In wireless packet-forwarding networks, selfish nodes always want to maximize their utilities and do not like to help others forward data streams, thus causing severe network performance degradation. To solve the packet-forwarding problem, a novel coalitional game approach based on the selective decode-and-forward (SDF) relaying scheme is proposed. In the game-theoretic analysis, we study the properties and stability of the coalitions and prove that the cohesive behavior can be obtained by the aspect of outage probability. Simulation results show that the proposed SDF coalitional game can enforce cooperation and is beneficial in forming the cooperative groups.


Background Adolescents and young adults in the age range of 13-24 years are at the highest risk of developing HIV infections. As social media platforms are extremely popular among youths, researchers can utilize these platforms to curb the HIV epidemic by investigating the associations between the discourses on HIV infections and the epidemiological data of HIV infections. Objective The goal of this study was to examine how Twitter activity among young men is related to the incidence of HIV infection in the population. Methods We used integrated human-computer techniques to characterize the HIV-related tweets by male adolescents and young male adults (age range: 13-24 years). We identified tweets related to HIV risk and prevention by using natural language processing (NLP). Our NLP algorithm identified 89.1% (2243/2517) relevant tweets, which were manually coded by expert coders. We coded 1577 HIV-prevention tweets and 17.5% (940/5372) of general sex-related tweets (including emojis, gifs, and images), and we achieved reliability with intraclass correlation at 0.80 or higher on key constructs. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the spatial patterns in posting HIV-related tweets as well as the relationships between the tweets and local HIV infection rates. Results We analyzed 2517 tweets that were identified as relevant to HIV risk and prevention tags; these tweets were geolocated in 109 counties throughout the United States. After adjusting for region, HIV prevalence, and social disadvantage index, our findings indicated that every 100-tweet increase in HIV-specific tweets per capita from noninstitutional accounts was associated with a multiplicative effect of 0.97 (95% CI [0.94-1.00]; P=.04) on the incidence of HIV infections in the following year in a given county. Conclusions Twitter may serve as a proxy of public behavior related to HIV infections, and the association between the number of HIV-related tweets and HIV infection rates further supports the use of social media for HIV disease prevention.


In full process redshift the productive border and pop-up dispute over the use and appropriation of resources, the intervention of different social subjects in the West of La Pampa is redefining productivas-reproductivas practices crianceros farmers and, consequently, the social construction of space. Since the end of the military campaigns against agents, different indigenous societies through the exercise of power, built certain territorial representations and put into action practices tending to articulate the pampean West with the national economy. However little appreciation of this space made possible the development of certain forms of organizing socio-productive and symbolic autonomy. Before the expansion of the livestock border, the imposed hydrocarbon region and increasing presence of new territorial logics grow confrontations by unequal access to natural resources, the appropriation of space and the construction of territorialidades. In this context, article focused on the internal organisation of rural settlements and social uses of spaces of time, in two areas of the West "end" look: La Humada and Chos Malal. This mode is intended to establish how organized spaces home, peridomestic and mount and what senses expressed subjects into life and places spaces in times of expansion of the production frontier. The new social field generated product of capitalism on the peasant drives progress is expressed, not only changes in forms of livestock, management organization of production and social construction of space, but also in forms of sociability and collective resistance strategies. This process, which is brewing in the region, has a similar development in other spaces where productive progress has occurred before or at a faster pace. Different qualitative methodology strategies that combine the study case with life stories, in-depth interviews and analysis of documentary sources are articulated for the conduct of research.


The mapping and monitoring of the intertidal zone of the East Coast of England is of considerable interest to conservationists and coastal managers. Intertidal vegetation offers natural protection against coastal erosion and considerably reduces the cost of man made sea defences. Monitoring of intertidal vegetation may also be of value in providing an early warning of sea-level change. This thesis considers the most effective way of classifying and monitoring the intertidal zone using remote sensing techniques and incorporating the results into a coastal monitoring Geographic Information System (GIS). The coastal monitoring GIS is used to model the advantages and disadvantages of different classification strategies. The Wash Estuary forms the principal study area. This study uses multi-temporal data which requires atmospheric and radiometric correction. All Landsat 5 TM images used in the present study were referenced to a common image, based on the techniques of F.G.Hall of NASA, to allow meaningful comparisons to be made. The data sets were geometrically corrected to allow incorporation into the coastal monitoring GIS. Two strategies were used to classify the intertidal zone: a conventional maximum likelihood classifier and a fully constrained mixture model using the least squares technique. The results of the classifications were incorporated into the coastal monitoring GIS along with information acquired from previous ground based surveys. Statistical analysis of the classifications was carried out by cross tabulation with the ground based surveys in order to determine the accuracy of the methods. Detailed, reliable information arrived at cheaply, objectively and at regular intervals would provide a valuable resource for the management and monitoring of the coastal environment.


Statistical approaches for quantitative precipitation nowcasts (QPNs) have emerged with recent advances in sensors in geostationary orbits, which provide more frequent observations at higher spatial resolutions. Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) onboard South Korea's second geostationary satellite (GEO-KOMPSAT-2A), scheduled for launch in early 2018, is an example of these sensors. This paper introduces operational prototype algorithms that attempt to produce QPN products for GEO-KOMPSAT-2A. The AMI QPN products include the potential accumulated rainfall and the probability of rainfall (PoR) for a 3-h lead time. The potential accumulated rainfall algorithm consists of two major procedures: 1) identification of rainfall features on the outputs from the GEO-KOMPSAT-2A rainfall rate algorithm; and 2) tracking of these rainfall features between two consecutive images. The potential accumulated rainfall algorithm extrapolates precipitation fields every 15 min. Rainfall rates at each time step are accumulated to yield the 3-hourly rainfall. In addition, the extrapolated precipitation fields at 15-min intervals are used as inputs for the PoR algorithm, which produces the probability of precipitation during the same 3-h period. The QPN products can be classified as extrapolated features associated with precipitation. The validation results show that the extrapolated features tend to meet the designated accuracy for the prototype development stage. We also confirm a tendency for decreasing accuracy of the QPN products with increasing forecast lead time. Mitigating the dependence on lead time may remain a challenge that can be incorporated into the next generation of QPN algorithms.


We present a novel approach for synthesizing scene-aware virtual reality teleport graphs, which facilitate navigation in indoor virtual environments by suggesting desirable teleport positions. Our approach analyzes panoramic views at candidate teleport positions by extracting scene perception graphs, which encode scene perception relationships between the observer and the surrounding objects, and predict how desirable the views at these positions are. We train a graph convolutional model to predict the scene perception scores of different teleport positions. Based on such predictions, we apply an optimization approach to sample a set of desirable teleport positions while considering other navigation properties such as coverage and connectivity to synthesize a teleport graph. Using teleport graphs, users can navigate virtual environments efficaciously. We demonstrate our approach for synthesizing teleport graphs for common indoor scenes. By conducting a user study, we validate the efficacy and desirability of navigating virtual environments via the synthesized teleport graphs. We also extend our approach to cope with different constraints, user preferences, and practical scenarios.


Artificial nutrition outside hospital settings is a widespread practice but with great variability. The prevalence of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) ranges from 120 patients per million inhabitants in the United States to 2-4 in Europe or 1.5 in Spain. The most frequent indication is the short intestine syndrome and active cancer. The largest group of patients is aged between 40 and 60, with only 10%-20% of children. Almost 2/3 of patients apply parenteral nutrition through a tunnelled catheter. In Spain, the incidence of complications is higher than that registered in Europe or North America. The most frequent are infection-related complication. At the present time, prognosis and survival in the medium and long term are higher with HPN than with intestinal transplant. This must be reserved for those patients presenting severe complications with HPN. The standardization of care and the development of good education programmes may contribute to an improvement in the results. Although home enteral nutrition was developed after HPN, it has grown much faster. It is difficult to determine the real incidence, which varies from 460 (United States) and 40 (Spain) patients per million inhabitants and year. Neurological diseases and cancer are the most frequent indications. Whereas in other countries of Europe, the main access route is gastrostomy, this only occurs in 25% of cases in Spain. The rate of complications is around 0.16 complications per patient and year. The prognosis basically depends on the underlying disease. Its increasing use in patients with progressive neurological deterioration raises ethical questions. The legislation and the organizational system varies from one country to another. In Spain, only home enteral nutrition is regulated by law.


A hallmark of mammalian evolution is the structural and functional complexity of the cerebral cortex. Within the cerebral cortex, the neocortex is a complexly organized structure that is comprised of multiple interconnected sensory and motor areas. These areas and their precise patterns of connections arise during development, through a process termed arealization. Intrinsic, activity-independent and extrinsic, activity-dependent mechanisms are involved in the development of neocortical areas and their connections. This dissertation presents a lifespan analysis of ipsilateral intra-neocortical connections (INCs) among multiple sensory and motor regions as well as a summary of neocortical expression patterns of several developmentally regulated genes that are of central importance to investigating the control of arealization, from the embryonic period to adulthood in the mouse. In this analysis, we utilize novel methods to correlate the boundaries of gene expression with intra-neocortical connections and developing areal boundaries, in order to better understand the nature of gene-arealization relationships during development. Additionally, we investigated if prenatal exposure to toxins, such as ethanol, could alter the normal development of the neocortex. Children diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) exhibit a range of cognitive, emotional and behavioral deficits that are presumed to result from underlying developmental brain damage from prenatal alcohol exposure. We investigated the anatomical development of INCs of primary sensory areas in a prenatal ethanol-exposed (PrEE) mouse model through a detailed analysis of the complex circuitry that, in humans, integrates sensori-motor processing and behavior. The mouse model was generated through systematic per oral administration in pregnant CD-1 mice during the entire 19-day gestational period. Despite being regulated by genetic influences, INC development can be altered by exposure to ethanol via maternal consumption during pregnancy. Observed changes in brain anatomy that occur may be related to the neocortically-mediated cognitive, emotional and behavioral characteristics of FASD in humans. We then investigated behavioral features associated with anxiety, motor coordination, balance and sensorimotor disintegration (SSD) in adolescent control and PrEE mice. In mammals, INCs integrate sensori-motor processing, emotion, cognition and behavior. The PrEE induced changes in behavior in a FASD mouse model may stem from abnormal cortical connectivity seen at birth and possibly mimic neocortically-mediated behavioral characteristics of human FASD.


The authors report a new p-n-p surface accumulation layer transistor (SALTran) on SOI, which uses the concept of surface accumulation of holes near the emitter contact to significantly improve the current gain. Using two-dimensional simulation, the performance of the proposed device has been evaluated in detail by comparing its characteristics with those of the previously published conventional p-n-p lateral bipolar transistor (LBT) structure. From the simulation results it is observed that, depending on the choice of the emitter doping and the emitter length, the proposed SALTran exhibits a current gain enhancement of around twenty times that of the compatible lateral bipolar transistor, without deteriorating the cutoff frequency. Reasons for the improved performance of the SALTran are discussed, based on these detailed simulation results.


Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process can be broadly defined as a study of the impacts of a proposed project, plan, project, policy or legislative action on the environment and sustainability. In this research, SEA process has been aimed in order to incorporate environmental and sustainability factors in to constructional project planning and decision making (CPPDM) process such as project formulation and appraisal of Indo-Matsushita midget electrode (battery carbon rod) plant in 1979 at Tada, sustainable bridge, road and sanitation structure, green building, nuclear power plant, cotton roller ginning plant and concrete that included policies, programs, plans and legislative actions. Sustainable construction development is a kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability and efficacy of future generations to meet their own needs. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process can be defined as the systematic study of the potential impacts (effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs, policies or legislative actions relative to the physicalchemical, biological, cultural, and socioeconomic components of the total environmental product life cycle. The primary purpose of the EIA process is to encourage the consideration of the environment in Organizational's CPPDM process and to arrive at actions that are environmentally compatible. CPPDM process should include the integrated consideration of technical or engineering, economic, environmental, safety, and health, social and sustainability factors to achieve business excellence. Prior to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in 1970 in the USA, technical and economic factors dominance the World's constructional projects. The objective of the study is to conceptualize SEA process for the construction sector based on fifteen number of sustainable detailed project reports (DPRs) submitted by the extension learners of Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Business Management (DEBM) course conducted by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (The EDI of India) during the research year (RY) 1999 to 2016 under the author's counsellorship. The design of the study is cross sectional. Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process has been conducted for nuclear power plant to consider the safety and health impacts to mitigate psychological health loadings on workers and nearby residents. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) process can be defined as the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential social impacts (effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs, or legislative actions such that social consideration is encouraged in CPPDM process and to arrive at actions that are socially compatible with reference to a sustainable sanitation project. SEA process concerns to environment and sustainability effects in CPPDM process and arrive at proposed projects, plans, programs, and legislative actions that are compatible with respect to environment and sustainability issues. International EIA process required multi-disciplinary approach that has been conducted very early stage of Japanese Matsushita carbon rod project in 1982 for strategic environmental assessment. The paper highlights SEA process conducted for certain projects that based on operation and process approach and associated studies for sustainable development. Civil engineering product environmental lifecycle analysis (LCA) has been conducted for identifying and measuring the impact of civil engineering industrial products on the environment and sustain efficacy by means of mass and energy balance methods. LCA considers the activities related to raw materials, transformation, ancillary materials, equipment, method, market, man power, production, use, disposal and ancillary equipment. As far as construction safety is concerned personal protective equipment and materials(PPEMs) that include garments, clothing, gloves, safety shoes, hard hats, safety glasses, shields, respirators, full aprons, safety belts, and other safety items which must be used by an individual. Such equipment is important for personal protection and for safety. It is the manager's and supervisor's responsibility to ensure that they are used. The enactment of worker's compensation law and occupational disease law shall increase materially the cost of insurance to industry. The increased cost and the certainty with which it is applied will put a premium on accident-prevention work. This cost can be materially reduced by the installation of safety devices. Constructional management research experience has shown that approximately 80% of all the construction industrial accidents are preventable. EIA and EHIA processes have been conducted for a nuclear power plant to consider the safety and health impacts to mitigate psychological health loadings on workers and nearby residents. SEA system is a potentially useful element of good environmental management and sustainable development; however, as currently practiced in 3rd International Conference on Electrical, Automation and Mechanical Engineering (EAME 2018) Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Advances in Engineering Research, volume 127


We have analysed the recently extended series for the number of self-avoiding walks (SAWs) CL(1) that cross an L × L square between diagonally opposed corners. The number of such walks is known to grow as λSL2. We have made more precise the estimate of λS, based on additional series coefficients provided by several authors, and refined analysis techniques. We estimate that λS=1.7445498±0.0000012. We have also studied the subdominant behaviour, and conjecture that CL(1)∼λSL2+bL+c⋅Lg, where b=−0.04354±0.0001, c=0.5624±0.0005, and g=0.000±0.005. We implemented a very efficient algorithm for enumerating paths on the square and hexagonal lattices making use of a minimal perfect hash function and in-place memory updating of the arrays for the counts of the number of paths. Using this algorithm we extended and then analysed series for SAWs spanning the square lattice and self-avoiding polygons (SAPs) crossing the square lattice. These are known to also grow as λSL2. The sub-dominant term λ b is found to be the same as for SAWs crossing the square, while the exponent g=1.75±0.01 for spanning SAWs and g=−0.500±0.005 for SAPs. We have also studied the analogous problems on the hexagonal lattice, and generated series for a number of geometries. In particular, we study SAWs and SAPs crossing rhomboidal, triangular and square domains on the hexagonal lattice, as well as SAWs spanning a rhombus. We estimate that the analogous growth constant λH=1.38724951±0.00000005, so an even more precise estimate than found for the square lattice. We also give estimates of the sub-dominant terms.


India's charismatic wildlife species are facing immense pressure from anthropogenic-induced environmental perturbations. Zoos play a major role in the conservation of threatened species, but their adaptation in captivity is posing a major challenge globally. Stress from inadequate adaptation could lead to suppression of cognitive functioning and increased display of stereotypic behaviour. It is thus necessary to measure biological traits like behaviour, stress physiology, and contextual factors driving the animals maintained at zoos. In this study, we assessed stereotypic behaviour and stress physiology employing standard behaviour scoring, non-invasive stress monitoring, and their contextual drivers in a sub-population of two large felid species managed in six Indian zoos. The prevalence and intensity of stereotypic behaviours and levels of faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) were ascertained among 41 Royal Bengal tigers Panthera tigris tigris and 21 Indian leopards Panthera pardus fusca between April 2014 and March 2015. Behavioural observations showed that tigers spent more time stereotyping (12%) than leopards (7%) during daylight hours. Stress levels assessed using FCM revealed that tigers (23.6 ± 1.62 ng/g) had marginally lower level of corticosterone metabolites than leopards (27.2 ±1.36 ng/g). Stereotypic behaviour increased significantly with FCM level when the effect of heath status was controlled in tigers, and the effects tree cover, stone, den and keeper attitude controlled in leopards. Comparison of stereotypes of tigers with various biological and environmental factors using binary logistic regression revealed that stereotypic prevalence decreased with increased enclosure size, and enclosure enrichments like presence of pools and stones, when managed socially with conspecifics, and with positive keeper attitude, these factors accounting for 43% of variations in stereotypic prevalence among tigers. Stereotype among leopards was significantly absent when associated with increased tree cover and presence of pool, and den in the enclosure, age and among zoo-born than wild-born ones. These factors explain 81% of variations in stereotypic prevalence in them. A comparison of FCM levels with context-dependent factors revealed that stress levels among tigers decreased significantly with enclosure size and with individuals from nil to low, and severity of health issues. These factors explain 64% of variations in FCM levels. In leopards, the presence of stones in the enclosure and keepers with positive attitude resulted in significant decrease in FCM levels, these factors together accounting for 94% of variations. Multiple regressions on selected variables based on Factor Analysis of Mixed Data showed that in tigers the intensity of stereotype decreased significantly with enclosure size, sociality and positive keeper attitude and FCM level with health problems. Similarly, analyses in leopards revealed that intensity of stereotype decreased significantly with tree cover, age and FCM level with positive keeper attitude. Overall, our study suggests that to reduce stereotypes and stress level, tigers in captivity should be managed in larger enclosures enriched with pool, and stones, and in appropriate social conditions with adequate veterinary care. Leopards should be managed in enclosures with dense tree cover, pool, stones and den. Positive keeper attitude plays a crucial role in the welfare of both the species in captivity. Our study is promising and is comparable with their natural behaviour in the wild; for example, tigers require larger natural habitats, while leopards can manage even with smaller isolated patches but with dense vegetation cover.


Abstract For any field of law, the goal it was designed to achieve permeates every aspect of its application and interpretation. This is particularly true when the black letter of the law is cryptic and silent on most aspects of how it should be interpreted and applied, as is the case with competition law, which for the most part revolves around a small number of highly abstract provisions. It is only natural then that ample scholarly work has been devoted to identifying the goals and purposes of competition law. By and large these attempts have been textual, historical, and teleological. We introduce here instead a quantitative analysis of the case law and present the results of the first empirical study into the goals and purposes of EU competition law as they emerge from the entirety of the case law of the European Court of Justice, opinions of the Advocate Generals, Commission decisions, and speeches of Commissioners for Competition. This body of almost 4,000 sources paints a comprehensive picture of the underlying goals of EU competition law, and helps conclusively confirm some previous insights while debunking others, thereby helping to advance the present application and future evolution of competition law.


What factors influence the decision by immigrants to marry within or outside of their ethnic group? I attempt to answer this question by using data from the 2008-2016 American Community Survey. This datasource allows for improved estimation of the determinants of endogamy as it includes information on the year in which an immigrant married. I am thus able to restrict my sample to individuals who migrated to the US as adults, but did not get married until after they arrived. This is a significant improvement over the existing literature, which primarily looks at migrants who arrived in the US before they were of marriage age. Given childhood formation of preferences, the determinants of intermarriage are likely to differ between these two groups. I find strong evidence of assortative matching in education for immigrants. Educated immigrants are more likely to intermarry when they come from relatively less educated communities, while intermarriage rates fall for education migrants coming from relatively better educated communities. In addition, culture appears to play a large role, with East and South Asian migrants being the least likely groups to intermarry, even after controlling for observable characteristics like education and exposure to natives.


Give the smooth part of a singular curve or normal surface the metric induced from the ambient projective space. On this incomplete manifold the minimal L2 ô-complex of (0, ?)-forms has finite-dimensional cohomology groups. The Euler characteristic of this cohomology equals the Todd genus of any desingularization of the singular variety. R. MacPherson ([4], [8]) has conjectured that the smooth part of a singular algebraic variety (when given one of certain natural metrics) carries an L dcomplex of (0, a)-forms whose Euler characteristic is equal to the Todd genus of any desingularization of the variety. Much progress on this conjecture has been made using complete metrics on the smooth parts of the varieties. The present paper focuses on the incomplete metrics induced from the ambient projective spaces. W. Pardon [ 10] has written an important paper showing that when X is a curve or normal surface whose smooth part is given the metric induced from the ambient projective space, then the complex of smooth (0, f?)-forms 2 — 2 w satisfying w e L and dw e L has an Euler characteristic that is not necessarily equal to the Todd genus of a desingularization of X. However, an earlier paper [6] exhibited a d -complex on the smooth part of a curve X (with metric induced from the ambient projective space) that has the Euler characteristic conjectured by MacPherson. In the search for the complex whose existence is conjectured by MacPherson, one must choose carefully a closed extension of the d -operator. Let A' be a complex projective curve or normal surface, and let U be the set of smooth points of X. Give U the metric induced from the ambient projective space. The present paper shows that the minimal d-complex (defined in Definition 1.5) of (0,#)-forms on U has finite-dimensional cohomology groups and that these groups are isomorphic to the corresponding ¿9-cohomology groups on any desingularization of X . Thus the Euler characteristic of these Received by the editors April 9, 1988, and in revised form December 2, 1988. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification (1985 Revision). Primary 58G10, 58G05; Secondary 57R20, 32J25. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMS-8717186. ©1989 American Mathematical Society 0002-9939/89 $1.00 + $.25 per page


The purpose of this work was to develop a novel prokaryotic two-hybrid (P2H) system for the detection of protein-protein interactions in vivo. The system is based on the transcriptional activation and DNA binding domains of the Sinorhizobium meliloti 2011 enhancer binding protein NifA. This protein is responsible for the transcriptional activation of several nif and fix genes, including the nifHDK operon, in response to cellular oxygen and/or nitrogen status.

NifA is modular in nature and has three independently folded domains. The central domain of about 220 amino acids is responsible for the activation of transcription. The function of the Nterminal domain is unknown while the C-terminal domain contains a helix-turn-helix motif that is required for binding to a specific upstream activator sequence. PCR was used to amplify the individual domains of the NifA protein and also to amplify the nifH promoter. The PCR products obtained were used to construct suitable plasmids and reporter gene constructs for the P2H system.

Three pKK223-3 based Prey plasmids were constructed using the N-terminal-central (NC) transcriptional activation domain of NifA. Cloning of a known gene or a library of DNA fragments into the multiple cloning site (MCS) of any of these plasmids generates hybrid proteins bearing the N terminal-central (NC) activation domain of NifA. The three Prey plasmids differed from each other only in the reading frame of the MCS relative to the upstream NifA activation domain sequence. The purpose of constructing these three plasmids was to facilitate library construction. Another pKK223-3 based Control plasmid expressing the whole NifA protein was also constructed.

Two pACYC184 based Bait plasmids were also constructed encoding the sequence for the Cterminal DNA binding domain of NifA. Cloning into the MCS of the Bait construct on either of the plasmids results in the expression of a hybrid protein bearing the DNA binding domain of NifA. In addition to the Bait construct these plasmids also maintained the reporter gene constructs. One of the Bait plasmids contained a nifH. lacZa reporter gene construct while the other contained a nifH:genf (gentamycin resistance) reporter gene construct. These Bait plasmids were compatible with the Prey plasmids and the Control plasmid.

In addition to the construction of the above mentioned plasmids suitable host strains of E. coli were developed in which the plasmids could be used. These strains had deletions of the glnG gene since the product of this gene, NtrC, had been observed to weakly activate the nifH promoter and could therefore contribute to false positives. Two glnG mutant strains of E. coli called ET6016 and YMC11 were obtained. These lacked the correct lacZa complementation background required for the nifH.lacZareporter system to function and so the correct genetic background was introduced into the two strains on an F ' factor by conjugation to form strains ET6016r//F' and YMC1 \rifF'.

Having constructed the appropriate plasmids, developed suitable strains and optimised growth conditions under which the novel NifA based P2H system would be used, the system was evaluated with the model protein-protein interaction between the appropriate domains of the intimin protein and the Tir receptor of enteropathagenic E. coli which had been demonstrated in a yeast two-hybrid system by another laboratory. The sequence for the Int280oc protein was cloned into the pPC229-A Prey plasmid to form plasmid pPC233 which expressed a hybrid protein consisting of the Int280a protein fused to the NifA transcription activating NC domain. The sequence for the Tir protein was cloned into the pPC187-A Bait plasmid to form plasmid pPC190 which expressed a hybrid protein consisting of the Tir protein fused to the Cterminal DNA binding domain of NifA. The plasmids pPC233 and pPC190 were cotransformed into the E. coli strain ET6016r/yF' which was then plated on appropriate selective media to test for activation of the nifH:lacZa reporter gene. No interaction between Tir and Int280oc hybrid proteins was detected and the possible reasons for the failure to detect an interaction are discussed.


First published in 1935, C.S. Forester's classic romantic adventure is a tale of opposites attracted. Allnut and Rose, a disreputable Cockney and an English spinster missionary, wend their way down a river in Central Africa in a rickety, asthmatic steam launch, and are gradually joined together in a mission of retaliation against the Germans. Fighting time, heat, malaria and bullets, the two have a dramatic rapprochement before the explosive ending of the book. This tale of unlikely love is thrilling and funny and ultimately satisfying.


In this two-part paper, we consider a system consisting of bidirectional wireless links that interfere with each other, which has been the of focus of intensive research recently in emerging wireless systems like Device-to-Device (D2D) communications underlaying cellular networks, heterogeneous networks, and small-cell networks. The problem is allocating the time resources (transmission orders) and frequency resources (channels) among the transmitters such that the overall network interference is minimized. Here, transmission order (TO) is a novel dimension for optimization. In Part I, we analyze the TO optimization problem in the presence of channel allocation (CA), i.e., joint CA and the TO optimization problem from a game theoretic perspective, and prove that the joint optimization problem can be formulated as an exact potential game, which has at least one "pure strategy Nash Equilibrium" for any subset of the complete CA-TO action set and for any initial CA and TO conditions. We also show that the proposed joint CA and TO game is equal to the max-cut of a novel TO-dependent holistic system interference graph. In Part II, we present novel joint CA-TO algorithms and their performance analysis in D2D communications underlays.


Abstract : Three-mode factor analysis is an extension of classical factor analysis for treatment of threeway classification data. It performs a simultaneous factor analysis of all three ways. There are several logical-intuitive interpretations of three-mode factor analysis. The most obvious is in terms of idealized factors. It can be illustrated with sematic differential data. Given a three-way classification set of data like subjects by scales by concepts, arranged in the form of a box, it is possible to reduce this box to a box of idealized subjects by idealized scales by idealized concepts. Each idealized subject is a matrix of scores of the idealized concepts on the idealized scales. Each idealized scale is a matrix of score of the idealized concepts by the idealized subjects and so on. These idealized matrices are sections of the reduced box called the ''inner core matrix.'' Corresponding to the idealized entities we obtain factor-weight-matrices. The factor weights for subjects give a column of weights for each subject, and the score matrix of each subject (scales by concepts) is obtained as a weighted summation of the idealizedsubject matrices; similarly, for concepts and scales. The original scores are reproduced by a triple operation applying consecutively the three sets of weights. Two empirical applications of three-mode factor analysis are reported. (Author)


O-GlcNAc glycosylation is a dynamic, inducible post-translational modification (PTM) essential for neuronal homeostasis and found on proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as α-synuclein, amyloid precursor protein, and tau. Intracellularly, O-GlcNAc modification is cycled by two enzymes in mammalian cells: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) appends O-GlcNAc to serine or threonine residues and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) removes O-GlcNAc. OGT modifies over 1000 different proteins, but the lack of a well-defined consensus sequence or substrate structural constraints has hampered efforts to predict sites a priori. Furthermore, the identification of O-GlcNAc modification sites has been obstructed by the difficulty of enriching and detecting O-GlcNAc using traditional biochemical methods. Here, we established and employed biological and chemical tools to illuminate the role of O-GlcNAc in neuronal function. In Chapter 2, we sought to determine the role of O-GlcNAc in learning, memory, and neurodegeneration. Deletion of the OGT gene causes early postnatal lethality in mice, complicating efforts to study O-GlcNAc glycosylation in mature neuronal function and dysfunction. We demonstrated that the loss of OGT in the forebrain of adult mice (OGT cKO) leads to progressive neurodegeneration, including neuronal death, neuroinflammation, hyperphosphorylated tau, amyloidogenic Aβ-peptides, and memory deficits. In the hippocampus, we showed that OGT ablation lead to the upregulation of neuroinflammatory genes and the downregulation of cholesterol biosynthetic genes. Additionally, a gene network analysis (WGCNA), qPCR, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed that loss of O-GlcNAc perturbed cell cycle progression in the hippocampal neurons. In the hippocampus, we identified increased neuroinflammatory gene transcription in OGT cKO mice and both tau neurofibrillary tangle (NFT)-forming and amyloid-forming Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models. However, only OGT cKO and NFT-forming mice displayed decreased synaptic gene expression, suggesting that NFT formation and OGT cKO compromise hippocampal synaptic transcription. These studies indicate that O-GlcNAcylation regulates pathways vital for the maintenance of neuronal health and suggest that dysfunctional O-GlcNAc signaling may be an important contributor to neurodegenerative diseases. In order to understand the critical O-GlcNAc-mediated neuronal functions that underlie OGT cKO dysfunction, we next developed and utilized novel biological and chemical tools in order to identify key OGT interactors and substrates in the brain in Chapter 3. Due to the lack of a well-defined OGT substrate sequence and structural constraints, OGT is believed to obtain its substrate specificity through its interactome where specific interactors target OGT to specific substrates. In order to identify these interactors, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate a novel mouse with a minimally tagged OGT in order to identify the endogenous OGT brain interactome using tandem affinity purification and MS methods. The preliminary OGT brain interactome consisted of previously identified OGT interactors and substrates as well as novel interactors. The identified OGT interactors were enriched for ribosomal and cytoskeletal proteins in addition to axonal, dendritic, and neuronal cell body proteins, implicating OGT as a pivotal mediator of neuronal structure and function. In addition to the OGT interactome, we sought to uncover OGT's substrates or the O-GlcNAcome. We developed an improved approach to quantitatively label and enrich O-GlcNAcylated proteins for site identification. Chemoenzymatic labeling followed by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) installed a new MS-compatible linker designed for facile purification and release of O-GlcNAcylated proteins for downstream MS analysis. We validated the approach by identifying several established O-GlcNAc sites on the proteins α-crystallin and OGT as well as discovering new, previously unreported sites on both proteins. Notably, these novel sites on OGT lie in key functional domains of OGT, underscoring how this site identification method can reveal important biological insights into protein activity and regulation. Finally, in Chapters 4 and 5, we focus on the post-translational modification (PTM) code on a specific transcription factor (TF), CREB (cAMP response element binding protein). CREB regulates memory formation through its transcriptional control of neuronal metabolism, activity, differentiation, development, and survival. CREB phosphorylation at serine 133 has been previously shown to enhance CREB-mediated transcription while CREB glycosylation at serine 40 has been shown to decrease CREB-mediated transcription. However, the exact gene networks modulated by and potential interplay between CREB glycosylation and phosphorylation have not been explored. Through differential expression analysis with glycosylation-deficient (S40A) and phosphorylation-deficient (S133A) CREB mutants, we showed that CREB O-GlcNAcylation is important for neuronal activity and excitability while phosphorylation at serine 133 regulated the expression of genes involved in neuronal differentiation. Using WGCNA, we demonstrated that CREB O-GlcNAcylation at serine 40 and phosphorylation at serine 133 mediate mutually exclusive gene networks. The glycosylation-deficient mutant enhanced neuronal activity- and excitotoxicity-related gene networks while the phosphorylation-deficient mutant perturbed neuronal differentiation and amino and fatty acid metabolism-related gene networks. Our work sheds light on the regulation of CREB through PTMs to modulate neuronal function and delineate the roles of O-GlcNAcylation and phosphorylation in modulating neuronal excitability and neuronal development and metabolism respectively. Altogether, these studies demonstrate that O-GlcNAc modification is a critical mediator of neuronal homeostasis and neurodegeneration.


BACKGROUND
Phase 3 is a critical point for cardiac rehabilitation: many problems don't allow achieving a correct secondary prevention, in particular regarding the relationship between patient and cardiologist. Aiming at ensuring continuity of care of phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation patients, we have developed a telemetric educational program to stimulate in them the will and capacity to become active comanagers of their disease.

METHODS
Nurses specialized in cardiac rehabilitation, with the collaboration of the general practitioners, contact the patients by scheduled phone calls to collect questionnaires about their health status and the result of biochemistry. All the results are analyzed by the nurses and discussed with each patient (educational reinforcement). The effects of this program of comanagement of cardiac disease and secondary prevention are analyzed comparing each patient data at the discharge with data after one year and those coming from our archive (retrospective analysis).

RESULTS
The patients enrolled in this study pay much more attention to the amount of food they eat; they tend not to gain weight, and they restart smoking in a reduced proportion compared to patients not enrolled in the study. However, despite having received better information on their cardiac disease, their compliance to physical training, consumption of healthy food, and pharmacological therapy is not improved.

CONCLUSIONS
This study focuses on the role of a continuous educational program of a cardiac rehabilitation unit after the patient's discharge. This home control program conducted by nurses specialized in cardiac rehabilitation, with the assistance of cardiologists, psychologists and physiotherapists, and in collaboration with the general practitioner, was quite cheap, and helped maximizing the knowledge of the disease and reinforcing correct life style in the patients. The results are not as good as expected, probably because one year does not represent a sufficient time, or because the educational intervention needs to be improved.


This scholarly article seeks to spotlight the inextricable link between economic expansion and inflation in Bangladesh for the past three decades from 1987 to 2017. The nature of the relationship between these two macroeconomic variables is a boiling topic of research. The data on both the GDP growth and inflation rates supplied by the World Bank have been used to study the nexus. Different relevant tests (DF, ADF, PP and KPSS test) found unit root in the variables, but this problem is disappeared at the first difference. Cointegration tests display the long-run connection between the variables at the period. Max-Eigen value Statistic Trace Statistic expose there may be a second integrating vector. The vector error correction model (VECM) finds short dynamics among inflation and economic development, and the adjustment speed at 39% and 82% respectively for the variables—GDP growth rate and inflation. This empirical study has found a significant correlation between inflation and economic growth in Bangladesh during the study period.


Quantitative histologic studies of peripheral sensory neurons at the peripheral nerve (sural nerve) and spinal ganglion (L-3) levels showed preferential loss of small myelinated and unmyelinated fibers and of small cytons (cell bodies) of spinal ganglia in a patient with long-term Fabry disease. Myelinated fiber density in the fasciculus gracilis of the spinal cord (C-1 and C-8) initially was less than in a control specimen. However, further analysis in three additional controls indicated that fiber density fell within the normal range. In a second typical case, sural nerve biopsy showed a selective decrease of small myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. Painfulness and loss of sweating characteristic of this disorder may result from degeneration of small fibers. There were axonal degeneration and segmental demyelination, probably due to a metabolic derangement in cytons. At the cyton, degenerating neurons were recognized by histologic abnormalities, decreased endoplasmic reticulum, and deposition of lipid granules.


The ability to induce humoral and cellular immunity via antigen delivery through the unbroken skin (epicutaneous immunization, EPI) has immediate relevance for vaccine development. However, it is unclear which adjuvants induce protective memory CD8 T-cell responses by this route, and the molecular and cellular requirements for priming through intact skin are not defined. We report that cholera toxin (CT) is superior to other adjuvants in its ability to prime memory CD8 T cells that control bacterial and viral challenges. Epicutaneous immunization with CT does not require engagement of classic toll-like receptor (TLR) and inflammasome pathways and, surprisingly, is independent of skin langerin-expressing cells (including Langerhans cells). However, CT adjuvanticity required type-I IFN sensitivity, participation of a Batf3-dependent dendritic cell (DC) population and engagement of CT with suitable gangliosides. Chemoenzymatic generation of CT–antigen fusion proteins led to efficient priming of the CD8 T-cell responses, paving the way for development of this immunization strategy as a therapeutic option.


Previous works (Donahue et al., 2018a; Engel et al., 2019a) have found that generating coherent raw audio waveforms with GANs is challenging. In this paper, we show that it is possible to train GANs reliably to generate high quality coherent waveforms by introducing a set of architectural changes and simple training techniques. Subjective evaluation metric (Mean Opinion Score, or MOS) shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach for high quality mel-spectrogram inversion. To establish the generality of the proposed techniques, we show qualitative results of our model in speech synthesis, music domain translation and unconditional music synthesis. We evaluate the various components of the model through ablation studies and suggest a set of guidelines to design general purpose discriminators and generators for conditional sequence synthesis tasks. Our model is non-autoregressive, fully convolutional, with significantly fewer parameters than competing models and generalizes to unseen speakers for mel-spectrogram inversion. Our pytorch implementation runs at more than 100x faster than realtime on GTX 1080Ti GPU and more than 2x faster than real-time on CPU, without any hardware specific optimization tricks.


In general, the methods for measuring human emotion are divided in two, one is the psychological way based on user's subjective evaluation and the other is the physiological way based on physiological signals. However, these methods have some limitations. Therefore, in this study we suggested the methods for measuring user's emotion in the natural and accessible environment for the design field. In order to observe user's emotional changes while they interact with a product, we have extracted some emotional words and representative emotions, and made a set of subjective evaluation scales. With these scales, emotion logging program "VideoTAME" was developed as an effective measurement tool for complementing the current psychological methods. In the Testing Module of VideoTAME, subjects evaluate their emotional changes through playing and watching the video clips of their performing tasks in the experiment room. In the Analyzing Module, the researchers replay the results created by subjects during the experiment and analyze the results using Microsoft Excel. It is hoped that this study will be of great help for designers for effective measurement of user's emotions naturally expressed while using a product.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of process analyses and modifications on inappropriate hospital use.

DESIGN
Pre-post comparison of inappropriate hospital use after process modifications.

SETTING
The Department of Internal Medicine of the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.

PARTICIPANTS
A random sample of 498 patients.

INTERVENTIONS
Two processes of care (i.e. non-urgent admissions and transfer to a rehabilitation hospital), which influenced inappropriate hospital use, were identified and modified. The impact of these modifications was then assessed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The proportion of inappropriate hospital admissions and inappropriate hospital days.

RESULTS
As a baseline assessment before quality improvement interventions, the appropriateness of hospital use (admissions and hospital days) was evaluated using the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP) in a sample of 500 patients (5665 days). After modification of the two processes through a quality improvement program, inappropriate hospital use was reassessed in a sample of 498 patients (6095 days). Inappropriate hospital admissions decreased from 15 to 9% (P = 0.002) and inappropriate hospital days from 28 to 25% (P = 0.12).

CONCLUSION
Using the AEP as a criterion, the quality improvement interventions significantly reduced inappropriate hospital use due to the process of non-urgent admissions, but the reduction of inappropriate hospital days specifically attributed to the transfer to the rehabilitation hospital did not reach statistical significance.


Selection of drought-tolerant rice genotypes is still one of the most vital challenges in rice research and the use of molecular markers may offer a promising approach to fast track the selection and development of drought-tolerant rice. The aim of our study is to identify drought-tolerant traits, in selected rainfed elite rice lines, expressed during drought stress at the vegetative stages 20-32 DAS and 30-42 DAS. The study also validated the presence of SSR markers linked to drought tolerance. All morpho-agronomic traits examined in the study were significantly affected by drought, except for root length during 30-42 DAS of drought imposition. Drought significantly reduced the plant height, number of tillers, leaf area, and root number resulting in a significant reduction in root and shoot dry weight. On the other hand, an increase in total nodal root length was observed in all test genotypes except for AL-55, AL-97, and susceptible check PSB Rc82 under both drought conditions. All parameters examined in this study are useful traits for drought tolerance in rice, however responses might be genotype-dependent. The highest correlation was shown by root:shoot ratio (r=0.94, r=0.78) at 20 DAS and (r=0.89, r=0.67) at 30 DAS under well-watered and drought conditions, respectively. Seven amplified markers were present in the test genotypes except for RM 525, RM 60, RM 201, RM 1141. These four markers were absent in the drought-susceptible check PSB Rc82, hence, these markers may be used in selecting drought-tolerant genotypes through marker-assisted selection.


This thesis intends to examine the use of reaction time within psychopharmacology. Following a review of the literature, an experiment was conducted examining the effects of practise on the Choice Reaction Time (CRT) task utilised by the study centre in which this research was conducted. The results showed that there was a significant effect of practise on the task for both young and elderly populations. This task was then utilised in novel testing situations, in an experiment into the differences in performance between smokers and non-smokers both late into the night and overnight. Findings showed that there were few differences of significance between the two study groups. This research suggested that there is no difference in performance ability of smokers (allowed to smoke as normal) and non-smokers when an occasional late night is required. A further study was then conducted, examining the effects of tea and coffee on this task when used in an intensive testing regime. Four beverages were administered on each study day. A baseline for each beverage was taken, with further testing occurring at 10, 20 and 30 minutes post ingestion as well as at other, less frequent time points throughout the day. There were no results of significance suggesting that the doses of caffeine administered were not large enough to produce a significant change in performance levels, however, the doses we administered enabled the subjects to maintain a constant level of performance throughout the day, with no effects of circadian rhythm being noted. A new reaction time task was then developed according to the theory of Hick (1952). This task was pilot tested in three different modes to see if the task responded as an accurate measure of response latency and which modality of the task was most suited to measuring performance levels. These results showed that the test produced an increase in response latency with each increase in number of stimuli for the Recognition Reaction Time (RRT) aspect of the measure. Further testing was then conducted using this task, utilising the test as a performance measure in the caffeine study (of above), an alcohol study (in healthy young female subjects) and a Ginkgo Biloba Extract (GBE) study (in healthy elderly volunteers). Results from all three studies showed that the increase in number of stimuli increased response latency. High doses of alcohol increased reaction time on this task compared to placebo and the low doses, however there were no differential effects of any of the drugs on the different levels of information processing measured by this task. In conclusion, these data show that the traditional CRT task was unable to illustrate any differences in performance under fatigue in smokers and non-smokers, and also under low doses of caffeine from tea and coffee. When the task was modified to produce a reaction time test according to the theory of Hick, the effects of information load on recognition response speed were clear, however the drugs used in this thesis did not produce differential effects on the processing of information load. Future research using different classes of psychotropic medication has been recommended.


Ferroelectricity has been reported in organic–inorganic perovskites, and it can enhance the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because ferroelectricity can facilitate charge carrier separation and charge transport through the perovskite layer. However, the existence of ferroelectricity in perovskites has been in hot debate, particularly at room temperature. Here, we report the ferroelectric polarization switching of MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 which showed a high dependence on its composition. The ferroelectric behavior of MAPbI3-50% PbBr2 is confirmed with domain switching by Piezoelectric Force Microscopy (PFM) imaging and bias-off "butterfly-like" amplitude loops and piezoresponse hysteresis loops at room temperature. The possible factors, such as film electrical properties attributed to the enhanced room-temperature ferroelectricity in MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 films are clarified by using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). In addition, the charge separation and charge transport in the perovskite MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 films are further investigated by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Finally, the possible influences of polarization orientations, trapping effects and ion migrations within the MAPb(I1−xBrx)3 films on the J–V characteristics of PSC devices are discussed in detail. It discovers that the polarization switching under the positive tip biased condition in the PSCs with 50% PbBr2, which could hinder the photovoltaic performance. These findings help better understand the electronic structure of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites and provide guidance for the improvement of the PSC performance and other electronic applications of perovskites.


Intrapreneurial employees and intrapreneurial projects are considered to be an important driver of innovation and strategic renewal within companies. While many studies addressed the top-down implementation of innovative projects, analyses of employee initiatives in promoting innovation within companies are scarce. This paper therefore takes a bottom-up approach and focuses on employee behaviour and how it can be stimulated towards intrapreneurship. We propose and test a two-step model where formal and informal work context affects employees' intrapreneurial behaviour, which then provides the basis for bottom-up initiated intrapreneurial projects. Our empirical data consist of questionnaire responses of 176 employees in six Dutch companies. The results of structural equation model estimations indicate that formal organisational factors (horizontal participation, resource availability) affect employees' intrapreneurial behaviour, but also highlight informal factors such as trust in the direct manager. We also find that innovativeness and personal initiative, but not risk taking, play a role for an effective translation of employees' behaviour into intrapreneurial projects.


RAPD-PCR analysis of 46 individuals of sturgeons from Amur River has been carried out. Genetic status of Amur sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii Brandt, 1869 and kaluga Huso dauricus Georgi, 1775 native populations has been estimated. Genetic evidences of hybrid origin for two phenotypical hybrids were obtained; estimations of genetic distances between species and hybrids appeared to be at interspecific level. The exact test for differentiation of populations (Exact test) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis were estimated to be the most effective for species and hybrid discrimination, respectively. According to data obtained populations of sturgeon fishes which inhabit Amur River maintained an essential level of genetic variability; the presence of hybrids is regarded as one of risk factors. Multilocus RAPD-PCR markers admit as the convenient and reliable tool for genetic monitoring of Amur River sturgeons to preserve their gene pool.


A fundamental challenge in population genetics and molecular evolution is to understand the forces shaping the patterns of genetic diversity within and among species. Among them, mating systems are thought to have important influences on molecular diversity and genome evolution. Selfing is expected to reduce effective population size, Ne, and effective recombination rates, directly leading to reduced polymorphism and increased linkage disequilibrium compared with outcrossing. Increased isolation between populations also results directly from selfing or indirectly from evolutionary changes, such as small flowers and low pollen output, leading to greater differentiation of molecular markers than under outcrossing. The lower effective recombination rate increases the likelihood of hitch-hiking, further reducing within-deme diversity of selfers and thus increasing their genetic differentiation. There are also indirect effects on molecular evolutionary processes. Low Ne reduces the efficacy of selection; in selfers, selection should thus be less efficient in removing deleterious mutations. The rarity of heterozygous sites in selfers leads to infrequent action of biased conversion towards GC, which tends to increase sequences' GC content in the most highly recombining genome regions of outcrossers. To test these predictions in plants, we used a newly developed sequence polymorphism database to investigate the effects of mating system differences on sequence polymorphism and genome evolution in a wide set of plant species. We also took into account other life-history traits, including life form (whether annual or perennial herbs, and woody perennial) and the modes of pollination and seed dispersal, which are known to affect enzyme and DNA marker polymorphism. We show that among various life-history traits, mating systems have the greatest influence on patterns of polymorphism.


In mobile ad hoc network there are several routing algorithms, which utilize topology information to make routing decisions at each node. aim of this paper is to utilize position information to provide more reliable as well as efficient routing for certain applications. Thus extensions to existing position based routing algorithm have been described to work more efficiently even in cases where they are not working at present. In this paper an algorithm is proposed, which removes some of the drawbacks of the existing GPSR (Greedy perimeter stateless routing) position based routing algorithm. In proposed algorithm different algorithm has been used to planarize the graph so that it will not disconnect the route in case of location inaccuracy in perimeter mode whereas in GPSR in certain cases of location inaccuracy it will disconnect the graph and hence the packets will not be routed thereby decreasing packet delivery ratio. KeywordsAdhoc Networks, Ad hoc on demand DVR, DSDV, Zone Routing Protocol.


Much of the recent empirical literature examining the New Economic Geography has focused on how access to markets impacts wages. In this article, we consider an alternative aspect of the theory by examining how access to markets affects industry growth. We develop a model relating the growth of two key measures of market size—market access and supplier access—to growth in industry employment and the real value of industry shipments. We estimate the model using data on U.S. manufacturing industries between 1984 and 1996. We find strong evidence to suggest that access to markets positively affects industry growth.


As stated at the outset, this technique is not for every case. Each case must be selected with great care, consideration and careful planning. In concert with observing the Implant Lighthouses, this technique can produce a successful case. It can be done to save time, without compromising the prescribed techniques and quality.


"O pallida Ofelia, bella come la neve!"Intreccio tra soggettivita e follia nello sviluppo dell'identita femminile This paper discusses the difficult journey of female identity. Women often struggle between their primary identification with the maternal body and their subsequent internal and external identifications. The conflict, often shown through symptoms, becomes more evident in the different phases of woman's body transformations when she has to change the image of her own body/self. The psychic discomfort, searching for a new body/self, finds sometimes a dramatic and paradoxically reassuring answer in a diagnosis that gives to the woman a pathological identity, that cancels her voice. The literary character, Ophelia, is presented to show how the female words not listened to, not recognized, become a delirium. These words reveal Ophelia's own view of reality, but inscribe her into madness, bringing her to death.


Abstract A scale has recently been developed to measure moral disengagement in sport (Boardley & Kavussanu, 2007). It consists of 32 items that measure the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement proposed by Bandura (1991). In the present study, we aimed to: (a) examine whether a subset of these items could form a short version of the scale; (b) provide evidence for the construct validity of the short version; and (c) test its measurement invariance across sex and sport type. A total of 992 football, rugby, hockey, basketball, and netball players from three different samples completed the long version of the scale. Data analyses indicated that the short version of the scale consisted of eight items and had high internal consistency. Construct validity of the scale was evidenced via correlations with sport moral disengagement and prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Multisample confirmatory factor analyses established measurement invariance across sex and partial measurement invariance across four team sports. In conclusion, the short version of the scale is a reliable and valid measure of moral disengagement in sport.


Over the past two years, Russia has become the world leader in grain exports and intends to maintain growth rates. The authors enter into polemics with scientists who estimate the export of grain as the success of the agrarian economy. The purpose of the study is to find arguments for proving that the current model of the food market formation is erroneous. This model is based on the export of grain in combination with the import of the food with high added value. Our hypothesis is that the export of grain abroad was the result of low demand in the domestic market, which is due to the structural deformation of agricultural production. The study is based on the works of scientists in foreign trade policy (D. Ricardo, F. List, B. Ulin, S. Witte, D. Mendeleev). Statistical data, include the period before the embargo on food (2012–2014) and after it (2015–2016). In the conditions of inflation, preference was given to the indicators of the physical volume of output. The situation on the food market is complicated by a decrease in consumer demand and a fall in real incomes of the population. The imposition of an embargo on food imports reoriented imports to other countries. We propose measures of state regulation of the agro-food market: the introduction of export duties on grain and export subsidies for products with high added value. The research results can be used to develop mechanisms for regional economic policy in the agro-food sector.


The structure of intermetallic phases and planar defects in the as-cast and the solutiontreated microstructures of a Mg-8Y-2Zn-0.6Zr (wt%) alloy are characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The alloy was produced by permanent mould casting and solution treated at 500 °C. It is found that the intermetallic particles in the as-cast microstructure have a monoclinic structure. An appreciable amount of intermetallic particles is still retained along grain boundaries after solution treatments for up to 60 hrs. However, the structure of the retained intermetallic particles changes gradually from monoclinic to hexagonal during the solution treatments. Some planar defects are also detected in the as-cast and the solution-treated (1 hr) microstructures. These defects have characteristic features of stacking faults.


This thesis presents three studies of warm (photoionized) absorber variability in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) using high-resolution X-ray spectra provided by the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG). The first study is a single observation of the AGN MR 2251-178, which is known to have a highly variable warm absorber (WA). We find an unusually thin effective hydrogen column density along the line of sight compared to previous observations. Strong line emission without corresponding absorption indicates significant WA geometric structure. Strong absorption features in the spectrum are evidence of a highly-ionized, high-velocity outflow, which could be carrying a large amount of mass and energy out of the AGN. In the second study, we search for absorption lines variability in the well-studied WA of MCG -6-30-15. We find a significant anti-correlation over time between at least two ions, with suggestions of additional time variation in other ions. At least one line, the is 2p resonance line of Mg XII, varies as a function of 2-10 keV continuum luminosity. Luminositydriven ionization changes alone are insufficient to explain the observed variation. Either multiple factors influence line strength on observable time scales, or the line of sight to the central source varies over time through a structured absorber. In the third study, we survey spectra from the HETG data archive. We model the normalized excess variance (NEV) spectrum of a varying WA and find that it does not explain high-energy (> 2 keV) spectral variation, nor does it generally fit NEV spectra at lower energies (< 2 keV). We also search through each spectrum at high resolution (AA = 0.01 A) for bins which vary more than expected due to normal Poissonian fluctuations. We find some evidence for such variation in the aggregate sample, though not in AGN individually. Our results show that WA structure is more complicated than pictured in contemporary models. Future high-resolution spectroscopic variability studies are certainly warranted. AGN models should eventually consider the effects of WA structure and the influence of continuum variation on the WA. Thesis Supervisor: Claude R. Canizares Title: Associate Provost Bruno Rossi Professor of Experimental Physics


Summary Introduction The elderly suffer the most influenza-related complications, and 90% of deaths due to influenza occur in older subjects. Consequently, the elderly are among the main targets of influenza vaccination campaigns. The use of deprivation indexes can help to identify subgroups with lower vaccination uptake. This study analyzed influenza vaccination coverage in elderly persons living in Genoa (Italy) in relation to a local Index of Socio-Economic and Health Deprivation (SEHDI) in order to identify population subgroups needing specific intervention to improve vaccination coverage. Methods The study targeted subjects aged ≥ 65 years living in Genoa in the period 2009-2013. Information on vaccination coverage was provided by general practitioners and Local Health Units. A combination of linear regression, factor analysis and cluster analysis was used to construct the SEHDI at Census Tract (CT) level, on the basis of data from the 2011 Italian census. Results In 2011, people aged ≥ 65 years accounted for the 27.7% of the population of Genoa. Most elderly subjects were assigned to either the medium (45.3%) or medium-high (32%) deprivation groups, while the percentages in the extreme tails were low (3.6% high deprivation; 1.3% low deprivation). Significant, non-linear (p < 0.05 NL) relationships were observed in both sexes with regard to mortality due to all respiratory diseases (RD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with the highest Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) values in women in the high deprivation group of women (1.81, p < 0.05 RD; 1.79, p < 0.05 COPD). The SMRs for influenza and pneumonia showed a positive linear trend in women (p < 0.05) with the highest value in the high deprivation group (1.97, p < 0.05), while in men the trend was NL (p < 0.05). A positive linear trend (p < 0.05) was found with regard to vaccination coverage, which grew weakly as deprivation increased, up to the medium-high deprived group (from 34.6% to 44.4%). However, the high deprivation group showed the lowest value (33.3%). Conclusions The results revealed a relationship between deprivation and influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly. This finding should be taken into account in the organization of vaccination campaigns and should prompt differentiated intervention in each local area.


A structural latent variable model of apple variety demand is used to analyze the effect of variety specific newspaper advertisement characteristics on variety attraction (preferences), and in turn on variety demand. The influence of advertisement size, the use of color and the Washington apple logo were analyzed. The estimated variety attraction variable is important in explaining demand. Model specifications which exclude this variable tend to understate demand elasticities. Advertisement size has a positive impact on Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala sales. Red Delicious sales are positively influenced by color ads, but negatively affected by ads with the Washington apple logo.


Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of octreotide combined with ulinastatin on the serum endotoxin and intestinal mucosal permeability in patients with severe pancreatitis.
Methods: A total of 88 patients with severe pancreatitis were randomly selected in our hospital from January 2015 to June 2016. They were then randomly assigned to either the observation group (n=44) or the control group (n=44) using the random number method. The patients in the control group were treated with octreotide, whereas those in the observation group were given octreotide combined with ulinastatin. The serum endotoxin and hypersensitive C Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) levels as well as intestinal mucosal permeability of the two groups were investigated before and after treatment.
Results: Before treatment, no significant difference was observed in the serum endotoxin, hs-CRP, plasma Diamine Oxidase (DAO), and Lactulose/Mannitol (L/M) levels of patients between the two groups (P>0.05). However, the endotoxin and hs-CRP levels of the patients in the two groups were significantly lower after treatment than those before treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, the plasma DAO levels of the patients in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and their L/M levels were significantly higher than those before treatment (P<0.05). However, the serum endotoxin, hs-CRP, plasma DAO, and L/M levels of the patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Octreotide combined with ulinastatin can significantly decrease the serum endotoxin level of patients with severe pancreatitis. Furthermore, this treatment can help in the restoration of intestinal mucosal function barrier in patients.


Pitfalls in designing studies to test efficacy of new antidepressants occur in a number of different areas, including the criteria used for selecting patients, the choice of rating instruments for the assessment of severity, the length of treatment and the size of the study. Similarly there are pitfalls in the assessment of the side-effects of a compound. The paper considers each of these pitfalls and also the assessment of risk of adverse drug reactions.


Summary
Removal of the lower epidermis from cowpea and tobacco leaves inoculated with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) or tobacco necrosis virus (TNV) resulted in reduction of local lesion numbers. The reduction was time-dependent and was greatly influenced by darkening the plants 24 h before inoculation. In both darkened and non-darkened plants the period of contact between epidermis and mesophyll required for lesion formation to occur differed markedly. For cowpea inoculated with TMV these periods were 1.5 and 8 h respectively, and in the combination cowpea-TNV they were 1 and 6 h respectively. For Xanthi nc tobacco inoculated with TMV these periods were 1 and 8.5 h respectively, and in the tobacco-TNV system they were 1 and 6 h respectively. More plasmodesmata were observed in superficial cells of dark-treated plants than in those of non-dark-treated plants. The significance of this observation in relation to the passage of infectious virus units from the epidermis into the mesophyll is discussed.


Objective:   To determine wether one (intravenous) route of maternal hydration is advantageous over the other (oral) to increase amniotic fluid volume in patients with third trimester oligohydramnios? Study Design: Quassi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study:   Department of Obs & Gynae Unit III, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore, in one year period from May 2002 to Apr 2003. Material and Methods:   Fifty women with third trimester oligohydramnios (AFI £ 5.0 cm) were prospectively recruited for this study. Study inclusion criteria was, singleton pregnancy, well established gestational age, intact membranes, no maternal complication (moderate to severe anemia, cardiac disease, renal disease, moderate/severe pre-eclampsia or hypertension and diabetes), no fetal structural malformation and no evidence of fetal distress. These fifty patients were randomized by pro-bability sampling technique into two groups (intravenous hydration group and oral hydration group). Maternal urine specific gravity and amniotic fluid index were determined before and after hydration therapy by infusing 2 L of 5% D/W in 2 hours in intravenous hydration therapy group, and by asking them to drink 2 liters of water in 2 hours in oral hydration therapy group; and recorded on printed proformas. The data analysis was computer based using statistical package SPSS version 10.0 and sample independent "t" test was used to compare the mean AFI and urine specific gravity, and the post treatment AFI - pretreatment AFI (Delta AFI). Results:  Maternal hydration increased amniotic fluid volume in intravenous hydration group (mean change in amniotic fluid index 4.5 cm ± 1.25, C.I 4.00 to 5.00; P value 0.05) than the percentage increase of 58.2% in oral hydration group. Maternal hydration was associated with decrease in urine specific gravity in both groups. Conclusion:   Maternal intravenous as well as oral hydration increases AFV in women with oligohydramnios but neither appears to be advantageous over the other to increase amniotic fluid volume and both routes may be beneficial in the mana-gement of oligohydramnios. Key Words:   Maternal hydration, oligohydramnios.


Plant survival, plant damage and height growth were studied in nine wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) plantations in southern Sweden established between 2000 and 2002. All stands were located to the county of Smaland. The survey was conducted during May and June in 2007. During the survey the height, diameter and quality of the cherry trees were recorded. In one stand, red – berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa L.) was a dominant species. In that stand the number of Elder bushes surrounding each cherry tree was recorded. Three of the stands were established on former forest land. The remaining six stands were established on sites previously used for agricultural purposes.

The tree survival and height development varied between the stands. In three of the stands a thin black strip of plastic was used to control weed competition. In these stands both the tree survival and height growth were higher than in the other stands. In these stands plant survival varied between 71 – 92 %. In the stands without plastic cover plant survival varied between 24 – 31 %. The cherry stands in Smaland with the highest growth showed a growth rate similar to cherry stands in England. Red – berried Elder did not seem to have any influence on the height growth of cherry trees.

The stem quality with regards to stem straightness in the surveyed stands was in general very good. This is probably largely due to the fact that all the surveyed stands were fenced to prevent herbivores from browsing on the young cherry saplings.

The conclusion from this survey is that cherry tree establishment requires control of competing vegetation. Given the right circumstances the growth can possibly be comparable to British cherry stands. Cherry could therefore be an interesting alternative species for private forest owners willing to invest resources until the cherry stand is established.


Ornamental geophytes, also called "flower bulbs", play a significant role in the global flower industry and are utilized for the commercial production of cut flowers, potted plants and propagation materials, as well as in landscaping and gardening. Traditionally, the commercial production of these crops prevailed in temperate-climate regions. However, in the last two decades, globalization and increased market competition have led to the development of new production centers in the Southern Hemisphere, Africa and Asia. Tremendous advancement in molecular science and technology in the past couple of decades has brought geophyte research to an entirely new level, including the identification and introduction of genes, which control and regulate flower development, storage organ formation and dormancy, as well as the genetic control of the process of senescence to prolong flower shelf life. To advance the investigation of geophyte biology, a model plant, agreed upon by the scientific community, should be chosen for genetic research. Novel approaches to environmentally-friendly, sustainable production and integrated management have stimulated new research directions. A sustainable agriculture system encompasses conservation of energy, soil, and water, as well as developing economically feasible environmentally-friendly methods and technologies associated with the use of pesticides and nutrients. The combined efforts of governments, industry and research resulted in increased energy efficiency and advanced monitoring systems for pathogens and diseases in geophytes. The cessation in fumigant use particularly methyl bromide, affects the future management of nematodes and other soil-borne pathogens and weeds. Consequently, there is an immediate need to develop new knowledge on pest-plant interactions, as well as new technologies of chemical and biological control. One of the most important research aims and responsibilities for the future is ensuring the conservation and preservation of geophyte biodiversity in their natural habitats. Collecting genetic resources and sampling strategies must be conducted according to national and international laws, and for the benefits of future generations. Efforts at plant conservation in situ and ex situ, genebanks, natural reserves and support for ecological tourism-these actions will eventually not only help preserve natural resources, but promote beautiful flowers and commercially produced rare species or underutilized crops.


This letter presents an efficient numerical method for the transient analysis of interconnects with frequency-dependent parameters. The development of interconnects model starts from frequency-domain Telegrapher's equations, and the time-domain equations including convolutions are obtained by inverse Laplace transform. Then, the differential quadrature method (DQM) approximates them to a set of ordinary differential equations. The numerical convolution items are calculated by recursive algorithm, which leads to high efficiency of this method. In addition, the model does not use any restrictive assumptions on the frequency dependence of interconnects parameters. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.


In this paper we present a model-free execution monitor for behavior-based mobile robots. By model-free we mean that the monitoring is based only on the actual execution, without involving any predictive models of the controlled system. Model-free monitors are especially suitable for systems where it is hard to obtain adequate models. In our approach we analyze the activation levels of the different behaviors using a pattern recognition technique. Our model-free execution monitor, which is realized by radial basis function networks, is shown to give a high performance in several realistic simulations.


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to reassess the effectiveness of phenol 4% in aqueous solution for neurolysis in patients with severe chronic nonmalignant pain syndromes who did not achieve adequate pain control (visual analog scale [VAS] <or=3) with conventional pain treatment.

DESIGN
Forty-two patients with severe nonmalignant pain persisting for 6 months or longer were followed for more than 6 months after phenol neurolysis in this prospective observational study. All patients had previously received narcotic drugs, with or without nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents or adjuvants, without adequate pain relief. An aqueous solution of phenol 4% was used for chemical neurolysis. A fluoroscopically guided technique was used for chemical lumbar sympathectomy, medial branch destruction, and sacroiliac injections. Anatomic-landmarks technique was used for intercostal neurolysis, greater occipital nerve destruction, genitofemoral neuroablation, and paracoccygeal infiltration.

RESULTS
Good pain relief (VAS <or=3) was achieved in 35 patients after neurolysis with phenol, and the mean VAS decreased from 8.74 +/- 1.08 (range 7-10) before treatment to 1.93 +/- 2.41 after treatment (P<0.0001). The mean VAS for assessment of the quality of pain relief after phenol neurolysis was 8.4 +/- 2.39, ranging from 0 (no relief at all) to 10 (complete relief ). No major complications were seen.

CONCLUSION
The use of phenol 4% in aqueous solution is an effective and safe technique for neurolysis. Because of the potential risk of flaccid paralysis, this technique should be used in selected cases, far removed from motor nerves and the spinal cord.


Objective: Health care is far from reaching the goal of people being part of their own care, and research is lacking on how to understand their perspective. This study explores people's intentions with the act of learning before attending a health education programme at a Learning and Mastery Centre (LMC) in Norway. The aim of this study was to understand participants' learning strategies for learning about their own health care in a health education setting. Methods: Data were collected through five group interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Findings revealed that participants' intentions of how and what to learn were influenced by their life experiences and interactions with the health care system. Three main categories of experience emerged: (1) sharing experiences, (2) second opinion and (3) capturing the news, brought together under the comprehensive theme: searching and dealing, confirmation and feeling, which reflects the underlying meaning of the categories. Conclusion: Results encourage us to see learning as an active construction process underpinned by health literacy, including both people's competencies and the health care system. If LMCs and similar health education initiatives are to make an important contribution to improving people's health literacy, significant attention should be given in the planning and implementation of initiatives.


Dynamic traffic management (DTM) is acknowledged in various policy documents as an important instrument to improve network performance. This network performance is not only a matter of accessibility, since the externalities of traffic are becoming more and more important objectives as well. Optimization of network performance using DTM measures is a specific example of a network design problem (NDP) and incorporation of externality objectives results in a multi objective network design problem (MO NDP)). Solving this problem resorts in a Pareto optimal set of solutions. A framework is presented with the non-dominated sorting algorithm (NSGAII), the Streamline dynamic traffic assignment model and several externality models, that is used to solve this MO NDP. With a numerical experiment it is shown that the Pareto optimal set provides important information for the decision making process, which would not have been available if the optimization problem was simplified by incorporation of a compensation principle in advance. However, in the end a solution has to be chosen as the best compromise. Since the Pareto optimal set can be difficult to comprehend, ranking it may be necessary to assist the decision makers. Cost benefit analysis which uses the economic compensation principle is a method that is often used for ranking the alternatives. This research shows, that travel time costs are by far the most dominant objective. Therefore other ranking methods should be considered. Differences between these methods are explained and it is illustrated that the outcomes and therefore the eventual decisions taken can be different.


Search Frictions, Unemployment, and Housing in Cities: Theory and PoliciesWe propose an urban search-matching model with land development. We characterize the steady-state equilibrium and then discuss the issue of efficiency. We find that the transportation and housing policies are more efficient if the unemployment rate is low, while the entry-cost policy is more efficient if the unemployment rate is high.Land Development, Search Frictions, and City StructureThis paper analyzes the interactions between labor and housing (and land) markets in a city. Unemployment, the spatial structure of a city, land development, housing demand, prices of housing and land are all endogenously determined. Then, we characterize two different spatial configurations. To better understand how two equilibria are affected by land and labor market parameters, we implement a comparative steady state analysis. We further explored the effects of policies.Search for Jobs or Crimes?This paper develops a competitive search model where unemployed workers allocate their time between the search for legal jobs and opportunities for committing crimes. We analyze the effects of labor market policies and crime policies. We show that the market equilibrium is socially inefficient when there is crime. We also find that workers' individual choice of years of education is less than the socially efficient one.Rural-Urban Migration in Developing Countries: Labor Market Institutions and PoliciesThe paper studies rural-urban migration under different labor market institutions in developing countries. Specifically, we consider two types of labor market institutions where workers in urban firms are unionized or not. We find that unionization of workers raises unemployment, urban wages, and rural employment, reduces rural wages and urban employment and increases inequality between the rural and the urban sector. We also compare two institutions under different policies.


Genetic counseling is an important clinical service that is routinely offered to families affected by genetic disorders or by complex disorders for which genetic testing is available. It is not yet routinely offered to individuals with serious mental illnesses and their families, but recent findings that beliefs about the cause of mental illness can affect an individual's adaptation to the illness suggest that genetic counseling may be a useful intervention for this population. In a genetic counseling session the counselor discusses genetic and environmental contributors to disease pathogenesis; helps individuals explore conceptions, fears, and adaptive strategies; and provides nondirective support for decision making. Expected outcomes may include reductions in fear, stigma, and guilt associated with a psychiatric diagnosis; improvements in adherence to prescribed medications; declines in risk behaviors; and reductions in misconceptions about the illness. The authors endorse a multidisciplinary approach in which a psychiatrist and genetic counselor collaborate to provide comprehensive psychiatric genetic counseling.


Focusing on human engagements with water, this article steps back from specifically cultural or historical contexts in order to trace the larger patterns of social, religious, and technological change that have transformed most societies' relationships with their environments. It examines transitions from totemic "nature religions" to male-dominated and hierarchical belief systems, and considers how these intersected with shifts to settlement and agriculture, differentiated gender roles, and stratified sociopolitical arrangements. With developments in farming, enlarging societies moved from egalitarian partnerships with other species and ecosystems to more directive interactions. Irrigation channeled water into human interests. Initially seen as embodying female principles, it became the gift of male religious beings. From being a common good, it became subject to male property rights. Long understood as the substance of social and spiritual regeneration, it was reframed as an economic "asset." Observing these transformations, the article also considers long-term contraflows: indigenous struggles; subaltern religions; and environmentalist and feminist challenges to sociopolitical inequalities.


The annual groundwater recharge and discharge of aquifer of the Sapahar and Porsha Upazillas is estimated by Thiessen polygon method varies from 106.41 to 244 Mm 3 and 93.77 to 291 Mm 3 respectively. The calculated groundwater recharge of aquifer of the study area shows that the rate of groundwater recharge of aquifer in Porsha Upazilla is higher than that of Sapahar Upazilla and is characterized by very suitable groundwater storage potential. The overall groundwater balance study in the study area indicates that there exists a balance between annual recharge and withdrawal up to 1993 but after period of 1993 discharge exceeds the recharge continuing till today. But hereforth a cumulative annual deficit is found to exist because of progressive annual discharge in Sapahar Upazilla. 23.99 to 42.08 Mm 3 of groundwater is discharged by discharging mechanisms. The rest of groundwater is discharged by natural seepage. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/rujs.v39i0.16539 Rajshahi University J. of Sci. 39 , 11-26 (2011)


This paper considers the construction of Arithmetic Transform (AT) and its extensions, which is a technique to express word-level representations of combinational and sequential blocks for datapath circuits. The goal is for hardware verification and component matching. Module composition is helpful to process a block-level netlist representing a complex circuit and to obtain its transform efficiently. To facilitate the composition, several subroutines are proposed, and integrated them into an efficient topology algorithm.


Description Modern Carpentry is a colorful, easy-to-understand source of authoritative and up-to-date information on building materials and construction methods. The text provides detailed coverage of all aspects of light frame construction, including site preparation and layout; foundations; framing ; sheathing ; roofing ; windows and doors; exterior finish; stairs ; cabinetwork and interior wall, floor, and ceiling finish. Special emphasis is placed on the use of the latest tools , materials , and prefabricated components. -Provided by publisher


My journey embarks with our daughter Lyndi's death at the Heidelberg Massacre in December 1993 and follows the tortuous route of the criminal trial at the end of 1994, through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Hearings in October 1997, to the discovery that there is no formal provision made by the TRC for counselling of Amnesty Seekers. My concern is for those who have received a militarist socialisation and are now being released into a society already burdened with one of the highest 'political' death rates in the world. What is the way forward? Current local models of dealing with trauma for survivors may be helpful in debriefing for those granted amnesty. However, a larger-scale effort is necessary to bring about reconciliation and healing in our broken society, some suggestions are made in this regard.


Lanthanum beta alumina powders were obtained by the polymeric precursor technique using lanthanum nitrate, aluminum nitrate, ethylene glycol and citric acid. The transformations that occur during thermal treatment of the precursor solution were evaluated by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. Fourier Transform Infrared analysis for residual carbon qualitative detection and gas adsorption analysis for evaluating specific surface area, BET method, were carried out in powder specimens heat treated at different temperatures. High calcination temperature leads to the formation of hard agglomerates. The powders calcined at 800°C for 4 h have high specific surface area, ~ 120 m2/g. All processed powders and green pellets sintered at different temperatures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction for structural phase determination. Single phase LaAl11O18 pellets have application as solid electrolytes in disposable electrochemical devices for monitoring dissolved oxygen species in molten steel at very high temperatures, > 1500 °C, during steel production.