We report a fully packaged AlGaAs waveguide modulator array with four individually addressable elements operating at approximately 830 nm wavelength and a clock speed of 1 GHz. The modulators rely largely on the linear electro-optic effect for operation, and have been packaged with an E/D MESFET driver with complementary 3.5 V outputs, and a thick-film ceramic bias network. The device is compact, using multimode interference devices for on-chip splitters and combiners and has a 4 mm electrode length. Extinction ratios in excess of 10 dB have been demonstrated over a temperature range from room temperature to 143/spl deg/C. The modulator array has been packaged with a remote high power (100 mW) diode laser using stable single mode input coupling, while the modulator output is packaged with a multimode fiber array of 52.5 /spl mu/m core diameter. >


With the explosive increase in the number of mobile devices such as smartphones or laptops, the design of mobile applications becomes increasingly complex, power hungry and resource consuming. Therefore, conventional networks are facing serious problems such as traffic overload and energy consumption due to high traffic demands. As a result, network designers are looking for more options to accommodate numerous data requirements. Aiming to find a promising way to tackle this problem, we are investigating heterogeneous networking architectures, which utilize the existing public transport network as an alternative communication network along with infrastructure-based networks. We propose a heterogeneous network architecture called Software Defined Connectivity (SDC) that utilizes the flow of transport network such as buses, trains, and ferries to start the forwarding process from nearby parking/offloading spots to disseminate data along with conventional networks. Results show that the SDC architecture helps in data offloading over public transport vehicles as per the profiles of each user with significant savings of energy.


Outdoor cycling (bicycling) is a low-impact form of exercise that improves cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone, range of motion and flexibility. It is an activity that may be beneficial to one's physical, emotional, and mental health and well-being. The benefits to one's social and emotional health and wellness may be derived from the social networking associated with being a member of a cycling community. The purpose of this project is to provide recommendations to improve the current and future state of cycling in the Sandy Hill Community Centre's catchment areas of Old Ottawa East and Sandy Hill, two communities in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. A preliminary needs assessment was conducted, and recommendations were generated from the information gathered. In order to begin the needs assessment we required much information, such as the opinions and attitudes of community members regarding cycling. Through the extensive research of other current programs and groups of- fered both in Ottawa and other cities such as Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Portland, Oregon, United States we have found that the best cities provide a wide-range of cycling utilities for its citizens to accommodate different lifestyles. From the general knowledge that we gained from the research of other cities we designed a survey to identify the specific needs of Ottawa, and more specifically our target population of Sandy Hill and Old Ottawa East catchments areas. Information was then synthesized into a list of recommendations, as well as solutions to current problems. The recommendations generated from the data gathered from the needs assessment include the development of various community programs, such as a cycling resource centre, cycling buddy system, cycling groups, safe-cycling education, and a bike share initiative. The data gathered from the needs assessment also indicated a priority need for the regular maintenance of roads and bicycle lanes.


assessment. Anyone who could remove these imponderables would place Social Science on a sound foundation. At the moment the phrase 'One gets nervous', is meaningless. What is 'nervous' to one person is not 'nervous' to another person. If we could measure 'nervous' to the same accuracy that we can measure alcohol per m.m. of blood, society would have achieved a tremendous breakthrough. Professor Bromley meanders beautifully through a labyrinth of verbosity. Sidney A. Cundale, SRN, BASP.


In deciding whether and what to charge in a criminal case, the prosecutor looks to three different factors. The first is legal: is there probable cause that the defendant committed this crime? The second is practical: if the case goes to trial, will there be sufficient evidence to convict the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt of this crime? And the third is equitable: should the defendant be charged with this crime? The prosecutor is uniquely qualified to answer the first and second question, but the third is a bit trickier. If it is used properly, the grand jury could provide valuable guidance to the prosecutor in answering this third question. This role could be especially useful in police use of deadly force cases.
To see how this would work, this Article examines three prominent police use of force cases and analyzes how the prosecutor used the grand jury in each case. In the case of the shooting of Freddy Gray in Baltimore, the prosecutor treated the grand jury the way most prosecutors treat grand juries — as a rubber stamp for her pre-existing decision to indict. The result was disastrous, as the prosecutor was unable to obtain a conviction against any of the police officers. In the case of the shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland, the prosecutor used the grand jury as political cover: the prosecutor had already decided not to indict the case and presented a weak case to the grand jury to ensure that the grand jury would not return an indictment. The subsequent reaction by the community led to the prosecutor losing his job in the next election. Finally, in the case of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, the prosecutor decided to use the grand jury for its original purpose by allowing it to exercise its independent judgment as to whether an indictment was appropriate in the case. In doing so, he was able to reach a more just result than we saw in either of the other two case studies.
This Article then discusses how to encourage police officers to follow the example of the Ferguson prosecutor and allow grand juries to exercise their own independent judgment. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this goal would be to relax the grand jury secrecy rules, most of which are outdated and all of which decrease the legitimacy of the grand jury.


Using a semianalytic code, we show how baryon physics in a $\Lambda$CDM cosmology could solve the discrepancy between numerical predictions of dark matter haloes and observations, ranging from dwarf galaxies to clusters, without the need of nonstandard dark matter models as advocated, for example, by [Kaplinghat et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 041302, (2016)]. Combining well established results, we show, for the first time, how accounting for baryon physics, in particular dynamical friction mechanisms, leads to flat galaxy-cluster profiles and correlations in several of their properties, solves the so-called `diversity problem' and reproduces very well the challenging, extremely low-rising rotation curve of IC2574. We therefore suggest treating baryonic physics properly before introducing new exotic features, albeit legitimate, in the standard cosmological model.


Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a main component of organic fuel combustion, and its increased concentration in the atmosphere causes negative impact assumed to be associated with its contribution into the global climate change. CO2 emission is correlated both with fossil fuel consumption intensification and with toxic substances emissions in the process of fuel combustion, thus indirectly characterizing the general dynamics of pollutants impact upon environment. Motor transport is one of the major consumers of oil products. Within this context, the search for the ways to reduce СО2 emission from motor vehicles is a priority problem for the global commonwealth. Taking into account that tax stimulation is one of the most effective instruments of influence on oil-refining companies, an urgent task is to improve the existing tax system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The aim of this work is to substantiate a model and a method to calculate an environmental tax for motor fuel considering not only environmental classes of fuels being used but also the carbon dioxide emissions in the process of their combustion. The authors have proposed a mechanism for economic stimulation of reduction of carbon dioxide emission from motor transport. A dependence of СО2 emission on motor fuels qualitative characteristics has been disclosed and a methodological approach to calculate the environmental tax for fuel has been found. The proposed methodological approach can be used for improvement of the current system of oil products taxation in order to create incentives for manufacturers of oil products to produce environmentally-friendly fuels.


The authors consider algorithms for integrated prefetching and caching in a model with a fixed-size cache and any number of backing storage devices (disks). Previously, the single disk case was considered by Cao et al. (1995). They show that the natural extension of their aggressive algorithm to the parallel disk case is suboptimal by a factor near the number of disks in the worst case. The main result is a new algorithm, reverse aggressive, with near-optimal performance in the presence of multiple disks.


In the first paper, the lacklustre investment performance of Australian superannuation was attributed to the Retail sector. This second paper investigates potential explanations for this fact through an empirical attribution analysis of the impact of asset allocation, operational structure and scale on sectoral investment performance. Since 2004, relatively lower investment returns of the Retail sector have not been compensated by lower risk, due to unexpectedly higher return volatility. This fact can be explained by significant costs neglected in most academic theories.
Using official asset allocation data available from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), for the three years to September 2016, the 2.7 percent per annum difference in measured investment performance between the Industry and Retail sector has been attributed 1.1 percent to asset allocation and 1.6 percent to operational structure and costs. The high cost of Retail funds (incurred but not reported) is consistent with the high incomes and profits reported annually by vertically integrated conglomerates from providing superannuation and related financial services.
At March 2017 Retail assets of $577 billion, the 2.7 percent return deficit relative to Industry funds represents about $15.5 billion per annum in additional costs to Retail members. Empirically, but contrary to the theory of economic rationalism, the market approach to superannuation, based on competition and profit maximization of the Retail sector, has been detrimental to members.


This is our third article published in the journal HEMATOLOGIA during the last year about Thrombophilia Law. Though we waited for the possibility of discussing the law with the legislators before being voted, we missed the opportunity. Senators voted the law; the medical voice was not heard. Finally the president vetoed the law and argued in the Official Gazette: the tests are expressly not recommended to be routinely carried out adding that it has been questioned by medical societies Argentine Thrombosis and Hemostasis Group (CAHT) and Hematology Society (SAH) in coincidence with the Ministry of Health. In spite of this decision, there is actually a parliamentary claim for the justification of the presidential veto. In these cases the ethical reflection is an important tool.The ethics aspects to be considered are: patient's autonomy in demanding thrombophilia tests vs medical autonomy in the obligation to prescribe them when unnecessary; universal study of hereditary thrombophilia in healthy women; the use of medication in pregnancy that is off label or non-validated; the distribution of economic resources; the role of Public Health in defining Health Programs and Policies when the population demands the government action in areas where scientific evidence do not support this petition and the aspects related to the unresolved questions such as investigation and regulation of research in pregnant women.


The authors used cross-lagged analyses to examine the across-time influences on and consequences of adolescents' pregnancy intentions, wantedness, and regret. One hundred pregnant Latina adolescents were studied during pregnancy and at 6 and 12 months postpartum. The results revealed 4 main findings: (a) similar to what has been found in adult women, adolescents' lower prenatal pregnancy intendedness and wantedness predicted initial difficulties in parenting; (b) frequent depression symptoms predicted subsequent lower pregnancy intendedness and wantedness; (c) adolescents' poor mental health and harsh parenting of their child predicted subsequent higher childbearing regret, and (d) high childbearing regret and parenting stress were reciprocally related across time. In addition, adolescents' wantedness of their pregnancy declined prenatally to postbirth, and strong pregnancy intendedness and wantedness were not concurrently related to adolescents' poor prenatal mental health. The findings reveal how adolescents' thoughts and feelings about their pregnancies are influenced by and predictive of their mental health and parenting experiences.


Second Annual List RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) The Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) appointed an ad hoc Task Force at the American Library Association's 1998 Annual Conference to develop a method of recognizing outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web. At ALA Annual Conference 1999, the MARS Executive Committee moved to establish the list as an ongoing annual event and a new task force was appointed for 1999/2000; thus this is the second MARS Best Reference Web Sites list. Last year's list and all future MARS Best lists will be published in each year's fall issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly. This year the Task Force selected only free sites that meet the definition of ready reference and considered all subject areas with appeal to all types of libraries. The Task Force agreed that future lists might concentrate on a particular subject area, but there was a general consensus that it was most appropriate to exclude fee-based sites. Task Force members felt that fee-based services involve many collection management issues beyond the scope of this project. These issues included limited access to our user audience and also the logistical problems in obtaining trial subscriptions that would delay the publication of this work. The criteria established were: Quality, depth, and usefulness of content * Clear statement of the content, including any intended biases * Appropriate for the intended audience * Provides appropriate links to other Web sites. * Attention to detail--absence of grammatical errors, etc. Ready Reference--usefulness for reference to answer specific questions * May also give a broad perspective of a particular subject Ease of use * User-friendly design--easy navigation * Good search engine * Attractive--graphic design leaves a good impression on the user * Easy output (printing or downloading) Currency of content * Links are kept up-to-date * Update frequency is appropriate for the subject matter Customer service * Contacts are responsive--e-mail addresses are correct Authority of producer * Authority and legality clearly stated * If not easily recognizable, an explanation of the history and purpose of the organization Uniqueness of content * Uniqueness of the resource as a whole--creativity * Useful in a variety of reference settings Efficiency * Graphics load quickly * Any required plug-ins are available for easy download * Reliable server Appropriate use of the Web as a medium * Components are well integrated (audio, video, text, etc.) * Effective use of Java, other newer technologies The task force worked together virtually except for an initial meeting at Midwinter Meeting. At that time, the group decided to allow each member to nominate and annotate five to ten sites using the established criteria. The task force would then review the annotated nominations and vote for their favorite sites. It was also decided that previous year's winners would not be eligible for this year's list but a site that did not win last year could be renominated. Once again, virtual participation worked extremely well, allowing the work of the group to proceed expeditiously between ALA meetings. At least one member of the group could not have participated without virtual membership. Members of the task force were again generally enthusiastic about the project. Many felt that they had learned a great deal about Web sites and discovered new and useful sites for their work. Selected sites were notified electronically with a recognition certificate. They are invited to use the MARS logo and link to this list at www. …


Herschel Island has a long history of human habitation by indigenous peoples, and whalers who came to the island at the end of the 19th century. Their traces include many archeological sites, and some of the oldest standing buildings in the Yukon, built during the whaling era. The island has been a territorial park since 1987, and it is a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic settlement, airstrip, and park infrastructure are located on Simpson Point, a narrow gravelly spit with elevations generally <2 m. Changing climate conditions and sea level rise are known to threaten the island infrastructure: buildings had to be moved inland, and one was lost completely.
This study used a comparison of historic aerial photographs, and a digital elevation model (DEM) created from LIDAR and bathymetric surveys to assess historic shoreline movement, and flood vulnerability to examine the coastal hazard potential on Simpson Point. Field observations and a high-resolution bathymetric survey provided insight into nearshore sediment transport processes. Flood risk was evaluated with LIDAR data from 2013. The volumetric requirements for spit growth were obtained from combining bathymetric and airborne data into a DEM.
Retreat is the only viable strategy to preserve the historic settlement. It remains unknown for how long Simpson Point will retain its historic nature. Shoreline retreat affects most of the peninsular shoreline. Decision makers should consider that the Simpson Point vulnerable to storm surge, expected to increase both in frequency and severity, because the low topography of the spit does not offer much protection of flooding by storm surge. Buildings should be raised and moved away from the eroding shore. Ice transport processes such as pile- and push-up, could both be either a benefit or a risk. Encroachment of these processes on shore may destroy infrastructure, but may also supply sediment to the shoreline, thus protecting it from wave attack and storm surge. Overall, the eventual roll-over of Simpson Point as a result of storm overwash is likely.


ABSTRACT H10407 is a strain of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) that utilizes CFA/I pili to adhere to surfaces of the small intestine, where it elaborates toxins that cause profuse watery diarrhea in humans. Expression of the CFA/I pilus is positively regulated at the level of transcription by CfaD, a member of the AraC/XylS family. DNase I footprinting revealed that the activator has two binding sites upstream of the pilus promoter cfaAp. One site extends from positions −23 to −56, and the other extends from positions −73 to −103 (numbering relative to the transcription start site of cfaAp). Additional CfaD binding sites were predicted within the genome of H10407 by computational analysis. Two of these sites lie upstream of a previously uncharacterized gene, cexE. In vitro DNase I footprinting confirmed that both sites are genuine binding sites, and cexEp::lacZ reporters demonstrated that CfaD is required for the expression of cexE in vivo. The amino terminus of CexE contains a secretory signal peptide that is removed during translocation across the cytoplasmic membrane through the general secretory pathway. These studies suggest that CexE may be a novel ETEC virulence factor because its expression is controlled by the virulence regulator CfaD, and its distribution is restricted to ETEC.


Introduction Moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) causes substantial child morbidity and mortality, accounting for 4.4% of deaths and 6.0% of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) lost among children under 5 each year. There is growing consensus on the need to provide appropriate treatment of MAM, both to reduce associated morbidity and mortality and to halt its progression to severe acute malnutrition. We estimated health outcomes, costs and cost-effectiveness of four dietary supplements for MAM treatment in children 6–35 months of age in Mali. Methods We conducted a cluster-randomised MAM treatment trial to describe nutritional outcomes of four dietary supplements for the management of MAM: ready-to-use supplementary foods (RUSF; PlumpySup); a specially formulated corn–soy blend (CSB) containing dehulled soybean flour, maize flour, dried skimmed milk, soy oil and a micronutrient pre-mix (CSB++; Super Cereal Plus); Misola, a locally produced, micronutrient-fortified, cereal–legume blend (MI); and locally milled flour (LMF), a mixture of millet, beans, oil and sugar, with a separate micronutrient powder. We used a decision tree model to estimate long-term outcomes and calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) comparing the health and economic outcomes of each strategy. Results Compared to no MAM treatment, MAM treatment with RUSF, CSB++, MI and LMF reduced the risk of death by 15.4%, 12.7%, 11.9% and 10.3%, respectively. The ICER was US$9821 per death averted (2015 USD) and US$347 per DALY averted for RUSF compared with no MAM treatment. Conclusion MAM treatment with RUSF is cost-effective across a wide range of willingness-to-pay thresholds. Trial registration NCT01015950.


In our previous work, we developed TRAFFIC(X), a specification language for modeling bi-directional network flows featuring a type system with constrained polymorphism. In this paper, we present two ways to customize the constraint system: (1) when using linear inequality constraints for the constraint system, TRAFFIC(X) can describe flows with numeric properties such as MTU (maximum transmission unit), RTT (round trip time), traversal order, and bandwidth allocation over parallel paths; (2) when using Boolean predicate constraints for the constraint system, TRAFFIC(X) can describe routing policies of an IP network. These examples illustrate how to use the customized type system.


This article examines Jamaican Dancehall music's implications and international perceptions and explores a possible legal remedy for what has been dubbed "Murder Music." The impact of Jamaican Dancehall, the equivalent of American Hip-Hop, its lyrics and history upon Jamaica and the North-West are put into context and interrogated through the lens of cultural studies. Homophobic lyrics have triggered international boycotts and bans of this music and its artists. Despite the fact that Dancehall lyrics are perceived as violent, anti gay, anti-women, and very masculinist, international condemnation is based exclusively upon the homophobic lyrics. This article analyzes the implications of this ban and situates the international response within a masculinist colonial context. Specifics issues discussed include whether the colonization of Jamaica and the codification of its "Offenses against the Person Act" play a role in the propagation of homophobic lyrics, and why it is that Jamaica was criticized as one of the "most homophobic places on earth," given the anti-same sex marriage backlash in the United States and the fact of extreme instances of homophobia in many countries. While this article condemns homophobic lyrics and suggests the discontinuation of their use, it situates Jamaican homophobia as a vestige of colonial prerogatives and urges the abandonment of homophobia as the right thing to do and as a post-colonial move towards true independence.


Ionic liquids (ILs), due to their low vapor pressure, have been explored as green solvents for organic synthesis. In this study, the uptake of ILs on a high charge Ca-montmorillonite (MMT) and the use of the IL-modified MMT for the removal of anionic contaminants from water were systematically studied. Uptake of ILs by MMT was exclusively resulted from a cation exchange mechanism when the initial IL concentrations were less than the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the sorbed ILs formed a monolayer conformation on the surface of MMT. When the initial IL concentrations were greater than the CMC, both cation exchange and hydrophobic interactions were responsible for the IL uptake. The IL nion exchange ontaminants onic liquid ater treatment molecules formed admicelles and the surface charge was reversed to positive balanced by counterion Cl− when the IL loading was higher than the cation exchange capacity of the mineral. The modified MMT could remove chromate from water instantaneously, with an adsorption capacity of 190 mmol/kg and a 99.5% removal efficiency at an initial chromate concentration of 2.6 mmol/L. These features could further expand the application of ILs and enable IL-modified MMT to be used as inexpensive sorbents for the othe removal of chromate and


The dietary habits of present day, changing lifestyle, stress and strain related to job or domestic worries adversely impact the normal functioning of agni (digestive fire). Such individuals are prone to suffer from Amlapitta (Non-ulcer dyspepsia). The present study was conducted to explore the therapeutic potential of an Ayurvedic formulation containing shankha bhasma, madhuyashti and khadira in the management of Amlapitta with special reference to non-ulcer dyspepsia. The study was conducted on 30 patients selected from O.P.D. and I.P.D. of R.G.G.P.G.A.C., Paprola. Investigations were done to rule out any pathology. The subjective criteria included the symptom complex comprising hrita kantha daha (retro-sternal burning), amlodgara (sour eructations), utklesha (nausea), avipaka (indigestion) chhardi (vomiting), aruchi (loss of appetite), kukshi daha (epigastric burning), udaradhamana (flatulence) and klama (mental fatigue). Most of the patients showed moderate to marked improvement (~86%) in their symptoms as analyzed on visual analogue scale and grade score. The results obtained in the study revealed that the trial drug was quite effective and safe in treating Amlapitta.


Retail outlets are an important channel of distribution for wood products sold to professional builders and do-it-yourself consumers. Trade shows serve a prominent role in the wood products industry as a means for showcasing wood building products to such retail outlets. This research provides information about the use of trade shows by building material retailers that will allow wood marketers to better target marketing programs. A survey of all retailer attendees at a large building materials trade show was conducted to determine which information sources are most influential in retailers' purchase decision-making. The survey also investigated which at-show information sources are most influential for buyer-attendees. Results indicate that retailers' relationship with their wood products supplier has the greatest influence on overall purchase decisions. Price reductions on materials displayed at the show was the most influential show-related factor. Statistical analyses suggest that in-exhibit information sources are more heavily used by attendees with greater purchase influence. Additional analyses indicate that attendees with greater purchase influence tend to seek technically oriented information about products displayed.


TiO2 varistors doped with 0.1 mol% Ta and different concentrations of CeO2 were obtained by ceramic sintering processing at 1400 °C. The effect of CeO2 on the nonlinear electrical behavior and dielectric properties of the Ta2O5-doped TiO2 ceramics were investigated. The nonlinear current (I)-voltage (V) characteristics of TiO2 are examined when doped with small quantities (0.1-0.9 mol%) of CeO2. It is found that CeO2 affects the electrical properties and the dielectric properties of the TiO2-based varistors. The samples have the nonlinear coefficients (α) values of (3.0-5.0), breakdown voltages (10-30 V/mm) and ultrahigh dielectric constants which is up to 105. A small quantities of CeO2 can improve the nonlinear properties of the samples significantly. It was found that an optimal doping composition of 99.4 mol% TiO2 - 0.1 mol% Ta2O5 - 0.30 mol% CeO2 was obtained with low breakdown voltage of 14.2 V/mm, high nonlinear constant of 4.5 , an ultrahigh electrical permittivity of 8.381.22×105 (measured at 1 kHz) and low tanδ of 0.32, which is consistent with the highest grain boundary barriers of the ceramics. The theory of defects in the crystal lattice was introduced to explain the nonlinear electrical behavior of the CeO2-doped TiO2-based varistor ceramics.


Most of today's commercial solutions for un-cooled IR imaging sensors are based on resistive bolometers using either Vanadium oxide (VOx) or amorphous Silicon (a-Si) as the thermistor material. Despite the long history for both concepts, market penetration outside high-end applications is still limited. By allowing actors in adjacent fields, such as those from the MEMS industry, to enter the market, this situation could change. This requires, however, that technologies fitting their tools and processes are developed. Heterogeneous integration of Si/SiGe quantum well bolometers on standard CMOS read out circuits is one approach that could easily be adopted by the MEMS industry. Due to its mono crystalline nature, the Si/SiGe thermistor material has excellent noise properties that result in a state-ofthe-art signal-to-noise ratio. The material is also stable at temperatures well above 450°C which offers great flexibility for both sensor integration and novel vacuum packaging concepts. We have previously reported on heterogeneous integration of Si/SiGe quantum well bolometers with pitches of 40μm x 40μm and 25μm x 25μm. The technology scales well to smaller pixel pitches and in this paper, we will report on our work on developing heterogeneous integration for Si/SiGe QW bolometers with a pixel pitch of 17μm x 17μm.


From box 41 folder 3: correspondence between Jaime Castillo, Carol Moore, Dick Reavis; drafts of writings by Castillo: 48 of 165 pages are digitized.


BACKGROUND The series of International Conferences on Mine Closure is a fixture on the calendars of many mining professionals, providing topical and high quality papers and presentations on a range of topics of immediate interest and relevance. A key feature of the conference series is the diversity of disciplines and expertise that come together to focus on the pressing issues facing the mine closure community globally.


Several studies have examined variation in outcomes of patients with COVID-19, with emphasis on hospital-level factors such as geographic location, workforce and resource availability, and COVID-19 community prevalence.1,2 Block et al1 examine variation in COVID-19 mortality across 117 US hospitals, exploring whether COVID-19 admission volume was associated with mortality. While their results suggest that patients admitted to hospitals in the highest quintiles of COVID-19 caseload had higher odds of in-hospital death, the authors were not able to fully adjust for severity of illness, tempering our ability to draw conclusions. However, their finding is consistent with work showing that emergency department crowding and high hospital utilization are associated with excess mortality. Block et al1 also found variation within quintiles of COVID-19 burden, suggesting that other hospital-level factors are influencing their performance. In response to the initial surge of COVID-19 in the United States, hospitals and healthcare systems made rapid, often major, adjustments to provide care. Four interdependent components contribute to an effective surge response: system, space, staff, and supplies. Although all four components are important, effective systems are critical. Systems domains include command, or the creation of leadership teams throughout the organization; control, or management, of infrastructure; communication of rapid, comprehensible messages internally and externally; coordination of resources across departments and professions; and continuity of operations.3 Little is known about how well hospitals have implemented these systems components throughout the pandemic, and while Janke et al2 examined the association of resources with outcomes, neither their study nor Block et al's was able to account for other organizational or systems-based aspects of surge response. Studies that help us understand the organizational factors and care-delivery adaptations associated with better outcomes for patients with COVID-19 are sorely needed, and could provide important insights for organizational adaptation and change more generally. Janke et al2 and, in their accompanying editorial, Auerbach and Greysen,4 call for "innovative protocols" and "flexibility" to meet the needs of high-demand, novel situations. However, organizations' ability to innovate and adapt relies on their relationships and teamwork capability. The relational infrastructure within an organization provides the basis for effective teamwork, facilitating other aspects of an organization's surge response and ability to adapt. Relationships characterized by trust and mindfulness create a context of psychological safety that encourages sharing new ideas, and enable teams to rapidly make sense of new situations and create shared understandings that facilitate effective action: improvising, adapting, and learning. Trust and psychological safety are especially important during crises, as decision-making tends to evolve toward top-down processes in times of crisis. Hospitals currently collect few data that speak to relationships and teamwork, limiting our ability to study these vital organizational characteristics and their role in the larger COVID-19 response. Surveys related to patient safety culture or provider wellness and burnout are likely the only data regularly collected by hospitals. Expanding these data to include measures of relational infrastructure will create more robust data not only to conduct research regarding organizational factors that are associated with patient outcomes, but also to allow health systems to improve relationships and teaming as a means of improving outcomes. Examples include relational coordination,5 relationships,6and learning scales.7 The hospitals to which patients are admitted make a difference in patient survival. The study by Block et al1 highlights the importance of assessing the factors that enable health systems to adapt and innovate so that we can better understand hospital-level variation in outcomes.


OBJECTIVE
To identify which factors best explain non-adherence to home rehabilitation exercises (HRE) for patients with musculoskeletal injuries.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.

METHODS
Participants (n = 87) aged 17-91 years completed questionnaires measuring demographic and injury-related information, self-efficacy, personality, health locus of control, patient-practitioner relationship, optimism, health value and adherence to HRE. In addition, each participant's attending physiotherapist assessed the participant's adherence and effort during the appointment.

RESULTS
A hierarchical regression with 3 steps (step 1: disposition; step 2: cognitive factors; step 3: patient-practitioner relationship) and adherence to HRE as the dependent variable was conducted. The factors in step 3 were the most significant and explained 16% (p < 0.001) of the variance in adherence to HRE. In addition, a high score for patient neuroticism was found to correlate with poor adherence to HRE.

CONCLUSION
These preliminary results suggest that the patient-practitioner relationship is the best predictor of adherence to HRE, and that improving patient perception of the clinician's productivity, communication of information and trust during consultations may improve adherence to HRE.


This is an assessment of the regulatory environment in which artisans operate to produce dimension stone in Nairobi where the quarrying of the same becomes an aspect of artisanal mining; an activity that is fraught with regulatory issues in developing country situations. Regulation is considered in the context of formal and informal rules of engagement that provide opportunities and constraints to the artisans. A structured interview schedule was used to obtain data about the regulatory environment from a sample of key stakeholders. These data were thereafter applied to factor analysis where principal components were extracted using the Monte Carlo parallel analysis method. Four principal components were extracted and include: Component 1 is 'environmental regulations'; Component 2 is 'fiscal rules and regulations'; Component 3 is 'regulatory laws and informal practices and Component 4 is 'friendly building regulations'. The constraint components were found to outweigh the opportunities leading to the conclusion that the regulatory environment is hostile to the artisans.


A preliminary assessment of accuracy of a two-sites shore-based HF Radar network along the Venice Lagoon littoral was attempted by means of comparison with a 57.5 day-long ADCP current time series for the period September-October 2002. Results showed that radar measurements were accurate (< 7 cm/s) in more than 50% of the times, since more than 50% of the differences between both E-W (U) and N-S (V) components were under 7 cm/s, and more than 50% of the direction differences were under 35 degrees. The main differences between the HF radar and surface ADCP currents can be explained in terms of random errors affecting the measurement technique and the daily sea breeze forcing, since low-pass filtering of current time series significantly improved the correlation and decreased the RMS of the differences between the two measured data set. Comparison of the semidurnal (M2, S2) tidal band suggested good agreement between tidal ellipse amplitudes. Wind forcing on a daily time-scale (sea-breeze) was associated with larger differences between radar and ADCP currents at a diurnal band due to the presence of a vertical shear in the surface layer.


In the past decades, hundreds of saliency models have been proposed for fixation prediction, along with dozens of evaluation metrics. However, existing metrics, which are often heuristically designed, may draw conflict conclusions in comparing saliency models. As a consequence, it becomes somehow confusing on the selection of metrics in comparing new models with state-of-the-arts. To address this problem, we propose a data-driven metric for comprehensive evaluation of saliency models. Instead of heuristically designing such a metric, we first conduct extensive subjective tests to find how saliency maps are assessed by the human-being. Based on the user data collected in the tests, nine representative evaluation metrics are directly compared by quantizing their performances in assessing saliency maps. Moreover, we propose to learn a data-driven metric by using Convolutional Neural Network. Compared with existing metrics, experimental results show that the data-driven metric performs the most consistently with the human-being in evaluating saliency maps as well as saliency models.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of four recovery experiences (psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control) in preventing work-family conflict (WFC). Specifically, on the basis of WFC and recovery theories the authors hypothesized that workload would be positively related to WFC, and that recovery experiences would moderate this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The research involved 597 Italian employees (on pay-role or self-employed) from different occupational sectors. Participants filled-in an on-line questionnaire. Moderated structural equation modelling were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – Results showed a positive relationship of workload with WFC. Regarding the hypothesized interaction effects, the relationship between workload and WFC was particularly strong under condition of low (vs high) psychological detachment, low relaxation, and low control. Originality/value – This study highlights the beneficial role of recovery exp...


The correlation between low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity and concentrations of lipids and apolipoproteins in serum was examined in 12 subjects with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and in four with non-FH type II hyperlipoproteinemia. Concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and of apolipoproteins (apo) A-I, C-Il, and C-Ill were significantly positively correlated with LDL receptor activity, whereas LDL receptor activity was significantly inversely correlated with LDL cholesterol and apo B concentrations, and with apo ratios B/A-I and B/A-Il. Neither total serum cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid, apo A-I, nor apo E concentrations correlated significantly with LDL receptor activity. Multiple regression analysis, with LDL receptor activity as the dependent variable, revealed concentrations of apo B and apo C-Il to be the principal determinant factors. To confirm this, we subsequently calculated the LDL receptor activities before and after administration of CS-51 4, an inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-C0A reductase (EC 126.96.36.199), which increases the hepatic LDL receptor activity and decreases the concentration of cholesterol in serum. This drug increased calculated LDL receptor activities significantly, with a significant decrease in serum cholesterol.


[1] Climate-aerosol model ECHAM5.5-HAM2 was used to investigate how geoengineering with artificial sea salt emissions would affect marine clouds and the Earth's radiative balance. Prognostic cloud droplet number concentration and interaction of aerosol particles with clouds and radiation were calculated explicitly, thus making this the first time that aerosol direct effects of sea spray geoengineering are considered. When a wind speed dependent baseline geoengineering flux was applied over all oceans (total annual emissions 443.9 Tg), we predicted a radiative flux perturbation (RFP) of 5.1 W m , which is enough to counteract warming from doubled CO2 concentration. When the baseline flux was limited to three persistent stratocumulus regions (3.3% of Earth's surface, total annual emissions 20.6 Tg), the RFP was 0.8 Wm 2 resulting mainly from a 74–80% increase in cloud droplet number concentration and a 2.5–4.4 percentage point increase in cloud cover. Multiplying the baseline mass flux by 5 or reducing the injected particle size from 250 to 100 nm had comparable effects on the geoengineering efficiency with RFPs 2.2 and 2.1 Wm , respectively. Within regions characterized with persistent stratocumulus decks, practically all of the radiative effect originated from aerosol indirect effects. However, when all oceanic regions were seeded, the direct effect with the baseline flux was globally about 29% of the total radiative effect. Together with previous studies, our results indicate that there are still large uncertainties associated with the sea spray geoengineering efficiency due to variations in e.g., background aerosol concentration, updraft velocity, cloud altitude and onset of precipitation.


The creation of the National Muslims Women's Advisory Group (NMWAG) in 2008 by Britain's New Labour Government was part of a strategy which sought to engage different levels of Muslim communities beneath an overarching focus on reducing 'Islamic extremism'. To do so however, Government acknowledged that it would need to support Muslim women to overcome some of the constraints it believed were placed on Muslim women in contemporary Britain. Deeming theology and religious interpretation to be one of those constraints, Government saw the need to empower Muslim women to 'influence and challenge' religious and theological discourses as a priority. This article therefore offers a case study on a project that was commissioned by Government that sought to empower Muslim women to 'influence and challenge' theological interpretations in collaboration with the NMWAG. Having gained unprecedented access to the NMWAG, its activities and engagement with Government, this article presents previously unpublished findings from that project to focus on two key themes: Muslim women, their identity and position; and theology, leadership and the participation of women. Having explored these in detail, this article concludes by critically reflecting on the way in which Government engaged and interacted with Muslim women, the role and relative success of the NMWAG and, most importantly, the extent to which the NMWAG was able to 'influence and challenge' interpretations of Islamic theology.


Estimation of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to semi-enclosed basins by Ra isotope mass balance is herein assessed. We evaluate 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra distributions in surface and bottom waters of Long Island Sound (CT-NY, United States) collected during spring 2009 and summer 2010. Surface water and bottom water Ra activities display an apparent seasonality, with greater activities during the summer. Long-lived Ra isotope mass balances are highly sensitive to boundary fluxes (water flux and Ra activity). Variation (50%) in the 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra offshore seawater activity results in a 63–74% change in the basin-wide 226Ra SGD flux and a 58–60% change in the 228Ra SGD flux, but only a 4–9% change in the 224Ra SGD flux. This highlights the need to accurately constrain long-lived Ra activities in the inflowing and outflowing water, as well as water fluxes across boundaries. Short-lived Ra isotope mass balances are sensitive to internal Ra fluxes, including desorption from resuspended particles and inputs from sediment diffusion and bioturbation. A 50% increase in the sediment diffusive flux of 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra results in a ∼30% decrease in the 224Ra SGD flux, but only a ∼6–10% decrease in the 226Ra and 228Ra SGD flux. When boundary mixing is uncertain, 224Ra is the preferred tracer of SGD if sediment contributions are adequately constrained. When boundary mixing is well-constrained, 226Ra and 228Ra are the preferred tracers of SGD, as sediment contributions become less important. A three-dimensional numerical model is used to constrain boundary mixing in Long Island Sound (LIS), with mean SGD fluxes of 1.2 ± 0.9 × 1013 L y–1 during spring 2009 and 3.3 ± 0.7 × 1013 L y–1 during summer 2010. The SGD flux to LIS during summer 2010 was one order of magnitude greater than the freshwater inflow from the Connecticut River. The maximum marine SGD-driven N flux is 14 ± 11 × 108 mol N y–1 and rivals the N load of the Connecticut River.


Satisfactory operation of composite insulators is intimately related to the surface electric field (stress) distribution. This paper presents results of calculation of the electric field distribution for composite insulators up to 1200 kV, using a 3D software package based on the Boundary Element Method. The impact of corona and grading rings, single and bundled conductors, insulator orientation (dead-end and suspension), single and double units, and surface condition (dry and wet) on the electric field distribution has been analyzed. For UHV systems (higher than 750 kV ac) the use of dual insulators with individual corona rings at the line and ground end and a common grading ring at the line end is beneficial. The existence of optimal dimensions of corona and grading arrangement has been illustrated on a 1000 kV insulator string. It was found that the dead end insulators experience higher electric stress when compared to their suspension counterparts and this difference gets more prominent as the system voltage increases.


Abstract The crystal structures of three tourmaline crystals: (Na0.49 K0.01 Ca0.48) (Mg1.35 Fe2+0.94 Fe3+0.49 Ti0.20) (Al4.58 Fe3+0.62 Mg0.80) (Si5.99 Al0.01) O18 (BO3)3.03 (OH)3.18 F0.18 O0.64, a = 16.017(2), c = 7.256(2) Å, V = 1612.2(4) Å3, R3m, Z = 3; (Na0.64 K0.01 Ca0.03) (Mn0.18 Fe2+1.71 Al0.88 Li0.11 Zn0.03 Ti0.07) (Al5.67 Fe3+0.28 Mg0.05) (Si5.76 Al0.24) O18 (BO3)2.99 (OH)3.96 F0.17, a = 15.983(2), c = 7.152(2) Å, V = 1582.1(4) Å3; (Na0.81 K0.01 Ca0.01) (Mn0.02 Mg0.61 Fe2+0.90 Al0.80 Li0.70 Zn0.01 Ti0.06) Al6.00 (Si5.97 Al0.03) O18 (BO3)2.93 (OH)3.42 F0.55 O0..03, a = 15.921(3), c = 7.137(2) Å, V = 1566.7(6) Å3, have been refined to R-indices of 1.3- 2.2% using X-ray intensity data collected with a four-circle diffractometer using MoKα X-radiation. The crystals were analyzed by electron- and ion-microprobe techniques for all major and minor elements in the crystals. Unit formulae were calculated on the basis of 31 anions (O, OH, F) and the Fe3+/(Fe2+ + Fe3+) ratio was calculated for electroneutrality. The refined site-scattering values and the observed  and  distances were used to assign site populations that are in accord with the unit formulae calculated from the electron- and ion-microprobe compositions. The B contents are equal to 3.0 apfu (atoms per formula unit) within experimental error. In two of the crystals, (OH + F) = 4.0 apfu. However, the third crystal has (OH + F) = 3.36 apfu and O2- is dominant at the W(O1) site, and is an "oxy" tourmaline as defined by Hawthorne and Henry (1999). Non-spherical electron-density was observed at the X site, suggesting that there is some positional disorder at this site associated with occupancy of X by Ca and Na, possibly coupled with variable anion occupancy of the O1 site.


A numerical method has been developed for the solution of the vectorial diffraction problem of an homogeneous plane wave of arbitrary incidence by an infinite dielectric grating. The method is based on the Coupled Wave Theory. After discretization of the grating by division into planar layers, the transmission matrix of each layer is calculated with a Pade approximation. The overall transmission behaviour is given by a product series of all the single-layer transmission matrices. It is shown that a special arrangement of the state variables leads to the same structure of the system matrix as the one obtained in the case of scalar diffraction problems. Therefore, the same numerical algorithms for computing the matrix exponential may be used. >


Background Physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for emergence and progression of chronic diseases. With regard to the negative consequences of physical inactivity, great efforts have been made to increase the physical activity among all age groups. Sport associations and statutory health insurances have therefore established the use of adequate instruments to support the process of "healthy ageing" (Guide of Prevention, §§ 20 und 20a SGB V). In this context, we investigated the healthcare system coverage of primary prevention sport offers (PS) in Westmecklenburg/GER. Methods Using ArcGIs (Fa. ESRI) we analysed several locations in the region of Westmecklenburg/GER and their reachability in detail. We developed cartographic data on the reachability by car and by public transport (ÖPNV) at different times of day. At the time of analysis (2013) a population of 474,005 inhabitants in Westmecklenburg/GER has been taken as a basis. To assess the quality of the public transport, accessibility was evaluated, when people have to leave the house at the latest to reach a sport location by public transport on time. On the way back, the earliest possible arrival time at home was determined when the route starts at the sport location. The travel times reflect the duration of the journey, including walking, waiting and transfer times. In general, for social and medical infrastructure, a maximum travel time of 30 min by public transport is acceptable (BMVI, 2015). For the accessibility by car, a period of 20 min is defined as reasonable travel time (BMVI, 2015). Result The ÖPNV reachability analysis showed difficulty to fairly reach the offered PS in this region. 50,5 % of the population need more than 60 min and 25,4 % need more than 90 min driving time to use a sport offer in the afternoon hours. Using the offered programs in the evening hours is also difficult: 31,1 % of the Westmecklenburg/GER population need more than two hours for the way back home (Figure 1). In case that any sport offers were available, major cities of Westmecklenburg/GER and its immediate surrounding provided an overall good ÖPNV and car reachability (Figure 2). Abstract P-42 Figure 1 Reachability by public transport in the evening, finish of sport service 7 pm: The figure shows the percentage of the population with arrival at home before 8 pm (travel time ≤ 60 min). Abstract P-42 Figure 2 Reachability by car of PS Discussion The results underline the necessity to further extend PS-offers. Both urban as well as rural areas lack a sufficient quantity of PS-offers. For health care in rural areas, it will be necessary in the future, not only to ensure a balanced distribution of physicians, but also the reachability by all health stakeholders. To establish permanent health sport offers, the establishment of regional networks should be promoted. Currently, sports clubs have an underestimated health potential which should be used. Acknowledgment The project was supported by the Federal Institute for Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR). References Adler G, v.d. Knesebeck J-H. Ärztemangel und Ärztebedarf in Deutschland? Bundesgesundheitsblatt – Gesundheitsforsch – Gesundheitsschutz 2011;54:228–37. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00103-010-1208-7 Greß S, Stegmüller K. Gesundheitliche Versorgung in Stadt und Land – Ein Zukunftskonzept. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Hessen (Wiesbaden) 2011 Kuhlmey A. Versorgungsforschung zur angemessenen Gesundheitsversorgung im Alter. Bundesgesundheitsblatt – Gesundheitsforsch – Gesundheitsschutz 2011;54:915–21. Cirkel M, Juchelka R. Gesundheit und Mobilität im Alter. Public Health Forum 2007: 24–26. Giesel F, Köhler K, Nowossadeck E. Alt und immobil auf dem Land? Mobilitätseinschränkungen älterer Menschen vor dem Hintergrund einer zunehmend problematischen Gesundheitsversorgung in ländlichen Regionen. Bundesgesundheitsblatt – Gesundheitsforsch – Gesundheitsschutz 2013;56:1418–1424. Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur (BMVI). Kennzahlen in der Daseinsvorsorge. 2015. Available from: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:101:1-2015042703


Abstract Attaining continuous economic growth entails special consideration of energy sector and the environment. Compliance with this purpose may be more intricate in the uncertain milieu of developing countries. The present paper examines the nature of causality between energy consumption, environment pollution, and economic growth in 8 contiguous developing countries, considering GDP per capita, CO2 emissions, energy use, labour force, total population, urban population, capital formation, financial development, and trade openness. The author applied spatial simultaneous equations for random effects panel data to investigate the spatial interactions of adjacent countries over the period from 1998 to 2011. The findings reveal that energy consumption, environment degradation, and economic growth of a country influence those of its neighbours. Additionally, the results document bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and environment pollution, as well as between environment pollution and energy consumption. Thus, there is a bidirectional relationship between energy use and economic growth. Fossil fuels replacement with renewable energy and usage of tax instruments to reduce greenhouse gas are recommended.


Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a potent endocrine regulator with physiological effects on glucose and lipid metabolism and thus garners much attention for its translational potential for the management of obesity and related metabolic syndromes. FGF21 is mainly expressed in several metabolically active tissue organs, such as the liver, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and pancreas, with profound effects and therapeutic relevance. Emerging experimental and clinical data point to the demonstrated metabolic benefits of FGF21, which include, but are not limited to, weight loss, glucose and lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. In addition, FGF21 also acts directly through its coreceptor β-klotho in the brain to alter light-dark cycle activity. In this review, we critically appraise current advances in understanding the physiological actions of FGF21 and its role as a biomarker of various metabolic diseases, especially type 2 diabetes mellitus. We also discuss the potentially exciting role of FGF21 in improving our health and prolonging our life span. This information will provide a fuller understanding for further research into FGF21, as well as providing a scientific basis for potentially establishing health care guidelines for this promising molecule.


The lymphatic system transports dietary lipids absorbed and packaged as chylomicrons by enterocytes, for delivery to the bloodstream. Once considered a passive drainage, chylomicron entry into intestinal lymphatic vessels, or lacteals, is now emerging to be an active process controlled by a dynamic and complex regulation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, a major lymphangiogenic factor, regulates lacteal maintenance and function. Little is known about the role of its cognate tyrosine kinase VEGF receptor 3 (VEGFR-3) during lipid absorption. Here we investigated role of VEGFR-3 signaling in triglyceride (TG) absorption and distribution into tissues using the Chy mouse model, which bears an inactivating mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of VEGFR-3 (heterozygous A3157T mutation resulting in I1053F substitution). Our data show that inactivation of VEGFR-3 tyrosine kinase motif leads to retention of TGs in the enterocytes of the small intestine, decreased postprandial levels of TGs in the plasma and increased excretion of free fatty acids (FFAs) and TGs into their stools. We further show that levels of nitric oxide (NO), required for chylomicron mobilization into the bloodstream, are significantly reduced in the Chy intestine after a fat bolus suggesting a critical role for VEGFR-3 signaling in the generation of NO during lipid absorption. Our data support the hypothesis that VEGFR-3 signaling plays an important role in chylomicron-TG entry into lacteals, possibly affecting TG trafficking to peripheral tissues.


Agroecological movements are spreading and many local experiences are being carried out. But agroecology still has not developed instruments and approaches to elaborate state and regional strategies, where the political and institutional aspects play a key role. This text contributes to overcoming these oversights by means of a theoretical foundation that demonstrates why agroecology should engage politics. First, we argue that agroecosystems, as socioecological constructions, are produced through power relations. Second, we show the close relationship between agroecosystem dynamics and politics, and, therefore, the crucial role that political agroecology plays in the agroecological transition. Finally, we evaluate the world food system as the context in which agroecological experiences should be developed.


A tumour is a complex, growing tissue with a dynamic microenvironment. Its shape and size affect mass transport and thus the ability of drugs to penetrate into the tumour. Three-dimensional (3D) tumour spheroid culture has thus been recognised as an advanced tool for anti-cancer drug screening. However, the use of tumour spheroids has been hampered by the large variations in spheroid size, their irregular shape and the labour-intensive culture process. We explore thermosensitive hydrogels, P(NIPAM-AA), for culturing tumour spheroids and compare our approach with a traditional suspension culture method (non-adhesive surface) in terms of cell proliferation, tumour spheroid size distribution and spheroid morphology. Spheroids cultured in the microgel network show a narrower size distribution and a more spherical shape. We hypothesised that these observations could be explained by the fact that cells are homogeneously retained inside the hydrogels, cell aggregate formation is much slower due to network resistance and the cell death rate is smaller in comparison with the suspension culture. We developed a cellular automata (CA) model to validate these hypotheses. Spheroid formation with different parameter values, representing culture in suspension and in microgels, is simulated. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the microgel culture produces a more uniform size distribution of spheroids as a result of reduced cell death and the gel network resistance.


The world around us is constantly changing. Technological developments, ageing in society and the fewer young workers in the labour market have an impact on the working population and, therefore, also on the employees of the large administrative service provider that is central to this study. The study focuses on the effect of education and training on the sustainable employability of employees of this organisation. It also addresses the question of whether their age and degree of autonomy have had an influence on their enrolment in these courses. Objective data that had already been collected for other purposes in the HR administration system were used for the investigation. The study shows that non-formal education and training have a positive effect on vitality, work ability and employability. Formal education and training does not have such effects. The employee's age and degree of autonomy correlate with their enrolment in courses and their sustainable employability. By generating information based on existing data, so the study reveals, HR professionals are better able to create added value and make the performance and agility of employees more transparent.


Abstract Basin modelling and compaction studies based on sonic data from the Mesozoic succession in 68 Danish wells were used to estimate the amount of section missing due to late Cenozoic erosion. The missing section increases gradually towards the coasts of Norway and Sweden from zero in the North Sea to c. 500 m in most of the Danish Basin, but over a narrow zone it reaches c. 1000 m on the Skagerrak-Kattegat Platform in northernmost Denmark. The increasing amount of erosion matches the increase in the hiatus at the base of the Quaternary, where Neogene and older strata are truncated, and the Mesozoic succession is thus found to have been more deeply buried by c. 500 Paleocene-Miocene sediments in large parts of the area. These observations suggest that the onset of erosion occurred during the Neogene, and that the Skagerrak-Kattegat Platform was affected by tectonic movements prior to glacial erosion. In southern Sweden just east of the Kattegat, the exposed basement of the South Swedish Dome attains altitudes of almost 400 m. The formation of the Dome started in the Late Palaeozoic, but geomorphological investigations have led to the conclusion that a rise of the Dome occurred during the Cenozoic. We find that the pattern of late Cenozoic erosion in Denmark agrees with a Neogene uplift of the South Swedish Dome and of the Southern Scandes in Norway. This suggestion is consistent with major shifts in sediment transport directions during the late Cenozoic observed in the eastern North Sea, and with formation of a new erosion surface as well as re-exposure of sub-Cambrian and sub-Cretaceous surfaces in southern Sweden. The Neogene uplift and erosion of southern Scandinavia appears to have been initiated in two phases, an early phase of ?Miocene age and a better-constrained later phase that began in the Pliocene. Neogene uplift of the South Swedish Dome with adjoining areas in Denmark fits into a pattern of late Cenozoic vertical movements around the North Atlantic.


The intent of power distribution companies (DISCOs) is to deliver electric power to their customers in an efficient and reliable manner – with minimal energy loss cost. One major way to minimise power loss on a given power system is to install distributed generation (DG) units on the distribution networks. However, to maximise benefits, it is highly crucial for a DISCO to ensure that these DG units are of optimal size and sited in the best locations on the network. This paper gives an overview of a software package developed in this study, called power system analysis and DG optimisation tool (PFADOT). The main purpose of the graphical user interface-based package is to guide a DISCO in finding the optimal size and location for DG placement in radial distribution networks. The package, which is also suitable for load flow analysis, employs the GUI feature of MATLAB. Three objective functions are formulated into a single optimisation problem and solved with fuzzy genetic algorithm to simultaneously obtain DG optimal size and location. The accuracy and reliability of the developed tool was validated using several radial test systems, and the results obtained are evaluated against the existing similar package cited in the literature, which are impressive and computationally efficient.


The meaning of a natural language utterance is largely determined from its syntax and words. Additionally, there is evidence that humans process an utterance by separating knowledge about the lexicon from syntax knowledge. Theories from semantics and neuroscience claim that complete word meanings are not encoded in the representation of syntax. In this paper, we propose neural units that can enforce this constraint over an LSTM encoder and decoder. We demonstrate that our model achieves competitive performance across a variety of domains including semantic parsing, syntactic parsing, and English to Mandarin Chinese translation. In these cases, our model outperforms the standard LSTM encoder and decoder architecture on many or all of our metrics. To demonstrate that our model achieves the desired separation between the lexicon and syntax, we analyze its weights and explore its behavior when different neural modules are damaged. When damaged, we find that the model displays the knowledge distortions that aphasics are evidenced to have.


The article tries to make a contribution to the reassessment of the Second Indochina War and of the significance of culture in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam before and during the conflict. By making use of as-yet untapped sources from the German Democratic Republic archives, DRV periodicals and interviews with Vietnamese informants, I highlight the cultural dimension of the campaign against modern revisionism in 1964, and thus present the Lao Động leadership as an actor on the cultural front of the Vietnam conflict. Moreover, I show that even after the beginning of the war an anti-revisionist undercurrent in cultural policy persisted and that the anti-revisionist campaign in 1964 was closely related to the Anti-Party Revisionist Affair in 1967. The article also sheds light on the impact of the Sino-Soviet conflict on North Vietnam.


The title compound, C21H32O3, results from modifications of the A and D rings of the aromatase substrate androstenedione. Ring A adopts a conformation between 10 -sofa and 1 ,10 half-chair. Rings B and C are in slightly flattened chair conformations. Ring D approaches a 13 -envelope conformation, probably due to the acetoxy substituent, and shows a very short Csp—Csp bond next to the epoxide ring, which is characteristic of 3–4 epoxides. .


The article focuses on the geodetic monitoring of the Rabenov landslide territory. The monitored slope is situated in the landscape deteriorated by mining activity in North Bohemia, West of Usti nad Labem, in Chabařovice, a reclaimed brown coal pit. The article presents a general description of the application and accuracy of geodetic methods used to measure on the movement of material in landslides. Also, the history, the problems and the plans for reclamation of the monitored territory are briefly mentioned. The text concentrates on the description of the network of three observed points which are formed by geotechnical instrumentations and on the description of a terrestrial and GNSS measurement in the network of monitored points. The assessment methods and the results from the eight-year phased monitoring process are also discussed. Different methods were tested during the phases. For terrestrial measurements, standard deviations of about 2 mm in position were made and for GNSS standard deviations of about 14 mm. Surveys in a local grid showed that there were continuous movements of observed station points of about 10 mm per year. The paper also discusses the use and assessment of digital terrain models in zones with on-going artificial as well as natural changes. Models indicate elevation changes of about 2–6 m and movement of about 10,000–100,000 m3 of material.


This ethnographic research interrogates the relationship between sexuality, gender and homophobia and how they impact on 16- to 18-year-old boys in a coeducational sixth form in the south of England. Framing our research with inclusive masculinity theory, we find that, unlike the elevated rates of homophobia typically described in academic literature, the boys at 'Standard High' espouse pro-gay attitudes and eliminate homophobic language. This inclusivity simultaneously permits an expansion of heteromasculine boundaries, so that boys are able to express physical tactility and emotional intimacy without being homosexualized by their behaviours. However, we add to inclusive masculinity theory by showing the ways in which boys continue to privilege and regulate heterosexuality in the absence of homophobia: we find that heterosexual boundary maintenance continues, heterosexual identities are further consolidated, and the presumption of heterosexuality remains. Accordingly, we argue that even in inclusive cultures, it is necessary to examine for the processes of heteronormativity.


The time-space movement feature of landslide was a geological process that landslide mass change from a state to another under the effect of internal and external factors. The ground surface and deep displacement feature of landslide with time and space was a reflection and externalization also a trace record of landslide time-space movement. Particularly, deep displacement of landslide provided direct and reliable evidence for studying space-time motion characteristics of slide. This paper studied on ZhenziLin landslide in Sichuan-Tibet highway, based on monitored deep displacement information of boreholes in landslide. It systematically analyzed time-space movement features and operation mechanic of integral revived area, disturbed deformation zone and foreland slump zone of landslide from the aspects of accumulated or relative displacement and displacement vector etc. of confirming or potential slide plane and hole top at different time. Results obtained provided data and dependence for studying landslide stability prediction.


This Article suggests using existing doctrinal levers in trademark law to accommodate parodies in a more balanced fashion. To reach this conclusion, this Article examines the parody doctrine in U.S. trademark law using two lenses. The first lens is trademark doctrine itself. Here I explore the various approaches courts use to resolve trademark disputes involving parody. The other lens is copyright law. Though this lens I examine how courts deciding trademark parody disputes employ the Supreme Court's most recent decision on parody in copyright, Campbell v. Acuff-Rose (1994). I also use this decision to examine the relationship between copyright and trademark parody claims. In other words, I ask the following question: how, if at all, are copyright and trademark claims related in parody cases? Each perspective reveals something different. The first perspective shows that most courts resolve infringement claims by evaluating parody within some form of the likelihood of confusion test. It also shows that most courts assess dilution claims by analyzing parody as a form of noncommercial speech. The second perspective shows that copyright and trademark claims are related in a positive direction: if a parody case involves both copyright and trademark claims, courts always find for the defendant (no infringement) on both claims. Filtering the analysis through these two lens, I seek to sketch two revised parody tests — one for infringement and one for dilution. Both tests attempt to differentiate parody analyses from the traditional likelihood of confusion and dilution tests. These new approaches — which strengthen speech protections but do not create absolute defenses — account for the legitimate interests of both trademark owners and parodists.


YouTube Live is one of the most popular services on the Internet, enabling easy streaming of a live video with the acceptable video quality. Thus, understanding user perception of this service is of the utmost importance for network operators. As in other video streaming services, YouTube Live traffic is affected by delays and interruptions due to unfavorable network conditions, which translate into unacceptable initial reproduction times, image freezes, or abrupt changes in image quality. Detecting these events is key to ensure an adequate quality of experience (QoE). Unfortunately, data encryption makes it very difficult for operators to monitor the QoE from packet-level data collected in network interfaces. In this paper, an analytical model to estimate the QoE for encrypted YouTube Live service from packet-level data collected in the interfaces of a wireless network is presented. The inputs to the model are TCP/IP metrics, from which four service key performance indicators (S-KPIs) are estimated: initial video play start time, video interruption duration, video interruption frequency, and image quality. The model is developed with an experimental platform consisting of a live streaming server, a terminal agent, a radio access network (e.g., Wi-Fi access point), a network-level emulator, a probe software, and a man-in-the-middle proxy. Model assessment is carried out by comparing the S-KPI estimates with measurements from the terminal agent under different network conditions introduced by the network emulator.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Serpentine aneurysms are partially thrombosed aneurysms with an eccentrically located tortuous intra-aneurysmal vascular channel. The large size, distinctive neck anatomy, and supply of the brain parenchyma by the outflow tract pose technical challenges in treatment. The aim of this study was to discuss the endovascular treatment results and illustrate the dynamic nature of serpentine aneurysms. Spontaneous transformation of saccular and fusiform aneurysms into serpentine morphology, along with a case of serpentine-into-fusiform aneurysm transformation during follow-up, is presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis from 3 institutions revealed 15 patients with serpentine aneurysms who underwent diagnostic evaluation and endovascular treatment. Nine of the 15 patients underwent endovascular occlusion of the parent vessel with detachable balloon or coils. Six of the 15 patients underwent aneurysm and parent artery occlusion with coiling. RESULTS: In 11 patients, improvement or resolution of symptoms was achieved by an endovascular approach without any treatment-related morbidity. Morbidity related to treatment in the immediate postoperative period was seen in 3 patients, with resolution of the deficits at long-term follow-up in 2 patients and persistence of a mild deficit in 1 patient. Endovascular treatment failed to achieve resolution of symptoms in a case with a basilar tip aneurysm treated by aneurysm coiling. CONCLUSIONS: Serpentine aneurysms are dynamic structures with spontaneous transformation possible from a saccular or fusiform shape into a serpentine configuration. An endovascular approach by parent vessel occlusion or intra-aneurysmal occlusion is a successful treatment technique for serpentine aneurysms.


Using the 'Time Lag to Adoption' approach the acquisition of varietal performance data by West Australian Wheat growers is examined. Areas were there arc anomalies in vruietal deliveries pointed to areas where there may be significant differences in the adoptive behaviours of growers, or differences in the activities of public or private extension agencies. Significant differences are found. Information network positions are used to supplement the 'Time lag' methodology, producing an eight fold increase in the predictive ability of the time lag model in this instance.


In order to study change in disability and sickness impact after stroke, 36 patients were followed during a period of three years. ADL-status (Activities of Daily Living) was assessed by means of Katz' ADL Index. Interviews according to the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) were carried out 6-9 months and 3 years post-stroke. The results showed an increased sickness impact over time in physical as well as psychosocial aspects. Mobility and home management were the categories that deteriorated most. The highest sickness impact was found in home management, and recreation and pastimes activity. The SIP scores were strongly correlated to the level of ADL-dependence, although the ADL-status had not deteriorated between the two assessments. Subjective measures of disability together with objective measures are recommended for planning of long-term rehabilitation after stroke.


Investigating social behaviors and brain structural alterations in unaffected siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may help identify intermediate phenotypes of social communication deficits in ASD. This study hypothesized that such intermediate phenotypes could be identified in white matter tracts of the social communication model that exhibited reduced tract integrity and associations with social communication deficits. Boys with ASD (N = 30), unaffected male siblings (N = 27), and typically developing (TD) boys (N = 30) underwent clinical evaluation and MRI scanning. Group differences in generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) values, a white matter integrity index derived from diffusion MRI data, and the relationships of GFA with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4–18) scores were investigated. Significant differences were found in the GFA values of the frontal aslant tract (FAT) among the three groups, with the decreasing order of GFA from TD to siblings to ASD. The GFA values of the FAT were associated with the social communication scores (on the SRS) in the sibling group, and those of the superior longitudinal fasciculus III were associated with the social problems scores (on the CBCL/4–18) in the boys with ASD. Due to the altered tract integrity and association with social communication deficits in the unaffected siblings of individuals with ASD, the FAT might be a heritable neural basis for social communication deficits of ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 225–238 © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In this thesis, it is proposed that a model of the human head is studied to investigate brain
injuries. The geometry model consists of three layers of different materials, the skull, the
cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) and the brain. The aim of the thesis is to try to understand the
injury mechanism in a frontal impact on the head focusing on the special behavior of the
CSF and its interaction with the brain. To make this possible, the computational fluid
dynamics software Ansys CFX has been coupled with the finite element software called
Ansys WORKBENCH. The connection between them permits the transfer of loads from
the skull to the fluid and from the fluid to the brain.
In addition, several theories are proposed to explain why the brain injury is located in the
frontal part (coup injury) or in the back site of the impact (contra coup injury). To model
the central nervous system (CNS) different geometries and boundary conditions have been
performed to simulate a more realistic pattern. However, the simplification of these
models has been a difficult task due to the complexity of the organic structures and the
nonlinearity of the materials, especially the brain. The lack of knowledge about
mechanical properties from organic tissue such as brain tissue, was a problem during all
the simulations. Previous theses have been written about mechanical brain properties but
the problem remains in the differences between the tests setups. Further investigations and
standardized tests are needed to get a better validation of the results.


Summary A wide range of point-of-care tests are available and being used in both hospital and community settings for acute and chronic illnesses. There have been significant improvements in device technology as well as advances in training methods, procedures to monitor analytical quality, and the electronic capture and management of test results from a central location. Various point-of-care tests have been found to be non-inferior to laboratory testing for managing chronic conditions in general practice and Aboriginal medical services. Maintaining the analytical quality of devices and ensuring that staff are properly trained are critical elements in sustaining a high quality point-of-care testing service.


According to Roy Baumeister's losing a connection between an individual human's life and reality deprives him/ her of important sources of meaning and leads to emptiness. Viktor Frankl differentiated two stages of the state associated with a lack of meaning: existential emptiness and existential neurosis. The article presents various coping strategies with a loss of meaning, which are described from a perspective of a defi cit of the four needs of meaning and of the existential attitudes. According to Frankl there is a possibility to solve the problem of existential emptiness looking for meaning of life in at least one of three categories of meaning. It is stressed in the fi nal conclusion, where the reason of the present crisis of meaning of life seems to be a loss of basic values and an attachment to social groups makes it easier to regain the meaning of life.


Introduction Patients with Huntington's disease (HD) develop cognitive impairment. While cognitive dysfunction has been found to negatively affect health-related quality of life, studies have shown that cognitive aids can help to improve and maintain quality of life in other patient populations suffering cognitive dysfunction. Objectives To identify utilisation of cognitive aids in HD patients, and to assess whether there is a correlation between cognitive aids and quality of life. Methods Through the Oslo University Hospital and Vikersund Rehabilitation Centre all patients with a clinical diagnosis of HD living in the South-East region of Norway have been invited to participate in the study. Currently 80 patients are included and 39 are being followed up. The UHDRS Total Functional Capacity and functional ability scales, and selected items of the Needs and Provision Complexity Scale, which determines met and unmet healthcare needs in patients with complex neurological disabilities, and EQ-5D, a patient self-report measurement for quality of life, are used. Demographic and patient characteristics, information about the use of cognitive aids are recorded. The clinical evaluation of the patients' cognitive status, based on information from the patient and/or next of kin and healthcare professionals is made by the same trained raters. Results We are currently analysing the collected data, and results will be presented at the conference. Conclusion Results will give knowledge about the utilisation of cognitive aids in patients with HD, identify unmet needs for such aids, and study any correlations with quality of life. The results may inform stakeholders and clinicians when planning long-term management of HD patients.


ABSTRACT Upon viral infection, the major defense mounted by the host immune system is activation of the interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral pathway. In order to complete their life cycles, viruses must modulate the host IFN-mediated immune response. The K3 and K5 proteins of a human tumor-inducing herpesvirus, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), have been shown to downregulate the surface expression of host immune modulatory receptors by increasing their endocytosis rates, which leads to suppression of cell-mediated immunity. In this report, we demonstrate that K3 and K5 both specifically target gamma interferon receptor 1 (IFN-γR1) and induce its ubiquitination, endocytosis, and degradation, resulting in downregulation of IFN-γR1 surface expression and, thereby, inhibition of IFN-γ action. Mutational analysis indicated that K5 appeared to downregulate IFN-γR1 more strongly than K3 and that the amino-terminal ring finger motif and the carboxyl-terminal region of K5 were necessary for IFN-γR1 downregulation. These results suggest that KSHV K3 and K5 suppress both cytokine-mediated and cell-mediated immunity, which ensures efficient viral avoidance of host immune controls.


Visualization of 3D images is becoming more commonplace for a variety of applications including online games and e-commerce. For efficient online visualization of 3D objects it is necessary to quickly adapt 3D models (including the wireframe and texture) to the available computational or network resources. In this paper we propose enhancements to 3D model simplification based on simplification envelopes (ESE) and curvature variations (CPD) on the surface of an object. We compare the two approaches and demonstrate that the CPD method is much faster than ESE while producing comparable results. A technique for texture simplification driven by model simplification is also proposed. Experimental results comparing the simplified models and the computational time demonstrate the feasibility of our approach.


In XML retrieval, two distinct approaches have been established and pursued without much cross-fertilization taking place so far. On the one hand, native XML databases tailored to the semistructured data model have received considerable attention, and a wealth of index structures, join algorithms, tree encodings and query rewriting techniques for XML have been proposed. On the other hand, the question how to make XML fit the relational data model has been studied in great detail, giving rise to a multitude of storage schemes for XML in relational database systems (RDBSs). In this paper we examine how native XML indexing techniques can boost the retrieval of XML stored in an RDBS. We present the Relational CADG (RCADG), an adaptation of several native indexing approaches to the relational model, and show how it supports the evaluation of a clean formal language of conjunctive XML queries. Unlike relational storage schemes for XML, the RCADG largely preserves the underlying tree structure of the data in the RDBS, thus addressing several open problems known from the literature. Experiments show that the RCADG accelerates retrieval by up to two or even three orders of magnitude compared to both native and relational approaches.


Abstract Introduction: Patients with soft tissue injuries caused by missile attacks during wartime have been treated with radical debridement and delayed closure. In a study in Gaza City, the rate of infection of missile injuries to the extremities when treated with minimal surgical intervention, was measured. Methods: Patients with severe soft tissue damage, compound fractures, and injuries to major blood vessels and/or nerves were excluded from the study. One hundred fourteen patients were treated according to a standardized regime that included a superficial, minor surgery revision of the inlet and the outlet opening, and antibiotic treatment. Local soft tissue infection was defined as the presence of at least two signs of local infection. Results: A total of 109 out of 114 patients attended the first follow-up visit. Eleven (10%) of these patients had an infected wound. A total of 105 of the patients (92%) attended a second follow-up. None of these patients had an infected wound. Conclusions: Under conditions with a high number of causalities, minimal surgical treatment followed by the administration of antibiotics is a safe procedure for patients with penetrating missile injuries and less severe soft tissue damage.


The development of Brazil's Offshore fields has been performed using flexible pipes because this pipe technology offers significantly increased flexibility, enabling the movement of pipes between wells and reducing lead time to bring a well onstream as compared to rigid pipe solutions. In addition, the decision of where exactly to drill development wells can be delayed, thus making the drilling campaigns easier, cheaper and faster [1].
 With the increased activity in Pre-Salt, some challenges to flexible pipes were uncovered and needed to be addressed, notably oil composition and corrosive agents, e.g. H2S, and, specifically for the case of this paper, CO2. At high pressures, such as found in pre-Salt fields, these contaminants create new Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) failure modes and several mitigation measures have been adopted to overcome them, focused either on the installed fleet or on the next generation of pipes to be delivered. SCC is a condition that induces failure in the pipes' metallic layers, but it needs three elements to occur: water, tensile stress exceeding a critical level and a susceptible material. If one of these three elements is suppressed, the phenomena does not to happen.
 This paper will cover and present a technology developed to detect the annulus water condition — dry or flooded — and thereby allow a correct integrity management strategy to be adopted. The technology is based on an embedded sensing system together with topside equipment to read the status. The use of such a system is important for the next generation of flexible pipes as it will allow better management of the fleet, with the required measurements performed from the production unit without the need of any support vessel and hence at a reduced cost.


Debug, secure, and back up your data for optimum server performance with MariaDB About This BookMonitor database activity and the major operating system parameters to improve performanceTweak the behaviour of a large number of servers to achieve the desired level of stability and reliabilitySolve the typical problems related to running a server, such as slow queries, long locks, and so onA practical guide to implementing MariaDB to administrate servers and improve their performanceWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for intermediate users who want to learn how to administrate a MariaDB server or a set of servers. It is aimed at MariaDB users, and hence working knowledge of MariaDB is a prerequisite. In Detail MariaDB is a community-driven fork of MySQL, and is a relational DBMS that can be used to build reliable, high-performance database servers. MariaDB combines MySQL characteristics such as replication, backup and disaster recovery, transactions and locks, and also includes important improvements to the performance, stability, security, and monitoring capabilities.Mastering MariaDBstarts with an overview of the basic features and mechanisms, which includes diagnosing and solving real-life problems such as data corruption, poorly performing queries, and deadlocks. You will learn how to improve the performance of a server by identifying slow queries, and how to choose and set up a proper backup plan and recover data when disasters occur. You will learn how to share your data through several servers using replication. By the end of this book, you will be able to configure MariaDB servers, diagnose as well as troubleshoot common transactional problems, and execute database maintenance.