Two experiments explored the existence and the development of relations between action representations and object representations. A priming paradigm was used in which participants viewed an action pantomime followed by the picture of a tool, the tool being either associated or unassociated with the preceding action. Overall, we observed that the perception of an action pantomime can facilitate the recognition of a corresponding tool. Experiment 1 was based on a naming task and was conducted with 9- to 12-year-old children and a group of young adults. While substantial priming effects were obtained for all age groups, they were especially important for the youngest participants. Smaller priming effects were obtained in Experiment 2, using a categorization task and conducted on 5- to 11-year-old children and young adults, but again the results suggest that these action priming effects diminish with increasing age. Implications of these results for the organization and development of conceptual knowledge are discussed.


From the research which it sees the safety regarding a high-speed railway vehicle collision and a derailment evaluation research it an example and executed. Japan, France, Germany and Spain, Italy and with our country together it compared a high-speed railway vehicle collision of the high-speed railroad operating nation and derailed relation safety standard and safety against the evaluation system trade name comparison it analyzed. The research which it sees it led and the accident instance against the hazard analysis against the collision and a derailment of the high-speed railway vehicle and a risk evaluation together and a high-speed vehicle collision and derailed it cannot prevention plan from hereafter domestic comparison it analyzed forecast it presented.


Evidently a wooden house can be built so that modern requirements for both airborne and impact sound insulation are met with sufficient margins. However, low-frequency impact sounds produced by walking may be either audible to the building occupants or felt by them as non-audible vibrations. It is clear that the present rating methods and also perhaps the tapping machine are inadequate where wooden floors are concerned, because the results may be subjectively confusing. The present situation, where internationally there are several rating systems leading to different numerical results for the same building element, needs to be addressed. Existing methods should be developed into a single international method covering all types of floors. The question of how to rate low-frequency (32-100 Hz) footfall noises, which may not be simulated adequately by a tapping machine and rated with present methods, must be considered as a special problem separate from the general rating system. It is generally recommended to add to the mass and stiffness of the wooden floor (for example, by adding a concrete layer) to improve its overall vibration and impact sound insulation behaviour. Such floors are believed to better satisfy the requirements of building occupants.


Sand bluestem [Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilus (Nash) Fern,] and prairie sandreed (Calamovitfa longifolia Hook.) are native warm-season grasses used to revegetate cropland and degraded rangeland on highly erodible sandy soils in the central Great Plains. The objectives of this study were to compare establishment success of the 2 grasses and to determine if application of atrazine at time of planting enhanced grass establishment. Eight plantings, including 'Goldstrike' and 'Garden' sand bluestem and 'Goshen' and 'Pronghorn' prairie sandreed, were made from 1985 to 1987 at locations in eastern, northcentral, and western Nebraska. Three plantings were established under irrigation and 5 under dryland conditions. Atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] was applied at a rate of 2.2 kg a.i./ha at planting at 3 of the dryland sites. Grasses were planted at a rate of 430 pure live seed/M2 in clean tilled seedbeds. Establishment of sand bluestem, as measured by herbage dry matter yield and/or grass frequency, was generally superior to that of prairie sandreed. Goshen prairie sandreed failed to establish adequate stands in 6 of the 8 plantings. Atrazine, applied at time of planting, increased sand bluestem stand frequency on sites with high weed interference but did not affect that of prairie sandreed. Based on these results, sand bluestem should be a dominant component in seed mixtures used to revegetate and stabilize sandy soils in the central Great Plains.


Nanopowders of n-type (Bi0.95Sb0.05)2(Te0.95Se0.05)3 and p-type (Bi0.2Sb0.8)2Te3 have been synthesized by laser fracture of micron-sized powders in water. These alloys are the best conventional thermoelectric materials for use in room temperature applications. The nanopowders have been characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The nanopowders have been mechanically mixed in different ratios with the micron sized powders. These mixtures have then been cold pressed in order to perform thermoelectric characterization and to see the influence of nano-particle inclusions on the transport properties.


Charles W. Hofer was the Regents' Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Professor of Management at Kennesaw State University from 2007 until his retirement in 2014. He received a doctorate in Strategy from the Harvard Business School in 1969. Prior to joining the Kennesaw State University faculty, Dr. Hofer taught at the Singapore Institute of Management, Northwestern University, Stanford University, Columbia University, New York University, and the University of Georgia. In 1992, he was made a Regents' Professor, an honor that the Board of Regents grants to a few exceptional professors at research universities. Dr. Hofer was permitted to retain the title when he joined the faculty at Kennesaw State University. He has written a number of books and articles, some of which were recognized as the most significant works in the field of Strategic Management. In 2007, Fortune Small Business magazine listed Dr. Hofer as among the Top 18 Entrepreneurship professors in the United States. During his time at Kennesaw State, he worked primarily with the MBA program, where his new venture creation students won numerous national competitions and launched several promising new firms.


The development of orientation spreads within individual grains of a polycrystal submitted to large deformations is analysed by both experiment and simulation. In the experiment, 176 grains on an internal surface of a split sample were followed by detailed EBSD measurements, at successive strains up to 1.2. In parallel, a high-resolution finite element simulation has been carried out on the same polycrystal configuration. For both experiment and simulation, hundreds to thousands of orientation values were obtained in each grain. Most grains showed a "unimodal" rotation, composed of an average rotation and an orientation spread. The experimental and simulated orientation spreads were compared through different statistical metrics. The average lattice disorientations are found to increase rapidly at the beginning of the deformation and to saturate at high strains. The orientation spreads are also analysed in terms of anisotropy along the sample axes. It is shown that the orientation spreads are aligned preferably along TD at the beginning of the deformation, then tend to move to RD in the experiment, and RD or ND in the simulation.


As an individual driver, having a route guidance system that provides the shortest path based on distance or an alternative path during an incident condition can be extremely useful. Even though it is more desirable to use travel times in providing route guidance, they are not readily available for every roadway segment. With the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) initiative, it is anticipated in the near future that individual vehicles equipped with VII could collect travel times and transfer such information to other vehicles and the transportation management system. Thus, travel-time information for real-time route guidance could be available through the VII. System-level potentials of the VII were explored by evaluating various route guidance strategies within the VII environment. A simulation framework was developed representing the VII-enabled virtual world, and route guidance strategies were evaluated with various factors, including market penetration of VII-equipped vehicles, congestion levels of a road network, update intervals of route guidance information, drivers' compliance rates, and so forth. VII-based route guidance significantly reduced travel time over the no-guidance case. Among four route guidance strategies, averaged link travel time-based guidance produced the best performance. Other key findings included the following: higher market penetration generates bigger benefits, multiple operations of competing route guidance strategies did not degrade the networkwide performance, and prediction travel time-based guidance worked well for highly congested conditions.


Stoffenmanager®v4.5 and Advanced REACH Tool (ART) v1.5, two higher tier exposure assessment tools for use under REACH, were evaluated by determining accuracy and robustness. A total of 282 exposure measurements from 51 exposure situations (ESs) were collected and categorized by exposure category. In this study, only the results of liquids with vapor pressure (VP) > 10 Pa category having a sufficient number of exposure measurements (n = 251 with 42 ESs) were utilized. In addition, the results were presented by handling/activity description and input parameters for the same exposure category. It should be noted that the performance results of Stoffenmanager and ART in this study cannot be directly compared for some ESs because ART allows a combination of up to four subtasks (and nonexposed periods) to be included, whereas the database for Stoffenmanager, separately developed under the permission of the legal owner of Stoffenmanager, permits the use of only one task to predict exposure estimates. Thus, it would be most appropriate to compare full-shift measurements against ART predictions (full shift including nonexposed periods) and task-based measurements against task-based Stoffenmanager predictions. For liquids with VP > 10 Pa category, Stoffenmanager®v4.5 appeared to be reasonably accurate and robust when predicting exposures [percentage of measurements exceeding the tool's 90th percentile estimate (%M > T) was 15%]. Areas that could potentially be improved include ESs involving the task of handling of liquids on large surfaces or large work pieces, allocation of high and medium VP inputs, and absence of local exhaust ventilation input. Although the ART's median predictions appeared to be reasonably accurate for liquids with VP > 10 Pa, the %M > T for the 90th percentile estimates was 41%, indicating that variance in exposure levels is underestimated by ART. The %M > T using the estimates of the upper value of 90% confidence interval (CI) of the 90th percentile estimate (UCI90) was considerably reduced to 18% for liquids with VP > 10 Pa. On the basis of this observation, users might be to consider using the upper limit value of 90% CI of the 90th percentile estimate for predicting reasonable worst case situations. Nevertheless, for some activities and input parameters, ART still shows areas to be improved. Hence, it is suggested that ART developers review the assumptions in relation to exposure variability within the tool, toward improving the tool performance in estimating percentile exposure levels. In addition, for both tools, only some handling/activity descriptions and input parameters were considered. Thus, further validation studies are still necessary.


There exist many approaches that help in pointing developers to the change-prone parts of a software system. Although beneficial, they mostly fall short in providing details of these changes. Fine-grained source code changes (SCC) capture such detailed code changes and their semantics on the statement level. These SCC can be condition changes, interface modifications, inserts or deletions of methods and attributes, or other kinds of statement changes. In this paper, we explore prediction models for whether a source file will be affected by a certain type of SCC. These predictions are computed on the static source code dependency graph and use social network centrality measures and object-oriented metrics. For that, we use change data of the Eclipse platform and the Azureus 3 project. The results show that Neural Network models can predict categories of SCC types. Furthermore, our models can output a list of the potentially change-prone files ranked according to their change-proneness, overall and per change type category.


Aim: To evaluate the effect on antimicrobial property of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) against Enterococcus faecalis when mixed with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate, calcium hydroxide, and tetracycline powder. Materials and Methods: Pellets of MTA, MTA with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate, MTA with calcium hydroxide, and MTA with tetracycline powder were prepared. The antimicrobial activity was tested on Sheep Blood Agar. Wells were made and the mixed material was placed in these wells. The diameter of zones of inhibition was measured after 24 h and 48 h incubation at 37°C. The data were analyzed to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of all the groups by ANOVA test. Results: The zones of inhibition were measured using precision ruler. This study showed that the best antimicrobial efficacy against E. faecalis was exhibited by the group in which MTA was mixed with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate followed by calcium hydroxide group and MTA group. The tetracycline group was least effective. Conclusion: The study concludes that the addition of 2% chlorhexidine gluconate to MTA enhances the antimicrobial property and is more effective than MTA when used as a root end filling material alone. Clinical Significance: In cases where nonsurgical treatment of root canal fails and need of surgical intervention is a must to salvage the tooth, role of root end filling material becomes important. It should not only provide a good seal but also be antimicrobial in nature so that chances of re infection re least.


This paper uses the 2005 and 2006 China General Social Survey (CGSS) to study the relationship between social capital and health in China. It is the most comprehensive analysis of this subject to date, both in the sizes of the samples it analyses, in the number of social capital variables it investigates, and in its treatment of endogeneity. We identify social trust, social relationships, and social networks as important determinants of self-reported health. The magnitude of the estimated effects are economically important, in some cases being of the same size or larger than the effects associated with age and income. Our findings suggest that there is scope for social capital to be a significant policy tool for improving health outcomes in China.


We generate a 105.7-Gb/s signal by directly modulating a 1.5-µm VCSEL with a 33.35-Gbaud 3-level signal and polarization multiplexing. By using digital coherent detection, we successfully transmit the 105.7-Gb/s line rate (88.10 Gb/s net bit rate) signal over 960-km standard single-mode-fiber (SSMF) at a 20% hard-decision forward-error correction (FEC) threshold, which is at bit-error ratio (BER) of 1.5 x 10(-2)


Bicarbonate salts are used in various industrial processes and could even serve as an alternative source of carbon in bioprocesses involving photosynthetic organisms. Industrial productions require efficient monitoring and control to ensure that their output will meet target specifications. To this end, a simple and rapid in situ quantification method was developed for bicarbonate, carbonate and phosphate ions using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy combined with partial least squares (PLS). The resulting multivariate approach allows the simultaneous determination of inorganic carbon and orthophosphate ions concentrations in aqueous solutions (R2 > 0.98, root-mean-square-errors of the cross validation RMSECV < 3.3%). Validation of the method was achieved through replicability and repeatability tests. Univariate calibration graphs are linear over a concentration range of 150 mM (R2 > 0.9990). Quantification limits for those ions were in the 6.9-17.2 mM range, as determined from univariate models. The multivariate model was successfully applied to a microalgal culture of Scenedesmus obliquus using bicarbonate as the carbon source and a phosphate buffer to maintain the pH. This analytical technique did not require extraction or chemical treatment and no sample preparation is needed. The results demonstrate the potential of ATR FT-IR method to study inorganic carbon and phosphate species during a bioprocess.


Macrophages are a well recognized player of both innate and adaptive immunity and have emerged as a key regulator of systemicmetabolism, hematopoiesis, vasculogenesis, apoptosis, malignancy, and reproduction. Such pleiotropic roles of macrophages are mirrored by their protean features. Upon environmental. challenges, macrophages redistribute and differentiate in situ and contribute to the multiple disease states by exerting protective and pathogenic effects. The environmental challenges include cytokines, chemokines, lipid mediators, and extrinsic insults, such as food and pathogenic bacteria. In addition, homeostasis and the activation state of macrophages are influenced by various metabolites from a commensal microbe that colonizes epithelial and mucosal surfaces, such as the lungs, intestines, and skin. In this review, we describe macrophage differentiation, polarization, and various functions in chronic disease states, including chronic inflammatory bowel disease, tumorigenesis, metabolism and obesity, and central nervous system demyelinating disorders. Controlling the macrophage dynamics to affect the pathologic states is considered to be an important therapeutic approach for many clinical disorders involving chronic inflammation.


This paper provides new results that cast doubt on the conventional assumption that introducing voluntary forward markets will mitigate the market power of electricity generating companies by encouraging them to contract forward. We provide complementary insights by developing an agent-based simulation model of an actual system. This facilitates understanding the strategy selection of heterogeneous companies through computational learning. We use a detailed model of the Spanish system, where companies trade through a uniform price, pool-based spot market. We model market power in this pool through agents offering to generate with conjectured price responses estimated from supply function equilibrium assumptions. We envisage the introduction of a forward market, with price formation following the conventional financial perspective of expected spot plus a risk premium. We find, in general, that larger companies prefer to exercise market power in the spot market, while smaller companies prefer to contract forward, but strategy selection itself can be quite a delicate, situation specific process.


Characterizations of fatty acids composition in % of total methylester of fatty acids (FAMEs) of fourteen vegetable oils—safflower, grape, silybum marianum, hemp, sunflower, wheat germ, pumpkin seed, sesame, rice bran, almond, rapeseed, peanut, olive, and coconut oil—were obtained by using gas chromatography (GC). Saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), palmitic acid (C16:0; 4.6%–20.0%), oleic acid (C18:1; 6.2%–71.1%) and linoleic acid (C18:2; 1.6%–79%), respectively, were found predominant. The nutritional aspect of analyzed oils was evaluated by determination of the energy contribution of SFAs (19.4%–695.7% ERDI), PUFAs (10.6%–786.8% ERDI), n-3 FAs (4.4%–117.1% ERDI) and n-6 FAs (1.8%–959.2% ERDI), expressed in % ERDI of 1 g oil to energy recommended dietary intakes (ERDI) for total fat (ERDI—37.7 kJ/g). The significant relationship between the reported data of total fat, SFAs, MUFAs and PUFAs intakes (% ERDI) for adults and mortality caused by coronary heart diseases (CHD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in twelve countries has not been confirmed by Spearman's correlations.


This paper extends the formulation of complementarity in Milgrom and Shannon (1994) to the case of incomplete but acyclic preferences. It is shown that the problem can be reformulated as one with complete but intransitive preferences. In this case, quasi-supermodularity and single-crossing on their own do not guarantee either monotone comparative statics or equilibrium existence in pure strategies: an additional condition, monotone closure, is required. The results obtained here relax the requirement of convexity in Shafer and Sonnenschein (1975)'s existence result with incomplete preferences. In an application, it is shown that pure strategy equilibria exist in incomplete information games with Knightian uncertainty.


This report presents a survey on the topic of indexing techniques for temporal databases assuming the relational data model as underlying framework. Temporal databases are to preserve the history of tuples, and hence relations, and therefore tuples are never deleted, but versioned instead. Versioning, on the other hand, makes the databases grow unreasonably, and then some part of the database may be migrated to a lower level, slower but less expensive, storage. We review several indexing techniques that are to provide some means to index such temporal databases and that to some extent cover the issues mentioned, focus is made on the used data structures. A comparison between these techniques is also made. Finally, we present potential data structures aimed to support truly bitemporal database indexing.


We reported herein, the synthesis process of a direct cross-linking of modified polysaccharides. azidated starch, and alkyne Kraft pulp were cross-linked in the presence of Cu(I) catalyst, a type of Huisgen's 1,3-dipolar azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction, leading to the formation of starch cross-linked to kraft pulp fiber. The modified polysaccharides were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their physical properties were tested. The results show that the obtained novel material's properties present an important enhancement compared to Kraft pulp fiber, about 71% and 44% for tear and break indexes respectively, up to 173% for elongation and of 136% for burst index.


Nausea and vomiting may be the most distressing part of cytotoxic chemotherapy for malignant disease and frequently leads to default from treatment. Furthermore, in some patients, anxiety associated with chemotherapy precipitates anticipatory vomiting. 24 patients with refractory vomiting associated with chemotherapy were selected from a homogeneous group of malignancies. 25% of these also had anticipatory vomiting. Lorazepam, a benzodiazepine, in a dose of 3 mg/m2, was given by mouth in conjunction with a standard centrally acting antiemetic 30 min before chemotherapy. Vomiting was totally abolished in 70% of patients; in only 4% two vomiting episodes occurred. In addition, 17% of patients had complete amnesia of the events of chemotherapy. This pilot study suggests that lorazepam in conjunction with standard antiemetic therapy may be an effective means of controlling refractory nausea and vomiting.


The Unquiet Dead: Race and Violence in the "Post-Racial" United States J.E. Jed Murr Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Eva Cherniavksy English This dissertation project investigates some of the ways histories of racial violence work to (de)form dominant and oppositional forms of common sense in the allegedly "post-racial" United States. Centering "culture" as a terrain of contestation over common sense racial meaning, The Unquiet Dead focuses in particular on popular cultural repertoires of narrative, visual, and sonic enunciation to read how histories of racialized and gendered violence circulate, (dis)appear, and congeal in and as "common sense" in a period in which the uneven dispensation of value and violence afforded different bodies is purported to no longer break down along the same old racial lines. Much of the project is grounded in particular in the emergent cultural politics of race of the early to mid-1990s, a period I understand as the beginnings of the US "post-racial moment." The ongoing, though deeply and contested and contradictory, "post-racial moment" is one in which the socio-cultural valorization of racial categories in their articulations to other modalities of difference and oppression is alleged to have undergone significant transformation such that, among other things, processes of racialization are understood as decisively delinked from racial violence. The project demonstrates how antiblack and related forms of racialized and gendered violences are crucial to the production of "post-racial" forms of common sense and the relations of value they help to govern. These formations of common sense work to crowd out and subsume subaltern and other common senses of race and value, even as they draw upon and transmute radical and decolonial histories in complex ways. Following work by Antonio Gramsci, Stuart Hall, Kara Keeling and others, common sense is understood here as a site of struggle over the possible. It lends the present its moments of seeming coherence, but it is also where the past asserts itself in the service of potential futures that call out to the present in partially occluded and potentially redemptive ways. Engaging with scholarship in US American studies, Ethnic Studies, and related fields, the project turns to a wide range of cultural sites and forms. Chapter One turns to Paul Beatty's novel The White Boy Shuffle to build the theoretical and historical scaffolding for the project's approach to the "post-racial moment." My reading attempts to think through the way the novel invokes different forms and histories of antiblack violence to apprehend the racial present and to imagine how social lives and landscapes survive, surreptitiously, (in)visibly, and sonically. Chapter Two takes up mainstream film to think through the development of common sense(s) of white anti-racism, with a particular focus on how white male heteromasculinity remakes itself in popular culture through an intimacy with racialized suffering and both critiques and renewals of US state power. Chapter Three extends in another direction the theorization of whiteness as a structure of racialized and gendered violence by turning to the purportedly oppositional common senses of race, rebellion, and exchange that circulate in rock music cultures. In attempting to sketch anew a series of (im)possible connections between presumptively white indie rock music cultures and racial blackness, my focus is on opening ground for investigating how material histories of race, gender and sexuality are embodied, animated, reworked and lived in writing, performance, and sound. Chapter Four reads visual artist Nick Cave's soundsuits as interventions into the dominant logics of the postracial moment. Cave's mobile assemblages or ensembles of discarded objects cite and embody and sound out whole histories of fabrication, collective acts of world-making, moving and looking. The immersive, enveloping quality of the soundsuits in exhibition and performance take in their viewers, sometimes literally, and if they flirt with exoticized and authentic otherness and with fantasies of alternative embodiment, but they also enunciate other grammars of embodiment and disallow the willed forgetting of ongoing histories of racial and colonial encounter and violence.


SUMMARY: Non-smooth mutants of Salmonella typhimurium strain LT2 with known lipo-polysaccharide (LPS) defects were tested for sensitivity to smooth-specific phages (P22 and P22h and a newly isolated phage, 9NA, active on P22 lysogens); Felix O phage; and several rough-specific phages including C21. Smooth strains were sensitive only to the smooth-specific and Felix O phages. Six rfb mutants (unable to make O chains) were sensitive to Felix O and all the rough-specific phages except C21 (pattern R-sens). Of nine rfa mutants (presumed to have LPS core defects) four were R-sens, six were resistant to Felix O and some rough-specific phages (pattern R-res-1), and one was also resistant to phage Br2 (pattern R-res-2). The phage sensitivity of phosphomannoisomerase (pmi) mutants was the same as that of rfb mutants, except that they were partly sensitive to P22h. UDPgalactose-epimerase-negative mutants were sensitive to C21 and various rough-specific phages in-cluding Br2 (pattern Epi-i). An rfc mutant (unable to polymerize O repeat units) was sensitive only to Felix O and P221 (pattern Zsr). A part-rough mutant of class D (with abnormally few O chains) was incompletely resistant to smooth-specific phages, resistant to Felix O but sensitive to all rough-specific phages except C21 (pattern D-i).
Spontaneous and mutagen-induced non-smooth mutants were isolated from lt2 strains with appropriate markers by selection with Felix O and/or P22 phage. (One parent strain used was non-lysogenic for Fels 2, for which lt2 wild-type is lysogenic. Lysogeny for Fels 2 did not affect sensitivity to the other phages.) Some mutants gave new sensitivity patterns. Mutants of these and of previously unmapped classes were crossed with smooth Hfr strains. The rfc loci of two mutants and pmi loci of two others were located in the gal-trp segment. Three mutants of pattern R-sens yielded O-specific hapten but mapped near his; they are believed to be unable to transfer O chains from antigen carrier lipid to the LPS core as a result of mutation at rfbT. Six mutants of pattern R-sens were smooth in cultural and serological properties; they mapped near his and are probably leaky rfb mutants. Many mutants had the class D part-rough phenotype, divisible by phage sensitivities into patterns D-1, D-2 and D-3. Mutants of all three classes mapped near xyl; they are likely to be rfa mutants, perhaps leaky, with LPS core defects which hinder but do not prevent attachment of O chains. Two classes were sensitive to C21 (WilkinsonS and rfaG mutants, resistant to Br2 (pattern Epi-2), unable to add the proximal glucose unit. Both loci mapped in or near the strA-xyl-metA segment. Several non-smooth mutants did not grow in the presence of bile-salts. Three mutants (rfaF) made LPS deficient of the distal heptose unit; one mutant (rfaE) was unable to add the proximal heptose unit. Both these loci mapped in or near the strA-metA segment.


ABSTRACT Objectives: We evaluated memory responses and antibody persistence to diphtheria-toxoid, tetanus-toxoid, whole-cell-pertussis (DTwP), and Hepatitis-B vaccines in HIV-unexposed, HIV-exposed-uninfected and HIV-infected children previously randomized to initiate time-limited ART at 6–10 weeks (ART-Immed) or when clinically/immunologically indicated (ART-Def). Methods: All children received DTwP booster at 15–18 months. Antibodies were measured for pertussis-toxoid, filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA), diphtheria-toxoid, tetanus-toxoid, and hepatitis-B prior to booster, 1–2 weeks post-booster and at 24 months of age. Results: Pre-booster antibody GMC were lower in HIV-infected groups than HIV-unexposed children for all epitopes. Post-booster and at 24 months of age, the ART-Def group had lower GMCs and antibody proportion ≥0.1 IU/ml for tetanus-toxoid and diphtheria-toxoid compared to HIV-unexposed children. At 24 months of age, the ART-Immed group had higher GMCs, and more likely to maintain antibody titres ≥1.0 IU/ml to tetanus-toxoid and diphtheria-toxoid compared to HIV-unexposed children. Compared to HIV-unexposed children, at 15 and 24 months of age, persistence of antibody to HBsAg of ≥10 mIU/ml was similar in the ART-Immed group but lower among the ART-Def group. Antibody kinetics indicated more robust memory responses in HIV-exposed-uninfected than HIV-unexposed children to diphtheria-toxoid and wP. Conclusion: HIV-infected children not on ART at primary vaccination had poorer memory responses, whereas HIV-exposed-uninfected children mounted robust memory responses.


With the kick-off on 11 June of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa comes the latest news of the finances of the 'beautiful game' proving that football is not only the world's favourite sport but also its most lucrative one. In 2009, the turnover of FIFA, the world governing body of football, amounted to more than US$1 billion and the profit for the year was US$196 million. In addition, FIFA has assets (equity) of US$1.061 billion. Impressive figures indeed! At the same time, the Sport Business Group of the international accountancy firm Deloitte's has just published its latest Annual Football Finances Review. Again, some very impressive figures! Here are some of the highlights of this Review: Perhaps the most important fact to emerge from this Review is that the operating profits of the English Premier League fell by more than 50% to [pounds sterling]79m - their lowest level since the 1999/2000 season; whilst the German Bundesliga overtook the English Premier League to become the world's most profitable football league - at least, for the moment! Nevertheless, the English Premier League continues to be the world's most popular league, drawing world-wide audiences of several billions in total. Naturally, the Deloitte's Review concentrates on the financial fortunes of the English Premier League, where the wages bill continues to be very high and is causing concern in football and government circles. According to Dan Jones, the Editor of the Review: "For every [pounds sterling]100 that comes into Premier League clubs [pounds sterling]67 goes on wages, and that's too high." In fact, soaring wages are threatening the stability of the English Premier League clubs, according to a recent report into football finances in the UK. English Premier League clubs spent 67% of their revenues, or [pounds sterling]1.3 billion, on player wages during the 2008/09 season; with Chelsea again topping the wages bill, at [pounds sterling]167 million, whilst Manchester City's wages bill rose from [pounds sterling]54 to [pounds sterling]83 million! The wages bills of the top English Premier League clubs in the 2008/09 season were as follows: * Chelsea - [pounds sterling]167m ([pounds sterling]172m) * Man Utd - [pounds sterling]123m ([pounds sterling]121m) * Liverpool - [pounds sterling]107m ([pounds sterling]90m) * Arsenal - [pounds sterling]104m ([pounds sterling]101m) * Man City - [pounds sterling]83m ([pounds sterling]54m) (2007/08 season wages bills in brackets) The UK Sports Minister, Hugh Robertson, has described the rise in wages as "very worrying" but has also stated that the Government should not intervene, but rather be looking to put pressure on football governing bodies to improve financial practice: "The concern is that the operating profits have halved and the wages bill has increased and we will be pushing football's regulatory authorities very hard to take some action. …


Stillbirth is the mayor contributor to perinatal mortality. Aim: To report a system for classification of fetal deaths. Material and Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 29,916 births with 258 fetal deaths that occurred in a public hospital. Data were obtained from audit reports of stillbirths. The method for classification "obstetric condition relevant to the death" was applied, based on obstetric and placental pathological findings analyzed exclusively by a single obstetrician and a single pathologist. Results: Ninety two percent of obstetric conditions causing fetal death were identified. The most commonly reported were ascending bacterial infection in 26%, congenital anomalies in 19%, arterial hypertension in 12% and placental pathology in 12%. Fetal growth restriction was identified in 50% of stillbirths. Ninety percent were secondary to a primary obstetric condition and 10% had an unexplained cause. Placental abruption as the final cause of fetal death was identified in 60% of cases with arterial hypertension, 43% of cases with placental pathology and 37% of ascending infections. Fetal deaths occurred during pregnancy in 82% of cases and during labor in 17%. Intrapartum asphyxia occurred in 0.8% of stillbirths and presented in term pregnancies. Conclusions: The "obstetric condition relevant to the death" method for classification of fetal death is effective to identify the originating obstetric cause of stillbirth and reduces the impact of fetal growth restriction and intrapartum asphyxia as the leading causes of death


Against hyperbole, distortion, and overselling The way science is represented to the public can influence understanding and expectations, frame policy debates, and affect the implementation and use of emerging technologies. Inaccurate representations of research may, for example, lead to public confusion about the readiness of a technology for clinical application. As a result, the issue of science "hype"—in which the state of scientific progress, the degree of certainty in models or bench results, or the potential applications of research are exaggerated—is receiving increased attention from the popular press, the research community, and scientific societies (1). In newly issued guidelines on the ethical conduct of human pluripotent stem cell research and clinical translation (2), the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) explicitly recognizes and confronts the issue of science hype. By placing a clear obligation on researchers, the ISSCR hopes to make balance in public representations of research a norm associated with scientific integrity. The focus on public communication, which is new to this version of the guidelines, is the result of both specific concerns regarding how stem cell research has been portrayed in the public sphere and the growing recognition that researchers play an important role in the science communication process.


The article proceeds on the assumption that new phrasemes are a specifically enlightening research object for studies at the intersection of phraseology, pragmatics and corpus linguistics. Following recent theoretical approaches in phraseology, phrasemes can be understood as fixed expressions with a communicative function that satisfies a socially shared communicative demand. As such, new phrasemes might potentially allow for new insights into the culture – i. e., roughly speaking, the larger social contexts – of their development and existence. To test this idea, the article presents a corpuspragmatic study of the German phraseme gefühlte ([...]) SUB,objektives' empirisches Phänomen, which has come into existence in the 1990s only, and attempts a cultural interpretation of the results. It concludes with a critical evaluation to what extend such a cultural analysis of a new phraseme seems feasible.


Pinhole collimation is used in SPECT for small-animal imaging and more recently for human Cardiac SPECT. In pinhole collimation for SPECT, the system resolution function depends on the magnification, pinhole-diameter, the detector intrinsic resolution and depth of interaction. The magnification and the depth of interaction change with the surface geometry. Factors such as resolution and surface area can be optimized by changing the shape of the detector. The goal of this work is to formulate and optimize the detector surface geometry to minimize the system resolution, keeping a constant base of the detectors fitted on the similar base-radius pinhole collimator, given surface area constraints. We formulate the system resolution as a function of a height-function h, varying with ray-angle. We approximate this height function as a quadratic curve. We can then find the parameters of the quadratic that will minimize the resolution function subject to surface area constraints. Note once the resolution is optimized, it can be traded with sensitivity (if so desired) by opening the pinhole diameter. Our preliminary NCAT phantom reconstruction on the optimized and flat detectors placed on pinholes shows sensitivity gain factor of 1.6 for similar resolution. Specifically, our results for NCAT reconstruction of GATE simulations on spherical and flat detectors placed on pinholes corroborates our idea that using a curved detector behind a pinhole instead of a flat-one one would obtain significant advantages of resolution or dose-reduction, on an already ultra-fast system.


Delirium is a common complication among patients in ICU settings. Although it has been repeatedly confirmed that Confusion Assessment Model for Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU), one of the most commonly used ICU delirium assessment tool, is highly accurate in validation studies, it's sensitivity and specificity is relatively low during routine practice among bedside nurses. The aim of this study is to develop a mobile application (app) to detect delirium and to test its reliability and validity both by research nurses and among ICU bedside nurses. The app was programmed with Java and installed on a mobile device with Android system. After completion of reliability and validity testing, the app will be integrated into the existing Hospital Information System in order to automatically retrieve essential information for risk factor identification and formulation of care plan accordingly to prevent or manage ICU delirium.


Feature selection plays an important role in text categorization. Automatic feature selection methods such as document frequency thresholding (DF), information gain (IG), mutual information (MI), and so on are commonly applied in text categorization. Many existing experiments show IG is one of the most effective methods, by contrast, MI has been demonstrated to have relatively poor performance. According to one existing MI method, the mutual information of a category c and a term t can be negative, which is in conflict with the definition of MI derived from information theory where it is always non-negative. We show that the form of MI used in TC is not derived correctly from information theory. There are two different MI based feature selection criteria which are referred to as MI in the TC literature. Actually, one of
them should correctly be termed "pointwise mutual information" (PMI). In this paper, we clarify the terminological confusion surrounding the notion of "mutual information" in TC, and detail an MI method derived correctly from information theory. Experiments with the Reuters-21578 collection and OHSUMED collection show that the corrected MI method's performance is similar to that of IG, and it is considerably better than PMI.


: The objective of this work was to thoroughly examine the smooth muscle relaxing properties of cinnamedrine, compared with papaverine, in vitro, using rat uterus. Cinnamedrine and papaverine both exhibited dose-related spasmolytic activity in the isolated spontaneously contracting rat uterus and in uterine tissue pretreated with oxytocin to augment spasms. The IC50's for cinnamedrine and papaverine were 36.2 and 7.7 microM respectively; the IC50's after oxytocin pretreatment were 25.7 microM for cinnamedrine and 10.0 microM for papaverine. Neither hormonal status of the rats, with respect to their estrus cycle, nor oxytocin pretreatment of the isolated tissues noticeably affected the activity of either cinnamedrine or papaverine.


Our knowledge of the internal structure of asteroids is, so far, indirect – relying entirely on inferences from remote sensing observations of the surface, and theoretical modeling. What are the bulk properties of the regolith and deep interior? And what are the physical processes that shape their internal structures?
Direct measurements are needed to provide answers that will directly improve our ability to understand and model the mechanisms driving Near Earth Asteroids (NEA) for the benefit of science as well as for planetary defense or exploration. Radar tomography is the only technique to characterize internal structure from decimetric scale to global scale.
This paper reviews the benefits of direct measurement of the asteroid interior. Then the radar concepts for both deep interior and shallow subsurface are presented and the radar payload proposed for the AIDA/AIM mission is outlined.


Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) are autoantibodies that are associated with thrombosis and a range of pregnancy complications including recurrent pregnancy loss and pre-eclampsia. The three clinically relevant, well-characterized aPL are anti-cardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant and anti-beta-2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) antibodies. aPL do not bind directly to phospholipids but instead bind to a plasma-binding 'cofactor'. The most extensively studied cofactor is β2GPI, whose role in pregnancy is not fully elucidated. Although the pathogenicity of aPL in recurrent pregnancy loss is well established in humans and animal models, the association of aPL with infertility does not appear to be causative. aPL may exert their detrimental effects during pregnancy by directly binding trophoblast cells of the placenta, altering trophoblast signalling, proliferation, invasion and secretion of hormones and cytokines, and by increasing apoptosis. Heparin is commonly used to treat pregnant women with aPL; however, as thrombotic events do not occur in the placentae of all women with aPL, it may exert a protective effect by preventing the binding of aPL to β2GPI or by acting through non-thrombotic pathways. The aim of this review is to present evidence summarizing the current understanding of this field.


Depression and Cancer is the first book devoted to the interaction between these important disorders. It examines various aspects of this comorbidity and describes how the negative consequences of depression in cancer could be avoided or ameliorated, given that effective depression treatments for cancer patients are available. World leaders in psychiatry and oncology summarize the latest evidence on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, screening and recognition, impact on treatment adherence and survival, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, clinical management, and cultural and public health implications of depression in persons with cancer.


This article reviews approaches to optimize the subject area of regulatory impact assessment in Russia, selected OECD countries, the Eurasian Economic Commission and the European Commission. The authors set the task to systematize the approaches applied at various levels of regulation, identify best practices and provide recommendations to optimize the model of regulatory impact assessment in Russia.The authors identified three types of "filters" that set the criteria for the selection of draft acts subject to assessment: (a) the "primary" filter that determines the scope of RIA, including types of regulations, and sometimes - certain policy areas subject to RIA, (b) the "secondary" filter aimed at the selection of acts according to their significance, and (c) exclusions from the RIA subject area. The selection of the optimal combination of criteria, providing the selection of acts, in regards to which it is possible and expedient to carry out RIA, largely determines the effectiveness of RIA institute.Studying experience of the countries, leading in the field of RIA, allowed noting that despite differences in approaches, there is a number of common trends. Specifi cally, draft regulations should be the subject to assessment, first of all, if they have a significant impact on the stakeholders of regulation (excluding draft regulations aimed at the elimination of technical mistakes in the regulations, the adoption of organizational decisions by the authorities, informational documents, etc.), and, secondly, if the regulatory body is authorized to elaborate alternative options of solving regulatory problem (there is no specified directive on a certain decision). A common method of the selection of significant draft acts sets so-called "threshold values" of potential costs (for budget, business entities, or the economy as a whole) which may be caused by the adoption of the draft act.In Russia, given the development of RIA procedure and clear understanding of the essence of the procedure as a cooperative communication with business and experts by government employees, formal criteria will be reduced, and the selection of draft acts for evaluation will largely depend on the discretion of the officials proceeding from the basic criteria - the degree of impact and the choice of alternatives.


Abstract Magnesium and its alloys are excellent implant material candidates with their biodegradable structure and mechanical properties close to human bone. In order to provide the desired strength in implant applications, the corrosion resistance of the materials is expected to be high. In this study, to improve the corrosion resistance of AZ31 and AZ91 magnesium alloys, an electrostatic hydroxyapatite coating process was applied, and optimum conditions were determined. The samples were structurally characterized by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and stereo microscopy methods, and their corrosion behavior was determined by the weight loss method. As a result of the coating, the corrosion resistance of the samples increased up to 250 %.


The present study investigates the effects of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) isoform BB (PDGF-BB) on cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), Ca2+ transport, and Ca2+ pools in rat vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells. VSM cells from thoracic aorta of Milan normotensive rats were enzymatically dispersed, cultured in 10% serum medium, and made quiescent by 72 hours in 0.3% serum medium. [Ca2+]i, Ca2+ influx, Ca2+ efflux, and exchangeable cell Ca2+ pool were evaluated by ratiometric fluorescent and radioisotope techniques. Ca2+ transport showed time-dependent changes during stimulation with PDGF-BB. The initial early responses to this peptide were transient rise in [Ca2+]i, a 30% decrease in Ca2+ influx, and a 3.6-fold increase in the rate constant for active Ca2+ efflux. Stimulation of Ca2+ efflux and inhibition of Ca2+ influx were associated with a substantial 30% reduction in the cell Ca2+ pool. This initial stimulation of Ca2+ efflux is concomitant with Ca2+ mobilization into the cytosol and is due to activation of Na(+)-independent Ca2+ efflux via the Ca2+ pump. After a 10-minute stimulation, Ca2+ influx returned to the basal value, whereas Ca2+ efflux remained 2.2-fold above control values, leading to a decline in [Ca2+]i below basal levels and a further decrease in the cell Ca2+ pool. Nearly half of this late Ca2+ efflux appears to be driven by Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange, as evidenced by its external Na+ dependence. After a 120-minute stimulation with PDGF-BB, nifedipine-sensitive Ca2+ influx is increased 37% above basal levels, and Ca2+ efflux remains elevated. During prolonged stimulation by PDGF-BB, both Ca2+ influx and efflux are stimulated, resulting in a new intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis marked by the recovery of the cell Ca2+ pool but a lowered [Ca2+]i. These final events coincide with the initiation of cell proliferation in VSM cells by PDGF-BB.


The most extensive proteome map of an entire cyanobacterial cell demonstrates that thylakoid and plasma membrane proteins have distinct functions and that metabolic pathways are dispersed throughout the cell. Cyanobacteria are complex prokaryotes, incorporating a Gram-negative cell wall and internal thylakoid membranes (TMs). However, localization of proteins within cyanobacterial cells is poorly understood. Using subcellular fractionation and quantitative proteomics, we produced an extensive subcellular proteome map of an entire cyanobacterial cell, identifying ∼67% of proteins in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, ∼1000 more than previous studies. Assigned to six specific subcellular regions were 1,712 proteins. Proteins involved in energy conversion localized to TMs. The majority of transporters, with the exception of a TM-localized copper importer, resided in the plasma membrane (PM). Most metabolic enzymes were soluble, although numerous pathways terminated in the TM (notably those involved in peptidoglycan monomer, NADP+, heme, lipid, and carotenoid biosynthesis) or PM (specifically, those catalyzing lipopolysaccharide, molybdopterin, FAD, and phylloquinol biosynthesis). We also identified the proteins involved in the TM and PM electron transport chains. The majority of ribosomal proteins and enzymes synthesizing the storage compound polyhydroxybuyrate formed distinct clusters within the data, suggesting similar subcellular distributions to one another, as expected for proteins operating within multicomponent structures. Moreover, heterogeneity within membrane regions was observed, indicating further cellular complexity. Cyanobacterial TM protein localization was conserved in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) chloroplasts, suggesting similar proteome organization in more developed photosynthetic organisms. Successful application of this technique in Synechocystis suggests it could be applied to mapping the proteomes of other cyanobacteria and single-celled organisms. The organization of the cyanobacterial cell revealed here substantially aids our understanding of these environmentally and biotechnologically important organisms.


Message-based programming frameworks facilitate the development and execution of core distributed computing algorithms today. Their twofold aim is to expose a programming model that minimises logical errors incurred during translation from an algorithmic specification to executable program, and also to provide an efficient runtime for event pattern-matching and scheduling of distributed components. Kompics Scala is a framework that allows for a direct, streamlined translation from a formal algorithm specification to practical code by reducing the cognitive gap between the two representations. Furthermore, its runtime decouples event pattern-matching and component execution logic yielding clean, thoroughly expected behaviours. Our evaluation shows low and constant performance overhead of Kompics Scala compared to similar frameworks that otherwise fail to offer the same level of model clarity.


The Proterozoic Cheyenne belt, at the southern margin of the Archean Wyoming craton, consists of strongly deformed lithotectonic blocks bound by major mylonite zones. From north to south and structurally lowest to highest, these blocks include (1) Archean crystalline basement and associated early Proterozoic miogeoclinal rocks; (2) an amphibolite-grade orthogneiss terrane of unknown age containing probable rift-related mafic intrusive rocks; (3) a 1750–1790 Ma, marginal basin(?) succession consisting of upper amphibolite-grade pelitic and volcano-genie schist, associated peraluminous granite, and minor ultramafic rocks; and (4) a 1750–1790 Ma intermediate to mafic plutonic-metamorphic complex interpreted as the deep roots of an island-arc system.

The earliest deformation, D1, produced a synmetamorphic, penetrative, horizontal transposition foliation and associated recumbent folds. Tectonic blocks were juxtaposed along major mylonite zones during D2. Macroscopic anil microscopic structures associated with D2 indicate northward thrusting along low-angle mylonite zones of successively deeper crustal blocks over supracrustal rocks of the Wyoming craton at about 1750 Ma. Thrusting occurred at minimum temperatures of 475 °C and produced an inverted metamorphic gradient in pelitic rocks north of the belt. Mylonite zones were subsequently steepened and reactivated under greenschist-facies conditions during a period of dextral strike slip (D3) between 1750 and 1400 Ma. Cataclasis (D4) and brecciation associated with the Laramide orogeny (D5) locally overprint earlier structures.

Oblique convergence between an island arc and the Archean continental nucleus may explain accretion, crustal shortening, and subsequent strike slip. The Phanerozoic accretionary events of eastern and western North America provide an analog for this model. Presence of similar lithologies and shear zones south of the Cheyenne belt suggest that the southern margin of the Wyoming craton may have been a long-lived zone of crustal accretion.


Background. People with persecutory delusions regard ambiguous data in the social domain as self-relevant and selectively attend to threatening information. This study aimed to characterize these social cognitive biases in functional neuroanatomical terms. Method. Eight schizophrenic patients with active persecutory delusions and eight matched normal controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while determining the self-relevance of ambiguous self-relevant or unambiguous other-relevant neutral and threatening statements. Results. In determining self-relevance, the deluded subjects showed a marked absence of rostral–ventral anterior cingulate activation together with increased posterior cingulate gyrus activation in comparison to the normal subjects. The influence of threat on self-relevance determination did not yield statistically significant differences between deluded and normal subjects. Conclusions. Abnormalities of cingulate gyrus activation while determining self-relevance suggest impaired self-reflection in the persecutory deluded state. This may contribute to persecutory belief formation and maintenance.


In order to develop high quality aluminum alloy products, modeling to predict a behavior of solute distribution in dendrite and precipitation within the inter-cell region quantitatively is important. However Scheil's and Brody-Flemings's equations can't find the precipitation behavior during solidification because a diffusion in liquid phase is not considered. Numerical analysis methods typified by "Phase Field" are more effective but a calculation time has not been enough short to apply industrial use, yet. Consequentially a mathematical model is developed based on the Matsumiya's calculus of finite differences for analyzing inter-cell microsegregation and precipition. Diffusion of solutes in both the solid and liquid is taken into consideration, and realistic mesh shape to calculate microsegregation is conducted for finite difference calculation at this Matsumiya's model. But the calculus hardly predict precipitation behavior, since liquid concentration shift by precipitation during solidification is not considered. Then we improved the model to estimate precipitation of intermetallic compounds by thermodynamics database in this work. Additionally evaluation method of microsegregation used by EPMA was developed. Consequently, we built a new segregation model, which could predict both the microsegregation and the kinds and amount of intermetallic compounds.


Lamin A is a component of the nuclear lamina mutated in a group of human inherited disorders known as laminopathies. Among laminopathies, progeroid syndromes and lipodystrophies feature accumulation of prelamin A, the precursor protein which, in normal cells, undergoes a multi-step processing to yield mature lamin A. It is of utmost importance to characterize the prelamin A form accumulated in each laminopathy, since existing evidence shows that drugs acting on protein processing can improve some pathological aspects. We report that two antibodies raised against differently modified prelamin A peptides show a clear specificity to full-length prelamin A or carboxymethylated farnesylated prelamin A, respectively. Using these antibodies, we demonstrated that inhibition of the prelamin A endoprotease ZMPSTE24 mostly elicits accumulation of full-length prelamin A in its farnesylated form, while loss of the prelamin A cleavage site causes accumulation of carboxymethylated prelamin A in progeria cells. These results suggest a major role of ZMPSTE24 in the first prelamin A cleavage step.


The way in which the term "activity" is understood determines foundations for the logical theory of activity. Activity understood as performance of changes or forbearance of performing a change is an object of G. H. von Wright's logic of actions based on the logic of changes. Generalization of such treatment of activity is T. Kubiński's concept according to which it consists in adopting a specific attitude towards a change; an object of nth logic of actions is description of n attitudes to changes. The distinction made between two main attitudes, out of which one expresses itself in activity and the other in its forbearance makes it necessary to specify more exactly the concept of forbearance. Analysis of this concept brings out strongly its ambiguity, it emphasizes the difference between non-activity and forbearance. Defining forbearance as non-activity in the situation, in which a possibility of activity did exist involves application of one of the modal concepts. The concepts in which forbearance is not taken into account constitute an argument justifying an assertion that forbearance cannot be expressed by the negation function. Attempts at formalization of intuitions connected with the term "forbearance of activity" show how deeply entangled it is in modal contexts, and even in deontic concepts if it is interpreted as "forbearance of activity".


This thesis began by posing two sets of research questions. The first set had two main aims. The first aim of the analysis is to uncover the role that power asymmetries play in institutional development (innovation, reproduction, change) and the second aim is to identify what accounts for institutional development, when and by whom. In order to answer these questions, I adopt a three-dimensional power perspective along with the historical analysis of 'institutional complementarity' domains. In regard to this question, the thesis argues that the mobilisation of power resources at all three levels can be an important indicator for understanding the process as well as the direction of institutional change. The second set of questions aims to clarify why the three national pension systems followed different trajectories, and whether these trajectories maintain their different routes or converge. The second aim is to explain why the three national pension funds followed different investment strategies, and whether these strategies continue to differ across the instituted actors. The thesis identifies that despite the original distinctive logics of the three pension systems, the recent pension reforms strongly promoted the individualisation of risk, the enhancement of privately managed funded schemes and the investment of the pension savings in equities. The rationale for diverting their investments as well as the logic of the pension system is essentially located in the ability of actors to collect pension savings and decide upon their investment. I argue that this power struggle was not merely a matter of redistribution but also over the control of financial capital and in principle over which logic dominated the investment of pension funds. The thesis explores historically the development of pension rights and the role of pension funds within the national political economies. The findings of the thesis identify that there has been an important shift in terms of power relations among employers, unions, financiers and state actors and along with these changes, the empirical findings suggest an empowerment of market tools for governing pension systems and funds. The argument of the thesis holds that institutional legacies of pensions systems retain their importance in framing policy solutions and responses but at the same time recognises that paths alone cannot explain the process of institutional development. Instead, I argue that institutional legacies should not be understood as path dependent drivers that nurture inertia or stability but instead as actively reproducing power dynamics that either enable or constraint actors' ability to mobilise resources and exercise power. The thesis contributes to social policy and historical institutionalism literature in three ways. Methodologically the thesis contributes twofold to comparative social policy research. First, this research operationalises its holistic theoretical approach through the innovative application of 'institutional complementarity' as an analytical tool that examines neighbouring institutional domains of corporate governance, financial systems, political systems and industrial relations. Analytically, the diachronical approach and the explicit pursuit of 'systemic process analysis' are innovative attempts that posit time and sequence as part of the empirical reality and adopt an 'open-ended' understanding of causality. Finally, the thesis contributes empirically through the incorporation of the financial actors along with the other "usual suspects" (e.g. unions, employers, state actors) in triggering institutional change. It is interesting to note that despite the well documented literature on welfare state development, few studies explored historically and comparatively the role of financial actors.


This paper describes a study of the effect of polarization-dependent loss (PDL) on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in optical communications systems, taking into account the effect of dynamic gain equalization. The paper shows that the PDL-induced SNR penalty is caused by two distinct mechanisms related to the two polarization components of the amplified spontaneous emission noise generated in each amplifier. The noise components whose polarization is parallel to the signal at the various amplifier locations dominate the PDL-induced penalty in the absence of gain equalization. In the presence of even a moderate number of gain equalizers, the orthogonal noise components dominate the SNR degradation. Expressions are obtained relating the outage probability to the necessary performance margin that needs to be allocated for PDL.


In this paper, we investigate how unit testing can be used to verify computer game simulations with implicit and poorly defined mathematical models. The difficulty of calculation of expected values for such cases tends to lead to Fragile and Obscure tests. The effects of these test smells can be reduced if we improve the strategy we use to calculate expected values. We investigate four strategies and while each of these is insufficient, we outline how they can be combined into a single, sufficient strategy.


The current literature suggests that subjective time duration could be the common currency used for task choice. However, few studies have been conducted that use non-physical tasks for their task choice options. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine if subjective time duration is the common currency for task choice regardless of task type. Participants first provided their subjective time estimates for each of the perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks that have been a priori determined to be at the medium difficulty level. Two cognitive tasks (item generation and math problem task) and one perceptual-motor task with a cognitive aspect (number sorting task) with varying levels of task difficulty (low, medium, high) were administered. Participants were presented with 27 task pairings and asked to choose which of the two tasks they wanted to complete and then presented with their chosen task. Once all tasks pairings were completed, participants answered questions about strategies they used to make their choices. Participants' subjective time estimates were not a predictor of task choices among these cognitive tasks. However, participants preferred the number sorting task to the other tasks at the medium and high difficulty levels of the other tasks. The objective time ratios were a better predictor of participants task choice. Future research should investigate difficulty level and other possible factors that influence task choice because subjective time estimates were not shown to be predictive of task choices in the current study.


Predicting and optimizing performance in earthmoving operations is critical, because they are essential to many construction projects. The complexity of modeling earthmoving operations remains challenging, even with several modeling techniques available, including simulation. This paper advances the state-of-the-art of modeling earthmoving operations by introducing a hybrid fuzzy system dynamics–discrete event simulation framework with the capacity to: capture the dynamism of performance in earthmoving operations; capture subjective uncertainty of several factors affecting them; model their sequential nature and resource constraints; and determine actual travel time, in real time, using online navigation systems. Findings from this research confirm the proposed framework (1) extends the application of simulation techniques for modeling construction processes involving dynamic input variables and subjective uncertainty, through its ability to capture the non-probabilistic uncertainty of construction systems, and (2) when combined with the use of online navigation systems to assess trucks' travel time, improves the accuracy of earthmoving operation models.


The demand and desire for a National Dress for Tanzania has been recognized by several agencies including the Tanzanian Government, local tailors, NGO's and the people themselves. It is anticipated that the development of a National dress will help to project a unified image of cultural heritage, traditional norms and potentially galvanize the indigenous textile and clothing sector. This paper shows the current process of the development of Tanzanian national dress with a focused literature review, techniques applied during a fieldwork study for qualitative data collection and co-design workshops. It is accepted that second-hand clothing dominates the textile industry in Tanzania. The purpose of the workshop was to seek the most beneficial recycling techniques to incorporate into the design and manufacture of items such as a national dress. A range of qualitative methods were used to collect data from the Tanzanian society. During a co-design workshop, useful information were provided for designing a Tanzanian national dress. Moreover, the data obtained suggested important design principles that would guide designers in the design process and other essentials concerning traditional culture in relation to strengthening a national identity and for recycling.


Abstract A structural and lithological map has been produced covering the Spontang ophiolite and the north Indian continental margin from the Indus Suture Zone in the north to the high-grade metamorphic rocks and granites of the High Himalaya in the south. Cross-section balancing techniques have been used to identify, quantify and sequentially restore three major phases of deformation (D1–3) affecting the north Indian continental margin resulting in > 85 km (280%) shortening. D1 in the late Cretaceous involved obduction of the Spontang ophiolite, associated Neo-Tethyan thrust sheets and Mesozoic continental slope deposits onto the outer passive margin. D1 was responsible for 200% shortening by internal folding and duplex formation within stratigraphic units in the outer shelf, but did not affect the innermost parts of the Indian passive margin. Restoration of later structures suggests that the allochthonous thrust sheets were emplaced a minimum of 70 km onto the continental margin. D2 from the early Eocene to Oligocene was the main phase of deformation associated with the collision of India and Asia. Re-thrusting places the Spontang ophiolite and associated mélanges over the Maastrichtian to Lower Eocene neo-autochthonous cover which accommodated 140–160% shortening in the hanging wall. D2 progressed with the propagation of thrusting down section and towards the foreland causing crustal thickening and Barrovian metamorphism. The thick, argillaceous late Cretaceous Kangi La Formation decoupled deformation in higher and lower structural levels in outer shelf areas. D3 backthrusting and break-backthrusting in the late Tertiary formed a pop-up structure at the northern edge of the continental margin associated with a further 190–230% shortening and inversion of structures in the Indus Suture Zone. A major anticlinal structure also initiated across the southern edge of the Indus Suture Zone. South of Spontang reactivation of D2 thrusts as late D2/D3 normal faults was associated with gravitational collapse of the High Himalaya to the south. Extensional movement on these structures was probably concomitant with shortening in the pop-up structure to the north. A reduction in present day and restored thickness of the Tethyan Himalaya and an increase in absolute shortening from east to west probably reflects a variation in the partitioning of deformation across the whole width of the orogen. This may be associated with the indentation of India into Asia to the northwest.


Mobile manipulation robots have great potential for roles in support of rescuers on disaster-response missions. Robots can operate in places too dangerous for humans and therefore can assist in accomplishing hazardous tasks while their human operators work at a safe distance. We developed a disaster-response system that consists of the highly flexible Centauro robot and suitable control interfaces, including an immersive telepresence suit and support-operator controls offering different levels of autonomy.


Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) phosphorylates and regulates a wide range of substrates involved in diverse cellular functions. Some GSK3β substrates, such as c-myc and snail, are nuclear-resident transcription factors, suggesting possible control of GSK3β function by regulation of its nuclear localization. Inhibition of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTORC1) led to partial redistribution of GSK3β from the cytosol to the nucleus, and GSK3β-dependent reduction of the expression of c-myc and snail. mTORC1 is controlled by metabolic cues, such as by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or amino acid abundance. Indeed AMPK activation or amino acid deprivation promoted GSK3β nuclear localization in an mTORC1-dependent manner. GSK3β was detected in several distinct endomembrane compartments, including lysosomes. Consistently, disruption of late endosomes/lysosomes through perturbation of Rab7 resulted in loss of GSK3β from lysosomes, and enhanced GSK3β nuclear localization as well as GSK3β-dependent reduction of c-myc levels. This indicates that GSK3β nuclear localization and function is suppressed by mTORC1, and suggests a new link between metabolic conditions sensed by mTORC1 and GSK3β-dependent regulation of transcriptional networks controlling biomass production. Summary statement (15-30 words) GSK3β nuclear localization and function is negatively regulated by the metabolic and mitogenic sensor mTORC1. mTORC1 control of GSK3β localization requires Rab7 and lysosomal membrane traffic.


The problem is considered of a fibre that is driven dynamically, by compression at one end, into a matrix. The fibre is not initially bonded to the matrix, so that its motion is resisted solely by friction. Prior work based on simplified models has shown that the combination of inertial effects and friction acting over long domains of the fibre–matrix interface gives rise to behaviour that is far more complex than in the well-known static loading problem. The front velocity may depart significantly from the bar wave speed and regimes of slip, slip/stick and reverse slip can exist for different material choices and loading rates. Here more realistic numerical simulations and detailed observations of dynamic displacement fields in a model push-in experiment are used to seek more complete understanding of the problem. The prior results are at least partly confirmed, especially the ability of simple shear-lag theory to predict front velocities and gross features of the deformation. Some other fundamental aspects are newly revealed, including oscillations in the interface stresses during loading; and suggestions of unstable, possibly chaotic interface conditions during unloading. Consideration of the experiments and two different orders of model suggest that the tentatively characterized chaotic phenomena may arise because of the essential nonlinearity of friction, that the shear traction changes discontinuously with the sense of the motion, rather than being associated with the details of the constitutive law that is assumed for the friction. This contrasts with recent understanding of instability and ill-posedness at interfaces loaded uniformly in time, where the nature of the assumed friction law dominates the outcome.


Masoala Rainforest is an 11 000 m2 greenhouse ecosystem within Zurich Zoo, Switzerland, inaugurated in July 2003. This exhibit acts as an ambassador for the Masoala National Park, Madagascar, with the aim of displaying an authentic representation of Masoala National Park and thus raising awareness of the threatened animal and plant biodiversity of Madagascar, and especially the Masoala Peninsula. As of November 2006, the artificial Masoala Rainforest ecosystem harbours 478 plant, six mammal, 22 bird, seven reptile, two amphibian, three fish and more than 50 invertebrate species. All animals are free roaming within the ecosystem and the sound integration of a conservation initiative into the concept of the exhibit created a tremendous response in the national as well as international press, resulting in a substantial increase in visitor numbers. In this paper, we present Zoo Zurich's experience after 3 years, of running a complex artificial ecosystem.


Mobile applications are becoming increasingly computation-intensive, while the computing capability of portable mobile devices is limited. A powerful way to reduce the completion time of an application in a mobile device is to offload its tasks to nearby cloudlets, which consist of clusters of computers. Although there is a significant body of research in mobile cloudlet offloading technology, there has been very little attention paid to how cloudlets should be placed in a given network to optimize mobile application performance. In this paper we study cloudlet placement and mobile user allocation to the cloudlets in a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN). We devise an algorithm for the problem, which enables the placement of the cloudlets at user dense regions of the WMAN, and assigns mobile users to the placed cloudlets while balancing their workload. We also conduct experiments through simulation. The simulation results indicate that the performance of the proposed algorithm is very promising.


Based on article 22 verse 1 regulation of government number 32 year 1996 that obligate the kind certain health worker for actualize profession assignment obligation. With threat sanction criminal law a fine estimate Rp. 10.000.000 (ten thousands rupiahs) for violate. The researcher indigestion the violence based on this article at kecamatan Singosari, especially on nurse that open individual practice.
This research takes the statement problem : 1. How agreeable based on health service that do by nurse based article 22 verse 1 PP No.23 year 1996? 2. What the obstacles that appears on application article 22 verse 1 PP No.23 year 1996?
This research use juridical of sociological method, the collecting data use interview and sample from nurse population and direct observation to individual nurse practice as place take primer data, then the result use descriptive analysis.
From 12 nurses as sample, that perform violence on article 22, the data is seven perform escort. Five secreted health patient status. Six take information about health status patient and action that will do. Six perform consensus action toward that will do. Then, no somebody else makes and keeps medic record.
The conclusions is nurse understanding be mistaken, the sum resident with the high health worker, less understanding toward patient authorization and then weak a founding, supervision or endowment sanction by instance that have authorize role in implementation this article. Suggestion, in order that resident follow supervise, specially about a fulfill a his or her founding, in order a nurse can increase his/her knowledge with increase education and being active on organization, in order that government straightway enactive edict about nurse practice for materialize law sureness.


Green roofs are sprouting up across the United States and Canada, but green roof technology is considerably behind our European neighbors. In Germany, the industry reports 145 million square feet of green roofs constructed in 2001, up from 97 million square feet built in 1994. In the United States and Canada, the square footage of green roofs is going up say industry experts, but they don't have good numbers as to how much.

Green roofs—vegetated roof covers—help cities manage stormwater, improve water and air quality, mitigate heat, reduce energy costs, lengthen the life of the roof, and provide wildlife habitat. Do the conservation benefits of green roofs outweigh the barriers to their installation?

BARRIERS TO INSTALLATION

The number one barrier to installation of a green roof is simply lack of knowledge on the subject. North America does not have good quantifiable green roof technology data on the benefits they provide; which plants in which areas of the country are desirable, and installation directions that considers site-specific weather conditions. Without quantifiable data, government workers may not have the information needed to institute cost incentives, develop building code standards, or promote the green roof conservation practice. …


We provide sufficient conditions for norm convergence of various projection and reflection methods, as well as giving limiting examples regarding convergence rates.


The article presents influence of pH and glucose concentration on phenylboronic acid (PBA) fluorescence studied by steady-state and time-resolved measurements. Fluorescence of PBA decreases with growing pH. These changes reflected acid-base equilibrium of PBA and allowed to estimate value of pKd as 9.2, which is comparable with literature data. Fluorescence intensity of phenylboronic acid is quenched in presence of glucose. The effect of quenching is more pronounced with increasing pH. At pH 7 quenching can be described by Stern-Volmer equation, at pH 8 and 9 by modified one. The obtained quenching constants are growing with pH increase. The quenching of phenylboronic acid fluorescence by glucose is a static one, which is confirmed by time-resolved measurements. Two lifetimes were found for fluorescence decay of phenylboronic acid. The lifetimes are practically independent on pH and glucose concentration and also fraction of both lifetimes are nearly the same. The obtained SternVolmer constants can be interpreted as apparent equilibrium constants of ester formation between acid and glucose.


Affective polarization, or dislike between citizens with opposing political identities, has received increasing attention as a driver of political attitudes and behavior. However, as this research has mainly examined the case of the US, little attention has been paid to how such dislike varies based on the out-group party, as Republicans and Democrats each only have one out-group party. In multiparty systems, the patterns of dislike become more complex, as do the causes underlying them. To study this question, we use almost thirty years of monthly data from the German Politbarometer surveys. We expect that dislike of particular parties will be driven by three factors: the make-up of partisan groups; the issue content of intergroup conflict; and information signaling. Our results help us to understand when citizens dislike other parties and thus provide insights into how affective polarization varies over time, across parties and between citizens. Version: 16 October 2020


This paper reviews the results of studies on the pond culture of milkfish Chanos chanos Forsskal at the SEAFDEC Leganes Brackishwater Station, Leganes, Iloilo since its establishment in 1973. Substantial contribution on the nursery system includes increased stocking density and survival through the use of nylon substrates, supplemental feeding with rice bran, the use of hatchery-reared and stunted fingerlings as alternative sources of stocks, and improvements in the acclimation process. Studies on monoculture and polyculture in grow-out ponds investigated the use of stunted fingerlings, kitchen or algal nursery ponds, stock manipulation techniques, increased stocking density using the plankton method, method frequency and quantity of fertilization, modular pond culture system, and initial findings on fish diseases. Constraints setting back increased production in the Philippines are discussed.


Walks you through how to choose a topic, identify keywords, develop a search strategy, evaluate your materials and document your findings.


fabricated by pressureless sintering process. The effect of BG on the sintering ability and mechanical strength of the ceramics, and the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts were investigated. The results showed that the optimum amount of BG was 20wt.% and the samples sintered at 1100oC for 5h revealed a bending strength of 172 MPa, which was approximately 2-times higher than that of the pure CaSiO3 ceramics. The cell experiments showed that BG reinforced CaSiO3 ceramics supported osteoblast adhesion and possessed higher proliferation than that of the pure CaSiO3 ceramics, which indicated excellent biocompatibility. Our results suggested that BG reinforced CaSiO3 ceramics could be potential candidates as bioactive bone implant materials.


The aim of the current work is to reproduce spills of fuel from storage tanks in order to better understand and replicate the effects of this phenomenon which can cause several damages. The vapour production that occurs when there is a failure in a storage tank could cause an explosion if there is any source of heat such as an electrical power failure.
The vast increase in computational resources that we experienced in the last years has given the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) community growing resources to simulate difficult flow problems that were impossible to solve 20 years ago.
In order to solve the multiphase flow which represents the spilling of fuel from a storage tank a Lagrangian-Eulerian approach is adopted, as with most of the work done in the literature. The importance of splashing of droplets on at surfaces has also led to the development of an adapted splashing model based on existing correlations. This was done by the use of a volume-of-fluid (VOF) methodology to characterise splashing.
Comparison of experimental results with the ones obtained by numerical simulation show good agreement (less than 10% error) and confirm that CFD could be an advantageous tool in the prediction of this type of flow.
Moreover, the computational simulations give an overview of what is happening and more specifically physical quantities in each point of the computational domain, while the experimental facilities are restricted to some points and the presence of some tools invade the flow.
The main findings of this work are related to the splashing of liquid droplets into solid surfaces and the differences between cascades of hydrocarbons that have a boiling point above normal ambient temperatures and liquids such as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) that are boiling when they come in contact with the atmosphere. The splashing of liquid droplets in the current application was found to be significantly different respect to most of the work discussed in the literature. Because of the large size of the droplets simulated, the parameters of interest such as splashing threshold, angle and mass splash ratio were found to be out of the previous ranges predicted by other authors. These parameters were then put back into the splashing model which showed improved results, giving a higher accuracy regarding vapour produced.
Liquid cascades of Liquefied Natural Gas were found to be significantly different than gasoline ones, with most of the liquid being vapourised before hitting the ground. This is due mostly to the boiling of the liquid and also on the different layout of the storage tanks, these being much larger in an LNG plant than in a typical fuel plant.
The models formulated in the current application can be used for the prediction of the flammable cloud in a spill scenario in a plant, where the vapour can reach high concentration and the risk of an explosion is not remote. The physical models mentioned above were implemented within the framework of the opensource tool OpenFOAM by modifying and/or adding new models in the code.


Abstract Shopping centers in the Silesian Voivodeship have a significant impact on smaller settlement units located in outer areas of agglomerations. It consists mainly in changes related to social, economic, as well as functional and spatial spheres. Studies shows that shopping centers take over more and more functions of higher order (services, public culture, administration) and restrict the economic activity in rural areas outer areas of agglomerations. At the stage of the irrepressible process of suburbanisation of rural areas surrounding large urban agglomerations and structural changes in towns, it is difficult to conclusively assess the consequences of the operation of shopping centers in outer metropolitan areas. The impact of shopping centers on small towns and rural areas is a very dynamic process and requires systematic research.


Cooperia oncophora is one of the most common intestinal parasitic nematodes of cattle in temperate climates worldwide contributing to serious production losses. It is considered as a mild pathogen which can be effectively controlled with anthelmintics. However, this control strategy is threatened by the development of anthelmintic resistance. Although resistance in cattle nematodes emerged just recently and is not yet common, it is a wide-spread phenomenon in nematode parasites of sheep. For the latter it has been proven that resistance can develop within 5–8 generations following the introduction of a drug. Molecular analysis of the most commonly encountered types of resistance, such as those to benzimidazoles, showed that a small resistant subpopulation was present within the susceptible population from the onset. This observation raises important questions like how much genetic variability is present in the starting population? And to what extent does the evolution to anthelmintic resistance result in changes in polymorphism within a population? As a consequence of the increased occurrence of anthelmintic resistance an alternative for controlling gastrointestinal nematodes could be the use of animals that are genetically resistant to worm infections. However, like the use of anthelmintic drugs, this creates a different environment in which the parasites have to live. It is generally accepted that parasites possess a variety of mechanisms for escaping or modulating the host immune response. Hence, it is of interest to know how a parasite population reacts if it encounters a host that is immune either through breeding or vaccination.
To address these questions for C. oncophora populations, molecular markers were needed. Since C. oncophora infections are not a major threat to the livestock industry research addressing C. oncophora genetics has lagged behind. Therefore little sequence information was available and the first aim within the project was to characterize genetic markers. Therefore the majority of this thesis is dedicated to the search for markers within the genome of C. oncophora. An ideal marker must have sufficient variation, be reliable and be simple to generate and interpret. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, revealed an enormous amount of genetic differences between individuals from the same population (Chapter 2). The within population variation disclosed by the AFLP was too high for simple interpretation and large population screening experiments. Although a different approach of the AFLP, using cDNA, demonstrated less polymorphism it failed when applied on individual worms. Since direct determination of possible genomic regions under selection was not feasible, neutral markers situated on the mitochondrial genome were assessed. Initially a PCR-RFLP experiment, performed on the partial mitochondrial encoded cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (cox1), confirmed the existence of between and within population variation of C. oncophora (Chapter 3). It was demonstrated that variation in two restriction sites was present in two populations and that the distribution differed significantly among the two. The frequencies of the variant polymorphisms demonstrated a distinction between a laboratory maintained population and a field isolate of C. oncophora. Because the polymorphisms were identified in one of the most conserved genes of the mt genome, it indicated that the mt genome indeed contains sufficient variation for identification of genetic markers. Consequently the complete mt genome of C. oncophora was sequenced. The characteristics of the composition and the polymorphisms identified in the C. oncophora mt genome are described in Chapter 4. From 426 identified polymorphisms a selection was made which subsequently was used in a population study to address the distribution of the variation within the laboratory population. An additional population, derived from a passage experiment through immune hosts, was tested to establish whether this population had undergone a change in the level of diversity induced by the encountered immune pressure of the host. Although a phenotypic change was observed in the passaged population, genetic differences based on the mt polymorphisms between this population and the laboratory maintained population could not be demonstrated. However it cannot be concluded that no genetic changes had occurred. It remains possible that changes on the nuclear genome occurred, which did not affect the level of mt genome diversity of the population.
Although the research described in this thesis could not demonstrate genetic changes in a parasite population under the influence of host immunity, it has contributed to describing the enormous genetic variability that exists within animal parasitic nematodes. In particular the delineation of the complete mt genome sequence, with an additional substantial number of its polymorphisms, will contribute to further studies on the genetic population structures of nematode species.


Modern Azerbaijan is a typical Middle Eastern petrostate ruled by a classical Middle Eastern despot, where political (and economic) power is concentrated and inherited within the ruling family. Azerbaijan's military compact with Turkey, signed in 2010, suggests that Baku is preparing for war to take back Nagorno-Karabakh. Due to Azerbaijan's impending economic and strategic insignificance to the West after the peak of oil production in 2010, Azerbaijan needs to become more realistic in its claim to Nagorno-Karabakh, as its ability to persuade the great powers is set to dwindle synchronously with the depletion of oil reserves from 2011 to 2019.


Research information management has become an essential activity for higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide as a mechanism to aggregate, curate, utilize and improve the transparency of information about research. It has led to the evolution of proprietary software systems for administering and managing research information in HEIs. However, the literature reveals that most proprietary software systems are usually inflexible, costly to maintain and do not adequately satisfy the dynamic requirements of HEIs in developing countries. Consequently, the demand for current information systems is to incorporate a high degree of formalism into software development processes to produce correct, flexible, usable and cost-effective systems. This paper reports on the development of a webbased research administration and management system (RAMS) that addresses pertinent issues associated with research information management in the context of HEIs in developing countries. The Zermelo-Fraenkel specification language has been utilized to formally specify the requirements of RAMS in close collaboration with the intended users who evaluated its usability. The overall results of the usability evaluation show that RAMS is effective, useful, easy to use, learnable and satisfactory.


Purpose – The study of the relationships between the public sector and the microfinance sector in Spain; through the analysis of the microcredit programs undertaken by the diverse governmental bodies, as well as their repercussion in the development of the microfinance sector.The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Details on the public policies analyzed have been mainly extracted from the web sites and annual reports of the agencies. Semi-structured interviews to members of the boards of most microfinance institutions (MFIs), as well as a database compiled by the authors on the MFIs and their clients had been used. As a theoretical reference, concepts within the institutional theory are applied. Findings – Financial services provided by governmental bodies to underprivileged are scarce, raising a lot of interest following its introduction, but with decreasing levels of realizations in recent years. Public policies have been found to influence in different ways the development and consolidation of the Spanish microfinance sector, although in general having feeble institutional impact. Research limitations/implications – The scope of the analysis, limited to only one European country. Practical implications – Suggested paths for further collaboration between governmental bodies and MFIs and other social organizations related to the sector. Originality/value – Focus on the public policies related to the microfinance sector in a developed country.