Problem Over the past fifty years, there has been an increase in the number of students with special needs in the U.S., from 1.8% of students in 1977 to 5.7% of students in 2006 and 13.0% of students in 2015. Federal legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act support equal education for this growing population of students, and special-needs educators have responded by implementing full-inclusion strategies. Public schools continue to make advances in implementing inclusion practices since they are legally bound to do so. The Seventh-day Adventist community is one of the largest private school systems in the United States. However, inclusion has yet to become a priority among Seventh-day Adventist schools in the City of New York. Since the number of students with special needs continues to increase, Seventh-day Adventist schools might benefit from prioritizing the implementation of inclusion programs. This exploratory study sought to elicit from Seventh-day Adventist administrators, teachers, and parents of children both with and without special needs, their perception of inclusion initiatives and programs. Method The research methodology adopted is a qualitative two-part design that examined the Inclusion of Special Education in Seventh-day Adventist Schools in New York City. Data were obtained by means of focus groups and in-depth interviews of administrators, teachers, parents of children with special needs, and parents of children without special needs, drawn from four Seventh-day Adventist Schools located in two Conferences; Greater New York (n=2) and Northeastern Conference (n=2) schools. Results As a result of the views expressed by the participants of this study, five themes emerged: (1) Effectiveness, (2) Lack of Confidence in Inclusion, (3) Segregation, (4) Social Benefits/Belongingness, and (5) Importance of Integration. Overall, the results of this study were in keeping with the work of Boroson as there was support for inclusion in Seventh-day Adventist schools within the New York City area, providing that teachers were adequately trained and given the requisite tools to do the job. However, concerns as to whether social benefits will accrue to the children with special needs, and that of bullying were quite prominent in inclusion programs. Conclusions For too long, children with special needs were denied the privilege of obtaining a Christian education. Going forward therefore, educators in the Seventh-day Adventist schools of New York City should focus on the needs that are necessary for the effective educational performance of "children with special needs."


Human temporal lobe epileptogenicity (i.e. seizure frequency) depends on epileptic and non-epileptic cerebral blood flow (CBF). Increasing non-epileptic cortical CBF is associated with reduction in epileptic cortical CBF. Seizure frequency increases logarithmically with non-epileptic cortical CBF increase and epileptic cortical CBF reduction. A model of human temporal lobe epileptogenicity is derived from the mathematical equivalence to the logarithmic function of seizure frequency of (a) epileptic and non-epileptic CBF differential and (b) electrocorticographic (ECoG) interhemispheric propagation time (IHPT). The vascular steal model of human temporal lobe epileptogenicity suggests that a small CBF redistribution from non-epileptic to epileptic cortex should produce substantial reduction in temporal lobe seizure frequency in association with prolongation of IHPT. The equivalence of these CBF and ECoG parameters to the logarithmic function of seizure frequency suggests that the interhemispheric temporal lobe perfusion gradient and ECoG propagation time may be involved in the fundamental perturbation responsible for human temporal lobe epileptogenicity.


Small ephemeral pools in the Murray-Darling basin, Australia, that dry annually lack fish and are dominated by microfauna. Community size structures and species diversity are very variable and many ponds contain one or more of the large calanoid copepods, Boeckella major, Boeckella pseudochelae and Hemiboeckella searli. Gut content analysis showed that these species were omnivores with B. major being the most carnivorous and B. pseudochelae the least. B. major guts contained 21 animal taxa (cladocerans, calanoid and cyclopoid copepodids, nauplii and rotifers), H. searli contained 15 taxa (calanoid, cyclopoid and harpacticoid copepods, nauplii and rotifers) and B. pseudochelae 8 taxa (small cladocerans, nauplii and rotifers). Mean numbers of animals per gut differed significantly between the large calanoids and in B. major, B. pseudochelae and H. searli were, respectively, 2.9, 0.6 and 0.2. In B. major Rotifers' were positively selected, Copepodites and Others neutrally selected and Cladocera and Nauplii negatively preferred. In H. searli Copepodites, Nauplii and Rotifers' were neutrally selected, and Others negatively preferred. B. pseudochelae showed negative preference for Cladocera, Nauplii and Others, and Rotifers were neutrally selected. At sites containing B. major, species diversity was significantly reduced and community size structure (measured as mean and median log-length, % of sizes >500 μm) was significantly larger than it was at sites lacking large calanoids or with only B. pseudochelae and H. searli. It is hypothesised that predation by B. major may be an important force structuring the communities of these habitats.


We characterize the maximum controlled invariant (MCI) set for discrete- as well as continuous-time nonlinear dynamical systems as the solution of an infinite-dimensional linear programming problem. For systems with polynomial dynamics and compact semialgebraic state and control constraints, we describe a hierarchy of finite-dimensional linear matrix inequality (LMI) relaxations whose optimal values converge to the volume of the MCI set; dual to these LMI relaxations are sum-of-squares (SOS) problems providing a converging sequence of outer approximations to the MCI set. The approach is simple and readily applicable in the sense that the approximations are the outcome of a single semidefinite program with no additional input apart from the problem description. A number of numerical examples illustrate the approach.


PURPOSE
This study was a prospective phase I/II trial performed by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) to test the tolerance and efficacy of preirradiation cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and dexamethasone (CHOD) chemotherapy followed by large-volume, high-dose brain radiation therapy (RT) for patients with primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Fifty-four (52 assessable) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients with PCNSL were entered on study and received two (n = 20) or three (n = 32) cycles of CHOD (six patients with positive CSF cytology received intrathecal methotrexate in addition to CHOD). Whole-brain RT to 41.4 Gy and tumor boost to 18 Gy (total dose, 59.4 Gy) followed chemotherapy.

RESULTS
As of July 1994, with a minimum potential follow-up time of 20 months, 12 of 52 assessable patients remain alive without evidence of progression. The median survival time for the entire group is 16.1 months, with a 2-year survival rate of 42%. By univariate analysis, patient age was found to be a significant prognostic factor with respect to survival (P = .005) in favor of age less than 60 years. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) was of borderline significance (P = .057). Survival for patients treated on RTOG 88-06 was compared with that of patients treated on RTOG 83-15, which tested RT alone. No difference in overall survival was found (P = .53). Grade 4 neutropenia developed in 29 of 51 patients during chemotherapy. There were two deaths during chemotherapy: one as a result of sepsis and one of a pulmonary embolus. The worst toxicity during RT was < or = grade 2 in 50 of 52 patients.

CONCLUSION
Preirradiation CHOD chemotherapy does not significantly improve survival over RT alone for patients with PCNSL. Age remains a powerful prognostic factor independent of therapy and must be considered in testing alternative combined approaches.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address a gap in the recent literature on employment of temporary workers by exploring the impact of temporary workers on the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of permanent staff with particular reference to their implications for patient safety and service quality in hospital accident and emergency departments. The analysis is set in the context of the job demands-resources theory.

Design/methodology/approach
The research was undertaken using a case study approach with semi-structured interviews in two London hospitals. Participants included staff from the HR director level, clinical managers and permanent staff who all had an influence in the hiring and management of temporary staff in some way. Transcripts were analysed thematically using an adopted framework approach.

Findings
The results indicate that the effect of temporary staff on permanent staff depended on the quality of the "resource". There was a "hierarchy of preference" for temporary staff based on their familiarity with the context. Those unfamiliar with the department served as a distraction to permanent staff due to the need to "manage" them in various ways. While this was rarely perceived to affect patient safety, it could have an impact on service quality by causing delays and interruptions. In line with previous research, the use of temporary staff also affected perceptions of fairness and the commitment of some permanent staff.

Practical implications
A model developing an approach for improved practice when managing temporary staff was developed to minimise the risks to patient safety and service quality, and improve permanent staff morale.

Social implications
The review highlights the difficulties that a limited amount of temporary staff integration can have on permanent staff and patient care, indicating that consideration must be placed on how temporary staff are inducted and clarifying expectations of roles for both temporary and permanent staff.

Originality/value
This paper studies the under-researched impact of temporary staff, and, distinctively, staff employed on a single shift, on the behaviour and attitudes of permanent staff. It highlights the need to consider carefully the qualitative nature of "resources" in the job demands-resources theory.


SUMMARY: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is between 2-7% of the population, increasing with age to between 10-14% of the patients aged above 40 years. Despite significant achievements in treatment modalities and preventive measures, the prevalence of diabetes has risen exponentially in the last decade. There is therefore a continued need for new and more effective therapies. Our aim was to evaluate the hypoglycemic, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-diabetic effects of aqueous extract of fresh green leaves of Tapinanthus butungii in rats. Young adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 180-200 g were used. Diabetes mellitus was induced in the group of diabetic test rats by intraperitoneal injections of alloxan (150 mg/kg). Hyperglycemic state was induced by administration of subcutaneous injections of 50% Dextrose in water (5 g/kg). Single doses of aqueous leaf extract of Tapinanthus butungii (200, 300 or 400 mg/kg p.o.) were administered to normoglycemic, hyperglycemic and diabetic rats. The hypoglycemic, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-diabetic effects of these single doses were compared with those of glibenclamide (10 mg/kg), chlorpropamide (250 mg/kg), insulin lente (0.1 I.U./kg) and distilled water (2 ml/kg). Blood glucose levels were estimated before treatment, 0h, 1h, 2h, 4h, 8h, 10h and 12h after administration of extract. Aqueous leaf extract of Tapinanthus butungii produced significant dose-dependent reductions (p < 0.050.001) in blood glucose concentrations of normoglycemic, hyperglycemic and diabetic rats comparable to glibenclamide, chlorpropamide and insulin. Our results suggest that the leaves of Tapinanthus butungii have strong and remarkable anti-diabetic properties. Further studies are, however, required on the characterization of the constituents of the leaf extract of Tapinanthus butungii.


Diffusional transport across lipid membranes can be highly complex and include several parallel transport processes. It is typical for the responding lipid membrane that small changes in the membrane environment can lead to major changes in membrane structure. In a multilayer membrane, the response can lie in heterogeneous swelling and phase transformations. The changes in membrane structure profoundly affect the molecular environment and thus the local diffusion properties. This feedback mechanism generates non-linear transport behaviour where an external gradient can be used as a kind of switch to regulate the membrane barrier properties. This coupling between the dynamic and the static properties of the membrane forms the basis for this review paper that describes the basic concepts of responding membranes and illustrates some examples of where it can be applied. A major feature of responding membranes is that non-linear transport behaviour can be induced by the gradients that cause phase transformation in the membrane. This is illustrated for a lipid membrane in the presence of an osmotic gradient. The principles are also applied to the barrier of stratum corneum, the upper layer of the human skin, where it can provide an explanation for the so-called occlusion effect and the formation of the "acidic mantle" of the skin surface.


A natural experiment in education on Israeli kibbutzim, where investment in human capital is equal for all children, allows us to differentiate between the effect on children's grades of genetics and home environment on the one hand and of material resources invested in education on the other hand. In addition, comparing the educational achievements we find no difference among children whose parents have more than 12 years of schooling. However, the average grade of children whose parents have 12 years of schooling or less in kibbutzim is 0.25 of a standard deviation higher than in cities. This difference can be attributed to the higher investment in human capital in kibbutzim, implying that more public resources should be allocated to the education of children from low-income families.


Likely policy changes leading towards further liberalisation of the Common Agricultural Policy would certainly influence farmers' income and revenue risks. Thus, a question arises both for farmers and for policy makers about possible effects and necessary adjustments that should be made to face such changes. The paper examines long-term impacts of changes of key policy factors on income risk in Polish dairy farms. Deterministic linear programming farm model was used to estimate farm incomes and likely changes in production pattern, while stochastic simulation farm model was applied for examining income risk. The main results of this model chain are optimal production structures for farm types modelled in a set of assumed policy conditions as well as farm income and its volatility. Comparison of model results across scenarios allows to state that increase of milk quota and reduction of direct payments significantly decrease farm incomes on dairy farms in Poland. Full liberalisation of the Common Agricultural Policy and withdrawal of direct payments results with even more radical negative income effects especially in the cluster of smaller milk producers. Simulation indicates significantly increased risk of achieving low farm incomes.


We derive from kinetic theory, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics the minimal continuum-level equations governing the flow of a binary, non-electrolytic mixture in an isotropic porous medium with osmotic effects. For dilute mixtures, these equations are linear and in this limit provide a theoretical basis for the widely used semi-empirical relations of Kedem & Katchalsky (Kedem & Katchalsky 1958 Biochim. Biophys. Acta 27, 229–246 (doi:10.1016/0006-3002(58)90330-5), which have hitherto been validated experimentally but not theoretically. The above linearity between the fluxes and the driving forces breaks down for concentrated or non-ideal mixtures, for which our equations go beyond the Kedem–Katchalsky formulation. We show that the heretofore empirical solute permeability coefficient reflects the momentum transfer between the solute molecules that are rejected at a pore entrance and the solvent molecules entering the pore space; it can be related to the inefficiency of a Maxwellian demi-demon.


Objective: To examine the cost, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of a collaborative mental health care (CMHC) pilot program for people on short-term disability leave for psychiatric disorders. Method: Using a quasi-experimental design, the analyses were conducted using 2 groups of subjects who received short-term disability benefits for psychiatric disorders. One group (n = 75) was treated in a CMHC program during their disability episode. The comparison group (n = 51) received short-term disability benefits related to psychiatric disorders in the prior year but did not receive CMHC during their disability episode. People in both groups met screening criteria for the CMHC program. Differences in cost and days absent from work were tested using Student t tests and confirmed using nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Differences in return to work and transition to long-term disability leave were tested using chi-square tests. The cost-effectiveness analysis used the net benefit regression framework. Results: The results suggest that with CMHC, for every 100 people on short-term disability leave for psychiatric disorders, there could be $50 000 in savings related to disability benefits along with more people returning to work (n = 23), less people transitioning to long-term disability leave (n = 24), and 1600 more workdays. Conclusions: CMHC models of disability management based on our Canadian data may be a worthwhile investment in helping people who are receiving short-term disability benefits for psychiatric disorders to receive adequate treatment.


Compiled by Reginald de Bray, Todor Dimitrovski, Blagoja Korubin and Trajko Stamatoski Edited and prepared for publication by Peter Hill, Suncica Mircevska and Kevin Windle, at the Australian National University The Macedonian-English Dictionary is the essential aid to all work involving the two languages. The Dictionary is the most ambitious record to date to record English equivalents for the vocabulary of modern Macedonian. It covers the vocabulary met with in a wide variety of settings and literary forms, from modern urban life to traditional folk poetry. Features include: * 50,000 headwords * clear, accurate examples of usage * all necessary grammatical information for Macedonian headwords * details of stress, where it departs from the regular pattern * a broad range of idiomatic expressions and proverbs. The work is based on the lexical corpus of the renowned Rechnik na makendonskiot jazik. Prepared by scholars at the Australian National University in Canberra, working in collaboration with the compilers of the original Rechnik, the content has been brought up to date by the addition of many newer words and new senses which have arisen for older words.


The CO2 uptake capacity and CO2/N2 selectivity of Troger's base-bridged nanoporous covalent organic polymers (TB-COPs) were investigated. The TB-COPs were synthesized by reacting the terminal amines of tetrahedral monomers – namely, tetraanilyladamantane and tetraanilylmethane – with dimethoxymethane in a one-pot reaction under relatively mild conditions. Interestingly, these two tetrahedral monomers formed nanoporous polymers with substantially different surface areas. While the polymer resulting from the Trogerization of the tetraanilyladamantane monomer (TB-COP-1) exhibited a high surface area of 1340 m2 g−1, that from the tetraanilylmethane monomer (TB-COP-2) was found to be only 0.094 m2 g−1. This unusual phenomenon can be explained by the proximity of the amino moieties to each other within the monomeric unit. A shorter distance between the amino groups enables intramolecular as well as intermolecular cyclization, thus resulting in a much lower porosity. TB-COP-1 exhibited significant CO2 uptake capacities of up to 5.19 and 3.16 mmol g−1 at 273 and 298 K under ambient pressure, and CO2/N2 selectivities of 79.2 and 68.9 at 273 and 298 K at 1 bar for a gas mixture of CO2 : N2 at a ratio of 0.15 : 0.85. It is noteworthy that TB-COP-1 showed remarkable selectivity retention when increasing the temperature from 273 to 298 K.


The interleukin-6-(IL-6)-alpha dependent B-cell heterohybridomas were obtained by the fusion of X65.Ag8.653 cells with spleen cells from August rats immunized with lipopolysaccharide E. coli. One of these hybridomas (D6C8) was found to be most dependent on IL-6 for its surviving and growth. Human recombinant IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha could not induce the in vitro growth of this cell line. Presence of elevated level of IL-6 was demonstrated in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A specific and sensitive detection of the IL-6 activity in test samples makes it possible to study the presence and role of IL-6 in various immunological disorders.


Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the perceived economic impact of religious tourism in Zimbabwe. The research objectives were (1) to determine the nature of religious tourism in Zimbabwe, (2) to determine the key success factor for economically viable religious tourism in Zimbabwe, (3) to ascertain the perceived economic contribution of religious tourism, and finally (4) to propose strategies for economically sustainable religious tourism in Zimbabwe.
Methods: The research adopted a qualitative approach and was descriptive in nature. The study focused on Harare and the study population was made up of a cross-section of tourism service providers in Harare, religious leaders, and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. Purposive sampling was used for service providers and as well as religious leaders.
Results: The research findings revealed that there are a lot of religious tourism activities that take place in Zimbabwe, particularly Harare, and normally take the form of pilgrimages, religious conferencing, healing and deliverance nights, and worship. The perceived economic value derived includes employment creation for the locals, an increase in foreign currency generation, and an increase in sales revenue. The research findings also show that for religious tourism to be economically sustainable there is a need for government involvement, re-packaging of the product, and investment in local infrastructure.
Implications: Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and the private sector need to take the religious tourism market seriously and make deliberate efforts to harness this growing market.


The study of causal relationships is important when addressing questions of efficacy of treatment interventions and etiology of disease. The evaluation of a cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to a putative causal factor and outcome can be undertaken using a variety of study designs including randomized controlled trial and cohort and case control studies. Study participants should be selected in a manner that minimizes bias and confounding and is representative of the target population. Confounding can be controlled by using several strategies including restriction, randomization, stratification, matching, and multivariable analyses. The degree of association is then summarized by the relative risk for prospective studies and the odds ratio for retrospective studies. The precision of these estimates should be indicated by providing their confidence intervals. Important indicators of causation are correct temporal and dose-response relationships between exposure and outcome, a large magnitude in the strength of association, and consistency and specificity of association. Biological and epidemiological sensibility and analogy to other well-established relationships provide additional support for a causal hypothesis.


Abstract Despite academic feminist debate over several decades, the binary nature of sex as a (perhaps the) primary social classification is often taken for granted, as is the assumption that individuals can be unproblematically assigned a biological sex at birth. This article presents analysis of online debate on the BBC news website in November 2013, comprising 864 readers' responses to an article entitled 'Germany allows 'indeterminate' gender at birth'. It explores how discourse reflecting Western essentialist beliefs about people having one sex or 'the other' is maintained in debates conducted in this online public space. Comments were coded thematically and are presented under five sub‐headings: overall evaluation of the German law; discussing and disputing statistics and 'facts'; binary categorisations; religion and politics; and 'conversations' and threads. Although for many the mapping of binary sex onto gender was unquestionable, this view was strongly disputed by commentators who questioned the meanings of 'natural' and 'normal', raised the possibility of removing societal binary male‐female distinctions or saw maleness–femaleness as a continuum. While recognising that online commentators are anonymous and can control their self‐presentation, this animated discussion suggests that social classifications as male or female, even if questioned, remain fundamental in public debate in the early 21st century.


Computer generated holography is an extremely demanding and complex task when it comes to providing realistic reconstructions with full parallax, occlusion, and shadowing. We present an algorithm designed for data-parallel computing on modern graphics processing units to alleviate the computational burden. We apply Gaussian interpolation to create a continuous surface representation from discrete input object points. The algorithm maintains a potential occluder list for each individual hologram plane sample to keep the number of visibility tests to a minimum. We experimented with two approximations that simplify and accelerate occlusion computation. It is observed that letting several neighboring hologram plane samples share visibility information on object points leads to significantly faster computation without causing noticeable artifacts in the reconstructed images. Computing a reduced sample set via nonuniform sampling is also found to be an effective acceleration technique.


Patents and citations are powerful tools increasingly used in financial economics (and management research more broadly) to understand innovation. Biases may result, however, from the interactions between the truncation of patents and citations and the changing composition of inventors. When aggregated at the firm level, these patent and citation biases can survive popular adjustment methods and are correlated with firm characteristics. These issues can lead to problematic inferences. We provide an actionable checklist to avoid biased inferences and also suggest machine learning as a potential new way to address these problems.


We study the processes for the conditional mean and variance given a specification of the process for the observed time series. We derive general results for the conditional mean of univariate and vector linear processes, and then apply it to various models of interest. We also consider the joint process for a subvector and its expected value conditional on the whole information set. In this respect, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for one of the variables in a bivariate VAR(l) to have a white noise univariate representation while its conditional mean follows an AR(l) with a high autocorrelation coefficient. We also compare the persistence of shocks to the conditional mean relative to the observed variable using mea sures of total and iterim persistence of shocks for stationary processes based on the impulse response function. We apply our results to post-war US monthly real stock market returns and dividend yields. Our findings seem to confirm that stock returns are very close to white noise, while expected returns are well represented by an AR(l) process with a firstorder autocorrelation of .9755. We also find that small unexpected variations in expected returns have a large negative immediate impact on observed returns, which is thereafter compensated by a slowly diminishing positive effect on expected returns.


ABSTRACT The landscape for patenting products and processes tied to the natural world has changed dramatically in recent times as a result of a series of decisions of the US Supreme Court, particularly Mayo Collaborative Services v Prometheus Laboratories 566 U.S. 66 (2012) and Association for Molecular Pathology v Myriad Genetics, Inc. 569 U.S. 576 (2013) (Myriad). This article critically analyses these decisions and the multitude of lower court decisions that have followed them. This analysis provides support for the growing concern in the United States that it will be increasingly difficult to use the patent system to encourage the development of therapies and research intermediates useful in developing new therapeutic interventions. One option being posited in the industry to deal with this problem is to lobby Congress to reform the threshold patent eligibility standard in US patent law. It is argued in this paper that a more nuanced approach is preferable. Using the experience in Australia as a case study, this paper argues that such an approach is feasible. Australia has been chosen for analysis because the threshold patent eligibility standard is similar in both countries, much more so that with the European Union, and because the highest court in Australia has ruled on essentially the same patent as in Myriad, in D'Arcy v Myriad Genetics, Inc [2015] HCA 35. In addition to the nuanced approach to eligibility currently exercised by the Australian courts and patent office, Australia also has a number of post-grant options for addressing the dynamics of patent monopolies. These include experimental use, compulsory licensing, and government use. It is concluded that, while it would be impractical to attempt to replicate the Australian environment in the United States, there is no reason why some lessons can't be learned from the Australian experience with patenting nature.


This study quantifies and maps the water footprint (WF) of humanity at a high spatial resolution. It reports on consumptive use of rainwater (green WF) and ground and surface water (blue WF) and volumes of water polluted (gray WF). Water footprints are estimated per nation from both a production and consumption per-spective. International virtual water flows are estimated based on trade in agricultural and industrial commodities. The global annual average WF in the period 1996 – 2005 was 9 , 087 Gm 3 ∕ y (74% green, 11% blue, 15% gray). Agricultural production contributes 92%. About one-fifth of the global WF relates to production for export. The total volume of international virtual water flows related to trade in agricultural and industrial products was 2 , 320 Gm 3 ∕ y (68% green, 13% blue, 19% gray). The WF of the global average consumer was 1 , 385 m 3 ∕ y. The average consumer in the United States has a WF of 2 , 842 m 3 ∕ y, whereas the average citizens in China and India have WFs of 1,071 and 1 , 089 m 3 ∕ y, respectively. Consumption of cereal products gives the largest contribution to the WF of the average consumer (27%), followed by meat (22%) and milk products (7%). The volume and pattern of consumption and the WF per ton of product of the products consumed are the main factors determining the WF of a consumer. The study illustrates the global dimension of water consumption and pollution by showing that several countries heavily rely on foreign water resources and that many countries have significant impacts on water consumption and pollution elsewhere.


432 E.1 EFFECTS OF GLYPHOSATE APPLICATION RATES AND FREQUENCY ON SOYBEAN SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME NAVI S S 1 , JING L 2 & YANG X B 1 1 Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011,U.S.A. 2 Department of Plant Pathology, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010019, P. R. China E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Sudden death syndrome (SDS), caused by Fusarium virguliforme, is a major soybean disease in North America. Outbreaks of SDS have been reported by farmers following applications of Roundup weather MAX (potassium salt of glyphosate 48.8%) at rates higher than recommended. The rate of glyphosate applications have been increasing since the introduction of |Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans in 1996. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data shows that the commercial application rate of Roundup was 9.12 fl oz (0.57 lb active ingredient) per acre in 1996 and in 2006 this was increased to 19.68 fl oz (1.23 lb a.i) per acre. One of the reasons for higher application rates and increased glyphosate application frequency by the growers was to manage glyphosate resistant weeds and the availability of cheaper generic glyphosates. Trials were carried out under greenhouse conditions to understand (a) the effect of glyphosate spray frequency and the varietal reaction to glyphosate sprays at 22 fl oz per acre, and (b) the effect of application rates at 16, 22 and 33 fl oz per acre on SDS incidence and severity. In all trials, soybean seeds were planted in a potting mixture to which 1% F. virguliforme inoculum grown on steam sterilized white Milo was added. Appropriate unsprayed and un-inoculated controls were maintained in all trials. Soybean plants were evaluated for stand count, SDS expression and SDS severity 4 weeks after the application of Roundup. Results of our studies showed that incidence and severity of SDS increased when soybean plants received higher rates and more than one spray at the recommended rate of glyphosate. This suggests that over the years, glyphosate effects on the occurrence of SDS in RR soybeans remain unchanged. Effects of glyphosate application rates and frequency on soybean sudden death syndrome S.S. Navi1, L. Jing2 and X.B. Yang1 1Iowa State University, U.S.A. 2Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, P. R. China


Controllers belonging to the process class known as discrete-event processes are synthesized. These discrete-event processes are mainly characterized by asynchronous and nondeterministic behaviour. A tool is presented that features the use of a formal description technique as the starting point for the synthesis. The formal technique used by the tools is an extension of R. Milner's calculus for communicating systems. (1985).<<ETX>>


This paper explores the multiple ways that local records of the past are inscribed in the landscape through a variety of megalithic structures and stone objects. As archives of past habitation and sociality, stone is the most enduring structural form in the dynamic tropical environments of Timor-Leste. Largely for that reason, it has long been utilised as a building material of choice in the construction of defensive fortifications. But over time these structures also accrete layers of site-specific meanings and significance as repositories of past events. They may form material traces of mythic group identity, be viewed as places of religious veneration, as boundary markers of political jurisdictions, and as structures of memorialisation for familial ancestors. In these and other ways, megalithic structures—large and small—constitute spatial and material archives of the past and serve as reference points for local assertions of claim, narrative histories and spiritual protections in the present. The paper draws on examples from Fataluku culture in Timor Leste to illustrate the rich possibilities of the emplaced past and its cultural trajectories.


We propose a flexible framework for clustering hypergraph-structured data based on recently proposed random walks utilizing edge-dependent vertex weights. When incorporating edge-dependent vertex weights (EDVW), a weight is associated with each vertex-hyperedge pair, yielding a weighted incidence matrix of the hypergraph. Such weightings have been utilized in term-document representations of text data sets. We explain how random walks with EDVW serve to construct different hypergraph Laplacian matrices, and then develop a suite of clustering methods that use these incidence matrices and Laplacians for hypergraph clustering. Using several data sets from real-life applications, we compare the performance of these clustering algorithms experimentally against a variety of existing hypergraph clustering methods. We show that the proposed methods produce high-quality clusters and conclude by highlighting avenues for future work.


Antidepressants and high-potency benzodiazepines have been used to treat patients with panic disorder. This review considers the efficacy of these treatments in reducing panic attack frequency and in addition considers their ability to attenuate global anxiety, depressive symptomatology, agoraphobic avoidance, and overall impairment. An extensive database is available for the tricyclic antidepressants imipramine and clomipramine, the serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor paroxetine, and the benzodiazepine alprazolam. The antidepressants are more effective than the benzodiazepines in reducing associated depressive symptomatology and are at least as effective for improving anxiety, agoraphobia, and overall impairment.


A study was conducted to determine the effects of three different seed moisture content levels on the storage of treated soybean cultivars. Ranges of moisture levels utilized were for 'normal' (9.1% - 9.7%), 'increased' (15.6% - 18.8%) and 'decreased' (7.1% - 7.5%). Each cultivar moisture content level was treated with Thiram and then stored in polythene bags under ambient temperature in the laboratory for 5 months. Effect of cultivar, storage period and moisture content levels were observed on the physiological quality of the seeds. Thus, germination and vigor varied among cultivars and M-351 had the highest mean germination and vigor. Effect of moisture content levels differed significantly on the germination and vigour of the treated seeds. The normal moisture content level had the highest mean germination and mean vigour. Treated soybean seeds with increased moisture content level (15.6 –18.8%) had the lowest mean germination and mean vigor. Soybean physiological quality, irrespective of cultivars, progressively decreased with increasing storage periods. The study also revealed that for reasonable germination and vigour to be maintained storage period of treated soybean seeds should not exceed 6 WAT, irrespective of moisture contents level.


Abstract. Arctic tundra ecosystems will play a key role in future climate change due to
intensifying permafrost thawing, plant growth and ecosystem carbon exchange,
but monitoring these changes may be challenging due to the heterogeneity of
Arctic landscapes. We examined spatial variation and linkages of soil and
plant attributes in a site of Siberian Arctic tundra in Tiksi, northeast
Russia, and evaluated possibilities to capture this variation by remote
sensing for the benefit of carbon exchange measurements and landscape
extrapolation. We distinguished nine land cover types (LCTs) and to
characterize them, sampled 92 study plots for plant and soil attributes in
2014. Moreover, to test if variation in plant and soil attributes can be
detected using remote sensing, we produced a normalized difference vegetation
index (NDVI) and topographical parameters for each study plot using three
very high spatial resolution multispectral satellite images. We found that
soils ranged from mineral soils in bare soil and lichen tundra LCTs to soils
of high percentage of organic matter (OM) in graminoid tundra, bog, dry fen
and wet fen. OM content of the top soil was on average 14  g dm−3 in bare
soil and lichen tundra and 89  g dm−3 in other LCTs. Total moss biomass
varied from 0 to 820  g m−2 , total vascular shoot mass from 7 to 112  g m−2
and vascular leaf area index (LAI) from 0.04 to 0.95 among LCTs. In
late summer, soil temperatures at 15  cm depth were on average 14  ∘C in bare soil and lichen tundra, and varied from 5 to 9  ∘C in
other LCTs. On average, depth of the biologically active, unfrozen soil layer
doubled from early July to mid-August.
When contrasted across study plots,
moss biomass was positively associated with soil OM  % and OM content and
negatively associated with soil temperature, explaining 14–34  % of
variation. Vascular shoot mass and LAI were also positively associated with
soil OM content, and LAI with active layer depth, but only explained 6–15  %
of variation. NDVI captured variation in vascular LAI better than in
moss biomass, but while this difference was significant with late season
NDVI, it was minimal with early season NDVI. For this reason, soil attributes
associated with moss mass were better captured by early season NDVI.
Topographic attributes were related to LAI and many soil attributes, but not
to moss biomass and could not increase the amount of spatial variation
explained in plant and soil attributes above that achieved by NDVI. The LCT
map we produced had low to moderate uncertainty in predictions for plant and
soil properties except for moss biomass and bare soil and lichen tundra LCTs.
Our results illustrate a typical tundra ecosystem with great fine-scale
spatial variation in both plant and soil attributes. Mosses dominate plant
biomass and control many soil attributes, including OM  % and temperature,
but variation in moss biomass is difficult to capture by remote sensing
reflectance, topography or a LCT map. Despite the general accuracy of
landscape level predictions in our LCT approach, this indicates challenges in
the spatial extrapolation of some of those vegetation and soil attributes
that are relevant for the regional ecosystem and global climate models.


Due to the enormous potential and impact that stem cells may have on regenerative medicine, there has been a rapidly growing interest for tools to analyze and characterize the behaviors of these cells in vitro in an automated and high throughput fashion. Among these behaviors, mitosis, or cell division, is important since stem cells proliferate and renew themselves through mitosis. However, current automated systems for measuring cell proliferation often require destructive or sacrificial methods of cell manipulation such as cell lysis or in vitro staining. In this paper, we propose an effective approach for automated mitosis detection using phase-contrast time-lapse microscopy, which is a nondestructive imaging modality, thereby allowing continuous monitoring of cells in culture. In our approach, we present a probabilistic model for event detection, which can simultaneously 1) identify spatio-temporal patch sequences that contain a mitotic event and 2) localize a birth event, defined as the time and location at which cell division is completed and two daughter cells are born. Our approach significantly outperforms previous approaches in terms of both detection accuracy and computational efficiency, when applied to multipotent C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal and C2C12 myoblastic stem cell populations.


T hough Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) and 'Ala' ad-dawla as-Simnani (1261–1336) lived in very different times and contexts, a close reader may observe many striking similarities present in their exegetical works on the Bible and the Qur'an. While a more thorough comparison of the two mystics' ideas would undoubtedly prove valuable, such an endeavor would require extensive analysis, which falls beyond the scope of the present paper. As such, I will confine the present study to a comparison of Swedenborg's exegesis of Genesis 1:1–2:3, in which he describes the stages of spiritual regeneration, with Simnani's conception of seven spiritual stages, each of which corresponds with one of the Qur'anic prophets.


William hopes that Linnet has recovered from whooping cough. None of the kids have come down with whooping cough yet and he has to worry about measles going around. He received a letter from Tobe and Florence. He mentions the weather and the crops being planted. He also mentions the people who have died. Em's daughter who got married moved away.
Dinky says they are all well except for Willie who has a bad cold. She went to town for some errands. She gives some advice for Linnet and wishes they were with her. She mentions that Mr.Campbell is moving to Nashville.


The E. coli trehase synthalose gene(otsA) was transferred into Nicotiana tabacum mediated by Agrobacterium, but the method for detecting low concentration of trehalose in transgenic plant was not available. The high performance liquid chromatograph(HPLC) with evaporative light-scatting detector(ELSD) using water: methyl cyanide(1:2.6 v/v) as mobile phase was established in this work. An ODS column Zorbax RX-SIL was employed. the trehalose detection limits of ELSD was 5 mg/L. From the linear relationship between the logarithm of trehalose concentration and the logarithm of peak area, it was shown there was 14.7 micrograms.(g FW)-1 in transgenic plant. The data strongly confirmed that trehalose was responsible for the improved stress tolerance of the tobacco.


Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise in Nepal. Consumption of alcohol and tobacco products remains high. Taxes on these products are significantly below the rate recommended by the WHO. In an effort to understand the reasons behind the slow progress towards the adoption of higher health taxes to curb NCDs, we documented the perceptions of key stakeholders on health taxes, including perceived barriers and facilitators to adopting higher health taxes. Methods We conducted 45 in-depth interviews with individuals comprising government officials; producers, wholesale distributors and sellers of alcohol and tobacco products; and consumers and representatives from civil society organisations. We conducted a thematic analysis of the resulting data. Results Respondents from alcohol and tobacco industries are not supportive of higher health taxes. They argued that higher taxes can increase illicit trade and worsen inequality. Strikingly, several government officials shared the industries' concerns, arguing that health taxes have limited potential to reduce consumption of alcohol and tobacco products to help curb NCDs. In terms of barriers to adoption of higher health taxes, several local government representatives opined that close ties between industries and politicians at the federal level is a major hindrance. Conclusions In order to adopt higher health taxes, the government will need to counter the false narrative pushed by alcohol and tobacco industries on the negative economic effects of such taxes. Health taxes earmarked for NCDs need to reflect the amount of revenue raised, reoriented towards prevention efforts and communicated clearly to the public.


Symposium held at the Imperial College of Science and Technology by the Office of Health Economics This book is a published version of the second series of evening lecture meetings arranged by OHE. These again deal with questions relating to the significance of science and technology for British industry. This series on Innovation and the Balance of Payments - the Experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry is concerned with practical aspects of the relationship between an industry's contribution to the balance of payments and its pattern of research and innovation. This highly topical subject is of the greatest importance to the British economy. The experience of the pharmaceutical industry, whose research investment and contribution to Britain's balance of trade are both increasing, is used as a case history. The first two papers describe the experience of two companies, who are both winners of the Queen's Award to Industry. The second two describe the way in which the strengths and weaknesses of the patent system in five countries have affected their pattern of international pharmaceutical trade. The next two papers discuss the commercial considerations, such as profitability, pricing, use of brand names and sales promotion, which also affect an industry's success in innovation. The seventh is concerned with the international financial ramifications of a world-wide science-based industry, and the last with the role of the government as a sponsor of research. The foreword, by Christopher Freeman, reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments in each of the papers.


1. The metabolism of 4-ethynylbiphenyl has been studied in vitro with subcellular fractions of normal and induced rat liver, and rat intestinal microflora (caecal contents). 2. Oxidation was NADPH-dependent, was inhibited by CO and stimulated by pretreatment with phenobarbitone or 3-methylcholanthrene. 3. Oxidation of the ethynyl group occurred in washed microsomal preparations, but not significantly in soluble fractions. Oxidation of the ethynyl group by a microsomal fraction preceded aromatic hydroxylation and no metabolites containing the intact ethynyl group were detected. 4. The major metabolite in liver fractions was biphenyl-4-ylacetic acid. This was the only product produced by a modified Udenfriend system. 5. Metabolism of 4-ethynylbiphenyl by rat caecal contents under anaerobic conditions produced very small amounts of 4-vinylbiphenyl. 6. In a modified Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium TA98, 4-ethynylbiphenyl gave a weak positive result that was doubled after 'activation' with an induced rat S9 fraction.


This article discusses the use of a filmed conversation as a medium of reflection on creative practice, in particular the practice of making filmpoems. We consider in what sense the filmed conversation might be a rigorous and productive mode of reflection, and describe the process of producing the film, as well as analyzing the mode's effectiveness as a way of reflecting on practice. This analysis is presented as a case study of a non-conventional medium of reflection and of its relation to the more conventional scholarly article. We argue that the reflection recorded in the film is distorted by production and editorial processes, but that nevertheless it provides a useful and distinctive form of reflection to augment conventional accounts. By exploring how reflection on practice is shaped by the medium of publication, this article contributes to advancing the discipline of Creative Writing and making its reflective element more productive.


The normal and pathologic CT anatomy of the lacrimal drainage apparatus was examined during study of the orbits, nasal cavity, and paranasal sinuses in 100 patients with a variety of clinical complaints related to the inferomedial orbit. The bony lacrimal fossa, the nasolacrimal canal, and the fluid- or air-filled lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct were readily recognized in all cases. The lacrimal fossa and sac are found at the inferomedial orbit and are preseptal structures. Cystic expansion of the lacrimal sac (dacryocystitis) may mimic orbital abscess clinically; however, the radiographic recognition of a cystic, peripherally enhancing mass centered at the lacrimal fossa should exclude postseptal abscess and permit more conservative therapy. Obstruction or invasion of the drainage apparatus by tumor, infection, or posttraumatic scarring is readily depicted by CT. Sagittal/coronal images reformatted from thin transverse axial sections are often useful in defining the origin of an inferomedial orbital mass and its relation to the lacrimal sac when clinical studies and axial CT findings are equivocal.


Structured natural languages provide a trade space between ambiguous natural languages that make up most written requirements, and mathematical formal specifications such as Linear Temporal Logic. FRETish is a structured natural language for the elicitation of system requirements developed at NASA. The related open-source tool Fret provides support for translating FRETish requirements into temporal logic formulas that can be input to several verification and analysis tools. In the context of safety-critical systems, it is crucial to ensure that a generated formula captures the semantics of the corresponding FRETish requirement precisely. This paper presents a rigorous formalization of the FRETish language including a new denotational semantics and a proof of semantic equivalence between FRETish specifications and their temporal logic counterparts computed by Fret. The complete formalization and the proof have been developed in the Prototype Verification System (PVS) theorem prover.


Malaysian government has introduced MAMPU guidelines to the government
agencies which it is used as the main guiding principle in developing and maintaining their
websites. All government agencies websites must compliances with MAMPU guidelines. A
validation tool was created to validate whether the website is compliance or not with the
guidelines. However, previous validation tool only check the compulsory criteria of the
MAMPU guidelines. It also does not provide any suggestion for each error after validating
the website. This project is to enhance that validation tool by adding the additional criteria
and to validate government websites (Ministry of Education Malaysia and Minister of
Culture, Arts and Tourism Malaysia) using the developed validation tool against human
validation. Human evaluation process consists of a set of instructions based on the specific
task scenario. The project will append the additional criteria (6.3.2 a, 6.3.2 b) on the
MAMPU guidelines which provide supported link such as help, trouble shooting and
guidelines on how to interact with the website and also provide some useful video or audio
which are related to the agency's services. Methodology used in developing and enhancing
current validation tool is prototyping-based methodology. Analysis, design and
implementation are performed repeatedly. The result will be a new validation tool which
consists of both compulsory and additional criteria based on MAMPU guidelines and also the
alternative ways to check the website instead of key in the URL. Finally, this project is hoped
to assist government in improving Malaysia's position in World £-Government ranking as
well as save cost, time and effort in validating each website.


Based on the previous knowledge of spontaneously fermenting maize for the preparation of Ogi, four growth media were used for the isolation of the different common group of organisms implicated. Yeasts and Molds were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida sp., Rhodotorula sp., Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. The bacteria were Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Streptococcus lactis, Enterococcus feacalis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter sp., Citrobacter sp., Klebseilla sp., Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis, Aerobacter sp., and Corynebacteria sp. A sharp decrease in pH of fermenting gruel from 5.7 to 3.5 was observed within 24 hours while titratable acidity increases within the first 48 hours with a further increase and decrease in pH and titratable acidity at 72 hours.These isolates were subjected to pH ranges of 3.5 – 6 and all were able to grow at optimum pH 6 with a reduction in the number of isolates as pH reduces. Growth in temperature ranging from 25 0 C to 50 0 C, salt (NaCl, MgS0 4, K 2HP0 4, CuS0 4 and ZnS0 4) and sugar (glucose, sucrose, lactose, melibiose and raffinose) concentrations of 0.2% to 1% were carried out on all the isolates. With increase in temperature and salt concentration, a reduction in the number of isolates that grew was observed. From this study, the optimum conditions that favours the growth of all the group of organisms was found to be pH 6, 30 0 C, 0.2% of the salts used and a significant population of all the group of organisms utilized glucose as their best carbon source.


The extraembryonic membranes [5] that surround and originate from the embryos of vertebrates such as birds [6], reptiles, and mammals are crucial to their development. They are integral to increasing the surface area of the uterus [7], forming the chorion [8] (which in turn produces the placenta [9]) and the amnion [10], respectively. The amnion [10] will ultimately surround the embryo in a fluid-filled amniotic cavity. This amniotic fluid, which cushions and protects the fetus [11] and helps prevent the onset of labor, is sampled in amniocentesis to screen for genetic diseases.


Here we present two siblings, a 9-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl at presentation, with congenital erythrocytosis due to an EPOR c.1316G>A (p.Trp439Term) mutation. The patients had nausea, abdominal pain, and headache when they presented with hemoglobin levels of 23 g/dL and 19.4 g/dL, respectively. Their father, paternal uncle, and probably the paternal aunt and grandmother had congenital erythrocytosis. The siblings generally preferred to visit hospital when hyperviscosity symptoms developed and had intermittent phlebotomies. Their compliance to anti-aggregant and hematinic treatment was not satisfactory. Within the 11-year follow-up period, the siblings had no thrombohemorrhagic complications, whereas their 39-year-old uncle had a stroke. In addition to antiaggregant treatment, phlebotomy during hyperviscosity symptoms may be safe in children and adolescents; routine phlebotomies may be recommended to adults to prevent thrombohemorrhagic complications.


The authors report the design, simulation and characterisation of lens-coupled folded-dipole antennas (LC-FDAs) for terahertz (THz) detection and focal-plane imaging arrays. LC-FDAs operating at 200 GHz have been designed on semi-insulating silicon wafers with a resistivity larger than 20 000 Ω·cm. Even–odd mode analysis (EOA) has been performed to extract the currents of the two modes. The embedding impedance of the designed LC-FDAs has been simulated using conventional numerical electromagnetics, and the results show that a wide range of impedance values (both real and imaginary parts) can be achieved by changing the antenna geometry. This property makes LC-FDAs suitable for high-performance THz detectors in which impedance matching between antennas and devices is desired. From the currents calculated using EOA, the LC-FDA far-field radiation patterns, antenna directivity and Gaussian coupling efficiency for different lens structures have been examined using ray-tracing techniques. Good agreement between calculation results and measurement has been observed demonstrating the effectiveness of the above analysis approach. The single element FDA design has also been explored for use in high-resolution two-dimensional THz focal plane arrays by optimising the lens structure and evaluating the off-axis radiation patterns.


Piotr of Byczyna wrote in his work Cronica principum  poloniae (dated at end of the 14th century) about the impossibility of  information about Piasts of Opole . The medieval Silesian historiography did not devote them much attention. However, it does not have to mean that they were of low historic importance. It is suggested by the analysis of creations such as the duke's mausoleum in St. Anna's chapel in the church of Franciscans in Opole. The tombs from the years 1379–1382, by presenting three generations of local dukes are a manifestation of documenting, in the form of monuments, the revindication policy whose aim was to unite the once magnificent Duchy of Opole that had been dispatched since the end of the 13th century. Self-awareness and political ambitions of the dukes of Opole can be supported by not only spectacular and well-known doings of Vladislaus II of Opole (+1410) but also, among others, by the attitude of Bolko I of Niemodlin, who in the years 1358–1359 advised emperor Charles VI on the appropriate way of proceeding in his court dispute with the bishop of Wroclaw. Other manifestations of the dukes' power include a crown that appeared on the seals of the rulers from Opole, and a peculiar similarity between the seal of duchess Euphemia of Niemodlin and the seal of Louis I of Brzeg and – at the same time – the Wroclaw starost seal of Charles IV with the bust of the emperor. Dukes of Opole not only manifested their aspirations for the Polish crown but also, in the person of Henry of Niemodlin, discreetly accentuated their claims to Wroclaw (Henry was a son of Euphemia, who was a daughter of the last Piast of Wrocalw, Henry IV). Their testimony is not only Henry's document that founded the collegiate church in Glogowek, but also the form of the church that referred to the collegiate of the Holy Cross in Wroclaw. Piasts of Opole, due to their careers on the Bohemian court (for example, Bolko II of Niemodlin was a court judge in Prague) and the debt that Wenceslaus IV, king of Germany and Bohemia owed them for over 20 years, remained in close relation with the sovereign. They showed it, among others, by ornamenting the colbers of the collators' lodge in the parish church in Kropkowice with the effigies of Wenceslaus IV and his wife. This servility distinguished the Piasts of Opole from the attitude of their relatives from Legnica and Brzeg – the employers of Piotr from Byczyna. Louis I of Brzeg, his son and nephews, in the era of the beer war or  the war of priests (1380–1383) almost  copostopenly competed with the  the Bohemian sovereign. The difference in the attitude towards  Wenceslaus could be the reason why Piotr of Byczyna not only did find any information about the Piasts of Opole but deliberately did not provide too much of it, or at least not in a seperate chapter. Fragments of information scattered throughout the voluminous chronicle caused that the Piasts of Opole underwent a historiohraphic degradation.


Secret Image Sharing is a technique to share the secret among n participants. Each participant has meaningless, noise like shares. The secret image is revealed if any k of the shares are gathered. This scheme uses polynomial based (k, n) secret sharing approach proposed by Shamir in 1979. In 2007, Chen et al. proposed a new secret image sharing method that uses quadratic residues. Their scheme restricts the value of k, only (2, 2) scheme is realized with their algorithm. This prevents use of their method for any values of (k, n). In this work, we applied Shamir's polynomial approach with quadratic residues to generalize Chen's method. Proposed method is valid for any values of (k, n) as can be seen in the experimental results. Two methods (both lossy and lossless) are implemented, and their results are compared with respect to shares' size. As a result, lossless method is preferable for k values larger than two. Otherwise, lossy method is recommended.


Intrathecal injection of 5 nmol of dynorphin into the spinal subarachnoid space of rats produced a strong and long-lasting analgesic effect, which was partially reversed only by a large dose (10 but not 1 mg/kg,sc) of naloxone. Rats made tolerant to dynorphin by repeated intrathecal injections showed a diminished analgesic response to the kappa agonist ethylketocyclazocine, with an unaffected analgesic response to the mu agonist morphine. Moreover, the analgesic effect of dynorphin was almost fully retained in rats made tolerant to morphine. These results indicate that the analgesic effect of dynorphin in the spinal cord of rats is mediated by kappa opioid receptors.


We assessed the costs and effectiveness of rapid HIV testing services provided to transgender communities in New York City and San Francisco from April 2005 to December 2006. Program costs were estimated based on service provider's perspective and included the costs attributable to staff time, incentives, transportation, test kits, office space, equipment, supplies, and utilities. The average annual numbers of persons tested were 195 and 106 persons and numbers notified of new HIV diagnoses were 35 (18.2%) in New York City and 8 (7.3%) in San Francisco, respectively. The estimated annual program costs were $125,879 and $64,323 and average costs per person notified of new diagnosis were $3,563 and $8,284 in New York City and San Francisco, respectively. The primary reason for differences in program costs by site was differences in the proportion of undiagnosed HIV infection among persons tested. Our findings can inform decisions about program planning and allocation of limited HIV testing resources.


Susceptibility to fluoride toxicosis in the form of osteo-dental fluorosis was observed among 435 immature herbivorous domestic animals living in areas with less than 1.5 ppm fluoride in the drinking water. These animals included 78 buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), 89 cattle (Bos taurus), 30 donkeys (Equus asinus), 21 horses (Equus caballus), 23 camels (Camelus dromedarius), 96 goats (Capra hircus), and 92 sheep (Ovis aries). Except for the bovines and equines, none of the other animals appeared to have dental fluorosis. The highest prevalence of dental fluorosis was found in calves of buffaloes (52.56%), followed by calves of cattle (49.44%), donkeys (16.67%), and horses (14.29%). Thus the teeth of bovines were the most severely affected, and moderate lameness and stiffness in hind legs, wasting of body muscles, and bony exostoses as pathognomic signs of osteal or skeletal fluorosis were also found only in the immature cattle and buffaloes. The prevalence rate of these conditions among these animals was 8.99% and 10.26%, respectively. Other signs of chronic fluoride intoxication including colic, intermittent diarrhoea, and excessive urination were also seen. In the absence of airborne F contamination, the restriction of dental and skeletal fluorosis to the immature bovines and equines appears to be related primarily to their greater need to drink water containing even a low-level F compared to the much smaller need for water intake by the immature camels, goats, and sheep.


Prey can enhance their survival by eliciting an appropriate response to predators. Theoretically, prey should distinguish odors of predators and nonpredators. The manifestation of defensive antipredator behaviors has been extensively researched in domestic species (i.e., the relationship between laboratory-bred rats and domestic cats). However, little is known about the expression of these behaviors in wild rodents. Studies have so far focused on quantitative assessments of cost—benefit trade-offs or giving-up densities. We examined the expression of finescale defensive behaviors in Arnhem rock rats (Zyzomys maini) in response to fecal cues from 2 predators (the northern quoll [Dasyurus hallucatus] and the dingo [Canis dingo]), a nonpredator (the short-eared rock-wallaby [Petrogale brachyotis]), and a control (water). We adapted a predator-odor avoidance apparatus that has been widely used for domestic rodent studies to film the behavior of wild rock rats in a captive environment. Rock rats did not alter their behavior in the presence of odors of nonpredators, predators, or controls. In the current study, individual rock rats behaved in a consistent manner across time, and we identified 3 individually consistent behaviors which may suggest the existence of personality traits in this species. We suggest that these individual differences may influence wild rock rat behavior more than predation risk. These differences should therefore be taken into consideration when investigating behavioral responses to predators in wild populations.


Objectives The 2017 EAHP European Statements Survey focussed on sections 2, 5 and 6 of the European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy. Statistical data on the level of implementation and on the main barriers to implementation of the Statements were collected. A further aim was to identify barriers in general, such as lack of awareness. Methods An online questionnaire was sent to all hospital pharmacies in European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) member countries. Data were analysed at Keele University School of Pharmacy, UK by and the EAHP Survey Group. Results There were 783 complete responses (response rate 17.4%). Some 42% of responders worked in teaching hospitals, 76% of hospital pharmacies had 10 or less pharmacists, and 46% of hospital pharmacies served over 500 beds. Five questions revealing the lowest implementation levels were further analysed in greater detail. Only 30% of respondents reported that their hospital pharmacists routinely publish hospital pharmacy practice research, and only 50% are involved in the development of local or national guidelines. 45% of respondents reported that computerised decision support was used to reduce the risk of medication errors in their hospitals, 69% stated that they had contingency plans for medicines shortages and 60% answered that they had had reason to contact their medicines authority because of drug shortages. 63% reported that the transcription step had been eliminated from the medicines administration process. Conclusions The survey has provided the EAHP with an overview of the implementation level as well as the barriers to and drivers of implementation of sections 2, 5 and 6. This is important for informing the plans of EAHP and its members so that implementation can be fully supported.


BACKGROUND
Individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at increased risk for severe influenza, yet immune responses to standard-dose intramuscular (IM) influenza vaccine are suboptimal in this population. Intradermal (ID) delivery of influenza vaccine might improve immune response through enhanced stimulation of dendritic cells.

METHODS
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to compare the immunogenicity of off-label standard-dose (15 µg) ID vs standard-dose (15 µg) IM inactive influenza vaccine in HIV-infected men in Bangkok, Thailand. The primary study outcome was seroconversion (minimum titer of 1:40 and ≥4-fold rise in antibody titer) at 1 month postvaccination based on serum hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers against each vaccine strain. Adverse events (AEs) in the 7 days following vaccination were also assessed.

RESULTS
We enrolled 400 HIV-infected participants; 200 were randomly assigned to receive IM and 200 ID vaccine. Vaccine arms were well-balanced with respect to age, CD4 cell count, HIV RNA load, and antiretroviral treatment. Percentage of seroconversion to all (ID 14% vs IM 15%; P = .8) or at least 1 (ID 69% vs IM 68%; P = .7) of the 3 vaccine strains did not differ significantly between ID vs IM vaccine recipients. A higher proportion of participants who received ID vaccine had mild injection-site AEs compared with participants who received IM vaccine (77% vs 27%).

CONCLUSIONS
There were no significant differences in the immunogenicity of standard-dose ID vs IM influenza vaccine in this HIV-infected population in Thailand. Additional strategies to enhance immune responses to influenza vaccine among HIV-infected persons are needed.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION
NCT01538940.


The aim of ACR 2005 has been articulated by the organisers as the promotion and dissemination of consumer research 'for' consumers. This call asks for transformative consumer research raising the issue that 'Historically, the organization's research has been impelled by the theoretical and substantive interests of academics'. It is on this point that this paper acts to transform arguing that a transformative ethic should be enacted though consumer research praxis. To achieve this it presents worked examples of the practice of reflexivity in consumer research developing a taxonomy of 'possible reflexivities', and discusses their possibilities for transformation of the consumer research process


The adoption of a 3D Network-on-Chip (NoC) design depends on the performance and manufacturing cost of the chip. Therefore, a study of Through Silicon Via (TSV), that connects different layers of a 3D chip, is crucial. In this paper, we analysis the impact of TSV design in 3D NoCs. A 3D NoC with five layers is modeled based on modern 2D chips. We discuss the TSV number required for a 3D NoC. Different placements of half and quarter layer-layer connections are explored. We present benchmark results using a cycle accurate full system simulator based on realistic workloads. Experiments show that under different workloads, the average network latencies in full and half layer-layer connection are reduced by 5.24% and 2.18% respectively, compared with quarter design. Our analysis and experiment results provide a guideline for designing TSVs in 3D NoCs to leverage the tradeoff between performance and manufacturing cost.


Cancer cachexia comprises unintentional and debilitating weight loss associated with certain tumour types. Fat loss in cachexia is mediated by a 43kDa Lipid Mobilising Factor (LMF) sharing homology with endogenous Zinc-α2-Glycoprotein (ZAG). LMF and ZAG induced significant lipolysis in isolated epidydimal adipose tissue. This is attenuated by co-incubation with 10μM of antagonist SR59230A and partially attenuated by 25μM PD098059 (indicating β3-AR and MAPK involvement respectively). LMF/ZAG induced in vitro lipid depletion in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes that seen to comprise a significant increase in lipolysis (p<0.01), with only a modest decrease in lipid synthesis (p=0.09). ZAG significantly increased in vitro protein synthesis (p<0.01) in C2C12 myotubes (without an effect on protein degradation). This increase was activated at transcription and attenuated by co-incubation with 10μM SR59230A. Proteolytic digestion of ZAG and LMF followed by sephadex G50 chromatography yielded active fragments of 6-15kDa, indication the entire molecule was not required for bioactivity. Cachexigenic MAC16 cells demonstrated significant in vitro ZAG expression over non-cachexigenic MAC13 cells (p<0.001). WAT and BAT excised from MAC16 mice of varying weight loss demonstrated increased ZAG expression compared to controls. Dosing of NMRI mice with s/c ZAG failed to reproduce this up-regulation, thus another cachectic factor is responsible. 0.58nM LMF conferred significant protection against hydrogen peroxide, paraquat and bleomycin-induced oxidative stress in the non-cachexigenic MAC13 cell line. This protection was attenuated by 10μM SR59230A indicating a β3-AR mediated effect. In addition, 0.58nM LMF significantly up regulated UCP2 expression (p<0.001), (a mitochondrial protein implicated in the detoxification of ROS) implying this to be the mechanism by which survival was achieved. In vitro, LMF caused significant up-regulation of UCP1 in BAT and UCP2 and 3 in C2C12 myotubes. This increase in uncoupling protein expression further potentiates the negative energy balance and wasting observed in cachexia.


Corporations and their supply chains have to go through significant changes to become more sustainable as society is pressing for sustainable systems. To this end, it is critical to develop new methodologies to trim away processes and activities that add no value and, thus, derive more sustainable supply chains. Considering the need to have a simple tool that can be used by managers to achieve this goal, in this work, we explore the value stream mapping method (VSM) and extend it to support the design of sustainable supply chains in a more systematic and quantitative way. This work proposes a new generic methodology, called SustainSC-VSM, which allows assessing the supply chain's performance through a set of realistic indicators. These indicators are designed to identify bottlenecks that hinder sustainable operations development and provide guidelines to achieve that goal by following a lean-driven sustainability approach. SustainSC-VSM was tested and validated through its application to a relevant industrial case study, where operational bottlenecks were pinpointed and potential solutions were identified to seek continuous improvement. Although envisioned to be generic and applicable to all supply chains, the indicators should be selected according to the context in study (e.g., services). SustainSC-VSM aims at being a generic and systematic tool to design future value stream maps to achieve a more sustainable supply chain following a lean-driven sustainability approach, through the use of multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary indicators to identify and solve the supply chain's bottlenecks.


European and National legislations in the UK have created a tremendous pressure on the waste management industry for a major expansion of the composting industry over recent years. Also, with the greater awareness of the health and environmental safety within the community, compost producers are forced to provide an authenticated form of quality compost to the consumers. The work presented in this thesis focuses on quality enhancement of mature green-waste derived compost using vermicomposting and air separation techniques. A vermicomposting trial was conducted for a period of 18 weeks by utilising re-hydrated mature green-waste compost produced at Carmarthenshire Environmental Resource Trust (CERT) composting facility as a feedstock. It was found that a minimum average compost mass reduction of 16% was observed by using an average mass throughput of 32.6 kg m 2 week'1. The greatest reduction in volatile solids was observed only during the initial stages of the trial. However, no significant reduction was noted towards the end of the vermicomposting process, when worm mass had reduced to approximately 1.3 kg/m . Replicated growth trials on coriander and tomato were conducted using two commercially available multipurpose composts and five waste-derived composts. It was found that commercial composts showed better plant growth when compared to waste-derived composts. This was followed by another set of growth trials undertaken with lettuce, using pure worm casts (VC), green waste compost (FS) and mixtures of the two Le. 50/50 and 20/80 (VC:FS, v/v) mix. Results showed that plant biomass production was optimal with 20/80 (v/v) mix, whilst VC and FS yielded poor plant growth. In general, the vermicomposting process did not result in an increased availability of nutrients or potentially toxic elements, the only exception being Zn. Characterisation studies were also conducted on unscreened mature compost samples to identify the physical contaminants followed by laboratory and commercial scale air separation trials. Of the coarser fraction from Bryn Pica compost, 1% of plastic film was found. The laboratory air separation trial showed that at the minimum average air velocity of 4.24 m/s, 100% plastic film was removed along with 73% of 25 mm). The air jig trial showed promising results and that, in less than 2 minutes, various sizes of stones were separated from the compost stone mix sample.


Sea ranching of lobster is a sustainable alternative to mere fishing. The method involves releasing hatchery-reared juveniles into their natural environment, usually at a geographically delimited area. With this addition to the native populations one hopes to raise the overall numbers of specimens and increase the catching rates and financial gain. Being small the juvenile lobsters are amongst the lower levels of the food chain. Predators are abundant all year round making the release process a dangerous affair. But the young lobsters size is not only a disadvantage when it comes to the food chain hierarchy; ocean dynamics such as currents may largely contribute to the dispersal, transporting the lobster miles away from the sea ranching site. These are amongst some challenges that if solved will increase the benefits of sea ranching. This thesis had the aim of addressing these problems and try to enhance the process focusing on release strategies. A literature survey was conducted to gain knowledge on ecology and behaviour of the European lobster Homarus gammarus and to get familiar with the practise of sea ranching by reviewing previous experiences and improvement suggestions. Based on previous research several biological models of juvenile lobster behaviour were made. These were incorporated with the fine-scale hydrodynamic model SINMOD to look at spatio-temporal spreading patterns. The simulated releases were conducted at a specific site with environmental data from the period of May 1.May 14. 2012. Simulation data were analyzed in terms of biological model used, time of day and flow fields. Results reveled that the lobsters vertical placement in the water column (depth) is most influential in terms of the amount of current induced transport. Because of the scarce amount of conclusive information on lobster behaviour, no immediate conclusion could be drawn. Some suggestions however were made based on the knowledge gathered. Releasing of older stage IV juveniles, or stage V juveniles is encouraged as more lobsters will settle at the sea ranching site. Releases should be conducted at night due to predators impaired vision in darkness.


Biodegradable polymers are applied in temporary implants, such as surgical sutures and controlled drug delivery systems. They are also of relevance in biomaterial-based Regenerative Therapies, where they provide a temporary substitute of the extra-cellular matrix. A major limitation of established degradable implant materials is the fact, that their degradation behavior can not be reliably predicted applying existing experimental methodologies. Therefore a knowledge-based approach is clearly needed to overcome this problem and to enable the tailored design of biodegradable polymers. Here we describe two methods, which can be applied in this approach: molecular modeling combining atomistic bulk and interface models with quantum chemical studies and experimental investigations of macromolecule degradation in Langmuir monolayers. The polymers utilized to exemplarily illustrate the concepts are aliphatic (co)polyesters [e.g. poly(-caprolactone) (PCL), polyglycolide (PGA), poly(rac-lactide) (PDLLA), poly[(rac-lactide)-co-glycolide] (PLGA)] and copoly(ether)esteruretanes as multiblock copolymers. The molecular modeling approach permits to efficiently investigate the influence of micro-structural properties like free volume distribution, cohesive energy density and concentration of polar functional groups on the bulk water uptake as one constituent part of hydrolytic degradation. The Langmuir monolayer investigations on polymer degradation on the other hand yield the dynamics of bond splitting during degradation within hours separately from time consuming diffusion processes, which may take months in bulk samples.


Muscle wasting and increased proteolysis is a major problem in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Exercise is potentially beneficial, but has been under-investigated in pre-dialysis CKD and could theoretically worsen acidosis through exercise-induced lactic acid generation. We therefore investigated effects of 6 months walking exercise with and without additional alkali therapy. 40 patients were recruited (23 male and 17 female, median age 58, range 20-83, mean eGFR±SEM 25.7±1.2ml/min/1.73m2). 20 undertook walking exercise at a Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Rate (RPE) of 12-14 for at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week. The other 20 continued with normal physical activity (non-exercising controls). In addition to standard oral bicarbonate therapy (STD), 10 patients in each group were randomised to receive additional bicarbonate (XS). Blood and vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were drawn at baseline, one and six months. 18 exercisers (including 8 in XS group) and 14 controls (6 in XS group) completed the 6 month study.

Exercise tolerance increased after 1 and 6 months in the exercisers, but not the controls, accompanied by a reduced acute lactate response in the XS, but not the STD exercising group. After 6 months of exercise, 9 intramuscular free amino acids showed striking depletion in the STD, but not XS bicarbonate group. This suggests an inhibition of active amino acid transporters, possibly the SNAT2 transporters that are inhibited by acidosis. Studies with cultured myotubes identified glucocorticoid as a possible mediator of acid s inhibitory effect on SNAT2.
The preservation of amino acid concentrations in the XS exercising group was accompanied by strong suppression of ubiquitin E3-ligases MuRF-1 and MAFbx which activate proteolysis through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. However, other anabolic indicators (Protein Kinase B activation and suppression of the 14kDa actin fragment) were unaffected in the exercising XS group. Possibly because of this, overall suppression of myofibrillar proteolysis (3-methyl histidine excretion) and increased lean body mass (DEXA) were not observed in the exercising patients. As XS alkali had no effect in non-exercisers, it is concluded that alkali effects in the exercisers arose by countering exercise-induced acidosis.

Sulphuric acid produced from the catabolism of sulphur-containing amino acids ingested in the diet is the main contributor to the daily titratable acid load and hence acidosis in CKD. In these patients the amount of sulphate excreted in urine over 24h varied widely between individuals. This directly correlated with 3-methyl histidine excretion suggesting that sulphate excretion may be a better clinical indicator of acidotic patients at long-term risk of cachexia than conventional measures such as venous bicarbonate. Studies with cultured myotubes confirmed that skeletal muscle is a source of sulphuric acid and showed that production of this acid is partly suppressed by L-Glutamine a potential novel way to control acidosis in CKD.


Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal, chemoresistant malignancies and it is of paramount importance to find more effective therapeutic agents. Repurposing of non-anticancer drugs may expand the repertoire of effective molecules. Studies on repurposing of benzimidazole-based anthelmintics in PC and on their interaction with agents approved for PC therapy are lacking. We analyzed the effects of four Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved benzimidazoles on AsPC-1 and Capan-2 pancreatic cancer cell line viability. Notably, parbendazole was the most potent benzimidazole affecting PC cell viability, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the nanomolar range. The drug markedly inhibited proliferation, clonogenicity and migration of PC cell lines through mechanisms involving alteration of microtubule organization and formation of irregular mitotic spindles. Moreover, parbendazole interfered with cell cycle progression promoting G2/M arrest, followed by the emergence of enlarged, polyploid cells. These abnormalities, suggesting a mitotic catastrophe, culminated in PC cell apoptosis, are also associated with DNA damage in PC cell lines. Remarkably, combinations of parbendazole with gemcitabine, a drug employed as first-line treatment in PC, synergistically decreased PC cell viability. In conclusion, this is the first study providing evidence that parbendazole as a single agent, or in combination with gemcitabine, is a repurposing candidate in the currently dismal PC therapy.


ABSTRACT Vaccination indicators are used to measure the health status of individuals or populations and to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination programs or policies. Ensuring that vaccination indicators are clearly and consistently defined is important for effective communication of outcomes, accurate program evaluation, and comparison between different populations, times, and contexts. The purpose of this commentary is to describe commonly used vaccination indicators and to highlight inconsistencies in how childhood vaccine researchers use and define these terms. The indicators we describe are vaccine coverage, uptake, and rate; vaccination status, initiation, and completion; and up-to-date, timely, partial, and incomplete vaccination. We conclude that many vaccination indicators are not explicitly defined within published research studies and/or are used quite differently across studies. We also note that the choice of indicator in a given study is often driven by program or vaccine specific factors, may be constrained by data availability, and should be chosen to best reflect the outcome of interest. We conclude that the use of consistent language and definitions would promote more effective communication of research findings. We also propose some standardized definitions for common indicators, with the goal of provoking discussion and debate on the issue.


Diabetes disease management programs (DDMPs) are proliferating, but their effectiveness in improving quality and mitigating health care spending has been difficult to measure. Using two quasi-experimental methods, this study analyzed the first-year results of a multistate DDMP for people with diabetes sponsored by a national managed care organization. In both analyses, overall cost of care were significantly lower in DDMP sites, and the payer saved more than it spent. Pharmacy costs showed mixed results. Quality scores in the DDMP sites were significantly better than in sites without the program.


In this case, you are asked to take on the role of a tax professional in a modern professional services (i.e., accounting) firm. Your boss has asked you to develop a plan of incorporation for one of your clients, who has decided to switch from a sole proprietorship to a C corporation. The client has four assets that would be transferred to the corporation: cash, equipment, building, and land. You must determine how to transfer the assets to the corporation, as well as other matters (how much salary the corporation should pay the client, etc.), keeping in mind that the goal is to maximize the client's after‐tax return by minimizing the client's tax liability.


Much of the discussion on international capital movements is directed toward studying the effects of foreign capital flows, whereas the implications of resident capital outflows (capital flight) from developing countries remain largely unanalyzed. Using a dynamic panel methodology for twenty-two emerging market economies between 1975 and 2000, this paper investigates the effect of capital flight on investment and how this effect changes with financial liberalization policies. The empirical findings indicate that capital flight reduces private investment dramatically but does not have any effect on public investment. However, no statistically significant impact of financial liberalization on the marginal effect of capital flight on investment is found.


Forage improvement programs often select for increased crude protein and dry matter digestibility. Additionally, breeding programs may be interested in selecting for enhanced transpiration efficiency or water use-efficiency. Forage crude protein and dry matter digestibility are commonly determined by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), whereas water use-efficiency is estimated from 13C discrimination values obtained from isotope-ratioing mass spectrometers. If NIRS could predict 13C discrimination then W could be determined simultaneously with quality components at a much lower cost. To test this possibility, leaf samples of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and several cool-season perennial grasses were analyzed with a dual-inlet, double collector gas isotope mass spectrometer, and values of 13C discrimination were calculated. Subsamples were scanned with monochromators that collected spectra from 400 to 2,500 nm or 1,100 to 2,500 nm, and absorption data were regressed with values of 13C discrimination. Standard errors of calibration for regressing 13C discrimination with NIRS absorption values were higher for grasses than for alfalfa. Coefficients of variation for all validation sample sets used for prediction of 13C discrimination by NIRS were less than 3%, and NIRS correctly identified 77 to 82% of the samples with the lowest 13C discrimination values as determined by mass spectrometer analysis. This level of predictability may be acceptable for identification of genotypes with high water use-efficiency during the early phases of forage improvement programs.


This research aims to focus the light on the marketing of fresh meat sector in Khartoum state in order to detect flaws in the marketing chain. A scientifically structured questionnaire was prepared according to the pre-survey, which had conducted in the state. A 60 questionnaire had distributed in (Khartoum north _ bahri _ Omdurman) from April to June 2016 .data had analyzed by Excel program and the result were:  Most of the fresh meat sellers using the promotion in limited extent confined to traditional advertising through signboard and microphone and packing bags.  The sellers pricing according to market uncontrolled price what leads to rising at meat prices in non-justified way.  Some outlets qualified in an appropriate way to maintain the safety of meat, such as supermarkets and modern butchers that have recently become widespread, and some like the butchers and tables of selling meat in popular markets. Was inconsistent with the public health conditions  Obviously, the defect position in the chain of meat marketing focused on a slice of intermediaries who are playing the prices according to their personal interests, what reflected clearly on the market price affecting the wholesalers and retailers, and the distribution outlets reaching impact ultimately at the consumer.  Obviously, opening the investment in the meat sector led to paradigm shift in this sector what reflected positively on the consumer awareness and taste. On the other side, the popular markets continue to suffer from irregularity in the sale and show, in the light of the lack of control. The study had concluded with a number of recommendations that include:  Focus on the flaws by government agencies and work to resolve the issues that lead to fluctuation, what guarantee the rights of the consumer and the seller.  More control and observation by government on this sector include the sellers and pricing methods, as well as the health aspects of outlets selling fresh meat in Khartoum state.  Further studies on this sector broadly include the production areas to gain access to the problems facing this sector from production down to marketing stage.  Implementation of marketing research that looking and identifies the problems of this sector to reach radical solutions lead to best.


This study covers the very preliminary results of welding and characterisation of one novel duplex and two ferritic stainless steel grades. The so-called "lean duplex" grade EN 1.4162 (UNS S32101) has 21.5% Cr-5% Mn-1.5% Ni-N, the ferritic EN 1.4509 (UNS S43940, AISI 441) 17% Cr, and the other, improved 21% Cr ferritic grade that fulfills also UNS S44330 standard requirements, but has no standard EN designation yet. Both ferritic stainless steels have low (< 0.02%) carbon content and double (Nb+Ti) stabilisation. The materials were used as 1.5 and 2 mm sheets, hence laser and resistance spot welding were selected for welding experiments. The joints were subjected to mechanical testing and critical pitting temperature (CPT) corrosion tests, which were performed on both the base materials and welds. The mechanical tests of the welds did not reveal any significant softening effect due to welding operations. Comprehensive CPT data were achieved for base materials and their welds using two different polarisation potentials, and the new 21% Cr ferritic grade shows a great promise in both as-received and welded conditions. This paper was written as part of the Finnish Metals and Engineering Competence Cluster (FIMECC)'s Demanding Applications (DEMAPP) program.


We formulate a new approach to understanding the behavior of the min-sum algorithm by exploiting the properties of graph covers. First, we present a new, natural characterization of scaled diagonally dominant matrices in terms of graph covers; this result motivates our approach because scaled diagonal dominance is a known sufficient condition for the convergence of min-sum in the case of quadratic minimization. We use our understanding of graph covers to characterize the periodic behavior of the min-sum algorithm on a single cycle. Lastly, we explain how to extend the single cycle results to understand the 2-periodic behavior of min-sum for general pairwise MRFs. Some of our techniques apply more broadly, and we believe that by capturing the notion of indistinguishability, graph covers represent a valuable tool for understanding the abilities and limitations of general message-passing algorithms.


In our contemporary era, the advocacy for culture has been articulated over many fields. Within the era of late capitalism culture is now heavily incorporated in regeneration and image (re-)making strategies of cities. The European Capital of Culture (ECOC) programme has become to serve as a catalyst for urban regeneration goals in cities. Among them, Istanbul is going to be an ECOC in 2010. By that time, Istanbul has a long way to learn from former ECOCs to understand the phenomenon and practice of culture-led strategies in urban planning and development. It is crucial for Istanbul to sustain the long-lasting impact for continuity.

The thesis is based on three pillars. First, it examines why cities pursue culture-led strategies in urban regeneration and how culture can contribute to urban regeneration in social and economic terms. Second, it finds out what academics, local authorities and Istanbul 2010 actors can learn from the highly debated cases of Glasgow 1990 and Lille 2004. Third, the theory and analysis of case studies of Glasgow and Lille offers projections for the Istanbul 2010 event and open space for future research on the challenges.

By performing a comparative analysis of case studies, the main finding is that culture has mainly contributed to city life in short-term. However, main problems in using the ECOC as a driver for urban regeneration emerged from high economic expectations and lack of clarity in long-term projections. Also, economic and social targets have fallen short in achieving sustainability and integrity. The remedy is to assure that culture-led urban regeneration is backed up by concrete measures directed to economic and social issues separately. It is also found out that culture is way to far to solve structural problems of the city by itself.