The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is the most important securities legislation since the New Deal. The Act contains 76 civil and criminal sections and runs almost 70 pages. The net effect of its provisions affecting public companies is to create a new set of minimum federal corporate governance standards. The Act and follow-up SEC regulations include detailed audit committee requirements such as committee independence, auditor oversight, accounting complaint procedures, authority to engage advisers, and financial expert disclosure. Other provisions of the Act include code of ethics disclosure, a prohibition on personal loans to directors and officers, a prohibition on interference with the independent auditor, reports of trading in company stock, a bar to future service for a person who violates the anti-fraud provision of the Securities Exchange Act, shareholder approval requirements, education and training of directors, and annual certification of financial statements. The new corporate governance standards are in addition to, and do not change, existing fiduciary duties of directors, which generally are covered in state law.


Why do disputants favor some conflict management strategies when managing certain territorial claim types—land, river, or maritime—but not others? We propose that state interests—defined via claim characteristics and interdependence—and transaction costs (i.e., the challenges associated with aggregating state preferences over outcomes) differ across claim types. These differences then incentivize states to cede varying levels of control over claim management, ultimately encouraging them to prioritize and institutionalize certain conflict management strategies when managing particular types of territorial claims. More specifically, we theorize and find that states pursue distinct management strategies when addressing their land (informal; bilateral negotiations and arbitration), river (more formal; third-party non-binding), and maritime claims (most formal; multilateral negotiations and legal processes).


Short fiber reinforced thermoplastics have generated much interest these days since fibrous materials tend to increase both mechanical and thermal properties, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus, heat deflection temperature, creep resistance, and some times impact strength of thermoplastics. If the matrix and reinforcement are both based on polymers the composite are recyclable. The rheological behavior of recyclable composites based on nylon fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) is reported in this paper. The rheological behavior was evaluated both using a capillary rheometer and a torque rheometer. The study showed that the composite became pseudoplastic with fiber content and hence fiber addition did not affect processing adversely at higher shear rates. The torque rheometer data resembled that obtained from the capillary rheometer. The energy of mixing and activation energy of mixing also did not show much variation from that of PP alone.


Objective Overweight and obese adults are at high risk for developing prediabetes and diabetes. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of prediabetes (pre-DM) and diabetes (DM) among Yemeni adults who were overweight or obese and had first-degree relatives with DM, consanguinity and other risk factors. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study included 612 adults, all with a BMI≥25 kg/m2. BMI, blood pressure (BP) and waist circumference (WC) were measured in the clinic. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) was collected for all subjects. The patients either had first-degree relatives with diabetes or not, and the subjects answered a questionnaire regarding the consanguinity of their parents, exercise, khat chewing, smoking, and eating vegetables and fruits daily. Results Of the 612 study participants (32% males and 68% females) aged 20–70 years old, 429 (70.1%) had a family history (FM) of DM ± consanguinity of parents, and 183 (29.9%) had no FM of diabetes. Multivariate analysis showed significant risk in those with class III obesity for pre-DM (AOR 3.10 95% CI 1.56–6.18 p value 0.001) and DM (AOR 3.35 95% CI 1.47–7.65 p value 0.004) and those who had siblings with DM had a risk for pre-DM (AOR 1.72 95% CI 1.09–2.71 p value 0.02) and DM (AOR 2.24 95% CI 1.25–4.0 p value 0.007). Khat chewing increased the risk for pre-DM (AOR 1.61 95% CI 1.04–2.48 p value 0.032) and for DM (AOR 2.09 95% CI 1.14–3.82 p value 0.017). Having consanguineous parents plus siblings with DM were associated with a higher risk of DM (p value 0.031). Conclusion There is a high prevalence of pre-DM and undiagnosed DM among overweight and obese Yemeni individuals. Class III obesity, having siblings with DM, chewing khat, and having consanguineous parents plus siblings with DM all increased the risk. This group should be screened at an early age for early detection of pre-DM and DM.


Segment Routing (SR) promises to provide scalable and fine-grained traffic engineering. However, little is known today on how to implement resilient routing in SR, i.e., routes which tolerate one or even multiple failures. This paper initiates the theoretical study of static fast failover mechanisms which do not depend on reconvergence and hence support a very fast reaction to failures. We introduce formal models and identify fundamental tradeoffs on what can and cannot be achieved in terms of static resilient routing. In particular, we identify an inherent price in terms of performance if routing paths need to be resilient, even in the absence of failures. Our main contribution is a first algorithm which is resilient even to multiple failures and which comes with provable resiliency and performance guarantees. We complement our formal analysis with simulations on real topologies, which show the benefits of our approach over existing algorithms.


We determined whether binocular central scotomas above or below the preferred retinal locus affect detection of hazards (pedestrians) approaching from the side. Seven participants with central field loss (CFL), and seven age-and sex-matched controls with normal vision (NV), each completed two sessions of 5 test drives (each approximately 10 minutes long) in a driving simulator. Participants pressed the horn when detecting pedestrians that appeared at one of four eccentricities (-14°, -4°, left, 4°, or 14°, right, relative to car heading). Pedestrians walked or ran towards the travel lane on a collision course with the participant's vehicle, thus remaining in the same area of the visual field, assuming participant's steady forward gaze down the travel lane. Detection rates were nearly 100% for all participants. CFL participant reaction times were longer (median 2.27s, 95% CI 2.13 to 2.47) than NVs (median 1.17s, 95%CI 1.10 to 2.13; difference p<0.01), and CFL participants would have been unable to stop for 21% of pedestrians, compared with 3% for NV, p<0.001. Although the scotomas were not expected to obscure pedestrian hazards, gaze tracking revealed that scotomas did sometimes interfere with detection; late reactions usually occurred when pedestrians were entirely or partially obscured by the scotoma (time obscured correlated with reaction times, r = 0.57, p<0.001). We previously showed that scotomas lateral to the preferred retinal locus delay reaction times to a greater extent; however, taken together, the results of our studies suggest that any binocular CFL might negatively impact timely hazard detection while driving and should be a consideration when evaluating vision for driving.


The objective of this paper is to get better understanding of total quality management the (TQM) concept. It will highlight the beginnings of and improvements in the quality movement at the beginning of this century. The paper investigates the various definitions of TQM and its importance in the organization. The paper also explores the valuable contributions of quality gurus such as Deming, Crosby, and Juranto quality development. Finally, the paper discusses the factors that help to build a successful TQM organization and the barriers that may stand in the way of adopting TQM as well.


The present paper is devoted to: Analysis of significant endeavours directed to polymer base drug delivery systems, elucidating addressing priority problems and biopolymer development, significant R & D needs and priorities and the framework as well as the requirements for international networking in the area of drug delivery system. Such organized collaboration will enable promotion of knowledge among interested parties and cultures. Concerned pharmaceutical institutional and scientific associations e.g. International Pharmaceutical Federation FIP and American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences AAPS should adopt and initiate planned activities for developing and activation of appropriate drug network encompassing active members from the academic, professional centres and drug industry. The proposed network should be established on a self-sustained basis.


For past few years, the optical fibre dosimetry has been started to significantly grow in different ionising radiation applications due to their inherent advantages in terms of dosimeter characteristics and capability are used as both real-time or off-line monitoring.
Several case-studies reported characteristics of optical fibres under the different dosimeter aspects instant various radiation sources and wide ranges of doses.
However, in most cases, commercial available optical fibres have been used, which provided lots of ambiguous in terms of dosimeter characteristics regarding to various
fabrication process, materials doped and element concentrations used by different manufacturers.
This study demonstrates characterisation of different home-made optical fibres where their fabrication parameters, doping elements and concentrations, and physical
characteristics are varied in classical approaches to carefully address the main sources and factors that influence the sensitivity and characteristics of optical fibre dosimeters. For fair and consistency in analysis, a set of relatively fixed characterisation methods are adapted based on the availability and accessibility of resources; for instance, the study is performed based on thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeter with the main irradiation of MeV electron/photon within 0.5-10 Gy of applied dose.
The study is benchmarked with a couple of commercial available standard single mode fibres and conventional used lithium-fluoride dosimeter family, i.e., TLD-100.
The main effect of fibre structure/shape on performance of dosimeter is investigated by fabricating different types of undoped and doped optical fibres including capillary optical fibre, conventional cylindrical fibre, flat fibre (FF) and photonic crystal fibre (PCF). Performance of undoped fibres are compared with doped fibres; all items have been fabricated from the same Ge-doped preform. The TL response of capillary fibre can be significantly improved with our novel proposed FF, especially, if some dopant element exists in the collapsing region of FF.
The effect of cylindrical and flat fibre size on TL response is thoroughly investigated by fabricating several different sizes of fibres with fixed and varying coreiii
to-cladding ratios. For FFs, this is performed by considering different collapsing methods during fabrication process. It is shown that the effect of fibre size with
fixed core-to-cladding ratio on TL response is insignificant for cylindrical fibre, but it is significant for FFs. The effect of Ge concentration on TL response of optical fibres is also investigated by fabricating ten fibre preforms with different concentrations. Furthermore,
performance of the other rare elements doped in optical fibres are demonstrated. The study is furnished by providing discussion on structural defects with the aid of computational glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) analysis almost for every different optical fibres used.


This doctoral portfolio and commentary thesis constitute a practice-led research into 'immersive' musical experiences, both from the perspective of the spectator and the composer. Specific parallels are drawn between immersive experiences, the concept of 'mise-en-abyme' (placing copies of an image within the same image, or placing a story within a story) and how this concept can be developed as a process for creating musical materials. Interdisciplinary art forms, collaborative methods and the novel approaches to using multimedia tools are explored for their potential in creating conditions for engaged listening and composition techniques.

After an introduction to the 'mise-en-abyme' concept in Chapter One, the main body of the commentary thesis is divided into three main sections (Chapters Two, Three and Four). The first part (Chapter Two) explores specific musical devices that draw on installation art forms to provoke heightened experience of musical works. The second part (Chapter Three) explores two major collaborative projects, investigating detailed working methods, the role of the composer-performer and the evolving role of authorship in modern music making. The third part (Chapter Four) explores new methods of composing with digital media, that draw on the 'mise-en-abyme' concept as a process for generating new materials and musical structures.

This is accompanied by a portfolio of eleven original works for acoustic instruments and electroacoustic media. Scores, audio and video recordings, digital performance materials (Max patches and Ableton Live sessions) and an appendix of supplementary materials are included in print form and on an accompanying USB flash drive.


Background: Okenone is a unique ketocarotenoid found in purple sulfur bacteria; its diagenesis product, okenane, is an important geochemical biomarker. Results: Novel C-4/4′ and C-2 carotene ketolases were identified in Thiodictyon sp. CAD16. Conclusion: The complete biosynthetic pathway for okenone was elucidated. Significance: Okenone biosynthesis is oxygen-independent and occurs under anoxic and microoxic conditions, so okenane is not a biomarker specific for anoxic conditions. Okenone is a unique ketocarotenoid found in many purple sulfur bacteria; it is important because of its unique light absorption and photoprotection properties. Okenane, a compound formed by diagenetic reduction of okenone, is an important biomarker in geochemical analyses of sedimentary rocks. Despite its ecological and biogeochemical importance, the biochemical pathway for okenone synthesis has not yet been fully described. The genome sequence of an okenone-producing organism, Thiodictyon sp. strain CAD16, revealed four genes whose predicted proteins had strong sequence similarity to enzymes known to produce ψ-end group modifications of carotenoids in proteobacteria. These four genes encoded homologs of a 1,2-carotenoid hydratase (CrtC), an O-methyltransferase (CrtF), and two paralogs of carotenoid 3,4-desaturases (CrtD). Expression studies in lycopene- or neurosporene-producing strains of Escherichia coli confirmed the functions of crtC and crtF, but the crtD paralogs encoded enzymes with previously undescribed functions. One enzyme, CruS, was only distantly related to CrtD desaturases, was bifunctional, and performed a 3,4-desaturation and introduced a C-2 keto group into neurosporene derivatives in the presence of dioxygen. The enzyme encoded by the other crtD paralog also represents a new enzyme in carotenogenesis and was named cruO. CruO encodes the C-4/4′ ketolase uniquely required for okenone biosynthesis. The identification of CruO and the demonstration of its biochemical activity complete the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway for okenone and other related ketocarotenoids.


The indicators for health risk factors among school children in Lebanon associated with increased mortality and morbidity were higher than the global percentage based on WHO (2014) statistics. Knowing that the Ministry of Education in Lebanon has been trying to include health education in the national school curriculum since the last reform in 1997, this qualitative exploratory study analyzed the students' arguments resulting from focus group discussions to identify their level of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions and to provide suggestions for improving the national textbooks and teaching practices. Data were collected through focus group discussions with grade 5 students in 2 schools: Lebanese public school and UNRWA Palestinian School. The content analysis technique was used to perform the analysis and interpretation of data. Data was coded based on criteria from the Rational Model as well as the Health Belief Model. The study found, among other things, that students in both schools acquired the knowledge present in the textbooks about the benefits of balanced nutrition but they gave inaccurate and incomplete justifications with no scientific reasoning. Regarding attitudes, they show negative attitudes toward prefer unhealthy food over healthy ones. Some of their practices were healthy but unhealthy snacks, skipping breakfast, drinking big amounts of soft drinks were prevalent. The arguments of the students in both schools also showed some social related practices as related to the opinions, behavior, advice, and support of the people surrounding students influence their feelings and behavior, and the students have a reciprocal effect on those people.


Job dissatisfaction has been linked to decreased performance and increased workplace turnover. It is, therefore, important to understand the experiences that are associated with physical education teacher job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. This study examined relationships among perceived mattering, role stress, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction in teacher/coaches and non-coaching physical education teachers. The participants included 500 physical educators (251 females, 249 males) from the United States. Most participants (91.20%) were Caucasian, and over half (53.60%) coached. Data were collected using an online survey, and analyzed using latent variable modeling procedures. Results supported the conceptual framework, χ2(214) = 511.49, p < .001, RMSEA = .052 (90% CI = [.046, .058], p = .216), SRMR = .06, NNFI = .95, CFI = .96, and commonly experienced pathways were invariant across coaching and non-coaching groups. A key goal for schools should be to increase teacher perceived mattering and reduce role stress and emotional exhaustion.


This article will describe the procedures used to validate and characterize the combined hardware and software DAQ system of the KATRIN experiment. The Mk4 DAQ Electronics is the latest version in a series of field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based electronics developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology's Institute of Data Processing and Electronics (IPE). This system will serve as the primary detector readout in the KATRIN experiment. The KATRIN data acquisition software is a MacOS X application called ORCA (Object-oriented Real-time Control and Acquisition), which includes a powerful scripting language called ORCAScript. This article will also describe how ORCAScript is used in the validation and characterization tests of the Mk4 DAQ electronics system.


The Eastern and Western Ranges along with DISA share a similar vision around Net-Centricity such that "Anyone, anywhere can get to any data source and exploit the information they are authorized to access." Their legacy infrastructure is built around TDM and ATM transport networks, which are link based and connection oriented. To achieve the vision the infrastructure must evolve towards a packet switched network (PSN) that is meshed based. Consequently, a means to interwork non-IP enabled services is required. Pseudo Wire protocol encapsulation provides the means for extending telemetry, data, voice, and video services in native formats over Ethernet, IP, and MPLS networks in a reliable way that delivers greater operational efficiency and a smooth migration to a single converged network.


AIMS
The frequency of CYP2C19 poor metabolizers (PMs) in populations of African descent has been reported to range from 1.0% to 35.4%. In order to determine with greater certainty the frequency of CYP2C19 PMs in such black populations we have performed a meta-analysis of the studies.

METHODS
Relevant data on the frequency of both the PM phenotype of probe drugs (mephenytoin, omeprazole, and proguanil), and the distribution frequencies of CYP2C19 alleles and genotypes in black populations were summarized and reanalysed using a meta-analytical approach.

RESULTS
Of nine reported studies two were excluded because of significant heterogeneity (chi2=115, P<0.0001). The combined data from the remaining seven studies showed that the frequency of the PM phenotype in 922 healthy unrelated black Africans and black Americans ranged from 1.0% to 7.5% (n=7 for combined data) with an overall frequency being 3.9% (36 of 922; 95%CI: 2.7%-5.2%). The frequency of the PM genotypes in blacks was 3.7% (36 of 966; 95%CI: 2.5%-4.9%), in agreement with the frequency of the PM phenotype. In the extensive metabolizers (EMs) 29% (271 of 930) were heterozygotes (wt/m ). The observed frequencies of the three Mendelian genotypes were 0.68 for wt/wt, 0.28 for wt/m, and 0.04 for m/m. The allelic distribution was appropriate at 82.3% (95%CI: 80.5%-83.9%) for CYP2C19*1, 17.3% (95%CI:15.7%-19.0%) for CYP2C19*2 (m1 ), and 0.4% (95%CI: 0.1%-0.7%) for CYP2C19*3 (m2 ) in these populations.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that subjects of African ancestry have a low frequency of the CYP2C19 PM phenotype and genotype; that the defective CYP2C19 alleles are uncommon, and that a small proportion of heterozygotes exists in the EM subpopulation.


In the past few decades there has been a trend in Kant scholarship of pushing back against the 'traditional view' of Kant's moral philosophy, which is portrayed as holding Kant's moral philosophy to be rejecting of, or hostile to, all emotion and feeling. Such scholarship argues in various ways that there in fact is a positive role for emotion therein, and more specifically, in Kant's theory of moral deliberation (sometimes referred to simply as his 'moral psychology'). In this paper I in turn push back against such arguments. I hold that while there are indeed aspects of the 'traditional view' which should be corrected, it remains that there is no positive role for emotion or feeling as we ordinarily understand them in Kant's theory of moral deliberation.
 In this paper I proceed in two steps. First I present an argument for why feeling and emotion as we understand them have no role in Kant's theory of moral deliberation. In support of this I show that, in the original texts, the sentimental-phenomena that importantly are included in Kant's theory of correct moral deliberation are distinct from emotions as we understand them. Second, I critically assess three scholars' arguments for the importance of emotion in Kant's moral philosophy, in the interest of exhibiting the shortcomings of arguments for a role for emotion in his theory of moral deliberation. By this I hope to demonstrate that while there are important sentimental-phenomena within Kant's theory of moral deliberation, there is no role for emotion in the ordinary sense of the term.


Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas which also contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone (O3). However, the magnitude and underlying mechanisms for the spatiotemporal variations in the terrestrial sources of N2O are still far from certain. Using a process-based ecosystem model (DLEM – the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model) driven by multiple global change factors, including climate variability, nitrogen (N) deposition, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), tropospheric O3 pollution, N fertilizer application, and land conversion, this study examined the spatial and temporal variations in terrestrial N2O flux over North America and further attributed these variations to various driving factors. From 1979 to 2010, the North America cumulatively emitted 53.9 ± 0.9 Tg N2O-N (1 Tg = 1012 g), of which global change factors contributed 2.4 ± 0.9 Tg N2O-N, and baseline emission contributed 51.5 ± 0.6 Tg N2O-N. Climate variability, N deposition, O3 pollution, N fertilizer application, and land conversion increased N2O emission while the elevated atmospheric CO2 posed opposite effect at continental level; the interactive effect among multiple factors enhanced N2O emission over the past 32 yr. N input, including N fertilizer application in cropland and N deposition, and multi-factor interaction dominated the increases in N2O emission at continental level. At country level, N fertilizer application and multi-factor interaction made large contribution to N2O emission increase in the United States of America (USA). The climate variability dominated the increase in N2O emission from Canada. N inputs and multiple factors interaction made large contribution to the increases in N2O emission from Mexico. Central and southeastern parts of the North America – including central Canada, central USA, southeastern USA, and all of Mexico – experienced increases in N2O emission from 1979 to 2010. The fact that climate variability and multi-factor interaction largely controlled the inter-annual variations in terrestrial N2O emission at both continental and country levels indicate that projected changes in the global climate system may substantially alter the regime of N2O emission from terrestrial ecosystems during the 21st century. Our study also showed that the interactive effect among global change factors may significantly affect N2O flux, and more field experiments involving multiple factors are urgently needed.


In order to investigate the immunomodulatory influence of concurrent T. brucei and H. contortus infection in West African Dwarf (WAD) goats, 28 infected and 7 uninfected (control) of 8-9 months old male WAD goats were studied. The infected goats were separated into resistant (Class 1) and susceptible (Class 2) Faecal Eggs Count (FEC) phenotypes. They were infected with 3000 infective larvae (L3) of H. contortus and 5 x 10 6 T. brucei . Another group of these phenotypes received only the H. contortus challenge. The responses were measured by parasitological response through FEC and Worm Burden (WB), and by host immune response through IgG levels. Class 2 animals with or without T. brucei infection exhibited non-significant (P > 0.05) higher FEC compared to those of Class 1. Worm burdens were not significantly different between FEC classes but were different (P=0.038) in relation to T. brucei infection. There was an overall increase in worm burdens of T. brucei infected goats, more pronounced in Class 2 than in Class 1. There was a significant upward drift of antibody levels with time across all groups without significant interactions. However, there was a significant effect of FEC Class (P=0.017) and trypanosome infection (P=0.041) with no significant interaction. Animals in Class 1 had generally higher antibody levels than those in Class 2, irrespective of T. brucei infection. Infection status had a highly significant (P=0.0001) effect on IgG. H. contortus only infected goats had the highest antibody levels and trypanosome infection reduced this response, irrespective of FEC phenotype. There was a highly significant (P=0.001) positive correlation (r = +0.719) between FEC and total worm counts. This work showed that the two response phenotypes identified in earlier immunizing infections were still clearly recognizable following homologous challenge and dual infections. This suggests that under field conditions where repeated H. contortus challenge occurs and trypanosomosis is endemic, the phenotypes could remain unchanged. © 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Keywords: Haemoparasite, Gastrointestinal parasite, concurrent infection, immune response, domestic animals


OBJECTIVE
To compare the effectiveness of a single residual spraying of pyrethroids on the occurrence and abundance of Triatoma infestans in peridomestic ecotopes in rural La Rioja.

METHODS
A total of 667 (32.8%) peridomestic sites positive for T. infestans in May 1999 were randomly assigned to treatment within each village, sprayed in December 1999, and reinspected in December 2000. Treatments included 2.5% suspension concentrate (SC) deltamethrin in water at 25 mg active ingredient (a.i.)/m(2) applied with: (a) manual compression sprayers (standard treatment) or (b) power sprayers; (c) 1.5% emulsifiable concentrate (EC) deltamethrin at 25 mg a.i./m(2); and (d) 10% EC cis-permethrin at 170 mg a.i./m(2). EC pyrethroids were diluted in soybean oil and applied with power sprayers. All habitations were sprayed with the standard treatment.

FINDINGS
The prevalence of T. infestans 1-year post-spraying was significantly lower in sites treated with SC deltamethrin applied with manual (24%) or power sprayers (31%) than in sites treated with EC deltamethrin (40%) or EC permethrin (53%). The relative odds of infestation and catch of T. infestans 1-year post-spraying significantly increased with the use of EC pyrethroids, the abundance of bugs per site before spraying, total surface, and host numbers. All insecticides had poor residual effects on wooden posts.

CONCLUSION
Most of the infestations probably originated from triatomines that survived exposure to insecticides at each site. Despite the standard treatment proving to be the most effective, the current tactics and procedures fail to eliminate peridomestic populations of T. infestans in semiarid rural areas and need to be revised.


[In the course of his critique of Richard Gaillardetz's views on the ordinary universal magisterium, Professor Welch also called into question certain formulations on that topic articulated in various writings of Francis Sullivan. To clarify his own position and to elucidate further his own convictions, Sullivan here expatiates on his original intention and contextualizes several earlier statements. Central to the argument is his distinction between criterion and condition.]


Vehicle Parking Space Locator with Surveillance System is developed to help
drivers to locate available parking space in a parking area using their mobile devices
via Bluetooth application. The system will provide information about the location of
the parking space as well as the image of the parking area. The objective of the
service is to enhance the existing parking system, to provide better service for
drivers in searching of available parking space, and to utilize the Bluetooth
application in mobile devices as the medium of the services. The service also looks
forward in reducing the traffic congestion, high C02 emission, and the drivers'
precious time which are derived from parking surveys activities. The methodology is
based on the Rapid Application Development (RAD) model, which is the
enhancement of waterfall model, since it is the most appropriate model to be used
for fast project development and delivery if high quality system at low cost of
investment. The service is hope would benefits mobile users and drivers in lowering
thier fuel consumption, saving cost of services, and reducing user's time for parking
surveys. The system will be integrating Visual Basic.NET with Matlab 7.0 tools.
When a client/mobile user requests for available parking space information from the
system via Bluetooth application, the system would respond to the request by
providing the image of the current parking lot as well as the exact locations
information. The parking area would be captured using Visual Basic.NET and the
captured images would be processed using Matlab Image Processing Toolbox.


How important it is to our discipline that we can reproduce the results of Modeling & Simulation (M&S) research? How important is it to be able to (re)use the models, data, and methods described in simulation publications to reproduce published results? Is it really that important or are the lessons and experiences described in a paper enough for us to build on the work of others? At the 2016 Winter Simulation Conference, a panel considered opinions on reproducibility in discrete-event simulation. This article builds on these and asks if there really is a reproducibility crisis in M&S? A diverse range of views on the subject are presented including reflections on the reproducibility in terms of the art and science of simulation, the frustrations of poor reproducibility, perspectives from the industrial production & logistics community, the wider context of open science and artefact sharing, and the role of provenance beyond reproducibility.


35 anginal patients with the disease functional class II-III were treated with metoprolol given in conventional regimen (100 mg twice a day) and adjusted to chronosensitivity to metoprolol (100 mg in a single dose). 23 patients were aged 50-72 years. Chronosensitivity was determined at acute pharmacological tests with control of blood pressure, stroke volume. It was found that the highest chronosensitivity to metoprolol in middle-aged and elderly anginal patients occurs with maximum for the stroke volume index in 15.32 and for ejection in 21.04.


C. Bonomelli, C. Bonilla, E. Acuna, and P. Artacho. 2012. Seasonal pattern of root growth in relation to shoot phenology and soil temperature in sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium): A preliminary study in central Chile. Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(1): 127-136. The period between flowering and harvest in the sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is shorter than most fruit trees; thus, competition for assimilate and nutrients occurs early in the season. To properly supply water and nutrients during this critical period, optimal growth and root development are necessary. To characterize the root growth pattern of cherry trees in relation to shoot growth and phenology, a study was conducted on a 'Bing' cherry orchard on Gisela 6 rootstock at fourth leaf, located in central Chile (34o70' S, 70o43' W). During the 2009-2010 season, the shoot length and fruit diameter were measured on eight trees, and the root length was quantified by installing rhizotrons on two trees. Additionally, a two-tone (black/white) plastic cover was placed in the row over one tree with a rhizotron to analyze the effects of the plastic cover on soil temperature and root growth. The results showed three peaks of root growth during the season. The first peak occurred 43 days after full bloom (DAFB), corresponding to the phenological stages of the fruit turning from green to straw color. This peak occurred at 326 accumulated degree days (ADD) in the soil and 212 ADD in the air. The second peak was observed after harvest at 97 DAFB, when the shoot growth had stopped, and the soil and air had accumulated 932 and 692 degree days, respectively. The third and last peak occurred at 167 DAFB, with 1887 ADD in the soil and 1361 ADD in the air. The plastic cover increased the average soil temperature by approximately 1 °C, thereby increasing the ADD by 105.2 units during the study period. However, this increase was not enough to affect the root growth pattern.


We previously reported that juvenile Atlantic salmon with mean initial BW 11.5 g offed a methionine deficient diet had lower weight gain due to a reduced protein accretion, while lipid gain was unaffected. Muscle of the fish fed the methionine deficient diet was depleted for sulphur amino acids, while in liver, the concentration of these metabolites was maintained within narrow limits. We speculated whether this could be due to an increased muscle proteolysis to support a prioritized liver metabolism in fish fed the low methionine diets. In this study, we assessed whether genes associated with muscle proteolysis increased under methionine deficiency. The composition of the diets was similar to those used previously containing 1.6 or 2.1 g Met/16 g N. We confirmed that the fish fed the low methionine diet gained less protein compared to fish fed the DL-methionine enriched diet (P = 0.014), but growth did not reduce significantly. Also the deficient fish maintained the concentrations of liver sulphur amino acids and reduced muscle free methionine. Several of the other free amino acids within muscle increased. Further, methylation capacity was maintained in liver but reduced in the muscle (P = 0.78 and 0.04, respectively). Gene expression of muscle IGF-1 was lower (P = 0.008) and myosin light chain 2 tended (MLC2, P = 0.06) to be reduced in fish fed low methionine diet, concurrently the activity of cathepsins B+L increased (P = 0.047) in muscle of fish fed the low methionine diet. Gene expression of the muscle-specific E3 ubiquitine ligases (Murf and MaFbx) was not affected by treatment. Thus, the lower protein gain observed in fish fed the low methionine diet may be caused by reduced protein synthesis in line with the reduced IGF-1 gene expression in the white trunk muscle. Thus, to support metabolism, the dietary protein needs to be balanced in amino acids to support metabolism in all compartments of the body and secure maximal protein gain.


The principle theme of this thesis concerns the nature of the human cognitive process. Currently, the use of the computer metaphor to describe brain processes is ubiquitous. However, this is not an apt model to use when specifying what is going on in the brain. This is because, firstly, the complex and dynamic nature of neurological processes cannot be captured using the computer model of mind, and secondly, it cannot adequately account for cognitive capacities such as understanding, critical thinking, and creativity.

I have suggested that the application of the computer model in mainstream educative praxis may contribute to the teaching/learning dilemma in our classrooms. One major outcome of this dilemma is graduates who are unable to effectively and equitably participate in our everchanging and complex socioeconomic environment. Consequently, I have attempted to provide an alternative conceptual model of what may be happening when we cognize and learn.

To establish an empirical basis for my model, I have applied the insights from quantum theory to explain the unpredictable and intricate nature of neural responses to stimuli. This culminates in a model which characterizes the mind as being inherently creative. By synthesizing the main tenets of Peirce's theory of abduction with Lockwood's conception of the world-brain-mind interface, my model was able to give an explanation of how we may actualize our representations of the world in a particular cognitive event. This model, in a natural way, not only incorporates brain capacities like understanding, critical thinking and creativity, but also explains our logico-calculative learning. This model changes the way we should view cognitive processes and learning.

It implies that teaching strategies need to be implemented which enhance our students' inherent creativity. Indeed, data from researchers into creativity demonstrate the pragmatic successes that can be achieved when creative learning strategies are employed. If all educators encouraged and stimulated critical thinking and their students' natural curiosity, we may see a more tolerant and flexible world community.


Instability problem of a hydrodynamic plain journal bearing at higher speeds is conventionally resolved by using the non-circular bearings. High speed precision rotating shafts demands accurate positioning of the journal centres. A multi-pad adjustable bearing is a non-circular bearing, provides a fine-tuning option of the journal centre by continuously changing the bearing profile. In the present study, the bearing has a configuration of four bearing pads that are adjustable both in the radial and tilt directions. The fluid film thickness profile is conventionally obtained using the trigonometric relations, which has computational limitations, especially in multi-pad adjustable bearings. In this investigation, the film thickness profile of a multi-pad adjustable bearing is mathematically formulated using the transformation technique. The results obtained are compared with those available in the literature for a similar bearing. The observation shows that transformation technique eliminates the projection approximation error present in the conventional technique.


The relation between heart rate variability, measured from standard 24 hour electrocardiogram recordings in patients convalescent after a myocardial infarction, and the occurrence of sudden death and spontaneous, symptomatic, sustained ventricular tachycardia were assessed in a consecutive series of 177 patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction and surviving to 7 days. In addition to the analysis of heart rate variability, the occurrence of non-sustained arrhythmias on 24 hour electrocardiographic monitoring, and the results of clinical assessment, signal averaged electrocardiography and ejection fraction were analysed and were related to outcome. During a median of 16 months of follow up (range 10-30 months) there were 17 end point events (11 (6.2%) sudden deaths) and six (3.4%) episodes of sustained ventricular tachycardia. An index of the width of the frequency distribution curve for the duration of individual RR intervals was used to measure heart rate variability. This mean (SD) index was significantly smaller in those with end point events (16.8 (8.0)) than in those without events (29.0 (11.2)). The relative risk of the occurrence of an end point event in those with a heart rate variability index less than 25 was 7.0. Multivariate analysis showed that of all the variables examined a reduced heart rate variability index was the single most powerful predictor of end point events. Measurement of heart rate variability by this simple, automated, operator-independent method provided useful information on the arrhythmic propensity in patients convalescent after myocardial infarction.


In this study it is aimed to determine the relationship between environmental parameters and phytoplanktonic communities from six selected sampling sites in the littoral region of Izmit Bay. The samples were taken monthly from January 2011 to December 2011. Twenty taxa were identified in the phytoplankton. Although the distribution of species varied from station to station, Cocconeis scutellum Ehrenberg and Oscillatoria sp. were identified as the most abundant in the phytoplankton. Water temperature, pH and conductivity varied from 9.2 25 °C , 6.9-8.3, 30.5-45.1 μS/cm, dissolved oxygen values as minimum and maximum 4.6–12.7 mg l−1 were determined respectively. The water quality parameters were analyzed one-way ANOVA and differences were evaluated with Duncan's test. In the study was done the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA).


Anarchism and geography have a long and disjointed history, characterized by towering peaks of intensive intellectual engagement and low troughs of ambivalence and disregard. This paper traces a genealogy of anarchist geographies back to the modern development of anarchism into a distinct political philosophy following the Enlightenment. The initial rise of geographers' engagement with anarchism occurred at the end of the 19th-century, owing to Elisee Reclus and Peter Kropotkin, who developed an emancipatory vision for geography in spite of the discipline's enchantment with imperialism at that time. The realpolitik of the war years in the first half of the 20th-century and the subsequent quantitative revolution in geography represent a nadir for anarchist geographies. Yet anarchism was never entirely abandoned by geographical thought and the counterculture movement of the 1970s gave rise to radical geography, which included significant interest in anarchist ideas. Unfortunately another low occurred during the surge of neoliberal politics in the 1980s and early 1990s, but hope springs eternal, and from the late 1990s onward the anti-globalization movement and DIY culture have pushed anarchist geographies into more widespread currency. In reviewing the literature, I hope to alert readers to the ongoing and manifold potential for anarchist geographies to inform both geographical theory and importantly, to give rise to more practice-based imperatives where building solidarities, embracing reciprocity, and engaging in mutual aid with actors and communities beyond the academy speaks to the 'freedom of geography' and its latent capacity to shatter its own disciplinary circumscriptions.


Abstract : Analytical work has focused on withdrawal from two-layer or linearly stratified reservoirs. In particular, sidewall and bottom point-sink withdrawal are two geometries that have been extensively investigated. The descriptions developed by most investigators were expressions that reduced to the densimetric Froude number. It is troublesome, however, that the critical Froude numbers in these mathematical descriptions at similar flow conditions vary so greatly. In an effort to reduce the variance in these expressions, the authors use the concepts of 'withdrawal angle' and symmetry to incorporate the effects of lateral geometry or topography into the critical Froude number description. The authors' development of this relationship greatly simplifies the array of coefficients that is reported in the literature for various outlet configurations and patterns of density stratification. The relationship was developed through analytical evaluation of existing expressions and subsequent laboratory experimental verification. Observed prototype conditions, comparing favorably with predictions made with this technique, further verified its credibility. The authors explicitly included in the development of this more generalized description of withdrawal the effects of arbitrary boundary interference. For linear stratification, the developed relationship is descriptive of intermediate withdrawal and withdrawal with arbitrary interference and reduces to the analytical description of bottom or surface withdrawal. Results of experiments verified the applicability of this relationship for all three potential withdrawal conditions (i.e., intermediate, surface or bottom, and arbitrary interference).


: The authors present the results of studying the immunological efficacy of a dry alcoholic typhoid vaccine enriched with S. typhi Vi-antigen in the assessment of this vaccine in controlled epidemiological trial during the immunization of children aged 7--8 years. O- and Vi-antibodies were tested in the reaction of hemagglutination, H-antibodies--in the agglutination reaction with the microbial diagnostic agent, the properties of antibodies--in a test with cystein, and bactericidal properties of the sera--against the virulent S. typhi strain. Examination of 355 coupled sera obtained before and 3 weeks after the immunization demonstrated a high level of Vi-(1:47) and of the O-(1:580) antibodies and high bactericidal properties of the sera in persons vaccinated with the alcoholic vaccine enriched with the S. typhi Vi-antigen. The results obtained and the data on the formation of prolonged immunity following a simgle immunization suggested that a high protective effect was caused by a combined action of the O- and Vi-antigens contained in the vaccine in optimal doses.


This PhD work took place in the framework of theoretical research aimed at implementation of quantum computing schemes and algorithms in solid state devices. The electron and nuclear spins of dopant atoms implanted in silicon crystals, that already lie at the core of commercial diodes and the photovoltaic industry, are able to store quantum information longer than anything else in the solid state. Controlled manipulations of silicon qubits depend on the ability to tune the nanoscopic donor electron state: we provide a complete theoretical picture that includes, within the insightful and analytic framework of effective mass theory, the effects of the non-trivial silicon conduction band and the different lattice distortions caused by the implantation of the donor species. Calibration of the multi-valley bulk theory to account for binding energies and electron-nuclear hyperfine couplings allows improved estimates of the exchange splittings between two neighbouring donors, that provide the simplest handle for tuning two-qubit operations. Further refinements to our approach lead to exceptional agreement with experimental measurements of Stark effects, where an external electric field is used to enable local single qubit manipulations within global driving fields: we set reliable thresholds on such gating speeds across all group V donors. Finally, we propose a scalable scheme for silicon quantum computing that relies on the coherent transfer of information from Si:Bi donors, that are established as excellent memory qubits, to surface quantum dots that are easier to manipulate, within a topological surface code which enables outstanding tolerance to errors. Analysis of the optimal working regimes and inclusion of the leading sources of decoherence allow us to set out a robust design of the basic building block of future realizations.


This report summarizes the EPA identification number of each generator from which the Permittee received a waste stream, a description and quantity of each waste stream in tons and cubic feet received at the facility, the method of treatment, storage, and/or disposal for each waste stream, a description of the waste minimization efforts undertaken, a description of the changes in volume and toxicity of waste actually received, any unusual occurrences, and the results of tank integrity assessments. This Annual Summary/Waste Minimization Report is prepared in accordance with Section 2.13.3 of Permit Number NEV HW0101.


The potential use of Automatic Speech Recognition to assist receptive communication is explored. The opportunities and challenges that this technology presents students and staff to provide captioning of speech online or in classrooms for deaf or hard of hearing students and assist blind, visually impaired or dyslexic learners to read and search learning material more readily by augmenting synthetic speech with natural recorded real speech is also discussed and evaluated. The automatic provision of online lecture notes, synchronised with speech, enables staff and students to focus on learning and teaching issues, while also benefiting learners unable to attend the lecture or who find it difficult or impossible to take notes at the same time as listening, watching and thinking.


From 1969 to 1988, 64 children under 5 years of age with renal trauma were treated at our Urology service. Trauma was classified as grade I in 34, grade II in 23, grade III in 3, and 4 patients presented with trauma to pathologic kidney. Eight patients were submitted to immediate surgery (3 grade II, 3 grade III, and 2 with trauma to pathologic kidney). Twelve were initially treated conservatively and were deferred for surgery (11 with grade II trauma and 1 with trauma to pathologic kidney). The remaining 44 patients (34 grade 1, 9 grade II, and 1 with trauma to pathologic kidney) only received medical treatment. The renal unit could be salvaged in 34 cases with grade I trauma (100%) and in 2 of 3 (66.6%) with grade III trauma who underwent immediate surgery. In patients with grade II trauma submitted to immediate surgery, 1 out of 3 patients (33.3%) required a nephrectomy procedure, whereas in those patients submitted to conservative treatment and or deferred surgery, only 1 out of 20 (5%) required a nephrectomy procedure. The results reported in the literature are discussed and compared with our results.


Study Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of three weeks of dry-land training on functional strength and swimming performance in addition to eight weeks of swimming training of 15 female athletes in the 10-12 years age group with at least three years of training history. A total of 30 athletes between the ages of 10-12 participated in the study; it was divided into control and experimental groups. Methods: Muscle strength tests and swimming performance tests (50 m freestyle, 400 m freestyle, critical swimming speed tests) were applied to all groups before and after the test at eight week intervals. The dry-land training program applied to the experimental group was prepared for the 10 most frequently used muscle groups in swimming branch in the literature. Descriptive statistics were applied to the obtained data. The normality of data were analyzed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and it was found that the data showed a normal distribution. Paired samples t test was used for within group comparisons in the analysis of data and independent samples t test was used for comparison of measurement times of the groups. Results: Trapezius middle left-right deltoid anterior left-right, deltoid middle-right, triceps brachii left-right, gluteus maximus left-right, tensor facia latasol-right, biceps femoris left-right, quadriceps femoris left-right; a statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of 400 m free style and 50 m free style critical swimming speed variability (p <0.05). When the pre-test and post-test values of the experimental group were compared, Trapezius middle left, deltoid anterior left-right, biceps brachii left-right, brachio radialis left-right, gluteus maximus left-right, tensor fasia lata left-right, biceps femoris left-right, quadriceps femoris left-right statistically significant differences were found in 400 m free style, 50 m free style critical swimming speed variables (p <0.01). When the developmental values of the experimental and control groups were examined, trapezius middle-left, deltoid anterior left-right, deltoid middle-left, biceps brachii left-right, brachio radialis left-right, gluteus maximus left-right, tensor facia lata left, biceps phemoris left-right, quadriceps femoris left-right; statistically significant differences were found in 400 m free style and 50 m free style critical swimming speed variables (p <0.05). Conclusion: Dry-land training has a positive effect on swimming and functional strength performance in 10-12 years old strength swimmers.


Many researchers agree that virtue is an important psychological concept in contemporary psychology. The main purpose in this study was to investigate the relationship between virtues and the personality traits of college students in mainland China. Participants ( N = 426) completed the Chinese Virtue Adjectives Rating Scale (CVARS; Mu, 2007) and the Chinese 16PF (Zhu & Dai, 1988). The results indicated that the 16 personality factors most closely related to the virtue factors were emotional stability, dominance, liveliness, rule-consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilance, abstractedness, apprehension, self-reliance, perfectionism, and tension. Second-order factors of the 16PF most strongly related to the virtue factors were anxiety, extraversion, tough-mindedness, and independence.


This work proves rigorous results about the vanishing-mass limit of the classical problem to find a shape with minimal elastic compliance. Contrary to all previous results in the mathematical literature, which utilize a soft mass constraint by introducing a Lagrange multiplier, we here consider the hard mass constraint. Our results are the first to establish the convergence of approximately optimal shapes of (exact) size $\varepsilon \downarrow 0$ to a limit generalized shape represented by a (possibly diffuse) probability measure. This limit generalized shape is a minimizer of the limit compliance, which involves a new integrand, namely the one conjectured by Bouchitt\'e in 2001 and predicted heuristically before in works of Allaire&Kohn and Kohn&Strang from the 1980s and 1990s. This integrand gives the energy of the limit generalized shape understood as a fine oscillation of (optimal) lower-dimensional structures. Its appearance is surprising since the integrand in the original compliance is just a quadratic form and the non-convexity of the problem is not immediately obvious. In fact, it is the interaction of the mass constraint with the requirement of attaining the loading (in the form of a divergence-constraint) that gives rise to this new integrand. We also present connections to the theory of Michell trusses, first formulated in 1904, and show how our results can be interpreted as a rigorous justification of that theory on the level of functionals in both two and three dimensions, settling this open problem. Our proofs rest on compensated compactness arguments applied to an explicit family of (symmetric) $\mathrm{div}$-quasiconvex quadratic forms, computations involving the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds for the Kohn-Strang integrand, and the characterization of limit minimizers due to Bouchitt\'e&Buttazzo.


BACKGROUND
Large randomized controlled trials that evaluate the effects of negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation of a topical solution and dwell time (NPWTi-d) are lacking. There is a need to synthesize existing data across multiple studies to provide a more precise estimate of the clinical effects of NPWTi-d.

METHODS
A systematic literature review and a meta-analysis of comparative studies were performed to determine the effects of NPWTi-d versus control therapy in the adjunctive management of complex wounds. Weighted standardized mean difference or odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to pool study and control group results in each publication for analysis.

RESULTS
Thirteen studies comprising 720 patients were included in the analysis. Significantly fewer surgical debridements were performed in NPWTi-d patients versus control patients (P = 0.01). Wounds in the NPWTi-d group were ready for closure faster than control wounds (P = 0.03). The odds of reducing bacterial count from baseline in the NPWTi-d group was 4.4 times greater than control group wounds (P = 0.003), and percent reduction of bacterial count in NPWTi-d wounds was evident in all studies that captured that endpoint. There was a significantly shorter length of therapy in NPWTi-d patients versus control patients (P = 0.03). Wounds in NPWTi-d group were 2.39 times more likely to close than control group wounds (P = 0.01). Length of hospital stay was not significantly reduced for NPWTi-d patients compared with that for control patients (P = 0.06).

CONCLUSION
Results of this meta-analysis show a positive effect with use of NPWTi-d in various wound types.


In this paper, quasi-ARX wavelet network (Q-ARX-WN) is proposed for nonlinear system identification. There are mainly two contributions are clarified. Firstly, compared with conventional wavelet networks (WNs), it is equipped with a linear structure, where WN is incorporated to interpret parameters of the linear ARX structure, thus Q-ARX-WN prediction model could be constructed and it is easy-to-use in nonlinear control. Secondly, guidelines for network construction are well considered due to the introduction of WNs, and Q-ARX-WN could be represented in a linear-in-parameter way. Therefore, linear support vector regression (SVR) based identification scheme may be introduced for the robust performance. Moreover, in adaptive control procedure, only linear parameters are needed to be adjusted when sudden changes have happened on the nonlinear system, thus the controller can track reference signal quickly. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed nonlinear system identification method are validated by applying it to identify a real data system and a mathematical example, and an example of nonlinear system control is given to show usefulness of the proposed model.


Implantation of an embryo within the scar of a previous cesarean delivery is one of the rare forms of ectopic pregnancy (EP). There are two types of such pregnancies:   type 1, in which the embryo starts to progress towards the uterine cavity and may result in live birth despite the high risk of a hemorrhage occurring during birth, and type 2, which consists of pregnancies in which the embryo is embedded deep within the cesarean scar (CS) and grows towards the bladder and abdominal cavity, which is very dangerous and needs to be terminated immediately. There are very few cases in the literature reporting live birth as a result of such pregnancies. Here, we present a 41-year-old single gravid woman who had been treated for infertility at our institute and had eventually conceived through embryonic transfer freezing. At six weeks, a transvaginal scan showed the presence of an EP within the CS but despite this finding the pregnancy was continued to term.


Abstract
 Injurious pecking in laying hen flocks comprises feather pecking and tissue pecking, the latter often referred to as cannibalism. Although some gentle feather pecking belongs to the natural repertoire of laying hens, the more vigorous form, severe feather pecking, is considered an abnormal behaviour. Various theories have been developed to explain the onset of injurious pecking. All point to suboptimal circumstances leading to abnormal or redirected behaviour. A wide range of husbandry and management factors have been identified. They affect either the onset of injurious pecking (prevention) or its reduction. Prevention is most important, because once started the behaviour is very hard to stop. Therefore the first focus should be on optimizing rearing conditions to prevent injurious pecking. The most important management strategy in rear is a continuous presence of high-quality substrate to stimulate foraging behaviour and to allow the pullets to develop a habit of directing their pecking towards the litter. Any stressor can be a trigger for injurious pecking. This means management should also focus on the prevention of stressful events. Such stressful events may be changes in housing conditions (e.g. transition from rear to lay, climate) and management (e.g. light, feed, access to range), but also suboptimal health, especially parasites and compromised intestinal health. Finally some husbandry conditions seem to increase the propensity to develop injurious pecking, such as large flock sizes and a higher bird density. Management to prevent injurious pecking can only be successful if it aims at optimizing all factors involved.


A study of approach wind flow simulation of the low-rise building was performed in a boundary layer wind tunnel at Shantou University. Three kinds of experimental configuration are employed to simulate the suburban terrain. The characteristics of three types of simulated flow are presented. The wind tunnel testing of low-rise building, 1 : 30 geometrical scale model of the Texas Tech University test building was performed in the simulated flow. The model and full-scale pressure coefficients are presented for high-turbulence boundary layer flow. The comparison of the scale model and full-scale model building point pressure exhibits a good agreement for most of the pressure taps.


Quasi-one-dimensional (1D) topological insulators hold the potential of forming the basis of novel devices in spintronics and quantum computing. While exposure to ambient conditions and conventional fabrication processes are an obstacle to their technological integration, ultra-high vacuum lithography techniques, such as selective area epitaxy (SAE), provide all the necessary ingredients for their refinement into scalable device architectures. In this work, high-quality SAE of quasi-1D topological insulators on templated Si substrates is demonstrated. After identifying the narrow temperature window for selectivity, the flexibility and scalability of this approach is revealed. Compared to planar growth of macroscopic thin films, selectively grown regions are observed to experience enhanced growth rates in the nanostructured templates. Based on these results, a growth model is deduced, which relates device geometry to effective growth rates. After validating the model experimentally for various three-dimensional topological insulators (3D TIs), the crystal quality of selectively grown nanostructures is optimized by tuning the effective growth rates to 5 nm/h. The high quality of selectively grown nanostructures is confirmed through detailed structural characterization via atomically resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).


This Article reports the fabrication and characterization of composite micro-nanostructured spiral scaffolds functionalized with nanofibers and hydroxyapatite (HA) for bone regeneration. The spiral poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) porous microstructure was coated with sparsely spaced PLGA nanofibers and HA to enhance surface area and bioactivity. Polyelectrolyte-based HA coating in a layer-by-layer (LBL) fashion allowed 10-70 μM Ca2+/mm2 incorporation. These scaffolds provided a controlled release of Ca2+ ions up to 60 days with varied release kinetics accounting up to 10-50 μg. Spiral scaffolds supported superior adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) as compared to controls microstructures. Spiral micro-nanostructures supported homogeneous tissue ingrowth and resulted in bone-island formation in the center of the scaffold as early as 3 weeks in a rabbit ulnar bone defect model. In contrast, control cylindrical scaffolds showed tissue ingrowth only at the surface because of limitations in scaffold transport features.


Chiral substituted cyclic amines are ubiquitous among biologically active molecules and natural products and are valuable intermediates in organic synthesis. Stable and easy to synthesize enamides and dienamides are versatile building blocks for the preparation of chiral amines. The exceptional synergy displayed between these synthetic synthons and chiral phosphoric acid catalysts has successfully been harnessed to develop straightforward formal cycloadditions exhibiting notably high enantiocontrol. This feature article showcases the remarkable versatility of these cycloadditions to access chiral cyclic amines with different ring sizes ranging from 5- to 7-membered rings, with an emphasis on biologically active natural products.


Background Computerised provider order entry (CPOE) with clinical decision support (CDS) can improve medicines safety and reduce medicines-related expenditure. The guidance and prompts of CDS can constitute one of the primary mechanisms by which electronic health records can transform the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Hospital pharmacists have a crucial place in the development and implementation of these technologies. Purpose To describe and review medicines-related decision support systems introduced into healthcare organisations, identifying basic and advanced stages. Also, to point out CDS opportunities that might solve the current obstacles to CPOE dissemination and implementation. Materials and methods We reviewed the PubMed literature, selecting papers that reflect current practice and have relevance to system designers. We also identified papers that illustrate the limitations of current technologies and can help point the way forward for future developments in the field. Results Medicines-related decision support has achieved many benefits. Yet, many issues remain for future work. For basic medicines-related decision support, we identified five categories: drug-allergy checking, basic dosing guidance for CPOE medicines, formulary decision support, duplicate medicines checking and drug–drug interactions. For more advanced medicines-related decision support, four categories were distinguished: advanced dosing guidance in CPOE, advanced guidance for medicines-associated lab testing, advanced checking of drug–disease interactions and contraindications or drug-physiological conditions (i.e. pregnancy) alerting. Some challenges in the implementations were identified, that come to be critical for CDS, such as the customisation of CDS for inpatient or outpatient settings, strategies to reduce alert fatigue, local customisation databases and lack of therapeutic duplication checking across institutions. Conclusions Prescription-related CDS within CPOE systems can improve the quality and safety of medicines prescribing and reduce medicines costs. However, the implementation of CDS must be done consciously, taking into account improvements in the pharmacotherapeutic care workflow and the vulnerabilities of the new model. No conflict of interest.


Appropriate selection of therapy for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma requires an understanding of the various histologic classifications as well as knowledge of the role of clinical and pathologic staging. The histologic classification of the malignant lymphomas proposed by Rappaport is reviewed. The Ann Arbor Staging System is outlined and its application to NHLs analyzed. Recommendations for clinical staging procedures together with the accuracy of diagnostic tests in the NHL are discussed briefly.


We embed the principal–agent model in a model of spatial differentiation with correlated consumer preferences to investigate the competitive implications of personalized pricing and quality allocation (PPQ), whereby duopoly firms charge different prices and offer different qualities to different consumers, based on their willingness to pay. Our model sheds light on the equilibrium product-line pricing and quality schedules offered by firms, given that none, one, or both firms implement PPQ. The adoption of PPQ has three effects in our model: it enables firms to extract higher rents from loyal customers, intensifies price competition for nonloyal customers, and eliminates cannibalization from customer self-selection. Contrary to prior literature on one-to-one marketing and price discrimination, we show that even symmetric firms can avoid the well-known Prisoner's Dilemma problem when they engage in personalized pricing and quality customization. When both firms have PPQ, consumer surplus is nonmonotonic in valuations such that some low-valuation consumers get higher surplus than high-valuation consumers. The adoption of PPQ can reduce information asymmetry, and therefore sellers offer higher-quality products after the adoption of PPQ. Overall, we find that while the simultaneous adoption of PPQ generally improves total social welfare and firm profits, it decreases total consumer surplus.


American managers have been slow to embrace employee involvement, because the American tradition of employee involvement has not convincingly linked participation with business results. In contrast, the Japanese have incorporated extensive participation into the modern quality paradigm. Their approach, which focuses participation on the improvement of production processes, can attract managerial support for participation by framing it as an avenue to increased competitiveness. The modern quality paradigm's principle of "market-in" de-emphasizes buffering in favor of exposing organization members to market information and pressures. Market-in builds widespread support for participation by highlighting important connections with organizational performance. Combining participation with quality can thus overcome major weaknesses of the participation tradition by linking participation to business results.


Purpose: The main question is systematic review of the published in Korea and foreign countries on warming therapy for surgical patients. Methods: The researchers searched at Medline, CINAHL, KERIS, Adult Nursing Association, Korean Society of Nursing Science, Korean Academy of fundamentals of Nursing, and National Assembly Library web site for the published on warming therapy for surgical patients from 1980 to 2008. Words for search were operation/surgery, warming, operation/surgery and warming. Studies were included randomized controlled trial, and there were no restrictions regarding operative phase and outcome measures. Results: 36 published researches that met the criteria were mostly published in foreign countries between 2000 and 2008 and focused on surgery with general anesthesia. Sample size ranged from 21 to 60 subjects, age range between 21 and 60 years of age. Thirty different warming therapies were reported, fifty-two different dependent variables. Outcome indicators included active external warming, intra-operative, and body temperature. 'Positive effects' and 'no effects' equaled. The most frequently reported 'positive effects' were body temperature, shivering, and acid-base balance. No effects were more likely to be heart rate, blood pressure, and hemodynamics. Conclusion: Many types of warming therapy, are reported in the literature with little information about the efficacy of each, many different dependant variables were studied. There were no consistent reports as to length of time used for warming procedures. Overall, the effects of warming therapy are inconsistent. And additional research must be down before any particular method of warming can be used with confidence as to its effectiveness. Attention must be made as to the research design, better measurement of the dependent variables. This review may serve as a base.


Abstract. Wind plant blockage is a phenomenon where the presence of a large wind farm creates a disturbance to air flow external to the farm itself that is not accounted for by wake effects. This is typically manifested as a slowdown in wind velocity upstream from a plant, which can be shown to decrease power production. Knowing a priori how a wind farm's layout will generate blockage could help to improve the accuracy of AEP calculations and suggest more blockage-optimal turbine layouts. In this study, we consider the effect of wind plant blockage and perform multiple types of layout optimization to reduce blockage while solving the flow physics using computational fluid dynamics. We present a variety of methods to quantify this blockage effect, ranging from localized measurements taken in the proximity of each turbine to farm-wide integral measurements designed to capture the velocity decrease in a more global way. We then investigate each blockage metric using simple case studies designed to isolate effects due to layout changes. While all metrics show sensitivity during this testing, the integral metrics better avoid spurious effects due to waking and are better suited to evaluating blockage which we find to be a cumulative effect. We then perform multiple farm layout optimizations using these blockage metrics as objectives and find that in the absence of a power production constraint the optimized layouts tend to minimize disturbance to the surrounding flow by creating streamwise rows of turbines. Finally, we present a power-constrained layout optimization which explicitly illustrates the trade-off between designing for blockage and power. This work presents a variety of different blockage definitions and offers a set of recommendations regarding their deployment, expected behavior, and viability for consideration as part of layout planning.


This study investigated the implementation of best teaching practices by science graduate teaching assistants [GTAs] (3 chemists and 2 biologists) in five inquiry-based, interdisciplinary chemistry-biology experiments during a six-week professional development (PD) program, Engage PD. Additionally, we examined GTAs' experiences in implementing specific PD aspects. The PD program took place as the GTAs taught sections of biology and chemistry laboratory courses, each comprising five interdisciplinary experiments. The PD aspects included defining expected learning outcomes, subject-matter knowledge, relevance to real-world and chemistry-biology connections, and other active classroom teaching practices. Data were collected through classroom observations, reflection questionnaires, and individual interviews. Findings indicated that 57% of the PD aspects investigated were implemented in the five interdisciplinary experiments. Results also revealed GTAs' initial areas of struggle in implementing specific PD aspects. Perceived implementation difficulties were attributed to individual perceptions and beliefs, and contextual factors. Through practice, continuous feedback, and reflections, most GTAs overcame the hurdles and refined their teaching. Findings imply the need to design training PD programs that offer mentoring and support to GTAs and future faculty in implementing teaching innovations. The teaching context and reflection prompts are helpful in identifying areas of difficulties and how to improve.


The purpose of this study is to contribute to the discussion on the viability and potential impact of substantially increasing the pay of the lowest-income workers. To this end, a set of simulations are carried out using the input-output matrix to assess the impact on economic variables of increasing the minimum wage. The analysis yields very favourable indications for the viability of growth with income redistribution in Mexico, based essentially on the domestic mass consumption market. Stimulating growth in demand from the lowest-income households has a favourable impact on GDP and employment and only a relatively small effect on both inflation and imports, which grow by much less than they have with the model that has operated over recent decades.


Strain localization is central to the transition between continental rifting and seafloor spreading. In the East African Rift System (EARS) there is an emerging understanding of the link between extensional pulses and magmatic episodes. We investigate modern magmatism located within the Turkana Depression and its relationship to the distribution of extensional strain. We probe the source of magmatism at South Island volcano using bulk rock, melt inclusion, and olivine geochemical data and find that the magmas are derived from sub-lithospheric sources equivalent to magmatism in the more mature sectors of the rift. The depth extent of the magmatic plumbing system of South Island is constrained using vapor saturation pressures derived from bubble-corrected H2O and CO2 concentrations in melt inclusions, and results indicate a magmatic system resembling modern axial volcanic systems observed in other parts of the EARS. The zone of focused axial magmatism that South Island represents has evolved contemporaneously with a region of focused axial faulting that has accommodated the majority of regional Holocene extension and subsidence at this latitude. We conclude that at South Island there has been a migration of magmatic and tectonic strain towards the modern zone of focused intrusion along this portion of the EARS.Supplementary material: S1-S2 image files, data table files S3-S6, and caption file S7 are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6026627.


Institutions of higher education are realizing the importance of service learning initiatives in developing awareness of students' civic responsibilities, leadership and management skills, and social responsibility. These skills and responsibilities are the foundation of program outcomes in accredited higher education business programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. In an attempt to meet the needs of the student market, these institutions of higher education are delivering more courses online. This study addresses a comparison of traditional and online delivery of service learning experiences. Results demonstrate no significant difference in outcomes between the online and face-to-face models.


This chapter investigates whether colleagues' fertility influences women's transitions to parenthood. I draw on LinkedEmployer–Employee data (1993–2007) from the German Institute for Employment Research comprising 33,119 female co-workers in 6,579 firms. Results from discrete-time hazard models reveal social interaction e ects on fertility among women employed in the same firm. In the year after a colleague gave birth, transition rates to first pregnancy double. This e ect declines over time and vanishes after two years. Further analyses suggest that the influence of colleagues' fertility is mediated by social learning.


Diffusion mechanisms govern a wide range of phenomena in condensed matter including high-temperature deformation. The good influence of slow diffusers such as Si on the creep properties of α-Ti alloys is well documented, as well as the detrimental effect of fast-diffusers such as Fe, Co and Ni. The life-performance of α-Ti alloys at high temperature is also limited by light elements (O, C and N) that promote the fragile α-case phase. The study of diffusion mechanism is experimentally not trivial, since the anisotropy hcp structure of α-Ti requiring single crystal sample. The first-principles approach together with analytical models and Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations can predict the diffusivity values giving additional information on mechanism itself. This work presents the ab initio study of vacancy-mediated diffusion of substitutional atoms as Si, Al, Ga, Ge, In and Sn, interstitial migration of light elements, and anomalous behavior of fast-diffusers. The findings show that the substitutional diffusion is affected by the bonding characteristic. The interstitial sites through which light elements dissolve and diffuse were updated, and they can explain the anisotropy behaviour of these solutes. The results confirm that the anomalous behaviour of fast-diffusers is a results of their ability to dissolve interstitially and substitutionally.


Wave‐particle interaction between relativistic electrons and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves is a highly debated loss process contributing to the dynamics of Earth's radiation belts. Theoretical studies show that EMIC waves can result in strong loss of relativistic electrons in the radiation belts (Summers & Thorne, 2003, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JA009489). However, many of these studies have not been validated by observations. Li et al. (2014, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062273) modeled the relativistic electron precipitation observed by Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) in a single‐event case study based on a quasi‐linear diffusion model and observations by Van Allen Probes and GOES 13. We expand upon that study to investigate the localization of the precipitation region and the effectiveness of EMIC waves as an electron loss mechanism.The model results of BARREL 1I observations on 17 January 2013 show that as the BARREL balloon drifts in local time to regions that map to lower equatorial magnetic field strength, the flux of precipitating electrons increases and peaks at lower energy. The hypothesis that the energy of the precipitating electrons is controlled by background magnetic field strength is further tested by considering observations from balloon campaigns conducted from 2000 to 2014, including BARREL. Consistent with theory for wave‐particle interaction between relativistic electrons and EMIC waves, we find observationally that stronger equatorial magnetic field strength generally correlates with more energetic electron precipitation and further conclude that magnetic field strength can drive the localization and distribution of precipitating electrons.


The analysis of markets, courts, and civil litigation on the northeastern frontier of the United States provides a valuable opportunity to assess the evolution of institutions during economic development. The data set pools longitudinal and cross-sectional observations on 30,000 lawsuits filed in Maine during the critical period between 1700 and 1860. The earliest legal institutions moderated both social and economic norms, but courts quickly began to specialize in commercial issues. The residence of debtors and creditors and changes in spatial characteristics over time yield insights into the nature and extent of capital markets and impersonal exchange. The distribution and disposition of property and debt cases indicate that early markets were well developed and orderly; the evidence of social tension between debtors and creditors was minimal. The results do not support the standard claim of a transition from interactions based on community norms to impersonal market exchange late in the eighteenth century.


Background and Purpose of the Research The purpose of the research reported in this thesis was to explore the challenges of managing the 2009/A/H1N1 influenza pandemics in primary care in Australia, Israel and England. The influenza pandemic 2009/A/H1N1 was less devastating than originally anticipated; however, its burden on the health systems of many countries was substantial. It affected 214 countries and territories disproportionally afflicting young children and pregnant women. During this influenza pandemic, the main burden of the pandemic response fell on primary care services, and General Practitioners (GPs) were the ones who diagnosed and treated most of the patients. The prominent role of GPs in the 2009/A/H1N1 influenza pandemic presented an excellent opportunity to investigate the implications of pandemic policies for primary care and to tackle the potential problems that these policies may impose on the ability of GPs to participate effectively in the pandemic response. Method The research design consisted of three complementary studies: a systematic review of the literature, a document study, and qualitative semi-structured interviews with GPs. The systematic literature review (Study 1) was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and applied systematic approach to the literature search, study selection and data extraction. The objective of the systematic review was to examine evidence of challenges that primary care physicians encountered responding to past pandemics or large-scale epidemics. The document study (Study 2) involved analysis of the documents published by the health authorities in Australia, Israel and England during the 2009/A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. Information pertinent for the research question was separated from non-pertinent applying qualitative content analysis approach. Subsequent thematic analysis involved more focused reviewing of the retrieved data, which involved coding and category construction. The objective of the document study was to compare the approaches for management of the 2009/A/H1N1 influenza pandemic in primary care in these three countries. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 65 GPs in Australia, Israel and England (Study 3) were conducted during June-September 2010. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data was applied. The objective was to explore the views of GPs on challenges they encountered managing the 2009/A/H1N1 influenza pandemic in these three countries. Findings The systematic review of the literature (Study 1) revealed that GPs from different countries experienced similar challenges during past epidemic or pandemic responses. These included: difficulties of communication with the health authorities; limited supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and difficulties with its use; challenges in performing public health responsibilities; limited support from the authorities; lack of appropriate training. However, the review did not allow a full-scale list of possible challenges of the pandemic response in primary care and yielded little systematic information concerning the nature of the identified challenges. The reasons for these were that only 10 studies met the inclusion criteria of the systematic review; the included studies had different objectives and designs; the studies provided little relevant information needed to consider the differences in patterns of the disease spread and GP involvement in the response in different countries. Study 2 and Study 3 of this thesis were designed to address the identified gap and to investigate the challenges of GP involvement in the 2009/A/H1N1 pandemic response in the selected examples of Australia, Israel and England. Study 2, document analysis, provided systematic evidence concerning the different approaches for involvement of GPs in the pandemic response in Australia, Israel and England. It showed that the involvement of GPs in the three countries differed in timing and allocated responsibilities. Study 3 of the thesis, qualitative interviews with GPs in Australia, Israel and England, elicited challenges in providing the pandemic response in primary care from the respective of GPs. The identified challenges were consistent with the findings of the systematic review of the literature. Systematic collection and analysis of the qualitative data from the three countries allowed identification of a full-scale list of challenges in three fields of the pandemic response: treatment of patients, performance of public health responsibilities and communication with the health authorities. Contribution of the Research to Knowledge This thesis adds to the existing knowledge concerning challenges of the pandemic response in primary care by differentiating between two types of challenges: (i) country specific challenges and (ii) cross country challenges intrinsic to the pandemic response in primary care in general. This was done by collating the data from the document study (Study 2) and qualitative interviews with GPs (Study 3). (i) Country specific challenges. These challenges were found to be influenced by the timing and severity of the disease spread, level of GP involvement in the response, support provided to GPs by the health authorities, and organization of primary care services in a country. (ii) Cross country challenges intrinsic to the pandemic response in primary care in general. These same difficulties were evident in each of the three countries and included difficulties in following pandemic guidelines (barriers affecting knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of GPs) and challenges related to the role delineation during the pandemic response that resulted in role ambiguity and role conflict. Conclusion and Recommendations for Future Pandemic Planning The experience of the 2009/A/H1N1 influenza pandemic management highlighted the centrality of primary care in the pandemic response. The findings of this thesis showed that GPs were intensively involved in the pandemic response in the three investigated countries, despite the differences in the responsibilities that were allocated to them. The connection of GPs to the populations they routinely serve and trust that these populations have in GPs, positioned them as the pivotal figures when people were concerned about their health or the possibility of getting sick. This situation is not likely to change in the future. In order to overcome challenges identified in this research, improvements in planning for involvement of GPs in the pandemic response should be introduced. Based on the thesis findings, the following recommendations were made: First, broader involvement of GPs in the process of planning should be targeted. This includes engagement of GPs and public health representatives in pre-pandemic drills, collaborative meetings and knowledge transfer; engagement of GP representatives and health authorities in pandemic policy evaluation; inclusion of GP representatives in decision making and planning committees. Second, improvement in clarity and strategy of the pandemic policies and guidelines communication to GPs should be introduced. This includes the establishment of one body that is responsible for communicating pandemic policy updates to GPs; making policy updates oriented to primary care by engaging GPs in pre-pandemic policy planning committees; engagement with GP professional bodies that develop and distribute guidelines for primary care; and establishment of mechanisms for GP feedback provision during the pandemic response. Third, planning the support to be provided to GPs during the pandemic response is imperative. This should include planning for rapid distribution of PPE and antiviral drugs in primary care; reimbursement for the pandemic vaccine administration; coordination during the mass vaccination campaign in primary care; and detailed guidelines to treat complicated pandemic cases.


We present a novel microvalve for the treatment of a pathological condition, i.e., hydrocephalus. This microvalve is made of polydimethylsiloxane/Parylene composite layer which has a 3-D dome petal shape. This geometry enables the microvalve to rectify fluid flow in the forward and backward directions. New microfabrication techniques such as dome-shaped SU-8 mold fabrication and excimer laser machining for valve opening have been investigated to build the proposed microvalve. The pressure drop versus flow rate characteristics of the fabricated microvalve was investigated through in vitro flow tests. The flow test results showed that a 10 × 10 microvalve array with a cross-cut opening shape (200 × 60 μm) was found to be optimal for the treatment of hydrocephalus.


This paper uses the energy hub concept to holistically model future energy infrastructure in domestic buildings, including energy storage. The developed model allows the deployment of a novel bi-criteria optimization algorithm for minimizing both the cost and emissions of energy hub operation whilst taking advantage of dynamic tariffs. Unlike the traditional flat rate tariffs, the dynamic tariffs employed in this paper reflect variations in the wholesale energy market, and are used as commercial inputs to drive the storage operation and reduce both costs and emissions. The developed algorithm and hub model are used to optimize an example energy hub against four 24 hour periods of loads and dynamic tariffs, one from each season. Annual savings are estimated and compared against a base case, with no storage or management, of a typical house in the UK, showing significant cost and emissions savings.


Microbial symbionts are widespread in insects and some of them have been associated to adaptive changes. Primary symbionts (P-symbionts) have a nutritional role that allows their hosts to feed on unbalanced diets (plant sap, wood, blood). Most of them have undergone genome reduction, but their genomes still retain genes involved in pathways that are necessary to synthesize the nutrients that their hosts need. However, in some P-symbionts, essential pathways are incomplete and secondary symbionts (S-symbionts) are required to complete parts of their degenerated functions. The P-symbiont of the phloem sap-feeder Bemisia tabaci, Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarium, lacks genes involved in the synthesis of vitamins, cofactors, and also of some essential amino-acids. Seven S-symbionts have been detected in the B. tabaci species complex. Phenotypic and genomic analyses have revealed various effects, from reproductive manipulation to fitness benefits, notably some of them have complementary metabolic capabilities to Candidatus Portiera aleyrodidarium, suggesting that their presence may be obligatory. In order to get the full picture of the symbiotic community of this pest, we investigated, through metabarcoding approaches, the symbiont content of individuals from Burkina Faso, a West African country where B. tabaci induces severe crop damage. While no new putative B. tabaci S-symbiont was identified, Candidatus Hemipteriphilus asiaticus, a symbiont only described in B. tabaci populations from Asia, was detected for the first time on this continent. Phylogenetic analyses however reveal that it is a different strain than the reference found in Asia. Specific diagnostic PCRs showed a high prevalence of these S-symbionts and especially of Candidatus Hemipteriphilus asiaticus in different genetic groups. These results suggest that Candidatus Hemipteriphilus asiaticus may affect the biology of B. tabaci and provide fitness advantage in some B. tabaci populations.


ABSTRACT: B rue ton, M. J. (Department of Paediatrics, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria). The use of clinical gestational age assessment in the construction of standards for birthweight in a rural Nigerian community. Acta Paediatr Scand, 64:537, 1975.–The management of low birthweight infants in the developing world is complicated by the lack of criteria for distinguishing between preterm and small for gestational age newborns. Clinical gestational age assessment has been applied to 850 normal singleton neonates in a rural Nigerian community. The technique used was sufficiently accurate to enable centile curves for birthweight and gestational age to be constructed. Comparison with a European community showed that in the African babies weight gain was reduced in late pregnancy and had ceased by 40 weeks gestation but that the median birthweight was less at each week of gestation studied. The preparation and use of such reference curves for birthweight and gestational age for the study of the reasons for these differences is discussed.


A vocational training can be invested based on the degree of innovation, such as on business models to face challenges in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0. The lesson learnt can be captured through the formulation of strategy that needed to consider internal and external aspects. For example, as in the digital world, customer experience as well as customer satisfaction. Capability on the side of the network owned combined with network and social capabilities are expected to create distinctive organizational capability. Based on this background, the study aims to examine the effects of customer experience and distinctive organizational capability on the business model innovations of telecommunication firms in Indonesia using quantitative research. The target population are 445 telecommunication network companies in Indonesia which includes 312 [Internet Service Provider] ISP firms, 34 satellite firms, 27 tower firms, and 72 Telkom subsidiaries and affiliates, with samples taken from 34 firms. [Partial Least Square] PLS is used as the analytical tool to process the data in this study. The results of the study show that customer experience and distinctive organizational capabilities have an influence to business model innovations. Customer experience has a bigger role than distinctive organizational capability in building business model innovation. These findings have practical implications for the management of telecommunications industries in Indonesia as the development of vocational training rely on the needs of business model innovation development, which directly based on the development of customer experience and supported with development of distinctive organizational capability. Further research can be explored by expanding the sample, industry and in other countries.