Straight cylindrical rods, 1.1–1.5 " 2.0–6.0 lm, occurring singly or in pairs. Conform to the general definition of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Gram negative. Motile by peritrichous flagella or nonmotile. Aerobic and facultatively anaerobic having both a respiratory and a fermentative type of metabolism, but anaerogenic biotypes occur. Oxidase negative. Chemoorganotrophic. Both acid and gas are formed from most fermentable carbohydrates, but i-inositol is not utilized and d-adonitol is utilized only by Escherichia fergusonii. Lactose is fermented by most strains of Escherichia coli, but fermentation may be delayed or absent in Escherichia blattae, Escherichia hermannii, Escherichia fergusonii, and Escherichia vulneris. Do not grow in KCN (with the exception of E. hermannii and a small proportion of E. vulneris). Usually do not produce H2S. E. coli occur naturally in the lower part of the intestine of warm-blooded animals, E. blattae in the hind-gut of cockroaches, and E. fergusonii, E. hermannii, and E. vulneris are found in the intestine, as well as extraintestinal sites of warmblooded animals. Seven copies of the rrn operon with genes coding for 16S, 23S, and 5S rRNA are present on the chromosome of E. coli. Comparative sequence analysis between the genes for 16S rRNA of E. coli, E. vulneris, and E. hermannii and homologous genes from all eubacteria places E. coli and E. vulneris together in a tightly related cluster with shigellae, and E. hermannii between Salmonella spp. and Citrobacter freundii (Cilia et al., 1996). Based on 16S rRNA sequencing, escherichiae belong in the Gammaproteobacteria. The mol% G # C of the DNA is: 48–59. Type species: Escherichia coli (Migula 1895) Castellani and Chalmers 1919, 941 (Bacillus coli Migula 1895, 27.)


The forest destruction, climate change and global warming can reduce an indirect forest benefit because forest is the largest carbon sink and it plays a very important role in global carbon cycle. To support reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) program, there is a need to understand the characteristics of existing Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC) modules. The aims of this study are 1) to calculate the rate of deforestation at Poso Regency; and 2) to compare the performance of LCM and GM for simulating baseline deforestation of multiple transitions based on model structure and predictive accuracy. The data used in this study are : 1) Indonesia tophographic map scale 1; 50.000, produced by Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), 2) Landcover maps (1990, 2000, and 2011) which were collected from the Director General of Forestry Planning, Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Meanwhile independent variables (environmental variables) such as : distance from the edge of the forest, the distance from roads, the distance from streams, the distance from settlement, elevation and slope. Landcover changes analysis was assessed by using Idrisi Terrset software and Geomod software. Landcover maps from 1990 and 2000 were used to simulate land-cover of 2011. The resulting maps were compared with an observed land-cover map of 2011. The predictive accuracy of multiple transition modeling was calculated by using Relative Operating Characteristics (ROC). The results show that the deforestation on the period of 1990-2011 reached 19,944 ha (3.55 %) or the rate of deforestation 949 ha year1. Based on the model structure and predictive accuracy comparisons, the LCM was more suitable than the GM for the asssement of deforestation.


A sensitive, simple and reproducible protocol for nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging technique is described. The use of commercially available TiO2 nanoparticles abolishes heterogeneous crystallization, matrix background interferences and enhances signal detection, especially in the low mass range. Molecular image normalization was based on internal standard deposition on tissues, allowing direct comparison of drug penetration and distribution between different organs and tissues. The method was applied to analyze the distribution of the anticancer drug paclitaxel, inside normal and neoplastic mouse tissue sections. Spatial resolution was good, with a linear response between different in vivo treatments and molecular imaging intensity using therapeutic drug doses. This technique distinguishes the different intensity of paclitaxel distribution in control organs of mice, such as liver and kidney, in relation to the dose. Animals treated with 30 mg/kg of paclitaxel had half of the concentration of those treated with 60 mg/kg. We investigated the spatial distribution of paclitaxel in human melanoma mouse xenografts, following different dosage schedules and found a more homogeneous drug distribution in tumors of mice given repeated doses (5×8 mg/kg) plus a 60 mg/kg dose than in those assigned only a single 60 mg/kg dose. The protocol can be readily applied to investigate anticancer drug distribution in neoplastic lesions and to develop strategies to optimize and enhance drug penetration through different tumor tissues.


The growing interest in assemblages has already opened up a number of important lines of enquiry in archaeology, from the morphogenetic capacities of matter through to a rethinking of the concept of community. In this paper I want to explore how assemblages allow us to reconceptualize the critical issue of scale. Archaeologists have vacillated between expending energy on the 'great processes' of change like the evolution of humanity, the colonization of the globe or the origins of agriculture, and focusing on the momentary, fleeting nature of a small-scale ethnographic present. Where archaeologists have attempted to integrate different scales the result has usually been to turn to Annales-influenced or time perspectivism-driven approaches and their fixed, linear and ontologically incompatible layers of history. In contrast, I will use assemblages to examine how we can rethink both the emergence of multiple scales and their role in history, without reducing the differences of the small-scale to an epiphenomenal outcome of larger events, or treating large-scale historical processes as mere reifications of the 'real' on-the-ground stuff of daily life. As we will see, this approach also has consequences for the particular kind of reality we accord to large-scale archaeological categories.


A 14-kilobase (kb) fragment of Rhizobium trifolii Sym plasmid containing nodulation (nod) genes or the pSym plasmid of R. trifolii cointegrated with a broad-host-range vector R68.45 (pPN1) were transferred to Lignobacter strain K17 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO5 by conjugation. Lignobacter transconjugants carrying Sym plasmid pPN1 formed nodules on white, red, and subterranean clover plants. Lignobacter transconjugants containing a 14-kb fragment of nod genes cloned into a multicopy plasmid nodulated only white and subterranean clover plants, whereas transconjugants carrying the same fragment cloned into a low-copy plasmid vector nodulated only white clover plants. All nodules formed by Lignobacter transconjugants showed bacterial release from the infection threads into the host cytoplasm. Pseudomonas transconjugants with plasmid pPN1 formed nodule-like structures on white clover plants. These structures were not invaded by bacteria; however, a few bacteria were found within the intercellular spaces of the outermost cells of the structures. Pseudomonas transconjugants carrying the 14-kb fragment of R. trifolii nod genes did not form nodules on tested clover plants. All clover plants inoculated with either Pseudomonas or Lignobacter transconjugants containing a 14-kb fragment of nod genes (but not entire Sym plasmid) showed the "thick-and-short-root" response when compared to the control plants inoculated with the R. trifolii wild-type strain.


A microsomal deacetylase that catalyses the deacetylation of the O-glucoside of N-hydroxyacetanilide (GHA) was purified from guinea-pig liver. The activity was located exclusively in the microsomes and not detected in the cytosol. The purified GHA deacetylase was a trimeric protein with a molecular mass of 160+/-10 (S.D.) kDa composed of subunits of 53+/-2 kDa; its pI was 4.7. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of GHA deacetylase was similar to those reported for guinea-pig and rat liver microsomal carboxylesterases. The GHA deacetylase showed a comparable hydrolytic activity towards p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA), although the activities towards N-hydroxyacetanilide, acetanilide and some endogenous acylated compounds were very low or not detectable. The deacetylase activity towards GHA was inhibited by organophosphates but not by p-chloromercuribenzoate, suggesting that GHA deacetylase can be classified as a B-esterase. The enzyme exhibited a positive homotropic co-operativity towards GHA. The values of the Hill coefficient, the half-saturating concentration ([S]0.5) for GHA, and Vmax were 1.59+/-0.03, 5.51+/-0.07 mM and 32.5+/-1.4 micromol/min per mg respectively, at the optimum pH of 8.5. The bell-shaped pH dependence of the Vmax/[S]0.5 profile indicated pKa values attributed to histidine and lysine residues. The study of stoichiometric inhibition by di-isopropyl fluorophosphate and kinetic analysis with the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model suggests that GHA deacetylase has six substrate binding sites and three catalytically essential serine residues per enzyme molecule.


IntroductionThe Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Data Portal is a secure, accessible environment facilitating provision of rich data towards the largest Dementia, cognition and ageing community of cohort studies in the world. DPUK is also providing services for cohort studies and researchers to maximise the research potential of the programme's community.
Objectives and ApproachAs part of the engagement of DPUK cohorts with the Data Portal, cohorts will upload data onto the DPUK instance of UK Secure eResearch Platform infrastructure. The Data Portal allows access to a collaborative working space that allows cohorts to enrich their own data, perform their own analysis, and enhance the research potential of their data whilst making use of expertise at various DPUK sites, such as data linking, curation and multi-modal specialism. Cohort data divided into ontologies allows researchers to access data specific to their study needs and can be requested from multiple cohorts simultaneously.
ResultsBy utilising the Data Portal researchers have access to cohort data that has been prepared for dementia epidemiology using the agreed ontologies, providing more rapid access to cohort data that otherwise may be large and complex. The knowledge and experience of DPUK staff and collaborators can also help to guide nascent cohorts and feasibility studies into producing research-ready datasets, enabling them to achieve greater impact with their data. A range of analytical tools are provided on the Data Portal making analysis of a cohort's own data or multiple independent datasets more accessible. Alongside data curation, DPUK also facilitates data linkage to routine sources, beginning with a Wales-wide use case that will expand to the UK over the course of the project.
Conclusion/ImplicationsData from international sources accessible using a central platform permits international collaboration, with ontologies allowing previously disparate data to be combined and analysed to build knowledge and research impact. DPUK projects create policy leading results and operational research standards, enhancing cohort impact and discovery of benefits for Dementia patients.


: There has been analysed an outcome of treatment of diaphysial fractures of femur in 124 victims with associated and multiple damages. The analysed group of victims has been urgently subjected to intramedullary nailing osteosynthesis by means of a rod of our construction. Developed and officially approved method of nailing osteosynthesis not only eliminates application of bulky plaster bandages, skeletal traction systems, but ensures mobility, possibility of carrying out the repeated diagnostic and treatment--and--prophylactic measures and, in the indicated cases, repeated operative intervention. Clinical approval of the method of nailing osteosynthesis by means of the rod of our construction allowed to reduce the term of treatment, number of complications, temporary invalidity and invalidism as compared with the group of patients, subjected to conservative treatment.


The main aim of the present research was to study the effect of counseling on people suffering front problems. There is a consensus among the experts that the prolonged use of drugs generates certain problem for the users. One way to overcome this problem is the use of psychological counseling in addition to pharmacotherapy. It is assumed that such a combined approach can ultimately lead not only to alleviation of psychological symptoms but also paves the way to give up pharmacotherapy.For the above-mentioned objective, the constructive treatment strategy was used with a standard treatment (drugs) as the control and counseling as the additional treatment. A sample of thirty clients was selected from the psychiatry unit of the Hayat Shaheed Teaching Hospital. It was a heterogeneous sample varying in age, (from 15 to 60 years with a mean age of 37 years); educational qualification (from class 10 to post graduation); and gender. The clients were randomly assigned to the experimental group and control group.
The intake interview and the problem definition interview were used as well as the Neuroticism Scale Questionnaire in order to assess the problem. The counselor and the psychiatrist made the diagnosis independently.
After the successful completion of therapy for the clients in the experimental group and six months after the start of the research for the clients in the control group, the NSQ was administered again. The difference in the score was attributed to the success of counseling or to drugs depending on which group was tested.It was found that the clients improved in both the groups, showing a significant improvement at the probability level of 0.01. 73.3% clients in the experimental group stopped the use of drugs and 26.6 reduced their drug dosage, whereas the clients in the control group continued taking drugs.


A Big challenges to develop routing protocol that can meet different application needs and optimize routing paths according to the topology change in mobile ad hoc networks. The continuous transmission of small packet is called beacon packet, that advertises the presence of a base station and the mobile units sense the beacons and attempt to establish a wireless connections. Basing their forwarding decisions only on the local topology, geographic routing protocols have drawn a lot of attentions in recent years. However, inaccurate local topology knowledge and the outdated destination position information can lead to inefficient geographic forwarding and even routing failure. Proactive local position distribution can hardly adapt to the traffic demand. It is also difficult to pre-set protocol parameters correctly to fit in different environments. We have developed two self-adaptive on-demand geographic routing schemes. The local topology is updated in a timely manner according to network dynamics and traffic demands. Our route optimization scheme adapts the routing path according to both topology changes and actual data traffic requirements. Each node can determine and adjust the protocol parameter values independently according to different network environments, data traffic conditions and node's own requirements. Our simulation studies have shown that the proposed routing protocols are more robust and outperform the existing geographic routing protocol. Specifically, the packet delivery latency is reduced almost four times as compared to GPSR at high mobility.


vision. It renders possible high school work. It makes possible better and more sanitary schoolhouses, gives better janitor service and better equipment in the way of books, 'charts, maps, etc. It arouses more emulation and enthusiasm among pupils owing to greater numbers. It enables the new subjects of agriculture, domestic science, and industrial work to be introduced into the rural schools. It helps the good roads movement. " '... TEACHERS' PENSIONS.


The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the world's leading public health agency, so admired that whole regions and countries have borrowed its name—in Africa, Europe, even China. In past epidemics, CDC's expertise was transformative, such as in AIDS, Ebola, Zika, and Influenza H1N1. If there ever were a moment for the CDC to show leadership domestically and globally, it was the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the CDC's stature was diminished—not enhanced—in an administration that not only eschewed science and politically pressured the CDC, but also gave notice of withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), where CDC staff were firmly embedded. Recognizing where the CDC fell short in 2020 can inform the Biden Administration how to reform and strengthen the nation's public health agency. Deep structural reform should occur in at least five critical areas.


Background: Laparoscopy is an important component of infertility work up. It is the gold standard for evaluation of pelvic pathology and assessment of tubal patency. Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze the laparoscopic findings of infertile women presenting at Infertlity unit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Method: We had a retrospective cross-sectional study on Japaroscopic findings of 110 women. Results: Out of all patients 22.7% women had endometriosis. Various degrees of adhesion of pouch of Douglus was present in 16.4 %. Regarding tubal pate:1cy , 26.4% had unilateral block and 28.2% had bilateral block. Conclusion: A significant number of infertile women at the Infertility unit of BSMMU has tuboperitoneal disease and bilateral tubal block and ultimately need in vitro fertilization.


Cholinestarase activity in the cardiac neural elements of pregnant animals and in their offspring was studied under the effect of chlororganic pesticide -- polychlorcamphen and phosphororganic pesticide -- valexone. The substances in question were demonstrated to produce variously pronounced unidirected changes in cholinesterase activity in neural structures that testifies to interconnection and dependence of the changes in the system mother -- fetus. The alterations observed in nonsynaptic (trophic) cholinesterase make it possible to speak about the disorder of cholinergic innervation and about the importance of acetilcholinesterase trophic function as a regulator of cellular processes, an inhibitory index of differentiation during embryogenesis.


This paper presents the results of the investigation associated with the determination of mercury content in Polish hard coal and lignite samples. Those coals are major fuels used for electricity generation in Poland. The results indicated that the average content of mercury in the coal samples was roughly about 100 ng/g. Apart from the determination of the mercury contents a detailed ultimate and proximate analysis of the coal samples was also carried out. The relationships between the mercury content and ash, as well as fi xed carbon, volatile matter, sulfur, and high heating value of the coal samples were also established. Furthermore, the effect of coal enrichment was also investigated, and it was found that the enrichment process enabled the removal of up to 75% of the coal mercury from the samples.


A new species, Treponema socranskii, and three new subspecies, T. socranskii subsp. socranskii, T. socranskii subsp. buccale, and T. socranskii subsp. paredis, which were isolated from supragingival and subgingival samples from patients with periodontitis and from patients with experimental gingivitis, are described. These organisms are treponemes that ferment carbohydrates and require rumen fluid or shortchain volatile fatty acids for growth. Fermentable carbohydrates are required as an energy source. The major products of fermentation are acetic, lactic, and succinic acids. Trace amounts of formic acid are also produced. The level of deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid homology within each subspecies is greater than 80%, whereas the level of homology between subspecies is about 60%. The average guanineplus-cytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acid is 51 ± 1 mol%. The type strain of T. socranskii is strain ATCC 35536 (= VPI DR56BRIII6); the type strain of T. socranskii subsp. buccale is strain ATCC 35534 (= VPI D2B8); and the type strain T. socranskii subsp. paredis is strain ATCC 35535 (= VPI D46CPE1).


Two marine and one terrestrial wood-boring isopod species and one wood-inhabiting amphipod species maintain a digestive tract free of microorganisms. Digestive tracts examined in toto with the scanning electron microscope were devoid of microorganisms. In contrast, the outer exoskeleton surfaces of these crustaceans support a dense bacterialflora. Observations of the hindgut of termites revealed a diverse gut microflora as expected.


Many inflating spacetimes are likely to violate the weak energy condition, a key assumption of singularity theorems. Here we offer a simple kinematical argument, requiring no energy condition, that a cosmological model which is inflating--or just expanding sufficiently fast--must be incomplete in null and timelike past directions. Specifically, we obtain a bound on the integral of the Hubble parameter over a past-directed timelike or null geodesic. Thus inflationary models require physics other than inflation to describe the past boundary of the inflating region of spacetime.


This publication is intended for professionals training or practicing in mental health and not for the general public. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or IACAPAP. This publication seeks to describe the best treatments and practices based on the scientific evidence available at the time of writing as evaluated by the authors and may change as a result of new research. Readers need to apply this knowledge to patients in accordance with the guidelines and laws of their country of practice. Some medications may not be available in some countries and readers should consult the specific drug information since not all dosages and unwanted effects are mentioned. Organizations, publications and websites are cited or linked to illustrate issues or as a source of further information. This does not mean that authors, the Editor or IACAPAP endorse their content or recommendations, which should be critically assessed by the reader. Websites may also change or cease to exist.


The Scandinavian Society for Cell Toxicology (SSCT) has arranged annual scientific meetings since 1983. These workshops were the forum for the Multicentre Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity (MEIC) programme. Along with the MEIC programme, which was completed in 1998, a wide range of topics relating to cytotoxicity have been discussed. The meetings have also given an opportunity for graduate students and young scientists to present their work to an international audience. At the same time, experts in the fields of in vitro toxicity have been invited as speakers. The 19th SSCT scientific meeting, which was held in 2001 at Sørup Manor in Ringsted, Denmark, was no exception. The meeting consisted of four sessions: mechanisms of toxicity; environmental toxicological testing; alternatives to animal experiments; and validation of in vitro tests.


The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of social support and transformational leadership toward the three component model of organizational commitment (affective, continuance, and normative) with work motivation as a mediator. Subjects were 94 employees of a sugar factory in Indonesia with minimum 2 years as tenure. Four questionnaire used to obtain the data were organizational commitment questionnaire, social support questionnaire, transformational leadership questionnaire, and work motivation questionnaire. Data were analyzed using regression analysis and partial correlation. Results were: (1) affective and continuance commitments were significantly influenced by social support and transformational leadership with work motivation as mediator and (2) normative commitment was not significantly influenced by social support and transformational leadership.


To achieve a high spectrum efficiency in cellular radio systems, the radio resource allocation algorithms have to be adaptive to the actual traffic and interference situation. The focus of the paper is on performance bounds of a cellular radio system using dynamic channel assignment (DCA) combined with power control (PC). A trivial upper bound on the performance is identified. The bound is given by the performance of a hypothetical system which is able to use all channels simultaneously in all cells. A lower bound on the performance is derived from a theoretical PC supported DCA-algorithm. For a highway micro cellular system and a deterministic propagation model, numerical results show that the lower and upper bounds are tight. That is, the results indicate that it is possible to use all channels in all cells simultaneously and still provide an acceptable signal-to interference ratio in all assigned communication links. >


We propose a fast stochastic Riemannian gradient eigensolver for a real and symmetric matrix, and prove its local, eigengap-dependent and linear convergence. The fast convergence is brought by deploying the variance reduction technique which was originally developed for the Euclidean strongly convex problems. In this paper, this technique is generalized to Riemannian manifolds for solving the geodesically non-convex problem of finding a group of top eigenvectors of such a matrix. We first propose the general variance reduction form of the stochastic Riemannian gradient, giving rise to the stochastic variance reduced Riemannian gradient method (SVRRG). It turns out that the operation of vector transport is necessary in addition to using Riemannian gradients and retraction operations. We then specialize it to the problem in question resulting in our SVRRGEIGS algorithm. We are among the first to propose and analyze the generalization of the stochastic variance reduced gradient (SVRG) to Riemannian manifolds. As an extension of the linearly convergent VR-PCA, it is significant and nontrivial for the proposed algorithm to theoretically achieve a further speedup and empirically make a difference, due to our respect to the inherent geometry of the problem.


A facile and reproducible low-temperature (80 °C) solution route has been introduced to synthesize ZnO ellipsoids on silicon substrate without any pretreatment of the substrate or organic/inorganic additives. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction spectroscopy are performed to analyze the structural evolution, the single crystalline nature, and growth orientation at different stages of the synthetic process. The sequential formation mechanisms of heterogeneous nucleation in primary and secondary crystal growth behaviors have been discussed in detail. The presented results reveal that the morphology of micro/nanostructures with desired features can be optimized. The optical properties of grown structures at different stages were investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL). The monochromatic CL images were recorded to examine the UV and visible band emission contributions from the different positions of the intermediate and final structures of the individual ZnO ellipsoid. Significant enhancement in the defect level emission intensity at the central position of the structure reveals that the quality of the material improves as the reaction time is extended.


In this paper, the characterisation of micro-features involved in metrology applications within the scope of 4M is carried out through the use of different two-dimensional frequency analysis procedures. Firstly, the analysis methods are introduced and their basic principles are illustrated. Secondly, selected test cases, representing the issue of experimental research activities performed at the laboratory sites of the co-author's partner organisations, are presented with reference to diverse metrology purposes in different fields of applications.


Correction of behavior of rats preferring for a long time ethanol but not water may be performed using the agents enhancing sexual activity of animals of both sexes: apomorphine (1 mg/kg), bromocriptine (1 mg/kg) and yohimbine (4 mg/kg). Normalization of behavior of the rats manifested by not only a decrease of total ethanol consumption but also by a change of alcohol preference. Bromocriptine exerted the predominant effect on females, and yohimbine on males. Apomorphine was effective in the animals of both sexes but its efficacy was higher in females. The agents produce opposite changes depending on the animal sex in ethanol level during the withdrawal period, the rate of ethanol elimination in the blood at its administration in a test dose and the reaction of self-stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. Female rats proved to be more sensitive to the drugs' effects related to changes in ethanol metabolism rate. Male animals were more responsive to the effects due to changes in the positive reinforcement system.


Objectives: This paper aims to provide an insightful view of the entrepreneurial process and growth in different types of Chinese entrepreneurial enterprises under
market socialism in China. This issue is explored by examining the organisational characteristics of three emerging business ventures under market reforms and
institutional changes. It addresses the interactive effect of key contingency factors in entrepreneurship process and explains its impact on growth or failure outcomes in a
particular 'China type' of market economy.

Prior work: China's hybrid economic system represents a mixed political economy with both socialist and capitalist characteristics (Lichtenstein, 1992; Morphy et al,
1992; Opper, 2001). Despite a growing body of research on Chinese small business practices alongside the economic reforms (Shen, 1994; Child, 1994; Naughton, 1994;
Schlevogt, 2001; Warner, 2004; Yang, 2007; Kshetri, 2007; Yang and Li, 2008), more empirical studies are required to provide a critical insight into the emerging
business practices. This research adopts a contingency model of entrepreneurship(Wickham, 2006) to examine entrepreneurship process and growth in different types
of business venture. It reveals the interactive relationships among key variables such as strategy, ownership, culture and management process.

Approaches: This research is undertaken through the empirical analysis of three case study companies in the textile industry. This fieldwork was conducted in 2006 and
2009 respectively. Multiple sources of data were collected including 21 open-ended interviews of owners and key managers in three case study companies.

Results: The study offers an explanation on how entrepreneurship takes different forms and features in different organisational contexts. Empirical evidence supports four hypotheses: (1) The type of ownership is a key contingent factor that moderates particular entrepreneurial outcomes. (2) Leadership and knowledge accumulation capability are critical factors in learning process, significantly affecting the strategic
choices in either high value or low value added products strategy. (3) The broadening of product portfolios and increased production capacity will improve survival chances
and increase the likelihood of firm growth. (4) Management capability and consistency have greater impact on the outcome of entrepreneurship process than the
resource and strategy factors.

Implications: The findings have significant implications for a conceptual understanding of Chinese entrepreneurship dynamics. It addresses important considerations on government policy making and promotion strategies for
entrepreneurship development in different forms of business venture.

Value: The textile sector has pioneered the government reforms in restructuring and creating entrepreneurial enterprises. It offers a perfect case for assessing the
entrepreneurship processes in a rapidly changing market environment. It emphasizes the important ownership effect on entrepreneurial outcomes. Drawing upon Wickham's contingency model of entrepreneurship, it provides an improved understanding of this concept under particular circumstance and different contexts.


Advances in perinatal care have made it possible to improve survival of infants with low birth weight. The aim of study was to analyse the clinical impact of respiratory disease in premature infants with low birth weight. Methods: Between January-2011 and November-2012 were included 81 preterm infants with low birth weight and ≤32 weeks gestation. Data are expressed in according to birth weight defined as: extremely low <1000 g (ELBW), very low 1001–1500 g (VLBW) and low weight 1501–2000 g (LBW). Results: 84.8% of preterm infants received respiratory support by CPAP and in 46 cases (56.8%) was explained by mechanical ventilation. Endotracheal surfactant was administered in 34 infants (42%). Only 3 preterm did not require oxygen. 86.4% of infants with less than 28 weeks required mechanical ventilation compared to 45.8% of infants >28 weeks gestation. The incidence of morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pulmonary haemorrhage and pneumothorax was very low: 6.2%, 4.9% and 1.25%, respectively. The mean number of days requiring mechanical ventilation and treatment with caffeine for apnea was higher for ELBW compared to VLBW and LBW (6.7 ± 5.5 vs. 4.1 ± 4.7 vs. 3.38 ± 2.7, p = 0.023 and 38.1 ± 7.3 vs. 26.8 ± 15 vs. 12 ± 7.8, p = 0.01, respectively). The onset of bronchopulmonary dysplasia occurred in 5 preterm with ELBW. In all preterm infants who died required mechanical ventilation vs. who those survived 14 (100%) vs. 32 (47.8%), p = 0.001 and greater need of surfactant 10 (71.4%) vs. 24 (35.8%), p = 0.047. Conclusions: Although the most preterm with low birth weight require respiratory support, the incidence of complications in our series is low.


This publication is about Machine Research – research on machines, research with machines, and research as a machine. It thus explores machinic perspectives to suggest a situation where the humanities are put into a critical perspective by machine driven ecologies, ontologies and epistemologies of thinking and acting. It aims to engage research and artistic practice that takes into account the new materialist conditions implied by nonhuman techno-ecologies. Articles include new ontologies and intelligence such as machine learning, machine reading and listening, systems-oriented perspectives to broadcast communication and conflict, the ethics and aesthetics of autonomous systems, and other post-anthropocentric reconsiderations of materiality and infrastructure.


Time utility functions can describe the complex timing constraints of real-time and cyber-physical systems. However, utility aware scheduling policy design is an open research problem. Previously we solved a Markov Decision Process formulation of the scheduling problem to derive value-optimal scheduling policies for systems with periodic real-time task sets and stochastic non-preemptive execution intervals. However, the complexity of computing solutions and their policy storage requirements necessitate the exploration of scalable solutions. In this paper we generalize the Utility Accrual Packet Scheduling Algorithm. We compare several heuristics to Markov Decision Process policy evaluation under soft and hard real-time conditions, different load conditions, and different classes of time utility functions. Based on these evaluations we present guidelines for which heuristics are best suited to particular scheduling criteria.


: We evaluated physical function, physical activity, and sleep status in five elderly individuals with musculoskeletal ambulatory disability symptom complex (MADS) for one year, and examined their influential factors associated with sarcopenia. Compared with the baseline, the results did not show significant differences in every item. Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic had occurred throughout Japan for nearly the entire study period. The impact on psychological parameters of participants was surveyed using the Profile of Mood States second edition (POMS 2 ® ); the results suggested that their mood states were relatively stable. Although we can consider these results, i.e., the participants maintained a high level of health consciousness and willingness to participate in social activities and physical exercise even under various restrictions, we were able to trace an extremely small number of participants because of the pandemic. This study shall be continuously conducted to record measurable data every 3 months, and aim for the development of device-free systems that prevent fractures in elderly individuals with MADS.


Background: The effect of Prussian Blue on the hair fiber is unknown. In this report a new optical microscopy technique tailored to evaluate the effect of chemicals in solution on the hair shaft is introduced. The hair is a natural fiber consisting of keratin, a protein containing high concentration of disulfide derivative cystine. Prussian Blue (PB) is the main ingredient used to stain iron particles in tissue and advertised as ingredient in some hair coloring products. The effects on ex vivo human hairs are herein reported. Methods: A working solution of 2,5% Potassium Ferrocyanide was prepared by mixing the crystals with deionized water. Working solution, 2.5% Aqueous Solution of Potassium Ferrocyanide: Potassium ferrocyanide, Trihydrate (K4Fe(CN)6.3H2O (2.5 g); Deionized water (100 ml).  Mix to dissolve. Freshly plucked human hairs were placed in the center of a 25x75x1mm glass slide. Three small drops of the PB solution were delivered via a micropipette surrounding the hair. Then a second slide was placed covering the first and secured by thin masking tape strips placed at the slides edge. At this point the solution spreads interstitially between the slides. Care should be taken to avoid air pockets. This preparation will be referred as a sandwich (SDW) throughout the manuscript. The solution was then allowed to evaporate (average time 4 hours) and images were documented by optical microscopy and recorded n=10. After drying, the same hair was sequentially remounted in similar fashion x4 times. Ancillary testing: Hairs stored for 20 months in dry cardboard slide boxes were also evaluated.  Equipment used: All specimens were viewed and digitally recorded at different magnifications via a video microscope interfaced with a computer system. Results: In both, freshly harvested and old hairs when in contact with Prussian Blue, exo-cuticles separation was observed. Conclusions: Exposure of human hair to Prussian Blue causes large sections of imbricate pattern cuticles segments to separate from the shaft. These segmental adhesion failures were observed intermittently around the length of the shaft. The observed cuticle segments detachment failure caused by PB is hypothesized to be caused by a reaction between PB and the intrinsic sulfur and cystine  present in the hair fiber. This reaction is hypothesized to be of an electromagnetic nature. Journal of Nature and Science (JNSCI), 2(6):e194, 2016


The term we live in known as conventional is a beginning of the conscious of possibility of risks of depletion. Such reasons like, fossil originated energy sources can be consumed before the time it is guessed, these sources can cause huge and irrevocable catastrophes, they can not be enough to the need of rising energy sources and newly developing technology and for the wish of the developed countries to rise and widen the variety of useable energy, investigators new focused on the searching for new and renewable energy resources. Today, the variety of new and renewable energy sources are increasing, some part gaining value as alternatives of economy, some part of it is still under investigation from its both economic and technical sides and almost everyday, there appears a new source of energy. The most common side of these sources are that they do not cause short or long term negative effects. Bio fuels are within the mostly new of these with this aim. The reasons -that they can be used in present motor technologies without making any change, as they have a close product to diesel fuel, as it can be gained from both animal and vegetable sources and it has an environment causes investigations to go on this way. It is impossible to use vegetable oils directly to the motors as their high viscosities. So the methods are appliqued is to solve this problems which. The objective of this research is to determine the feasibility and examine the effect of cottonseed oil methyl and ethyl esters which are produced by transesterification method and blending method used as fuel on the performance and emissions controls of diesel engine. For this purpose, a naturally aspirated, direct injection, single cylinder Lombardini LDA 450 model diesel engine was used as the power unit. The engine displacement was 0,454 L with a 85 mm bore and 80 mm stroke. The compression ratio was 17,5:1. the test engine was attached to a 40 kW hydraulic dynamometer to measure torque. During the test, torque, emissions values and fuel consumption were measured with respect to the engine speed. The brake power, brake specific fuel consumption values are also calculated. Accordingly, cottonseed oil alkyl esters were found to closely similar to those of diesel fuels.


ABSTRACT: H+‐gated cation channels are members of a new family of ionic channels, which includes the epithelial Na+ channel and the FMRFamide‐activated Na+ channel. ASIC, the first member of the H+‐gated Na+ channel subfamily, is expressed in brain and dorsal root ganglion cells (DRGs). It is activated by pHe variations below pH 7. The presence of this channel throughout the brain suggests that the H+ might play an essential role as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. The ASIC channel is also present in dorsal root ganglion cells, as is its homolog DRASIC, which is specifically present in DRGs and absent in the brain. Since external acidification is a major factor in pain associated with inflammation, hematomas, cardiac or muscle ischemia, or cancer, these two channel proteins are potentially central players in pain perception. ASIC activates and inactivates rapidly, while DRASIC has both a fast and sustained component. Other members of this family such as MDEG1 and MDEG2 are either H+‐gated Na+ channels by themselves (MDEG1) or modulators of H+‐gated channels formed by ASIC and DRASIC. MDEG1 is of particular interest because the same mutations that produce selective neurodegeneration in C. elegans mechanosensitive neurons, when introduced in MDEG1, also produce neurodegeneration. MDEG2 is selectively expressed in DRGs, where it assembles with DRASIC to radically change its biophysical properties, making it similar to the native H+‐gated channel, which is presently the best candidate for pain perception.


— At-site flood frequency analysis is used to estimate flood quantiles when at-site record length is reasonably long. In Australia, FLIKE software has been introduced for at-site flood frequency analysis. The advantage of FLIKE is that, for a given application, the user can compare a number of most commonly adopted probability distributions and parameter estimation methods relatively quickly using a windows interface. The new version of FLIKE has been incorporated with the multiple Grubbs and Beck test which can identify multiple numbers of potentially influential low flows. This paper presents a case study considering six catchments in eastern Australia which compares two outlier identification tests (original Grubbs and Beck test and multiple Grubbs and Beck test) and two commonly applied probability distributions (Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and Log Pearson type 3 (LP3)) using FLIKE software. It has been found that the multiple Grubbs and Beck test when used with LP3 distribution provides more accurate flood quantile estimates than when LP3 distribution is used with the original Grubbs and Beck test. Between these two methods, the differences in flood quantile estimates have been found to be up to 61% for the six study catchments. It has also been found that GEV distribution (with L moments) and LP3 distribution with the multiple Grubbs and Beck test provide quite similar results in most of the cases; however, a difference up to 38% has been noted for flood quantiles for annual exceedance probability (AEP) of 1 in 100 for one catchment. This finding needs to be confirmed with a greater number of stations across other Australian states.


The East Irish basin is characterized by three sets of faults, striking N-S, NE-SW and E-W. The Menai Strait fault system bounds the basin to the south and shows pre-Caledonian to Cenozoic movement. This span of activity contrasts with similarly oriented faults, to the north of the basin, which did not exist before the early Carboniferous. N-S faults have a similarly diverse history. Some may have influenced Silurian sedimentation and controlled the disposition of Ordovician volcanic centres in Snowdonia, a contrast with N-S-striking faults in the north of the area which originated as steep strike-slip faults during the late-Silurian. E-W faults control Dinantian and Permo-Triassic thickness variations although, unlike the other fault trends, pre-Carboniferous precursors are not apparent. Some of the basin-bounding faults developed as wholly new faults during Permo-Triassic extension.


In the context of creating large scale test collections, the present paper discusses methods of constructing a patent test collection for evaluation of prior art search. In particular, it addresses criteria for topic selection and identification of recall bases. These issues arose while organizing the CLEF-IP evaluation track and were the subject of an online discussion among the track's organizers and its steering committee. Most literature on building test collections is concerned with minimizing the costs of obtaining relevance assessments. CLEF-IP can afford to have large topics sets since relevance assessments are generated by exploiting existing manually created information. In a cost-benefit analysis, the only issue seems to be the computing time required by participants to run (tens or hundreds of) thousands of queries. This document describes the data sets and decisions leading to the creation of the CLEF-IP collection.


Genetic disease or hereditary disease is a group of disorders that is caused by mutations in an individual's genome. The mutated genome or gene may be transmitted through the germ line during reproduction, causing certain recurrence risk in offspring and other family members. The heritability of these disorders is thus an important issue to deal with clinically. In Taiwan, a rare disease is defined as a disease that is prevalent in fewer than 1 in 10,000 individuals. As up to 80% of rare disease cases in Taiwan are genetic disease disorders, genetic disease may not rare. The pathophysiology of genetic/ rare disease is very complicated. Individual disorders may have their own unique mechanisms (such as Fragile X syndrome), with most of these mechanisms still unclear or unknown. The symptoms and signs of genetic/rare disease thus present the greatest variabilities and cause difficulties in making diagnoses. Most related patients may present multiple congenital anomalies, metabolic disorders, growth and developmental delays, defects in cognition, neuromuscular abnormalities, and defects in vision, hearing or other organ functions. Symptomatic and supportive treatment still comprise a major component of treatment of genetic/rare disease (with the exception of special formulae for several inborn errors of metabolic disease and enzyme replacement therapy in some lysosomal storage disease). Poor self-care ability is common and the burden on caregivers is huge. Most rare disease patients are treated using a comprehensive rehabilitation program that begins during very early childhood, receive individual educational programs, and are continuously monitored with regard to their growth, developmental, and nutritional status. Inter-professional patient care, genetic counseling, and the creation of family support networks play an important role in family management. Public awareness and the creation of appropriate social systems and resources allocation are mandatory for proper care. The incidence of each genetic/rare disease is rare, but collectively they are important public health issue and a challenge to medical care.


The Dobrushin comparison theorem is a powerful tool to bound the difference between the marginals of high-dimensional probability distributions in terms of their local specifications. Originally introduced to prove uniqueness and decay of correlations of Gibbs measures, it has been widely used in statistical mechanics as well as in the analysis of algorithms on random fields and interacting Markov chains. However, the classical comparison theorem requires validity of the Dobrushin uniqueness criterion, essentially restricting its applicability in most models to a small subset of the natural parameter space. In this paper we develop generalized Dobrushin comparison theorems in terms of influences between blocks of sites, in the spirit of Dobrushin-Shlosman and Weitz, that substantially extend the range of applicability of the classical comparison theorem. Our proofs are based on the analysis of an associated family of Markov chains. We develop in detail an application of our main results to the analysis of sequential Monte Carlo algorithms for filtering in high dimension.


Atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) obtained from highresolution refinement of protein structures represent the mean square displacement of protein atoms from their centroid positions. They contain information regarding the flexibility of the polypeptide. Comparative analysis of the ADPs in homologous proteins shows that the local flexibility of the polypeptide is not correlated to the mutability of the segment. The flexible and rigid regions in the threedimensional fold of proteins remain largely conserved during the course of evolution. In related proteins, the variation in the flexibility of a given segment is only weakly correlated to the variation of the amino acid sequence at the corresponding positions. These results illustrate that the relationship between sequence and dynamics has degeneracy similar to that of sequence and three-dimensional structure. The observations are consistent with the importance of protein flexibility to protein function.


A number of river restoration projects and flood alleviation projects, which also aim to restore more natural river flood plain processes, have been implemented along the Dutch Rhine branches in the past decade. This has provided some information on their effect on the river's morphology and hydraulics. Incorporating this experience into the design of new schemes is one of the main aims of today's river management. Development of vegetation in the floodplains leads to an increase in hydraulic roughness, especially in the first few years, when species such as Willow develop. Secondary channels and small structures such as bridges in the floodplains may have a considerable morphologic effect. Some projects caused bank erosion which may jeopardize river dikes, plus local erosion around structures like groynes. This points out that insufficient attention had been given to their engineering aspects in the design. Monitoring of both the morphologic effects and the development of vegetation is required in order to know when to take action, to prevent loss of function or to secure flood protection levels. To be able to intervene as early as possible, rules of thumb need to be constructed to determine the hydraulic roughness based on knowledge of the vegetation. By proper interpretation of observed changes in morphology and vegetation, translation of experience into design practice is possible. In this way the river manager gains experience to maximize the restoration potential of flood protection schemes. This paper cannot be seen as a scientific study. Visually observed changes in morphology and vegetation are discussed, as well as practical issues related to the impact of vegetation on flood levels and management of river restoration.


Achromatic brightness matches between two small patches were measured in a display containing ten larger regions of different luminances. The spatial organization of the ten regions was varied while keeping constant the immediate surround (and thus local contrast) of each patch as well as the average luminance of the entire stimulus. Various spatial arrangements were designed to alter the illumination inferred by the observer without changing the ensemble of luminances actually in view. Some spatial arrangements of the ten regions were consistent with five (simulated) surfaces under two distinct levels of illumination, with one luminance edge within the display (an 'apparent illumination edge') dividing the stimuli into an area of lower illumination and an area of higher illumination. In other spatial arrangements the ten regions were configured so that no luminance edge in the display could be interpreted as an ecologically valid illumination edge that provides a parsimonious interpretation of the ten regions; these conditions were designed to induce observers to infer ten surfaces under a single illuminant. When the ten regions were arranged with an apparent illumination edge, the patch within the area of lower perceived illumination was perceived as dimmer than when the same patch and immediate surround were presented with no apparent illumination edge. The results are interpreted by positing that the apparent illumination edge causes an observer to group together regions under the same perceived illuminant, with a consequent effect on brightness: lowering or raising the level of a perceived illuminant causes a patch of fixed contrast to be perceived as less bright or more bright, respectively, just as occurs when lowering or raising the level of real illumination. It is suggested that changes in brightness in a complex scene that result from a change in real illumination may be caused by a difference in inferred illumination at the perceptual level, not by simply a change in the amount of light absorbed by photoreceptors.


We present work on handling XML markup in Statistical Machine Translation (SMT). The methods we propose can be used to effectively preserve markup (for instance inline formatting or structure) and to place markup correctly in a machine-translated segment. We evaluate our approaches with parallel data that naturally contains markup or where markup was inserted to create synthetic examples. In our experiments, hybrid reinsertion has proven the most accurate method to handle markup, while alignment masking and alignment reinsertion should be regarded as viable alternatives. We provide implementations of all the methods described and they are freely available as an open-source framework.


From the mysterious cult of Pythagoras, to the awesome mechanics of Stonehenge, to the fearsome "gargoyles" and glorious fractals created on the computer screens of today, Pickover evokes the power of numbers and their connection with the search for the ultimate meaning of the universe. We learn that individuals through the ages have conjured numbers to predict the end of the world, to raise the dead, to find love, and to sway the outcome of wars. Even today, Pickover shows, serious mathematicians sometimes resort to mystical or religious reasoning when trying to convey the power of mathematics. Together we uncover mathematics in the most exquisite forms of nature - from the delicate shape of a spider web, to the curling spiral of a shell. We discover fractals in the branching patterns of blood vessels, plants, and mountain roots. And we grasp the power of a few simple concepts - including the gravitational constant and the speed of light - that control the destiny of the universe. Prepare yourself for a strange and often amusing journey. Let The Loom of God unlock the doors of your imagination through thought-provoking mysteries, puzzles, and problems on topics ranging from ancient Greek astronomy to Armageddon. A playground for computer hobbyists, an inspiring tome for science fiction aficionados, and an adventurous education for the curious in theology, astronomy, mathematics, and history, this book delivers a world of paradox and mystery. The Loom of God promises a creative, enticing, and unforgettable excursion along the vast tapestry, woven through history, of mathematics and the divine.


Neorickettsia (formerly Ehrlichia) risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever (PHF), has been recently detected in trematode stages found in the secretions of freshwater snails and in aquatic insects. Insectivores, such as bats and birds, may serve as the definitive host of the trematode vector. To determine the definitive helminth vector, five bats (Myotis yumanensis) and three swallows (Hirundo rustica, Tachycineta bicolor) were collected from a PHF endemic location in northern California. Bats and swallows were dissected and their major organs examined for trematodes and for N. risticii DNA using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Adult digenetic trematodes, Acanthatrium sp. and/or Lecithodendrium sp., were recovered from the gastrointestinal tract of all bats and from one swallow. The intestine of three bats, the spleen of two bats and one swallow as well as the liver of one swallow tested PCR positive for N. risticii. From a total of seven pools of identical digenetic trematodes collected from single hosts, two pools of Acanthatrium sp. and one pool of Lecithodendrium sp. tested PCR positive. The results of this investigation provide preliminary evidence that at least two trematodes in the family Lecithodendriidae are vectors of N. risticii. The data also suggest that bats and swallows not only act as a host for trematodes but also as a possible natural reservoir for N. risticii.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
S. anginosus, constellatus and intermedius, also known as the Streptococcus milleri group (SMG) are three streptococcal species more frequently detected in cases of invasive disease, abscesses and empyema in particular. Recent research suggests they play a role in exacerbations of cystic fibrosis (CF). Owing to poor recovery on standard culture media and difficult differentiation from non-pathogenic streptococci, SMG may be underdiagnosed in routine settings. We aimed to establish the incidence of SMG in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients compared to CF patients and to examine possible links of SMG to exacerbations that plays a key role in progression of COPD.

METHODS
Altogether, 90 respiratory tract samples of patients suffering from CF or COPD were examined during the period from July 2012 to December 2013. Semi-selective McKay agar was used for primary cultivation of SMG and MALDI TOF MS was used for species identification that was confirmed by biochemical profiling and specific PCR.

RESULTS
We confirmed the presence of SMG in CF (17.6% incidence in adult patients) and newly established its presence in COPD (10.3% incidence). In COPD, SMG was detected in 4 cases of acute exacerbations, where no other bacterial pathogen was detected. In 3/4 cases, increased CRP level indicated bacterial infection as a cause of the exacerbation and in all 3 cases, patients recovered during antibiotic treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate SMG may act as opportunist pathogens able to cause exacerbations in COPD.


The study examined the effect of TASO Community Initiative campaign on HIV/AIDS control in Uganda. It focused on Entebbe Community that houses the national headquarters of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). The specific objectives were; (1) to establish the effect of education information on HIV/AIDS control in Entebbe area; (2) to ascertain the relationship between positive attitude promotion and HIV/AIDS control in Entebbe area; (3) to assess the effect of sensitization and promotion of behavioural change on HIV/AIDS control in Entebbe area. The sample comprised 90 respondents who regularly seek treatment from TASO head quarters in Entebbe out of whom only 61 respondents filled and returned completed questionnaires. The results of the study revealed that while these community initiatives continue to help in the control of HIV/AIDS in Uganda, their activities were found to be insignificant in that all the variables analyzed in this study do not directly depend on them. However, the campaign in form of education information significantly relate with sensitization and promotion of behavioural change [r = .467**, p<0.0001] and it also relates with positive attitude promotion [r = .347** p<0.006]. After this finding, regression results using education information as the dependent variable also indicated that there is a positive and significant effect of education information on positive attitude promotion [β = .298, t = 2.687, p <0.009] and sensitization to promote behavioural change [β = .435, t = 3.920, p<0.0001]. Therefore it is concluded here that the current TASO community initiatives in Entebbe should be strengthened so that strategies geared towards education information that have messages of sensitization and promoting behavioural change and those that promote a positive attitude take the centre stage in the HIV/AIDS control strategy. In other words, resources for controlling HIV/AIDS in Uganda should be invested in education information to sensitize and promote behavioural change and develop positive attitude implying that community initiative groups need refocus their strategies to make HIV/AIDS control significant.


Individuals in low-income countries often contribute significantly to financing local public goods through informal taxation. However, there is limited understanding of how informal revenue generation relates to formal tax and governing institutions. We explore the relationship between informal revenue generation, public finance, and the state in the Gedo region in south-central Somalia, relying on original data from surveys with 2,300 households and 117 community leaders. Our evidence shows that informal revenue generation by non-armed actors in Gedo is prevalent, with informal payments deeply embedded within clan-based and Islamic institutions and rooted in a long history of decentralized political authority and self-reliance in the region. We argue that in such a context, rather than explaining how or why things 'work' outside of the state, it may be more relevant and valuable to consider decentralized non-state public authority as the default referent, with a need only to explain the puzzle of pockets of state effectiveness. Governance largely operates outside the state, with citizens playing a pivotal role in directly financing local governance institutions and public goods provision. These findings have important implications for our understanding of statehood and public finance in contexts of weak formal institutions.


Gemini cationic surfactants are compounds which are composed of two hydrophilic head groups and two hydrophobic tails linked by a spacer at the head groups or closed to them. The spacer can be either hydrophobic or hydrophilic. It can be rigid or flexible. The neutral charge of the molecule is retained by the presence of organic or inorganic counterions. Critical micelle concentrations (CMCs), surface tension (γ) and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) are dozen times lower than corresponding parameters of monomeric surfactants. The unique properties of gemini surfactants with a wide range of hydrophiliclipophilic balance (HLB) make them a very useful, innovative material in detergents, cosmetics, personal care products, additives for paints and coatings, biocides, material science, organic synthesis, pharmacy, textiles, enhanced oil recovery, nanotechnology, petroleum and many other branches of life. A large number of papers concerning gemini surfactants have been published so far. This review presents a synthetic look at current work devoted to structure, synthesis and applications of gemini surfactants.


A general theory of spontaneous electromagnetic emission in symmetrical ion-atom collisions has been developed using a semiclassical adiabatic model of collision. The spontaneous emission probability has been obtained numerically for the p+H case, in an intermediate range of velocities. It has been shown that an earlier suggested quasistatic model of the process works well in a wide range of slow collisions. However, in a range of intermediate collision energies approximately 1 keV the quasistatic cross sections for spontaneous emission may be in error by a factor of 3. The significance of the reported results for plasma applications is emphasized.


Stress and burnout in the educational field primarily in teaching is not a new phenomenon. A great deal of research and analysis to the contributing factors of causation to teacher burnout has been executed and analyzed. The struggle of the artist/teacher, hybrid professionals that maintain two concurrent roles, offers a perspective to burnout that has gone unnoticed. Today's public educator is contending with established stress factors as well as emerging and evolving stress factors. How does this phenomenon impact the artist/teacher's ability or inability to be creative? What are the implications of burnout and its impact on artist/teacher's personal and professional work? This qualitative study was conducted using Narrative/Autoethnograpy, Narrative/Ethnography and A/r/tography. The stories of four artist/teachers provide in-depth accounts of their experiences as teachers and how that profession has affected their art making process and well being.


The characterization of the microbial load of spacecraft and the spacecraft assembly facilities is of growing interest to the space industry with the prospect of sample return missions to Mars in the near future. The planetary protection policy of COSPAR, where the total amount of microbes on the surface of a spacecraft may not exceed 3 x 105 spores for life detecting missions to Mars, has to be followed by all space agencies. In order to stay under that limit, guidelines of how to analyze the microbial load as well as new cleaning and sterilization techniques have to be developed. The first step is to characterize the microbial communities on spacecraft and in spacecraft assembly facilities. The second step is to find ways to keep the spacecraft sterile so that the forward contamination of other bodies in the Solar System as well as the backward contamination of Earth by extraterrestrial life can be prevented.
The characterization of the microbial communities in spacecraft assembly facilities was carried out at ESTEC in the Netherlands where the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) was assembled. Culture-based and molecular methods were used to characterize the microbial load in the clean room and on the spacecraft itself. The methods included purification of cultures, DNA isolation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 16S rDNA analysis, and antibiotic resistance tests.
The distribution of the cultivable microbes in the clean room was determined. The isolated microbes showed different phenotypes from spore-forming to fungi-like bacteria and different resistance to various antibiotics. A final 16S rDNA genetic characterization to determine the exact species could not be performed in time.
This study intends to improve the understanding of the microbial diversity and the survival capabilities of microorganisms found in spacecraft assembly facilities. This project is done by a PhD student at DLR and this report summarizes a 12 week internship period and covers therefore only a small part of the whole project.


Abstract Elwyn Richardson's experimental approach to teaching and learning and Oruaiti was officially sanctioned, but the history of education in Aotearoa/New Zealand shows that teachers have been typically conformist. In this article, I suggest that positivist paradigms from the industrial age continue to shape classroom teaching, partly because of norms of individualism, and partly because neoliberal understandings have become central in the functioning of our schools and society. Teaching is an activity that promotes the ethics of a community or society by promulgating some ideas and marginalising others. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, many of our students struggle with the collective orientation of their community traditions and the societal emphasis on individualism. Modernist beliefs in social progress through technology still permeate education policy. Promoting communitarian understandings requires more open-ended approaches to teaching such as Richardson demonstrated. With digital technologies gaining progressively greater influence in schools, the opportunities for social connectedness have been enhanced alongside an increasing emphasis on individual devices. This article briefly explores interconnections between experimentation, context and community.


The diagnostic of the Anthropocene proposes a new geological epoch that designates humans as beings capable of geomorphic force, shaping Earth systems on a par with inhuman forces. This social geology marks an ascendance to inhuman planetary power fuelled by fossil fuels from the Carboniferous. Yet nowhere are the geophysical, genomic, and social narratives of this geologic subjectification considered together to interrogate these geologic capacities, not just in terms of impacts on the Earth, but as forces that subjects share—geologic forces that compose and differentiate corporeal and collective biopolitical formations. I argue in this paper that the concept of the Anthropocene is axiomatic of new understandings of time, matter, and agency for the human as a collective being and as a subject capable of geomorphic acts; a being that not just affects geology, but is an intemperate force within it. This immersion of humanity into geologic time suggests both a remineralisation of the origins of the human and a shift in the human timescale from biological life course to that of epoch and species—life. The paper is structured as a modest conversation between two fossilised subjects that define the imagined origin and ending of the narrative arc of the Anthropocene—one from the prehistory of human origins, the other from the future of the Anthropocene—in a conversation about time, geology, and inhuman becomings. Examining fossils as material and discursive knots in the narrative arc of human becoming, I argue for a 'geological turn' that takes seriously not just our biological (or biopolitical) life, but also our geological (or geopolitical) life and its forms of differentiation. Fossils unlock this life—death, time—untimely, corporeal—incorporeal equation, suggesting the need for a theory of the geologic and a reckoning with the forces of mute matter in lively bodies: a corporeality that is driven by inhuman forces. This paper investigates what I am calling "geologic life"—a mineralogical dimension of human composition that remains currently undertheorised in social thought and is directly relevant for the material, temporal, and corporeal conceptualisation of fossil fuels. This geologic life prompts a need to rethink the coherency of the human as a territorialising force of the Earth in its prehistoric, contemporary, and future-orientated incarnation. As such, this paper proposes a speculative theoretical framework for thinking modes of geologic life within the Anthropocene.


Large deformations of organs, caused by diverse shapes and nonlinear shape changes, pose a significant challenge for medical image registration. Traditional registration methods need to iteratively optimize an objective function via a specific deformation model along with meticulous parameter tuning, but which have limited capabilities in registering images with large deformations. While deep learning-based methods can learn the complex mapping from input images to their respective deformation field, it is regression-based and is prone to be stuck at local minima, particularly when large deformations are involved. To this end, we present Stochastic Planner-Actor-Critic (spac), a novel reinforcement learning-based framework that performs step-wise registration. The key notion is warping a moving image successively by each time step to finally align to a fixed image. Considering that it is challenging to handle high dimensional continuous action and state spaces in the conventional reinforcement learning (RL) framework, we introduce a new concept `Plan' to the standard Actor-Critic model, which is of low dimension and can facilitate the actor to generate a tractable high dimensional action. The entire framework is based on unsupervised training and operates in an end-to-end manner. We evaluate our method on several 2D and 3D medical image datasets, some of which contain large deformations. Our empirical results highlight that our work achieves consistent, significant gains and outperforms state-of-the-art methods.


Permanent Magnet Linear Synchronous Motor (PMLSM) servo system was widely used in high precision application and advanced control strategy was necessary for its control system. Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller (CMAC) neural network was introduced into control system with conceptual mapping and physical mapping process analyzed, also the mathematical models of PMLSM was constructed. The compound control system with PID controller as feedback control and CMAC neural network as feed- forward control was constructed. The simulation shows the controller can realize inverse dynamic model and robust control.


An intracranial aneurysm (ICA) is the localized dilated of cerebral arterial segment due to a degenerative arterial disease causing local wall weakness. Sudden ICA rupture of cerebral aneurysms is the leading cause of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) which is a serious disease associated with high mortality and morbidity. In this research work, we have developed and validated a finite-element fluid-structure interaction (FSI) 2-way coupling model using COMSOL Multiphysics® software package. We applied the model to three idealized intracranial elastic arteries under the Newtonian blood flow assumption. The blood flow was characterized as a steady flow velocity at the inflow and various values of blood pressure at the outflow, while the arterial wall was modeled as a hyperelastic neo-Hookean material. The result shows the significantly weakened wall shear stress (WSS) at the aneurysm fundus and intensified WSS at the distal side of aneurysm neck. The wall deformation and WSS may play an important role in the growth and rupture of ICAs. Moreover, based on these results we postulate that lateral saccular aneurysms located on highly curved arteries are subjected to higher hemodynamic stresses and are more prone to rupture.


To impart hands-on training in physics analysis, CMS experiment initiated the concept of CMS Data Analysis School (CMSDAS). It was born over three years ago at the LPC (LHC Physics Centre), Fermilab and is based on earlier workshops held at the LPC and CLEO Experiment. As CMS transitioned from construction to the data taking mode, the nature of earlier training also evolved to include more of analysis tools, software tutorials and physics analysis. This effort epitomized as CMSDAS has proven to be a key for the new and young physicists to jump start and contribute to the physics goals of CMS by looking for new physics with the collision data. With over 400 physicists trained in six CMSDAS around the globe, CMS is trying to engage the collaboration in its discovery potential and maximize physics output. As a bigger goal, CMS is striving to nurture and increase engagement of the myriad talents, in the development of physics, service, upgrade, education of those new to CMS and the career development of younger members. An extension of the concept to the dedicated software and hardware schools is also planned, keeping in mind the ensuing upgrade phase.


Toponyms are significant linguistic elements that reflect a nation's worldview, history, customs and culture as well as forming a bridge between the past and the future. They are merits that will always freeze in people's minds and remain there as a means of spiritual richness for centuries. The geographical names, which bear in them national elements, remain in people's historical memory when identified with certain objects and concepts and, thus, pass on from generation to generation.Toponyms generally bear clues regarding which nation the name belongs to, as they reflect the way of life of peoples in a given region. This issue is directly related to the region's administrative system, political ordern, language, etc. The changing political circumstances play a significant role in the change in toponyms. Under the Soviet rule, many place names were changed in Kazakhstan. Even though this process started in the Tsarist regime, it was seen that the number of the changes in place names was big enough to wipe off a nation's historical memory. Names are exposed to change under the influence of the new world order in the eyes of the law. The new ideology based on the ideas of freedom and equality dominating the period after the October Revolution in Russia became determinatve in Kazakhstan toponyms. The social and political reasons behind the change in the place names in Kazakhstan during Soviet rule comprise the central subject of this study. The history, source, reasons of change, the usage by the people and the present usage of place names will be scrutinized in detail with such examples as Vernıy, Perovsk, Çernyayev, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Vannovka, etc.


Hydrometallurgy means extraction of metal from ore by preparing an aqueous solution of a salt of the metal and recovering the metal from the solution. The first applications of hydrometallurgy were based on the cementation reaction, where noble metal is recovered from solution by an exchange reaction involving dissolution of a less noble metal. Cementation was used in the 16th century to recover copper from pregnant heap leaching solutions. Modern hydrometallurgy started in 1880's when cyanidation for treating gold ores and the Bayer process for alumina production were invented. Several metals production technologies were developed during the 19th century using electrolysis, like production of zinc, copper and lead. New technologies were developed during the first half of 20th century including ion exchange, solvent extraction and pressure hydrometallurgy. Traditionally, the role of hydrometallurgy has been either in processing of raw materials not suitable for pyrometallurgy or in last refining step after pyrometallurgical processing.
The quality of the raw materials has decreased continuously. Metal content of primary materials decreases, the raw materials become more and more complex and energy consumption in the metals production increases. Processing of low-grade and complex primary raw materials is more demanding than processing of high-grade resources, but the metallurgical processes have flexibility to this. The number of metals and elements used to manufacture products and constructions has increased. During the 1700's some six elements were used, in the 1800's it had increased to ten, in the 1900's to well over twenty, and nowadays over sixty metals are used to manufacture a wide range of products. As the products become more sophisticated they have had to be manufactured using metal combinations not seen in primary sources. This will make recycling of high-technology products difficult.
Metals are not renewable resources like biological ones. The metals production processes can have undesirable environmental consequences if not properly controlled. Mining of primary sources can have adverse local impacts through mining wastes and the pollution of water. Metals production is energy intensive and affects global environment through greenhouse gases. The primary production of metals presently consumes 7 - 8 % of total global energy.
The global demand for metals is increasing. The role of hydrometallurgy in production of metals in the future depends on the available raw material sources. It is well known that high-grade primary sources are declining. Some metals will be produced by hydrometallurgy, like copper. Hydrometallurgy can have a stronger role in production of non-ferrous metals from low-grade sources, for example by using heap leaching with or without microbes. The recovery of specialty metals from end of life products will be the big challenge for hydrometallurgy. Less than one-third of some 60 metals used in consumer products have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50 per cent and 34 elements are below one per cent recycling. The important metals needed in electronics and renewable energy production methods are currently in the less than one percent group. To improve the recycling rate new production methods are needed to make the products recyclable.


Sound recording and reproduction technologies enable a wide range of creative practices. Among those is the relative neologism 'sound design'—a descriptor often associated with dramatic and visual media productions. While there appears to be broad agreement that sound design can play an essential role in those productions, there is less consensus about what it actually 'is'. From a structural perspective, sound design might be seen as the sonic equivalent of other functional design responsibilities—costumes, sets, or lighting. But its artistic implications are less clear. In film, a sound designer's artistic responsibility could range from creating specialised sounds (e.g., invented creatures, futuristic weapons) to overall responsibility for the sound track's tone and content. Similarly, in theatre, they may be responsible for any combination of playback system design; diegetic and non-diegetic sounds; and choosing pre-show, transitional, or postshow music. For electroacoustic composers, the question is: where do we fit? In a conventional production hierarchy, the title 'composer' probably means what we would expect—someone responsible for the 'score'. But while the title may seem clear, the role can be considerably less so, depending on the production context, and the style and materials of the contribution. For instrumental composers, there is usually an assumption that the 'score' will meet the traditional expectations of 'music', and be reasonably distinguishable from other sonic layers. Some productions may encourage exploration within that paradigm, but the role is still usually clear. In contrast, an electroacoustic 'score' for a dramatic or visual media production may readily be conflated with 'sound design'. After all, apart from projects where all sound is produced in real-time, both roles involve working directly with concrete sound materials on fixed media—and both potentially have at their disposal the full range of sonic possibilities, rather than a familiar subset of instrumental resources. In some production contexts—particularly more adventurous or inherently collaborative ones—the creative result of this ambiguity may be very positive. If a single artist takes on both roles, they may have considerable creative freedom. And if the roles have been assigned to two different artists, they may find common ground, while also supporting each other's specialisms. But it is equally possible that the overlapping materials and range can encourage confusion about what is expected from each role—and about how to credit the resulting creative contributions. Proceedings of the Electroacoustic Music Studies Network Conference, Florence (Italy), June 20-23, 2018.


Social comparison is a common focus in discussions of online social media use, and differences in its frequency, causes, and outcomes may arise from country or cultural differences. To understand how these differences play a role in experiences of social comparison on Facebook, a survey of 37,729 people across 18 countries was paired with respondents' activity on Facebook. The findings were augmented with 39 in-person interviews in three countries. Social comparison frequency was more strongly predicted by country than by age, gender, and Facebook activity combined, indicating that country differences are important to consider when studying social comparison. Women's and men's experiences differed greatly between countries. Exposure to high feedback counts on friends' posts was associated with more frequent social comparison, but only in some countries. Design interventions that account for such country differences may be more effective at reducing the negative outcomes of social comparison.


From 1980 to 1992, a series of influential papers reported on the discovery, genetics, and evolution of a periodic cycling of the interval between Drosophila male courtship song pulses. The molecular mechanisms underlying this periodicity were never described. To reinitiate investigation of this phenomenon, we performed automated segmentation of songs, but failed to detect the proposed periodicity [Arthur BJ et al. (2013) BMC Biol 11:11; Stern DL (2014) BMC Biol 12:38]. Kyriacou CP et al. [(2017) PNAS 114:1970-1975] report that we failed to detect song rhythms because i) our flies did not sing enough and ii) our segmenter did not identify many of the song pulses. Kyriacou et al. manually annotated a subset of our recordings and reported that two strains displayed rhythms with genotype-specific periodicity, in agreement with their original reports. We cannot replicate this finding and show that the manually-annotated data, the original automatically segmented data, and a new data set provide no evidence for either the existence of song rhythms or song periodicity differences between genotypes. Furthermore, we have re-examined our methods and analysis and find that our automated segmentation method was not biased to prevent detection of putative song periodicity. We conclude that there is currently no evidence for the existence of Drosophila courtship song rhythms. Significance statement Previous studies have reported that male vinegar flies sing courtship songs with a periodic rhythm of approximately 55 seconds. Several years ago, we showed that we could not replicate this observation. Recently, the original authors have claimed that we failed to find rhythms because 1) our flies did not sing enough and 2) our software for detecting song did not detect all song events. They claimed that they could detect rhythms in song annotated by hand. We report here that we cannot replicate their observation of rhythms in the hand-annotated data or in any dataset and that our original methods were not biased against detecting rhythms. We conclude that song rhythms cannot be detected.


Knowledge of the parameters that contribute to water body eutrophication is essential for proper monitoring and management of water quality for human consumption. This study assessed water quality parameters in relation to phycocyanin (PC) as a proxy indicator for harmful algal blooms (HABs). Samples were collected from 23 water sources – lakes, wells, springs and boreholes – in selected villages, for six months. Parameters measured included temperature, pH, redox potential, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, phosphorus, reactive phosphate and total chlorophyll, which were related to (PC) occurrence. The PC concentration detected in Lake Victoria ranged from 5 to 58.4 μg/l above the WHO alert level and exceeded that in other water sources by almost 30 μg/l (P < 0.001). Univariate relationship between water quality parameters and PC indicates association with temperature, redox potential, total chlorophyll, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, phosphate and reactive phosphorus (P < 0.001). The multivariate model indicates that redox potential, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus are significant statistically (P < 0.05). A predictive model indicates that nitrate nitrogen and reactive phosphorus contribute significantly to PC occurrence whereby unit (1 mg/l) increases in these parameters increase PC by 9.55 and 4.38 μg/l (P < 0.05) respectively. This study demonstrates that water quality parameters can be used to predict increases in PC and hence as a proxy for HABs. It remains important to be able to classify algal blooms, to understand which species are present and their potential cyanotoxin production.


In your daily maintenance routine of your company's Microsoft Exchange Server, you probably run into bumps along the way. Sams Teach Yourself Exchange Server 2003 in 10 Minutes is a great, quick-reference guide to the most common tasks you perform as an Exchange Server administrator. Use this guide as a basis for practical knowledge and solutions to problems with managing mailboxes, performing database maintenance, Outlook Web access, performance optimization and group policy management. When all you need is a quick-hit of information so you can quickly get back to work, Sams Teach Yourself Exchange Server 2003 in 10 Minutes is your best option.


In this paper, we present an innovative approach coupling active contours with an ontological representation of knowledge, in order to understand scenes acquired by a moving camera and containing multiple non-rigid objects evolving over space and time. The developed active contours enable both segmentation and tracking of multiple targets in each captured scene over a video sequence with unknown camera calibration. Hence, this active contour technique provides information on the objects of interest as well as on parts of them (e.g. shape and position), and contains simultaneously low-level characteristics such as intensity or color features. The ontology we propose consists of concepts whose hierarchical levels map the granularity of the studied scene and of a set of inter- and intra-object spatial and temporal relations defined for this framework, object and sub-object characteristics e.g. shape, and visual concepts like color. The system obtained by coupling this ontology with active contours can study dynamic scenes at different levels of granularity, both numerically and semantically characterize each scene and its components i.e. objects of interest, and reason about spatiotemporal relations between them or parts of them. This resulting knowledge-based vision system was demonstrated on real-world video sequences containing multiple mobile highly-deformable objects.


We calculate, in the free Maxwell theory, the renormalized quantum vacuum expectation value of the two-point magnetic correlation function in de Sitter inflation. We find that quantum magnetic fluctuations remain constant during inflation instead of being washed out adiabatically, as usually assumed in the literature. The quantum-to-classical transition of super-Hubble magnetic modes during inflation allow us to treat the magnetic field classically after reheating, when it is coupled to the primeval plasma. The actual magnetic field is scale independent and has an intensity of few×10(-12)  G if the energy scale of inflation is few×10(16)  GeV. Such a field accounts for galactic and galaxy cluster magnetic fields.


This paper describes the accelerated ageing of commercially available silvered polymer film by contact cleaning using brushes and water in the presence of soiling created by dust and sand particles. These conditions represent cleaning regimes in real concentrating solar power (CSP) solar fields in arid environments, where contact cleaning using brushes and water is often required to clean the reflecting surfaces. Whilst suitable for glass reflectors, this paper discusses the effects of these established cleaning processes on the optical and visual characteristics of polymer film surfaces, and then describes the development of a more benign but effective contact cleaning process for cleaning polymer reflectors. The effects of a range of cleaning brushes are discussed, with and without the presence of water, in the presence of sand and dust particles from selected representative locations. The experiments were repeated using different experimental equipment at Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA) in Spain and Cranfield University in the UK. The results highlight differences that are attributable to the experimental methods used. Reflectance measurements and visual inspection show that a soft cleaning brush with a small amount of water, used in a cleaning head with both linear and rotational motion, can clean polymer film reflecting surfaces without inflicting surface damage or reducing specular reflectance.


Purpose:
To investigate trunk muscle activity in sitting i) baseline to facilitated segmental extension (FSE) ii) from FSE evaluating two progression exercises (1) bilateral arm raise and (2) unilateral leg lift.

Relevance:
Segmental extension of the lumbar spine is required when rehabilitating core stability (Edwards, 2002). This may activate local muscle stabilisers, multifidis and transversus abdominus (Akuthota and Nadler, 2004). FSE is utilised in neurological physiotherapy, however, there is no objective evidence regarding its effectiveness. The evidence is also scant in relation to the effectiveness of exercise progressions from FSE in sitting.

Methods:
Healthy volunteer subjects (mean (SD) age 46.45 years ±5.25 (n = 22; 13 female) were recruited. Average normalised SEMG of bilateral Multifidis (M), Transverse abdominus/internal oblique (TA/IO), external oblique (EO), erector spinae (ES) was obtained for baseline sitting, post intervention (FSE) and following the progressions of bilateral arm raise and right leg lift. Local ethical approval was obtained.

Analysis:
A paired t test (alpha ≤ 0.05) evaluated pre and post intervention muscle activity. A repeated measures ANOVA (alpha ≤ 0.05) evaluated muscle activity from the FSE (new baseline) to progressions 1 and 2.

Results:

Results for pre to post intervention show a statistically significant increase in muscle activity in all trunk muscles. Left M (p=0.000), right M (p=0.002), left ES (p=0.029), right ES (p=0.015), left TA/IO (p=0.000), right TA/IO (p=0.000), left EO (p=0.008), right EO (p=0.044).

Results from FSE to bilateral arm raise showed a statistically significant increase in Left M (F=79.02 p=0.000), right M (p=0.000), left ES (p=0.000), right ES (p=0.000). Values for the abdominal muscles were not significant, left TA/IO (p=0.899), right TA/IO (p=0.666), left EO (p=0.131), right EO (p=0.144).

Results from FSE to right leg lift showed a statistically significant increase in Left M (p=0.000), right M (p=0.001), left TA (p=0.000), right TA (p=0.000), left EO (p=0.000), right EO (p=0.000). Results for ES were not significant, left ES (p=0.174), right ES (p=0.057).

Conclusions:
The results show that FSE activates local and global trunk stabilisers in sitting. During a bilateral arm raise (1) there is increased muscle activity in the stabilisers of the back but not the abdominals. With a unilateral leg lift (2) increases in all abdominals and bilateral Multifidis provide justification for its use as a progression. Limitations include the use of a small sample and healthy subjects. Future work should focus on patient populations.

Implications:
Clinically, this study provides evidence for the use of FSE as a therapeutic intervention and of a right leg lift as an exercise progression. Justification of a bilateral arm raise is only evidenced if specific rehabilitation of back extensors is required.


Information on qualifications is used widely across central and local government to inform service delivery and policy development; main user requirements are for highest level of qualifications and, no qualifications. We explored the feasibility of using administrative data to derive high quality information on educational qualifications held. For this feasibility research, we used data supplied by the Department for Education. This covered 14-25y/o from the three funding streams in England: primary and secondary education, further education and higher education. We compared our results at national level with the 2011 Census and Labour Force Survey/Annual Population Surveys (LFS/APS). We also undertook linkage to the Census to compare our results at case-level. We were able to derive a highest level of qualification for more than 96% of individuals in the data. There is a high level of agreement at national level when compared to the Census and LFS/APS. Differences are likely due to mode of data collection and the accuracy of differentiating between full and partial attainment as limited information was available in the feasibility dataset. Moreover, we successfully linked 84% of 14-25y/o on the English Census. We found that highest qualification level as derived from admin data agreed with 57% of Census records and either agreed or was within one level for 84% of records. Disagreement patterns were similar to the ones observed by the Census Quality Survey, which suggest that they are driven by mode effects. We demonstrated that we can produce high quality information on highest level of qualification for a large proportion of first-time entrants to the labour market. We also opened the door to providing more accurate information on highest level of qualification achieved by individuals than self-reported data since it does not rely on respondents recall ability or proxy responses.