Background: Alcohol consumption and related harm increase steeply from the ages of 12–20 years.
Adolescents in the UK are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe. Excessive drinking in adolescents is
associated with increased risk of accidents, injuries, self-harm, unprotected or regretted sex, violence and
disorder, poisoning and accidental death. However, there is lack of clear evidence for the most clinically
effective and cost-effective screening and brief interventions for reducing or preventing alcohol
consumption in adolescents attending emergency departments (EDs).
Objectives: To estimate the distribution of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems and alcohol use
disorders in adolescents attending EDs; to develop age-appropriate alcohol screening and brief intervention
tools; and to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these interventions.
Design: The research has been conducted in three linked stages: (1) a prevalence study, (2) intervention
development and (3) two linked randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
Setting: Twelve EDs in England (London, North East, and Yorkshire and The Humber).
Participants: A total of 5376 participants in the prevalence study [mean age 13.0 years, standard
deviation (SD) 2.0 years; 46.2% female] and 1640 participants in the two linked RCTs (mean age
15.6 years, SD 1.0 years; 50.7% female).Interventions: Personalised feedback and brief advice (PFBA) and personalised feedback plus electronic
brief intervention (eBI), compared with alcohol screening alone. These age-appropriate alcohol
interventions were developed in collaboration with the target audience through a series of focus groups
and evaluations during stage 2 of the research programme and following two literature reviews.
Main outcome measures: Total alcohol consumed in standard UK units (1 unit = 8 g of ethanol) over the
previous 3 months at 12-month follow-up, assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test,
Consumption (3 items) (AUDIT-C).
Results: In the prevalence study, 2112 participants (39.5%) reported having had a drink of alcohol that
was more than a sip in their lifetime, with prevalence increasing steadily with age and reaching 89.5% at
the age of 17 years. The prevalence of at-risk alcohol consumption was 15% [95% confidence interval (CI)
14% to 16%] and the optimum cut-off point of the AUDIT-C in identifying at-risk drinking was ≥ 3.
Associations of alcohol consumption and early onset of drinking with poorer health and social functioning
were also found. In the RCT, the analysis of the primary outcome (average weekly alcohol consumption at
month 12) identified no significant differences in effect between the three groups in both trials. In the
high-risk drinking trial, the mean difference compared with control was 0.57 (95% CI –0.36 to 1.70)
for PFBA and 0.19 (95% CI –0.71 to 1.30) for eBI. In the low-risk drinking trial, the mean difference
compared with control was 0.03 (95% CI –0.07 to 0.13) for PFBA and 0.01 (95% CI –0.10 to 0.11) for eBI.
The health economic analysis showed that eBI and PFBA were not more cost-effective than screening alone.
Conclusions: The ED can offer an opportunity for the identification of at-risk alcohol use in adolescents.
A simple, short, self-completed screening instrument, the AUDIT-C, is an effective tool for identifying
adolescents who are at risk of alcohol-related problems. Associations of alcohol consumption and earlier
onset of drinking with poorer health and social functioning were observed in the prevalence study.
The trials were feasible to implement and exceeded the recruitment target and minimum follow-up rates.
However, PFBA and eBI were not found to be more effective than screening alone in reducing or
preventing alcohol consumption in 14- to 17-year-olds attending EDs.
Limitations and future work: Only one-third of participants engaged with the application program; this
is likely to have limited the effect of the intervention. We recommend that future research should focus on
methods to maximise engagement with digital interventions and evaluate the effect of such engagement
on clinical outcomes.
Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN45300218.
Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants
for Applied Research programme and will be published in full in Programme Grants for Applied Research;
Vol. 8, No. 2. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


Objective: Recently several centers have attempted to distract the craniofacial skeleton in infants with craniosynostosis. To effectively achieve this goal, we must first understand the normal sutural response to tensile forces. The objective of this study was to determine the load-displacement characteristics of neonatal rat sutures. Methods: Thirty cranial sutures were harvested from 1-week-old Wistar rats (10 each coronal, posterior frontal, and sagittal). The width of the harvested bone-suture-bone construct was standardized to 4 mm. The specimens, kept moist, were mounted fresh and distracted at 10 mm/sec until rupture using a Vitrodyne V1000 universal tester. Standard load-displacement curves were constructed. The stiffness, defined as tensile force/change in suture length, and the ultimate stress, defined as tensile force at suture rupture/cross sectional area, were calculated. Results: These sutures demonstrated classical viscoelastic behavior. During the elastic phase, they elongated approximately 1 mm for every 1 g of force (104 N/m). The ultimate tensile stress was approximately 4 MN/m2. The estimated mean elastic modulus was 10 megapascals. The posterior frontal sutures were significantly less stiff than the other two sutures (Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance, p 5 .0023). The difference in the ultimate stress was also significant (p 5 .0201). Conclusions: This study provides data regarding the basic mechanical behavior of neonatal cranial sutures in a mammalian system.


This paper demonstrates how structured model reduction can be used to reduce the order of power systems without the need to identify coherent groups of generators. To this end the Klein-Rogers-Kundur 2-area system is studied in detail. It is shown how different modes of the system are captured as the model order is varied, which is of interest in e.g. distributed controller design, where the objective is to damp these oscillations. The power system is divided into a study area and an external area and the proposed algorithm is used to reduce the external area to a low order linear system, while retaining the nonlinear description of the study area. It is shown that this approach permits greater deviations from the steady-state than if a reduced system that is entirely linear is used, while still yielding accurate simulation results.


The foreseeable advent of conditionally automated cars (CACs) at SAE Level 3 opens a range of opportunities along with numerous questions that must be addressed to safely adopt this new vehicle technology. While public acceptance and the acceptance of potential users have already been intensively researched, this study investigates the acceptance of CACs from the point of view of different road user groups, such as pedestrians, cyclists and riders of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) as so-called vulnerable road users (VRUs), as well as the drivers of conventional cars. The study measures a priori road user acceptance of CACs using an international population survey that was conducted within the framework of the EU-funded project 'BRidging gaps for the adoption of Automated Vehicles' (BRAVE) in the participating countries France, Germany, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden as well as in Australia and the USA. Including 5,827 respondents, the study findings disclose a rather positive acceptance of CACs from the perspective of different road user groups. However, concerns are also apparent. Results from multivariate analyses indicate that the acceptance of CACs differs between road user groups in that VRUs demonstrated lower acceptance than non-automated car drivers. The role of trust in the new vehicle technology also appears to be remarkable. Consequently, future developments of CACs should also focus on communication between automated cars and bystanders (e.g. via external human-machine interfaces) to reduce uncertainties and promote trust.


The Bay of Bengal is surrounded by coastline except to the south, where there is open sea. The coastline bends most sharply along the coast of Bangladesh, and there are many small and large islands in the offshore region there. In order to incorporate the island boundaries and the curved coastline properly, in any numerical scheme it is often necessary to consider a very fine grid resolution along the coastal belts whereas this is unnecessary away from the coasts. However, a very fine resolution involves more memory and more CPU time in the numerical solution process, and invites numerical instability. On the other hand, boundary-fitted curvilinear grids in hydrodynamic mod- els for coastal seas, bays and estuaries not only fit to the coastline but also render the finite difference schemes simpler and more accurate. In this article, the boundary-fitted curvilinear grids for the model represent the complete boundary of the area considered by four curves defined by four functions, and the four boundaries of two of the larger islands are then represented approximately by two general functions. An appropriate independent coordinate transformation maps the curvilinear physical area to a square domain, and each island boundary is transformed to a rectangle within this square do- main. The vertically integrated shallow water equations are transformed to the new space domain, and solved by a regular explicit finite difference scheme. The model is applied to compute the water levels due to astronomical tides, and also the water levels due to surges associated with tropical storms that hit the coast of Bangladesh.


Adenovirus or adenoviral vectors were reported to induce serious liver inflammation in an NK cell–dependent manner, which limits its clinical applicability for liver gene therapy. We tried to develop an efficient liver-directed therapeutic approach to control hepatic NK cell function via simultaneously manipulating multiple immune genes. Based on our previous study, we found that CCL5 knockdown synergistically enhanced the attenuating effect of silencing CX3CL1 (fractalkine [FKN]) in adenovirus-induced acute liver injury. In addition, the combined treatment of human IL-10 expression with FKN knockdown would further strengthen the protective effect of silencing FKN. We used a hepatocyte-specific promoter to construct a hepatocyte-specific multiple function vector, which could simultaneously overexpress human IL-10 and knock down CCL5 and FKN expression. This vector could attenuate adenovirus-induced acute hepatitis highly efficiently by reducing liver NK cell recruitment and serum IFN-γ and TNF-α. The multiple function vectors could be delivered by nonviral (hydrodynamic injection) and viral (adenovirus) approaches, and maintained long-term function (more than 1 month in mice). Our results suggest a possible strategy to ameliorate the acute liver injury induced by adenovirus by modulating multiple immune genes. The novel multifunction vector has an extensive and practical use for polygenic and complex liver diseases such as malignancies and hepatitis, which correlate with multiple gene disorders.


This paper is concerned with quantifying shift-variance of linear systems with continuous-time input and discrete-time output. We first introduce a notion of -shift-invariance for the system. It specifies how the system should respond when the input signal is shifted. For generalized sampling processes, the property is characterized by the sampling kernel, and is shown to be equivalent to lack of aliasing and to shiftability. We then define a shift-variance level which describes how far the system can be possibly away from the set of systems that are -shift-invariant. The level is defined to be the maximum of the induced norms of the commutators of the system and the shift-operators (both continuous-time or discrete-time are necessarily involved). A shift-variance measure is then defined to be the ratio of the shift-variance level to the system norm, further divided by two so that the measure is between zero and unity. For generalized sampling, we obtain analytical formulas for the shift-variance level and the shift-variance measure. The results allow us to analyze the shift-variance of, among others, the discrete-time wavelet transform (DWT) and the short-time Fourier transform (STFT). We obtain a simple relation between the shift-variance levels at all scales of the DWT, and show that the shift-variance measures are identical at all scales. We calculate the shift-variance level and the shift-variance measure of some typical DWTs and the STFTs.


Ngalau (Cave) Datuk Marajo Ali is located at Jorong Koto Nan Gadang, Kenagarian (State) of Pilubang, Harau District, Lima Puluh Kota Regency. Ngalau Datuk Marajo Ali is facing southwest (2100) with an opening of 10 m wide. The depth of its front space is 9.5 m, while behind it is a passage 10 m long with a sloping front slope. The ngalau has wide enough room with low cave roof at the back. The problems are: how are the relations between artifacts, space utility, and the forms of activities that took place at Ngalau Datuk Marajo Ali? How are they compared to the artifacts found at other cave around Harau Valley? The method employed during data collection phase was explorative using inductive reasoning, while the writing method was qualitative-descriptive. In general Ngalau Datuk Marajo Ali has wide enough space without stalactite or stalagmite, and is divided into southwest and northeast sections. The southwest section has lower surface than the northeast section. The rock surface of the northeast section is relatively flat so that it was comfortable to sit or stand there, except in the innermost part. Results of the excavation show that the activities in the southwest section were varied, based on the artifacts, artifactual context, and stratigraphy. It shows that the cave was used several times for different purposes. It is assumed that the activities were related to the Paderi War (1821 – 1838) as a hiding place, a hiding place during Indonesian independence war (before 1945), and gambir processing activities (gambir kitchen) in around 1945s


This paper presents the design and development of a novel mechanically overdamped actuator with adjustable stiffness (MOD-AwAS). The novelty of MOD-AwAS compared to other variable stiffness actuators relates to its mechanical design, which prevents oscillations at the output link. Almost all variable stiffness actuators have an overshooting problem that require a sophisticated control algorithm to be able to perform accurate positioning. MOD-AwAS can regulate the stiffness from zero to its maximum (theoretically infinite) in less than 0.2 s by changing the position of the pivot point of its lever mechanisms. MOD-AwAS employs only one rotational spring with no pre-deflection, which gives it full accessibility to its energy storage capacity. Experimental results are presented to show the ability of MOD-AwAS to control its position accurately with a wide range of stiffness adjustment.


The available literature concerning dextransucrase and dextran production and purification has been reviewed along with the reaction mechanisms of the enzyme. A discussion of basic fermentation theory is included, together with a brief description of bioreactor hydrodynamics and general biotechnology. The various fermenters used in this research work are described in detail, along with the various experimental techniques employed. The micro-organism Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B512 (F) secretes dextransucrase in the presence of an inducer, sucrose, this being the only known inducer of the enzyme. Dextransucrase is a growth related product and a series of fed-batch fermentations have been carried out to extend the exponential growth phase of the organism. These experiments were carried out in a number of different sized vessels, ranging in size from 2.5 to 1,000 litres. Using a 16 litre vessel, dextransucrase activities in excess of 450 DSU/cm3 (21.67 U/cm3) have been obtained under non-aerated conditions. It has also been possible to achieve 442 DSU/cm3 (21.28 U/cm3) using the 1,000 litre vessel, although this has not been done consistently. A 1 litre and a 2.5 litre vessel were used for the continuous fermentations of dextransucrase. The 2.5 litre vessel was a very sophisticated MBR MiniBioreactor and was used for the majority of continuous fermentations carried out. An enzyme activity of approximately 108 DSU/cm3 (5.20 U/cm3) was achieved at a dilution rate of 0.50 h-1, which corresponds to the maximum growth rate of the cells under the process conditions. A number of continuous fermentations were operated for prolonged periods of time, with experimental run-times of up to 389 h being recorded without any incidence of contamination. The phenomenon of enzyme enhancement on hold-up of up to 100% was also noted during these fermentations, with dextransucrase of activity 89.7 DSU/cm3 (4.32 U/cm3) being boosted to 155.7 DSU/cm3 (7.50 U/cm3) following 24 hours of hold-up. These findings support the recommendation of a second reactor being placed in series with the existing vessel.


Uncertainty is due to incomplete and imprecise knowledge as a result of limited sampling of the subsurface heterogeneities. Well data and seismic data have incomplete coverage and finite resolution. The interpretations are uncertain. Reservoirs are heterogeneous and difficult to predict away from wells. Ignoring uncertainty and locking in important model parameters and choices amounts to an assumption of perfect knowledge and is generally an unacceptable approach. Uncertainty must be explicitly modeled. Understanding the (1) sources of uncertainty, (2) methods to represent uncertainty, (3) the formalisms of uncertainty, and (4) uncertainty modeling methods and workflows were essential for the integration of all reservoir information sources and providing good models for decision making in the presence of uncertainty.


Asymmetric organocatalysis often operates under near ambient conditions, which means it is air and moisture compatible. However, in many examples water is indeed necessary for achieving excellent catalytic results. Ranging from the addition of small amounts of water to a reaction, to complex catalytic systems in the presence of water as the only reaction medium, this review offers an illustrative classification of the uses of water in asymmetric organocatalysis.


Due to the rapid advances in the use of information technology and students' familiarity with technology, learning styles in higher education are being reshaped. One of the technology developments that has gained considerable attention in recent years is Augmented Reality (AR), where technology is used to combine overlays of digital data on physical real-world settings. While AR is being heavily promoted for entertainment by mobile phone manufacturers it has had little adoption in higher education due to the upfront investment that an instructor needs to undertake in creating relevant AR applications. This paper discusses a case study that uses a low upfront development approach and examines the impact on generation- Z students' motivation whilst studying design history over a four-semester period. Even though the upfront investment in creating the AR support was minimal, the results showed a noticeable increase in student motivation. The approach used in this paper can be easily transferred to other disciplines and other areas of design education.


Methylcellulose (MC) films were prepared by casting from its 1% aqueous solution containing 0.5% vegetable oil, 0.25% glycerol, and 0.025% Tween®80. Poly(caprolactone) (PCL) films were prepared by compression molding from its granules. Biodegradable composite films were fabricated using MC film as reinforcing agent and PCL as the matrix material by compression molding. One layer of MC film was reinforced with two layers of PCL films. The MC content in the composites was varied from 10 to 50% by weight. Mechanical, barrier, and degradation properties of PCL, MC, and composite films were evaluated. The values of puncture strength (PS), puncture deformation (PD), viscoelasticity (Y) coefficient, and water vapor permeability (WVP) of the composites (50% MC content) were found to be 124.3 N/mm, 3.2 mm, 31%, and 2.6 g·mm/m2·day·kPa, respectively. Oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of PCL, MC, and composites (50% MC) were found to be 175, 25, 22 cc/m2/d, respectively, which indicated that composite films showed significantly lower OTR than PCL films. Degradation tests of the composite films (50% MC) were performed for 6 weeks in aqueous medium (at 25°C), and it was found that composites lost its mass slowly with time. After 6 weeks, mass and PS of the composites were decreased to 13.4 and 12%, respectively. Composite interface was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MC film had good adhesion with PCL matrix during compression molding and suggested strong interface of the composite system. SEM image after 6 weeks of degradation showed some openings in the interface and revealed slow degradation of the MC films. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012


BACKGROUND
The United Kingdom government's policy documents spanning the last decade clearly envisage the patient as a consumer of health care. In this context this paper discusses recent research findings related to the health-promotion practice of medication delivered by nurses in England in a variety of health care settings. Literature exploring consumerism in health care highlights a number of principles which were used to develop a framework to evaluate the data collected in this study.

METHOD
Non-participant observation and audio-recordings of nurse-patient interactions about medications were collected in seven different contexts focusing on adults, older people, mental health and community nurse settings. Post-interaction interviews with nurse and patient participants were conducted to explore views on quality, satisfaction with, and intended outcomes of, the interactions.

FINDINGS
Generally, the findings demonstrated that the espoused theory and practice reality regarding the carrying out of consumerist principles are incongruous. Interactions contained relatively simple information, were dominated and led by nurses and offered little opportunity for patient choice. Patients, however, expressed a satisfaction with minimal information and involvement.

CONCLUSION
The findings are discussed with reference to a number of different contextual factors: acuity of illness, perceived balance of power, information gaps, patterns of contact and nurse-patient relationships, and patient-centred care.


This study examines challenges of youth access to agricultural land from both peri-urban and rural perspectives. Using the Techiman area as a case study, the study interviewed 455 youth and 23 elders made up of chiefs and family heads using multiple random sampling techniques. The results revealed that, the youth generally have access to small landholdings whether in the peri-urban or rural context but more pronounced among the peri- urban youth. These small holdings were a manifestation of the challenges underling the youth access to land under customary system. The predominant challenges facing the youth in both peri-urban and rural context included; high rental/acquisition cost, land scarcity and land disputes. The youth also suffered more from the urbanization effects but do not benefit from proceeds arising out of peri-urban land use conversions. The study recommends youth agricultural land access policy and a compensation regime which benefits both the youth and adults in land use conversions in the peri-urban areas of Ghana.


Background - The Martinson Lab is examining genetic characteristics related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men with HIV undergoing HAART therapy that are enrolled in the Multicenter Aids Cohort Study (MACS). CVD is a major side effect of HIV infection and HAART therapy. While the mechanism behind this remains unknown, the folic acid metabolic pathway may be involved. This study examines genes that encode enzymes involved in this pathway. Polymorphisms in these genes may lead to increased risk of CVD due to altered function of the enzymes they encode. The following polymorphisms in the MTHFR, MS, and MTRR genes have been found to affect enzymatic function of Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), Methionine Synthase (MS or MTR), and Methionine Synthase Reductase (MTRR) respectively: MTHFR C677T, MTHFR C1068T, MS A2756G and MTRR A66G. SNP genotypes for these loci were characterized for the MACS DNA samples. These results were compared with corresponding clinical data and statistics were used to determine how polymorphisms affect cardiovascular disease when influenced by HIV infection and HAART therapy. Methods - MACS DNA samples were amplified using PCR, and each SNP was characterized using a Fluorescence Polarization Assay (FP). These data and clinical data for LDL, HDL, triglyceride, BMI, HIV status, HAART status, age, gender, and family history were analyzed using box-and-whisker diagrams, Kruskal-Wallis test, odds ratio calculations, and logistic regression analysis. Results - Visual trends were seen between LDL levels and polymorphisms in MTHFR C1068T and MS A2756G. However, no significant associations were found statistically between SNP genotypes and LDL levels. A protective association may exist between the MS A2756G GG genotype and not-high LDL levels, but the small sample size of this genotype means that statistical significance was not reached. We intend to obtain data for more samples and repeat statistical calculations. This may lead to statistically significant outcomes. This thesis contributes to public health by furthering knowledge of how an individual's genetics influences CVD risk while being HIV+ and undergoing HAART therapy. This knowledge enables the patient to be given the best care possible with regards to their individual situations.


The toxicity of phenol, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-bromophenol and 3,5-dimethylphenol on Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Escherichia species isolated from petroleum refinery wastewater was assessed via inhibition of dehydrogenase enzyme activity. At low concentrations, 2-nitrophenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-bromophenol and 3,5-dimethylphenol stimulated dehydrogenase activity and at sufficient concentrations, phenolic compounds inhibited dehydrogenase activities. Generally, phenol is less toxic than substituted phenols. Estimations of the degree of inhibition/stimulation of dehydrogenase activities showed significant dose-dependent responses that are describable by logistic functions. The toxicity thresholds varied significantly (P < 0.05) among the bacterial strains and phenolic compounds. The median inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) ranged from 4.118 ± 0.097 mg.L-1 for 4-nitrophenol against Pseudomonas sp. DAF1 to 1407.997 ± 7.091 mg.L-1 for phenol against Bacillus sp. DISK1. This study suggested that the organisms have moderate sensitivity to phenols and have the potential to be used as indicators for assessment of chemical toxicity. They could also be used as catalysts for degradation of phenols in effluents.


In fulfilling its biosynthetic roles in nuclear replication and in several types of repair, DNA polymerase δ (pol δ) is assisted by replication protein A (RPA), the single-stranded DNA-binding protein complex, and by the processivity clamp proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Here we report the effects of these accessory proteins on the fidelity of DNA synthesis in vitro by yeast pol δ. We show that when RPA and PCNA are included in reactions containing pol δ, rates for single base errors are similar to those generated by pol δ alone, indicating that pol δ itself is by far the prime determinant of fidelity for single base errors. However, the rate of deleting multiple nucleotides between directly repeated sequences is reduced by ∼10-fold in the presence of either RPA or PCNA, and by ≥90-fold when both proteins are present. We suggest that PCNA and RPA suppress large deletion errors by preventing the primer terminus at a repeat from fraying and/or from relocating and annealing to a downstream repeat. Strong suppression of deletions by PCNA and RPA suggests that they may contribute to the high replication fidelity needed to stably maintain eukaryotic genomes that contain abundant repetitive sequences.


This Article embarks on a reconstruction of constitutionalism in the early American Republic through a microhistorical case study of United States v. Peters, the first Supreme Court decision to strike down a state law. In the last half century, the Supreme Court has repeatedly asserted that it is the ultimate expositor of the constitutional text. From Cooper v. Aaron to United States v. Morrison, the Court has invoked no less than the authority of Chief Justice John Marshall and his opinion in Marbury v. Madison to burnish its claim of judicial supremacy. Several legal scholars have recently come to question this assertion, arguing that judicial supremacy deviates from the path of the Founders and is of a more recent vintage. This Article both extends and questions the important project of these critics. Both the Court and its scholarly critics rely heavily on what they take to be the Founders' understanding of the proper role of the judiciary, and they have accordingly excavated the meaning of various Founding-era texts. This Article seeks to show, through a detailed analysis of the controversy that led to and followed the underexamined Peters decision, that such an analysis is incomplete because the role of the Court was unsettled and deeply contested in the early Republic. The Article uses archival, newspaper, and published sources in order to recount the remarkable travails of Gideon Olmsted, a sailor and American Revolutionary privateer, who spent over three decades attempting to collect money that a Continental Congress appellate court had awarded him in a suit against Pennsylvania in the late 1770s. Pennsylvania defied the court's judgment, and Olmsted took his case to the new federal court system in 1803, and ultimately to Chief Justice Marshall's Supreme Court in 1809, in what became the Peters case. Pennsylvania refused to comply with the Supreme Court's enforcement order, and an armed clash between federal and state forces in the streets of Philadelphia ensued. It is a mistake, the Article suggests, to treat Chief Justice Marshall's nationalistic rhetoric in the Peters opinion as decisive (as the Court did in Cooper v. Aaron) without looking at the intense dispute and nuanced maneuvering outside the courtroom that surrounded Peters. Chief Justice Marshall was but one player among many in a tense standoff, and the Court was of but limited effect in settling a major, lingering controversy concerning the boundary between the federal and state governments - a controversy that dated to the days of the Continental Congress and that had once helped make the original case for a national constitution. The surprising events that surrounded the Court's decision in Peters should tell us something about the difficulty of resolving Founding era constitutional disputes, given the divergent understandings of the Court's role that disputants invoked. Moreover, both sides of the controversy utilized a myriad of nonjudicial devices, including petitioning and appealing to other states, which were at least as important in the controversy's ultimate resolution as the Court's decision. The Article thus makes the case for the importance of studying actual constitutional practice instead of simply focusing on court decisions and official legal texts. By calling attention to the seemingly foreign ways that constitutionalism operated in the early American Republic, it urges scholars to treat the period as one of uncertainty, experimentation, and contingency, rather than attempting to mine it for precedents and traditions that support or contradict contemporary practices.


This study examined the effect of green supply chain practices (GSCP) on green performance (GP) of Extractive Industries in Jordan. The independent variable (GSCP) was grouped into six practices: green supplier selection, green purchasing, green production, green design, green distribution, and reverse logistics. The sample of the study consisted of 74 of top and middle level managers. Based on a questionnaire-based survey, responses of managers across management levels were investigated on both GSCP and green performance (GP) using SPSS. Results suggest that GSCP significantly and positively related to GP. The study recommends that more focus needs to be placed on implementing environmental standards when selecting suppliers, purchasing, manufacturing, distributing, and developing internal eco designs


Citizens of EU Member States have the fundamental right of free movement within the EU Union, and of freely choosing where to live and work within the EU. However, this right was temporarily constrained for citizens of the new Member States following the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 27 Member States. The severity of restrictions for newcomers varied substantially across the 15 old Member States. This paper analyzes whether the variations in entry restrictions influenced the distribution of migrants across the EU-15 states. To assess the effects of entry restrictions, it models and compares the distribution of migrants across the EU-15 countries prior to the enlargement with that after the enlargement. The analysis uses aggregate data on migrant stocks and migrant flows from the new Member States to the EU-15 states. The results suggest that the migration policies only had a very weak effect and did not create a new migration regime. The destination preferences of past emigrants from the East are by and large replicated by migrants who came after their home countries became members of the EU.


Effect of effluents into rivers is of great economic, environmental and health concern. Chemical fertilizers are used extensively in modern agriculture, in order to improve yield and productivity of agricultural products. However, nutrients, leaching through the soil from agricultural activities, sewerage effluents and runoff from residential areas reaching river water resources are causing serious pollution. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of effluent discharges on water quality of River Mathioya in Murang'a County, Kenya. Samples were collected upstream and downstream of Murang'a town along the Mathioya River. The pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, total suspended solids and temperature were determined using the respective meters. Heavy metals were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry while sodium and potassium were determined using flame photometry. Nitrates and phosphates were determined using UV/Visible spectrophotometry. Fluoride ion selective electrode was used to determine fluoride. The study has shown that there was considerable amount of heavy metals in the water samples of Mathioya River, though the levels were below WHO maximum permissible levels for zinc 0.05 - 0.08, chromium 0.02 - 0.03, lead was below the limit of detection and copper 0.03 - 0.04 while iron 0.73 - 1.16 and manganese 0.88-2.24 mg/L exceeded this limit. The concentrations of the physicochemical parameters pH 6.94 - 7.76, TDS (37.84 - 54.59 mg/L), TSS (42.78 - 53.84 mg/L), DO (4.75 - 8.27 mg/L) and EC 63.89 - 80.17, nitrates (6.40 - 13.66 mg/L), phosphates (0.29 - 0.91 mg/L) and fluoride (0.68 - 0.88 mg/L). Keywords: AAS, AES, UV/VIS, ISE, physico-chemical parameters, nutrients levels, heavy metals.


We present a system for robust signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimation based on computational auditory scene analysis (CASA). The proposed algorithm uses an estimate of the ideal binary mask to segregate a time-frequency representation of the noisy signal into speech dominated and noise dominated regions. Energy within each of these regions is summated to derive the filtered global SNR. An SNR transform is introduced to convert the estimated filtered SNR to the true broadband SNR of the noisy signal. The algorithm is further extended to estimate subband SNRs. Evaluations are done using the TIMIT speech corpus and the NOISEX92 noise database. Results indicate that both global and subband SNR estimates are superior to those of existing methods, especially at low SNR conditions.


The way people deal with the stress of life is known as the process of coping or confrontation. We speak of religious coping when a person uses religious belief and behavior to facilitate problem solving, to prevent or alleviate stressful negative emotional consequences, notable among which is functional disability. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of religion as a strategy for coping with disability among the elderly. A qualitative approach, consisting of an observational ethnographic study was employed, the sample for which included 57 elderly individuals from Bambui, Minas Gerais. The model of signs, significances and actions was used in collecting and analyzing data. The religiosity of the elderly respondents suggested that their religious beliefs and traditions help explain and address the suffering experienced by them in the presence or imminence of functional disability. Religious coping reinforces the fatalism existing in the religious belief that mirrors the inevitability of old age with disability as an accepted and natural social code, but also helps to minimize the social responsibility for the care of the elderly and reveals the disbelief in existing public health services.


Low Impact Development (LID) techniques for site design are increasingly being utilized to mitigate the negative impacts associated with stormwater runoff, and green roofs are one such application. The ability of green roofs to reduce the total and peak volumes of stormwater runoff has been fairly well documented, but performance varies in different climate zones, and there is limited information available regarding green roof effectiveness in New England, a region whose weather patterns are notoriously variable from season to season and often even day-to-day. Additionally, there are questions regarding the impact that green roofs have on water quality, especially regarding phosphorus. While many green roofs have been found to leach phosphorus into stormwater runoff within the first few years after installation, it is assumed that this phenomenon will not continue after the green roof vegetation has been established. However, it is still unclear whether or not this assumption is valid, and very few research projects have focused on providing the necessary insight into the hydrologic and geochemical processes that are contributing to this observed problem. The Nitsch/Magliozzi Green Roof, located atop WPI's newest residence hall, was donated to enhance the sustainability of the building and to foster continued research and education. This roof provided an opportunity to better characterize the relationship between rainfall and runoff volumes, phosphorus sorption/desorption in the growing medium, and plant uptake processes. Comparisons of grab samples of stormwater from both the green and non-green portions of the roof within the first few seasons following installation confirmed that phosphorus was leaching into the runoff, and some seasonal trends were observed. For example, the highest concentrations (3-13 mg/l P-PO4) were observed during an especially rainy summer. In order to gain a better understanding into the nature of this occurrence, laboratory experiments on sections of this same green roof were designed and set up in WPI's greenhouse. A series of simulated rainfall events were conducted, a mass balance approach was used to analyze flow, and the phosphorus content of the water, plants, and soil were assessed. For flow attenuation, the green roof panels performed as expected under different rainfall and antecedent moisture conditions. Additionally, the greenhouse experiments provided improved insight into the nature of the relationship of phosphorus between the flow conditions, plant uptake, and soil processes, as well as its distribution throughout a storm. The laboratory data further provides a basis for estimating performance of a green roof and its long-term impact on stormwater quality. In a broader context, the findings also serve to inform future extensive green roof designs and subsequent research efforts. for Jonathan, Mary, and Phineas Thanks for your patience.


The concept of «Volkerrechtsfreundlichkeit» (i.e. friendliness or openness towards international law) is not mentioned anywhere in the Liechtenstein legal order. It has, however, been ephemerally referred to by the courts and in legal academia, but without further justification so far. The analysis of Liechtenstein's constitution reveals that it contains several elements that justify to qualify it as «volkerrechtsfreundlich», notably when compared to the constitutions of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. As a normative concept, it is relevant for the application and interpretation of Liechtenstein law, as is exemplified with respect to the principle of interpretation of national law in accordance with international law. This principle also applies to the Interpretation of constitutional law. Also the decisions of international courts and treaty bodies are to be considered in this regard. In interpreting international law for the purposes of harmonious interpretation of national law, the autochthonous interpretation rules of international law are to be applied.


Under the present conditions, improvement of the procedures for labor rehabilitation of patients and invalids remains one of the main tasks of social maintenance. Automatization and integrated mechanization of industrial processes improve labor conditions and decrease the level of energy required from a working person. At the same time specialized examination commissions in their practical work follow the methodical literature containing a number of obsolete propositions which markedly lower possibilities of social and labor rehabilitation of phthisiourological patients. The use of additional data defining concretely the reserve capacities of a patients with nephrophthisis having a single functioning kidney allows one to extend the degree of participation of phthisiourological patients in productive activity.


Antenatal screening in the first trimester of pregnancy in a one-stop clinic through the use of ultrasound to measure nuchal translucency and the analysis of maternal blood serum for biochemical markers alters the experience for women and their partners. The conflation of the dating scan with the measurement of nuchal translucency means that there is early visualization of the fetus and reassurance that the risk of Down's syndrome has been assessed. The period of uncertainty between having the screening and getting the results is shortened from seven to ten days to one hour but the uncertainty concerning the possibility of Down's syndrome is raised earlier in the pregnancy with health professionals. Contrary to professional expectations, many women surveyed after visiting the clinic understand the dual purpose of the ultrasound. These technologies delivered in a one-stop setting have altered not only the organization of the clinic but also women's experiences of early pregnancy.


On the basis of in vitro inhibition of tumor cell growth, IFNs have been generally considered to be antiproliferative proteins. To probe further the potential mechanisms of the antitumor effects of IFNs, we have assessed apoptosis in response to IFN-alpha2 and IFN-beta in cell lines of varied histologies, with a focus on melanomas. Many of the cell lines tested underwent apoptosis in response to IFN-beta, as assessed both by Annexin V and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling staining. In general, IFN-beta had greater growth inhibitory and proapoptotic effects than IFN-alpha2 on all cell lines. The melanoma cell line WM9, sensitive to growth inhibition by IFNs, had a greater degree of apoptosis than A375 melanoma cells, which were largely resistant to antigrowth effects of IFNs. IFN-beta-induced apoptosis was dependent on activation of the caspase cascade with cleavage of caspases 3, 8, and 9 and of the caspase 3 substrate, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Caspase inhibitors benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl keton or benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethyl keton, inhibited IFN-beta-induced apoptosis. Other changes associated with apoptosis, including the movement of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm and DNA fragmentation, were also identified in response to IFN-beta. Apo2L ligand [tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)] was one of the early genes induced by IFN-beta in apoptosis-sensitive WM9 cells. Other sensitive melanoma cell lines had a similar IFN-beta-specific induction of TRAIL. Neutralizing antibody to TRAIL inhibited IFN-beta-induced apoptosis in WM9 cells. In resistant A375 cells, IFN-beta did not induce TRAIL/Apo2L expression. Thus, induction of TRAIL by IFNs in some tumor types may initiate the apoptotic cascade. This study offers another mechanism for the antitumor effects of IFNs.


– This study aims to analyze the performance and security of the RSA algorithm in combination with the key generation method of enhanced and secured RSA key generation scheme (ESRKGS). ESRKGS is an improvement of the RSA improvisation by adding four prime numbers in the property embedded in key generation. This method was applied to instant messaging using TCP sockets. The ESRKGS+RSA algorithm was designed using standard RSA development by modified the private and public key pairs. Thus, the modification was expected to make it more challenging to factorize a large number n into prime numbers. The ESRKGS+RSA method required 10.437 ms faster than the improvised RSA that uses the same four prime numbers in conducting key generation processes at 1024-bit prime number. It also applies to the encryption and decryption process. In the security testing using Fermat factorization on a 32-bit key, no prime number factor was found. The test was processed for 15 hours until the tester computer resource runs out.


Inventory controls, used most notably by airlines, are sales limits assigned to individual prices. While typically viewed as a tool to manage demand uncertainty, we argue that inventory controls can also facilitate intertemporal price discrimination in oligopoly. In our model, competing firms first choose quantity and then choose prices in a series of advance-purchase markets. When demand becomes less elastic over time, as is the case in airline markets, a monopolist can easily price discriminate; however, we show that oligopoly firms generally cannot. We also show that using inventory controls allows oligopoly firms to set increasing prices, regardless of whether or not demand is uncertain.


A study has been conducted to quantify the ability of spray cooling to handle transient die power dissipation, as well as to quantify its effect on device reliability. The transient study was conducted with a bare die thermal test vehicle, while the device reliability studies were conducted with a dual Opteron Compact PCI single board computer. For the transient response studies, the high heat transfer coefficients associated with the spray cooling enabled the die to transition from one steady-state point to another in under 2 seconds, when cycling the power delivered to the die between 0 and 94 W. For the device reliability studies, an air-cooled version of the server board was compared to a spray cooled version, for the same clock frequency and supply voltages. For identical conditions, the spray cooled microprocessor processor diode temperature was 33.3/spl deg/C lower, and the die dissipated 35% less power. The paper will present an analysis that explains the manner in which modern microprocessors operate, and will explain the reason for the higher power dissipation associated with the hotter microprocessor.


From the Publisher:
Exceptionally up-to-date, this book provides a broad introduction to basic analog and digital principles and their application to the design and analysis of real- world communication systems. It provides readers with a working knowledge of how to use both classical mathematical and personal computer methods to analyze, design, and simulate modern communication systems. MATLAB is integrated throughout. Study-aid examples and homework problems are included, many of which require solution via a personal computer. MATLAB illustrative examples and plots are included. Balanced coverage of both analog and digital communication systems with an emphasis on the design of digital communication systems. Case studies of modern communication systems are provided. Over 500 problems provided. For electrical engineers.


Some implementation aspects of Iterative Learning Control (ILC) are considered. Since the ILC algorithm involves filtering of various signals over finite time intervals, often using non-causal filters, it is important that the boundary effects of the filtering operations are handled in an appropriate way when implementing the ILC algorithm. The paper illustrates in both theoretical analysis using the matrix description and in simulations of a twomass system that the method of implementation for handling the boundary effects can have large influence over stability and convergence properties of the ILC algorithm.


The new 21st Century Science curriculum in the UK seeks to develop all students' broad understanding of the main scientific explanations that can act as a framework for making sense of the world around us. The curricular emphases in science are transforming from content-heavy knowledge acquisition and fact recall to process-based inquiry putting more emphasis on making meaning.
 Space Mission: Ice Moon is a real-time simulation of a space disaster in which students find themselves in the roles of scientific experts in an Emergency Response Team. Between eighteen and thirty students work in six or seven teams to rescue four astronauts lost in the ice tunnels of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Using video-conferencing facilities, they communicate with the mission commander who is in the space station, and work with real-time data feeds to devise and implement a rescue plan in a constantly changing situation.
 The Space Mission: Ice Moon is about putting the power of creating meaning from evidence, and experiencing the process of creating science, in the hands of students in the form of a realistic role play where they are the scientists that have to collect and interpret data in real time and advise the mission commander.


The Internet Threat Monitoring (ITM),is a globally scoped Internet monitoring system whose goal is to measure, detect, characterize, and track threats such as distribute denial of service(DDoS) attacks and worms. To block the monitoring system in the internet the attackers are targeted the ITM system. In this paper we address flooding attack against ITM system in which the attacker attempt to exhaust the network and ITM's resources, such as network bandwidth, computing power, or operating system data structures by sending the malicious traffic. We propose an information-theoretic frame work that models the flooding attacks using Botnet on ITM. Based on this model we generalize the flooding attacks and propose an effective attack detection using Honeypots.


Recurrent intervals of inattention to the stock market are optimal if consumers incur a utility cost to observe asset values. When consumers observe the value of their wealth, they decide whether to transfer funds between a transactions account from which consumption must be financed and an investment portfolio of equity and riskless bonds. Transfers of funds are subject to a transactions cost that reduces wealth and consists of two components: one is proportional to the amount of assets transferred, and the other is a fixed resource cost. Because it is costly to transfer funds, the consumer may choose not to transfer any funds on a particular observation date. In general, the optimal adjustment rule—including the size and direction of transfers, and the time of the next observation—is state-dependent. Surprisingly, unless the fixed resource cost of transferring funds is large, the consumer's optimal behavior eventually evolves to a situation with a purely time-dependent rule with a constant interval of time between observations. This interval of time can be substantial even for tiny observation costs. When this situation is attained, the standard consumption Euler equation holds between observation dates if the consumer is sufficiently risk averse.


Although many aspects of rehabilitation nursing are constantly changing, the prevention of health problems remains a cornerstone of our practice. Yet, despite the mounting evidence suggesting ways to specifically prevent major chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, few U.S. dollars are spent on these preventable conditions, which account for a majority of our morbidity and mortality compared with existing diseases (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). In addition, within our various practice settings numerous other preventable conditions, such as skin breakdown, infections, and falls, could be reduced. If you had a scorecard to evaluate your professional and personal prevention activities, how would you rate yourself? How often do you take advantage of prevention opportunities or advocate for resources that enhance the long-term health of your patients, your colleagues, and yourself? This issue of the journal focuses on essential preventive actions that can dramatically enhance quality of life and reduce healthcare costs. The skin, for instance, is our first line of defense against the outside world and constitutes a protective barrier that all nurses and healthcare professionals (HCPs) should monitor. Although practice standards and charting requirements dictate times for routine skin examination, it is important to do more. Many patients are at risk for skin problems including pressure ulcers, which can lead to sepsis and death (King, 2008; Ayello, 2007). So many skin problems could be prevented, or at least reduced in severity, if evidence-based guidelines were operationalized (e.g., proper positioning, turning, nutrition). As rehabilitation nurses, we frequently deal with instances of decubitus and contractures that limit mobility and quality of life, but could have been prevented with targeted interventions. If you are not achieving the desired outcomes in your practice setting or your preventive actions are limited by others, carefully examine the barriers as well as facilitators to fostering positive change (e.g., teachable moments with patients and HCPs, availability of evidence-based guidelines). Perhaps Ehrlich-Jones's article, which pertains to conducting literature searches for evidence, will be helpful for identifying strategies or data to overcome these barriers. My suggestion is not to create a laundry list of preventive actions that need to be enacted; rather, highlight the importance of daily activities that influence our patients and our own functional abilities and quality of life. Another example of prevention that can significantly affect long-term health is discussed in Hinkle's article. When examining individuals at risk for stroke, it is crucial to be aware of modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors. Although individuals cannot change their race, age, gender, or family history of stroke, there are modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, physical activity, and diet that have been demonstrated to significantly affect the incidence of stroke (American Heart Association [AHA], 2008; Miller, 2007). Data support that as many as 80% of ischemic strokes (accounting for approximately 85% of strokes) can be prevented if these modifiable risk factors are addressed using evidencebased parameters (AHA). Plus, other evidence illustrates how several major companies (e.g., Motorola, Caterpillar, Johnson and Johnson) instituted awardwinning disease-prevention wellness programs (Health Project, 2006). So if you or your patients are at increased risk for stroke, what immediate preventive actions can be taken to diminish this risk? Given our culture and lifestyle, prevention is something that most of us consider important, but somehow forget or underemphasize. It is imperative to revisit preventive actions directed at patients as well as yourself. Change is difficult and takes time, but small steps taken today to coordinate preventive practices can lead to greater ones tomorrow or next week. The information provided in this issue of the journal can serve as a first step in accomplishing your goals and achieving desired outcomes. The journal also encourages you to submit manuscripts that help advance our collective preventive actions.


Amputation surgery for gangrene of the lower limb has two primary goals, to save life and to bring the patients back to their previous living conditions. If this can be achieved with restored walking ability the result of the treatment is considered a full success. The purpose of this paper is to describe the risk of death and possibility of returning through-knee amputees to their own home, relating the results to other major levels of amputation of the lower limb.


In recent years, the major focus of health psychologists is to understand the role of individual differences in the performance of emotion work and its health outcome. Individual difference in temperament and emotional intelligence appear to play an important role in predicting emotion work, which largely influences the physical and psychological health of customer service workers. The literature indicates that workers who experience frequent negative emotions and emotional dissonance may suffer from physical health problems which in turn, impair their cognitive health leading to a sense of stagnation towards work life. By using cross sectional descriptive survey on 400 customer service workers across the country, the study examines the mediating role of emotion work between (a) emotionality and emotional exhaustion, and (b) emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing. The subjects were assessed on temperament, emotional intelligence, emotion work, psychological wellbeing and on emotional exhaustion. Correlational analysis showed that negative emotions and emotional dissonance were significantly positively related with both emotional exhaustion and emotionality followed by its negative association with psychological wellbeing and emotional intelligence. Mediation analysis revealed that emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between emotionality and emotional exhaustion. Also, negative emotions mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing. The study highlights the need for assessing the emotionality of individual, as a potential source to guide and refine employee selection along with development of methods and techniques to buffer the negative effects of emotion work.


The immune system in the lung employs various mechanisms to maintain and restore lung homeostasis and protect the host against exacerbated responses to various environmental stimuli. The existence of CD3+CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) that actively suppress the function of T effector cells (Teff) is a key mechanism by which the immune system limits inappropriate or excessive inflammatory responses. In acute and chronic airway inflammation (e.g. allergen induced airway inflammation), Teff secreted various pro-inflammatory cytokines including activin A, TGF-b, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 that skew immune response towards T helper 2 cells (Th2). Lung exposure to cytokine antagonist (e.g. biological factors such as follistatin that bind activin A) decreased lung inflammatory responses with an increase in Treg, reflecting the therapeutics effects of targeting pro-inflammatory cytokines. In acute lung injury [e.g. lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induce acute lung injury], the immune response was skewed towards Th17 cells that secreted higher levels of IL-17 together with other pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF, IL-10 and IL-6. Excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted in the lung modify lung equilibrium of Teff and Treg altering their characteristics (e.g. proliferative capacity and function) in that microenvironment. An imbalance in Treg/Teff ratios led to the induction of acute inflammatory responses (e.g. lung injury or allergic airway inflammation) that fully resolved a month after exposure to stimuli. After the inflammation resolved, Treg/Teff ratios returned to homeostatic levels. Lung exposure to inert engineered materials [polystyrene 50 nm nanoparticles (PS50G)] did not only induce lung immune activation, however it also pre-conditioned for an increase in the frequency and the suppressive capacity of lung TNFR2 expressing Treg (i.e. increased the levels of suppressor molecules). Experimental data suggests that lung exposure to bacterial products (e.g. LPS) and PS50G protects individuals from developing allergic airway inflammation. PS50G facilitated an increase in the quantity and quality of lung TNFR2 expressing Treg which were perfectly positioned to respond rapidly to allergenic challenges and restored lung immune homeostasis. Therefore, targeting highly bioactive TNFR2 expressing Treg poses a new therapeutic avenue to promote healthy lung homeostasis. Overall, the novel findings of the effects of follistatin, LPS and engineered PS50G on TNFR2 expressing Treg may increase the chances that these stimuli will translate to new generic treatment for lung inflammation, particularly allergic diseases.


Background: Numerous techniques are used to prevent infection after immediate implant-based breast reconstruction. Postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is commonly prescribed to decrease the risk of reconstructive failure, despite conflicting evidence regarding its effectiveness. The authors studied whether postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis decreases the risk of infection-related explantation in the setting of immediate prosthesis-based breast reconstruction. Methods: Using Truven MarketScan databases, the authors identified all patients who underwent immediate implant reconstruction between January of 2010 and June of 2014 with at least 6 months of follow-up. Postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis was defined as any oral antibiotic course to be taken postoperatively based on prescriptions filled within 14 days preoperatively through 24 hours after discharge. Reconstructive failure, defined as explantation because of infection, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes of interest included wound complications, infection, and readmission for infection. Multivariable regression analyses controlled for demographic variables/comorbidities. Results: Of the 7443 patients, 6049 (81 percent) filled prescriptions for postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. These patients were equally likely to develop a wound complication (OR, 0.93; 95 percent CI, 0.71 to 1.23) or infection (OR, 0.89; 95 percent CI, 0.70 to 1.14), undergo explantation because of infection (OR, 0.82; 95 percent CI, 0.57 to 1.18), or require readmission for infection (OR, 1.21; 95 percent CI, 0.82 to 1.78) compared with those who did not receive antibiotics. There was no significant difference in the risk of infection-related outcomes based on postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis duration. Conclusions: Postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis was not associated with a reduced risk of infection or explantation following prosthesis-based breast reconstruction. Given rising rates of antibiotic resistance, focusing instead on technical considerations and the management of comorbid conditions may more effectively enhance the safety of breast reconstruction. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.


Inherent ambiguity of short keyword queries demands for enhanced methods for Web retrieval. In this paper we propose to have twice query expansion, the first query expansion is progressed by determining the relatedness between two word senses via structural and domain relatedness computation based on WordNet and WordNet Domain ontology. Further more, the second query expansion is carried through an ontology based user model, called user ontology.


To evaluate the cutting performance of CVD diamond coated silicon nitride insert, two kinds of CVD diamond films, namely microcrystalline diamond (MCD) and composite diamond films, are deposited on silicon nitride (Si3N4) inserts using the hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. The characterization of as-deposited diamond films is conducted using the scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical interferometric profiler, X –ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrum. The turning tests for as-fabricated MCD and composite diamond coated insert, as well as uncoated silicon nitride insert, are performed in dry turning aluminum silicon alloy, where the cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut are fixed as ν = 2000 r/min, f=0.1 mm/r and ap=1 mm. The results demonstrate that the main tool failure is the tool wear. As compared with the uncoated silicon nitride insert, the woking life time of the diamond coated insert can be increased by a factor of above 7.


Stabilization techniques for single variable feedback control systems are well known. For multivariable feedback control systems, comparable methods are still in the initial stage of development. A method of system stabilization is discussed, which reduces the problem to essentially that of a single variable system. This method uses a compensating matrix which is either the inverse system- or transposed system-matrix. An example of this method of system stabilization is given and its usefulness discussed.


In recent years the software industry has seen the increasing imposition of structure and discipline on technical development activities in an attempt to improve the efficiency of software development and the reliability of the software produced. The clear emphasis in the modern approach to software engineering is to focus attention on the overall development process and the co-ordination all aspects of software development. This paper examines the principles of managing and successfully controlling software development from a software engineering basis.


Elementary school curriculum in Turkish Education System has been changed several times in the republic era. After establishment of Republic of Turkey in 1923, elementary school curriculum was restructured in 1924, 1926, 1936, 1948, 1962 and 1968 (Tazebay, 2000). From 1923 to 1997 compulsory education in Turkey was five years. However, in 1997 The Minister of National Education (MONE) made a radical decision to increase compulsory education to eight years. Therefore, the primary school curriculum and the middle school curriculum were combined in the elementary school system. However, at that time those curricula were not revised and restructured. In order to unify and integrate elementary school curriculum, new elementary school curriculum (grades 1-5) was developed and introduced as a pilot study in the 2004-2005 academic year in some regions of Turkey. As a result of it, in 2005-2006 academic year the reconstructed elementary curriculum (grades 1-5) was introduced in the Turkish elementary schools. What is the reason behind curriculum innovation in Turkish Primary School System? Implementations of educational activities and school policies had been criticized in terms of test results and level of students' academic knowledge and thinking skills. Educational equity is not likely without a range of opportunities for conception and representation, opportunities that are wide enough to satisfy the diversity of talents of those who come to school (Eisner, 1994). Particularly failures of Turkish students in norm-referenced tests in national and international level were criticized. For example, according to 2003 PISA results Turkish students score were second lowest level. These results were interpreted in the way that Turkish school systems should be revised philosophically and psychologically. Students were learning based on retention instead of thinking and experiencing. In fact, The Turkish Ministry of National Education (MONE) took a radical decision to reshape curriculums rooted in constructivism and active learning. The principles of constructivist pedagogy are listed: (1) posing problems of emerging relevance to learners; (2) structuring learning around "big ideas" or primary concepts; (3) seeking and valuing students' points of view; (4) adapting curriculum to address students' suppositions; (5) assessing student learning in the context of teaching (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). On the other hand, active learning is defined to aim that is made more concrete and manageable by focusing on five student potentials that teachers have the power to influence and that directly contribute to school success. These five student abilities are dignity, energy, self-management, community, and awareness (Harmin & Toth, 2006). Psychological foundations of the new elementary curriculum are cognitivism, constructivism, and active learning. Therefore, new curriculum is regarded as a learned-centered curriculum. The following table summarizes the differences between the ex-curriculum and the new one. Teachers are the most obvious professionals who should assume evaluation roles. Teachers should be involved in cooperative curriculum work, and they should have partial responsibility for program evaluation. There are many views and procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of any curriculum. One of them is formative and summative curriculum evaluation approach. While formative evaluation often uses informal methods and frequently focuses on processes, summative evaluation uses more formal means of gathering data for analysis. Surveys given to assess teachers' reactions to the new curriculum will formally be prepared (Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993). Method In order to collect data for this study, a questionnaire consisted of open-ended questions related to courses was developed and administered to 210 teachers in June 2007 because the school year ends in the middle of June in Turkey. …


The Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) is a population-based registry of twin pairs ascertained from birth records and school system records of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The MATR was formed in 1997 with the merging of the Virginia and North Carolina Twin Registries, and it expanded to include South Carolina when access to twin birth records in that state was granted in 1998. Registered twins ("participants") number more than 51,000, with approximately 46,000 of these individuals representing complete pairs. Roughly two-thirds of MATR participants are over age 18, with a mean age of approximately 35 years. These participants have primarily been drawn from the more than 170,000 identical and fraternal twin pairs born in the three states between 1913 and 2000. Twins and their family members have participated in numerous research projects, ranging from general health surveys to studies on specific health topics such as cardiovascular disease; depression and anxiety; seizures; behavioral development; pregnancy complications; conduct disorder; drug use, abuse, and dependence; cleft lip/palate; obesity; and chronic fatigue syndrome. The MATR has established a privacy policy and strict standard operating procedures to protect the confidentiality of participant data. The MATR considers a limited number of qualified requests per year from investigators interested in recruiting MATR participants into their research studies.


The study of sterol defective mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana has provided an invaluable opportunity to investigate the importance of sterols in plant development. The hydra mutants in particular - seedling lethal mutations - exhibit great phenotypic variation, leading to the supposition that sterols have a far more complex role in plant development than previously anticipated. It has been postulated that some sterol molecules are directly involved in the regulation of gene transcription during plant development. The binding of some sterols to START domains (sterol binding domains) found in some mammalian proteins has been noted, and it is possible that plant transcription factors containing START domains could be localised to the nucleus by the binding o f specific sterols. This hypothesis may be tested by creating HD-START::GFP fusion proteins to act as a reporter, permitting the subcellular localisation o f the produced protein to be viewed using confocal scanning laser microscopy. In order to determine if the expression of START domain transcription factors is itselfregulated by sterols, independent of possible roles for sterols in their localization to the nucleus, the comparative steady state transcription levels of five HD-START domain transcription factors were studied by real-time RT-PCR. A comparison of hydra mutant mRNA levels to their wild type counterparts was carried out to determine whether there is a requirement for sterols in the regulation o f the tested genes. Although the results do appear to suggest this to be the case, the data and the conclusions require further validation.


Boom and skimmer are mechanical techniques in Oil Spill Response and Recovery (OSRR) that collect oil from the water surface. However, there are several drawbacks of using boom and skimmer, such as the oil could pass over the boom during strong wind and high tides. Moreover, the currently available oil skimmer designed by the engineers is heavy-duty; in consequence, it is ineffective in shallow water. Thus, there is a need to develop a portable oil spill skimmer to complement the current drawbacks. Several journals on the fabrication of the oil spill skimmer were reviewed. Findings from literature shows that the development of oil spill skimmer lacks user requirements when designing a portable oil spill skimmer. This article provides a systematic review of Kansei Engineering and the Analytical Hierarchy Process in the product development process. Therefore, Kansei Engineering and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) can be incorporated in the early stage of designing a portable oil spill skimmer. This paper also includes the application of Kansei Engineering and AHP in design research articles. Findings from observed articles indicate a lack of design and development technologies relating to products for environmental protection; the AHP and Kansei Engineering application is somewhat lacking. Moreover, the fabrication of an oil spill skimmer focuses more on technical specifications and includes fewer user requirements. As a result, the characteristics such as ease of use, robustness, and safety cannot be evaluated. The AHP and Kansei Engineering methodology can be extended to the design and manufacture of products for environmental protection.


Background: Methanol is the simplest form of alcohol similar to ethanol. Methanol is often misused as a liquor by the community. Methanol causes damage to various organs both systemically and locally, including the stomach. This study aims to determine the effect of methanol 50% per orally with a dose-rise to the level of gastric damage wistar rats.
Methods: The experimental research design with Controlled Group Post Test Only Design. Samples of 20 wistar rats were divided into one control group and three treatment groups. Giving methanol done orally through sonde on every day for 10 days. K was given distilled water. P1 was given 2ml/weightkg doses of methanol. P2 was given 4ml/ weightkg. While P3 was given 6ml/kgBB. On 10th day made termination, gastric taken, and made a lot of histopathology preparations.
Result: A study of gastric histopathology was analyzed using Kruskal-Walis test showed p=0.002. Followed by Mann-Whitney test results show that there are significant differences between the K-P2 (p=0.008), K-P3 (p=0.008), P1-P2 (p=0.034), and P1-P3 (p= 0.008).
Conclusion: Giving methanol 50% with step dose in the treated group show pathological changes according to dose levels given. Third treatment group showed pathological changes of the worst. The higher dose is given, the higher the level of gastric mucosal epithelial damage.

Keywords: methanol, gaster, wistar rats


This report describes a multi-year effort by the town of Concord, Massachusetts, to establish a robust and versatile communications infrastructure to better serve its citizens. The town's municipal utility, Concord Municipal Light Plant, or CMLP, built a 100-mile fiber optic network as a backbone for a smart grid, and then used the network to deliver high-speed Internet access to homes and businesses, competing with Comcast. With the fiber installed, the town realized significant savings on municipal communications costs and generated new fiber-leasing revenue. CMLP recently launched a strategic planning effort to use the smart grid network and the data it generates to reduce peak power demand and costs, and to reduce systemwide greenhouse gas emissions. CMLP may earn additional revenue by allowing the New England transmission system to use parts of CMLP's smart grid to balance regional electricity loads. And Concord now has the potential to expand its Internet access business beyond town boundaries, starting in neighboring Acton.


This research is a sociological examination of the introduction and operation of Medical Advisory Structures in the National Health Service in Scotland. Sociologists, in analysing the differences between bureaucratic and professional forms of work organisation, have pointed to the problems of involvement of independent professionals in large organisations. Medical Advisory Structures have been designed to provide structured involvement of the medical profession in the management of the National Health Service. These structures are intended to encourage the profession to manage itself and to allow the whole profession to advise the administration on management and policy issues. This study is primarily about two levels of that structure - the divisional or specialty level and the Committee of Divisional Chairmen, or hospital level. In a theoretical examination of the structure two major inputs into the way in which the structure will function are identified. First of all, there is the structure and what it asks consultants to do. Secondly, there' is the nature of the profession which has to work within that structure. It is argued that members of divisions and the Committee of Divisional Chairmen face a role conflict between the representation of self or group interests and opinions and making decisions on the basis of broader criteria which are required for the rational management and administration of the service. At the same time a number of professional values and characteristics are identified. At the individual level clinical and professional autonomy is identified as the key value. At the specialty level, lack of inter-specialty knowledge, specialty autonomy and differences in specialty status are identified as the key professional values and characteristics. It is argued that these professional features will interact with the role conflict to encourage solutions to it which do not damage professional values and relationships. It is suggested that if this is the case such decisions will deviate from the aims of the structure. (5) The way in which Medical Advisory Structures work was studied for two years by observation in two hospitals. This covered the year before and the year after reorganisation. At the end of the period of observation interviews were conducted with consultants in the two hospitals. The establishment of the two Medical Advisory Structures in the two hospitals and their respective Districts and Areas is described and analysed with particular attention to the dominant concerns of the profession. Following this the operation of the structure is described and analysed using descriptive material on three categories of decision. First of all, decisions internal to the profession at the level of the specialty are analysed. These include decisions about increased staffing, requests for additional equipment and the evaluation of patient care. In the second category of decision similar issues are examined at the hospital level. Medical Advisory Structures were also designed to play a part in the management of the hospital and decisions which required this are dealt with in the third category. The findings of the research indicate that the operation of Medical Advisory Structures is deeply influenced by the nature and values of the profession. At the divisional or specialty level it appears that individual autonomy influences the solution of the role conflict in favour of the ratification of individual requests or in ways that do not conflict with individual autonomy. At the hospital level a concern with specialty autonomy and lack of inter-specialty knowledge have a similar effect in that specialty requests and interests tend to be agreed to on a piecemeal basis. However, in decisions which require choices to be made between specialties differential specialty status appears to have some influence with the higher status specialties tending to be more successful. Suggestions are made about ways in which the operation of the structure might be improved and conclusions are drawn about the medical profession and its involvement in the management of the National Health Service.


Essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in several models of inflammation. In an effort to understand underlying mechanisms, the effect of EFA deficiency on the generation of eicosanoids and the elicitation of leukocytes in a model of acute inflammation was examined. Acute inflammation was induced by the i.p. injection of zymosan in mice. The injection of zymosan in normal mice was followed by a short burst of eicosanoid synthesis lasting 2 hr. Leukotriene (LT)B4, LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4, thromboxane B2, and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha were detected using high pressure liquid chromatography and specific radioimmunoassays. This initial phase of eicosanoid production was followed by a more prolonged infiltration of leukocytes (predominantly polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN)) lasting 48 hr with little eicosanoid synthesis. When challenged with zymosan, EFA-deficient mice exhibited a marked decrease in the production of eicosanoids during the early phase. No LTB could be detected at all. The number of resident peritoneal macrophages in EFA-deficient mice was also substantially decreased, and the influx of PMN during the inflammatory response was markedly diminished. In order to establish that the generation of eicosanoids during the early phase of this model of acute inflammation played a causal role in the later infiltration of PMN, the effect of the mixed lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase inhibitor, BW755C, on LTB formation and PMN influx in this model of inflammation was assessed in control animals. BW755C completely blocked LTB synthesis and inhibited the subsequent influx of PMN. In conclusion, EFA deficiency inhibits eicosanoid generation, depresses levels of resident macrophages, and markedly diminishes the influx of PMN in the acute inflammatory response. The decrease in PMN influx appears to result from the inhibition of the antecedent generation of LTB.


Changes in technology, public policy, and the multi-dimensional relationships of professionals have resulted in renewed interest in the ethics of health care practitioners. This article considers the obligation of dentists to a life of morality in common with all humanity. Additional responsibilities are incurred by a practitioner of dental medicine in keeping the moral rule to "do your duty." These duties are explicated utilizing three classical characteristics of a professional. The Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct of the American Dental Association are the dental profession's guide to ethical conduct. The Principles and Code are traced in their development, reviewed in their content, and critiqued in comparison to the ethical obligations of the dentist as previously delineated. The use of the Principles and Code as a basis for professional self-government is evaluated.


Productivity of what in Ethiopia is below potential. This could be attributed to a number of factors among which is lack of knowledge on how to use new wheat crop production technologies. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the technical efficiency of smallholder wheat producers and identify its determinants in Soro district of Hadiya zone, southern Ethiopia. Cross sectional data from a random sample of 125 wheat producing farmers were collected during the 2015/16 main production season and analyzed. A Cobb-Douglas Production Function and Stochastic Frontier Analysis were employed to achieve the objectives. The results revealed that the mean technical efficiency of wheat producing farmers was 72%. The discrepancy ratio gamma (γ), which measures the relative deviation of output from the frontier level due to inefficiency, was about 63%. This implies that about 63% of the variation in wheat production among the sample farmers was attributed to technical inefficiency effect. The estimated inefficiency parameters showed that age, education level, land ownership, fertility status of the plots and extension contact negatively and significantly affected technical inefficiency of wheat production showing that an increase in the value of the variable attached to the coefficient means the variable negatively contributed to inefficiency level or conversely it contributed positively to efficiency levels. However, land fragmentation positively and significantly affected technical inefficiency showing that this variable has a negative influence on technical efficiency.


Stability-indicating High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for simultaneous Aspirin and Clopidogrel, A Phenomenex Gemini C-18, 5 µm column having 250mm x 4.6 mm i.d. in isocratic mode, with mobile phase containing buffer solution 0.3% orthophosphoric acid : acetonitrile (65: 35, v/v). The flow rate was 1 ml/min and effluents were monitored at 266 nm. For linearity seven points calibration curve were obtained in a concentration range from 0.030 –0.120 mg/ml for aspirin and 0.015 – 0.060 mg/ml for clopidogrel with correlation coefficient 0.9999. In the present study stability indicating HPLC method for the combination was tested by degrading the drugs together under various stress conditions like acid hydrolysis, base hydrolysis, oxidation, thermal and photolytic stress which is recommended by ICH guideline.


This thesis mainly deals with steroid-growth factor interaction in the regulation of growth and steroid metabolism of LNCaP, DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cell lines. Growth response to both androgens and oestrogens and to TGFalpha and TGFbeta1 were investigated; in addition, content and status of steroid (AR and ER) and growth factor (EGFR and TGP?R) receptors were assessed using multiple approaches, including ligand binding assay, immunocytochemistry and reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). Furthermore, immunofluorescent staining was used to evaluate expression of EGF, TGFalpha and TGFbeta1 and of the 27 kDa heat shock protein (hsp27) as a marker of oestrogen sensitivity. On the other hand, patterns of both testosterone (T) and oestradiol (E2) metabolism were studied using incubation of cultured cells with labelled steroid precursor and reverse phase-HPLC (RP-HPLC) analysis of precursor degradation and formation of metabolic products. Possible influence of both TGFalpha and TGFbeta1 on rates and direction of metabolism of both steroids was also determined. Growth of LNCaP cells was significantly stimulated by physiological concentrations of the two major androgens (T and dihydrotestosterone: 30.2% and 33.8% respectively, P<0.03) and of E2 (65.8%, P=0.009), using stringent culture conditions. Interestingly, increasing concentrations of E2 (0.01-100 nM) induced a significant inhibition of the proliferative activity of PC3 cells (55.2% at 100 nM E2, P<10-6), while neither androgen SUMMARY significantly affected growth of this cell line. In contrast, DU145 cells proved insensitive to the addition of either androgens or oestrogens. Presence of androgen binding sites in prostate tumour cell lines was ascertained using radioligand binding assay and RT-PCR approaches. High affinity AR were detected in both soluble and pellet fractions of LNCaP and DU145 cells, whilst PC3 cells showed only nuclear AR. These results were also supported by PCR system, where ampifiable AR mRNA was found in all three cell lines. Multiple evidence for high affinity sites of oestrogen binding in LNCaP cells was obtained: i) biochemical assay allowed the detection of high affinity, low capacity binding sites in both soluble and nuclear cell fractions; ii) immunocytochemical and immunofluorescent assays showed a consistently intensive staining for both ER and PgR, as well as hsp27; iii) the RT-PCR system documented the presence of normal or a variant ER mRNA in PC3 cells; the latter, which lacks the entire exon 4, has been recently characterised in our laboratories in human mammary carcinoma cells. Presence of ER in PCS cells was also documented by biochemical and cytochemical assays as well as, indirectly, by hsp27 staining. However, the relative estimate of ER expression displayed levels significantly and consistently lower than those found in LNCaP cells. This finding was confirmed using the RT-PCR approach, where transcript levels for both normal and variant ER mRNA were proportionally lower than in LNCaP cells. Conversely, DU145 cells were found to be consistently ER-negative using biochemical and cytochemical assays, hsp27 staining and RT-PCR system. The evidence that the E2-induced growth was completely reversed in LNCaP cells by the addition of the pure antioestrogen ICI-182,780, clearly suggests that E2 acts via its own receptor. The possibility that the inhibitory effect exerted by E2 on growth of PC3 cells could be mediated via an increase of TGFalpha production was also supported by the fact that use of a neutralising antibody raised against TGFbeta1 produced a three-fold increase of cell growth; this effect was almost completely abolished after addition of 100 nM E2. However, Northern blot analysis did not reveal any increase of TGFbeta1 mRNA following E2 administration in this cell line. Growth of PC3 cells was significantly stimulated by TGFalpha (36% at 50 ng/ml, P<0.003) and inhibited by TGFbeta1 (55% at 5 ng/ml, P<10-6) after 48 hours exposure in routine medium. Proliferative activity of DU145 cells was minimally affected by TGFalpha, but significantly inhibited by TGFbeta1 (28% at 5 ng/ml, P<0.009). In contrast, LNCaP cells proved to be poorly sensitive, at least in the short-term, to either growth factor. Radioreceptor assay showed presence of high affinity binding sites for EGF in all three cell lines and for TGFalpha in DU145 and PC3 cells, whilst no detectable site of TGFalpha binding was found in LNCaP cells. DU145 cells displayed the highest EGFR content, LNCaP the lowest; TGFalphaR were expressed in greater amounts in PC3 than in DU145 cells. EGFR binding data were also confirmed using Western blot analysis, the DU145 cells having EGFR expression levels higher than PC3 and LNCaP cells. In addition, immunofluorescent staining revealed high amounts of both EGFR and TGFalpha, and fairly high EGF in DU145 and, to a lesser extent, in LNCaP cells; by contrast, PC3 cells exhibited low levels of both receptor (EGFR) and ligands (EGF, TGFalpha), but appreciable levels of endogenous TGFbeta1. Overall, these results suggest a differential sensitivity to TGFalpha and TGFbeta1 by prostate cancer cells; TGFalpha response seems to be not proportional to the EGF-R content of individual cell lines, while TGFbeta1 response appears to be inversely related to the androgen-sensitivity of cells. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


The aim of this study is to explore the implications of language use and linguistic confidence that influence the construction of an individual's identity and sense of belonging. Hence, the aim is to look for the links between the language use, feelings of confidence and identity, based on the interviews of six women of Russian origin living in Finland. The motivation for this study is based on the researcher's personal interest and experiences. The thematic choice of this work was inspired by daily communication with Russian speakers in Finland and observations of a variety of perceptions of identity that were manifest in these speakers' language use. The background of the study is presented in an overview of the history of Russian speakers in Finland, but also by examining the current situation. The theoretical framework encompasses several themes related to language and communication, examined from a multilingual perspective, such as biand multilingualism, communicative competence, linguistic confidence and self-perceived confidence, language group membership, identity in linguistic anthropology and cross-cultural adaptation. The data was acquired through six interviews of the research participants whose profile matched the outlined criteria for the study. Those criteria included knowledge of Finnish and Russian languages, as well as duration of stay in Finland not less than 5 years. The age group of participants is between 20 and 30 years. The interviews were conducted in person or via Internet (using Skype) and recorded, then transcribed and translated into English. The participants' experiences of issues related to their language use of Finnish, Russian and English, social attitudes and self-assessed identity were analysed using phenomenographic research method, which allowed exploring personalised insights concerning the ways that confidence in language use affects identity of an individual. The results based on the analysis are structured in several major themes and illustrated with quotes from the data. These themes include the research participants' perceptions of their use of different languages, sources of their feelings of confidence, perceptions of their own identity in terms of culture and ethnicity and finally, some further findings that emerged during the actual research process. All the themes were further divided in several sub-themes. The research process produced knowledge about Russian women's use of different languages and about their perceptions of their own identities as well as about their views of the cultures that they feel they belong to. The events from the past have formed the realities these women live in and affected the attitudes they have towards language, culture and identity. All in all, findings of this research offer a glance into the lives of Russian-speaking women in modern Finland seen through the eyes of the six research participants.


In current industrial practice, critical path selection is an indispensable step for AC delay test and timing validation. Traditionally, this step relies on the construction of a set of worse-case paths based upon discrete timing models. The assumption of discrete timing models can be invalidated by delay effects in the deep submicron domain, where timing defects and process variation are statistical in nature. In this paper, we study the problem of optimizing critical path selection, under both fixed delay and statistical delay assumptions. With a novel problem formulation and new theoretical results, we prove that the problem in both cases are computationally intractable. We then discuss practical heuristics and their theoretical performance bounds, and demonstrate that among all heuristics under consideration, only one is theoretically feasible. Finally, we provide consistent experimental results based upon defect-injected simulation using an efficient statistical timing analysis framework.


In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm for the implementation of uniform digital bandpass filter banks. This technique first uses a conventional filter breakdown process to convert a set of fast bandpass filters into a set of slow bandpass filters of reduced length, plus an odd-time DFT. The slow bandpass filters are computed by DFTs, and it is shown that the combination of these DFTs with the odd-time DFT yields a simple algorithm using an inverse polynomial transform. with this method, almost all operations reduce to FFT-type calculations which can be implemented efficiently in signal processors. Moreover, the polynomial transform approach reduces significantly the computational complexity over conventional techniques. The polynomial implementation of digital filter banks may be used in a number of applications such as TDM-FDM transmultiplexers, speech compression systems and spectrum analyzers.


X-ray computed tomography (CT) is an invaluable technique for generating three-dimensional (3D) images of inert or living specimens. X-ray CT is used in many scientific, industrial, and societal fields. Compared to conventional 2D X-ray imaging, CT requires longer acquisition times because up to several thousand projections are required for reconstructing a single high-resolution 3D volume. Plenoptic imaging—an emerging technology in visible light field photography—highlights the potential of capturing quasi-3D information with a single exposure. Here, we show the first demonstration of a flexible plenoptic microscope operating with hard X-rays; it is used to computationally reconstruct images at different depths along the optical axis. The experimental results are consistent with the expected axial refocusing, precision, and spatial resolution. Thus, this proof-of-concept experiment opens the horizons to quasi-3D X-ray imaging, without sample rotation, with spatial resolution of a few hundred nanometres.