Objective:
To document quality of life in haemodialysis patients and to determine predictive factors.
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Nephrology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Oct to Nov 2016.
Material and Methods:
Patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis were selected by convenience sampling. Patients with acute kidney injury, those on infrequent HD, those on dialysis for less than three months and unwilling patients were excluded. Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form Version 1.3 was administered in direct face-to-face interviews. The effects of age, gender, level of education, duration on haemodialysis, smoking, marital status, frequency of dialysis per week, body mass index, presence of comorbid conditions, residence, availability of attendant, type of vascular access and household income on quality of life indices was studied.
Results:
There were a total of 109 patients, having a mean age of 50.22 ± 13.73 years. Out of these, 86 (78.90%) were males. Mean physical composite score, mental composite score and kidney disease component summary score were 33.41 ± 6.85, 46.10 ± 5.89 and 65.00 ± 6.11 respectively. Adequate physical composite score, mental composite score and kidney disease component summary score were attained by 8.26%, 22.94% and 49.54% patients respectively. A higher level of education predicted a higher mental composite score and a younger age predicted a better kidney disease component summary score. None of the factors studied could predict higher physical composite score.
 Conclusion:
Haemodialysis patients had a poor quality of life. Older age and a lower level


Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) yields in Ethiopia are primarily limited by water deficiency. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted using five cultivars (Tob-2, DZ, Boohai, Omrabi-5, and Po) under moisture stress during the terminal period of growth and non-stress conditions to evaluate growth and some components of yield. Analysis of the relative growth rate (RGR) and its components showed significant differences between varieties. Drought-tolerant cultivars had a high RGR during favourable periods of the growing season and a low RGR during moisture stress. Path-coefficient analysis revealed that longer vegetative periods were associated with reduced grain-filling periods (GFP) and negatively associated with drought resistance. The direct effect of number of spikes m-2 (Sm-2) on grain yield (GY) was positive and significant. However, the indirect effect via kernels per spike (K/S) and kernel weight (KW) was negative. Grain-filling period had a strong influence on GY via KW. Kernels per spike had the largest direct effect on GY. Variation in drought susceptibility index among cultivars was significant. This study concluded that lower RGR, longer GFP, increased number of K/S, and limited Sm-2 can be used as selection criteria under water-limited environments for drought resistance.


The combined results of ab initio electronic-structure calculations, nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations using ab initio multiple spawning, and previous spectroscopic investigations of jet-cooled molecules provide strong evidence of a (π,σ*)-mediated decomposition mechanism for the furazan and triazole energetic molecules. The importance of dissociative excited states formed by electron promotion from a π molecular orbital to a σ* molecular orbital is explored for the furazan and triazole energetic molecules. Dissociative (π,σ*) states of furazan and triazole energetic molecules can be populated by nonadiabatic surface jump from the (π,π*) or the (n,π*) state. Finally, conical intersections between (π,σ*) potential energy surfaces (PESs) and the ground PES influence the eventual fragmentation dynamics of the furazan and triazole energetic molecules. Due to structural similarity of the triazole molecule with the pyrrole molecule, a comparison of nonadiabatic dynamics of these two molecules is also presented. The N-N bond dissociation is found to be a barrierless pathway for the triazole molecule, whereas the N-H bond dissociation exhibits a barrierless pathway for the pyrrole molecule. The present work, thus, provides insights into the excited-state chemistry of furazan and triazole energetic functional groups. The same insight can also be relevant for other energetic molecules.


On March 3, 2017, Professor Stephen A. Ross died unexpectedly. Because of his major contributions to the field of financial economics, many expected that he would be awarded the most prestigious award in economics, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, and were surprised that he had not received the award previously. In this article, the authors summarize the many contributions of Professor Ross and assess their originality, impact, and influence on the field of economics and finance.


After nearly a millennium of uninterrupted harmony between the Sinhalese and Muslims in Sri Lanka, economic and ethno-religious developments after the 1970s have created an atmosphere of communal tension between the two groups. While a new wave of political Buddhism with its militant offshoot amongst the Sinhalese and the growth of a rigid Islamic orthodoxy amongst the Muslims have provided the ethno-religious dimension to this tension, the post-1977 open economy has added an economic dimension to it. The interplay of this toxic triad is a reminder of a similar scenario that produced the first Sinhalese-Muslim racial riots in the country in 1915. Unlike the first, which occurred in the colonial context, the current one, which if not arrested, will not only jeopardize Sinhalese–Muslim harmony but also will result in adverse consequences in Sri Lanka's relations with Muslim countries.


BACKGROUND: hearing loss in newborns. Aim: to verify the prevalence of auditory alterations in newborns of Hospital Sao Paulo (hospital), observing if there are any correlations with the following variables: birth weight, gestational age, relation weight/gestational age and risk factors for hearing loss. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of the hospital records of 1696 newborns; 648 records of preterm infants and 1048 records of infants born at term. All of the infants had been submitted to an auditory evaluation consisting of: Transient Otoacoustic Emissions, investigation of the cochleal-palpebral reflexes and acoustic imittance tests, identifying the type and level of hearing loss. RESULTS: sensorineural hearing loss was identified in .82% of the infants who were born at term and in 3.1% of the preterm infants - with a statistically significant difference. Conductive hearing loss was the most frequent type of hearing loss in both groups, occurring in 14.6% of the term infants and in 16.3% of the preterm infants. Alteration of the central auditory system was considered as a possible diagnosis for 5.8% of the preterm infants and for 3.3% of the term infants. For the group of infants who were born at term, a significant correlation was observed between failure in the hearing screening test and the presence of risk factors such as family history and presence of a syndrome - the child who presented a syndrome had 37 times more chances of failing in the hearing screening test and seven times more chances of failing in the right ear when there was a family history for hearing loss. The lower the gestational age (< 30 weeks) and birth weight (< 1500g), the higher the chances of failing in the hearing screening test (3 times more). CONCLUSION: hearing loss had a higher occurrence in preterm infants who remained in the ICU. Gestational age and birth weight were important variables related to the possibility of failure in the hearing screening test. A correlation was observed between the presence of a syndrome and sensorineural hearing loss in infants who were born at term.


Techniques for reducing the variance of gradient estimates used in stochastic programming algorithms for convex finite-sum problems have received a great deal of attention in recent years. By leveraging dissipativity theory from control, we provide a new perspective on two important variance-reduction algorithms: SVRG and its direct accelerated variant Katyusha. Our perspective provides a physically intuitive understanding of the behavior of SVRG-like methods via a principle of energy conservation. The tools discussed here allow us to automate the convergence analysis of SVRG-like methods by capturing their essential properties in small semidefinite programs amenable to standard analysis and computational techniques. Our approach recovers existing convergence results for SVRG and Katyusha and generalizes the theory to alternative parameter choices. We also discuss how our approach complements the linear coupling technique. Our combination of perspectives leads to a better understanding of accelerated variance-reduced stochastic methods for finite-sum problems.


Colonialism has been regarded by social scientists as a major vehicle of social change in Africa. In line with this general notion, the British colonisation of Nigeria had forcefully imposed western culture on the people of Nigeria which resulted in a culture-conflict. Consequently, a great deal of the indigenous socio-political and cultural settings was partially or completely burnt away, or totally overhauled. Thus, in colonial Lagos, new styles were observable in food, clothing, housing and other social behaviours which caused some far-reaching consequences of both positive and negative natures. However, the major focus of this study is to examine the negative consequences of the social change heralded by the advent of colonialism in Lagos as it relates to youths. This is the social problem called juvenile delinquency. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to trace the root cause of juvenile delinquency in colonial Lagos to the advent of colonialism. The argument of this paper is that the sudden rise in juvenile delinquency in the 1920s had its root in the advent of colonialism which brought with it urbanisation and Western culture both of which created an irreparable damage to the institution of family. The immediate effect of this damage was the sudden upsurge in social vices by Lagos youth such as stealing, gambling, wandering, drug addiction, hawking, juvenile prostitution, and pick-pocketing, just some examples which caught the attention of the colonial officials in the 1930s. In addition to the foregoing, the paper tries to argue that these delinquencies are typical of an urban city. In other words, juvenile delinquencies could be regarded as a feature of cosmopolitanism. To justify this argument, the advent of colonial rule and the resultant dramatic transformation of Lagos into a cosmopolitan and heterogeneous urban city will be adequately examined. This paper will also examine the reaction of colonial government to the problem which led to the creation of the social welfare department in the colony of Lagos saddled with the responsibility of curbing these delinquencies.


Introduction: Wrong blood transfusion (BT) is a medical negligence. Every hospital must have a strong policy to check incorrect BT and see to it that these policies are strictly implemented at the time of transfusion.Wrong BT can occur due to carelessness of the staff and shortcomings in verification of the blood bag. The reasons can be avoided and wrong BT can be prevented by the formation of a checklist consisting of the important details to be verified before initiating transfusion. The checklist should not be very long and time-consuming, but very comprehensive and consists of only absolutely essential things to be checked.
Aim: To study the BT process and providing suggestions for streamlining the process of BT.
Objectives:
■To analyze the nears miss incidents during BT.
■To identify the errors in the process of transfusion.
■To streamline the process by introducing checklist/work instructions for reducing errors.
Materials and methods:
■Analysis of safety reports regarding BT.
■Process-based root cause analysis was done at the time of issue and at ward level.
■Feedback regarding BT was taken from the staff working at blood bank and nursing professionals.
The study was divided into two phases: Phase 1: January-April 2014
Phase 2: May-August 2014
All the reports from phase 1 of the study were analyzed. Based on the observations, interventions in the form of checklist and work instructions to the nursing staff were implemented in the hospital in the month of April and then the safety reports for the next 4 months were analyzed.
Interventions done: A "4C" checklist was created with just four elements that could be orally or mentally reviewed before beginning transfusion. Specific work instructions were also issued to the nursing staff at the ward level to prevent any errors during labeling of the samples being sent for cross match and blood grouping before BT.
Results: The number of BT-related safety incidents observed in phase 1 reduced in phase 2 though the workload in terms of samples received remained comparable for the two phases. However, a declining trend for the reporting of incidents was also seen through the phases.


This series of books was commissioned by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), which has statutory responsibility for running the school National Curriculum and the associated assessment regime - in England and Wales. An expert group was assembled to undertake the work for National Curriculum Key Stages 1 - 3. Drawing from her assessment research experience, Bain was invited to be part of the group and to author the volume for Key Stage 3 (11-14 year olds). The project began with school-based case-study research, assembling a range of models of practice both in terms of teaching/learning activities in Design & Technology and in terms of the assessment opportunities that they offered. These were analysed in terms of the National Curriculum framework for assessment. One of the key challenges lay in the fact that the diverse nature of practice had to be capable of assessment through a common framework of criteria (the National Curriculum Attainment Target for Design and Technology). It was important to analyse and illustrate parallel forms of practice across this breadth of application. Data from the case studies initiated this analysis. However it was necessary to seed alternative forms of practice so as to acquire the evidence of learners' performance that had not emerged naturally from teachers' practices. The book therefore - whilst rooted in classroom realities - reflects explorations of new and unusual models of practice.


This study is part of an on-going investigation of so called "critical periods" in development and brain functional plasticity. Specifically, this paper examines the role of motivation in reversing stimulus deprivation amblyopia induced during the "critical period". Kittens were deprived of vision in one eye (through the use of opaque contact lenses) from age 5 weeks to age 19 weeks. During this period (5 weeks to 19 weeks of age) the kittens were trained and tested for monocular acuities in the non-occluded eye. At the end of the occlusion period, visually evoked potentials were recorded from these kittens to verify the presence of the deprivation amblyopia.


Distribution of multichannel video signals in the subscriber loop by subcarrier multiplexing (SCM)1 has gained increased attention recently, principally because SCM systems have attractive near-term economics. However, due to the low sensitivity of a 50-Ω receiver (−20 to −13 dBm) and limited laser launch power into single-mode fiber (≈ 0 dBm), the power budget of an SCM system is generally inadequate for point-to-multipoint distribution. This limitation can be overcome by employing traveling-wave (TW) laser amplifiers, because their wide bandwidth (40-50 nm) can accommodate all the modes of a multilongitudinal-mode laser, and they have high saturation output power (0-5 dBm). We present both experimental and analytical results of the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) performance of an SCM system which carries ninety FM video signals by using a high-speed GaInAsP laser and two cascaded TW amplifiers.


Sectioning and 3D visualisation of laboratory flume deposits from dense, polymict granular flows reveals intricate structures typical of pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits. Particle mixtures containing analogies to juvenile pumice and lithic clasts generate structures analogous to PDC features including 'rafting' and inverse grading of pumice, and normal grading of lithics by simple gravitational granular sorting. In addition, sequential charges generate complex shear-derived reworking and interaction between the active flow and underlying deposit. Recumbent flame structures occur alongside features produced by larger scale Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instabilities that result from perturbations in the shear-layer during flow and deposition. Mathematical modelling indicates that similar K-H instabilities should also form in natural PDCs. Hence there would be strong mixing at the boundaries between successive flows and this would have significant implications for unravelling eruption histories, temperature proxy data using in-situ charcoals, and dating using phenocrysts (40Ar/39Ar) or charcoals (14C). K-H instabilities provide a syn-depositional mechanism for recumbent flame structure formation in laminar shearing systems. Assuming laminar shear is prevalent in the depositional flow-boundary region of dense PDCs, the lack of recorded K-H instabilities in field deposits is assessed. Possible explanations include: 1) masking due to the "uniformity" in colour, constituents and composition of successive PDC deposits, and 2) rapid vertical migration of the shear zone during deposition precluding full K-H growth and preservation. In situations where reworking has obscured boundaries between separate multiple flow units, inferences based upon a single unit interpretation of eruption volumes and periodicities, flow volumes, and flow thicknesses would be incorrect. The ability of thin dense granular currents to remobilise significant volumes from underlying loose material suggests an important role for reworking in the stratigraphies of sequential density-stratified pulses and flows. Furthermore, the degree of particle sorting over short distances during flow demonstrated in the flume experiments suggests the classic ignimbrite inverse-graded to massive division stratigraphy can be reproduced by remobilisation of pre-existing PDC deposits.


In this article, we provide an insight into Process Management that offers a simple hands-on method to improve Process Management. Organisations implementing 'some modern' management concept sometimes fail or do not achieve the expected results. From our own industrial experiences, we found that organisations implementing Process Management sometimes start off on a 'too-advanced' level without having fulfilled the necessary prerequisites. For that purpose, in this article, we present a Process Management maturity model developed in an environment of industrial and academic cooperation. In addition to the model, we present a diagnostics tool that has been developed together with several companies to be used by organisations to assess their current level of process maturity. By using this, it is the purpose that organisations could reduce their risk of starting off 'too high' and thus failing in their efforts.


Three-dimensional calculations were performed to simulate the flow around a cylindrical vegetation element using the Scale Adaptive Simulation (SAS) model; commonly, this is the first step of the modeling of the flow through multiple vegetation elements. SAS solves the Reynolds Averaged NavierStokes equations in stable flow regions, while in regions with unstable flow it goes unsteady producing a resolved turbulent spectrum after reducing eddy viscosity according to the locally resolved vortex size represented by the von Karman length scale. A finite volume numerical code was used for the spatial discretisation of the rectangular computational domain with stream-wise, cross-flow and vertical dimensions equal to 30D, 11D and 1D, respectively, which was resolved with unstructured grids. Calculations were compared with experiments and Large Eddy Simulations (LES). Predicted overall flow parameters and mean flow velocities exhibited a very satisfactory agreement with experiments and LES, while the agreement of predicted turbulent stresses was satisfactory. Calculations showed that SAS is an efficient and relatively fast turbulence modeling approach, especially in relevant practical problems, in which the very high accuracy that can be achieved by LES at the expense of large computational times is not required.


A persistent infection with rabies virus (HEP-Flury) was established in the CNS-derived hybrid cell line 108CC15 which possesses specific membrane receptors for prostaglandins, catecholamines and acetylcholine. We report a differential virus influence on the specific receptor response to PGE, isoproterenol and acetycholine as indicated by typical changes of the intracellular cyclic AMP levels. As the adenylate cyclase activity was unchanged in infected cells in vitro, a selective virus influence on specific receptors themselves or their coupling to the cAMP synthesizing system must be considered.


When interpreting the "Yukos affair", it is hard to focus on any single particular motive or explanation that would easily rationalise the government's actions against the company. The "Yukos affair" is a multi-layered process with a number of different reasons for its cause. When one scrutinises the events around the company, the impression may be obtained that the Kremlin seemed at first not to have had any ultimate strategy; the authorities' position evolved as time went by. At first, the conflict was mainly of a political nature; economic factors did not arise until later, when the oil sector was undergoing changes in ownership.


BACKGROUND
Several lines of evidence indicate that depression is importantly associated with cardiovascular disease end points. However, little is known about the role of depression in stroke mortality.

METHODS
This study examined the association between depressive symptoms and stroke mortality in a prospective study of behavioral, social, and psychological factors related to health and mortality in a community sample of 6676 initially stroke-free adults (45.8% male; 79.1% white; mean age at baseline, 43.4 years) from Alameda County, California. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the 18-item Human Population Laboratory Depression Scale. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the impact of depressive symptoms after controlling for age, sex, race, and other confounders.

RESULTS
A total of 169 stroke deaths occurred during 29 years of follow-up. Reporting 5 or more depressive symptoms at baseline was associated with increased risk of stroke mortality, after adjusting for age, sex, and race (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.39; P<.006). This association remained significant after additional adjustments for education, alcohol consumption, smoking, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes (hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.22; P<.02). Time-dependent covariate models, which allowed changes in reported depressive symptoms and risk factor levels during follow-up, revealed the same pattern of associations.

CONCLUSIONS
This population-based study provides the strongest epidemiological evidence to date for a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and stroke mortality. These results contribute to the growing literature on the adverse health effects of depression.


Excellent C-rate and cycling performance with a high specific capacity of 117.6 mA h g(-1) have been achieved on NASICON-structure Na3V2(PO4)3 sodium-ion batteries. Two different Na sites, namely Na(1) and Na(2), are reported in the open three-dimensional framework, of which the ions at the Na(2) sites should be mainly responsible for the electrochemical properties. It is vitally important and interesting to find that there are two kinds of possible ion occupation of Na ions in Na3V2(PO4)3 and the investigation of ion-extraction number is firstly explored by discussing ion occupations with the help of first-principles calculations. The ion occupation of 0.75 for all Na sites is suitable for the configuration of [Na3V2(PO4)3]2, and the two-step extraction process accompanied by structure reorganization can account for the theoretical capacity of Na3V2(PO4)3.


Positional, structural, and dynamical parameters for all dwarf galaxies in and around the Local Group are presented, and various aspects of our observational understanding of this volume-limited sample are discussed. Over 100 nearby galaxies that have distance estimates reliably placing them within 3 Mpc of the Sun are identified. This distance threshold samples dwarfs in a large range of environments, from the satellite systems of the MW and M31, to the quasi-isolated dwarfs in the outer regions of the Local Group, to the numerous isolated galaxies that are found in its surroundings. It extends to, but does not include, the galaxies associated with the next nearest groups, such as Maffei, Sculptor, and IC 342. Our basic knowledge of this important galactic subset and their resolved stellar populations will continue to improve dramatically over the coming years with existing and future observational capabilities, and they will continue to provide the most detailed information available on numerous aspects of dwarf galaxy formation and evolution. Basic observational parameters, such as distances, velocities, magnitudes, mean metallicities, as well as structural and dynamical characteristics, are collated, homogenized (as far as possible), and presented in tables that will be continually updated to provide a convenient and current online resource. As well as discussing the provenance of the tabulated values and possible uncertainties affecting their usage, the membership and spatial extent of the MW sub-group, M31 sub-group, and the Local Group are explored. The morphological diversity of the entire sample and notable sub-groups is discussed, and timescales are derived for the Local Group members in the context of their orbital/interaction histories. The scaling relations and mean stellar metallicity trends defined by the dwarfs are presented, and the origin of a possible "floor" in central surface brightness (and, more speculatively, stellar mean metallicity) at faint magnitudes is considered.


Objective The process of arterial calcification shares many similarities to skeletal mineralisation, and involves the deposition of hydroxyapatite in the arteries. However, the cellular mechanisms responsible have yet to be fully elucidated. Accumulating evidence suggests that aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect), plays a critical role in meeting the demand for energy and biosynthetic precursors during proliferation and differentiation in numerous cell types. Therefore we addressed the hypothesis that vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification requires aerobic glycolysis to produce energy and the necessary biosynthetic precursors. Methods Calcification of murine aortic VSMCs was induced by 3 mM Pi for 7 days. Calcium deposition was determined using alizarin red staining and a modified o-cresolphthalein method. VSMCs were cultured with the fluorescent glucose analogue 2-(N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)Amino)−2-Deoxyglucose (2-NBDG) to determine changes in glucose uptake. Gene expression was analysed by qRT-PCR. Results Calcium deposition was significantly increased in VSMCs cultured in 3 mM Pi versus control conditions (124%, p<0.001). Calcified VSMCs also showed increased mRNA expression of Runx2, Phospho1, Ocn and PiT-1 (p<0.001), recognised osteogenic markers of arterial calcification. Furthermore 3 mM Pi treatment increased glucose uptake (98%, p<0.05) and Glut-1 mRNA expression (1.47 fold, p<0.001). Glycolysis converts glucose to pyruvate which is subsequently converted to either (i) acetyl-CoA by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH) or (ii) lactate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Notably, decreased VSMC calcification was observed in cells treated with sodium dicholoroacetate, an inducer of PDH activity (1 mM; 40%; p<0.01) and citric acid, synthesised in the mitochondria from acetyl CoA (1 mM; 72%, p<0.001). Treatment with the LDH inhibitor sodium oxamate (20 mM) or sodium lactate (50 mM) to induce pyruvate production also inhibited VSMC calcification (68% and 53% respectively, p<0.05). Activation of the Wnt pathway – an established regulator of Warburg metabolism – using the selective GSK3 inhibitor CHIR99021 (1 nM) significantly increased VSMC calcification (417%, p<0.001). However, co-?treatment with sodium oxamate (20 mM) significantly blunted the pro-calcification effect of CHIR99021 (69%, p<0.01). Conclusion Together these data suggest that arterial calcification requires glucose metabolism through a mechanism involving Wnt signalling. Interruption of the glycolysis pathway may therefore represent a novel therapeutic target for clinical intervention.


The melon borer, Diaphania indica (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a serious pest of tropical and subtropical cucurbitaceous vegetables. A suitable artificial diet is desirable for producing uniform insects for commercial purposes or research. Four new artificial diets (D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4) and bitter gourd, the natural host plant of D. indica, were used for r aring D. indica, and the life parameters were comp r d. The resul s indicated that insects co ld complete a full life cycle after 3 generations, only when the larvae were fed bitter gourd or the diet D-1.The new artificial diet, D-1 was formulated based on bitter gourd leaves, Momordica charantia (L.) and chick pea, Cicer arietinum L. Developmental parameters like egg hatching, larval duration and longevity of the adult reared on the D-1 artificial diet were found to be significantly improved relative to the other three diets (D-2, D-3 and D-4), but were not significantly better than those reared on the host-plant bitter gourd. However, the rearing efficiency (i.e., larval pupal survival, developmental duration of pupa and fecundity of adults,) on the D-1 diet was on par with the rearing efficiency on bitter gourd. There were no significant changes in reproductive potential after five successive generations of rearing on the new diet. These results indicated that the newly developed diet could serve as a viable alternative to bitter gourd plant for continuous rearing of D. indica.


Myoclonic seizures are sudden, brief, shock-like contractions that can vary in distribution and intensity. They may be present in different epilepsy syndromes, including some idiopathic generalized epilepsy, epileptic encephalopathies and progressive myoclonus epilepsies. Despite the fact that there are many studies about the pathophysiology of myoclonic seizures and clear descriptions of the different myoclonic epilepsy syndromes, relatively little has been written on treatment. Valproate and some benzodiazepines are widely used to treat myoclonic seizures. In addition, more treatment options exist today as there is emerging evidence to support the efficacy of some newer antiepileptic drugs. On the other hand, some myoclonic epilepsies remain refractory to drug treatment and some antiepileptic drugs may exacerbate or even induce myoclonus. In the coming years, better understanding of mechanisms of myoclonic seizures and myoclonic epilepsies could result in great improvement of therapy and the quality of life of patients.


Today's Internet which provides communication channels with best-effort end-to-end performance is rapidly evolving into an autonomic global computing platform. Achieving autonomicity in the Future Internet will require a performance architecture that (a) allows users to request and own 'slices' of geographically-distributed host and network resources, (b) measures and monitors end-to-end host and network status, (c) enables analysis of the measurements within expert systems, and (d) provides performance intelligence in a timely manner for application adaptations to improve performance and scalability. We de- scribe the requirements and design of one such "Future Internet performance architecture" (FIPA), and present our reference implementation of FIPA called 'OnTimeMeasure.' OnTimeMeasure comprises of several measurement-related services that can interact with each other and with existing measurement frameworks to enable performance intelligence. We also explain our OnTimeMea- sure deployment in the global environment for network innovations (GENI) infrastructure collaborative research initiative to build a sliceable Future Internet. Further, we present an application- adaptation case study in GENI that uses OnTimeMeasure-enabled performance intelligence in the context of dynamic resource allocation within thin-client based virtual desktop clouds. We show how a virtual desktop cloud provider in the Future Internet can use the performance intelligence to increase cloud scalability, while simultaneously delivering satisfactory user quality-of-experience.


INTRODUCTION
We sought to apply the principles of human factors research to robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy to understand where training and integration challenges lead to suboptimal and inefficient care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-four robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissections over a 20 week period were observed for flow disruptions (FD) - deviations from optimal care that can compromise safety or efficiency. Other variables - physician experience, trainee involvement, robot model (S versus Si), age, body mass index (BMI), and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status - were used to stratify the data and understand the effect of context. Effects were studied across four operative phases - entry to insufflations, robot docking, surgical intervention, and undocking. FDs were classified into one of nine categories.

RESULTS
An average of 9.2 (SD = 3.7) FD/hr were recorded, with the highest rates during robot docking (14.7 [SD = 4.3] FDs/hr). The three most common flow disruptions were disruptions of communication, coordination, and equipment. Physicians with more robotic experience were faster during docking (p < 0.003). Training cases had a greater FD rate (8.5 versus 10.6, p < 0.001), as did the Si model robot (8.2 versus 9.8, p = 0.002). Patient BMI and ASA classification yielded no difference in operative duration, but had phase-specific differences in FD.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data reflects the demands placed on the OR team by the patient, equipment, environment and context of a robotic surgical intervention, and suggests opportunities to enhance safety, quality, efficiency, and learning in robotic surgery.


Morphocytochemical peculiarities of lipids from oocytes of some mammals and man were studied. The human oocytes, according to the structure and content of yolk, bear a close relation to a hare and a rabbit much differing from gametes of predatory animals (dog, cat), artiodactyla (sow), rodents (golden hamster). By thin layer chromatography on silicagel, a detailed lipid composition was established in the rabbit's oocytes, with neutral lipid and phospholipids (kefalin, lecitin, sfingomyelin) dominating. In addition, cholesterin was found.


Nowadays, when the flow of fake news in traditional media and on social media plat-forms has increased dramatically, media and information literacy (MIL) skills are more important than ever. MIL promotes the critical thinking skills that enable people to make independent choices, in particular how to evaluate and choose different information sources and channels, as well as how to interpret the news and information received through those channels. This article explores how young people in Lithuania evaluate the trustworthiness of news. Two groups of students were selected for the experiment: young people who had participated in a basic course in MIL, and young people whose learning was minimally related to MIL. The study was conducted using a survey and eye-tracking device that enabled researchers to record and analyse readers' real behaviour and to identify the dis-tribution of attention, i.e. the concentration of sight and time spent on particular news elements. The research results show a clear difference between these two groups and thus confirm the importance of media literacy education.


This article aims to extend systems thinking to include user-, and contextual elements. Such extension should be angled towards increased human intervention and multiple stakeholder involvement in predetermined contexts. Bounded Rationality, Practice Theory and Situated Design were selected as core theoretical concepts to explain that the relationship between Prospective Ergonomics (PE) and Systems Thinking are built upon both positivist and constructivist worldviews. A systems approach embedded within PE intervention provided a foundation for extending structured systems design methods, such as Function-Task Interaction Matrix Method (FTIM), Dependence Structure Matrix (DSM), etc. As user-, and contextual elements were incorporated and juxtaposed in these extended matrices, a more comprehensive approach in using system design tools has been introduced to anticipate future products and services. Such an extended systems design approach significantly operationalises and systematises innovation, while allowing the flexibility to embrace inconsistencies, and emergent ways of strategising innovation and decision making.


In pediatric ophthalmology, test results may be limited by a child's ability to cooperate. Invasive and contact methods such as applanation tonometry, ultrasound biometry, and pachymetry are sometimes difficult to perform. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a widely used noncontact method to obtain cross-sections of various ocular structures. In this review, we describe the principles and clinical applications of OCT, with special attention to pediatric ophthalmology.


Rupture of the perineum is a wound that occurs in the perineum due to labor. The perineal rupture occurs almost in all the first labor and may also occur in subsequent labor. The perineal rupture generally occurs in the midline and may become widespread if the fetal head is born too soon, the pubic arch angle is smaller than usual, the fetal head passes the pelvis of a larger size (24). One of the external factors affecting the healing of perineal wounds of the puerperal mother is the nutritional factor. Community culture during childbirth is still done today, such as postpartum mothers are prohibited from eating eggs, meat, shrimp, sea fish, catfish, fruits and oily food. In postpartum period, the mother should only eat tofu, tempe, mother is prohibited from eating and drinking because according to ancestral heritage that eating too much and drinking can make wet, itchy and long healed. Nutrition is an important component for wound healing process especially proteins needed for cell regeneration. This study aims to determine the relationship of abstinence pattern of feeding in a postpartum period to the process of perineal wound healing. The research design used comparation. The population are all postpartum mother with 2 degree perineal laceration in Working Area Bunda Medika Karangrejo clinic by using purposive sample technique with 50 respondents divided into 2 groups that is group of abstinence and group not eat abstinence. Data collection using questionnaires and observation sheet of wound healing. Then the data is analysed with unpaired t-test statistics. The statistical results show that there is a difference in the duration of wound healing of the perineal wound between postpartum who performs a pattern of abstinence and no abstinence pattern, indicated by sig (2-tail) = 0,000. It is expected that health workers must give education to families and mothers not to abstain from certain feeding after delivery which aims to accelerate the process of maternal wound healing and the fulfillment of balanced nutritional and nutritional needs.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the planning, implementation and assessment of a personal librarian (PL) program for transfer students at a four-year private university. It highlights best practices to ensure the success of such a program, emphasizes the importance of collaboration with other campus units and explores the possible applications for other underserved student populations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explains why the PL model is particularly appropriate to serve the needs of transfer students. It clearly describes the assessment methods to evaluate such a program and proposes best practices to ensure success and sustainability.

Findings

Transfer students respond very positively to a PL program as shown by the number of interactions they have with their PLs and their responses to a survey. Librarians also appreciate the chance to develop meaningful relationships with students despite the addition to their workload.

Practical implications

Institutions looking at ways to reach out to transfer students or other underserved populations can easily adapt the PL program described here.

Originality/value

The PL concept is not new but, to the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first time it has been applied to transfer students. The program described here is also unique because of its "boutique" approach, which emphasizes customization and personalization.


Background Metabolic alterations as hyperglycemia and inflammation induce myocardial molecular events enhancing oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Those alterations are responsible for a progressive loss of cardiomyocytes, cardiac stem cells, and consequent cardiovascular complications. Currently, there are no effective pharmacological measures to protect the heart from these metabolic modifications, and the development of new therapeutic approaches, focused on improvement of the oxidative stress condition, is pivotal. The protective effects of levocarnitine (LC) in patients with ischemic heart disease are related to the attenuation of oxidative stress, but LC mechanisms have yet to be fully understood. Objective The aim of this work was to investigate LC's role in oxidative stress condition, on ROS production and mitochondrial detoxifying function in H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes during hyperglycemia. Methods H9c2 cells in the hyperglycemic state (25 mmol/L glucose) were exposed to 0.5 or 5 mM LC for 48 and 72 h: LC effects on signaling pathways involved in oxidative stress condition were studied by Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. To evaluate ROS production, H9c2 cells were exposed to H2O2 after LC pretreatment. Results Our in vitro study indicates how LC supplementation might protect cardiomyocytes from oxidative stress-related damage, preventing ROS formation and activating antioxidant signaling pathways in hyperglycemic conditions. In particular, LC promotes STAT3 activation and significantly increases the expression of antioxidant protein SOD2. Hyperglycemic cardiac cells are characterized by impairment in mitochondrial dysfunction and the CaMKII signal: LC promotes CaMKII expression and activation and enhancement of AMPK protein synthesis. Our results suggest that LC might ameliorate metabolic aspects of hyperglycemic cardiac cells. Finally, LC doses herein used did not modify H9c2 growth rate and viability. Conclusions Our novel study demonstrates that LC improves the microenvironment damaged by oxidative stress (induced by hyperglycemia), thus proposing this nutraceutical compound as an adjuvant in diabetic cardiac regenerative medicine.


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial resistance profiles of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from clinical samples from patients hospitalized during 2015–2017 in hospitals of Masovian district in Poland. Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial resistance of 112 MRSA isolates was tested with a disc diffusion method. Isolates were examined for methicillin resistance using a 30 µg cefoxitin disk. Resistance was confirmed by PCR detection of the mecA gene. PCR was also used to determine spa gene polymorphism in X-region. Results: A large number of MRSA isolates showed resistance to levofloxacin (83.9%), ciprofloxacin (83%), erythromycin (77.7%) and clindamycin (72.3%). A lower number of MRSA isolates showed resistance to tetracycline (10.7%), amikacin (14.2%), gentamicin and trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole (8.0%). None of the MRSA isolates were resistant to linezolid and teicoplanin. Among MRSA isolates, 92.9% were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin was the most common resistance pattern among MDR MRSA isolates. The highest number of isolates was resistant to 4 groups of antimicrobials (53.8%). The number of drugs to which MRSA isolates were resistant in 2017 was significantly higher than that in 2016 (p = 0.002). The size polymorphism analysis of X fragment of the spa gene revealed high genetic diversity of the investigated group MRSA isolates. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that in the hospital environment, MRSA isolates can quickly acquire new antimicrobial resistance determinants and that knowledge of current resistance patterns is important for the effective treatment of infections caused by MDR MRSA.


The aim of this article is to review the evidence and clinical implications of preoperative investigations in assessing hilar tumours. All current available paraclinical investigations, invasive and non-invasive, were analysed in order to establish the predictability of a more extended resection. We concluded the following: it is difficult to exclude the possibility of an extended resection from the current investigations without exploratory thoracotomy.


Five musk deer species (genus Moschus ) are distributed in China, and the present estimated numbers in the wild are between 220 000 and 320 000. Population size of musk deer has dropped significantly due to historical over-hunting and loss or degradation of their habitat. Musk deer farming, therefore, has become one of the most appropriate ways to protect and utilize musk deer resources. In China, musk deer farming and extracting musk from the captive musk deer have been reasonably successful since the early 1950s. At present three species of musk deer, namely forest ( Moschus Berezovskii ), alpine ( M. sifanicus ) and Siberian ( M. moschiferus ) musk deer are farmed in China and, of these, the forest musk deer is the main captive population. The present patterns of musk deer farming in China, however, need to be improved and developed into more economic and scientific modes in order to improve the rate of survival and reproduction, and to increase the production of musk.


In this panel, held on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, at the ASF 2013 conference, the panelists' discussion focused on the securitization industry's increasing need to focus on due diligence, a need triggered by the unprecedented and truly remarkable expansion of federal regulation of residential mortgage lending. These regulations directly and intentionally affect the ability to sell loans into the secondary marketplace. The result is a heightened level of due diligence reporting now appearing in the industry. The panel discussed whether standard due diligence practices are emerging in the latest residential mortgage-backed securities transactions, the new regulatory landscape, ASF's Project RESTART, bond pricing, the potential to standardize the assessment of regulatory compliance, and the likely impact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's just-issued Ability-to-Repay and Qualified Mortgage Rule on due diligence practices. The myriad new federal government agency rulings, expanded scope of federal and state examinations, combined with heightened investor, political, and public sensitivity to the risks associated with residential mortgage finance leave originators, investors, securitizers, insurers, and regulators no choice but to put greater emphasis on and dedicate greater resources to due diligence.


The applicability of LiNbO3, langasite and GaPO4 for use as crystal substrates in high temperature surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors operating at radio frequencies was investigated. Material properties were determined by the use of SAW test devices processed with conventional lithography. On GaPO4, predominantly surface defects limit the accessible frequencies to values of 1 GHz. Langasite SAW devices could be operated up to 3 GHz; however, high acoustic losses of 20 dB/micros were observed. On LiNbO3, the acoustic losses measured up to 3.5 GHz are one order of magnitude less. Hence, SAW sensors capable of wireless interrogation were designed and processed on YZ-cut LiNbO3. The devices could be successfully operated in the industrial-scientific-medical (ISM) band from 2.40 to 2.4835 GHz up to 400 degrees C.


A porous polymer loaded with segmented nanorods of magnetic metal is very promising for the design of novel microwave devices. Arrays of bi-segmented Ni/Co and core–shell Ni@Co rods were prepared by electroless deposition into porous of polycarbonate track-etched membrane. An intrinsic effective magnetic field of the magnetic composite nanorods aligned in the nonmagnetic template was studied by magnetization curves and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). The effect of the interface boundaries for two types of bi-segmented rods with coaxial and along-axis Co/Ni segmentation to effective field was established.


The Luttrell Psalter is one of the best-known English manuscripts. Written and illuminated in the early 14th century for Sir Geoffey Luttrell, it is celebrated for its long series of attractive marginal illustrations showing scenes of life in medieval England. The most celebrated sequence of pictures represents the annual cycle of growing crops including plouging, sowing, weeding, harvesting, threshing, and the delivery of the grain. Animal illustrations include domestic boars, geese, pigs, cattle, ferrets, rabbits, birds, cats and mice. Sports, pastimes, entertainers and musicians are all represented, showing the reader that rural life did have a lighter side beyond the routine of work. Janet Backhouse's entertaining study reminds us that although The Luttrell Psalter was created to provide a reflection of the status of the Luttrell family, its preservation has given us a supremely emotive pictorial source for the daily life of rural England.


After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Federal Republic began a quest for symbols apt to engender a sense of unity and to compensate a persistent deficit in terms of national identity. Rebuilding Berlin as the capital indeed represented a unique opportunity: this once divided metropolis is to become the prototype of a new European city, and, what is more, a metaphor embodying the triumphant values of democracy. Its promoters, both private and public, concur on the meaning inherent in this extravagant urban spectacle. We examine here three projects through which they intend realising this vision: the Potsdamer Platz, a monumental commercial complex; three commemorative constructions, the "Topography of Terror", the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Memorial; finally, the chancellery, an illustration of "multiculturally" inspired State architecture.


Towards full GAST-D capability - Flight testing DLR's experimental GBAS-station

Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS) are expected to be able to replace ILS in the near future. Ground stations meeting CAT-I (GBAS Approach Service Type C) requirements are already available have reached System Design Approval by the FAA in 2009. In Norway so-called special CAT-I systems (similar to GBAS but limited to one manufacturer for ground stations and one for avionics) have been in use since 2007. However, these implementations cannot provide sufficient integrity in the presence of ionospheric anomalies and therefore cannot support operations below the CAT-I minima.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) implemented an experimental GBAS test bed with three TOPCON Net-G3 ground reference receivers at Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Research Airport. They are connected to multipath limiting choke ring antennas with a spacing of 740-770m between the sites. It was originally installed in 2009 and then operated and flight tested as a GAST C station. In the recent months we implemented the necessary changes in both, the ground and airborne subsystems to comply with the new requirements for GAST D, which is the service type intended to support autoland operations in CAT-II/III conditions. At the end of August 2011 first real-time flight trials with the enhanced systems were carried out.

In order to provide guidance all the way down to touch-down and roll-out enhanced monitoring and an advanced way of processing the navigation data is necessary. In the case of GBAS approach service type (GAST) C it is the ground station's responsibility to provide integrity parameters which bound the positioning error of the onboard systems with an acceptably low integrity risk. Therefore several parameters have to be inflated to bound errors in case of unusual ionospheric activity. These assumptions are thus far too conservative for most of the time when the system is operated. In the currently proposed GAST D (CAT-II/III) requirements the ultimate responsibility for detection and mitigation of ionospheric anomalies as well as determination of the actual system performance is shifted to the airborne system. Therefore, no inflation of integrity parameters to bound rare anomalies is necessary. Depending on aircraft performance, a suitable geometry can now be selected by the airborne equipment to ensure safe operations. This allows assessing safety of the whole operation and does not only consider the navigational aspect.

Additionally, further low-level requirements for mitigation of ionospheric threats in the ground as well as the airborne system have been introduced. The ground subsystem now provides pseudo range corrections from 30 seconds smoothed measurements in addition to the previously used 100 second corrections. Furthermore, Code-Carrier-Divergence (CCD) monitoring and B-value monitoring have been introduced and an absolute gradient monitor for detection of stationary iono fronts is necessary.

On board the aircraft two position solutions are now calculated in parallel. One is based on 30 seconds and the second one on 100 seconds smoothed pseudoranges with the respective corrections from the ground station. DSIGMA compares both position solutions and thus is able to detect moving ionospheric fronts. Several further monitoring schemes like Code-Carrier-Divergence and other checks like Bias Approach Monitoring have to be performed.

In preparation for the GAST D upgrade data from previous flight test have been post processed to determine necessary parameters, such as the Ground Accuracy Designator and the sigma_pr_gnd for the additional 30s filter constant.

In the current flight trials we flew a total of 9 approaches on two days at the end of August 2011 with DLR's VFW-614 research aircraft. The onboard receiver was as well a TOPCON Net-G3 which was operating at a rate of 5Hz. On the first day navigation data was only monitored and recorded during the flight while on the second day the GAST D navigation solution was used as input for aircraft guidance and coupled to the autopilot. Approaches were flown automatically down to 500ft above ground. Due to runway constraints no automatic landings were possible yet.

To evaluate performance of the GBAS based navigation we postprocessed a dual frequency carrier phase trajectory in a combined forward and reverse solution as a truth reference. We will present the relevant parameters from the flight trials, putting special emphasis on the GAST D specific aspects. These mainly include the outputs of the CCD monitors, DSIGMA outputs and geometry screening aspects. In the effort to ensure safe guidance for automatic landings the total aircraft performance with respect to success criteria for a safe landing has to be evaluated. Part of this evaluation is determination of the aircraft's flight technical error (FTE) when guided by GBAS navigation. When added to the navigation system error (NSE) the total system error can be determined.


Given a dictionary of Mn predictors, in a random design regression setting with n observations, we construct estimators that target the best performance among all the linear combinations of the predictors under a sparse lq-norm (0 ≤ q ≤ 1) constraint on the linear coefficients. Besides identifying the optimal rates of convergence, our universal aggregation strategies by model mixing achieve the optimal rates simultaneously over the full range of 0 ≤ q ≤ 1 for any Mn and without knowledge of the lq-norm of the best linear coefficients to represent the regression function.

To allow model misspecification, our upper bound results are obtained in a framework of aggregation of estimates. A striking feature is that no specific relationship among the predictors is needed to achieve the upper rates of convergence (hence permitting basically arbitrary correlations between the predictors). Therefore, whatever the true regression function (assumed to be uniformly bounded), our estimators automatically exploit any sparse representation of the regression function (if any), to the best extent possible within the lq-constrained linear combinations for any 0 ≤ q ≤ 1.

A sparse approximation result in the lq-hulls turns out to be crucial to adaptively achieve minimax rate optimal aggregation. It precisely characterizes the number of terms needed to achieve a prescribed accuracy of approximation to the best linear combination in an lq-hull for 0 ≤ q ≤ 1. It offers the insight that the minimax rate of lq-aggregation is basically determined by an effective model size, which is a sparsity index that depends on q, Mn, n, and the lq-norm bound in an easily interpretable way based on a classical model selection theory that deals with a large number of models.


ABSTRACT Short-cut nitrification (SCN) is shown to be an attractive technology due to its savings in aeration and external carbon source addition cost. However, the shortage of excluding nitrite nitrogen as a model state in an Activated Sludge Model limits the model predictive control of biological nitrogen removal via SCN. In this paper, a two-step kinetic model was developed based on the introduction of pH and temperature as process controller, and it was implemented in an SBR reactor. The simulation results for optimizing operating conditions showed that with increasing of dissolved oxygen (DO) the rate of ammonia oxidation and nitrite accumulation firstly increased in order to achieve a SCN process. By further increasing DO, the SCN process can be transformed into a complete nitrification process. In addition, within a certain range, increasing sludge retention time and aeration time are beneficial to the accumulation of nitrite. The implementation results in the SBR reactor showed that the data predicted by the kinetic model are in agreement with the data obtained, which indicate that the two-step kinetic model is appropriate to simulate the ammonia removal and nitrite production kinetics.


This chapter examines transnational private governance in the palm oil sector, a multi-billion dollar global industry controversial for its role in deforestation, global warming, as well as conflicts over land and labour. However, failure of its principle producer governments in Malaysia and Indonesia to address these adverse impacts led NGOs and consumer goods manufacturers to establish private standards to govern the behaviour of palm oil firms. The analysis shows how private environmental and social standards relied on the market to drive change in the behaviour of the very same palm oil plantation corporations responsible in the past for unsustainable production practices, protected as they were by their cosy patron–client relations with state actors. The chapter thus speaks to broader debates in global governance concerning the conditions under which new forms of environmental and social regulation become embedded in local contexts characterised by deeply entrenched local power relations favouring more profitable extractive forms of economic activity.


The finite phase transition temperature, T-N, of quasi two-dimensional (2D) Heisenberg antiferromagnetic (AF) crystals results from in-plane anisotropy or coupling between layers. It is usually not known which is the determining factor when both are weak. We show by an electron spin resonance experiment that in the quasi 2D antiferromagnetic crystal,kappa-(BEDT-TTF)(2)Cu[N(CN)(2)] Cl, TN is determined by in-plane anisotropy while interlayer coupling plays a minor role. The compound has a large isotropic Heisenberg exchange interaction between sites with S = 1/2 spins. The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction is the main source of anisotropy, while in-plane anisotropy and the interlayer coupling are very weak. The external-field field-induced static and fluctuating AF magnetizations are independent in adjacent layers above the (zero-field) ordering temperature.


The Professional Learning Community (PLC) has been used in higher education to provide a platform for faculty members to discuss challenges and build professional skills. While the virtual PLC (VPLC) is becoming a more acceptable delivery mechanism for faculty professional development, successful practices for designing these learning environments has received little attention in the research literature.   Social media has been found to provide an environment in which professional learning can occur.  However, social media use for professional development has primarily focused on informal learning in unstructured formats.  The purpose of this interpretive qualitative study was to provide insight into how a purposefully structured social media platform might be used to support a VPLC.  Twenty-two doctoral mentoring faculty members from an online university agreed to participate in a VPLC using a social media platform and facilitated by expert colleagues.  Upon completion of the ten-week experience, data was collected using a self-reflective interview strategy. This study confirmed previous research into the benefits of the PLC for professional development in academia and of using social media for professional learning.  It extended the research to describe the structured, VPLC using a social medial platform to engage faculty, build relationships and foster shared learning.


The present study focuses on emotion discourses in early modern travel books. It attempts a close textual, intertextual, and contextual analysis of several embedded narratives on emotions in three late sixteenth- and seventeenth-century travel books: Kit?b N??ir al-D?n 'ala 'l-Qawm al-K?fir?n: Mukhta?ar Ri?lat al-Shih?b 'ila Liq?´ al-A?b?b by Andalusian traveller Ahmed bin Q?sim al-?ajar? (1570- c.1641), The Diary of Master Thomas Dallam by an English craftsman, Thomas Dallam (1575-1630), and Seyahâtnâme (The Book of Travels) by Ottoman traveller Evliya Celebi (1611-1685).

In these travel books, al-?ajar?, Dallam, and Evliya narrate their journeys as emotionally protean experiences. They associate emotions with the contexts of their journeys, their volition to travel, and their authorial motives to write about their journeys. They display their emotions in their dreams, humour, and other subjective experiences. Their narratives yield uncommon notions of emotions, namely the emotions of encounter. A love story between a Muslim traveller and a Catholic girl, an English craftsman's anxiety at the court of an Ottoman Sultan, a disgusting meal in a foreign land, are just a few examples of emotionally freighted situations which are unlikely to be found in any genre but a travel book.

The close textual analysis aims to identify the role of the writers' cultures in shaping and regulating their discourses on emotions. The intertextual and contextual analysis of these narratives reveals that the meaning and function of these displayed emotions revolve around the traveller's community affiliation, religion, ideology, and other culture-specific discourses and practices such as Sufism, folk medicine, myths, folk traditions, natural and geographical phenomena, cultural scripts, social norms, and power relations. In a nutshell, reading the travellers' discourses on emotions means reading many cultural and historical aspects of the early modern world.

To approach discourses on emotions in texts of the past, the present study draws on the theory of culture-construction of emotions. It uses three analytical notions from the fields of language, anthropology and history of emotions: 'emotional communities', 'emotional styles' and 'emotional self-fashioning'. The present study uses a theoretical framework defined by a recent wave of studies on self-narratives as sources for the history and cultural diversity of emotions in the medieval and early modern periods. Within this approach, travel writing is seen as a self-narrative, a communicative act, and a social practice.

This approach to emotion discourses in Ri?la, travel journals and Seyahat genres allows us to project the transcultural and entangled history of the early modern Mediterranean, which as much it was a contested frontier between Islam and Christianity, was also a space of religious conversion and hybrid identities, the articulation of diplomacy and cultural exchange, mysticism and religious pluralism. This approach also pinpoints the diverse forms of cosmopolitanism, or rather cosmopolitanisms, in the plural.


This paper discusses the use of a collaborative learning technique called hevruta, which I have adapted for use in my introductory-level political science classroom. Hevruta, which originated in eastern European Jewish schools, helps students develop skills at weaving source materials together in order to understand complex issues within the field. Through a discussion of the literature on expert-novice studies, I explore how hevruta enables my students, who are new to political science, to move closer to the practices used by experts when exploring a range of source material. Through close observation of how the technique plays out in my classes, and analysis of a few examples of hevruta discussion by my students, I demonstrate the potential of this technique, and suggest ways it can best be employed in the classroom.


Porting scientific applications to parallel machines is one of the major challenges for scientists and computing professionals over the coming years. Existing codes span many thousands of lines and are often converted for parallel execution by someone other than the original author. Good tools are required to assist this process as much as possible. Two key design parameters that must be addressed on distributed memory computers are the way that parallel data structures are distributed across the machine and the way that processes are allocated to processors. The paper describes a tool called DCompose, which allows a user to rapidly determine the effect of different data decomposition and process allocation strategies. Using DCompose, important design decisions can be made before the translation of the program is started, and before the target platform is chosen.<<ETX>>


This thesis is comprised of a systematic literature review, an empirical paper and a critical appraisal. Firstly, a systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative studies exploring psychological experiences of adult heart transplant recipients was conducted. A metaethnographic approach was used to synthesise the findings of 12 papers. The results demonstrated that recipients underwent a process of making sense of their identity following transplantation. Recipients perceived that their psychological adjustment was impacted by the expectations of medical professionals, friends, family and wider society. They experienced fluctuating positive and negative emotions such as anxiety, grief and gratitude. Physical, social and psychological factors influenced coping and adaptation, contributing to better psychological wellbeing. Clinical implications are discussed. Secondly, the empirical paper explores experiences of body image for adults implanted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Nine participants were interviewed, and the data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings highlighted the importance of social, functional and appearance-related aspects of body image for LVAD-users. Participants re-evaluated their body with the LVAD and perceived that it, and themselves were "different". They perceived their body as restricted and had a constant awareness of their body and device, which led to feelings of anxiety. LVAD-users used practical and psychological strategies to adjust to their changed body and perceive themselves as more "normal". Clinical implications and limitations of the study are discussed, and further research is recommended. Finally, the critical appraisal offers a reflection on the process of conducting LVAD research including strengths and limitations. It also compares the findings of the review and empirical papers and recommends further areas for research.


As an air turbine equipped with oscillating water column (OWC) based wave energy plant, a rectification-valve system has been invented to date. However, this turbine system has problems with the durability of the valves and the complex mechanism. Moreover, it has a major fault in that the valves must be large for high output. Therefore, a twin unidirectional impulse turbine topology has been suggested in previous studies in order to use conventional unidirectional turbines without valves [1, 2]. The topology is composed of two unidirectional impulse turbines. However, the past study indicated that the mean efficiency of the topology was shown to be low, when the performance prediction of the topology in oscillating airflow was carried out by means of quasi-steady analysis [2]. Further, the cause of the low efficiency is because part of the air flow gets through the unidirectional impulse turbine in the direction of low efficiency [2].In this study, a fluidic diode [3, 4] is adopted in order to suppress the air flow rate into the inefficient turbine in a twin unidirectional impulse turbine topology for wave energy plant, and the effect of the fluidic diodes on the performance of twin unidirectional impulse turbine topology is investigated by a wind tunnel test and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Further, its usefulness is discussed from a view point of the turbine mean efficiency under unsteady flow condition.Copyright © 2015 by JSME


Although poverty reduction has not occurred as fast as anyone would like, we know a considerable amount about what is helpful in the struggle against poverty. We also know a lot about what is not helpful. What seems to reduce poverty? What does not? Why have countries in East Asia and the Pacific excelled in poverty reduction, while sub-Saharan African countries and many developed countries have not? 'Combating poverty' considers the role of economic growth and inequality, the role of governance and institutions, markets and trade, social safety nets and social protection systems, infrastructure, foreign aid, the treatment of women and girls, and evaluation of the policies and programmes that reduce poverty.


ACTRESS is a semantics-directed compiler generation system based on action semantics. Its aim is to generate compilers whose performance is closer to hand-written compilers than the ones generated by other semantics-directed compiler generators. ACTRESS generates a compiler for a language based solely on the language's action semantic description. We describe the process by which this is achieved. A compiler for action notation, the formal notation used in action semantic descriptions, is the core of the generated compilers. We specify and implement a code generator for the action notation compiler. We also present the design and implementation of an action notation interpreter. A conventional hand-written compiler eliminates, whenever possible, references to identifiers at compile time. Some storage allocation is often performed at compile-time too. We can see both steps as transformations whose main objective is to improve the quality of the object code. The compiler writer, based on his knowledge of properties of the source language, implements these "transformations" as best as he can. In the context of ACTRESS, where action notation can be seen as the intermediate language of every generated compiler, we adopt a similar approach. We introduce a set of transformations, called action transformations, which allow the systematic and automatic elimination of bindings in action notation for statically scoped languages. They also allocate storage statically whenever possible. We formalise and implement these action transformations. The transformations may be included in generated compilers. We show that this inclusion improves the quality of the object code generated by ACTRESS' compilers. In general, action transformations are a way to do some static processing of actions. Transforming actions corresponds to partially performing them, leaving less work to be done at performance time. Thus, transformed actions are more efficient. Binding elimination exposes the static and dynamic nature of bindings in action notation. This relates with the binding discipline one can find in a programming language. We study the binding discipline of action notation and we state a condition which identifies a statically scoped action. We extend this condition to a sufficient condition on the action semantics of a language which tells if the language is statically scoped. This condition can be implemented as an analysis to be performed by ACTRESS, at compiler generation time, to decide which transformations will be included in a generated compiler for the language. Finally, we list possibilities for improvements and potential areas for further research.


This epic calls to mind the famous works of ancient poets such as Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. These long, narrative poems, defined by valiant characters and heroic deeds, celebrate events of great importance in ancient times. In this thought-provoking study, Christopher N. Phillips shows in often surprising ways how this exalted classical form proved as vital to American culture as it did to the great societies of the ancient world. Through close readings of James Fenimore Cooper, Lydia Sigourney, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Herman Melville, as well as the transcendentalists, Phillips traces the rich history of epic in American literature and art from early colonial times to the late nineteenth century. Phillips shows that far from fading in the modern age, the epic form was continuously remade to frame a core element of American cultural expression. He finds the motive behind this sustained popularity in the historical interrelationship among the malleability of the epic form, the idea of a national culture, and the prestige of authorship - a powerful dynamic that extended well beyond the boundaries of literature. By locating the epic at the center of American literature and culture, Phillips' imaginative study yields a number of important finds: the early national period was a time of radical experimentation with poetic form; the epic form was crucial to the development of constitutional law and the professionalization of visual arts; engagement with the epic synthesized a wide array of literary and artistic forms in efforts to launch the United States into the arena of world literature; and a number of writers shaped their careers around revising the epic form for their own purposes. Rigorous archival research, careful readings, and long chronologies of genre define this magisterial work, making it an invaluable resource for scholars of American studies, American poetry, and literary history.


The objective of the least cost design problem of a water distribution system is to find its minimum cost with discrete diameters as decision variables and hydraulic controls as constraints. The goal of a robust least cost design is to find solutions which guarantee its feasibility independent of the data (i.e., under model uncertainty). A robust counterpart approach for linear uncertain problems is adopted in this study, which represents the uncertain stochastic problem as its deterministic equivalent. Robustness is controlled by a single parameter providing a trade‐off between the probability of constraint violation and the objective cost. Two principal models are developed: uncorrelated uncertainty model with implicit design reliability, and correlated uncertainty model with explicit design reliability. The models are tested on three example applications and compared for uncertainty in consumers' demands. The main contribution of this study is the inclusion of the ability to explicitly account for different correlations between water distribution system demand nodes. In particular, it is shown that including correlation information in the design phase has a substantial advantage in seeking more efficient robust solutions.


Intravenous zolpidem self-injection, and the concurrent development of physical dependence under conditions of continuous drug availability, was characterized in three baboons. Previously, under similar conditions, 1.0 mg/kg midazolam maintained low, but stable, daily rates of self-injection (e.g. less than 20 injections/day) over 30 or more days and resulted in the development of physical dependence in baboons. In the current experiments, saline and zolpidem (1.0 mg/kg) were available for self-injection under a fixed-ratio (FR-30) schedule of lever-pull responses with a 5 min time-out after each injection. Saline maintained only low levels of responding (i.e. less than five injections per day). Zolpidem maintained an orderly spaced within-day pattern of injections and daily rates of self-injection were higher than saline (i.e. 10 or more injections per day). Daily rates of zolpidem self-injection were relatively stable in two baboons, and increased over time in the third baboon. Substitution of saline for zolpidem produced a rapid decrease in responding that remained low (i.e. less than five injections per day) in all three baboons. Chronic self-injection of zolpidem produced an increase in responding maintained by food pellet delivery and an increase in body weights. Administration of flumazenil (0.1-1.0 mg/kg, i.v.) after at least 35 days of zolpidem self-injection produced postures and behavioral signs typical of a classic flumazenil-precipitated benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. Substitution of saline after chronic zolpidem self-injection produced a time-limited spontaneous withdrawal syndrome. Behavioral signs and postures were similar to those observed during flumazenil-precipitated withdrawal and were most prominent during the first 8 days after zolpidem was discontinued. Therefore, like midazolam, zolpidem maintained self-injection and physical dependence developed under conditions of long-term continuous availability.


A review of the verified reports to date of Architeuthis dux showed that 26% (148 specimens) of worldwide reports were derived from the north-eastern Atlantic. Biological data are presented on fifteen females and two males from Asturian waters (Northern Spain). Both males represent the two first records captured off the Iberian Peninsula. Immature and maturing females ranged from 60 to 140 Kg total weight, whilst mature males weights were 42 and 66 Kg. The peculiar observation of spermatophores embedded in the skin of one of the males near the proximal part of the ventral, ventro-lateral and dorso-lateral arms is discussed. A comparison was undertaken of several morphometric measurements between both sexes and between these two males and five other north-eastern Atlantic males from which data were available. Two incidents of multiple strandings affecting nine specimens in 2001 and 2003 appear to be linked spatially and temporally to geophysical prospecting using air-gun arrays in the Bay of Biscay. Here we present evidence of acute tissue damage in the stranded and surface-floating giant squids. The incidence of such cases during two research cruises contemporary with integrated geological and geophysical studies of the continental margin of the Cantabric Sea indicate that acoustic factors could have caused or contributed to the organ and tissue lesions that probably caused the deaths of these animals. Thus, further environmental regulation of such activity may be warranted to protect animals of the continental slope.


The gas-phase fragmentation reactions of Keggin-type [PW11O39MCl]5– (M = Rh, Ir) polyoxometalates (POMs) featuring chloride terminal ligands have been investigated. Different adducts of the general formulas [PW11O39MCl + 2cat]3– and [PW11O39MCl + 3cat]2– [cat = alkylammonium cations (Me4N+, Bu4N+), alkali cations (Na+, K+) or protons] were subjected to collision-induced dissociation (CID) conditions. The (cat)Cl (cat = H+, Na+ or K+) fragments were released as a common fragmentation pathway and were taken as a fingerprint of the ligands attached at the noble metal site. Other {PW11O39ML} POMs (M = Rh, Ir) with L = thiocyanate, nitrite, methyl, phenylacetate or phenyl were identified on the basis of CID experiments. Coordination studies of thiocyanate anions and CO to {PW11O39Ru} POMs to yield the new compounds [PW11O39RuSCN]5– and [PW11O39RuCO]4– are also reported. CID experiments were also used to validate that thiocyanate and CO ligation at the Ru metal site had occurred.


Transformant phages expressing L15, a yeast ribosomal protein which binds to 26S rRNA and interacts with the acidic ribosomal proteins, were isolated by screening a yeast cDNA expression library in lambda gt11 with specific monoclonal antibodies. Using yeast DNA HindIII fragments that hybridize with the cDNA insert from the L15-expressing clones, minilibraries were prepared in pUC18, which were afterward screened with the same cDNA probe. In this way, plasmids carrying two different types of genomic DNA inserts were obtained. The inserts were subcloned and sequenced and we found a similar coding sequence in both cases flanked by 5' and 3' regions with very low homology. Sequences homologous to the consensus TUF-binding UAS boxes are present in the 5' flanking regions of both genes. Southern analysis revealed the presence of two copies of the L15 gene in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, which are located in different chromosomes. The encoded amino acid sequence corresponds, as expected, to protein L15 and shows a high similarity to bacterial ribosomal protein L11.


An approach to microstrip antennas is developed that is based on a mixed transient-frequency analysis. The solution of transient integral equations by the method of moments allows one to compute the transient currents on the antenna. The Fourier transform of these transient currents used in asymptotic expressions for the far field of a Hertz dipole leads directly to harmonic parameters of radiation. The relative importance of spherical space waves and cylindrical surface waves and their behavior in terms of substrate parameters and frequency are discussed for some cases. >


AIM
The aim of this literature review is to determine whether endocrowns are a reliable alternative for endodontically treated teeth with extensive loss of tooth structure, the indications and contraindications of this restorative choice, the principles that should be followed for tooth preparation and which material is most appropriate for endocrown fabrication.

BACKGROUND
Rehabilitation of endodontically treated teeth with severe coronal destruction has always been a challenge for the dental clinician. Until recently, the fabrication of a metal-ceramic or all-ceramic full-coverage crown along with a metal or glass fiber post has been the "gold standard" proving its efficacy via numerous clinical studies. With the development of CAD/CAM technology and the evolution of dental materials, new minimally invasive techniques have been introduced with less need for adjustments and less incorporation of structural defects. One of them, the "monoblock technique," proposed by Pissis in 1995, was the forerunner of endocrown restoration, a term used by Bindl and Mörmann to describe an all-ceramic crown anchored to the internal portion of the pulp chamber and on the cavity margins, thus obtaining macromechanical retention provided by the axial opposing pulpal walls and microretention attained with the use of adhesive cementation.

REVIEW RESULTS
Endocrowns require a decay-oriented preparation taking advantage of both the adhesion and the retention from the pulp-chamber walls, they are strongly indicated in endodontically treated molars in cases where minimal interocclusal space and curved or narrow root canals are present and they should be manufactured from materials that can be bonded to the tooth structure.

CONCLUSION
Endocrowns are a reliable alternative to traditional restorative choices, given that the clinicians respect the requirements and indications describing this technique.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Traditional restorative techniques demanding tooth substance removal and minimizing the opportunity for reinterventions should be reconsidered.


Margaret Thatcher was the longest-serving Prime Minister of the twentieth century and one of the most influential figures of the postwar era. Volume One of Moore's authorized biography gives unparalleled insight into her early life, especially through her extensive correspondence with her sister, and recreates brilliantly the atmosphere of British politics as she was making her way, taking us up to the zenith of her power: victory in the Falklands. Based on unrestricted access to all Lady Thatcher's papers, unpublished interviews with her and all her major colleagues, this is the indispensable portrait of a towering figure of our times.


Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies showed that corticospinal excitability (CSE) is modulated during observation of object lifting, an effect termed 'motor resonance'. Specifically, motor resonance is driven by movement features indicating object weight, such as object size or observed movement kinematics. We investigated in 16 humans (8 females) whether motor resonance is also modulated by an object's weight distribution. Participants were asked to lift an inverted T-shaped manipulandum with interchangeable center of mass after first observing an actor lift the same manipulandum. Participants and actor were instructed to minimize object roll and rely on constrained digit positioning during lifting. Constrained positioning was either collinear (i.e. fingertips on the same height) or noncollinear (i.e. fingertip on the heavy side higher than the one on the light side). The center of mass changed unpredictably before the actor's lifts and participants were explained that their weight distribution always matched the one of the actor. Last, TMS was applied during both lift observation and planning of lift actions. Importantly, our results revealed that CSE was similarly modulated during lift observation and planning: when participants observed or planned lifts in which the weight distribution was asymmetrically right-sided, CSE, recorded from the thumb muscles, was significantly increased compared to when the weight distribution was left-sided. Moreover, this increase seemed to be primarily driven by the observed and planned thumb positioning when lifting the right-sided asymmetrical weight distribution. In conclusion, our results suggest that complex intrinsic object properties such as weight distributions can be encoded by an individual's motor system during both observation and planning of lifting actions. Highlights Motor resonance is observation-induced activity in the observer's motor system We used a dyadic lifting task of objects with asymmetrical weight distribution We investigated which movement features modulate motor resonance Motor resonance is modulated by the object's weight distribution Motor resonance is driven by observed and planned digit positioning


In this study, an investigation over digestive diseases has been done in which the sound acts as a detector medium. Pursue to the processing, the extracted signal in wavelet domain is registered. Genetic Algorithm (G.A) with binary chromosomes is used for feature selection to reduce the dimensions of feature space. Classification of digestive diseases was carried out by fuzzy neural network and fuzzy C-means algorithm. Eventually the two methods were compared. This structure is updatable or on the other word, by receiving a new signal the corresponding disease classification is updated in the feature domain.


This paper investigates the relationship between European football league competitive balance and the performance of that league's participants in UEFA competitions. The evidence suggests that competitive balance measured using performance points fits the performance coefficients of countries participating in the Champions League and Europa League and that a reciprocal model fits the data best. The evidence suggests that marginal improvements in competitive balance can lead to increase of one-third a win for a league's participants in the Champions League. The increased rewards for UEFA success suggest policies that promote competitive balance have both public and private benefits for clubs.


Local germplasm of high-yielding traditional cultivars and open-pollinated (OP) progenies of sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.)] were screened for drought tolerance in swidden and postrice conditions in the Phillipine highlands. Several clones from OP progenies and traditional cultivars showed some drought tolerance based on the yields of marketable storage roots. Under swidden conditions, the local cultivar Tokano, had the highest yield. Likewise, the traditional cultivar Kalbo-oy, produced the best yields in post-rice paddies. To obtain genetic markers that will be used in future breeding, genetic diversity analysis was performed. Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from seven sweetpotato genotypes, selected from those which produced storage roots under drought conditions, was subjected to Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Twenty decamer primers were tested and 16 yielded DNA-amplification products. Among the 97 scored bands, 77 were polymorphic (79.38%). Genotype-specific DNA markers were also identified. The pairwise marker difference between genotypes ranged from 0.378 to 0.936, indicating a broad range of genetic diversity. A phenogram of the genetic relationships among those genotypes is presented.


Abstract Brooks, A. L. Paradigm Shifts in Radiation Biology: Their Impact on Intervention for Radiation-Induced Disease. Radiat. Res. 164, 454–461 (2005). New mechanistic cell and molecular studies on the effects of very low doses of radiation have resulted in three major paradigm shifts. First, the observation of bystander effects demonstrated that non-hit cells may respond as well as cells in which energy is deposited. Second, it was thought that gene mutations and chromosome aberrations were the most important early changes that represented the initiation phase of radiation-induced cancer. Now genomic instability that leads to the loss of genetic control appears to play a major role in the development of cancer. Finally, recent studies have demonstrated that radiation-induced changes in gene expression can be demonstrated at very low radiation doses. These changes can result in alterations in response pathways, many of which appear to be involved in protective or adaptive responses. The demonstration that unique genes are up- and down-regulated depending on the radiation type, dose and dose rate suggests that different molecular mechanisms are involved in responses to high and low radiation doses. The ability to alter radiation response by physical and chemical treatments suggests that it may be possible to intervene in the progression of radiation-induced diseases. Such intervention may decrease the cancer risk from radiation exposure. This new research also demonstrates that many nonlinear biological processes have an impact on the induction of cancer and the shape of dose–response functions. Thus, for low-LET radiation delivered at low dose rates, the linear, no-threshold hypothesis is not well supported, but it is adequately conservative in protecting against low-dose radiation risks.


This study aims to determine the existence of accounting practices based on togetherness in Yayasan Pondok pesantren AL-IMAM which is a Pondok Pesantren Modern located in the Village Gambiran Kalisat District Jember District. This research is a research in the field of qualitative Etnometodologi. Ethnometodologi method is one approach in qualitative research that seeks to illustrate how the behavior or actions of human beings within the scope of "ethnicity" associated with the pattern of interaction that occurred and background action, and his study leads to efforts to understand the meaning that exists in the life of the organization or group of people in inside. The result of the research shows that accounting practices based on togetherness system are very distinctive, built by Islamic organization group YPPAI, so that the accounting characteristic is not escaped from the values of culture that are covered by Islamic values. Accounting system based life together amid the development of accounting in Indonesia, and coincidentally born from the womb of Islamic organizations YPPAI AL-IMAM.


The rate of trait evolution within a clade varies depending on the organism and the trait. Some traits are evolutionary conserved, some are more labile. If traits related to habitat adaptation are conserved it leads to phylogenetic clustering, i.e. that local coexisting species are more closely related than species drawn randomly from the regional species pool. I have used eco-evolutionary models of an adaptively radiating clade to theoretically study the origin and maintenance of such phylogeographic patterns. Of particular interest is what type of traits are conserved during and after an adaptive radiation, i.e. what part of an organism's niche that are expected to be conserved. One conclusion is that patterns of niche conservatism become successively more pronounced through cycles of extinction and speciation events, such that old clades are predicted to show stronger patterns than young clades. The underlying mechanism can be described as habitat monopolization, or more generally niche monopolization. These results are discussed in relation to extant well-studied adaptive radiations.


LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS OF MALINGERING CLASSIFICATIONS USING PERFORMANCE AND SYMPTOM VALIDITY MEASURES IN A CIVIL FORENSIC SETTING Willie Floyd McBride III Eastern Virginia Medical School, 2018 Director: Dr. Richard W. Handel The study examined the applicability of various validity measures and their ability to identify patterns of invalid responding (i.e., malingering) in an archival sample of civil forensic litigants. A latent clustering approach was used to create profiles comprised of the response patterns from validity measures of different domains including three performance validity tests (PVT), five symptom validity scales (SVT), and an embedded validity indicator (EVI). Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to enumerate subgroups of malingering and to assess differences between the subgroups. Results demonstrated five distinct classes. The classes revealed complex patterns of symptom endorsement and performance on validity measures that were indicative of malingering. The profiles were labeled as follows: Definite Malingering, Probable Neurocognitive Malingering, Probable Symptom Malingering, Possible Malingering, and Valid Responders. The Definite Malingering class had the highest failure rates for performance (below cut-off and below chance) and embedded validity test, as well as, the largest percentage of symptom over-endorsement and invalid responding on the symptom validity scales [i.e., F-r, Fpr, Fs, FBS-r, RBS of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF)]. The Probable Neurocognitive Malingering class had the second highest percentage of below cut-off failure (below chance performance was absent from this group) on the performance validity measures but had less evidence of invalid responding on the symptom validity scales as opposed to the Definite Malingering or Probable Symptom Malingering classes. The Probable Symptom Malingering class had a higher percentage of PVT above cutoff performance (i.e., pass), however, it had a large percentage of symptom over-endorsement and invalid responding second only to the Definite Malingering class. The Possible Malingering class demonstrated minimal evidence of failure on the three PVTs (i.e., less than 15% failed below cut-off) and there was overall less evidence of symptom over-reporting and invalid responding. The Valid Responders class had the highest level of passing on the performance validity tests and had the highest overall percentage of valid responding on the symptom validity scales. Implications of the findings and limitations are discussed.