Background: There has been much research on the average age at menarche onset. In higher income countries the lowering in average age at menarche is earlier than in middle-income countries and lower income countries. Indonesia as a middle-income country also has some research experience related to the average age at menarche for girls. Objectives: This study aimed to review the lowering of the average age at menarche in Indonesia and to predict changes in average age at menarche. Methods: This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis using references from Google Scholar, PubMed and Popline databases on the trend of age at menarche in Indonesia and other data sources from local and national survey reports. Metaprop command in STATA was used to do the meta-analysis of proportion of early age at menarche and time series with auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models were used in analyzing the trend and predicting the age at menarche. Results: The results show that in Indonesia the timing of age at menarche onset has significantly lowered during the 40 years before 2010. There was meaningful decrease of age at menarche, which changed from 14.43 years [confident interval (CI) 95%: 14.42, 14.44] to 13.63 years (CI95%: 13.63, 13.64). Using the ARIMA model, mean age at menarche onset for the next year predicted that the coefficient regression would be −0.0245 (CI95%: −0.0275, −0.0215). The predicted average age at menarche shows a decrease of 0.0245 years (8–9 days) each year. Conclusion: The findings indicate a significant lowering of age at menarche in Indonesian girls that has continued as a predictable trend through time until the present, paralleling recent socioeconomic changes. These predictions provide key indicators of a girl's future healthy transition from childhood into young adulthood.


In systems of governance such as the one in the United States, where there is a separation of powers and where separate elections determine who will control the distinct institutions, executive-legislative relations are cumbersome and perhaps conflictual by design. At least since the scholarship of Woodrow Wilson in the early part of this century,(1) students of U.S. politics have questioned the wisdom of constitutional arrangements that help give rise to inefficiency and institutional conflict, theorized about how and if American government operates properly in spite of them, and analyzed circumstances that exacerbate or attenuate cooperation across the two elected branches. While the resulting body of scholarship does not tend exclusively toward any singular topic in the area of executive-legislative relations, cooperation and conflict in policy making constitute what is by far the dominant focus of interest in this field of research. The joint role played by the elected institutions in structuring the third branch of U.S. government receives by comparison somewhat less scholarly attention. Our article runs counter to that trend, in that we seek here to situate a contemporary conflict between the Senate and the president regarding appointments to the lower federal bench within the long-established strands of analysis on institutional relations. Initial discussion is descriptive of the current dilemma. Subsequent commentary is aimed at the locus of responsibility for it and focuses first on the personalities and groups involved in the contemporary debate. Attention is then given to the effects of coalition government on the balance of institutional authority in structuring the judiciary and, in particular, to the erosion of the president's power in the new era of divided partisan control. Emphasis is then placed on the limitations of presidential leadership in the Congress on matters, such as lower court appointments, that lack a firm national profile and thus do not generate intense media interest, especially during times of scandal. We conclude by raising the prospect that during periods of divided partisan control, the institutional norms that otherwise facilitate executive-legislative cooperation in the shaping of the lower federal bench may not be sufficient to overcome the inherently conflictual institutional arrangements that presently govern the nation's judicial selection process. The Contours of the Problem The procedure for the selection of all federal judges is patterned after the constitutional arrangements defining appointment and confirmation mechanisms for the U.S. Supreme Court. Article II authorizes the executive to nominate judges and, as a measure of balanced government, requires that the president do so "by and with the advice and consent of the Senate." The precise meaning of advice and consent is left undefined in the Constitution, as is the balance of authority across the elected institutions. The Senate's role with respect to lower court appointments has traditionally included avenues for initiative (i.e., advice), in the forms of state party patronage and senatorial courtesy, that are absent in the context of Supreme Court nominations, in which consent has been the principal legislative task. The advice norms associated with lower court appointments introduce opportunities for institutional rivalry, conflict, and inefficiency in the staffing of the lower federal judiciary that are not present in the selection process for Supreme Court Justices. This is particularly true in the districts. It is perhaps little wonder then that while President Clinton's two appointments to the High Bench engendered little opposition in the Senate, his lower court choices fared less well. And yet, as Table 1 illustrates rather clearly, the present executive-legislative conflict over lower court appointments is unusual by almost any standard, for the upper house last year approved fewer (and the lowest percentage of) judicial nominees than has any Senate in the past twenty years. …


Background: The overhead-throwing athlete is a unique patient, requiring an elite, precise functional ability. Superior labral tears are quite common, and the percentage of athletes who return to play after superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) repair has been variable. A tear of the infraspinatus caused by either internal impingement or tension overload may compromise this return. Hypothesis: The rate of return to a level of play similar to or greater than the preinjury level after repair of combined SLAP and infraspinatus injuries will be lower than in previous reports of SLAP repair alone. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: In the current study, we examined a series of overhead-throwing athletes with diagnoses of both a SLAP tear and a significant (>50%) tear of the infraspinatus tendon who underwent surgical repair of both injuries. We identified 17 high-level baseball players younger than 25 years who underwent simultaneous arthroscopic repairs of a SLAP tear with a standard suture anchor technique and of an infraspinatus tear with either a free polydioxanone (PDS) suture or suture anchor between 2005 and 2008. The postoperative records of all patients were reviewed to determine their ability to return to play and their postoperative level of performance. All patients were then contacted to determine their Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Overhead Athlete Shoulder and Elbow score and their current sport participation level. Results: All 17 patients in the series attempted to return to their prior sport after completion of postoperative rehabilitation. Only 6 patients (35%) were able to return to the same or a superior preinjury level of performance. Five of the remaining 11 patients returned to play at a lower level, either playing the same position or else forced to switch to another position of play because of a decline in throwing velocity. Six patients were unable to return to play. No complications or reoperations occurred in any of the patients following surgery. Conclusion: A significant (>50%) tear of the infraspinatus in combination with glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) and SLAP tears in the throwing athlete results in a guarded prognosis in return to play at the same level. While the rates of return to play in overhead-throwing athletes with an isolated SLAP tear have historically been encouraging, the prognosis for an athlete with both a SLAP and infraspinatus tear is more guarded. These patients are not likely to return to their preinjury level of play.


The taxonomic status of a Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain GH3-15T, was examined by a polyphasic approach. The strain, which was isolated from the rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte at the seashore of Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea, was found to belong to the family Erythrobacteraceae based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The closest phylogenetic neighbour was Erythrobacter xanthus SM1501T (98.3 % sequence similarity). Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of strain GH3-15T to other members of the family Erythrobacteracae were <97.1 %. The respiratory quinone was Q-10. The major fatty acids were C17 : 1ω6c, C18 : 1ω7c, C15 : 0 2-OH, 11-methyl C18 : 1ω7c and C17 : 0. The polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and sphingoglycolipid. The novel isolate exhibited growth at 20-40 °C, at pH 5-9, and in the presence of 1-7 % (w/v) NaCl. DNA relatedness between strain GH3-15T and its closet relative was 32.9±8.8 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and DNA-DNA hybridization data, in addition to a distinct phylogenetic position, strain GH3-15T (=KCTC 62380T=JCM 32445T) represents a novel species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobactersuaedae sp. nov. is proposed.


The pulp and paper industry is an energy-intensive industrial sector that faces several challenges such as increased competition and rising feedstock and energy prices. To adress this, it is crucial for the industry to improve the material and energy efficiencies to the greatest possible extent. Process integration methods like pinch analysis and mathematical programming are useful tools for evaluating possible process alternatives, i.e. applications of new technologies, changes to new equipment and/or different operating conditions. Development of industrial energy combines is an interesting approach towards an overall optimization of energy and material flows. One problem is often that there are a large number of essentially different actors and financers that are interested in studying other parameters than those that are normally investigated in process integration studies, for example national or regional economics and various social values.In this project, engineering, economic and statistical tools and methods have been applied separately as well as in combination for different types of investigations conducted at the paper and pulp mill Billerud Karlsborg AB in Kalix, Sweden. One main objective has been to develop a process integration model of the mill based on the reMIND method to be used for introductory process simulations of the existing mill configuration. Additionally, pinch analysis has been used to identify alternatives for energy savings in the mill. Another objective has been to develop a regional economic market model (ReCOM) that should be suitable for analysis and predictions of price changes on relevant feedstock markets. A more simplified model based on the reMIND method has been used for intitial studies on how the mill can be turned into a biorefinery. The main purpose of that work has been to investigate if biomass gasification can be economically interesting for the mill and if so, under what boundary conditions. A statistical technique, conjoint analysis, has been used to study and analyze the attitude of employed people at the mill to changes in the production process that may affect for example the local and global environment etc. Finally, possible interactions between the different models and tools have been investigated.The reMIND modelling of the existing mill configuration has showed several alternatives to save steam and fuel. For example, if the wood-chips supplied to the digester is pre-heated from a temperature of 0°C to say 60°C by the use of low grade residual heat, approximately 1.5 ton per hour of 10 bar steam or 5 ton per hour of biomass fuels can theoretically be saved. Furthermore, if the inlet liquor temperature to effect 4 of the evaporation plant increases from 85 to 105°C, the steam used for evaporation decreases from 77 to 66 ton per hour and as a consequence, the biomass fuel supply to the bark boiler decreases from 51 to 39 ton per hour. This, however, also leads to a slightly reduced electricity production, from 35 to 34 MW due to a reduced production of the high pressure steam.The results from the developed ReCOM model, suggest that only none to small changes in the fibrous input prices from an increase in the fuel price (affecting the forestry sector) and a small price increase as a result from a reduced supply of purchasable wood-chips and pulp wood. The small effect that increasing fuel prices has on the fibrous input prices can largely be explained by the relatively small cost share that fuels have in the forestry sector. An increase of the labour costs would most likely have a larger impact. As for the price effect from a reduction in the supply of purchasable wood-chips, there is a substitution possibility between purchased and internally produced wood-chips for the pulp mill. However, when the limit for how much internally produced wood-chips is reached its will probably results in larger price effectsThe Pinch study of the mill indicated that there is a theoretical steam-saving potential of 18.5 MW, corresponding to 12% of the current steam demand. Two different retrofit proposals were suggested for how to achieve specific steam saving levels in practice. According to a basic retrofit proposal, a steam saving of 5.8 MW could be achieved at an investment cost of 7 MSEK while a more rigorous retrofit would enable steam savings of 11 MW at an investment cost of 14.5 MSEK. An approach for using these results in a reMIND model of the mill has also been proposed.The results from the more simplified reMIND modelling have showed that if the mill starts to produce DME via biomass gasification, the necessary policy support to make it economically feasible ranges from 92-561 SEK per MWh biofuel (DME) over four different future scenarios. This could be compared to the Swedish exemption from energy tax on biofuels, which currently amounts to approximately 275 SEK per MWh. It is also concluded that biomass gasification results in a larger net CO2 reduction when integrated with the pulp and paper mill, than when the mill and the gasification plant operate separately.The conjoint analysis showed that it is possible to find groups of respondents that were unknown prior to the study. If an organisation wants to implement a change in the process, conjoint analysis can be used to identify groups of participants with similar preferences and then tailor information to suit these specific groups.Many possibilities for the different models to interact have been identified and illustrated. The interaction between the reMIND method and ReCOM is based on exchanging information on fibrous input prices and quantities and conducted through an iterative process. The results indicate that the models can interact to produce more robust and reliable conclusions regarding optimal resource utilization suggesting that the described approach is feasible and that further research efforts can be made to extend the models. Pinch analysis and reMIND modelling has in other studies shown to be able to interact iteratively. In this study, the retrofit proposals obtained from the pinch analysis could serve as inputs to future reMIND modelling. Another interaction between reMIND and pinch analysis that has been identified during the project is to use pinch analysis to evaluate the opportunity to pre-heat certain process streams. The results from a conjoint analysis are quantitative in form of regression coefficients. However, to use these numbers for example in a Pareto front analysis will be difficult as the numbers has no monetary, energy or emission unit. Nonetheless, conjoint analysis can interact in many different ways with ReCOM as well as the reMIND models. For example, to choose scenarios to be modelled in ReCOM where the factors in the conjoint analysis can be tailored to indicate how the market would respond in a hypothetical situation. Conjoint analysis can be used to weight different factors in the reMIND model. The weighting can possibly also be used in the ReCOM model.This work has illustrated how the various engineering, economic and statistical methods and tools can be used both separately and in combination to help an industry towards more energy-efficient production processes.


The fundamental characterization and quantification of the moisture susceptibility of asphaltic mixes is a very important and timely topic for the asphaltic pavements industry, and has thus far posed a serious challenge for asphalt mix designers. In this research a fundamental computational-experimental test procedure is demonstrated to measure the moisture susceptibility of the mastic-aggregate bond strength and bond energy. The methodology combines displacement controlled direct tension tests with numerical moisture diffusion analyses and is demonstrated for six different mastic-stone combinations which are frequently used in the Dutch open friction courses. From the results it can be seen that the computed adhesive moisture susceptibilities are consistent with the expected field performance. The measured bond moisture susceptibilities are furthermore compared with the thermodynamical work of adhesion. It is shown that, qualitatively, the moisture resistance performance ranking is similar, but that the actual bond energies show three to four orders of magnitude difference. From this it can be concluded that, even though the surface energy approach can be very useful in enhancing material selection procedures, it is still important to actually measure the mechanical strength of the selected aggregate-mastic bond with a mechanical test.


Recent improvements in population health have been possible thanks to advances in sanitation and health technology. Several treatments, procedures and diagnostic devices have revolutionized modern epidemiological patterns, turning once deadly diseases into curable or preventable conditions, expanded the existing cures to more patients and diseases, and simplified procedures applied to both medical and organizational practices. From diuretics, beta blockers, vaccines, ultrasounds, tomography, HIV antiretrovirals, organ transplants and implants, laser surgery and angioplasty to human genome project, the health technologies have changed all aspects of healthcare for patients, providers, and states, bearing positive impact on social welfare. The health innovation process has however become an important driver of health expenditure growth across all countries. Not only has the technological progress generated additional financial burden, but it also expanded the volume of services provided. Even with lower unit costs, this expanded volume frequently generates higher total expenditure (Cutler & Huckman 2003; Weisbrod 1991). The future of technology costs and their impact on healthcare spending is always less certain, especially in view of the arrival of utterly new technologies, such as precision medicine and genome sequencing. While the ultimate DNA sequencing may help identifying best fit of therapies for individual genotype, incrementing its effectiveness and reducing drug waste, their characteristics are likely to be associated with high costs, with very narrow potential target population and, inversely high development costs. Also health information technology poses innovative approaches to healthcare, which will certainly revolutionize healthcare delivery. According to Kvedar et al. (2014), mobile health has the potential to widen access to high-quality and cost-efficient health services. In the recent decades business models of pharmaceutical manufacturers have changed, putting an end to blockbuster medicines and welcoming biologic drugs. Also increasingly introduced generic and biosimilar drugs drive up price competition, preventing development of treatments representing only marginal refinements with respect to the already existing therapies. In this respect, the challenge for the policymakers is to discourage over-adoption of ineffective, unnecessary and inappropriate technologies. This task has been long carried out through regulation, which according to standard economic theory is the only response to market failures and socially undesirable outcomes of healthcare markets left on their own. The potential welfare loss must be confronted with the costs of regulatory activities. Overall, so far health technology evolution has delivered important value for patients and societies, nevertheless it will continue to pose important challenges for the already stringent public finances.


Behaviour of soil-infilled rock joints has significant importance with respect to the strength of fractured rock mass. The presence of even a small amount of fine-grained infill material within a joint can reduce its shear strength considerably, depending on the degree of saturation of infill. Therefore, it is crucial to examine how the infill material can adversely affect the joint shear strength. Previous studies of infilled joints have mainly been focused on idealised regular joint patterns owing to the simplicity and reproducibility in laboratory testing. Current literature on infilled rock joints has also neglected the effect of the degree of saturation of infill on the shear behaviour. In most instances, fully saturated infill has been used or assumed, and the contribution of matric suction on the shear strength of joints having unsaturated infill has not been studied. In this study, a series of triaxial tests on natural joint profiles having joint roughness coefficient (JRC) of 10–12 is carried out...


HEART SOUND SEGMENTATION USING SIGNAL PROCESSING METHODS Devrim Şahin M.S. in Computer Engineering Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Ferhatosmanoğlu July, 2015 Heart murmurs are pathological heart sounds that originate from blood flowing with abnormal turbulence due to physiological defects of the heart, and are the prime indicator of many heart-related diseases. Murmurs can be diagnosed via auscultation; that is, by listening with a stethoscope. However, manual detection and classification of murmur requires clinical expertise and is highly prone to misclassification. Although automated classification algorithms exist for this purpose; they heavily depend on feature extraction from 'segmented' heart sound waveforms. Segmentation in this context refers to detecting and splitting cardiac cycles. However, heart sound signal is not a stationary signal; and typically has a low signal-to-noise ratio, which makes it very difficult to segment using no external information but the signal itself. Most of the commercial systems require an external electrocardiography (ECG) signal to determine S1 and S2 peaks, but ECG is not as widely available as stethoscopes. Although algorithms that provide segmentation using sound alone exist, a proper comparison between these algorithms on a common dataset is missing. We propose several modifications to many of these algorithms, as well as an evaluation method that allows a unified comparison of all these approaches. We have tested each combination of algorithms on a real data set [1], which also provides manual annotations as ground truth. We also propose an ensemble of several methods, and a heuristic for which algorithm's output to use. Whereas tested algorithms report up to 62% accuracy, our ensemble method reports a 75% success rate. Finally, we created a tool named UpBeat to enable manual segmentation of heart sounds, and construction of a ground truth dataset. UpBeat is a starting medium for auscultation segmentation, time-domain based feature extraction and evaluation; which has automatic segmentation capabilities, as well as a minimalistic drag-and-drop interface which allows manual annotation of S1 and S2 peaks.


Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) is the etiologic agent of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), which is a disease of cattle, swine, and other cloven-footed animals. FMD is characterized by the formation of vesicles on the tongue, nose, muzzle, and coronary bands of infected animals. The virus has several unique characteristics that enable it to cause one of the most economically devastating diseases in today's world. The ease by which it may be transmitted by contact and aerosol, combined with its enhanced ability to initiate infections, virtually ensures that most, if not all, animals in a herd will contract FMD. The long-term survival of FMDV in infected animals' tissues and organs, especially when refrigerated, offers an opportunity for its national and international transmission through the food chain. Multiple serotypes and numerous subtypes reduce the effectiveness and reliability of vaccines. The possible development of carriers in vaccinated animals and those that have recovered from FMD provide additional potential sources of new outbreaks. These features create a disease which can have a major economic impact on farmers and entire nations.


Earthworm plays a major role in the proper functioning of the soil ecosystem. It acts as scavenger and helps in recycling of dead and decayed plant material by feeding on them. Earthworm increases the soil fertility and is often referred to as a farmer's friend. Earthworms have been used in medicine for various remedies. The paste prepared from earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae was tested for antibacterial, antifungal activities. For the antimicrobial screening, four species of bacterial isolate and two species of fungal isolates were selected. The bacterial cultures were used for antimicrobial testing maintained on nutrient agar slant and the fungal strains were maintained on Sabouraud dextrose agar slant at 4°C. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using micro dilution broth method. Earthworm paste at a dose of 100 μl was able to inhibit the growth of bacteria of S. aureus at a maximum level as compared to other bacteria; the growth of fungal Candida albicans was much inhibited. The MIC results indicated that earthworm paste at a dose of 200 μl inhibited the bacterial growth. These studies may lead to the formulation of new antimicrobial drug. The antimicrobial activity of the paste was determined by an agar diffusion method using well and disc, the study clearly indicates that the paste contain a good antibacterial potential and the bioactive compounds to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. Hence earthworm paste (EP) has a good potential to develop a new drug. Key words : Eudrilus eugeniae, antimicrobial activity, fungal and bacteria strains.


We give a supplement to the Smith reduction theorem for nonautonomous ordinary differential equations (ODEs) that satisfy the squeezing property in the case when the right-hand side is almost periodic in time. The reduction theorem states that some set of nice solutions (including the bounded ones) of a given nonautonomous ODE satisfying the squeezing property with respect to some quadratic form can be mapped one-to-one onto the set of solutions of a certain system in the space of lower dimensions (the dimensions depend on the spectrum of the quadratic form). Thus, some properties of bounded solutions to the original equation can be studied through this projected equation. The main result of the present paper is that the projected system is almost periodic provided that the original differential equation is almost periodic and the inclusion for frequency modules of their right-hand sides holds (however, the right-hand sides must be of a special type). From such an improvement we derive an extension of Cartwright's result on the frequency spectrum of almost periodic solutions and obtain some theorems on the existence of almost periodic solutions based on low-dimensional analogs in dimensions 2 and 3. The latter results require an additional hypothesis about the positive uniformly Lyapunov stability and, since we are interested in nonlinear phenomena, our existence theorems cannot be directly applied. On the other hand, our results may be applicable to study the question of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in an almost periodic system with a strange nonchaotic attractor. We discuss how to apply this kind of results to the Chua system with an almost periodic perturbation. In such a system the appearance of regular almost periodic oscillations as well as strange nonchaotic and chaotic attractors is possible.


The present study attempts to analyze the interaction between the categories of speech and thought presentation. Special emphasis is given to variations between the two modes as well as to the instances of ambiguity created by their interplay. The article endeavors to illustrate how authorial linguistic choices are used to manipulate the reader response and sympathy towards the events being narrated. The theoretical basis for the analysis is the classification of the speech and thought presentation modes by G. Leech and M. Short (2003) as it 'concentrates on the linguistic phenomena within texts that give rise to viewpoint effects' (McIntyre, 2006). Apart from this, since fictional texts display the tendency to move between categories of speech and thought presentation as well as between the modes within one category, the article attempts to offer the analysis of possible gradations and blends based on formal linguistic features. The practical part of research was done on the basis of short stories in English by contemporary women writers.


The autonomic nervous system (ANS), a complex and self-organized entity, plays a crucial role in cardiovascular regulation. In this review, the authors describe some concepts of anatomo-physiology and cellular/molecular biology of the ANS and of its two major components, the parasympathetic and sympathetic system, both in the normal individual and in the patient with heart failure. Adrenergic and cholinergic neurotransmission, neurotransmitters, adrenergic and cholinergic receptors and intracellular signal transduction are discussed. Some aspects of sympathetic-parasympathetic interaction at the cellular level are described as well as the opposite role of two cyclic nucleotides, cyclic adenosine and guanosine monophosphate. Major emphasis is placed on the beta-adrenergic system, the combination of the beta receptor, G protein complex and adenylyl cyclase. The activation of neurohumoral compensatory mechanisms in heart failure is discussed as well as the increasingly recognized importance of sympathetic overactivation and parasympathetic tonus reducting in this setting. Cellular mechanisms of adrenergic stimulation in heart failure and its consequences are presented, with special focus on down-regulation of beta-1 adrenergic receptors; the authors analyze the steps of phosphorlation and oncoupling, sequestration, internalization and lysosomal degradation, the main result of which is reduced response to catecholamines.


111 stillbirths were recorded in the ten year period from 2003 to 2012. The rate of stillbirths for this District General Hospital was 3.5 per 1000. Equal amounts were considered low risk, receiving MLC, to high risk. 56% had had at least one previous delivery with the mode being a parity of one. The ranges for maternal age and BMI were wide, with the mean 30 and 27 respectively. Majority of stillbirths occurred less than 37 weeks (58%), nearly a third below 28 weeks. Twin pregnancies accounted for 6% of the stillbirths. 95% of stillbirths were in the antenatal period, 4 of the 5 intrapartum stillbirths occurred after 39 weeks. A third of the stillbirths were found to be growth restricted. Karyotype analysis was accepted in 97% of cases and was found to be abnormal in 6%. 60% of patients declined post mortem examination adding pressure for answers to be found from the remaining investigations. Thrombophilia results were abnormal in 10% of cases while TORCH screen picked up only 2 infections. Of the 93 placentas sent for histology 89% showed an abnormality. Commonly occurring placental abnormalities included: Maternal vascular under perfusion syndrome, chorioamnionitis, reteroplacental haemorrhage and distal villous immaturity or hypoplasia. Conclusion Review of stillbirth data is essential to maintaining high standards in all maternity units. Investigations such as TORCH should be used selectively. Placental histology provides the most information for cause and planning in future pregnancies.


The essay's purpose is to find out why municipalities engaged in local labor market policies and the study focused on a smaller survey unit. In the paper an analysis is made of the Torsas municipality's labor market policy. The work also intends to structure the political organization and their cooperation with other players. The survey methods used were interviews and a case study. The essay results are based on two interviews. Informants are key persons and are employed in the organization. Looking to the survey's findings, it was found that the main reason municipalities engage in local labor market policies is because they want their residents to have a good quality of life and that individuals should not go on maintenance support. Based on the results, you can clearly see the theoretical alternative approach appears. Based on the informant's answer, it is that theory that describes how the labor market works. The results of the study indicated additional explanations to the theory. Another declaration of the labor market functioning can be described by means of demand management.


The first vaccine against bovine tuberculosis in badgers will be used in the field in England next year, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced today. The vaccine will be used in six areas of up to 100km2 where there is a high incidence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle. Vaccination will start in 2010 and continue for at least five years. It will be the first practical use of a vaccine for TB in badgers outside research trials. The deployment project will focus on developing practical approaches for use rather than developing further evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccine, although Defra will be looking at the number of cattle herd TB breakdowns in the areas in cattle disease trends. Hilary Benn said: "Developing an effective vaccine for bovine TB is only half the challenge. The other is to deploy it effectively. This project will help us do that. As such it marks real progress in our fight against this terrible disease." The project will focus on ease of use in the field, securing local engagement in the vaccination campaign, developing practical know how and creation of a skills base. Government, the farming industry and other stakeholders working together will be important for its success. Defra will begin to sign up participants and train personnel during 2009, with vaccination expected to begin in summer 2010. The Government is working with the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England and other key groups to develop the areas where the project will take place, looking specifically at areas with a high incidence of bovine TB in cattle.


ABSTRACT The twenty-first century has seen an increase in scholarly interest in the discursive construction of women film practitioners, yet much of this literature focusses on women at the younger- or middle-aged ends of the spectrum, leaving the positioning of older women directors unexamined. Taking Jane Campion as an important case study, this paper explores how Campion is depicted in critical discourses including journalistic responses from Cannes, comments by female industry peers, her self-construction in interviews, and via the television show Top of the Lake, with its unique focus on themes of women and aging. While there is consistency within each discourse in which Campion is situated, each emphasises different facets of Campion's career. This article explores counter-discourses around aging as uttered by Campion and as apparent in Top of the Lake and provides evidence of an intensified biographical focus in critical commentary from this stage of Campion's career. While not definitively attributable to Campion's biological age, the critical recourse to biography may be enabled by the sheer longevity of Campion's career and many decades in the public eye. Taken together, these constructions of 'Campion' are contradictory, however many succeed in putting pressure on hegemonic notions of gender and aging.


We have investigated the effect of different ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating schemes, of error field modes, of the plasma shape and edge magnetic shear, and of the ion delB drift direction on the stability of Alfven eigenmodes (AEs). The use of multi-frequency or 2nd harmonic minority ICRF heating at high plasma density gives rise to a lower fast ion pressure gradient in the plasma core and to a reduced mode activity in the Alfven frequency range. Externally excited low-amplitude error fields lead to a much larger AE instability threshold, which we attribute to a moderate radial redistribution of the fast ions. The edge plasma shape has a clear stabilizing effect on high-n, radially localized AEs. The damping rate of n = 1 toroidal AEs is a factor 3 higher when the ion VB drift is directed towards the divertor. These results represent a useful step towards the extrapolation of current scenarios to the inclusion of fusion-born alpha particles in ITER, with possible application for feedback control schemes for the various ITER operating regimes.


Most scholars view Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District as the high-water mark of student-speech protection, and the Court's two subsequent decisions, Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser and Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, as a considerable retreat from this mark. In the same vein, the nascent scholarly literature on Morse v. Frederick (the "Bong Hits" case) has viewed the decision as the latest step in the Court's retreat. In particular, scholars have criticised Bong Hits' requirement that courts defer to educators' reasonable determinations of what speech constitutes advocacy of illegal drug use. Many scholars have argued that this deference is a departure from the heightened judicial scrutiny that the Tinker "substantial disruption" test ostensibly requires. By contrast, this Note argues that Tinker, while employing strongly speech-protective rhetoric, nonetheless requires that courts defer to educators' reasonable determinations of what speech may cause a substantial disruption and actually provides only very modest protection for student speech. By the same token, comparing the Tinker standard to that of Fraser and Kuhlmeier reveals that it gives no less deference to educators, and little more protection to student speech. The analysis of the three standards is supported by a comprehensive review of lower court decisions from 1969-2007 applying Tinker, Fraser, and Kuhlmeier. As a consequence of misconstruing Tinker, Fraser, and Kuhlmeier, scholars have failed to address why Bong Hits' requirement of deference to educators' reasonable judgments is any less acceptable than Tinker's. This Note attempts to provide this explanation. Deferring to educators' reasonable decisions under Tinker recognizes the difficulty inherent in predicting the potential consequences of speech, without eliminating the limited protection provided by Tinker's required showing of potential disruption. By contrast, Bong Hits does not require any showing of potential harm, but only a demonstration that speech reasonably could constitute advocacy of illegal drug use. The sole protection Bong Hits provides is in maintaining the line between advocacy and non-advocacy, yet deferring to the reasonable judgments of educators on this question blurs the line considerably, thereby largely eliminating protection for student speech. To illuminate the importance of the doctrinal difference between the Tinker and Bong Hits tests, the Note analogizes to two paradigmatic First Amendment standards developed in the courts' subversive advocacy jurisprudence -- Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' "clear and present danger" and Judge Learned Hand's "express advocacy" tests -- and concludes by demonstrating that the special policy considerations that apply to children and the school environment do not justify departing from the principles underlying these two tests.


On the request of the Committee on Physiological and Pharmacological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the lists of the most frequently cited Polish pharmacologists, physiologists and pathophysiologists were compiled. The first list included the years from 1945 to 2014 and the second one the last 15 years (2000 to 2014). The number of publications, the Hirsh index, and the number of papers cited more than 100 times were also shown. To be placed on the first list the person should be cited more than 1000 times and/or have the H index ≥ 15, 116 such scientist were identified. To be placed on the second list, the person should be cited more than 500 times and/or have the H index ≥ 10; 138 such scientists were identified. The names of deceased scientists and Polish scientists working abroad were also included. If other the Committees of the Polish Academy of Sciences followed that example, the potential of the science in Poland could be compared and evaluated.


In order to investigate the role of Au doping and diffusion-annealing duration on the mechanical properties of Bi–Pb–Sr–Ca–Cu–O, Bi1.8Pb0.35Sr1.9Ca2.1Cu3Oy superconductors were prepared by standard solid-state reaction methods. Doping of Bi-2223 was carried out by means of gold diffusion during sintering from an evaporated gold film on pellets. The effect of the diffusion-annealing duration on the mechanical and superconducting properties of these compounds was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, dc resistivity and hardness measurements. These measurements indicated that the Au doping and diffusion-annealing time increased the superconducting transition temperature, Vickers hardness, Young's modulus, yield strength, fracture toughness values and improved the grain connectivity. The mechanical properties of the samples were found to be load dependent. In addition, we calculated the load independent hardness, Young's modulus, yield strength and fracture toughness of the samples. These mechanical properties of the Au-doped samples were dependent on the diffusion-annealing time. Possible reasons for the observed improvements in the superconducting and mechanical properties due to Au diffusion are discussed.


To promote InGaP solar cell efficiency toward the theoretical limit, one promising approach is to incorporate multiple quantum wells (MQWs) into the InGaP host and improve its open-circuit voltage by facilitating radiative carrier recombination owing to carrier confinement. In this research, we demonstrate numerically that a strain-balanced (SB) In1-xGaxP/In1-yGayP MQW enhances confined carrier density while degrades the effective carrier mobility. However, a smart design of the MQW structure is possible by considering quantitatively the trade-off between carrier confinement effect and carrier transport, and MQW can be advantageous over the InGaP bulk material for boosting photovoltaic efficiency.


Blends of polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PBD) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. From the phase composition diagram of the blends, it appears that PBD dissolves more in the PS-rich phase than does PS in the PBD-rich phase. This result is consistent with the behavior of the specific heat increment at the glass transition temperature of PBD in the PS-PBD blends. From the measured glass transition temperature and apparent weight fractions of PS and PBD dissolved in each phase, values of the Flory—Huggins polymer—polymer interaction parameter (χ12) were determined to be 0.0040–0.0102 depending on the composition and molecular weights of the PS and the PBD. No significant difference in χ12 was observed among the blending methods. The composition-dependent value of the Flory—Huggins polymer—polymer interaction parameter was found to be similar to the value of χ12. The polymer—polymer interaction parameter appears to depend on the degree of polymerization of the polymers as well as on the apparent volume fraction of the polymers dissolved in each phase. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 64: 1301–1308, 1997


The purpose of this investigation is to profile a family in the U.K. whose members display entrepreneurial characteristics but are not engaged in a typical family-owned business. Of the 46 family members that are over the age of 18, 27 of them (59%) may be considered to be engaged with some form of entrepreneurial activity.
This paper is unique in that it is the first to identify and research this topic.
The data for this investigation has been collected using semi-structured interviews from nine entrepreneurial members of the family.
It specifically explores the factors of family background and finance upon their entrepreneurial tendencies along with their attitudes toward risk and their use of counterfactual thought. It also profiles the family member's entrepreneurial bricolage, negative thinking, problem solving, positive mental imagery, gender, opportunism and self-image.
The observed family's entrepreneurial profile disagrees with much of the entrepreneurial theory. It finds that the family members do employ entrepreneurial bricolage and generally come from financially sound backgrounds, but finds that they do not employ counterfactual or negative thinking. It also finds that entrepreneurial influences may arise from junior as well as senior family members.


In this paper we examine the Doctorate programs in economics in Italy, also through the lenses of a questionnaire sent to the 44 Directors in charge of them at the time (2008). We asked 10 questions related to the organization, the teaching and the job prospective of their program. Our data, covering the 97% of the doctorates awarded between 2001-2005, allow us to draw a picture which is highly representative of the Italian situation. The Italian Doctorates in economics are characterized by a focus on the academic career and are hardly appealing, both from the demand and supply side, for other professional careers. The training profile is almost exclusively modelled on what is done at the major Ph.D. granting University in the US and UK, in terms of textbook adopted and courses offered. The overview of the Italian Doctorate programs in economics conveys the impression of strong homogeneity, rather than diversity and innovation, to the detriment - in our view - to their potential.


The evaluation of scatterometry and machine learning for the monitoring of intended critical dimension (CD) variations within scatterometry targets is presented. Such variations mimic non-uniformities potentially caused by massively parallel e-beam Maskless Lithography (ML2). Although previous results [1] demonstrate that traditional model-based scatter-ometry can properly quantify these within-target variations, the current work shows that the application of scatterometry-based machine learning complements the model-based scatterometry results. While model-based scatterometry can provide information about structure profile, which can be used to detect parameter shifts even in the absence of a reference, machine learning provides superb correlation to a defined reference.


Recent theories of drug dependence propose that the transition from occasional recreational substance use to harmful use and dependence results from the impact of disrupted midbrain dopamine signals for reinforcement learning on frontal brain areas that implement cognitive control and decision‐making. We investigated this hypothesis in humans using electrophysiological and behavioral measures believed to assay the integrity of midbrain dopamine system and its neural targets. Our investigation revealed two groups of dependent individuals, one characterized by disrupted dopamine‐dependent reward learning and the other by disrupted error learning associated with depression‐proneness. These results highlight important neurobiological and behavioral differences between two classes of dependent users that can inform the development of individually tailored treatment programs.


The objective of solid modeling is to represent, manipulate and reason about the 3D shape of solid physical objects by computer. Such representations should be unambiguous. Solid modeling's major application areas include design, manufacturing, computer vision, graphics and virtual reality. The field draws on diverse sources, including numerical analysis, symbolic algebraic computation, approximation theory, applied mathematics, point set topology, algebraic geometry, computational geometry and databases. In this article, we begin with some mathematical foundations of the field. We next review the major representation schemata of solids. Then, major layers of abstraction in a typical solid modeling system are characterized. The lowest level of abstraction comprises a substratum of basic service algorithms. At an intermediate level of abstraction there are algorithms for larger, more conceptual operations. Finally, a yet higher level of abstraction presents to the user a functional view that is typically targeted towards solid design. We look at some applications and at user interaction concepts. The classical design paradigms of solid modeling concentrated on obtaining one specific final shape. Those paradigms are becoming supplanted by feature-based, constraint-based design paradigms that are oriented more toward the design process and define classes of shape instances. These new paradigms venture into territory that has yet to be explored systematically. Concurrent with this paradigm shift, there is also a shift in the system architecture towards modularized confederations of plug-compatible functional components.


The term "senile emphysema" has been largely abandoned. The lungs do, however, tend to lose their elastic recoil with age. The alveolar ducts enlarge, and the alveolar surface area decreases with age. Total lung capacity does not increase, but the residual volume and functional residual capacity do, with a concomitant decrease in vital capacity. The concern about lung cancer in these patients should be great, as the prevalence for that condition overlaps that of CAO. A routine chest roentgenograph and sputum samples for cytologic examination are the most commonly used techniques to diagnose lung cancer.


ABSTRACTThe relationships between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PM2.5 in outdoor and indoor environments of hotels were examined in Jinan, China from January 6, 2016 to January 29, 2016. The mean concentrations of ∑PAHs for all sampling sites showed the following ascending order: suburban indoor (SUI, 39.58 ng m–3), first urban indoor near a busy traffic road (URI1; 3 m, 63.26 ng m–3), suburban outdoor (SUO, 67.96 ng m–3), urban outdoor (URO, 105.30 ng m–3), and second urban indoor far away from the traffic roads (URI2 > 320 m, 115.63 ng m–3). The indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios of URI1 and SUI were all less than 1, indicating that the PAHs were mainly infiltrated from the outdoor environment. At URI2, 2-ring and some 3- and 4-ring PAHs were mainly produced indoors due to cooking, whereas the 5–7-ring PAHs were mainly infiltrated from the outdoor environment. The diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis indicated that emissions from combustion of coal, biomass, diesel fuel and gasoline were the main sources of PAHs in the study area. The impacts of health risk assessment of PAHs suggested that the health risks in the outdoor environment were more severe than those in the indoor environment and the health risks in urban area were significantly higher than those in the suburban area in Jinan.


When Rossini left Paris in 1836, he left a city with which he had been closely associated for nearly fifteen years. But he also departed with the nagging sense that Paris was owed more than the single grand opéra represented by Guillaume Tell, an obligation that emerged anew in the early 1840s. The Paris premiere of the revised version of the Stabat mater in 1842 laid the ground for Rossini's return to the city in the following year. Expectations that he was coming to Paris to provide a successor to Guillaume Tell were not matched by Rossini's own ambitions: to consult with the world-famous urologist Jean Civiale. While a wide range of new Rossini endeavours were mooted for the Académie Royale de Musique—translations of La donna del lago, Semiramide, and L'italiana in Algeri—none came to fruition. The question of Rossini's second grand opéra continued in the background alongside various rumours of new work—an opera based on Jeanne d'Arc and one on a new libretto by Scribe—the concrete results were a French translation of Othello (1844) and the pasticcio Robert Bruce (1846). In 1844, a statue of Rossini was proposed for the foyer of the Académie Royale de Musique in the Salle Le Peletier, and it was inaugurated in 1846. Rossini was the only living composer to be so honoured, a fact that triggered a number of discourse—formal and informal—that equated Rossini's creative silence with death.


Castillo-Rodríguez, A, Fernandez-García, JC, Chinchilla-Minguet, JL, and Carnero, EÁ. Relationship between muscular strength and sprints with changes of direction. J Strength Cond Res 26(3): 725–732, 2012—Sprints with changes of direction (COD) have been traditionally associated with performance in team sports. Jumping tests have been used as predictors of COD; however, there are not too many studies analyzing how dominance affects the best performance of the turn. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between tests pertaining to jumps (1 and 2 legs) and COD (right and left turns). Forty-two male students were selected at the Faculty of Physical Education (age: 20.1 ± 3.7 years; weight: 73.4 ± 8.4 kg; body mass index: 23.1 ± 2.6 kg·m−2; and fat mass: 17.1 ± 8.8%). All the subjects had right leg dominance. The COD tests were assessed using three 10-m sprint tests (90° right and left turns and 180° turn). Jumps were countermovement jumps (CMJs with 1 and 2 legs) and the drop jump (DJ). Pearson coefficient correlation and stepwise regression analyses were performed. Our results showed that both CMJs and DJs were associated with COD. The CMJ with the right leg had the best coefficient correlation with left COD time (r = −0.64; p < 0.01). Also, the CMJ was associated with COD180° time (r = −0.60; p < 0.01). After regression analysis, only right one-leg CMJ and CMJ were predictors of left COD time (adjusted R2 = 0.46; p < 0.01). The main finding of this study was that the CMJ, but not the DJ, was the best predictor of dominant side COD. Jumps are an important component of team sport training because they improve COD performance. However, coaches use several types of jumps during training; our results suggest that jumps similar to the CMJ should be useful tools to improve COD, which helps to specify better training prescription.


The world of x-ray sources is divided between large "third generation" synchrotron and the user-friendlier "table-top" sources using the emission from plasmas produced by lasers or electrical discharges. The use of x-ray sources has become more and more widespread in many disciplines of basic research and engineering because x-rays are invaluable tools for imagery, defect analysis, and material composition and structure determination. X-ray sources are now capable of producing ultra short pulses with duration ranging from tens of picoseconds to less than one picosecond, giving access to the time scale of elementary processes such as molecular vibrations, and gaining information about the transition state in reactive biological molecules. This paper describes these new x-ray sources and techniques and reviews the first experiments dedicated to the analysis of atomic motions on this time-scale.


Speed and accuracy of information retrieval is of utmostimportance value in the contemporary world. Multimediadata is usually indexed not according to the content but toseveral keywords that only approximate the content.The purpose of the study is to explore the possibility ofusing speech recognition algorithms to improve the qualityof human speech audio files retrieval or live media contentanalysis. The project focuses on phonetic algorithms' abil-ity to compensate for imperfections of speech recognition.The project has examined several speech recognitiontools, language models and phonetic matching algorithms.The results can be used for further research, developing orimproving commercial products.


Abstract. We propose an improved monitoring scheme for the instrumental line shape (ILS) of high-resolution, ground-based FTIR (Fourier Transform InfraRed) spectrometers used for chemical monitoring of the atmosphere by the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). Good ILS knowledge is required for the analysis of the recorded mid-infrared spectra. The new method applies a sequence of measurements using different gas cells instead of a single calibration cell. Three cells are used: cell C1 is a refillable cell offering 200 mm path length and equipped with a pressure gauge (filled with 100 Pa N2O), cells C2 and C3 are sealed cells offering 75 mm path length. C2 is filled with 5 Pa of pure N2O. Cell C3 is filled with 16 Pa N2O in 200 hPa technical air, so provides pressure-broadened N2O lines. We demonstrate that an ILS retrieval using C1 improves significantly the sensitivity of the ILS retrieval over the current calibration cells used in the network, because this cell provides narrow fully saturated N2O lines. The N2O columns derived from C2 and C3 allow the performance of a highly valuable closure experiment: adopting the ILS retrieved from C1, the N2O columns of C2 and C3 are derived. Because N2O is an inert gas, both columns should be constant on long timescales. Apparent changes in the columns would immediately attract attention and indicate either inconsistent ILS results or instrumental problems of other origin. Two different cells are applied for the closure experiment, because the NDACC spectrometers observe both stratospheric and tropospheric gases: C2 mimics signatures of stratospheric gases, whereas C3 mimics signatures of tropospheric gases.


This paper examines the issue of instrumentation for civil structures and in particular discusses the role of sensing systems in the evolution of the smart building concept. The sheer size of most structures of interest presents its own technological challenge in designing a suitable sensing architecture which will both conveniently address the area to be covered and will also provide sufJicient sensing points to adequately characterize the structure under test. In addition, the measurement problem itselJ; which comprises both process monitoring and in use assessment must be dejined. The former is very much process speci$c and my range from assessing whether concrete is dry to ensuring that protective materials are properly installed. The latter is almst entirely concerned with providing an alarm for either the onset of unacceptable corrosion within the structure or the appearance of physical damage for example due to foundation failure. This paper presents an analysis of the principal issues which the civil engineering smart structure must address and derives generic system specijications. It continues to argue thatjber optic solutions are the most appropriate sensing technologies and examines a number of distributed jiber optic technologies which enable both physical and chemical parameters to be addressed throughout a large structure.


OBJECTIVEThe published clinical trials of cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) have unanimously demonstrated the success of preservation of motion (average 7°-9°) at the index level for up to 10 years postoperatively. The inclusion criteria in these trials usually required patients to have evident mobility at the level to be treated (≥ 2° on lateral flexion-extension radiographs) prior to the surgery. Although the mean range of motion (ROM) remained similar after CDA, it was unclear in these trials if patients with less preoperative ROM would have different outcomes than patients with more ROM.METHODSA series of consecutive patients who underwent CDA at the level of C5-6 were followed up and retrospectively reviewed. The indications for surgery were medically refractory cervical radiculopathy, myelopathy, or both, caused by cervical disc herniation or spondylosis. All patients were assigned to 1 of 2 groups: a less-mobile group, which consisted of those patients who had an ROM of ≤ 5° at C5-6 preoperatively, or a more-mobile group, which consisted of patients whose ROM at C5-6 was > 5° preoperatively. Clinical outcomes, including visual analog scale, Neck Disability Index, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scale scores, were evaluated at each time point. Radiological outcomes were also assessed.RESULTSA total of 60 patients who had follow-up for more than 2 years were analyzed. There were 27 patients in the less-mobile group (mean preoperative ROM 3.0°) and 33 in the more-mobile group (mean ROM 11.7°). The 2 groups were similar in demographics, including age, sex, diabetes, and cigarette smoking. Both groups had significant improvements in clinical outcomes, with no significant differences between the 2 groups. However, the radiological evaluations demonstrated remarkable differences. The less-mobile group had a greater increase in ΔROM than the more-mobile group (ΔROM 5.5° vs 0.1°, p = 0.001), though the less-mobile group still had less segmental mobility (ROM 8.5° vs 11.7°, p = 0.04). The rates of complications were similar in both groups.CONCLUSIONSPreoperative segmental mobility did not alter the clinical outcomes of CDA. The preoperatively less-mobile (ROM ≤ 5°) discs had similar clinical improvements and greater increase of segmental mobility (ΔROM), but remained less mobile, than the preoperatively more-mobile (ROM > 5°) discs at 2 years postoperatively.


ARH-77 cells do not adhere to type I collagen and readily invade into collagen gels, but following expression of the transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-1, they bind collagen and fail to invade. We now show that cells transfected with syndecan-2 or syndecan-4 also bind collagen and are non-invasive. In contrast, cells transfected with the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteoglycan glypican-1 do not bind to collagen and remain invasive, even though glypican- and syndecan-expressing cells have similar surface levels of heparan sulfate, and their proteoglycans have similar affinities for collagen. Analysis of cells expressing syndecan-1-glypican-1 chimeric proteoglycans reveals that inhibition of invasion requires the extracellular domain of syndecan but not its transmembrane or cytoplasmic domain. Surprisingly, cells bearing a chimera composed of the glypican extracellular domain fused to the syndecan transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains bind to collagen but remain invasive, implying that adhesion to collagen is not by itself sufficient to inhibit invasion. Apparently, the extracellular domain of syndecan-1, presumably by interacting with cell-surface signal transducing molecules, directly regulates complex cell behaviors such as motility and invasiveness. These results also show for the first time that syndecans and glypicans can have distinct functions, even when expressed by the same cell type.


Different techniques are being studied to make the automotive electrical parts more compact and lightweight; along with improving their functionality for saving energy and protecting the environment. In the wake of this trend, the joints in these parts are required to have little distortion and a high degree of accuracy. Although laser welding, which yields low-distortion joints, was developed in response to this demand for high accuracy, it has been difficult to meet the needs of modern, high-accuracy automobile parts with conventional laser welding. In this research, in order to realize that degree of accuracy, a phenomenal and theoretical analysis of the melting solidification process was conducted and high-accuracy laser welding was investigated for controlling welding deformation.


Body genres represent ideal candidates for biocultural theorisation due to their almost universal effects on audiences. However, not all body genres can be interpreted at the formal level through a direct application of biological ideas; some require an indirect approach that emphasises cultural information as much as biological information. The article pursues this thesis by applying an understanding of heterosexual rape drawn from evolutionary psychology to the motifs of sexual coercion that structure two body genres: rape-revenge and postfeminist softcore. The biocultural approach may be applied in a direct way to rape-revenge, which has often been deemed offensive despite its critiques of male sexual coercion. This direct analysis may then be used as the foundation for a more indirect analysis of postfeminist softcore, a genre that stylises rape to remain inoffensive to women but in the process sacrifices its ability to critique the male aggression predicted by feminists and evolutionists alike.


Forty-five patients (83 eyes) aged 17 to 80 years with optic disc drusen (ODD) were examined. Acute anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) was detected in 6% of all the cases. Chronic optic neuropathy (ON) was revealed in 60%, which was predominantly slowly, progressive, asymptomatic and manifested as changes in the paracentral and peripheral fields of vision. Ultrasound study showed small-sized ODD in patients without clinical signs of optic nerve pathology and large-sized ODD in patients with manifestations of chronic ON. ODD affected central retinal artery blood flow (CRABF): in 96.8% of the patients with chronic ON and in 45.5% of those without visual impairments. There was a relationship of the values of the field of vision and CRABF to the extent of ODD.


The microstructure of ferrofluids (magnetite/oleic acid/benzene) with an excess of free oleic acid is investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). For such excess higher than 25 vol. % a sharp break in the stability of ferrofluids occurs followed by coagulation and precipitation. Below this value the influence of the surfactant excess on the stability of ferrofluids is insignificant; neither particle aggregation nor surfactant agglomeration is observed. The interaction of free acid molecules in the ferrofluids is compared with that in pure benzene solutions. A significant increase in the attraction is observed for acid molecules in the ferrofluids, which is related to the loss of magnetic fluids stability at high excess of acid.


The genetic material of nearly all eukaryotes is maintained in the nucleus in the form of chromatin, which consists of DNA wrapped around histone proteins. The histone proteins have the potential to undergo an impressive variety of post-translational modifications, the establishment and removal of which is catalysed by a large number of different enzymes. Modified histones affect chromatin function both directly, by inducing structural change, and indirectly, by recruiting effector protein complexes which contain modification-specific binding domains. Chromatin-based processes such as transcription and DNA repair can also impact on the local histone modification milieu, making the chromatin landscape a complex and dynamic one. No single histone modification functions in isolation; there is a network of interactions between the proteins which establish, remove and bind to modified histone residues, creating extensive crosstalk between the modifications. Epigenetic mechanisms including alterations to histone modifications are known to be involved in many human diseases, so understanding this complex system is likely to present many novel targets for pharmaceutical therapies.


The objective of this article is to analyze the behavior of the monetary authorities of Morocco in the readjustment of the official weights of anchor currencies in Dirham basket on April 13, 2015. To do this, we are taking into account the objective of the external financing constraints for comparing, with different scenarios, the optimal weights with the implicit weights of the currencies. Such a comparison proves that the authorities take more into consideration the structure of the commercial exchanges than that of the debt for the choice of the optimal weight of the anchor currency. In the final part of the paper, we have delved deeper into this issue by proposing a detailed sectoral study to examine the impact of the exchange rate on the trade balance for each activity sector. Our intention is to find out which foreign currency seems more volatile against the local currency in order to lead the economy to manage the stability of dirham by increasing its weight in the basket. As a result, the higher price elasticity of the Dollar against the dirham encourages Moroccan monetary authorities to increase its weight in the basket.


The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system regulates a variety of physiological processes as well as effecting sugar transport. The crr gene product (enzyme IIAGlc (IIAGlc)) mediates some of these regulatory phenomena. In this report, we characterize a novel IIAGlc-binding protein from Escherichia coli extracts, discovered using ligand-fishing with surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. This protein, which we named FrsA (fermentation/respiration switch protein), is the 47-kDa product of the yafA gene, previously denoted as "function unknown." FrsA forms a 1:1 complex specifically with the unphosphorylated form of IIAGlc, with the highest affinity of any protein thus far shown to interact with IIAGlc. Orthologs of FrsA have been found to exist only in facultative anaerobes belonging to the γ-proteobacterial group. Disruption of frsA increased cellular respiration on several sugars including glucose, while increased FrsA expression resulted in an increased fermentation rate on these sugars with the concomitant accumulation of mixed-acid fermentation products. These results suggest that IIAGlc regulates the flux between respiration and fermentation pathways by sensing the available sugar species via a phosphorylation state-dependent interaction with FrsA.


Aim To document the changing pattern of nosocomial infection on a tertiary neonatal unit before and after the introduction of an infection control care bundle. Nosocomial sepsis is a serious problem for neonates admitted for intensive care and may be related to suboptimal infection control measures.1 Methods Retrospective data on all positive blood cultures and infants admitted to the NICU were obtained for the periods 2002–2009 straddling the introduction of a range of measures in 2007 including improved skin antisepsis, hand washing training, audit and a standardised line handling e-learning module. Nosocomial sepsis was defined as a positive blood culture after 72 h of life. Results Gestation, sex and birth weight were comparable in each period. The number of positive blood cultures (after 72 h) declined sequentially from 28.7 (2007) to 20.3 (2009) per 1000 ITU days, an overall 29.3% reduction. The number of infection episodes/1000 ITU days fell from 16.7 (2007) to 13.4 (2008) and 11.1 (2009). CONS were the predominant isolate (66.2% 2002–2007, 61.7% 2008–2009). CONS in addition to Staphylococcus aureus (20.2%) accounted for 82% of all nosocomial infections during 2008–2009. Gram negative organisms accounted for 8% in 2002–2007 as compared to 6.4% in 2008–2009. Conclusion The introduction of a bundled infection control intervention on our unit is associated with a progressive decrease in the incidence of nosocomial infection.


ABSTRACT Three complete genomes of beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) were recovered from wild musk lorikeets (Glossopsitta concinna). The genomes consisted of 2,008 to 2,010 nucleotides (nt) and encode two major proteins transcribing in opposing directions. This is the first report of BFDV complete genome sequences obtained from this host species.


Exact Method (EX) has been recently proposed to handle the dynamic sensor bias estimation based on the local track estimates at different times, which only apply to fixed platform sensors. On the basis of EX algorithm, an new algorithm is presented to derive the dynamic sensor bias estimation in networked 3-D mobile sensor system based on the local track estimates at different times, which is called MEX algorithm for short. To testify the correctness and validity of the proposed algorithm, the simulations were carried out. And the result shows that the MEX algorithm can effectively estimate sensor measurement biases and attitude angle biases.


Abstract The equations of state of dense hydrous magnesium silicates (DHMS), determined from high-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction are reviewed, including hydroxylchondrodite, hydroxylclinohumite, phase A, phase B (anhydrous and hydrous), superhydrous phase B and phase E. The phases along the forsterite-brucite join, Mg2SiO4-Mg(OH)2, display near (increasing) linearity in compressibility with respect to water content and increasing bulk moduli (KT) with density. Such trends allow prediction of the as yet unknown bulk moduli of phases such as OH-Mg norbergite. The addition of water also reduces the bulk modulus of the B-phases and the anisotropy observed in axial compression. The alternating layers of octahedra and octahedra + tetrahedra completely control compression of the B phases, with the stacking direction becoming more compressible with addition of water. The enigmatic Phase E has the highest KT' yet measured for a hydrous silicate and one of the lowest KT. In contrast with other DHMS, Phase E is only slightly anisotropic in axial compression and we attribute this to the role of the intralayer cations in the structure. The degree of hydration and the vacancy concentration appear to be coupled in Phase E.


The Cox regression model is a cornerstone of modern survival analysis and is widely used in many other fields as well. But the Cox models with time-change covariates are not easy to understand or visualize. We therefore offer a simple and easy-to-understand interpretation of the (arbitrary) baseline hazard and time-change covariate. This interpretation also provides a way to simulate variables that follow a Cox model with arbitrary baseline hazard and time-change covariate.


The transcription factors Emx2 and Pax6 are expressed in the proliferating zones of the developing rodent neocortex, and gradients of expression interact in specifying caudal and rostral identities. Pax6 is also involved in corticoneurogenesis, being expressed by radial glial progenitors that give rise to cells that also sequentially express Tbr2, NeuroD and Tbr1, genes temporally downstream of Pax6. In this study, using in situ hybridization, we analysed the expression of EMX2, PAX6, TBR2, NEUROD and TBR1 mRNA in the developing human cortex between 8 and 12 postconceptional weeks (PCW). EMX2 mRNA was expressed in the ventricular (VZ) and subventricular zones (SVZ), but also in the cortical plate, unlike in the rodent. However, gradients of expression were similar to that of the rodent at all ages studied. PAX6 mRNA expression was limited to the VZ and SVZ. At 8 PCW, PAX6 was highly expressed rostrally but less so caudally, as has been seen in the rodent, however this gradient disappeared early in corticogenesis, by 9 PCW. There was less restricted compartment‐specific expression of TBR2, NEUROD and TBR1 mRNA than in the rodent, where the gradients of expression were similar to that of PAX6 prior to 9 PCW. The gradient disappeared for TBR2 by 10 PCW, and for NEUROD and TBR1 by 12 PCW. These data support recent reports that EMX2 but not PAX6 is more directly involved in arealization, highlighting that analysis of human development allows better spatio‐temporal resolution than studies in rodents.


The structure and dynamics of the enzyme-substrate complex of Bacillus 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase, one of the most active glycoside hydrolases, is investigated by means of Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations (CPMD) combined with force field molecular dynamics (QM/MM CPMD). It is found that the substrate sugar ring located at the -1 subsite adopts a distorted 1S3 skew-boat conformation upon binding to the enzyme. With respect to the undistorted 4C1 chair conformation, the 1S3 skew-boat conformation is characterized by: (a) an increase of charge at the anomeric carbon (C1), (b) an increase of the distance between C1 and the leaving group, and (c) a decrease of the intraring O5-C1 distance. Therefore, our results clearly show that the distorted conformation resembles both structurally and electronically the transition state of the reaction in which the substrate acquires oxocarbenium ion character, and the glycosidic bond is partially broken. Together with analysis of the substrate conformational dynamics, it is concluded that the main determinants of substrate distortion have a structural origin. To fit into the binding pocket, it is necessary that the aglycon leaving group is oriented toward the beta region, and the skew-boat conformation naturally fulfills this premise. Only when the aglycon is removed from the calculation the substrate recovers the all-chair conformation, in agreement with the recent determination of the enzyme product structure. The QM/MM protocol developed here is able to predict the conformational distortion of substrate binding in glycoside hydrolases because it accounts for polarization and charge reorganization at the -1 sugar ring. It thus provides a powerful tool to model E.S complexes for which experimental information is not yet available.


Purpose: The article discusses the risk of poverty and social exclusion of rural residents in the context of sustainable rural development. Poverty is a social phenomenon that affects all socioeconomic groups; however, rural residents are impacted by this issue more than their urban counterparts. Rural areas are important because they constitute a large part of the European Union (80-95% of the area, depending on the member country) and almost a quarter of the population live there. The aim of the paper is to identify the level of poverty and social exclusion in rural areas of the EU and selected aspiring and EU-related countries. Design/Methodology/Approach: The empirical data in the article come from the EU-SILC (the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions). To realize the abovementioned goal, a multidimensional analysis of correspondence was used. Findings: The Central, Eastern and Southern European countries are at much higher risk of poverty or social exclusion than Western Europe. The study showed that one in four rural residents in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and one in five were at risk of poverty. Practical Implications: Determining the proportion of people deprived of the possibility of satisfying their needs at a specific level is a voice in the discussion on further actions that should be undertaken to increase social cohesion and meet the expectations of contemporary sustainable development. Originality/value: The poverty is not a one-dimension phenomenon. It involves many aspects of the everyday life, as proven by the material deprivation rate (also severe material deprivation rate) and the risk of poverty or social exclusion. The authors emphasize that there is a need to modify this indicator.


SIP PBX is definitely the alpha and omega of any IP telephony infrastructure and frequently also provides other services than those related to VoIP traffic. These exchanges are, however, very often the target of attacks by external actors. The article describes a system that was developed on VSB-TU Ostrava as a testing tool to verify if the target VoIP PBX is adequately secured and protected against any real threats. The system tests the SIP element for several usually occurring attacks and it compiles evaluation of its overall security on the basis of successfully or unsuccessfully penetrations. The article describes the applications and algorithms that are used by system and the conclusion consists recommendations and guidelines to ensure effective protection against VoIP PBX threats. The system is designed as an open-source web application, thus allowing independent access and is fully extensible to other test modules.


Refactoring has become a well-known technique for improving the code in a way that preserves behavior. The application of refactorings during development process of an object oriented or procedure oriented software improves the design and therefore the quality of software. During the evolution of software it is a requirement to refactor them in order to make it more compatible and flexible with the new environment. Much work is being done in refactoring object oriented code with aspect oriented programming. But this paper describes the various types of refactoring being done on procedural codes for eg: C language and the utility of refactoring the procedural codes with the help of aspect oriented programming. The paper also proposes certain refactorings that could be achieved in a better way using AOP.


Abstract The 40Ar/39Ar dating technique requires the transformation of 39K into 39Ar by neutron activation. Neutron activation has undesirable secondary effects such as interfering isotope production, and recoil of 39Ar and 37Ar atoms from their (dominant) targets of K and Ca. In most cases, the grains analysed are large enough (>50 μm) such that the amount of target atoms ejected from the grains is small and has a negligible effect on the ages obtained. However, increasing needs to date fine-grained rocks requires constraining, and in some cases correcting for, the effect of nuclear recoil. Previous quantitative studies of recoil loss focus mostly on 39Ar. However, 37Ar loss can affect the ages of Ca-rich minerals via interference corrections on 36Ar (and, to a lesser extent, 39Ar), yielding lower 40Ar*/39ArK and, thus, an age spuriously too young. New results focused on 37Ar recoil by measuring the apparent age of multi-grain populations of Ca-rich minerals including Fish Canyon plagioclase (FCp) and Hb3gr hornblende, with discrete sizes ranging from 210 to <5 µm. We use previous result on sanidine grains to correct for the 39Ar recoil loss. For the finest fractions, FCp and Hb3gr apparent ages are younger than the 39Ar recoil-corrected ages expected for these minerals, with a maximum deviation of −40% (FCp) and −21% (Hb3gr) reached for grains below 5 μm. We calculate 37Ar-depletion values ranging from approximately 30 to 91% and from approximately 28 to 98% for plagioclase and hornblende, respectively. This results in x0 values (mean thickness of the partial depletion layer) of 3.3±0.4 μm (2σ; FCp) and 3.6±1.4 μm (Hb3gr), significantly higher than suggested by current models. The reason for the substantial 37Ar loss is not well understood, but might be related to the radiation damage caused to the mineral during irradiation. x0 (39Ar) and x0 (37Ar) values obtained in this study, along with crystal dimensions, can be used for correcting 40Ar/39Ar ages from 39Ar and 37Ar recoil loss. We also discuss the relevance of our results to vacuum-encapsulation studies and isotopic redistribution in fine-grained minerals. Supplementary material: Annex 1, 2 and 3 are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18610. Annex 1 and 2: Raw argon data corrected for blank, mass discrimination and radioactive decay for Fish Canyon plagioclase (Annex 1) and Hb3gr hornblende (Annex 2). Annex 3: Step-heating 40Ar/39Ar age spectra for FCp (Fig. A3.1) and Hb3gr (Fig. A3.2).


In this paper, we carried out an experimental study of graphene-on-gold structure based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging (SPRI) method. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental report of graphene SPR study. An experimental SPRI platform was setup, which can fulfill wide incident angle range covering the resonant angle of gas and aqueous sample. 1, 2, 3 layers of graphene are fabricated by CVD method and then transfer to gold substrate. The SPR images of different graphene-on-gold structure are acquired and analyzed. SPR curves of different layers of graphene-on-gold are obtained and compared with simulation result. It is found that the SPR angle will shift about 0.18(deg) per graphene layer, which is consistent with the simulation result (0.15 deg). The graphene-on-gold structure provide an accurate single-atom-layer tool, which can be applied in various research areas, e.g. biosensor, nanoplasmonic etc.


Breast carcinoma falls into a heterogeneous group of diseases which can be determined by various prognostic factors. The identification of clinical and histopathologic factors is of great value in predicting the progression of tumor growth and survival outcome. Due to a high degree of cell proliferation in breast tumors and high genetic instability of these tumors, as a consequence of defective DNA repair mechanisms, chemotherapy as a treatment option often renders very successful results. During our scientific study of the expression of genes responsible for mismatch repair of DNA in cells of invasive ductal carcinoma we also compared the patient survival rate with the major prognostic factors. This study included 108 patients who were surgically treated for invasive breast cancer at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Hospital "Dubrava". The overall survival rate was compared to factors such as initial tumor stage, regional lymph node involvement and distant metastasis. The overall five year survival rate of our patients was 78.7%. Patients without the presence of distant metastasis, a lower rate of local lymph node involvement and a lower. tumor stage statistically had a longer overall survival period. It is important that physicians recognize the various clinico-pathohistological factors in patients with breast carcinoma. This study confirms that this prognostic factors determine the type of treatment required and most important, the patient overall survival period.


Research in education confirmed that students engage in learning when they feel connected with others and when they play an active role in their learning process. Therefore; social presence (SP) considered as an important component of effective learning in both face-face and online learning environment. Therefore, this study intended to investigate students' perception about SP when using Web 2.0 tool for learning-based interaction and the difference in their perception based on gender and number of the semesters of the study. The participants of this study were 71 postgraduate students in one of the Malaysian public universities. The quantitative methods of data collection and data analysis were used in this study. Therefore, the researcher employed survey method using Online Social Presence Questionnaire (OSPQ) to collect the data. The data were analyzed using SPSS software to find mean, standard deviation of students' perception of their social presence while using Web 2.0 tool for learning-based interaction. Independent sample t-test was used to find the difference in students perception based on their gender. Moreover, One-Way ANOVA was used to find the difference in students' SP perception based on their semester of the study. The findings of this study showed that students expressed high perception about their social presence on Web 2.0 tool. Nonetheless, male students perceived higher social presence on Web 2.0 tool than female students. However, there were not significant differences in students' perception of social presence neither based on the gender difference nor on the number of the semester of the study.


Purpose: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a caries prevention and arresting agent that is easy to apply clinically. Interim therapeutic restorations (IRT) are also known to be a simple and effective method for treating caries in children. This study examines whether treatment with 30% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) will cause fewer adverse events than the available interim therapeutic restorations in underprivileged schoolchildren with cavities.
Methods: We conducted a three-month pilot study comparing the adverse effects of IRT using glass ionomer cement (Fuji IX, GC America, Inc.) with those of 30% silver diamine fluoride (Cariostop Biodynamic®, Brazil) in 50 children aged 6 years.
Results: In the SDF group, all caries were arrested and no pain, abscess or fistula was reported. Of the children assigned to the Fuji IX group, 24% reported toothache (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of fistula and abscess in the two groups.
Conclusion: The authors suggest that for underprivileged schoolchildren with caries, the use of SDF when an appropriate clinical setting is not available resulted in fewer adverse effects than did treatment with an interim therapeutic restorative using FUJI IX.


war in Iraq (2003) in the bloody search-and-destroy mission against non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) recently confessed to being a little embarrassed. On the September 2014 eve of the release of The Menzies Era, his book of hero worship about conservative Australian PM Sir Robert Menzies, Howard told an interviewer that, when it became public knowledge, the US intelligence reports he based his decision on regarding WMD were faulty, well, he was embarrassed. Not ashamed, mind you, not distraught ... which might be expected, since he has a huge amount of civilian blood on his hands ... no, just embarrassed.


104 transplantations of the kidney from living relative donors (LRD) in patients with an end-stage of chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) were carried out in Research Center of Surgery from April 15, 1965 to November, 1993. Donors of the kidneys were: mother (55), father (21), sister (18), brother (10). Analysis of the accumulated data showed, that the results of LRD transplantations (one year survival of recipients 84 +/- 6%) are much better than those from cadaver donors (one year survival of recipients 33 +/- 6%). The examination of the relative donors in long-term periods after the operation has demonstrated, that nephrectomy in them entails small risk, because it does not negatively influence their psycho-emotional sphere and social status. The reserved (retained) kidney is able to support homeostasis of donor organism during all his life. Therefore the operation of kidney transplantation from living relative donors is the most effective method of treatment of patients with an end-stage of chronic renal insufficiency.


The effects of dexamethasone (Dex) on the func- tions of antigen-primed helper and suppressor T cells were studied in humoral immune responses in vitro. In doses equivalent to el- evated physiologic concentrations, the suppressor T cell activity was abolished. In contrast, the helper T cell function was resistant to even pharmacologic concentrations of Dex. The apparent ste- roid resistance of the helper T cells was found to be mediated by the products of activated macrophages. While macrophage factors protected helper T cells from:steroid inhibition, they did not pre- vent the effects of Dex on suppressor T cells. Because bacterial cell wall and membrane components are potent inducers of the factors that mediate steroid resistance of helper-T cells, the com- bination of physiologically elevated levels of steroids and macro- phage factors during acute infections may function to facilitate the expression of host immunity. However, the persistance of these conditions, as in chronic inflammation, may also contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmunity by perturbing the balance of im- mune regulation by helper and suppressor T cells.


The full power of mobile augmented and virtual reality systems is realized when these systems are connected to one another, to immersive virtual environments, and to remote information servers. Connections are usually made through wireless networks. However, wireless networks cannot guarantee connectivity and their bandwidth can be highly constrained. This paper presents a robust event-based data distribution mechanism for mobile augmented reality and virtual environments. It is based on replicated databases, pluggable networking protocols, and communication channels. The mechanism is demonstrated in the Battlefield Augmented Reality System (BARS) situation awareness system, composed of several mobile augmented reality systems, immersive and desktop-based virtual reality systems, a 2D mapbased multimodal system, handheld PCs, and other sources of information such as external data servers.


Today the web has become a major conduit for information. As the World Wide Web's popularity continues to increase, information security on the web has become an increasing concern. Web information security is related to availability, confidentiality, and data integrity. According to the reports from http://www.securityfocus.com in May 2006, operating systems account for 9% vulnerability, web-based software systems account for 61% vulnerability, and other applications account for 30% vulnerability.
In this dissertation, I present a security analysis model using the Markov Process Model. Risk analysis is conducted using fuzzy logic method and information entropy theory. In a web-based application system, security risk is most related to the current states in software systems and hardware systems, and independent of web application system states in the past. Therefore, the web-based applications can be approximately modeled by the Markov Process Model. The web-based applications can be conceptually expressed in the discrete states of (web_client_good; web_server_good, web_server_vulnerable, web_server_attacked, web_server_security_failed; database_server_good, database_server_vulnerable, database_server_attacked, database_server_security_failed) as state space in the Markov Chain. The vulnerable behavior and system response in the web-based applications are analyzed in this dissertation. The analyses focus on functional availability-related aspects: the probability of reaching a particular security failed state and the mean time to the security failure of a system. Vulnerability risk index is classified in three levels as an indicator of the level of security (low level, high level, and failed level). An illustrative application example is provided. As the second objective of this dissertation, I propose a security improvement model for the web-based applications using the GeoIP services in the formal methods. In the security improvement model, web access is authenticated in role-based access control using user logins, remote IP addresses, and physical locations as subject credentials to combine with the requested objects and privilege modes. Access control algorithms are developed for subjects, objects, and access privileges. A secure implementation architecture is presented. In summary, the dissertation has developed security analysis and improvement model for the web-based application. Future work will address Markov Process Model validation when security data collection becomes easy. Security improvement model will be evaluated in performance aspect.


The article reviews the peer-reviewed literature on physical activity interventions for children and adolescents. A meta-analytic approach was used in which effect sizes from each study are pooled to provide a global estimate of effectiveness. A search was conducted using computer-based databases including MEDLINE, PyschLit, Social Science Index, and SPORTDiscus. Manual searches were also conducted using the reference lists from recovered articles. Applying strict criteria for quality of design and assessment of physical activity, 10 studies were located, yielding a total of 44 effect sizes. The mean effect size was 0.47 (95% confidence interval .28-.66), suggesting that interventions have produced moderate increases in physical activity. Effect sizes ranged from -0.61 to 2.5. Interventions focusing on increasing the amount of physical activity performed during regular physical education were more effective than those targeting overall levels of physical activity. Interventions were almost entirely school-based. Developing and evaluating community-based approaches for promoting physical activity among young people, especially older adolescents, remains an urgent priority for future research.


Two California native perennial grasses, nodding needlegrass (Nassella cernua (Stebbins & R.M. Love) Barkworth) and California barley (Hordeum brachyantherum Nevski ssp. californicum (Covas & Stebbins) Bothmer, N. Jacobsen & Seberg), were compared with a conventional grass cover crop, 'Blando' brome (Bromus hordeaceus L.), as well as resident (weedy) vegetation and a clean cultivated control for effects on growth and yield of cultivated grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Barbera). Statistical analyses did not reveal yield differences between treatments with floor vegetation (the native grasses, 'Blando' brome, and resident vegetation) and clean cultivation, the cover crop treatments (the native grasses and 'Blando brome') and clean cultivation, nor the native grass treatments versus treatments with non-native floor vegetation ('Blando' brome and resident vegetation). However, there was a significant difference between the two native grasses with the average yield of nodding needlegrass 26.2% higher than that of California barley. Treatments did not differ in 8Brix, berry weight, or pruning weight. At the end of the study, vine trunk diameter was 7.1% higher under the cover crop treatments than resident vegetation. Given these results, in vineyards where a neutral effect on growth or yield is desired, nodding needlegrass would be suitable as a permanent cover crop, whereas California barley would not.


This report was prepared by Nancy A. McLaughlin, Robert W. Swenson Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, in her role as Reporter for the Uniform Law Commission's Uniform Conservation Easement Act Study Committee. The report provides an overview of the Uniform Conservation Easement Act (UCEA), which was approved by the Commission in 1981, and examines the provisions in individual state conservation easement enabling statutes that differ from the provisions in the UCEA.