Every organization is faced with uncertainty and risk. The challenge for management is to determine how much uncertainty to accept as it strives to improve stakeholder value. Risk identification is a process designed to identify first both the strategic objectives and goals and then the potential internal and external events that can adversely affect the enterprise's ability to achieve those objectives and goals. Enterprise risk management (ERM) has been recognized as being one of the most important issues in business management in the last decade. ERM includes the methods and processes used by organizations to minimize surprises and seize opportunities related to the achievement of their objectives. ERM is an approach to aligning strategy, process, and knowledge in order to curtail surprises and losses as well as to capitalize on business opportunities. In order to provide the materials and the technical support, we presented the role of the ERM. The paper has a theoretical value thus presenting the main concepts and notions related to ERM. The contributions presented in this paper consist mainly in the identification of the elements of ERM which although is a relatively new concept has aroused particular interest and research in the field is very consistent, however the manner of approach may be different (what we tried to do and presented in the following two chapters considered some unusual elements on ERM).


While intussusception is rarely seen in adults, it is typically obstructive in nature when it does occur. Even less commonly seen is transient intussusception, which occurs without a radiological lead point or any evidence of bowel obstruction. Such findings consist of a "target pattern" seen on computed tomography (CT) but are incidental and do not require any surgical intervention. We report the case of a 31-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. CT imaging revealed transient intussusception, a benign finding that is not well established in emergency medicine literature.


This Article examines the states' response to Epic Systems v. Lewis, which held enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) mandatory arbitration agreements that require employees to waive their participation in collective and class actions in employment contracts. Recent evidence shows that mandatory arbitration can erode access to justice for and deterrence of employment law claims. States in response are considering qui tam statutes, which assign the state interests in penalties for employment law violations to private enforcers in return for a bounty, to substitute for the loss of class action enforcement after Epic Systems.

These statutes can increase deterrence and access to justice, and do not implicate the FAA so long as the claim belongs to the state. But the Supreme Court's FAA jurisprudence evinces a hostility to statutes that permit an end run around class action waivers. It is an open question at what point a qui tam statute requires waiver under the FAA for insufficiently distinguishing between the private and public interests in enforcement. Current due process protections do not sufficiently protect against this threat, or the interests of states and the affected employees. This Article offers the safeguard of agency oversight, often required by state nondelegation doctrine, to protect state qui tam statutes from FAA preemption by constraining qui tam claims to those that serve a distinct, public interest. Meaningful public agency oversight over the resolution of qui tam claims would protect the interests of the states and enable agencies to protect the interests of aggrieved employees. States can also reduce incentives for misuse of qui tam enforcement that harms the interests of aggrieved employees by extending qui tam enforcement to nonprofit public interest corporations as representative organizations.


The film coefficient of heat transfer from a hot metal surface to a boiling liquid was estimated from experiments with an electrically heated wire submerged in the liquid. The heat-flow rate was given by the consumption of electric power. The temperature drop through the film was taken as the difference between the surface temperature of the wire and the mean temperature of the liquid. The surface temperature of the wire was estimated by a small thermocouple. The graph of film coefficient, as a function of temperature drop through the film, is called the "boiling" curve. As the temperature drop increased, the film coefficient first rose to a maximum, then fell to a minimum, from which it rose steadily as the temperature drop continued to increase. When water was boiled at atmospheric pressure, different heated metals gave different boiling curves. Preliminary data are given for nickel, tungsten, chromel A, and chromel C. When water was boiled at different elevated pressures, the same heated metal gave different boiling curves. The data are given for nickel and chromel at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 psig. Throughout these experiments the general form of the boiling curve remains the same.


The luminescent properties of transition metal complexes of heavy metals such as platinum(II) and irdium(III) are often highly luminescent and therefore are interesting for use as phosphorescent dopants in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and as luminescent probes in bioimaging. The majority of complexes investigated to date contain only one metal centre with multimetallic complexes becoming more widely studied in recent decades.

This work explores the synthesis of novel dinuclear emitters based on cyclometallated Pt(II) and Ir(III) centres. In particular, complexes in which the metal centres are rigidly-linked via cyclometallating bridging ligands. The complexes described in this work are highly luminescent with high quantum yields in degassed solution and relatively short luminescence lifetimes.

Dinuclear platinum(II) complexes linked via pyrimidine-based bis-bidentate ligands incorporating mono- and bis-thiophene cyclometallating units have been prepared and their photophysical properties investigated. These complexes were observed to emit in the orange (610 nm) and near-infrared (730 nm) regions of the spectrum for the mono- and bis-thiophene respectively, with relatively high quantum yields (ϕ = 0.15–0.85).

A further dinuclear platinum(II) complex, rigidly-linked via a bis-tetradentate bridging ligand offering O^N^C^N coordination, was successfully prepared. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of di-platinum(II) complex in which the two metal centres are linked via this type of bridging ligand.

Dinuclear iridium(III) complexes linked via bis-bidentate bridging ligands based on the central heterocycle pyrimidine have been prepared. These pyrimidine-linked complexes exhibited high quantum yields in degassed dichloromethane solution at room temperature, in the range 0.88-1.0. A representative structure is shown below. Variation of the monodentate chloride ligands to alternative ligands such as cyanide and acetonitrile was also investigated. Incorporation of a cyanide ligand was observed to blue-shift the emission relative to the analogous chloro complex.

The effect of varying the central heterocycle of the bis-bidentate bridging ligand was investigated. The identity of the central heterocycle of the bridging ligand has been shown to have significant effects on the properties of the resulting dinuclear Ir(III) complexes, as is discussed below.

Di-iridium(III) complexes linked via 2,5-pyrazine based bridging ligands have been successfully prepared. However, photodegradation of the complexes was observed in chlorinated solvents. To resolve this problem, a bis-bidentate bridging ligand incorporating a thiazolo[5,4]thiazole core was employed and the resulting di-iridium complex showed improved photostability.

A 2,3-pyrazine-linked dinuclear iridium complex was synthesised and was observed to have a twisted geometry at room temperature and therefore, is chiral. Through a high-temperature NMR experiment, it was shown that this complex racemises at 80 °C.

Finally, incorporating pyridazine as the central heterocycle leads to the sharing of a monodentate chloride ligand between the two iridium centres. This leads to the formation of a cationic dinuclear iridium(III) complex. This complex was investigated as a luminescent probe in bioimaging.


The paper presents a fully integrated system for apnea detection. Apnea has been one of the leading causes of death in the USA and it is even more critical for premature neonatal infants. A prototype device with the pyroelectric sensor and a wireless telemetry designed in 0.5 μm CMOS process is presented which overcomes the complexity of the point of care diagnosis of sleeping disorders.


Background Anti-doping activities are necessary for justice and fairness in sports. In and out of competition doping tests are now mainly responsible for anti-doping activities. Objective To clarify the anti-doping activities in Japan in recent years. Design, setting, and participants The object of the investigation is to summarize the doping tests performed after the volleyball games in Japan between 2006–2009. The anti-doping activities were mainly in the responsibility of the anti-doping subcommittee of the Japan Volleyball Association. This subcommittee is doing the coordination of drug testing in international games and domestic games. The competitions in which the doping tests were done were international games (Volleyball World Championship (VWC), World Cup (WC), World Grand Prix (WGP), Grand Champions Cup (GCC), and final preliminary qualifying contests (OQT) for the Olympic Games), and domestic games (V League, Emperor's Cup, and national constitution). Undergo doping test athletes were randomly chosen by lot from among all the participating players of the competition. Out-of-competition testing was based on the information ADAMS and whereabouts. All tests were urine, blood tests were not performed. All samples were carried to Mitsubishi Chemical Medience that was the only WADA official recognition analyzing facilities in Japan. Results The number of samples increased every year, and the out of competition testing became a higher percentage of the total number of samples. The number of tests each year are as follows. Conclusions There are many international games, and are many chances of the doping tests in Japan. Recently, the number of OOCT is increased. The most import ant thing is to raise awareness of anti-doping to individual players through the tests and the educational activities. ICT OOCT 2006 V-league+VWC 201 17 2007 V-league+WC 101 53 2008 V-league+OQT+WGP 132 104 2009 V-league+WGP+GCC 114 Unpublished


Summary Background. The excitotoxic amino acid glutamate is known to aggravate pre-existing neuropathology. Since volatile anesthetics increase plasma amino acid levels, we investigated if the anesthetics isoflurane and propofol increase plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glutamate in neurosurgical patients. Methods. In discectomized patients (n ¼ 15), plasma glutamate was determined at 30 minute intervals before and during isoflurane anesthesia. In craniotomized patients (n ¼ 66), plasma glutamate was assessed during and up to 24 hours after routine isoflurane or propofol anesthesia. CSF samples were withdrawn upon opening of the dura, before surgical manipulations. Findings. During isoflurane anesthesia, plasma glutamate was significantly and reversibly increased in discectomized and craniotomized patients compared to healthy controls (56 � 6mM; p < 0.05), which was mostly sustained in male patients (males: 126 � 12 vs. females: 96 � 6mM; p < 0.05). With propofol, plasma glutamate was increased equally in men and women but to a lesser extent than with isoflurane (mean: 72 � 7mM). CSF glutamate was significantly increased during isoflurane and propofol anesthesia compared to control lumbar CSF (1.2 � 0.1mM; p < 0.0001), being more prominent in patients with preexisting brain edema receiving isoflurane (76 � 8 vs. propofol: 40 � 6mM; p < 0.05). Conclusions. The significant increases in plasma and CSF glutamate which were mostly sustained during isoflurane compared to propofol anesthesia should prompt the identification of anesthetic agents which do not impose a possible burden of glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity in patients with underlying compromised cerebral homeostasis. Detailed neuropsychological investigations following different anesthesia regimen are important to determine if transient elevations in CSF and plasma glutamate levels are of clinical relevance.


Abstract Recent work has revived interest in the scattering matrix formulation of electron scattering in transmission electron microscopy as a stepping stone toward atomic-resolution structure determination in the presence of multiple scattering. We discuss ways of visualizing the scattering matrix that make its properties clear. Through a simulation-based case study incorporating shot noise, we shown how regularizing on this continuity enables the scattering matrix to be reconstructed from 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) measurements from a single defocus value. Intriguingly, for crystalline samples, this process also yields the sample thickness to nanometer accuracy with no a priori knowledge about the sample structure. The reconstruction quality is gauged by using the reconstructed scattering matrix to simulate STEM images at defocus values different from that of the data from which it was reconstructed.


This paper presents a computer simulation model to analyze coupling effects between actuators of a hydraulically driven six degrees of freedom parallel manipulators. The design is based on the multi-body dynamics model of the system built using Kane's formulation and hydromechanics' principles. Combining the two parts, an integrated computer simulation model is designed to analyze coupling effects using joint space inverse mass matrix. The designed computer simulation model was used to establish a coupling effects relationship between actuators. The simulation results in frequency domain show that the coupling effect is heavier between odd and even numbered actuators. The result further reveal that the dynamics coupling property of the system increase with the frequency and reach the maximum value at the natural frequency. At a frequency higher than the natural frequency the coupling property decreases. This study can assist to provide optimum methods for mechanism designers and can offer a basis for comparing and selection of design options. It can also lay a good foundation for studies on decoupling control strategies.


The algebraic graph transformation approach was initiated in 1973 and supports the rule-based modification of graphs based on pushout constructions. The vertex and edge types used within the rules (or productions) as well as possible inheritance relationships defined between them are specified in the type graph. However, the termination proof can only be accomplished for graph transformation systems without inheritance relationships. Thus, all graph transformation systems with inheritance relationships in the type graph must be flattened. To this end, the algebraic graph transformation approach provides a formal description for how to flatten the type graph as well as a definition of abstract and concrete productions. In this paper, we will extend the definitions to also consider vertices in negative application conditions with finer node types and positive application conditions. Furthermore, we will prove the semantic equivalence of the original and the flattened graph transformation system. The whole flattening algorithm is then implemented in a prototype which supports an abstract or concrete flattening of a given graph transformation system. The prototype is finally evaluated within a case study.


Using a Bayesian structural vector autoregression (TVP-SVAR) with time-varying parameters and volatility we investigate monetary policy in the United States, in particular its interaction with the formation of inflation expectations and the linkages between monetary policy, inflation expectations and the behaviour of CPI inflation. We use Livingston Survey data for expected inflation, measured at a bi-annual frequency, actual inflation, unemployment and a nominal interest rate to estimate the VAR and show the significant changes that have occurred in the responses of these variables to monetary policy shocks or to shocks to expected and actual inflation. In so doing, we generalize the analysis undertaken by Leduc, Sill and Stark (2007) to allow for a more nuanced and detailed look at questions such as the impact of different chairmanship regimes at the Federal Reserve Board, the role of good policy versus good luck, and second round inflation effects. While some of the questions asked have a relatively long history, the methods used to undertake our investigations are very new, and the time-varying structure allows us to offer a more detailed picture. In using these methods we also undertake a substantial technical discussion to unearth the appropriateness of the TVP-SVAR models hitherto estimated in the literature, in particular the role of the choice of priors in determining the outcome of the estimations. As we discuss in the paper, this is an important issue which has remained rather hidden in the discussions surrounding the estimation of TVP-SVARs, yet may have a substantially important role to play in determining the results obtained.


Introduction: All through the world, induction of labour fails in 20% of cases and thus cesarean section
is performed. Obesity is a risk factor for undesired results of pregnancies. Although the Bishop score is
simple and easy to apply, it is a subjective evaluation method and results may vary according to the clinical
experience of the person applying it. Transvaginal cervical measurement can be more objective criterion
in assessing the success of labor induction. We aimed to identify the proper characteristics of the pregnant
women, which can go for successful induction of labour.
Method: Induction of labor for 100 women using vaginal misoprostol was done following identification of
their BMI, modified bishop score and transvaginal cervical length. All women were pregnant ?38 weeks,
singleton, cephalic presentation, intact fetal membranes.
Results: About 92 women had successful induction of labour (group 1) while the remaining eight women
had failed induction (group 2). BMI did not show statistical significance however, the modified Bishop score
and the transvaginal cervical length showed high statistical significance. Using the modified bishop score
2 as a cutoff value showed sensitivity 89.1%, and specificity 62.5% while using the transvaginal cervical
length 2.65 as a cutoff value showed sensitivity 72.8% and specificity 100%.
Conclusion: Induction of labour by vaginal misoprostol is very promising in term women providing
identification of their modified Bishop score and their transvaginal cervical length.


60 anxious neurotic outpatients completed a double-blind comparative 2 week clinical study of the anxiolytic effect of melperone 10 mg t.i.d. and 25 mg t.i.d. versus placebo. The efficacy was assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Clinical Global Impressions. At the end of the 1st and the 2nd week of treatment, the reduction in the Hamilton scores was significantly greater in the melperone groups than in the placebo group, but there was no significant difference in the improvement of the two melperone groups. Similar findings were true for the global assessment. The adverse effects recorded were generally mild and transient, tiredness being the most frequent in both the placebo and melperone groups. No laboratory abnormalities were attributable to melperone. A nonsignificant reduction in systolic blood pressure was observed in the melperone groups, probably due to the antianxiety effect. It is concluded that melperone, in low doses, appears to be both safe and effective as an antianxiety agent. The results indicate that melperone could be a realistic alternative to the benzodiazepines.


The growth, development and institutionalisation of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes in Australia have paved the way for a changing legal culture. Whilst the adversarial process underpins the Australian legal system, the theory and practice of ADR has allowed a broadening of attitudes towards conflict resolution. In Victoria, collaborative rather than adversarial approaches to justice have been put into practice in 'problem-solving courts'. This development evidences an institutional shift from adversarial justice towards the greater inclusion of non-adversarial dispute resolution processes. Contemporary best practice lawyering demands recognition and acceptance of this change. Legal educators and regulators must also act on the new reality of lawyering.


In the eyelids of Asians, the presence of epicanthal folds and the absence of supratarsal folds are a unique feature. The resulting appearance leads many to seek cosmetic improvement in the medial canthal area. Although many techniques have been described for the elimination of epicanthal folds, scarring and complexity in design are still barriers for surgeons to overcome. From July of 1998 to May of 2000, the authors used root Z-epicanthoplasty on the eyelids of 30 Asian patients to correct epicanthal folds. Results were satisfactory in all patients, with no complications. Root Z-epicanthoplasty, as performed by the authors, is a simple design and procedure; there is minimal scarring in the medial canthal area and no tension.


We search for CP violation in neutral charm meson decays using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 966 fb(-1) collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e(+)e(-) asymmetric-energy collider. The asymmetry obtained in the rate of D-0 and (D) over bar (0) decays to the pi(0)pi(0) final state, [-0.03 +/- 0.64(stat) +/- 0.10(syst)]%, is consistent with no CP violation. This constitutes an order of magnitude improvement over the existing result. We also present an updated measurement of the CP asymmetry in the D-0 -> K-S(0)pi(0) decay: A(CP)(D-0 -> K-S(0)pi(0)) = [-0.21 +/- 0.16(stat) +/- 0.07(syst)]%.


This research is caused by the development of Medicinal herbs business especially "jamu" which is still needed by the people of Indonesia. This phenomenon characterized by many brands of herb medicines such as Tolak Angin, Antangin, Bintang Todjoe etc. Tolak Angin still become market leader in Indonesia marked by top position on Top Brand Index in 2014 – 2016. This research's purpose is to know the influence of quality products, advertising, and brand image of tolak angin, The type of this research is explanatory research, with data collection techniques through The questionnaire and the interview. Using the technique of sampling with purposive sampling dan accidental sampling. Sample in this research were 100 respondent consists of Tolak Angin Users in Kota Semarang. The Technique to collect data in this research through the questionnaire and interview. This research uses qualitative analysis technique and quantitative analysis technique. Quantitative analysis use validity test, realibility test, correlation coefficient, simple and multiple regression analysis, determination coefficient, signification test that Being tested use SPSS for Windows. The results showed that there are positive effect of quality products to using decisions, positive effect of advertising to using decision, positive effects of brand image to using decisions; quality products, advertising, and brand image has a positive impact using decisions.Based on the research cause advices for the quality of the product Tolak Angin's composition more adjusted to the needs of users in overcome, on the Tolak Angin packaging expected furnished in a saving manner to keep Tolak Angin that not easy to break, and change the composition to be saver for users although Tolak Angin has given the warning behind the packaging. Advertising Tolak Angin on television or other media become clearer and fuller, and The Tolak Angin Advertising should add more values the advantage with create The unique advertising compared to similar products so as to be more to remember and the information become clearer. Brand image of Tolak Angin is good but have to be improved a healthy lifestyle with drink medicines herbs so the user perceptions to Tolak Angin brand image more better in terms of lifestyle users.


Background We have reported that the major outer membrane of C trachomatis is glycosylated and the glycan is a high mannose oligosaccharide. Cumulative studies have demonstrated that the glycan is important in attachment and infectivity through binding to the mannose receptor (MR). Glycan removal decreases infectivity in vitro and in vivo and simultaneous administration of mannan, a ligand of the MR, abrogates C trachomatis infection in a mouse model of pneumonitis. Thus, we are investigating the feasibility of an anti-adhesive therapy to prevent C trachomatis infection by identifying oligosaccharides that are effective in inhibiting infection in vitro and testing their efficacy in a mouse model of genital tract infection. Methods HeLa 229 cell monolayers were pretreated with serial concentrations of oligosaccharides prior to infection with C trachomatis. Neutralisation of infectivity was scored as >50% inhibition. For animal experiments, 8-week-old Swiss Webster female mice were primed with subcutaneous injections of Depo-Provera 1 week prior to challenge. Subsequently, mice were inoculated intravaginally with carbohydrates or PBS (n=5 mice per group) 30 min prior to infection with C trachomatis. Vaginal swab samples were obtained at 24, 48, and 72 h. post-infection, at peak times of shedding. Statistical significance was determined by the Student's t test. Results Carbohydrates have been tested in vitro in hapten inhibition experiments against three serovars (D, E, F) most frequently isolated from genital tract infection. At the highest concentration tested, 4-nitrophenyl-α-D-mannopyranoside inhibited infectivity by 91%–92%; α-D-mannose-PAA from 77 to 93%; hen ovalbumin by 85%–89%; mannan by 77%–83%; and the high mannose fraction prepared from ovalbumin by 59%–98%. To determine efficacy in vivo, Swiss Webster mice were inoculated with different concentrations of inhibitors. Of those tested thus far, shedding of organism was significantly decreased (p<0.05). The maximum inhibitions observed were: 4-nitrophenyl-α-D-mannopyranoside (86%), α-D-mannose-PAA (81%), mannan (93%), and the high mannose fraction from ovalbumin (94%). Conclusions These preliminary studies suggest the potential feasibility for developing an "anti-adhesive therapy" as an alternate topical microbicide approach to prevent C trachomatis genital tract infection.


The Internet has facilitated the growth of recommendation system owing to the ease of sharing customer experiences online. It is a challenging task to summarize and streamline the online textual reviews. In this paper, we propose a new framework called Fuzzy based contextual recommendation system. For classification of customer reviews we extract the information from the reviews based on the context given by users. We use text mining techniques to tag the review and extract context. Then we find out the relationship between the contexts from the ontological database. We incorporate fuzzy based semantic analyzer to find the relationship between the review and the context when they are not found therein. The sentence based classification predicts the relevant reviews, whereas the fuzzy based context method predicts the relevant instances among the relevant reviews. Textual analysis is carried out with the combination of association rules and ontology mining. The relationship between review and their context is compared using the semantic analyzer which is based on the fuzzy rules.


This contribution assesses the possibilities of application of volumetric compensation technology on a small three-axis vertical machining centre. These machine tools are designed for machining of small workpieces with various requirements on dimensional and shape accuracy. Small machine tools do not show large volumetric deviations across the entire working space as it is seen with medium-sized and large machining centres. To test volumetric compensation, detailed measurements on a small machining centre (demonstrator) were performed prior to activation of compensation set; other verification measurements were carried out with activated compensation set. Even if volumetric compensation is deployed, it is necessary to verify the achieved results in an appropriate manner. The accomplished study will offer pertinent conclusions on the appropriateness of the technology to be deployed for selected types of workpieces.


The superior vena cava obstruction is a relatively rare condition. We report the case of a 42 year old man suffering of hypertension for about fifteen years. He reported a cervical and thoracic pain for one year, that was related to a 95% of occlusion on the right coronary artery. An angioplasty has been done but the patient still related the thoracic pain. Afterwards the patient had recurrent episodes of right hemiplegia and hypertensive emergencies that have been treated with anti-hypertensive agents. A venous disease was suspected because of cyanosis in the face especially when episodes of transient ischemic attacks occurred. A venography showed obstruction of the right jugular vein near the junction with the superior vena cava. In conclusion, it was not possible to define with certainty the relationship between the two pathologies presented by the patient, even so, we call attention to the improvement of the neurological symptoms after the control of superior vena cava obstruction with the treatment.


The vanilloid subfamily of transient receptor potential (TRPV) ion channels serves critical functions in sensory signaling in specialized cells and intact organisms ranging from yeast to primates. As thermosensors, chemosensors, and/or mechanosensors, these channels monitor the local environment and integrate and respond to multiple stimuli distinctively. More than a decade of research on the founding member of the subclass, TRPV1, has led to advancement of multiple antagonists into the clinic for the treatment of chronic pain. In recent years the comprehensive knowledge accessed through these studies has been applied to enhance understanding of other TRPV isoforms and, in particular, to determine whether they, too, represent promising targets for drug discovery. This review focuses on emerging data that define a role for TRPV3 in transducing signals in pain pathways and identify antagonists that demonstrate efficacy in relevant preclinical behavioral models.


The human genome encodes 1,048 microRNAs (miRNAs). These miRNAs regulate virtually all biological processes. Leaving ignominy on the significance miRNAs behind we are approaching a new era in tissue repair where an ever expanding orchestra of events that enable tissue repair and regeneration seems to be conducted by miRNAs as the maestro. microRNAs are emerging as molecular rheostats that fine-tune and switch regulatory circuits governing tissue repair. Key elements of tissue repair such as stem cell biology, inflammation, hypoxia-response, and angiogenesis are all under the sophisticated control of a network of specific mRNAs. Embryonic stem cells lacking miRNAs lose their "stemness." Manipulation of specific cellular miRNAs helps enhance reprogramming of somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell-like phenotype helping generate inducible pluripotent stem cells. Expression of miRNAs is subject to control by epigenetic factors. Such control influences the balance between proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. Angiomirs regulate various aspects of angiogenesis, such as proliferation, migration, and morphogenesis of endothelial cells. MiRNAs play a key role in resolution of inflammation. Hypoxia-inducible mRNAs or hypoxamirs suppress mitochondrial respiration, cause cell cycle arrest, and interfere with growth factor signaling. miRNA-210 is a good example in this category that impairs wound closure. As fine tools enabling specific and temporally controlled manipulation of cell-specific miRNAs emerge, miRNA-based therapies hold promise in facilitating tissue repair. Treatment of skin wounds has lower barriers because it lends itself to local delivery of miRNA mimics and antagonizing agents minimizing risks associated with systemic off-target toxicity.


MRI segmentation is critically important for clinical study and diagnosis. Existing methods based on soft clustering have several drawbacks, including low accuracy in the presence of image noise and artifacts, and high computational cost. In this paper, we introduce a new formulation of the MRI segmentation problem as a kernel-based intuitionistic fuzzy C-means (KIFCM) clustering problem and propose a new DNA-based genetic algorithm to obtain the optimal KIFCM clustering. While this algorithm searches the solution space for the optimal model parameters, it also obtains the optimal clustering, therefore the optimal MRI segmentation. We perform empirical study by comparing our method with six state-of-the-art soft clustering methods using a set of UCI (University of California, Irvine) datasets and a set of synthetic and clinic MRI datasets. The preliminary results show that our method outperforms other methods in both the clustering metrics and the computational efficiency.


Single-image super-resolution is a fundamental task for vision applications to enhance the image quality with respect to spatial resolution. If the input image contains degraded pixels, the artifacts caused by the degradation could be amplified by super-resolution methods. Image blur is a common degradation source. Images captured by moving or still cameras are inevitably affected by motion blur due to relative movements between sensors and objects. In this work, we focus on the super-resolution task with the presence of motion blur. We propose a deep gated fusion convolution neural network to generate a clear high-resolution frame from a single natural image with severe blur. By decomposing the feature extraction step into two task-independent streams, the dual-branch design can facilitate the training process by avoiding learning the mixed degradation all-in-one and thus enhance the final high-resolution prediction results. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method generates sharper super-resolved images from low-resolution inputs with high computational efficiency.


With the end of the Cold War, many observers expected that international conflict would be less likely to occur and easier to manage. Given the successful resolution of the Gulf War and the European Community's (EC) efforts to develop a common foreign policy, observers expected international cooperation to manage the few conflicts that might break out. Instead, the disintegration of Yugoslavia contradicted these expectations. Rather than developing a common foreign policy, European states were divided over how to deal with Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia. Germany pushed for relatively quick recognition of Croatia and Slovenia, whereas other members of the EC wanted to go slower. Some observers expected Russia to fall in line with the West because of its need for investment and trade, but instead it supported Serbia. It is puzzling that Europe failed to cooperate regardless of whether greater international cooperation could have managed this conflict. How can we make sense of the international relations of Yugoslavia's demise? Since secession is not a new phenomenon, we should study previous secessionist conflicts to determine if they share certain dynamics, and we should consider applying to Yugoslavia the arguments developed to understand such conflicts.


Diabetes can affect the health of the teeth and surrounding structures. The The purpose of the present study was to compare tooth mortality of diabetics & non diabetic patients considering mainly the degree of control & the duration of diabetes. Methods: Tooth mortality of 100 adult diabetics &100 non diabetic patients of the age groups 40 - 52 & 53 - 65 y. was examined . The diabetic group was further divided according to the control & duration of diabetic state. StudentT- test was used where indicated ,the level of significance was 0.01. Results: The results revealed a highly significant difference in the mean number of lost teeth between the poorly controlled diabetic patients & the control group & a non significant difference between the well control diabetics & the control group. Also revealed a non significant differences between the control group & both sub groups of patients of more than 10y. duration & less than 10y duration . Conclusion: The results indicates that tooth mortality was greater in poorly controlled diabetics than the well controlled diabetics & the control group, with a highly significant differences. Tooth mortality was smaller in patients of more than 10 years duration than in those of less than 10 years with a non significant difference


Background:  South Africa is witnessing a growth in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Given this rise in SMEs, there is a need to pay attention to those factors that influence how these enterprises perform. Aim:  The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of knowledge management (KM) on innovation capabilities (IC) in SMEs with a special focus on Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Setting:  This study is the first to investigate the effects of KM on IC in SMEs operating in South Africa. Given the scarcity of studies on KM in SMEs in the sub-Saharan region, this study contributes to the literature on the effects of KM on IC. Method:  A quantitative research approach was followed in carrying out this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses of the study. The respondents ( n  = 280) were SME representatives operating in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Results:  Knowledge management is found to exert a positive effect on SMEs' IC. Conclusion:  Findings from the study can assist various practitioners, directly or indirectly involved with development of business, to develop strategies that improve SMEs' growth and sustainability. These practitioners include strategic management researchers, policymakers, SME owners and managers and lecturers.


: Purpose: The purpose of the article is to analyse economic and legal conditions, educational cooperation, and attractiveness of Senegalese market for Polish entrepreneurs. The author tries to assess whether the potential that lies dormant in this African country is sufficiently used by Polish entrepreneurs. He identifies problems which may affect Polish expansion into this stable and rapidly growing market. Design/Methodology/Approach: Observational method complemented by an intuitive method with the use of arguments to general statements drawn from personal experience. Findings: The presented economic, legal, and political conditions do not confirm that Senegal is not an attractive country to carry out investment projects by Polish entrepreneurs and to conduct bilateral trade transactions. The huge potential of Senegal has been recognized for many decades by European and world economic powers. Practical Implications: Senegal is among the African countries with one of the lowest capital risk premiums. The ease of doing business index developed for Senegal is another argument that certainly should not discourage potential entrepreneurs from doing business in the country. Senegal's membership in numerous international organizations indicates its openness to broad economic cooperation. Originality/value: Thanks to favorable economic, legal, and political conditions, as well as long-term educational cooperation, Senegal may be an attractive country for Polish entrepreneurs to implement investment projects and bilateral trade transactions and obtaining foreign capital for their implementation does not have to be difficult.


Stockholm Royal Seaport is an urban development project for a planned expansion of housing and services that will take place in the district of Hjorthagen in Stockholm. The Stockholm Royal Seaport project aims to develop a smart grid for integration of consumers and producers into the utility electrical grid. The Stockholm Royal Seaport Smart Grid integrates new concepts such as active house, local storage, decentralised renewable production, electric vehicle charging and an electrified harbour into the grid. The aim of this master thesis is to describe and study some of the main aspects and benefits of the implementation of Electrical Energy Storage (EES) systems as one of the solutions to be included in smart grids. The study is focussed in the Stockholm Royal Seaport case. The main EES technologies currently available or under research and development are introduced, studying its specifications, costs, main applications and benefits in distribution grids. EES systems can cover a wide range of applications, but not all of them are equally valuable and not all the technologies are suitable and feasible for the same applications. The regulations that should be modified in order for a utility to get benefits of the different applications that EES offer are identified. Some regulations could prevent the distribution system operator (DSO) to own and operate the EES system and some market rules cannot be fulfilled by certain EES technologies. The main applications in island operation are also described and the benefit for consumers of avoiding outages is estimated for the Stockholm Royal Seaport case. EES systems can replace other equipment and improve operation of certain units in island mode. The benefit of improving reliability and quality of the electricity service greatly varies between different kinds of customers. In the Stockholm Royal Seaport case, residential and commerce consumers has been considered and reliability indexes from Fortum grid in Stockholm have been used.The possibility of renting some capacity in the EES system to consumer with generation facilities to store its electricity surplus is analyzed to determine its economic benefit. This kind of agreement could be beneficial for the consumer when the prize for selling the electricity surplus is low compared with the prize for buying it according to the electricity contract. The efficiency of the EES system must be high enough and the price for using it is not too high. Finally, the major milestones and key challenges for the implementation of the EES system are introduced. Those milestones cover the selection of the applications that must be carried out and its requirements, the selection of the most suitable and feasible EES technology, the design of the modes of operation and its simulation, and obtaining the right to own and operate the EES system by the DSO.


This paper investigates the overall impact of and the information made available by the recent audit partner disclosure requirement in the U.S. After a contentious comment period, the PCAOB released Rule 3211, which requires registered public accounting firms to disclose the name of the audit partner for every audit report it issues. In the first year of adoption, we find a significant increase in audit quality and audit fees and a significant decrease in audit delay. We collect information on partner gender, busyness, education, and social connections to explore whether these newly observable characteristics are associated with audit outcomes. We find that several of these characteristics are associated with variations in audit fees and audit delay, but no evidence of an association with audit quality. Overall, our findings suggest that the disclosure of partner name in Form AP enhances the audit information environment, which supports PCAOB motivation for Rule 3211.


Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) has become a standard non-invasive technique to induce offline changes in cortical excitability in human volunteers. Yet, TBS suffers from a high variability across subjects. A better knowledge about how TBS affects neural activity in vivo could uncover its mechanisms of action and ultimately allow its mainstream use in basic science and clinical applications. To address this issue, we applied continuous TBS (cTBS, 300 pulses) in awake behaving rhesus monkeys and quantified its after-effects on neuronal recordings and behavior. Guided by anatomical MRI, we recorded single-cell activity in parietal area PFG during passive fixation of real-world objects. Overall, we observed a pronounced, long-lasting and highly reproducible reduction in neuronal excitability after cTBS in individual parietal neurons, with some neurons exhibiting periods of hyperexcitability during the recovery phase. We applied the same stimulation protocol during visually-guided grasping of objects, and observed a significant grasping impairment. These results provide the first experimental evidence on the effects of cTBS on single neurons in awake behaving monkeys.


A guide to resources for students doing research on housing stability, affordability, and homeownership for UH 129: HomeFirst (Fall 2020).


Youth anxiety is highly prevalent, distressing, and impairing. Parenting behaviors, including high control (psychological and behavioral) and low acceptance, have been implicated as risk factors for the development and maintenance of youth anxiety. Little is known about parenting and anxiety in Latino families. Given cultural differences in family orientation, it is plausible that the influence of parenting behaviors on youth mental health functioning may be culture-specific. The goal of this dissertation was to illuminate psychosocial processes that may serve to transmit anxiety from mother to child and to assess the potential of nonequivalent pathways in non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Latino (LA) youths. Three broad questions were probed : (1) Do parenting behaviors differ between anxious NHW and LA mothers? (2) Are parenting behaviors of anxious mothers associated with youth anxiety, depression, or somatic symptoms? (3) Does the influence of maternal behaviors on youth internalizing symptoms vary by ethnicity? To evaluate these questions, this dissertation examined youth report on three dimensions of maternal parenting behaviors (psychological control [PC], firm control [FC], and acceptance [AC]) and their association to youth internalizing symptoms in the children (ages 7 to 15) of clinically anxious NHW and LA mothers (N = 28 dyads; 17 NHW and 11 LA). In this sample, LA mothers were rated by their children as higher in PC. Significant group differences in maternal FC and AC did not emerge. Across groups, increased PC was associated with decreased anxiety per parent and youth reports, and decreased AC was associated with increased somatic and depressive symptoms by some reports. The associations between PC and AC and youth internalizing symptoms were moderated by ethnicity. Specifically, a) maternal PC was positively associated with youth-reported somatic symptoms for LA, but not NHW youths, b) AC was negatively associated with parent-reported youth anxiety symptoms in NHW, but not LA, youths, and (c) AC was negatively associated with youth-reported depressive symptoms for NHW, but not LA, youths. Broadly, results suggests that, as predicted, ethnic groups differ in parenting strategies and the influence of parenting behaviors on youth emotional functioning may vary by cultural context. Clinical and research implications of findings are discussed


Motivation and Objectives In the field of Computer Science, ontologies represent formal structures to define and organize knowledge of a specific application domain (Chandrasekaran et al., 1999). An ontology is composed of entities, called classes, and relationships among them. Classes are characterized by features, called attributes, and they can be arranged into a hierarchical organization. Ontologies are a fundamental instrument in Artificial Intelligence for the development of Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS). With its formal and well defined structure, in fact, an ontology provides a machine-understandable language that allows automatic reasoning for problems resolution. Typical KBS are Expert Systems (ES) and Decision Support Systems (DSS). ESs gather and formalize the knowledge of a human expert of a domain in order to produce inferences and recommendations given an initial query. DSSs are more interactive KBS, in the sense they offer support, rather than replacement, for the decision making process during the execution of a task, suggesting one possible strategy or tool given a set of initial conditions. DSSs are mainly adopted in the clinical field, where they are called Clinical DSS (CDSS). Ontology specification, structure and organization are then of fundamental importance for the development of a KBS. In this paper we present an improvement of our ontological approach for knowledge organization in DSS design. In our previous publication (Fiannaca et al., 2012) we defined a paradigm for ontology specification named Data Problem Solver (DPS) and we showed how our approach can be applied to bioinformatics domain, modeling the Protein-Protein Interaction Network extraction scenario. In the proposed approach, we aim at integrating into our ontology the concept of Workflow as a set of processes. Our main objective is to provide a general schema in order to add the functionalities and capability of a DSS to the more recent Workflow Management Systems, that especially in bioinformatics, with the Taverna workbench (Hull et al., 2006), represent a powerful instrument for researchers. We called our extended ontological approach Data Problem Solver Workflow (DPSW). Methods DPSW ontology is shown, using UML notation, in Figure 1. The four main entities are, as the name suggests, Data, Problem, Solver and Workflow. Problem represents the set of Tasks to do in an application scenario, and it models the task decomposition from more complex goals to simpler ones. Data summarizes the type of information needed to perform a task belonging to a Problem. Data concept is specialized by Data_Type class, representing the type of input and output data of a task, and each Data_Type has one or more Data_Format that encodes it. Solver concept fills the gap between a Problem to solve and the Tools that actual solve it. Each Solver is characterized by a computational Approach (probabilistic, topological, numerical approach for instance) and it models the expert knowledge (in terms of heuristics or strategies) on which Tool, or combination of Tools, are needed in order to accomplish a Task. Solver class is also characterized by a set of attributes, not shown in Figure 1, that specifies what are the pros and cons for using a solving strategy. Tool class identifies the generic entity that can be actually run, and it generalizes the concept of Algorithm, Web Service, Application, Device. Each Tool has a computational Paradigm (for example neural networks, graph analysis, etc...) and eventually a set of configuration Parameters; it requires a Data_Format object (the input file), and of course other type of Tools can be further added. By considering separately Problem, Solver and Data, we want to clearly separate among the models of the problem itself, the way to resolve it, and the input data requested. This way we aim at enhancing the generalization, modularity and expandability features of the proposed ontology. The last main component of the proposed ontological approach is the Workflow entity. It represents the graphical view of a problem and its solving components. A Workflow is composed of one or more Processes, that can be seen as part of the global workflow implementing a specific Task, and each Process, in turn, is composed of ExecutionBlocks, that are the visual representations of an executed Tool. By embedding the concept of Workflow into our ontological structure, we want to provide a full Knowledge Base specification that can be used as building block of a DSS whose suggestions during a bioinformatics experiment can immediately be translated into an executive workflow. Results and Discussion In order to show how the proposed ontology can match with a real bioinformatics issue, we have taken into account a key challenge of cancer research, i.e., the detection of protein sub-networks that identifies markers correlated with metastasis. In facts, each protein complex is suggestive of a distinct functional pathway, that can provide novel hypotheses in organisms analysis (Sharan et al., 2007). A workflow related to this case of study is reported in the bottom of the Figure 1. In this example, we consider the "identification of protein networks for disease classification", that, according to DPSW ontology, represents the problem concept; the implementation of this problem (the experiment) matches with the workflow concept. Here, we take as data input a list of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and produces as data output a list of marked protein network, that could be responsible for some specific diseases. According to the related literature, this problem could be arranged in three main tasks: filtering, clustering and identification. For instance, the first task has been handled by some authors (Ucar et al., 2005) with a topological approach; in facts, they developed some graph-based algorithms in order to eliminate redundant false positive interactions from the original PPI dataset. This preprocessing strategy points to increase the reliability of PPI-Network. As regarding the second task, i.e. finding meaningful groups of biological units, a number of approaches have been proposed and a lot of them are based on clustering. A well-know algorithm is Markov Clustering Algorithm (MCL) (Enright et al., 2002), that divides the graph by means of "flow simulation paradigm". In facts, it separates the graph into different segments, with an iteration of simulated random walks within a graph. Once sub-networks are obtained, it is possible to identify those complexes that demonstrate a differential expression with respect to carcinogenesis phenotype, by means of an integrative -omics approach proposed in (Nibbe et al., 2010). Using these elements, we could obtain some putative disease protein sub-networks. Ultimately, in order to face with this case of study, we propose to use three tasks, two different approaches and six tools (both algorithms and applications). Each executed tool, with its proper input/output file and parameters, is stored into an instance of the execution block concept, whereas a set of execution blocks that complete a single task are stored as an instance of process concept. Notice that workflow in Figure 1 has been defined using some different approaches that, we suppose, are contained into the knowledge base arranged according the DPSW ontology. Using the proposed ontology, the experimentalist can generate some novel workflows composed of both piece of well know techniques and some processes previously stored as instances of DPSW ontology. As future work, we will use this ontology for building an expert system for making reasoning in the analyzed case of study. References Chandrasekaran B, Josephson J, et al. (1999) What are ontologies, and why do we need them?. IEEE Intelligent Systems and Their Applications 14(1):20-26 Enright AJ, Van Dongen S, Ouzounis CA (2002) An efficient algorithm for large-scale detection of protein families. Nucleic Acids Research 30(7):1575-1584. doi: 10.1093/nar/30.7.1575 Fiannaca A, La Rosa M, et al. (2012) An ontology design methodology for Knowledge-Based systems with application to bioinformatics. IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CIBCB) :85. doi: 10.1109/CIBCB.2012.6217215 Hull D, Wolstencroft K, et al. (2006) Taverna: a tool for building and running workflows of services. Nucleic Acids Res 34:W729-32 Hibbe RK, Koyuturk M, Chance M R (2010) An integrative -omics approach to identify functional sub-networks in human colorectal cancer. PLoS Comput. Biol. 6(1) Sharan R, Ulitsky I, Shamir R (2007) Network-based prediction of protein function. Mol Syst Biol. 3:88. doi: 10.1038/msb4100129 Ucar D, Parthasarathy S, Asur S, Wang C (2005) Effective Pre-processing Strategies for Functional Clustering of a Protein-Protein Interactions Network. 5th IEEE Symposium on Bioinformatics and Bioengineering 129: 371-382. doi: 10.1109/BIBE.2005.25 Note: Figures and tables are available in PDF version only.


IntroductionSwedish acute paediatric wards usually focuses on children with urgent and short-time illnesses and the care is not always suited for a dying child. Caring for dying children in this context therefor faces special challenges and needs to be further investigated through research from the health care professionals´ (HCP) perspective. PurposeThe aim was to describe caring as presented in professional caregivers' experiences of caring for dying children in paediatric ward. MaterialFour HCP in a paediatric ward, which had been caring for at least one dying child during the last five years, participated. MethodsA phenomenological approach was chosen using qualitative in-depth interviews, starting with one opening question, continuing with follow-up questions according to responsive listening. Data were analysed following four steps suggested by Giorgi: reading to capture the global sense, constitution of parts into 'meaning units', transformation from implicit meaning to explicit constituents and gaining structure. ResultsThe findings are represented in five constituents. Presence is a prerequisite for caring when a child is dying. Self-knowledge and support from others are suggested to help when the HCP is suffering and struggling with the injustice in dying. The essence of caring for dying children is like a musical attuned composition. The moments are vulnerable and could easily be disrupted and turn into disharmony. ConclusionsThe HCP needs self-knowledge to be true and sensitive in the perceived situation of injustice when caring for dying children and their families. Caring assumes presence; however, caring for dying children is found to mean suffering to HCP and raises the need for support from others.


Inga yungasensis C. Aparicio & A. Fuentes (Caesalpinioideae, Fabaceae), is a new species from the Andean foothills found in the humid lower montane forests (Yungas region) of northern La Paz, Bolivia. Inga yungasensis belongs to section Complanatae T. D. Penn. and is similar to I. extra-nodis T. D. Penn., a species from Ecuador, by its leaves without winged rachis and with stipitate glands. It differs mainly by the smaller size of its calyx (2–2.5 vs. 6–14 mm) and corolla (6–9 vs. 20–23 mm). Additional differences between I. extra-nodis and other morphologically similar species are discussed as well as the conservation status assessment.


In interference alignment (IA), interference signals are aligned in a certain signal subspace of each receiver using transmit weights and eliminated using receive weights. The transmit and receive weights are typically calculated at transmitters with an iterative optimization based on estimated channel state information (CSI) from receivers. However, the estimated CSI is different from the channel when a signal is transmitted by the transmitter, because the channel varies during a CSI feedback and the iterative weight calculation. In IA with the weights based on the estimated CSI, the interference signals are not perfectly aligned and remains at the receiver. As a result, a rate decreases due to the remaining interference signals. In this paper, we propose three IA methods having the capability of adapting to time-varying channel using auto regressive (AR) model by which next state is predicted with some past states. In the first method, the channel when a signal is transmitted at the transmitter is predicted from the estimated CSI at the receiver based on AR model. Transmit and receive weights are calculated with the predicted CSI so that the interference signals are aligned and eliminated. In the second method, transmit and receive weights are predicted with past transmit and receive weights based on AR model, respectively. In the third method, only the transmit weight is predicted with past transmit weights based on AR model and receive weight is calculated with the estimated CSI. The prediction methods are able to calculate transmit and receive weights with low amount of calculation compared with the iterative optimization. Through computer simulation, compared with general IA methods that do not use prediction process, the proposed ones are shown to improve the rate irrespective of signal to noise power ratio (SNR) and decrease the calculation amount.


Authors submitted their contribution of the article to the editorial board. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the kinesio tape immediately after its application and after a duathlon competition on calf pain and the ankle range of motion in duathletes. A sample of 28 duathletes (age 29.11 ± 10.35 years; body height 172.57 ± 6.17 cm; body mass 66.63 ± 9.01 kg; body mass index 22.29 ± 2.00 kg/m 2) were recruited from the competitors in a duathlon sprint. The Numerical Pain Rating Scale and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion measures were obtained at baseline, immediately after taping and 10 to 15 minutes after ending the duathlon competition. The kinesio tape was applied on the calf of duathletes 20 to 90 minutes before the competition, only on one of their legs (experimental leg) with the other leg acting as a control (control leg) in a randomized order. According to the between-group comparison, no differences were found immediately after the application of the kinesio tape and after the competition in the ankle range of motion and calf pain. However, a significant difference from baseline to immediately after taping was found in the ankle range of motion in the experimental leg. Applying the kinesio tape on the calf seems to immediately increase ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, but not after a duathlon competition. Applying the kinesio tape on the calf does not reduce muscle pain immediately or after a duathlon competition, but it appears to control an increase in pain.


Though loop quantization of several spacetimes has exhibited existence of a bounce via an explicit evolution of states using numerical simulations, the question about the way central singularity is resolved in the black hole interior has remained open. The quantum Hamiltonian constraint in loop quantization turns out to be a finite difference equation whose stability is important to understand to gain insights on the viability of the underlying quantization and resulting physical implications. We take first steps towards addressing these issues for a loop quantization of the Schwarzschild interior recently given by Corichi and Singh. Von-Neumann stability analysis is performed using separability of solutions as well as a full two dimensional quantum difference equation. This results in a stability condition for black holes which have a very large mass compared to the Planck mass. For black holes of smaller masses evidence of numerical instability is found. In addition, stability analysis for macroscopic black holes leads to a constraint on the choice of the allowed states in numerical evolution. States which are not sharply peaked in accordance with this constraint result in instabilities. With the caveat of using kinematical norm, sharply peaked Gaussian states are evolved using the quantum difference equation and singularity resolution is obtained. A bounce is found for one of the triad variables, but for the other triad variable singularity resolution amounts to a non-singular passage through the zero volume. States are found to be peaked at the classical trajectory for a long time before and after the singularity resolution, and retain their semi-classical character across the zero volume. Our main result is that quantum bounce occurs in loop quantized Schwarzschild interior at least for macroscopic black holes. Instability of small black holes which can be a result of using kinematical norm nevertheless signifies the need of further understanding of the viability of the considered quantization and its physical Hilbert space.


A practical and accessible introduction to numerical methods for stochastic differential equations is given. The reader is assumed to be familiar with Euler's method for de- terministic differential equations and to have at least an intuitive feel for the concept of a random variable; however, no knowledge of advanced probability theory or stochastic processes is assumed. The article is built around 10 MATLAB programs, and the topics covered include stochastic integration, the Euler-Maruyama method, Milstein's method, strong and weak convergence, linear stability, and the stochastic chain rule.


Polyomaviruses have contributed tremendously towards our understanding of molecular biology of the cell and especially in discovering cellular factors and pathways involved in cancer formation and progression. Polyomavirus encoded oncoproteins manipulate specific cellular molecular pathways to create cellular environment conducive for viral replication and persistence. In a non-productive infection, the alteration of such cellular pathways by polyomaviral oncoproteins leads to activation of certain "cancer hallmarks" and results into cell transformation. In one part of this study, I used polyomaviral oncoproteins as a molecular tool to understand and decode cellular pathways involved in cell transformation. In one part of this study, I used a well characterized oncoprotein of polyomavirus Simian Virus 40 (SV40), called the large tumor antigen (TAg), as a molecular and genetic tool to understand the role of RB/E2F pathway in oncogene mediated cell transformation. According to the current paradigm, activator E2Fs are considered essential for cell proliferation and oncogenic transformation. My results, contrary to the current paradigm, suggest that TAg activates an alternative molecular pathway to induce proliferation and transformation in the absence of activator E2Fs.

In another project, I have studied oncoproteins encoded by a less studied polyomavirus, Lymphotropic Papovavirus (LPV). I have discovered previously unknown splice forms of LPV early region, and their comparative analysis with SV40 oncoproteins suggest distinct roles for the homologous proteins in cellular immortalization and transformation. Importantly, my research shows an essential role of LPV small tumor antigen (sT) in immortalization and transformation of primary murine embryonic fibroblasts.


Objective: This study evaluated the immunologic (CD4 cell count), virological (HIV RNA viral load), hepatic (alanine and aspartate aminotransferase - ALT and AST), renal (creatinine) and hematological (hemoglobin -HB, White Blood Cell - WBC, Lymphocytes - LYM and platelets - PLT) response to a six months ART treatment among HIV participants in Nairobi Kenya.
Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 599 consenting HIV infected participants receiving HIV treatment in Nairobi. CD4 cell counts were measured using flow cytometer and viral load determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The blood hematology, liver and kidney function tests were also measured. One-way ANOVA and Linear regression analysis were conducted.
Results: The median age at ART initiation was 41 years (IQR 35-47 years). The majority of participants (60.3%) were female and 56.1% started on regimens with 2 NRTIs and efavirenz based NNRTI. About 40% of the participants were failing treatment 6 month post ART initiation. The CD4 count significantly increased at the 6-month post ART initiation (301.7 ± 199.4 to 329.4 ± 305.8; P 5 times the upper limit of normal - ULN) and renal abnormalities (elevated serum creatinine levels) were all high at month 6 compared to baseline; ALT (2.5 to 10.5%), AST (5.3 to 23.4%) and creatinine (63.4 to 68.84%). Fewer participants at month 6 had anemia (29.4% verses 56.4%), leucopenia (42.4% vs. 46.9%) and thrombocytopenia (6.5% vs. 84.1%) compared to baseline. In multivariable models, baseline levels of this parameter, ART regimen and duration with HIV at ART initiation were the most important determinant of month 6 levels.
Conclusion: These data demonstrate sustained immunologic/virologic response to ART among participants remaining on therapy. Anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia were minimized with marginal hepatotoxicity and renal impairment seen. Interventions leading to earlier HIV diagnosis and initiation of ART could substantially improve patient outcomes in Kenya.


Through this research we are trying to understand the construction of the patriot and the terrorist in popular Indian cinema. In all media artefacts realities are represented and not replicated. Certain metaphors are used to construct a reality which is guided by individual understanding and perceptions. Certain metaphors used continuously used for particular constructions tend to become normative and unquestioned. As a result in any analysis of representation, the question, "whose reality is depicted?" is significant.For the purpose of this research we have closely looked at four Hindi movies, Mani Ratnam's Roja (1992) and Dil Se (1998), Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya (2004) and Shimit Amin's Chak De India (2007). Through a semiotic and discourse analysis of these movies, we have attempted to understand the creation and representation of the hero and the anti-hero in the form of patriots and terrorists respectively. This construction is a part of the nation-building discourse that films participate in, and act as a site of this discourse as well. The problems of the nation are depicted in these movies and are represented in the characterization of the anti-hero. The patriot on the other hand acts as the saviour of the nation in its times of trouble.The research has brought forward the fact that the desires of the nation-state have changed over time. Initially, religion formed a basis of most issues. Communal disharmony was highlighted upon and national integrity was the call of the patriot through the film, as seen in Roja. By the time Chak De India was released the nation's problems shifted to regionalism, thus proving India's concept of unity in diversity a farce. It reflected upon the internal problems of the nation state which is so divided by its own wings and thus needs a patriot to defeat the enemy which lies within its own self.


This selective guide to the literature of cinema is intended as a starting place for researchers, pointing to tools for finding books, scholarly articles, reviews, and collection-related information.


Reducing energy consumption is a critical issue in the design of battery-powered real time systems to prolong battery life. With dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) processors, energy consumption can be reduced efficiently by making appropriate decisions on the processor speed/voltage during the scheduling of real time tasks. Scheduling decision is usually based on parameters which are assumed to be crisp. However, in many circumstances the values of these parameters are vague. The vagueness of parameters suggests that to develop a fuzzy logic approach to reduce energy consumption by determining the appropriate supply-voltage/speed of the processor provided that timing constraints are guaranteed. Intensive simulated experiments and qualitative comparisons with the most related literature have been conducted in the context of dependent real-time tasks. Experimental results have shown that the proposed fuzzy scheduler saves more energy and creates feasible schedules for real time tasks. It also considers tasks priorities which cause higher system utilization and lower deadline miss time.


This study looked at how newspapers operating in nations with varying degrees of governmental Internet control discussed Internet freedom of expression within their coverage of Wikileaks. This was done through a thematic analysis of news items about WikiLeaks and Internet freedom of expression in the left-leaning newspapers of The Guardian (Great Britain), Le Monde (France), The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), and The China Daily (China). The analysis revealed that government stances regarding Internet control did not shape the newspapers' discussion about WikiLeaks and freedom of expression on the Internet. Although governments in these countries exercise different levels of Internet control, the newspapers had similar positions about freedom of expression on the Internet and the role of the United States in censoring it. They supported Internet freedom as well as the actions of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange while criticizing U.S. attempts to suppress the online organization and its founder.


Acoustic echo cancellation is generally achieved with adaptive FIR filters. Due to the often large dimensionality of the adaptive filters, required to model rooms with standard reverberation time, the adaptation process can be computationally demanding. This paper presents a block based selective updating method which reduces the complexity with nearly a half in practical situations, while showing superior convergence speed performance as compared to conventional partial update complexity reduction schemes


Essentials rVIII‐SingleChain is a novel recombinant factor VIII with covalently bonded heavy and light chains. Efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics were studied in pediatric patients with severe hemophilia A. Across all prophylaxis regimens, the median annualized spontaneous bleeding rate was 0.00. rVIII‐SingleChain showed excellent hemostatic efficacy and a favorable safety profile.


We investigate how stereo graphics and haptics can be combined to facilitate the seeding procedure in semi-automatic segmentation of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images. Real-time volume rendering using maximum intensity projections (MIPs) has been implemented together with a haptic rendering method that provides force feedback based on local gradients and intensity values. This combination allows a user to trace vessels in the image, and to place seed-points directly in three-dimensional data set. Seed-regions are propagated from the seed-points according to an algorithm that favors bright voxels. An experienced user have tested the interface on a whole-body MRA image with promising results.


We have demonstrated the growth of SiOx nanowires by the simple heating of the Au-coated Si substrates. We used X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to characterize the samples. The as-synthesized SiOx nanowires had amorphous structures with diameters in the range of 10-70 nm. We have discussed the possible growth mechanism.


This book presents marketing and business processes as an integral part of the St.Gallen Management Model. It provices a tight introduction into the field of marketing and puts the added value in the center of a market-oriented management approach. The book addresses relevant topics such as market analysis, marketing planning , marketing strategy, positioning, application of marketing tools. product design, price, distribution and communication policy, service provision, innovation and controlling processes.
This book aims at students in the first year as well as at practitioners who wants to obtain a quick overview of this field.


The books and papers offered in this submission are concerned with the history of books and the book trade. Three papers (nos. 1, 2, 3) offer a theoretical and conceptual framework for historical studies of the book. In essence, it is argued that since the book is a societal object it can only be understood in a societal context. Consequently historical studies of books are concerned with far more than physical bibliography, important as that is. The writing, publishing and reading of books are activities which develop out of, and influence the further development of, political and economic systems. The political context of publishing and its legal status is of central concern to the book historian (nos. 12, 14, 15); so too are the mechanisms of sale and distribution (nos. 9, 10, 11, 16) and the relationships between the author who is the primary producer, and the publisher who provides his commercial link with the reader (no. 13). More specifically, the central group of works is concerned with the provincial book trade in 18th-century England. The general study (no. 8) is a wide-ranging survey, largely based on primary sources, of the development and operation of the complex systems which allowed the printed word to permeate English society at every level and in every part of the country between 1700 and 1800. Shorter studies consider some more detailed aspects of the same subject (nos. 4, 6, 7) and survey previous work in the field (no. 5 ).


Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome characterized by acute deterioration of liver function in patients with pre-existent chronic liver disease together with organ failure (OF). Six organs have been defined: brain, circulation, coagulation, kidneys, lungs and liver. Consequently, it is associated with high short-term mortality (1). The prevalence of ACLF is around 30% among patients with end-stage cirrhosis hospitalized with acute decompensation (AD). Patients are dynamically classified as having ACLF according to the number of OFs (corresponding to three grades of severity), with an increased risk of short-term death. Mortality correlates better with the early clinical course of ACLF than with the initial grade at presentation, especially between the third and seventh day after diagnosis (2).


OBJECTIVE
Schizotypal personality traits are associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders demonstrate increased dopamine transmission in the striatum. The authors sought to determine whether individual differences in normal variation in schizotypal traits are correlated with dopamine transmission in the striatum and in extrastriatal brain regions.

METHOD
Sixty-three healthy volunteers with no history of psychiatric illness completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and underwent positron emission tomography imaging with [(18)F]fallypride at baseline and after administration of oral d-amphetamine (0.43 mg/kg). Dopamine release, quantified by subtracting each participant's d-amphetamine scan from his or her baseline scan, was correlated with Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire total and factor scores using region-of-interest and voxel-wise analyses.

RESULTS
Dopamine release in the striatum was positively correlated with overall schizotypal traits. The association was especially robust in the associative subdivision of the striatum. Voxel-wise analyses identified additional correlations between dopamine release and schizotypal traits in the left middle frontal gyrus and left supramarginal gyrus. Exploratory analyses of Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire factor scores revealed correlations between dopamine release and disorganized schizotypal traits in the striatum, thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe, insula, and inferior frontal cortex.

CONCLUSIONS
The association between dopamine signaling and psychosis phenotypes extends to individual differences in normal variation in schizotypal traits and involves dopamine transmission in both striatal and extrastriatal brain regions. Amphetamine-induced dopamine release may be a useful endophenotype for investigating the genetic basis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.


UNLABELLED
Background The identification of antecedents to sexual risk among youth is critical to the development and dissemination of multilevel interventions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of sexual sensation-seeking on partner age, partner communication, and the sexual attitudes and behaviours of African-American female youth.

METHODS
This study examined survey data collected by audio computer-assisted self-interviews from 701 young African-American females between 14 and 20 years of age. The survey consisted of items designed to measure adolescents' sexual risk and preventive behaviours.

RESULTS
The results of this study suggest that sexual sensation-seeking is associated with condom use among adolescent African-American females. For adolescents who reported greater sexual sensation-seeking, lower levels of sexual happiness were associated with a decreased likelihood of condom use at last intercourse (β=1.01, P≤0.05). For those reporting lower levels of sexual sensation-seeking, greater sexual enjoyment was associated with a greater likelihood of condom use at last intercourse (β=0.93, P≤0.01). Adolescents with younger sexual partners and lower levels of sexual sensation-seeking reported a higher proportion of condom use in the past 6 months (β=0.70, P=0.01). Higher partner communication self-efficacy and decreasing levels of sexual sensation-seeking were associated with fewer lifetime sexual partners (β=-0.54, P≤0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Future research should address the impact of these variables on adolescent relationship dynamics and sexual decision-making.


Seven aphid species are recorded from the countries of the Middle East and the Caucasus for the first time, of which three aphid species are new records for Turkey, two species for Lebanon, and one species each for Iran and Georgia. New host plant genera are reported for Aphis cephalariae Barjadze, Anoecia vagans (Koch), and Macrosiphum symphyti Barjadze and Chakvetadze. Information on biology and geographical distribution for each species is also provided.


The "Jill Cooper's aerobic accellerator system" uses high quality rebound, modified to increase the acceleration, create a more accommodating work surface, greater stability and cushioning to protect joints. Thanks to the three forces of acceleration, deceleration, and the force of gravity, for each jump, the one-way valves of the lymphatic pathways open and close pushing the lymph towards the next "closed". This action allows the lymphatic system to make a full turn faster than usual. We investigate the effects of 6 months of training on 20 subjects (age: 37 ± 19; weight: 74 ± 19 Kg; height:164,5 ± 13,5 cm; BMI: 28,13 ± 6,876 Kg/m2; % body fat: 26 ± 14,7 Kg). Antropometric parameters were detected used a Bioimpedance analyzer (BF 302 Ormon BIA); blood samples were collected by a clinical specialized center to analyze lipid profile (total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides) as well as white and red blood cells (WBC and RBC). All these tests were performed before and after training. At the end of the six months of training all the determinations (body composition and blood tests) was made. The results obtained suggest that this system of fitness training got a great changement both on physical form (increase lean body mass at the expense of fat mass) that in blood parameters (all had a decrease statistical significance). The most relevant data covered the variation of blood parameters and in particular of the lipid profile: HDL, Triglycerides, LDL, total cholesterol. Also as regards the blood cells, the results were detected mainly on the number of basophils, lymphocytes and eusinofili regarding the white cells. The results of this study are still preliminary, but the premises stimulate interesting to perform further investigations in this direction, with a higher number of subjects.


The effect of ECAP technology on the subgrain structure of coarse-grained pure aluminium is described by means of the orientation imaging microscopy (the selected lower bounds of misorientation (disclination) are = 2o, 5o, 10o and 15o). Standard profile and intercept counts carried out in three suitably oriented and mutually perpendicular section planes and along 18 systematically oriented directions, resp., are used to examine the subgrain and grain structures after the number of passes N = 2, 4, 8, 12 as well the effect of subsequent annealing (several hours at 473K). The local and overall non-homogeneity and anisotropy of boundary structures have also been evaluated.


Abstract The removal of RNA primers is essential for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication. Several nucleases have been implicated in RNA primer removal in human mitochondria, however, no conclusive mechanism has been elucidated. Here, we reconstituted minimal in vitro system capable of processing RNA primers into ligatable DNA ends. We show that human 5′-3′ exonuclease, EXOG, plays a fundamental role in removal of the RNA primer. EXOG cleaves short and long RNA-containing flaps but also in cooperation with RNase H1, processes non-flap RNA-containing intermediates. Our data indicate that the enzymatic activity of both enzymes is necessary to process non-flap RNA-containing intermediates and that regardless of the pathway, EXOG-mediated RNA cleavage is necessary prior to ligation by DNA Ligase III. We also show that upregulation of EXOG levels in mitochondria increases ligation efficiency of RNA-containing substrates and discover physical interactions, both in vitro and in cellulo, between RNase H1 and EXOG, Pol γA, Pol γB and Lig III but not FEN1, which we demonstrate to be absent from mitochondria of human lung epithelial cells. Together, using human mtDNA replication enzymes, we reconstitute for the first time RNA primer removal reaction and propose a novel model for RNA primer processing in human mitochondria.


The formation of residual stresses during the processing of composite parts can lead to undesired defects such as delamination which can reduce the overall strength of a completed component. Furthermore, the addition of curvature to the part geometry tends to result in wrinkle formation which leads to stress concentrations developing throughout the curing process in the areas near these wrinkles. In this work, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) will be used to monitor the development of stresses throughout the cure cycle of carbon fiber prepreg in several different lay-ups and across tool plates with varying curvatures to determine what effect the curvature has on the formation of residual stresses. Four different layup configurations are used, with two using regular-thickness plies, [0/90]s and [45/-45]2, and two using thin plies, [0/90]3s and [45/-45]6. The strains that develop during the cure cycle are measured using the DIC and temperature dependent modulus data is obtained using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). Utilizing these, the residual stresses are calculated using composite lamination theory (CLT), with a code developed in MATLAB. Results indicate that the cross-ply samples cured on the curved plates generated higher residual strains than those cured on the flat plate, while in the asymmetric tests, the residual strains which developed were nearly identical regardless of the tool plate geometry. The same trend could be seen in the residual stresses in each ply, and together this points to layups which would naturally warp based on their ply-angles having a lower effect from the introduction of tool-plate curvature. Recommendations for future investigations are discussed.


BACKGROUND
The authors conducted a survey to characterize the strategies used by general dentists to manage pain related to temporomandibular muscle and joint disorders (TMJDs) and to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effectiveness of these strategies.

METHODS
Dentists from three dental practice-based research networks (PBRNs) (The Dental Practice-Based Research Network, Practitioners Engaged in Applied Research and Learning Network and Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry) agreed to participate in this survey.

RESULTS
Of 862 dentists surveyed, 654 were general dentists who treated TMJDs; among these, 80.3 percent stated they would participate in a future RCT. Dentists treated an average of three patients with TMJD-related pain per month. Splints or mouthguards (97.6 percent), self-care (85.9 percent) and over-the-counter or prescribed medications (84.6 percent) were the treatments most frequently used. The treatments dentists preferred to compare in an RCT were splint or mouthguard therapy (35.8 percent), self-care (27.4 percent) and medication (17.0 percent).

CONCLUSIONS
Most general dentists treat TMJD-related pain, and initial reversible care typically is provided. It is feasible to conduct an RCT in a dental PBRN to assess the effectiveness of splint or mouthguard therapy, self-care or medication for the initial management of painful TMJD.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
There is an opportunity to do an RCT in a dental PBRN, which could lead to the development of evidence-based treatment guidelines for the initial treatment of TMJD-related pain by primary care dentists.


In the past research has been carried out in development of invasive artificial visionary system for visually impaired people. To investigate the possibility of designing and producing a noninvasive artificial visionary system an interdisciplinary research has been carried out. The concept solution is based on the conversion of moving images captured through a camera and converting them into visual signals for optical nerve. The proposed system is EEG based non-invasive brain computer interface (BCI). This compact, easily worn system having head mounted cap, microcomputer worn belt around the waist and a frame mounted camera will have the capabilities of creating images of an object on the brain.


The paper deals with constructing the inertial navigation system (hereafter INS) which will be utilized for the calibration of a robotic workplace. The calibration is necessary for adapting the simulation of a production device model to real geometric conditions. The goal is to verify experimentally the proposed inertial navigation system in real conditions of the industrial robot operation.


Relationship Between Adolescent Perception of Harm, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Texas Antitobacco Campaigns by Candace Rasheedah Campbell MPH, A.T. Still University, 2011 BS, University of ArkansasPine Bluff, 2008 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University November 2019 Abstract The increase in use of e-cigarettes in adolescents is a major public health concern that must be addressed. Research studies showed some e-cigarettes contained varying amounts of nicotine and sever cancer-causing chemicals. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess the perception of harm (dependent variable) from using e-cigarettes and being exposed to state and school-based antitobacco programsThe increase in use of e-cigarettes in adolescents is a major public health concern that must be addressed. Research studies showed some e-cigarettes contained varying amounts of nicotine and sever cancer-causing chemicals. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess the perception of harm (dependent variable) from using e-cigarettes and being exposed to state and school-based antitobacco programs (independent variable) and to determine if the association was modified by socioeconomic status or area of residence. Attitude-social influence-self-efficacy theory was the chosen theory for research and suggests that attitude, social influence, and selfefficacy variables can be persuaded via specific health promotion activities. Texas students enrolled in 6 to 12 grade of an eligible school who voluntarily consented to participate and received written authorization from a parent were included. Nearly half of participants out of N=9,239 adolescents considered e-cigarettes very dangerous, yet more than half reported using the device. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The results concluded that though majority of adolescents perceived e-cigarettes as harmful, exposure to state and school antitobacco programs are not completely effective at discouraging use. The findings of the study may provide potential impact for positive social change for adolescents and tobacco cessation by increasing understanding of what factors are associated with increased/decreased perception of harm. Results of the study may encourage public health professionals to create and disseminate tailored antitobacco educational information including school and state activities and resources. Relationship Between Adolescent Perception of Harm, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Texas Antitobacco Campaigns by Candace Rasheedah Campbell MPH, A.T. Still University, 2011 BS, University of ArkansasPine Bluff, 2008 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of hydrogen humidity on the performance of air-breathing proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells.

Design/methodology/approach
An efficient mathematical model for air-breathing PEM fuel cells has been built in MATLAB. The sensitivity of the fuel cell performance to the heat transfer coefficient is investigated first. The effect of hydrogen humidity is also studied. In addition, under different hydrogen humidities, the most appropriate thickness of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is investigated.

Findings
The heat transfer coefficient dictates the performance limiting mode of the air-breathing PEM fuel cell, the modelled air-breathing fuel cell is limited by the dry-out of the membrane at high current densities. The performance of the fuel cell is mainly influenced by the hydrogen humidity. Besides, an optimal cathode GDL and relatively thinner anode GDL are favoured to achieve a good performance of the fuel cell.

Practical implications
The current study improves the understanding of the effect of the hydrogen humidity in air-breathing fuel cells and this new model can be used to investigate different component properties in real designs.

Originality/value
The hydrogen relative humidity and the GDL thickness can be controlled to improve the performance of air-breathing fuel cells.


Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive, degenerative muscle disease. It is caused by a large variety of mutations in the dystrophin gene. Studies of new therapies that are based on specific genotypes are generating a high level of interest among both researchers and patients. This investigation examines the mutations reported in patients with DMD by the large international academic research group, the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group (CINRG). It also compares the types of mutations reported in two large mutation databases, Leiden DMD mutation database and the French Universal Mutation Database-Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (UMD-DMD), to those reported in DMD patients from three CINRG studies. Diagnostic, strength, and medical history data were reviewed retrospectively for 374 DMD patients from 20 CINRG centers worldwide. The frequency of each type of mutation found in the CINRG data was compared with similar information abstracted from the Leiden and UMD-DMD mutation databases. On an exploratory basis, the distribution of DMD-causing lesions in the CINRG data was also compared to data from the patient registry, DuchenneConnect. The distribution of dystrophin mutations within the CINRG database is similar to the two large published databases and the patient registry data collection. The immediate results improve understanding of the many mutations in the dystrophin gene. These results suggest the need for more rigorous and harmonized genetic screening as well as the continued collection of global data in easily accessed, searchable databases. The results of this work have a public health importance because DMD is the most common form of muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, the creation and improvements to existing disease databases can advance the standard of care for all patients and families with muscular dystrophy over diverse geographies and cultures. Harmonization of mutation data collection for DMD studies will benefit clinical trials and ultimately enhance pairing of eligible patients to specific molecular-based treatments.


In the Caribbean, the major regional cooperation movement involves the Commonwealth Caribbean countries. This is the largest group of islands in the region with strong affinities arising from history, culture, and ethnicity. The common governmental, institutional and legal roots started from their historical British association and later evolved into the Commonwealth connection. This common history and the circumstances of smallness led to early contemplation of regional cooperation and integration. This became stronger as the British colonies in the Caribbean moved to full self-government and independence in the 1950s and 1960s. Creating a West Indian nation was widely seen as a good precursor to independence, in view of the historical ties and the strong view held in the immediate post-war period, that Caribbean colonies were too small to proceed to independence on their own. Hence in 1958, the Federation of the West Indies was formed, comprising the British colonies in the Caribbean except British Guiana, British Honduras (as Guyana and Belize were then known), the Bahamas and a few of the smaller islands. The Federal experiment (1958-62) was not a success.


The use of AI-powered educational technologies (AI-EdTech) offers a range of advantages to students, instructors, and educational institutions. While much has been achieved, several challenges in managing the data underpinning AI-EdTech are limiting progress in the field. This paper outlines some of these challenges and argues that data management research has the potential to provide solutions that can enable responsible and effective learner-supporting, teacher-supporting, and institution-supporting AI-EdTech. Our hope is to establish a common ground for collaboration and to foster partnerships among educational experts, AI developers and data management researchers to effectively respond to the rapidly evolving global educational landscape and drive the development of AI-EdTech.