AbstractTitel: The optimal salary system in the real estate industry Authors: Emma Bjorkman och Terese Emanuelsson Widstrom Tutor: Tommy BergquistProblems background: The challenges companies face is to recruit, retain and motivate empolyees to work in a way that promotes the company. Skilled staff are difficult to recruit, more difficult to maintain and expensive for companies to lose but undeniably the most important key to success. How should the optimal salary system be composed to attract operators in a competitive market such as real estate industry, with a predominance of commission based salary?Purpose: To examine how the salary system is linked to motivation and goals in the real estate industry. Based on this we imagine, therefore, the question of what would be the optimal salary system in the real estate brokerage industry?Theories: This essay processes the salary systems, commission based salaries, agent theory, goal and goal congruence.Method: The essay is partly based on qualitative method in the form of open semi- structured interviews with six respondents including five franchises and a partner, and a quantitative method in the form of a questionnaire survey with 31 real estate brokers.Results: Identifies five categories that are elementary to achieve the common goals of the company and result in which could be the optimal salary system. The categories are strategies for achieving the goals, goal congruence, monetary rewards, non- monetary rewards and the optimal salary system.Anlysis: This analysis is linked to earlier research together with the results of our study. Through our procedure, we have shown how management and employees are working to achieve both individual and common goals. The emphasis has been to investigate what the optimal salary system would be among both employers and employees, which is lacked in previous studies.Conclusion: The crucial findings of this essay indicates that the current salary system is perceived as motivating but to some degree stressful because of the uncertainty it7entails. This is why the majority of our respondents desire a change of the current salary system. A combined salary system with a fixed and a commision-based part considered to be the optimum.Keywords: Goals, motivation, commissions, real estate brokerage industry, optimal salary system


ABSTRACT A user-friendly self-sampling method for collecting representative cervical cell material would lower the threshold for women to respond to the invitation for cervical screening. In the present article, we introduce such a device; we have evaluated its sensitivity and specificity to detect high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), via high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) detection and liquid-based cytology (LBC), compared to endocervical brush samples obtained by gynecologists. Women who had a cervical smear reading of moderate dyskaryosis or worse or a repeat equivocal Pap smear result in the cervical screening program (n = 64) and healthy volunteers (n = 32) took a self-obtained sample at home prior to their visit to the gynecological outpatient department. At the outpatient department, an endocervical brush smear was taken, followed by colposcopy and biopsy whenever applicable. Both self-obtained samples and endocervical brush samples were immediately collected in Surepath preservation solution and used for LBC and hrHPV testing (by general primer-mediated GP5+/6+ PCR). hrHPV test results showed a good concordance between the two sample types (87%; κ = 0.71), with sensitivities for prevalent high-grade CIN that did not differ significantly (92% and 95%; P = 1.0). The hrHPV test on self-obtained samples proved to be at least as sensitive for high-grade CIN as cytology on endocervical brush samples (34/37 versus 31/37; P = 0.5). LBC showed a poor concordance between self-obtained and endocervical brush samples (60%; κ = 0.27). In conclusion, self-obtained samples taken by this novel device are highly representative of the hrHPV status of the cervix. In combination with hrHPV testing, the use of this device may have implications for increasing the attendance rate for cervical screening programs.


Objective To determine whether a 2-week methotrexate (MTX) discontinuation after vaccination improves the efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods In this prospective randomised parallel-group multicentre study, patients with RA on stable dose of MTX were randomly assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to continue MTX or to hold MTX for 2 weeks after 2016–2017 quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine containing H1N1, H3N2, B-Yamagata and B-Victoria. The primary outcome was frequency of satisfactory vaccine response, defined as greater than or equal to fourfold increase of haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titre at 4 weeks after vaccination against ≥2 of four vaccine strains. Secondary endpoints included seroprotection (ie, HI titre ≥1:40) rate, fold change in antibody titres. Results The modified intention-to-treat population included 156 patients in the MTX-continue group and 160 patients in the MTX-hold group. More patients in MTX-hold group achieved satisfactory vaccine response than the MTX-continue group (75.5% vs 54.5%, p<0.001). Seroprotection rate was higher in the MTX-hold group than the MTX-continue group for all four antigens (H1N1: difference 10.7%, 95% CI 2.0% to 19.3%; H3N2: difference 15.9%, 95% CI 5.9% to 26.0%; B-Yamagata: difference13.7%, 95% CI 5.2% to 22.4%; B-Victoria: difference 14.7%, 95% CI 4.5% to 25.0%). The MTX-hold group showed higher fold increase in their antibody titres against all four influenza antigens (all p<0.05). Change in disease activity was similar between groups. Conclusions A temporary MTX discontinuation for 2 weeks after vaccination improves the immunogenicity of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with RA without increasing RA disease activity. Trial registration NCT02897011.


The study in this article provided principals with different types of information about professional school counseling and examined the impact on their perceptions. Results demonstrated that information about the ASCA National Model® influenced principals' perceptions of the amount of time counselors should allocate to delivery of the guidance curriculum, system support, and responsive services, as well as ratings of the importance of performing inappropriate tasks in meeting the education mission of the school.


Abstract Standings in sports are obtained by applying a system of rules to evaluate the performance of the participants in a competition. We consider standings that result from assigning an ordinal rank to each competitor according to their performance. We develop an integer programming model for standings that allows us to calculate the number of points needed to guarantee a team the ith position, as well as the minimum number of points that could yield the ith place. The model is very general and can thus be adapted to many types of sports. We discuss examples coming from football (soccer), ice hockey, and Formula 1. We answer various questions and debunk a few myths along the way. Are 40 points enough to avoid relegation in the German Bundesliga? Do 95 points guarantee the participation of a team in the NHL playoffs? Moreover, in the season restructuration that was under consideration in November 2012, would it be easier or harder to access the playoffs? Is it possible to win the Formula 1 World Championship without winning at least one race or without even climbing once on the podium? Finally, we observe that the optimal solutions of the aforementioned model are associated to extreme situations which are unlikely to happen. Thus, to get closer to realistic scenarios, we enhance the model by adding some constraints inferred from the results of the previous years.


This dossier explores bio-inspired and biomimetic nanomaterials, differentiating between bio-inspired or biomimetic nanotechnology and bio-nanotechnology. Following a clarification of these terms, the basics of bio-inspired and biomimetic nanomaterials are then presented. Subsequently, a systematic classification of synthetic methods of bio-inspired and biomimetic nanomaterials is demonstrated. This classification is based on the method of manufacturing and not on the functionality of the materials. This enables a more coherent correlation with security aspects, which are yet to be defined in many cases. Due to the great variety, a categorization according to material properties or material compositions is not considered practical.In addition to chemical properties and behavior, physical parameters such as size, structure and surface quality also play an important role in the categorization. In summary, it can be said that bio-inspired and biomimetic nanomaterials represent important base materials as so-called functional advanced materials in research, development and industry – provided that the material development is accompanied by a corresponding safety and sustainability-oriented technology assessment.


This work investigates for the first time the different reactivity exhibited by sapwood and heartwood wastes under two conditions: They were pretreated with catalyzed ethanol organosolv in the presence of sulfuric acid and their pulps underwent enzymatic hydrolysis by Trichoderma reesei which causes them to release neutral sugars for the production of cellulosic ethanol.  Aucoumea klaineana Pierre (Okoume) wood wastes were used for the experiment. Organosolv pretreatment was performed to investigate how to harness the benefits of fermentable sugars and lignin, which were reacted at varying defined severity levels as follows: 160°C≤T≤210°C and 0%≤[H2SO4]≤2% (w/w). The highest ethanol organosolv lignin content was obtained at T=160°C and [H2SO4]=1% for sapwood (18.10%) and heartwood (19.46%) (w/w). Enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated wood samples displayed that sapwood and heartwood pulps released their highest sugars content under free acid pretreatment conditions. The maximum neutral sugar released by heartwood pulps pretreated at T=160°C and [H2SO4]=0% was 0.126 g/L while that from sapwood pretreated at T=185°C and [H2SO4]=0% was 0.125 g/L. It is noteworthy that, the neutral sugars from sapwood and heartwood do not have the same sensitivity to temperature increase. When pretreated at T=160°C and [H2SO4]=0%, sapwood pulps yielded the following neutral sugars: Xyl< Ara»Gal < Man < Glu, while heartwood was: Ara < Gal < Xyl < Man < Glu. However, with increased temperature ( T=185°C and [H2SO4]=0%), sapwood yielded the following neutral sugars: Ara < Gal < Xyl < Man < Glu, while heartwood yielded the following: Xyl < Ara»Gal < Man < Glu. Similar trend was observed in both sapwood and heartwood pulps when sulfuric acid concentration was increased.

 Key words: Aucoumea klaineana Pierre, wood wastes, ethanol organosolv lignin, enzymatic hydrolysis, bioethanol.


Object tracking is an instrumental tool supporting studies of cellular trafficking. There are three challenges in object tracking: the identification of targets; the precise determination of their position and boundaries; and the assembly of correct trajectories. This last challenge is particularly relevant when dealing with densely populated images with low signal‐to‐noise ratios—conditions that are often encountered in applications such as organelle tracking, virus particle tracking or single‐molecule imaging. We have developed a set of methods that can handle a wide variety of signal complexities. They are compiled into a free software package called Diatrack. Here we review its main features and utility in a range of applications, providing a survey of the dynamic imaging field together with recommendations for effective use. The performance of our framework is shown to compare favorably to a wide selection of custom‐developed algorithms, whether in terms of localization precision, processing speed or correctness of tracks.


In this study, the assessment of five most common air pollutants from vehicular emissions were done along Juja road in Eastleigh area, Nairobi. Sampling was done for soil samples, particulate matter (PMIO), sulfur dioxide (S02), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogei dioxide (N02)' Sampling for PMIO an,' soil samples was done during dry and rainy season, while sampling for S02, CO, NO and N02 was done during the dry season. Rainy season sampling was done during the month of April 2005, while sampling for dry season was done from November 2005 to January 2006. Gases and PMIOsampling was 'done in 3 places along Juja road (described as Area 1,2 and 3). Area 1 was at St. Theresa Catholic Church, which is near Eastleigh Avenue 1 and Juja road junction. Sampling Area 2 was at Radiant hospital near Pangani roundabout, while Area 3 was near Hururna Chief's office, near Mathare North road and Juja road junction. Sampling for S02, N02, NO and CO pollutants was done using Z-1300XP, Z1400XP, Z-700XP and Z-500XP monitors respectively, and "Gent" stack filter unit (SFU) was used for PMlO sampling. In area 1, the sampling was done for 5 days while in area 2 and 3 it was done for 4 days. The measurements were taken for 8 hours (from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm). This was repeated for PMIOduring rainy season and a total of 55 samples were collected and analyzed using EDXRF for elemental content. Vehicle tallying was done in area 1 and 3, for 8 hours on Fridays while sampling for the gases. Soil samples were col.: .cted at an interval of approximately 250 meters along Juja road. And at point 4 other sarples were collected in consecutive places (about 20 meters apart) away from the road. Top surface soil sample weighing 0.5 to 1 kg (0-2 ern), was scooped out within 1 meter from the road kerb. A total of 50 soil samples were collected in both dry and rainy season. The soil samples were analyzed in triplicate, and the mean obtained. Association between air pollutants levels and the vehicle density was assessed by performing a simple correlation analysis. ANOV A was used to indicate any statistical differences in concentration levels for different pollutants at P:::;0.05.


Transnational Municipal Networks (TMNs) are increasing in size, scope and number on the global arena. They reflect a tendency for city governments to coordinate environmental action through networked forms of governance. In this article, we argue that a new generation of TMNs has entered the global scene to help cities steer their efforts to handle environmental issues. In contrast to the characteristics of older TMNs as public, inclusive, and self-governed, new-generation TMNs are influenced by private actors, they are exclusive, and employ enforcement mechanisms to secure the fulfilment of network goals. To underline the diversity of TMNs and thus better understand urban networked governance, we present a case study of the 100 Resilient Cities initiative covering its conduct in 2013–2019. Looking at its actor composition and membership terms, we identify a hybrid nature different from the one described in earlier literature on European TMNs primarily. This subscription to a hybrid form of governance calls for a larger discussion on the implications of this shift in governance type and on the extent to which hybridisation implies a shift of power from the public to the private sphere.


Abstract The effects of marriage between biological relatives on the incidence of childhood genetic illness and mortality are of major policy significance, as rates of consanguinity exceed 50% in various countries. Empirical research on this question is complicated by the fact that consanguinity is often correlated with poverty and other unobserved characteristics of households, which may have independent effects on mortality. This study has developed an instrumental variables empirical strategy to re-examine this question, based on the concept that the availability of unmarried cousins of the opposite gender at the time of marriage creates quasi-random variation in the propensity to marry consanguineously. Using primary data collected in Bangladesh in 2006–07 and Pakistan in 2009–10, the study found that previous estimates of the impact of consanguinity on child health were biased and falsely precise. The study also empirically investigated the social and economic causes of consanguinity (including marital quality) and concludes that marrying a cousin can have positive economic effects for one's natal family, by allowing deferral of dowry payments until after marriage.


A watershed is a hydrological unit of space composed of interrelated drainage area with a common movement of water including all the consequential implications for land and water use. A micro-watershed is a coherent ecosystem at the smallest viable geographical area. It is administratively as well as operationally the most meaningful planning unit. Micro-watershed planning contributes to sustainable to sustainable development of the area by integrating varied development programmes through the efficient use, equitable access and decentralised control of water resources. This paper presents a planning model for micro-watershed development. Three objectives are considered as adequate to represent the sustainable development ethos. These are economic benefits esentially accruing to land and cattle owners, employment benefits accruing to labouring sections and soil conservation which contributes to long-term sustainability of land. Project options available to a planner are check dams, gully checks, contour bunds, pond development pasture development and afforestation. Constraints include investment budget, lower limit on benefit-cost ration, availability of land for pasture development, afforestation and pond construction. Besides these there are constraints to ensure system relationship logic. The model formulation results in a multiple objective mixed-integer linear formulation wherein objectives and constraints are linear functions of decision variables. A real-life application of the model is presented. A representative group of community is considered as a decision maker (DM). DM's preferences are modelled as a value function which is encoded through a series of questions and answers. We have termed the value function as "Sustainability Index" as it evaluates in a single measure the efficacy of the plan in terms of sustainable development. The decision problem is to select a development plan that maximises Sustainability Index. For the present application, the planning problem results in a concave objective function with eighteen linear constraints, twenty five zero-one and five continuous variables. An algorithm that uses a branch and bound procedure together with an mplicit enumeration logic is developed to solve the problem. The algorithm solves a continuous non-linear problem at each node of the branch and bound tree. Compared to a plan developed by a local agency, the optimal plan improves achievement of each objective by twenty five percent. Sensitivity analysis with varying budget limits is carried out which recommends additional investment beyond the current budget. Improvement of the model through integration of energy and environment options and some features of suitable database to aid the planner are presented.


AIM
To evaluate the evidence on potential biological pathways underlying the possible association between periodontal disease (PD) and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs).

MATERIAL & METHODS
Human, experimental and in vitro studies were evaluated.

RESULTS
Periodontal pathogens/byproducts may reach the placenta and spread to the foetal circulation and amniotic fluid. Their presence in the foeto-placental compartment can stimulate a foetal immune/inflammatory response characterized by the production of IgM antibodies against the pathogens and the secretion of elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, which in turn may cause miscarriage or premature birth. Moreover, infection/inflammation may cause placental structural changes leading to pre-eclampsia and impaired nutrient transport causing low birthweight. Foetal exposure may also result in tissue damage, increasing the risk for perinatal mortality/morbidity. Finally, the elicited systemic inflammatory response may exacerbate local inflammatory responses at the foeto-placental unit and further increase the risk for APOs.

CONCLUSIONS
Further investigation is still necessary to fully translate the findings of basic research into clinical studies and practice. Understanding the systemic virulence potential of the individual's oral microbiome and immune response may be a distinctly different issue from categorizing the nature of the challenge using clinical signs of PD. Therefore, a more personalized targeted therapy could be a more predictive answer to the current "one-size-fits-all" interventions.


Many policies governing biobanks revolve around ownership and control of the materials and information in them. Those who manage biobanks may be tempted to seek the broadest legal rights possible over material and data. However, we suggest that even if ownership and control were clearly defined by the law and readily obtained by biobanks, how legal rights are used in practice matters as much or more than the rules for ownership. We draw lessons from the stories of genetic testing for Canavan disease and inherited breast and ovarian cancers. In both cases, the use or assertion of legal rights led to preventable controversy and suboptimal outcomes. The attempt to acquire and exercise intellectual property rights antagonized and alienated stakeholders, whom we define broadly to include the donors, patients, doctors, research institutions, health care providers, governments, and citizens with an interest in research and its outcomes. By analogy, even if biobanks could acquire expansive and clear property rights over materials and data, biobanks that want to maintain productive relationships with stakeholders must not lose the trust of those who contribute material or others with an interest in research.


The aim of the study is to describe and explain changes in the self-concept at various stages during psychiatric rehabilitation. Viewing rehabilitation as a process of resocialisation and using self theories developed from the symbolic interactionist tradition, two groups of hypotheses are developed. The first concerns rehabilitees' expected rejection of the patient-role and acquisition of normal social roles. Concomitant changes in attitudes to self, self-esteem and identification with (other) psychiatric patients are hypothesised, with social milieu as an important variable. The second group of hypotheses concerns the effect on rehabilitees' self-concepts of the attitudes towards them held by close relatives. It is suggested that close relatives will find it hard to change their attitudes to rehabilitees (away from the negative stereotype of the psychiatric patient) and that rehabilitees will deal with the consequent discrepancy by reappraising either the feedback from close relatives or the significance of their close relatives. An associated study provided an 'opportunist' sample of relatively long-stay and often chronically disabled rehabilitees whose current stage in rehabilitation could be defined by their place of residence. A secondary sample of close relatives was obtained from amongst the close relatives of these rehabilitees. During interview rehabilitees completed various self-report measures of the self-concept: semantic differential scales, 'Who-Am-I?' schedule and attitude scales; close relatives completed semantic differential scales. The above measures provide a comprehensive body of data on the self- concept in psychiatric rehabilitation which largely supports the hypotheses. In particular the results confirm the importance for rehabilitees' self-concepts of the specific social milieu in which they live (i.e. the type of ward for those in hospital; whether or not they live with parents for those in the community). This contrasts with the attitudes of close relatives towards rehabilitees, which appear to be largely determined by whether or not rehabilitees are still in hospital. The findings enable a range of recommendations to be made regarding , rehabilitation practice, especially in the area of individual treatment plans.


This is a Panel Paper which was used in conjunction with the Airport Challenges: Young Lawyers Take a Strategic View panel held on Friday, September 25, 2009 as part of the ABA Forum on Air & Space Law Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. It represents an original, ongoing (thus incomplete) analysis by the author on the issues of congestion and slot allocation at airports in the United States (U.S.) and European Union (EU). It is not, however, a finished work. Any reader wishing to use or cite from this Paper should first contact the author for permission. The Paper that follows first examines the meaning of slots and the legal definitions of the concept. It then offers a brief overview of slot control in the U.S. and offers a critical account of the Federal Aviation Administration's aborted plan to establish slot auctions at three New York-area airports. A comparison with the slot control and allocation measures undertaken in the European Union follows. Finally, this Paper will close with some concluding thoughts on the challenge of using the slot concept to control capacity at airports on both sides of the Atlantic.


The importance of glacigenic dust in the Earth's system during glacial periods is widely acknowledged. Under contemporary conditions, the world's largest dust sources are in low‐lying, hot, arid regions and this is where most aeolian research is focused. However the processes of dust production and emissions are still operating in cold climate regions, particularly in proglacial areas. This paper assesses current understanding of the relationship between glacierised landscapes and dust emissions and inputs to the global dust cycle. It focuses on how elements in the glacial and aeolian geomorphic sub‐systems interact to determine the magnitude, frequency and timing of aeolian dust emissions, and on feedback mechanisms between the systems. Where they have been measured, dust emission intensity and deposition rates in glacierised catchments are very high, in some cases far exceeding those in lower latitudes, however, few studies span long time scales. The impact of future glacier retreat on the balance between sediment supply, availability and aeolian transport capacity and implications for glacigenic dust emissions is also considered. This balance depends on relative spatial and temporal changes in meltwater suspended sediment concentration and wind strengths, which promote dust emissions, and patterns and rates of soil development and vegetation succession on recently‐deglaciated terrain which protect sediments from deflation. Retreat of the Antarctic ice sheet could mean that in future glacigenic contributions to the dust cycle exceed those of non‐glacigenic sources in the southern hemisphere. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Grid systems are very useful platforms for distributed databases, especially in some situations in which the scale of data sources and user requests is very high. However, the main characteristics of grid systems such as dynamicity, large size and heterogeneity, bring new problems to the query processing domain such as resource discovery and resource allocation. In this paper, we provide a survey related to resource allocation methods for query processing in data grid systems. We provide a classification for existing studies considering their approaches to the resource allocation problem. We provide a synthesis of the studies and propose evaluations and comparisons for the different classes of studies.


STUDY QUESTION
What is the underlying neuropathology in a cynomolgus macaque model of functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea (FHA) and can it be normalized to restore ovulation?

SUMMARY ANSWER
Anovulatory monkeys exhibited increased hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE), kisspeptin and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the early follicular phase, but administration of the NE reuptake inhibitor (NRI), reboxetine (REB), restored ovulation during stress and normalized NE, kisspeptin and GnRH.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Female cynomolgus macaques, like women, show individual reproductive sensitivity to modest psychosocial and metabolic stress. During stress, resilient females ovulate through two menstrual cycles whereas stress-sensitive (SS) macaques immediately cease ovulation. On Day 5 of a non-stressed menstrual cycle, resilient macaques have less NE synthesizing enzyme [dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH)], kisspeptin and GnRH innervation of the medial basal hypothalamus but more endogenous serotonin than SS macaques. Stress increased DBH/NE, kisspeptin and GnRH but did not alter serotonin.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
In a longitudinal design, 27 adult (7-13 years) female cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) with three different levels of sensitivity to stress were monitored with daily vaginal swabs and frequent serum progesterone (P) measurements. Three 90-day experimental periods called 'Cycle Sets' were monitored. A Cycle Set consisted of one ovulatory menstrual cycle without stress, and two cycles, or 60 days, with modest stress. Each Cycle Set was followed by a rest period. During a Cycle Set, individuals were either untreated (placebo) or administered escitalopram (CIT) or REB. Ultimately, half of each sensitivity group was euthanized during stress with CIT or REB treatment and the hypothalamus was obtained. Neurobiological endpoints were compared between CIT and REB treatment groups in stress resilient and SS monkeys.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
The monkeys were housed at the University of Pittsburgh primate facility for the duration of the experiments. Upon euthanasia, their brains and serum samples were shipped to the Oregon National Primate Research Center. The hypothalamus was examined with immunohistochemistry for the expression of DBH (a marker for NE axons), kisspeptin and GnRH. P was measured in the serum samples by radioimmunoassay.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Daily administration of REB restored ovulation in 9 of 10 SS animals during stress. Of note, REB significantly increased P secretion during stress in the most sensitive group (P = 0.032), which indicates ovulation. CIT lacked efficacy. REB significantly reduced DBH/NE, kisspeptin and GnRH axon density in the hypothalamus relative to CIT treatment (P = 0.003. 0.018 and 0.0001, respectively) on Day 5 of the menstrual cycle in resilient and sensitive groups.

LARGE SCALE DATA
N/A.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The US FDA has not approved REB for human use, although it is used in Europe for the treatment of depression/anxiety as EdronaxTR. Whether REB could be useful for the treatment of FHA in women has not been determined.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FINDINGS
The use of an NRI to treat FHA is a novel approach and the potential reinstatement of ovulation could be straightforward compared to current treatment protocols. The underlying neurobiology provides a compelling case for treating the origin of the pathology, i.e. elevated NE, rather than circumventing the hypothalamus altogether with gonadotropins, which have associated risks such as hyperstimulation syndrome or multiple births.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
Portions of this study were supported by NIH grant HD062864 to C.L.B., NIH grant HD62618 to J.L.C. and C.L.B. and 1P51 OD011092 for the operation of the Oregon National Primate Research Center. There were no competing interests.


There have been a number of recommendations for reducing fat in the diet, of which consuming milk of a lower fat content is one of the most popular. In the reported study, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was applied to attitudes towards the consumption of milks of differing fat contents. Subjects (N = 257) completed a mail questionnaire in which the basic components of the model were assessed. A measure of perceived moral obligation for family's health was also included since it was predicted that this would constitute an influence not only on intentions, but also on attitudes. The findings largely support the predictive effect of the inclusion of the measure of perceived moral obligation Differential attitudes and the use of alternative outcome evaluation scales are also examined. The findings are discussed in relation to possible extensions to the model.


This paper considers a form of scepticism according to which sentences, along with other linguistic entities such as verbs and phonemes, etc., are never realized. If, whenever a conversational participant produces some noise or other, they and all other participants assume that a specific sentence has been realized (or, more colloquially, spoken), communication will be fluent whether or not the shared assumption is correct. That communication takes place is therefore, one might think, no ground for assuming that sentences are realized during a typical conversation. I reject both this 'folie-a-deux' view and the arguments for it due to Georges Rey. I do so by drawing on Gilbert Harman's no-false-lemmas principle. Since testimony is a form of knowledge and, according to the principle, knowledge cannot depend essentially on false assumptions, testimony is incompatible with the claim that sentence realization is but an illusion. Much of the paper is given over to defending this appeal to the no-false-lemmas principle. After all, a more attractive option might seem to be to infer instead that the principle is itself falsified by the folie-A -deux view.


A fitting function of lateral displacement of cemented soil retaining wall was proposed according to several measured data of excavations. On this basis, the retaining wall was treated as a homogeneous elastic vertical beam, whose toe and heel were restricted by a spring constraint but still could be moved and rotated. An analytical formula of the lateral displacement of the retaining wall was deduced with the principle of minimum potential energy with consideration of all the external forces. Compared with some other measured data, the average relative error of the formula was less than 10%, which preliminary indicated the formula's practical value.


Implementation science (IS) is a young field that seeks to minimize the gap between what we know and what we practice, otherwise known as the "know-do gap." Recently, IS has focused on research that expedites the dissemination of evidence-based knowledge, accelerates the translation of interventions to improve knowledge gaps, shrinks healthcare disparities, enhances care of complex medical conditions, and narrows variation in clinical practice and policy. This article seeks to review theoretical frameworks of IS and demonstrate how IS can be utilized to improve nutrition care. Specific examples in this article include implementation of initiatives to improve documentation of malnutrition, increase provision of oral nutrition supplements, increase use of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols, and increase energy and protein delivery. Clinical nutrition is a growing field with more and more research findings pointing to new therapies. In implementing these new therapies, practitioners should recognize the complex system present in healthcare and lean on IS findings to speed implementation and more rapidly improve clinical outcomes.


Summary Introduction. By examining the production of c-Fos protein, we analyzed the response to the ischemic attack in different brain tissue, two of which are regions of the limbic system: the anterior amygdaloid area and nc. accumbens. Material and Methods. We used the model of rat brain ischemia - four-vessel occlusion, and Pulsinelli's method. The rats were treated in two ways, ac- cording to which they were divided into two groups: a total ischemia (ligation of four blood vessels, i.e. electrocauterization of the vertebral artery with bilateral ligation of the carotid artery - the so-called R-group rats), and transient ischemic attack (liga- tion of four blood vessels, i.e. electrocauterization of the verte- bral artery, with mutual re-ligation of the carotid arteries in the form of transient ischemia - the so-called T-group rats, which can also be called "pre-conditioned group"). Both groups had their own control group. Conclusion. We have concluded that parts of the brain with an important role for the survival have a


The paper presents a novel, thirteen level, and cascaded, neutral point clamped inverter. The inverter is modulated by phase disposition (PD) carrier based PWM method. The load of the inverter is a synchronous machine. The simulation results for different voltage levels, different modulation frequencies, and different carrier frequencies are presented. The study of the simulation results helps to define the best operation mode of the inverter for different conditions.


The study was performed in order to establish the obstetric factors that influence survival of newborns whose birth weight is under 1000 g. All medical records of babies with such birth weight, born alive at the Instituto Nacional de Perinatología in Mexico City during the period from 1991 to 1996 were revised. Babies with congenital malformations, cromomosomopathies or those who after birth were referred to another medical center were excluded. Survival status was used to form two study groups: those who were discharged alive and those who died during their hospital stay. Different obstetric conditions on management were compared between these two groups. Statistical Analysis was performed through t-test, chi square or exact Fisher's test. Two hundred and ninety two cases were included out of 294. Sixty nine (25.4%) survived while 203 (74.6%) died during their hospitalization. Several obstetric conditions were found to have statistical differences between survivors (S) and non survivors (NS): cervical dilatation on admittance to hospital (1.6 cm among S and 2.7 among NS), cervical dilatation prior to resolution (3.3 cm S vs 4.9 cm NS), gestational age (28.3 vs 27 weeks). Newborn conditions also showed significant statistical differences as in birth weight (867.1 vs 795.5 g), 1 minute Apgar (4.1 vs 2.5), and 5 min Apgar (6.9 vs 5). Use of antepartum steroids showed a striking difference between groups while duration of labor, usage of oxitocin and way of delivery showed no statistical differences. Gestational age (over 28 weeks), birth weight (above 867 g) and the use of antepartum steroids are of extreme importance in the survival status of babies born weighting less than 1000 g.


The male factor contributes approximately 50% to infertility-related cases in couples with an estimated 12%–35% of these cases attributable to male genital tract infections. Depending on the nature of the infection, testicular sperm production, sperm transport, and sperm function can be compromised. Yet, infections are potentially treatable causes of infertility. Male genital tract infections are increasingly difficult to detect. Moreover, they often remain asymptomatic ("silent") with the result that they are then passed on to the relevant sexual partner leading to fertilization and pregnancy failure as well as illness of the offspring. With the worldwide increasing problem of antibiotic resistance of pathogens, proper diagnosis and therapy of the patient is important. This testing, however, should include not only aerobic microbes but also anaerobic as these can be found in almost all ejaculates with about 71% being potentially pathogenic. Therefore, in cases of any indication of a male genital tract infection, a semen culture should be carried out, particularly in patients with questionable semen quality. Globally, an estimate of 340 million new infections with sexually transmitted pathogens is recorded annually. Among these, the most prevalent pathogens including Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Mycoplasma hominis. Escherichia coli are considered the most common nonsexually transmitted urogenital tract microbes. These pathogens cause epididymitis, epididymo-orchitis, or prostatitis and contribute to increased seminal leukocyte concentrations.


There has been a growing interest, especially among Emirati organizations concerned with family development, in the rising rates of early divorce in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this research is to identify the reasons for early divorce among Emiratis. The authors selected 2,162 Emirati early divorcees who were registered with the Family Development Foundation (FDF) in Abu Dhabi and who received services from the (FDF) between 2012 and 2018. Among those, 200 divorcees agreed to participate in this study. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. Results found that the most common reasons for early divorce were the lack of marital relations, partners' bad behavior, and domestic violence. Other reasons frequently quoted by the participants included the partner's personality type, health issues, and the partner's physical appearance. Findings will offer useful guidelines to the policymakers, service providers, social workers, and experts to improve the national-level family support interventions to prevent early divorce.


This article applies theories of fragmented postmodern identity and Heidegger's modes of existence and concept of historicality to the issue of passing and traces the treatment of that motif across six African American novels that move from the largely realistic perspective of the 19th century to the subjectivist perspective of the early 20th century. These novels thus foreshadow the postmodernist questioning of the basis of discrete personal identity. The article claims that, across these novels, the act of passing and its relationship to human identity through time and historical circumstance becomes problematized from a necessary tool for escaping slavery, and so sustaining identity in its most basic form as life itself, to a potential existential dilemma of identity as a matter of authenticity and possibility. The article further discusses whether the individual is constrained by his or her background, especially, by race itself, or is a totally free, ungrounded agent.


This groundbreaking work argues that the seminal concept of recogimiento functioned as a metaphor for the colonial relationship between Spain and Lima. Ubiquitous and flexible, recogimiento had three related meanings-two cultural and one institutional-that developed over a 200-year period in Renaissance Spain and the viceregal capital, Lima. Female and male religious conceptualized recogimiento as a mystical praxis that aspired toward "union" with God, and it was also articulated as a fundamental virtue of enclosure and quiescent conduct for women. As an institutional practice, recogimiento involved substantial numbers of women and girls living in convents, lay pious houses, schools, and institutions (called recogimientos) that admitted schoolgirls, prostitutes, women petitioning for divorce, and the spiritually devout. In a broader sense, practices of recogimiento both conformed to and transgressed imagined boundaries of the sacred and the worldly in colonial Lima. Recogimiento also reflected the process of transculturation, or the adaptation of particular cultural values to local contingencies. Through an analysis of more than 600 ecclesiastical litigation suits, and drawing on an impressive array of primary and secondary sources, the author shows how recogimiento was experienced by a range of individuals: from viceroys and archbishops to female foodsellers, shop owners, and secluded mystics. She argues that by 1650 women representing different races and classes in Lima claimed recogimiento as integral to their public, familial, and internal identities. The social and cultural history of Lima between 1550 and 1713 illustrates the complexities of conjugal relations, sexuality, and social norms in the viceregal capital, demonstrates the inextricable link between sacred and secular realms in colonial society, and delineates the process of transculturation between Spain and Lima.


The concept of frontline safety encapsulates an approach to occupational health and safety that emphasizes the "other side of the regulatory relationship" — the ways in which safety culture, individual responsibility, organizational citizenship, trust, and compliance are interpreted and experienced at the local level. By exploring theoretical tensions concerning the most appropriate way of conceptualizing and framing frontline regulatory engagement, we can better identify the ways in which conceptions of individuals (as rational, responsible, economic actors) are constructed and maintained through workplace interactions and decision making as part of the fulfillment of the ideological and constitutive needs of neoliberal labor markets.


Background Acanthamoeba keratitis is an uncommon condition which is usually associated with contact lens wear. The use of home made saline and poor hygiene are important risk factors. Early diagnosis is crucial since these cases respond well to medical therapy. The purpose of this paper is to describe and demonstrate early clinical signs.Method Between September 1992 and October 1994, 70 cases of acanthamoeba keratitis, one of them bilateral, were prospectively monitored at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. A database of all patients was set up and the clincial findings, diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions and the outcome were recorded.Results 66 patients (96%) were contact lens wearers, 64 of them (97%) wore soft lenses. The mean intervall between first symptoms and correct diagnosis was 42%. The most frequent initial diagnoses were ''unclear keratoconjunctivitis'' and ''herpetic keratitis''. Early corneal findings included punctate keratopathy (n=14; 20%), pseudodendrites (n=4; 6%), epithelial infiltrates (n=17; 24%), diffuse or focal subepithelial infiltrates (n=36; 51%) and radial keratoneuritis (n=5; 7%). Ring infiltrates (n=13; 18%) and corneal ulceration (n=13) were late signs.Conclusion When the above corneal findings are observed, particularly in contact lens wearers, the diagnosis of acanthamoeba keratitis should be considered. The diagnosis of ''herpetic keratitis'' in association with contact lens wear should be encountered with scepticism.


This research presents a set of alternative trade policy scenarios for the long term outlook of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) poultry sector. Consumer demand for poultry has risen dramatically in the past twenty years, but domestic output has not been able to keep pace, and imports have been rising. In a drive towards self-sufficiency, the South African Government has raised tariffs on higher value chicken cuts, including anti-dumping duties imposed on U.S. chicken legs in 2000. The U.S. poultry industry is demanding that the duties be lifted and is attempting to link renewal of AGOA to improved access for U.S. poultry. This analysis finds that if the duties on U.S. poultry are lowered to the MFN level of 37 percent, the U.S. could capture 35 percent of the South African market.


OBJECTIVE
Grana Padano, an Italian protected designation of origin (PDO) semi-fat cheese, undergoes a long ripening period during which the proteolysis carried out by natural starter lactic acid bacteria releases peptides having sustained angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity. The length (generally 3-8 amino acid residues) and the sequence of these peptides are responsible for their ability to elicit ACE-inhibitory activity. The aim of this study has been the evaluation of the effect of a daily dietary supplement consisting in a small amount (30 g/day) of Grana Padano cheese, in terms of the lowering of the blood pressure (BP) of mild-moderate hypertensive subjects.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Thirty mild-moderate hypertensive patients, with BP values not on target (> 140 and/or > 90 mmHg) after at least 3 months of stable treatment were considered in this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study. All patients randomly received a dietary integration (30 g/day) of Grana Padano cheese or a placebo (made from flavored grated bread mixed with fats and salts in concentrations equal to those of the cheese). BP was evaluated at baseline and at the end of the active and placebo treatments (2 months each) by: - Office BP (OBP); - Automated Office BP (AOBP) using the BpTRU®, an automated oscillometric device that provides the average of multiple (n=6) blood pressure measurements; - Ambulatory Blood Pressure (ABP) 24 hour monitoring.

RESULTS
Dietary integration with Grana Padano cheese resulted in a significant decrease in Office, Automated Office and Ambulatory BP. The mean decrease (vs. placebo) for 24-hour ABP was -3.5 mmHg for systolic and -2.4 mmHg for diastolic BP (p = 0.0063 and p = 0.0065, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
Daily dietary integration with 30 g of Grana Padano DOP cheese effectively reduces BP and may help mild-to-moderate hypertensive patients to reach a target BP.


Abstract Hungary's constitutional commitment to support kin-nationals beyond its borders (nation policy) has been a central feature of its post-1989 foreign policy and highlights a particularly important national security concern—the societal security of national identity, culture, language and tradition. This article examines Hungary's societal security concerns and the policy methods it utilises, including its EU membership and the promotion of minority rights at the European level, to help combat these concerns. It is suggested that Hungary has found it somewhat difficult to balance its societal security policy objective with internal economic demands on its welfare system and its external foreign policy objective to maintain good neighbourly relations. This article also notes that Hungary's attempts to Europeanise, or rather 'EU-ise', minority and ethnic rights issues as a means to enhance societal security for the Hungarian nation has certain political consequences for the EU. This suggests that societal security provision is an issue that cannot be overlooked when trying to understand the longer-term implications of EU eastern enlargement.


Transepithelial potential and resistance, the ratio of resistance of the apical to the basal cell membranes (Ra/Rb) were studied during transmural current clamps in isolated frog and fish gall-bladder (GB) with Ringer's solution on both sides. The findings show that: 1) the difference between the mucosal and serosal membrane potentials (MPs) was 3-8 mV as determined by transmural potential; 2) the ratio Ra/Rb depends on the MP value: it was less than 1 if MP was about 30 mV, and more than 1 if MP was over 30 mV; 3) outward and inward current clamps (about 20 microA/0.3 cm2) produced linear changes of MP on both apical and basal membranes; at high currents (40-60 microA/0.3 cm2) linear dependence is distorted especially for apical membrane whose conductance abruptly increases during current clamps.


Background:
This thesis presents a study of the safety of medicines with respect to drug counterfeiting in developing countries (East Africa and the Middle East). Counterfeit medicines are also present in industrialised countries, but not on the same scale as in developing countries. The aim of the study was to establish the responsiveness of health care professionals at the practice level concerning the counterfeiting of medicinal products in developing countries focusing on six countries in the East African region and seven countries located in the Middle East.
Method:
The method of data acquisition used was by survey questionnaires issued in 13 developing countries (6 in East Africa and 7 in the Middle East). The questionnaires were delivered to the respondents either personally or by e-mail and the questionnaire, responses were returned by the same means. Respondents returned their questionnaire forms direct to the author either on the same day or later by e-mail. The data were analysed with regard to the specific questions.
Results:
The study findings suggested that the poorer the country, the higher the degree of counterfeiting. All the respondents (n: 2180) agreed that there was a fake or counterfeit medicine problem in their own country (71% of respondents in Africa and 63% of respondents in the Middle East considered this a major problem). Both branded and generic drugs were counterfeited and the extent of the problem and several other factors concerning counterfeited drugs differed significantly between industrialised and developing countries. The difference depended on drug regulation control and enforcement and also on the quality and the prices in the legal supply chain. In most industrialised countries like the USA, Japan or the members of the EU, the level
v
of drug counterfeiting is <1% of the total medicines market value. An exception is the former Soviet Union where up to 20% of the market is occupied by counterfeit drugs. In contrast, within regions of Africa, Asia and parts of Latin America, between 10-30% of the available medicines are fakes (WHO 2006)
Conclusions:
The study showed that healthcare workers were aware of the prevalence of counterfeit medicines and quite a number of them had encountered them in their supply role. There is an indication that the respondents tried to assure themselves of the quality of the drugs they purchased by using several methods. However, no rigorous effort was taken to confirm as well as report suspected counterfeit drugs to regulatory authorities.
In the industrialised world, medicines regulatory authorities have developed strict standards and controls to ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs. However, as this study has found, in less developed countries a lack of human and financial resources within the health sector as a whole restricted the activity of regulatory agencies, resulting in a sub-optimally regulated environment in which substandard drug production persisted without detection.


Monocytes and macrophages represent critical arms of the innate immune system and are considered regulators and effectors of inflammation and the innate immune response. Monocytes can mobilize from bone marrow, traffic to their required destination, and differentiate into effector cells, depending on the local tissue environment, to perform multiple roles during infection or inflammation, making them important components of body's immune defense. Macrophages have diverse roles in tissue homeostasis, development, and tissue repair following injury. Adult bone marrow monocytes can give rise to tissue-resident macrophages during infection or inflammatory reactions, besides self-replication of tissue resident macrophages. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a lipid by-product of autotaxin activity, is involved in cancer, vascular defects, and neural tissue, but is largely unexplored in immune system. Here, we reveal an unexpected function of LPA that transfigures CD11b+ murine monocytes into F4/80+ macrophages. LPA-stimulated Akt/mTOR signaling is critical for LPA-mediated macrophage development in mice. Additionally, transcriptome analysis reveals that PPARγ is the key transcriptional regulator in the development of LPA-induced macrophages. In humans, LPA mediates macrophage formation following similar pathways. These findings identify a critical role for LPA in regulating innate immune system.


Reading provides information across the curriculum. Thus, to the extent that fundamental (i.e., generalizable) reading comprehension strategies can be taught, the benefits should be found in multiple domains. To test this claim, children in the third and fourth grades read by simulating text content using the two-part, embodied Moved by Reading intervention. While reading six initial texts, children literally manipulated pictures on a computer screen to simulate sentence content; next, for additional texts the children imagined the manipulation of the pictures. These additional texts were in the form of mathematical story problems. Compared to a control condition, children using Moved by Reading solved more problems correctly, and this improvement is mainly attributed to a 35% reduction in the use of irrelevant numerical information in solution attempts. Thus, Moved by Reading teaches a fundamental strategy that encourages the sense-making that can aid mathematical story problem solution.


To investigate the effect of bound thrombin, a complex of α-thrombin with fibrin fragments derived from clots, on proliferation and migration of cultured rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells, cell proliferation was measured by WST-1 reagent and migration was evaluated by counting migrated cells through pores of cell culture insert (8 μm size) after 48-hour treatment with bound thrombin (10 U/ml). To examine the role of an embryonic myosin heavy chain isoform (SMemb) in these effects by bound thrombin, the cells were subsequently treated for 48 h with an siRNA expression vector (ORF-2/pSilencer) directed against the open reading frame of SMemb mRNA. SMemb and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 mRNA expressions were measured by Northern blot analysis. Bound thrombin significantly increased SMemb mRNA expression by 1.4 ± 0.01-fold and significantly increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 mRNA expression by 2.65 ± 0.69-fold (p < 0.01 vs. PBS treatment for each), which were abolished by treatment with ORF-2/pSilencer. Although bound thrombin had no effect on cell proliferation, bound thrombin significantly increased migration by 1.93 ± 0.20-fold (p < 0.05). ORF-2/pSilencer treatment significantly reduced the bound thrombin-stimulated migration activity by 1.28 ± 0.15-fold (p < 0.05). Thus, SMemb plays an important role in bound thrombin-induced cell migration activity of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells.


The number of 3D geometric models available in online repositories is growing dramatically. Examples include: the Protein Data Bank [1], which stores the 3D atomic coordinates for 29,000 protein molecules; the National Design Repository [9], which stores 3D computer-aided design (CAD) models for tens of thousands of mechanical parts; and the Princeton Shape Database [5], which stores polygonal surface models for 36,000 everyday objects crawled from the Web. Since graphics hardware is getting faster and 3D scanning hardware cheaper, there is every reason to believe that demand for and supply of 3D models will continue to increase into the future, leading to an online environment in which 3D models are as plentiful as images, videos, and audio files today.


We examined whether or not psychophysiological measures could be used to discriminate between 4 types of lies. Alpha-band event-related desynchronization (ERD) and skin conductance response (SCR) measures successfully discriminated between deception and truth. However, when deception was divided into 4 subsets, different patterns of ERD and SCR values were observed. There were substantial differences in ERD produced by instructed memorized lies, instructed created lies, spontaneously memorized lies, and truth. In contrast, SCR was a strong discriminator between created lies and truth. The results indicated that ERD could be sensitive to the cognitive activation caused by deception. Also, the strengths and weaknesses of both SCR and ERD measures could be supplemented when used together to detect different types of deception.


An information system is something that evolves over time to enhance the company that is using it. The technology for building an information system is also evolving. New methods and new programming languages make system development easier. As new technology breaks ground and the demands of a company's information system grow, the company will sooner or later get to a point where a change in the base of the system is necessary. Today a component-based framework is a common choice among companies. Our survey aims to find out what factors a company considers when they choose a new framework. Some of the factors we consider are how they affect the choice in the company, and if these same factors will influence the same choice in all companies. The results are based on a survey that we have done for six major companies. The results show that several factors affect the choice - independent or in combination with other factors. One of the most important factors is whether deeper knowledge about the framework can be acquired within the company or in the open market. It is also important that the supplier of the framework is reliable and well respected on the market. For guidance in these matters most companies turn to market forecasts from major IT research and advisory firms. We can also establish that the answers we got from the separate companies show large similarities concerning which factors they thought affected their choice the most.


We consider whether machine models can facilitate the human development of rule sets for information extraction. Arguing that rule-based methods possess a speed advantage in the early development of new extraction capabilities, we ask whether this advantage can be increased further through the machine facilitation of common recurring manual operations in the creation of an extraction rule set from scratch. Using a historical rule set, we reconstruct and describe the putative manual operations required to create it. In experiments targeting one key operation—the enumeration of words occurring in particular contexts—we simulate the process or corpus review and word list creation, showing that several simple interventions greatly improve recall as a function of simulated labor.


Molecular dynamics (MD) methods are utilized to study the displacement cascades in α-Fe containing different concentrations of substitutional He atoms. Primary knock-on atom (PKA) energies, Ep, from o.5 keV to 20 keV are considered at a temperature of 100 K and 600 K, and the results are compared with those performed in pure α-Fe. There are distinct differences in the number and size of defect clusters within displacement cascades with and without substitutional helium atoms. Particularly, the number and size of helium-vacancy clusters generally increase with increasing helium concentration and PKA energy. However, the number of He-vacancy (He-V) clusters increases with increasing temperature, the mean size of He-V clusters is independent on temperature for the same He concentration and energy recoils.


Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is an innovative and non-invasive method that uses radar to penetrate the ground and develop three-dimensional digital images of the top several meters of the earth. Ground-penetrating radar has been used extensively in the fields of engineering, military science, forensic science, archaeology, and environmental remediation, but has received little attention by wildlife professionals. We demonstrated a possible application of GPR for wildlife studies for mapping burrow systems using maritime pocket gophers (Geomys personatus maritimus), a subspecies of concern as listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ground-penetrating radar surveys were conducted at Naval Air Station—Corpus Christi on five 15-m × 15-m areas with >200 above-ground gopher mounds/ha during July 2007. Survey areas were scanned with a Geophysical Survey Systems Inc. SIR-3000, GPR digital control unit and a 900-MHz ground-coupled antenna. Within the 5 areas, we located 8 gophers and mapped 267 m of tunnels that had an average depth of 0.6 m. We were able to differentiate deteriorating or abandoned tunnels from active tunnels, detect an underground pipeline, and distinguish changes in soil texture using GPR. Ground-penetrating radar is a non-destructive and non-invasive method to gain knowledge of fossorial animal movements and potential destabilization of soil integrity. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.


The voluminous body of literature on the management of change, including sub‐areas such as Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Total Quality Management (TQM), and product improvement, implicitly or explicitly propose that company strategic intelligence is a pre‐requisite for change, and that effective information systems (IS) support is a critical requirement for implementing change. While these two hypotheses are exceedingly important, the existing literature contains no empirical evidence supporting them. A field test of how effectively small business organizations are identifying strategic problems and opportunities, how effectively they implement business changes, and use IS technology to do so, was undertaken to empirically test their relationships. Despite the relatively small sample size, the results provide clear evidence about the importance of competitive intelligence and IS support for effectively implementing change in small business organizations. The items used for measuring the main constructs provide further insights into how managers should go about acquiring competitive intelligence and managing IS technology to effectively support business improvements.


Rickets and osteomalacia are increasing in prevalence in people because of cultural practices, breast-feeding, decreased sun exposure, and increased sunscreen usage. Several hereditary forms of rickets owing to either renal phosphate wasting or defects in vitamin D metabolism are also reported in people. Rickets is well recognized in domestic animals, but published reports are not always supported by microscopic findings, and diagnoses based on clinical signs and radiology are unreliable. Most cases in domestic animals are caused by dietary deficiency of either vitamin D or phosphorus, but occasional inherited forms are reported in pigs, sheep, cats, and dogs. There is variation between species in susceptibility to dietary vitamin D and phosphorus deficiency and in the ability to manufacture vitamin D in their skin. A number of mouse models have been discovered or created to study human skeletal diseases and skeletal homeostasis. With the discovery that vitamin D is involved in not only calcium and phosphorus homeostasis but also in the immune system and cancer, there is great potential for new and existing animal models to generate valuable information about vitamin D and its many functions. This review presents an overview of vitamin D metabolism and rickets in domestic and laboratory animals and makes comparisons where appropriate with the disease in humans.


SOLAR (SOL for Advanced Reasoning) is a first-order clausal consequence finding system based on the SOL (Skip Ordered Linear) tableau calculus. The ability to find non-trivial consequences of an axiom set is useful in many applications of Artificial Intelligence such as theorem proving, query answering and nonmonotonic reasoning. SOL is a connection tableau calculus which is complete for finding the non-subsumed consequences of a clausal theory. SOLAR is an efficient implementation of SOL that employs several methods to prune away redundant branches of the search space. This paper introduces some of the key pruning and control strategies implemented in SOLAR and demonstrates their effectiveness on a collection of benchmark problems.


A general-purpose three-dimensional thermohydraulics numerical simulation code SPLICE was developed at JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) and designed to deal with gas-liquid-solid consolidated incompressible viscous flows with a phase change process in various laser applications, such as welding, piercing, drilling, cutting, etc. The code solves mass, momentum and energy conservation equations simultaneously in a finite difference form to evaluate various complex phenomena, such as a laser light-material interaction, liquid metal thermohydraulics in welded pond with a mushy zone, residual stress characteristics in welding processes, etc. Applications of the SPLICE code reveal considerable thermohydraulic aspects in the laser welding and cutting processes. The result obtained in this work is very encouraging in the sense that the SPLICE code would be used as one of the efficient tools for simulating the complex phenomena related to the laser welding and cutting processes.A general-purpose three-dimensional thermohydraulics numerical simulation code SPLICE was developed at JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) and designed to deal with gas-liquid-solid consolidated incompressible viscous flows with a phase change process in various laser applications, such as welding, piercing, drilling, cutting, etc. The code solves mass, momentum and energy conservation equations simultaneously in a finite difference form to evaluate various complex phenomena, such as a laser light-material interaction, liquid metal thermohydraulics in welded pond with a mushy zone, residual stress characteristics in welding processes, etc. Applications of the SPLICE code reveal considerable thermohydraulic aspects in the laser welding and cutting processes. The result obtained in this work is very encouraging in the sense that the SPLICE code would be used as one of the efficient tools for simulating the complex phenomena related to the laser welding and cutting processes.


At a computational level, language processing tasks are traditionally processed in a language-only space/context, isolated from perception and action. However, at a cognitive level, language processing has been shown experimentally to be embodied, i.e. to inform and be informed by perception and action. In this paper, we argue that embodied cognition dictates the development of a new generation of language processing tools that bridge the gap between the symbolic and the sensorimotor representation spaces. We describe that tasks and challenges such tools need to address and provide an overview of the first such suite of processing tools developed in the framework of the POETICON project.


This paper explores the extent to which community health centers (CHCs) are able to manage their uninsured patient caseloads. We found that CHCs can provide primary care, medications, and medical supplies to most of their uninsured patients on site but are limited in their ability to provide diagnostic, specialty, and behavioral health services. Uninsured patients often fail to receive additional services for which they are referred, and it is much more difficult for CHC physicians to arrange specialty or nonemergency hospital care for their uninsured patients than for their insured patients.


A key aim of biocatalysis is to mimic the
ability of eukaryotic cells to carry out compartmentalized multistep cascades
in a controlled and selective way. As biocatalytic cascades get longer and more
complex, reactions become unattainable under typical batch conditions. Here a
continuous flow multipoint injection reactor was combined with switching valves
to overcome batch incompatibility, thus allowing for successful biocatalytic
reaction cascades. As proof-of-principle, several reactive carbonyl intermediates
were generated in situ using galactose oxidase and engineered choline
oxidases, then passed directly to a series of packed-bed modules containing
different aminating biocatalysts which accordingly produced a range of
structurally distinct amines. The method was expanded to employ a batch
incompatible sequential amination cascade via
an oxidase-transaminase-imine reductase sequence, introducing different
amine reagents at each step without cross reactivity. The
combined approaches allowed for the biocatalytic synthesis of the natural
product alkaloid precursor 4O-methylnorbelladine. The
flow biocatalysis platform shown here significantly increases the scope of novel
biocatalytic cascades, removing previous limitations due to reaction and
reagent batch incompatibility.


Autoclaves of late, have become important tools in the aerospace industry to manufacture / cure fibre reinforced composite components. In order to obtain a good quality component it is very necessary that the component be cured strictly in accordance with the prescribed cure cycle. The temperature, pressure and vacuum are three critical parameters which vary in the course of a cure cycle. Modern autoclaves have the provision to pressurize using Nitrogen apart from air so that inert atmospheres can be obtained when required. The pressurization system must be able to cater to the fast pressurization and depressurization rates required by the cure cycle. Like wise, the . heating and cooling system must be adequate to respond to the prescribed heating and cooling rates. Also, the vacuum system which is a closed loop system must be capable of meeting the cure cycle requirments. All the above systems are computer controlled. This report provides a brief description of the design aspects of the various systems of the autoclave.


This paper has a general and a specific goal. The general goal is quite ambitious and consists in proposing a new linguistic approach, named Protocol Linguistics, that should encompass points of division among linguists of different theoretical persuasion and permit a common effort to put the most recent advances in linguistics at the service of general interests, such as language policies, language education, language rehabilitation, endangered language documentation, and many more third mission type of environments. The second specific goal is to provide an example of a possible protocol for the documentation of a severely endangered language, Istro-Romanian, a variety of eastern Romance spoken in the Istrian peninsula in Croatia, also named Vlaški or Žejanski. The general aim is to suggest that language awareness based on knowledge of syntax, which highlights similarities as well as differences and conceives the differences as variation among a small range of choices, can ground the construction of inclusive cultural identity, which will enhance social cohesion as well as the preservation of minority languages.


Abstract This paper examines indirect expropriation in international investment agreements and compares current foreign investments protection with property protection in the XIXth century USA, when the US Supreme Court adhered to an abstract and de-physicalized conception of property later contested by legal realists. Its central claim is that investor state arbitration poses a serious and underestimated challenge to state sovereignty, granting arbitrators a 'proto-constitutional' power of judicial review on regulatory powers, including the legislative one. Moreover, the indeterminacy of indirect expropriation leads to a potential transformation of property rights protection that could eventually give transnational enterprises a new 'right to an unchanging world', as the US Supreme Court did more than a century ago, albeit this time on a global scale.


Contribution: This multicase study compares computer orchestrated learning together (COLT) and student orchestrated learning together (SOLT) in cooperatively preparing first year university students for collaborative activities. COLT using computer orchestrated group learning environment (COGLE) was perceived efficient, effective, and inclusive for team effectiveness as it helps build domain knowledge and trust between neurologically typical (NT) and/or neurologically atypical (NAT) teammates. This study confirms existing and identifies two new antecedents for trust, namely, resolving cognitive conflicts and real-time updates to domain knowledge. Background: Industrial and organizational psychology literature links effective teamworking with domain knowledge and trust. Building team trust within a short period can be challenging, in particular in mixed teams of NT and NAT students. Facilitating teamwork can be resource hungry. Educational studies on trust and teamwork are therefore rare. Research Questions: This study investigates how orchestration affects teamwork by asking: 1) how does computer and student orchestration affect domain knowledge acquisition in NT and NAT students? and 2) how does computer and student orchestration affect the development of trust between NT and/or NAT students? Methodology: Both qualitative and quantitative data were captured at multiple points within multiple (literal and theoretical replication) cases. Case summaries and a cross-case analysis provided further data and the methodological triangulation needed for analytical generalization. Findings: COGLE's scaffolding and nonsocial prompts for cooperation, shared goal orientation, shared monitoring, and shared working not only helped NT and NAT students learn together but also helped develop team-trust quickly. Delayed interactions, low team-trust, and clique formation were seen in SOLT teams.


With modern technology, a very-large-scale system may contain several million gates. To achieve an optimal multiple-level partitioning of such a system onto a fixed hierarchy hardware accelerator presents a formidable challenge to even the fastest computing engines currently available. The application of a divide-and-conquer heuristic coupled with a novel ratio-cut algorithm that solves the above problem under a variety, of constraints is described. The goal of this approach is to minimize the communication cost in the hierarchy. Experiments with designs containing up to two million gates are described, and it is demonstrated that the proposed approach decreased communication costs by a factor of two or more when compared with other approaches. This approach enables the hardware simulator to perform approximately three billion gate evaluations per second. or approximately 200 million event evaluations in an event-driven simulator, using a 6% activity rate. >


This study examines the effects of education and input as predictors of adult second language acquisition in naturalistic contexts. L1 Albanian learners of Greek who differed in amount of schooling (from 4 to 16 years) and length of residence (from 8 to 27 years) completed elicitation tasks that tested mastery of gender and number agreement, and past tense morphology. In addition, samples of spontaneous speech were assessed for fluency, grammatical complexity, and lexical richness in order to establish the learners' overall proficiency in the L2. We hypothesized that education would facilitate attention to form and hence lead to better attainment of grammatical distinctions with relatively low functional load, particularly when these are complex. Quantity of input would be most strongly associated with aspects of language that are most relevant to communication, and in particular, fluency. These predictions were largely confirmed: education accounted for 15% of the variance on adjective number agreement and between 31% and 38% of the variance in performance on past tense morphology, which is considerably more complex. Fluency and clausal density, in contrast, were associated with length of residence but not with education.


Currently, there is a high emphasis on reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions of buildings worldwide. Korea is facing an emerging issue of energy savings in buildings in perspective of new green economic policy. In this context, various policy measures including the energy efficiency ratings for buildings are being implemented for domestic and non-domestic buildings. In practice, design teams tend to prefer easy to use assessment tools to optimise energy performance and carbon ratings while they are concerned about calculation accuracy and the accurate representation of the dynamics involved associated with the characteristics of Korean residential buildings. This paper presents an assessment tool, named 'EDEM-Samsung' that aims to address these challenges for Korean residential apartments, which often encounter complex design issues. EDEM-Samsung is a tool that enables users to make rapid decisions identifying the effect of design parameter changes on energy and carbon ratings with an effective user interface and without compromising accuracy. This paper describes the architecture and functionalities of the tool, and the advantages offered to Korean designers.


Abstract The Makran slope-apron system is a stepped convergent margin across an active subduction complex. Shallow penetration piston cores have been recovered from the upper-slope region, three mid-slope basins and the abyssal plain. At most sites the upper 5–14 m of cored section is dominated by fine-grained, thin- to medium-bedded turbidites, averaging 5–10 turbidite events per metre of section. Oxygen isotope stratigraphy yields mean sedimentation rates of 50–95 cm ka−1 and a turbidite frequency of one event per 200–300 a. The upper-slope site has fewer turbidites and a greater proportion of hemipelagic mud. Fine-grained turbidite sequences are common, with top-cut-out and base-cut-out sequences most evident. Markov chain analysis of the transition between turbidite divisions confirms the normal T0–T8 order of sequence divisions. In some cases there is an upward gradation into a hemiturbidite facies. The range of turbidite bed thicknesses can be approximated by both power-law and log-normal distributions, typical of seismic triggering on an active margin, or of frequent river-flood sediment input. Small-scale vertical variations of turbidite bed thickness recognized by autocorrelation techniques can be interpreted as the result of bed-relief compensation effects (compensation cycles). The lateral distribution of both turbidites and hemipelagites is influenced by sediment focusing along pathways between slope basins. At a larger scale, climate, sea-level and tectonic effects have all played an important role in shaping margin sedimentation.


Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, cardiovascular disease is becoming a leading cause of death, with high blood pressure as number one risk factor. In Nigeria, access and adherence to hypertension care are poor. A pharmacy-based hypertension care model with remote monitoring by cardiologists through mHealth was piloted in Lagos to increase accessibility to quality care for hypertensive patients. Objectives: To describe patients' and healthcare providers' perceptions and practices regarding hypertension, pharmacy-based care, and mHealth and explore how this information may improve innovative hypertension service delivery. Methods: This study consisted of observations of patient–pharmacy staff interactions and hypertension care provided, four focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with 30 hypertensive patients, nine community pharmacists, and six cardiologists, and structured interviews with 328 patients. Results: Most patients were knowledgeable about biomedical causes and treatment of hypertension, but often ignorant about the silent character of hypertension. Reasons mentioned for not adhering to treatment were side effects, financial constraints, lack of health insurance, and cultural or religious reasons. Pharmacists additionally mentioned competition with informal, cheaper healthcare providers. Patients highly favored pharmacy-based care, because of the pharmacist–patient relationship, accessibility, small-scale, and a pharmacy's registration at an association. The majority of respondents were positive towards mHealth. Conclusion: Facilitating factors for innovative pharmacy-based hypertension care were: patients' biomedical perceptions, pharmacies' strong position in the community, and respondents' positive attitude towards mHealth. We recommend health education and strengthening pharmacists' role to address barriers, such as misperceptions that hypertension always is symptomatic, treatment nonadherence, and unfamiliarity with mHealth. Future collaboration with insurance providers or other financing mechanisms may help diminish patients' financial barriers to appropriate hypertension treatment.


We have designed and constructed an MR-compatible PET system for fully simultaneous PET/MR studies of small animals. The scanner uses long optical fibers to distance the magnetic field sensitive PET PMTs from the high magnetic field at the center of an MR scanner. It is a single slice system with an inner diameter of 7 cm. A full evaluation of the performance of the PET system and the results of an MR compatibility assessment in a Philips Achieva whole body 3 T MRI scanner are presented. The reconstructed resolution of the PET scanner is 1.5 mm at the center falling to 2.5 mm at the edge of the field of view; the system sensitivity is 0.95%; the count rate is linear up to an activity of 6 MBq (~4 kcps) and the scatter fraction is 42% which can be reduced to 26% using MR-compatible gamma shields. Simultaneous PET/MR images of phantoms and a mouse have been acquired. The system is highly MR compatible, as demonstrated here, showing no degradation in performance of either the MR or PET system in the presence of the other modality. The system will be used to demonstrate novel pre-clinical applications of simultaneous PET/MR.


The study of Escherichia coli lactose operon laid the foundation of modern molecular biology. It contributed to the elaboration of the concept of genetic regulation, proposed by Jacob and Monod almost 50 years ago, a model which survives essentially unchanged. The operon structure, consisting of structural and regulatory genes has been elaborated and their regulatory response to small molecules, such as inducer, glucose and cyclic AMP, have been elucidated. Gene regulation of the lactose operon led to the discovery of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), to the identification of the Lac repressor and to the development of the theory of allostery. The lactose genes and its derivatives provide tools to a wide range of current applications in many fields of biology; they are the most commonly used reporter genes in the analysis of developmentally regulated systems, in the study of mutation frequencies and in functional genomics.

Keywords:

complementation;
fusion proteins;
repressor;
gene regulation;
cyclic AMP;
allostery


This paper presents a method to perform a live migration of a virtual machine introspection (VMI) intrusion detection system (IDS) from one physical node to another with its associated virtual machine (VM). This is extremely important as more attention is given to VMI IDSes in the areas of both Enterprise and Cloud Computing environments where live migration is utilized for load balancing and fault tolerance. Current VMI IDS systems neglect the live migration capabilities of VMs restricting the monitored VM to that specific node. Our work is to investigate the potential methodologies to perform this task such that VMI IDSes become feasible within practical computing environments. We have designed a methodology to accomplish this goal and extended the VMI IDS known as the virtual systemlevel lightweight integrity monitor (vSLIM) in order to validate our work. We have evaluated this design using manin-the-middle attacks which modify the VM during transit in order to verify the correctness of our design and found less than 3% overhead when compared to the cost of migrating a VM without a VMI IDS. Likewise, the cost of this migration provides little impact on the performance of co-located VMs.


Twenty-seven patients with psoriasis of the scalp participated in a double-blind, paired comparison study between halcinonide solution (0.1%) and placebo. The therapeutic response was excellent in sixteen patients treated with halcinonide and in one patient treated with placebo. In the comparative evaluation halcinonide was superior in twenty-two patients, the placebo was superior in four patients, and both drugs were equally effective in one patient. There were no adverse reactions due to halcinonide, but one patient experienced pruritus with the placebo solution.


This paper assesses the current state of our understanding of the history of learners and learning and examines the challenges and opportunities involved in furthering a social history literature in this area. The potential for developing a social history of learners and learning remains largely unrealised, but significant advances in theory and methodology have begun to generate new possibilities towards this end. Such a literature will require the further development of a general historical framework, engagement with theories of learning, and interaction with educational research and policy.


Two difierent theoretical approaches to the position determination problem are presented, one matrix-based and the other vector-based. Both approaches are designed for implementation in an autonomous Stellar Positioning System (SPS) that uses the following measurement sources: an astronomical camera, a clock, and a set of two inclinometers. Before presenting each of the algorithms, the reference frames utilized are deflned. The two position estimation techniques are then individually presented, followed by a discussion of real-world gravity and geometry model reflnements.


With in the perturbation theory of linear differential equations there has been considerable interest in recent years in calculating the imaginary part of an eigenvalue E which moves off the real axis when a small positive perturbation e is switched on. Typically the perturbation in Re E is algebraic in e, while that in Im E is exponentially small as e —> 0. This phenomenon occurs in several physical applications including resonance theory in quantum mechanics, wave trapping by small islands, viscous fingering in fluid dynamics, and in energy losses at bends in optical fibres. In this thesis the problem arises from a model of molecular predissociation in quantum chemistry. I t is more complicated than the above examples, firs tly because there are two Schrodinger equations in the system and secondly because the small parameter appears in the coupling term.

In 1995 operator theoretic methods were used by Duclos and Meller [5] to obtain bounds on both the real and imaginary parts of the eigenvalue for such a problem, but gave no information about the associated eigenfunction. Here we consider a similar model proposed by Asch [2] and also use operator theoretic methods to get a bound on the resonances. We then improve on this bound by Fourier transforming the 2 x 2 system to a single second order equation whose solutions we approximate asymptotically by the classical analysis methods of Olver [13] as found in the paper of Dunster [6). We then substitute the approximate solution plus its error term into the boundary condition at the origin to obtain an eigenvalue relation which yields another estimate for the perturbation in E. In the final chapter we report on other approaches which have been tried on this problem, outline the difficulties associated w ith each of them and make some suggestions for extending our results.


Nuts are nutrient rich foods that have high amount of unsaturated fatty acid and other compound likes protein, fiber, carbohydrate and antioxidants. Nuts have been proposed as an important component of optimal diets for reducing the risk of chronic heart diseases. Anti-inflammatory properties present in nuts, maintain the weight and increase insulin sensitivity. Other nutritional components that are also present in nuts such as vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds. Phytosterols are also present in nuts that are reducing the absorption of cholesterol. The essential elements omega 3 and omega 6 are present in walnut and these elements are more favorable effect on hearth, brain and neurotransmitters. Polyunsaturated fatty acid basically linolenic acid and linoleic acid are also present in nuts. There are significant beneficial effects in human body that are reducing the low-density lipoproteins and improve the ratio of high-density lipoproteins and improve arterial function. Monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid are present both in pine nuts and cashew nuts. Cashew nuts are increasing the anti-oxidant properties in human subject within metabolic disorders. Nuts are the great source of iron having beneficial effects for acute and chronic vascular reactivity. Antioxidant properties in cashews work against the cardiac disorders and diabetes.


Uterine leiomyomata, commonly known as fibroids, are extremely common benign lesions of uterus, usually managed by surgical management when symptomatic. The surgical options include myomectomy or hysterectomy. However surgery is associated with significant morbidity in terms of increased blood loss, operating time, post-operative complications and longer hospital stay. Another alternative treatment is hormonal therapy using gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists which is mainly used primarily as a temporary preoperative measure to reduce tumour size and vascularity. Though this approach dramatically improves symptoms and reduces fibroid size, these tumours re-grow to their original size within a few months of discontinuing treatment and are associated with adverse effects; such as osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms and amenorrhoea. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is one of the new treatment modality available presently in major institutions as an alternative to hysterectomy in those women wishing to preserve reproductive function. UAE is also cost-effective and is associated with a short hospital stay and may be an option in those women with major medical illness including morbid obesity, and Jehovah's witnesses. The following treatise addresses to selection of patients, contraindications, details of the procedure and available evidence with regard to safety and benefits of the procedure.


Abstract The 3-D surface wave Boundary Element Method is applied to the same set of strong motion records as those of Part 1 (Kato et al. , 1993), namely, the long-period strong motion with periods around 8 sec recorded at the JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) stations in Yokohama and Tokyo during the 1980 Izu-hanto-toho-oki earthquake. This method simulates exact Love and Rayleigh waves in a laterally heterogeneous medium including 3-D basin structures. The needed computer memory and CPU time are made manageable by assuming the inside and outside of the basin to consist of horizontal flat layers. In addition, vertical interfaces are assumed between the basin and the outside bedrock for simplicity in this study. After checking the range of validity of the flat-layer approximation for the Kanto sedimentary basin, the generation and propagation of surface waves in the basin are numerically investigated. In particular, our investigation places special emphasis on the cause of the observed long duration, which could not be explained in Part 1 using the surface wave Gaussian Beam method. When the bedrock outside the western margin of the Kanto basin is incorporated into the model, the observed long duration at the Tokyo station is successfully reproduced. This can be explained by the strong surface waves generated by the surface wave to surface wave conversion at the margin and appearing in Tokyo after the direct surface waves from the epicenter. This result agrees with Kinoshita et al. (1992), who studied records from an array of seismographs in Tokyo. Moreover, when a sedimentary basin of Sagami Bay is included as was done in Part 1, the simulations are greatly improved, particularly at the Yokohama station, which corresponds to the node in the radiation pattern of the source. This is due to the fact that the radiation pattern is strongly affected by the near-source heterogeneity of the Sagami basin. All these results, together with direct comparisons to 2-D modelings, clearly show the strong 3-D effects of the basin structures on the generation and propagation of surface waves for this earthquake.


The stretch-bend springback of dual phase steel DP590 was studied experimentally and numerically in this paper. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of elastic modulus degradation on springback prediction. Two anisotropic yield function yld89 and yld2000 were utilized along with isotropic hardening law. The appropriate material parameters characterizing the elastic modulus decrease were identified by response surface modeling. The current work showed that the accuracy of springback simulation improved when considering elastic modulus decreased with plastic strain and yld2000 can predict springback more accurately considering blank orientation in stretch bending.


Evidence from several studies suggests that the growing demand for meat consumption has negative effects on the sustainability of the environment and the health and psychological welfare of individuals. This study investigates whether media coverage of certain negative attributes of meat consumption can potentially affect demand for meat in a western European country. Using Germany as a case study, 690 survey participants were each given one of four different fictitious "newspaper articles" describing negative effects of meat consumption – either in terms of adverse effects on human health, on climate change, on animal welfare or on personal image. The analyses show that animal welfare and health arguments have the strongest effects at reducing meat consumption in both men and women. Based on the results, we discuss implications of our findings for the meat industry in Germany.


The objective of this study is to link foreign policy coordination with regional integration and examine how this link impacts regional integration. Since independence African states have had the freedom to create and implement their foreign policies. This study realizes though that the effectiveness of those foreign policy strategies have been more effective on a regional level rather than on a continental level or global level to date. The East African Community which is the focus of the study had broken up only to be revived with the main focus on being on economic relations. The community realized the importance of the regional organization a means of mutually benefitting the region as a whole. Many papers have been written about regional and economic integration but this study is unique because it approaches regional integration from the perspective of foreign policy. The study examines the gaps left by scholars who have mainly focused on the economy as the only driver for regional integration. Study examines the impact of foreign policy coordination from two approaches, regional to state or state to regional levels. By examining trends of different sectors of EAC society between 2000 and 2010 the study will determine whether foreign policy coordination can indeed impact regional integration and which approach of the two is most suitable to both processes. The methodology of the study incorporates both primary and secondary data.