The long term stability and durability of gaskets made of silicone rubber in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has important effect on the sealing and the electric-chemical performance of the fuel cell. In present paper, the time-dependent chemical degradation of a silicone rubber was studied in three simulated PEMFC environments. The test temperature was selected and used at 90°C in this study according to the actual PEM fuel cell operation. Optical microscopy was used to show the topographical changes on the sample surface. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to study the surface chemistry of the gasket material before and after exposure to the simulated PEM fuel cell environments over time. The results show that the weight loss increased with the exposure time for the samples. Optical microscopy reveals that the surface conditions of the samples changed over time from initially smooth to rough, crack appearance and finally crack propagation. The ATR-FTIR results show that the surface chemistry changed significantly via de-crosslinking and chain scission in the backbone for the material over time.


PURPOSE
To determine the contrast agent behavior of gadolinium-based (extracellular and albumin-binding) and manganese-based contrast media for late-enhancement imaging of myocardial infarction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Coronary ligation was performed in 30 rats, and they were serially imaged with segmented inversion-recovery gradient-echo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (repetition time msec/echo time msec/inversion time msec [fixed], 5.2/2.5/430; flip angle, 15 degrees ) during 1 hour after administration of contrast media by using a 1.5-T MR unit. Serial measurements of the longitudinal relaxation were performed by using the Look-Locker approach (repetition time msec/echo time msec, 1,000/3.5; flip angle, 10 degrees ). Detection and size of infarction were evaluated at each time point and compared with end-point histologic findings.

RESULTS
For all manganese-based media, the contrast agent cleared from the blood pool rapidly. Manganese-based contrast media allowed precise labeling of viable cardiomyocytes within 30 minutes, and the labeling persisted for at least 1 hour. Accumulation of gadoversetamide in the infarct area was apparent after 5 minutes, and the peak contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between infarct and myocardium was comparable to the peak CNR of manganese-based contrast agents. Extracellular gadopentetate dimeglumine provided excellent infarct detection but a small imaging window for precise sizing of the infarct if a fixed inversion time of 430 msec was used. Albumin-binding gadolinium-based contrast media provided a longer imaging window, but infarct size was overestimated because of the nonspecific distribution of the unbound gadolinium agent.

CONCLUSION
When extracellular gadolinium-based agents are used for infarct size measurement, imaging parameters and timing are important because the kinetics of both normal and irreversibly injured myocardium must be considered. Manganese-based agents are highly specific and less sensitive to timing for infarct size determination, but further studies are required to determine if they are feasible for human use.


Data from twelve patients who had hepatic resections for colorectal liver metastases were retrospectively analyzed to determine: 1) whether the use of the ultrasonic surgical dissector and the Argon laser can significantly simplify major hepatic resections and decrease both perioperative blood loss and postoperative morbidity and mortality, and 2) whether an adequate patients selection for surgery can effectively determine an improvement in recurrence rate. We performed 4 bisegmentectomies (2 of V and VI; 2 of VI and VII); 1 trisegmentectomy (V, VI, VII); 2 left lobectomies; 1 right hepatectomy and 4 wedge resections, using both the ultrasonic surgical dissector to fractionate and aspirate the hepatic parenchyma and to clear major vascular and biliary structures and the Argon laser for the coagulation of minor vascular and biliary vessels. The resected metastases averaged 5.5 cm (range: 1.5-7.5); blood transfusion requirements were significantly reduced from previous reports, averaging only 1.25 units (range: 0.3); the average operative time was 238 minutes (110 to 420 minutes). There were no operative deaths, operative morbidity rate was 16.6. The results indicate that the ultrasonic surgical dissector and the Argon laser have made a significant contribution to our marked decrease in the average blood loss and transfusion requirement. The long-term results seems to be improved by an adequate patients selection.


The convergence of telecommunication and broadcasting is one of the representative innovative technologies in digital environment. It has recently been empathized as an alternative solution to overcome already saturated telecommunication and broadcasting markets. However, the growth of related service and market cannot reach prior expectation due to the lack of understanding on the real users. Telecommunication technologies support users' instrumental purpose and broadcasting services usually serve their entertainment activities, which have an inherent value. Our research question is which factors influence users' attitude and decision making in the use of convergence services in the area of telecommunication and broadcasting. To access the determinants, we propose hedonic and utilitarian values as intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, and perceived control as internal and external conditions. To verify our model empirically, we have selected the DMB technology, a good example for the distinctive convergence service of telecommunication and broadcasting. In order for the DMB service to differentiate itself from the existing media and create unique benefits as a business model, service providers must develop individually customized contents based on each user's context information and life style and deliver them with the format meeting their hedonic needs and demands.


Background: To complement national and state-level HITECH Act programs, 17 Beacon communities were funded to fuel community-wide use of health information technology to improve quality. Health centers in Beacon communities received supplemental funding. Methods: This article explores the association between participation in the Beacon program and the adoption of electronic health records. Using the 2010–2012 Uniform Data System, trends in health information technology adoption among health centers located within and outside of Beacon communities were explored using differences in mean t tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Electronic health record adoption was widespread and rapidly growing in all health centers, especially quality improvement functionalities: structured data capture, order and results management, and clinical decision support. Adoption lagged for functionalities supporting patient engagement, performance measurement, care coordination, and public health. The use of advanced functionalities such as care coordination grew faster in Beacon health centers, and Beacon health centers had 1.7 times higher odds of adopting health records with basic safety and quality functionalities in 2010–2012. Discussion: Three factors likely underlie these findings: technical assistance, community-wide activation supporting health information exchange, and the layering of financial incentives. Additional technical assistance and community-wide activation is needed to support the use of functionalities that are currently lagging.


The use of palm oil-based biodiesel fuel has been proposed as an alternative fuel for diesel engine in Malaysia. The purpose of this study conducted by UTM is to investigate the combustion of various blends of palm oil products in a small-unmodified direct injection diesel engine, and compare it to that of a conventional diesel fuel. Experimental measurements of engine performances, exhaust emissions, cylinder pressure and rate of heat release were performed as a function of engine load for different engine speeds. It was found that in general, the palm oil-based biodiesels behaved comparably to the reference fuel in term of performance and rate of heat release. Smoke density readings show improvements as compared to that emitted by the diesel fuel in which operating under similar conditions. The results of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were varied and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were strongly related to the cylinder pressure development. The results of performance and emission on the single cylinder engine can be summarized as promising and are described in the paper.


The nucleotide sequence and transcriptional organization of Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 glnA, the structural gene for glutamine synthetase (GS), and glnB, the structural gene for the P(II) protein, have been determined. glnB and glnA are organized as a single operon transcribed from the same start site, under conditions of both nitrogen limitation and nitrogen excess. This start site may be used by two different promoters since the expression of a glnB-lacZ fusion was high in the presence of ammonia and enhanced under conditions of nitrogen limitation in the wild-type strain. The increase was not observed in rpoN or ntrC mutants. In addition, this fusion was overexpressed under both growth conditions, in the glnB mutant strain, suggesting that P(II) negatively regulates its own expression. A DNA motif, similar to a sigma54-dependent promoter consensus, was found in the 5' nontranscribed region. Thus, the glnBA operon seems to be transcribed from a sigma54-dependent promoter that operates under conditions of nitrogen limitation and from another uncharacterized promoter in the presence of ammonia. Both glnB and glnBA mutant strains derepress their nitrogenase in the free-living state, but only the glnBA mutant, auxotrophic for glutamine, does not utilize molecular nitrogen for growth. The level of GS adenylylation is not affected in the glnB mutant as compared to that in the wild type. Under symbiotic conditions, the glnB and glnBA mutant strains induced Fix- nodules on Sesbania rostrata roots. P(II) is the first example in A. caulinodans of a protein required for symbiotic nitrogen fixation but dispensable in bacteria growing in the free-living state.


Background: Ambient air pollution has been associated with asthma-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits (hospital encounters). We hypothesized that higher individual exposure to residential traffic-related air pollutants would enhance these associations. Methods: We studied 11,390 asthma-related hospital encounters among 7492 subjects 0–18 years of age living in Orange County, California. Ambient exposures were measured at regional air monitoring stations. Seasonal average traffic-related exposures (PM2.5, ultrafine particles, NOx, and CO) were estimated near subjects' geocoded residences for 6-month warm and cool seasonal periods, using dispersion models based on local traffic within 500 m radii. Associations were tested in case-crossover conditional logistic regression models adjusted for temperature and humidity. We assessed effect modification by seasonal residential traffic-related air pollution exposures above and below median dispersion-modeled exposures. Secondary analyses considered effect modification by traffic exposures within race/ethnicity and insurance group strata. Results: Asthma morbidity was positively associated with daily ambient O3 and PM2.5 in warm seasons and with CO, NOx, and PM2.5 in cool seasons. Associations with CO, NOx, and PM2.5 were stronger among subjects living at residences with above-median traffic-related exposures, especially in cool seasons. Secondary analyses showed no consistent differences in association, and 95% confidence intervals were wide, indicating a lack of precision for estimating these highly stratified associations. Conclusions: Associations of asthma with ambient air pollution were enhanced among subjects living in homes with high traffic-related air pollution. This may be because of increased susceptibility (greater asthma severity) or increased vulnerability (meteorologic amplification of local vs. correlated ambient exposures).


This paper presents an analytical and experimental study of crack shape evolution in steel plate specimens under cyclic loading. It is widely known that the introduction of compressive residual stresses by cold working the surface can be highly beneficial in improving the fatigue performance of structural components. Although it is recognised that relaxation of surface compressive residual stress can reduce the potential benefits, the effects of residual stress on crack shape evolution are often overlooked. Previous studies have shown that the intensity of the surface compressive residual stress has a pronounced effect on fatigue crack initiation. A recently developed technique termed controlled stitch cold working, which applies differing intensities of compressive residual stress at specific regions in a structure, is shown in the paper to influence fatigue crack propagation life considerably. The approach can be used to prevent crack growth in particular directions for example encouraging a controlled or fail-safe scenario. The paper describes fatigue crack growth tests on shot peened specimens tested under uniaxial tension. The specimens were peened to varying intensities and of differing coverage areas. Cracks were initiated from starter notches after peening meaning the approach can be used for fatigue performance enhancement at the construction stage or later as part of a maintenance and repair strategy. Crack growth retardation is apparent in all tests and this is attributed to the constrained crack shape. Further work will consider the use of laser and ultrasonic peening to contain cracks from rapidly propagating from stress concentrations. This approach used with careful design of stiffness can significantly extend the fatigue crack propagation resistance of ship and offshore structures.


Summary:  Seizures induced by photic (or visual) stimuli or photosensitive seizures can be observed in generalized or focal, idiopathic, or symptomatic epilepsies, in progressive neurodegenerative disorders, and even in the context of situation‐related (acute symptomatic) seizures. In addition to this "transversal" presence of the photosensitive trait across various epilepsy types and diseases, some syndromes in which all, or almost all, seizures are induced by photic stimuli seem to have sufficient specificity and may be considered as syndromes of pure reflex photosensitive epilepsy. Here we review the clinical characteristic of the different types of photic‐induced seizures and the main epileptic syndromes that are characterized by visual sensitivity either as the sole manifestation or as an accessory feature.


Context. Granular convective motions reach into the lower solar atmosphere, typically causing photospheric spectral lines to exhibit a differential line shift. This Doppler shift to shorter wavelengths is commonly known as convective blueshift.
Aims. Spectroscopic high-accuracy measurements provide us with a refined determination of the absolute convective blueshift and its atmospheric distribution from disk center to the solar limb.
Methods. We performed systematic observations of the quiet Sun with the Laser Absolute Reference Spectrograph (LARS) at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. The solar disk was scanned along the meridian and the equator, from the disk center toward the limb. The solar spectrum around 6173 Å was calibrated with a laser frequency comb on an absolute wavelength scale with an accuracy of a few meters per second. We applied a bisector analysis on the spectral lines to reveal the changes of convective blueshift and line asymmetry at different heliocentric positions.
Results. Being a signature for convective motions, the bisector curve of Fe I 6173.3 Å describes a "C"-shape at disk center. When approaching the solar limb, the bisector transforms into a "\"-shape. The analysis of the time- and bisector-averaged line shifts yields three distinct results. Firstly, the center-to-limb variation of Doppler velocities measured with LARS reveals a significant discrepancy (up to 200 m s−1) to the full-disk Dopplergrams of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Secondly, we obtained a significant decrease of convective blueshift toward the solar limb. Thirdly, the line-of-sight effect of solar activity, including p-mode oscillations and supergranular flows, leads to a scatter of up to ±100 m s−1 at intermediate heliocentric positions.
Conclusions. The accurate observation of the absolute convective blueshift with LARS allows the identification of systematic discrepancy with Doppler velocities measured by HMI. The center-to-limb variation of HMI suffers from an additional blueshift for μ <  0.9 that is incompatible with our results. LARS measurements can be taken as a reference for the correction of systematic errors in the synoptic HMI Dopplergrams.


Sporulation patterns of rice blast fungus were studied at relatively later stages of leaf blast and neck blast seasons in Icheon, Korea. This experiment was done by detaching lesion-bearing leaves and panicle bases. The number of conidia remaining on the leaf blast lesions of different cultivars from Jul 20 to Jul 23 ranged from 3,640 to 82,740 spores. More conidia were observed on the adaxial surface because they were released from abaxial surface. After heading, sporulation was observed from the lesions on the flag leaves but the number of spores was less than in the late July. Detached panicle bases or uppermost internodes infected by Pyricularia grisea produced abundant amount of conidia. Among these panicle bases, 30.1 mm size lesion recorded the highest count of 244,560 spores. When we compared the sporulation amount using the KY-type spore trap, more conidia were recorded from intact lesions than from the lesions which removed conidia and conidiophore The ratio of conidia release against total sporulation ranged from 20.5%-25.0% for leaf blast and 8.2%-25.3% in the neck blast. Effective inoculum potential was also discussed.


The product form design activities involve a high degree of uncertainty and complexity and are therefore not easily formulated, coded and regularized. Consequently, very few of the computer-aided design approaches presented in the literature can support the conceptual form design tasks typically performed at the preliminary stages of a product's development cycle. To enable designers to perform their design activities more objectively and efficiently, this paper combines the principles of fuzzy set theory, the shape-blending method and genetic algorithms to generate a knowledge-based approach for product form design based upon a database describing the relationships between different product forms and their corresponding perceptual image evaluations.


THIS number of the Surgical Clinics of North America deals with private clinic surgery in the United States and is designated as a nation-wide number. The object in preparing it has been to bring together some. of the commendable work being done by smaller, less publicized private groups than those we usually hear about. Selections have been made on the basis of significant contributions to medical surgery, with geographical diversification as another objective. The articles relate to many aspects of practical surgery.


Non-Human Primates (NHPs) harbor Cryptosporidium genotypes that can infect humans and vice versa. NHPs Chlorocebus aethiops and Colobus guereza and humans have overlapping territories in some regions of Ethiopia, which may increase the risk of zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium. This cross-sectional study examined the molecular prevalence and subtypes of Cryptosporidium spp. from 185 fecal samples of Chlorocebus aethiops and Colobus guereza in rural and urban areas in Ethiopia. Samples were tested for Cryptosporidium infection using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subtypes were determined by sequencing a fragment of the 60-kDa glycoprotein gene (gp60). Of the 185 samples, fifty-one (27.56%) tested positive for Cryptosporidium infection. The species detected were C. parvum (n = 34), C. hominis (n = 12), and C. cuniculus (n = 3). Mixed infection with C. parvum and C. hominis were detected in 2 samples. Four C. hominis family subtypes (Ia, Ib, Id, and Ie) and one C. parvum family subtype (IIa) were identified. C. hominis IaA20 (n = 7) and C. parvum IIaA17G1R1 (n = 6) were the most prevalent subtypes detected. These results confirm that Chlorocebus aethiops and Colobus guereza can be infected with diverse C. parvum and C. hominis subtypes that can also potentially infect humans. Additional studies could help to understand the role of NHPs in the zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium in Ethiopia.


Better than ever! The all-in-one reference book on physical and mechanical properties, processing parameters, and design and machining data of engineered materials Heavily revised: includes greatly expanded Ceramics coverage and two new sections on Traditional Ceramics and Glasses Engineering Plastics coverage includes a new section on Structure and Properties and expanded information on Production and Machining Electronic Material coverage has been reorganized for faster reference Alloy phase diagrams have been omitted to provide more of the information requested nu users. This popular reference contains four major areas on Composites, Ceramics, Engineering Plastic and Electronic materials. Each area compiles and organizes a tabular information and molecular structures where applicable. A complete table of contents guides you quickly to the information for which you are looking. The greatly expanded Ceramics area contains 61 tables of information for the following categories: standards and general applications thermodynamic and solid state data physical and mechanical properties high temperature applications friction, wear and abrasion environmenta effects manufacturing and production. A new section, Traditional Ceramics, contains 48 tables covering the areas of whitwares and clay-based products tile and brick cements and concretes refractories glazes, enamels and coatings processing. A second new section on Glasses contains 50 tables for the areas of composition and applications (for various categories of glasses), properties, glass-ceramics and glass-metal seals. In the Plastics area, the section on Thermoplastics contains 167 tables and 23 figures, as well as a new section on Structures and properties. Coverage of production and Machining has been expanded to include moulding and forming processes, processing parameters for specific materials, and secondary operations (including machining).


In this paper, the stability of an explicit finite element method for wave motion of fluid-saturated porous media is studied based on the transfer matrix of calculating formula of the method. Transfer factor is defined to describe the stability of the method. The effect of time step, space interval and the value of permeability coefficient on stability is analyzed and practical stability criterion is presented. Research results show that with the increase of time step, the stability of the method will be deteriorated; with the increase of space interval, the stability of the method will be enhanced; with the increase of the value of permeability coefficient, the stability of the method will be enhanced.


Existing methods for making MIDA boronates require harsh conditions and complex procedures to achieve dehydration. Here we
disclose that a pre-dried form of MIDA, MIDA anhydride, acts as both a source of the MIDA ligand and an in situ desiccant to enable a
mild and simple MIDA boronate synthesis procedure. This method expands the range of sensitive boronic acids that can be converted
into their MIDA boronate counterparts. Further utilizing unique properties of MIDA boronates, we have developed a MIDA Boronate
Maker Kit which enables the direct preparation and purification of MIDA boronates from boronic acids using only heating and centrifuge
equipment that is widely available in labs that do not specialize in organic synthesis.


Abstract The Copenhagen school's theory of securitisation has mainly focused on the middle level of world politics in which collective political units, often but not always states, construct relationships of amity or enmity with each other. Its argument has been that this middle level would be the most active both because of the facility with which collective political units can construct each other as threats, and the difficulty of finding audiences for the kinds of securitisations and referent objects that are available at the individual and system levels. This article focuses on the gap between the middle and system levels, and asks whether there is not more of substance there than the existing Copenhagen school analyses suggests. It revisits the under-discussed concept of security constellations in Copenhagen school theory, and adds to it the idea of macrosecuritisations as ways of getting an analytical grip on what happens above the middle level. It then suggests how applying these concepts adds not just a missing sense of scale, but also a useful insight into underlying political logics, to how one understands the patterns of securitisation historical, and contemporary.


Three recently discovered ssDNA Chlamydia-infecting microviruses, phiCPG1, phiAR39, and Chp2, were compared with the previously characterized phage from avian C. psittaci, Chp1. Although the four bacteriophages share an identical arrangement of their five main genes, Chpl has diverged significantly in its nucleotide and protein sequences from the other three, which form a closely related group. The VP1 major viral capsid proteins of phiCPG1 and phiAR39 (from guinea pig-infecting C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae, respectively) are almost identical. However, VP1 of ovine C. psittaci phage Chp2 shows a high rate of nucleotide sequence change localized to a region encoding the "IN5" loop of the protein, thought to be a potential receptor-binding site. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the ORF4 replication initiation protein is evolving faster than the other phage proteins. phiCPG1, phiAR39, and Chp2 are closely related to an ORF4 homolog inserted in the C. pneumoniae chromosome. This sequence analysis opens the way toward understanding the host-range and evolutionary history of these phages.


Although it is well documented that adults are more willing to attend to, learn from and make use of negative information, adolescents' behavior in this regard is less investigated. This tendency to preferentially process information encoded in negative stimuli (i.e., negativity bias) is known to play a major role in the development and maintenance of emotional disorders, both anxiety and depression being associated with it in adults. The aim of our study is to investigate the negativity bias displayed by adolescents in relation to their cognitive style and emotional symptomatology. Participants aged 13 to 16 years old (N=108) completed a performance-based measure which assessed their ability to learn both positive and negative outcomes associated with novel stimuli, and also filled in self-report measures of emotional symptomatology and cognitive style (YSR - ASEBA, Achenbach, 2001; PANAS-C, Laurent et al., 1999; CATS P/N, Hogendoorn et al., 2010). Poorer learning and greater asymmetry towards the negative stimuli were associated with greater vulnerability for internalizing symptomatology and a negative cognitive style. Even though previous research has identified a strong relation between negative cognitive styles and emotional disorders, the present study indicates that poor learning of positive stimuli might also be a risk factor for the development of emotional disorders.


Chronic hyperplastic candidosis/candidiasis (CHC; syn. candidal leukoplakia) is a variant of oral candidosis that typically presents as a white patch on the commissures of the oral mucosa. The major etiologic agent of the disease is the oral fungal pathogen Candida predominantly belonging to Candida albicans, although other systemic co-factors, such as vitamin defi- ciency and generalized immune suppression, may play a contributory role. Clinically, the lesions are symptomless and regress after appropriate antifungal therapy and correction of underlying nutritional or other deficiencies. If the lesions are untreated, a minor proportion may demonstrate dysplasia and develop into carcinomas. This review outlines the demographic features, etiopathogenesis, immunological features, histopathology, and the role of Candida in the disease process. In the final part of the review, newer molecular biological aspects of the disease are considered together with the management protocols that are cur- rently available, and directions for future research.


Aluminum welds are susceptible to liquation cracking in the partially melted zone (PMZ). This is the region immediately outside the fusion zone where liquation occurs due to overheating during welding. Using the multicomponent Scheil model for alloy solidification, curves of temperature vs. fraction solid (T-f S ) during solidification were calculated for the PMZ and weld metals (WMs) made with filler metals of various compositions. These curves were used to predict the crack susceptibility by checking whether the harmful condition of WM f S > PMZ f S exists during PMZ solidification, then reduce the susceptibility by minimizing this condition. This approach was tested against complete joint penetration welds of Alloys 7075 and 2024, which are highly susceptible to liquation cracking. In the case of 7075, T-f S curves predicted: 1) crack susceptibility of welds made with filler metals 4043, 4047, and 4145 and 2) crack elimination through 4145 plus extra Cu. Both predictions were confirmed in circular-patch welding. Similarly, in the case of 2024, T-f S curves predicted both the crack susceptibility with filler metals 1100 and 4043 and crack elimination through 5356 plus extra Cu, and both predictions were confirmed. This approach can be used to guide the selection or development of filler metals that reduce the crack susceptibility.


Objectives To identify current 'gaps' in clinical practice or therapeutic knowledge of the care of neonatal neurointensive care patients and to determine the impact healthcare technologies can have on improving outcomes. Design The Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing's (IfM) roadmapping methodology. Setting Cambridge, UK. Participants 16 delegates were selected through professional networks. They provided coverage of academia and clinical skills, as well as expertise in neonatology, engineering and technology development. Main outcome measures A 'strategic landscape' has been developed with 'landmarks' identified as 'trends or drivers', 'patient pathway experience and unmet needs' and 'enabling project or resources'. Priorities were voted on by delegates. Results 26 strategic 'landmarks' were identified, and of these 8 were considered 'trends or drivers', 8 'patient pathway experience and unmet needs' and 10 as 'enabling project or resources'. Of these, five priorities for the future of neonatal neurocritical care were identified by a voting process: real-time video monitoring for parents; individualised management of preterm infants in neonatal neurocritical care based on real-time multimodal monitoring; continuous electroencephalogram monitoring for early seizure diagnosis; neuroprotection: understanding basic mechanisms; and sleep measurement. Conclusions Through the use of the IfM methodology, a list of priorities has been developed for future work into improving the experience and possible outcomes of newborn infants with brain injuries and their families. While not an exhaustive list, it provides the beginning for a national conversation on the topic.


In 2010 the International Society of Sexual Medicine published its practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of premature ejaculation. This guideline was translated and adapted on a number of points by a committee consisting of members of two Dutch sexological societies, the 'WVSD' and the 'NVVS'. The most important subjects in this guideline are: (a) the case history is the most important diagnostic tool; (b) a physical examination is usually not necessary; (c) determination of the subtype of premature ejaculation can guide treatment; (d) pharmacotherapy alone is only applicable for primary premature ejaculation; (e) combination therapy is preferable for the secondary form of premature ejaculation, and pharmacotherapy is contraindicated for the other 2 subtypes


The article presents the results of a theoretical analysis of the current state of examination of personality identification based on appearance. The question of changing the object of research in the specified examination was raised. It has been established that with the development of digital technologies, multi-angle facial images began to prevail as an object of research, and studies of video recordings are widespread.
The different position of the head in the studied images led to the impossibility of using a significant number of comparative research methods: alignment along the medial line, alignment along a broken line, image editing, applications, "masks", overlaying translucent images, comparison of relative values, overlay of coordinate grids, construction of geometric shapes. The transformation of research objects necessitates a change in the methods of comparative research.
It is indicated that with the proliferation of video images, the identification capabilities of the examination have increased: an expert can examine images of an identifiable person on the entire video sequence. A common disadvantage of video recordings is image quality. For research, video recordings from external video surveillance cameras are often received, but the purpose of installing such cameras is to fix the environment, and not the faces of people. This explains the poor image quality.
A frequent problem in carrying out examinations for the identification of a person by signs of appearance is the "recognition effect". At the first glance at the image, one may get the impression that it is suitable for identification in the framework of portrait examination. However, this impression is most often mistaken. Often people have a sense of the obviousness of the image of a particular person in the frame if they have experience of interaction with this person. In addition, upon a detailed study of the image, an expert may conclude that it is unusable. The captured signs of appearance do not always constitute the necessary complex for the possibility of conducting research.
The current state of examination in identifying a person based on appearance suggests the need to develop comparison methods that could take into account the difference in the angles of the people under study. These methods include a graphical identification algorithm, a method of dimensional ratios of individual elements of appearance, and mathematical research methods. Further development in these areas is promising for expanding the possibilities of carrying out facial identification.


Wavelet analysis is a relatively new mathematical discipline which has generated much interest in both theoretical and applied mathematics over the past decade. Crucial to wavelets are their ability to analyze different parts of a function at different scales and the fact that they can represent polynomials up to a certain order exactly. As a consequence, functions with fast oscillations, or even discontinuities, in localized regions may be approximated well by a linear combination of relatively few wavelets. In comparison, a Fourier expansion must use many basis functions to approximate such a function well. These properties of wavelets have lead to some very successful applications within the field of signal processing. This dissertation revolves around the role of wavelets in scientific computing and it falls into three parts: Part I gives an exposition of the theory of orthogonal, compactly supported wavelets in the context of multiresolution analysis. These wavelets are particularly attractive because they lead to a stable and very efficient algorithm, namely the fast wavelet transform(FWT). We give estimates for the approximation characteristics of wavelets and demonstrate how and why the FWT can be used as a front-end for efficient image compression schemes. Part II deals with vector-parallel implementations of several variants of the Fast Wavelet Transform. We develop an efficient and scalable parallel algorithm for the FWT and derive a model for its performance. Part III is an investigation of the potential for using the special properties of wavelets for solving partial differential equations numerically. Several approaches are identified and two of them are described in detail. The algorithms developed are applied to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation and Burgers' equation. Numerical results reveal that good performance can be achieved provided that problems are large, solutions are highly localized, and numerical parameters are chosen appropriately, depending on the problem in question.


We systematically investigated the electronic structure of Ru nanoparticles supported on various local structures on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by first-principles-based calculations. We showed that Ru nanoparticles prefer to nucleate at these localized defect structures on rGO, which act as strong trapping sites for Ru nanoparticles and inhibit their aggregation. The binding of Ru nanoparticles to rGO, which is dependent on these local defect structures and correlates with the interfacial charge transfer, determines the electronic structure of the composites. Further study reveals that the performance of these composites against oxygen adsorption changes proportionally with the shift of the d-band center of the nanoparticles. The correlation between the defect structures on rGO and the reactivity of the composites suggests that controlled modification of the graphenic support by defect engineering would be an efficient way to fabricate new transition metal/rGO composites with high stability and desired reactivity.


From the collection of data (SDKI) in 2002-2003, it is found that the number of exclusive breastfeeding in infants below the age of two months covers only 64% of total infants. The most alarming facts are that 13% of infants under two months have been fed infant milk formula and one of three infants aged 2-3 months has been given additional food. Therefore, using Kelor as herba to facilitating breast milk is needed as extract requirement. In addition, this research considers characterization of Kelor extract as a first step to standardize Kelor extract. Sample is extract of Kelor leaf from East Java. To ensure quality requirements of 70% ethanol extract from Kelor leaf for herbal medicine, it has to meet the quality requirement guidelines established by BPOM. Examination includes non-specific parameter such as water content, total ash, total acid insoluble ash, and extract microscopic examination. In the other side, specific parameter includes content of dilute alkohol, content of dilute water, assay of total alkaloid and chemistry compound test. Characteristic of 70 % ethanol extract from Kelor leaf for non-specific parameter are water content 15,68%, total ash 3,04%, total acid insoluble ash 1,13% and loss on drying 29,70% , whereas characteristic of spesific parameter for content of dilute etanol 33,11%, content of dilute water 47,53%, and assay Trigonellin 15,68 %. The conclusion is non spesific characteristic from kelor leaf etanol extract, that is water content does not meet the quality requirement guidelines


We demonstrate fast universal electrical spin manipulation with inhomogeneous magnetic fields. With fast Rabi frequency up to 127 MHz, we leave the conventional regime of strong nuclear-spin influence and observe a spin-flip fidelity >96%, a distinct chevron Rabi pattern in the spectral-time domain, and a spin resonance linewidth limited by the Rabi frequency, not by the dephasing rate. In addition, we establish fast z rotations up to 54 MHz by directly controlling the spin phase. Our findings will significantly facilitate tomography and error correction with electron spins in quantum dots.


The Implicit Association Test and its variants have become pervasive measures of attitudes in a variety of domains and contexts. In two experiments, we provide evidence that a recent variant, the Personalized IAT developed by Olson and Fazio (2004) may more accurately detect changes in personal attitudes than the conventional Traditional IAT devised by Greenwald, McGhee, and Schwartz (1998). Our findings suggest that the Personalized IAT may be more sensitive to detecting attitude changes than the Traditional IAT because it is less affected by extrapersonal associations (i. e. salient associations not contributing to personal evaluations of the object). More generally, this research suggests that for attitude domains characterized by potentially strong extrapersonal associations, using the Personalized and Traditional IATs may provide researchers with complementary insights about knowledge structures.


This volume presents a leading contribution to the substantive arena relating to consent in the criminal law. In broad terms, the ambit of legally valid consent in extant law is contestable and opaque, and reveals significant problems in adoption of consistent approaches to doctrinal and theoretical underpinnings of consent. This book seeks to provide a logical template to focus the debate. The overall concept addresses three specific elements within this arena, embracing an overarching synergy between them. This edifice engages in an examination of UK provisions, with specialist contributions on Irish and Scottish law, and in contrasting these provisions against alternative domestic jurisdictions as well as comparative contributions addressing a particularised research grid for consent. The comparative chapters provide a wider background of how other legal systems' treat a variety of specialised issues relating to consent in the context of the criminal law. The debate in relation to consent principles continues for academics, practitioners and within the criminal justice system. Having expert descriptions of the wider issues surrounding the particular discussion and of other legal systems' approaches serves to stimulate and inform that debate. This collection will be a major source of reference for future discussion.


Loudness perception by human infants and animals can be studied under the assumption that sounds of equal loudness elicit equal reaction times (RTs). Simple RTs of a harbour porpoise to narrowband frequency-modulated signals were measured using a behavioural method and an RT sensor based on infrared light. Equal latency contours, which connect equal RTs across frequencies, for reference values of 150–200 ms (10 ms intervals) were derived from median RTs to 1 s signals with sound pressure levels (SPLs) of 59–168 dB re. 1 μPa and centre frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 16, 31.5, 63, 80 and 125 kHz. The higher the signal level was above the hearing threshold of the harbour porpoise, the quicker the animal responded to the stimulus (median RT 98–522 ms). Equal latency contours roughly paralleled the hearing threshold at relatively low sensation levels (higher RTs). The difference in shape between the hearing threshold and the equal latency contours was more pronounced at higher levels (lower RTs); a flattening of the contours occurred for frequencies below 63 kHz. Relationships of the equal latency contour levels with the hearing threshold were used to create smoothed functions assumed to be representative of equal loudness contours. Auditory weighting functions were derived from these smoothed functions that may be used to predict perceived levels and correlated noise effects in the harbour porpoise, at least until actual equal loudness contours become available.


Nonlinear pattern formations are ubiquitous in nature. One of the analogous configurations in laboratory experiments to such nonlinear systems is the current filament formations observed in glow plasmas. These filaments can generate oscillatory fluctuations in glow, which are also observed in voltage and current measurements. Specifically, semiconductor-gas discharges are known to breed these types of current filaments naturally. The plasma discharge is initiated by applying a DC high voltage to electrodes while they are immersed in nitrogen gas at partial atmospheric pressure. Observed discharge behaves oscillatory in time. Harmonic frequency generation and coherency levels among these modes are investigated. Parametric scans are performed to study the transition to chaotic behavior. Observed results are discussed in detail.


Background Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory multisystem disease characterized by oral and genital ulcers, uveitis, and skin lesions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of immune responses. Differential expression of miRNAs has been reported in several inflammatory autoimmune diseases; however, their role in BD is not fully elucidated. We aimed to identify miRNA expression signatures associated with BD and to investigate their potential implication in the disease pathogenesis. Methods miRNA microarray analysis was performed in blood cells of BD patients and healthy controls. miRNA expression profiles were analyzed using Affymetrix arrays with a comprehensive coverage of miRNA sequences. Pathway analyses were performed, and the global miRNA profiling was combined with transcriptoma data in BD. Deregulation of selected miRNAs was validated by real-time PCR. Results We identified specific miRNA signatures associated with BD patients with active disease. These miRNAs target pathways relevant in BD, such as TNF, IFN gamma, and VEGF-VEGFR signaling cascades. Network analysis revealed several miRNAs regulating highly connected genes within the BD transcriptoma. Conclusions The combined analysis of deregulated miRNAs and BD transcriptome sheds light on some epigenetic aspects of BD identifying specific miRNAs, which may represent promising candidates as biomarkers and/or for the design of novel therapeutic strategies in BD.


Although arachidonic acid cascade has been shown to be involved in sepsis, little is known about the role of PGD2 and its newly found receptor, chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2), on the septic response. Severe sepsis is associated with the failure of neutrophil migration. To investigate whether CRTH2 influences neutrophil recruitment and the lethality during sepsis, sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery in mice. CRTH2 knockout (CRTH2−/−) mice were highly resistant to CLP-induced sepsis, which was associated with lower bacterial load and lower production of TNF-α, IL-6, and CCL3. IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, was higher in CRTH2−/− mice, blunting CLP-induced lethality in CRTH2−/− mice. Neutrophil accumulation in the peritoneum was more pronounced after CLP in CRTH2−/− mice, which was associated with higher CXCR2 levels in circulating neutrophils. Furthermore, sepsis caused a decrease in the level of acetylation of histone H3, an activation mark, at the CXCR2 promoter in wild-type neutrophils, suggesting that CXCR2 expression levels are epigenetically regulated. Finally, both pharmacological depletion of neutrophils and inhibition of CXCR2 abrogated the survival benefit in CRTH2−/− mice. These results demonstrate that genetic ablation of CRTH2 improved impaired neutrophil migration and survival during severe sepsis, which was mechanistically associated with epigenetic-mediated CXCR2 expression. Thus, CRTH2 is a potential therapeutic target for polymicrobial sepsis.


The discovery of a fourth immunoglobulin (Ig) light (L) chain isotype in sharks has revealed the origins and natural history of all vertebrate L chains. Phylogenetic comparisons have established orthology between this new shark L chain and the unique Xenopus L chain isotype σ. More importantly, inclusion of this new L chain family in phylogenetic analyses showed that all vertebrate L chains can be categorized into four ancestral clans originating prior to the emergence of cartilaginous fish: one restricted to elasmobranchs (σ‐cart/type I), one found in all cold‐blooded vertebrates (σ/teleost type 2/elasmobranch type IV), one in all groups except bony fish (λ/elasmobranch type II), and one in all groups except birds (κ/elasmobranch type III/teleost type 1 and 3). All four of these primordial L chain isotypes (σ, σ‐cart, λ and κ) have maintained separate V region identities since their emergence at least 450 million years ago, suggestive of an ancient physiological distinction of the L chains. We suggest that, based upon unique, discrete sizes of complementarity determining regions 1 and 2 and other features of the V region sequences, the different L chain isotypes arose to provide different functional conformations in the Ig binding site when they pair with heavy chains.


Foreword to the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy issue on Criminal Justice Reform. Each author featured in this issue of the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy explores different aspects of the criminal justice system in the United States, and they come to the same conclusion that there is widespread consensus that in order for our system to fully embody the ideals of our nation and our great Constitution, critical reforms must occur at every stage within the criminal justice process.There is currently strong momentum and bipartisan support to encourage changes that will impact not only those currently imprisoned, but also those in the pipeline to prison, and recent policy shifts suggest that we are at a crossroads in criminal justice. However, meaningful reforms will occur only with bold and innovative solutions at each stage of the criminal process, beginning with policing, which represents the entry point into the criminal justice system. Ensuring humane treatment of those convicted and sentenced to prison for their crimes, as well as providing needed services to ease the transition of those reentering society from prison, are all on the reform agenda. Policymakers have announced several important criminal justice policy changes that signify that the nation is indeed in the midst of a "criminal justice revolution." My introduction will contextualize the articles and discuss how the proposals they analyze compliment these recent policy shifts and embody the types of changes needed to ensure sustainable and effective criminal justice reforms.


Aim: Accumulating evidence reveals that sedentary behavior is associated with mortality and cardiometabolic disease; however, there are potential age and sex differences in sedentary behavior and health outcomes that have not been adequately addressed. This study aimed to determine the association of sedentary behavior with cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and its risk factors in a large Japanese population according to age and sex. Methods: Using data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study obtained from baseline surveys, data of 62,754 participants (27,930 males, 34,824 females) were analyzed. This study uses a cross-sectional design and self-administered questionnaires to evaluate sedentary time and anamnesis. For the logistic regression analysis, sedentary time < 5 h/day was used as the reference and then adjusted for age, research areas, leisure-time metabolic equivalents, and alcohol and smoking status. From the analysis of anthropometric and blood examinations, 35,973 participants (17,109 males, 18,864 females) were analyzed. Results: For hypertension and diabetes, sedentary time was associated with a significantly higher proportion of male participants. Both sexes were associated with a significantly higher proportion of participants with dyslipidemia. Participants who had longer sedentary time tended to have increased levels of blood pressure, triglycerides, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and decreased levels of HDL-C, especially in the 60–69 years group. Conclusions: Independent of leisure-time physical activity, sedentary time was associated with cardiometabolic diseases in a large Japanese population classified by age and sex. Our findings indicate that regularly interrupting and replacing sedentary time may contribute to better physical health-related quality of life.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess and analyse the level of voluntary disclosure practices in the annual reports of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) listed firms and explore the association between corporate governance mechanisms and voluntary disclosure practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Panel data analysis was undertaken over a period from 2005-2008 with an aim to examine the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on voluntary disclosures made by 52 listed firms in their four years of annual reports. An unweighted voluntary disclosure index has been used for hand-collecting data from annual reports.

Findings

The findings show that the mean voluntary disclosure level over the four years is 23 per cent. Four out of eight corporate governance mechanisms examined found to be significantly associated with the level of voluntary disclosure, three negatively, one positively. Cross directorship, board size and role duality are negatively related to voluntary disclosure, while government ownership is positively related to voluntary disclosure. In contrast, the proportion of non-executive directors, family members on the board, the presence of an audit committee and the presence of the ruling family on the board have an insignificant influencer on voluntary disclosure practices.

Practical implications

The study provides an assessment of KSE-listed firm voluntary disclosure practices and its determents and highlights that that corporate governance attributes affect the voluntary disclosure practices of KSE-listed firms.

Originality/value

The findings of this study contribute to the arguments concerning the role of corporate governance mechanisms in improving the level of disclosure and information transparency.


Environmental sustainability of post mined limestone quarries often requires reclamation to a diverse woody plant community. Woody species diversity may be severely limited if only nursery stock is relied on for propagation material; thus other sources must be evaluated. To address woody species establishment and survival from different propagule sources at a limestone quarry in western Canada, native trees (4) and shrubs (3) were seeded and transplanted into amended substrates (wood shavings, clean fill, unamended control) in two seasons (spring, fall). Plant sources were nursery stock, local forest wildlings, seeds and forest soil (LFH mineral soil mix). Plant emergence, survival, height, health and browsing were evaluated over four years. Survival was greater with fall transplanted seedlings than with spring transplanted. Survival was greater for Picea glauca, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Populus tremuloides from nursery than local source stock. Seedlings from seeds and LFH did not survive for any of the species. Growth and survival were affected by bighorn sheep. Amendments did not improve plant establishment. Diversity of the woody plant community was increased at the quarry in spite of the severe conditions.


Purpose: To evaluate the clinical significance of dark spots in the donor endothelial cell layer as observed with specular microscopy, in patients who underwent Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED). Methods: Specular microscopy images of 83 consecutive eyes up to 7 years after DMEK were retrospectively reviewed in a masked fashion for the presence of dark spots and morphologic changes in the endothelial cell layer and processed for endothelial cell density (ECD) measurements. Results: A normal endothelial cell layer was found in 52/83 eyes (62.7%) (group 0). In the remaining 31/83 eyes, various dark discolorations with or without altered endothelial cell morphology were categorized into 4 groups. Dark spots were classified as artifacts in 10/83 (12.0%) eyes (group I) and as "superimposed" dots in 10/83 (12.0%) eyes (group II), that is, optical irregularities slightly anterior to a healthy endothelial cell layer. In 11/83 (13.3%) eyes, endothelial stress was characterized by dark grayish discolorations and/or nuclear activation (group III). Most of the latter eyes also had a significant ECD decrease; 3 of these eyes later developed secondary graft failure, of which one was preceded by allograft rejection. None of the eyes showed recurrent guttae typical for FED (group IV). Conclusions: Dark endothelial spots after DMEK for FED may not represent a recurrent disease, but tissue irregularities just anterior to the graft. However, if associated with changes in endothelial cell morphology, nuclear activation and/or ECD decrease, dark discolorations may reflect "cellular stress" heralding secondary graft failure or (subclinical) allograft rejection.


The aim of this thesis is to formalize and to analyze critically the historiography of the "Afghan period" in northern India. We have attempted to examine whether interpretative frameworks offered by historians since the 16th century can be corroborated by the historical remains extant. We have differentiated between two sets of historiographical assumptions put forward by two distinct groups of historians - the "medieval" and the "modern". Medieval historians - who composed their works in the 16th and 17th centuries - interpreted the Afghan period by reference to a network of mutual obligations among different sections of the society, which interrelationships were regulared in harmony with traditional Muslim precepts of government. An additional element determined the course of events, namely God's direct intervention within the field of history. We have found the explanatory principles of medieval historians to be logically self-contradictory, and empirically irrelevant for the understanding of the political culture of our period. Modern historians - who have been publishing their works in and since the 19th century - believe that the political dynamics of the Afghan period could be perceived within a framework of an intermittent struggle between exponents of two political programmes; tribally-oriented individuals,who struggled against supporters of a plan to erect a secular state governed by an impartial centralized bureaucracy headed by an autocrat. It seems to us that modern historians' interpretative scheme cannot be corroborated by the extant historical evidence; it also fails to explain the political instability of the Afghan period. Our historians appear to have been more interested in their own ideas about the period, than in the understanding of its political features. Owing to the peculiar nature of the historical evidence surviving from the Afghan period, the latter's political system and its political dynamics remain obscure.


Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder and takes on pandemic proportions. Dermatophytosis remains a significant public health problem. The objective of the study was to study the prevalence of Dermatophytic infection among diabetic and nondiabetic patients. It is a cross sectional study conducted during July 2011 to July 2012. All clinically diagnosed cases of dermatophytosis attending the Dermatology OPD of were included in the study. Among those 40 diabetic and 40 non diabetic Patients were included. Clinical materials were collected from the patients suffering from various types of dermatophytoses and processed according to standard protocols. 80 Samples from 80 patients suspected of dermatophytic infections were collected and processed. It includes 40 diabetic patients and 40 non-diabetic patients. The male /female ratio was 51%: 48%. Patients above 40 years of age were taken from both diabetic and non non-diabetic patients. A 16.3% of cases gave a history of contact with possible source of infection. Of the 40 diabetic samples collected 7 samples (17.5%) were both negative for both KOH wet mount and culture, remaining 33 samples (82.5%) were positive for both KOH mount and culture. Out of the 40 non-diabetic patients 12 samples (30%) were negative for both KOH mount and culture, remaining 28 (70%) were positive for both KOH mount and culture. The samples were skin scrapings, hair, and nail. Of the culture positive cases, 58.7% belonged to Trichophyton spp., 15% Microsporum spp. and 2.5% to Epidermophyton spp. The predominant isolate from all samples were T. rubrum, 40% from both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. T. rubrum was found predominantly in diabetic patients with an isolation rate of 45% than in the non-diabetic patients were the isolation rate is 35%. T. mentagrophyte isolation rate was 18.7% from both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Isolation rate of T. mentagrophyte was more from non-diabetic patients (20%) than the diabetic patient with the isolation rate of 17.5%. Microsporum gypseum isolation rate was 15% from both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Isolation rate of M. gypseum (15%) was same among both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Epidermophyton floccosum was the least isolated dermatophyte with an isolation rate of 5% and it was isolated only from diabetic patients. The predominant isolate from all samples were T. rubrum, 40% from both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. K e y w o r d s Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophyte Epidermophyton floccosum, Diabetic patients, Nondiabetic patients Accepted: 20 May 2018 Available Online: 10 June 2018 Article Info Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(6): 2516-2536


Chromohalobacter salexigens is one of nine currently known species of the genus Chromohalobacter in the family Halomonadaceae. It is the most halotolerant of the so-called 'moderately halophilic bacteria' currently known and, due to its strong euryhaline phenotype, it is an established model organism for prokaryotic osmoadaptation. C. salexigens strain 1H11T and Halomonas elongata are the first and the second members of the family Halomonadaceae with a completely sequenced genome. The 3,696,649 bp long chromosome with a total of 3,319 protein-coding and 93 RNA genes was sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute Program DOEM 2004.


Previous studies indicated that most organizations do not invest in AIS because they do not know the importance of AIS to their organizational growth, while some that invested do not know it impacts on their organizational growth. This study examined investment in accounting information system and its effect on sales growth of Nigeria Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The specific objectives of the study are to; identify the factors that influence sales growth, and examine the relationship between investment in Accounting Information System (AIS) and sale growth. A total of 120 questionnaires were administered to management staff of each selected Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for the study. The descriptive statistics employed include percentage frequency and charts to achieve the study objectives. The inferential statistics employed is multiple regression analysis while ANOVA was used to examine the relationship between investment in accounting information system and sales growth. Findings revealed that AIS investment, non AIS labor and AIS labor accounted for 82% of the variation in sale growth in the study area and that there is a relationship between investment in accounting information system and sale growth. Furthermore, it was revealed that AIS investment have the highest impact on sales growth (beta value = 0.944) followed by AIS labor (beta value = -0.018) while the variables that had the least impact on sales growth was Non AIS labor (beta value = -0.052). Conclusively, it was affirmed that a relationship existed between investment in AIS and sales growth. Consequently, government should implement a policy that will stimulate the investment in AIS by SME in order to improve their sales and in return have positive impact on economy development of the nation.

 Key word: Sales growth, Accounting Information System (AIS) investment, non AIS labor, AIS labor.


THE facts of Barclays Bank Ltd. v. Quistclose Investments Ltd. are well-known. In July 1964 Rolls Razor Ltd. declared a dividend payment that they were unable to meet. In order to meet their obligation, the company arranged to borrow the amount of the dividend, £210,000, from Quistclose Investments. The money was duly transferred into a separate account of Rolls Razor, opened specially for the purpose, held at Barclays Bank. The dividend was payable on 24 July but had not been paid when, on 27 August, Rolls Razor entered voluntary liquidation. Barclays and Quistclose both claimed the money. Barclays asserted a right of set-off against the Rolls Razor overdraft, while Quistclose claimed that the money was held in trust for them and, since Barclays were aware of this, the bank were accordingly constructive trustees of the funds.


Apart from a few small remnants of the Turan Plate in the north, Iran during the Palaeozoic was part of the northern margin of Gondwana. On the basis of 65 sections, the majority of them covering the time-span from the Late Silurian into the Early Carboniferous, the stratigraphy and facies pattern of this area have been elucidated. Biostratigraphical calibration and correlation of the sections, mostly by means of conodonts and brachiopods, show the evolution from a shallow carbonate-dominated shelf in the Silurian which, by a drop of sea-level, was transformed into a siliciclastic shelf during the Early Devonian. Fully marine conditions were subsequently re-established in the Middle Devonian to early Frasnian and persisted into the early Late Carboniferous. A widespread uplift in the latest Carboniferous turned the entire area into a continental regime before the onset of a new marine cycle during the late Early Permian. With the exception of the northern zone (Talesh Range, Aghdarband), the Palaeozoic of Iran is characterized by continental to shallow marine deposits showing that enormous portions of the northern margin of this sector of Gondwana have been subducted during the convergence of the Turan and Iran Plates and the elimination of the Palaeotethys during the Late Triassic.


Purpose: Sleep is essential for life, as well as having a major impact on quality of life. Not much attention has been given to this important factor in the care of lung cancer patients. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 404 lung cancer patients treated in our institute between 2010 and 2018. Data about sleep quality, distress and pain were self-reported by questionnaires administered to patients at their fi rst clinic visit to the Institute of Oncology. Sex, age, histology, stage, smoking and marital status were extracted from the patients ' charts. Uni- and multi-variate analyses were carried out to evaluate the correlation of these factors with survival. Results: Most patients reported some level of distress and pain. Sleep abnormalities were reported by 58.7% of patients. Distress, pain and bad sleep were correlated with shorter survival in univariate analyses; however, only sleep remained associated with survival in multivariate analysis. Patients reporting bad sleep had a median survival of 16 months, compared to 27 months for patients reporting good sleep (hazard ratio 1.83, 95% C.I. 1.27 – 2.65). Frequent arousals at night were more tightly correlated with survival than dif fi culty falling asleep. Conclusion: Sleep quality, as reported by lung cancer patients, is highly correlated with survival. Further studies are required to comprehend whether poor sleep quality is directly impacting survival or is a result of the cancer aggressiveness and patients ' conditions.


Despite evidence of the presence of prostaglandin (PG) I2 in mammalian oviducts, its role in early development of in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos is largely unknown. Thus, in the present study we examined the effects of iloprost, a PGI2 analogue, on the in vitro developmental competence of early porcine embryos and the underlying mechanism(s). To examine the effects of iloprost on the development rate of IVF embryos, iloprost was added to the in vitro culture (IVC) medium and cultured for 6 days. Supplementation of the IVC medium with iloprost significantly improved developmental parameters, such as blastocyst formation rate, the trophectoderm:inner cell mass ratio and cell survival in IVF and parthenogenetically activated (PA) embryos. In addition, post-blastulation development into the expanded blastocyst stage was improved in iloprost-treated groups compared with controls. Interestingly, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signalling pathway was significantly activated by iloprost supplementation in a concentration-dependent manner (10-1000nM), and the beneficial effects of iloprost on the early development of porcine IVF and PA embryos was completely ablated by treatment with 2.5μM wortmannin, a PI3K/AKT signalling inhibitor. Importantly, expression of the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway was significantly reduced in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) compared with IVF embryos, and iloprost supported the early development of SCNT embryos, as was the case for IVF and PA embryos, suggesting a consistent effect of iloprost on the IVC of IVP porcine embryos. Together, these results indicate that iloprost can be a useful IVC supplement for production of IVP early porcine embryos with high developmental competence.


Nonlinear optical properties such as the nonlinear refractive index and nonlinear absorption are characterized by z-scan measurements for a series of silicate glasses upon irradiation with laser pulses of 130 fs duration and 800 nm center wavelength. The stoichiometry of the silicate glasses is varied systematically to reveal the influence of the glass composition on the nonlinear optical properties. Additionally, the thermal properties such as glass–transformation temperature and thermal expansion coefficient are obtained from dilatometric measurements. It is found that the nonlinear refractive index is mainly related to the silica matrix. The nonlinear absorption is increased with the addition of network–forming ions.


The use of statins may have unnatural effects. A 54-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with an incidental finding of hypercalcemia (10.8 mg/dL). There was no disease other than hyperlipidemia, and the patient had been on a course of atorvastatin calcium 10 mg for 1.5 years. A workup investigation to diagnose the cause of hypercalcemia was completed. The investigation did not reveal any pathological diseases that may have caused the hypercalcemia. The hypercalcemia resolved after atorvastatin-calcium was stopped, and the patient developed hypercalcemia shortly after the initiation of the atorvastatin calcium. Here, we report a clinical case of recurrent hypercalcemia possibly induced by atorvastatin calcium administration.


We consider an exciting new computing paradigm called cloud-backed swarm cognition. It refers to an envisioned future where (mobile) edge devices work together collaboratively to provide intelligent services. The cloud provides a resilient back-up cover and supervision for such services. A specific example domain is that of smart, connected autonomous vehicles (e.g., cars, buses, trucks, or drones). In this computational paradigm, the cloud serves as the (relatively) stable repository of reference knowledge that is less frequently accessed than in non-swarm computation. The "vehicle swarm on the other hand, serves as a (relatively) dynamic cache of knowledge at the "edge." Leveraging the collaborative swarm mode reduces real-time deadline pressures at the individual node level, while improving edge resilience through redundancy. Overall, this leads to smarter vehicles through: (a) improved edge inferential accuracy and (b) improved system-level energy efficiency. In this paper, we consider the system architecture represented by the cloud-backed swarm cognition apparatus. We provide a visionary perspective of the fundamental trade-offs that one must model and interpret in tuning the parameters of this new architecture in a scenario where a swarm of connected cars conducts real-time traffic sign recognition.


Autoscopy, from Greek autos (self) and skopeo (looking at), are complex hallucinations wherein the patient feels a visual duplication of his body. The current paper presents some brain connectivity correlates, obtained from resting state functional magnetic resonance, in a patient with refractory epilepsy who suffers autoscopic hallucinations during her seizures. Introduce the functional neuroimaging findings in a patient with autoscopic hallucinations. As part of the evaluation protocol for patients with refractory epilepsy, electroencephalographic video monitoring, positron emission tomography and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging, were done to a patient that suffers autoscopic hallucinations during her crisis. The information obtained from those studies are correlated with clinical information. In the patient, the positron emision tomography and the electroencephalographic video monitoring study indicate an injury in the right occipital lobe, findings that coincide with previous literature report about autoscopy. The neuronal synchronization, measured by functional resonance, is abnormal in the same region where is altered the positron emision tomography imaging, enabling to relate the autoscopy phenomena with brain connectivity alterations. The patient has clinical features of autoscopic hallucination. MRI indicates areas with altered brain dynamics in the case of the patient coincide with regions reported in the literature. This study provides evidence on the role of neuronal synchronization mechanisms and the perception of hallucinations.


This paper studies the month of the year effect, where January effect presents positive and the highest returns of the other months of the year. In order to investigate the specific calendar effect in global level, fifty five stock market indices from fifty one countries are examined. Symmetric GARCH models are applied and based on asymmetries tests asymmetric GARCH models are estimated. The main findings of this study is that a December effect is found on twenty stock markets, with higher returns on the specific month, while February effect is presented in nine stock markets, followed by January and April effects in seven and six stock markets respectively. These patterns provide positive and highest returns on the mentioned months, while a pattern where a specific month gives a persistence signal of negative returns couldn't be found.


Computed tomography (CT), and especially cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has a wide range of applications. This thesis focuses on CBCT for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), particularly for lung cancer treatment. In lung IGRT the tumour moves due to respiration, not only making it hard to target with the radiation beam, but also blurring the images acquired for daily treatment tuning. Generating high quality images without motion artefacts is essential for radiation and hadron therapy. In this thesis, motion modelling ideas from CERN's phase space tomography are modified and adapted to lung CBCT. The CERN method includes a knowledge of the motion in the basic building blocks of the image reconstruction and uses all the acquired data to reconstruct a single static image at any chosen moment within the acquisition timespan. In order to use this method, and in general improve the reconstructed image quality of CBCT, iterative algorithms are explored with a focus on fast reconstruction using GPUs. The work presented here lead to the publication of the TIGRE Toolbox, a fast, easy-to-use MATLAB-CUDA toolbox for the reconstruction of CBCT images at state-of-the-art speeds with an extensive variety of iterative algorithms. This thesis presents the mathematics, GPU techniques and different applications of TIGRE and its algorithms, strengthening the idea already stated that iterative algorithms can significantly improve image quality in CBCT. A motion compensation method is developed together with a fast GPU implementation and its robustness is tested numerically by simulating the expected clinical errors in the data. The method is very robust and provides high-quality static images using data from disparate moments in time, offering the prospect of videos of patients breathing at no extra cost in radiation dose.


Most collaborative filtering (CF) models estimate missing ratings with an implicit assumption that the ratings are missing-at-random, which may cause the biased rating estimation and degraded performance since recent deep exploration shows that ratings may likely be missing-not-at-random (MNAR). To debias MNAR rating estimation, we introduce item observability and user selection to depict the generation of MNAR ratings and propose a tripartite CF (TCF) framework to jointly model the triple aspects of rating generation: item observability, user selection, and ratings, and to estimate the MNAR ratings. An item observability variable is introduced to a complete observability model to infer whether an item is observable to a user. TCF also conducts a complete rating model for rating generation and utilizes a user selection model dependent on the item observability and rating values to model user selection of the observable items. We further elaborately instantiate TCF as a Tripartite Probabilistic Matrix Factorization model (TPMF) by leveraging the probabilistic matrix factorization. Besides, TPMF introduces multifaceted dependency between user selection and ratings to model the influence of user selection on ratings. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets show that modeling item observability and user selection effectively debias MNAR rating estimation, and TPMF outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in estimating the MNAR ratings.


In her 1990 novel Disappearing Moon Cafe , Sky Lee capitalizes upon the slipperiness of public and private historical narrative in order to examine the cultural codes of race and gender in 1920s Vancouver. Lee uses the unsolved 1924 Janet Smith murder case as a correlative to the fictional Wong family's history, creating a counternarrative of Chinese-Canadian history that questions historical master narratives. Smith's murdered body functions both as a contaminant that infects the Wong's family history, and as a catalyst that inspires their familial regeneration and prosperity. The novel's staggered narrative also emphasizes the ways in which the Wong family's history resists completion and dismantles the generational story's traditional trope of defining the self through family. If Smith's death signalled the need for greater social and cultural tolerance, then her reinstatement as a referent in Lee's novel demands a broader perspective of Canadian history and citizenship.


The outsourced software development process has traditionally relied on a requirements-driven black-box approach for transferring knowledge of customer needs to vendors. When this approach is feasible, the need for the customer and the vendor to deeply understand each others' knowledge domain is limited. We describe this as symmetric division of knowledge. However, asymmetric overlaps in knowledge are necessary at the vendor-customer boundary in projects involving conceptual or process newness. In this study, we examine the conditions under which overlaps in knowledge at the vendor-customer boundary are necessary for enhancing the development process in outsourcing relationships. We develop and test a model using data collected in a large-scale field study of 209 software projects in 209 software development organizations belonging to three of the largest global software consortia. The study makes three contributions: (1) we empirically demonstrate that it is more important for a vendor to possess a higher level of business knowledge in conceptually new projects and for the customer to have a higher level of technical knowledge when the project involves process newness, (2) we assess the effectiveness of various integrating mechanisms, and (3) we show that there are potential downsides to blindly increasing vendor-customer overlaps in knowledge beyond those that have traditionally characterized software development.


AQP-CD is a vasopressin-regulated water channel expressed exclusively in the renal collecting duct. We have previously shown that AQP-CD is present in the apical plasma membrane and subapical vesicles of collecting duct cells, consistent with membrane-shuttling mechanisms that have been proposed to explain the short-term action of [Arg8] vasopressin (AVP) to regulate apical water permeability. We propose here that AVP may also have long-term actions on the collecting duct to regulate the expression of the AQP-CD water channel. We used immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and in vitro perfusion of renal tubules to investigate water channel regulation in collecting ducts of diabetes insipidus (Brattleboro) rats treated with a 5-day infusion of AVP or vehicle. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that collecting ducts of vehicle-infused Brattleboro rats had markedly reduced expression of AQP-CD relative to normal rats. In response to AVP infusion there was a nearly 3-fold increase in AQP-CD expression as detected by immunoblotting. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that the increased expression was predominantly in the apical plasma membrane and subapical vesicles of collecting duct cells. Inner medullary collecting ducts of AVP-infused Brattleboro rats displayed a 3-fold increase in osmotic water permeability relative to vehicle-infused controls, in parallel with the change in AQP-CD expression. Based on these findings, we conclude that (i) long-term infusion of AVP, acting either directly or indirectly, regulates expression of the AQP-CD water channel and (ii) AQP-CD is the predominant AVP-regulated water channel.


Purpose: When head and neck cancer patients take a CT scan,contrast agents (CA) are usually applied to enhance the visibility of the cardiovascular system, which helps physicians to delineate the fine structures in this confined region. Depending on the type of CA, among other factors, the physical density of certain organs would increase by up to 12–13%. To better represent the real density of human tissue for the treatment planning process, another set of CT scan is always acquired right before the CA is administrated. Then the two sets of images are fused for contouring purpose. This study takes a closer look at the effect of the CA on dose calculations in the Tomotherapy planning system. Method and Materials: Nine patients with various types of head and neck cancer were randomly selected. Besides the regular PTV and ORA contours, the most obvious contrast enhanced vessels were also carefully drawn, of which the overlap priorities were set to be the highest in the ORA list. First a treatment plan was done based on the CTimages with CA. The optimization parameters were saved and applied to the second plan, in which the same set of images was used with the density of contrast region overwritten to 1.0. Then the optimization process of both plans ran for a same number of iterations. Finally the change of average doses of PTV, cord, mandible and contrast filled areas were compared between the two plans. Results: The doses of various structures calculated from CA enhanced CT are not significantly different (< 1.5%) from the doses based on the non‐contrast CT.Conclusion:CT scan without CA is not absolutely necessary for Tomotherapy treatment planning purpose. By only scanning patients with CA, it would increase the overall efficiency of the patient care and clinical practice.


What does it mean for a new religion to arise or take hold among a group of people? What does it mean for a religious tradition to endure? Th ese are questions that are quite commonly addressed, at least implicitly, in the study of religion. Less frequently asked is the question of what it means for a religious tradition to come to an end. Th is article addresses this question, paying particular attention to the ways people actively dismantle a religious tradition that previously shaped their lives. I also consider what studying the process of religious disappearance can teach us about what it means for a tradition to arise and endure, arguing that a grasp on processes of religious dissolution is necessary for a fully rounded approach to the study of religious change. Th roughout the article, I illustrate my arguments with material from the study of Christianity, Judaism and indigenous religious traditions, particularly from Oceania.


Background and Purpose— As a reliable scoring system to detect the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after thrombectomy for ischemic stroke is not yet available, we developed a nomogram for predicting symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation who received bridging of thrombectomy with intravenous thrombolysis (training set), and to validate the model by using a cohort of patients treated with direct thrombectomy (test set). Methods— We conducted a cohort study on prospectively collected data from 3714 patients enrolled in the IER (Italian Registry of Endovascular Stroke Treatment in Acute Stroke). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was defined as any type of intracerebral hemorrhage with increase of ≥4 National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score points from baseline ⩽24 hours or death. Based on multivariate logistic models, the nomogram was generated. We assessed the discriminative performance by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results— National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, onset-to-end procedure time, age, unsuccessful recanalization, and Careggi collateral score composed the IER-SICH nomogram. After removing Careggi collateral score from the first model, a second model including Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score was developed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the IER-SICH nomogram was 0.778 in the training set (n=492) and 0.709 in the test set (n=399). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the second model was 0.733 in the training set (n=988) and 0.685 in the test set (n=779). Conclusions— The IER-SICH nomogram is the first model developed and validated for predicting symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after thrombectomy. It may provide indications on early identification of patients for more or less postprocedural intensive management.


Survivors involved in natural or man-made disasters can develop a range of psychological problems including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, other forms of psychological distress, and a poor quality of life. Therefore, the principal focus of early psychological interventions, according to World Health Organization, is to provide a rapid and effective therapeutical approach like EMDR therapy. The EMDR approach enables the assimilation and integration of the various aspects of a traumatic experience at a somatic, sensorial, cognitive, behavioral and emotional level. In this article will be presented data of 47 patients collected after the partial collapse of Morandi bridge, in Genoa, in August 2018. Survivors were treated applying the Recent Traumatic Episode Protocol (R-TEP); in order to evaluate the effect of the traumatic event and to monitor the intervention outcome, the Impact of Event ScaleRevised (IES-R) was administered to each person pre and after EMDR treatment. Results show that regardless the number of sessions and the time elapsed after the disaster in which they were performed, EMDR significantly reduced participants' IES-R scores from pre-treatment to posttreatment. Clinical implications and limits of the study will be discussed.


How can donor interventions hinder or assist statebuilding processes? This report from the OECD's Development Assistance Committee draws on country case-studies to examine five key areas of statebuilding. Donors operating in fragile states need to analyse where their own countries' strategic objectives contradict statebuilding objectives and where statebuilding objectives are themselves at odds. Donors can assist statebuilding by promoting: (1) inclusive political processes; (2) state legitimacy; (3) constructive state-society relations; (4) social expectations that are realistic but push states to do more; and (5) the development of sustainable capacities to carry out state functions. Donors can inadvertently undermine statebuilding processes in a number of ways, such as by: Supporting electoral processes when conditions for achieving a more inclusive political settlement and elite buy-in to statebuilding are not present; it is essential that donors understand the history and power dynamics of the partner country Weakening rather than strengthening the state's decision- and policy-making functions Creating a brain drain away from state organisations – for instance, by hiring the most qualified civil servants Delivering aid in a way that discourages states from consolidating their own revenue base, thereby hindering the development of state capacity Supporting administrative decentralisation when central political power is fragmented or local power is misunderstood. Failing to prioritise the consolidation of state security, or by providing piecemeal military assistance to fragile states where there is no functioning national army or police. Donors should undertake a statebuilding impact assessment based on an analysis of how their programmes may affect the key dimensions of statebuilding. They should avoid creating a "dual public sector" and instead promote a "virtual public sector" by supporting joint donor-development partner mechanisms to manage public finances and monitor expenditure. Among other measures, donors also need to: Provide partner countries with complete, accurate, detailed and timely information on their aid disbursements, particularly off-budget support. They also need to work with partner country officials to get an increasing proportion of aid reported on budget, and strengthen accountability mechanisms and political processes that underpin budgetary bargaining. Make decisions to support systemic governance reform based on analysis of the existing political settlement and pattern of state-society relations. Combine any support for administrative decentralisation with support for the organisations of the central state required to assist local administration. Provide assistance and pressure for a political settlement and for the implementation of a plan to construct accountable military and police forces if a country has not established a monopoly over the means of violence. Build capacity to implement law in ways that deal with local dispute resolution mechanisms and contradictions between formal and informal legal institutions. Consider the impact on the informal economy of efforts to eradicate illicit trade – including on the livelihoods of the poor and the profit-making activities of the better-off.


Sliced Wasserstein distances preserve properties of classic Wasserstein distances while being more scalable for computation and estimation in high dimensions. The goal of this work is to quantify this scalability from three key aspects: (i) empirical convergence rates; (ii) robustness to data contamination; and (iii) efficient computational methods. For empirical convergence, we derive fast rates with explicit dependence of constants on dimension, subject to log-concavity of the population distributions. For robustness, we characterize minimax optimal, dimension-free robust estimation risks, and show an equivalence between robust sliced 1-Wasserstein estimation and robust mean estimation. This enables lifting statistical and algorithmic guarantees available for the latter to the sliced 1-Wasserstein setting. Moving on to computational aspects, we analyze the Monte Carlo estimator for the average-sliced distance, demonstrating that larger dimension can result in faster convergence of the numerical integration error. For the max-sliced distance, we focus on a subgradient-based local optimization algorithm that is frequently used in practice, albeit without formal guarantees, and establish an $O(\epsilon^{-4})$ computational complexity bound for it. Our theory is validated by numerical experiments, which altogether provide a comprehensive quantitative account of the scalability question.


Due to the depletion of energy resources and consideration of the natural environment, introduction of natural energy facilities have been increasing yearly. However, due to the fluctuating power from renewable energy sources, the DC bus voltage fluctuation of DC grid becomes problematic. At the same time, there has been a increase in electrification house or residence and electric vehicles in recent years. Thus, energy control ability has also been increasing when the loads are used as controllable loads. This paper presents the DC bus voltage control by distributed controllable loads. The power system consists of diesel generators, wind generators and DC/AC loads. By applying power consumption control under the droop characteristic, the DC bus voltage fluctuations are maintained around rated value. The effectiveness of the proposed method is performed by using MATLAB/POWER SYSTEM® environment.


The main aim of this contribution is to establish convergence of some iterative procedures that play an important role in the PageRank computation. The problems we are interested in are considered in two recent papers by Ipsen and Selee, and Lee, Golub and Zenios. Both these papers present new ideas to solve the celebrated problem of the PageRank. Our aim is to show that the results and some generalizations of them can be proven via an application of the iterative aggregation/disaggregation methods. One of the results may be of particular interest. It concerns a proof that the two-stage algorithm proposed by Lee, Golub and Zenios does compute the PageRank. This problem has been raised in the literature. We answer this question in positive by showing appropriate necessary and sufficient conditions. In addition a short proof of the celebrated Google lemma is presented.


Foam concrete is used in building energy-saving insulation works, to study its fire performance is very important for further enhancing the fire performance of buildings. Under simulated fire conditions, by determining the compressive strength of foam concrete at different densities, different calcination time and different water content, this experiment studies the effect of these conditions on the fire performance of foam concrete. The results show that in case of fire, the compressive strength loss rate of foam concrete increases with the decreasing of density; to calcine the foam concrete standard specimens whose density are 300kg/m3 and 800kg/m3, their strength loss rates are 66.3% and 25.5%, the compressive strength of foam concrete in the same density increases with the calcination time decreasing, water content has different effects on different densities of foam concrete in the fire security. The foam concrete is non-flammable, but its compressive strength decreases due to the fire of combustible materials and high-temperature calcination.


Companies often struggle to embed environmental sustainability in their supply chain management (SCM) processes due to an insufficient understanding of how to initiate and bring environmental initiatives to fruition. Scholars argue that commitment of employees is crucial to enhance the implementation of these initiatives. Drawing from intra-organizational influence theory, this study examines how managers who champion these initiatives can gain employee affective commitment within a social network context. Prior research has investigated influence behavior by an individual (an agent) within the organization to gain the commitment of another individual (a target), by focusing on this agent–target dyad. Our research extends this single dyadic agent–target perspective, by investigating influence attempts within a more realistic, multi-dyadic context in which influence attempts by multiple agents are possible and in fact likely, and in which an actor can be both an agent and a target. We identify a 90-actor social network, resulting in 273 influence attempts surrounding the implementation of an environmental SCM initiative at a large, multinational corporation, and investigate how the affective commitment of actors in this network is achieved. Based on the analysis of a generalized linear mixed model, the results suggest that if agents want to create a high level of target commitment, then consultation and to a lesser degree inspirational appeals seem to be key, while tactics such as rational persuasion, ingratiation, legitimating, and coalition are not related to affective commitment, within the context of a social network where multiple agents often attempt to influence a target.