Background Accurate risk adjustment is crucial for healthcare management and benchmarking. Purpose We aimed to compare the performance of classic comorbidity functions (Charlson's and Elixhauser's), of the All Patients Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (APR-DRG), and of the Queralt Indices, a family of novel, comprehensive comorbidity indices for the prediction of key clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients. Material and Methods We conducted an observational, retrospective cohort study using administrative healthcare data from 156,459 hospital discharges in Catalonia (Spain) during 2018. Study outcomes were in-hospital death, long hospital stay, and intensive care unit (ICU) stay. We evaluated the performance of the following indices: Charlson's and Elixhauser's functions, Queralt's Index for secondary hospital discharge diagnoses (Queralt DxS), the overall Queralt's Index, which includes pre-existing comorbidities, in-hospital complications, and principal discharge diagnosis (Queralt Dx), and the APR-DRG. Discriminative ability was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC), and measures of goodness of fit were also computed. Subgroup analyses were conducted by principal discharge diagnosis, by age, and type of admission. Results Queralt DxS provided relevant risk adjustment information in a larger number of patients compared to Charlson's and Elixhauser's functions, and outperformed both for the prediction of the 3 study outcomes. Queralt Dx also outperformed Charlson's and Elixhauser's indices, and yielded superior predictive ability and goodness of fit compared to APR-DRG (AUC for in-hospital death 0.95 for Queralt Dx, 0.77–0.93 for all other indices; for ICU stay 0.84 for Queralt Dx, 0.73–0.83 for all other indices). The performance of Queralt DxS was at least as good as that of the APR-DRG in most principal discharge diagnosis subgroups. Conclusion Our findings suggest that risk adjustment should go beyond pre-existing comorbidities and include principal discharge diagnoses and in-hospital complications. Validation of comprehensive risk adjustment tools such as the Queralt indices in other settings is needed.


A field validation study of two sediment‐amphipod toxicity tests was conducted using sediment samples collected subtidally in the vicinity of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)‐contaminated Superfund site in Elliott Bay (WA, USA). Sediment samples were collected at 30 stations with a 0.1 m2 grab from which subsamples were taken for sediment toxicity testing and geochemical and macrofaunal analyses. Standard 10‐d sediment‐amphipod toxicity tests were conducted with Rhepoxynius abronius and Leptocheirus plumulosus. Sediments were analyzed for 33 PAHs, pentachlorophenol, polychlorinated biphenyls, acid‐volatile sulfide, simultaneously extracted metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni), total organic carbon, and grain size. Sediment temperature, oxygen‐reduction potential, water depth, and interstitial water salinity were also measured. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, quantified as total PAH toxic units (TUPAH), were confirmed to be an important common causal agent of the changes in the two toxicity test (% survival R. abronius, % survival L. plumulosus) and five macrofaunal community (number of species, S; numerical abundance, A; total biomass, B; Swartz's dominance index, SDI; Brillouin's index, H) endpoints. Two other macrofaunal community metrics (the complement of Simpson's index, 1 — SI, and McIntosh's index, MI) were less sensitive to TUPAH than the two toxicity test endpoints. The sensitivities of R. abronius and L. plumulosus to TUPAH were statistically indistinguishable. Field validations were conducted by testing the association between or among each toxicity test endpoint, each of seven macrofaunal community metrics (S, A, B, SDI, H, 1 — SI, MI), and TUPAH by (1) Spearman's coefficient of rank correlation, (2) Kendall's coefficient of concordance, (3) G tests of independence, and (4) regression analysis. Some field validations based on multivariable tests of association (e.g., points 2 and 3) among toxicity test, field, and stressor endpoints produced false positive results. Both toxicity test endpoints were validated as indicators of changes in S, A, SDI, and H by all the methods tested. The resolution power of the relationships between the laboratory toxicity test and macrofaunal field endpoints was low (⩽ three classes) but sufficient to discriminate ecologically important effects. We conclude that standard sediment‐amphipod toxicity tests are ecologically relevant and that, under the proper conditions, their results can be used for lab‐to‐field extrapolation.


Experiential learning courses (ELCs) permit pre-service teachers to acquire accurate experiences from the learning environment to better prepare them for the teaching profession. This research focused on the viewpoints of teachers toward ELCs. As correlation research, the pre-service teachers of a state university and in-service teachers of its cooperating schools served as the respondents using the stratified proportionate random sampling. This study employed correlation procedures to determine the association between variables. Younger pre-service teachers possessed a strong standpoint to have developed their self-assurance and open-mindedness through ELCs. Older pre-service teachers with maximum academic loads displayed strong disagreements that their registration to ELCs conformed to the course requirement. On the other hand, in-service teachers with family responsibilities reflected strong disagreements on the feeling that they don't enjoy confidentiality when confronted with queries and that they are strained by the presence of teacher trainees in their classrooms. In-service teachers with long years in the teaching profession did not consider ELCs as a disturbance in the learning environment. Finally, in-service teachers with graduate degrees exhibited strong disagreement to have misused so much time coaching teacher trainees.


We study the trading behavior of investors in an entire stock market. Using an account level dataset of all trades on the Istanbul Stock Exchange in 2005, we identify investors with similar trading behavior as linked in an empirical investor network (EIN). Consistent with the theory of information networks, we find that central investors earn higher returns and trade earlier than peripheral investors with respect to information events. Overall, our results support the view that information diffusion among the investor population influences trading behavior and returns.


Developmental instability is an early indicator of stress, and has been used to monitor the impacts of human disturbance on natural ecosystems. Here we investigate the use of different measures of developmental instability on two species, green peppers (Capsicum annuum), a plant, and Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica), an animal. For green peppers we compared the variance in allometric relationship between control plants, and a treatment group infected with the tomato spotted wilt virus. The results show that infected plants have a greater variance about the allometric regression line than the control plants. We also observed a reduction in complexity of branch structure in green pepper with a viral infection. Box-counting fractal dimension of branch architecture declined under stress infection. We also tested the reduction in complexity of behavioral patterns under stress situations in Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica). Fractal dimension of head-lift frequency distribution measures predator detection efficiency. This dimension decreased under stressful conditions, such as advanced pregnancy and parasitic infection. Feeding distribution activities reflect food searching efficiency. Power spectral analysis proves to be the most powerful tool for characterizing fractal behavior, revealing a reduction in complexity of time distribution activity under parasitic infection.


Comparative analysis of iron & steel industry's transition in the countries of Central-East Europe as well as in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine during the quarter of century after collapse of Soviet Union has been performed. Influence of political and socio-economic aspects on pathways and results of reform analysed focusing on restructuring, modernisation, production and consumption patterns, international trade etc. Energy efficiency and environmental performance indicators achieved in the countries concerned have been studied in the context of economic and environmental sustainability. Policies for greenhouse gases emissions abatement in the iron & steel sector have been analysed towards addressing commitments to Paris Agreement and further transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy in the countries covered by this study. Keywords: Transition, sustainability, iron and steel industry


There are now more than four million refugees living in camps around the world. The majority of such camps are within inhospitable environments, often with extreme climates. This paper focuses on the thermal conditions of shelters in the Azraq refugee camp (Jordan), subject to an arid climate with high temperatures during the hot season. Due to political and other sensitivities, whole-, or multi-year monitoring of occupied shelters—and hence the empirical determination of overheating—is difficult. Instead, internal conditions in the shelters were monitored for three weeks in summer and used to validate computer models of the accommodation. These models were then used to generate annual predictions of overheating assessed through overheating criteria based on thermal discomfort and physiological indicators of heat stress. Building on these results, the performance of alternative designs specifications or shelter operation strategies were investigated through parametric analysis. The results show maximum indoor temperatures over 45°C. Overheating thresholds were exceeded for more than 20% of the year and physiological indicators suggest the possibility of health-threatening conditions. The use of alternative designs and strategies reduced overheating to nearly 2% of the year, with a steep reduction of severe heat stress indicators.


For any elements $a,c$ of a number field $K$, let $\Gamma(a,c)$ denote the backwards orbit of $a$ under the map $f_c\colon\CC\to\CC$ given by $f_c(x)=x^2+c$. We prove an upper bound on the number of elements of $\Gamma(a,c)$ whose degree over $K$ is at most some constant $B$. This bound depends only on $a$, $[K:\QQ]$, and $B$, and is valid for all $a$ outside an explicit finite set. We also show that, for any fixed $N\ge 4$ and any $a\in K$ outside a finite set, there are only finitely many pairs $(y_0,c)\in\CC^2$ for which $[K(y_0,c)\col K]<2^{N-3}$ and the value of the $N\tth$ iterate of $f_c(x)$ at $x=y_0$ is $a$. Moreover, the bound $2^{N-3}$ in this result is optimal.


Carbohydrate signatures on tumor cells have functional implications in tumor growth and metastasis and constitute valuable tools in cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy. Increasing data regarding the mechanisms by which they are recognized by the immune system are facilitating the design of more efficient immunotherapeutic protocols based on cancer-associated glycan structures. Recent molecular and proteomic studies revealed that carbohydrates are recognized, not only by B cells and antibodies, but also by cells from the innate arm of immunity, as well as by T cells, and are able to induce specific T-cell immunity and cytotoxicity. In this review, we discuss and update the different strategies targeting tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens that are being evaluated for antitumor immunotherapy, an approach that will be highly relevant, especially when combined with other strategies, in the future fight against cancer.


3D-echocardiography using a matrix array transducer was performed in 112 patients. In 98 patients (87.5 %) we were able to acquire adequate 3D-data. The mean time for the 3D-examination was 5.5 min. In valve lesions, septal defects and complex cyanotic heart disease 3D-echocardiography was a confident and helpful innovation for better assessment of the intracardiac morphology in pediatric patients. We conclude that 3D-echocardiography is a useful addition to the conventional 2D-echocardiography.


Xylitol is reported to inhibit the growth of C. albicans. Objectives: Investigating serum factor role in inhibiting the growth of C. albicans and the effect of 1%, 5%, 10% xylitol on C. albicans resistance in serum in vitro. Methods: Identification of C. albicans (oral swab of candidiasis patient) was conducted using CHROMAgar, confirmed by germ tube test. The cultures were serially diluted, inoculated in Saburoud Dextrose Broth (SDB) contained 0% (control), 1%, 5%, or 10% xylitol, and kept for 3 or 7 days. These inoculations were then exposed to either active or inactive serum (Fetal Bovine Serum heated in 65oC for 30 minutes) for 2 hours in 37oC. The colony forming unit (CFU) of C. albicans in Saburoud Dextrose Agar (SDA) were counted after 2 days. C. albicans ATCC 10231 strain was used as a comparison. One-way ANOVA with 0.05 was used. Results: After 3 days cultured in media with or without xylitol, the CFU of C. albicans exposed to active serum were significantly lower than those exposed to inactive serum (p=0.032). Although not statistically significant (p=0.689), increased concentration of xylitol lead to increased resistance of C. albicans in active serum. Only 7 day exposure of 10% xylitol resulted in significantly higher growth of C. albicans (p=0.034). No significant difference of C. albicans CFU in active or inactive serum (p=0.404). Conclusion: Serum factor has role in inhibiting C. albicans growth in vitro. Exposure of 1%, 5%, or 10% xylitol for 3 or 7 days has no significant effect on C. albicans resistance in serum. DOI:  10.14693/jdi.v16i2.98


Several Mg-4Al-4La/Ce alloys were developed and their microstructure and mechanical properties were evaluated. The phase compositions of Mg-4Al-4La alloy consist of α-Mg and Al11La3 phases. While two binary Al-RE phases, Al11RE3 and Al2RE (RE=Ce/La), are formed in Mg-4Al-4Ce/La alloy, and Al11Ce3 and Al2Ce are formed in Mg-4Al-4Ce alloy. The optimal tensile properties are obtained in Mg-4Al-4Ce/La alloy, in which the UTS, YS and δ are 250, 149.2 MPa and 12.24% at room temperature, and 157.8, 116 MPa and 27% at 150oC, and 99.1, 118.2 MPa and 23.2% at 250oC, respectively. The mechanics properties of Mg-4Al-4Ce/La alloy are nearly same with commercial AE44. The compression creep is lower than that AJ62 alloy.


Telemark skiing has become increasingly popular over the past 5 years. Telemark skiing poses unique risks when compared to alpine skiing, because of different equipment, technique, and varied skiing environments. A retrospective survey of telemark skiers was conducted in Western Washington in 1994 to obtain skier information on ski habits, demographics, frequency and types of injury, and equipment used at time of injury. During the 5 month survey period, 118 (63%) of 187 surveys distributed at 7 sites were returned. The overall injury rate was comparable to alpine skiing injury rates at 10.7/1000 skier days. Less experienced skiers and women had higher injury rates, 20/1000 and 13.1/1000 skier days, respectively. The predominant injury sites were knee (41%), hip (13%), and thumb (8%). The knee injuries sustained by telemark skiers appear to be less severe than alpine skiers, with less duration of disability and lower surgical rates. An association was found between the use of plastic reinforced boots and significant ligamentous knee injuries when compared to skiers with leather boots (p < 0.01, chi 2 = 5.43).


Specific features of deformation of amorphous and nanocrystalline metallic alloys influenced by pulsed electric current were studied. It has been discovered that passing pulse electrical current causes a momentary relief of mechanical stresses in loaded samples with its subsequent reduction. The effect of aggressive media (20 % solutions of H2SO4 and HNO3) on the value of mechanical stress drop in samples of amorphous cobalt-based alloys and nanocrystalline iron-based alloy was also investigated. It depends on the tensile stess – tensile strain and occurs when electric current pulses are passing. The paper determines dependence of the mechanical stress value in tested materials on the density of pulsed electric current. It also investigates the structural and morphological state of the alloy surface after its exposure to aggressive media of different concentration.


Conventional pulse-code and differential pulse-code modulators for
encoding video signals are difficult to realise economically. To alleviate
this problem, a technique which divides the modulators into two stages
is proposed. The first stage is a two-bit instantaneously adaptive delta
modulator operating at a high clock rate and using low-precision components.
Two-bit signals conveying polarity and magnitude information are produced
by this delta modulator and used as the input to the second stage, a code
converter. The code converter transforms, digitally, delta modulated signals
into Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) or Differential Pulse Code Modulation
(DPCM) signals.
The resolution of the final PCM or DPCM encoder depends on the
performance of the delta modulator used as the input stage. For that reason,
the performance of the two-bit Instantaneously Adaptive Delta Modulation
(2BIADM) encoder is evaluated. This evaluation is made in two steps. First,
a semi-empirical anaysis of the High Information Delta Modulation (HIDM)
is made, because the 2BIADM system is derived from the HIDM. Then the
performance of the 2BIADM is derived considering the HIDM as a reference.
For the HIDM and 2BIADM modulators operating at the same sampling frequency,
the 2BIADM presents an improvement in peak signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) Of
6 to 8 dB. Expressions are established to enable SNR to be calculated for
the HIDM as a function of the encoding parameters. The expressions also
apply to Constant Factor Delta Modulation, and represent the only known
method of estimating numerically the SNR for instantaneously adaptive delta
modulators.
The 2BIADM was tested, built and operated at a low sampling rate.
This gave an insight into the operation of the proposed system, and
complemented the computer simuLation analyses.
The principles for the code conversion from the 2BIADM to PCM or DPCM are fully discussed. The 2BIADM does not impose restrictions on the
values that the coefficients of the digital low-pass filter required
in the code converter can assume. For low bandwidth expansion rates,
it was verified that a 2BIADM-to-PCM conversion filter with 5 stages
performs better than a HIDM-to-PCM conversion with a filter having
256 stages (both encoders operating at the same word-rate).
A generalization of the 2-bit encoder to a N-bit adaptive DPCM
system is outlined.


Effects of pore directions on the profile of fusion zone for lotus-type porous magnesium by laser welding has been investigated by comparing the experimental observations and the results of numerical simulation. The three-dimensional finite element calculations were performed, which takes into account equivalent thermal properties and anisotropy of thermal conductivity. There is the pore anisotropy in the profile of fusion zone by laser beam irradiation and the good weldability was obtained when the growth direction of the original pore equaled to the direction of the laser beam irradiation. A good agreement was obtained between the calculated profile of the weld fusion zone and the experimental results.


Aquatic resources such as sea slug (Discodoris sp.) can be processed into functional beverages. Sea slug has been reported as antioxidant containing taurine. Th is study was conducted into 2 steps: 1)preparation of raw materials (Discodoris sp.); 2) formulation of the functional beverage product. Th e aims of the study were 1) to determine the concentration of raw materials composition by considering the synergistic eff ect of taurine on the functional beverage; 2) to determine the eff ect of the preparation of functional beverage powder on taurine. Th ree formulas physically acceptable were T1 (Discodoris sp. 20%, ginger 40%, curcuma 20%, lemon 20%),T2 (Discodoris sp. 25%, ginger 40%, curcuma 15%, lemon 20%), and T3 (Discodoris sp. 30%, ginger 40%, curcuma 10%, lemon 20%).


This work proposes a new decision-based filter, the thresholding noise-free ordered mean (TNOM) filter based on the Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory, to preserve more details of images than can other decision-based filters, while effectively suppressing impulse noise. The new filter mechanism is composed of an efficient D-S impulse detector and a noise filter that works by estimating the central noise-free ordered mean (CNOM) value. The D-S evidence theory provides a way to deal with the uncertainty in the evidence and information fusion. Pieces of evidence are extracted, and the mass functions defined using the local information in the filter window. Then, the decision rule is applied to determine whether noise exists, according to the final combined belief value. If a pixel is detected to be a corrupted pixel, then the proposed filter will be triggered to replace it. Otherwise, the pixel is kept unchanged. With respect to the noise suppression of noise on both fixed-valued and random-valued impulses without smearing the fine details in the image, extensive simulation results reveal that the proposed scheme significantly outperforms other decision-based filters.


The goal of the present work is to unravel the role of the soot surface on the decomposition of nitric acid as a possible renoxification process. We study the monomolecular and the bimolecular decomposition reactions of gas-phase nitric acid on a pristine and on a defective graphite surface as a simple model of the interactions occurring on the surface of atmospheric soot particles. The metadynamics method is employed to reproduce the atomistic details of the reaction paths for both monomolecular and bimolecular processes. Several different intermediate states, which are encountered along the reactive trajectory, are analyzed, and the role of the surface in catalyzing the reactions is discussed.


Ground-truth labeling is an important activity in machine learning. Many studies have examined how crowdworkers apply labels to records in machine learning datasets. However, there have been few studies that have examined the work of domain experts when their knowledge and expertise are needed to apply labels. We provide a grounded account of the work of labeling teams with domain experts, including the experiences of labeling, collaborative configurations and work-practices, and quality issues. We show three major patterns in the social design of ground truth data: Principled design, Iterative design, and Improvisational design. We interpret our results through theories of from Human Centered Data Science, and particularly work on human interventions in data science work through the design and creation of data.


United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall established the long accepted legal definition of a corporation when he stated that a "corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law." Although the legal definition of a corporation explicates its nonhuman status, corporations are viewed as persons in the eyes of the Court. Over time, corporations have slowly gained more and more constitutional protections. Courts have awarded constitutional protections to corporations as long as those guarantees are not "purely personal." If a constitutional provision's purpose, nature, and history indicate it is a purely personal guarantee, that provision is not applicable to corporations. Additionally, constitutional protections can apply to corporations but not as fully as these protections do to individual persons.


One pharmacokinetic approach to the treatment of cocaine abuse and toxicity involves the development of compounds that can be safely administered to humans and that accelerate the metabolism of cocaine to inactive components. Catalytic antibodies have been developed and shown to accelerate cocaine metabolism, but their catalytic efficiency for cocaine is relatively low. Mutations of human butyrylcholinesterase and a bacterial cocaine esterase found in the soil of coca plants have also been developed. These compounds accelerate cocaine metabolism and antagonize the behavioral and toxic effects of cocaine in animal models. Of these two approaches, the human butyrylcholinesterase mutants show the most immediate promise as they would not be expected to evoke an immune response in humans.


Tear and aqueous humor levels of ofloxacin following 40mg of topical 0.3% ointment were determined at intervals within 24 hours by high performance liquid chromatography. The highest tear level was detected in half an hour, and effective concentrations existed in 6 hours. The highest aqueous humor level was detected 60 minutes after administration. Ofloxacin ointment produced higher tear concentrations for longer time than did aqueous solution of the drug.


The article presents the development trends of farms, estimates on the optimal scope of farming, as well as the experience of local and foreign countries in this area. As well, the advantages of small and large farms are discussed; herewith, the scales of farms are compared to the local reality. The study analyzes the results of farm operations and the possibilities of diversification of farms. The indicators of an effective use of land resources and land fragmentation are measured; also, a comparative analysis with other countries is presented, in particular, the measurements of agricultural lands for farming, as well as the indicators of population ensuring. The conducted research shows that most of the farms in Georgia are small and their development is at the initial stage, which outlines that the country has a high resource potential to increase the scale of the farming industry and its full integration into market relations. On the basis of the obtained results, according to the research on the scale of farming in Georgia and the identification of hampering factors of farming development, the conclusions are presented and the relevant recommendations are suggested. Keywords—Farm cooperatives, farms, farm scale, land fragmentation, small and large farms.


Professor W. S. Pitcher remarked: Dr Hutton has enthusiastically addressed himself to the main problem highlighted by the previous work: the reason for the wide variety of emplacement mechanisms within coeval and contiguous plutons at the same level in the crust, central to which is the relationship in time between the Main Donegal Granite and the localized but intense deformation. This new structural analysis clearly establishes the presence of an important sinistral shear component, and my reservations concern only the timing and the magnitude of the calculated displacements. Concerning the latter, the evidence is that where the ductile shear zone leaves the Main Donegal Granite pluton it seems not to displace the contact zone, and where it runs off SSW it barely displaces an earlier dislocation known as the Knockateen slide. I am equally in doubt of the extension of the postulated shear zone far into northern Fanad, unless it has been conveniently cut out by movement on the post-shear Cashelmore Fault. Within the granite outcrop itself, where the shear zone runs along the apparent boundary between the Trawenagh Bay lobe and the Main Granite, to the S of Meenderryherk, a train of xenoliths straddles the zone of deformation, by which it is distorted but not dislocated. I conclude that whilst sinistral rotational strain has been proved, the displacements suggested seem excessive. I am much attracted to the proposed model whereby magma was emplaced into space created by a curvature in an active shear zone, particularly so as the early


The notion of 'Sociomateriality' has recently gained in popularity among information systems (IS) scholars in their search for providing new ways of investigating and theorizing about IS in organizations and society at large. While some scholars put forward arguments and research accounts that lead to new insights, others expose a cursory treatment and partial appreciation of the idea. In addition, sociomateriality as a new worldview has been criticized for introducing yet more academic jargon monoxide. Although existing research and debates show some potential for progressing the theorizing of 'man-machine' reconfigurations, we point to the necessity of a deeper exploration of the term. Inspired by the call for papers of the Alternative Genres Track at ECIS 2012, the purpose is to "take a fresh look, to evoke new insights and to gain deeper understanding" of the notion of sociomateriality in IS. Towards this aim, the reader is invited to attend a prolonged monologue - characterized by honesty, frank observations and wit - delivered by the court jester and directed to the sovereigns based on their writings. The intention is to contribute with a stimulating recital that builds on open-minded questions in the pursuit of key reflections to inform our research discipline.


The worldwide population prevalence of autism is about 1%. The current picture that we are experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic, makes it difficult for many people to understand and assimilate everything that is happening. In persons with autism, this difficulty can become extreme, both in children and adults. However, there are some recommendations to help process and assimilate this situation and avoid or reduce complications in this population. The recommendations are simple, but they are difficult to perform. However, they can help keep the lives of the loved ones and their family members more bearable. Only by knowing its characteristics and applying a few recommendations or guidelines, caregivers and the affected persons will be able to lead a more enjoyable life.


Abstract Tomato is a significant vegetable crop with numerous health benefits derived from its carotenoids, flavonoids and other phytonutrients contents. This work studies the nutritional qualities and carotenoids contents of five different cultivars of tomatoes (San Marz, Nasmata, Roma VF, Ogbomoso local and 4-lobes). The variations of pH, titratable acidity, reducing sugar, total solid, lycopene and beta-carotene contents of these tomatoes were investigated under ambient temperature and field ripening techniques and the mean values of these parameters investigated at different ripening stages and techniques were compared. Lycopene contents were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in tomatoes subjected to field ripening compared with those ripened under ambient temperature. The highest lycopene content (17.18 μg/g) was observed in Roma VF cultivar at fully-ripe stage under field ripening technique while the lowest value (0.64 μg/g) was in 4-lobes cultivar at semi-ripe stage under ambient temperature ripening. Similar trend was observed in the variation of betacarotene (a pro-Vitamin A index) among the tomato cultivars. The evaluated reducing sugar contents (ranging from 1.84 to 5.23 μg/g) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in fully-ripe tomatoes compared to semi-ripe ones under field ripening and the trend was reversed for some cultivars under ambient temperature ripening. The titratable acidities of the tomatoes were significantly higher at the semi-ripe stage (0.24 to 0.38 %) under field ripening than those obtained under ambient temperature ripening (0.15 to 0.25 %). The pH of the tomatoes ranged from 3.58 to 4.07 and 3.46 to 5.40 under field and ambient temperature ripening, respectively, and the higher pH values obtained under ambient temperature ripening condition could make such tomatoes unsuitable in tomato processing plants. Consumption of tomatoes for the purpose of dietary antioxidant lycopene and pro-Vitamin A could maximally be achieved at fully-ripe stage under field ripening condition.


Developed an acoustic imaging system applied in acoustic test. The acoustic array is made up of 260 MEMS microphones and control by a FPGA, which also in charge of transferring data by optical fiber. The mainframe is control by a FPGA. A DSP is in charge of processing the data from acoustic array. Two embedded system work for saving data and displaying acoustic image. Test results verified that the system can satisfy the need of acoustic imaging for machinery noise and gas-leakage noise in normal workshop. This system has a wide application.


ABSTRACT This research explores the nature of collaborative co-creation in a university-initiated social media brand community (SMBC). SMBCs provide significant opportunities to enhance student experiences by facilitating the co-creation of value and brand meanings. However, little is known about what makes organization-initiated SMBCs successful. A netnographic analysis of an exemplary Facebook brand page of an Australian university results in the emergence of four key tactics demonstrated in the collaborative co-creation processes: (1) integrating school/student artifacts in visual narratives; (2) co-authoring student/staff brand stories; (3) co-delivering student services; (4) twisting and playing the school sub-cultures. These findings suggest that a university's physical community and existing reciprocal relationships provide the contexts of co-creation in the SMBC. Also, the pivotal role of university marketers in inspiring and empowering students and employees to engage in the co-creation process is supported. Further, students are found to adopt various technological and ideological features of social media to personalize their co-creation experiences. This study provides higher education practitioners with a basis for actionable social media strategies and advances understanding of SMBCs in an education services context. In addition, the study demonstrates how netnography can be adopted by practitioners to deepen their understanding of student experiences.


Simulation of two-dimensional (2D) transverse laser cooling of Cs atomic beam from pyramidal magneto-optical trap atom funnel (PMOTAF) conceived for atom lithography is presented. The results show that both the minimum full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the maximum peak value of the spatial profile of the atomic beam occur at the frequency detuning of optical molasses equals to -0.5 Г. Moreover, for each frequency detuning, an increase in the intensity of the optical molasses leads to smaller FWHM and higher peak value. The not negligible role of gravity on the atomic beam of sub-thermal longitudinal velocity along the horizontal direction is that every atomic trajectory possesses a parabolic motion either before or after laser cooling which leads to a noticeable displacement of the peak value at the observation plane with respect to the starting point.


Porous membranes with selective adsorption are of great interest because of their wide application in molecular filtration, industrial separation and water treatment. To adsorb dyes with selectivity and high flux, the unique selective adsorption behavior of amphiphilic hyperbranched poly(ether amine) (hPEA) materials toward guest molecules and the facile preparation of a stable porous structure of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) were combined to fabricate novel hPEA@PVDF porous membranes through non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). The resulting hPEA@PVDF membranes were further cross-linked through the photo-dimerization of coumarin groups in hPEA, and their morphologies were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), wide angle X-ray diffractometer (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The adsorption behavior of hPEA@PVDF porous membranes toward twelve hydrophilic dyes was investigated in detail. Regardless of their charge states, hPEA@PVDF porous membranes exhibited quick adsorption behavior toward Erythrosin B (ETB), Rose Bengal (RB) and Eosin B (EB) with a high adsorption capacity (Qeq) around 600 μmol g−1 but very slow adsorption behavior toward Calcein (Cal) and Methylene Blue Trihydrate (MB) with a low adsorption capacity. Based on their unique selective adsorption behavior toward hydrophilic dyes, hPEA@PVDF porous membranes could separate mixtures of dyes in aqueous solution through molecular filtration with a high flux rate. In addition, the hPEA@PVDF porous membranes were easily regenerated and maintained high separation efficiency over five adsorption–washing cycles. hPEA@PVDF membranes showed great advantages of large adsorption capacity, fast separation of dyes, easy regeneration and low cost due to their porous structure and unique selective adsorption behavior toward hydrophilic dyes, and might find great potential in separation and water treatment.


OBJECTIVE Blood pressure ranges associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in advanced type 2 diabetes are not clear. Our objective was to determine whether baseline and follow-up (On-Study) systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and SBP combined with DBP predict CVD events in the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial (VADT). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Participants in the VADT (n = 1,791) with hypertension received stepped treatment to maintain blood pressure below the target of 130/80 mmHg in standard and intensive glycemic treatment groups. Blood pressure levels of all subjects at baseline and On-Study were analyzed to detect associations with CVD risk. The primary outcome was the time from randomization to the first occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, surgery for vascular disease, inoperable coronary disease, amputation for ischemic gangrene, or CVD death. RESULTS Separated SBP ≥140 mmHg had significant risk at baseline (hazards ratio [HR] 1.508, P < 0.001) and On-Study (HR 1.469, P = 0.002). DBP <70 mmHg increased CVD events at baseline (HR 1.482, P < 0.001) and On-Study (HR 1.491, P < 0.001). Combined blood pressure categories indicated high risk for CVD events for SBP ≥140 with DBP <70 mmHg at baseline (HR 1.785, P = 0.03) and On-Study (HR 2.042, P = 0.003) and nearly all SBP with DBP <70 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS Increased risk of CVD events with SBP ≥140 mmHg emphasizes the urgency for treatment of systolic hypertension. Increased risk with DBP <70 mmHg, even when combined with SBP in guideline-recommended target ranges, supports a new finding in patients with type 2 diabetes. The results emphasize that DBP <70 mmHg in these patients was associated with elevated CVD risk and may best be avoided.


Speculative architecture has been excluded from architectural circles and critical praise. It is a wholesale product, repeatedly referred to as passe-partout, anonymous, banal, vulgar and kitsch. Specifically, contemporary residential architecture in southern Europe has been devaluated because of its commercial character, commonly being equated to dauntless exploitation. Its prevailing perception fails to consider its vernacular side or the amalgamation of sophisticated influences into its body. This research aims to reveal in which ways small-scale collective architecture is anonymous and to offer better insight into the above-mentioned characteristics. This includes looking into unspecialized professionals' engagement in housing, the lack of institutions and state monitoring as well as architects' obscure involvement. A case study, a provincial city of Greece, where since the 1960s lower classes crystallized their dreams of modern living in the small apartment building, is thoroughly examined. Parallelization with Italy and Spain confirms this non-architecture's strong, albeit never researched, imprint on the cityscape.


Purpose

Drawing on the contingency perspective between business strategies and human resource (HR) practices, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of human resource management (HRM) system (which integrates both content and process of HR practices) on both proximal organisational outcomes (such as job satisfaction, motivation, and organisational commitment) and distal organisational outcomes (such as employee engagement, organisational citizen behaviour (OCB), co-operation among employees, intention to quit, and operational performance).

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a sample of 996 Greek employees working in 108 private organisations and the statistical method employed is structural equation modelling with bootstrapping estimation.

Findings

The results indicate that HRM content is more positively related to job satisfaction and motivation and less related to organisational commitment than HRM process. Moreover, HRM system is sequentially related to organisational outcomes (both directly and indirectly) and significantly influences employee job satisfaction and motivation, as well as OCB and co-operation among employees, and operational performance.

Research limitations/implications

The data were collected using a questionnaire at a single point in time, and thus, not allowing dynamic causal inferences. Considering that Greece is experiencing a severe financial crisis, the findings from this unique context may not generalise across other contexts.

Practical implications

The core messages to decision makers are that employee development and rewards are the major dimensions of the content of an HRM system and that consistency and distinctiveness are the principal features of the process of an HRM system, even in cases where the organisation is operating under an economic crisis environment.

Originality/value

Investigations into the relationship between HRM systems and organisational performance have become increasingly common. Nevertheless, empirical studies that measure the impact of HRM systems, which being contingent on business strategies integrate both content and process of HR practices on organisational performance are still rare. This paper partially fills this gap.


The utility of a portable computer is critically dependent on the period it can be used while running off the battery. In this paper, we present a study of power consumption in Apple Macintosh computers. We measure the existing power consumption for each system component using built-in measuring tools. Since total power consumption is a function of user workload, we use eight user workload traces to determine power use as observed in practice. Apple currently implements some simple power-saving features, and the effectiveness of those features is estimated; we find typical power savings of 41-66%. After the use of basic power-saving techniques, we find that the major power users are the backlight (25-26%), the CPU (9-25%), the display (4- 17%), the video circuitry (6-10%), and the hard drive (4-9%). We then evaluate possible changes in system hardware and software with regard to the power savings they might offer.


According to much of the extant literature, feelings and beliefs among many citizens of being left behind and unheard by unresponsive political decisionmakers, who lack moral integrity represent the epicenter of recent protest and populist discontent in democratic society. Based on survey data for 20 contemporary democracies from two ISSP waves, we found that anti-establishment attitudes are not shared among the majority of respondents. Although there are differences between country contexts. Such sentiment is associated with macrostructural dynamics, since unfavorable attitudes toward politicians are more widespread among publics in countries which are exposed to higher levels of public corruption and witnessed increasing levels of income inequality. Besides, such sentiment is also restricted to particular social groups of society, because hostile feelings toward political decisionmakers are stronger among citizens in the lower ranks of society and among younger birth cohorts. Since the beginning of the century and throughout the Great Recession, unfavorable attitudes toward politicians have not increased among the public in advanced democracies. However, our analysis indicates that respondents with such attitudes have increasingly turned toward voting for anti-elite parties to raise their voice and now make use of online options to express their political views more frequently than in the past. Overall, the analysis contributes to recent research on populist and reactionist dynamics in contemporary democracies by addressing dynamics and structures of the feeling of being left behind by political decisionmakers and its implications for political (in)activity.


To the Editor.— We refer to the article by Miller et al (243:1176, 1980) concerning neonatal respiratory distress. We would like to add a note regarding the importance of streptococcal pneumonia. As greater strides have been made in the prevention and treatment of both respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and meconium aspiration syndrome, we and others have found that streptococcal pneumonia persists and thus is becoming the most notable killer among the various causes of respiratory distress in the newborn. 1,2 It is treatable with penicillin early in its course but tragically is not often treated until too late, because the chest roentgenogram is interpreted as uncomplicated RDS. 1,3,4 We believe it is crucial that the roentgenographic appearance of neonatal streptococcal pneumonia is often indistinguishable from uncomplicated RDS, (ie, diffuse granular appearance with or without air bronchograms) and that trying to make the distinction can result in a lethal delay in


STUDY OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that a reduced dose of bolus recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) (0.6 mg/kg/15 min, maximum of 50 mg) would result in fewer bleeding complications than standard 100 mg of rt-PA administered as a continuous infusion over 2 h among hemodynamically stable patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Subsidiary objectives were to compare the two rt-PA regimens with respect to the following: (1) the rate of other adverse clinical events; (2) the magnitude of change from baseline on perfusion lung scans, pulmonary angiograms, or echocardiograms; and (3) the differences in coagulation parameters over time.

DESIGN
A double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, controlled trial.

SETTING
Twenty-eight participating hospitals in the United States, Italy, and Canada.

PATIENTS
Patients could be included if they had symptoms or signs of PE within 14 days of presentation as well as high-probability lung scans and/or pulmonary angiograms demonstrating PE.

INTERVENTIONS
Randomization was undertaken with a 2:1 allocation ratio to rt-PA 0.6 mg/kg/15 min (maximum of 50 mg) or to 100 mg/2 h. Ninety patients were randomized, and 87 patients were treated: 60 with bolus rt-PA and 27 with 2-h rt-PA. All patients underwent baseline and 20- to 28-h follow-up perfusion lung scintigraphy. Patients at angiogram centers underwent baseline and 2-h follow-up angiography, while patients at echocardiogram centers underwent baseline, 3-h, and 20- to 28-h echocardiography. Forty-eight patients also participated in an ancillary study of serial fibrinogen and fibrin degradation product levels.

RESULTS
In the first 14 days after randomization, there were six deaths: five (8.3 percent) in the bolus group vs one death (3.7 percent) in the 2-h group (p = 0.66). There were two clinically suspected nonfatal recurrent PEs during the first 14 days after therapy, one in each treatment group. Overall, 14 patients suffered major or other important bleeding: 8 in the bolus group and 6 in the 2-h group (p = 0.35). Changes in efficacy parameters (scans, angiograms, or echocardiograms) were similar in the two treatment groups. After initiation of therapy, patients who had received bolus rt-PA had less depression of fibrinogen levels (p = 0.007) and smaller increases in fibrinogen degradation products (p = 0.013) than patients who had received 100 mg of rt-PA over 2 h.

CONCLUSIONS
No significant differences were detected between the bolus rt-PA and 2-h rt-PA with respect to bleeding complications, adverse clinical events, or imaging studies. There was less fibrinogenolysis with the bolus dosing regimen.


This paper presents about the partially parallel encoder and decoder architecture for polar-codes using register-free technique. In this paper, the folding transformation technique and register minimization technique are used for this architecture to reduce the circuit and timing complexity. In general, the polar codes are referred to a low complexity code to achieve the performance of channel carrying capacity in a binary-input memory-less channels. In the fully-parallel architecture, the hardware complexity is the major drawback which is high whereas in partially-parallel architecture the memory-sharing concept is utilized to overcome the complexity of hardware to attain the high throughput application. Thus, the temporary end results are saved within the registers instead of memories and multiplexers to manage the interlocking wires. Hence, the register aspect in polar code centered encoder and decoder architecture are eliminated. In an effort to support the information transmission efficiency stage, we get rid of the knowledge storage side (d-register) in stage-three and stage-four encoder and decoder method. Finally we reduce the 32 register elements for every data transmission process and mainly focus on the data storage and transmit function. Because the storage events are need to more time for data passing to one stage level to another stage.


A two-dimensional (2-D) grid with dots is called a configuration with distinct differences if any two lines which connect two dots are distinct either in their length or in their slope. These configurations are known to have many applications such as radar, sonar, physical alignment, and time-position synchronization. Rather than restricting dots to lie in a square or rectangle, as previously studied, we restrict the maximum distance between dots of the configuration; the motivation for this is a new application of such configurations to key distribution in wireless sensor networks. We consider configurations in the hexagonal grid as well as in the traditional square grid, with distances measured both in the Euclidean metric, and in the Manhattan or hexagonal metrics. We note that these configurations are confined inside maximal anticodes in the corresponding grid. We classify maximal anticodes for each diameter in each grid. We present upper bounds on the number of dots in a pattern with distinct differences contained in these maximal anticodes. Our bounds settle (in the negative) a question of Golomb and Taylor on the existence of honeycomb arrays of arbitrarily large size. We present constructions and lower bounds on the number of dots in configurations with distinct differences contained in various 2-D shapes (such as anticodes) by considering periodic configurations with distinct differences in the square grid.


Moulins permit access of surface meltwater to the glacier bed, causing basal lubrication and ice speedup in the ablation zone of western Greenland during summer. Despite the substantial impact of moulins on ice dynamics, the conditions under which they form are poorly understood. We assimilate a time series of ice surface velocity from a network of eleven Global Positioning System receivers into an ice sheet model to estimate ice sheet stresses during winter, spring, and summer in a ∼30 × 10 km region. Surface‐parallel von Mises stress increases slightly during spring speedup and early summer, sufficient to allow formation of 16% of moulins mapped in the study area. In contrast, 63% of moulins experience stresses over the tensile strength of ice during a short (hours) supraglacial lake drainage event. Lake drainages appear to control moulin density, which is itself a control on subglacial drainage efficiency and summer ice velocities.


"The unity ofthe Spirit": the Trinity, the Church and love in Saint Augustine of Hippo. Augustine of Hippo spent most of his career contending for the cause of the unity of the Church. His passion for Church unity has frequently been portrayed as a consequence of his north African heritage, but one important theological basis has generally been overlooked. This thesis locates his ecclesiology firmly in the context of his trinitarian theology, particularly his emphasis on the unity of God. Many scholars have considered his theology of the Trinity; others have explored his theology of the Church; but this thesis draws out the connections between the two. Augustine is not the first theologian to discuss the unity of the three persons of the Trinity. However, he is the first to develop the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the bond of love and unity between the Father and the Son. This principle has important implications for his theology of the Church, since it means that discussions of the Holy Spirit and of love in the context of ecclesiology have an explicitly Trinitarian dimension. The thesis consists of three chapters. In the first, Augustine's unique doctrine of the Holy Spirit and of love is set out. It is demonstrated that he locates the image of God not so much in the individual human soul, as in human beings in relation with one another. In the second chapter, attention moves to the Church, and it is shown that Augustine sees the fellowship itself as the analogy of God the Trinity. Love is the characteristic mark of the Church, and those who do not have love and the Holy Spirit have excluded themselves from communion with one another and with God. The third and final chapter is a case study of how these ideas were worked out in practice in the controversies with Manicheism, Donatism and Pelagianism.


Select Raman scattering and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments on specially homogenized binary GexSe100–x and GexS100–x chalcogenide glasses, supported by ab initio MD simulations are undertaken. In both chalcogenides, the glasses exhibit a super‐strong behavior (with a melt fragility index, m(x) < 20) in the 20(1)% < x < 26(1)% composition range, defining the fragility window, and with m(x) > 20 as one goes away from the fragility window. Remarkably, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm the existence of the fragility window. Furthermore, in both chalcogenide glasses, the enthalpy of relaxation at Tg, ΔHnr(x), becomes minuscule (≈0) in the 20(1)% < x < 26(1)% range, defining the reversibility window, and with ΔHnr(x) increasing by an order magnitude abruptly with x outside that window. Thus, super‐strong melts formed in the fragility window give rise to isostatically rigid glasses in the reversibility window and fragile melts formed at x < 20(1)% and at x > 26(1)% give rise to flexible‐ and stressed‐rigid glasses, respectively. Melt dynamics for the examined glass systems unequivocally encode the nature of the glass topological phases.


Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) plays an important role in signal transduction through modulating the balance between two signaling lipids, diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. Here we identified a tenth member of the DGK family designated DGKκ. The κ-isozyme (1271 amino acids, calculated molecular mass, 142 kDa) contains a pleckstrin homology domain, two cysteine-rich zinc finger-like structures, and a separated catalytic region as have been found commonly for the type II isozymes previously cloned (DGKδ and DGKη). The new DGK isozyme has additionally 33 tandem repeats of Glu-Pro-Ala-Pro at the N terminus. Reverse transcriptase-PCR showed that the DGKκ mRNA is most abundant in the testis, and to a lesser extent in the placenta. DGKκ, when expressed in HEK293 cells, was persistently localized at the plasma membrane even in the absence of cell stimuli. Deletion analysis revealed that the short C-terminal sequence (amino acid residues 1199–1268) is necessary and sufficient for the plasma membrane localization. Interestingly, DGKκ, but not other type II DGKs, was specifically tyrosine-phosphorylated at Tyr78 through the Src family kinase pathway in H2O2-treated cells. Moreover, H2O2 selectively inhibited DGKκ activity in a Src family kinase-independent manner, suggesting that the isozyme changes the balance of signaling lipids in the plasma membrane in response to oxidative stress. The expression patterns, subcellular distribution, and regulatory mechanisms of DGKκ are distinct from those of DGKδ and DGKη despite high structural similarity, suggesting unique functions of the individual type II isozymes.


The purpose of the paper is to draw conclusions form the EU`s cluster policy for Korean government policy. The paper consists of five chapters. Chapter two develops theoretical underpinnings of clusters. In chapter three are the research methods shown. Chapter four describes the EU policy for clusters. In chapter is drawn a conclusion and policy implications are discussed. Academic contribution of this study is academically analyzed the first time the research of EU Cluster and Policy of the EU Cluster is to enhance the innovative for SMEs technology.


In KH2PO4-Na2B4O7 (pH = 6.3) buffered solution the trace Ni(II) can strongly catalyze the fading reaction of carmine. Time and temperature can influence the reaction, and the reaction stops at the low temperature. Based on this study, a catalysis spectrophotometric method for determining trace Ni(II) is developed. The results show that the detection limits of the method is 2.5 x 10(-11) g.mL-1 for Ni(II) and Beer's law is obeyed for Ni(II) in the range of 0-1.2 micrograms.50 mL-1. Combined with solvent extraction spearation, the method has been applied to the determination of trace Ni in coal gangue with satisfactory results.


Several magnet assemblies relevant to ion thrusters were investigated using a numerical code to calculate the primary electron mean containment time. An analytical model was used to determine, consistently with the plasma stability condition, the ion thruster performance parameters, namely, the plasma ion energy cost, the plasma density, the plasma potential, and the doubly charged ion production rate as a function of the propellant mass flow rate. The numerical code was checked by reproducing the experimental performance parameters obtained from a 7-m checkerboard ion thruster. Using this approach, performance curves were obtained for a 5-cm ion thruster devised to produce a 1-mN thrust with low power and propellant consumption.


Such are the advances made in modern medicine that it is possible to publish a book containing 528 pages devoted to the pineal organ. The authors of this monograph have surely produced a work of classical importance. It is of moment also to note the close collaboration between an eminent anatomist and an eminent surgeon in the elucidation of the problems connected with this mystic structure carried out in the true tradition initiated by that great surgeon-anatomist John Hunter. In his admirable Foreword Sir Arthur Keith calls attention to the Hunterian method quoting the authors' words " determined to investigate the whole question of the nature of the pineal organ from the lowest to the highest forms in the animal kingdom." This project the authors have attained in chapters devoted to the coelenterates, types intermediate between vertebrates and invertebrates, vertebrates and man. The human pineal organ is considered from the anatomical, physiological, pathological and surgical standpoints. This part of the book is of great value to the practical surgeon who wishes to have knowledge concerning the great advances being made in the surgery of the pineal organ. The book is beautifully produced and contains many excellent illustrations, and the authors are to be congratulated on the creation of a monumental work.


Cytogenetic investigation has been carried out in 4032 newborn infants, 31 of which are found to have karyotype anomalies, which makes 7.7 per 1000 births. The frequency of anomalies in the system of sex chromosomes is 3.2 per 1000. This index is 4.9 per 1000 males, and 1.5 per 1000 females. The frequency of the main types of anomalies turned out to be: XXY--3.0 per 1000 males, XYY--1.0 per 1000 males, XXX--1.0 per 1000 females. The frequency of trisomies of autosomes is 2.0 per 1000 births, trisomy 21 being the main type among them (1.7 per 1000 births). The frequency of structural rearrangements of autosomes is 2.5 per 1000 births, Robertsonian translocations being 1.2 per 1000, reciprocal translocations--1.0 per 1000, and others--0.2 per 1000. The ratio of familial and sporadic mutants was found to be 50%: 50%. Sixty per cent of structural rearrangements are balanced ones, and their carriers does not show any noticeable phenotypic distortions.


The purpose of this paper is to bring attention to the potential that non-governmental organizations have in facilitating youth development and enhancing global citizenship. This can potentially be accomplished by utilizing international service learning as a means of capacity building. Non-governmental organizations that educate youth about community development or civic engagement are particularly capable of implementing such methods. This paper describes the benefits of enhancing global citizenship in youth through service learning and the potential of this work for capacity building and community development. An illustration of this process is provided through a description of Global Potential (GP), an organization that provides international service-learning opportunities to high school students in New York City. This paper also elucidates GP's journey toward becoming a learning organization in order to expand and better serve its target population. Lastly, the implications of expanding and replicating service-learning programs are discussed.


Exfoliation and functionalisation of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets are highly desired for the improvement of their chemical and physical properties. Herein, we propose a novel and efficient method for the preparation of fluorinated graphite carbon nitride (F-C3N4) nanosheets with enhanced photocatalytic activities. A one-step route was used to exfoliate and fluorinate the graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets by using g-C3N4 powder combined with ammonium fluoride (NH4F). Through related instrumental characterisation, we confirmed that few-layered F-C3N4 nanosheets were produced successfully. Meanwhile, the enhanced hydrogen evolution rate of F-C3N4 nanosheets (477.6 µmol h−1 g−1) also confirmed the feasibility of this exfoliation method. This report not only opens up new possibilities for the rational design of metal-free F-C3N4 nanosheets with stable photochemical applications but also provides a potential method for producing functionalised 2D materials.


A major drawback of present superconducting electronics is the lack of suitable large scale memory. One approach to circumvent this problem is to use semiconducting CMOS memory in conjunction with the fast Josephson junction (JJ) logic. This requires operating the CMOS memory at cryogenic temperatures. The speed of CMOS circuits has been shown to increase at cryogenic temperatures. Further increase in speed can be obtained by using JJ sense circuits in the CMOS memory. Preliminary results show that access time of 1.5 ns should be possible with this hybrid JJ/CMOS approach using 1.2 micron CMOS, and JJ sense and interface circuits. We also report the results of an analysis of the optimal operating temperature of such hybrid memories in conjunction with refrigeration requirements in light of the emerging cryocooler technologies.


Two new algorithms for use in the analysis of pp collision are developed to identify the flavour of B0 mesons at production using pions and protons from the hadronization process. The algorithms are optimized and calibrated on data, using B0 → D−π+ decays from pp collision data collected by LHCb at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV . The tagging power of the new pion algorithm is 60% greater than the previously available one; the algorithm using protons to identify the flavour of a B0 meson is the first of its kind.


In mammalian cells, the SWI–SNF chromatin‐remodeling complex is a regulator of cell proliferation, and overexpression of the catalytic subunit Brm interferes with cell cycle progression. Here, we show that treatment with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors reduces the inhibitory effect of Brm on the growth of mouse fibroblasts. This observation led to the identification of two carboxy‐terminal acetylation sites in the Brm protein. Mutation of these sites into non‐acetylatable sequences increased both the growth‐inhibitory and the transcriptional activities of Brm. We also show that culture in the presence of HDAC inhibitors facilitates the isolation of clones overexpressing Brm. Removal of the HDAC inhibitors from the growth medium of these clones leads to downregulation of cyclin D1. This downregulation is absent in cell transformed by oncogenic ras.


Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese character conversion is a common preprocessing step in Chinese NLP. Despite this, current approaches have insufficient performance because they do not take into account that a simplified Chinese character can correspond to multiple traditional characters. Here, we propose a model that can disambiguate between mappings and convert between the two scripts. The model is based on subword segmentation, two language models, as well as a method for mapping between subword sequences. We further construct benchmark datasets for topic classification and script conversion. Our proposed method outperforms previous Chinese Character conversion approaches by 6 points in accuracy. These results are further confirmed in a downstream application, where 2kenize is used to convert pretraining dataset for topic classification. An error analysis reveals that our method's particular strengths are in dealing with code mixing and named entities.


Most commentators would agree that large law firms have outgrown collegial management and self-regulation. Yet lawyers generally have been slow to recognize the benefits of bureaucratic management, and traditionally have resisted and lamented the move toward more bureaucratic forms. Many lawyers view the infrastructure of bureaucratic management - that is, formal policies and procedures and specialized managerial personnel - as necessarily undermining professional ethics and individual accountability within firms. This article questions the empirical basis for such concerns. I argue that the fear that centralized management controls will undermine individual accountability rests on an implicit comparison to a nostalgic, collegial ideal, in which all partners engage in firm management and collective self-regulation. Since no large law firm can live up to this ideal, such a comparison inevitably leads to a critique of the proposed regulation. Economists refer to this type of comparison - between an idealized apple and an imperfect orange - as the "nirvana fallacy." The proper comparison, I argue, is between actual, more or less bureaucratic law firms, with and without the proposed controls. This type of comparison requires close attention to current conditions in law firms and lawyers' attitudes and behavior in different regulatory contexts. To the extent that such data are available, they suggest that some forms of centralized management, such as the appointment of law firm in-house counsel and other compliance specialists, may significantly improve individual accountability and compliance with professional rules.


Abstract The stability limits of methane hydrates have been investigated at pressures from 5 to 12 MPa by high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry, in sodium chloride and calcium chloride solutions, at concentrations ranging from pure water to saturated salt, in continuous solutions, in water-in-oil emulsions, as well as in complex dispersed media used as drilling fluids. Experimental results are in good agreement with available data, and concord well with predictions computed using the model of Van der Waals and Platteeuw (1959). DSC experiments revealed eutectic melting of solid mixtures of gas hydrate and crystallized salt. Corresponding invariant temperatures of melting and phase compositions were computed for various gas pressures. Complete phase diagrams are proposed for the systems (methane + water + sodium chloride) and (methane + water + calcium chloride) at 2 MPa and 10 MPa methane pressure.


Background: Pallister-Killian syndrome is a rare sporadic genetic disorder with a tissue-specific mosaic distribution of an additional isochromosome 12p [i(12p)]. Due to the low risk of recurrence, prenatal diagnosis of this syndrome is important for the genetic counseling. Objective: To report the first prenatal diagnosis case of Pallister-Killian syndrome in Mexico (lethal neonatal presentation associated with hypoplastic left heart). Methods/Results: We admitted to our hospital a third-trimester, 31-year-old-pregnant woman; the level II sonographic examination showed: polyhydramnios, micromelia , hypoplastic left heart and a fetal facial profile characterized by small nose, thin upper lip and protruding lower lip. We confirmed the diagnosis with cultured amniotic cells. Standard G banding techniques showed a male karyotype with an extra chromosome i(12p) in the 100% of metaphase cells: 47,XY, + i(12p).


Aim of this research is to develop a design methodology which correlates main structural design parameters, whose production is characterised by high levels of standardization, such as the height of gutter or the distance between frames, with actions on the greenhouse. The methodology, based on the use of charts and abacus, permits a clear and a direct interpretation of the structural response to design load combinations and allows the design of structural improvements with the aim of the optimization of the ratio benefits (structural strength)/costs. The study of structural interaction domains allowed a clear and a direct interpretation of the structural response to design load combinations. The diagrams highlight not only if the structure fulfils the standard requirements but also the safety levels with respect to design load combinations and allow the structural designer how to operate in order to optimize the structural response with standard requirements achieving the best ratio benefits (structural safety)/ costs. The methodology was developed basing on criteria assigned by EN13031 on two different kinds of greenhouse structures: an arched greenhouse with a film plastic covering and a duo pitched roof greenhouse cover with rigid plastic membranes. Structural interaction domains for arched greenhouse showed a better capability of the structure to resist to vertical loads then to horizontal one. Moreover, the climatic load distribution on the structure assigned by EN13031 is such that the combination of climatic actions is less dangerous for the structure then their individual application. Whilst, duo pitched roof steel greenhouse interaction domains, showed a better capability of the structure to resist to vertical loads then to horizontal one and that, in any case, the serviceability limit states analysis is more strict then the ULS one. The shape of structural domains highlighted that the combination of actions is more dangerous for the structure then the application of single loads. Charts and abacus very easy to interpret and can be used also by non technicians in order to arrange a quick and reliable estimate of the costs of the structure. For instance, it is sufficient to know characteristic values of snow loads and wind speed to evaluate what is the distance of frame of the arched greenhouse to fulfil EN13031 requirements.


Following our previous work which has led us to fabricate single pixels of geiger mode avalanche photodiodes (GMAPs), we present in this letter the results regarding the fabrication and characterization of a bidimensional array of GMAPs. Low dark count rates and very good uniformity over the sensor are reported. High quantum efficiency in the visible range has been measured. Measurements indicate that not all the nominal active area is effectively sensitive. We have some preliminary evidence that no crosstalk effects are present in our device. Notwithstanding this, in view of a near future shrinking of all dead regions, an optical trench process has been developed and is illustrated here. Possible future trends are highlighted


Taking as its theoretical framework Sergei Eisenstein's writings on Walt Disney, as well as recent studies of corporeal transformation in moving image animation, this article explores the link between bodily and political transformation through the role of cartoon animals in the mass mobilized, machine war of World War II. The repercussions of the hypothetical images and scenarios that Walt Disney Productions employed reveal the absurdity and ease of transformation not only between life and death but also between seemingly disparate political ideologies. By approaching the contradictions at play in the visual and political ideology of World War II propaganda and wartime entertainment, and offering a pre-cinematic genealogy of animal caricature, the author explores the shifting manifestations of animality and humanity presented in the Disney brand's wartime scenarios.


Introduction. HEALTH ATTRIBUTES OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS. Reducing the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Reducing the Risk of Cancer. Functional Foods in the Control of Obesity. Nutrient Control of Immune Function. Dietary Factors Modulating the Rate of Aging. Mood and Performance Foods. Medical Foods. HEALTH FUNCTIONALITY OF FOOD COMPONENTS. Dietary Fiber. Special Physiological Functions of Newly Developed Oligosaccharides. Sugar Alcohols. Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins. Vitamins for Optimal Health. Lactic Acid Bacteria as Promoters of Human Health. Nutrition of Microminerals and Trace Elements. Fatty Acids. Phytochemicals and Antioxidants. MARKET AND COMPETITION . Functional Foods in Japan. The Development of the Functional Food Business in the United Sates and Europe. The Potential Role for Functional Foods in Medicine and Public Health. The Role of Marketing Communication in the Introduction of Functional Foods to the Consumer. The Food Industry Role in Functional Foods. CONSUMER'S VIEWPOINT. Consumer's View on Functional Foods. FUTURE PROSPECTS. Future Prospects for Functional Foods


Empirical optimal transport (OT) plans and distances provide effective tools to compare and statistically match probability measures defined on a given ground space. Fundamental to this are distributional limit laws and we derive a central limit theorem for the empirical OT distance of circular data. Our limit results require only mild assumptions in general and include prominent examples such as the von Mises or wrapped Cauchy family. Most notably, no assumptions are required when data are sampled from the probability measure to be compared with, which is in strict contrast to the real line. A bootstrap principle follows immediately as our proof relies on Hadamard differentiability of the OT functional. This paves the way for a variety of statistical inference tasks and is exemplified for asymptotic OT based goodness of fit testing for circular distributions. We discuss numerical implementation, consistency and investigate its statistical power. For testing uniformity, it turns out that this approach performs particularly well for unimodal alternatives and is almost as powerful as Rayleigh's test, the most powerful invariant test for von Mises alternatives. For regimes with many modes the circular OT test is less powerful which is explained by the shape of the corresponding transport plan.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify the most important influencing factors in choosing a hospital by a patient.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
This study involved a mixed research design. Focus groups and in-depth individual interviews were conducted with patients to explore reasons for choosing a hospital. In addition, this study involved survey-based research on the patient choice.

FINDINGS
Type of the hospital, type of the service, word of mouth, cost of services, the health insurance programme, location, physical environment, facilities, providers' expertise and interpersonal behaviour, and reputation of the hospital influenced patients' choice of a hospital. Doctor recommendations and health insurance programme were the main reasons for choosing a hospital for inpatients and outpatients respectively.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Identifying and understanding key factors that influence a patient choice of a healthcare setting helps managers and policy makers invest their resources in those critical areas and improve those aspects of their services to attract more patients.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE
This article contributes to healthcare theory and practice by developing a conceptual framework for understanding the factors that influence a patient choice of a healthcare setting.


The window system is generally regarded as the most vulnerable building system for the indoor energy performance of green buildings. Window systems are given significant attention by architects and engineers, especially in areas with long summer and high solar radiation such as the subtropics. This study aims to develop a standard window-to-floor ratio (WFR) system for green residential buildings in the subtropics. Using Autodesk Revit as the interface, a real high-rise residential building was digitalized and imported into Ecotect for energy consumption analysis. Comparative analyses were conducted to determine the optimal WFR for building energy efficiency. Results demonstrated 0.23 as the optimal WFR in Xiamen, one of the typical subtropical cities in Asia. Furthermore, accompanied by a four-sidefins sunshade device and a double glass window (DGW) with clear "glass+air gap+reflective" glass, the building energy consumption was further reduced by 34.47% compared to the initial model, which successfully met the optimization target of 30%, set according to the green building standard. The results of this study are helpful to architects and building engineers when designing or retrofitting green buildings as we provide specific support for design features for energy performance.


Richard L. Kaufmann THE IMPACT OF LITERATURE CIRCLES ON READING COMPREHENSION TN A FOURTH GRADE CLASS 2008-09 Dr. Robin McBee Master of Science in Teaching In a fourth grade class where the majority of students were reading below grade level, literature circles were introduced and monitored for their ability to (a) raise student motivation to complete class work, (b) improve student interaction and behavior, and (c) raise Fountas and Pinnell reading comprehension levels. Students' class work in the literature circles was compared to similar work from whole group instruction. A rubric measured the attentiveness and behavior of the students in literature circle, whole group, and small group settings. The study was bookended by two Fountas and Pinnell benchmark reading assessments that were compared for signs of reading comprehension improvement. The results show that the students successfully completed literature circle activities with greater frequency and fewer mistakes than other observed class activities. The attentiveness and behavior of the students was improved in literature circle settings over whole group and small group settings. Reading comprehension levels rose at the end of the study, but can not be attributed solely to the introduction of literature circles.


This paper presents a qualitative study of immigrant Chinese teachers' professional identity and beliefs about the teacher-student relationship in an intercultural context. Theoretically, this study takes its departure from a sociocultural perspective on understanding professional identity. The empirical analysis in the study drew mainly upon ethnographic interviews with a group of Chinese language teachers in Denmark concerning their life experiences, perceptions, and beliefs. The results of this study suggest that teachers' beliefs about their roles as teachers and about student-teacher relationships are shaped by both their prior experiences and backgrounds and the current social and cultural contexts in which they are situated. Changes of context (e.g., from China to Denmark) often lead to a transformation of their professional identity and beliefs. Being a teacher in an intercultural context often exposes them to the confrontation of diverse challenges and dilemmas. On one hand, teachers in this study generally experienced a transformation from being a moral role model, subject expert, authority and parental role to being a learning facilitator and culture worker. On the other hand, they developed diverse individualized coping strategies to handle student-teacher interactions and other aspects of teachers' professional identity.


Of particular interest is the chapter on Qi or 'Presence' in the actor. Here is an observer's account of all the principles and elements that come into action to sustain the presence of the Chinese actor which can be universally applied. Riley's accounts constantly juxtapose earlier western interpretations of Chinese performance from Eurocentric standpoints, redressing these with her 'insider's' account of a Chinese sensibility in operation. This book opens a new door, and is a thorough investigation which explores a culture's theatre in its socio-political context which necessarily feeds its living functions. It is accessible to both the generalist and, with its detailed notations of movements, to the student of theatre.


Dynamic routing has been adopted in circuit-switched networks in many parts of the world. Most of the routing algorithms used are least loaded routing (LLR) based for its simplicity and efficiency. Rerouting is the practice of routing calls on alternate paths back to direct paths or to other less congested alternate paths. It allows the continuous redistribution of network loads for the relief of the congestion on direct paths. In this paper, we present an original analysis of an LLR-based rerouting scheme. Through numerical examples and confirmation by computer simulation, the throughput gain of rerouting is established.


The recent paper by V. G. Kogan and J. Schmalian Phys. Rev. B 83, 054515 (2011) argues that the widely used two-component Ginzburg-Landau (GL) models are not correct, and further concludes that in the regime which is described by a GL theory there could be no disparity in the coherence lengths of two superconducting components. This would in particular imply that (in contrast to $U(1)\times U(1)$ superconductors), there could be no "type-1.5" superconducting regime in U(1) multiband systems for any finite interband coupling strength. We point out that these claims are incorrect and based on an erroneous scheme of reduction of a two-component GL theory. We also attach a separate rejoinder on reply by Kogan and Schmalian. In their reply Phys. Rev. B 86, 016502 (2012) to our comment Phys. Rev. B 86, 016501 (2012) Kogan and Schmalian did not refute or, indeed, discuss the main points of criticism in the comment. Unfortunately they instead advance new incorrect claims regarding two-band and type-1.5 superconductivity. The main purpose of the attached rejoinder is to discuss these new incorrect claims.


Battery electric vehicles (BEV) are envisioned to play a significant role in the future of personal mobility. A key challenge in the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles to BEV is the limited driving range of the latter, which makes an energy-efficient operation essential. In this work, we analyze how vehicle-to-x (V2X) communication, in particular traffic-light-to-vehicle communication (TLVC), can help the drivers of BEVs save energy and thus increase driving range. Furthermore, we analyze factors impacting energy consumption which are relevant to the design of V2X applications for BEV. Our results indicate that TLVC can significantly reduce the energy consumption of BEV, up to 20% in our setup. The actual result, however, is highly dependent on a combination of traffic situation, communication range, auxiliary consumer power demand, road gradient and minimum speed requirement.


Ethernet-based passive optical network (EPON) is considered as one of the most promising solutions for the next generation broadband access network. Dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) is a key factor to fully exploit the potential of EPONs. Furthermore, DBA is needed to support QoS for differentiated service efficiently. A simple DBA scheme called TTSP is proposed in this paper. TTSP specifies two thresholds to eliminate unused time slots completely to improve throughput of EPON systems and maintains a counter for each ONU to guarantee fairness of bandwidth allocation among ONUs. Simulation results show that TTSP can achieve high throughput, guarantee the rigid delay bound of high priority traffic which is delay-sensitive and ensure the fairness of bandwidth allocation. Moreover, TTSP is simple and easy to be implemented. It has already been implemented by FPGA in our multi-service EPON systems and test results are consistent with simulation ones.


Regression testing is a costly but crucial problem in software development. Both the research community and the industry have paid much attention to this problem. However, are the issues they concerned the same? The paper try to do the survey of current research on regression testing and current practice in industry and also try to find out whether there are gaps between them. The observations show that although some issues are concerned both by the research community and the industry gay, there do exist gaps.


For complying with power distributor regulation, the electric car chargers have to address the line current harmonic mitigation problem. The conventional solution is a proportional integral controller on the rectified current with a feed-forward anticipation action on the input network current. In this work we take advantage of a harmonic description of the electric car charger in order to propose a non-linear output feedback control based on sliding mode approach and Kalman filtering. The performance of the proposed control strategy is demonstrated via simulations realised in Matlab SimPowerSystems.


The physician-patient interaction is central to any clinical encounter. Although the technical components of the interaction are conveyed by verbal communication, the nonverbal cues are instrumental in setting up the physician-patient relationship and carrying it forward. Often, patient preferences in terms of non-verbal communication cues depend on the ethnicity of the patient. In this article, we present a study of Hispanic and African-American patients regarding their preference of physician posture. Together, these groups represent almost one third of the U.S. population. In our study, a majority of patients preferred their physicians to be seated during the medical interview. Although these results were similar across cultural groups, subtle differences were observed in patient preference regarding other nonverbal communication methods by physicians. It is important for physicians to be aware of these differences. Including course-work that highlights cultural sensitivities in the medical school curriculum is a good way to create awareness among the next generation of physicians.


ABSTRACT Background: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is safer than subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and this has lead to the reconsideration of the use of ultra-rush schedules for SLIT. The aim of this study was to assess the safety of ultra-rush SLIT in pollen-allergic children according to different timing of administration in relation to the pollen season. Methods: In total, 34 children with pollen-induced rhinitis and 36 with pollen-induced asthma and rhinitis, were enrolled and assigned to three study groups: group 1 (n = 17 patients): conventional pre-seasonal-SLIT treatment; group 2 (n = 23 patients), seasonal SLIT ended before the pollen seasonal peak; group 3 (n = 30 patients), SLIT began after the pollen seasonal peak and ended after the pollen season. SLIT was performed using extracts from Stallergenes (Antony, France) and following an ultra-rush schedule, consisting in four doses at a 30-min intervals, and maintenance treatment by administering the top dose three times a week. Results: In all, 54 adverse events (AEs) were reported: 12 in nine patients in group 1 (9/17, 52.9%), 22 in 14 patients in group 2 (14/23, 60.9%), and 20 in 13 patients in group 3 (13/30, 43.3%). No statistically significant differences were found between the three groups. Local AEs (oral itching and burning) were short lasting and self-resolving. Systemic AEs were also mild, except for a case of asthma, which lasted 5 days, in a patient from group 1. There were no severe reactions, and none of the patients dropped out. Conclusions: This study suggests that SLIT with pollen extracts may be safely started at the beginning and also during the pollen season, with a tolerability profile comparable to the conventional pre-seasonal SLIT.


CONTEXT
Allergic reaction to transfusion is common. However, the review of a large series of allergic transfusion reactions has not been performed.

OBJECTIVE
To review a large series of allergic transfusion reactions.

DESIGN
A retrospective review of all reported and evaluated transfusion reactions during a 9-year period at 1 institution was performed. Associated clinical signs and symptoms were evaluated.

SETTING
Large, tertiary-care teaching hospital.

RESULTS
A total of 1613 adverse reactions to transfusion were evaluated. Allergic transfusion reactions accounted for 17% (273 of 1613) of the transfusion reactions. Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis, anaphylactoid signs and symptoms, and/or hypotension) were observed in 21 patients (7.7% of allergic reactions, or 1.3% of all transfusion reactions). Serum tryptase, a marker for anaphylaxis, was measured in 1 patient and determined to be borderline elevated. Five patients experienced allergic transfusion reactions to autologous red cell transfusions. One patient experienced hives during the transfusion of a major ABO mismatched red blood cell. A wide variety of skin manifestations were observed, but 26 (9.5%) patients did not have skin manifestations. Allergic transfusion reactions were estimated to occur in approximately 1 in 4124 blood components transfused, or 1 in 2338 transfusion episodes. Severe allergic reactions occurred in approximately 1 in 30,281 transfusions. No deaths directly attributable to transfusion were observed in this patient group.

CONCLUSIONS
The clinical presentation of allergic transfusion reactions was quite variable, and the pathophysiology remains unclear. Recommendations for clinical evaluation and therapy remain problematic and often empirical.


The present study is concerned with the deformation response of an architectured material system, i.e., a 2D-material system created by the topological interlocking assembly of polyhedra. Following the analogy of granular crystals, the internal load transfer is considered along well-defined force networks, and internal equivalent truss structures are used to describe the deformation response. Closed-form relationships for stiffness, strength, and toughness of the topologically interlocked material system are presented. The model is validated relative to direct numerical simulation results. The topologically interlocked material system characteristics are compared with those of monolithic plates. The architectured material system outperforms equivalent size monolithic plates in terms of toughness for nearly all possible ratios of modulus to the strength of the material used to make the building blocks and plate, respectively. In addition, topologically interlocked material systems are shown to provide better strength characteristics than a monolithic system for low strength solids.


Order Imbalance and Individual Stock Returns This paper studies the relation between order imbalances and daily returns of individual stocks. Our tests are motivated by a model which explicitly considers how market makers dynamically accommodate autocorrelated imbalances emanating from large traders who optimally choose to split their orders. Price pressures caused by autocorrelated imbalances cause a positive relation between lagged imbalances and returns, which reverses sign after controlling for the current imbalance. We find empirical evidence consistent with these implications. We also find that imbalance-based trading strategies yield statistically significant returns. Our results shed light on the role of inventory effects in daily stock price movements.


Micro-channels were the main microstructures in most micro-fluidic devices. In this paper, the effects of injection molding process parameters on the replicability of micro-channels profile are studied. Orthogonal experiments (Taguchi method) are carried out to establish the relationship between injection process parameters and replication accuracy for various micro-channels. Experimental results show that mold temperature and packing pressure are the principal factors in molding process. The replication accuracy depends strongly on the processing conditions. The replication accuracy reached about 99.84% using the optimum parameters.


The purpose of this investigation was to describe the clinical presentation of nine patients with calciphylaxis involving the proximal lower extremities or trunk and to compare the clinical characteristics of these patients with those of 347 hemodialysis patients from the same geographic area. Patients were identified primarily through a computer search of pathology records, identifying patients with the term "calciphylaxis" in the biopsy report. All patients had pathologic specimens consistent with calciphylaxis. All the calciphylaxis patients were white and were markedly obese. While two patients had markedly elevated parathyroid hormone levels, most patients did not show severe derangements of calcium phosphate metabolism compared with other dialysis patients. A logistic regression model identified body mass index and low serum albumin 3 months before diagnosis as being highly associated with a diagnosis of calciphylaxis. Diabetes mellitus and parameters of calcium-phosphate metabolism were not significantly associated with proximal calciphylaxis. These findings suggest that white race, morbid obesity, and poor nutritional status are associated with proximal calciphylaxis in dialysis patients.


This thesis discusses extensions and modifications to a model of semantic interference originally introduced by Oppenheim et al. The first of the two networks presented extends the original toy model to be able to operate over realistic feature-norm datasets. The second of the two networks presented modifies the operation of this extended network in order to artificially activate non-shared features of competitor words during the selection process. Both networks were extensively tested over a wide range of possible simulation configurations. Metrics were developed to aid in predicting the behavior of these networks given the structure of the data used in the simulations. The networks were also tested for noise tolerance and duration of interference retention over time. The results of these experiments show resultant semantic interference behavior consistent with predictions over the parameter space tested, as well as high noise tolerance and the expected reductions in semantic interference effects as the networks were artificially aged. The new network models could be used as simulation platforms for experiments that wish to examine the emergence of semantic interference over complex or large datasets.


The job of Independent auditors is to certify the financial statements in order to demonstrate the real of financial and economic situation of the company. Thus it is believed that the change of accounting firm contributes to the independence increase of the relationship between the audit and the client that can be worn out during the time. It is expected that the new auditor be severe in the practice of earnings management and, consequently, a lower level of earnings management occur. In this sense, the objective of this research is to verify if the rotation of audit influences the earnings management of companies traded in all Bovespa´s economic sector, using the model of Kang and Sivaramakrishnan (1995). The work presents the hypothesis that in the year of change of Independent auditors the earnings management tends to fall and in subsequent years it tends to increase. The survey was conducted using the data of three companies with great asset of each economic sector which have traded at Bovespa in fiscal year of 2008, excluding the financial sector. Thus, the research is characterized as descriptive, documentary with a quantitative approach. The results show that the change of audit firm is not directly related to the decrease in earnings management. Some sectors have a tendency to do so, however, the assumptions cannot be accepted entirely. Key words: Earnings management. Turnover of audit. Kang and Sivaramakrishnan model.