In the last four decades, dugong (Dugong dugon) aggregations have been rarely reported from the geographically isolated, vast seascape of the Andaman Islands, India. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, hunting, coastal development, and habitat loss are the major causes of this change in the social system of dugongs in the Andaman Islands. Our long-term monitoring study (2017 to 2022) reveals a changing trend in aggregating behaviour of dugongs. In an inclusive, collaborative effort, we engaged multiple stakeholders using two approaches: (1) creating a spatially spread citizen science network targeting sea-faring agencies—the fishers, forest department, SCUBA divers, and defence bodies (Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard); and (2) conducting standardized questionnaire surveys (UNEP/CMS) with fishers. Our approach yielded reports of 63 herd sightings of dugongs from the Andaman archipelago. The fishers reported 73.01% of the sightings, followed by the defence bodies (20.63%), forest department (3.18%), and SCUBA divers (3.18%). Smaller herds in our study comprised three to six individuals, with a social structure of "adults only" and "adult–calf." The larger herds of seven to 13 individuals included an "adult–calf" combination with a greater number of adults accompanying two to three calves. More than 95% of these herd occurrences were reported from sheltered, coastal waters with resource concentrations (large seagrass meadows). Further, we present novel dugong occurrence reports from data-deficient regions like the Jarawa Tribal Reserve and the North Sentinel Island, along with dugong occurrences from Little Andaman, where the population was speculated to be locally extinct after the 2004 tsunami. These findings strongly advocate the involvement of multiple stakeholders as a cost-effective approach to monitoring the distribution and population of dugongs in larger seascapes like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Moreover, such an approach would be critical for sensitizing the local stakeholders regarding the conservation and management of large marine mammals such as dugongs.


This paper explores the relationship between architectural design and research in the context of a particular example, the development of the Irish pavilion for the 14th architectural biennale in Venice 2014 (Infra-Eireann) and its reiteration and expansion in Ireland for the State's centennial celebrations 1916–2016 (Making Ireland Modern). Originally responding to Rem Koolhaas's call to investigate the international absorption of modernity, the pavilion sought to engage with the properties of the architectures of infrastructure in twentieth and twenty-first-century Ireland. Central to this proposition was that infrastructure is simultaneously a technological and cultural construct, one that for Ireland occupied a critical position in the building of a new, independent post-colonial nation state. Presupposing infrastructure as consisting of both visible and invisible networks, the idea of a matrix became a central theoretical and visual tool in the curatorial and design process for both the pavilion and its contents. To begin with this was a two-dimensional grid used to identify and order what became described as a series of ten infrastructural episodes. These were determined chronologically across the decades between 1916 and 2016 and their spatial manifestations articulated in terms of scale: micro, meso and macro. What emerged in the design and research process was a dialectic relationship between the pavilion and its content as logistical and conceptual concerns merged to realise an adaptive framed modular structure, imagined as an embodied manifesto and, analogous to infrastructure, as having no fixed form.


ABSTRACT Sustainable development is the concept that plays an important role for the countries in macro as well as micro perspective. In this paper, a fuzzy logic based assessment framework is proposed to measure the sustainable development level of the countries. The proposed model is constructed by analyzing the shortages and favorable parts of existing sustainability measurement approaches. Contrary to existing approaches that divide sustainable development (SD) into hierarchical parts, it evaluates SD at indicator level. The model uses fuzzy logic due to its capacity to handling vague situations. The proposed framework consists of four steps. The initial step determines the indicators to measure the sustainability. Subsequently, a factor analysis is conducted to reduce the number of indicators and obtain mutually exclusive groups of indicator. In the second step, the weights of the previously formed indicator groups are determined in accordance with the opinions of the experts. In the third step, performance scores of the countries are measured from the indicator values. In the fourth step, the countries are compared according to their performance scores and to the weights of indicators. The proposed model is applied to evaluate the relative position of Turkey in SD perspective. The effects of improvements in some SD dimensions on the position of three countries selected are also investigated. Developed as such, the model will guide the policy makers in identifying and prioritizing the most urgent problems that need to be solved in order to obtain improvement in the relative positions of the countries.


In this response to Antony Duff's paper, I raise doubts about the method of moving from internal to external critique, suggesting that external critique, focusing on more basic principles in moral and political philosophy, has primacy, and that internal critique, if it is done well, will very quickly turn external. I then suggest a different distinction: that between pure and strategic philosophical work, suggesting that more strategic work might be done in legal philosophy to improve the impact of philosophical work on those more concerned with policy. Finally, I suggest that more philosophically focused work on law and democracy has become increasingly important in the light of developments in criminal justice, something missing from Duff's account.


Cardiac disease is the primary cause of mortality in beta-thalassemia patients. Except for ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension that represent the main forms of heart disease in these patients, valvular abnormalities including valvular regurgitation, endocardial thickening and calcification and mitral valve prolapse have also been described. Here we present two patients with thalassemia major and mitral chordal rupture, a previously undescribed abnormality in this population. Pathogenesis of this finding may involve thalassemia-related pseudoxanthoma elasticum-like syndrome, a diffuse elastic tissue defect, which is observed with a notable frequency in these patients and has been associated with numerous cardiovascular complications, including valvular ones.


High-quality tape recordings were constructed of single, double, and triple word test items from the six monosyllabic work lists of the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT), a multiple-choice intelligibility test. The test workd were incorporated in a carrier phrase somewhat analogous to typical aircraft radio messages. The recorded lists were mixed with shaped noise and played back to a group of listeners at three speech-to-noise ratios. The regular closed-response format of the MRT was utilized for all three types of test items. There was little difference in overall listener performance for the single, double, and triple word test items. Because of their more representative message length and decreased testing time, the triple word test items will be utilized in subsequent data-gathering studies directed toward the development of an efficient reliable test for assessing the ability of aircrew personnel to hear speech in their operational environments. Language: en


markdownabstractThis study scrutinises the role of cultural and institutional contexts in shaping Europeans' choices for a source of support. We draw attention to an often overlooked source of support: non-kin. Taking an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, we formulate a number of hypotheses on the impact of individualistic values, familialistic norms, generalised trust, and social protection expenditure. We test these contextual hypotheses by means of multilevel multinomial models employing European Quality of Life Survey data from 28 countries.

Our findings reveal that more generous social protection expenditure seems to create a sense of solidarity that bolsters people to rely on non-kin. This impact is however weaker than that of cultural context. Regarding individualistic values and norms of family obligations, we find that the latter are of a greater importance in predicting behavioural intentions. Finally, our findings evince that in countries with lower rather than with higher levels of generalised trust people are more likely to turn to non-kin. We argue that this effect is driven by the inclusion of a vast number of Central and Eastern European countries, which share a distinct post-communist context.


Objective To determine the effectiveness of the provision of whole food to enhance completion of treatment for tuberculosis. Design Parallel group randomised controlled trial. Setting Three primary care clinics in Dili, Timor-Leste. Participants 270 adults aged ≥18 with previously untreated newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. Main outcome measures Completion of treatment (including cure). Secondary outcomes included adherence to treatment, weight gain, and clearance of sputum smears. Outcomes were assessed remotely, blinded to allocation status. Interventions Participants started standard tuberculosis treatment and were randomly assigned to intervention (nutritious, culturally appropriate daily meal (weeks 1-8) and food package (weeks 9-32) (n=137) or control (nutritional advice, n=133) groups. Randomisation sequence was computer generated with allocation concealment by sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes. Results Most patients with tuberculosis were poor, malnourished men living close to the clinics; 265/270 (98%) contributed to the analysis. The intervention had no significant beneficial or harmful impact on the outcome of treatment (76% v 78% completion, P=0.7) or adherence (93% for both groups, P=0.7) but did lead to improved weight gain at the end of treatment (10.1% v 7.5% improvement, P=0.04). Itch was more common in the intervention group (21% v 9%, P<0.01). In a subgroup analysis of patients with positive results on sputum smears, there were clinically important improvements in one month sputum clearance (85% v 67%, P=0.13) and completion of treatment (78% v 68%, P=0.3). Conclusion Provision of food did not improve outcomes with tuberculosis treatment in these patients in Timor-Leste. Further studies in different settings and measuring different outcomes are required. Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT0019256.


This study was conducted in an attempt to determine the effects of full disclosure on a verbal conditioning task. Four groups of 29 subjects each, participated in this study. Two of these groups were given full disclosure about the experiment immediately prior to their participation, the other two groups did not receive this information. The task for each group was to construct 100 sentences using the verb and one of six pronouns printed on a card presented to them. One group under each disclosure condition was verbally reinforced after the first 20 trials for beg inning a sentence with \I\ or \He\. The reinforced groups showed significant positive conditioning. A 2x2x5 Analysis of Variance further showed that the Reinforcement x Trials interaction to be significant (p =.01) as well as the Disclosure x Trials interaction.


To successfully model an array of different programing languages, game semantics uses the detailed interactions between a system and its environment. To fine-tune such a model to a particular language, the set of strategies available to the players is limited using various conditions. In many cases these restrictions can be thought as the result of limiting the information available to the players to elaborate their strategies. The aim of this paper is to study two frameworks to represent this partial knowledge explicitly. The first add to games as defined in game semantics equivalence relations identifying the position that cannot be distinguished by the players. The resulting structure is related to the process of restricting the player's strategies by a Galois connection. The second framework is based upon a network game representation derived from coloured Petri nets. The games of the first framework are used to study the dynamics of this network game representation, so it can also be connected to game semantics. This relation is then used to give a characterisation of total information games in the network representation. A sketch of the basic constructions needed to define a category of games and strategies using the network representation is given.


In placental explants and cell lines, cAMP stimulates the biosynthesis of CG alpha- and beta-subunits and produces marked stimulation of CG secretion. We investigated the effect of a cell-permeable analog, 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP), on CG alpha- and beta-subunit gene expression in the JEG-3 placental cell line. RNA blot hybridization analysis demonstrated that 8-Br-cAMP increased CG alpha and beta mRNA levels 15- to 30-fold, consistent with 8-Br-cAMP regulation of CG biosynthesis at a pretranslational level. Transcription rates for CG alpha- and beta-subunit genes were determined in the absence and presence of 8-Br-cAMP using nuclear run-on assays. The basal transcription rates for the alpha- and beta-subunit genes were similar and increased 4- to 6-fold after treatment with 8-Br-cAMP. Expression of chimeric genes, consisting of alpha gene [1.5 kilobase (Kb)] or CG beta gene (0.3 Kb) 5'-flanking sequences ligated to the coding sequence of a reporter enzyme chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT), was used to analyze the mechanism of 8-Br-cAMP stimulation of gene transcription. A 1.5-kb segment of the alpha- gene 5'-flanking sequence was expressed efficiently in JEG-3 cells and contains both cell-specific enhancers and cAMP response elements. Basal expression of the CG beta CAT reporter gene was not observed in either JEG-3 cells or HeLa cells, and expression was not stimulated by 8-Br-cAMP. The regulatory response elements of the CG beta gene must reside in sequences outside the 0.3-kb 5'-flanking region of the CG beta gene.


Tight sandstone gas is widespread in the middle and lower Permian Shan 1 and He 8 Members in the northwestern Ordos Basin. We have studied the diagenesis by means of many petrographic techniques and determined its important influence on reservoir quality. The quantitative characterization of porosity evolution is important when analyzing reservoir consolidation. We found that reservoir rock types are mainly sublitharenite, quartz arenite, and litharenite in the deltaic facies through petrological and mineralogical analyses. Metamorphic rock (quartzite), followed by volcanic rock, dominates the lithic fragment types. In the early diagenetic stage, the reservoirs mainly underwent intensive compaction, hydrolysis, and alteration of volcanic debris. Sandstones in the middle diagenesis stage were characterized by quartz overgrowth, volcanic debris dissolution, cementation, and calcite and kaolinite replacement. Based on the formula from Beard and Weyl, we calculated that the original porosity of tight gas sandstones was 38.61%. The porosity loss during compaction was 26.64%; by cementation, it was 11.46%; and carbonate, siliceous, and authigenic clay cements accounted for 1.31%, 3.61%, and 6.44% loss in porosity, respectively. Dissolution was relatively weak, with an average increase in porosity of 4.86%, whereas the present porosity is 7.47%. We observed that the pore types in the study area are composed of intragranular dissolution pores and kaolinite intercrystalline pores, followed by residual primary pores and intergranular dissolution pores. However, microcracks were not common. Based on the results of the rate-controlled mercury intrusion, the pore diameters in different samples are similar but there were clear differences in the throat diameters. Nuclear magnetic resonance results indicate that the cutoff value is 13 ms with the movable fluid mainly distributed in larger pores. As the pressure increased, fluid in the larger pores was discharged in large quantities but there was no discharge of nonmovable fluid in the small pores. We conclude that intensive diagenetic transformation was the main cause of reservoir consolidation and multistage cementation resulted in a complicated pore-throat network and reduced reservoir permeability.


This paper examines factors influencing land use under specific types of crops (e.g., cereals, cash crops including vegetables, horticulture, etc.) as well as the land devoted to livestock activities (dairy, piggery, poultry/duckery, fishery, apiary, etc.) in the eastern and northeastern regions of India comparing the same with the national pattern. We utilize farm-level information collected in the 59th round of the National Sample Survey (January–December 2003). Using multivariate multinomial logistic regression models, we examine the adjusted effect of selected background factors on the diversified use of agricultural plots at the national level, and for the eastern and northeastern regions separately. The level of diversification was significantly different across level of urbanization, occupational status (as a surrogate variable for household income), educational level of household head, household or family size, farm size, soil type, status of land possession, and waterlogging even after adjusting for religious and social/caste status of the household. The northeastern region reported a higher level of farm diversification compared to the eastern region, while both these regions had lower farm diversification compared to the rest of India. The study results could be used to argue for better and more equitable provision of economic security in terms of credit supply, subsidies, etc., for farmers belonging to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in eastern India, and for appropriate land development toward settled cultivation in the northeastern region to augment the agricultural diversification. Some of the prudent steps to boost agricultural diversification in the eastern and northeastern regions of India include enhancing awareness of government-sponsored advisory services, and providing economic security to landless farmers and small landholders.


The cell re-entry assay is widely used to evaluate pathogen effector protein uptake into plant cells. The assay is based on the premise that effector proteins secreted out of a leaf cell would translocate back into the cytosol of the same cell via a yet unknown host-derived uptake mechanism. Here, we critically assess this assay by expressing domains of the effector proteins AvrM-A of Melampsora lini and AVR3a of Phytophthora infestans fused to a signal peptide and fluorescent proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana. We found that the secreted fusion proteins do not re-enter plant cells from the apoplast and that the assay is prone to false-positives. We therefore emit a cautionary note on the use of the cell re-entry assay for protein trafficking studies.


Recent cascaded-integrator models do not fit the sine-wave flicker thresholds as well as we might wish, but neither does the Ferry–Porter law. In fact, the Ferry–Porter function is not physically realizable as a linear model. By modifying it to yield realizable responses like those of the cascaded integrator, we obtain a much simpler model, which appears to be a special case of the photochemical diffusion mechanism proposed by Ives and more recently by Veringa. This model is a good fit, not only to the flicker data, but also to human phase-shift measurements obtained by the phosphene method. We infer that receptor-cell properties probably control the high-frequency linear filtering of flicker waveforms.


Sonic boom bow shock amplitude and rise time statistics from a sonic boom propagation flight test experiment are presented. The experiment consisted of flying two types of aircraft, the T‐38 and F‐15, at speeds of Mach 1.2 to 1.3 over a ground‐based microphone array with concurrent meteorological measurements. Bow shock overpressure and rise time distributions measured under low and moderate atmospheric turbulence conditions for the same test aircraft are quite different. The peak overpressure distributions are skewed positively, indicating a tendency toward positive deviations from the mean. Standard deviations of overpressure distributions measured under moderate turbulence were slightly larger than those measured under low turbulence. Under moderate turbulence conditions the mean rise time was larger by a factor of 3.7 and the standard deviation was larger by a factor of 3.2 from the low turbulence values. These changes resulted in a transition from a peaked appearance of the low‐turbulence rise time d...


The development of high efficiency semitransparent perovskite solar cells is necessary for application in integrated photovoltaics and tandem solar cells. However, perovskite's sensitivity to temperature and solvents impose a restriction on following processes, thus favoring physical vapor deposition for the transparent contacts. Protection may be necessary, especially for high energy sputtering and a transparent buffer layer providing good electrode adhesion and conductivity is desired. Here we evaluate Ag and MoOx buffer layers in pursuit of high efficiency tandem solar cells. The usage of thin Ag as a buffer layer demonstrated indium tin oxide (ITO) contacts that were resistant to delamination and yielded a 16.0% efficiency of semitransparent perovskite solar cell with average transparency of 12% in visible range and >50% in near-infrared. Further application in tandem with Cu(In,Ga)Se showed an overall efficiency of 20.7% in a 4-terminal (4T) configuration, exceeding the individual efficiencies of the...


Hydropeaking power production has the potential to pose serious challenges towards hydrology, water quality and ecology in the downstream water bodies. The effects of such abrupt changes of flow in hyporheic exchange have been explored in a few cases in the literature. This paper extends previous works with a study of finer time resolution in a river of a smaller size and with different climatic characteristics, adding to the current knowledge of peaking‐hyporheic interactions. A high‐frequency logging field experiment measuring hyporheic flow and temperature was conducted on a ~30 × 20 m gravel bar frequently exposed to dry conditions because of fast and abrupt flow changes. This study demonstrates that hyporheic processes are sensitive to hydropeaking with respect to rates of change, durations and temperature. Differences BETWEEN individual events, seasons, watering and dewatering processes and positions in the river bed that can be potentially relevant to ecology were investigated. Understanding the complexity of those processes at the fine scale from the physical point of view is both important for the judgement of potential ecological impacts and for the future management of such regulated systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Employing the high spatio-temporal Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph 1330 {\AA} observations, we investigated the jet-like features that occurred during the X8.2 class flare in NOAA active region (AR) 12673 on 2017 September 10. These jet-like features were rooted in the flare ribbons. We examined 15 features, and the mean values of the lifetimes, projected widths, lengths and velocities of these features were 87 s, 890 km, 2.7 Mm and 70 km s$^{-1}$, respectively. We also observed many jet-like features which happened during the X1.0 class flare on 2014 October 25. We studied the spectra at the base of a jet-like feature during its development. The Fe XXI 1354.08 {\AA} line in the corona displays blueshift, while the Si IV 1402.77 {\AA} line in the transition region exhibits redshift, which indicates the chromospheric evaporation. This is the first time that the jet-like features are reported to be rooted in the flare ribbons, and we suggest that these jet-like features were driven by the mechanism of chromospheric evaporation.


A study of the various editions of Laennec's "De l'Auscultation Mediate," as published in France, England, Germany, America, Belgium and Italy, within a relatively short time after the initial appearance of the book in 1819, gives one a clear idea of the importance of Laennec's work in the eyes of his contemporaries. The demand for the volume must have been great, for, although the size of the editions is not known, nineteen distinct printings have been traced in the period of twenty years, from 1819 to 1839. Seven of these were in French, eight in English, three in German and one in Italian. Another English edition appeared in 1846, making twenty well known early issues. Since the latter date, a number of reprints and extracts of the book have appeared, such as the splendid translation of selected passages by Sir William Hale-White, London, 1923, and the French reprint in 1879,


We investigate aspects of hovering insect flight by finding the optimal wing kinematics which minimize power consumption while still providing enough lift to maintain a time-averaged constant altitude over one flapping period. In particular, we study the flight of three insects whose masses vary by approximately three orders of magnitude: fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster), bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), and hawkmoth (Manduca sexta). Here, we model an insect wing as a rigid body with three rotational degrees of freedom. The aerodynamic forces are modelled via a quasi-steady model of a thin plate interacting with the surrounding fluid. The advantage of this model, as opposed to the more computationally costly method of direct numerical simulation via computational fluid dynamics, is that it allows us to perform optimization procedures and detailed sensitivity analyses which require many cost function evaluations. The optimal solutions are found via a hybrid optimization algorithm combining aspects of a genetic algorithm and a gradient-based optimizer. We find that the results of this optimization yield kinematics which are qualitatively and quantitatively similar to previously observed data. We also perform sensitivity analyses on parameters of the optimal kinematics to gain insight into the values of the observed optima. Additionally, we find that all of the optimal kinematics found here maintain the same leading edge throughout the stroke, as is the case for nearly all insect wing motions. We show that this type of stroke takes advantage of a passive wing rotation in which aerodynamic forces help to reverse the wing pitch, similar to the turning of a free-falling leaf.


Topic area and paper objectives: This study aimed to explore whether information and communication technology (ICT) improved information access for emergency department (ED) nurses and what impact nurses perceived this had on how they carried out their work. This research is part of a larger multi-site project which aims to explore work innovations resulting from the use of ICT in hospitals, in particular how technology can improve clinicians' work and outcomes for patients. Background: ED clinicians are required to efficiently access and record patient information in order to both provide treatment to patients, communicate information to other health professionals and to manage patient flow through the department. Information not available to ED clinicians has been shown to be associated with longer patient stays in the ED. Therefore ED clinicians require well organised and easily accessed clinical and administrative information. Electronic clinical information systems have the capability to facilitate improved access to information, however few studies have examined whether this potential is being realised, particularly by nurses. Methods: Within a socio-technical framework, a qualitative study design was employed using semi-structured interviews and a focus group to explore ED nurses' use and perceptions of an integrated ED clinical information system. The study was conducted at one Australian metropolitan public hospital ED. Four senior nurses were interviewed and seven nurses with a range of roles participated in the focus group. Results: The results presented in this paper relate to nurses' perceptions of the impact of the technology on 'access to information'. This was one of the themes elicited from the data. The results showed that with an areawide integrated ED clinical information system nurses perceived that they had improved ease of access to information, such as test results and previous electronic discharge summaries which impacted positively on patient care and on their roles as ED nurses. Discussion and conclusions: The increased volume of information and the improved ease of access to clinical, knowledge-based and administrative information supports ED nurses in practicing evidence-based nursing, which they report contributes to providing higher quality patient care. The clinical information system provides a means of asynchronous communication between health professionals reducing unnecessary interruptions. Increased access to information was also perceived as allowing nurses to take on extended roles in patient management. With access to the same information as doctors the nurses perceived that they had increased autonomy in their work. This study highlighted the value of technology in facilitating improved clinical information access for ED nurses.


Many people in developing countries rely primarily on medicinal plants as their main source of healthcare, particularly for the treatment of skin infections. Despite the widespread use of medicinal plants, there is a lack of literature describing the relevance and risks of exposure of the phytochemicals present. Galenia africana has been used traditionally in the form of pastes, decoctions, and lotions to treat wounds and other skin-related ailments. This is a report on the phytochemical composition of G. africana and a review on the pharmacological importance and relevance of these phytochemicals. The major groups of phytochemicals identified in G. africana extracts were aliphatics, aliphatic triterpenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids, and phenolic and tocopherol compounds. These have been found to exhibit medicinal properties, thus highlighting the need to assess the safety of G. africana for topical application. The information related to the safety of the various compounds could indicate the potential risks related to accidental intake of the extract upon topical product applications. This report concludes that the quantities of the phytochemicals present in G. africana should not cause undue risk to human health, which provides comfort to pursue future work on using and developing G. africana as a therapeutic agent.


The indirect immunofluorescence antibody test was performed on serial blood samples from eight young New Zealand White rabbits with experimental encephalitozoonosis. The test showed seroconversion in six of the eight infected rabbits by the 8th day after inoculation and in all rabbits by the 15th day. Antibody titers reached a peak by about the 36th day after inoculation and remained significantly elevated until the termination of the experiment at 84 days after inoculation. None of four sham-inoculated rabbits showed an immunofluorescence response by the 60th day after inoculation. Immunofluorescence and intradermal test responses were compared before infection and at the 60th day after inoculation in a total of 32 experimentally infected rabbits. Both tests were equally effective (100%) in detecting infected animals. Six of eight (first group) and 22 of 24 (second group) experimentally infected rabbits were confirmed histologically to have lesions compatible with encephalitozoonosis. No cross reactions were observed between Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Toxoplasma gondii, Eimeria perforans, or Eimeria stiedai by intradermal test or immunofluorescence test.


A novel palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative aminofluorination of unactivated alkenes has been developed, in which AgF was used as a key fluorinating reagent and PhI(OPiv)(2) as oxidant. The reaction afforded vicinal fluoroamine products with very high regioselectivity. A Pd(II/IV) catalytic cycle was proposed, and preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that direct reductive elimination of Pd(IV) intermediates is favored, albeit competing with S(N)2 nucleophilic attack by fluorine, to form a C-F bond.


Training, Info, Ebooks, and News for FHCRC faculty and staff Includes News and Blog coverage of Fred Hutchinson and related Biotechnology Matters


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To assess Papanicolaou (Pap) test screening behaviors of Taiwanese women, to explore factors affecting stages of change, and to determine whether constructs from the transtheoretical model are applicable to Taiwanese women with regard to Pap screening.

DESIGN
Descriptive, cross-sectional.

SETTING
A hospital in Taiwan.

SAMPLE
222 female hospital workers.

METHODS
Data were collected with a questionnaire.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Cervical screening behavior, perceived barriers and benefits, self-efficacy, and stages of change.

FINDINGS
Fifty-six percent of participants reported engaging in regular screening practice. The stage of respondents' cervical cancer screening was significantly associated with age, marital status, and history of human papilloma virus-positive and abnormal tests. Self-efficacy scores were significantly higher for women who were in action or maintenance than those in precontemplation or relapse (p < 0.0001). Women in relapse reported significantly more perceived barriers than those in action-maintenance (p = 0.005). No significant differences were found in the level of perceived benefits (p = 0.702) to regular Pap screening among women in the various stages.

CONCLUSIONS
Pap screening was low among the entire sample and nonexistent among women younger than age 30. The transtheoretical model only was partially applicable to the Taiwanese women in this study.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Reinforcement of self-efficacy was more important for women in the sample than emphasizing the benefits of or decreasing the barriers to regular Pap screening. Strategies for younger unmarried women might include education programs emphasizing the importance of routine annual screening and enhancing women's understanding of the relationship between Pap tests and cervical cancer.


We propose a new approach of latent factor analysis that, in addition to the main panel of interest, introduces other relevant data that serve as instruments for dynamic factor loadings.
The method, called IPCA, provides a parsimonious means of incorporating vast conditioning information into factor model estimates. This improves the efficiency of estimates for the latent factors and their loadings, and helps to ascertain the economic relationships among factors and individuals via the observable instruments. The estimation is fast to calculate and accommodates unbalanced panels. We show consistency and asymptotic normality under general panel data generating processes. We demonstrate the advantages of IPCA in simulated data and in applications to equity asset pricing and international macroeconomics.


Reduction of contour error is a very important issue for high precise contour tracking applications, and many control systems were proposed to deal with contour tracking problems for two/three axial translational motion systems. However, there is no research on cross-coupled contour tracking control for serial multi-DOF robot manipulators. In this paper, the contouring control of multi-DOF serial manipulators is developed for the first time and a new cross-coupled PD (CC-PD) control law is proposed, based on contour errors of the end-effector and tracking errors of the joints. It is a combination of PD control for trajectory tracking at joint level and PD control for contour tracking at the end-effector level. The contour error of the end-effector is transformed to the equivalent tracking errors of the joints using the Jacobian regulation, and the CC-PD control law is implemented in the joint level. Stability analysis of the proposed CC-PD control system is conducted using the Lyapunov method, followed by some simulation studies for linear and nonlinear contour tracking to verify the effectiveness of the proposed CC-PD control system.


This paper presents a method that one holonic subsystem in the overall system can recognize separation from a, group. To remain in the group is a complemental event to the separation. After each subsystem has listened to the others' chats, it always broadcasts what could be caught. One subsystem can contact with the others if they make a directed closed-loop in the graphic network of the system. And then, those subsystems make up a group. One can look for the directed closed-loop by the reachability matrix which is built from the listeners' status. The experiment using microcomputers shows that this method is useful for the recognition of separation from group.


This study was dealt with aiming to examine the most important factors (education and selfdevelopment, administrative competence, success mentality, motivation and rewarding) affecting administrative and organizational success in the forest resource management of Turkey. For this purpose, four different questionnaires were applied to the total of 565 interviewees related to the forestry section of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs and four different interest groups (employees, subject experts, related institutions and nongovernmental organizations representatives) in nine geographical regions of Turkey. To gather data about the subject and to reach the results, face to face interviews were conducted with interest groups, a questionnaire was applied. The layered-simple random sampling method was used as a sampling method. All obtained data were used as material. The research data were evaluated with descriptive statistics, it was inspected with the Kruskal-Wallis H-Test whether the thoughts of the interviewees related to the most important factors affecting administrative and organizational success differ according to the regions, and the departments, the position and the experience. The different groups were determined by the Duncan Test. Accordingly, most of the interviewees think that the undergraduate education, prevocational and in-service training are inadequate and that they need the most social and economic comprehensive information in the management of forest resources. Middle and upper level managers have the opportunity to further develop themselves, as the duration of experience increases, the administrative competence about forest resources management increases, but scientific studies and research results related to forestry are mostly not followed. The majority of the interviewees correctly identified administrative and organizational success in forestry, determined the most important factors affecting success as organizational and administrative factors and found that there was little or no relationship between success and reward. To increase the success in the forestry, the employees should participate in decisions and the success should be measured and evaluated objectively and numerically in the form of institutional success. According to the results, some suggestions were put forward for development of forest resources management.


This paper explores big data and its impact on society and industry. Data collected from many streams such as social data, machine data, and transactional data are collected at rates that reaching overwhelming numbers. Many question its importance and relevance to society, but when evaluated and analyzed, we can see how it has made advancements in technology and in social development that affects each of us on a daily basis. The more data that is collected, the more accurate information we have to meet the needs of an ever changing society. Technological advancements have changed how this data is collected and stored and this is seen in many industries and companies and their use of big data to determine their own relevance in society and how they economic and social development. SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is one of the leading providers of big data and is the standard for data management. Oracle, IBM, and Teradata are some of the leading providers of terabyte scale data to companies that require data management. The following will provide some insight on how big data is generated, analyzed and used to meet the needs of our ever changing society.


Engaging men in HIV services remains a challenge across sub-Saharan Africa. There is a critical need to better understand facilitators of men's successful engagement with HIV services and assess if there are similarities across contexts. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 92 men living with HIV (MLHIV) across Malawi, Uganda, South Africa, and Eswatini, most of whom had been diagnosed with HIV within the last 5 years. We coded interviews for themes using a constant-comparative approach. We contextualized our findings within a socioecological framework. HIV testing was primarily motivated by illness (individual level), though illness was sometimes accompanied by prompting and support from healthcare providers and/or intimate partners. Once diagnosed, nearly all participants reported immediate linkage to care, initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and subsequent ART adherence. ART initiation and adherence were facilitated by men's sense of agency and ownership over their health (individual level), social support from intimate partners, friends, and family (interpersonal/network level), supportive-directive counseling from healthcare providers (institutional/health systems level), and male-friendly services, i.e., rapid, respectful, private (institutional/health systems level). Health literacy regarding viral suppression (individual level), strengthened by patient-provider communication (institutional/health systems level), was highest in Uganda, where most men could discuss viral load testing experiences, report their viral load status (most reported suppressed), and demonstrate an understanding of treatment as prevention. Elsewhere, few participants understood what viral load suppression was and even fewer knew their viral load status. Our findings reveal socioecological-level facilitators of men's progress across the HIV-care continuum. Programs may want to leverage facilitators of ART initiation and adherence that span socioecological levels—e.g., healthcare ownership and agency, social support, supportive-directive counseling—and apply them to each end of the continuum to encourage early HIV testing/diagnosis and improve health literacy to help men understand and achieve viral load suppression.


Objective: To evaluate the impact of lymph node yield (LNY) on survival in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by esophagectomy for cancer. Background: The value of an extended lymphadenectomy after nCRT for esophageal cancer is debated. Recent reports demonstrate no association between LNY and survival. This association has not yet been evaluated in larger cohorts. Methods: All patients who underwent nCRT followed by esophagectomy between 2005 and 2014 were identified from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. The association between LNY and overall survival was analyzed using multivariable Cox regression analyses, adjusting for diagnosis year, referral, hospital volume, age, sex, malignancy history, tumor location, histology, cTN-stage, surgical approach, radicality, and ypTN-stage. Analyses were performed with LNY as categorized predictor (<15 vs ≥15 nodes) and continuous predictor (per 10 additionally nodes). Results: A total of 2698 patients were included with a median overall survival of 34 months (range 4–143). A higher LNY was significantly associated with improved overall survival, both as categorized predictor (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.68–0.86) and as continuous predictor (hazard ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.78–0.90). Furthermore, a higher LNY was associated with favorable hazard ratios across subgroups, including both squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, both cN0 and cN+, both transthoracic and transhiatal approaches, and both ypN0 and ypN+. Conclusions: This large population-based cohort study demonstrates an association between LNY and overall survival, indicating a therapeutic value of extended lymphadenectomy during esophagectomy. Therefore, an extended lymphadenectomy should be the standard of care after nCRT.


Chronic schistosomiasis presents with either a moderate or a severe form, termed intestinal (INT) or hepatosplenic (HS) schistosomiasis, respectively. The Schistosoma mansoni-associated hepatomegaly is estimated in 8.5 million people and ultimately results from liver granulomas induced by trapped parasitic eggs. The CBA/J mouse model replicates these two human disease forms and was used to understand the progressive pathology that leads to HS and to identify potential biomarkers. In this model 20% of infected mice spontaneously develop hypersplenomegaly syndrome (HSS) by 20 weeks of infection while the remaining 80% develop moderate splenomegaly syndrome (MSS). Using this model, we compared the liver protein patterns of control mice and mice infected for 6, 8, 12, or 20 (MSS and HSS) weeks. Two-dimensional differential in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) was used to identify protein pattern variations and protein spots were identified using matrix adsorption laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. In the first experiment, we found 124 protein spot unique changes for MSS and HSS compared to control mice of which 80 were identified and 35 changes were specific for HSS. In the second experiment, comparison between various time points with control mice revealed 76 significant protein spot changes of which 44 were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Importantly, we found that the abundance of liver keratin D, transferrin isoforms, collagen isoforms, hydroxyproline and Schistosoma mansoni-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase increased while epoxide hydrolase isoforms, peroxiredoxin 6 and major urinary protein (MUP) isoforms decreased significantly with infection. To verify the changes in the liver 2D-DIGE analysis, candidate liver protein markers were measured in mouse serum using targeted biochemical assays. The mouse serum analysis showed MUP levels were decreased, while transferrin, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), keratin D, hydroxyproline were increased in HSS mice compared to control mice or MSS mice supporting the liver 2D-DIGE analysis. Using targeted assays, serum samples from INT and HS patients were tested for the candidate liver protein markers: keratin D, CTGF, hydroxyproline and transferrin. The human serum analysis showed keratin D levels increased for HS compared to INT and normal sera. The CTGF levels were high in INT compared to HS and normal sera, while transferrin remained unchanged in INT and HS similar to normal sera. Additionally, in severe HS disease, serum hydroxyproline emerged as a strong indicator of fibrosis. We believe that these findings will have direct value in the development of diagnostic tools for early detection of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis in humans.


This study estimated the prototype of Yangjindang at the time of its foundation by putting together the literature and discovered data and historical research on family related to Sangju Yangjindang, and looked at its architectural characteristics. These are summarized as follows: First, Yangjindang is an office building which was completed in three years [1629] after its start of construction when Keomgan Jojeong was at the age of 72 [1626] in his latter days and it was used for performing ancestral rites for Jojeong's forefathers of the head family of Pungyang Jo by family origin. Yangjindang was founded as a base of utopia for putting ancestral rites & commemoration, harmoniousness of a tribe, and educational idea into practice together with Ojakdang. Such a movement can be judged to interpret and apply the circumstances of the times realistically and flexibly where they tried to pursue the promotion of Confucianism & studies of the proprieties as well as the consciousness of practice, and to bring a tribe into harmony after the war through the retirement of Toegye School. Second, it is located at a topographically ideal spot on the edge of the Jangcheon-a tributary of Nakdong with a good physiology and landscape and its location was also the lot for a house of Jojeong's ancestor, which was burned down by war. Behind such a location and planning of Yangjindang, it is presumed, though not certain that it was modelled after Naeap village at Andong- Jojeong's parents-in-low's home. Third, as for its foundation size, it's a head house as much as about more than 100-kan, and its structure is composed of Samyo, Bonche, and Yangjindang. In addition, arrangements of buildings and its composition system and renovation procedures followed Chu-tzu Garyoe. Composition of Samyo can be restored to Yangjindang, Jugo, Woesammun, and Samyo; however, there has been no case of existence in case of Jugo building composition & arrangement takes on an aspect of a compromise between Gamyojido and Sandangjido of Garoe, which seems to be the result from flexibly interpreting and applying the rituals and studies of the proprieties of Toegye School in keeping with locational topography and realistic circumstances while making it a principle for them to observe by Toegye School. There exists a difference between Bonche and its counterpart of the upper class housing at Sangju district in that Bonche[main building] is a squre-shaped 'Ttuljip' typical of Andong setting a family ancestral ritual as a main function. Fourth, there existed a lot of hardships in raising money to cover repairs in time of doing repairs to this structure after 180 years since its establishment. In case of the repair work on Bonche, the level of renovation was limited to the replacement of old materials for rafters, doorpost, roof members and railings with new materials, together with partial alterations in case of window system. It is estimated that Yangjindang was renovated in 1808, and afterwards it was renamed Okryujeong after being re-built at another site. Through the repairs, the floor was expanded for the clan's meeting, and angle rafters and roof members were mended as well. Especially, the plane and structure of Okryujeong which was re-built at another site are expected to give clues to its restoration due to the resemblance to original appearance of Yangjindang at the time of its renovation in 1808.


The bilateral deficit (BLD) phenomenon is an inability to maximally contract bilaterally compared to the summed unilateral contractions. The mechanism is unknown but presence of bilateral homologous (BH) BLD opposed to bilateral non-homologous (BNH) contractions suggests BLD reflects differences in corticospinal control. Yet the influence of methodological factors such as BLD calculation technique, task familiarity, and differences in synergist muscle contributions have received less attention. Purpose: Examine corticospinal and methodological contributions to BLD to determine its mechanistic basis. Methods: Eleven healthy adults (6 women/5 men, 25.6±3.7years; 171.81±11.44cm; 74.4±21.2kg) participated in a counterbalanced repeated measures study. Sessions one and seven, transcallosal inhibition (TCI) and voluntary activation were assessed with transcranial magnetic stimulation during maximal BH, BNH, and dominant flexion (DF) of the proximal elbow. Sessions two through six, bilateral and unilateral isometric contractions were performed repetitively with electromyographic measures of agonists, antagonists, and scapular stabilizing muscle activity. Results: BH BLD was present sessions 2-7 while BNH displayed no BI. Corticospinal measures did not differ between contractions or sessions. Task practice increased all measures of maximal force, but without translation to BH and BNH BLD performance, with poor reliability across test sessions. BLD varied as a function of task-specific stabilization practices. Specifically, BNH and DF were stabilized by upper extremity horizontal rotation, resulting in greater forces compared to BH, which was stabilized through the sagittal plane. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate BLD reflects subtle differences in muscle stabilization during BH, BNH, and DF contractions, over differences in corticospinal control or task familiarity. Synergistic muscle co-activation during maximal isometric BNH and unilateral contractions likely improves stability, increasing force. The most significant finding of the study, however, is the poor reliability of BH and BNH BLD measures, which raises the need to consider the thresholds used to determine the presence of BLD.


Polarization transmission in single-mode fibers for forward and backward directions is studied on the basis of reciprocity and polarization-independent attenuation. The analysis yields a simple formula to calculate the ellipticity of the light along the fiber from time-resolved and polarization-sensitive measurements of the backscattered power.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) defines a wide spectrum of liver diseases that extend from simple steatosis, that is, increased hepatic lipid content, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a condition that may progress to cirrhosis with its associated complications. Nuclear hormone receptors act as intracellular lipid sensors that coordinate genetic networks regulating lipid metabolism and energy utilization. This family of transcription factors, in particular peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), represents attractive drug targets for the management of NAFLD and NASH, as well as related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. The impact on the regulation of lipid metabolism observed for PPARs has led to the hypothesis that genetic variants within the human PPARs genes may be associated with human disease such as NAFLD, the metabolic syndrome, and/or coronary heart disease. Here we review the available evidence on the association between PPARs genetic polymorphism and the susceptibility to NAFLD and NASH, and we provide a meta-analysis of the available evidence. The impact of PPAR variants on the susceptibility to NASH in specific subgroup of patients, and in particular on the response to therapies, especially those targeting PPARs, represents promising new areas of investigation.


" Security played a significant role in the development of formal methods in the 70s and early 80s. Have the tables turned? Are formal methods now ready to play a significant role in the development of more secure systems? While not a panacea, the answer is yes, formal methods can and should play such a role. In this paper we first review the limits of formal methods. Then after a brief historical excursion, we summa rize some recent results on how model checking and theorem proving tools revealed new and known flaws in authentication protocols. Looking to the .future we discuss the challenges and opportunities for .formal methods in analyzing the security of systems, above and beyond the protocol level. ...


The objective of this paper is to introduce an experimental setup to control vibration for educational purposes in undergraduate mechanical engineering program. The experimental set up presented in this paper is designed to allow the instructors to tailor and customize the experiments per the requirements of various mechanical courses. This vibration control is structured to study and control the vibration of a piezoelectric tube actuator, which is controlled by applying voltage difference across x and y axis. The piezoelectric tube was selected to be at the center of the experimental setup due to its importance in micro-positioning systems such as the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Due to the negative effect of high vibrations on the performance of AFM and other micro-positioning systems, vibration reduction of piezoelectric actuators is a very active research topic. Therefore, the introduction of piezoelectric actuators vibrations control experiment offers an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about the engineering problems and challenges associated with micro-positioning systems, which are not typically covered in classic mechanical engineering curriculum. The experimental setup introduced in this paper was used in a project in advanced dynamic systems and controls course. In this project, the students applied input shaping feedforward techniques to control the vibrations of piezoelectric tube when subjected to input step excitation. The success of the vibration reduction controllers was verified using the data acquired from two fiber optic displacement sensors. In addition, the experiment exposed the students to essential experimental principles such as calibration, data acquisition and sensor limitations.


Although it is 40 years since Ivan Illich published Tools for Conviviality, the word 'convivial' retains an appeal conjuring up liveliness, sociability and, in this age of economic uncertainty, optimism. But in an era of co-creation and co-production the word 'tools' has attracted greater attention, heralding Illich is due for regeneration. Superficially, the rise of technologies like Facebook and smartphones signal Illich's convivial tools have arrived, giving creativity to a mass audience. This article questions whether this is so by revisiting Illich's critique of capitalism and its institutions, particularly education, and examining claims that we have indeed built tools of conviviality. It seeks to reframe convivial tools and the democratization of education by looking at developments beyond digital technology to include design strategy linked to community challenges. The opportunity is taken to re-contextualize Illich's ideas on de-schooling by providing models and a case study exemplar whilst raising issues for design education.


CellProfiler is a widely used software for creating reproducible, reusable image analysis workflows without needing to code. In addition to the >90 modules that make up the main CellProfiler program, CellProfiler has a plugins system that allows for the creation of new modules which integrate with other Python tools or tools that are packaged in software containers. The CellProfiler-plugins repository contains a number of these CellProfiler modules, especially modules that are experimental and/or dependency-heavy. Here, we present an upgraded CellProfiler-plugins repository, an example of accessing containerized tools, improved documentation, and added citation/reference tools to facilitate the use and contribution of the community. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Problem The task of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a training program for lay preachers in the Seventh-day Adventist churches within the district of Fort Washington, New York, where the author of this document has served as pastor since 2014. Given that this missionary district comprises three churches (Fort Washington, Washington Avenue, and Luz y Esperanza), it is impossible for the pastor to always preach in every one of those congregations, Therefore, the preaching responsibility falls on the shoulders of church elders and other lay preachers. Pastoral observation indicates that, out of the 400 church members who attend weekly worship services, only fifteen participated in the quarterly preaching roll, and many of them did not have an adequate level of training in preaching. Methodology In order to fulfill the purpose of this research project, a study on preaching and related issues was undertaken in biblical literature, in the writings of Ellen White, and in contemporary literature. An analysis of the immediate context (the Seventh-day Adventist churches of Fort Washington, Washington Avenue and Luz y Esperanza) completed the theoretical platform for the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program on preaching. Direct observation and surveys were used to evaluate the results of the project. Results A major contribution of this project was that it facilitated the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program for lay preachers within the district of Fort Washington. The final assessment reveals that the participants significantly increased their preaching skills and their knowledge about preaching. From the total of 25 participants, 15 received a score greater than 35 (from a total of 40 points possible) in the final assessment. The program was received by participants with great interest, and it helped to bring about considerable improvement in the quality of preaching in the district of Fort Washington. The program also made it possible to add 10 new names to the preaching roll, which has brought variety to the preaching program, and it has also made the pastor's burden a bit easier. After finishing the project, many of the preachers continued to use the abilities provided during the training, and most of them adopted the thematic sermon as their preferred model for the design and delivery of sermons. Conclusions The results of this project confirm what the Bible and contemporary Christian literature indicate: a training program on preaching has the potential of bringing about a positive impact on local congregations where leaders might feel the need for it, as it happened in the district where this project was implemented.


Background:
 Large randomized trials have shown that use of exogenous estrogens with or without progestin increase the risk of ischemic stroke among women. Current data on the association between endogenous sex hormones and ischemic stroke are very limited. Data are also lacking on the association with endogenous androgens, which, through aromatization, are the primary source of endogenous estrogen in postmenopausal women. Thus, we evaluated plasma estradiol and testosterone levels and risk for ischemic stroke among women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS).

 Methods:
 Among 32,826 participants in the NHS who provided blood samples in 1989-1990, 405 postmenopausal women (209 never/past users and 196 current users of hormone therapy) had a confirmed diagnosis of ischemic stroke through 2006. An equal number of controls who were free of stroke during follow-up were matched for age, use of postmenopausal hormones, and smoking status. Estradiol and testosterone levels were measured by mass spectroscopy. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of log-transformed levels of estradiol and testosterone with stroke risk, within strata of hormone therapy use.

 Results:
 Circulating estradiol was not associated with stroke risk among never/past users; the relative risk (RR) (95% confidence interval) for highest to lowest estradiol quartiles was 1.27 (0.74-2.19), when adjusted for matching factors (p trend=0.75). However, there was a nonsignificantly increased risk of stroke among current users with higher estradiol levels; conditional on matching factors, the RRs were 2.28 (1.20-4.33), 1.55 (0.81-2.96), and 1.90 (0.96-3.79), for quartiles 2-4, respectively (p for trend=0.56). No association was observed between total testosterone levels and stroke risk in either group; the RRs for highest to lowest quartiles were 0.86 (0.50-1.49) and 1.06 (0.60-1.87) in never/past and current users, respectively (p for trends ≥0.39). The associations with free sex hormone levels were similar to those observed with total circulating levels. Additional adjustment for body mass index, aspirin use, alcohol consumption, and history of diabetes, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, or coronary heart disease, as well as levels of c-reactive protein (CRP) and the total/HDL cholesterol ratio did not materially change the associations. No association was observed between total and free testosterone levels and stroke risk in either never/past or current users (p for trends ≥0.39). These associations did not vary across levels of aspirin use smoking status, or CRP (p for interactions >0.05).

 Conclusions:
 Estradiol and testosterone levels were not associated with risk of ischemic stroke in this cohort of postmenopausal women.


The recent Advanced LIGO detection of gravitational waves from the binary black hole GW150914 suggests there exists a large population of merging binary black holes in the Universe. Although most are too distant to be individually resolved by advanced detectors, the superposition of gravitational waves from many unresolvable binaries is expected to create an astrophysical stochastic background. Recent results from the LIGO and Virgo collaborations show that this astrophysical background is within reach of Advanced LIGO. In principle, the binary black hole background encodes interesting astrophysical properties, such as the mass distribution and redshift distribution of distant binaries. However, we show that this information will be difficult to extract with the current configuration of advanced detectors (and using current data analysis tools). Additionally, the binary black hole background also constitutes a foreground that limits the ability of advanced detectors to observe other interesting stochastic background signals, for example from cosmic strings or phase transitions in the early Universe. We quantify this effect.


Leaf area index (LAI) and canopy coverage are important parameters when modelling snow process in coniferous forests, controlling interception and transmitting radiation. Estimates of LAI and sky view factor show large variability depending on the estimation method used, and it is not clear how this is reflected in the calculated snow processes beneath the canopy. In this study, the winter LAI and sky view fraction were estimated using different optical and biomass‐based approximations in several boreal coniferous forest stands in Fennoscandia with different stand density, age and site latitude. The biomass‐based estimate of LAI derived from forest inventory data was close to the values derived from the optical measurements at most sites, suggesting that forest inventory data can be used as input to snow hydrological modelling. Heterogeneity of tree species and site fertility, as well as edge effects between different forest compartments, caused differences in the LAI estimates at some sites. A snow energy and mass balance model (SNOWPACK) was applied to detect how the differences in the estimated values of the winter LAI and sky view fraction were reflected in simulated snow processes. In the simulations, an increase in LAI and a decrease in sky view fraction changed the snow surface energy balance by decreasing shortwave radiation input and increasing longwave radiation input. Changes in LAI and sky view fraction affected directly snow accumulation through altered throughfall fraction and indirectly snowmelt through the changed surface energy balance. Changes in LAI and sky view fraction had a greater impact on mean incoming radiation beneath the canopy than on other energy fluxes. Snowmelt was affected more than snow accumulation. The effect of canopy parameters on evaporation loss from intercepted snow was comparable with the effect of variation in governing meteorological variables such as precipitation intensity and air temperature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This article attempts to highlight the social, political, and ethical challenges facing the translator when dealing with religious and philosophical texts. Drawing on our experience in translating books related to these fields from Arabic into French and vice versa, we pinpoint examples of untranslatability of some religious and intellectual concepts due to constraints within the target language. Moreover, the question of the translator as cross-cultural mediator capable of achieving acculturation is addressed. The analysis is conducted following two fundamental concepts in the field of translation studies, namely domestication and foreignization, in addition to another view commonly used by the French philosopher Michel Foucault "authority or power of language" which arises through the discourses that we produce, or that others produce. These ideas will give insights into the translators' choices, decisions, and even hesitations when handling terms or expressions connected with religious or intellectual concepts.


In particular, the book provides insights and detailed analysis of design, modelling, implementation, operation, energy usage, economics, management, health risk, social perceptions and implications for water quality/quantity of roof water


Professor Robert J. Gordon, the well-known macroeconomist, visited New Zealand recently to speak at the international conference "Markets and Models: Policy Frontiers in the AWH Phillips Tradition" held from 9 to 11 July 2008. Professor Gordon is Stanley G. Harris Professor in the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Northwestern University in Illinois, USA. He has written extensively on the topics of productivity, price indices and the Phillips curve. He served on the US Boskin Commission in 1995-96, which assessed the accuracy of the US Consumer Price Index. We caught up with Professor Gordon for a chat about macroeconomics and some of the challenges facing monetary policy.


Noble gas (Ng) containing molecular anions are much scarcer than Ng containing cations. No neon containing anion has been reported so far. Here, the experimental observation of the molecular anion [B12(CN)11Ne]- and a theoretical analysis of the boron-neon bond is reported.


From the earliest description of schizophrenia, amotivational syndrome associated with severe functional impairment is recognised. These symptoms are found to be independent from other symptoms in longitudinal and cross-sectional assesments. The negative symptoms are named as primary or idiopathic if they are present at beginning of the disease or if it is specific to the disease. If they are due to positive symptoms, drug adverse effects or depression they are named as secondary negative symptoms. Treatment approach depends on whether negative symptoms are primary or secondary. Deficit syndrome is described by primary negative symptoms presenting at the beginning of disease, emerging spontaneously and staying stable during the disease course. Recent reports showed that deficit syndrome differ on disease course based on neurocognitive measures, functioning, and structural imaging. The role of negative symptoms in clinical diversity of schizophrenia was aimed to be evaluated in this paper by elobarating negative symptoms in various dimensions such as clinical features, biological measures, quality of life, and response to treatment.


Recently many new causes of cancer have been recognized, such as Sunlight, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, hormones, alcohol, parasites, fungi, bacteria, salted fish, wood dust, and certain herbs. However, they are additional causes of cancer that contains beta carotene, red meat, processed meats, low intake of fiber diets, poor Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF), obesity, increased adult height, sedentary lifestyles, etc.; there is a knowledge imbalance in knowing the causes of cancer among the physicians as well as researchers. To prevent at and permit the early detection and effective treatment is necessary in this regard. Steps were taken to prevent, control and management of cancer are disturbed by the insufficient knowledge about the disease among the population. The ultimate aim of cancer management is to reduce the prevalence of cancer and to improve the quality of life. A practical way to identify cancer control risk is to understand the real risk factors for causing cancer. When the causes are not well explained and understood, it is difficult to treat the disease. Screening of asymptomatic populations and awareness of early signs and symptoms can certainly improve the treatment of cancer. Knowing the causes of cancer and knowledge about preventing it can cure the disease, prolong our life, and improve the quality of our life. Cancer research is crucial for effective planning and strategic Cancer Control Programmes (CCP).


Abstract We examine whether a significant long-run relationship between the US, UK and Australian stock market prices exists and whether this relationship is temporally stable, based on the use of cointegration methodology as applied to the period of 1984 to 2001. We find a stationary long-run relationship between the UK and US, but not between the Australian and US, and Australian and UK, markets. Our results further reveal that the UK-US relationship was impacted by two structural shocks – the October 1987 stock market crash and the 1993-1994 US bond market crash. This relationship was stable during the period before the October 1987 crash and remained to be so after this period until it was disrupted by the 1993-1994 US bond market crash. During the period starting after 1994 up to 2001, this relationship between the UK and US markets, however, ceased to exist. Thus, for investors with UK and US stocks in their portfolios, there was no need for re-balancing of their portfolio during the periods of 1984 to 1993 but this had to be done after 1994.


In a recent paper [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 2010], the authors explored variational principles that help one understand chemical reactivity on the basis of the changes in electron density associated with a chemical reaction. Here, similar methods are used to explore the effect changing the external potential has on chemical reactivity. Four new indices are defined: (1) a potential energy surface that results from the second-order truncation of the Taylor series in the external potential about some reference, Upsilon(R(1),R(2),.,R(M)()); (2) the stabilization energy for the equilibrium nuclear geometry (relative to some reference), Xi; (3) the flexibility, or "lability", of the molecule at equilibrium, Lambda; and (4) the proton hardness, Pi, which performs a role in the theory of Brönsted-Lowry acids and bases that is similar to the role of the chemical hardness in the theory of Lewis acids and bases. Applications considered include the orientation of a molecule in an external electric field, molecular association reactions, and reactions between Brönsted-Lowry acids and bases.


Research on identity and identification in gerontology has to a large extent concerned itself with the relationship between the self and the body, expressed by metaphors such as the mask and masquerade; role loss in retirement and the making of the self through various senior lifestyles have also been of interest. The inadvertent obliviousness to ethnicity in such research could render our understanding of age(ing) identities ethnicity-free. The increased movement of people through globalisation, transnationalism and international migration and the fact that an increasing number of people grow old in countries other than the one where they were born suggests that an ethnic lens offers a fruitful point of departure for studying identity in old age. This paper will explore the theoretical fruitfulness embedded in identity research on ethnicity for the study of identity and identification in ageing and old age. Three areas in the field of migration and ethnic studies, namely questions of belonging (with the significance of place), cultural diversity and cultural adaptation, will be in focus. The paper will argue that gerontology's understanding of processes of identification could benefit from launching empirical studies that explore the theoretical connections between age and ethnicity.


We review person-organization fit theory and research on selection and recruitment, and also highlight practical recommendations. The article is framed around explaining how and why people who are well matched to their organization experience optimal psychological reactions and performance. We address five key challenges to person-organization fit research and provide a brief overview of the critical distinction between "fitting in" decisions linked to the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) model and day-to-day forces linked to "doing well" at work. Additionally, we organize the "fit on" domain into a parsimonious set of fundamental motivational constructs, highlighting a taxonomic perspective that broadly captures the "fit on" purposeful work goals (e.g., achievement, autonomy, communion, and status; Barrick et al. 2013 ) to enhance our understanding as to the nature of the joint nonlinear person-organization effects. We conclude by reviewing research findings using this organizing framework to systematically build knowledge to advance theory, concluding with practical implications for best management practices.


Heat transfer analysis of liquid-liquid Taylor flow in previous studies almost never shows the effect of slug length on heat transfer. The homogenous or single-phase analysis is often the only method available to deal with flow of multi components. In the present study a new approach is developed to model the segmented liquid-liquid Taylor flow as two separated systems and presenting heat transfer enhancement for each component. The effect of internal circulation and boundary layer renewal within the two fluid components is clearly observed. An experimental setup was assembled using open loop system at mini scale size in which liquid-liquid Taylor flow is heated under a constant wall temperature. Three silicone oils of 1, 3, and 5 cSt were segmented using distilled water at three volume fractions 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75. Finally, heat transfer data of the dimensionless mean wall heat flux shows good agreement with a predictive model proposed in an earlier work by the second author. The results show an impact of the fluid cell dimensions on the rate of heat transfer.


This article examines a recent production of Julia and Romeo at the Finnish National Theater (2018) as an example of innovative linguistic adaptation, accomplished through the use of style variations and a touch of rewriting. While most of the FNT Finnish text is based on Marja-Leena Mikkola's poetic translation (WSOY 2006), the dramaturg Anna Viitala, working closely with the director and actors, added a layer of colloquial, teenage language. Features include tiny insertions, such as vou [wow]," okei [OK], and phrases teens use with each other or to annoy their parents. Sometimes a single poetic line is replaced with a shorter and more colloquial speech, framed by much more poetic text. In a larger piece of rewriting, Romeo and Juliet's shared sonnet is turned into a hilarious poem Romeo is writing on love, drawn in part from Troilus and Cressida. For the most part, these juxtapositions of colloquial language added a comic touch, inviting teenage audience members to relate to the characters. But they were also effectively used to heighten tragedy, as for example in the simple repetition of a Finnish word for hello and goodbye, hei, which Romeo and Juliet awkwardly said to each other when they first met, and which was repeated three more times later in the play at key moments. The analysis points to the significant role stylistic variation can have in theatrical translation and adaptation, and suggests translators think beyond a simple continuum between archaizing and modernizing as strategies for translating historical texts.


The design of an efficient medium access control (MAC) for ad hoc networks is challenging. Topology-unaware time-division multiple-access-based schemes, suitable for ad hoc networks, that guarantee a minimum throughput, have already been proposed. These schemes consider a deterministic policy for the utilization of the assigned scheduling time slots that never utilizes nonassigned slots although in such slots collision-free transmissions are possible even under heavy traffic conditions. A simple probabilistic policy, capable of utilizing the nonassigned slots according to an access probability, fixed for all users in the network, is introduced and analyzed here. The conditions under which the system throughput under the probabilistic policy is higher than that under the deterministic policy are derived analytically. Further analysis of the system throughput is shown to be difficult or impossible for the general case and certain approximations have been considered whose accuracy is also investigated. The approximate analysis determines the value for the access probability that maximizes the system throughput, as well as simplified lower and upper bounds that depend only on a topology density metric. Simulation results demonstrate the comparative advantage of the probabilistic policy over the deterministic policy and show that the approximate analysis successfully determines the range of values for the access probability for which the system throughput under the probabilistic policy is not only higher than that under the deterministic policy, but it is also close to the maximum.


This paper describes the process of designing a course for Software Engineering that promotes self-driven learning while taking into account student motivation, scaffolding and a constrained ecosystem at the XXX University. The University has certain particularities that distinguish it from other Universities because students alternate quarters between study and work. Thus, students receive a salary during their three years towards earning a Bachelor Degree and attendance is mandatory. In cohorts of around 30 students a class spends an average day with at least 5 hours of mostly frontal lecture in the same classic classroom setup. Software Engineering takes up about 5 hours a week of in-class time in their second year of study and is the first course students have seen with a self-driven, blended learning format. The paper describes the process of designing a course for self-driven learning. It starts with a gamified approach that plunges the student directly into a new world of learning and ends with a scaffolded design that leads the students in a one-year-long process of "unschooling", leaving students less frustrated and more motivated, while still attaining a high level of achievement.


The understanding of generation and collapse of acoustic cavitation bubbles are prerequisites for application of cavitation erosion. Microbubbles generated due to rapid fluctuation of pressure induced by propagation of ultrasonic wave lead to formation of high velocity microjets and or shock waves upon collapse. Due to vast application of ultrasonic, it is important to characterize and understand cavitation collapse pressure under the radiating surface at different conditions. A comparative investigation is carried out to determine impact load and dynamic pressure distribution exerted upon bubble collapse using thin film pressure sensors. Measurements were recorded at different input conditions such as amplitude, stand-off distance, insertion depth of the horn inside the liquid and pulse on-off time of acoustic vibrations. Impact force of 2.97 N is recorded at amplitude of 108 μm and stand-off distance of 1 mm from the sensor film, whereas impulsive force as low as 0.4 N is recorded at amplitude of 12 μm and stand-off distance of 5 mm from the sensor film. The results drawn from the investigation indicated that variety of impact loads can be achieved by controlling generation and collapse of bubbles, making it suitable to use for numerous application. Keywords—Ultrasonic cavitation, bubble collapse, pressure mapping sensor, impact load.


Abstract Networked, transnational forms of violence pose a significant threat to peace and security in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. In recent years, Kenya has witnessed an expanding number of attacks involving Al-Shabaab – the Somali-based militant organisation. Kenya's state responses to these attacks derive from a social construction of Somalis as a threatening presence, justifying a raft of hard security measures. However, this targeting has been counter-productive by driving a deeper wedge between Somalis, other Muslims and the state, and levels of Al-Shabaab violence have remained high. Seen from the social and political margins that Kenya's Somali and Muslim populations occupy, recent violence continues a long-standing dynamic of insecurity in which the state itself is a central actor. Internal stress relating to state-led planning of social order built on unequal citizenships and the use of violence, enmesh with the external threat of Al-Shabaab, producing the conditions for insurgency and violence to spread. Reducing violence and building peace require greater understanding of how violence and security are seen and experienced at the margins.


Many students in the engineering disciplines do not complete their higher education degree and drop out. This problem is serious, especially for firstyear university students. In this paper, we analyse how students earn the credits required for their successful completion of the first study year. Using the example of a European technical university with traditional classroombased education, we identify three groups of students: those who pass, those who earn only enough credits for staying in the program, and those who fail. Important patterns can be found at the end of the first semester. We present a simple algorithm that identifies students who may benefit from early additional support, which would increase their chances of progression to the second year and improve the retention improvement for the university. The results are evaluated in four consecutive academic years. The data from years 2013/14 and 2014/15 have been used to develop and verify the prediction model. In study years 2015/16 and 2016/17 the model has been applied to predict at-risk students, where the university tutors intervened and provided additional support and a significant improvement was achieved.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound-guided, temporary, percutaneous T-fastener gastropexy (TG) and gastrostomy catheter (GC) placement for providing sustained gastric decompression in dogs with acute gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) and to compare findings with those of trocarization.

ANIMALS
16 dogs with GDV.

PROCEDURES
Dogs were randomly assigned to undergo gastric decompression by means of percutaneous trocarization (trocar group; n = 8) or temporary TG and GC placement (TTG+GC group; 8) with ultrasound guidance. The gastric volvulus was then surgically corrected, and the decompression sites were examined. Outcomes were compared between groups.

RESULTS
The proportion of dogs with successful decompression did not differ significantly between the TTG+GC (6/8) and trocar (7/8) groups; median procedure duration was 3.3 and 3.7 minutes, respectively. After the failed attempts in the TTG+GC group, the procedure was modified to include ultrasound guidance during T-fastener placement. The decrease in intragastric pressure by 5 minutes after trocar or GC insertion was similar between groups. For dogs in the TTG+GC group, no significant difference in intragastric pressure was identified between 5 and 60 minutes after GC insertion. Complications included inadvertent splenic or jejunal placement in 2 dogs (TTG+GC group) and malpositioned and ineffective trocar placement in 1 dog (trocar group). All dogs survived for at least 2 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Ultrasound-guided, temporary, percutaneous TG and GC placement was safe and effective at providing sustained gastric decompression in dogs with GDV, suggesting that this technique would be ideal for dogs in which surgical delays are anticipated or unavoidable.


Independence is the building methodology in achieving dreams, goals and objectives in life. Visually impaired persons find themselves challenging to go out independently. There are millions of visually impaired or blind people in this world who are always in need of helping hands. For many years the white cane became a well-known attribute to blind person's navigation and later efforts have been made to improve the cane by adding remote sensor. Blind people have big problem when they walk on the street or stairs using white cane, but they have sharp haptic sensitivity. The electronic walking stick will help the blind person by providing more convenient means of life. The main aim of this paper is to contribute our knowledge and services to the people of blind and disable society.


Nation-based histories cannot do justice to the rowdy, radical interchange of ideas around the Atlantic world during the tumultuous years from 1776 to 1804. National borders were powerless to restrict the flow of enticing new visions of human rights and universal freedom. This expansive history explores how the revolutionary ideas that spurred the American and French revolutions reverberated far and wide, connecting European, North American, African, and Caribbean peoples more closely than ever before. Historian Janet Polasky focuses on the eighteenth-century travelers who spread new notions of liberty and equality. It was an age of itinerant revolutionaries, she shows, who ignored borders and found allies with whom to imagine a borderless world. As paths crossed, ideas entangled. The author investigates these ideas and how they were disseminated long before the days of instant communications and social media or even an international postal system. Polasky analyzes the paper records-books, broadsides, journals, newspapers, novels, letters, and more-to follow the far-reaching trails of revolutionary zeal. What emerges clearly from rich historic records is that the dream of liberty among America's founders was part of a much larger picture. It was a dream embraced throughout the far-flung regions of the Atlantic world.


This dissertation is about how Monte Carlo simulation can be used to analyse electricity markets. There are a wide range of applications for simulation; for example, players in the electricity market can use simulation to decide whether or not an investment can be expected to be profitable, and authorities can by means of simulation find out which consequences a certain market design can be expected to have on electricity prices, environmental impact, etc. In the first part of the dissertation, the focus is which electricity market models are suitable for Monte Carlo simulation. The starting point is a definition of an ideal electricity market. Such an electricity market is partly practical from a mathematical point of view (it is simple to formulate and does not require too complex calculations) and partly it is a representation of the best possible resource utilisation. The definition of the ideal electricity market is followed by analysis how the reality differs from the ideal model, what consequences the differences have on the rules of the electricity market and the strategies of the players, as well as how non-ideal properties can be included in a mathematical model. Particularly, questions about environmental impact, forecast uncertainty and grid costs are studied. The second part of the dissertation treats the Monte Carlo technique itself. To reduce the number of samples necessary to obtain accurate results, variance reduction techniques can be used. Here, six different variance reduction techniques are studied and possible applications are pointed out. The conclusions of these studies are turned into a method for efficient simulation of basic electricity markets. The method is applied to some test systems and the results show that the chosen variance reduction techniques can produce equal or better results using 99% fewer samples compared to when the same system is simulated without any variance reduction technique. More complex electricity market models cannot directly be simulated using the same method. However, in the dissertation it is shown that there are parallels and that the results from simulation of basic electricity markets can form a foundation for future simulation methods. Keywords: Electricity market, Monte Carlo simulation, variance reduction techniques, operation cost, reliability.


Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is the second most important species of Millet belonging to family Poaceae. It is a cereal crop mainly planted in poor sites of East Asia. In the present study the impact of different concentrations (100 mM, 150 mM, 200 mM, and 250 mM) of NaCl, KCl separate and in combination of both these salts in equal amounts was studied on germination rate and some growth parameters of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) using filter paper bioassay and pot experiment. Results showed that 100 mM of NaCl and KCl had the least effect on germination and growth of foxtail millet. However, under all the higher concentrations (150, 200, and 250 mM) of NaCl, KCl marked decrease in radicle length, plumule length, germination rate, stem length, stem thickness, leaves length, leaves number, number of tillers, whole plant weight, spike length, number of grains per spike and weight of 50 grains was recorded as compared to control plants. In combined salts stress, a marked reduction in all growth parameters of the test plant in all salt levels was recorded. It is concluded that with an increase in salt concentration, the effects of salt stress became more pronounced in all salt treatments. The results revealed that the effects of combined salts on the test plants were more pronounced as compared to the effects when the plants were treated with NaCl and KCl salts alone.


Background: There have been no previous population-based studies of adult neuromuscular disease (NMD) in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). This article describes methods and case-ascertainment strategies used to identify patients with inherited and acquired NMD for the purpose of obtaining the prevalence of these disorders in the RoI. Methods: This epidemiological study was conducted between January 2012 and January 2014. Prospective and retrospective (until 1990) case identification of adults with inherited and acquired NMD have been carried out. Multiple countrywide patient identification sources including neuromuscular clinics, hospital neurology databases, the hospital in-patient enquiry (HIPE) system of each hospital and the records of Muscular Dystrophy Ireland, a nonprofit organisation, were used. Results: In total, 3,724 potential cases were identified. Of these, 1,083 were excluded because 869 cases represented duplicates or triplicates, 133 were coded incorrectly in HIPE, 74 patients were deceased and 7 patients had moved out of the country. The highest number of cases was identified in neurology databases and HIPE (1,724 and 884, respectively). A total of 2,641 individuals fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Conclusion: Detailed epidemiological data of this nature is difficult to acquire in the current structure of the Irish health service, requiring multiple sources including input from voluntary patient organisations. The development of a national patient registry for some or all of these conditions would greatly facilitate standardised data recording, giving a true picture of the burden of neuromuscular diseases in a population.


Authentic Leadership is a form of leadership derived from the post heroic leadership literature and is aimed at enhancing positive leadership in business via the enhancement of its root construct 'authenticity' or 'being true to oneself' . The call for authentic leadership development courses has experienced phenomenal growth in spite claims that authenticity cannot be taught. However, one approach to 'teaching' experiential based leadership incorporates and emphasizes the learning (cf teaching) development of leadership with emphasis on reflection and learning of leadership from experiences outside of the class room. The current sample of students use the above frame work, and also incorporate into their reflection and experiences times when they believe they acted with authenticity and also when they view their authenticity may have been challenged. At the conclusion of the course students are invited to reflect on their journal entries and write a short narrative about their 'best authentic self'. They describe their experience of authenticity as well as the impact of their leadership authenticity on their own wellbeing. Finally students discuss the role of authenticity and wellbeing in their future leadership development. Examples of student work is presented as support of authentic self in leadership, the development of positive leadership from a learning perspective, and implications for developing the individual leaders wellbeing.


BBL ™ CHROMagar ™ Salmonella was evaluated by an external food testing laboratory for the recovery of Salmonella in peanut butter using the U. S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (FDA-BAM) procedure. The peanut butter was found to be negative for the presence of Salmonella and, therefore, was seeded with heat-stressed Salmonella at target concentrations of 0.2 and 2 CFU/25 g. The Salmonella-seeded samples remained at room temperature for 14 days before analysis to stabilize the Salmonella in the food environment. Twenty 25 g test portions from each seeded level and five 25 g samples of uninoculated control samples were processed using enrichment broths as outlined in the FDA-BAM procedure. BBL CHROMagar Salmonella-prepared plates were evaluated with the FDA reference method media (bismuth sulfite, xylose lysine desoxycholate, and Hektoen enteric agars). Fractionally positive results were obtained from the lower inoculum level of peanut butter samples. Five positive cultures were recovered from both the BBL CHROMagar Salmonella and reference methods. The two methods gave identical results for all cultures resulting in a method agreement of 100%. McNemar's χ 2 test, which assesses the evidence for difference in marginal proportions between two methods, could not be evaluated because it requires one or more discrepant cultures. However, because there were no discrepant cultures, the marginal proportions for the two methods were identical; therefore, there is no evidence of a difference between the methods. This study demonstrates that the results from BBL CHROMagar Salmonella are comparable to the three reference method media for the detection of Salmonella in peanut butter using the FDA-BAM procedures.