PURPOSE
IOP is the most common independent risk factor for development and progression of glaucoma, but very little is known about IOP dynamics. Continuous IOP telemetry was used in three nonhuman primates to characterize IOP dynamics at multiple time scales for multiple 24-hour periods.

METHODS
An existing implantable telemetric pressure transducer system was adapted to monitoring anterior chamber IOP. The system records 500 IOP, ECG, and body temperature measurements per second and compensates for barometric pressure in real time. The continuous IOP signal was digitally filtered for noise and dropout and reported using time-window averaging for 19, 18, and 4 24-hour periods in three animals, respectively. Those data were analyzed for a nycthemeral pattern within each animal.

RESULTS
Ten-minute time-window averaging for multiple 24-hour periods showed that IOP fluctuated from 7 to 14 mm Hg during the day, and those changes occurred frequently and quickly. Two-hour time-window averages of IOP for multiple 24-hour periods in three animals showed a weak nycthemeral trend, but IOP was not repeatable from day-to-day within animals.

CONCLUSIONS
The measured IOP was successfully measured continuously by using a new, fully implantable IOP telemetry system. IOP fluctuates as much as 10 mm Hg from day to day and hour to hour in unrestrained nonhuman primates, which indicates that snapshot IOP measurements may be inadequate to capture the true dynamic character of IOP. The distributions, magnitudes, and patterns of IOP are not reproducible from day to day within animals, but IOP tends to be slightly higher at night when IOP data are averaged across multiple 24-hour periods within animals.


In humans, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), with its sulfate, is the most abundant adrenal steroid, whereas the rat adrenals are not capable of synthesizing this steroid. Circulating concentrations of DHEA sulfate lie in the millimolar range and those of DHEA in the subnanomolar range. DHEA exerts protective potential during vascular remodeling, although the underlying mechanisms of this protection are imperfectly defined. We hypothesized that physiological doses of DHEA alter signaling pathways that are of central importance for vascular integrity. We exposed human endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts to DHEA (10−6 to 10−10 mol/L) and observed a dose- and time-dependent increase of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 activation. Similar results were observed in rat vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, in rat vascular smooth muscle cells, we found altered phosphorylation and cellular translocation of the transcription factor FoxO1. Pharmacological blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) with eplerenone or small interfering RNA-mediated MR-silencing prevented DHEA-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation and its effects on FoxO1. Of note, in a cell-based MR transactivation assay, we did not find any agonist effect of DHEA on MR activity. We conclude that DHEA induces early signaling events in vascular cells that might underlie the DHEA-mediated protection against vasculopathies. These effects are dependent on the MR, although the finding that DHEA fails to act as a direct MR agonist suggests that additional signaling proteins are involved. In this regard, DHEA may either interact with coeffectors to modify MR activity or serves as a ligand for a yet unknown receptor that might transactivate the MR.


Good and generous knowledge sources, reliable and efficient induction patterns, and automatic and controllable quality assertion approaches are three critical issues to commonsense knowledge (CSK) acquisition. This paper employs Open Mind Common Sense (OMCS), a volunteers-contributed CSK database, to study the first and the third issues. For those stylized CSK, our result shows that over 40% of CSK for four predicate types in OMCS can be found in the web, which contradicts to the assumption that CSK is not communicated in texts. Moreover, we propose a commonsense knowledge classifier trained from OMCS, and achieve high precision in some predicate types, e.g., 82.6% in HasProperty. The promising results suggest new ways of analyzing and utilizing volunteer-contributed knowledge to design systems automatically mining commonsense knowledge from the web.


I n earlier reports from this institution1 ,2 changes in hemostasis were described in five patients treated with orthotopic homotransplantation of the liver. There was an intraoperative bleeding diathesis at the same time as fibrinolysis and hypofibrinogenemia developed. In four of the cases, the hemorrhage was eventually controlled after the administration of epsilon aminocaproic acid (EACA) , fibrinogen, and fresh blood. Subsequently, three of the four survivors formed thrombi at or near femoral venotomy sites which had been used fOl" the insertion of external bypass catheters; in all three, the eventual result was multiple pulmonary embolization. Appreciation of the seriousness of these problems prompted a number of investigations to be performed in dogs and pigs2-5 to more fully characterize the clotting abnormalities of liver transplantation and to learn If a succeeding period of hypercoagulability was an inherent part of the picture. It has been established from these studies that hepatic homo-


The Szentgyörgyi-Horváth-house is one of the major historical buildings of Balatonfüred. The design of the reconstruction was preceded by detailed architectural historical study. The reconstruction of the building was realized by retaining the original structures. For the new function the building was equipped with an air-conditioning engine-room. The air conditioner is a significant source of noise for the apartments facing the courtyard of the building, due to its continuous operation. The acoustic examination of the enclosed yard was calculated with two different approaches. The distance-dependent approximation, which is usual for large halls, was approved. Building construction structures were determined based on the results to meet the acoustic requirements.


We hypothesized that nitric oxide may act as an intermediary in the transduction of mechanical loading of bone into a bone formation response. In the present study, 48 rats were divided into the following three treatment groups: control, treatment with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase), and treatment with D-NAME (the less active enantiomer of L-NAME). The rats were subdivided into groups subjected to four-point bending or sham loading of their right tibiae. Bone formation was measured at the midshaft of the loaded and nonloaded (left) tibiae of each rat using histomorphometric methods. The application of four-point bending, but not sham loading, resulted in new bone formation. Treatment with L-NAME reduced the rate of mechanically induced bone formation by 66% compared with the control group. Bone formation rates in nonloaded or sham-loaded limbs were not affected by L-NAME treatment. The results suggest that nitric oxide may play a role in the transduction of a mechanical stimulus into a biological response in bone.


In fluid mechanics, turbulence can occur in very simple flow geometries, for Newtonian fluids and without the need for additional flow conditions such as temperature gradients or chemical reactions. In standard cases, intuitive assumptions on the physics of the subgrid scales coupled with the classical theories of turbulence can be well suited for subgrid modelling in large eddy simulation. However, considering more complex situations such as elastic or plasmas turbulence, the behaviour of the subgrid scales is not clearly identified, certainly not as intuitive and the corresponding theories are not available yet. The question is how to proceed when the functional modelling, which imposes a known behaviour to the subgrid scales of the flow, is not possible. For instance, this issue could be overcome using deconvolution-based subgrid models which aim at a partial recovery of the original quantities from their filtered counterpart. In principle, functional modelling is avoided by attempting to invert the filtering operator applied to the governing equations. However, this apparent advantage is completely lost since these models are usually coupled with auxiliary approaches, directly based on functional modelling, in order to account for the interactions with the scales which are not representable on the coarse spatial discretization used for large eddy simulation. The driving motivation of this work is to suppress the need for this secondary modelling which would allow to extend the use of deconvolution-based models to the large eddy simulation of flows whose behaviour of subgrid scales is not identified. Considering the effects of the coarse numerical discretization as the only effective filter applied to the macroscopic equations, an interpretation of the deconvolution models as a way to approximate the effect of the scales lost by numerical discretization on the resolved scales of the flow is demonstrated. Consequently, a new category of subgrid models, the grid filter models, is defined and gives a theoretical justification to the use of deconvolution models for the entire subgrid modelling process. In this perspective, a general method for the computation of the convolution filter which models the effect of the grid filter on the computable scales of the solution is proposed, thereby addressing the key issue of the numerical discretization in large eddy simulation. This modelling approach is validated performing the large eddy simulation of the incompressible flow of a Newtonian fluid in a lid-driven cubical cavity. Comparisons with classical subgrid models allow to assess the validity of this modelling approach and the suppression of the need for functional modelling. In order to extend the validity domain of the grid filter models, the large eddy simulation of an elastic turbulence problem is envisaged. Numerical simulations of elastic turbulence are limited by numerical instabilities which are particularly stringent at high elasticity. Moreover, the computational burden resulting from the required space-time resolutions is significantly increased as compared to the Newtonian case. Consequently, available direct numerical simulations are restricted to periodic and two-dimensional cases. Among these studies, the large eddy simulation of the viscoelastic Kolmogorov flow is chosen as benchmark problem.


The study reported on examined the question of whether translators' cognitive faculties might be able to predict their performance on a translation task. Research on individual cognitive differences in translation has been a new issue in the realm of Translation Studies. However, the majority of previous studies have targeted single cognitive faculties for the purpose of investigation and we therefore know little about how sets of cognitive faculties can affect the process of translation from one language into another. In this study, three individual cognitive differences were targeted: emotional intelligence (EI), tolerance of ambiguity (TA), and working memory (WM). For the purposes of the study, 54 Iranian MA students of Translation Studies were sampled as participants. The participants completed measures of their EI, TA, and WM. In addition, they were requested to translate an excerpt from English (Source Language) into Persian (Target Language). The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the regression model, incorporating EI, TA, and WM as its predictors, was able to predict a significant amount of variance in participants' translation performance. Of the three predictors, the contributions of TA and WM to the total variance in the participants' translation scores were statistically significant, while the contribution of EI to the total variance was not. The findings of the study have some implications for research and practice in the field of Translation Studies.


Abstract. Inverse modelling is a useful tool for retrieving CH4 fluxes; however, evaluation of the applied chemical transport model is an important step before using the inverted emissions. For inversions using column data one concern is how well the model represents stratospheric and tropospheric CH4 when assimilating total column measurements. In this study atmospheric CH4 from three inverse models is compared to FTS (Fourier transform spectrometry), satellite and in situ measurements. Using the FTS measurements the model biases are separated into stratospheric and tropospheric contributions. When averaged over all FTS sites the model bias amplitudes (absolute model to FTS differences) are 7.4 ± 5.1, 6.7 ± 4.8, and 8.1 ± 5.5 ppb in the tropospheric partial column (the column from the surface to the tropopause) for the models TM3, TM5-4DVAR, and LMDz-PYVAR, respectively, and 4.3 ± 9.9, 4.7 ± 9.9, and 6.2 ± 11.2 ppb in the stratospheric partial column (the column from the tropopause to the top of the atmosphere). The model biases in the tropospheric partial column show a latitudinal gradient for all models; however there are no clear latitudinal dependencies for the model biases in the stratospheric partial column visible except with the LMDz-PYVAR model. Comparing modelled and FTS-measured tropospheric column-averaged mole fractions reveals a similar latitudinal gradient in the model biases but comparison with in situ measured mole fractions in the troposphere does not show a latitudinal gradient, which is attributed to the different longitudinal coverage of FTS and in situ measurements. Similarly, a latitudinal pattern exists in model biases in vertical CH4 gradients in the troposphere, which indicates that vertical transport of tropospheric CH4 is not represented correctly in the models.


We report on the fabrication and testing of SiC p-i-n avalanche photodiodes. APDs of 0.25 mm2 area on a-plane (1120) 6H-SiC as well as off-axis Si face 6H and 4H-SiC were successfully fabricated. A beveled mesa was used as edge termination. Recessed windows were formed using reactive ion etching to enhance low-wavelength UV performance. We performed current-voltage tests with and without UV illumination to determine dark current, photocurrent, and gain on selected devices. Dark current was less than 1 pA at 0.5Vbr on multiple devices. Quantum efficiency of 40% or greater was observed for all orientations and polytypes.


Collapse of the roof during mining is a constant threat to the lives of miners and equipment performance. To predict it, different numerical and physical approaches are used. Physical modeling of the massif region from -951 m to -841 m using equivalent materials were undertaken in this investigation. Various options for mining the Vorkuta coal deposit were considered: mining only the upper industrial seam, mining the lower coal seam as a protective layer to the upper one, and assessing the impact on the collapse zone of the complex structure of the upper coal seam roof while maintaining an upward order of mining. The main results were as follows: calculated collapse zone is approximately 30% larger than theoretical; collapse zone decreased when using mining with lower protective coal seam; the largest collapse zone was observed when pinching the rocks in upward mining order. Therefore, the research has shown the need to adjust the project for a larger methane yield. Further large-scale modeling is needed for understanding the characteristics of the collapse zone.


The aim of this chapter is to review literature reporting on the use of internal distraction osteogenesis and rigid external distraction osteogenesis and to determine the biome‐ chanical effects of internal distractors in the treatment of maxillary hypoplasia, especial‐ ly in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP), and compare the results with non-cleft patient. The standard osteotomy used for distraction osteogenesis of the hypoplastic maxilla is LeFort I. An advancement of more than 10 mm in patients with no cleft and 6 mm in patients with CLP is beyond the limit of LeFort I osteotomy, and in such cases distrac‐ tion osteogenesis for advancement of the maxilla can be used. Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a biological process involving the formation of new bone between viable bone segments that are gradually separated by incremental traction. The external and internal usage of distraction osteogenesis in the treatment of maxillary hypoplasia in patients with cleft lip and palate is a reliable, reproducible and stable alternative method to conven‐ tional one-step LeFort I advancement techniques. Biomechanical evaluation of internal maxillary distraction osteogenesis produces mathematical results to help the surgeon and the orthodontist to understand better the therapeutic effects on the maxillofacial bones and sutures of the craniofacial system.


The NAND flash-based hybrid storage that consists of a hard disk and flash cache has been widely used in mobile PCs, such as laptop/desktop computers, that require large storage capacity, energy efficiency, and better performance. In particular, in such consumer devices, energy saving is a major concern under limited battery capacity. Although a disk can be spun down during idle time for energy saving, it has been observed that there are frequent read and write requests generated by background applications, even while there is no user activity. In the hybrid storage, the flash cache is used for reducing disk activities and prolonging disk spin-down time. During the spin-down time, write requests can be temporarily stored in the flash cache, whereas read requests should be carefully handled to avoid frequent disk spin-ups. This paper presents Best-effort Energy Saving Techniques (BEST) that make the best use of the hybrid storage to provide low energy consumption, even under many background applications. In addition, the proposed techniques ensure the lifetime of the hybrid storage by considering the limited block erase and load/unload cycles of the flash memory and hard disk, respectively. Evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed techniques achieve considerable energy saving under various workloads, compared with previous studies.


Abstract Interactive systems have largely evolved over the past years. Nowadays, different users can interact with systems on different devices and in different environments. The user interfaces (UIs) are expected to cope with such variety. Plastic UIs have the capacity to adapt to changes in their context of use while preserving usability. Such capability enhances UIs, however, it adds complexity on them. We propose an approach to verifying interactive systems considering this adaptation capability of the UIs. The approach applies two formal techniques: model checking, to the verification of properties over the system model, and equivalence checking, to compare different versions of a UI, thereby identifying different levels of UI equivalence. We apply the approach to a case study in the nuclear power plant domain in which several UI are analyzed, properties are verified, and the level of equivalence between them is demonstrated.


A stable low dropout (LDO) voltage regulator topology for low equivalent series resistance (ESR) capacitive loads is presented. The proposed scheme generates a zero internally instead of relying on the zero generated by the load capacitor and its ESR combination for stability. It is demonstrated that this scheme realizes robust frequency compensation, facilitates the use of multilayer ceramic capacitors for the load of LDO regulators, and improves transient response and noise performance. Test results from a prototype fabricated in AMI 0.5-/spl mu/m CMOS technology provide the most important parameters of the regulator viz., ground current, load regulation, line regulation, output noise, and start-up time.


Background/aims Although percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice for long-term enteral nutrition, feeding-related adverse events such as aspiration pneumonia and peristomal leakage can impede the use of PEG. Percutaneous endoscopic transgastric jejunostomy (PEG-J) using large-bore jejunal tubes may help by circumventing gastric passage during enteral nutrition and improving drainage of gastric secretions. Methods 20 patients (12 males and 8 females) who received PEG-J after unsuccessful PEG feeding during a 6-year period in our institution were analysed retrospectively to evaluate the efficacy of large-bore jejunal feeding tubes in maintaining enteral nutrition. Results The median age was 83.5 (71–96) years. The median period between PEG and PEG-J was 33 (14–280) days. Indications were aspiration due to gastro-oesophageal reflux in 18 patients and severe peristomal leakage in 2 patients. Tube placements were successful in all patients. There were 6 (30%) in-hospital mortalities, with 3 (15%) occurring within 30 days after procedure. Conclusions PEG-J can be performed safely in patients with PEG and may facilitate the maintenance of enteral nutrition in most of the patients. Patients with unsuccessful PEG feeding can be offered the option of jejunal feeding before considering termination of enteral nutrition.


The dairy forage system model (DAFOSYM) was expanded to include submodels for the prediction of suitable days under a range of soil and crop residue conditions, draft of a wide range of tillage and seeding implements, and scheduling of manure handling, tillage and planting operations. Through simulation, the long-term performance, costs and net return for three tillage and four manure handling systems were compared on 150 and 400-cow representative dairy farms in Michigan. The analysis included all factors of milk production including manure production, storage and application, tillage, planting, crop growth, harvest, feed storage, and feeding. Mulch-tillage was the most economical tillage system, returning $15 to $26/cow-yr over conventional tillage with a 30% reduction in machinery, fuel, and labor costs. The highest net return among manure handling systems was associated with short-term storage and daily hauling, but the economic advantage of this system diminished if credit was not given for the value of all manure nutrients when spread daily. Long-term manure storage concentrated labor for spreading in the spring and fall. This delayed tillage and planting and increased feed costs as much as $24/cow-yr when manure hauling, tillage, and planting occurred in series. When labor and machinery were available for parallel field operations, manure handling method had little effect on the timeliness of tillage and planting.


My study examined Tennessee's only native scorpion species, Vaejovis carolinianus. Little is known about its ecology, so the objectives of my study were to determine if: (1) V. carolinianus selected cover objects based on surface area; (2) V. carolinianus preferred moister soils under the cover object; and (3) length of time in captivity altered the preferences. Scorpions were captured from two different locations: (1) a roadcut parallel to State Highway 96 near Edgar Evins State Park; (2) France Mountain in Overton County. In laboratory trials, scorpions were allowed to choose among three retreat sites and three soil moisture levels. Transects were established at both field locations to count and measure rocks that may serve as retreat sites. Surface area trials indicated that V. carolinianus selected large objects as retreat sites most often, but overall retreat site selection did not differ from that expected based on random choice weighted by cover object size. Soil moisture trial results varied, with no statistical significance in the results from the Highway 96 and 2013 France Mountain populations. The 2014 France Mountain population did show statistically significant differences. The surface area trials did not exhibit a time in captivity effect, but the soil moisture trials indicated a time in captivity effect between the 2013 and 2014 France Mountain populations. Based on test results, it appears V. carolinianus selected larger rocks as cover sites, perhaps due to chance or perhaps to escape sunlight and heat, for predator avoidance, or for higher soil moisture levels.


ABSTRACT The primacy of food security overrides that of energy. This is a reasoned view under the United Nations rights-based theories and practice. Within this context, there are voluntary guidelines according to which countries must secure an adequate food supply. Nevertheless, agro-related fuel has recently attracted scientific and commercial attention, following revolutionary thinking concerning the multifunctionality nature of agriculture products and the innovative use of crop resources as conduits in building our energy security and promoting economic growth. Consequently, many countries may be facing the need for strategic decision-making in developing an agro-related fuel programme, given the lack of a credible global framework to inform policy approaches. On the back of this complexity, a key objective of this paper is to provide a critical assessment of whether a credible global collaborative framework can bring much-needed certainty to enable developing countries to weigh up the importance and risks involved and to manage all of the related biodiversity intricacies connected to agro-related policy development in relation to the realisation of sustainable food security.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes severe vision threatening keratitis. LasR is a transcription factor that regulates virulence associated genes in response to the quorum sensing molecule N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone. P. aeruginosa isolates with lasR mutations are characterized by an iridescent high sheen phenotype caused by a build-up of 2-heptyl-4-quinolone. A previous study indicated a high proportion (22 out of 101) of P. aeruginosa keratitis isolates from India between 2010 and 2016 were sheen positive and had mutations in the lasR gene, and the sheen phenotype correlated with worse clinical outcomes for patients. In this study, a longitudinal collection of P. aeruginosa keratitis isolates from Eastern North America were screened for lasR mutations by the sheen phenotype and sequencing of the lasR gene. A significant increase in the frequency of isolates with the sheen positive phenotype was observed in isolates between 1993 and 2021. Extracellular protease activity was lower among the sheen positive isolates and a defined lasR mutant. Cloned lasR alleles from the sheen positive isolates were loss of function or dominant negative and differed in sequence from previously reported ocular lasR mutant alleles. Insertion elements were present in a subset of independent isolates and may represent an endemic source from some of the isolates. Retrospective analysis of patient information suggested significantly better visual outcomes for patients with infected by sheen positive isolates. Together, these results indicate an increasing trend towards lasR mutations among keratitis isolates at a tertiary eye care hospital in the United States.


Date Presented 4/20/2018
 The results of this study suggest it is feasible for occupational therapy practitioners to use Lee Silverman Voice Treatment BIG® (LSVT–BIG) with a client with chronic stroke and aphasia. Further, it is feasible to deliver the home exercise portion of LSVT–BIG using a computer-based gamified system.
 Primary Author and Speaker: Rachel Proffitt
 Additional Authors and Speakers: Whitney Henderson, Bridget Comparato, Casey Ladlie, Shea Scholl, Molly Tedrow


Sporotrichosis occurs after fungal implantation of Sporothrix spp. in the skin, and is the main subcutaneous mycosis in Latin America. Here we describe three atypical cases of the disease. The first case report an extra-cutaneous occurrence of the disease with joint infection; the second one describes a patient with bilateral lymphocutaneous form of sporotrichosis; and the third shows a zoonotic cutaneous case with the development of an erythema nodosum as a hypersensitivity reaction. These cases show the disease importance on the region and the necessity of fungal culture to the diagnosis confirmation.


A processor array with a reconfigurable bus system is a parallel computation model that consists of a processor array and a reconfigurable bus system. In this paper, a constant-time algorithm is proposed on this model for finding the cycles in an undirected graph. We can use this algorithm to decide whether a specified edge belongs to the minimum spanning tree of the graph or not. This cycle-finding algorithm is designed on a two-dimensional n×n processor array with a reconfigurable bus system, where n is the number of vertices in the graph. Based on this cycle-finding algorithm, the minimum spanning tree problem and the spanning tree problem can be solved in O(1) time by using fewer processors than before, O(n × m × n) and O(n3) processors respectively. This is a substantial improvement over previous known results. Moreover, we also propose two constanttime algorithms for solving the minimum spanning tree verification problem and spanning tree verification problem by using O(n3) and O(n2) processors, respectively.


The COVID-19 pandemic, and associated stay-at-home orders, instigated far-reaching disturbances in the lives of student-athletes, which included school closures and sport cancellations. The purpose of the study was to examine first-hand student-athletes' pandemic-related experiences with screen time and mental health. A total of 22 Canadian high school student-athletes were individually interviewed in 2021. Interviews occurred online via videoconferencing and were subjected to a reflexive thematic analysis, which led to the creation of three themes: (a) pandemic life is a major grind, (b) screen time during COVID times: I feel guilty, but what else can I do? and (c) mental health during COVID times: mostly pain, but there is a silver lining. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for research and practice as it pertains to formulating endemic initiatives best supporting the many student-athletes confronting the psychosocial aftereffects of having lived through a global pandemic.


Acute diuresis is considered to alter the hemodynamic responses in the hypertensive state by reducing cardiac preload, mainly due to venodilation. To investigate the magnitude of this event, normotensive and two kidney-one clip hypertensive rats have been subjected to similar plasma volume restrictions by i.v. injection of 0.5 ml of furosemide (1 mg/100 g b.wt.). Two other groups of normotensive and hypertensive rats were subjected to 0.5 ml of 5% dextrose solution injection and served as controls. Mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate did not change after furosemide injection in either the normotensive or the renovascular hypertensive group. Alternatively, cardiac output of the hypertensive rats receiving furosemide injection was significantly lower by 39.9% and total peripheral resistance was significantly higher by 48.4% when compared to hypertensive rats receiving dextrose solution injection, whereas there was no difference concerning these indices in normotensive rats after the same interventions. Due to redistribution of regional blood flow, the coronary, cerebral and renal circulations of the hypertensive rats after furosemide injection have been protected. It is concluded that i.v. injection of furosemide, by decreasing cardiac preload, mainly due to venodilation, reduces cardiac output of renin-dependent hypertensive animals, whereas mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate remain unaltered. Redistribution of blood flow to vital organs prevented a further deterioration of the cardiovascular system.


The diligent utilisation of sunlight by green plants has essentially paved the way for the existence of life on earth. Our understanding of natural photosynthetic machinery reveals that the assembly of and precise interaction between different light-harvesting components is of prime importance for carrying out any meaningful processes. This has motivated the development of artificial light-harvesting materials, such as quantum dots (QDs), for mimicking the backbone of natural photosynthetic systems, in particular photoinduced electron- and energy-transfer processes. In conventional QD-based light-harvesting systems, surface ligands are considered as mere capping agents that provide colloidal stability to particles. Interestingly, the rational design of surface ligands can bring various forces into play, thereby controlling the interactions between the light-harvesting components and ultimately dictating the photophysical properties of the QDs. This review will primarily focus on the importance of finely tuned interparticle interactions, emanating from the thoughtful design of surface ligands, on light-induced energy- and electron-transfer processes in QD nanohybrids. We will also discuss the various applications of these QD-based light-harvesting systems that primarily originate from such ligand-driven favourable interactions (such as sensing, photopatterning, and photocatalysis). The review will conclude with our perspective on the potential role of surface ligands in bringing fundamental and applied advances in the area of QD-based light harvesting.


Influenza A virus (IAV) is a highly transmissible respiratory pathogen and is a constant threat to global health with considerable economic and social impact. Influenza viral RNA is sensed by host pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as the Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) and retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I). The activation of these PRRs instigates the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways that induce the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and inflammatory genes. FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5) has been implied in the IκBα kinase (IKK) complex. However, the role of FKBP5 in the RIG-I signaling and IAV infection is not well elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that the knockout of FKBP5 increases IAV infection. Furthermore, FKBP5 binds IKKα, which is critical for RIG-I-induced innate immune responses and ISG expression. Taken together, FKBP5 is a novel anti-influenza host factor that restricts IAV infection by the activation of RIG-I-mediated NF-κB signaling.


Previous research has demonstrated that jurors show a bias towards treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present research examines this bias when jurors are faced with cases of potential malingering, in which the defendant's claim of PTSD is a perceived attempt to escape legal punishments. Trial vignettes, in which veteran status and PTSD diagnosis timing were manipulated, were used to explore this phenomenon. It was found that veterans who received their diagnosis after being arrested were found guilty more often, and were diverted to treatment less often, than those who were diagnosed before an arrest. This has critical implications for mental healthcare in that it is crucial to properly diagnose and treat people before they find themselves in court. Further, the negative outcomes in court demonstrate one of the severe social impacts of untreated or late-diagnosed PTSD.


Oligopeptide with a high Fischer ratio by protease hydrolysis from egg white was prepared. The optimal substrate concentration 5.5% and denatured time 15min were determined by nitrogen recovery ratio (NR) testing. Alcalase and enzymesⅡ were selected to hydrolyze egg white protein. The performance of ion exchange resin was chosen when flow rate of the hydrolysate was 8vol/hr. The NR of the hydrolysate was 84.01% and the desalinization ratio was 81.73% after passing ion exchange resin. Activated carbon adsorption chromatography was used to remove free AAA and the result of UV-scanning indicated that active carbon was efficient to absorb AAA. The composition analyzed results showed that the Fischer ratio of hydrolysate was 20.46 and the content of free amino acid was 8.04%. The G-25 gel filration chromatography was used to determine the molecular weight (MW) of hydrolysate and the results showed that the MW distribution of the hydrolysate with a high Fischer ratio was consecutive and it ranged from 300 to 600.


We addressed the positive and negative factors that influence the health and wellness of urban Aboriginal youths in Canada and ways of restoring, promoting, and maintaining the health and wellness of this population. Fifty-three in-service professionals, care providers, and stakeholders participated in this study in which we employed the Glaserian grounded theory approach. We identified perceived positive and negative factors. Participants suggested 5 approaches—(1) youth based and youth driven, (2) community based and community driven, (3) culturally appropriate, (4) enabling and empowering, and (5) sustainable—as well as some practical strategies for the development and implementation of programs. We have provided empirical knowledge about barriers to and opportunities for improving health and wellness among urban Aboriginal youths in Canada. (Am J Public Health. 2015;105:881‐890. doi:10. 2105/AJPH.2014.302481)


In recent years a significant volume of research has been undertaken in order to understand the recent failures in oil insulated power apparatus due to deposition of copper sulphide on the conductors and in the insulation paper. Dibenzyl Disulfide (DBDS) has been found to be the leading corrosive sulphur compound in the insulation oil [1]. The process of copper sulphide formation and the deposition in the paper is still being investigated, but a recently proposed method seems to be gaining some confidence [1]. This method suggests a two-step process; initially the DBDS and some oil soluble copper complexes are formed. Secondly the copper complexes are absorbed in the paper insulation, where they then decompose into copper sulphide [2]. The most commonly used mitigating technique for corrosive sulphur contaminated oil is passivation, normally using Irgamet 39 or 1, 2, 3-benzotriazole (BTA). The passivator is diluted into the oil to a concentration of around 100ppm, where it then reacts with the copper conductors to form a complex layer around the copper, preventing it from interacting with DBDS compounds and forming copper sulphide. This research project will investigate the electrical properties of HV transformers which have tested positive for corrosive sulphur, and the evolution of those properties as the asset degrades due to sulphur corrosion. Parallel to this the long term properties of transformers with passivated insulation oil will be analysed in order to understand the passivator stability and whether it is necessary to keep adding the passivator to sustain its performance. Condition monitoring techniques under investigation will include dielectric spectroscopy, frequency response analysis, recovery voltage method (aka interfacial polarisation) amongst others. Partial discharge techniques will not be investigated, as the voltage between the coil plates is low and therefore it will not contribute significantly to the overall insulation breakdown, in corrosive oil related faults [3]. The goal of this research is to establish key electrical properties in both passivated and non-passivated power transformers that demonstrate detectable changes as the equipment degrades due to the insulation oil being corrosive.


Navigation in large scholarly paper collections is tedious and not well supported in most scientific digital libraries. We describe a novel browser-based graphical tool implemented using HTML5 Canvas. It displays citation information extracted from the paper text to support useful navigation. The tool is implemented using a client/server architecture. A citation graph of the digital library is built in the memory of the server. On the client side, egdes of the displayed citation (sub)graph surrounding a document are labeled with keywords signifying the kind of citation made from one document to another. These keywords were extracted using NLP tools such as tokenizer, sentence boundary detection and part-of-speech tagging applied to the text extracted from the original PDF papers (currently 22,500). By clicking on an egde, the user can inspect the corresponding citation sentence in context, in most cases even also highlighted in the original PDF layout. The system is publicly accessible as part of the ACL Anthology Searchbench.


In this paper, the wave propagation approach is presented to analyze the vibration and wave power reflection in FG rectangular plates based on the first order shear deformation plate theory. The wave propagation is one of the useful methods for analyzing the vibration of structures. This method gives the reflection and propagation matrices that are valuable for the analysis of mechanical energy transmission in devices.  It is assumed that the plate has two opposite edges simply supported while the other two edges may be simply supported or clamped. It is the first time that the wave propagation method is used for functionally graded plates. In this study, firstly, the matrices of reflection and propagation are derived. Second, these matrices are combined to provide an exact method for obtaining the natural frequencies. It is observed that the obtained results of the wave propagation method are in a good agreement with the obtained values in literature. At the end, the behavior of reflection coefficients for FG plates are studied for the first time.


Background: Despite technical advances, nonunion or delayed union remains an important clinical problem when segmental allografts are used to repair diaphyseal defects after bone tumor resection. Using an ovine rib model, the authors studied whether the addition of a vascularized periosteum or bone flap improved healing compared with a segmental allograft alone. Methods: A 4-cm segment of rib was resected from four consecutive ribs of 15 sheep. Three different reconstructions were compared within the same sheep: allograft alone, allograft and vascularized periosteum, and allograft and vascularized bone. One defect was not reconstructed and served as a control. Five sheep were humanely killed at each of the following time points: 9, 12, and 15 weeks. The host-allograft junctions were analyzed using plain radiographs, micro–computed tomography, and histologic examination. Results: Micro–computed tomographic analysis showed significant improvement with each reconstruction technique over time. Plain radiographs and histologic analyses demonstrated earlier bridging of the host-allograft junction when either vascularized periosteum or vascularized bone was used compared with allograft alone. Conclusion: Use of vascularized periosteum or bone may facilitate healing of the host-allograft junction after intercalary allograft reconstruction.


Dr. Pox is a leading dermatologist in his community and known for his expertise in cutaneous infectious diseases. He has a private dermatology practice and is on the staff at several local hospitals and a nearby major university dermatology residency program. Should there be a smallpox- related terrorist event, his office will be at the forefront in seeing infected patients. Dr. Pox has a rigorous OSHA program in his office. His staff have all either received or opted not to receive the hepatitis B vaccine. All of his medical staff have undergone PPD testing. Several of his nurses are concerned about their possible exposure to smallpox in the upcoming year. His staff is mostly under 30 years of age and therefore never received smallpox vaccinations


Americas entry into World War II made comrades-in-arms of men and women from every region and every walk of life, united in the battle for freedom and against fascism. It is no small irony, historian Ronald Takaki observes, that the armed struggle for democracy abroad was accompanied by a disregard for our nations declaration that all men are created equal in the form of institutional racism of many kinds, from the segregation of African American units to the imprisonment of Japanese Americans and the refusal to grant asylum to Jewish refugees. In Double Victory, Takaki examines the many contributions of Americas minorities to the war effort, celebrating the work of Mexican farm laborers and Anglo women welders, of Navajo code talkers and Filipino foot soldiers, who proclaimed themselves to be men, not houseboys, of Chinese American combat nurses and Asian Indian gunners. These men and women, Takaki writes, made extraordinary sacrifices in their battle against enemies without and enemies within. Although their efforts were not always appreciated at the time, they helped set in motion the struggle for civil rights that would explode two decades later. Takakis book is a welcome and much needed entry in the recent literature on the World War II era, and it merits the widest possible audience. --Gregory McNamee


A safety advisory (2010-01), issued by the National Energy Board (NEB) in June 2010, referenced two incidents which were a result of a fatigue crack failure that occurred within shallow dents [1]. The dents in both instances were less than 6% (of the OD). Currently, there is no consensus on how shallow dents or shallow dents with stress concentrators, as called by the ILI tool, are assessed and acted upon.
 BMT Canada Ltd. (BMT) was contracted by the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) to develop a definition for shallow dents, and two levels of screening method for the integrity assessment of shallow restrained dents and unrestrained dents. These two levels are known as CEPA Level 0 and CEPA Level 0.5 dent integrity assessment techniques that may be applied without finite element modelling or detailed calculations. The BMT dent assessment finite element (FE) modeling method was used to develop an extensive database of dents for different pipe geometries (OD/t), indenter shapes, pipe grades, and indentation depths. The results of the FE modelling were used to develop trends for the stress magnification factors (KM) across the range of pipes and dents modelled. These trends are used as the basis for the Level 0 and Level 0.5 dent screening and assessment approaches that can be used for both unrestrained dents and shallow restrained dents. The results show that for low OD/t pipe geometry and/or low spectrum severity indicator (SSI) [2] dent fatigue life may not pose an integrity threat.
 These dent screening approached have been adopted in the API Recommended Practice 1183 Dent Assessment and Management, that is currently under development.


This study explored the expectations between the regulatory authority (EMA) and consultants in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) system in Zimbabwe. The consultant's expectations from EMA are (in descending order of priority): fair and ethical treatment, periodic EIA updates, and a code of ethics were identified as critical (4.6-5.0 points) expectations that need to be addressed. Important (4.0-4.5 points) expectations of what EMA should do are proponent EIA education, regulatory consultation and access to library. The less important expectations are newsletter production, consultant's association online marketing and EIA training. EMA's expectations of what consultants should do are transparency and honesty which are critical, followed by objectivity and fairness, proponents EIA education and whistle-blowing which are less important and lastly participation in environmental functions and respect of professional judgments which are least important. The first major finding is that there are obviously unfulfilled expectations mainly as a result of inadequate communication between EMA and consultants. The second is that there are no clear documented standards by which EMA and Consultants should abide. In addition an effective association of consultants and establishment of a code of ethics are critical for the EIA system in Zimbabwe.


The study included 71 children with chronic gastroduodenitis aged 5-17 years. PCR DNA was determined by the presence of Helicobacter pylori, human papilloma virus high cancer risk 16, 18 types (HPV), herpes simplex 1 and type 2 (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), fungi, Candida in gastric juice and biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa and duodenal. Viruses were detected in 14% of patients, an association of microorganisms - in 20% of the children, the isolated H. pylori infection - 18%. The relationship between the composition of microflora in the gastroduodenal region and neopterin levels in gastric juice with a distinct increase in its value in the presence of viruses.


ABSTRACT Public health crises like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic appear to be the perfect breeding ground for misinformation. As influential information sources, mainstream news media have a unique opportunity to use their platform to debunk and educate the public about misinformation. Despite evidence lending support to the potential for mainstream news media to play a larger role in combating misinformation in society, empirical explorations of how they have contributed to the management of misinformation remain scant. This study aims to address these major gaps in research by investigating how mainstream news dailies gatekeep and correct COVID-19 related misinformation in Singapore. The content of 164 news articles published by the mainstream news dailies in Singapore from January 1 to April 30, 2020 on COVID-19 misinformation was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results show that the two main types of misinformation, fabricated and reconfigured misinformation, were covered almost equally by mainstream news media. Misinformation related to science and health were most frequently reported, followed by scams, and government policy. Statistically significant differences were found between how mainstream news media corrected the various types and topics of misinformation. Significant differences were also found within the various types, topics, and corrections of misinformation across the early stages of the pandemic. Taken together, these findings shed light on the critical role of mainstream news media as public education tools to correct misinformation during public health crises. From a theoretical perspective, these findings contribute to the understanding of media misinformation gatekeeping, and misinformation correction. From a practical perspective, it highlights the capacity and potential roles of the press in supporting government efforts to combat misinformation.


Correction: Every innovation begins as a deviation from existing social norms. Given the strong effect of social norms and pressure, how can any innovation ever diffuse to the point where it becomes a new social norm? The seeming paradox of how a minority can influence the majority has not been explained well by prevailing social science theory. Computer simulations of the diffusion of a new behavior within the social network of a Bangladesh village led to the discovery of a new principle of social change that resolves this paradox. The results revealed the important but overlooked role played by boundaries that emerge within a social network and how such local boundaries affect the creation of a new social norm. A minority position can become the social norm by means of the process of bounded normative influence. As long as a minority maintains its majority status within its own, locally bounded portion of the network, then it can survive, recruit converts in the near surround, and establish its behavior as the norm for the netwrok as a whole. The process is accelerated when the minority subgroup is centrally located in the network and communicates more frequently and persuasively than the majority.


ABSTRACT This paper critically discusses of the relationship between innovation and development by presenting a case of a Technology and Innovation Hub. It draws upon the capability approach by Amartya Sen to understand the implications of tech hubs in development. We argue that tech hubs, as collaborative spaces, may contribute to human-centered development processes in ways not directly linked to employment or market-based products. This advances a human-centered view of development which focuses on aspects of well-being and agency that people have reason to value. Conceptually, the paper proposes an understanding of innovation for development as (often unequal) social processes which might contribute to human development if and when the people involved perceive value in the processes, and these values include improving their own communities and society.


ABSTRACT The sociolinguistic repertoires of individuals in Sudan are products of institutionalised orders of normalisation. The visibility of language in popular and official discourses in Sudan is always linked with wider cultural and political projects. This paper intends to engage with and explicate this observation by, first, examining how the dominant ideology of language operates in practice in Sudan, and second, by inspecting how it is contextually negotiated, appropriated, and resisted by social individuals. Our guiding questions are: (1) How is the hegemonic ideology of language in Sudan enacted, appropriated and resisted in concrete verbal interaction and other metalinguistic activities? (2) How can social groups and individuals exploit the dynamic nature of language not just to defend the right to develop their languages beyond the polarising terms (e.g. Arabic vs. African) constructed by interest-oriented ideologies, but most importantly to do politics through the dominant regime of language? We argue for a recognition of 'difference' within a historically established frame of diversity rather than a culturalist model of naturally fixed homogeneities This paper is an exercise in semiotic ideological analysis within the framework of cultural politics which views language as a proxy for doing politics by culture.


A discussion is presented of the use of dynamic storage schemes to improve parallel memory performance during three important classes of data accesses: vector accesses in which multiple strides are used to access a single vector, block accesses, and constant-geometry FFT accesses. The schemes investigated are based on linear address transformations, also known as XOR schemes. It has been shown that this class of schemes can be implemented more efficiently in hardware and has more flexibility than schemes based on row rotations or other techniques. Several analytical results are shown. These include: quantitative analysis of buffering effects in pipelined memory systems; design rules for storage schemes that provide conflict-free access using multiple strides, blocks, and FFT access patterns; and an analysis of the effects of memory bank cycle time on storage scheme capabilities. >


The agricultural drought, severely affecting human life, occurs unpredictably at different times with different intensities. The conventional methods for assessing drought often relay on indices obtained using meteorological data, but due to the low spatial coverage, incompleteness and inaccuracy of these data, meteorological indices cannot be considered as a comprehensive method. Therefore, it is suggested that remote sensing constitute more versatile approach, as it allows to assess the drought using the adequate spatial and temporal coverage for the study area. In the study, performed for the Panjshir river basin in Afghanistan, the 2010-2019 period is used to evaluate vegetation rate using NDVI data from MODIS. To calculate agricultural drought indices (DSI, VCI and TCI), May and June were selected, as the peak vegetation time occurs for these months. On the base of the remote sensing indicators it was shown that during the study period the drought conditions were normal in the region, except for 2011, 2017, and 2018, which were the driest years, and for 2019, which was the wettest year. Agricultural drought indices were compared to SPI index calculated using winter and spring precipitation data recorded at the meteorological stations. It was observed that the remote sensing indices showed the highest correlation with data from Kabul meteorological station, which is located at the same altitude and climate as the dense vegetation zone. Furthermore, the comparison showed that the ground precipitation data is characterized by higher amplitudes than the remote sensing data. From the above it steams that the vegetation in the Panjshir basin is influenced by both seasonal rainfall and rivers that continuously flood the area.


Objective: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to antiretroviral therapy (ART) are an important cause of hospitalization, treatment discontinuation, and regimen changes in both developed and developing countries. This study is the first to examine and understand ADRs in HIV-infected patients in Nicaragua. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted from May 2010 to March 2011, in a cohort of HIV-infected patients receiving ART at the largest public hospital in Managua, Nicaragua. Patients were identified based on ADRs reporting on a standardized antiretroviral pharmacotherapy form. Subsequently, chart reviews of these patients were performed in order to document the specific ADRs. Results: Six hundred ninety-two patients on ART were included. The incidence of ADRs was 6.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.5-8.2). Females demonstrated a higher incidence, that is, 10.2% (95% CI 5.3-15.1, P1⁄4 .020). Patients treated with combinations of zidovudine (ZDV)/lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC)/tenofovir (TDF) had fewer ADRs (P < .01) than those using other combinations. Five patients were hospitalized or had a prolonged hospitalization secondary to ADRs, with no mortality attributed to ADR. The most common manifestations of ADRs were central nervous system (20 of 44), gastrointestinal (12 of 44), and dermatologic (8 of 44) reactions. Adverse drug reactions were classified as ''likely ADRs'' (25 of 44) and ''possible ADRs'' (19 of 44). No ADRs were preventable. Conclusion: Adverse drug reactions most frequently affected the central nervous system. No ADR was life threatening. The frequency of ADRs in this Nicaraguan patient population was less than that reported from other studies in resource-limited settings.


Reviewing the Paris International Exhibition of 1878 for the Pioneer newspaper (Allahabad), John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911), Chief Curator of the Lahore Museum, remarks: 'If museums are desirable for reviving an interest in the indigenous arts, they are absolutely necessary for instruction in those we wish to introduce'. He continues: 'Our English art, to put it kindly, is too eclectic, it has but little distinctive character, and has borrowed right and left, while French taste, corrected and instructed by constant reference to the past and its traditions has preserved the great distinction that style only can bestow.' This paper will investigate new ways of understanding the relationship between history and heritage through a close reading of John Lockwood Kipling's articles for the British and Indian press on the role of the museum and the use of tradition as an agent for change and innovation; and on the development of global museology and curatorship at the turn of the century.


Recent studies have found a dramatic difference between the observed number density evolution of low-mass galaxies and that predicted by semi-analytic models. Whilst models accurately reproduce the z= 0 number density, they require that the evolution occurs rapidly at early times, which is incompatible with the strong late evolution found in observational results. We report here the same discrepancy in two state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, which is evidence that the problem is fundamental. We search for the underlying cause of this problem using two complementary methods. First, we consider a narrow range in stellar mass of log (Mstar/(h−2M_)) = 9–9.5 and look for evidence of a different history of today's low-mass galaxies in models and observations. We find that the exclusion of satellite galaxies from the analysis brings the median ages and star formation rates of galaxies into reasonable agreement. However, the models yield too few young, strongly star-forming galaxies. Secondly, we construct a toy model to link the observed evolution of specific star formation rates with the evolution of the galaxy stellar mass function. We infer from this model that a key problem in both semi-analytic and hydrodynamical models is the presence of a positive instead of a negative correlation between specific star formation rate and stellar mass. A similar positive correlation is found between the specific dark matter halo accretion rate and the halo mass, indicating that model galaxies are growing in a way that follows the growth of their host haloes too closely. It therefore appears necessary to find a mechanism that decouples the growth of low-mass galaxies, which occurs primarily at late times, from the growth of their host haloes, which occurs primarily at early times. We argue that the current form of star formation-driven feedback implemented in most galaxy formation models is unlikely to achieve this goal, owing to its fundamental dependence on host halo mass and time.


Rethinking Mercantilism brings together a group of young early modern British and European historians to investigate what use the concept "mercantilism" might still hold for both scholars and teachers of the period. While scholars often find the term unsatisfactory, mercantilism has stubbornly survived both in our classrooms and in the general scholarly discourse. These essays propose that it is largely impossible to rethink "mercantilism," given its unique status as a non-entity, by looking for "mercantilism" itself. Economics as a discipline had not emerged by the seventeenth century, yet economic considerations were part of most intellectual pursuits, whether scientific, political, cultural, or social. Thus, the search for "mercantilism" is best undertaken through an investigation of how economic considerations were embedded in debates throughout the early modern intellectual landscape. With this in mind, this book seeks to rethink "mercantilism" inductively rather than deductively. Such an approach not only frees the debate from the strictures and assumptions of historiography reaching back to the Scottish Enlightenment, but also avoids viewing the period through the lens of modern economics. Exploring the period in its own terms makes it possible to revisit fruitfully and more holistically some of the traditional component parts of "mercantilism" such as the relationship between wealth and money, the modern state and commerce, economic and political thought, and power and prosperity only now informed and inflected by the questions raised in new approaches and trends to the intellectual, political, social, and cultural histories that populated the early modern world. The goal of this volume is not to abandon mercantilism as a concept but to rethink its intellectual and political content. First, rather than an ideology driven primarily by self-evident and narrow economic self-interest, "mercantilism" was inseparable from the rich transformations emerging out of the rapidly changing early modern intellectual landscape; as such, the study of mercantilism no longer appears solely as a subject of the history of economic thought, but part and parcel of early modern intellectual history more generally. Second, the book argues that the common vision of a "mercantile system" premised upon a coherent, strong, and expansive nation-state is unsustainable. The cornerstone of "mercantilism" has long been the assumption of a strong and coherent state apparatus with the authority to manage and manipulate the sphere of commerce for its own ends. This volume explores the implications on our understanding of early modern economic thought of the recent recognition among historians that the early modern state was rather weak, decentralized, and amorphous. Moreover, the fact that recent research has continually re-emphasized the role of a variety of political communities (not just the state, but also church, corporations, and communities of pirates and smugglers) in shaping public life recommends questioning which polities mercantilism sought to serve, and vice versa, at any given time. These and other questions will primarily be pursued in the English context, with occasional comparisons to the continental experience. Available in OSO: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/history/9780199988532/toc.html Contributors to this volume - Fredrik Albritton Jonsson is assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Enlightenments Frontier: The Scottish Highlands and the Origins of Environmentalism (Yale University Press, 2013). Victor Enthoven is assistant professor of history at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is the co-editor, with Johannes Postma, of Riches from Atlantic Commerce: Dutch Trade and Shipping, 1585-1817 (Brill, 2003). Regina Grafe is Professor of Early Modern History at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy. She is the author of Distant Tyranny: Markets, Power and Backwardness in Spain, 1650-1800 (Princeton University Press, 2012). Niklas Frykman is assistant professor of history at Claremont McKenna College. He is currently working on a monograph exploring maritime radicalism in the revolutionary Atlantic around the turn of the nineteenth century. Thomas Leng is lecturer in history at the University of Sheffield. He is the author of Benjamin Worsley (1618-1677): Trade, Interest and the Spirit in Revolutionary England (The Royal Historical Society, 2008). Ted McCormick is associate professor of history at Concordia University. He is the author of William Petty and the Ambitions of Political Arithmetic (Oxford University Press, 2009). Craig Muldrew is reader on the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Economy of Obligation: The Culture of Credit and Social Relations in Early Modern England (Palgrave Macmillan, 1998), and Food, Energy and the Creation of Industriousness: Work and Material Culture in Agrarian England (Cambridge, 2011). Anne L. Murphy is a senior lecturer in early modern history at the University of Hertfordshire. She is the author of The Origins of the English Financial Markets: Investment and Speculation before the South Sea Bubble (Cambridge University Press, 2009). Martyn J. Powell is senior lecturer and head of department in the Department of History & Welsh History at Aberystwyth University. He is the author most recently of Piss-Pots, Printers and Public Opinion in Eighteenth-Century Dublin (Four Courts, 2009). Sophus A. Reinert is assistant professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School. He is the author of Translating Empire: Emulation and the Origins of Political Economy (Harvard University Press, 2011). John Shovlin is associate professor of history at New York University. He is the author of The Political Economy of Virtue: Luxury, Patriotism, and the Origins of the French Revolution (Cornell University Press, 2006). Brent S. Sirota is assistant professor of history at North Carolina State University. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Christian Monitors: The Church of England and the Age of Benevolence, 1680-1730 (Yale University Press, 2013). Philip J. Stern is assistant professor of history at Duke University. He is the author of The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India (Oxford University Press, 2011). Abigail Swingen is assistant professor of history at Texas Tech University. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Competing Visions of Empire: Labor, Slavery, and the Origins of the British Empire, 1650-1720 (Yale University Press). Henry S. Turner is associate professor of English at Rutgers University. He is the author of The English Renaissance Stage: Geometry, Poetics and the Practical Spatial Arts , 1580-1630 (Oxford University Press, 2006). Andre Wakefield is associate professor of history at Pitzer College. He is the author of The Disordered Police State: German Cameralism as Science and Practice (University of Chicago Press, 2009). Carl Wennerlind is associate professor of history at Barnard College, Columbia University. He is the author of Casualties of Credit: The English Financial Revolution, 1620-1720 (Harvard University Press, 2011).


This thesis seeks to explore the possibility of identifying ideas about audience common to Western art music and Communications studies in order to establish an interdisciplinary method of musical study based on human relationships. This study focuses on the role and empowerment of the audience in terms of their relationship with the artist, and explored alongside changing ideas about the audience in Communications through the twentieth century. The audience relationships of three prominent composers whose art may be considered to have expressed their distinct attitudes about audience –
Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage, and Laurie Anderson – are explored in order to demonstrate how Communications theory can provide an interpretive framework for the extended study and understanding of music.


How does outward foreign direct investment (FDI) affect employment growth of the multinationals (MNCs) in the home country? Does the impact of outward investment differ by the level of development of the destination country of the FDI? Using a difference-in-difference approach, we assess the impact of starting to invest in less advanced countries, of investing in more advanced countries, and of changing the direction of one's investment from more to less advanced nations. To obtain suitable control groups in each case, we use the propensity score method to select national firms that ex post did not make investment decisions even though ex ante they would have been equally likely to each multinational. We find that moving to less advanced countries (as an initial foreign investment or as a redirection of previous investment) decreases a company's employment growth rate. On the other hand, moving to more advanced countries does not affect employment growth in any significant way.


This paper focuses on the modeling and prediction of core losses in nonoriented magnetic materials of electrical machines. The aim is to investigate the accuracy, efficiency, and stability of certain models, including the commonly used and the advanced ones, and to discuss their advantages and disadvantages when they are implemented in the finite-element method (FEM). It is shown in the paper that the traditional technique based on the loss separation theory can efficiently produce reasonable results in specific operation conditions but can, on the other hand, over- or underestimate the core losses in other circumstances. The advanced model based on solving the one-dimensional (1-D) Maxwell equations can give accurate results for the prediction of core losses in a lamination strip, but its accuracy, stability, and computational burden are put under scrutiny when it is applied to the prediction of core losses in an electrical machine. A third technique, referred to as the hybrid model, which captures the advantages of the traditional and advanced techniques and merges them into one, has been found to be the best compromise. The principal aim of the hybrid model is to avoid the numerical procedure of the 1-D Maxwell equations while maintaining relatively accurate predictions with a reasonable computational burden. A comparative investigation has been conducted for the three core-loss models that have been incorporated into the 2-D FEM analysis of a 37-kW induction motor on which experiments were carried out for comparisons.


Glycoproteins which mediate intercellular adhesion were studied by comparing the effects of trypsin and the neutral proteinase, Dispase, on human keratinocytes metabolically labelled with D-[1-14C]glucosamine or L-[1-3H]fucose. Whereas digestion of keratinocytes with trypsin/EDTA resulted in loss of both cell-substratum and intercellular adhesion, only cell-substratum adhesion was disrupted by incubation with Dispase. Analysis of the radiolabelled glycoproteins by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis revealed that a glycoprotein of Mr 126 000 was cleaved by trypsin/EDTA, but not by Dispase. Surface labelling of keratinocytes with galactose oxidase/NaB3H4 confirmed that this glycoprotein was exposed on the cell surface. Addition of lmM-Ca2+ prevented dispersion of keratinocytes by trypsin and concomitantly protected the glycoprotein of Mr 126 000 from digestion. These results indicate that this glycoprotein has an important role in mediating intercellular adhesion of keratinocytes.


The expression of the free energy of a liquid in terms of an explicit decomposition of the particle configurations into local coordination clusters is examined. We argue that the major contribution to the entropy associated with structural fluctuations arises from the local athermal constraints imposed by the overlap of adjacent coordination shells. In the context of the recently developed Favoured Local Structure model [Soft Matt. 11, 3322 (2015)], we derive explicit expressions for the structural energy and entropy in the high-temperature limit, compare this approximation with simulation data and consider the extension of this free energy to the case of spatial inhomogeneity in the distribution of local structures.


The study determined the leading role of such geographic and geological factor as geological formations (mineralogical composition, structure, and the degree of metamorphism), tectonics, history of geological development, relief, and paleorelief in the microelementary status of the biosphere. The study proved that thyroimmunological profile of patients with goitre and geographic-and-geological conditions of the area are closely connected. The microelementary map of Bashkortostan regions was developed.


This is an entry to the Compendium of Quantum Physics, edited by F Weinert, K Hentschel and D Greenberger, to be published by Springer-Verlag.


Abstract It is important to understand the spatial relation between the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN), the radial head, and the supinator muscle in pronation or supination. The objectives of this study are: to describe of the PIN and how it is related with the supinator muscle; to measure the distance between the PIN and the radius while the forearm is pronated or supinated; to determine the best interval for the approach of proximal radius. We conducted this study with 18 fresh cadavers. A lateral approach was made, and identification of the PIN and how it was related with the supinator muscle was described. We made the measurements and they were analyzed. The PIN penetrated the supinator muscle 3.8 cm +/- 0.48 from the epicondyle and its location was always intramuscular. It was never in contact with the periosteum. The PIN split in 4-7 branches (for the extensor muscles) after a mean of 6 cm +/- 0.75 (4.8-8.0), following the exit from the muscle; with pronation the nerve moved 1.03 cm +/- 0.31. The interval between the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) and the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) was easy to identify and proved to be a safe zone for approaching the PIN. In our study no contact between the nerve and the periosteum of the radius was found, but it should be kept in mind when dissecting the muscle from the radius proximally. We found a minimum distance of 4.8 cm from the nerve's exit from supinator muscle with respect to the radial head. This is the safe zone recommended when cutting the muscle. Pronation moved the nerve away 1 cm, so this maneuver is advisable for the approach of proximal radius.


In 2018 international tourism generated 1.4 billion international arrivals and grew at an annual rate of 6% from 2016 (UNWTO, 2019). Urban tourism has been at the centre of much of this growth because cities are not only appealing destinations in themselves but also 'gateways' to surrounding areas (Pasquinelli & Bellini, 2017). Cities face significant challenges in managing this tourism growth – with the broader sustainability of the industry now a focus of many urban tourism strategies in both the developed and developing world. If urban tourism is to develop in a more sustainable fashion it is clear that the various stakeholders who are engaged with the industry in some way must collaborate effectively to reach common goals (Zamfir & Corbos, 2015; PaskalevaShapira, 2001). Medium-sized cities in developing nations have received relatively limited attention in the literature on urban sustainable tourism. This thesis investigates stakeholder collaboration in sustainable urban tourism development using the case of Hue City (Hue) – a mid-sized city in Vietnam with a vibrant and growing tourism economy. The study aims to gain a deeper understanding of stakeholders' perspectives on sustainable tourism development, existing levels of stakeholder collaboration, and barriers that influence the implementation of sustainable urban tourism development in Hue. The study also aims to provide recommendations that may enhance stakeholder collaboration in sustainable tourism development in Hue. Qualitative methods based on a case-study inquiry were adopted to address these aims. Twenty-nine semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from the supply-side in Hue City's tourism industry including interviewees from local government authorities, tourism enterprises, professional associations and tourism experts. The data were thematically analysed and categorised to highlight shared and differing viewpoints between respondents. The research reveals that the awareness and understanding of sustainable tourism and its implementation in Hue City among government authorities and tourism experts is quite high and more broad-based than their counterparts from the private sector. The private sector, including large, small and medium enterprise owners, have relatively limited knowledge of the concept of sustainable urban tourism beyond the notion of sustaining enterprise profitability and revenue. Nevertheless, a number of participants from the private sector are paying greater attention to environmental conservation and local community development. Most participants believe that tourism development in Hue has been relatively sustainable in terms of socio-cultural and environmental dimensions, but that the level of economic sustainability is quite poor. Although all the respondents thought that the tourism sector's use of the environment in Hue is relatively sustainable, several issues require more attention to prevent pollution and environmental degradation in the city. Moreover, participants felt that the lack of sustainable income being generated by tourism businesses in the city may well have a negative impact on community quality of life and job security. The research shows that stakeholder collaboration in the Hue tourism sector is not strong and can be enhanced. Participants suggested that the main barriers to enhanced stakeholder collaboration in sustainable tourism implementation in Hue were the differing perspectives of stakeholders, ineffective communication between key groups, weak leadership and a lack of a common vision, asynchronous administration systems and limited budgets for tourism development. The thesis provides important insights into the challenges facing sustainable tourism development in a mid-sized Vietnamese city. As such it provides both academic and applied research insights that resonate well beyond the city itself. The study will be of value to those sites elsewhere in Vietnam and Asia where there is a need to better understand how to implement visions for sustainable urban tourism in particular to enhance and manage stakeholder collaboration.


The aim of this study was to define better the motor phenomena associated with the slowing of gastric emptying by a duodenal lipid infusion. Antral, pyloric and duodenal motility were recorded in 10 healthy subjects with a manometric assembly which incorporated multiple perfused side‐holes and a sleeve sensor positioned astride the pylorus. The gastric emptying of a standard solid meal and the distribution of the ingesta between the proximal and distal stomach were monitored with a radionuclide technique. A triglyceride emulsion was infused into the duodenum for 45 min once 25% of the meal had emptied. The infusion caused significant slowing in the rate of gastric emptying (P < 0.01). This slowing in gastric emptying was associated with the suppression of pressure waves in the distal antrum (P < 0.01) and proximal duodenum (P < 0.01), the induction of pressure waves isolated to a narrow pyloric segment (P < 0.01), and a redistribution of ingesta from the distal to proximal stomach. These findings suggest that pressure waves isolated to the pylorus, changes in the intragastric distribution of ingested food, and changes in proximal duodenal motility may all act in concert with changes in antral motility to regulate the gastric emptying of solids.


CONTEXT
Quality end-of-life care is increasingly recognized as an ethical obligation of health care providers, both clinicians and organizations. However, this concept has not been examined from the perspective of patients.

OBJECTIVE
To identify and describe elements of quality end-of-life care from the patient's perspective.

DESIGN
Qualitative study using in-depth, open-ended, face-to-face interviews and content analysis.

SETTING
Toronto, Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 126 participants from 3 patient groups: dialysis patients (n = 48), people with human immunodeficiency virus infection (n = 40), and residents of a long-term care facility (n = 38).

OUTCOME MEASURES
Participants' views on end-of-life issues.

RESULTS
Participants identified 5 domains of quality end-of-life care: receiving adequate pain and symptom management, avoiding inappropriate prolongation of dying, achieving a sense of control, relieving burden, and strengthening relationships with loved ones.

CONCLUSION
These domains, which characterize patients' perspectives on end-of-life care, can serve as focal points for improving the quality of end-of-life care.


Conducting user-centered design is a primary challenge in ubiquitous computing. Two kinds of prototyping techniques can be particularly effective for developing mobile and ubiquitous computing applications: compound prototypes and situated experience prototypes. Compound prototypes combine the final product's user interface (UI) with a computational implementation that runs on a separate system without the resource constraints of the target device. This model lets researchers and designers evaluate a new application's physicality and aesthetics as well as its functionality. Situated experience prototypes, or paratypes, include experimental protocols that attempt to reproduce user interaction with the system in real situations, and can optionally use common prototyping instruments such as paper mock-ups or physical props. Using our Personal Audio Loop (PAL) project as a case study, we discuss how you can fruitfully employ compound prototypes and paratypes when designing and developing mobile and ubiquitous computing applications.


This study aimed to investigate the regional changes of brain white matter (WM) in DE patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). A total of 25 dry eye patients (PAT) and 25 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All subjects underwent DTI and NODDI, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), isotropic volume fraction (FISO), intra-cellular volume fraction (FICVF), and orientation dispersion index (ODI) were obtained respectively. Then complete Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), anxiety score (AS) or depression scores (DS) were obtained. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the reliability of DTI and NODDI in distinguishing the two groups. DTI revealed that PAT had lower FA in both the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (LSLF) and the corpus callosum (CC), and higher MD in the LSLF, the right posterior limb of the internal capsule and the right posterior thalamic radiation. PAT had significant AD changes in regions including the genu of the CC, the right posterior limb of internal capsule, and the right splenium of the CC. From NODDI, PAT showed increased ODI in the LSLF and increased FISO in the right splenium of the CC. FICVF showed a significant decrease in the LSLF while increased in the left anterior corona radiata and the CC. Furthermore, the average values of MD and FICVF were significantly correlated with DS and AS. Hence the results of this study suggest that there are regional changes in WM in DE patients which may contribute to further understanding of the pathological mechanism of DE.


Candida albicans utilizes mammalian cell-associated transglutaminase (TGase) activity to adhere covalently to human buccal epithelial cells (BECs) through Hyphal Wall Protein 1. Little is known about the factors leading to the identity and appearance of Hwp1 binding partners on cells lining the oral cavity. The observation that BECs vary in their ability to attach to C. albicans germ tubes and to bind recombinant Hwp1 (rHwp1) suggested that differentiation may play a role in affinity for germ tube attachment. Individual BECs were characterized for differentiation status and rHwp1 binding. rHwp1 bound to the more terminally differentiated cells displaying SPR3 and keratin 13 but not to less differentiated cells with abundant involucrin. Sequential expression of involucrin followed by SPR3 in oral keratinocytes was demonstrated using stratified organotypic cultures and a feeder layer system with the OKF6/TERT-2 cell line. Increased cross-linking of the lysine analogue 5-(biotinamido)pentylamine to cultured OKF6/TERT-2 cell proteins accompanied this increased expression of SPR3. Western blot analysis demonstrated the presence of rHwp1 cross-links to proteins from BECs or from OKF6/TERT-2 cells that had been mechanically dislodged from culture dishes. Therefore, the differentiation of SPR3 positive from involucrin positive cells is correlated with the acquisition of affinity for cross-linking to rHwp1 and covalent adhesion of germ tubes to BECs.


Digital holographic optical coherence imaging is a full-frame coherence-gated imaging approach that uses a CCD camera to record and reconstruct digital holograms from living tissue. Recording digital holograms at the optical Fourier plane has advantages for diffuse targets compared with Fresnel off-axis digital holography. A digital hologram captured at the Fourier plane requires only a 2D fast Fourier transform for numerical reconstruction. We have applied this technique for the depth-resolved imaging of rat osteogenic tumor multicellular spheroids and acquired cross-section images of the anterior segment and the retinal region of a mouse eye. A penetration depth of 1.4 mm for the tumor spheroids was achieved.


Authors have proposed as a long-term goal, since 2004, the development of a patient robot which could serve for both training purposes as well as an evaluation tool of medical procedures. As a first approach, we have developed last year a suture and ligature training system named Waseda Kyotokagaku Suture No. 1 (WKS-1), which is composed by a commercial skin dummy with arrays of embedded sensors designed to acquire quantitative data of the task. The WKS-1 was designed to reproduce realistically the task conditions as well as providing objective assessment of the task performance. In particular, the proposed evaluation function considered the following performance indexes: time, displacement and force levels. By performing experiments with medical doctors and unskilled persons, we confirmed the effectiveness of WKS-1 to provide objective assessments of the task performance. However, the functionalities of WKS-1 were too restricted as few automatic procedures were implemented for the acquisition and processing of the collected data. Therefore; in this paper, we are presenting the Waseda Kyotokagaku Suture No. 2 (WKS-2). The WKS-2 has been designed to provide more detailed information of the task performance as well as improving its portability, connectivity, and usability. In addition, thanks to the design improvements on the WKS-2, we have proposed additional evaluation parameters to measure the quality of the suture (after the task has been completed). For this purpose, we proposed a image processing algorithm to automatically measure the width of sutures, the distance among them and the wound area. Preliminary experiments were carried out to verify its effectiveness.


Abstract Researchers conducted a mixed-methods study with 21 undergraduate university students majoring in education to determine their ability to recognize the motivational factors and 21st-century learning skills associated with digital games. Results suggest that students in the study were able to detect the learning skills embedded in games. The majority of participants stated that the element of motivation was important, but motivation alone was not a sufficient reason to influence them to use digital-game-based instruction in their future classrooms. However, peer modeling and the positive responses received from middle/high school students to whom candidates taught games appeared to be factors in teacher candidates' decision to use digital games in the classroom.


&NA; There is usually some relapse in position of the alar cartilage alter primary repair of unilateral cleft lip. Therefore, preoperative or postoperative external splinting has been recommended to supplement either closed or open suspension of the alar cartilage. The authors present a method using a resorbable internal nostril splint to shield the positioned alar cartilage from deformational forces caused by scar, and thus avoiding the problems associated with external splinting. An internal nasal splint was placed in 15 infants during repair of unilateral complete cleft lip and nasal deformity. The nasal morphology was compared with that of 15 control patients who had the same nasolabial procedure without internal splinting. Average follow‐up time was 20.4 months (range, 4 to 30 months). Photogrammetric analysis showed that asymmetry of the alar contours averaged 8.6 percent in the splinted patients, as compared with 23 percent for controls (p < 0.01). Thus, alar asymmetry was decreased two‐thirds in the splinted group. An internal resorbable nasal splint is an adjunct to open alar suspension in primary repair of the unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity. An internal nasal splint protects the corrected alar cartilage longer than an external splint and eliminates drawbacks, such as necrosis, cutaneous depression of the nostril sill, and patient noncompliance. This strategy of temporary internal support of healing cartilage has other applications. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 110: 385, 2002.)


Mechanical properties of DP (Dual Phase) steels are greatly influenced by the microstructural features such as grain size, morphology and martensite volume fraction (V m %). These microstructural features can be altered by changing the soaking time and temperature within intercritical zone. Present study aims to study the effect of intercritical annealing temperature and soaking time on V m % and its effects on mechanical properties of plain low carbon steel grade (AISI 1020) steel having ferrite-martensitemicrostructure. Nine DP steel specimens with various amount of martensite were produced via intercritical heat treatment. Mechanical properties including TS (Tensile Strength), hardness and toughness were characterized and co-related with martensite volume fraction. It was found that increasing the intercritical annealing temperature and soaking time increases the V m %. The optimum TS and hardness were found at 64V m % and then decrease with further increase in V m %. The toughness was found to have linear relationship with V m %.


Experiments were carried out to study exhaust emissions and combustion characteristics of diesel engine with air gap insulated low heat rejection (LHR–2) combustion chamber consisting of air gap insulated piston with 3 mm air gap, with superni (an alloy of nickel) crown, air gap insulated liner with superni insert with neat diesel with varied injection timing and injector opening pressure. Exhaust emissions of particulate emissions and nitrogen oxide (NO x) levels were determined at various values of brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) of the LHR-2 combustion chamber and compared with neat diesel operation on conventional engine (CE) at similar operating conditions. Combustion diagnosis was carried out using miniature Piezo electric pressure transducer, TDC (top dead centre) and special pressure-crank angle software package at full load operation. The optimum injection timing was found to be 31 o bTDC (before top dead centre) with conventional engine, while it was 29 o bTDC for engine with LHR–2 combustion chamber with diesel operation. Engine with LHR–2 combustion chamber with neat diesel operation showed increased particulate emissions and NOx levels at manufacturer's recommended injection timing of 27 o bTDC, and they improved marginally with advanced injection timing of 29o bTDC in comparison with CE at 27obTDC.


Objectives: Accurate identification of these insects is critical to avoiding mistakes in the recognition of vector and non-vector species, so the invariant phenotypic patterns displayed by the females of L. longipalpis require the implementation of molecular methods of identification. Our goal was to examine genetic variation in the females of L. longipalpis using the SNPs reported in the males of this vector species.
 Methods: We trapped sand flies near houses and domestic animal shelters at two localities in the state of Ceara, Brazil, using two to five CDC miniature light traps. Genomic DNA was separately extracted from each female using 100 μl of Chelex resin, and a 525 bp fragment of the period gene was used to assess genetic polymorphism in the two geographically isolated populations.
Results: The results indicate the presence of three fixed polymorphisms (T124C, C171T, and C424T) within this gene. Genetic structure analysis indicated that the studied L. longipalpis populations can be divided into two main subgroups (1S-like and 2S-like), with the ad hoc quantity supporting the number K = 2.
Conclusion: Collectively, our results suggest a direct relationship between the number of spots found in the males' tergites and the genetic variation observed in the L. longipalpis females in the state of Ceara. The SNPs observed in the period gene will be useful for future studies of molecular eco-epidemiology in areas where these species occur in sympatry.


Despite extensive research on government and ministerial duration, there are still relatively few comparative studies of ministerial survival and accountability. This thesis uses the analytical tools provided by the agency theory to study the variation in the length of ministerial tenure and makes an original contribution to the study of this topic from two points of view. First, whereas earlier literature studied cabinet members solely as prime ministerial agents, this thesis explicitly adopts a three-principal-agent model to analyse the accountability of cabinet ministers to their own parties, directly-elected presidents, and prime ministers. For this reason, the variation in the length of ministerial tenure is analysed in countries with semi-presidential constitutions, which maximise the intra- and inter-case variation in principal-agent relationships. Adopting an interactionist view on the factors that explain the variation in the ability of presidents, prime ministers, and parties to control cabinet members in semi-presidential systems, we expect that the ministers' survival in office depends on the interaction between institutional scenarios and party relationships between the minister, the president and the prime minister. The second contribution of this thesis is empirical. A unique data set on the tenures of French, Portuguese and Romanian ministers during two legislative terms has been collected in order to test these theoretical expectations. In addition to fixed characteristics at the moment of appointment, the data set records resignation calls and conflicts between ministers and their principals. This data allow one to measure the variation in the political influence of presidents, prime ministers and political parties that is not easily observable. The results indicate that principals who act as de facto party leaders are more likely to control the process of ministerial deselection under certain institutional scenarios. Such a study is important because it addresses the link between institutional design and political accountability and emphasises the extra- constitutional factors accounting for the variation in political practices across and within similar institutional frameworks over time.


Human's unwise and ineffective exploitation behavior has caused losses of the vital natural resources, soil and water, which will definitely leave the future of the next generation in jeopardy. As a result of human intervention and natural causes most lakes in Ethiopia are shrinking in size while others are showing increase in volume. The intensive exploitation, beyond its regeneration rate, of the Lake Haramaya for water supply and agricultural purposes by the community within and outside its catchment boundary has led to its extinction. Although, some studies have been conducted on land use/land cover dynamics, the focus given to quantification of temporal variability lake surface area and the impact of weather variability on the lake water was inadequate. Hence, this study was conducted with the prime objective of mapping/quantifying the temporal lake surface area fluctuation using time series remote sensing images and investigating the impact of weather/climate variability on the lake. After acquiring Landsat images of the years 1985, 1995, 2003, 2010 and 2016 over the dry Haramaya Lake basin (path/row 166/54), the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were used for enhancing and extracting the open water surface of the lake. All of the enhanced images display a trend of decreasing lake surface water area with an average shrinkage of 23.6% between the year 1985 and up to its disappearance. After 2000 the lake surface area shrinkage was at its maximum which has a direct relation with the occurrence of dry weather as a result of relatively higher temperature and low rainfall between the years 2000 to 2003. Keywords:  Haramaya Lake; Image enhancement; Fluctuation; MNDWI; NDVI; Ethiopia