The work is dedicated to the study of the influence of separate rhythmogenic areas on spontaneous activity of the remained areas in the non-pregnant rat myometrium. The main characteristics of pacemaker activity (spike frequency, spike amplitude, duration of burst discharges, summarized period of the active state) of each active region were analyzed under the conditions blocking the influence of others. Parameters of the ovarian horn area did not undergo significant changes unlike the cervical horn area and uterine corpus. The greatest suppression of spike activity parameters was shown in the uterine corpus. It was also revealed that certain activity characteristics (the amplitude of the spikes, duration of burst discharges, summarized period of the active state) are more subjected to change than other parameters. It is concluded that the ovarian horn area may have a controlling role in the interaction of asynchronous pacemaker activities of the rhythmogenic areas in the uterus.


Although several reports suggest a potentially deleterious role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) pathology, it is still unclear how this pro-inflammatory cytokine acts on pancreatic beta cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate MIF effects on murine beta cells in the in vitro settings mimicking T2D-associated conditions. Results indicate that recombinant MIF further increased apoptosis of pancreatic islets or MIN6 cells upon exposure to palmitic acid or glucose. This was accompanied by upregulation of several pro-apoptotic molecules. Furthermore, MIF potentiated nutrient-induced islet cell dysfunction, as revealed by lower glucose oxidation rate, ATP content, and depolarized mitochondrial membrane. The final outcome was potentiation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. The observed upregulation of nutrient-induced islet cell dysfunction and apoptosis by MIF implicates that silencing MIF may be beneficial for maintaining integrity of endocrine pancreas in obesity-associated T2D.


Accidental swallowing and aspiration of dental prostheses is not uncommon and has been reported frequently in the literature. The location of a swallowed or aspirated dental prosthesis often is accomplished radiographically but this is difficult with prostheses constructed entirely of acrylic resins. A case report of an elderly patient who swallowed a removable partial denture is reviewed.


In this thesis we focussed on the characterization of the reaction center (RC) protein purified
from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. In particular, we discussed the effects
of native and artificial environment on the light-induced electron transfer processes. The native
environment consist of the inner antenna LH1 complex that copurifies with the RC forming the so
called core complex, and the lipid phase tightly associated with it. In parallel, we analyzed the role
of saccharidic glassy matrices on the interplay between electron transfer processes and internal
protein dynamics. As a different artificial matrix, we incorporated the RC protein in a layer-by-layer
structure with a twofold aim: to check the behaviour of the protein in such an unusual environment
and to test the response of the system to herbicides.
By examining the RC in its native environment, we found that the light-induced charge
separated state P+QB
- is markedly stabilized (by about 40 meV) in the core complex as compared to
the RC-only system over a physiological pH range. We also verified that, as compared to the
average composition of the membrane, the core complex copurifies with a tightly bound lipid
complement of about 90 phospholipid molecules per RC, which is strongly enriched in cardiolipin.
In parallel, a large ubiquinone pool was found in association with the core complex, giving rise to a
quinone concentration about ten times larger than the average one in the membrane. Moreover, this
quinone pool is fully functional, i.e. it is promptly available at the QB site during multiple turnover
excitation of the RC. The latter two observations suggest important heterogeneities and anisotropies
in the native membranes which can in principle account for the stabilization of the charge separated
state in the core complex. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters obtained in the RC-LH1
complex are very close to those measured in intact membranes, indicating that the electron transfer
properties of the RC in vivo are essentially determined by its local environment.
The studies performed by incorporating the RC into saccharidic matrices evidenced the
relevance of solvent-protein interactions and dynamical coupling in determining the kinetics of
electron transfer processes. The usual approach when studying the interplay between internal
motions and protein function consists in freezing the degrees of freedom of the protein at cryogenic
temperature. We proved that the "trehalose approach" offers distinct advantages with respect to this
traditional methodology. We showed, in fact, that the RC conformational dynamics, coupled to
specific electron transfer processes, can be modulated by varying the hydration level of the
trehalose matrix at room temperature, thus allowing to disentangle solvent from temperature
effects. The comparison between different saccharidic matrices has revealed that the structural and
dynamical protein-matrix coupling depends strongly upon the sugar.
The analyses performed in RCs embedded in polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) structures have
shown that the electron transfer from QA
- to QB, a conformationally gated process extremely
sensitive to the RC environment, can be strongly modulated by the hydration level of the matrix,
confirming analogous results obtained for this electron transfer reaction in sugar matrices. We
found that PEM-RCs are a very stable system, particularly suitable to study the thermodynamics
and kinetics of herbicide binding to the QB site. These features make PEM-RC structures quite
promising in the development of herbicide biosensors.
The studies discussed in the present thesis have shown that, although the effects on electron
transfer induced by the native and artificial environments tested are markedly different, they can be
described on the basis of a common kinetic model which takes into account the static
conformational heterogeneity of the RC and the interconversion between conformational substates.
Interestingly, the same distribution of rate constants (i.e. a Gamma distribution function) can
describe charge recombination processes in solutions of purified RC, in RC-LH1 complexes, in wet
and dry RC-PEM structures and in glassy saccharidic matrices over a wide range of hydration
levels. In conclusion, the results obtained for RCs in different physico-chemical environments
emphasize the relevance of the structure/dynamics solvent/protein coupling in determining the
energetics and the kinetics of electron transfer processes in a membrane protein complex.


Jeffrey Sachs is a man with many faces. A celebrated economist and special advisor to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he is also no stranger to the world of celebrity, accompanying Bono, Madonna and Angelina Jolie on high-profile trips to Africa. Once notorious as the progenitor of a brutal form of free market engineering called 'shock therapy', Sachs now positions himself as a voice of progressivism, condemning the '1 per cent' and promoting his solution to extreme poverty through the Millennium Villages Project. Appearances can be deceiving. Jeffrey Sachs: The Strange Case of Dr Shock and Mr Aid is the story of an evangelical development expert who poses as saviour of the Third World while opening vulnerable nations to economic exploitation. Based on documentary research and on-the-ground investigation, Jeffrey Sachs exposes Mr Aid as no more than a new, more human face of Dr Shock.


This work explores the design of a central collaborative driving strategy between connected cars with the objective of improving road safety in case of highway on-ramp merging scenario. Based on a suitable method for predicting vehicle motion and behavior for a central collaborative strategy, a dynamic Bayesian network method that predicts the intention of drivers in highway on-ramp is proposed. The method was validated using real data of detailed vehicle trajectories on a segment of interstate 80 in Emeryville, California.


Negative information about companies can have a harmful effect on consumer perceptions. However, few studies investigate how consumers process negative publicity and how companies should react to it. In order to examine this question, two experiments were carried out: first, a laboratory experiment which tests how consumers process two different types of negative publicity (product attributes or company values); second, a field experiment comparing three different responses (no answer, denial/reduction of offensiveness and corrective action) given by the company affected by the negative publicity. Results from the first study confirm the detrimental effect of negative publicity on consumer attitudes, indicate that consumers have a higher level of involvement with the message when it is concerned with the company's values and suggest a moderating role of the product involvement on the influence of negative information on corporate image. The second study extends these findings by identifying different options for company reactions from literature and testing them empirically. Results suggest again the involvement variable as a moderator, now on the influence of company reaction on product image


Modern mirror optics often consists of a limited number of elements, in which many aberrations may be attacked by adjusting only one element in five degrees of freedom, i.e. all degrees of freedom except the rotation around the optical axis. When the adjustment has to be reusable and mass and stiffness are of importance, a hexapod mechanism is 'the mechanism of choice' for this function. This choice holds even though the hexapod controls six degrees of freedom, while control of only five degrees of freedom is required, simply because there was no known configuration that does only control the required five degrees of freedom while maintaining the superior mass and stiffness properties of the hexapod. In this paper a mechanical configuration is presented that offers a worthwhile alternative for the simultaneous adjustment of five degrees of freedom (one rotation constrained), in the sense that: 1. The rotation around one axis is constrained by the mechanical configuration, meaning that only the required five degrees of freedom have to be controlled. This means only five instead of six actuators are needed, which results in an increase in reliability. 2. The mass and stiffness of the mechanism are comparable with the hexapod. 3. From a mechanical and control point of view the configuration is less complex than the hexapod.


The paper looks at the experience of advanced economies in dealing with employment volatility. It examines in detail the impact of labour market institutions on equilibrium unemployment and the possible lessons for emerging market economies trying to design policy for dealing with unemployment and a wider, growing demand for social protection from their citizens. Part of the paper concentrates on the transition economies whose institutional context may be relevant to other emerging markets. Some leading principles in policy design are elaborated that take into account some of the common features of emerging markets, notably a protected public sector, large informal sectors and weak institutions .


ABSTRACT
 Filter strips are strips of herbaceous vegetation planted along agricultural field margins adjacent to streams or wetlands and are designed to intercept sediment, nutrients, and agrichemicals. Roughly 16,000 ha of filter strips have been established in Maryland through the United States Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Filter strips often represent the only uncultivated herbaceous areas on farmland in Maryland and therefore may be important habitat for early-successional bird species. Most filter strips in Maryland are planted to either native warm-season grasses or cool-season grasses and range in width from 10.7 m to 91.4 m. From 2004 to 2007 we studied the breeding and wintering bird communities in filter strips adjacent to wooded edges and non-buffered field edges and the effect that grass type and width of filter strips had on bird community composition. We used 5 bird community metrics (total bird density, species richness, scrub-shrub bird density, grassland bird density, and total avian conservation value), species-specific densities, nest densities, and nest survival estimates to assess the habitat value of filter strips for birds. Breeding and wintering bird community metrics were greater in filter strips than in non-buffered field edges but did not differ between cool-season and warm-season grass filter strips. Most breeding bird community metrics were negatively related to the percent cover of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) in ≥1 yr. Breeding bird density was greater in narrow (<30m) compared to wide (>60 m) filter strips. Our results suggest that narrow filter strips adjacent to wooded edges can provide habitat for many bird species but that wide filter strips provide better habitat for grassland birds, particularly obligate grassland species. If bird conservation is an objective, avoid planting orchardgrass in filter strips and reduce or eliminate orchardgrass from filter strips through management practices.


Assembling the complexities and problems associated with public order and security in fin-desiècle Istanbul, Ileri's article presents a brief institutional history of the modern police forces and provides a vivid picture of the everyday lives of police officers through interrogation reports. It engages with a series of regulations on policing not only as a site of modern state formation policies centered on the aims of development, progress, and surveillance, but also as a multifunctional space of conflicting and fragmented experiences articulated through misconduct and dysfunction of the police force between 1879 and 1908.


Purpose: The whole calendar year 2020, as well as early indications, suggest, the year 2021, would be challenging for the global community. The COVID-19 pandemics spread through the world, affecting all facets of human endeavor, from industrial development to academic calendar re-adjustments at all educational institutions around the world. Stakeholders and administrators of academic institutions have no choice but to use internet technology, and therefore online learning, to continue academic activities in all institutions around the world. This paper aims to determine if students in higher educational institutions are happy with technology-assisted Online Education during COVID-19 Pandemic. The study used an online survey to find out how students are coping with online education, which has been around for years but is still not widely used, and how happy they are with it.
Methodology: Convenience sampling was employed to collect data for the analysis because it is a non-probability sampling methodology. The aim of using this method is to come up with hypotheses and conduct exploratory research on the topic. It also addresses budget and time constraints. As participants in this research, students from higher education institutions responded to the survey. Higher education students are preferred because they have already been exposed to technology, online platforms, and the ability to adapt, which is the essence of remote learning.
Findings/Result: The study's findings show that adding online education was a good decision since the majority of students surveyed supported it in this epidemic since it allowed them to complete their studies. In terms of satisfaction with online education, the study discovered that there is a gender divide. Students are self-sufficient in terms of the devices they use to take online classes, with a large percentage of students attending online classes using their smartphones. Synchronous delivery options, such as live classes, are not preferred by online educators. Female students spend more time on online education activities than male students. Finally, the study discovered that the most significant barrier to students participating in online education is a lack of internet connectivity in both rural and suburban settings.
Originality: This study examines how satisfied students are with technology-assisted online education at higher education institutions. The results of this study would be very useful to the administrators of higher education institutions in making potential emergency decisions about the planning of online learning services for students from various backgrounds.
Paper Type: Exploratory data analysis (EDA). This type is used to comprehend and summarize the contents of a dataset, usually to answer a particular query or to prepare for more sophisticated statistical modeling in subsequent stages of data analysis.


Historical masonry buildings located in the Southern Italy are usually built with irregular stones joined with mortar with poor mechanical properties. Therefore, piers and spandrels ultimate resistance is not always well predicted by simplified formulas suggested by codes of practice, which typically are tailored to regular patterns. In this framework, we present a two-step numerical model –within the equivalent frame approach assumption– for the pushover analysis of in-plane loaded historical masonry walls constituted by an irregular assemblage of stones. In Step I, ultimate bending moment-shear force strength domains of piers and spandrels are derived by means of a heterogeneous upper bound FE limit analysis and the results are stored in a database. Assessing the capacity of both piers and spandrels is crucial for correctly predicting the ultimate resistance of masonry walls acted upon by in-plane loads. Heterogeneous limit analysis is particularly suitable for computing failure loads, since it permits a distinct modeling of stones and mortar joints. Appropriate static and kinematic boundary conditions are set to account for the complex interaction of internal forces and deformed shapes of single elements. At Step II, a frame model of the masonry wall is assembled, where piers and spandrels are modeled as elastic Timoshenko beams. At each analysis step it is checked that the internal forces in each structural element are smaller than the failure loads stored in the database created at Step I. If the capacity is exceeded, suitable flexural hinges are introduced at the end of the structural elements. The resistance of the element is then set to zero when a limit chord rotation is exceeded. With the numerical tool developed, a real scale old masonry oil-mill located in the Southern Italy is analyzed in the inelastic range under increasing static loads.


This study reports generation of large-scale genomic resources for pigeonpea, a so-called 'orphan crop species' of the semi-arid tropic regions. FLX/454 sequencing carried out on a normalized cDNA pool prepared from 31 tissues produced 494 353 short transcript reads (STRs). Cluster analysis of these STRs, together with 10 817 Sanger ESTs, resulted in a pigeonpea trancriptome assembly (CcTA) comprising of 127 754 tentative unique sequences (TUSs). Functional analysis of these TUSs highlights several active pathways and processes in the sampled tissues. Comparison of the CcTA with the soybean genome showed similarity to 10 857 and 16 367 soybean gene models (depending on alignment methods). Additionally, Illumina 1G sequencing was performed on Fusarium wilt (FW)- and sterility mosaic disease (SMD)-challenged root tissues of 10 resistant and susceptible genotypes. More than 160 million sequence tags were used to identify FW- and SMD-responsive genes. Sequence analysis of CcTA and the Illumina tags identified a large new set of markers for use in genetics and breeding, including 8137 simple sequence repeats, 12 141 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and 5845 intron-spanning regions. Genomic resources developed in this study should be useful for basic and applied research, not only for pigeonpea improvement but also for other related, agronomically important legumes.


Autonomous sensor platforms such as unmanned airborne vehicles (UAVs) are becoming an established technology in many fields of monitoring and their use is steadily increasing, including in the field of cultural heritage. This paper presents the output achievable by a micro‐UAV for the rapid generation of aerial imagery, digital terrain models (DTM) and broadband vegetation indices for archaeological prospection from a single platform. Combined, these datasets can be used in the rapid survey of areas of interest that would not normally be considered practical due to time and cost implications and to identify archaeological features that are not readily visible in aerial imagery alone. The adoption of a single platform with a dual camera set up was used to generate a suite of datasets covering and area of 10km2 in seven flights. This study provides a work‐flow protocol for the deployment of a micro‐UAV in terms of data acquisition and processing that can be used for site prospection and site investigation. Real‐time processing of the aerial imagery and generation of well established broadband indices (e.g. normalized vegetation index (NDVI), false colour composites, NDVI colour composites) enabled in‐field decision making and planning to maximise the best use of researchers in the field. The time spent post‐processing data was significantly reduced as all data was sourced from one platform. The single platform also enabled a high resolution of output (~5cm and 10cm DTM) and aided in the identification of features, such as palaeochannels, pits, remains of buildings and other structures, and relict field layouts and boundaries. The datasets generated provided new insights into the wider context of known sites and highlighted additional areas of (human) disturbance for field reconnaissance. This research has made the Mirkovo Basin one of the best‐mapped upland basins in the Balkans. The results have made significant improvements to the Heritage Mapping aims of the District Council.


Current requirements of the EU in-vitro diagnostic directive (IVDD) has established the
requirement for routine devices to provide results that are traceable to higher order
reference standards, where available. Routine blood tests are an essential component of
prognostic and diagnostic medicine; however, these often use arbitrary international
units (IU) to facilitate comparability, which lack metrological traceability. Whilst a number
of certified reference materials (CRMs) are available for small molecules, little has been
done in developing SI-traceable biological reference materials. In this thesis, the first task
is to develop an SI-traceable quantified B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) standard by
adapting the current isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) methods. The standard is
used to develop a reference method for the SI-traceable quantification of BNP in plasma.
The difficulties associated with the purity assessment of synthetic peptides, stabilisation
of BNP in plasma, measurement of large intact peptides by mass spectrometry (MS) and
multiplexing the method for monitoring for the presence of degradation products are
addressed.
Many circulating peptides such as BNP, are routinely measured and External Quality
Assessment Schemes (EQAS) are already established. BNP is an essential biomarker for
heart failure. The reference method was used to participate in EQAS to assess the
capability of the method to supply reference values to EQAS samples. The ultimate goal of
the reference method to develop a commutable certified reference material (CRM) to
assist the standardization of BNP measurements and to ascertain the direct benefits of
metrological traceability in clinical diagnostics and evidence based medicine.This project also aims to include the higher order reference method in the Joint
Committee for Traceability in Laboratory medicine (JCTLM) database.


The Compton camera, a method of electronic collimation, introduces angular resolution into a gamma-ray imaging system without the need of a collimating device. Compton kinematics are used to deduce the incident trajectory of the photon, resulting in a cone-surface of possible source locations. So far this type of system has been successfully employed only as a single photon detection device. However, it has been proposed that positron emission tomography may also be enhanced by implementing the Compton camera. Cone-surfaces acquired from the collinear gamma rays produced in positron annihilation may be used to validate the resulting line of response. Moreover, single sided detections need no longer be redundant in image reconstruction due to the ability to perform cone-surface reconstruction in tandem with reconstruction from LoRs


In the presence of coronary artery disease, global left ventricular (LV) systolic function is a critical prognostic indicator. Because of enhanced therapy for myocardial infarction, more patients survive but are left with residual myocardial damage that predisposes them to developing CHF in the future. Although treatments for CHF are evolving, preventing and minimizing further deteriorations in LV function are paramount in this population. Distinguishing severe LV dysfunction caused by thinned, infarcted myocardium with fibrosis and scarring from that due to viable but dysfunctional myocardium from chronic hypoperfusion has significant implications for clinical management. In patients in whom noninvasive testing identifies viability, undergoing revascularization improves outcomes. Noninvasive imaging techniques used to assess viable myocardium are based on demonstrating the presence of one or more of the following features: (1) contractile reserve; (2) sufficient perfusion for the delivery of substrates and removal of metabolic byproducts; (3) intact myocyte membranes to maintain ionic/electrochemical gradients; and (4) preserved metabolism with generation of high-energy phosphates. While nuclear and dobutamine echocardiography have been widely used for viability assessment, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is increasingly becoming an accepted clinical tool, particularly in light of its high spatial resolution, intrinsic ability to image 3-dimensionally, and greater soft tissue differentiation. Moreover, the versatility of the technique potentially allows for the simultaneous assessment of regional wall motion, perfusion, and metabolism. An overview of the CMR techniques is presented.


Teaching the Arts: Early Childhood and Primary Education offers a comprehensive and exciting introduction to Arts education in Australia and New Zealand. In this second edition, each chapter encourages readers to engage with the Arts and provides students with opportunities to develop their understanding and practical skills through reflective questions, examples and activities. Updated content includes: • significant extensions to each chapter, reflecting the five art forms of dance, drama, media, music and visual art • additional practical activities • alignment with current research and theory • extended online resources, including PowerPoint slides for lecturers. Teaching the Arts, Second Edition draws important links to the finalised Australian Curriculum: The Arts, the New Zealand Curriculum, the Early Years Learning Framework and TeWhariki, and includes substantial references to Indigenous histories and cultures, relationships with Asia and sustainability. Generously illustrated and supported by excellent online resources, Teaching the Arts, Second Edition is an indispensable resource for pre-service teachers


This study aims to know influence the mediation of organization learning on strategic change, knowledge management and transformational leadership and performance of Indonesian Islamic Banks. Design / methodology / approach This study uses quantitative research with a purposive sampling technique with a population of 14 Indonesian islamic banks. The targeted unit of analysis is the Islamic banks manager. There were 239 questionnaires returned and 11 of them did not meet the requirements, so only 228 were used in this study. This study uses SmartPLS 3 to test the hypothesis. This research shows that strategic change, knowledge management and transformational leadership affect organization learning. This study also shows that strategic change, transformational leadership knowledge management and organization learning have an effect on firm performance. Apart from that, the mediating role of the learning organizations also provides consistent results. Research limitation / implications Islamic banks managers must be able to identify the importance of change for the company, because of the big risks. Supporting knowledge and leadership skills in companies makes Islamic banking better competitive. These three variables become better if the company uses a learning organization because the company will change more quickly and achieve better performance with previous experience. Originality / value Similar research is usually carried out in manufacturing and service companies and is carried out in developed countries (Europe, America and Africa). The focus of this research is the development of strategic change supported by knowledge management and transformational leadership on performance mediated by learning organizations. This research was also conducted for the first time in Asia with the object of Islamic banks in Jakarta Indonesia.


Abstract. The leaf maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) is one of the crucial parameters in determining the photosynthetic capacity of plants. Providing accurate estimates of leaf Vcmax25 that cover large geographic areas and that incorporate plant seasonality is central to correctly predicting carbon fluxes within the terrestrial global carbon cycle. Chlorophyll, as the main photon-harvesting component in leaves, is closely linked to photosynthesis. However, how the nature of the relationship between the leaf maximum carboxylation rate scaled to 25 °C (Vcmax25) and leaf chlorophyll content varies according to plant type is uncertain. In this study, we investigate whether a universal and stable relationship exists between leaf Vcmax25 and leaf chlorophyll content across different C3 plant types from a plant physiological perspective and verify it using field experiments. Measurements of leaf chlorophyll content (Chl) and CO2 response curves were made on 283 crop, shrub, tree and vegetable leaves in China and the Borden Forest Research Station in southern Ontario, Canada. A strong relationship was found between the leaf Vcmax25 and chlorophyll content across different C3 plant types (R2 = 0.65, P


We employ recent data from 59 international emerging and mature stock markets to provide new evidence of a lunar cycle (full and new moon) effect on their stock market returns. Using a threshold generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (TGARCH) model, we further examine the linkages between efficient-market theory, calendar-related effects and investors' mood resulting from moon phases. The empirical results show significant full moon effects in six markets, and significant new moon effects in eight markets. In line with the theory, we report significant positive effect of new moon on stock market returns in five cases (UK, Switzerland, Bangladesh, Chile and Cyprus), while a negative effect of full moon is reported for the case of Jordan only. In addition, we find that lunar effects are strongly influenced by the calendar anomalies (Monday effect and January effect); several markets—mostly emerging markets—show evidence of full/new moon effects as well as Monday/January effects (Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Tunisia, Belgium, Cyprus). Further, we prove that the lunar phases are stronger outside America. These findings are recommended to investors, financial managers and analysts dealing with international stock indices. JEL Classification: G02, G14, G15


This thesis examines the impact of High Performance Works Systems (HPWS) on firm labour productivity and innovation. Considerable studies have proved that investment in HPWS is associated with superior organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; Authur, 1994; Delery and Doty, 1996; Guthrie, 2001). However, there is still no agreement on whether High Performance Work Systems are universally applicable or contingent on certain circumstances.
This thesis contributes to the universal versus contingency debate by testing the moderating effect of contextual factors on these relationships. Following a theoretical review of HPWS literature, a conceptual framework was developed which introduced moderator variables to explain the HPWS-performance link. This was guided by contingency theory and empirical work related to environmental fit (Burns & Stalker, 1994; Youndt et al., 1996). Industry growth and industry dynamism were chosen as industry level moderators while labour investment represents a firm level moderator. The data used in this study was collected from a national general manager and HR manager survey which was conducted in 2006. A sample of 132 matched responses from both GM and HR managers were used in the analysis. The results show that the implementation of HPWS is associated with an increase in both labour productivity and innovation.
Further analysis was conducted to test the moderating effect between HPWS and a number of contextual factors including industry characteristics and organisational characteristics on firms" labour productivity and innovation. Regression results show that industry level characteristics have a moderating effect on the HRM-performance link: industry growth moderates the relationship between HPWS and innovation but has no significant moderating effect on HPWS-labour productivity relationship. Industry dynamism was found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between HPWS and labour productivity but no significant interaction effect was found on innovation.
At the firm level, results show that firms" labour investment moderates the relationship between HPWS and labour productivity. Similarly an effect was found on the relationship between HPWS and workforce innovation. This study provides some indications for further research in the fields of HRM and contextual factors and their interaction effect on performance.


Over the years, the use of local varieties of cassava by farmers especially in the study area had not appreciably improved the livelihood status of the farmers. This study, therefore, examined the effects of adoption of improved cassava varieties on the livelihoods of the rural farmers in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State in Nigeria. Data for the study were collected from 110 respondents with the aid of structured questionnaire, using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data for the study were analyzed with descriptive stat collected were subsequently analyzed with the use of simple descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The result showed that 65% of farmers were between age ranges of 26 - 55 years. The results further revealed that 91.8% of the farmers had farming experience of between 6 and 26 years and 90% aware of the improved varieties. The correlation analysis revealed that there were strong positive correlations between adoption of improved cassava varieties and increased productivity of farmers, enhanced farm income, household hunger reduction and improved nutrition. The farmers identified lack of farm inputs, inadequate funds and high cost of labour as major problems of cassava production. Policies aimed at encouraging farmers to form cooperatives, access to credit and subsidy on farm inputs were advocated for increased adoption of cassava varieties. Keywords: Adoption, Livelihoods and Rural Farmers.


For a graph $G$ and a set $\mathcal{F}$ of connected graphs, $G$ is said be $\mathcal{F}$-free if $G$ does not contain any member of $\mathcal{F}$ as an induced subgraph. We let $\mathcal{G} _{3}(\mathcal{F})$ denote the set of all $3$-connected $\mathcal{F}$-free graphs. This paper is concerned with sets $\mathcal{F}$ of connected graphs such that $|\mathcal{F}|=3$ and $\mathcal{G} _{3}(\mathcal{F})$ is finite. Among other results, we show that for an integer $m\geq 3$ and a connected graph $T$ of order greater than or equal to $4$, $\mathcal{G} _{3}(\{K_{4},K_{2,m},T\})$ is finite if and only if $T$ is a path of order $4$ or $5$.


In their daily routine, enterprise decision makers use to analyze huge amounts of information in order to sustain their decisions and, consequently, ensuring success of enterprises business activities. Through time, on-line analytical processing systems have contributed decisively to the decision making process improvement, not only by granting extremely flexible data manipulation mechanisms, but also allowing the materialization of the analysis indexes required. However, that analytical "power" uses to exhaust the computational resources, especially disk space and processing time, especially materializing specialized views. Besides, as time goes by, multidimensional databases become very large, being its management very difficult. Aiming to optimize maintenance and operationality of such databases, we design a system that is able to restructure them in useful time and reduce multidimensional query processing time, according to the exploitation trends of knowledge workers. In this paper, we present the system's structure, its correspondent cost model, query and maintenance algorithms, restructuring strategies, and, finally, its distribution through several processing OLAP nodes.


A senior-level, elective course in mechanical vibrations has recently been developed for the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The course has many similarities to traditional vibrations courses offered in Mechanical Engineering programs across the country but it also has some distinct differences. The course is similar in that there is a progressive development of vibration theory from the natural response of singledegree-of-freedom systems without damping to the forced response of multiple-degree-offreedom systems with damping. The course is different in that there is a lab component and that there are course objectives on vibration measurement, practical vibration suppression techniques, and computer simulation. These similarities and differences exist to support the role of the engineering technologist working in the field of vibrations or simply encountering vibration problems in general mechanical design and analysis. This paper will discuss further the similarities and differences to traditional vibrations courses, course goals and their relation to Mechanical Engineering Technology program outcomes, student evaluation of the course value and effectiveness, and plans for continuous improvement. It will also discuss current laboratory activities, the selection of textbook and laboratory manual materials, and vibration laboratory equipment needs.


This study considers the effect that horizontal arrangements (HA) have on the ability of small-scale farmers' to stay competitive by analyzing whether dairy farmers in Brazil who engage in horizontal alliances are potentially more competitive. Using a multidimensional approach and quantitative analysis, on-site surveys were conducted with 120 small-scale dairy farmers in Parana, Brazil. The method utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA), identifying four factors and corresponding drivers. A comparison was performed between two groups of farmers utilizing a Student's t-test. Results found significant differences between farmers engaged in horizontal arrangements from farmers who were not. We conclude that horizontal arrangements are important mechanisms for improving farmers' bargaining power, enhancing productivity and making technological advances—which may direct private and public efforts forward by encouraging more collective actions.


Virus infection is hypothesized to be an important environmental "trigger" of type 1 diabetes in humans. We used the BBDR rat model to investigate the relationship between viral infection and autoimmune diabetes. BBDR rats are diabetes-free in viral Ab-free housing, but the disease develops in ∼30% of BBDR rats infected with Kilham rat virus (KRV) through a process that does not involve infection of pancreatic β cells. Pretreatment with polyinosinic-polycytidylic (poly(I:C)), a ligand of TLR3, acts synergistically to induce diabetes in 100% of KRV-infected rats. The mechanisms by which KRV induces diabetes and TLR3 ligation facilitates this process are not clear. In this study, we demonstrate that activation of the innate immune system plays a crucial role in diabetes induction. We report that multiple TLR agonists synergize with KRV infection to induce diabetes in BBDR rats, as do heat-killed Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus (natural TLR agonists). KRV infection increases serum IL-12 p40 in a strain-specific manner, and increases IL-12 p40, IFN-γ-inducible protein-10, and IFN-γ mRNA transcript levels, particularly in the pancreatic lymph nodes of BBDR rats. Infection with vaccinia virus or H-1 parvovirus induced less stimulation of the innate immune system and failed to induce diabetes in BBDR rats. Our results suggest that the degree to which the innate immune system is activated by TLRs is important for expression of virus-induced diabetes in genetically susceptible hosts.


Prices received by Australian wheat farmers have increasingly depended on grain quality, especially protein concentration. This concentration depends on various agronomic and physical factors including weed competition. In this paper a model of weed management in the presence of grain quality premiums is presented. Two types of quality premium are examined: a continuout linear payment schedule and a discontinuous "stepped" schedule with substantial premiums for quality levels above a critical level. The model is applied to an analysis of the impact of protein premiums on optimal management strategies for a particular weed in Western Australia. It is found that the impact of protein premiums on optimal weed management is likely to be very small indeed, even if premiums were substantially increased above current levels.


Modelling of the processes that link the movements of offshore sandbanks to erosion and accretion of neighbouring beaches was undertaken to improve understanding of the links between sandbanks and beaches in order to inform coastal management. The effect of varying tidal stage on the wave climate inshore of a sandbank was examined using the TELEMAC suite of numerical models. Longshore sediment transport was calculated using the CERC formula to investigate changes to the magnitude and pattern of coastal erosion/accretion according to tidal stage using waves from two of the most frequent directions. Tidal stage has a significant impact on the inshore wave climate, varying wave heights by up to 0.5 m and increasing tenfold the magnitude of the longshore sediment transport. Tidal elevation appears to play a more important role than the tidal currents, with wave heights and longshore sediment transport maximum at high water. The pattern of alongshore erosion and accretion varies more strongly with wave direction than tidal stage.


Objective To investigate whether general group exercise (GGE) offers the same outcomes compared with a specific spinal group exercise (SSGE) for chronic low back pain (CLBP) in a military population. Design Retrospective service evaluation using routine service activity data. Setting A UK military rehabilitation centre. Participants A total of 106 patients with CLBP. Interventions Three-week intensive (5 days per week, 15-day intervention) rehabilitation course for patients with CLBP. Six SSGE groups (n=64); CLBP only. Six GGE groups (n=42); CLBP patients grouped with chronic lower limb (LL) injuries. Outcome measures Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Numerical Pain-Rating Scores and the Modified Multi-Stage Fitness Test (Mod-MSFT). Long-term effects were measured by Medical Employment Standard (MES) status and physiotherapy follow-up at 3 and 12 months. Results A between-group analysis showed no significant difference in GGE compared with SSGE. Mean changes (SD) in pain were −2.71±2.35 and −1.20±1.99 (p=0.018), ODI were −3.6±5.7 and −4±8.5 respectively (p=0.649) and Mod-MSFT 28.4±30.8 and 29.7±31.7 respectively (p=0.792). At 3 months, a greater proportion of the GGE were having ongoing physiotherapy; GGE=50%, SSGE=30.2%, (p=0.016) although some differences were evident across MES with 32.5 % of GGE compared with 20.6 % of SSGE being medically fit with no restrictions. At 12 months, groups were largely comparable for follow-up physiotherapy and MES; 22.5% of GGE and 20.6% of SSGE continued to have physiotherapy input; 47.5% of GGE and 50.8% of SSGE were medically fit with no restrictions. Conclusion Patients with CLBP who completed a 3-week rehabilitation programme had comparable outcomes when grouped with patients with LL, although only improvements in pain in the GGE group achieved a meaningful change. Further evaluation of potential costs and savings to service costs is now required.


Since 1987, international organizations have accorded greater attention to the problem of maternal mortality, particularly with the inclusion of its reduction in the Millennium Development Goals. This article examines maternal health policies in Mexico, focusing on interactions between the international, national, and local scales and considering the case of local projects in two states, Chiapas and Guerrero. Although the discourse of maternal health expressed at the international level has facilitated the creation of networks dedicated to maternal health, the restructuring of health services in Mexico and the rescaling of their provision have often conflicted with the realization of this goal. The impact of decentralizing health services has differed according to (a) the timing and nature of decentralization; (b) the number and expertise of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working on maternal health issues, and the connections between these NGOs and international networks; and (c) the responsiveness of the state governments to maternal health issues.


: Immunology in pregnancy is a meeting ground between basic research in biology and daily medical practice. For gynecologists and obstetricians, the authors have attempted to synthesize the acquired knowledge and the current hypotheses on this very complex topic. Three main chapters will be successively approached: a reminder of the normal immune system and its development in the fetus, immunity in pregnant women and the dysimmune pathology during pregnancy, the feto-maternal immune relationship and its possible complications.


The purpose of this work is to study the fluid flow regimes in a porous media with high enough velocities (in the range of laminar flow). In our study, the results obtained from expanding Darcy's equation to Forchheimer's equation with volume averaging method have been used for studdying the fluid flow behavior in 2D and 3D models. Results of numerical simulations show that in all cases, there are weak inertial regime, strong inertial regime and transition zone. In all the cases, the domain of weak inertial regime is relatively narrow, and this problem is intensified in the 3D numerical simulations. This could be the reason of missing the weak inertial regime in experimental studies on inertial fluid flow in porous media. The domain of strong inertial regime in 3D models is so wide that after Darcy's regime, the governed regime is the strong inertial regime. To obtain more accurate and analytical results, more studies should be done on the 2D and the 3D flow regimes.


This thesis presents a comparative study of gender differences in adult numeracy in 20 OECD countries. It explores the ways in which the widespread male advantage in adult numeracy is associated with gender relations. Gender relations are measured in terms of gender differences in power and status, the gender division of paid and unpaid labour, and gender culture. The thesis uses quantitative secondary analysis of data from the OECD's 2012 Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which provides direct measures of adults' numeracy skills. The analysis proceeds from an original theoretical framework which combines insights from life course research on the determinants of skills in adulthood, as well as integrating feminist theory of multidimensional gender relations. At the individual level, the results demonstrate that female advances in education do not necessarily equalise adult numeracy. Women's participation in the labour market is also not enough to guarantee equal levels of adult numeracy: women must also be able to access occupations that use numeracy skills. Cross-nationally, there is no obvious empirical relationship between gender inequality, conventionally conceived, and the gender difference in adult numeracy. Instead, paradoxically, gender differences in adult numeracy are larger in societies that combine egalitarianism with gender segregation in the labour market, and smaller in countries with relatively inequitable gender relations. Overall, there is little evidence that gender differences in adult numeracy are associated with conventional indicators of gender inequality in this sample of countries. The thesis thereby questions the findings of previous research and suggests that instead of being framed as an outcome of female disempowerment, gender differences in adult numeracy should be understood in relation to the multidimensionality of gender relations in post-industrial societies.


Objective—To assess the feasibility of reducing tobacco-caused disease by gradually removing nicotine from cigarettes until they would not be eVective causes of nicotine addiction. Data sources—Issues posed by such an approach, and potential solutions, were identified from analysis of literature published by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its 1996 Tobacco Rule, comments of the tobacco industry and other institutions and individuals on the rule, review of the reference lists of relevant journal articles, other government publications, and presentations made at scientific conferences. Data synthesis—The role of nicotine in causing and sustaining tobacco use was evaluated to project the impact of a nicotine reduction strategy on initiation and maintenance of, and relapse to, tobacco use. A range of potential concerns and barriers was addressed, including the technical feasibility of reducing cigarette nicotine content to non-addictive levels, the possibility that compensatory smoking would reduce potential health benefits, and whether such an approach would foster illicit ("black market") tobacco sales. Education, treatment, and research needs to enable a nicotine reduction strategy were also addressed. The Council on Scientific AVairs came to the following conclusions: (a) gradually eliminating nicotine from cigarettes is technically feasible; (b) a nicotine reduction strategy holds great promise in preventing adolescent tobacco addiction and assisting the millions of current cigarette smokers in their eVorts to quit using tobacco products; (c) potential problems such as compensatory over-smoking of denicotinised cigarettes and black market sales could be minimised by providing alternate forms of nicotine delivery with less or little risk to health, as part of expanded access to treatment; and (d) such a strategy would need to be accompanied by relevant research and increased eVorts to educate consumers and health professionals about tobacco and health. Conclusions—The council recommends the following: (a) that cessation of tobacco use should be the goal for all tobacco users; (b) that the American Medical Association continue to support FDA authority over tobacco products, and FDA classification of nicotine as a drug and tobacco products as drug-delivery devices; (c) that research be encouraged on cigarette modifications that may result in less addicting cigarettes; (d) that the FDA require that the addictiveness of cigarettes be reduced within 5–10 years; (e) expanded surveillance to monitor trends in the use of tobacco products and other nicotine-containing products; (f) expanded access to smoking cessation treatment, and strengthening of the treatment infrastructure; and (g) more accurate labelling of tobacco products, including a more meaningful and understandable indication of nicotine content. (Tobacco Control 1998;7:281–293)


In the analysis of power/ground planes in multilayer substrates, circular ports are often used for modeling of via transitions. The electric and magnetic fields on excited ports are usually assumed to be isotropic. This assumption may not hold in certain scenarios such as vias in very close proximity, where anisotropic modes can be excited. This paper first extends voltage and current definitions of circular ports to account for the non-uniform field distribution along the port perimeter and the anisotropic propagating modes. The effect of these modes on the parallel-plate impedance can be captured in the contour integral method (CIM) by discretizing the port perimeter with line segments. However, the computation time grows rapidly as the number of modeled ports increases. Therefore, the CIM is extended here to incorporate analytical modal expressions to improve the computational efficiency based on the new port definition. The derivation starts with solutions under the assumption of infinite planes, and then is expanded to take finite plane boundaries into consideration. Application examples using the extended CIM will be demonstrated and validated against the conventional CIM with ports modeled numerically. The significance of anisotropic propagating modes for dense via arrays will also be discussed.


First introduced as a new clinical entity in 1992, the Brugada syndrome is associated with a relatively high risk of sudden death in young adults, and occasionally in children and infants. Recent years have witnessed a striking proliferation of papers dealing with the clinical and basic aspects of the disease. Characterized by a coved‐type ST‐segment elevation in the right precordial leads of the electrocardiogram (ECG), the Brugada syndrome has a genetic basis that thus far has been linked only to mutations in SCN5A, the gene that encodes the α‐subunit of the sodium channel. The Brugada ECG is often concealed, but can be unmasked or modulated by a number of drugs and pathophysiological states including sodium channel blockers, a febrile state, vagotonic agents, tricyclic antidepressants, as well as cocaine and propranolol intoxication. Average age at the time of initial diagnosis or sudden death is 40 ± 22, with the youngest patient diagnosed at 2 days of age and the oldest at 84 years. This review provides an overview of the clinical, genetic, molecular, and cellular aspects of the Brugada syndrome, incorporating the results of two recent consensus conferences. Controversies with regard to risk stratification and newly proposed pharmacologic strategies are discussed.


Two different approaches have been traditionally considered for
dealing with the process of integrity constraints enforcement:
integrity constraints checking and integrity constraints
maintenance. However, while previous research in the first approach
has mainly addressed efficiency issues, research in the second
approach has been mainly concentrated in being able to generate all
possible repairs that falsify an integrity constraint
violation. Moreover, the methods proposed up to date are only
concerned with handling one of the approaches in an isolated manner,
without taking into account the strong relationship between the
problems to be solved in both cases. In this paper we address
efficiency issues during the process of integrity constraints
maintenance. In this sense, we propose a technique which improves
efficiency of existing methods by defining the order in which
maintenance of integrity constraints should be performed. Moreover, we
use also this technique for being able to handle in an integrated way
the integrity constraints enforcement approaches mentioned above.


In Cutting Edge Advertising, one of the world's leading creatives offers a step-by-step plan for creating outstanding 21st century print advertising. Along the way, he presents more than 300 of the world's best ads -- each discussed, analyzed and critiqued, frankly and provocatively, by the brilliant creatives responsible for them. Globally-respected names like David Abbott, Tim Delaney, John Hegarty, Gary Goldsmith, Bob Barrie, Neil French and Jeff Goodby -from the world's most admired advertising agencies -- share their secrets in a carefully structured, inspirational journey through the process of creating truly great advertising. No other book covers the subject so completely -from research and strategy, through concept and crafting, and beyond. This book demolishes worn-out advertising myths that may have been true in the '50s and '60s -- replacing them with 21st century techniques that work now! You'll find a full chapter on how to come up with great ideas, specific guidance on the craft of art direction and copy, and great advice for nurturing your own career in advertising. This book is a goldmine for every advertising agency copywriter, art director, and account supervisor; in-house agency; and for every newcomer to the field.


The work describes a module in "Mathematics, IT and Natural Sciences" for bachelor's degree program in Education and Pedagogical Science (major fields of study: Psychological and Pedagogical Education). The basic research problem is characterized by the necessity to define the content and the form of elementary teacher training; training of a teacher able to correspond to the new requirements of the federal professional standards for elementary teachers and carry out necessary activities. The module content offers the model of such training. The module is an integrated unit; the content of theoretical disciplines is integrated in the practical session the students carry out at school. The work within the module results in the integrated educational outcomes. The module structure includes students' participating in scientific and research work (analytical and empirical) from their first term at the university. In order to implement a research and reflexive approach to educational outcomes the novelty of the module is supported by the innovative products (electronic portfolio and others) which the students use throughout the term. The content and the forms of control are worked out for all the disciplines of the module. There are the three levels corresponding to the presented educational outcomes (reproductive, productive, and constructive). The probation of the module took place in the network cooperation with general secondary, secondary professional and higher education institutions. The work presents monitoring of the outcomes – the competencies developed within the multi-stage concept of training. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s3p245


The purpose of this study was to examine features of the contemporary migrant and refugee flows across Africa northward to the Mediterranean and then to European countries (sometimes called the "new mass migration"), and also migrant flows southward to South Africa. In addition, the purpose was to examine dimensions of response and adaptation in receiving countries, also the interconnections between sendingand receiving countries. In the post-colonial era, a variety of political, economic, and other societal forces combined to generate increased and more frequent flows of people seeking a better life, worldwide. Migrations of Africans are part of this global phenomenon, with manifold implications for source countries in Africa and for receiving countries in Africa and Europe. This consideration of issues is framed in the context of contemporary globalization theory and migration theories including social capital theory and push-pull theory. Implications and challenges for education and society in receiving countries such as France and South Africa, and in African sending countries, are summarized, drawing on contemporary research and debate on the issues in education and other sectors of society and on policy-practice research. Prominent themes in the research literature are highlighted, including language issues, policy responses, demographic shifts and trends, transnational family relationships, labor market issues, and educational ramifications. The impacts of refugee influxes on intermediate destinations such as the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, and Istanbul are also considered. The study results indicate that PanAfrican – Mediterranean migrations have generated a significant new landscape of interconnectedness across the macro-region and that the challenges and responses in European countries--the target destinations of the northward migrations--have counterparts in South Africa--the south-end target destination for many desperate migrants and refugees. Current recommendations are for multiple levels of response to tackle crucial issues in education and wider society, including in-country improvement of conditions but also joint responsibility between sendingand receiving countries in Africa and across the Mediterranean to Europe. There is a need for more research on the specific experiences of desperate migrants in the macro-region to expand understanding of the full extent of this contemporary migration phenomenon and its ramifications. (Contains 2 maps).


Digital canopy models (DCMs) were extracted by multi-temporal aerial photographs (1964∼2004) and digital photogrammetric technique for forest canopy monitoring. In this study, ground contorol points (GCPs) were extracted by IKONOS image and digital elevation model (DEM) from LiDAR data. Bundle block adjustment with self-calibration was used for aerial triangulation, because camera callibration reports were not available. The generated DCM which was obtained in 2004 was compared with DCM from LiDAR data (obtained in 2004). Most of all pixel by aerial photographs were corresponded with DCM from LiDAR data. However, small gap areas were difficult to detect. Excluding gap areas, root mean square error of DCM from aerial photo was 3.78 meter. Using extracted multi-temporal DCMs, forest canopy changes, such as tree growth, clear-cutting and fallen damage, were figured out. Multi-temporal DCMs were found to be effective in monitoring forest canopy.


Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label Switched Paths (LSPs)
established using the Resource Reservation Protocol Traffic
Engineering (RSVP-TE) extensions may be signaled with a set of LSP
specific attributes. These attributes may be carried in both Path and
Resv messages. This document specifies how LSP attributes are to be
carried in RSVP Path and Resv messages using the Routing Backus-Naur
Form, and clarifies related Resv message formats.


Haptoglobin is a positive acute-phase serum protein. It is upregulated during infection and is a valuable marker for many inflammatory-related diseases. Its primary known function is to eliminate haemoglobin from plasma to prevent loss of iron through the kidneys, thereby protecting the kidneys from damage and sequestering iron, a key target for invading bacteria. In this thesis, I show that haptoglobin also interacts with lipoteichoic acid (LTA) of Staphylococcus aureus, an important virulence factor. Bacteria are subsequently eliminated by neutrophil-, monocyteand macrophagemediated killing. S. aureus is an extremely common human pathogen associated with various diseases including septic arthritis and toxic-shock syndrome. A current major concern is the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) that cause severe infections in hospitals and in the community. To increase our understanding of the defence mechanisms employed by the host against S. aureus, LTA was used to capture LTA-binding proteins from human serum and these were identified using a proteomics-based strategy. A variety of targets were captured including complement proteins, lipid-transport proteins, coagulation-cascade proteins and acutephase proteins. Haptoglobin was selected for further study, because its expression is known to be upregulated in response to infection, and it interacts with phagocytic cells to stimulate phagocytosis. ELISA and column chromatography studies confirmed that haptoglobin binds LTA directly as well as S. aureus and suggest that the -chain of haptoglobin is critical for this interaction. The role of haptoglobin in promoting the killing of S. aureus by neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages was evaluated by comparing in vitro bacterial-killing using serum depleted of haptoglobin. For each cell type haptoglobin was found to be a key mediator in phagocyte-mediated bacterial killing. This work highlights an important new role for haptoglobin in immune defence, and explains its upregulation during infection.


SYNOPSIS: Big Data is one of the most important developments in management practice today, with McKinsey Global Institute (2011) arguing that it will fundamentally change business. Forbes (2013) states that "the market for Big Data will reach $16.1 billion in 2014, growing 6 times faster than the overall information technology (IT) market." Given the growing significance of Big Data as a business tool, this paper considers the extent to which Big Data will be embraced by the audit profession and how that usage will evolve over time. I put forward the hypothesis that auditors cannot stray too far from the practices of their clients since their credibility with and respect of those clients are the basis of the value added that they provide. Hence, if Big Data becomes an essential business tool, then inevitably it will have the same impact on auditing, albeit, perhaps later and with a more muted reaction. Analysis also indicates that American and international auditing standards, technological advances, and ...


Large scale convergence regions of floating marine litter are commonly observed in semi-enclosed seas as the Bay of Biscay. However, clean-up activities on such accumulation regions are limited by the spread of the large-size floating litter on the sea surface. Data gathered by a small-scale fishing vessel devoted to active fishing for floating litter activities during the spring and summer of 2018 reveals that the linear streaks of high concentration of floating litter (so-called litter "windrows") are common accumulation structures in the south-east coast of the Bay of Biscay. The random search of litter windrows for their collection through surface tows of macro-nets was proved to be an effective action for floating litter mitigation. A total of 196 tows collected 16.2 tons of floating marine litter in 68 working days. Most of the litter windrows were around 1 km length and, on average, accumulated 77.75 kg of floating marine litter. Fishing, shipping and aquaculture sectors were the source of 35% of the 4,130 litter items analyzed (55% in weight of the sourced items), and plastic was the most common type of material (96% in terms of items). A better understanding of the phenomenon of the litter windrows, capable to guide clean-up efforts in space and time, would provide a considerable improvement in the efficiency of mitigation actions to reduce the marine litter pollution. The observations of litter windrows in the coastal area of the south-east of the Bay of Biscay demonstrate the key role of submesoscale processes in the distribution of FML. The present work provides a thorough description of floating litter windrows in nature, which it was non-existent to date. The results are the kind of proof necessary to boost the research addressed on the submesoscale aggregations of FML. Coupling litter windrows observations with remote-sensing technology and high-resolution modeling techniques offer great opportunities for the mitigation actions against marine litter.


Intergroup Encounters in Grey-Cheeked Mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) and Redtail Monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius): Form and Function Michelle Brown Across species and populations, encounters between neighboring social groups take a variety of forms. In particular, intergroup encounters (IGEs) may or may not be aggressive and may include the participation of males and/or females. The proximate causes of aggressive participation by each sex, particularly among primates, is generally thought to be the availability of mates and food. However, existing hypotheses of resource defense have rarely been explicitly tested through identification of the proximate causes of male and female aggression. In this dissertation, I sought to test the existing hypotheses by determining whether female food defense, male food defense, and male mate defense occur in grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) and redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius). With a team of field assistants, I observed six mangabey groups for 15 months and four redtail groups for 12 months at the Ngogo site in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We observed naturally-occurring IGEs in both species, simulated IGEs among mangabey groups using playback experiments, and measured the availability of food resources in botanical plots. I evaluated multiple aspects of intergroup relations, including initiation of encounters, occurrence of intense aggression, encounter outcomes, overall encounter rates, and the effect of neighbors' long-distance calls on group movements. For each IGE aspect, I determined the effects of group size and resource value. I found strong evidence for female food defense by redtails and male food defense by both species, weak evidence of male mate defense by redtails and no evidence for mangabeys, and no evidence of female food defense by mangabeys. In addition, the specific conditions under which food defense is expected to occur in primates were appropriate for male mangabeys, but not for female or male redtails. This pattern of results indicates that existing hypotheses cannot accurately predict which populations will exhibit food or mate defense by males or females, or the specific social and ecological conditions that elicit defense. I also found that mangabeys exhibited two types of IGE: whole group encounters, where the majority of two groups were in visual contact, and subgroup encounters, where one or a few individuals left their group and interacted aggressively with a neighboring group. Whereas whole group IGEs appeared to function as defense of specific feeding sites, subgroup IGEs did not; instead, they appeared to be a means of defending the core of the home range. Compared to earlier studies, the mangabey groups in this study exhibited higher encounter rates and more pronounced aggression. Higher group densities and more intense feeding competition have given rise to a dramatically different pattern of mangabey intergroup relations. This study demonstrates the importance of considering multiple IGE aspects, hypotheses, and food characteristics when evaluating the role of intergroup relations in the lives of social animals.


Abstract: There are two institutional economics approaches to law and economics. New institutional economists prescribe that arbitrators foster efficiency in setting economic disputes and original institutional economists focus on creating reasonable values – that is, balancing efficiency and justice. Disequilibrium between desired efficiency and perceived fairness triggers agency and is a source of coevolution of law and economics.


The current debate about the role of anthropogenic pollutants in a unique broad summer maximum pattern at a remote site (Waliguan, 3810 asl) on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau is continuing. This study quantifies the impacts of anthropogenic emissions and stratosphere‐to‐troposphere exchange (STE) on surface ozone on the Tibetan Plateau using a regional chemical transport model with an on‐line tracer tagging module. The model is shown to be well suited for simulating the unique seasonal variation at Waliguan. Model results clearly show that the regional transport of photochemically produced ozone in China is responsible for the summer maximum on the northern Tibetan Plateau with a contribution of ∼10–25 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) in summer, which is more than ∼5 ppbv of the contribution to STE. The weak local ozone photochemical production (−0.5–0.1 ppbv/day) suggests that this transport to the Tibetan Plateau mostly concentrates on photochemical products. The unique strong near‐surface convergence and upper layer divergence driven by elevated surface heating and low air density over the Tibetan Plateau in summer is its dynamic cause. These transported anthropogenic pollutants are likely to rise to the upper troposphere and circulate globally. This study also demonstrates that the effect of convection on surface ozone over the northern Tibetan Plateau is compensated by the advective updrafts in summer.


During the last few decades E. S. Thomas, S. J. Agronsky, J. G. Ceder, and T. L. Pearson gave an equivalent definition of the real Baire class 1 functions by characterizing their graph. In this paper, using their results, we consider the following problem: let T be a given subset of [0, 1]×R. When can we find a function f : [0, 1]→ R such that the accumulation points of its graph are exactly the points of T? We show that if such a function exists, we can choose it to be a Baire-2 function. We characterize the accumulation sets of bounded and not necessarily bounded functions separately. We also examine the similar question in the case of Baire-1 functions.


The impact of marine animals on the iron (Fe) cycle has mostly been considered in terms of their role in supplying dissolved Fe to phytoplankton at the ocean surface. However, little attention has been paid to how the transformation of ingested food into fecal matter by animals alters the relative Fe‐richness of particles, which could have consequences for Fe cycling in the water column and for the food quality of suspended and sinking particles. Here, we compile observations to show that the Fe to carbon (C) ratio (Fe:C) of fecal pellets of various marine animals is consistently enriched compared to their food, often by more than an order of magnitude. We explain this consistent enrichment by the low assimilation rates that have been measured for Fe in animals, together with the respiratory conversion of dietary organic C to excreted dissolved inorganic C. Furthermore, we calculate that this enrichment should cause animal fecal matter to constitute a major fraction of the global sinking flux of biogenic Fe, a component of the marine iron cycle that has been previously unappreciated. We also estimate that this fecal iron pump provides an important source of Fe to marine animals via coprophagy, particularly in the mesopelagic, given that fecal matter Fe:C can be many‐fold higher than the Fe:C of local phytoplankton. Our results imply that the fecal iron pump is important both for global Fe cycling and for the iron nutrition of pelagic and mesopelagic communities.


This work proposes a novel theoretical framework of robust limit analysis i.e. the computation of limit loads of structures in presence of uncertainties using limit analysis and robust optimization theories. We first derive generic robust limit analysis formulations in the case of uncertain material strength properties. We discuss various ways of modeling uncertain strength properties and introduce the notion of robust strength criteria. We formulate static and adjustable robust counterparts of the corresponding uncertain limit analysis problems. Depending on the chosen strength uncertainty model, we also discuss tractable reformulations or approximations which can be implemented numerically using conic programming solvers. Building upon these results, we also derive robust limit analysis formulations in presence of loading uncertainties. Finally, various applications illustrate the versatility of the proposed framework including the derivation of a robust Mohr-Coulomb criterion with uncertain cohesion and friction angle, the computation of limit load of a structure subject to the partial loss of some components or the limit load of a truss structure under multiple load uncertainties.


The method presented in this paper uses motion information to complement the state-of-the-art depth estimation technique. The use of motion field correspondence between different views in the matching cost function for disparity computation is proposed. In addition, edges from motion maps are used to modify smoothing cost function in the algorithm in order to preserve sharp edges of moving objects and smooth transitions in the background or steady areas of depth map. Experimental results show that our modified algorithm significantly increases quality of depth maps in local areas. The technique is particularly interesting for applications where motion estimation is also needed for other purposes.


The use of the damage tolerance concept is growing in the design of civil engineering structures. The aim of this paper is to provide some guides to help designing anchorages according to the damage tolerance concept. The paper shows the importance of the small defects, idealized like small cracks, in the structural integrity of these elements. The Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs) induced by small cracks in an anchor head of post-tensioned strand anchorage system are calculated. The study includes the evaluation of the influence of the shape of the anchor head on the SIF. The numerical predictions are compared with experimental results of ½ scaled specimens of Poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA).


A series of sensitivity experiments has been conducted using a version of the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM) and a complementary zero-dimensional land-surface model in order to invesligate the sensitivity of the models to surface process parameterizations in northern high latitudes. The study was motivated by anomalously high surface temperatures at these latitudes in a control simulation with the CCM. The effects of perturbing the maximum vegetation cover, distribution of the roots within the active soil layer, the depth of the active soil layer, soil albedo, and of maintaining a fully saturated upper and active soil layer were explored. Little response occurred in either model when the depth of the soil or the root distribution was altered. Increasing the percentage of ground covered by vegetation increased the canopy air temperature but generally reduced soil temperatures in the zero-dimensional model. However, in the CCM integration the surface air temperature increased over most of the region for this change. This response seems to be due to the high level of precipitation during the three-dimensional integration and is similar to one of the zero-dimensional computations in which a large rainfall event was prescribed on the second day of the 10 day integration. Maintaining the moisture contents of both soil layers at their capacity caused a decrease in soil temperatures at most locations in the CCM and in the zero-dimensional model once the soil in the control began to dry out. Increasing the soil albedo also produced soil and surface air cooling in both models. All the integrations underlined the considerable sensitivity of the land-surface parameterization scheme to the instantaneous and preceding soil moisture conditions. Reduction in surface temperatures achieved was significantly less than the original discrepancy between CCM temperatures and observations. Part of the discrepancy could be caused by unrepresentative observational data and a model bias toward high levels of net surface radiation. In addition, preliminary calculations suggest that explicit inclusion of permafrost may be necessary before a fully satisfactory representation of the tundra land-surface climate can be achieved. This conclusion may be important for CO2-induced climate-change studies.


PURPOSE
p16 (MTS 1) and p15 (MTS 2) are negative regulators of cell cycle progression at the G1 cell cycle checkpoint and function as tumor suppressor genes (TSG). Both p15 and p16 are located on chromosome 9p21 and alterations have been demonstrated in a variety of human malignancies and human cancer cell lines. In testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) loss of heterozygosity of 9p21 to 23 has been observed in 41% to 72% of informative cases. The aim of our study was to examine TGCT and testicular cancer cell lines for deletions and mutations of the p15 and p16 genes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
24 testicular germ cell tumors, 4 testicular cancer cell lines (TERA I, TERA II, HTE, HTH), 8 benign testicular tumors and 9 samples of normal testicular parenchyma were examined. Examinations for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 9p21 were performed for IFNA, D9S171, D9S126, D9S161, D9S1748 and PKY9 locus using Southern Blot analysis. Southern Blot analysis of the p16 gene to examine gross alterations was done using random primer labeled p16 cDNA. In addition all samples were examined for mutations of exons 1 to 3 of p16 and exons 1 to 2 of p15 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis on MDE-gels. All observed band shifts on SSCP were further evaluated by direct DNA sequencing techniques.

RESULTS
No major deletions were detected for p16 and p15. 42% of all TGCT demonstrated LOH of the IFNA locus, 16% of the D9S161 locus and 5.5% of the D9S171 locus. No LOH was seen for the D9S126 locus. 5/24 TGCT (21%) and 1 testicular cancer cell line (TERA II) demonstrated band shifts for exon 2, 8/24 TGCT (33%) and 1 testicular cancer cell line (TERA I) showed band shifts for exon 3; 4 TGCT had an allelic loss for exon 3 on SSCP. DNA sequencing analysis for exon 2 demonstrated a single base substitution (G-->A) in codon 140 resulting in an amino acid exchange (ala-->thre) in 4 cases and a single base deletion with frame shift mutation in codon 142 in 2 cases. DNA sequencing analysis for exon 3 demonstrated a polymorphism in intron 2 in all cases. For p15 no band shifts were observed for exons 1 to 2 in TGCT or testicular cancer cell lines; none of benign testicular tumors or normal control tissues demonstrated any band shifts for p15 or p16.

DISCUSSION
We demonstrated a high frequency of mutations for exon 2 in specimens of primary testicular germ cell tumors, but not in benign tumors or normal controls. We therefore believe that p16 might be involved in the pathogenesis of human TGCT. The polymorphisms described for exon 3 might be utilized for further LOH studies. The absence of mutations in p15 gene in TGCT specimens suggests that p15 might not play an important role in the pathogenesis of testicular germ cell tumors.


n-ZnCdS/p-CdTe polycrystalline thin film solar cells were fabricated by laser evaporating CdTe onto sprayed ZnCdS films. The cells were characterized by studying current-voltage, capacitance-voltage and spectral response measurements. A maximum efficiency of 7.6% was observed for a cell area of 1 cm2.


The transition of oxygen from ventilated alveoli into the non-capillary vessels of minor circulation was revealed in cats by microoxygenometry and polarogramphic evaluation of the blood. The O2 diffusion from alveoli into the blood of arteriolas and small arteries occurs in the lungs, as well as the O2 permeation through the walls of the lung venules and small veins. Thereupon, the high oxygenation of the blood occurs yet before the capillaries of the small circulation.


Clinical investigations prove that blue light irradiation reduces the severity of psoriasis vulgaris. Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved in the management of this condition remain poorly defined. Despite the encouraging results of the clinical studies, no clear guidelines are specified in the literature for the irradiation scheme regime of blue light-based therapy for psoriasis. We investigated the underlying mechanism of blue light irradiation of psoriatic skin, and tested the hypothesis that regulation of proliferation is a key process. We implemented a mechanistic model of cellular epidermal dynamics to analyze whether a temporary decrease of keratinocytes hyper-proliferation can explain the outcome of phototherapy with blue light. Our results suggest that the main effect of blue light on keratinocytes impacts the proliferative cells. They show that the decrease in the keratinocytes proliferative capacity is sufficient to induce a transient decrease in the severity of psoriasis. To study the impact of the therapeutic regime on the efficacy of psoriasis treatment, we performed simulations for different combinations of the treatment parameters, i.e., length of treatment, fluence (also referred to as dose), and intensity. These simulations indicate that high efficacy is achieved by regimes with long duration and high fluence levels, regardless of the chosen intensity. Our modeling approach constitutes a framework for testing diverse hypotheses on the underlying mechanism of blue light-based phototherapy, and for designing effective strategies for the treatment of psoriasis.


Given the relevance that Cat Bonds are taking in the financial markets, as well as their appeal for different types of investors, it becomes pertinent to understand the price dynamics of these securities in the secondary market. Several authors have developed and proposed different valuation approaches, focusing on the probability of occurrence of catastrophic events, as the main variable impacting the pricing of Cat bonds in the secondary market. However, the lack of inclusion of other factors considered relevant for investors, narrows the range of pricing driver's of Cat Bonds. This paper seeks to address the former need, presenting a panel data approach of a multifactor spread model, which comprehends 5 relevant variables. The results proved an adequate fitness and show that the model can be applied to both the P&C and, the Life market.


The numerical model of the 1755 Lisbon Tsunami was conducted at Vila do Bispo municipality. The tsunami source area of this historical event is assumed to be on the Gorringe Bank. Numerical model results of historical data have been validated by a combined analysis of eyewitnesses' accounts, field surveys, geological records and archeological findings (conducted by previous authors). The coastal area has remained a mostly natural landscape since the 18th century, with popular beaches that increase the population potentially exposed to a tsunami, especially one occurring in summer. For these reasons, we use local tsunami hazard assessment as a criterion varying between moderate and critical. Results also show that the 16 low ground areas we surveyed were inundated between 15 and 30 minutes after the earthquake. For this reason, persons should act quickly in future to evacuate areas immediately after an earthquake and to move to higher ground. Results also show that safe, swift evacuation may be difficult in 50% of these areas, endangering special populations such as tourists. Tsunami information boards should therefore be put on beaches and evacuation exercises and drills should be implemented and practiced regularly.


Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes mellitus that causes retinal damage that can lead to vision loss if not detected and treated promptly. The common diagnosis stages of the disease take time, effort, and cost and can be misdiagnosed. In the recent period with the explosion of artificial intelligence, deep learning has become the most popular tool with high performance in many fields, especially in the analysis and classification of medical images. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is more widely used as a deep learning method in medical imaging analysis with highly effective. In this paper, the five-stage image of modern DR (healthy, mild, moderate, severe, and proliferative) can be detected and classified using the deep learning technique. After cross-validation training and testing on the corresponding 5,590-image dataset, a pre-MobileNetV2 training model is proposed in classifying stages of diabetic retinopathy. The average accuracy of the model achieved was 93.89% with the precision of 94.00%, recall 92.00% and f1-score 90.00%. The corresponding thermal image is also given to help experts for evaluating the influence of the retina in each different stage.


This paper studies how the linguistic components of blogposts collected from Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform, might affect the blogposts' likelihood of being censored. Our results go along with King et al. (2013)'s Collective Action Potential (CAP) theory, which states that a blogpost's potential of causing riot or assembly in real life is the key determinant of it getting censored. Although there is not a definitive measure of this construct, the linguistic features that we identify as discriminatory go along with the CAP theory. We build a classifier that significantly outperforms non-expert humans in predicting whether a blogpost will be censored. The crowdsourcing results suggest that while humans tend to see censored blogposts as more controversial and more likely to trigger action in real life than the uncensored counterparts, they in general cannot make a better guess than our model when it comes to 'reading the mind' of the censors in deciding whether a blogpost should be censored. We do not claim that censorship is only determined by the linguistic features. There are many other factors contributing to censorship decisions. The focus of the present paper is on the linguistic form of blogposts. Our work suggests that it is possible to use linguistic properties of social media posts to automatically predict if they are going to be censored.


IMPORTANCE
The Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) guides learning about therapeutic use of self. The observer version of the Clinical Assessment of Modes (CAM-Observer) may be used to evaluate students' therapeutic communication as the process is defined in the IRM.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the structural validity of the CAM-Observer.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional, psychometric study.

SETTING
Master's in occupational therapy program.

PARTICIPANTS
One hundred thirty-four entry-level students.

OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The overall CAM-Observer and the individual subscales (Advocating, Collaborating, Empathizing, Encouraging, Instructing, Problem-Solving) were used to assess students' communication from the instructor's perspective.

RESULTS
The overall CAM-Observer and six subscales demonstrated appropriate rating scale functioning and dimensionality. The Advocating subscale demonstrated poor item fit, floor effects, and low person separation. One Collaborating item demonstrated poor fit to the overall CAM-Observer and the Collaborating subscale, requiring revision. Instructing and Encouraging items were most likely to be endorsed by the instructor-observers, resulting in a ceiling effect for the Instructing and Encouraging subscales. The Advocating and Problem-Solving items were least likely to be endorsed by the instructor-observers. Except for the Problem-Solving subscale, the overall CAM-Observer and the individual subscales could reliably separate items according to difficulty. Except for the Advocating subscale, the overall CAM-Observer and the individual subscales could reliably separate people into high- and low-performance groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The CAM-Observer offers a structurally valid and theoretically grounded assessment of students' therapeutic communication as the process is defined in the IRM. The CAM-Observer can be integrated into occupational therapy education to guide students' critical reflection on their interpersonal communication.

WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS
The CAM-Observer offers a means of evaluating students' therapeutic use of self.


ABSTRACT No pharmacological interventions are currently available to provide neuroprotection for patients suffering from cardiac arrest. Dichloroacetate (DCA) is a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor, which activates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), and increases cell adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by promoting influx of pyruvate into the Krebs cycle. In this study, we investigated the effects of DCA on post-resuscitation neurological injury in an asphyxial cardiac arrest rat model. Asphyxial cardiac arrest was established by endotracheal tube clamping. A total of 111 rats were randomized into three groups: Sham group, Control group, and DCA intervention group. Animals in DCA intervention group were intraperitoneally administered DCA with a loading dose of 80 mg/kg at 15 min after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), whereas rats in the Control group received equivalent volume of saline. DCA treatment increased 3-day survival time, and reduced neurologic deficit scores at 24, 48, and 72 h after ROSC. It also attenuated cellular apoptosis and neuronal damage in the hippocampal cornuammonis one region by hematoxylin-eosin staining and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay. In addition, DCA reduced the messenger RNA expression of tumor necrosis factor &agr; and interleukin 1&bgr; in brain hippocampus and cortex after ROSC. Furthermore, DCA treatment significantly increased ATP production, PDH activity, and decreased blood glucose, lactate, and brain pyruvate levels after ROSC. Our results suggested that DCA has neuroprotective effects on brain injury after cardiac arrest, and its salutary effects were associated with an increase of mitochondrial energy metabolism in the brain through activation of PDH activity.


Six new pimarane derivatives, including two di-nor-pimaranes (1, 2), two 17-nor-pimaranes (3, 4), and two 17-nor-(9β-H)-pimaranes (5, 6), were isolated from the tuber of Icacina trichantha. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic and HRMS data. The absolute configurations of 1 and 5 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and that of 2 was established by electronic circular dichroism data analysis. Compound 3 possesses a unique C-20 acetal moiety. This is the first report of the isolation of di-nor-(9β-H)-pimarane derivatives from Icacina plants. Compounds 5 and 6 showed moderate cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-435, MDA-MB-231, and OVCAR3 cell lines, with IC50 values of 2.91–7.60 and 1.48–3.23 μM, respectively.


Using newspapers, plans, London guides and parish records, this article describes the arguments concerning improvement of the street environment in Chancery Lane, from around 1760 to 1815. This area of London was marginal to the great centres of Westminster and the City and, therefore, analysing its development challenges the standard binary model of the metropolis, generally used by historians of the late eighteenth century. The importance of local political conditions to the success of street improvement is examined, including the fragmented jurisdictions of local parishes and the popular association of Chancery Lane with the legal profession.


Purpose - – Sustainability can be assessed in the dimensions Profit, Planet and People. A problem with the approach is that these dimensions cannot be added. Another problem is that performance seldom is related to global system boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to study the "what" of sustainability by linking this to global boundaries and proposing "how" the authors could manage change toward sustainability. Design/methodology/approach - – Sustainability definitions are reviewed to identify main stakeholders. People value defined as utility is compared to Planet harm as carbon emissions and People harm as prices of products. This approach is examined in business studying the global processes of housing, transporting, providing food and cement manufacturing. Findings - – The relative indicators with focus on People utility compare to Planet and People harm seem to be relevant for measuring the level of sustainability. The Crippled Bottom Line of People value/Planet harm and People value/Planet harm is proposed as the "what" to measure and the change process of "understanding-defining-measuring-communicating-leading change" is proposed as the "how" to change. Research limitations/implications - – The research is based on identifying the main stakeholders based on sustainability definitions and from that point mostly on deductive reasoning. Practical implications - – The practical implications are that organizations could define sustainability indicators with objectives that are linked to global limits. Social implications - – Advocating the use of price as a social indicator could have social implications. Originality/value - – The paper contributes to the discussion of how to link global limits to organizational measurements and targets.


Objective This prospective randomised double-blind study was conducted to compare the effect of intravenous (IV) with intraperitoneal (IP) administration of clonidine with respect to analgesic efficacy and side effects. Methods A total of 60 American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status class I and II patients, aged 35–60 years, undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy, were randomly divided into 2 groups. Standard general anaesthesia technique was used. All the patients in group IV received 3 μg kg−1 of IV clonidine after resection of the uterus along with 0.25% bupivacaine (20 mL intraperitoneally and 10 mL as wound infiltration), whereas patients in group IP received 10 mL of normal saline intravenously and 3 μg kg−1 of clonidine mixed with 0.25% bupivacaine (20 mL intraperitoneally and 10 mL as wound infiltration). Postoperative analgesia was provided with IV diclofenac every 8 hours and IV fentanyl (1 μg kg−1) on demand. Pain at rest, opioid consumption, level of sedation and severity of nausea were recorded for 24 hours. The heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were recorded at an interval of 15 minutes for 2 hours followed by routine hourly monitoring. Results Both the groups were found to be similar with respect to demography and ASA physical status. The maximum pain was felt at 6 hours in both the groups. The mean visual analogue scale score at 6 hours (p=0.47) was comparable. However, patients in group IV had significantly higher sedation (p<0.001) and nausea (p=0.013) scores on arrival at post-anaesthesia care unit along with a significant reduction in HR (p=0.001) and BP (p=0001) for the first 2 hours postoperatively. Conclusion Although IP clonidine is comparable with IV clonidine with respect to postoperative pain scores and supplementary opioid requirement, the side effects are significantly less with IP clonidine.