ABSTRACT During the last decade, much of political behaviour research has come to be concerned with the impact of the Internet, and more recently social networking sites such as Facebook, on political and civic participation. Although existing research generally finds a modestly positive relationship between social media use and offline and online participation, the majority of contributions rely on cross-sectional data, so the causal impact of social media use remains unclear. The present study examines how Facebook use influences reported political participation using an experiment. We recruited young Greek participants without a Facebook account and randomly assigned a subset to create and maintain a Facebook account for a year. In this paper we examine the effect of having a Facebook account on diverse modes of online and offline participation after six months. We find that maintaining a Facebook account had clearly negative consequences on reports of offline and online forms of political and civic participation.


Hybrid photovoltaic–regenerative hydrogen fuel cell (PV-RHFC) microgrid systems are considered to have a high future potential in the effort to increase the renewable energy share in the form of solar PV technology with hydrogen generation, storage, and reutilization. The current study provides a comprehensive review of the recent research progress of hybrid PV-RHFC microgrid systems to extract conclusions on their characteristics and future prospects. The different components that can be integrated (PV modules, electrolyzer and fuel cell stacks, energy storage units, power electronics, and controllers) are analyzed in terms of available technology options. The main modeling and optimization methods, and control strategies are discussed. Additionally, various application options are provided, which differentiate in terms of scale, purpose, and further integration with other power generating and energy storage technologies. Finally, critical analysis and discussion of hybrid PV-RHFC microgrid systems were conducted based on their current status. Overall, the commercialization of hybrid PV-RHFC microgrid systems requires a significant drop in the RHFC subsystem capital cost. In addition, it will be necessary to produce complete hybrid PV-RHFC microgrid systems with integrated energy management control capabilities to avoid operational issues and ensure flexibility and reliability of the energy flow in relation to supply, storage, and demand.


Online consumer health information is rapidly growing. At the same time an active part of patients and consumers in decision making about preventive or therapeutic interventions is increasingly demanded. The basis for informed consumer choice is the communication of evidence-based scientific data in a format that is clearly understood by most lay persons. The way study results are presented influence decisions by health care providers and patients or consumers alike. The impact of framing of outcome data as either relative or absolute differences is well recognized. Outcome data should be reported as absolute numbers, absolute risk reductions or numbers needed to treat or to screen rather than as relative risk reductions. Beyond the question of whether relative or absolute differences are used, outcome data can be framed by either emphasising achievable benefits or the lack of such benefits. Presentation of data as the proportion of patients who remain free of a target outcome rather than the proportion of patients who benefit from a certain intervention could substantially influence decision making. So far, studies evaluating the communication of treatment results to patients were focussed on the benefits of the respective interventions. Such an approach is incompatible with unbiased informed decision making by the patient, client or consumer. In order to communicate outcome data in an objective manner the whole possible spectrum of data presentation should be considered. Both, the proportion of persons who are likely to benefit as well as the proportion of persons who are unlikely to benefit or likely to be harmed should be presented with equal emphasis. Instruments to judge the quality of printed or online consumer health information do not include rating the framing of outcome data (e.g. http:/www.discern.org.uk).In order to establish an online system of evidence-based consumer health information that provides unbiased evidence-based communication of outcome data mammography screening was used as a model. After screening the literature according to evidence-based medicine criteria the information on benefits and risks of mammography screening has been compiled. Results are communicated as simple self explaining illustrations as well as original numbers equally emphasising the various aspects of the outcome. In addition, unbiased information is provided on the test efficacy of mammography screening (false positive, false negative results), on other potential side effects or other beneficial effects of mammography screening such as the number of diagnostic surgical interventions following mammography or the psychological sequaele thereof, data on total mortality and precision or lack of precision of results. The described mammography screening consumer information system is being evaluated with experts and the target consumer population with the final goal of an online evidence-based consumer health information


Myeloma is the most common primary bone malignancy and one of the most common hematologic malignancies. Research on myeloma constantly produces new information on genetic factors, imaging techniques, and treatment complications among others that is of use to patients, referring physicians, and radiologists. This update emphasizes new developments regarding imaging techniques for diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of myeloma patients. Advances in whole body radiography, whole body computed tomography, whole body magnetic resonance imaging, and whole body nuclear techniques (including sestamibi and positron emission tomography) are discussed.


Research efforts across the United States have shown that soil
erosion decreases soil productivity. Erosion-caused crop production decreases
up to 50% have been measured with decreases of 15 to 30% commonly reported.
Furrow erosion on irrigated land redistributes topsoil, decreasing topsoil
depth on the upslope 33% and increases topsoil depth on lower 50 to 55% of
fields. Crop yields are decreased where topsoil depths are decreased, but
yields are not increased where topsoil depths are increased above the original
depth of 38 cm in a large study area representative of several million hectares
of furrow irrigated land. Crops vary in their sensitivity to decreases in
topsoil depth. Soil productivity of the entire study area was decreased at
least 25% by furrow erosion over 80 irrigation seasons. Technology is not
available to restore crop production to the potential level that would have
existed without erosion. Research and technology application are needed to
reduce or eliminate topsoil loss and redistribution by furrow irrigation to
preserve our soil resources in irrigated areas. Application of conservation
tillage to furrow irrigated land is suggested as the best known practice to
reduce furrow erosion.


Abstract In this paper, the authors argue that the long drawn armed conflict between the Maoists and the Indian State has acquired the status of a non-international armed conflict due to the organized nature of the Maoists and the scale of violence arising out of the conflict. The systematic human rights abuses by both parties and forceful displacement of civilians is a tangible threat to international peace and security in the region. In light of the deadlock between the parties, the authors make a case for United Nations' intervention in mediating an end to the conflict and restoring peace and security in the region. Drawing inspiration from the role played by the UN in ending civil wars across the globe, this paper argues for a similar intervention in the non-international armed conflict in India. The authors argue that the UN should venture to exert pressure on the State to eliminate any further abuses of human rights, and remove the impasse between both the parties to facilitate a constructive dialogue.


The decarboxylase/dehydrogenase (E1b) component of the 4-megadalton human branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKD) metabolic machine is a thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzyme with a heterotetrameric cofactor-binding fold. The E1b component catalyzes the decarboxylation of α-keto acids and the subsequent reductive acylation of the lipoic acid-bearing domain (LBD) from the 24-meric transacylase (E2b) core. In the present study, we show that the binding of cofactor ThDP to the E1b active site induces a disorder-to-order transition of the conserved phosphorylation loop carrying the two phosphorylation sites Ser292-α and Ser302-α, as deduced from the 1.80-1.85 Å apoE1b and holoE1b structures. The induced loop conformation is essential for the recognition of lipoylated LBD to initiate E1b-catalyzed reductive acylation. Alterations of invariant Arg287-α, Asp295-α, Tyr300-α, and Arg301-α that form a hydrogen-bonding network in the phosphorylation loop result in the disordering of the loop conformation as elucidated by limited proteolysis, accompanied by the impaired binding and diminished reductive acylation of lipoylated LBD. In contrast, kcat values for E1b-catalyzed decarboxylation of the α-keto acid are higher in these E1b mutants than in wild-type E1b, with higher Km values for the substrate in the mutants. ThDP binding that orders the loop prevents phosphorylation of E1b by the BCKD kinase and averts the inactivation of wild-type E1b, but not the above mutants, by this covalent modification. Our results establish that the cross-talk between the bound ThDP and the phosphorylation loop conformation serves as a feed-forward switch for multiple reaction steps in the BCKD metabolic machine.


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the status, challenges and impacts of the Arab international book fairs, with particular focus on the Muscat Book Fair. This study proposes a framework to assist in the design and organisation of future Arab book fairs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a variety of methods to obtain data, including questionnaires, site visits (both regional and international), observations and interviews. A literature review was also undertaken which helped determine major worldwide issues related to aspects of book fairs and the publishing industry, focusing on Arab book fairs.

Findings

Arab international book fairs remain relatively traditional, however, there are several examples of innovative improvements in some states. Reading habits and literacy trends were found to be influenced by dominant socio-cultural factors, emphasising religion and children's literature. This seems to have a reverse effect on the publishing industry. Results also revealed a number of disadvantages related to economic downturns and political instability. Despite continuous expansion, Arab book fairs still suffer from various obstacles which affect the publishing industry's growth. There are other obstacles that they face which are directly associated with distribution and marketing as well as violations of intellectual property laws.

Practical implications

This study proposes a framework for future improvement of the Muscat Book Fair. It discusses the engagement of local cultural institutions, non-profit community and academic organisations, as well as private sector organisations. These will leverage value and help keep abreast of international developments in book fairs/publishing. It is hoped that the proposed framework will be beneficial to those running book fairs at a regional level, and to countries with developing economies.

Originality/value

There have been no previous empirical studies investigating book fairs in the Arab states. This study adds to the currently scarce body of literature related to book fairs and the publishing industry.


Abstract This paper presents a polarized phase semantics, with respect to which the linear fragment of second order polarized linear logic of Laurent [15] is complete. This is done by adding a topological structure to Girard's phase semantics [9], The topological structure results naturally from the categorical construction developed by Hamano–Scott [12]. The polarity shifting operator ↓ (resp. ↑) is interpreted as an interior (resp. closure) operator in such a manner that positive (resp. negative) formulas correspond to open (resp. closed) facts. By accommodating the exponentials of linear logic, our model is extended to the polarized fragment of the second order linear logic. Strong forms of completeness theorems are given to yield cut-eliminations for the both second order systems. As an application of our semantics, the first order conservativity of linear logic is studied over its polarized fragment of Laurent [16]. Using a counter model construction, the extension of this conservativity is shown to fail into the second order, whose solution is posed as an open problem in [16]. After this negative result, a second order conservativity theorem is proved for an eta expanded fragment of the second order linear logic, which fragment retains a focalized sequent property of [3].


TNFCIWA Our closest primate relatives exhibit traditions of grooming, calling, and tool use that a growing number of researchers say add up to a primitive form of culture. Their argument rests on examples in which one chimp learns from another, and on the seemingly arbitrary differences in habits between chimpanzee groups at different sites. But some researchers argue that our primate cousins do not learn as we do, by imitation and instruction, and most agree that primates don9t seem to be able to build on previous inventions as humans do.


The sizes of follicle centre cells in 15 specimens of follicular (centroblastic-centrocytic) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 15 specimens of reactive follicular hyperplasia have been measured. The findings differ from previous studies, where nuclei of cells from follicle centres and interfollicular areas were measured and revealed no significant difference between follicular lymphoma and reactive follicular hyperplasia. In the current study, by measuring only follicle centre cell nuclei, it has been found that, in reactive follicular hyperplasia, the mean nuclear maximum diameter (Dmax) and area are significantly greater than in centroblastic-centrocytic follicular lymphoma. In addition, the standard deviation of these data is greater for reactive follicular hyperplasia than follicular lymphoma, implying greater "scatter" or heterogeneity of the nuclear sizes in the follicle centre cells of the former than the latter. Thus, the size of these cells appears to be of value as an histological discriminator between these benign and malignant conditions.


In this article we prove estimates for the topological pressure of the set of points whose Birkhoff time averages are far from the space averages corresponding to the unique equilibrium state that has a weak Gibbs property. In particular, if $f$ has an expanding repeller and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ is a Hölder continuous potential, we prove that the topological pressure of the set of points whose accumulation values of Birkhoff averages belong to some interval $I\subset \mathbb{R}$ can be expressed in terms of the topological pressure of the whole system and the large deviations rate function. As a byproduct we deduce that most irregular sets for maps with the specification property have topological pressure strictly smaller than the whole system. Some extensions to a non-uniformly hyperbolic setting, level-2 irregular sets and hyperbolic flows are also given.


Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are promising building blocks towards the development of cost-effective and high-efficiency photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. Unfortunately, the frequent use of QDs possessing heavy metals (e.g. Cd and Pb) in state-of-the-art QD-based PEC technologies is a major obstacle regarding their future commercial perspective. In this work, we synthesized heavy metal-free quaternary CuZnInS3 (CZIS) with variable Cu : Zn ratios and fabricated corresponding QDs-PEC devices via a facile chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. It is revealed that the tuned CZIS (1Zn) QDs (i.e. Cu : Zn ratio of 1 : 1) can result in optimized optical properties including enhanced quantum yield, suppressed nonradiative recombination and extended excitonic lifetime. Accordingly, as-fabricated CZIS (1Zn) QD-based photoanodes demonstrated increased charge transfer rate and decreased electron transport resistance for improved PEC performance. The results indicate that tuning the composition of heavy metal-free multinary QDs is one of the promising pathways to achieve eco-friendly and high-performance PEC systems for solar hydrogen production.


A free-electron laser (FEL) is a robust tool for studying the interaction of intense X-rays with matter. In this study, we investigate the damage threshold and morphology of fused silica irradiated by extreme ultraviolet femtosecond pulses of a FEL. The experimental results indicate the superiority of the FEL processing. The FEL-damage threshold of fused silica at a wavelength of 13.5 nm is 0.17 J/cm2, which is 20 times lower than that of a near infrared (NIR) femtosecond laser. The relationship between the crater depth and laser fluence reveals that the effective absorption length is αeff−1 = 58 nm. The damage threshold and the absorption length are the key values for smooth crater formation. In addition, the formation of rim structures and microcracks, which are usually the critical issues in NIR laser processing, cannot be found in the interaction region. The hole diameter is maintained below the beam size at the exit.A free-electron laser (FEL) is a robust tool for studying the interaction of intense X-rays with matter. In this study, we investigate the damage threshold and morphology of fused silica irradiated by extreme ultraviolet femtosecond pulses of a FEL. The experimental results indicate the superiority of the FEL processing. The FEL-damage threshold of fused silica at a wavelength of 13.5 nm is 0.17 J/cm2, which is 20 times lower than that of a near infrared (NIR) femtosecond laser. The relationship between the crater depth and laser fluence reveals that the effective absorption length is αeff−1 = 58 nm. The damage threshold and the absorption length are the key values for smooth crater formation. In addition, the formation of rim structures and microcracks, which are usually the critical issues in NIR laser processing, cannot be found in the interaction region. The hole diameter is maintained below the beam size at the exit.


The synthesis of a novel layered double hydroxide (LDH)-based N-amidinoglycine-functionalized magnetic nanocomposite, γ-Fe2O3@Cu3Al-LDH-N-amidinoglycine, has been described. The structure of the synthesized nanoparticles was characterized by different physicochemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). These newly developed magnetic nanoparticles have been explored as a magnetically separable amphoteric nanocatalyst for the synthesis of new pyrimido[4,5-b][1,8]naphthyridine-7-carbonitrile derivatives in excellent yields via one-pot three-component reaction between aldehydes, 3-cyano-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-pyridin-2(1H)-one, and N,N-dimethyl-6-aminouracil. In the subsequent part of the present research, these synthesized pyrimido[4,5-b][1,8]naphthyridines were evaluated for their antioxidant and antifungal activities in vitro by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and PDA (potato dextrose agar) medium, respectively.


Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) is one of the most successful conducting polymers for electronic applications. Most commonly, the spin coating process is used to fabricate PEDOT:PSS thin films from an aqueous solution, yet it is unsuitable for fabricating complicated two-dimensional (2D) structures. Extrusion-based additive manufacturing processes have been investigated for 3D printing PEDOT:PSS-based polymers with free-form architecture. However, such methods imply strict requirements on the rheological properties of materials and, as a result, have limited choices of appropriate materials. In the past, additives have been added to improve the 3D printing processability of PEDOT:PSS materials, which, however, usually deteriorate the electrical conductivity. This paper reports a new type of PEDOT:PSS material capable of addressing the previously listed challenges and characterized by high processability and electrical conductivity (72 S/cm). In addition, a novel extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) technology, electrostatically-assisted direct ink writing (eDIW), is investigated for printing materials containing PEDOT:PSS. The eDIW method prints micro-scale resolution at an ultra-high speed (1.72 m/s). This combination is often deemed impossible in the framework of classical extrusion-based AM techniques. This work lays the foundation for future explorations of applications of PEDOT:PSS-based conducting polymers in fields that require superb properties and custom geometry, which were conventionally impossible.


Architects frequently face problems in choosing the most appropriate solar orientation for a building due to the constraints imposed by urban grid patterns. Urban patterns are usually designed according to urban criteria that do not address issues such as orientation, building-cluster, solar access and loading. This problem causes thermal discomfort for building occupants in spaces oriented to west and east directions, resulting from radiant temperature, as well as higher use of cooling energy. The study focuses on the orientation, form (surface area) of the building and location and number of windows on the building elevations. An energy simulation program "ENERFACE" is used to analyze the selected buildings in Al-Ain City, UAE. The cooling energy utilized per m2 and the total energies use as a result of different orientations were reported. Results show how the urban patterns could provide a better guide for architects to control the energy use in buildings. On the design level, the study concludes that the total annual energy use (kWh/fear) and the annual cost/m2 could be minimized when the location of windows are kept only on two elevations of the building and the relative orientation of these elevations is 60° North-East. This reduction is about 55%.


Objectives A systematic review was undertaken to map what is already known about the cost effectiveness of strategies to promote safety and prevent injuries, both intentional and unintentional. Methods A range of databases were searched, complemented by examination of grey literature, academic and government websites and a hand search of key journals. Papers were independently reviewed and cross-checked by the authors; relevant studies were coded for findings and assessed using a economic evaluation checklist. Results More than 5000 papers were examined with more than 1100 meeting our initial inclusion criteria. The most common areas for economic analysis related to fall prevention (25%), transport safety (22%) and workplace injury prevention (21%). Conclusions Across many areas of injury prevention, actions could be identified that were not only cost effective but often cost saving because of future costs avoided. Less is known on the economic case for complex interventions which require behavioural change to be effective. The majority of work has been undertaken in the US; a high degree of caution needs to be exercised in transferring these interventions to other contexts. There is however much scope to retrospectively adapt and add economic analysis to existing effectiveness studies of actions to prevent injuries and promote safety.


Commonly to classify new object in Data Mining one should estimate its similarity with given classes. Function of Rival Similarity (FRiS) is assigned to calculate quantitative measure of similarity considering a competitive situation. FRiS-function allows constructing new effective algorithms for various Data Mining tasks solving. In particular, it enables to obtain quantitative estimation of compactness of patterns which can be used as indirect criterion for informative attributes selection. FRiS-compactness predicts reliability of recognition of control sample more precisely, than such widespread methods as One-LeaveOut and Cross-Validation. Presented in the paper results of real genetic task solving confirm efficiency of FRiS-function using in attributes selection and decision rules construction.


Marriage Is Not Fashionable Today Any More! Or the Message of a Modern Re-written Tale for the Girls of Today.It is quite common to produce re-written tales for children nowadays. The aim of the present study is to examine one of the types of these modern stories, namely the so-called 'hypercorrected' one through the stories entitled The Frog Prince and Iron Henry and its modern version, The Frog Prince. Both of them have some elements in common, but the latter one lacks several important moments, like the father figure represented by the king, the magic transformation of the frog into a charming prince and the fact of his being cursed. We highlight the possible consequences of a tale like the modern one and look for the reason for publishing and buying a re-written version similar to this one. To reveal them we turn to the method of V. J. Propp, the Russian tale researcher as well as to psychologists and sociologists who deal with the problem of growing up, mating and the different generations of today. We also would like to find the answer to the question if friendship could be an alternative of a mature love relationship between a man and a woman.


Since the mid-1970s, the civil provision of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO") has served as a potent weapon for private plaintiffs who have suffered damage to business or property at the hands of corrupt organizations, businesses, and enterprises. Despite decades of criticism and repeated efforts by the federal courts to constrain its reach, this provision has remained largely untouched by Congress, and thus persists as a powerful remedy - one which, by virtue of its broad and expansive language, can evolve to meet the challenges presented by the changing nature of the post-9/11 world, in which terrorist organizations have come to replace the mafia as the foremost exemplar of "organized crime" in the American consciousness. This Note addresses the desirability and the viability, in light of the "operation or management" test articulated by the Supreme Court in Reves v. Ernst & Young, of civil RICO suits by private plaintiffs against those who fund international terrorist organizations. Civil RICO is a potentially significant weapon in the war on terror, which could simultaneously serve a multitude of purposes. First and foremost, civil RICO suits can act as an additional means by which to thwart terrorist financing, by increasing the likelihood of liability for terrorist financiers, replete with the threat of treble damages. In this regard, civil RICO enables private plaintiffs, serving as private attorneys-general, to aid in the disruption of terrorist financing, while potentially achieving the restitution they deserve. These suits, however, can provide victims of terrorism with more than simple restitution; the uniquely evocative nature of RICO makes it a particularly useful method by which to powerfully associate terrorist financiers with the brutal terrorist organizations they aid, preserving the record of their transgressions in the public consciousness, while simultaneously making victims whole again - to the extent possible - through recognition, restitution, and retribution. Part I explores the courts' initial trepidation in interpreting the broad reach of RICO, the development of the operation or management test by the Supreme Court in Reves v. Ernst & Young, and the subsequent elucidation and expansion of that standard by the lower courts. Part II turns to the application of Reves and its progeny to attempts to utilize civil RICO against those who fund international terrorism. It begins by addressing the complexity of pleading civil RICO claims against financial supporters of terrorism, as well as the unique nature of terrorist financing and the heightened need to utilize the full spectrum of both the criminal and civil law against terrorist financiers as part of an expansive and cohesive war on terror. Part II goes on to address these claims in light of the federal courts' precedent regarding the operation or management test, particularly the degree to which defendants who are accused of financing terrorist organizations can be conceptualized as inside the RICO enterprise or as operating within the chain of command. Finally, Part II considers the limited instances in which federal courts have been presented with such claims, and the hesitance of those courts to entertain them. Part II concludes that such claims may be precluded under the courts' current reading of the operation or management test, except in certain limited cases. Next, Part III addresses the wisdom of extending the current jurisprudential regime to encompass civil RICO suits against financial supporters of terrorism, and analyzes the extent to which plaintiffs can increase the viability of their claims through more specific pleading and by stressing certain conceptual elements of their claims. Part III ultimately concludes that prohibiting such claims contravenes the legislative purpose, especially in light of Supreme Court precedent and the legislative history surrounding RICO and its amendments, and is symptomatic of the lower courts' continued insistence on unduly constraining the reach of civil RICO. It argues against the emerging judicial response to civil RICO suits against financial supporters of terrorism, and urges that the operation or management test be read in a manner consistent with the unique circumstances and challenges of the war on terror, thereby permitting the use of civil RICO as a powerful tool not only in the battle against terrorism, but in securing vindication and restitution for domestic victims of terrorism. If the courts are unwilling to undertake such a reading and entertain similar future claims, Part III advocates that Congress amend the statute to so require. It argues that failing to extend civil RICO to suits against financial supporters of terrorism will not only remove a potentially potent and useful weapon from the arsenal in the war on terror, but will also reduce the likelihood that victims of terrorism will receive the essential redress - beyond simple restitution - that they deserve.


In this paper, different techniques to test notched Small Punch (SPT) samples for the estimation of the fracture properties in aggressive environments are studied, based on the comparison of the micromechanisms at different rates.
 Pre-embrittled samples subsequently tested in air at conventional rates (0.01 and 0.002 mm/s) are compared to embrittled ones tested in environment at the same rates (0.01 and 0.002 mm/s) and at a very slow rate (5E−5 mm/s); a set of samples tested in environment under static loads that produce very slow rates complete the experimental results. To close the study, numerical simulations based on obtaining a punch rate that produces an equivalent CTOD growing rate in the edge of the notch to the one at the crack tip of a C(T) specimen for a given solicitation rate is carried out.
 As a conclusion, is recommended to test SPT notched specimens in environment at very slow rates, of arround E−6 mm/s, when characterizing in Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) scenarios, in order to allow the interaction material-environment to govern the process.


This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on the channels through which blockholders (large shareholders) engage in corporate governance. In classical models, blockholders exert governance through direct intervention in a firm's operations, otherwise known as "voice." These theories have motivated empirical research on the determinants and consequences of activism. More recent models show that blockholders can govern through an alternative mechanism known as "exit"—selling their shares if the manager underperforms. These theories give rise to new empirical studies on the two-way relationship between blockholders and financial markets, linking corporate finance with asset pricing. Blockholders may also worsen governance by extracting private benefits of control or pursuing objectives other than firm value maximization. I highlight the empirical challenges in identifying causal effects of and on blockholders as well as the typical strategies attempted to achieve identification. I close with directions for future research.


Background Clinical therapies for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) target vasoconstriction. However, the proliferative pulmonary vascular remodelling that drives disease persists contributing to significant patient morbidity and mortality. MicroRNA (miR) are short non-coding RNA that mediate post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA targets. We hypothesise that dysregulation of miR leads to de-repression of cellular targets central to disease pathogenesis. Objective To identify dysregulated circulating miR in patients with PAH, determine their phenotypic effect using in vitro and in vivo models and identify key mechanistic regulators that may represent novel therapeutic targets. Methods and results Expression of miR-140-5p was reduced in whole blood samples from patients with PAH. Reduced expression of miR-140-5p at the time of diagnosis identified patients with adverse clinical characteristics. Transfection with miR-140-5p inhibitor resulted in increased proliferation PASMC and de-repression of key targets. Nebulised delivery of miR-140-5p mimic attenuated progression of established PAH in the SuHx rat model. Network and pathway analysis identified SMAD Specific E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase 1 (SMURF1) as a key miR-140-5p target. Whole blood mRNA and pulmonary vascular immunoreactivity of SMURF1 was increased in patients with PAH implicating SMURF1 in the pathology of human disease. Direct regulation of SMURF1 by miR-140-5p was demonstrated in-vitro by 3'UTR luciferase activity. Both miR-140-5p mimic and SMURF1 siRNA increased BMP response element activity identifying SMURF1 as a key negative regulator of BMP signalling in PASMC. Genetic ablation of SMURF1 in C57BL6 mice conferred allele dependent protection from SuHx induced PAH. Conclusions These studies suggest that miR-140 and SMURF1 are key regulators of BMP signalling and disease pathology in PAH and highlight SMURF1 as a potential novel therapeutic target.


Correspondence: Sharon C Wilsnack Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 501 North Columbia Road Stop 9037, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037, USA Tel +1 701 777 3065 Fax +1 701 777 6478 Email firstname.lastname@example.com Abstract: Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study (GENACIS) is a collaborative study of gender-related and cultural influences on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems of women and men. Members conduct comparative analyses of data from comparable general population surveys in 38 countries on five continents. This paper presents GENACIS findings that (1) age-related declines in drinking are uncommon outside North America and Europe; (2) groups of women at increased risk for hazardous drinking include women who cohabit, women with fewer social roles, more highly educated women in lower-income countries, and sexual minority women in North America; (3) heavier alcohol use shows strong and cross-culturally consistent associations with increased likelihood and severity of intimate partner violence; and (4) one effect or accompaniment of rapid social, economic, and gender-role change in traditional societies may be increased drinking among formerly abstinent women. These findings have potentially important implications for women-focused intervention and policy. Substance abuse services should include attention to middle-aged and older women, who may have different risk factors, symptoms, and treatment issues than their younger counterparts. Creative, targeted prevention is needed for high-risk groups of women. Programs to reduce violence between intimate partners must include attention to the pervasive role of alcohol use in intimate partner aggression. Social and economic empowerment of women, together with social marketing of norms of abstention or low-risk drinking, may help prevent increased hazardous alcohol use among women in countries undergoing rapid social change. Greater attention to effects of gender, culture, and their interactions can inform the design of more effective prevention, intervention, and policy to reduce the substantial global costs of alcohol abuse in both women and men.


In this paper, we describe an approach for agile business process execution and its developed prototype. In a rapidly changing environment an enterprise must be flexible and able to quickly react. Traditional business process modelling approaches are too rigid and inflexible. To achieve more agility, the modelling during build-time must be less strict and more open in a way that users are able to perform individual adaptations during run-time, which leads to more flexibility. Being able to react fast is also depending on the enterprise knowledge. Employees must be aware of it and able to access it in an easy way. The approach proposes to use ontologies to store information and appropriate services to receive context-relevant information to tackle these challenges.


We live in the information age and that the information super highway ("Cyberspace") passes by each of our doors every day. Of course, we are referring to computer connectivity, and specifically to the structured collection of resources known as the Internet. Unfortunately, many physicians and other health care providers either do not have an "on ramp" to this super highway or have not learned to use the facilities we do have. Physicians and other health care providers working in emergency departments (ED) or intensive care units (ICU) who begin to explore the Internet will find many uses for this new connectivity. The Internet is not a new project. Indeed, it began as a Department of Defense networking experiment funded by the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA). In 1969, four western academic institutions joined ARPA and other networks connected shortly thereafter. For a long time, the Internet was the bastion of the university researcher and "computer geek" who had a working knowledge of UNIX commands and felt comfortable with computers. This has changed dramatically over the last 5 years. With the increase in popularity of Windows and other graphical operating systems, new "front-ends"(software programs with which the user interacts with the network) have been developed to allow the user to access and explore the Internet without memorizing or even understanding arcane computer syntax. As you are probably aware of (because you are reading this electronic journal!), 3 distinct components are required for any person trying to connect with the Internet. First, an access provider which permits the physical connection to the network. Second, a computer system with networking software that controls the transmission of the information to and from the Internet connection to the user's computer terminal. Third, application programs to access and use the services provided by remote computers connected to the Internet. Many academic settings have direct physical connections with the Internet allowing health care providers affiliated with these institutions easy access to the network. Dial-up access using modems and standard telephone lines allow many other people various levels of Internet services. These dial-up connections are mainly limited by the speed with which information may be transmitted over standard telephone lines. With the advent of high speed connections (i.e., ISDN lines and cable connections) these limitations will shortly disappear. A number of services are available on the Internet. E-mail or electronic mail is probably the most frequently utilized. Text and other data (audio, images, etc.) may be exchanged between connected individuals with very short transfer times by simply addressing the item using an assigned name/address. Commercial computer information services (e.g., America On-Line , CompuServe , Prodigy ) permit their subscribers to send and receive E-mail from Internet mailservers. This service is commonly available at no or minimal cost. In an extension of the E-mail concept, individuals with common interests may band together in groups in an E-mail club known as a mail list. Through this mechanism, ongoing discussions of topics pertinent to the group may occur. Points of view or queries are sent as E-mail to the mailing list manager. The mailing list manager is a computer system that collects and transmits these E-mail messages to all the subscriber on the mailing list. Common mailing list managers are "LISTSERV" and "MAJORDOMO". Mail lists may be moderated (in which every message is reviewed by the moderator before it is sent out to the subscribers), or unmoderated. Emergency medicine and intensive care mailing lists exist for the transmission of information and discussions relevant to emergency medicine and intensive care. Emergency Medicine: Intensive Care and Cyberspace 2 of 3 Another information source available on the Internet are the so-called "newsgroups". These collections of messages are very much like a bulletin board and only vary slightly from the mailing lists noted above. Messages are posted and responded to by members of the mailing group. Rather than being E-mailed directly to the members of the group, newsgroup articles must be downloaded from a newserver maintained by the Internet access provider. Thousands of newsgroups exist covering every topic imaginable exist. Unfortunately, the administrator of the local newserver determines which groups are available to their users. Good newsreader software allows one to follow the thread of the discussion based upon subject. The most rapidly growing information source in the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW). The distinguishing characteristics of the WWW is its hypertext format (HTML or HTM). The term hypertext refers to a non-linear writing form in which one may follow associated paths through textual documents. Hypertext links to other documents or other sites on the Internet characterize a WWW page. Navigated by the use of a "browser" (a piece of software that typically displays pictures and text), the Web allows the internaut to see still images, download animations and sound, and to even send E-mail to specific addresses. Several very useful emergency medicine, trauma and critical care web pages are in operation. Moreover, several hospitals and university fellowship programs also maintain pages. A world of clinical cases, radiographic images, history of medicine images and other data is available through the WWW. A particularly useful Internet service is "ftp" or file transfer protocol. This is one of the main ways in which one may retrieve or transmit files between computers connected on the Internet. More recently, a video conferencing capability for the Internet has been introduced known as "CU-SEEME". With appropriate hardware and software, one may have a one-onone conference with another person connected on the Internet, or utilizing a "reflector" broadcast your video image to other interested CU-SEEME users. Many other video conferencing programs are being developed with significant improvements in the quality of video conferencing. Most of these programs, however, require high speed connections. A variety of emergency medicine and intensive care-related sites can be found on the Internet. What we believe will impact the most our emergency medicine and intensive care practice is the availability of "on-line" publications that allow a user a fast way to find "urgent" information. For example, in the case of poisonings, access to information databases that contain specific antidotes. In addition, on-line publications such as The Internet Journal of Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine or The Internet Journal of Anesthesiology provide up-to-date information, graphical reviews, interactive video conferencing and discussions that can not be accomplished in regular journals. Discussing prognostic indicators over a video conference or multimedia slide presentation at the tip of the users fingers will prove to be invaluable information. No longer, readers will have to wait for 18 months of peer review, typesetting and publishing before they can read new and exciting information. This is now the present and not the future.


The effect of SiO2 addition on the anatase-to-rutile phase transition was investigated by DTA, XRD, FTIR, and XPS. TiO2 xerogels containing SiO2 up to 20 mol% were prepared by mixing and hydrolyzing titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) with HNO3 as a catalyst. With increased amounts of SiO2 in the xerogels, the following results were obtained: (1) the crystallization temperature of anatase increased from 415°C in pure TiO2 to 609°C in 20-mol%-SiO2-containing xerogel in the DTA curves; (2) the formation temperature of rutile, according to quantitative XRD analysis, increased with increased SiO2 content up to 5 mol% SiO2 but became constant at higher SiO2 contents; (3) the crystallinity of anatase became lower; and (4) the lattice parameter a of the anatase decreased slightly, but the parameter c decreased greatly up to 20 mol% SiO2. Although the added silicon atoms were considered from these results to be incorporated into the amorphous TiO2 and anatase structures, the 29Si MAS NMR spectra of the xerogels containing 10 mol% SiO2 showed only tetrahedral silicon, with no indication of silicon in octahedral coordination. When calcined at higher temperatures, the xerogel showed polymerization of the SiO4 tetrahedra in the NMR spectra and the Si–O–Si vibration in the FTIR spectra. The chemical composition of the xerogel surfaces, measured using XPS, showed increased SiO2 content with increased calcining temperature, indicating the expulsion of silicon from inside the particles to form an amorphous SiO2 surface layer. The formation of this amorphous SiO2 surface layer was considered to be important in retarding the anatase-to-rutile phase transition by suppressing diffusion between anatase particles in direct contact and limiting their ability to act as surface nucleation sites for rutile. These effects of silicon additions were similar to those observed in the γ-Al2O3- to-α-Al2O3 transition.


In this chapter, there has been presented destruction estimation models of construction elements of aircraft in different cases of the state of readiness. The following cases have been examined: when a diagnostic parameter indicating the state of readiness exceeds critical point; when unexpected failure occurs as a result of overload impulse; when a diagnostic parameter increases and as a result premature failure occurs; when damage can be indicated with a diagnostic parameter and an unexpected failure may occur. Differential calculus of Fokker-Planck type has been used in creating the model. Second part of the chapter includes a method of probability and risk evaluation of technical damage to functional-relief (redundant) systems using the Poisson model. The chapter raised the problem of diagnosis errors and erroneous usability evaluation, and describes the example of a real event of an aircraft landing without the released landing gear as a consequence of an erroneous diagnostics. The rescue process in a situation of an aviation accident hazard was described briefly.


An important program optimization especially for heterogeneous parallel systems is performance-aware implementation selection which is (static or dynamic) selection between multiple implementation variants for the same computation, depending on the current execution context (such as currently available resources or performanceaffecting parameter values)1. Doing it for multiple component calls inside a program while considering interferences between call executions due to resource sharing and data flow is referred to as the global component composition problem. In this work, we study the HEFT (Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time) greedy heuristic scheduler which considers one component call at a time and is used by many GPU-based runtime systems for performance-aware implementation selection. We discuss its effectiveness for component composition in programs containing more than one component call, on a GPU based system. Composition scenarios with both independent and data-dependent component calls where this heuristic might produce an overall sub-optimal schedule are shown. Furthermore, we describe four coordination constructs that can be used to model relationships between different component calls in a hierarchical manner and can be used for making better composition decisions. We discuss a component composition scenario with two or more component calls constrained inside a data dependency chain and propose a bulk scheduling heuristic that can make better decisions by considering data dependency between different component calls inside the chain. With our global composition framework supporting the program control and data flow analysis when injecting the composition code, we can implement such global heuristics in an automated way. Effectiveness of our bulk scheduling heuristic is evaluated using two examples on a GPU-based system.


Introduction: Stuttering, a fluency disorder causes a negative impact on an individual's educational, occupational, and social experiences. Based on the review of the previous literatures it was found that the school population exhibited 5% lifetime incidence and 1% stuttering prevalence.
Aim: To assess the awareness and attitude of teachers towards primary school children with stuttering.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in primary schools in Dakshina Kannada, Mangalore, Karnataka, India, using Convenient sampling. A total of 70 teachers who are currently teaching primary school children were selected. A questionnaire was developed which had three sections. For the purpose of validation, the developed questionnaire was given to seven experienced speech language pathologists. Later, these speech language pathologists were asked to rate the relevance of each section and questions on a 5-point rating scale. Based on the average ratings, content validity index was calculated. Later each of the participants was given a copy of the questionnaire and was asked to rate it based on the response format provided. On the basis of obtained scores, internal consistency and test-retest reliability was estimated by using the statistical test Cronbach's alpha and analysis was conducted by using SPSS version 20.0.
R
esults: Questions regarding the teachers' awareness towards stuttering received an average score of 63.16%. For teachers' attitude, a score of 55.7% and a score of 48.5% for the teacher's perception regarding the students' interaction with the children who stutter were obtained.
C
onclusion: The present study indicates that teachers are aware about the development of speech and language patterns, the common errors that can occur during the developmental period which in turn helps them to differentiate stuttering from normal non-fluency. Therefore, understanding teacher's attitudes resolve them in mounting special consideration and making appropriate referral for intervention of the children.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease related to excessive accumulation of hepatic fat, and represents a spectrum of liver disease ranging from fat accumulation alone (steatosis) to the more significant histologic finding of steatohepatitis. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a progressive liver disease associated with increased risk of liver cirrhosis and cancer. NAFLD is becoming increasingly prevalent in the pediatric population in direct correlation with the emergence of childhood obesity as a significant pediatric health problem. The exact pathophysiology of NAFLD remains unclear, although the interplay of insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and release of proinflammatory cytokines are implicated in the process. The diagnostic workup and treatment for NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis remains controversial. This review discusses current concepts regarding the natural history, pathophysiology, and management of pediatric patients with NAFLD.


Avoiding possible interference is a key aspect to maximize the performance in Wi-Fi based Long Distance networks. In this paper we quantify self-induced interference based on data derived from our testbed and match the findings against simulations. By enhancing current simulation models with two key elements we significantly reduce the deviation between testbed and simulation: the usage of detailed antenna patterns compared to the cone model and propagation modeling enhanced by license-free topography data. Based on the gathered data we discuss several possible optimization approaches such as physical separation of local radios, tuning the sensitivity of the transmitter and using centralized compared to distributed channel assignment algorithms. While our testbed is based on 5 GHz Wi-Fi, we briefly discuss the possible impact of our results to other frequency bands.


Introduction : Pranayama (yogic Breathing) helps in breath control. It is easy to perform exercise having positive influence on cardiopulmonary factors. Pranayama is a known practice for its positive benefits on the respiratory parameters and functional capacity. Diaphragm mobility is a known tool for predicting exercise tolerance. However, the effect of Pranayamic practices on the diaphragm is not yet documented, thus explaining the purpose of this study. Aim : To assess the effect of Pranayama on diaphragmatic excursion Method : 30 healthy females between the age group of 18-24 years practiced Pranayama for eight weeks. Diaphragmatic excursion was assessed as a measure of respiratory effort on a portable ultrasound unit. Result : The Pretest&post test values of diaphragmatic excursion were 33.81 + 7.85&38.01 + 6.05 respectively, having "t" value -4.07&p 0.000 which was highly significant Conclusion : Pranayama showed significant improvement in the diaphragmatic excursion assessed on real time ultrasound unit.


This paper highlights the third consecutive year of an ongoing, embedded interdisciplinary collaborative program between Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) and Master of Industrial Design (design) students and faculty co-creating assistive devices that improve participation in tasks and activities for individuals living with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP). FOP is a rare and progressive genetic disease, causing an individual's muscles, tendons, and ligaments to turn to bone, resulting in fixation and immobility. During the 9-month collaborative experience, OTD and design students co-conducted 2 sets of interviews with FOP clients identifying activities of daily living that were problematic secondary to individual disease course. OTD students administered the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to identify which daily routines and activities were impacted. Design students employed standardized questions to clarify how their activities were performed. Findings informed initial assistive device prototypes, which were then sent to FOP clients for user testing. After testing was completed, design students continued to prototype and conducted a second feedback interview. This program also included several interprofessional educational experiences designed by the OTD students for their design peers under occupational therapy (OT) and design faculty supervision. Content was created to reinforce FOP clients' needs and was delivered through shared learning modules, activities, and peer-to-peer discussion. Weekly collaboration occurring in design coursework between disciplines and use of OT-related tools such as the COPM helped the design students leverage their skills by contextualizing what they observed when interacting with FOP clients, ultimately creating better products that met the needs of individuals with FOP. Findings presented include current data up to February 2022 from OTD and design interviews and FOP user feedback; data collection and prototyping will continue through May 2022. Outcomes demonstrated and reinforced the need for consistent, higher-level embedded interdisciplinary collaborative approaches that uniquely meet the needs of clients experiencing complex medical issues and help to expand the usability of assistive devices for other populations with complex issues.


ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is typically caused by acute thrombotic occlusion of an epicardial coronary artery, resulting in a wave front of myonecrosis from the subendocardium to the subepicardium, which is complete within several hours1 (although this time course can be substantially delayed by intermittent flow in the infarct artery and collateral vessels to the infarct zone).2 With this understanding, the treatment of STEMI shifted from strategies to reduce myocardial oxygen demand to approaches to rapidly re-establish patency of the infarct artery, either pharmacologically with fibrinolytic treatment or mechanically with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). For nearly two decades controversy raged as to whether the greater patency rates and reduced risks of life-threatening haemorrhagic complications achieved with primary PCI warranted the delays inherent in its implementation. This debate has largely been laid to rest by the performance of 23 randomised trials demonstrating that compared with fibrinolytic treatment, primary PCI results in reduced early and late mortality, reinfarction, recurrent ischaemia, intracranial haemorrhage, all-cause stroke and infarct size.3 4 As a result, primary PCI has become the worldwide standard of care for STEMI, when performed expeditiously at a skilled interventional facility. The delineation of factors delaying time to reperfusion with PCI has facilitated great strides in reducing system delays, resulting in shorter door-to-balloon times and enhanced survival.5

In addition to rapid intervention, favourable clinical outcomes after primary PCI in STEMI depend on restoring epicardial coronary artery patency, a prerequisite to normal myocardial perfusion and metabolism. Platelet activation is heightened in patients with acute coronary syndromes, and thrombus which forms early after plaque rupture is platelet-rich. By dissecting tissue planes and exposing collagen, and releasing tissue factor and other chemokines to the bloodstream, the PCI procedure itself further enhances platelet activation. Moreover, red blood cells soon become adherent …


This study investigated the impact of capital structure on profitability of consumer goods firms in Nigerian for a period of eight years (2011-2018). Data of ten (10) randomly selected listed firms of the Nigeria Stock Exchange were derived from the firms' published financial reports for the period covered. The panel regression results revealed that Debt to Asset Ratio(DAR) is positively significant on Return On Asset(ROA) (Proxy for profitability),while other proxies of capital structure shows that Debt to Equity(DER), Liquidity Ratio(LIQ), are not statistically significant, Short Term Debt to Total Asset Ratio (SDTA) shows a negative connection, Firm Size (FS) has a weak correlation with profit and Long Term Debt to Total Asset Ratio (LDTA) do not influence firms' profitability of the consumer goods sector of Nigeria economy. In conclusion, capital structure influences the profitability of consumer goods sector of Nigerian Stock Exchange. It was recommended that firms in that sector should leverage on debt financing to boost their earnings as interest payment on debt is tax deductible.


We present a calculation of the chirp generated in laser pulses shorter than 100 fsec on propagation through a saturable absorber (DODCI in ethylene glycol). The calculation takes into account the absorber saturation and the solvent nonlinear refractive index. At pulse energies greater than 10 nJ the chirp tends to be predominantly positive, and it increases rapidly as the pulse duration becomes shorter than 50 fsec. At pulse energies in the 1–7-nJ range the chirp is mostly negative for pulses longer than 30 fsec.


Pediatric stroke is an underrecognized, potentially treatable cause of childhood neurologic disease. Acute basilar artery thrombosis is a devastating disease rarely encountered in children. Acute interventions with both chemical and mechanical thrombolysis techniques can improve outcomes in adults with arterial thrombosis of the posterior cerebral circulation. We report a case of intervention with both intra-arterial alteplase (tissue plasminogen activator) and cerebral balloon angioplasty to treat a prolonged basilar artery occlusion secondary to idiopathic thrombosis in an adolescent. Despite the patient being clinically locked-in and intervention being delayed at least 20 hours from symptom onset, he obtained complete neurologic recovery. Issues of pediatric stroke, late therapeutic intervention, chemical thrombolysis, and cerebral angioplasty are discussed. This case highlights the underrecognition and subsequent delay in diagnosis of pediatric stroke and how acute intervention may cure otherwise catastrophic strokes in children.


INTRODUCTION
While vibrating products have been recommended by clinicians for the treatment of male sexual dysfunctions, knowledge is lacking with regard to the prevalence of vibrator use among men in the United States, the characteristics of men who use vibrators, and whether there are relations between vibrator use and sexual function among men.

AIMS
To establish lifetime and recent prevalence rates for vibrator use by men in the United States, to document the characteristics of men who use vibrators and their reasons for using vibrators, and to explore relations between men's vibrator use and sexual function.

METHODS
During April 2008, data were collected from a population-based cross-sectional survey of 1,047 men aged 18-60 years in the United States. Analyses were conducted using post-stratification data weights.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Measures included sociodemographics, health status and health-related behaviors, sexual behaviors, vibrator use, and sexual function.

RESULTS
For both solo and partnered sexual activities, the prevalence of men who had incorporated a vibrator into sexual activities during their lives was 44.8%, with 10.0% having done so in the past month, 14.2% in the past year, and 20.5% over 1 year ago. Men who had used vibrators, particularly those with more recent use, were more likely to report participation in sexual health promoting behaviors, such as testicular self-exam. Men who had used vibrators recently also scored higher on four of the five domains of the International Index of Erectile Function (erectile function, intercourse satisfaction, orgasmic function, and sexual desire).

CONCLUSIONS
Among men in the United States, vibrator use during solo and partnered sexual interactions is common and is associated with a wide array of positive sexual health characteristics. Future research should continue to explore ways in which men incorporate vibrators into solo sexual acts, partnered sexual play, and sexual intercourse.


The search for new, authentic science assessments of what students know and can do is well under way. This has unearthed measures of students' hands-on performance in carrying out science investigations, and has been expanded to discover more or less direct measures of students' knowledge structures. One potential finding is concept mapping, the focus of this review. A concept map is a graph consisting of nodes representing concepts and labeled lines denoting the relation between a pair of nodes. A student's concept map is interpreted as representing important aspects of the organization of concepts in his or her memory (cognitive structure). In this article we characterize a concept map used as an assessment tool as: (a) a task that elicits evidence bearing on a student's knowledge structure in a domain, (b) a format for the student's response, and (c) a scoring system by which the student's concept map can be evaluated accurately and consistently. Based on this definition, multiple concept-mapping techniques were found from the myriad of task, response format, and scoring system variations identified in the literature. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the reliability and validity of these variations. The review led us to arrive at the following conclusions: (a) an integrative working cognitive theory is needed to begin to limit this variation in concept-mapping techniques for assessment purposes; (b) before concept maps are used for assessment and before map scores are reported to teachers, students, the public, and policy makers, research needs to provide reliability and validity information on the effect of different mapping techniques; and (c) research on students' facility in using concept maps, on training techniques, and on the effect on teaching is needed if concept map assessments are to be used in classrooms and in large-scale accountability systems. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


This contribution to the science of consciousness aims at comparing how two different theories can explain the emergence of different qualia experiences, meta-awareness, meta-cognition, the placebo effect, out-of-body experiences, cognitive therapy and meditation-induced brain changes, etc. The first theory postulated that qualia experiences derive from specific neural patterns, the second one, that qualia experiences derive from the interaction of a proto-consciousness with the brain's neural activity. From this comparison it will be possible to judge which one seems to better explain the different qualia experiences and to offer a more promising research agenda.


Silicon nanowires are structures made from silicon with at least one spatial dimension in the nanometer regime (1-100 nm). From these nanowires, silicon nanowire field-effect transistors can be constructed. Since their introduction in 2001 silicon nanowire field-effect transistors have been studied because of their promising application as selective sensors for biological and chemical species. Their large surface-to-volume ratio promises an increased sensitivity compared to conventional, planar field-effect transistors. Selectivity can be added by smart modification of the surface of the nanowire. The application of nanowire field-effect transistors as chemical sensors for ions is studied in this thesis. After briefly discussing the working principle of field-effect transistors, an extensive review on reported state-of-the-art surface modification techniques is presented. By far, most of this work covers the covalent attachment of molecules to the silicon oxide layer that is typically present on as-prepared silicon nanowires. In addition, some examples on non-covalent approaches have been reviewed. Alternatively, the oxide layer can be removed to attach molecules directly onto silicon. Nanowire field-effect transistors are prepared using top-down fabrication techniques. Nanowires with a width of 20 to 2000 nanometer, a length of 3 to 5 micrometer and a height of 50 to 100 nanometer are etched from silicon-on-insulator wafers. Using a newly developed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible process, nanowire field-effect transistors are obtained. This process allows for the use of a broad variety of front oxides, which enables selective surface modification of the nanowires and the implementation of materials with different dielectric constants. Furthermore, the presence of a silicon nitride passivation layer on the area around the nanowire provides the possibility to modify only the nanowire surface. Chips typically consist of 28 individual nanowire field-effect transistors. The devices are characterized in air and the variation of the threshold voltage over the wafer is mapped. It is shown that the electrical characteristics make the devices suitable for sensing experiments. The nanowire field-effect transistors are electrically characterized while exposed to water using a newly developed flow cell. A pulsed gate potential is applied as method for stable characterization. While most methods reported in literature use a reference electrode, the pulsed method can be applied without it. Using the sensitivity towards protons of the Si-OH groups at the SiO2 surface, the pH of aqueous solutions is determined using this pulsed gate potential method. It is found that upon increasing pH the threshold voltage increases, which is as expected. The nanowire field-effect transistors are studied using two types of gating: back gating and front gating through the liquid via an Ag/AgCl electrode. It is found that both methods can be used to gate the device, and that in general smaller potentials are needed for front gating compared to back gating. Using this front-gate method, the influence of the non-aqueous solvent 1,4-dioxane on the device characteristics is studied by exposing the devices to different water-1,4-dioxane mixtures. The dependency of the threshold voltage on the mixture composition is found to be related to the decreased dissociation of the surface silanol groups and the electrical conductivity of the mixture used. In the final experiments, the nanowire field-effect transistors are covered with an ionophore-containing polymer membrane via drop casting. This membrane consists of a silicon rubber polymer (Siloprene), embedding the ionophore valinomycin, which has a K+/Na+ selectivity of ~10^5. Using a setup with liquid gating and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode, accurate potassium ion concentrations are determined. Upon exposure of the membrane modified device to sodium ions at a fixed potassium ion concentration, the potential of the device only changes at very high sodium ion concentrations. This confirms the high ion selectivity of the membrane modified device. These results are comparable in line with those obtained using a conventional ion-selective electrode setup. In conclusion, the experiments presented in this PhD thesis lead to an increased understanding of the electrical behavior of nanowire field-effect transistors under different circumstances. This will support the construction and operation of nanowire field-effect sensors, facilitating the further development of advanced sensors.


We perform a rigorous comparison between the Spherical Harmonic (SH) and Monte Carlo (MC) methods of solving the Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE), on a 0.05 μm base BJT. We find the SH and the MC methods give very similar results for the energy distribution function, using an analytical band-structure, at all points within the tested devices. However, the SH method can be as much as seven thousand times faster than the MC approach for solving an identical problem. We explain the agreement by asymptotic analysis of the system of equations generated by the SH expansion of the BTE.


Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) usage has gained a huge popularity among other polymers in industries, building sites, electrical, mechanical and household materials. The areas in which polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials are needed, will determine the type of polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) to be employed. This thesis work is based on the mechanical and structural changes of properties of the different polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) when subjected to heating and load force on the heater and testometric tensile test machine in the laboratory. The results show that temperature changes have great impact on the different polyvinyl chloride (PVC) due to difference in additives. The mechanical properties like stress, strain etc. were affected. The structural appearances too were distorted when mounted on the testometric tensile testing machine by subjection of loading force.


This work presents a modular approach for the dynamic modeling and efficient simulation of complex robot systems composed of multiple robots constrained by multiple concurrent contacts. The modular nature of the algorithm enables existing open-chain models for individual robots and other mechanisms to be incorporated without significant reprogramming, while a general contact model allows both holonomic and nonholonomic constraints in the system. An example is provided to illustrate the algorithm's modularity and demonstrate its application. In addition to the development of the dynamic equations, this paper will discuss the implementation of the simulation algorithm in detail, including issues of computational complexity.


Resource-based models of species competition have been introduced recently as an alternative to the classical theory based on the Lotca-Volterra methodological approach to species competition. We consider economic management of an ecosystem for a Tilman model of mechanistic resource-based species competition where the growth of species is limited by resource availability. We analyse the equilibrium ecosystem state resulting from Nature's equilibrium, and two basic management problems: the privately optimal management problem and the socially optimal management problem. Under private optimization agents do not take into account externalities associated with the effects of their management practices on ecosystem service flows, while these effects are accounted for at the socially optimal management. We show that in general three different equilibrium species specialization patterns emerge, we completely characterize these patterns for the ecological/economic model with linear structure, and we provide policy rules so that the privately optimal state could be driven towards the socially optimal or the natural equilibrium. We also develop an approach for unifying equilibrium price theory with Tilman ecological modelling and we prove the existence and analyse the stability of a price equilibrium for a stochastic discrete choice model of species specialization. Finally we discuss equilibrium specialization and policy issues for a generalized model where species and resources interact among themselves, as a conceptual basis for incorporating detailed ecological modelling into economic management.


Nitrogen fertilization rates in cereal production systems are generally determined by subtracting soil test N from a specified N requirement based on the grain yield goal, which represents the best achievable grain yield in the last 4 to 5 yr. If grain yield could be predicted in season, topdress N rates could be adjusted based on projected N removal. Our study was conducted to determine if the potential grain yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) could be predicted using in-season spectral measurements collected between January and March. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was determined from reflectance measurements under daytime lighting in the red and near-infrared (NIR) regions of the spectra. In-season estimated yield (EY) was computed using the sum of two postdormancy NDVI measurements (Jan. and Mar.) divided by the cumulative growing degree days (GDD) from the first to second reading. A significant relationship between grain yield and EY was observed (R 2 = 0.50, P > 0.0001) when combining all nine locations across a 2-yr period. Our estimates of potential grain yield (made in early Mar.) differed from measured grain yield (mid-July) at three sites where yield-altering factors (e.g., late summer rains delayed harvest and increased grain yield loss due to lodging and shattering) were encountered after the final sensing. Evaluating data from six of the nine locations across a 2-yr period, EY values explained 83% of the variability in measured grain yield. Use of EY may assist in refining in-season application of fertilizer N based on predicted potential grain yield.


Assessment of the process of bio-economic transformation of socioeconomic systems and its consequences in various countries, and in Ukraine in particular, is quite problematic since the existing methodology of the State Statistics bodies does not meet its needs and therefore is not able to cover its development based on domestic data adequately. The biggest obstacle on this path is the lack of separation of economic activity types into the production of the products using materials of biological and fossil origin in the process of collecting and processing official data, which further complicates the assessment of bioeconomic processes along supply chains and its impact on sustainable economic development. Paper research has been conducted through a mixed-methods approach to reach the following objectives, including desktop research using general scientific methods and content and comparative analysis with further conceptual framework adoption. To simplify the process of developing a methodological assessment framework, at the initial stage of the bioeconomic transformation assessment system formation, we proposed an adapted framework and indicators that can be obtained from existing statistical information supplemented with data from other alternative sources. This approach assumes the use of formal data collection methods, assuming they will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. We have systematized assessment indicators into three dimensions of its maturity: indicators of bioeconomic potential, development, and sustainability, specific to Ukrainian organizations, as these combined indicators can provide an understanding of the current state, compromises, and the likelihood of sustainable bio-economy transformation. Practical implementation of the obtained results and elimination of identified shortcomings and gaps in the assessment of bioeconomic transformation will contribute to developing bioeconomic strategies based on sustainable development.


Introduces a systematic and defined process called "comparison of design methodologies" (CDM) for objectively comparing software design methodologies (SDMs). We believe that using CDM will lead to detailed, traceable, and objective comparisons. CDM uses process modeling techniques to model SDMs, classify their components, and analyze their procedural aspects. Modeling the SDMs entails decomposing their methods into components and analyzing the structure and functioning of the components. The classification of the components illustrates which components address similar design issues and/or have similar structures. Similar components then may be further modeled to aid in more precisely understanding their similarities and differences. The models of the SDMs are also used as the bases for conjectures and analyses about the differences between the SDMs. This paper describes three experiments that we carried out in evaluating CDM. The first uses CDM to compare Jackson System Development (JSD) and Booch's (1986) object-oriented design. The second uses CDM to compare two other pairs of SDMs. The last one compares some of our comparisons with other comparisons done in the past using different approaches. The results of these experiments demonstrate that process modeling is valuable as a powerful tool in analysis of software development approaches. >


Abstract A model helical coil steam generator test section was designed and constructed to visualize the flow between two adjacent tube bundles—inner and outer bundle—that coil in opposite directions to one another. This study focuses on visualizing and characterizing fluid properties on the shell side of the unique tube-and-shell heat exchanger design. Flow within the shell side is characterized by recirculation regions below the tubes, or wake regions, and streamlined flow between tube bundles. The matched refractive index particle image velocimetry (PIV) experimental technique was used to experimentally capture the flow between the adjacent tube bundles. Images for PIV analysis were taken at three cross-sectional planes of the test section at 10 000 frames per second of an area approximately 24.54 23.20 mm. Average vertical and transverse velocity components were analyzed at a distance of r/rr = 1.1 about the tube centers at a specific rod height to observe flow separation and flow characteristics between the tube bundles. Measurements showed the magnitude of the normalized vertical velocity increased through the planes as the flow followed the helical pitch of the tube bundles. The flow was also observed to experience significant flow separation from recirculating eddies and vortex shedding across the rods.


Since emergencies including both natural disasters and man-made incidents, are happening more and more frequently, evacuation, especially transportation evacuation, is becoming a hot research focus in recent years. Currently, transportation evacuation study focuses on evacuating people and property from large areas and does not address the problem of transportation evacuation in a small and dense area. This research is intended to identify the study framework of developing transportation evacuation plans in small and dense areas. Texas Medical Center (TMC), Houston, Texas, is selected as case study in this thesis. Incidents are assumed based on potential threats. Traffic information is collected through filed data collections in the TMC area, and evacuation scenarios with incidents and management improvements are coded and simulated in VISSIM, a microscopic traffic simulation model. Genetic Algorithm is one of the calibration methods for searching multiple parameters at the same time and is used in this thesis to calibrate parameters of driving behaviors in VISSIM by using field collected and simulation data. Based on the simulation results, potential improvements and measurement of effectiveness (MOE) of operations such as Reversed Lane (RL) and In-bound Shuttle (IS) are analyzed and evaluated. Simulation results show that the evacuation would be much more efficient if appropriate operational strategies are implemented. Proper management improvements such as RL and IS could greatly maximize the number of persons/vehicles evacuated in the area. The selected operational plan can efficiently evacuate all persons in the TMC in suitable simulation scenario under a given incident assumption. The framework of developing a transportation evacuation plan is tested and proven to be effective in the TMC. The microscopic simulation based study process is targeted on small and dense areas and it can be used in any other similar areas. It is recommended that further work be conducted to form a comprehensive evacuation plan.


20 Understanding whole-brain-scale electrophysiological recordings will rely on the collective work 21 of multiple labs. Because two labs recording from the same brain area often reach different 22 conclusions, it is critical to quantify and control for features that decrease reproducibility. To 23 address these issues, we formed a multi-lab collaboration using a shared, open-source 24 behavioral task and experimental apparatus. We repeatedly inserted Neuropixels multi-electrode 25 88 these results suggest that across-lab standardization of electrophysiological procedures can lead 89 to reproducible results across laboratories. 90 driven by variance between recording 170 rigs repeatedly used for probe placement within labs. We were unable to identify a prescriptive 171 analysis to predict probe placement accuracy, which may reflect that the major driver of probe 172 placement variance derives from differences in skull landmarks used for establishing the coordi- 173 nate system, and the underlying brain structures. from the shuf- 213 fled null-distribution. Because a test is performed per region-metric pair, the p-values were cor- 214 rected for multiple testing using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure ( Seabold and Perktold, 2010 ; 215 Benjamini and Hochberg, 1995 ). We found that all electrophysiological features were reproducible 216 across laboratories for all regions studied. 217 priors from real data for simulation. We finally ran the leave-one-out analyses with GLMs/MTNN on the simulated data and compared the


Pervasive environments offer an increasing number of services to a large number of people moving within these environments including timely information about where to go and when. People using these services interact with the system but they are also meeting other people and performing other activities as relevant opportunities arise. The design of such systems and the analysis of collective dynamic behaviour of people within them is a challenging problem. In previous work we have successfully explored a scalable analysis of stochastic process algebraic models of smart signage systems. In this paper we focus on the validation of a representative example of this class of models in the context of emergency egress. This context has the advantage that there is detailed data available from studies with alternative analysis methods. A second aim is to show how realistic human behaviour, often observed in emergency egress, can be embedded in the model and how the effect of this behaviour on building evacuation can be analysed in an efficient and scalable way. Keywords-collective behaviour; validation; process algebra; fluid flow;


B ackground: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a devastating malignancy with great heterogeneity, novel prognostic biomarkers and therapy targets are needed to improve the precise management of AML patients. Increasing evidence has shown the role of RPL34, a ribosomal protein, in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the detailed expression status and clinical significance of RPL34 in AML are largely unknown. M ethods: The expression level of RPL34 was detected in bone marrow samples from both AML patients and AML cell lines. Then using recombinant shRNA-lentiviral vector, we analyzed the impact of RPL34 knockdown on cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. Lastly, by analyzing public gene expression datasets (GSE12417 and GSE2191), we determined the prognostic role of RPL34 in AML. Results: The mRNA level of RPL34 was significantly elevated in AML bone marrow samples and cell lines. Patients with high level of RPL34 had inferior survival outcomes than their counterparts, and upregulation of RPL34 may mediate chemoresistance in AML. Through knockdown of RPL34 in HL-60 cell line, we found cell proliferation was inhibited, cell apoptosis was triggered, and cell cycle was arrested in S phase. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that downregulation of RPL34 could inhibit cell proliferation, promote cell apoptosis, and induce cell cycle arrest in AML cell line HL-60. Also, its expression and clinical significance in AML patients was confirmed. All these findings suggest that RPL34 may be a potential novel therapy target in AML. Key words: Acute myeloid leukemia; ribosomal protein L34; biomarker; therapy target; chemoresistance


A generalized microplane model 'or brittle-plastic heterogeneous materials such as concrete, which describes not only tensile cracking but also nonlinear triaxial response in compression and shear, is presented. The constitutive properties are characterized separately on plane.s of various orientations within' the material, called the microp lanes, on which there are only few stress and strain components and no tensorial requirements need to be observed. These requirements are satisfied automatically by integration over all spatial directions. The state of each microplane is characterized by normal deviatoric and volumetric strains and shear strain, which makes it possible to match any Poisson ratio. The microplane strains are assumed to ~ the resolved components of the macroscopic strain tensor. The central assumption is that on the microplane level the stress-strain diagrams for monotonic loading are path-independent and that aU the path dependence on the macrolevel is due to unloading, which happens selectively on microplanes of some orientations. The response on the microplane is assumed to depend on the lateral normal strain, which does no work. In consequence, the incremental elastic moduli tensor is nonsymmetric, which is necessary to model friction and dilatancy. This tensor is also generally anisotropic and fully populated (i.e., none of its elements can be prescribed as zero). The model involves many fewer free material parameters than the existing comprehensive macroscopic phenomenologic constitutive models for concrete.


Drug-induced Neutropenia can be fatal when severe and therefore requires an improved understanding of its mechanism(s) of toxicity. Systems biology provides an opportunity to understand adverse events after drug administration using analysis of biomolecular networks. In this study, a human protein interaction network was analyzed to identify proteins that are most central to topological paths connecting a drug's target proteins to hematopoiesis-related proteins. For a set of 19 non-immune neutropenia inducing drugs, we found 270 proteins involved in putative signaling paths of which 9 proteins were found to be common across all drugs evaluated and all 9 proteins showed relevance to neutrophil biology. This study provides an understanding of downstream effects for drugs known to induce non-immune neutropenia.  We believe that the algorithm developed here can be applied towards analysis of any toxicity where the drugs and the physiological processes involved in the toxic mechanism are known.


An anodizing process, at an early stage of development at the time of reporting the information for this article, has shown promise as a means of fabricating alumina nanotemplates integrated with silicon wafers. Alumina nanotemplates are basically layers of alumina, typically several microns thick, in which are formed approximately regular hexagonal arrays of holes having typical diameters of the order of 10 to 100 nm. Interest in alumina nanotemplates has grown in recent years because they have been found to be useful as templates in the fabrication of nanoscale magnetic, electronic, optoelectronic, and other devices. The present anodizing process is attractive for the fabrication of alumina nanotemplates integrated with silicon wafers in two respects: (1) the process involves self-ordering of the holes; that is, the holes as formed by the process are spontaneously arranged in approximately regular hexagonal arrays; and (2) the rates of growth (that is, elongation) of the holes are high enough to make the process compatible with other processes used in the mass production of integrated circuits. In preparation for fabrication of alumina nanotemplates in this process, one first uses electron-beam evaporation to deposit thin films of titanium, followed by thin films of aluminum, on silicon wafers. Then the alumina nanotemplates are formed by anodizing the aluminum layers, as described below. In experiments in which the process was partially developed, the titanium films were 200 A thick and the aluminum films were 5 m thick. The aluminum films were oxidized to alumina, and the arrays of holes were formed by anodizing the aluminum in aqueous solutions of sulfuric and/or oxalic acid at room temperature (see figure). The diameters, spacings, and rates of growth of the holes were found to depend, variously, on the composition of the anodizing solution, the applied current, or the applied potential, as follows: In galvanostatically controlled anodizing, regardless of the chemical composition of the solution, relatively high current densities (50 to 100 mA/cm2) resulted in arrays of holes that were more nearly regular than were those formed at lower current densities. . The rates of elongation of the holes were found to depend linearly on the applied current density: the observed factor of proportionality was 1.2 (m/h)/(mA/cm2). For a given fixed current density and room temperature, the hole diameters were found to depend mainly on the chemical compositions of the anodizing solutions. The holes produced in sulfuric acid solutions were smaller than those produced in oxalic acid solutions. The arrays of holes produced in sulfuric acid were more ordered than were those produced in oxalic acid. . The breakdown voltage was found to decrease logarithmically with increasing concentration of sulfuric acid. The breakdown voltage was also found to decrease with temperature and to be accompanied by a decrease in hole diameter. The hole diameter was found to vary linearly with applied potential, with a slope of 2.1 nm/V. This slope differs from slopes (2.2 and 2.77 nm/V) reported for similar prior measurements on nanotemplates made from bulk aluminum. The differences among these slopes may be attributable to differences among impurities and defects in bulk and electron-beam-evaporated aluminum specimens.


In this paper, we propose a metallized 3D printed cavity for K-band imaging and investigate the effect of metallization type on mode diversity and image reconstruction. The 3D printed cavity acts as a frequency-diverse aperture and is capable of imaging objects in an all-electronic manner utilizing computational imaging techniques. We demonstrate that metallization material choice can increase the mode diversity by 90.8%, significantly improving imaging.


Assessment of clinical competence is an essential component of any health related professional programme. Clinical assessment in our school currently comprises of: 1) Each student being assigned a registered nurse/midwife clinical preceptor 2) Preceptor and student working together in clinical practice 3) Student and preceptor agreeing the number of competencies and level of attainment for each placement and 4) the first 4 stages of Steinaker and Bell's (1979) experiential taxonomy (exposure, participation, identification and internalization) being used to assist in identifying the level of competency attainment appropriate for each year of their programme. However, students and preceptors have articulated difficulty in comprehending the abstract nature of such threshold concepts. To create a profile of clinically pertinent cases which could be used to explain what is required of students at the various levels of the taxonomy. Translate this information into an easily accessible online intervention. A series of qualitative, descriptive semi-structured interviews (created around the framework of Steinaker and Bells (1979) Taxonomy) were conducted with students (n=10) and preceptors (n=10). Data was analysed using qualitative, thematic, content analysis. Key exemplars, which best explain the clinical assessment process were identified. An online package using a mixture of text, audio, providing clinically relevant interesting explanations of abstract terminology was created. The complex nature of each of the concepts within the taxonomy were unravelled using the exemplars provided by students and their preceptors, each participant bringing a unique and discipline specific perspective. This paper provides an overview of the process used to develop and validate the online learning resource. The interviews provided an insight into the clinical assessment process and brought clarity to abstract terms used in the taxonomy. The online intervention provides an easily accessible tool which can be used as a learning resource. Acknowledgement: NAIRTL grant funding.


Production analysis matters in agricultural economics because technology shapes
developments in agriculture as well as in related sectors, such as the food industry. Pro-
ductivity and technical efficiency (TE) are key aspects in this context. In empirical
analysis, inefficiency can be confounded with unmeasured attributes. As panel data
are used to analyse productivity trends, it is possible to account for unobserved hetero-
geneity. However, in the context of efficiency analysis, estimation of the corresponding
stochastic frontier (SF) model is a challenge. Several econometric methods have been
proposed.
This thesis comprises applications that are of interest in agricultural economics and
applies a novel fixed effects SF approach. This estimation technique allows to distinguish
between inefficiency and unobserved heterogeneity. The applications address agricultural
production at the firm-level as well as at the country-level. As meat production is a major
activity in the European food chain, data on slaughtering and meat processing firms as
well as on livestock farms are used. On a global scale, agriculture is supposed to meet
a variety of challenges where technological development is one important component in
improving agricultural performance. The ultimate objective is to identify trends in total
factor productivity (TFP), and thereby, to better understand the developments in these
sectors. Differentiation between technical inefficiency and unobserved heterogeneity is
supposed to result in more reliable predictions of potential improvements.
Progress of the European meat industry proves to be divergent when different sub-
sectors are considered. The basic productivity of a firm is derived from the estimated
effects. In case of meat processing firms, a higher basic productivity seems to be an
advantage with respect to productivity growth.
Productivity spillovers may exist within the European meat chain. The analysis
relates TFP growth of livestock farms to TFP growth of meat firms. The sources of pro-
ductivity change are of different relevance between the two sectors. Results for regional
spillover effects are ambiguous.
The last application provides an update of productivity analysis using FAO data
on global agricultural production. Earlier studies typically neglect the panel structure
of the data. Results show that actual TE scores are higher and less dispersed when
accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. Consideration of the input variable feed leads
to lower rates of productivity change.