the ferromagnetic transition metal cobalt. Cobalt was chosen because it exhibits remarkable magnetic properties. These experiments were performed in an ultra-high vacuum chamber and molecular beam epitaxy was used to grow the nanostructures. Observations of the surface were made using a variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). In order to get a better understanding of the atomic processes happening at the surface, we developed two adapted computational simulation methods. Kinetic Monte-Carlo (KMC) simulations were used to get an atomistic picture of the surface while mean field rate equations were integrated numerically to yield cluster densities. We study the growth of cobalt on three different surfaces. By depositing Co on a clean Pt(111) crystal surface, we observe that the platinum surface reconstructs by forming star-shaped partial dislocations for sample temperatures above 180 K (-93°C). We also observe that island densities deviate from predictions of all known models towards higher values for these same temperatures. By simulation we are able to show that insertion of Co into the topmost platinum layer creates a repulsive network of dislocations. We show that these dislocations act as diffusion inhibiting barriers and thus influence the island density by constraining the free movement of atoms at the surface. We also show that the Co dimer and trimer diffuse on Pt(111) before dissociating and are able to extract corresponding activation barriers. We also study the deposition of Co on a Ru(0001) surface which shows a more conventional temperature dependence. By comparing simulation and experiment we extract all relevant diffusion activation barriers and show that at high temperatures the Co dimer and trimer dissociate. Finally, we investigate the growth of Co on the hexagonal boron nitride superlattice which forms on a Rh(111) surface. On this surface Co clusters form three-dimensional hemispherical dots. We show how the substrate corrugation influences diffusion of Co atoms and that clusters up to the size of the pentamer can diffuse. By simulation, we also extract the relevant migrations and desorption barriers.


■ Abstract Botanical insecticides have long been touted as attractive alternatives to synthetic chemical insecticides for pest management because botanicals reputedly pose little threat to the environment or to human health. The body of scientific literature documenting bioactivity of plant derivatives to arthropod pests continues to expand, yet only a handful of botanicals are currently used in agriculture in the industrialized world, and there are few prospects for commercial development of new botanical products. Pyrethrum and neem are well established commercially, pesticides based on plant essential oils have recently entered the marketplace, and the use of rotenone appears to be waning. A number of plant substances have been considered for use as insect antifeedants or repellents, but apart from some natural mosquito repellents, little commercial success has ensued for plant substances that modify arthropod behavior. Several factors appear to limit the success of botanicals, most notably regulatory barriers and the availability of competing products (newer synthetics, fermentation products, microbials) that are cost-effective and relatively safe compared with their predecessors. In the context of agricultural pest management, botanical insecticides are best suited for use in organic food production in industrialized countries but can play a much greater role in the production and postharvest protection of food in developing countries.


Mental Hospital of Antioquia, seeking to be more competitive in the marketplace, extended its coverage in the alternative site located in the Mall Almacentro, which provides outpatient services for Medical Specialist Psychiatrist, Medical subspecialists, Child Psychiatry, Outpatient by Medical Specialist Neurologist and outpatient drug market through the sale of pharmacy.
Each business unit which makes up seat is making a number of costs that independently analyzed show a disproportionate distribution in relation to the generation of income. Currently the costs for outpatient services are not covered by income, only to consolidate the information casts reasonable results, to analyze the return produced.
For the development of this paper we analyze the different components of the costs associated with the provision of outpatient services and sale of pharmaceutical products to determine the variables that affect the return in each business unit individually and consolidated headquarters Almacentro.
The analysis was performed using spreadsheets, which were detailed in hospital costs for labor, supplies, overhead, distribution costs, among others, the collection of these data and the application of the linear estimation formula, we set the total variable and fixed costs, elements that allowed us to make the break-even analysis and contribution margin for the consultation service and product sales pharmaceutical required in the recovery of costs incurred and analysis generated in the consolidated return of information from headquarters.


textabstractIn the 90's the taxanes paclitaxel and docetaxel, both belonging to
the so-called naturally occurring drugs, because of their origin from the yew
trees Taxus brevifolia and Taxus baccata, respectively, were registered for
clinical use in the treatment of cancer patients. Although their mechanism
of action is the same, inducing cell death by promoting polymerization of
tubulin into microtubules and particularly by inhibiting depolymerization of
these microtubules, they are not simply two of a kind. Differences
in activity, toxicity and pharmacokinetic behavior have been described over
the last decade. In order to increase activity they have been
combined with various other (anticancer) agents. To judge
combination treatment on its merits, changes in the pharmaco-dynamics as
well as modulations in the pharmacokinetics of the combined drugs have to
be evaluated. This thesis explores the influence of other chemical entities
on the pharmacokinetics of docetaxel and paclitaxel. Intended modulation
of docetaxel by co-administration of a multidrug-resistance convertor is the
topic of the first part of the thesis, the unintended and underestimated
pharmacokinetic implications of the choice of Cremophor EL as the
formulation vehicle of paclitaxel is the subject of the second part.
Multidrug resistance is the phenomenon thought to be partly
responsible for failure of cancer treatment with naturally occurring
anticancer drugs such as taxanes. It is associated with
overexpression of the transmembrane transport protein P-glycoprotein,
which acts as an ATP-dependent drug efflux pump, yielding to a decrease
in the intracellular concentrations of the substrate drugs. Abundant
effort has been put into the development of agents that are able to inhibit
P-glycoprotein, and when used in combination with anticancer drugs
increase the intracellular exposure to these drugs. However, many
clinical studies involving a wide range of P-glycoprotein inhibitors and coadministered
anticancer drugs have shown that these combination
treatments almost always resulted in increased toxicity of the anticancer
drugs particularly because of pharmacokinetic interaction between the two
agents due to competition at the level of cytochrome-P450 3A isozymes, the major metabolic pathway of many drugs including docetaxel. Recently, a new 'second generation' P-glycoprotein inhibitor,
R101933, has been developed which known major metabolic route is
cytochrome-P450 unrelated. Since docetaxel is known to be a more pure
substrate of P-glycoprotein than paclitaxel, it was obvious that co-treatment of docetaxel with R1 01933 could have great clinical importance.
Therefore, we performed several pharmacokinetic and phase I studies with
docetaxel combined with R101933, orally as well as intravenously. In order
to determine the physiological and pharmacological consequences of
inhibition of P-glycoprotein activity with respect to the disposition of
docetaxel we monitored both plasma and fecal drug levels of docetaxel.
Modulation of P-glycoprotein, particularly in the hepatobiliary tract,
by Cremophor EL, the formulation vehicle of paclitaxel, was postulated as
one of the explanations of the distinctly nonlinear pharmacokinetic behavior
of this taxane. The operation of Michaelis-Menten kinetics,
saturable distribution in combination with saturable elimination, was
hypothesized as another cause of the nonlinear disposition of paclitaxel. However, studies in mice demonstrated that in the absence of
Cremophor EL the pharmacokinetic behavior of paclitaxel was linear.
An explanation could be that, by its nature, Cremophor EL in blood is
capable of forming micelles with a highly hydrophobic interior that can
entrap the solubilised compound, consequently influencing the
pharmacokinetic behavior of this drug. So we postulated that the nonlinear
disposition of paclitaxel is caused by dose and time-related variations in
Cremophor EL concentrations in the central compartment. To prove this
hypothesis we performed a comprehensive pharmacokinetic analysis of
paclitaxel and Cremophor EL in vitro and in patients, measuring paired whole
blood and plasma levels of paclitaxel. Based on the results of these studies,
we were able to develop and describe explicit modeling of the disposition of
paclitaxel and free paclitaxel to permit a formal explanation of the observed
phenomenon.


With important new revelations into the Russian hacking of the 2016 Presidential campaigns"[Andrei Soldatov is] the single most prominent critic of Russia's surveillance apparatus." -Edward Snowden After the Moscow protests in 2011-2012, Vladimir Putin became terrified of the internet as a dangerous means for political mobilization and uncensored public debate. Only four years later, the Kremlin used that same platform to disrupt the 2016 presidential election in the United States. How did this transformation happen? The Red Web is a groundbreaking history of the Kremlin's massive online-surveillance state that exposes just how easily the internet can become the means for repression, control, and geopolitical warfare. In this bold, updated edition, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan offer a perspective from Moscow with new and previously unreported details of the 2016 hacking operation, telling the story of how Russia came to embrace the disruptive potential of the web and interfere with democracy around the world.


Changes in chromatin state may drive changes in gene expression, and it is of growing interest to understand the population genetic forces that drive differences in chromatin state. Here, we use the phenomenon of position effect variegation (PEV), a well-studied proxy for chromatin state, to explore the genetic architecture of natural variation in factors that modify chromatin state. While previous mutation screens have identified over 150 suppressors and enhancers of PEV, it remains unknown to what extent allelic variation in these modifiers mediates inter-individual variation in chromatin state. Is natural variation in PEV mediated by segregating variation in known Su(var) and E(var) genes, or is the trait polygenic, with many variants mapping elsewhere in the genome? We designed a mapping study that directly answers this question and suggests that the bulk of the variance in PEV does not map to genes with prior annotated impact to PEV. Instead, we find enrichment of top P-value ranked associations that suggest impact to active promoter and transcription start site proximal regions. This work provides a quantitative view of the role naturally segregating autosomal variants play in modifying PEV, a phenomenon that continues to shape our understanding of chromatin state and epigenetics.


Two new species of the genusDavilla from Brazil are described and illustrated (D. kubitzkii andD. morri). The new species are assigned to sect.Homalochlaena and their relationships with allied species are discussed.


Even though there is an emerging literature on information age reform of the public sector, research focused on potential and problems related to introduction of information-based reforms in developing countries is still limited. Thus in this chapter, experience in one developing country, Sri Lanka, is examined. Problems related to information-based technology is analysed and the lacuna in the literature is narrowed. It is argued that despite the great potential for IT in enhancing effective and efficient public sector in Sri Lanka, there are a number of difficulties hindering the development of computerised information systems. The upgrading of infrastructure facilities in Sri Lanka is long overdue. A lack of competent and committed individuals who could provide effective guidance in developing IT services in the public sector is another concern. The issues such as appropriate training, attractive promotion systems and remunerations for public officials need to be addressed urgently. Reforming existing organizational structures and changing officials' attitudes towards change are essential. The increasing public awareness of the potential of IT services enhancing the quality and timeliness of the public service is essential.


The PROTEAN protocol emulation and analysis computer aid is presented. It is based on a formal specification technique called numerical Petri nets (NPNs), and provides both graphical (color) and textual interfaces to the protocol designer. NPN specifications may be created, stored, appended to other NPNs, structured, edited, listed, displayed, and analyzed. Interactive simulation, exhaustive reachability analysis, and several directed graph analysis facilities are described. Specification languages are compared, with concentration on extended finite state machines and high-level Petri nets. Both the NPN and PROTEAN facilities are described and illustrated with a simple example. The application of PROTEAN to complex examples is mentioned briefly. Work towards a comprehensive protocol engineering workstation is also discussed. >


The environment of plant rhizosphere soil differs from that of non-rhizosphere soil due to the secretion of mucilage polysaccharides from the roots. This environment is regarded as one of the preferential habitats for agar-degrading bacteria. In a previous study, agar-degrading Steroidobacter agariperforans KA5-BT was isolated from agar-enriched agricultural soil using diffusible metabolites from Rhizobiales bacteria. Based on the hypothesis that similar characteristic bacteria still exist in the rhizosphere, isolation was performed using rhizosphere soils. Agar-degrading SA29-BT and YU21-B were isolated from onion and soybean rhizosphere soils. The 16S rRNA genes of these strains showed ≥98.7% identities with the most closely related strain KA5-BT. However, differences were noted in polysaccharide utilization, and average nucleotide identities were <95–96% against strain KA5-BT, indicating that they are different species from S. agariperforans KA5-BT. To investigate the distribution of bacterial sequences affiliated with novel strains, a primer set was designed and a meta-analysis of the 16S rRNA gene was performed. Sequences were widely distributed in rhizospheres throughout Japan, but varied in plant- and region-dependent manners. Regarding phenotypic characterization, distinguishable features were observed in growth temperatures, pH, and dominant fatty acids. SA29-BT and YU21-B grew at 15–40°C and pH 6.0–12 and contained C16:0 as the dominant cell fatty acid, whereas KA5-BT showed no growth at 40°C and pH 12 and contained a moderate amount of C16:0. Based on these characteristics, SA29-BT (JCM 333368T=KCTC 72223T) and YU21-B (JCM 333367=KCTC 72222) represent novel species in the genus Steroidobacter, for which the name Steroidobacter agaridevorans sp. nov. is proposed.


From 1 November 1995 to 10 April 1996, 1001 consecutive mothers who had attended the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) antenatal clinic and were delivered in the Maternity Unit of the PMGH were surveyed for their antenatal haemoglobin (Hb) levels. One or more Hb results had been noted in the antenatal records of 997 subjects. The mean of the first Hb level for this sample was 10.6 +/- 1.72 g/dl. The first Hb level was below 10.0 g/dl in 33% of the 997 subjects. The dates were reliable in 777 subjects. The mean first Hb for this group was the same as for the total sample. A subgroup of 449 subjects with reliable dates and first Hb measurement at < or = 26 weeks gestation had a first Hb mean of 10.9 +/- 1.78 g/dl. Among those with reliable dates, 569 had two or more Hb measurements, the last being at > or = 34 weeks. In this subgroup, the mean of the last Hb was 11.1 +/- 1.60 g/dl. The first Hb was measured at < or = 26 weeks in 352 subjects in this subgroup. The means for the first and last Hb levels for this subset were 10.9 +/- 1.78 and 11.1 +/- 1.57 g/dl, respectively; the paired t test did not show any difference between the first and last Hb levels. For subjects in the total sample who had two or more Hb measurements, the mean for the lowest Hb level was 10.0 +/- 1.54; 45% had levels below 10.0 g/dl at some time during the pregnancy.


Despite the very strong intuitive and instinctive belief in the principle that 'good governance leads to good governance' and a number of opinion surveys re-affirming the confidence of investors in good governance so far there has been no conclusive evidence, based on empirical research, confirming the causality of this relationship. This paper reviews the status of corporate governance research across the globe and identifies three serious challenges that are faced by researchers in this field - given that governance is a soft issue that is not best captured by quantitative and structural factors alone, the first major challenge is to define the correct measure(s) for good governance that would capture all the facets of governance. The second major challenge in corporate governance research has been the fact that the focus of most such research efforts has been to evolve a universal standard for governance that all organizations must strive for and the related attempts, by researchers, to measure governance in organizations against this universal standard. Adopting such an approach of 'one size fits all' to corporate governance research has been self limiting and inappropriate. The third significant challenge to corporate governance research is the inference of causality, between good governance and good performance, which has been made in many research studies and which, more often than not, is based either on flawed methodology or an incomplete modeling of the various factors that underlie corporate governance. Notwithstanding the fact that conclusive evidence has yet not been obtained that establishes causality between good governance and good performance, it does not imply that such a causal relationship does not exist; all it means is that corporate governance research, so far, has not been able to identify such a relationship and points to the need for more detailed and in-depth research in this field. Specifically, given that the quality of corporate governance involves many soft factors which, most of the times, are not amenable to quantitative measurement it would be worthwhile to undertake greater qualitative research in this area so as to better understand the various factors that affect corporate governance and establish causality between corporate governance and corporate performance. There is also the need for further development of theory in the area of corporate governance as that would lead to developing more holistic and robust models for corporate governance in organizations which could be tested empirically and form the basis for more effective policy formulation This paper identifies the direction for such future research which should become the basis for guiding the next generation of effective corporate governance reforms.


Aim of the Young Researchers Forum  The aim of the Young Researchers Forum is to inspire and bring together young researchers in the field of Craniofacial Surgery. The forum provides a vibrant place for discussing potential and ongoing research in any stage, from idea to results. The forum strives to provide a friendly environment to allow young researchers to get feedback on their work, exchange experience, ask questions, explore pathways open to them. In addition, the forum stimulates interaction between young researchers, experienced researchers and industry. Each author, in addition to reviewers relevant to their work, will be assigned an industrial mentor who will also assess and suggest improvements to their submissions.


In recent years, there has been a prominent discussion in the literature about the potential for overestimation of the treatment effect when a clinical trial stops at an interim analysis due to the experimental treatment showing a benefit over the control. However, there has been much less attention paid to the converse issue, namely, that sequentially monitored clinical trials which did not stop early for benefit tend to underestimate the treatment effect. In meta-analyses of many studies, these two sources of bias will tend to balance each other to produce an unbiased estimate of the treatment effect. However, for the interpretation of a single study in isolation, underestimation due to interim analysis may be an important consideration. In this paper, we discuss the nature of this underestimation, including theoretical and simulation results demonstrating that it can be substantial in some contexts. Furthermore, we show how a conditional approach to estimation, in which we condition on the study reaching its final analysis, may be used to validly inflate the observed treatment difference from a sequentially monitored clinical trial. Expressions for the conditional bias and information are derived, and these are used in supplied R code that computes the bias-adjusted estimate and an associated confidence interval. As well as simulation results demonstrating the validity of the methods, we present a data analysis example from a pivotal clinical trial in cardiovascular disease. The methods will be most useful when an unbiased treatment effect estimate is critical, such as in cost-effectiveness analysis or risk prediction.


This paper analyzes adaptive behavior of individuals who face developmental barriers, i.e., a situation with seriously limited opportunities for primary control or problem-oriented coping. It focuses on coping with demands of social change in the domains of work and family when opportunity structures are limited. Heckhausen's life-span theory of control suggests that if opportunities for primary control are unfavorable, the most adaptive way of coping is to switch to compensatory secondary control strategies of self-protection and disengagement. These strategies are supposed to prevent individuals from repeated experiences of failure and to protect their motivational and emotional resources. It was thus hypothesized that under the condition of a developmental barrier self-protection and disengagement are positively correlated with general and domain-specific measures of satisfaction with life. Furthermore, it was explored whether optimism and involvement in an alternative life domain can promote self-protective strategies and ease disengagement from unattainable demands. These research questions were tested on a sample of N = 806 subjects who reported being particularly confronted with demands of social change. Participants originated from 82 regional units in Western and Eastern Germany for which objective indicators of opportunity structures related to work and family life were collected. Statistical analyses were performed by testing cross-level interactions in mixed-effects models. Results showed positive associations between self-protection or disengagement and measures of satisfaction with life if developmental barriers were high. A sense of optimism and the involvement in an alternative life domain promoted adaptive control strategies and amplified their positive associations with life satisfaction with. These findings support the the life-span theory of control and imply that under certain circumstances giving up may be more adaptive than persistence.


For a long time efficient use of parallel computers has been hindered by dependencies introduced in software through low-level implementation practice. In this paper we present a programming environment and language called Object-Math (Object oriented Mathematical language for scientific computing), which aims at eliminating this problem by allowing the user to represent mathematical equation-based models directly in the system. The system performs analysis of mathematical models to extract parallelism and automatically generates parallel code for numerical solution.
In the context of industrial applications in mechanical analysis, we have so far primarily explored generation of parallel code for solving systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), in addition to preliminary work on generating code for solving partial differential equations. Two approaches to extracting parallelism have been implemented and evaluated: extracting parallelism at the equation system level and at the single equation level, respectively. We found that for several applications the corresponding systems of equations do not partition well into subsystems. This means that the equation system level approach is of restricted general applicability. Thus, we focused on the equation-level approach which yielded significant parallelism for ODE systems solution. For the bearing simulation applications we present here, the achieved speedup is however critically dependent on low communication latency of the parallel computer.


It has been previously shown that T1 in the rotating frame (T1ρ) is a very sensitive and early marker of cerebral ischemia and that, interestingly, it can provide prognostic information about the degree of subsequent neuronal damage. In the present study the authors have quantified T1ρ together with the rate and other variables of magnetization transfer (MT) associated with spin interactions between the bulk and semisolid macromolecular pools by means of Z spectroscopy, to examine the possible overlap of mechanisms affecting these magnetic resonance imaging contrasts. Substantial prolongation of cerebral T1ρ was observed minutes after induction of ischemia, this change progressing in a time-dependent manner. Difference Z spectra (contralateral nonischemic minus ischemic brain tissue) showed a significant positive reminder in the time points from 0.5 to 3 hours after induction of ischemia, the polarity of this change reversing by 24 hours. Detailed analysis of the MT variables showed that the initial Z spectral changes were due to concerted increase in the maximal MT (+3%) and amount of MT (+4%). Interestingly, the MT rates derived either from the entire frequency range of Z spectra or the time constant for the first-order forward exchange (ksat) were unchanged at this time, these variables reducing only one day after induction of ischemia. The authors conclude that T1ρ changes in the acute phase of ischemia coincide with both elevated maximal MT and amount of MT. These changes occur independent of the overall MT rate and in the absence of net water gain to the tissue, whereas in the consolidating infarction the decrease in the rate and amount of MT, as well as the extensive prolongation of T1ρ, are associated with water accumulation.


We have constructed a drug delivery vehicle that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its mutant isoform EGFRvIII. The monoclonal antibody, cetuximab, previously known as C225, which binds to both EGFR and EGFRvIII, was covalently linked via its Fc region to a fifth-generation (G5) polyamidoamine dendrimer containing the cytotoxic drug methotrexate. As measured by mass spectrometry and UV/vis spectroscopy, the resulting bioconjugate, designated C225-G5-MTX, contained 12.6 molecules of methotrexate per unit of dendrimer. Specific binding and cytotoxicity of the bioconjugate was evaluated against the EGFR-expressing rat glioma cell line F98EGFR. Using a competitive binding assay, it was shown that the bioconjugate retained its affinity for F98EGFR cells, with a 0.8 log unit reduction in its EC50. Only cetuximab completely inhibited binding of the bioconjugate, which was unaffected by methotrexate or dendrimer. Cetuximab alone was not cytotoxic to F98EGFR cells at the concentration tested, whereas the IC50 of the bioconjugate was 220 nmol/L, which was a 2.7 log unit decrease in toxicity over that of free methotrexate. The biodistribution of C225-G5-MTX in rats bearing i.c. implants of either F98EGFR or F98WT gliomas was determined 24 hours following convection enhanced delivery of 125I-labeled bioconjugate. At this time, 62.9 ± 14.7% ID/g tumor was localized in rats bearing F98EGFR gliomas versus 11.3 ± 3.6% ID/g tumor in animals bearing F98WT gliomas, thereby showing specific molecular targeting of the tumor. The corresponding radioactivity of normal brain from the F98EGFR tumor-bearing right and non-tumor-bearing left cerebral hemisphere were 5.8 ± 3.4% and 0.8 ± 0.6% ID/g, respectively. Based on these results, therapy studies were initiated in F98EGFR glioma-bearing rats. Animals that received C225-G5-MTX, cetuximab, or free methotrexate had median survival times of 15, 17, and 19.5 days, respectively, which were not statistically different from each other or untreated control animals. Our results, which are both positive and negative, show that specific molecular targeting is but one of several requirements that must be fulfilled if an antibody-drug bioconjugate will be therapeutically useful. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(1):52–9]


When the Coalition government's 'rehabilitation revolution' was first articulated, innovation was an important theme, encompassing innovation by frontline staff, by organisations working within a mixed economy and even social entrepreneurs. Under Transforming Rehabilitation, innovation remained a stated aim of criminal justice reform, but the scope of innovation envisaged seemed to narrow. This paper describes the early stages of a socially innovative project to develop and implement a personalised approach to offender rehabilitation in the context of Transforming Rehabilitation. It draws on the concept of 'desistance'. This in turn leads to consideration of community capacity-building and market development that draws on experience from the social care sector. A number of early challenges and plans to overcome them are discussed. Challenges include the inherent uncertainty of the innovation process; the importance of collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders, including service users and local community organisations; innovating during a period of organisational change and wider public sector cuts; and the public presentation of personalised working with offenders. Plans to address these challenges include moving gradually from small-scale prototyping to larger pilots and close collaboration between service providers and evaluators.


Brownfields are "abandoned, vacant, derelict or underutilized commercial and industrial properties where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination" (NRTEE, 2003, p.1). Brownfield redevelopment, because of its contributions to urban sustainability, intensification and environmental quality, has become a critical issue in urban development literature of late. Through case-study research this paper aims to evaluate the relative sustainability of four Port Lands brownfield redevelopments that involve converting brownfields into green space in the City of Toronto. This study has shown how brownfield redevelopment and more specifically, turning brownfields into green space represent an application of all three pillars of sustainability. However, the exact extent of how this type of redevelopment represents an application of sustainable development cannot be truly measured or quantified. It has also highlighted the need to develop a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators that can be specifically applied to projects that aim to convert brownfields into green space.


Problem. Some higher education institutions are responding to internal and external forces created by the Information Age due to changes in technology, shifts in education delivery, and increasing financial pressures. Are there common processes among a number of selected institutions of similar size and control that could be emulated by peer institutions? Purpose. The purpose of the study was to describe change processes in private institutions of higher education that are successful based on selected academic and financial data. The institutions selected initially for superior academic and financial statistics over a 5- year period were all church-related and therefore the study was expanded to consider how church-relatedness may have affected the institutions ability to change. Method. A qualitative multiple case study methodology was used for this research. I selected three private institutions of higher education, the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, Mount Saint Mary College, and Charleston Southern University, as my case studies. Semi-structured interviews with the President, Provost or Academic Vice- President, the Chief Financial Officer, and the President of the Faculty Senate formed the data for the study. Results and Conclusions. Four major themes were found in the data from all three schools with similar sub-themes. The four processes used by the institutions were Enhancing Academic Delivery, Challenging the Fundamental Role of the Faculty, Improving Campus Life for Students, and Implementing Formal Planning Processes and Other Financial Issues. Additionally, the findings were compared to the existing body of literature related to change and specifically looked at the role of the leader using John Kotter's eight-step process for implementing major changes in an institution. The study found no effect between the institutions' church- relatedness and its' ability to change. The study supports the existing body of knowledge regarding good change-management processes and expanded on this body of knowledge by giving specific examples of how those change processes are occurring. This information suggests ideas and recommendations for peer institutions of higher education to consider as they develop their own change processes in an ever-increasingly changing world.


In recent years reducing the amount of waste generated by households has become an important policy issue in industrialised economies. It is no longer acceptable to discard waste without concern for environmental and natural resource issues. In an effort to reduce household waste various policy instruments such as kerbside charges, deposit-refund schemes, integrated sales tax exemptions and virgin material taxes, have been proposed and/or implemented. This article reviews the economics literature that has addressed household waste management. It is argued that a comprehensive modelling framework is necessary if the complex policy environment is to be accurately described.


For the complexity of convective term, the interior heat transfer is important for the engineering testing of heat conduction of fibrous porous materials. In this paper the heat transfer through the body of fibrous porous materials was simulated with finite volume method. By the simulation, it is found that the total heat flux through the body of fibrous porous materials is a linear function of the thermal conductivity when it is measured by the guarded plate, and some constants in the linear function are related with the thickness and permeability coefficient of the sample. The simulated data are employed to fitting the variation curves of the total heat flux with thermal conductivity, thickness and permeability coefficient, respectively. The improved calculating formula of thermal conductivity for fibrous porous materials is established based on the fitting estimation. Through the experimental, it is demonstrated that the improved calculating formula is more accurate than the original one, which is based on the assumptions of single component continuum material and one dimensional heat transfer.


Due to circumstances beyond its control, Lockheed MartinÕs Athena Small Launch Vehicle Program is being forced to relocate from the current Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6 at Vandenberg AFB, CA, to an alternate location. The objective of this study is to recommend highly favorable launch sites to Lockheed Martin Astronautics management for further development. We develop and use a hierarchical, multiobjective value model, to analyze and evaluate alternative launch sites capable of performing SLC-6 polar orbiting missions, as well as future easterly launches.


Introduction: Purpura fulminans (PF) is a life-threatening syndrome consisting of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), thrombotic occlusion of smalland medium-sized blood vessels with skin necrosis. Although there are few studies in the literature, only a minority of them discuss renal manifestations. Case Report: We present a case of a 57-year-old Caucasian female with acute kidney injury (AKI) in the setting of multiorgan failure (MOF), DIC and PF. She presented with fever, exudative drainage from her port site, and skin changes concerning for bacteremia. Empiric antibiotics were started after blood, urine, and wound cultures were obtained. None of the cultures grew any organisms. Fever resolved after port removal. She exhibited thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and neutropenia. Urinalysis showed hyaline casts and a fractional excretion of urea (FeUrea) ≤35% indicating a pre-renal state. Her hospital course was complicated by atrial fibrillation, acute hypoxic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, and hypovolemic shock requiring pressor support. Further, complicated by multiorgan failure including nonoliguric AKI and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) of ≤65%. Acute skin findings included dusky, purple macules and patches involving all digits of both hands as well as gangrenous changes on the face and toes. It prompted further investigation by Hematology and Dermatology. Skin biopsy showed early leukocytoclastic vasculitis changes. Her laboratory markers were suggestive of DIC and Purpura Fulminans.


In this paper, we report on the synthesis of silicon quantum dots for photovoltaic applications by means of ion implantation followed by annealing. Nucleation was achieved by implanting Si+ ions into SiO2 thin films, previously thermally grown on a Si(100) substrate, and annealing to 1100 °C. Passivation was used for photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The thickness of the oxide layer, the stoichiometry of the implanted layer, and the depth profiles of the implanted ions were determined for all samples by both Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and ellipsometry techniques. Characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates that the diameter of the silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) varies from 2 to 4 nm, which is less than the Bohr radius of bulk crystalline Si(∼5 nm). Optical and electrical properties have been investigated by PL and I-V measurements. When passivated silicon nanocrystals (Si-nc) embedded into SiO2 are excited using a 450 nm diode laser, they exhibit a strong PL emission in the range of 650-1000 nm. Based on these investigations, p-type Si-QDs/n-type c-Si junctions were fabricated and electrically characterized in the dark as well as under an AM1.5G terrestrial solar spectrum for nonimplanted, as-implanted, and implanted-annealed samples for different implantation fluences. The electrical curves of the structures under illumination demonstrate the photovoltaic behavior of the Si-QDs. Despite the weak light conversion of these devices, these results remain very promising and offer potentially unprecedented, vast improvements to third generation solar cells.


The unique properties of graphene-based nanomaterials (GMs) have enabled various applications in the fields of electronics, energy, environment, and biotechnology. Yet, their potential inherent hazard poses risks to human health and the environment, which could be a barrier to the success of these applications. A critical underpinning of sustainable material development is rational design. This approach involves the ability to control material outcomes, requiring the establishment of property-function and property-hazard relationships. This dissertation aims to demonstrate an ability to rationally design GMs by manipulating chemical composition and establishing the relationships that correlate material properties to their electrochemical activity (function) and bioactivity (hazard). The electrochemical activity is represented by the material reactivity for important electrochemical reactions (oxygen reduction reaction, ORR and oxygen evolution reaction, OER). The bioactivity is represented as the material propensity to oxidize a cellular biomolecule (glutathione) and inactivate the bacteria (Escherichia coli).

Material sets of graphene oxide (GO) and nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) are investigated using various complementary characterization techniques to determine the material properties that govern electrochemical and biological activities as chemical composition changes. The results suggest both activities are governed by synergistic effects from multiple properties, including specific oxygen and nitrogen sites and properties arising as a consequence of changing chemical composition. Enhanced aqueous dispersion and defect density are important for GO bioactivity. Additionally, coupled experimental and computational approaches elucidate the synergistic role of adjacent epoxide and hydroxyl groups on GO in directly oxidizing glutathione. As the surface of GO is reduced, the electrochemical and biological activities are governed by a balance of carbonyl groups and electrical conductivity. For NG, N-types control electrochemical reactions, ORR (graphitic-N) and OER (pyridinic-N). Further, the predominance of graphitic-N enhances oxidative stress-related bioactivity, which is an important contribution since very little is known surrounding NG bioactivity.

Collectively, this dissertation supports the use of chemical composition manipulation to control material properties and in turn, function and hazard outcomes. The established property-function and property-hazard relationships provide rational design guidance for GMs. The holistic approach herein is applicable to other nanomaterials and thus, will continue to contribute to the advancement of sustainable nanotechnology.


After years of sitting on the fence, developing economies became active participants in the multilateral trade negotiations (MTNs) during the Uruguay Round. In particular, the Group-of-twenty-one (G-21) developing economies played a consequential role both at the Fifth Ministerial Conference in CancAon and at the WTO meeting held in Geneva in the last week of July 2004, which put together the framework agreement, or so-called July package. As the Doha Round is intended to be a development round, development concerns form an integral part not only of the Doha Ministerial Declaration but also of the subsequent framework agreement. This article focuses on the initiatives of the developing economies in the Doha Round of MTNs and calibrates their achievements - or lack thereof. It also deals with the role of the large number of small and low-income developing economies in the MTNs. Success in the Doha Round can certainly influence the absolute poor of the world favourably. Empirical estimates have been made about how many people would be lifted out of absolute poverty by a successful conclusion of the Doha Round.


The ability to prevent an endogenous LH surge revolutionised the efficacy of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such that GnRH agonists were rapidly adopted in the 1980s. Prior to this, premature luteinisation occurred in up to 25% of superovulated cycles leading to cycle cancellation and severely compromised outcomes. Analogues have been applied in a variety of drug protocols (long, short flare) but there has been little research to moderate the degree of pituitary suppression. There has also been ongoing and unresolved debate about the role of LH in supporting follicular development. By 2001, the first GnRH antagonists were registered for use in ART. Their ability to cause immediate suppression of gonadotrophin (particularly LH) secretion means that they can be given after exogenous stimulation has begun and thereby dramatically shorten the total duration of a treatment cycle. After initial enthusiasm and then scepticism that pregnancy rates may not be as high as the established agonist regimens, these preparations are now being increasingly adopted with at least comparable outcomes in large trials. They are certainly favoured by patients for their reduced side-effect profile and particularly for the shortening of the total cycle length. This shift in practice is occurring alongside gathering momentum in favour of milder stimulation protocols and a new perception of what constitutes successful treatment. The focus is moving away from surrogate outcomes such as oocyte numbers and conception rates towards long-term outcomes for women and their offspring, namely the achievement of a live singleton birth per treatment started.


The semiconductor industry is starting to approach a pure publisher/content business model. The much vaunted "intellectual property" semiconductor startup is falling into two buckets: commodity IP and architectural IP. While the fab/fabless business model debate underlay the last 10 years, the foreseeable future for semiconductor startups will be driven by the commodity IP/architectural IP debate.


Purpose - – Whereas a lot of emphasis has been placed on the open innovations (Chesbrough, 2003, von Hippel, 2005) and their implications in the formal sector, this paper purports to fill the literature gap in identifying the process of dialogue between the formal and the informal sector with reference to the open innovations, emanating at the grassroots' level, for effecting inclusive and a sustainable development. This causality is being sought to be achieved through initiation, accessibility, building-the-bridges and finding unique solutions to the problems through mutual dialogue and reciprocity. Thus, this interplay of interaction shall facilitate the shaping up of sustainable and inclusive development through the open innovations. It may be pertinent to note here that the present paper shall specifically limit its scope to the conceptualization for such a dialogue to eventually happen in due course of time. Design/methodology/approach - – Theoretical build-up. Findings - – For harnessing the potential of the innovations at the grassroots, it is important that bridges be built between the informal and the formal spaces. Originality/value - – Hitherto, the notion of inclusive and sustainable development was not studied in the research with respect to the open innovations at the grassroots (informal sector). The paper is attempt at filling this gap.


Polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) including γ-linolenic acid are valuable products because of their involvement in several aspects of human health care. GLA has been claimed to play a crucial role in development and prevention of some skin diseases, diabetes, reproductive disorder and others. At present, market demand for most γ-linolenic acid is growing continually and current sources are inadequate for satisfying this demand due to the significant problems of low productivity, complex and expensive downstream process and unstable quality. Therefore, seeking for alternative sources are demanding. Δ 6 -fatty acid desaturase is the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of PUFAs, which catalyses the conversion of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid toγ-linolenic acid and stearidonic acid respectively. Unfortunately, the structure information on membrane desaturases is scarce because of the technical limitations in obtaining quantities of purified protein and the intrinsic difficulties in obtaining crystals from membrane proteins. With the isolation of the genes coding for Δ 6 -fatty acid desaturase from various organisms, its characteristics will be elucidated gradually. Here we concisely reviewed the recent progress on studies of molecular biology including the cloning of Δ 6 -fatty acid desaturase gene, structure and function, phylogeny and prospects of gene engineering application.


We read with interest the article by Gollard et al., who reviewed their experience with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Although we believe the authors did excellent work in their clinicopathologic studies, we would like to point out a major hallmark of MCCs that was not mentioned by the authors. Patients with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma may present with metastasis to the skin even before the primary lesion is detected; thus it is important to distinguish these latter tumors from primary MCC for obvious treatment decisions. Because both entities are indistinguishable based on routine histologic examination, the use of cytokeratin 20 antibodies via immunohistochemical techniques is extremely helpful in establishing the diagnosis of MCC because this marker is extremely sensitive and very specific for the detection of MCC. Therefore, as demonstrated by Chan et al., positivity for cytokeratin 20 in a small cell carcinoma of uncertain origin is a strong predictor of MCC.


: Background: Fusarium is a mold mainly known as plant and animal pathogen. Recently, there has been an increasing number of reports about fusarium infection in humans, especially as opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients with a significant morbitiy and mortality rate. The aim of this study is to further elucidate the behavior of fusariosis in humans. Methods: We analyzed all reports of Fusarium infection in the English and German literature from 1958 to 2007. Data about the age, gender, underlying condition, symptoms, Fusarium species, treatment and outcome were analyzed. Results: 213 cases with either histologically or culture proven infection were included. 62.5% (n=133) were male. The median age of the patients was 39.9 years (range: 0.04-82 years). The overall mortality rate was 34.7% (n=74), with a direct correlation between the underlying condition, the immune status of the patient and the site of infection. No underlying condition was found in only 4.2% (n=9) of all cases. All of them survived and none of them had a disseminated disease. A disseminated infection was detected in 40% (n=86) of all analyzed cases with fusariosis. The second leading site of Fusarium infection was the skin 22.5% (n=48) and eye 15% (n=33). Fusarium solani was the most frequent species. 92.5% (n=197) of all patients received antifungal therapy. The most frequent used antifungal agent was amphotericin B deoxycholate and its liposomal equivalent. Only 6 patients received no treatment at all, neither surgery nor any sort of medication. 4 of them died. Conclusion: From the first case in 1958 an increasing number of cases were published each decade with a peak between 1990-1999. The outcome depends on the site of infection and the immune status of the patient. Disseminated


A systematic review of incentivized human immunodeficiency virus screening in low- and middle-income countries found that incentives increase screening uptake and are most effective when developed specific to context and target population. Background The majority of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections that occur worldwide are in sub-Saharan Africa. While recent gains have been made in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), substantial disparities in sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) screening and treatment still exist between LMIC and high-income countries. In addition to increasing STBBI screening uptake, providing incentives for STBBI screening may decrease perceived stigma associated with STBBI screening. Methods Our review was conducted as part of a larger systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and guidance from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. This review focuses on incentivized STBBI screening in LMIC; high-income countries were excluded. Articles were excluded if their primary focus was on children and youth (younger than 16 years), results retrieval, treatment, behavioral change only, behavior intention, treatment adherence, or provider incentive. Results The search yielded 6219 abstracts. The search and selection criteria included all STBBI; however, only articles examining incentivized HIV screening met our inclusion criteria. Five articles representing 4 distinct studies from South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were included, all of which focused on incentivized HIV screening. Populations screened included the following: men, first-time testers, population-based surveillance program families, and insurance health plan members. Incentive structures varied widely and incentives were mainly food vouchers, lottery prizes, or household items. Conclusions Our review was conducted to determine if patient incentives increase STBBI test uptake in LMIC. Overall, incentives were associated with an increase in HIV screening uptake. Most studies included focused solely on men. There is a significant void in understanding STBBI incentive-based screening outside of this context and in complex populations who should be targeted in incentivized HIV screening. Incentives appear most effective when developed specific to context and target population. Further research is needed to analyze incentivized screening across similar study designs, to evaluate long-term effectiveness, and to explore the ethical implications of incentivized care.


Abstract The efficacy of treadmill walking training to improve pain-free (PFWD) and maximal (MWD) walking distance in patients with claudication is well documented. The effects of aerobic arm-ergometry to improve PFWD and MWD compared to treadmill walking or usual care are not known. Forty-one participants (29 male, 12 female, mean age 67.7 years, 92.7% smoking history, 36.6% with diabetes) with lifestyle-limiting claudication were randomized to 12 weeks of 3 hours/week of supervised exercise training using either arm-ergometry, treadmill walking, or a combination, versus control. PFWD and MWD were assessed before and after training, and after 12 weeks of follow-up. The 12-week MWD increased significantly in the arm-ergometry (+53%), treadmill (+69%), and combination (+68%) groups (p < 0.002 versus control). The 24-week MWD was maintained in the arm-ergometry (p = 0.009) and treadmill (p = 0.019) groups, whereas the combination group declined (p = 0.751) versus control. The 12-week PFWD increased significantly in the arm-ergometry group (+82%; p = 0.025 versus control). Change in PFWD in treadmill (+54%; p = 0.196 versus control) and combination (+60%; p = 0.107 versus control) groups did not reach statistical significance. PFWD improvement was maintained in the arm-ergometry group after a 12-week follow-up (+123%; p = 0.011 versus control). In conclusion, these pilot data demonstrate for the first time that dynamic arm exercise training can improve walking capability in people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD)-induced claudication compared to participants receiving usual care and that improvement was not different from that seen with treadmill walking exercise training. Dynamic arm exercise may be a therapeutic exercise option for patients with PAD.


Because the teaching-research-service triad of faculty responsibilities at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) is weighted toward teaching, faculty development initiatives at these institutions may anticipate early—and easy—adoption of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Indeed, our experience sharing SoTL programming and resources with faculty at Park University confirmed that the culture of teaching often in place at PUIs can prove fertile soil for SoTL programming. However, we also discovered the challenges that can arise when moving from a culture of teaching to a culture of the scholarship of teaching. Our institutional story of membership in the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning reinforces the value of devising multiple avenues to integrate SoTL into a teachingfocused institutional culture, and the necessity of cross-institutional partnerships to stimulate greater perspective on and participation in teaching as a scholarly endeavor.


This paper identifies a new source of gains from trade from asset heterogeneity among firms. Under financial frictions, a firm's capital rental is constrained by its own assets. We show that, with or without productivity heterogeneity, trade openness or liberalization will always force the least wealthy firms to close; induce the rationalization effect which shifts capital and labor from small, less wealthy firms to large, wealthier ones; and as a result, improve social welfare and total factor productivity (TFP) due to increasing returns to scale. According to our simulation, the higher the financial frictions or the greater the asset inequality among firms, the larger the gains from trade from this new source. We also show that some existing results in the heterogeneous firm trade models need to be modified under financial frictions. For example, the cutoff productivity to export may increase with trade liberalization and the total number of export firms may decrease with financial liberalization.


This paper presents the results of an analysis of the observed incidence of lightning strikes to a wide range of earthed structures in Hong Kong. The data were obtained for 161 structures and span the period 1988–1996. These structures were protected with lightning air terminals, placed in the optimum locations on each structure using a new positioning method which is an improvement of the simple 'electrogeometric model'. The aims of the paper are fourfold, namely to assess (i) the effectiveness of this new lightning protection positioning method, (ii) the validity of various attractive radius models, especially since many of the structures are located in high–density city blocks, (iii) the validity of a Poisson model for describing the strike frequency, and (iv) the effect of any assumed height dependence of the median peak current on the attractive radius models. The results show a significant positive correlation between expected and actual strike frequency and confirm that the interception efficiency of the lightning protection system is in accord with the specified protection levels. In general, attractive radius and Poisson strike models for 'free–standing' structures are found to be valid except for structures of height less than 100 m in dense city blocks. The results also show an influence due to positive flashes and a decrease in attractive radius if the peak lightning stroke current is assumed to be dependent on the structure height.


Purpose of reviewSwallowing disorders impact the health and quality of millions of lives of patients across the age spectrum. The broad scope of the problem is in contrast to the volume of methods that we have to treat the problem. Investigators are testing interventions that go beyond the swallowing system and are targeting those that cross or overlap with swallowing function. This review will highlight the potential clinical implications of respiratory–swallowing cross-system interaction in health and disease. Recent findingsA collection of current studies demonstrates a tight neural coupling between the central control of respiration and swallowing. Results from recent studies suggest that this neural coupling may be altered under certain conditions of development, age, disease, and eating/swallowing tasks. SummaryThe functional significance of cross-system neural control on respiratory–swallowing coordination is far from understood. Preliminary data, however, show destabilization of respiratory–swallowing patterns in various neurological diseases and in head and neck cancer. These findings suggest the need to develop a line of research that tests the effects of therapeutic strategies that transcend swallowing and include cross-system interactions such as respiratory–swallow phase patterning.


Time projection chambers (TPCs) have found a wide range of applications in particle physics, nuclear physics, and homeland security. For TPCs with high-resolution readout, the readout electronics often dominate the price of the final detector. We have developed a novel method which could be used to build large-scale detectors while limiting the necessary readout area. By focusing the drift charge with static electric fields, we would allow a small area of electronics to be sensitive to particle detection for a much larger detector volume. The resulting cost reduction could be important in areas of research which demand largescale detectors, including dark matter searches and detection of special nuclear material. We present simulations made using the software package Garfield of a focusing structure to be used with a prototype TPC with pixel readout. This design should enable significant focusing while retaining directional sensitivity to incoming particles. We also present first experimental results and compare them with simulation.


Inspired by the structures of viruses and fullerenes in biology and chemistry, we have recently developed a method to construct nested polyhedra and, more generally, nested polytopes in multi-dimensional geometry with noncrystallographic symmetry. In this paper we review these results, presenting them from a geometrical point of view. Examples and applications in science and design are discussed.


Pollinators highly specialized in their diet do not make food choices by means of cognitive processes; they just follow the dictate writing in their genes. Contrary, for the social bee Apis mellifera a floral choice implies to make a decision, usually following an economic criterion, based on information acquired from the environment and stored in some form of memory. Although there are numerous studies and models about floral choice in bees, most of them have derived their conclusions from 'static' conditions of the interaction. Rarely those studies have considered the dynamics of the ecological context, in which seasonality and daily rhythms in floral anthesis change the floral market for the bees. The change in flower species composition faces the pollinators to make sequential choices about what plant species to exploit in each case. In this paper I enter the subject about sequential foraging on heterospecific floral patches, focusing on the use that the bee A. mellifera makes of the information previously learned in a context, when the same bee face food exploitation in a completely different ecological context. I have done some experiments simulating two different floral patches, and exposing individuals of A. mellifera to decide about what floral resource to forage in each patch. The results indicate that the bee initially samples alternatives and they do invest on cognitive process to learn about the best flower species, but once this information is stored in the bee's memory, the bee takes a piece of the learned information (color), to use it as a search image while exploiting heterospecific floral patches. In this paper I discuss biological situations, which support the idea that in nature the use of a color search images by social bees, can be more common than it was thought initially. Cost and benefits are derived from this behavior.


A B S T R A C T In the late 1990s and early 2000s, China's Ministry of Education embarked on an ambitious program of primary school mergers by shutting down small village schools and opening up larger centralized schools in towns and county seats. The goal of the program was to improve the teacher and building resources in an attempt to raise the human capital of students in poor rural areas, although it was recognized that students would lose the opportunity to learn in the settings of their own familiar villages. Because of the increased distances to the new centralized schools, the merger program also entailed building boarding facilities and encouraging or mandating that students live at school during the week away from their family. Given the magnitude of the program and the obvious mix of benefits and costs that such a program entails there has been surprisingly little effort to evaluate the impact of creating a new system that transfers students from school to school during their primary school period of education and, in some cases, making student live in boarding facilities at school. In this paper, our overall goal is to examine the impact of the Rural Primary School Merger Program on academic performance of students using a dataset from a survey that we designed to reflect transfer paths and boarding statuses of students. We use OLS and Propensity Score Matching approaches and demonstrate that there is a large ''resource effect'' (that is, an effect that appears to be associated with the better facilities and higher quality of teachers in the town and county schools) that appears to be associated with the transfers of students from less centralized schools (such as village schools) to more centralized schools. Boarding, however, is shown to have negative impacts on academic performance. However, students who transfer to county school benefit from the transfer no matter where they start and whether they board or not.


OBJECTIVES
To compare diabetes management in adults between England and the United States, particularly focusing on the impact of a universal access health insurance system.

DESIGN
Analysis of the nationally-representative surveys Health Survey of England, 2003 (unweighted n =14 057) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2002 (unweighted n =5411).

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
Adults 20-64 years of age; individuals >65.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Glycaemic, lipid and blood pressure control and medication use among individuals with previously diagnosed diabetes.

RESULTS
Among those aged 20-64 the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was lower in England (2.7%) than in the USA (5.0%). The proportion with diabetes receiving treatment was similar for the two countries. However, the mean HbA1c in England was 7.6%: in the USA it was 7.5% for those with insurance and 8.6% for those without insurance. The proportion of individuals on ACE inhibitors in England was 39%: in USA it was 39% for those with insurance, and 14% for those without.

CONCLUSIONS
Individuals in a healthcare system providing universal access have better managed diabetes than those in a market based system once one accounts for insurance.


Graph pattern matching algorithms to handle million-scale dynamic graphs are widely used in many applications such as social network analytics and suspicious transaction detections from financial networks. On the other hand, the computation complexity of many graph pattern matching algorithms is expensive, and it is not affordable to extract patterns from million-scale graphs. Moreover, most real-world networks are time-evolving, updating their structures continuously, which makes it harder to update and output newly matched patterns in real time. Many incremental graph pattern matching algorithms which reduce the number of updates have been proposed to handle such dynamic graphs. However, it is still challenging to recompute vertices in the incremental graph pattern matching algorithms in a single process, and that prevents the real-time analysis. We propose an incremental graph pattern matching algorithm to deal with time-evolving graph data and also propose an adaptive optimization system based on reinforcement learning to recompute vertices in the incremental process more efficiently. Then we discuss the qualitative efficiency of our system with several types of data graphs and pattern graphs. We evaluate the performance using million-scale attributed and time-evolving social graphs. Our incremental algorithm is up to 10.1 times faster than an existing graph pattern matching and 1.95 times faster with the adaptive systems in a computation node than naive incremental processing.


The research objective was to determine the evaluation of PAI Learning in SMK Muhammadiyah 1 and 2 Palembang city and technical evaluation conducted at SMK Muhammadiyah 1 and 2. This type of research is a qualitative descriptive study, data collection techniques using observation techniques, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques use the framework of inductive and deductive thinking. The results of the study, the implementation of the evaluation is taken from the results of daily tests, midterm and final exam, the management of the evaluation includes planning, managing the implementation of the organization and evaluation. Technical Evaluation of PAI Learning leads to the cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. PAI Learning Evaluation techniques implemented in SMK Muhammadiyah 1 and 2 are test and non-test techniques.