Hacking, as a mode of technical and cultural production, is commonly celebrated for its extraordinary freedoms of creation and circulation. Yet surprisingly few women participate in it: rates of involvement by technologically skilled women are drastically lower in hacking communities than in industry and academia. This book investigates the activists engaged in free and open-source software to understand why, despite their efforts, they fail to achieve the diversity that their ideals support. The book shows that within this well-meaning volunteer world, beyond the sway of human resource departments and equal opportunity legislation, members of underrepresented groups face unique challenges. The book explores who participates in voluntaristic technology cultures, to what ends, and with what consequences. Digging deep into the fundamental assumptions underpinning STEM-oriented societies, the book demonstrates that while the preferred solutions of tech enthusiasts—their "hacks" of projects and cultures—can ameliorate some of the "bugs" within their own communities, these methods come up short for issues of unequal social and economic power. Distributing "diversity" in technical production is not equal to generating justice. The book reframes questions of diversity advocacy to consider what interventions might appropriately broaden inclusion and participation in the hacking world and beyond.


This article analyses a process improvement project based on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) techniques in the emergency department (ED) of a large Australian hospital. We consider perspectives of the clinical and managerial staff involved in the project implementation, its implications for empowerment and work intensification. We find that the project appeared to improve patient flow from the ED to the wards and to have positive implications for some staff. However, these achievements tended to be the result of senior staff using the project to leverage resources and create desirable outcomes, rather than the result of the use of LSS, in particular. We found some evidence of work intensification, but this was attributable to wider systemic issues and budget constraints, rather than being a direct consequence of the use of LSS. We argue that translating LSS from a manufacturing context into the politicised and professionalised context of healthcare changes the usual questions about empowerment or work intensification to questions about the influences of powerful stakeholders.


The paper provides a conceptual understanding and significance of diversity and especially workplace diversity in Nigeria, drawing on previous studies. Naturally, the practice of human resource management (HRM) cannot be divorced from the socio-cultural, economic, political and legal environments of the nation. As the giant of Africa, with a population of about 180 million, about half of whom are of working age, Nigeria is an attractive market for multinationals from across the globe, and simultaneously fast becoming a melting pot of cultures and a nation where businesses should be booming but for the gross mismanagement, corruption and inept leadership. One of Nigeria's most critical challenges, therefore, is the effective management of its workforce diversity, a litmus test for the maturity of HRM. The role and the capacity of function HRM in managing workplace diversity in Nigeria is critically assessed and based on an integrated conceptual framework, the challenges of managing workplace diversity in Nigeria is discussed and future research directions are indicated.


Readers in the Confederacy in January 1862 might have been surprised to find in the foremost Southern literary periodical, The Southern Literary Messenger, a war poem by Walt Whitman. But then Walt Whitman too would have been, and so would be most modern students of either Whitman or Southern literature. The poem, not surprisingly, is a parody, billed by editor George William Bagby as "not only the best imitation, by long odds, of Walt Whitman, the b'hoy-poet and representative man of Yankeedon [sic], which we ever saw, but an excellent bit of sarcasm besides" (72). The appearance in the Messenger, however, of even a parody of Whitman is notable, especially in light of the identity of the anonymous parodist--John Reuben Thompson. Although the parody was never publicly claimed by Thompson, is included nowhere among his collected poems, and has never directly been attributed to him, his authorship is clear enough. Bagby, Thompson's friend and successor as editor of the Messenger, identified the author as "the same who wrote that capital parody on Southey's `On to Moscow,' entitled `On to Richmond.'" The latter, acknowledged by Thompson though also published anonymously, had appeared in the Richmond Daily Whig (27 July 1861). "The War," a fairly telling parody of Whitman, is remarkable not only as an untypical piece by a poet known chiefly for his serious war poems but also for the acquaintance with Whitman's poetry that it demonstrates. Evidence of Thompson's opinion of Whitman--evidence that he had any opinion at all--has rested in a remark by Paul Hamilton Hayne in a letter of June 10, 1860, to Thompson: Your critique upon Mr Walt Whitman delighted me beyond measure! The comparative success of his work demonstrates the lowness both of morals & taste among even the better class of readers, & critics at the North. God help this poor country, for--, assuredly it needs help, & enlightenment. (Collection 125-27) Although this response to Thompson's "critique" has been noted, the critique itself has gone altogether unnoticed, as has an accompanying attack by Hayne himself. Unlike Thompson's, most of Hayne's vitriolic views of Whitman have been well documented, but his first attack, too, has been altogether overlooked. Rayburn Moore, in the most thorough treatment of those views, cites the letter to Thompson as "Hayne's earliest reference to Whitman" and his only reference before 1867 (75-76). Gerald M. Garmon, in his 1979 John Reuben Thompson, citing Hayne's letter as the only evidence of Thompson's distaste for Whitman, admits, "Where Thompson's review appeared I cannot discover" (156, n.28). In fact, both Thompson and Hayne had their flings at Whitman in the same issue of The Southern Field and Fireside. Their scathing criticisms, considered in relation to their literary, political, and personal views, reveal more about their own attitudes than about Walt Whitman or his poetry. Along with Thompson's parody, they suggest that Walt Whitman, for these two Southern men of letters, came to represent all the ills of the North that threatened to infect the South. In the June 9, 1860, issue, his third as literary editor of The Southern Field and Fireside, Thompson began his review of "A New American Poem" (20) by noting "a favorite subject of complaint with English critics and reviewers, in treating of American Civilization, that in this country we have produced as yet no peculiar, distinctive literature of our own.... "According to these critics, says Thompson, mocking both them and the "Young Americans" closer to home, "we can point to no one great poem on which is stamped the impression of a new and mighty continent....--a poem, in short, full of the energy, the passion, the vim of large-veined, stout-breasted, hopeful, wide-awake, go-ahead Young America." (1) "But," Thompson announces, "the reproach can be made no longer": We have an American poem. …


ABSTRACT This work addresses the behaviour of double-strap repairs of carbon-epoxy laminates under high-cycle fatigue loading. Experimental static and fatigue three-point bending tests were performed considering simpler double-strap bonded joints. Numerical analyses involving a cohesive mixed-mode I+II zone model appropriate for high-cycle fatigue loading considering quasi-static and fatigue degradation in a sole damage parameter were accomplished. The numerical fatigue life prediction and normalised compliance versus number of cycles curve are in close agreement with the experimental results. The numerical model was subsequently used to assess the influence of ±5% variation of several parameters intrinsic to fatigue behaviour on the numerically obtained fatigue lives. It was concluded that the exponent parameter of the modified Paris law is the most influent one. In addition, it was concluded that a concurrent variation of ±5% of all analysed parameters can explain the experimental scatter obtained.


We propose procedures for testing statistically the significance of violations of nonparametric tests of optimization axioms when observed behavior is measured with error. The tests are robust against parametric specification of the error distribution, thus are nonparametric in both the statistical and economic senses, and are readily implemented numerically. An illustration with demand data is presented.


This paper presents a tool designed for analysing fault propagation and fault impact on large-scale process performances. The analysis is based on structural description of the process. The main physical variables are associated to each subsystem and a relational model linking these variables for all the different functioning modes of the system is determined. In large-scale systems every component must provide a certain function in order to make the overall system working satisfactorily. When a fault or a badly tuned parameter affects a control loop, the required function cannot be fulfilled which may cause a failure. Therefore, some Loop Performance Indexes (LPI) indicating if the control loops operate properly are necessary to evaluate the impact of the failure on the overall process performances represented by a high level index Key Performance Index (KPI). Structural models provide an interesting approach for the analysis of a system and also studying the impact of a fault because they only need a limited knowledge about the behaviour of the system. Generic component models can be used to describe the system architecture. At the first level different statistical tests are applied to the KPI. When a set of LPI or KPI deviate from their nominal or desired values, the elements which are source of an eventual malfunctioning can be searched in the structural graph by searching the nodes predecessors. The selected LPI are tested in their turn by mean of statistical tests. A node is declared to be "faulty" if the value of the corresponding LPI is out of the acceptable (pre defined) limits. The procedure is iterated until the last level of the model is reached. This procedure researches the possible cause of KPI value significant deviation. The procedure was applied on a board machine. In this process, the main KPI is the value of moisture of the board at the end of the production chain. The corresponding structural model which relates the moisture (top node) to the control loops (nodes) has been developed. In order to validate the large-scale capabilities of such approach, the model has been integrated within the PREDICT's SOA(Services Oriented Archiecture) software platform: KASEM (Kowledge and Advanced Services for E-Monitoring). The platform enables to apply the "on-line" statistical test to the KPI and LPIs of the board machine and supports the iterative procedure Indeed, the iterative procedure based on the structural graph was integrated as one of the KASEM diagnostic tools with a dynamic and animated graph and used during the KASEM workflow to solve the problem.


This paper presents an analysis of a health department's efforts to introduce a mechanism to increase community participation into a bureaucracy's decision-making, planning and operations. In the 1980s, South Australia adopted a Social Health Policy and a Primary Health Care Policy. These documents were intended as a means of implementing the state's commitment to `Health for All by the Year 2000' and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. A key plank of each of these policy statements is the strategy of involving community people who are not professionally involved in the health sector, in the process of promoting health and tailoring health services to the needs of the local people. In South Australia, one of the means by which participation was encouraged in the health system was through the establishment of four pilot Health and Social Welfare Councils (HSWCs) in 1988. This paper describes and analyses the data that were collected for an external review of the HSWC program, conducted in 1991. Data collection was through telephone and self-completion questionnaires administered to key informants and HSWC members. The evaluation data show that the Councils mobilised people to take action on a range of issues and three key themes related to the HSWCs as models for community participation: the structural preconditions for success; issues of representativeness; and the differing power levels between stakeholders. The study points to some important lessons for a successful model of participation. These include: (i) participation is difficult when organisations are restructuring and frequently changing staff; (ii) the need for community participants to set their own agenda; (iii) the need for resources, support and quality leadership; (iv) recognition of the competing demands of bureaucracy and community; and (v) allowing the voice of the marginalised to be heard is a more valuable objective than accurately representing all views. The paper describes the progress of the Councils since the review and notes that they were defunded in December, 1995. Some members of the Council viewed the defunding as one indicator of their success in challenging bureaucratic practices.


An optimizing method of main structure parameters (e. g. , the thickness of the crystal) and writing conditions (e. g., the incident angle) is presented for a holographic grating wavelength division demultiplexer based on photorefractive LiNbO3 crystals. The key performance parameters of the demultiplexer, such as the loss and the polarization dependent loss (PDL), are optimized by selecting favourite structure parameters using a rigorous coupled wave analysis method. Numerical results show that a low loss and a low PDL can be achieved by using the optimal crystal thickness and incident angle. The designed demultiplexer obtains the favourite synthetical performance for an actual application. The experimental method of the grating recorded is also introduced in the present paper. The experimental results accorded with theoretical computation commendably by testing the three different specimens.


Interactions between environmental factors can dramatically influence the relationships between a species and its environment. However, multiple types of interaction are possible, and as such, some may be overlooked. We used a Bayesian network to model the response of a riparian tree species, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., to the interactive influences of hydrological factors. We used a novel conceptual framework, which included not only synergistic and antagonistic interactions but also qualitative interactions (i.e. the effect of an environmental factor that switches from positive to negative or vice versa depending on the value of another factor). Synergistic, antagonistic and qualitative interactions were all detected in the response of E. camaldulensis to hydrological factor interactions. The predicted influence of environmental factors varied dramatically when interactions were considered. In some instances, the likelihood of a certain outcome differed by greater than 80% when interactions were considered. For example, the negative impact of grazing on E. camaldulensis was far greater in areas of deep groundwater relative to areas of shallow groundwater. Interactions also led to qualitatively different predictions (i.e. a qualitative interaction occurred). For example, frequent wetland inundation had a positive influence on tree vigour in wetlands minimally impacted by weirs, but a negative influence in wetlands close to weirs. Considering interactions may therefore substantially change understanding of ecohydrological relationships. Thinking of interactions between factors as potentially qualitative, and not only as synergistic and antagonistic, is likely to be important in situations where multiple management interventions are proposed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Background: Research suggests older adults' aging selfperceptions and others' stereotypes influence aging significantly. However, the association of self-perceptions and stereotypes with health outcomes remains unclear. Purpose: The authors' primary purpose is to provide a review and commentary describing perceptions of aging and their associations with health outcomes and other determinants of health. In doing so, the authors will consider potential interventions to improve perceptions of the aging process. Methods: To streamline the focus of this paper and determine relevant work in this area, the authors conducted a targeted review of literature to describe various aging perspectives. A search of online databases identified relevant publications. Search terms were tailored to select results for inclusion. Results: Older adults' aging self-perceptions and others' stereotypes have not been reported extensively. No consensus exists to define these constructs, although selected measurement scales are available. Thus assessing self-perceptions, stereotypes, and their impact is challenging. Research suggests seniors place as much importance on psychosocial aspects of aging as on disease/disability, although various factors impact their views and outcomes. Generally, purpose in life, social involvement, perceived control, and resilience appear beneficial. However, interventions to enhance positive perspectives or minimize negative stereotyping are limited. Instead, initiatives tend to focus simply on assessing individuals' viewpoints or describing the outcomes of negative stereotypes, but without proven solutions. Conclusions: While current research highlights the associations of aging self-perceptions and stereotypes with older adults' health outcomes and quality of life, many questions remain. Limited studies examine these views and their impacts with the purpose of developing initiatives to support positive attitudes, leaving a research gap. Future research and interventions should emphasize improved perspectives of aging, perhaps through productive engagement and community involvement (purpose), social participation (improved connections), resilience, and healthy lifestyle behaviors as potential approaches.


ABSTRACT Objective To demonstrate our surgical technique of robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) in a patient with a solitary kidney who received neoadjuvant Pazopanib, highlighting the multidisciplinary approach. Materials and Methods In our video, we present the case of 77-year-old male, Caucasian with 6.6cm left renal neoplasm in a solitary kidney. An initial percutaneous biopsy from the mass revealed clear cell RCC ISUP 2. After multidisciplinary tumor board meeting, Pazopanib (800mg once daily) was administered for 8 weeks with repeat imaging at completion of therapy. Post-TKI image study was compared with the pre-TKI CT using the Morphology, Attenuation, Size, and Structure criteria showing a favorable response to the treatment. Thereafter, a RPN was planned3. Perioperative surgical outcomes are presented. Results Operative time was 224 minutes with a cold ischemia time of 53 minutes. Estimated blood loss was 800ml and the length of hospital stay was 4 days. Pathology demonstrated a specimen of 7.6cm with a tumor size of 6.5cm consistent with clear cell renal carcinoma ISUP 3 with a TNM staging pT1b Nx. Postoperative GFR was maintained at 24 ml / min compared to the preoperative value of 33ml / min. Conclusions A multidisciplinary approach is effective for patients in whom nephron preservation is critical, providing an opportunity to select those that may benefit from TKI therapy. Pazopanib may allow for PN in a highly selective subgroup of patients who would otherwise require radical nephrectomy. Prospective data will be necessary before this strategy can be disseminated into clinical practice.


In this paper, a multiagent supervisory control methodology is proposed for antifault propagation in serial production systems by incorporating the idea of multiagent control within the fault-tolerant supervisory control scheme. Especially, the concept of antifault propagation between cascaded processes is established and the synthesis of agent supervisors is investigated based on this concept. A case study of a polypropylene polymerization process in the petrochemical industry is provided to illustrate the proposed control policy.


Interview in two sessions, September and November 1995, with Robert A. Huttenback, chairman of the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences from 1972 until 1977, when he was appointed chancellor of UC Santa Barbara.
He begins by recalling his childhood; born in Mainz, Germany, in 1928. Since the family was Jewish, they were anxious to leave Germany when Hitler became chancellor; they emigrated in 1933, first to Italy, then to England. In 1939, they came to San Francisco, thence to Los Angeles.
Matriculates at UCLA 1947, BA in history, 1951. Drafted during the Korean War, posted to Fort Bliss, Texas. After two years' service, returns to UCLA for graduate work in history (PhD, 1959). Fulbright Scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London for a year, then a year of research in India. Comes to Caltech as Master of Student Houses (MOSH) and acting lecturer in history.
Recalls his activities as MOSH (1960-1969) and early teaching; his opposition to invitation to Gov. Ronald Reagan to speak at Caltech's fund-rasing kickoff. Becomes dean of students, 1969. Recalls his deanship and the unfortunate involvement of psychotherapist Carl Rogers, of the Center for Studies of the Person in La Jolla. General dissatisfaction with division chairmanship of Hallett Smith and search committee for a new chairman; Huttenback becomes acting chair. Establishment of graduate program in the social sciences. Discusses his efforts to professionalize the division; recalls battle over tenure for literature professor Jenijoy La Belle. 1972, becomes division chairman. Recalls anti-Vietnam War demonstration on campus.
Comments on presidency of Harold Brown and on the admission of women to Caltech in the early 1970s. Discusses his academic research on British imperialism in India; his work on consortium advising on development of technology institutes in India; 1962, consults at Kanpur. Six months' research in South Africa on Gandhi. Research on racism and imperialism worldwide. Comments on his love of teaching; his work with Lance Davis on Mammon and the Pursuit of Empire, both at Caltech and after his move to UC Santa Barbara; recaps the establishment of the social sciences in the division. Discusses his part in setting up the Baxter Art Gallery at Caltech. Concludes by voicing disappointment in general quality of Caltech's English and philosophy faculty during his chairmanship.


Pain is an important indicator of stress particularly after surgical operation. It is not only a physical and mental suffering but also a main factor for postoperative complications. Relieving of postoperative pain is perquisite for improving outcome and shortening hospital stay. Opioids are still the mainstream for pain relief in common practice. However, opioids are also accompanied by many side effects which limit their usefulness. Therefore, methods to avoid the narcotic-associated side effects are still being searched. Excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists, particularly the NMDA receptor, have been demonstrated to produce satisfactory analgesic effect under certain conditions. This article is an introductory overview of some possible applications of the excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists in future clinical pain management.


In this article, we define an approach for model transformation. We use the example of UML Activity Diagram (UML AD) and Event-B as a source and a target formalism. Before doing the transformation, a formal semantic is given to the source formalism. We use the institution theory to define the intended semantic. With this theory, we gain a algebraic specification for this formalism. Thus, the source formalism will be defined in its own natural semantic meaning without any intermediate semantic. Model transformation will be performed by a set of transformation schema which preserve the semantic expressed in the source model during the transformation process. The generated model expressed in Event-B language will be used for the formal verification of the source model. As a result, some model expressed in a precise formalism, the verification of this model can be seen as the verification of the Event-B model semantically equivalent to the source model. Then, in the present work we combine the institution theory, Event-Bmethod and graph grammar to develop an approach supporting the specification, the transformation and the verification of UML AD.


This article takes a comparative political behaviour approach to examine the multifaceted nature of Turkey's European Union (EU) membership bid from the perspective of the EU citizens. We propose a multidimensional explanation for EU citizens' attitude towards Turkey's membership by referring to the political psychology literature on attitudinal ambivalence. We examine whether EU citizens simultaneously hold multiple and conflicting considerations on Turkey's EU accession bid, and whether this ambivalence has attitudinal consequences. To that end, we use the Eurobarometer 66.1 data set to analyze the EU public attitudes on various aspects of possible Turkish EU membership. The findings show that the EU citizens maintain ambivalent views about Turkish membership across three domain pairs: economy–security, immigration–security and population–culture. The significant impact of these ambivalence domains on increasing support for Turkey's membership to the EU is further discussed in the article.


Ge2Sb2Te4Se (I) and Ge2Sb2Te2Se3 (II) thin films were synthesized and compared to the pure telluride Ge2Sb2Te5. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations revealed a remarkably increased stability of the as-deposited amorphous phase. The transition temperature (beginning transition) determined with in situ XRD increases from 135 °C for the pure telluride to 165 °C for (I) and to 225 °C for (II). An identical trend for the transition temperatures (transition complete) was observed by sheet resistance measurements with values of 153, 190 and 243 °C, respectively. Optical properties determined with Fourier-transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and variable incident angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) exhibit a significant energy-dependent behavior of the dielectric functions. Major changes of the maxima and intensities of the extinction coefficients and the indices of refraction are observed with increasing Se content. These results are in agreement with the results obtained by Rietveld refinement and TEM. The incorporation of Se into the structure of the metastable cubic phase causes small distortions, leading to a phase transition. Electrical sheet resistance measurements reveal an exceptionally large electrical contrast between the amorphous and crystalline phases, which is increased by a factor of 100 for compound (II) compared to established phase change materials.


Recently, doubts have been cast on the validity of the continuous-time coherent state path integral. This has led to controversies regarding the correct way of performing calculations with path integrals, and to several alternative definitions of what should be their continuous limit. Furthermore, the issue of a supposedly proper ordering of the Hamiltonian operator, entangled with the continuous-time limit, has led to considerable confusion in the literature. Since coherent state path integrals are at the basis of the modern formulation of many-body quantum theory, it should be laid on solid foundations.Here,weshow that the issues raised above are coming from the illegitimate use of the (standard) rules of calculus, which are not necessarily valid in path integrals. This is well known in the context of stochastic equations, in particular in their path integral formulation. This insight allows for solving these issues and addressing the correspondence between the various orderings at the level of the path integral. We also use this opportunity to address the proper calculation of a functional determinant in the presence of a Hubbard-Stratonovich field, which shares in the controversies.


The partial or complete failure of agricultural development programs in developing countries is often due to the lack of understanding by decision makers at all levels of the marketing links. Marketing is often conceptualized and understood only as a process of assembling produce in rural or wholesale markets. Other aspects and roles of marketing mainly as incentives for production are often not well understood. Thus, the process of improving development policies often depends on trial and error, and can be generally enhanced with more accurate information. On the other hand, notions about marketing that are wrong or based on half-truths are accumulated over the years and passed on from generation to generation as facts. The lack of market research results and information can be a major problem facing the augmentation of marketing efficiency because poor information increases market imperfection and results in inefficient and ineffective policies. The rapid growth in agricultural production and increased food system specialization in developing countries increases the demand for a more efficient marketing system. Bonnen has observed that the need for information increases with development and industrialization. Development leads to a specialization of functions and organization, which greatly increases the need for coordination and, thus, the social returns and demands for information. Development and industrialization, along with the high degree of uncertainty in the agricultural sector, increases the complexity of problems, required analysis and analytical procedures which increases the demand for information. Thus, it becomes necessary to establish a marketing information system (MIS) with the ability and qualified staff to collect and analyze data to derive useful information that can be used to formulate sound recommendations to policy makers. MIS's are designed and operated to help either public or private decision makers or both. In the context of food and agricultural systems in developing countries, private decision makers need different kinds of information, depending on the kind of decision to be made. Farmers need information to deal with various problems confronting their farm operations: they need to decide what to produce and how much, and where to market in order to maximize their profits. Market intermediaries, like middlemen and commission agents, need information to divert supplies from one market to another and to adjust their services and selling practices in order to maximize their returns. In addition, exporters need information about both domestic and foreign markets in order to decide where to buy and sell. Governments often find it necessary to investigate and monitor the behavior of market participants in order to take action whenever it is necessary either to make corrections or to administer market facilitating policies and regulations. The focus of this paper is descriptive--describing from reviews of the literature the nature of market information, the design of information systems and the process of managing the flow of information. The goal is to shed more light on the likely problems facing decision makers in Jordan in the process of designing an improved marketing information system. The first section is an overview, offering background information; the second focus on the nature of information; the third section discusses key features of the design of an electronic information system; and the last section focuses on policy implications and recommendations.


Surotomycin (CB-183,315), a cyclic lipopeptide, is in phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection. We report here the further characterization of the in vitro mode of action of surotomycin, including its activity against growing and nongrowing C. difficile . This was assessed through time-kill kinetics, allowing a determination of the effects on the membrane potential and permeability and macromolecular synthesis in C. difficile . Against representative strains of C. difficile , surotomycin displayed concentration-dependent killing of both logarithmic-phase and stationary-phase cultures at a concentration that was < 16 (cid:2) the MIC. Exposure resulted in the inhibition of macromolecular synthesis (in DNA, RNA, proteins, and cell wall). At bactericidal concentrations, surotomycin dissipated the membrane potential of C. difficile without changes to the permeability of propidium iodide. These observations are consistent with surotomycin acting as a membrane-active antibiotic, exhibiting rapid bactericidal activities against growing and nongrowing C. difficile .


Abstract : Mr. Gregory Aftandilian examines why the Islamist- secularist divide in such Arab countries as Egypt and Tunisia has become so intense and polarizing and what can be done, from the perspective of U.S. policy, to mitigate such divisions and preserve U.S. interests and values. He demonstrates that having Islamist parties in dominant positions in Arab societies often provokes a backlash from secular elements because the latter see the Islamists as threatening their social freedoms, which leads to unrest. For countries beginning the transitory process from authoritarianism to democracy, Aftandilian recommends that the United States press for a broad governing coalition and a delay in holding elections, similar to what took place in Italy and France toward the end of World War II and which aided the moderate parties. Such practices would allow secular-liberal forces the opportunity to build their political parties and compete with Islamist parties. For Arab countries already facing polarization, the United States should be consistent on human rights, help build up institutions (such as parliaments) as a hedge against authoritarian presidents, and press for inclusionary politics. Aftandilian argues that U.S. assistance should be used as a positive re-enforcer to reward moderate and inclusionary politics rather than as a punitive lever (cutting aid) because the latter often provokes a backlash against the United States. In addition, Aftandilian recommends that U.S. Army officers should reinforce to their Arab military counterparts the value and necessity of concentrating on genuine external and internal terrorist threats as opposed to using a coercive internal force that favors exclusionary politics.


The purpose of this page is to provide a history of the Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Lowell through archives collected since its conception.


A novel algorithm for automatic detection and localization of human eyes in grayscale or color still face images with backgrounds is presented based on geometrical facial features and image segmentation. First of all, a determination criterion of eye location is established by the prior knowledge of geometrical facial features. Secondly, a range of threshold values that would separate eye blocks from others in a segmented face image (i.e., a binary image) is estimated. Thirdly, with the progressive increase of the threshold by an appropriate step in that range, once two eye blocks appear from the segmented image, they will be detected by the determination criterion of eye location. Finally, the 2-D correlation coefficient is used as a symmetry similarity measure to check the factuality of the two detected eyes. To avoid the background interference, skin color segmentation can be applied in order to enhance the accuracy of eye detection. The experimental results demonstrate the high efficiency of the proposed algorithm in runtime and correct localization rate.


This article explores whether the past few years have witnessed what can accurately be described as a "youthquake" in British politics, following the candidature and election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party. It argues that the British Election Study team, who argue that we witnessed "tremors but no youthquake", fail to advance a convincing case that turnout did not significantly increase among the youngest group of voters in the 2017 general election in the UK, as compared to the previous election. The article explains why their rejection of the idea of a youthquake having occurred is problematic, focusing on the limitations of the BES data, the team's analysis of it and the narrowness of their conception of what the notion of a "youthquake" entails. This article argues that there is other evidence suggestive of increased youth engagement in politics, both formal and informal, and that some social scientists have failed to spot this due to an insufficiently broad understanding of both "politics" and "youth". The article concludes that vital work needs to be done to better conceptualise and measure the political experiences, understandings and actions of young people, which are not adequately captured by current methods.


This article responds to Cowan et al.'s critique of our article 'Losing sight of women's rights: the unregulated introduction of gender self-identification as a case study of policy capture in Scotland', published by Scottish Affairs 28(3) in August 2019. Cowan et al. make a series of strong criticisms, including of our accuracy, diligence and adherence to scholarly norms. We reject these as unreasonable. In our view, they misunderstand and misrepresent the fundamental purpose of our article, fail to engage with our core thesis of policy capture, and implausibly seek to place our view of the law beyond academic respectability. Their own strongly-asserted view of the law appears at least open to question. We argue that the problem is not with our scholarship falling below any normal acceptable standard, but rather that Cowan et al. appear to be uncomfortable with others holding and expressing any different view to theirs on this topic. They have therefore reached too quickly for assertions of incompetence or worse. We discuss the climate in which our original article was produced and in which we are now defending it. Describing our own experiences as well of those of other academics, we question how the scholarship needed to help shape policy and law in this area can take place under such conditions.


A rationale exists for pharmacologic manipulation of the serine (S)184 phosphorylation site of the proapoptotic Bcl2 family member Bax as an anticancer strategy. Here, we report the refinement of the Bax agonist SMBA1 to generate CYD-2-11, which has characteristics of a suitable clinical lead compound. CYD-2-11 targeted the structural pocket proximal to S184 in the C-terminal region of Bax, directly activating its proapoptotic activity by inducing a conformational change enabling formation of Bax homooligomers in mitochondrial membranes. In murine models of small-cell and non-small cell lung cancers, including patient-derived xenograft and the genetically engineered mutant KRAS-driven lung cancer models, CYD-2-11 suppressed malignant growth without evident significant toxicity to normal tissues. In lung cancer patients treated with mTOR inhibitor RAD001, we observed enhanced S184 Bax phosphorylation in lung cancer cells and tissues that inactivates the propaoptotic function of Bax, contributing to rapalog resistance. Combined treatment of CYD-2-11 and RAD001 in murine lung cancer models displayed strong synergistic activity and overcame rapalog resistance in vitro and in vivo Taken together, our findings provide preclinical evidence for a pharmacologic combination of Bax activation and mTOR inhibition as a rational strategy to improve lung cancer treatment. Cancer Res; 77(11); 3001-12. ©2017 AACR.


Ihave thoroughly enjoyed my last 22 years of membership in the New England Surgical Society. I was humbled and honored to be selected as your 86th president and hope I have at least another 22 years of membership. I give a special thank you to our program committee, executive committee, and the team of Stan Alger, Jon Blackstone, and Heather Wood for the planning and operations of our meeting. And I give 3 cheers to the membership at large for your active participation at this meeting—as that participation is the soul of our society. The camaraderie of the New England Surgical Society and other surgical societies is a unique haven in today's world of medicine as a business. This annual happening of educational and social interaction in an atmosphere of young and old, active and senior, university and community professionals, keeps us on the high road for our patients as opposed to our clients.


BACKGROUND
 Over the last two decades, patient review websites have emerged as an essential online platform for doctor ratings and reviews. Recent studies suggested the significance of such websites as a data source for patients to choose doctors for healthcare providers to learn and improve from patient feedback and to foster a culture of trust and transparency between patients and healthcare providers. However, as compared to other medical specialties, studies of online patient reviews that focus on dentists in the United States remain absent.

 OBJECTIVE
 This study sought to understand to what extent online patient reviews can provide performance feedbacks that reflect dental care quality and patient experience.

 METHODS
 Using mixed informatics methods incorporating statistics, natural language processing, and domain expert evaluation, we analyzed the online patient reviews of 204,751 dentists extracted from HealthGrades with two specific aims. First, we examined the associations between patient ratings and a variety of dentist characteristics. Second, we identified topics from patient reviews that can be mapped to the national assessment of dental patient experience measured by the Patient Experience Measures from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Dental Plan Survey.

 RESULTS
 Higher ratings were associated with female dentists (t71881=2.45, P<.01, g=0.01), dentists at a younger age (F7, 107128=246.97, P<.001, g=0.11), and those whose patients experienced a short wait time (F4, 150055=10417.77, P<0.001, g=0.18). We also identified several topics that corresponded to CAHPS measures, including discomfort (eg, painful/painless root canal or deep cleaning), and ethics (eg, high-pressure sales, and unnecessary dental work).

 CONCLUSIONS
 These findings suggest that online patient reviews could be used as a data source for understanding the patient experience and healthcare quality in dentistry.


Preclinical studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells have a positive effect in perinatal brain injury models. The mechanisms that cause these neurotherapeutic effects are not entirely intelligible. Mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and reactive oxygen species are considered to be critically involved in the development of injury. Mesenchymal stem cells have immunomodulatory action and exert mitoprotective effects which attenuate production of reactive oxygen species and promote restoration of tissue function and metabolism after perinatal insults. This review summarizes the present state, the underlying causes, challenges and possibilities for effective clinical translation of mesenchymal stem cell therapy.


This study aims to examine cases of nonsexual violence in Jakarta. The focus of research is nonsexual violence in early childhood in DKI Jakarta. This research uses the qualitative approach with method case study. Techniques of collecting data using interviews, observation, and documentation. Data analysis using Miles and Hubberman models. The results showed that non-sexual violence forms of physical violence, verbal and emotional abuse of children did occur. The cause of violence in children is only caused by some problems, but because the behavior of the perpetrator dominates the victim until the victim is still a child unable to avoid violence that resulted in one of the victims died. The trigger of violence in children other than family disharmony, the background of economic conditions and online games is the cause of violent incidents in children. Efforts to prevent nonchild sexual violence, the child should be entitled to be protected from all forms of violence. Keywords—Non-Sexual Violence, Early Childhood, Case


In the environments of saturated limewater at 20±2°C and fly ash in cement mortars at 20±2°C, the hydration mechanism of fly ash is studied. The results indicate: under this test condition, the reaction speed of fly ash presents the degressive tendency basically within 90 days, and its chemical activation is an accumulation change process. The hydrated course of fly ash in the two environments is resembled, and only the age effectiveness is inconsistent. The test methods of Ka value and reaction degree can be used to analyze chemical activation of fly ash effectively. Rapid evaluation can be used on early activation of fly ash by Ka value and the later period one can be estimated by reaction degree.


BACKGROUND
 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine has quickly expanded in many countries as clinical frameworks have been forced to shift to virtual platforms to guarantee the safety of patients and staff. Teledermatology, specifically, is well-suited for telemedicine, with evidence supporting its viability, even-handed quality and precision, and cost adequacy in comparison to in-person visits. Teledermatology holds extraordinary potential for expanding access to patients and guaranteeing coherence of care, especially for those from rural and underserved regions.

 OBJECTIVE
 The aim of this research is to study the practice of teledermatology before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 METHODS
 A literature search using the following keywords was done: online consultations, teledermatology, post-covid. Reports from integrated health care companies (eg, Practo) were also considered.

 RESULTS
 According to the reports, Indians consulted physicians 10 times more during the second wave (April to May 2021) of the pandemic than in pre–COVID-19 times (January to February 2020). India experienced a record 30-fold spike in web-based physician consultations for COVID-19–related symptoms during this time, as compared to a 6-fold increase during the previous peak. More than 50% of all web-based consultations were for pulmonologists and general physicians for queries related to COVID-19 and the seasonal flu. Other key specialties that were consulted during this period included gynecology (10%), dermatology (8%), and pediatrics (5%). The demand for general physicians and pulmonologists was at an all-time high, according to the data. Cutaneous manifestations were varied, and included urticaria, varicella-like vesicles, transient livedoid eruptions, livedoid vasculopathy, purpuric eruptions, lichenoid photodermatitis, erythroderma, photocontact dermatitis, and generalized pustular figurate erythema.

 CONCLUSIONS
 Continued advocacy efforts and future studies highlighting teledermatology's impact, particularly on minorities, underserved patient populations, and in resource-poor settings, are critical for long-term legislative changes to occur and to provide coverage to our most vulnerable patients. This presentation underscores the state of teledermatology prior to the pandemic, the legal statutory changes that permitted teledermatology to rapidly expand during the pandemic, and the significance of continued work after the pandemic. In short, the interruption of everyday life worldwide caused by SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated that our method of practicing medicine needs reexamining.


Did you know that people in Indonesia have a word that means to take off your clothes in order to dance'? Or how many words the Albanians have for eyebrows and moustaches? Or that the Dutch word for skimming stones is plimpplamppletteren? Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 154 languages, this intriguing book is arranged by theme so you can compare attitudes all over the world to such subjects as food, the human body and the battle of the sexes. Here, you can find not only those words for which there is no direct counterpart in English (such as the Japanese age-otori which means looking less attractive after a haircut), but also a frank discussion of exactly how many Eskimo' terms there are for snow, and a vast array of information exploring the wonderful and often downright strange world of words. Oh, and tingo means 'to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend, one at a time, by asking to borrow them'.


Use this guide to find examples, quick guides and useful websites for three common citation styles - ALA, MLA and Chicago


Water used for the irrigation of plants has the potential to harbour and spread plant pathogens yet little research is conducted within this field. This review was undertaken to critically review current understanding of waterborne fungal and oomycete plant pathogens in open irrigation systems, particularly in the context of plant biosecurity. It was determined that very limited data exists on these plant pathogens, with the majority of previous studies only recording pathogen presence. There are significant gaps in current knowledge of pathogen survival and spread, and very limited information on their ability to cause disease when contaminated irrigation water is applied to crops. This review highlights the need for new research on the epidemiology and pathogenicity of putative plant pathogens isolated from water, in order to determine their risk to crops. The importance of regular monitoring of irrigation systems for the early detection of plant pathogens is also discussed.


A mobile ad hoc network has the computational and energy constraints, the general threshold cryptography does not suit it. In this paper, we consider a new kind of proper public encryption to the ad hoc networks: threshold broadcast encryption. A new construction of identity-based threshold broadcast encryption is proposed. In the proposed scheme, any user can dynamically join the system as a possible recipient, and the sender can dynamically choose the set of recipients and the threshold value t. Our new scheme achieves constant size private keys and O(n-t)-size ciphertexts. This is the first scheme which achieves short ciphertexts and full security in the standard model. Finally, we also show that it is provable security under n+1-Weak Decision Bilinear Diffie-Hellman Exponent (n+1-wDBDHE) assumption.


This is the outcome of an intensive study of migration, urbanization and urban settlement in a developing country. It examines these processes in the context of the sociology of development and includes a detailed discussion of migration and urban housing in Algeria. The main aim is to assess the way in which the extended period of insecurity, poor housing and migration in Algeria affected the families concerned and their relationship with the community and local authority.


Doing Things shows how to provide a positive environment for persons with Alzheimer's disease by offering opportunities for social interaction and constructive, enjoyable activities. Zgola outlines the ways in which a patient's functional impairment can be assessed; the strengths, weaknesses, and needs most commonly encountered among persons with Alzheimer's disease; and ways activities can be tailored to accommodate them. She offers step-by-step instructions for selecting and presenting appropriate activities and includes cooking and crafts projects, a sample exercise routine, and a sample daily schedule. The techniques she describes are designed to promote a sense of security and self-esteem, by avoiding possible sources of confusion or confrontation. Based on the highly successful program developed at one day-care facility for persons with dementia, Doing Things offers an invaluable guide for professionals and volunteers supervising activities at day-care centers and extended-care facilities-as well as for individuals who are caring for patients at home. Throughout, Zgola's emphasis is on treating persons who have Alzheimer's disease with empathy, courtesy, and dignity.


This paper investigates whether corporate governance has an impact on dividend policy in Australian listed firms. The empirical studies of corporate governance and dividend policy in the Australian context tend to have a limited scope and the findings are mixed. Unlike the existing literature, this paper provides a more comprehensive examination of the relationship between dividend policy and corporate governance mechanisms. Using a sample of 1,438 firm-year observations for the period of 2005 to 2011 and the panel data approach, this study finds that dividend payout is significantly positively (negatively) correlated with board size, board independence, institutional ownership and use of a Big-4 audit firm (CEO duality and managerial ownership). Moreover, dividend yield is significantly positively (negatively) correlated with managerial ownership (foreign ownership). These findings suggest that dividend policy and corporate governance mechanisms are complementary i.e. firms paying higher dividends are more likely to engage in good governance practices as well as having strong monitoring and control systems in place and therefore both dividend policy and corporate governance are considered as effective tools in reducing agency costs.


Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is one of the Pasteur Payload instrument of the ExoMars 2020 mission, within the ESA's Aurora Exploration Program. RLS is mainly composed by SPU (Spectrometer Unit), iOH (Internal Optical Head), and ICEU (Instrument Control and Excitation Unit), and will analyse Mars surface and sub-surface crushed samples by Raman spectroscopy. For the RLS Flight Model (FM) verification campaign, an end-to-end quick functional test was developed to evaluate the instrument performances stability. This test consists on a comparison of the centre pixel and the FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) of a set of Ne calibration lamp peaks, and was decided to be done before and after ever risky activity (transport, thermal tests, etc.) In the course of the end-to-end functional test carried out on RLS FM as part of the pre-delivery checks, an increment on the FWHM calibration lamp peaks was observed. Such performance variation was also noted to be dependent on the way the SPU thermal strap was assembled and the environmental conditions (P and T) in which the spectra were acquired. For that reason, a new SPU thermal strap assembly procedure was decided to be designed in order to ensure no extra negativeeffect was going to appear during the RLS FM installation on the ALD (Analytical Laboratory Drawer) and the instrument flight operation. In this paper, a deep exploration of the conditions in which such "de-focus" (probably due to an excessive thermal gradient between SPU structure and CCD) appears is carried out, demonstrating that the new thermal strap assembly procedure minimizes an incidental extra de-focus appearance during RLS installation on the ALD.


The discrimination faced by intersex people plays a major role in their life, including therapeutic and psychological settings. Thus, the range and expression of interphobia is crucial for therapists and practitioners to understand as part of an inter-affirmative therapeutic approach. The article examines the writings of key proponents the German-speaking extreme right, with the understanding that many of these interphobic ideas hold true for society at large. By analysing seven interphobic strategies used by the extreme right, we understand how their narratives about intersex people continue to propagate a two-sex hegemony. The seven strategies are: ignore, deny, pathologise, employ paternalism, conjure up the polarity of man and woman, make direct attacks, and functionalise completely different issues to further their political agenda. The article explores the intrinsic entanglement of interphobia with racism, antisemitism, nationalism, social Darwinism, two-sex ideology, heterosexism, cissexism, and sexism and it is also a reconstruction of relevant discourses in sexology, psychology, and gender studies. I advocate for an understanding of human development that is non-hierarchical and therefore does not value any particular expression of human bodies over any other. Pathologisation and 'fixing' is contraindicated to healing and resilience, and if therapy is to be inter-affirmative, it needs to accurately reflect the interphobic lived realities of clients' lives.


An adjudication system that lacks adequate evidence-gathering tools is destined to be both inefficient and rancorous. Accordingly, the time has come to examine how Congress can overhaul the evidence-gathering procedures for veterans benefits claims in order to conform with the modern process of claims adjudication. Fundamentally, the system has transformed from panels with legal and medical professionals deciding claims for which a veteran's evidence was insufficient as a matter of law, into groups of individual lay adjudicators weighing private and VA medical evidence on equal terms. The current evidence gathering procedures are insufficient to clarify the complex questions that arise in veterans benefits cases, resulting in needless delay while claims languish waiting for information that a proper system would solicit at the beginning. VA can use lessons from the adversarial arena to reshape the Secretary's duties to notify and assist claimants so that adequate evidence is obtained as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once Congress adopts these changes, claims will be decided far faster, tremendous resources will be freed at VA that are currently devoted to inefficient procedures, and — most importantly — veterans will believe that their claims are being decided fairly.


Many different cell types, coordinated by proinflammatory mediators, take part in the acute inflammatory reaction, but there is a lack of evidence regarding the role of erythroid cells in such conditions. In this study, changes in bone marrow, splenic, and peripheral blood erythroid cells and in erythropoietin (Epo) blood levels were investigated up to 72 hours after polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-induced sterile inflammation in male Wistar rats (two intraperitoneal injections of 15 mL 3.5% PVP at 18-hour intervals). Transient changes within progenitor erythroid cells were observed in the bone marrow. Significant increases in the number of splenic immature erythroid progenitors (BFU-E) 6 hours and mature erythroid progenitors (CFU-E), erythroblasts, and orthochromatic erythroblasts 48 and 72 hours after the induction of inflammation pointed to stimulated splenic erythropoiesis. This was confirmed by semiquantitative assessment of splenic smears, which demonstrated expansion of erythroid cells at hours 48 and 72. The changes observed in the bone marrow and spleen indicated that during acute inflammation erythropoiesis was stimulated and that the spleens of PVP-treated rats were favorable to erythroid development. The significant increase in the percentage of peripheral blood reticulocytes 48 and 72 hours after PVP-induced inflammation provided evidence that effective erythropoiesis occurred. In spite of the stimulated erythropoiesis, serum levels of Epo remained unchanged, implying that other non-Epo regulatory molecules may be responsible for erythroid cellular changes.


Among the various and modern media, satellite can be mentioned as one of the most popular media all over the world. Satellite is one of the most influential media in the present age, which like other media and means of communication is mainly the product of the West. Some satellite programs and movies contain content in which adherence to family and moral values seems ridiculous and vulgar, as opposed to having free sex, daring sex, and questioning the importance and value of marriage. Is considered to be the result of a free-thinking and progressive view of life and emotional relationships. Asking questions and raising repeated doubts about the views of people who have not been enslaved or are living together, and in return providing views and answering skeptical questions to convince the audience that times have changed and people should not stick. On the other hand, the family as a social institution has always been considered by the legislator and several laws have been enacted in relation to this institution. Apart from the family laws, he also has special rights in terms of religion, morality and custom. These include strengthening the foundations of the family, strengthening the family, raising children, good morals and good company, healthy sexual relations and the emotional and intimate atmosphere of the family.


Observations of tropospheric gravity waves (GWs) made by the new and extensive USArray Transportable Array (TA) barometric network located east of the Rockies, in the central and eastern United States and of stratospheric (30–40 km above sea level) GWs made by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are compared over a 5 year time span from 2010 through 2014. GW detections in the period band from 2 to 6 h made at the Earth's surface during the thunderstorm season from May through August each year exhibit the same broad spatial and temporal patterns as observed at stratospheric altitudes. At both levels, the occurrence frequency of GWs is higher at night than during the day and is highest to the west of the Great Lakes. Statistically significant correlations between the variance of the pressure at the TA, which is a proxy for GWs at ground level, with 8.1 μm brightness temperature measurements from AIRS and rain radar precipitation data, which are both proxies for convective activity, indicate that GWs observed at the TA are related to convective sources. There is little, if any, time lag between the two. Correlations between GWs in the stratosphere and at ground level are weaker, possibly due to the AIRS observational filter effect, but are still statistically significant at nighttime. We conclude that convective activity to the west of the Great Lakes is the dominant source of GWs both at ground level and within the stratosphere.


We analyze a large query log of 2.3 million anonymous registered users from a web-scale U.S. search engine in order to jointly analyze their on-line behavior in terms of who they might be (demographics), what they search for (query topics), and how they search (session analysis). We examine basic demographics from registration information provided by the users, augmented with U.S. census data, analyze basic session statistics, classify queries into types (navigational, informational, transactional) based on click entropy, classify queries into topic categories, and cluster users based on the queries they issued. We then examine the resulting clusters in terms of demographics and search behavior. Our analysis of the data suggests that there are important differences in search behavior across different demographic groups in terms of the topics they search for, and how they search (e.g., white conservatives are those likely to have voted republican, mostly white males, who search for business, home, and gardening related topics; Baby Boomers tend to be primarily interested in Finance and a large fraction of their sessions consist of simple navigational queries related to online banking, etc.). Finally, we examine regional search differences, which seem to correlate with differences in local industries (e.g., gambling related queries are highest in Las Vegas and lowest in Salt Lake City; searches related to actors are about three times higher in L.A. than in any other region).


AIM
To present findings on the kinetics and dynamics of cardiovascular drugs during alcohol withdrawal (AW), compared with that observed in remission.

METHOD
Studies were reviewed and summarized.

RESULTS
A single-dose study in alcoholic patients with propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist, showed that the negative inotropic effect was decreased and the bradycardiac effect increased during AW as compared with during early remission. The hypotensive effect of isosorbid dinitrate, commonly used as a vasodilatator, was weaker at the onset of AW, being associated with the decreased bioavailability of the drug. Verapamil, which is a L-type Ca2+ channel antagonist, produced a bradycardiac effect at the onset of AW, but no effect was observed in early remission. The effect was probably due to changes in L-type Ca2+ channels because no differences in verapamil concentrations between AW and early remission were observed.

CONCLUSION
Taken together, AW modifies the dynamics and kinetics of cardiac drugs, which may have an impact on the treatment of alcoholic patients with cardiac diseases.


: At present the state is producing about 10 lakh cubic meters of black and colored granites. According to the Central Government, Chittoor and Prakasam Districts are Industrially Backward Districts in Andhra Pradesh. Granite industry plays a pivotal role in the economic development of these Districts. A sound capital structure leads to increase the value of the firm, proper utilization of available funds, minimization of cost of capital, maximization of returns, etc. Majority of granite enterprises are suffering with heavy losses as per my first hand observation in Chittoor and Prakasam Districts of Andhra Pradesh. The enigma pertaining to the status is that whether the people are sufficiently strong enough invest required financial structure. So the present study is undertaken to know the source of finance and financial structure of micro, small and medium enterprises in granite industry in Chittoor and Prakasam Districts of Andhra Pradesh. The objectives of the present study are to know the ability of the granite entrepreneurs by attending campaign programmes to get financial assistance, to identify the purpose of loan taken, met financial requirement and subsidy availed by the granite entrepreneurs, and to study the financial structure of the granite enterprises and offer suggestions to maintain an optimal capital structure in Chittoor and Prakasam Districts of Andhra Pradesh during the study period. The granite enterprises were not maintaining an optimum capital structure and Small and medium enterprises did not maintain the standard debt-equity ratio (1 to 1.5) in the study area. It is suggested that small and medium enterprises should try to increase the debt to maintain the standard debt-equity ratio (1 to 1.5) and optimum capital structure, if there is a possibility to utilize this debt, and then they will get tax-benefit. Otherwise an additional debt will be cause for financial risk.


In this paper, proposed a new lighting control system which can reduce power consumption compared to conventional street lamps and intelligently control the light efficiently depending on whether there is a vehicle on the street. The new lighting control system proposed by this paper detects the presence of cars by collecting and analyzing sounds generated by the movement of cars. Then, the system controls lighting of street lamps based on the above car detection information, and turns on the street lamps sequentially by transmitting the car detection information. Experimental results showed that lightings were controlled based on the presence of cars and that operations of the lamps were made by turning on the lights sequentially by determining the moving direction of cars. This system is considered a technology that can reduce energies by applying to local roads with a few cars moving or national highways where lights are always turned on with low energy efficiency.


Conventional method of flood delivering coolant fluid by a nozzle in order to achieve high process performance. However, hydrodynamic fluid pressure can be generated ahead of the contact zone due to the wedge effect between wheel peripheral surface and work surface. In the paper, theoretical hydrodynamic pressure modeling were presented for flow of coolant fluid through the grinding zone in flood delivery grinding using smooth and roughness surface grinding wheel respectively. The simulation results show that the hydrodynamic pressure was proportion to grinding wheel velocity, and inverse proportion to the minimum gap between wheel and work surface and the maximum pressure value was generated just in the minimum gap region in which higher fluid pressure gradient occuring. It can also be concluded the surface roughness of grinding wheel and workpiece makes the contact zone's hydrodynamic pressure rough and unstable, i.e. the value curve considering roughness is not smooth, leading to the micro-elastohydrodynamic lubrication phenomenon.


Income smoothing is logical and rational action that managers attempt to reduce abnormal variation in earnings using special tools in accounting. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of profitability and income tax on income smoothing rankings of the companies in basic industry and chemical sectors listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. Statistical sample of the present study is formed from 45 companies in 2014. ROA is used as the proxy of profitability. In calculating the income smoothing, it is used Tucker-Zarowin (TZ) statistic for five year from the year 2010 to 2014 amounted to 225 firm-years observations. Income smoothing is measured by the negative correlation between the change in discretionary accruals and change in pre-discretionary income. The results from the hypotheses testing indicated that there is a negative and significant relationship between profitability and income smoothing. However, it is also found that there is no significant relationship between variables of income tax and income smoothing.


We refine the prominent of the process by which firms expand internationally - internationalization theory. By argumenting the behavioral theory of the firm (which is the basis of internationalization theory) with theories of foreign direct investment, we argue that international expansion is not a gradual incremental process as argued by internationalization theory. Rather, we hypothesize that international expansion is a discontinuous process characterized by an initial "big step." We expect that the differences of operating in one`s home country versus abroad are the major difficulties faced by foreign firms, and subsequently the differences between foreign countries are only marginal. As a result, we hypothesize that the internationalization process will be characterized by the following observations: (a) firms take a long period of time to make their first international investment; (b) firms take shorter but constant periods of time for subsequent investments; (c) no relationship between time to expansion and the cultural distance of the target country will exist. We examine the international expansion activities of 176 Danish firms over 150 years and find support for these arguments.


Taiwan Polymorphic Marker Database (TPMD) (http://tpmd.nhri.org.tw/) is a marker database designed to provide experimental details and useful marker information allelotyped in Taiwanese populations accompanied by resources and technical supports. The current version deposited more than 372 000 allelotyping data from 1425 frequently used and fluorescent-labeled microsatellite markers with variation types of dinucleotide, trinucleotide and tetranucleotide. TPMD contains text and map displays with searchable and retrievable options for marker names, chromosomal location in various human genome maps and marker heterozygosity in populations of Taiwanese, Japanese and Caucasian. The integration of marker information in map display is useful for the selection of high heterozygosity and commonly used microsatellite markers to refine mapping of diseases locus followed by identification of disease gene by positional candidate cloning. In addition, our results indicated that the number of markers with heterozygosity over 0.7 in Asian populations is lower than that in Caucasian. To increase accuracy and facilitate genetic studies using microsatellite markers, we also list markers with genotyping difficulty due to ambiguity of allele calling and recommend an optimal set of microsatellite markers for genotyping in Taiwanese, and possible extension of genotyping in other Mongoloid populations.


Purpose: To examine factors that affect healthcare utilization among Roma population with chronic diseases in Jordan. It also explores behavior-seeking health care among them, their characteristics and ability to access healthcare.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A cross-sectional descriptive survey performed, data collection done through in-person interviews using a structured questionnaire based on the Canadian Community Health Survey. Andersen's behavioral model was implemented to examine the influences of predisposing, enabling, need, and outcome factors on healthcare utilization using binary logistic regression, and predictors for accessibility difficulties using multiple linear regression,
Findings: 98.8% of the participants stated that they had difficulties in getting the care needed for diagnosis, treatment, or consultation, and 24.8% said that they didn't utilize healthcare services last year. The number of chronic diseases and satisfaction level with the healthcare services significantly increase utilization, on the other hand; age, health insurance, resident location, number of chronic diseases and their duration as well as satisfaction with the healthcare are significantly affect accessibility difficulties to healthcare services.
Practical implications: Provide mobile health units to reach remote settlements, that provide efficient healthcare services that met their health needs, and to be integrated with local health system. Societal implications: Efforts to involve Roma children in education. Establishing vocational training programs ended with employments. Establish sufficient and reasonable housing, to be side by side to the other population.
Originality/value: This study is considered as the first to address the Jordanian Roma health status, utilization and accessibility to healthcare services, the end results help in suggesting different approaches to improve health and promote health equity.


We propose and evaluate the performance of CDMA (code division multiple access) based high-speed packet data service MAC (medium access control) protocol for IMT2000 system. This proposed MAC supports a smooth evolution from the conventional IS-95 based system to IMT2000. Also, the proposed MAC supports connectionless packet transmission over wireless channels. Channel utilization is maximized by using discontinuous transmission mode technology and efficient channel re-use property. Most of all, a 5 ms-size message structure based control mechanism provides a fast MAC management scheme. Then a sleep-mode based physical channel control function is provided to support the power save effect and fast channel activation method. Also, channel related information is minimized by using the state transition characteristics of the proposed MAC. Especially, the proposed MAC is admitted by TR45.5 as a part of the cdmaOne standard, and proposed to ITU-R as a CDMA based IMT2000 radio transmission technology candidate.


Escalating bone graft scarcity and donor site morbidity worldwide are alarming reminders that highlight the need for alternatives to gold standard tissue rejuvenation methods. Over the last few decades, many efforts have been made in bone tissue engineering (BTE) to fabricate artificial bone transplants. Conventional BTE techniques do not render pertinent spatial organization of cells, and they fail in mimicking the extracellular matrix of native bone tissue. This setback can be overcome by using the emerging technology of three-dimensional bioprinting (3DBP). 3DBP is a state-of-the-art technology that provides accurate hierarchal biomaterial structures that accommodate live-cell patterning to mimic their native counterparts. Herein, we provide an overview on the recent progress of cell-laden 3DBP technologies and also discuss the various biomaterials utilized (natural polymers such as chitosan, collagen, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, and silk fibroin and synthetic polymers such as PCL, PVP, and ceramics) to engineer scaffolds with requisite structural, mechanical, and biological complexity. We also highlight some of the persisting challenges and the solutions to surmount them, paving the way for progress in the field. Finally, we discuss how the combination of novel modalities with 3DBP can pave the way for new frontiers, like four-dimensional bioprinting (4DBP), to bring customized, stimuli-responsive, and highly effective regenerative scaffolds to bone tissue engineering.


Purpose: Dominant discourse contains negative stereotypical images of First Nations males that are steeped in colonialism. These racialized images can influence First Nations men's sense of self as well as the care that nurses deliver. The objective was to (a) explore practices that support positive First Nations identity and (b) provide suggestions for practicing culturally safe care. Design: The theory of Two-Eyed Seeing guided this study. Data were collected via two semistructured interviews and Anishnaabe Symbol–Based Reflection from three First Nations men living in Toronto, Canada. Findings: Having mentors, knowing family histories, and connecting with healthy Aboriginal communities fostered positive First Nations identities for participants. Implications: There is potential to advance nursing practice by enacting creative means that may support client's positive First Nations identity and well-being. Nursing education that focuses on strength-based and decolonizing frameworks, as well as reflexive practices that promote culturally safe care, is needed.


The current study compared executive-skill and executive-function deficits resulting from teacher ratings of two clinical groups of students diagnosed with ADHD (ADHD-Med, ADHD-NoMed) with ratings of demographicallymatched control groups. In addition, teacher ratings of the ADHD-Med group and the ADHD-NoMed group were compared. The data for both clinical groups and their respective matched control groups were part of the data collected during the standardization of the McCloskey Executive Function Scale – Teacher Report (MEFS-TR). Analyses examined teacher responses to all of the items of the seven Self-Regulation, the Self-Realization, and the Self-Determination Clusters of the MEFS. Congruent with the hypothesis of this study, both clinical groups demonstrated a higher degree of executive dysfunction than that of matched nonclinical groups, particularly within the Academic Arena. Additionally, the ADHD-NoMed group was rated with more deficits than the ADHD-Med group across most self-regulation clusters. Consistent with the hypothesis, a large proportion of deficit ratings for the clinical groups occurred with the Focus, Sustain, Inhibit, and Modulate executive capacities. Multiple other executive capacities were also rated as deficient for both clinical groups within the Engagement, Optimization, Inquiry and Solution Clusters. Overall, the study supported the notion that students diagnosed with ADHD who receive pharmaceutical intervention are most likely to be rated as having executive-function deficits reflecting a lack of knowing when to activate an executive capacity within the Academic Arena and sometimes within the Self/Social Arena, whereas students diagnosed with ADHD who do not receive pharmaceutical intervention are most likely to be rated as having executive-skill deficits and executive-function deficits reflecting a lack


This thesis sets out to examine five separate arenas within the Angolan public sphere, and investigate their contribution to peace discourse. The five arenas are: the Angolan churches, private media, civil society organisations, community based material and traditional authority. The objective of this thesis is to highlight these discourses, and to investigate their importance to Angolans as arenas of peace engagement. These peace
discourses have remained poorly developed or ignored within the Angolan literature. Collectively, these five discourses offer a perspective `from below' on peace and conflict in Angola, and are analysed within a Habermasian public sphere framework.

The thesis argues that many Angolans have been critical of the various peace processes, seen as agreements between the militarised elements of Angolan society. The exclusion of national civic forces from these agreements, such as the churches and civil society, is regarded as a reason for the failure of the Bicesse and Lusaka peace agreements. The thesis sets out criticism of international mediation efforts, interpreted in some arenas as an obstacle in the search for peace, because economic interests were
seen as taking priority. By focusing on oft excluded actors, an emphasis is placed on Angolan `agency' in favour of peace, demonstrating significant Angolan peace
engagement throughout the years of conflict. The thesis also underlines the importance of addressing traditional and cultural issues in understanding the causes of the Angolan war, and in developing new approaches to building peace. Simultaneously, another finding concerns the fundamental role Angolan history has played in shaping the
Angolan public sphere, and how this impacted negatively on the ability of Angolans to organise collectively and address peace issues.


Tsunamis, the giant waves that periodically engulf coastal areas and even the shores of lakes and rivers, have had a major impact on the world. Not only have they caused countless deaths but also they have changed nations, societies, and cultures from prehistoric to modern times. This book describes the science of tsunamis and the many ways they can be generated, ranging from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions and explosions, landslides, and others. It also explains how the waves travel across oceans at the speed of a jet airplane and how they focus or disperse their incredible energy. It delves into the clues that ancient tsunamis have left behind to be unraveled by modern science so that we can better understand not only what has happened in the past but also what will happen in the future. The book also explores the human side of tsunami disasters, examining their effect on the residents of impacted communities by recounting the amazing true stories of survival, heroism, and tragic loss. It discusses and provides examples of what works in mitigation, preparedness, warning, response, and recovery from tsunamis; what does not work; and what needs to be done. It contains little-known stories about scientists struggling to better understand these catastrophic waves, while fighting government ignorance and reluctance to take action, as well as amazing chance discoveries and the continued quest to learn more and become better prepared, as every year the odds of yet another catastrophic tsunami increase.


The increase in competition worldwide had driven organizations to face with new challenges. The situation had prompted the manufacturers to perform a variety of effective strategies such as the implementation of lean manufacturing system in their organization. In this study, the key elements in developing the lean tacit knowledge transfer within the organization were identified. In addition, this study also investigates the transfer of lean tacit knowledge, which involves the sender and the recipient of lean knowledge within the organization. Data were collected through a single case study for a period of 2 months in an automotive manufacturing plant in Malaysia. The results of the study found that the lean knowledge could be developed through a number of key elements. A model of tacit lean knowledge transfer was developed to help improve work performance during the implementation of lean manufacturing system. In addition, the development of the model can explain how lean knowledge was developed and transferred from one party to another in the organization. The existence of such a model could assist an effective lean manufacturing implementation with every organization should has a good lean knowledge and understand how to properly implement lean in the production process.


ABSTRACT Background: RealFit is a 13-week weight-reduction programme for adolescents. This study investigated the programme's long-term effectiveness regarding the psychological outcomes of self-esteem and food craving. Methods: The study had a quasi-experimental design. Body mass index, self-esteem and food craving were assessed at baseline (T0), immediately after RealFit (T1), and after five months (T2) and one year (T3) of follow-up. Control participants (n = 32) were overweight adolescents who received no treatment. Results: Comparison between the intervention (n = 86) and control groups showed a significant difference for the self-esteem domain of global self-worth (1.63; 95% confidence interval: 0.28 to 2.99) in favour of the intervention group. The differences regarding overall self-esteem and the physical appearance domain showed a trend towards improvement. No significant difference was found for food craving. Conclusions: Taking all results and limitations into account, it may cautiously be concluded that RealFit has beneficial long-term effects on some domains of self-esteem, but no substantial effect on food craving. The appropriate duration and delivery of cue-exposure sessions in groups of overweight adolescents to decrease food craving should be investigated to further improve the RealFit intervention.


Quality of patient care has received much publicity with patients becoming more
informed about their rights in the hospital. Consequently they are making greater
healthcare demands. Increasing consideration needs to be taken of the quality of care
given to the patients, and of their feelings about the services provided.
The research investigates patients experiences of barium enemas, with the aim of
gaining a holistic view of the examination, and addresses the area of patient
information in this context. The underlying purpose of the research is to employ
professional knowledge to address the psychological needs of patients.
The research has tracked the patient's experience and perception of the barium enema
examination throughout its whole process. This involved three main phases using both
qualitative and quantitative methods, each focusing on patient care and satisfaction.
Using interviews it was established that patients attending for barium enema were
anxious. Following this the relationship between information and anxiety was
addressed using a computer assisted learning package and a specially designed
information leaflet. It was found that patients who had received the information leaflet
had statistically significant reduced levels of anxiety. Furthermore, patients receiving
the leaflet had a stronger feeling of having sufficient information than those who
received only the standard hospital information. Giving the patient information
relating to the procedures and likely sensations has been shown to reduce their anxiety
level. The computer package showed potential for knowledge gain and usability.
Implications of the results are in the area of professionalism, role development and
standards for care of the patient in the diagnostic imaging department. Clinical
implications are at a patient management level, with attention to continuity of care. It
is suggested that high quality patient care and increased patient satisfaction can result
when a more holistic and patient centred approach is adopted by radiographers.


The aim of the ACE-Obesity Policy study was to assess the economic credentials of a suite of obesity prevention policies across multiple sectors and areas of governance for the Australian setting. The study aimed to place the cost-effectiveness results within a broad decision-making context by providing an assessment of the key considerations for policy implementation. The Assessing Cost-Effectiveness (ACE) approach to priority-setting was used. Systematic literature reviews were undertaken to assess the evidence of intervention effectiveness on body mass index and/or physical activity for selected interventions. A standardised evaluation framework was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of each intervention compared to a 'no intervention' comparator, from a limited societal perspective. A multi-state life table Markov cohort model was used to estimate the long-term health impacts (quantified as health adjusted life years (HALYs)) and health care cost-savings resulting from each intervention. In addition to the technical cost-effectiveness results, qualitative assessments of implementation considerations were undertaken. All 16 interventions evaluated were found to be cost-effective (using a willingness-to-pay threshold of AUD50,000 per HALY gained). Eleven interventions were dominant (health promoting and cost-saving). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the non-dominant interventions ranged from AUD1,728 to 28,703 per HALY gained. Regulatory interventions tended to rank higher on their cost-effectiveness results, driven by lower implementation costs. However, the program-based policy interventions were generally based on higher quality evidence of intervention effectiveness. This comparative analysis of the economic credentials of obesity prevention policies for Australia indicates that there are a broad range of policies that are likely to be cost-effective, although policy options vary in strength of evidence for effectiveness, affordability, feasibility, acceptability to stakeholders, equity impact and sustainability. Implementation of these policies will require sustained co-ordination across jurisdictions and multiple government sectors in order to generate the predicted health benefits for the Australian population.


This article offers a reinterpretation of the Supreme Court's seminal decision in Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. v. Zenith Radio Corporation. Although the Matsushita decision is often credited for ushering in a new era of summary judgment by shifting power from the jury to trial court judges, this conclusion is based on an erroneous understanding of the case. In reality, Matsushita is a narrow decision that does not alter the relationship between judge and jury. Appreciating the true import of Matsushita is possible only by delineating between the concepts of probability and confidence. The Supreme Court's decision in Matsushita is usually understood as having been decided according to a probability analysis, but the best interpretation of the case is that it was decided pursuant to a confidence analysis. Recognizing the true basis of the Matsushita decision dispels the popular belief that Matsushita requires an aggressive use of summary judgment by trial judges. In addition, properly understanding Matsushita is the key to comprehending the pleading requirement of "plausibility," introduced by the Supreme Court in Bell Atlantic v. Twombly.


A test chip has been designed and fabricated to validate the performance, yield and reliability of 3D chipstacks using Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). The test chip contains test structures designed to measure the electromigration performance of TSVs and microbump, thermal performance, stress in the chip as a result of thinning and die stacking, and corrosion related to moisture ingress. The structures are designed to facilitate failure analysis, allowing fault isolation to be done by electrical characterization as far as possible.


Reports on a study which set out to explore the way in which older people admitted to hospital with depression experience exercise groups and the manner in which they engage in physical activity once discharged. Eleven participants aged 69 to 86 years were purposively selected using exercise group attendance records. The findings from this study support the use of exercise groups for older people admitted to hospital with depression. Community based interventions designed to promote physical activity in older people recovering from mental illness are most likely to be effective if they address individually identified functional goals and take into account the social needs of the older service users.


Abstract. Building footprints are a prerequisite for many tasks such as urban mapping and planning. Such structures are mostly derived using airborne laser scanning which reveals rather roof structures than the underlying hidden footprint boundary. This paper introduces an approach to extract a 2D building boundary from a 3D point cloud stemming from either terrestrial scanning or via close-range sensing using a mobile platform, e.g. drone. To this end, a pipeline of methods including non-parametric kernel density estimation (KDE) of an underlying probability density function, a solution of the Travelling Salesperson Problem (TSP), outlier elimination and line segmentation are presented to extract the underlying building footprint. KDE turns out to be suitable to automatically determine a horizontal cut in the point cloud. An ordering of the resulting points in this cut using a shortest possible tour based on TSP allows for the application of existing line segmentation algorithms, otherwise dedicated to indoor segmentation. Outliers in the resulting segments are removed using Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN). The segments are then generalized leading to the final footprint geometry. We applied our approach on real-world examples and achieved an IoU between 0.930 and 0.998 assessed by ground truth footprints from both authoritative and volunteered geographic information (VGI) data.


Abstract:This series examines an often neglected area in Newman studies. Its purpose is not to provide an exhaustive analysis of his wide and complex theology of bereavement. What its articles aim to do, however, is succinctly introduce to readers various avenues for further research.The next two articles in this series are intrinsically linked by the implications of Newman's Sacramental Principle. They also act as a bridge to a future theme of significance, namely, how he reflected upon Victorian funeral customs per se. Although Newman does not refer to his Sacramental Principle in his bereavement letters by name, their theology clearly presupposes it – as the first article will show. The second paper, in a complimentary way, illustrates that at the heart of this Principle lies Newman's interpretation of grief as a personal encounter with the wounded and risen Christ. He, in turn, through the power of the Holy Spirit, brings our loved ones to us wherever we happen to be. Thus, for Newman, bereavement is an experience of the union between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven.


In this mixed method research study, the effect of gamification strategies on students' cognitive load levels and achievements was examined along with student opinions about gamification. The topic of spreadsheets was covered for six weeks in a sixth grade information technologies and software course. The sample consisted of a control group of 48 students who were trained via traditional procedures and an experimental group of 46 students who were trained using gamification strategies. Independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and descriptive analysis were applied to the data. A significant difference was found between the two groups that indicated higher achievement in the experimental group. When comparing cognitive load levels, the experimental group also scored higher than the control group. Interviews indicated that the students had positive views about gamification strategies.


The Foreign Language Department of the University of El Salvador is one of the institutions that is in charge to form professionals in teaching the English language in the Profesorado en Idioma Ingles, which for being a major of three years and focussed on the English language, seems to be very appealing to the ones who want to study in the University of El Salvador. This major is focused on acquiring or getting the knowledge of the psychopedagogical elements which will be useful when the students become teachers. It is important to mention that the 1993 plan of profesorado major came up with excellent results , the Ministry of Education (MINED) decided to change it in the year 1998. Even though many suggestions to MINED were given on the plan they were implementing, their argument was to wait to see the results. It is mandatory to revise the plan that is implemented every five years, the current plan has neither been revised nor reformed yet. This plan is very strong in the teaching practice area, containing five courses but it is very poor in the language skills development area of English; students are exposed to around 570 hours of instruction in English including specialized courses such as the two Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) courses. Among the changes the current plan has had, it can be said that in the year 1998 MINED established the new requirements to get enrolled in this major: to have the advanced level of English. Also MINED implemented a new curriculum adjustment of the Profesorado en Idioma Ingles. This curriculum changed the courses, contents, and methodology in English and Spanish and also increased the number of subjects in Spanish from seven to nine courses. In English the curriculum eliminated the Intensive Basic English, Intermediate Intensive English I and II, Advanced Intensive English I and II, and Introduction to Linguistics, which were core courses for students to get the mechanism of the language. The curriculum implemented five Practice Teaching courses, and the number of credits increased from ninety-six to one-hundred-eight. This present curriculum gives more emphasis to the Spanish and Teaching Practicum courses rather than the English ones. According to MINED, the graduates of the former program have a much better grasp of the specialization subjects, but they lacked the psychopedagogical tenets of the teaching profession. That is to say, they were poorly instructed, and they were not exposed to classroom experience to some extent. That is why MINED implemented more courses in Spanish and added four Practice Teaching courses so that the future teachers could observe, reflect, and act in a real teaching-learning situation.