BACKGROUND
Although the importance of the right ventricle (RV) involvement has been known for many years in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), it is scarce in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).

OBJECTIVES
We aimed to investigate the effects of urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the RV systolic functions in patients with NSTE-ACS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ninety-five patients diagnosed with NSTE-ACS and who underwent urgent PCI were prospectively investigated. RV systolic functions were analyzed and compared before and after PCI in all patients by using RV index of myocardial performance (RIMP), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), two-dimensional (2D) RV fractional area change (FAC), and isovolumic acceleration (IVA) parameters with transthoracic echocardiography.

RESULTS
Among 95 NSTE-ACS patients, 31 had impaired RIMP, 13 had impaired TAPSE, 8 had decreased 2D FAC, and 32 had impaired IVA values at baseline. There was a significant increase in 2D FAC and IVA values after PCI.

CONCLUSIONS
The right ventricular functions may also be affected in patients with NSTE-ACS, and urgent PCI has a significant effect on the recovery of right ventricular systolic functions in patients with NSTE-ACS.


One of the long-standing challenges in lexical semantics consists in learning representations of words which reflect their semantic properties. The remarkable success of word embeddings for this purpose suggests that high-quality representations can be obtained by summarizing the sentence contexts of word mentions. In this paper, we propose a method for learning word representations that follows this basic strategy, but differs from standard word embeddings in two important ways. First, we take advantage of contextualized language models (CLMs) rather than bags of word vectors to encode contexts. Second, rather than learning a word vector directly, we use a topic model to partition the contexts in which words appear, and then learn different topic-specific vectors for each word. Finally, we use a task-specific supervision signal to make a soft selection of the resulting vectors. We show that this simple strategy leads to high-quality word vectors, which are more predictive of semantic properties than word embeddings and existing CLM-based strategies.


Background: The Plastibell circumcision technique has gained popularity worldwide. It has a low bleeding risk which makes it suitable for a vulnerable population and in late circumcision. However, several problems resulting from prolonged retention of the Plastibell ring were reported. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the outcomes of circumcision performed using Plastibell devices, report ring-related complications, and compare the complications of the technique between neonates and infants. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that was conducted in a total of 989 male neonates and infants who had Plastibell circumcision performed by a single surgeon between June 2006 and February 2018. Postoperative complications were reported and compared between the two age groups. The indications of the Plastibell technique were religious in 988 patients and urinary tract infection in 1 patient. Results: During the study period, Plastibell circumcision was performed in 633 neonates and 356 infants. The average ages of neonates and infants were 14 ± 2 days and 3 ± 0.5 months, respectively. Complications developed in 89 cases, 4.4% in neonates and 17% in infants (P < 0.001). The retained ring was the most common complication in 46 cases (4.6%), followed by excess skin in 21 cases (2%). Bleeding occurred in 10 cases (1%), infection in 7 cases (0.7%), and hematoma in 2 cases (0.2%). Conclusion: Complications of Plastibell circumcision are significantly higher in infants than in neonates, and ring retention is the most common complication in both the groups. However, the risk of severe hemorrhage is low making it a good option for infants in the outpatient setting.


Abstract Synthesis of heat shock proteins is a conserved cellular response to disparate environmental stresses, including circulatory shock/resuscitation. Heat shock proteins are believed to play a cytoprotective role within the cell. To understand the regulation of the heat shock response, the kinetics of expression of the major inducible heat shock protein (hsp-72) was studied in a simple model: human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells in culture under thermal stress. At both mild (41 degrees C) and moderate (43 degrees C) heat shock temperatures, new synthesis of hsp-72 was proportional to the steady-state level of hsp-72 mRNA, suggesting that the regulation of the heat shock response in these cells is primarily transcriptional. Moderate but not mild thermal stress attenuated total protein synthesis, a consequence of inhibition of both the uptake of amino acids by the cells and the incorporation of amino acids into polypeptides. The thermal inhibition of protein synthesis was far more severe in naive cells than in cells previously heat-stressed. The development of translational tolerance of heat-primed cells correlates with the content of hsp-72 accumulated following the initial stress. These data suggest that expression of hsp-72 may be important in maintaining hepatic protein synthesis after stress.


Commercially available electrodes can only provide quality surface electromyography (sEMG) measurements for a limited duration due to user discomfort and signal degradation, but in many applications, collecting sEMG data for a full day or longer is desirable to enhance clinical care. Few studies for long-term sEMG have assessed signal quality of electrodes using clinically relevant tests. The goal of this research was to evaluate flexible, gold-based epidermal sensor system (ESS) electrodes for long-term sEMG recordings. We collected sEMG and impedance data from eight subjects from ESS and standard clinical electrodes on upper extremity muscles during maximum voluntary isometric contraction tests, dynamic range of motion tests, the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test, and the Box & Block Test. Four additional subjects were recruited to test the stability of ESS signals over four days. Signals from the ESS and traditional electrodes were strongly correlated across tasks. Measures of signal quality, such as signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-motion ratio, were also similar for both electrodes. Over the four-day trial, no significant decrease in signal quality was observed in the ESS electrodes, suggesting that thin, flexible electrodes may provide a robust tool that does not inhibit movement or irritate the skin for long-term measurements of muscle activity in rehabilitation and other applications.


The inhibitory potentials of ethanolic extracts and four fractions of the stem bark of Ficus asperifolia – Miq. for the corrosion of mild steel were assessed using weight loss method, Fourier atomic absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of varying immersion period, concentration of the inhibitors and temperatures for mild steel corrosion in 5 M HCl acid solution were carried out. A detailed kinetic reaction, thermodynamic (Ea, ∆H, ∆S) and adsorption isotherm studies were obtained. The crude extract of F. asperifolia (EFA) has the highest inhibition efficiency of 55%. The inhibitory efficiency of the four fractions of F. asperifolia (EFA) compared with the crude extract was in the order ethyl acetate > n-hexane > butanol > EFA > Aqueous. The inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increase in the extracts concentration but decreased with temperature. Corrosion rate increases with time but decreases with extracts concentration. The kinetic studies of the data followed a first order reaction. Thermodynamic studies revealed that corrosion inhibition may be due to spontaneous mixed adsorption of the plant constituents on the metal surface. Experimental data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms. The plant investigated showed a good potential for green corrosion inhibitors. Investigation of phytochemical constituents showed that the extracts contain alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins anthraquinones and reducing sugars.

 Key words: Inhibitory efficiency, corrosion rate, adsorption isotherm.


In a country adopting dual financial/banking system, where a conventional financial system coexists with an Islamic financial system, monetary authority has the responsibility to maintain financial/monetary stability and synergy of both systems. This study analyses and compares one of the main pillars of conventional monetary system and Islamic monetary system (i.e., interest system vs. profit-and-loss sharing/PLS system) and try to come up with the possible conduct of optimum monetary policy under dual financial/banking system. The results show that PLS system is superior to interest system in fairness, justice, efficiency, and stability. Therefore, the optimum synergy in the dual financial/banking system can be achieved when monetary policy in conventional system benchmarks its policy rate to the PLS market return in Islamic financial market of Islamic system, which will ensure optimum market efficiency that maximize distributive social welfare and justice. Monetary policy in managing money supply is only a response to the dynamic activity in the real sector. While, active monetary policy can be conducted, not by altering M, but by altering V, i.e. to increase the flow of money in the economy by issuing central bank SUKUK with PLS market return to finance government projects, commercially as well as socially, in the real sector. Keywords: Islamic Monetary System, Islamic Financial System, Dual Banking Financial System


Virtual physics environments are becoming increasingly popular as a teaching tool for grade and high school level mechanical physics. While useful, these tools often offer a complex user interface, lacking the intuitive nature of the traditional whiteboard. Furthermore, the systems are often too advanced to be used by novices for further experimentation. In this paper we describe a physics learning environment using multicolour sketch recognition techniques on digital whiteboards. We argue that the use of coloured pens helps to resolve several ambiguities appearing in single colour sketching interfaces. The recognition system is based on a combination of support vector machines and rule based methods. The system was evaluated using a constructive interaction method, with users completing a set task.


In a number of domains, researchers instrument an interface or the environment with software and hardware sensors to collect observational data, but it is often quite hard to label that data accurately. We are interested in how an agent can ask many humans at once for help to label its data and we present two studies towards this goal. First, we investigate how a computer can automatically elicit labels from users as they interact with different technologies. Then, we present a study comparing different algorithms for how an agent decides which users to trust when a lot of people answer the agent's questions and the answers are conflicting. We discuss the implications of the results in each of these studies and present some ideas for future work towards agents asking humans questions.


Background: Two prevalent unmet supportive care needs reported by the non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population include the need to manage fatigue and attain adequate exercise to meet the physical demands of daily living. Yet, there are no guidelines for routine rehabilitative support to address fatigue and exercise for persons with NSCLC during the critical transition from hospital to home after thoracotomy. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and changes in study end points of a home-based exercise intervention to enhance perceived self-efficacy for cancer-related fatigue (CRF) self-management for persons after thoracotomy for NSCLC transitioning from hospital to home. Interventions/Methods: Guided by the principles of the Transitional Care Model and the Theory of Symptom Self-management, a single-arm design composed of 7 participants with early-stage NSCLC performed light-intensity walking and balance exercises in a virtual reality environment with the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus. Exercise started the first week after hospitalization for thoracotomy and continued for 6 weeks. Results: The intervention positively impacted end points such as CRF severity; perceived self-efficacy for fatigue self-management, walking, and balance; CRF self-management behaviors (walking and balance exercises); and functional performance (number of steps taken per day). Conclusions: A home-based, light-intensity exercise intervention for patients after thoracotomy for NSCLC is feasible, safe, well tolerated, and highly acceptable showing positive changes in CRF self-management. Implications for Practice: Beginning evidence suggests that a light-intensity in-home walking and balance intervention after hospitalization for thoracotomy for NSCLC is a potentially effective rehabilitative CRF self-management intervention. Next steps include testing of this health-promoting self-management intervention in a larger-scale randomized controlled trial.


One hundred and fifteen patients with definite multiple sclerosis (M.S.) and chronic persistent fatigue were studied. This ten-week cross-over study consisted of a 2-week baseline period and two 3-week treatment periods separated by a 2-week washout. Patients received either amantadine 100 mg bid or matching placebo capsules. Fatigue, the effect of fatigue on an individually pre-selected activity and its effect on activities of daily living, were evaluated. Amantadine produced a small but statistically significant decrease in fatigue. An important placebo effect was noted. Mean fatigue during the washout period was lower than during the placebo run-in period, independently of which treatment had been given first. Side effects were numerous both on amantadine and on placebo. Only insomnia was significantly more common with amantadine.


OBJECTIVE AND METHODS
A survey on the current practice in using portable ultrasound machines to assist central vein cannulation was performed by sending a questionnaire to 817 departments of anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine in Germany. Also, incomplete questionnaires were included in the analysis.

RESULTS
There was a 54 % response rate. Ultrasound guidance is used by 83 (18.7 %) departments for central vein cannulation. Of these, only 7 (8.4 %) use it routinely and 43 (51.8 %) use it when faced with a difficult vein cannulation. Only one third of the departments with ultrasound facilities are using it optimally, e. g. cannulation under ultrasound guidance. Of those units not using ultrasound for central vein cannulation, 136 (37.7 %) said it was because of lack of equipment and 199 (55.1 %) did not think that it was necessary.

CONCLUSION
In Germany, placement of central venous catheters is usually based on anatomical landmarks. Every anaesthetist and intensive care physician should be able to place central venous catheters without an ultrasound device. Still there is not a doubt that ultrasound assistance is useful for beginners, in children, and when blind cannulation fails. Also in patients in whom catheterisation is likely to be difficult (e. g. patients, with previous central venous catheters, with abnormal anatomy etc.) Due to our data a promotion of ultrasound assistance seems urgently required.


Traditionally, the evaluation of political biases in Danish newspapers has been carried out through highly subjective methods. The conventional approach has been surveys asking samples of the population to place various newspapers on the political spectrum, coupled with analysing voting habits of the newspapers' readers (Hjarvard, 2007). This paper seeks to examine whether it is possible to use sentiment analysis to objectively assess political biases in Danish newspapers. By using the sentiment dictionary AFINN (Nielsen et al., 2011), the mean sentiment scores for 360 articles was calculated. The articles were published in the Danish newspapers Berlingske and Information and were all regarding the political parties Alternativet and Liberal Alliance. A significant interaction effect between the parties and newspapers was discovered. This effect was mainly driven by Information's coverage of the two parties. Moreover, Berlingske was found to publish a disproportionately greater number of articles concerning Liberal Alliance than Alternativet. Based on these findings, an integration of sentiment analysis into the evaluation of biases in news outlets is proposed. Furthermore, future studies are suggested to construct datasets for evaluation of AFINN on news and to utilize web-mining methods to gather greater amounts of data in order to analyse more parties and newspapers.


Manufacturers deem servitization a competitive remedy, facing heightened customer expectations and competition amidst their digital transformation. Servitization refers to a shift from offering products to offering digital product-service systems. Although previous research inquired about traditional service operations, research into the servitization's digital nature remains nascent and insights addressing the behavioral changes associated with such transformations are lacking. This paper presents an ongoing case study at a German car manufacturer, sharing insights into which organizational and individual factors drive salespeople's behaviors during servitization based on twelve interviews and eleven workshops. The analysis suggests that usage clarity is key to mediating behaviors. Organizational factors driving behaviors include information dissemination, service orientation, and formalization. Individual factors driving behaviors include technology affinity and involvement. The paper contributes to understanding salespeople's behavioral changes during introduction of digital product-service systems. Recommendations on designing personnel training programs to improve the marketing of digital product-service systems are derived.


It is my great privilege to make the centennial toast as we gather here to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Western Surgical Association, which is almost half as old as the republic itself. This is obviously a very happy occasion, a unique surgical Thanksgiving with many of the family gathered. The life spans of great organizations and bodies of thought such as parliaments, churches, and philosophies, unlike those of people, are measured in centuries. By this yardstick, we are just leaving our lusty adolescence to enter great years of strength and vigor. It is with gratitude we pause to give thanks to our forebears who nurtured this association so well. Our forebears worked in a land where life was hard and their dreams were as large as the horizons. Their breadth of vision and generosity of spirit matched the great plains and magnificent mountains of their new land. They


Objective Hepatic dysfunction is common in dengue infection and the degree of liver dysfunction in children varies from mild injury with elevation of transaminases to severe injury with jaundice. This study was undertaken to assess the spectrum of hepatic involvement in dengue infection. Methods 110 children with serologically positive dengue fever aged between 2 months - 14 years were studied for their hepatic functions both clinically and biochemically after excluding malaria, enteric fever, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B with relevant investigations. Findings All cases were grouped into DF (Dengue fever), DHF (Dengue hemorrhagic fever) and DSS (Dengue shock syndrome) according to WHO criteria. The spectrum of hepatic manifestations included hepatomegaly (79%), hepatic tenderness (56%), jaundice (4.5%), raised levels of aspartate transaminase (AST)(93%), alanine transaminase (ALT)(78%), alkaline phosphatase (AP) (57%), prolonged prothrombin time (PT) (20%), reduced levels of serum albumin (66%) and abnormal abdomen ultrasound (65%). Conclusion Hepatic dysfunction was observed more in DHF and DSS group compared to DF group. About 17.27% of children had >10 fold increase in the liver enzymes. There was no correlation between the degree of hepatic enlargement or hepatic tenderness with the abnormalities of liver functions. Any child with fever, jaundice and tender hepatomegaly in geographical areas where dengue is endemic, the diagnosis of dengue infection should be strongly considered.


The accumulation of chlorinated insecticides from the surrounding environment by micro-organisms has been described by several workers. Chacko & Lockwood (1967) observed the accumulation of DDT and dieldrin from liquid culture media by fungi, streptomycetes and bacteria; Ko & Lockwood (1968) extended these investigations to the soil environment, where fungi and streptomycetes were shown to accumulate DDT and dieldrin to above ambient concentrations. Kokke (1970) demonstrated that many bacteria from a mixed soil population accumulated DDT during growth on nutrient agar containing 0·8 μg per ml of [14C]DDT. Blue-green algae exposed to DDT at 1 p.p.m. for 7 days accumulated it at levels 94 to 964 times greater than that in the surrounding medium (Gregory, Reed & Priester, 1969). Yeasts have been shown to absorb γ-hexachlorocyclohexane and dieldrin (Voerman & Tammes, 1969).


Atopy is generally considered to be caused by interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Recently, an association of a C to T transition in the promoter region of the CD14 gene on chromosome 5q31.1 and atopic phenotypes was reported in a population study of school children in the United States. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of the C allele of the CD14/-159 with phenotypes of atopy and asthma in an adult Dutch population in which linkage of total serum IgE and bronchial hyperresponsiveness to chromosome 5q31-33 is present. We studied 159 probands with asthma and 158 spouses as controls. Phenotypes for asthma (e.g., bronchial hyperresponsiveness, physician's diagnosis) and for atopy (e.g., total serum IgE level, intracutaneous skin test, allergic rhinitis) were studied. In this population, homozygotes for the C allele had a higher number of positive skin tests and higher total serum IgE levels (in skin test positive individuals) and subsequently, more self reported allergic symptoms including rhinitis and hay fever, compared with subjects with CT and TT alleles. We conclude that the -159 C to T promoter polymorphism in the CD14 gene may result in expression of a more severe allergic phenotype. A promoter polymorphism in the CD14 gene and atopy


The structure of dispersions of TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibrils (OCNF), at various concentrations, in water and in NaCl aqueous solutions, was probed using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). OCNF are modelled as rod-like particles with an elliptical cross-section of 10 nm and a length greater than 100 nm. As OCNF concentration increases above 1.5 wt%, repulsive interactions between fibrils are evidenced, modelled by the interaction parameter νRPA > 0. This corresponds to gel-like behaviour, where G' > G'' and the storage modulus, G', shows weak frequency dependence. Hydrogels can also be formed at OCNF concentration of 1 wt% in 0.1 M NaCl(aq). SAXS patterns shows an increase of the intensity at low angle that is modelled by attractive interactions (νRPA < 0) between OCNF, arising from the screening of the surface charge of the fibrils. Results are supported by ζ potential and cryo-TEM measurements.


The paper begins with an overview of the ways in which the concept of 'social exclusion' has been employed in both academic and political and media discourse. In the context of 'race' and housing, the term is most often seen in debates about inequalities between majority and minority communities. These inequalities form the basis of the next two sections of the paper: the first dealing with the national evidence, the second with a case study of Bradford District. The paper then looks at how the academic literature has traditionally theorised these inequalities, and asks whether the exclusion paradigm adds anything of value to these debates. It is concluded that whilst the concept may well be of use in drawing attention in policy circles to questions of inequality, it is rather less worthwhile in the context of sociological debates. It has tended to be used in numerous disparate senses thus potentially obscuring (rather then clarifying) issues, is little more than a descriptive label, and has lent itself t...


Series of compounds N'-[(3-Substituted alkyl/aryl)-4-(substituted aryl)-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene]-4- hydroxybenzohydrazide (10-37) were designed via 3D-QSAR studies. These compounds were synthesized by reacting compounds (3-9) with various substituted phenacyl bromides in presence of sodium acetate. Good yield of compounds (10-37) were obtained by established reaction. Structure of newly synthesized compounds were evaluated on the basis of spectral data. These compounds (10-37) were tested in vitro against species of grampositive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 3750) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), and gram-negative bacteria, Salmonella typhi (NCTC 786) and Escherchia coli (ATCC 25922). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the tube dilution technique using modified Muller-Hinton agar culture medium. Among the compounds tested, the compound (23) N'-[4-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3-thiazol-2(3H)-ylidene]- 4-hydroxybenzohydrazide had shown highest antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms while other compounds (19) N'-[3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,3-thiazol-2(3H)-ylidene]-4- hydroxybenzohydrazide, (16) N'-[4-(2-chloro-4-methylphenyl)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-thiazol-2(3H)-ylidene]-4- hydroxybenzohydrazide and (25) N'-[4-(2-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3-thiazol-2(3H)-ylidene]-4- hydroxybenzohydrazide, also showed good antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. The results of antimicrobial activity were compared with standard antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin-G, chloramphenicol).


Land degradation is a large problem worldwide, especially in agricultural areas. Between 1-6 billion ha of land worldwide is affected by land degradation. With an increasing world population, more food production is needed and, therefore, more land is converted into agricultural areas. This conversion of land to agricultural areas, in turn, leads to more land degradation. Some common forms of land degradation are desertification, salinization and soil erosion by water. The negative effects of soil erosion have been recognized for a long time. Since the early 20th century, researchers have tried to quantify soil displaced due to water, and to measure and model the efficiency of management strategies. The implications of problems with upscaling, wrong process representation and equifinality include the difficulty to properly predict sediment sources, pathways and sinks within catchments. These problems then can translate into the implementation of sub-optimal management strategies. To deal with these non-linear processes and the lack of proper representation of water and sediment sources, pathways and sinks, the concept of connectivity was developed. Currently, many definitions of connectivity have been proposed, although the definition most used is that of hydrological connectivity by Pringle (2003): 'Hydrologic connectivity is the water-mediated transport of matter, energy and organisms within or between elements of the hydrologic cycle'. A unified theory on what constitutes connectivity and how connectivity should be measured or inferred remains one of the biggest challenges within catchment science. In addition, it is unclear whether connectivity should be an output or an input of a model and if an input, whether this should be added explicitly or implicitly. The main objective of this thesis was, therefore, to assess and quantify hydrological and sediment connectivity in a meaningful way, which can further our understanding of hydrological and sediment transport processes and catchment system dynamics. The study was carried out in three catchments in Navarre, northern Spain. Two catchments, 'Latxaga' and 'La Tejeria', are agricultural catchments with sizes of 2.07 km2 and 1.69 km2, respectively. The 'Oskotz Forestal' catchment is a (semi-)natural catchment, with a size of 5.05 km2. Land cover in the agricultural catchments is mainly winter wheat and barley, while in the Oskotz catchment it is grassland and forest. Latxaga and La Tejeria are mainly underlain by marls and within La Tejeria some sandstone is also present. The geology in Oskotz is characterised by an alternation of marls and sandy limestone. In chapter 2, I used networks (graph theory) to characterise and quantify overland flow connectivity dynamics on hillslopes in a humid sub-Mediterranean environment by using a combination of high-resolution digital-terrain models, overland flow sensors and a network approach. Results showed that there are significant differences between overland flow connectivity on agricultural areas and semi-natural shrubs areas. Significant positive correlations between connectivity and precipitation characteristics were found. Significant negative correlations between connectivity and soil moisture were found, most likely due to soil water repellency and/or soil surface crusting. The combination of structural networks and dynamic networks for determining potential connectivity and actual connectivity proved a powerful tool for analysing overland flow connectivity. In chapter 3, I determined the functioning of hillslope-channel connectivity and the continuation of transport of these sediments in the channel. To determine this functioning, I obtained data on sediment transport from the hillslopes to the channels while simultaneously looking at factors that influence sediment export out of the catchment. For measuring hillslope-channel sediment connectivity, Rare-Earth Oxide (REO) tracers were applied to a hillslope in the Latxaga catchment preceding the winter of 2014-2015. The results showed that during the winter there have been no sediments transported from the hillslope into the channel. Analysis of precipitation data showed that although total precipitation quantities did not differ much from the mean, the precipitation intensities were low. Using a Random Forest (RF) machine learning method, I showed that hillslope-channel connectivity in Latxaga is dominated by sediment mobilisation during large (high intensity) precipitation events. Sediments are for a large part exported during those events. Large events also leave behind large amounts of sediments in and near the channel, which is gradually removed by small events. In chapter 4 I demonstrated that existing data can be used to assess governing factors of connectivity, and how these factors change over time. Data from three catchments in Navarre, Northern Spain, were used to assess factors that influence hydrologic and sediment connectivity. These factors were used as components in a spatially-lumped linear model for discharge and suspended-sediment yield. Three components of connectivity were distinguished: topographical, biological and soil. Changes in the topographical component for the studied periods were considered relatively small, and, therefore, kept constant. Changes in the biological component were determined using the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index. Changes in the soil component were assessed using an Antecedent Precipitation Index. Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficients were between 0.49 through 0.62 for the discharge models and between 0.23 through 0.3 for the sediment-yield models. I recommended applying the model at smaller spatial scales than catchment scale to minimize the lumping of spatial variability in the components. In chapter 5, the objective was to better understand the implications of model calibration at different spatial scales on the simulation of hydrology and sediment dynamics of an agricultural catchment. I applied the LAPSUS-D model to the Latxaga catchment. The model was calibrated and validated (4 years: 2011-2015) using three datasets at varying spatial scales: hillslope, catchment and the combined dataset (combined-calibrated model). The hillslope-calibrated model showed mainly infiltration-excess overland flow, the catchment-calibrated mainly saturation-excess overland flow at the footslopes and the combined-calibrated model showed saturation-excess overland flow from the midslopes to the footslopes. For hydrology, the combined-calibrated model simulated the large discharge peaks best, while at the hillslope scale, the hillslope-calibrated model performed best. The hillslope-calibrated model produced the highest model efficiencies for sediments, for calibration (0.618) and validation (0.269). The hillslope-calibrated model was the only model that showed observed gully erosion on a high-resolution DEM and displayed channel sediment dynamics. However, absolute quantities of erosion and deposition within the catchment were too high. The results show that modellers need to be aware of problems associated with automatic calibration, over-calibration and not incorporating measured data at multiple spatial scales. We advocate incorporating runoff and sediment tracing data at multiple scales whenever this is possible and to, furthermore, carry out specific measuring campaigns towards this end, ultimately to get a more comprehensive view on hydrological and sediment connectivity within a catchment. The combination of chapters in this thesis showed that the connectivity concept is useful for a wide range of studies, from hillslope scale to catchment scale. Using the concept, I was able to determine sediment dynamics for a humid-Mediterranean catchment and show that this behaviour is different than previously thought. Depending of the aim of the study, various concepts of connectivity are useful. Different geologic and climatic settings cause large differences in catchment (sediment) dynamics. It might, therefore, not be necessary, or even possible, to strive for a single, unifying conceptual framework for connectivity. Instead, a collection of frameworks for different settings should be developed. These frameworks should, however, always aim at helping to understand which measurements need to be taken and which type of models and indices should be used for that particular setting. It is my honest opinion that connectivity is definitely a useful concept to advance our knowledge on water and sediment transport processes further. However, careful consideration is also required as this particular concept will not necessary provide the ultimate explanation and insights in dynamic behaviour within watersheds around the world. The gap between the different spatial and temporal scales is too complex to be bridged with a single concept like connectivity. However, the many studies about connectivity that will be published in the near future will be able to advance knowledge on water and sediment transport processes.


Microearthquake clusters form distinct, planar patterns within five study regions of a geothermal reservoir undergoing hydraulic fracturing at Fenton Hill, New Mexico. The patterns define individual, slipping joint surfaces of dimension 40–120 m, containing 80–150 events each. Sharp, straight edges truncate the clusters; we interpret these as marking intersections with aseismic joints. Each edge orientation is consistent with an intersection between the active joint and a plane oriented parallel to one of the other clusters we identify. Therefore it appears that cluster shapes constrain the geometry of seismic and aseismic joints; both could be important components of the fluid-flow network. The distribution of inferred slip plane orientations is consistent with but fails to provide sufficient constraint to differentiate conclusively between two, very different, stress field estimates, one measured using pressurization and wellbore breakouts, the other using focal mechanisms of the largest microearthquakes. An impermeable joint model, requiring pore pressure in excess of the normal stress on a joint before slip can occur, was inconsistent with many of the inferred slip plane orientations. The high-quality locations were possible because events from the same cluster generated nearly similar waveforms, permitting the precise determination of relative arrival times. Standard deviations of arrival-time residuals fall between 0.1 and 1.1 ms for these clusters. Major axes and aspect ratios of the 90% confidence ellipsoids range from 6 to 28 m and 1.5 to 8, respectively. Small events dominate the seismic energy release and thoroughly populate the identified, active joints, allowing the hypocenters to reflect details of the joint structure. To further investigate the reservoir structure, we applied a source-array, slant-stack technique to waveforms from the well-located clusters, yielding directions that scattered energy left each cluster. By studying paths of scattered waves we expected to pinpoint impedance contrasts that might have indicated concentrations of fluid-filled joints. However, results show that scattered energy in the S wave coda left the source region in the same direction as the direct S wave. Direct waves may have excited borehole tube waves that became trapped in the vicinity of the geophone tool, overwhelming any energy scattered from the reservoir.


Accurate models of the star formation histories (SFHs) of recently quenched galaxies can provide constraints on when and how galaxies shut down their star formation. The recent development of nonparametric SFH models promises the flexibility required to make these measurements. However, model and prior choices significantly affect derived SFHs, particularly for post-starburst galaxies (PSBs), which have sharp changes in their recent SFH. In this paper, we create mock PSBs, then use the Prospector SED fitting software to test how well four different SFH models recover key properties. We find that a two-component parametric model performs well for our simple mock galaxies, but is sensitive to model mismatches. The fixed- and flexible-bin nonparametric models included in Prospector are able to rapidly quench a major burst of star formation, but systematically underestimate the post-burst age by up to 200 Myr. We develop a custom SFH model that allows for additional flexibility in the recent SFH. Our flexible nonparametric model is able to constrain post-burst ages with no significant offset and just ∼90 Myr of scatter. Our results suggest that while standard nonparametric models are able to recover first-order quantities of the SFH (mass, SFR, average age), accurately recovering higher-order quantities (burst fraction, quenching time) requires careful consideration of model flexibility. These mock recovery tests are a critical part of future SFH studies. Finally, we show that our new, public SFH model is able to accurately recover the properties of mock star-forming and quiescent galaxies and is suitable for broader use in the SED fitting community. https://github.com/bd-j/prospector


Abstract
This paper explores the interface between institutional theory and Austrian theory. We examine mainstream institutionalism as exemplified by D. C. North in his work with Wallis and Weingast on the elite compact theory of social order and of transitions to impersonal rights, and propose instead an Austrian process-oriented perspective. We argue that mainstream institutionalism does not fully account for the efficiency of impersonal rules. Their efficiency can be better explained by a market for rules, which in turn requires a stable plurality of governance providers. Since an equilibrium of plural providers requires stable power polycentricity, the implication goes against consolidating organized means for violence as a doorstep condition to successful transitions. The paper demonstrates how to employ Ostroms' Bloomington School Institutionalism to shift, convert, and recalibrate mainstream institutionalism's themes into an Austrian process-oriented theory.


The EC DELVE Support Action project has analyzed the bottlenecks in the transfer of Humanitarian Demining (HD) technology from technology development to the use in the field, and drawn some lessons learned, basing itself on the assessment of the European Humanitarian Demining Research and Technology Development (RTD) situation from early 1990 until 2006. The situation at the European level was analyzed with emphasis on activities sponsored by the European Commission (EC). This was also done for four European countries and Japan, with emphasis on national activities. The developments in HD during the last 10 years underline the fact that in a number of cases demining related developments have been terminated or at least put on hold. The study also showed that the funding provided by the EC under the Framework Program for RTD has led directly to the creation of an extensive portfolio of Humanitarian Demining technology development projects. The latter provided a range of research and supporting measures addressing the critical issues identified as a result of the regulatory policies developed in the field of Humanitarian Demining over the last ten years. However, the range of instruments available to the EC to finance the necessary research and development were limited, to pre-competitive research. The EC had no tools or programs to directly fund actual product development. As a first consequence, the EC funding program for development of technology for Humanitarian Demining unfortunately proved to be largely unsuitable for the small-scale development needed in a field where there is only a very limited market. As a second consequence, most of the research has been demonstrator-oriented. Moreover, the timeframe for RTD in Humanitarian Demining has not been sufficiently synchronized with the timeframe of the EC policies and regulations. The separation of the Mine Action and RTD funding streams in the EC did also negatively affect the take-up of new technologies. As a conclusion, creating coherence between: (1) the EC policy based on political decisions, (2) RTD, testing and industrialization of equipment, and (3) timely deployment, requires a new way of coordinated thinking: "end-to-end planning" has to be supported by a well organized and coordinated organizational structure involving different DGs and even extending beyond the EU. This was not the case for Mine Action, but appears today to be the case for Environmental Risk Management.


ABSTRACT This article considers ageing fandom and celebrity as focused on a single figure – the intersectional fan-celebrity. Contra work in celebrity studies which has focused predominantly on ageing female celebrities, and work in fan studies which has addressed the 'fanboy auteur' rather than other intersections between celebrity and fandom, I focus on the ageing male actor-fan, taking Peter Capaldi as a case study. Capaldi was 55 years old when cast as the 12th Doctor in BBC's Doctor Who, but had been a fan of the series since his 1960s childhood. I analyse how Capaldi has been subjected to ageist press coverage of his time in Doctor Who, before addressing how his enduring fan identity has been discursively managed as 'good' fandom; how it has complicated ideologies of celebrity by supporting a 'Fan Dream' of crossing over into official production; and how it has intensified celebrity's 'housing of affect'. The ageing fan-celebrity thus offers a way to disavow social ageing in favour of romanticising childhood 'originary affect' which can be (re-)claimed in adult professional life.


A method for structural dynamic contact problems with friction and wear is suggested. The method is obtained by including wear in the non‐smooth contact dynamics method of Moreau. A comparison of the method to the discrete energy‐momentum method of Simo and Tarnow is also outlined briefly. The fully discrete equations are treated using the augmented Lagrangian approach, where a non‐smooth Newton method is used as the equation solver. Two two‐dimensional examples are solved by the method. It is investigated how solutions of contact, friction and wear are influenced by inertia. It is shown that the quasi‐static assumption might be questionable for solving contact problems with friction and wear. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We develop a quantitative theory of repeated political transitions driven by revolts and reforms. In the model, the beliefs of disenfranchised citizens play a key role in determining revolutionary pressure, which in interaction with preemptive reforms determine regime dynamics. We study the quantitative implications of the model by fitting it to data on the universe of political regimes existing between 1946 and 2010. The estimated model generates a process of political transitions that looks remarkably close to the data, replicating the empirical shape of transition hazards, the frequency of revolts relative to reforms, the distribution of newly established regime types after revolts and reforms, and the unconditional distribution over regime types.


The Counselor Rating Form (Barak & Lacrosse, 1975), assessing three dimensions of helper influence — Expertise, Attractiveness and Trustworthiness — was completed by 230 subjects after viewing films of interviews of three therapists. A factor analysis was performed on the ratings for each therapist and resulted in extraction of three factors. Across the three therapists, the average percentage of total variance accounted for by the three factors was 62%, whereas the average level of internal consistency was. 94. Results strongly replicate those of the original authors and suggest that the French and English questionnaires are highly comparable. The French version of the questionnaire is included.


Media coverage of elections in Europe and North America has increasingly tended to focus on the horse-race and the campaign as a game rather than the policy debate pertinent to the election. This is often explained by the changes in media pressures. It may also make sense given the narrowing of policy space between left and right and the comparative prosperity enjoyed in Europe and North America. But the relevance of politics varies. The economic crisis in the west might have led to an increased interest in policy among voters and focus on it by media. Ireland experienced both extremes of boom and crisis between the late 1990s and 2011. The Irish case allows us use a quasi-experimental approach to test the impact of crisis on media framing of elections. This article uses original data from Ireland's last three elections, and with a design that shows when other pertinent variables are held constant, we find empirical support for the theoretical expectation that the context of the election affects the relative focus on campaign or horserace versus substantive policy issues.


The p method of analysis, when used with shape optimization, has certain advantages over the h method. The method of h adaptivity results in fine meshes with small elements in areas of stress concentration. The presence of these small elements prevents the shape from changing significantly during optimization due to mesh distortion. The p-adaptive method uses relatively large sized elements, and adaptivity is achieved by increasing the polynomial order of the shape functions rather than by introducing small elements as in the h method. Thus, the p-adaptive method allows for greater shape changes without sacrificing the accuracy of the analysis. A methodology is developed in this paper to integrate p-adaptive analysis with shape optimization for general velocity fields. The key contributions lie in an easily implementable shape update strategy and an adaptive scheme to locally increase the polynomial order based on error indicators. Numerical results show that significant shape change is achievable prior to serious mesh distortion. In addition, need for an h-p adaptive strategy rather than a pure p-adaptive strategy is also highlighted.


Photonics for angular rate sensing is a well-established research field having very
 important industrial applications, especially in the field of strapdown inertial
 navigation. Recent advances in this research field are reviewed. Results obtained in
 the past years in the development of the ring laser gyroscope and the fiber optic
 gyroscope are presented. The role of integrated optics and photonic integrated
 circuit technology in the enhancement of gyroscope performance and compactness is
 broadly discussed. Architectures of new slow-light integrated angular rate sensors
 are described. Finally, photonic gyroscopes are compared with other solid-state
 gyros, showing their strengths and weaknesses.


This paper presents a self-rectification stereo vision system based on a real-time, low power, and wireless smart camera platform. The proposed self-rectification method is suitable for an embedded parallel stereo system, where the epipolar lines are parallel to the image scan lines. The stereo images are first aligned by applying 1D signature matching. Then the alignment is refined based on the quality of the disparity measurement. The rectification method can be applied both offline and online. The major advantage of this rectification method is that no clean background is needed during the rectification process. After the rectification, the conjugate epipolar line is collinear. The dense matching method is implemented to achieve the depth map. This depth map provides a tool for segmentation. The application runs in an SIMD video-analysis processor, IC3D, at 30 fps and handles disparity up to 37 pixels in CIF (320times240 pixels) mode.


Electrical, optical and acoustic methods for partial discharge detection in a gas insulated substation (GIS) are simultaneously compared in a laboratory and their application during on-site testing is discussed. The sensitivity of these methods to detect and recognize different GIS defects is verified. The most common defects of critical sizes and very low apparent charge values are considered.


Paper is aimed in assessment of first period of Poland's membership in EU and covering agriculture and rural areas with the support under the Common Agricultural Policy in the context of future challenges faced by the agricultural policy. Analysis shows that accession to EU became a strong impulse for growth of the Polish food economy, however the main challenge for the Common Agricultural Policy in future, from Poland's perspective, will be strengthening the multifunctional agriculture, i.e. territorial cohesion and positive effects of agricultural activity on natural environment.


The above machine was on loan to our department and during this period of time a potential problem came to light. The anaesthetic machine comes equipped with an integrated oxygen analyser and electronic respirometer. Both these monitors are connected by similar connectors. The oxygen analyser may be cross-connected to the flow sensor socket, although the converse connexion is not possible because there is a flange on the flow sensor plug. This obviously exhibits poor design, especially since the problem is easily rectifiable. This may be done either by alteration of one of the connectors to a totally incompatible pattern, or the addition of a flange to the oxygen analyser plug upon the converse side to that present on the flow sensor plug.


Regulation of cellular adhesive and motility properties creates separations in epithelial sheets that enable organ branching. One mechanism by which branched epithelial structures can be generated involves the formation of a cleft that splits an epithelial sheet into separate buds. Wedge-shaped accumulations of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein fibronectin appear at sites of cleft formation and persist at the base of the cleft as it progresses. Cells adjacent to the fibronectin accumulations lose the adhesion protein E-cadherin from their surfaces, leading to the hypothesis that clefts are created by transient formation of cell-matrix adhesions at the expense of cell-cell adhesions. Onodera et al. identified btbd7 (BTB domain 7) in a screen for genes transcriptionally up-regulated in clefts of actively branching embryonic murine salivary glands, where its mRNA was concentrated near sites of fibronectin accumulation. In salivary gland epithelial explants, purified fibronectin, but not other ECM components, induced btbd7 expression and disorganization of the outer layer of epithelial cells, a morphological change that was rescued by small interfering RNA (siRNA) depletion of Btbd7. In two- and three-dimensional cultures of the Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cell line, expression of transgenic btbd7 reduced E-cadherin abundance at cell-cell boundaries, increased cell dispersal and migration speed, and induced expression of Snail2, which encodes a transcription factor implicated in cell dispersal. Snail2 transcripts were enriched near clefts in vivo and up-regulated in salivary gland epithelia explants cultured with fibronectin. Treating explants with siRNAs targeting btbd7 prevented fibronectin-induced Snail2 up-regulation, but siRNAs targeting Snail2 did not affect btbd7 expression, indicating that the Btbd7 was upstream of Snail2. Treating cultured salivary glands with siRNAs targeting btbd7 or Snail2 reduced the frequency of cleft formation and reduced the speed of cleft progression, whereas overexpression of btbd7 in salivary gland explants increased spreading and cell dispersal. btbd7 was also expressed near sites of fibronectin accumulation in clefts of branching mouse embryonic lungs, and btbd7 siRNA reduced branching in cultured lungs. This sequence of events whereby fibronectin induces production of Btbd7, which, in turn, induces Snail2 expression and suppresses E-cadherin accumulation, is consistent with a model in which transient loss of cell-cell interactions enables cleft formation and propagation. T. Onodera, T. Sakai, J. C.-f. Hsu, K. Matsumoto, J. A. Chiorini, K. M. Yamada, Btbd7 regulates epithelial cell dynamics and branching morphogenesis. Science 329, 562–565 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text]


1. Acute oral administration of metoprolol and propranolol to ten normal males resulted in equal reduction in heart rate both supine and after passive tilting to 60 degrees. 2. Tilted systolic blood pressure was reduced by both agents but metoprolol alone reduced supine systolic blood pressure. 3. Tilted but not supine diastolic blood pressure was reduced by both agents. 4. Metoprolol and propranolol both reduced the rise in plasma renin activity induced by tilting. 5. No effect of tilting was observed on plasma aldosterone.


Developing countries face the challenge of improving living standards of rural people for their sustainable livelihoods. Majority of developing nations are agrarian economies characterized by low productivity operating on smallholdings with inadequate and poor infrastructure. There are several interventions for development and one such potential instrument is the "application of science and technology in rural areas (ASTRA)" which intends to transform rural areas towards development for sustainable and profitable livelihood. It is evident that science and technology has to be adopted to increase efficiency in production, productivity and marketing phases of rural sector. What obstructs science and technology to transform rural areas? The authors of the paper have analyzed taking Ethiopian context to derive the status and other relevant issues on ASTRA in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world struggling to transform its rural areas. The country has a well-articulated science and technology policy however; much progress has not been witnessed due to the slow social and economic development process. In generic sense the paper also focuses on the different aspects of the application of science and technology in rural areas. A base document for development workers on ASTRA was the felt need for this publication. This paper will be a pedestal for professionals working on teaching, research and extension on different aspects of ASTRA.

 Key words: Application of science and technology in rural areas (ASTRA), economic development, Ethiopia.


Biodiesel is a renewable fuel, highly demanded globally at the beginning of the 21 Century because of depletion of fossil fuel reserve and environmental issues. In this paper, oil yielding tree species were reviewed and seeds of nine tree species were collected to select best seed oil producer and its emission reducing biodiesel and land suitability. Seed oil was extracted by mechanical, hydraulic and chemical methods and stored at room temperature (25°C) and deep freeze (–20°C). Then, the tree species with highest oil yield was further studied its biodiesel, estimated end use emission as rural household energy and its land suitability. Using hexane solvent, the oil yield was 12 (%, w/w) in Cordia africana to 50.2 (%, w/w) in Croton megalocarpus, which was 44.7% in hydraulic seed oil press. The biodiesel yield of C. megalocarpus was 82% to 100% (w/w), calorific value 38.8 to 43.2 MJ kg, and flashpoint to 103°C. The biodiesel of C. megalocarpus contained esters like Octanoic acid methyl ester; and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z)-, methyl esters. If a rural household uses biodiesel instead of firewood and kerosene, it is possible to reduce end use emission by 38.9% to 39.4%. As C. megalocarpus is a multipurpose tree species with potential source of cooking biodiesel fuel, it can be planted in some 34 million ha suitable land areas of Ethiopia.


Making use of the effective field theory (EFT) and a cutting approximation, in the framework of Ising model, we investigate the thermodynamic properties of a random transverse mixed spin system with a crystal field. Special emphasis is placed on the influence of crystal field, transverse field and random concentration on phase transitions of the system. Our studies find that a smaller crystal field cannot change the percolation threshold of the critical transverse field in the presence of a random transverse field, and that the reentrant phenomena shall appear in the range of random concentration concerned when the transverse field takes a larger value, where as the reentrant phenomena do not occur and when the transverse field takes a smaller value. These new thermodynamic properties have not been reported in previous works so far as we know. We give a series of pha se diagrams and discuss them in detail.


Purpose: The article is devoted to critical refl ection on the commonly used value chain model taking the perspective of contemporary role of client and technological advancement in multifaceted organizational development and management. It attempts to outline and thoroughly describe the new perspective of value creation and value management taking into account digital technologies and social media platforms. Methodology: Deductive approach have been implemented, secondary data and sources have been used. Finally, the model of Value chain 2.0 was presented, conceptualized and described from both theoretical and practical sides. Design: The fi rst part of the article is focused on the explanation of present potential of client for any enterprise. The second part attempts to explain the role of virtualization processes, exemplifi ed by social media, semantic web approach or virtual organization in the shift of value creation. Finally, the concept of value chain 2.0 is proposed and discussed. Findings: There is a rapid transformation of value creation where linearity, control and inter organizational resources are gradually being replaced by network value creation where clients' activities play pivotal role in organization performance and where value is defi ned in much broader way. Practical implications: The conclusions have profound meaning for companies and organizations striving for engagement of clients, partners and employees in value creation processes. The paper presents both theoretical foundations along with practical implications for value co-creation. Originality: The thorough and detailed analysis and interpretation of multifaceted shift and transformation of value creation and value management is presented. The article describes the ways the social media, digital technologies and contemporary marketing infl uence the way organization creates value.


Satellite-based active microwave sensors not only provide synoptic overviews of flooded areas, but also offer an effective way to estimate spatially distributed river water levels. If rapidly produced and processed, these data can be used for updating hydraulic models in near real-time. The usefulness of such approaches with real event data sets provided by currently existing sensors has yet to be demonstrated. In this case study, a Particle Filter-based assimilation scheme is used to integrate ERS-2 SAR and ENVISAT ASAR-derived water level data into a one-dimensional (1-D) hydraulic model of the Alzette River. Two variants of the Particle Filter assimilation scheme are proposed with a global and local particle weighting procedure. The first option finds the best water stage line across all cross sections, while the second option finds the best solution at individual cross sections. The variant that is to be preferred depends on the level of confidence that is attributed to the observations or to the model. The results show that the Particle Filter-based assimilation of remote sensing-derived water elevation data provides a significant reduction in the uncertainty at the analysis step. Moreover, it is shown that the periodical updating of hydraulic models through the proposed assimilation scheme leads to an improvement of model predictions over several time steps. However, the performance of the assimilation depends on the skill of the hydraulic model and the quality of the observation data.


ABSTRACT. Ferrer M.T., de Melo S.R., Pimentel J. de L., Pinheiro Junior J.W. & Brandespim D.F. [Analysis of occupational risk and antirrabies prophylactic treatment in health and endemic agents.] Analise do risco ocupacional e do tratamento profilatico antirrabico em agentes de endemia e de saude. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinaria, 36(3):307-311, 2014. Curso de Medicina Veterinaria, Unidade Academica de Garanhuns, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Bom Pastor, s/n°, Boa Vista, Garanhuns, PE 55292-270, Brasil. E-mail: email@example.com This paper aimed to assess the risk of exposure and conduct of prophylactic antirrabies treatment established by health care providers and the endemics Municipality of Garanhuns, PE during their professional activities. We conducted a descriptive epidemiological study of retrospective type, from data collection through the application of a semi-structured questionnaire containing open and closed questions, to 192 professionals, 168 health agents and 24 agents of the municipality of endemics Garanhuns -PE. Of the 192 interviewed agents, 14.1% (27/165) had been attacked by animals during their occupation activities. On the post-exposure prophylactic treatment, it was found that 44.5% (12/27) received-vaccination serum, 37% (10/27) did not undergo any treatment, while only 18.5% (5/27) had the wound washed with soap and water. Was concluded that there is a lack of basic information regarding both the pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis of rabies in professionals like agents that act with both health and / or endemic diseases and it is suggested both the improvement of their professional skills as the preexposure immunization as prophylactic measure to minimize the occupational risk in function of their field activities.


Background/Context Current research addresses the marginalization of social studies and trends in teaching English learners (ELs) in monolingual schools; however, few studies have examined the way in which support services provided to ELs impact their exposure to social studies instruction. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study Social studies is a difficult content area for ELs, as they grapple with culturally specific concepts in addition to language barriers. School structures and institutional practices sometimes result in less access to social studies instruction for ELs than their English-speaking peers. We sought to describe ELs' opportunities to learn social studies in the face of educational reforms designed to increase accountability. We also examined how institutional structures, such as ESL programs, influ-enced ELs' exposure to the social studies curriculum. Setting The study took place in a suburban elementary school with a moderate population of ELs, situated within a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States. Participants Six classroom teachers, three instructional specialists and one administrator participated. Research Design We present a qualitative participatory inquiry that was guided by an opportunity to learn theoretical framework, in addition to research that suggests an important relationship between the quality and intensity of classroom instruction and students' academic success. Data Collection and Analysis Data were collected across one academic year and included transcribed interviews, field notes from observations, classroom artifacts, teacher journals, and district resources. We employed a multitiered inductive analysis using a three-phase coding process. Findings/Results Our findings suggest that ELs do not receive an equitable opportunity to learn social studies. Factors included variance in social studies time, instructional schedule design, the ESL program structure, and communication/collaboration gaps. Additionally, we found disparities between the type and general overall quality of social studies for these linguistically diverse learners and their native speaking peers. Conclusions/Recommendations We recommend the inclusion of instructional specialists, such as the ESL teacher, in planning, professional development, and decision-making. Furthermore, we advocate for flexible, yet monitored scheduling of special services to ensure curricular access to all content areas. Furthermore, we emphasize that administrators must have a clear understanding of the needs of their ELs and that they must adopt a long-term vision for these students that includes simultaneous support for their content and language development.


Through a process of peer comparison and analysis of historical financial trends, the impact of outside capital on the development and growth of community development credit unions is examined and small case studies of superior performers are presented. The data set includes twenty credit unions that have received CDFI core awards in the 1996 to 1999 period. The findings indicate that awardees have a higher growth rate than their peer groups in all areas of traditional indicators, including asset growth, member growth, share and deposit growth, loan growth, non-member deposit growth, and overall capitalization. It is further indicated that while the award money itself has an impact on growth, it is not the primary cause of the higher growth rates over the peer group.Rather, the award allows the organizations to expand by helping provide a stable capitalization ratio, financing new projects that increase growth, and giving the credit unions a positive reputation with investors other than the CDFI fund.


This work explored how the presence of graphical information about self-movement affected reach-to-grasp movements in an augmented environment. Twelve subjects reached to grasp objects that were passed by a partner or rested on a table surface. Graphical feedback about self-movement was available for half the trials and was removed for the other half. Results indicated that removing visual feedback about self-movement in an object-passing task dramatically affected both the receiver's movement to grasp the object and the time to transfer the object between partners. Specifically, the receiver's deceleration time, and temporal and spatial aspects of grasp formation, showed significant effects. Results also indicated that the presence of a graphic representation of self-movement had similar effects on the kinematics of reaching to grasp a stationary object on a table as for one held by a stationary or moving partner. These results suggest that performance of goal-directed movements, whether to a stationary object on a table surface or to objects being passed by a stationary or moving partner, benefits from a crude graphical representation of the finger pads. The role of providing graphic feedback about self-movement is discussed for tasks requiring precision. Implications for the use of kinematic measures in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) are also discussed.


Edith Penrose made substantial contributions to the disciplines of economics and management. The Theory of the Growth of the Firm – published in 1959 and in print ever since – probed inside the conventional 'black box' model of the firm to consider the way in which the combination and renewal of resources within firms shaped their growth. This analysis provided fertile ground upon which to sow new theories of firm behaviour, dynamic business performance and strategic management, leading to the development of the resource-based view of the firm and the approaches of dynamic capabilities in strategic management. Penrose's work laid the foundation for a new general theory of the growth of firms. Rather than seeking to explain the optimal size and efficiency of firms, something that had preoccupied much of economic theory since Marshall, Penrose focused on a different question: why, faced with the same market conditions, do some firms grow while others stagnate? Her answer identified the key role of firms' managerial, or entrepreneurial capacity to create and renew the resources required to generate new products, new processes and new market demand. Penrose viewed the firm as a collection of productive resources. Prime amongst these are technology, knowledge, marketing expertise and above all, the managerial capabilities that enable firms to exploit and renew their resources, create new products and grow. Her focus was on growth as a process. Firms grow over time by enhancing their understanding of the productive potential of the internal resources at their disposal. Papers are invited that build on Penrose's analysis in the areas in which she worked, and inspired others to develop further analysis, including:


Abstract. Sea salt (NaCl) has recently been proven to be of the utmost importance for ecosystem functioning in Amazon lowland forests because of its impact on herbivory, litter decomposition and, thus, carbon cycling. Sea salt deposition should generally decline as distance from its marine source increases. For the Amazon, a negative east–west gradient of sea salt availability is assumed as a consequence of the barrier effect of the Andes Mountains for Pacific air masses. However, this generalized pattern may not hold for the tropical mountain rainforest in the Andes of southern Ecuador. To analyse sea salt availability, we investigated the deposition of sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−), which are good proxies of sea spray aerosol. Because of the complexity of the terrain and related cloud and rain formation processes, sea salt deposition was analysed from both, rain and occult precipitation (OP) along an altitudinal gradient over a period between 2004 and 2009. To assess the influence of easterly and westerly air masses on the deposition of sodium and chloride over southern Ecuador, sea salt aerosol concentration data from the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) reanalysis data set and back-trajectory statistical methods were combined. Our results, based on deposition time series, show a clear difference in the temporal variation of sodium and chloride concentration and Na+ ∕ Cl− ratio in relation to height and exposure to winds. At higher elevations, sodium and chloride present a higher seasonality and the Na+ ∕ Cl− ratio is closer to that of sea salt. Medium- to long-range sea salt transport exhibited a similar seasonality, which shows the link between our measurements at high elevations and the sea salt synoptic transport. Although the influence of the easterlies was predominant regarding the atmospheric circulation, the statistical analysis of trajectories and hybrid receptor models revealed a stronger impact of the north equatorial Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific sea salt sources on the atmospheric sea salt concentration in southern Ecuador. The highest concentration in rain and cloud water was found between September and February when air masses originated from the north equatorial Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the equatorial Pacific. Together, these sources accounted for around 82.4 % of the sea salt budget over southern Ecuador.


Styler, Will (Ph.D., Linguistics, Department of Linguistics) On the Acoustical and Perceptual Features of Vowel Nasality Thesis directed by Assistant Professor Rebecca A. Scarborough Although much is known about the linguistic function of vowel nasality, either contrastive (as in French) or coarticulatory (as in English), less is known about its perception. This study uses careful examination of production patterns, along with data from both machine learning and human listeners to establish which acoustical features are useful (and used) for identifying vowel nasality. A corpus of 4,778 oral and nasal or nasalized vowels in English and French was collected, and feature data for 29 potential perceptual features was extracted. A series of Linear Mixed-Effects Regressions showed 7 promising features with large oral-to-nasal feature differences, and highlighted some cross-linguistic differences in the relative importance of these features. Two machine learning algorithms, Support Vector Machines and RandomForests, were trained on this data to identify features or feature groupings that were most effective at predicting nasality token-by-token in each language. The list of promising features was thus narrowed to four: A1-P0, Vowel Duration, Spectral Tilt, and Formant Frequency/Bandwidth. These four features were manipulated in vowels in oral and nasal contexts in English, adding nasal features to oral vowels and reducing nasal features in nasalized vowels, in an attempt to influence oral/nasal classification. These stimuli were presented to native English listeners in a lexical choice task with phoneme masking, measuring oral/nasal classification accuracy and reaction time. Only modifications to vowel formant structure caused any perceptual change for listeners, resulting in increased reaction times, as well as increased oral/nasal confusion in the oral-to-nasal (feature addition) stimuli. Classification of already-nasal vowels was not affected by any modifications, suggesting a perceptual role for other acoustical characteristics alongside nasality-specific cues. A Support Vector Machine trained on the same stimuli showed a similar pattern of sensitivity to the experimental modifications. Thus, based on both the machine learning and human perception results, formant structure, particularly F1 bandwidth, appears to be the primary cue to the perception of nasality in English. This close relationship of nasaland oral-cavity derived acoustical cues leads to a strong perceptual role for both the oral and nasal aspects of nasal vowels.


The presence of the non-linear charges is the most important issue in examining the microgrids. These charges cause the harmonic network, reduce the quality of the power, and cause the difficulty in controlling the frequency, because there is a part of power in other frequencies with no control. This paper investigates the designing the parallel active filter in order to improve the power quality and frequency control. Since the savers should be inevitably used in this kind of networks, therefore, the double-sided inverters of DC to AC are needed. Thus, this paper aims to propose a design for inverter control algorithm so that there is a connection between saver and network for power exchange, the harmonic currents are removed, and an effective frequency control is achieved. Therefore, the complementary theory-based control algorithm of the momentary power (GTIP1) [12] will be explored and the goals are followed based on this algorithm.


Uber is a disruptive transportation network company (TNC) that is affecting the way people move in cities. While its effects on the taxi industry are increasingly clear, little research has been conducted to study its effect on public transit ridership. This study uses descriptive statistics to establish demographic and socio-economic profiles of cities that Uber has targeted, and a quasi difference-in-difference analysis to explore Uber's effect on transit ridership levels in order to determine whether the service is acting as a complement or substitute to public transit. The results from this high-level study suggest that Uber my be more of a complement to transit over time, and in large dense regions with highly-educated, affluent, productive labour markets that already have very high transit ridership. Finally, recommendations informed by these findings are offered for transit agencies, policy makers, and municipal governments as they continue to determine how to regulate Uber and similar ride sourcing services


The molecular mechanisms of self-organization that orchestrate embryonic cells to create astonishing patterns have been among major questions of developmental biology. It is recently shown that embryonic stem cells (ESCs), when cultured on particular micropatterns, can self-organize and mimic early steps of pre-implantation embryogenesis. A systems-biology model to address this observation from a dynamical systems perspective is essential. Here, we propose a multicellular mathematical model for pattern formation during in vitro gastrulation of human ESCs. This model enhances the basic principles of Waddington epigenetic landscape with cell-cell communication, in order to enable pattern and tissue formation. To prevent overfitting of the model, there is a minimal number of parameters in the model, which are sufficient to address different experimental observations such as the formation of three germ layers and trophectoderm, responses to altered culture conditions and micropattern diameters, and unexpected spotted forms of the germ layers under certain conditions. This model provides a basis for in-silico modeling of self-organization.


Many Bradyrhizobium strains are able to establish a Nod factor-independent symbiosis with the leguminous plant Aeschynomene indica by the use of a type III secretion system (T3SS). Recently, an important advance in the understanding of the molecular factors supporting this symbiosis has been achieved by the in silico identification and functional characterization of 27 putative T3SS effectors (T3Es) of Bradyrhizobium vignae ORS3257. In the present study, we experimentally extend this catalog of T3Es by using a multi-omics approach. Transcriptome analysis under non-inducing and inducing conditions in the ORS3257 wild-type strain and the ttsI mutant revealed that the expression of 18 out of the 27 putative effectors previously identified, is under the control of TtsI, the global transcriptional regulator of T3SS and T3Es. Quantitative shotgun proteome analysis of culture supernatant in the wild type and T3SS mutant strains confirmed that 15 of the previously determined candidate T3Es are secreted by the T3SS. Moreover, the combined approaches identified nine additional putative T3Es and one of them was experimentally validated as a novel effector. Our study underscores the power of combined proteome and transcriptome analyses to complement in silico predictions and produce nearly complete effector catalogs. The establishment of the ORS3257 effectome will form the basis for a full appraisal of the symbiotic properties of this strain during its interaction with various host legumes via different processes.


It is increasingly common to see hashtags about celebrities, musicians and famous people among the Trending Topics (TTs) on Twitter. In this paper, we examine fans strategies to put their hashtags in the Top Ten list of trending topics and the social values created and used during the process. To discuss these appropriations, we studied the case of hashtags created by fans from a Brazilian pop rock band, Restart. We used a quanti-qualitative approach through online and offline ethnography (with 71 interviews) and the collection and analysis of 20 Trending Topics and six networks extracted from them during the second semester of 2011. As results, we discuss how the groups of fans of Restart learned to create hashtags in a cooperative way in order to spread their relations with their idols; which strategies they used to create the hashtags and get them into the TTs; and how they fight back the tags created by anti-fans, generating what we call Fan Wars. Finally, we show how fans are able to create bonding ties, network clusterization and influence visibility of information in Twitter.


The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of three kinds of biosolids usage on soil chemical properties and uptake of heavy metals by Cercis siliquastrum leaves. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized block design with seven treatments including: no fertilizer as a control (C), sewage sludge (SW), cow manure (CM), municipal solid waste compost (MC), mixture of sewage sludge and cow manure (50% SW + 50% CM), mixture of sewage sludge and municipal solid waste compost (50% SW + 50% MC) and mixture of cow manure and municipal solid waste compost (50% CM + 50% MC) at three levels of 0, 2.5 and 5 kg/shrub and three replicates in calcareous sandy loam soil at the botanical garden of Mobarekeh steel company. After 180 days, soil samples were collected from 30 cm depth and leaves assemblage. Results showed that the treatments had significant effect (P < 0.05) on organic matter content, pH, electrical conductivity and cation exchange capacity of the soil. Total diethylen-triamine pent acetic acid (DTPA) extractable concentrations of Zn, Fe and Pb increased significantly (P < 0.05) in biosolid treatments. Between unwashed and washed metals concentrations of leaves, significant differences were shown, so it appeared that the source of metals on leaves was mainly airborn. Key words: Biosolids, soil chemical properties, heavy metals, Cercis siliquastrum.


The destruction and pollution of the natural environment poses two problems for philosophers. The first is political and pragmatic: which theory of the environment is best equipped to impact policymakers heading as we are toward a series of potential ecocatastrophes? The second is more central: On the environment philosophers tend to fall either side of an irreconcilable divide. Either our moral concerns are grounded directly in nature, or the appeal is made via an anthropocentric set of interests. The lack of a common ground is disturbing. In this paper I attempt to diagnose the reason for this lack. I shall agree that wild nature lacks features of intrinsic moral worth, and that leaves a puzzle: Why is it once we subtract the fact that there is such a lack, we are left with strong intuitions against the destruction and/or pollution of wild nature? Such intuitions can be grounded only in a strong sense of aesthetic concern combined with a common-sense regard for the interests of sentient life as it is indirectly affected by the quality of the environment. I suggest also that of the positions on offer, a hybrid theory of the environment is best suited to address our first problem, that of having an effective influence in the polity.


Objective: The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay has been widely adopted for use in early estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer to assess the risk for distant recurrence and the potential benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. The primary aim of this study was to assess RS distribution in Israeli male breast cancer (MBC) patients. Methods: The study population included 65 newly diagnosed Israeli MBC patients. Clinical and pathologic data were collected at the time of referral. Pathologic examinations were conducted at the pathology departments of the referring centers. The RS assay (Oncotype DX™) was performed on paraffin-embedded tumor samples at Genomic Health laboratories. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.1 years (range 38-88 years). Low-risk (RS <18), intermediate-risk (RS 18-30) and high-risk (RS ≥31) scores were noted in 29 patients (44.6%), 27 patients (41.5%) and 9 patients (13.9%), respectively. The distribution of RS in male patients was similar to the distribution in 2,455 female patients from Israel referred during the same time period. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the distribution of Oncotype DX RS in ER-positive MBC patients is similar to that of female breast cancer patients.


Experimental work was conducted on illite-chlorite and kaolinite-carbonate rich clays to investigate effects of pore forming additive materials. Three types of additives were applied: vegetal materials like sawdust, sunflower seeds hull and rice husks; lignite, as high organic content mineral material; fuel-grade coke, as synthetic additive. Raw materials were characterized regarding their composition, thermal behavior, microstructure and chemical composition. Expansion of extruded samples was detected after pressing release. Correlations were determined between the type and cellulose content of vegetal materials and expansion caused. The mineral and synthetic additive does not produce expansion, but lowers the working moisture needed.


Tick saliva is thought to contain a number of molecules that prevent host immune and inflammatory responses. In this study, the effects of Ixodes scapularis saliva on cytokine production by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) from C57BL/6 mice stimulated by TLR-2, TLR-4, and TLR-9 ligands were studied. Saliva at remarkably diluted concentrations (<1/2000) promotes a dose-dependent inhibition of IL-12 and TNF-α production induced by all TLR ligands used. Using a combination of fractionation techniques (microcon filtration, molecular sieving, and reversed-phase chromatography), we unambiguously identified PGE2 as the salivary inhibitor of IL-12 and TNF-α production by DCs. Moreover, we have found that I. scapularis saliva (dilution 1/200; ∼10 nM PGE2) marginally inhibited LPS-induced CD40, but not CD80, CD86, or MHC class II expression. In addition, saliva significantly suppressed the ability of DCs to stimulate Ag-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation and IL-2 production. Notably, the effect of saliva on DC maturation and function was reproduced by comparable concentrations of standard PGE2. These findings indicate that PGE2 accounts for most inhibition of DC function observed with saliva in vitro. The role of salivary PGE2 in vector-host interaction and host immune modulation and inflammation in vivo is also discussed. This study is the first to identify molecularly a DC inhibitor from blood-sucking arthropods.


In this study, Richard Maxwell uses 19th-century urban fiction - in particular the novels of Hugo and Dickens - to define a genre: the novel of urban mysteries. His title comes from the ""mystery mania"" that captured both sides of the channel with the runaway success of Eugene Sue's ""Les Mysteres de Paris"" and G.W.M. Reynold's ""Mysteries of London"". He argues that within these extravagant but fact-obsessed narratives the archaic form of allegory became a means for understanding modern cities. Dominant among allegorical figures were labyrinths, panoramas, crowds and paperwork, and it was thought that to understand a figure was to understand the city with which it was linked. Novelists such as Hugo and Dickens were able to use such figures without necessarily mirroring ideology. Drawing from an array of disciplines, ideas and contexts, the book examines allegorical theory from the Renaissance through to the 20th century, journalistic practice, the conventions of scientific inquiry, popular psychiatry, illustration and modernized wonder tales (such as Victorian adaptations of the ""Arabian Nights""). It explores the ability of the written word to produce and present social knowledge.


The western part of al-Andalus was a peripheral zone of the Islamic World, far from the area of the guadalquivir river and the mediterranean coast. But in this western area there are important architectural elements from the Islamic era. In addition to the reuse of defensive and civilian structures from roman times, there were military building programmes on the coastlines, from the 9th century onwards, with the arrival of Norse raiders. moreover, some chronicles refer, for the 10th and 11th centuries, to the construction of 'qasaba'(s) (military enclosures) in some cities and the total reconstruction of city walls. recent archaeological activity has made evident traces of small palaces, houses and city walls but there is also an architectural heritage visible relative to other buildings – such as mosques and even small 'ribat'(s) along the coastline. Some techniques, like that of 'rammed earth', are known to have been common in the Almohad period. In general terms, one can identify several remnants of buildings – religious, civil and military – with different construction techniques and traditions, not only the reuse of older constructions but also the erection of new buildings. On the other hand, it is possible to find parallels to these buildings in such varied areas as other parts of the ancient al-Andalus, North Africa, Syria and even Samarra (Iraq). This area of the Iberian Peninsula, described in chronicles as gharb al-Andalus, is a hybrid region, where different traditions converged, taking advantage of the legacy of previous periods, mixing that legacy with contributions from North Africa, different areas of the mediterranean and even the middle east. This 'Islamic legacy' is currently perceived as a regional legacy and is well preserved.


The positioning accuracy can bring a great impact on inspecting defect for Aero-engine blade. The high or low pressure rotor of engine is generally driven by manual when blade's defect is inspected. Frequently,False detection and missed happens due to match failure between two persons. Adopting a high-resolution, high-accuracy algorithm based on FPGA to design automotive equipment for high or low rotor . The Frequency range to step motor is 1Hz / s to 65536Hz / s, resolution is 1Hz,and positioning accuracy for blade can be up to 1mm.Resolving the questions of missing detectable rates made by manual during inspection in the paper, and increasing efficiency for inspection and the reliability of the experimental result. Experiment results show that this equipment can meet the challenge of the high-accuracy regulating speed for blade's inspection.


The study was aimed at following the movement of adolescent Tenualosa ilisha from nursery grounds to feeding and spawning grounds or other type of movements in Bangladesh waters. To accomplish this, data on metazoan endoparasites were used as biological tags for detection of migratory route. A total of 2667 host fishes were collected from eleven sites covering the three different ecological habitats of Bangladesh. Initial selection of parasites as biological tags was executed by using established criteria, primarily on the basis of different level of infection in different habitats. The role of incidental parasites as tags is also discussed. Overall fourteen species under eleven genus of endohelminths were identified from alimentary canal and associated organs of host, only three species of them had satisfied the criteria of being as biological tag. These are cestode parasite Ilisha parthenogenetica and acanthocephalan parasite Acanthosentis indica and Acanthosentis hilsai. Higher prevalence of these parasites at respective sites and the trend of prevalence of infection in size class of host fish demonstrated host"s anadromous nature and reinforced the belief that the T. ilisha as a whole, migrates from the sea to the rivers via the estuaries and vice versa.


The study surveyed the impact of grant-in-aids Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and donations/gifts as alternative sources of funding to support academic libraries in Cross River State, Nigeria. The survey design method was used to carry out the study. A modified six-point Likert-type scale questionnaire was designed to measure responses on sources of library funding and support through grant-in-aids (TETFUND) and donations/gifts from the institutions studies. The vetted instrument was administered on 30 senior management librarians from five (5) academic institutions in the state. The internal consistency of the instrument laid in the range (0.729<Yxx<893) with across the time stability in the range (0.706<Ytt<0.796) measured via Cronbach alpha and test-retest reliability respectively. The study found that grand-in-aids and donations/gifts have been playing vital supportive role in the funding of academic libraries. However, librarians on their part were not exploiting this avenue enough in their collection development strives. The author recommends that more efforts in this direction should be explored by librarians and that training on grant proposal writing for them should be provided to encourage, strengthen and equip them with skills to more seriously pursue these options.

	Key words: Funding, library resources, academic libraries, grant-in-aids (TETFUND), donations/gifts.


The article shows the current status of debate on the possibility to found a bioethics of universal reach. The article gives particular attention to the intent to invoke the paradigm of human rights, displaying the strengths and weaknesses of this option, that has appeared to have reached a certain maturity with the adoption of the Oviedo Convention and the Universal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights of UNESCO. It poses the necessity to reconsider a concept of human dignity which is in agreement with the original intention of the authors of the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, in order to avoid the danger of fragmentation and ambiguity of this concept.


This study investigates the effectiveness of digital nudging for users' social sharing of online platform content. In collaboration with a leading career and education online platform, we conducted a large-scale randomized experiment of digital nudging using website popups. Grounding on the Social Capital Theory and the individual motivation mechanism, we proposed and tested four kinds of nudging messages: simple request, monetary incentive, relational capital, and cognitive capital. We find that nudging messages with monetary incentive, relational and cognitive capital framings lead to increase in social sharing behavior, while nudging message with simple request decreases social sharing, comparing to the control group without nudging. This study contributes to the prior research on digital nudging by providing causal evidence of effective nudging for online social sharing behavior. The findings of this study also provide valuable guidelines for the optimal design of online platforms to effectively nudge/encourage social sharing in practice.


Goods and Services Tax (GST) has replaced the complex multiple indirect tax structure from 1 July 2017. GST is levied as a tax on supply of goods or services. Indian retail sector is comprised of organized retail and unorganized retail. The share of organized retail in India is still less than 20 per cent and majority contribution is of unorganized sector. The E-commerce sale is still less than 7% of overall retail sector sales in India. The total registered tax payers under Excise, Service tax and VAT are only 83.5 lakhs and likely to increase to 2 crore in goods and services tax (GST). GST might have negative impact for some sectors in India for short-term due to tax rate impact on existing stock during transition or increase in the tax rate post-GST regime as compared to existing rates. As far as organized retail is considered it would have a positive impact but for the entire retail sector. Transaction in the retail sector is carried out mainly through cash.