Received on: 02.10.2018 Revised on: 12.12.2018 Accepted on: 15.12.2018 At present, there is a paucity of Malaysian policy on paediatric first aid training for childcare providers. Thus, this study has developed a first aid module called FAT4CP© for childcare providers and aim to determine the acceptance level of the module and validate an instrument that evaluates the competency of their knowledge, attitude and confidence (KAC) in conducting first aid. Focusing on the content, graphics and design, evaluation of acceptance for the module involved 15 childcare providers with at least one year of experience in handling children at childcare centres and 15 healthcare professionals. Together with the module, an assessment tool was developed, with content and face validity assessed by content experts. A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to 70 childcare providers to measure their first aid KAC. Construct validity of the questionnaire was examined using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with principal component methods and varimax rotation. Cronbach's α values were used to estimate the reliability of the questionnaire. This study revealed that the module was well accepted with a majority of the childcare providers (93.3%, n=14) indicated that they understood the information contained in the module. The first aid assessment tool was also found to be reliable in measuring knowledge, attitude and confidence among childcare providers with Cronbach's alpha of 0.56, 0.95 and 0.92, respectively. For content validity, the questionnaires were critically reviewed in terms of relevance, clarity, simplicity, and ambiguity. In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrated that the module was well received, and the assessment tool is valid and reliable in measuring first aid KAC among childcare providers.


Railway track components often suffer from high aggressive loading and vibrating conditions of railway environment. In this study, the idea of improving structural material which can effectively absorb vibration energy is introduced to use for making railway sleeper. The environment-friendly concrete using crumb waste rubber tyres (425 and 75 Micron) as Micro-filler is presented. Six different types of concrete were designed and produced in accordance to British standard. Two experiments were conducted, which comprised of compressive strength and vibration testing, when the concrete has age of 7 and 28 days. The results illustrated that micro-crumb rubber concrete (CRC) can achieve the strength over 55 MPa (Complying with the requirement to design concrete sleeper) while maintaining the damping property at the excellent level. It was found that damping ratio of CRC is higher than plain concrete about 42%. These fundamental insights will encourage an innovative material application guideline for rail track engineers and managers in maintenance and construction of railway tracks and their components.


Equilibrium formally can be represented as an ensemble of uncoupled systems undergoing unbiased dynamics in which detailed balance is maintained. Many nonequilibrium processes can be described by suitable subsets of the equilibrium ensemble. Here, we employ the "weighted ensemble" (WE) simulation protocol [Huber and Kim, Biophys. J.1996, 70, 97–110] to generate equilibrium trajectory ensembles and extract nonequilibrium subsets for computing kinetic quantities. States do not need to be chosen in advance. The procedure formally allows estimation of kinetic rates between arbitrary states chosen after the simulation, along with their equilibrium populations. We also describe a related history-dependent matrix procedure for estimating equilibrium and nonequilibrium observables when phase space has been divided into arbitrary non-Markovian regions, whether in WE or ordinary simulation. In this proof-of-principle study, these methods are successfully applied and validated on two molecular systems: explicitly solvated methane association and the implicitly solvated Ala4 peptide. We comment on challenges remaining in WE calculations.


Through interviews with four second generation Canadians, this Major Research Paper explores identity and belonging among second generation children (aged 18-30) of racialized immigrants in Toronto, Canada. Primary research questions include: (i) How do these individuals describe their identity? (ii) Do they have a sense of belonging in Canada; why or why not? (iii) Do they experience discrimination based on their ethno-racial identity? (iv) How does this impact their self-identification as Canadian and sense of belonging? The findings show that second generation racialized Canadians appear to hold multiple identities, forming a hyphenated or hybridized identity in which racialized identity and language/accent figure prominently. They also appear to have situational identities, with their identities shifting depending on the following various situational factors: (i) their location (including the country, city, and environment they are in), (ii) the individuals they are surrounded by including who they are speaking to, and (iii) the goal(s) of the situation.


Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW MRI) is a technique that measures the diffusion properties of water molecules to produce a tensor-valued volume dataset. Because water molecules can diffuse more easily along fiber tracts, for example in the brain, rather than across them, diffusion is anisotropic and can be used for segmentation. Segmentation requires the identification of regions with different diffusion properties. In this paper we propose a new set of rotationally invariant diffusion measures which may be used to map the tensor data into a scalar representation. Our invariants may be rapidly computed because they do not require the calculation of eigenvalues. We use these invariants to analyze a 3D DW MRI scan of a human head and build geometric models corresponding to isotropic and anisotropic regions. We then utilize the models to perform quantitative analysis of these regions, for example calculating their surface area and volume.


The year 2014 confronted European policy-makers with a qualitatively altered situation. For the first time in many years an interstate conflict in Europe – manifested as an inner-state conflict – is being resolved by military means. Persistent uncertainty and a growing potential for conflict are the new realities the European Union (EU) must face – in its eastern neighborhood as well as in the Mediterranean region. This neighborhood also holds major strategic significance for the supply of energy to Europe. In order to limit the risks, it is necessary to define and construct a new pan-European order – based on existing conditions – that can rein in the potential for conflict, ensure greater predictability and build new trust. Germany should use its OSCE chairmanship in 2016 to initiate negotiations to this effect along the lines of new principles, with a view to establishing a pan-European order with a strong energy component as its core.


This study utilized a population-based approach to examine the prevalence of children identified with disabilities in a large, urban Head Start program serving diverse preschool children living in poverty (N=7,301). In addition, the study examined demographic differences in patterns of screening and identification for disability with respect to socioemotional and behavioral needs. Two administrative data systems were integrated for analysis: program enrollment and demographic records; and a mental health screening assessment database including all children enrolled within the Head Start program. Findings suggested that gender (boys) and ethnicity (Hispanic) were associated with higher rates of identification for disability, including emotional/behavioral disability. In addition, of those children identified with an emotional/behavioral disability, the program-wide social-emotional screening tool showed greater rates of externalizing behavior problems compared to internalizing behavior problems. Implications for policy, future research, and practice within early childhood programs such as Head Start are discussed.


Oomycetes, such as Phytophthora, downy mildew causal agents, and Pythium, form a unique branch of eukaryotic-plant pathogens with an independent evolutionary history. Among the oomycetes, Phytophthora spp. cause some of the most destructive plant diseases in the world, and are arguably the most devastating pathogens of dicotyledonous plants. Large scale DNA sequencing (genomics) approaches promise to impact our understanding of the molecular basis of pathogenicity and host specificity in Phytophthora by facilitating the isolation of novel virulence and avirulence genes, as well as by helping to identify targets for chemical control. Structural genomic studies of Phytophthora are well under way. The challenge in the postgenome era is to link a sequence to a phenotype with as little experimental effort as possible, using computational tools for data mining and robust high throughput functional assays. In this article, we review our strategy of applying a sequence-to-phenotype (or functional genomics) paradigm to the discovery of novel virulence and avirulence genes, as well as the identification of novel fungicide targets in Phytophthora.


Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a valuable fruit crop worldwide. Farmers' incomes are closely related to fruit quantity and quality, yet these can be highly variable across years. As part of a broader project for optimizing fruit set and fruit quality in sweet cherries, this study was conducted to evaluate the potential of various plant growth regulators (PGRs) for improving fruit set and fruit quality. Cytokinins, gibberellins, auxin, and polyamines were used as treatments. Treatments were applied as foliar sprays at full bloom to 'Bing' and three low-productivity genotypes, 'Regina', 'Tieton', and 'PC8011-3'. We assessed the fruit set, fruit quality, and return bloom from each treatment. 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA) increased fruit set by 53% and 36% in 'Bing' and 'Tieton', respectively. The combination of gibberellin (GA)3 + GA4/7 was more effective for improving fruit set than other isomers of gibberellin alone. Cytokinin treatments had slight adverse effects or no effect on fruit set except for CPPU. In 'PC8011-3', both N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N'-phenylurea (CPPU) and 4-CPA enhanced fruit set by ≈81% and 100% compared with untreated control. The response of cherry trees to polyamine sprays depended on the properties of the cultivars and the treatment concentration. Foliar application of GA3, GA4/7, or N-phenyl-N'-(1, 2, 3-thiadiazol-5-yl) urea (TDZ) in 'Bing' trees has negative effects on return bloom, whereas GA1 can increase the yield and flower buds. These results suggest that PGRs may have varied effects on sweet cherry fruit set and that more work is needed to develop practical programs for improving yield security.


This essay is taken from a book that criticizes the abuse of the concept of patriotism by the American right wing. At the same time it engages polemically with anti-Americans, whether rightists or leftists. Present-day tensions, the essay argues, must be seen against the backdrop of the much longer history of not only colonialism and imperialism but various national mythologies. At times, we argue, "anti-Americanism" is a completely rational response to specific offenses by the U.S. government or by U.S.–led transnational corporations; yet at other times legitimate critique becomes mingled with blind obsessions, paranoid projections, and even defensive guilt. Examining abuses of the concept of patriotism, the work focuses on various national mythologies and exceptionalisms, and on myriad forms of patriotism, in terms of the following questions: What are the long-term historical sources and current manifestations of love and hate, pride and anger, in patriotic nationalism? How did patriotism in the United States become so thoroughly militarized? How do rival conceptions of patriotism interact and interpenetrate across national boundaries? How did we arrive at this point of crisis? How have countries such as Brazil, France, and the United States tended to imagine one another, and for what historical reasons, and what has changed in the present? What is the role of narcissism both in American superpatriotism and in anti-Americanism?


In mosaic marine habitats such as intertidal zones ocean acidification (OA) is exacerbated by high variability of pH, temperature, and biological CO2 production. The non-linear interactions among these drivers can be context-specific and their effect on organisms in these habitats remains largely unknown, warranting further investigation. We were particularly interested in Mytilus edulis (the blue mussel) from intertidal zones of Gulf of Maine (GOM), USA for this study. GOM is a hot spot of global climate change (average SST increasing by > 0.2 °C y-1) with > 60% decline in mussel population over the past 40 years. Here, we utilize bioenergetic underpinnings to identify limits of stress tolerance in M. edulis from GOM exposed to warming and OA. We have measured whole-organism oxygen consumption rates and metabolic biomarkers in mussels exposed to control and elevated temperatures (10 vs. 15 °C) and moderate PCO2 levels (~ 400 vs. 800 μatm). Our study demonstrates that adult M. edulis from GOM are metabolically resilient to the moderate OA scenario but responsive to warming as seen in changes in metabolic rate, energy reserves, metabolite profiles and enzyme activities. Our results are in agreement with recent literature that OA scenarios for the next 100-300 years do not affect this species, possibly as a consequence of maintaining its in vivo acid-base balance.


Abstract Despite substantial evidence of the crucial role protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) plays in the occurrence of complications, increased length of stay, and cost of care in hospitalized populations, no standard approach for screening and monitoring the nutritional status of patients initially and throughout admission currently exists. Recognizing that there is a growing public and professional recognition of the importance of malnutrition, a large patient population (30–55%) at risk for PCM, and an even larger population experiencing declining nutritional status during hospitalization, this study examined the feasibility of a full-scale study to assess the value of two biochemical markers, transthyretin and albumin, for detecting and monitoring PCM in hospitalized patients. It was demonstrated that these two markers do provide important information predictive of outcomes for those they identify at risk for PCM. The patients who entered the study with or developed low transthyretin and albumin experienced poorer health outcomes and higher costs of care. Their discharge occurred in an early phase of recovery, with significant implications for after-discharge care. The full-scale study must consider severity of illness and other confounders during randomization and, preferably, be conducted in institutions that currently do not use transthyretin for nutrition assessment.


Experimental results of performance of non-crimp fabric composites are presented in this paper. In order to characterize in-plane shear properties of these composites, tensile and compression tests of [±452]S specimens were carried out. Two directions of loading are considered: warp (Shear warP: SP) and weft (Shear wefT: ST). This corresponds to laminates with the following lay-up: SP = [+45/-45/+45/-45]S; ST = [-45/+45/-45/+45]S. Although both types of laminates are cut from the same plate, mechanical performance in tension is rather different: laminate cut in weft direction exhibit higher shear modulus, shear strength and shear strain at failure than samples cut in warp direction. Fractography showed that different behavior of the materials is caused by much earlier damage initiation and accumulation in SP laminates. Analysis of images obtained from optical microscopy indicated that premature failure is most likely caused by stitches that prevent free rotation of bundles (shear deformation).


A new method was developed for detection of monoclonality at the DNA level in B-lymphoproliferative disease using the polymerase chain reaction and consensus primers for the V and J regions of the immunoglobulin gene. Monoclonality was detected in DNA from 15 of 15 clonal B-lymphoblastoid cell lines and from 19 of 23 cases of B-lymphocyte neoplasia, but not from any of 16 normal T-lymphocyte clones, 9 cases of T-lymphocyte neoplasia, 20 samples of polyclonal peripheral blood lymphocytes, and 8 cases of reactive lymphadenopathy. This method for detection of monoclonality is likely to be of routine value in diagnosis owing to its simplicity, speed, and versatility.


As technology scaling reaches nanometre scales, the error rate due to variations in temperature and voltage, single event effects and component degradation increases, making components less reliable. In order to ensure a system continues to function correctly while facing known reliability issues, it is imperative that the system should have the means to detect the occurrence of errors due to the presence of faults. A system that behaves normally (no error detected in the system) exhibits a profile, and any deviations from this profile indicate that there is an anomaly in the system. In this paper, we propose to use hardware performance counters (HPCs) to measure events that occur during the execution of the program. We explore the various counters available which could be use to identify the anomalous behaviour in the system and develop a methodology to observe the anomalies using HPCs by creating a fault-free pattern and observing any subsequent changes in that pattern. We evaluate the proposed technique using GemFI, an architectural simulator based on Gem5 with additional fault injection capabilities. We compare the results obtained at the end of the execution with data collected during a time interval. Our results show that HPCs can be used to identify anomalous behaviour in a system that would lead to failure.


The constraint-based pattern discovery paradigm was introduced with the aim of providing to the user a tool to drive the discovery process towards potentially interesting patterns, with the positive side effect of achieving a more efficient computation. In this paper we review and extend the state-of-the-art of the constraints that can be pushed in a frequent pattern computation. We introduce novel data reduction techniques which are able to exploit convertible anti-monotone constraints (e.g., constraints on average or median) as well as tougher constraints (e.g., constraints on variance or standard deviation). A thorough experimental study is performed and it confirms that our framework outperforms previous algorithms for convertible constraints, and exploit the tougher ones with the same effectiveness. Finally, we highlight that the main advantage of our approach, i.e., pushing constraints by means of data reduction in a level-wise framework, is that different properties of different constraints can be exploited all together, and the total benefit is always greater than the sum of the individual benefits. This consideration leads to the definition of a general Apriori-like algorithm which is able to exploit all possible kinds of constraints studied so far.


Abstract In this study, we chose a carnivorous fish, turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.), to examine its nutrient-sensing and metabolic responses after ingestion of diets with fishmeal (FM), or 45 % of FM replaced by soyabean meal (34·6 % dry diet) balanced with or without essential amino acids (EAA) to match the amino acid profile of FM diet for 30 d. After a 1-month feeding trial, fish growth, feed efficiency and nutrient retention were markedly reduced by soyabean meal-incorporated (SMI) diets. Compared with the FM diet, SMI led to a reduction of postprandial influx of free amino acids, hypoactivated target of rapamycin signalling and a hyperactivated amino acid response pathway after refeeding, a status associated with reduced protein synthesis, impaired postprandial glycolysis and lipogenesis. These differential effects were not ameliorated by matching an EAA profile of soyabean meal to that of the FM diet through dietary amino acid supplementation. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the FM diet and SMI diets led to distinct nutrient-sensing responses, which in turn modulated metabolism and determined the utilisation efficiency of diets. Our results provide a new molecular explanation for the role of nutrient sensing in the inferior performance of aquafeeds in which FM is replaced by soyabean meal.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background. Islet transplantation is a promising treatment in patients with complicated diabetes. The ideal transplant site that can extend islet graft survival and reduce the required number of engrafted islets remains to be established. Methods. Donor islets were isolated from red fluorescent protein (RFP+) mice and transplanted into interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) or unilateral inguinal white adipose tissue of age-matched diabetic RFP− mice. Blood glucose and body weight of the mice were monitored, and vitality and function of ectopic RFP+ islets were detected by fluorescence imaging, histological examination, and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (GTT). Results. BAT enabled the marginal number of grafted islets (80 islets) to restore blood glucose, insulin level, and GTT to normal values in all diabetic recipient mice in the short term after graft, and maintained these values for 1 year at the end of the experiment. Importantly, in the short term after transplantation, abundant extra- and intraislet neovasculatures were observed in BAT, but not in white adipose tissue, which allowed the ectopic islets to retain typical architecture and morphology and contributed to the normal GTT. Moreover, the islet-engrafted BAT displayed normal structure and morphology without significant immunocyte infiltration, and the recipient mice also showed normal lipid levels in the blood. Conclusions. BAT remarkably enhances the viability and biological function of the transplanted ectopic islets. Moreover, the anatomical location of BAT lends itself to biopsy, removal, and islet retransplantation, which strongly suggests the BAT as a potential desirable site for islet transplantation in basic and clinical research.


The soft X-ray grating spectrometer on board the Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE) hopes to achieve the highest resolution soft X-ray spectrum of an astrophysical object when it is launched via suborbital rocket. Paramount to the success of the spectrometer are the performance of the $>250$ reflection gratings populating its reflection grating assembly. To test current grating fabrication capabilities, a grating prototype for the payload was fabricated via electron-beam lithography at The Pennsylvania State University's Materials Research Institute and was subsequently tested for performance at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics' PANTER X-ray Test Facility. Bayesian modeling of the resulting data via Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling indicated that the grating achieved the OGRE single-grating resolution requirement of $R_{g}(\lambda/\Delta\lambda)>4500$ at the 94% confidence level. The resulting $R_g$ posterior probability distribution suggests that this confidence level is likely a conservative estimate though, since only a finite $R_g$ parameter space was sampled and the model could not constrain the upper bound of $R_g$ to less than infinity. Raytrace simulations of the system found that the observed data can be reproduced with a grating performing at $R_g=\infty$. It is therefore postulated that the behavior of the obtained $R_g$ posterior probability distribution can be explained by a finite measurement limit of the system and not a finite limit on $R_g$. Implications of these results and improvements to the test setup are discussed.


The paradigm of forming and sustaining collaborative networks as environments that create virtual organisations assumes that effective (and efficient) enterprise engineering capabilities and processes are available. However, these processes are only effective if they produce virtual organisations that have sufficiently limited complexity, because as complexity grows, the virtual organisation's behaviour becomes increasingly harder to predict under all circumstances. This article demonstrates that the efficiency of virtual organisation creation by collaborative networks can be limited by the complexity of the network itself. This article proposes the use of enterprise engineering methods based on extended axiomatic design theory to limit the complexity of virtual organisations – and of the collaborative network itself. This article also formulates methods to calculate and reduce the structural complexity of collaborative networks and the cost of virtual organisation creation transactions through virtual brokerages. The method is demonstrated through an example and also yields a heuristic rule regarding the optimal size of such brokerages. Also, process and people capability maturity levels were introduced for the use of enterprise engineering methods based on extended axiomatic design theory, whereupon higher maturity implies higher probability of success of collaborative networks in creating and maintaining virtual organisations, and success of the virtual organisations themselves (i.e. higher capability to limit the complexity of virtual organisations and of collaborative network itself). This article also formulates strategies for capability improvement, intended to achieve higher levels of enterprise engineering maturity.


This research aims to study the issue of historical fact of Pattani.Due to historical factors have become one major factor for the insurgency groups' battle used in the three southern border provinces in Thailand.They using history of the state of Pattani to be part of the explanation and make the ideological concept of secession to the masses today. This paper presents some historical facts of Pattani that the insurgency groups'battle use as a criterion to incite violence. It is also a historical argument with a different perspective. The proposed approach to understand the historical facts of Pattani in the dimensional view the science of the history and culture.The methodology of historical research; primary source.secondary source, the oral history, as well as field research have been applied throughout this study.The integration issues of history that the insurgency groups' battle use as an excuse to commit violence from the Peace Center, The Fourth Army Area (Army Area Region 4) and Southern Border Provinces Police Operation Center.They are the responsible government agency for solving the problem of the unrest in the area. Interviews and Observations from Educational Personnel of Pattani Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 and officer of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre officer (SRPAC) are used and analyzing data used descriptive analysis.The results showed that there are different views of including issues of historical controversies about the relationship between Siam and Pattani.The historical fact of the territorial aggression is the concept of a sovereign kingdom.Due to land in Southeast Asia influenced by the administration of Indian civilization, the molestation extended to other lands.It represented the power and strength of the king and
the security of the kingdom.There are differences explanations of the historical development of Pattani,
historical facts and perspectives, depending on the background, social and cultural context of the author and the reader of Pattani history.The methodology of history can not conclude that the facts are wrong or right.But the fact investigations of Pattani history should be taken in conjunction with to be creating a correct understanding of the nature of history.The nature of Pattani History is difference between the two mainstream ideas of as are either Thailand or Pattani as the central point.In addition, another thing to consider is that a basic understanding of history and culture: The glorious Pattani in terms of economic, social and cultural implications of trade and maritime transport.This was also influenced by
two major centers of India and China together with Arab and Persian traders who arrived via trade, combined with traditional Melayu culture (Proto-Malay) which accumulated since prehistoric periods.All of these impacted ways of thinking and practices of community pride and Pattani's own cultural identity.So if the government officials responsible for solving the unrest and the people in the three southern border provinces have an understanding of the historical and cultural identity.Coupled with an
understanding ofthe nature of history.It will be another way of integrating for solving the problem of the unrest in the three southern border provinces today.


The ASCI is notable for two unique functions--the annual meeting and The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Both have inspired us over the 37 years of our collaborative adventures in research. In this retrospective, we review highlights from our 26 joint papers in the JCI, focusing on two papers that revealed the consequences of lipid accumulation with implications for atherosclerosis and steatohepatitis.


The LN/sub 2/ cooling system for fully flexible three phase high Tc superconducting cables was addressed in this paper. Explicit formulas were presented to calculate the cooling capacity and stability. Thereafter, the stress cracking and the thermal contraction of electrical insulation at low temperature were analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The thermal contractions of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene insulation layer of short model cables were measured with the moire method and strain gauge method. The measured result was in good agreement with the theoretical result. Both the theoretical and experimental results confirmed that the insulation does not suffer from the stress cracking problem on cooldown, and it is an excellent candidate for the electrical insulation at low temperature.


The higher education sector forms an integral part of Australia's economy and is becoming increasingly global, dynamic, competitive and regulated. Comprised substantially of universities, the standards of governance, academic quality and management that enable universities to operate in this environment are established in their policies. These critical organisational instruments are fundamental to providing students with relevant learning experiences and enable a university to respond to opportunities and innovation and research agendas.

Notoriously complex, yet foundational to all organisational activity, policy development and review is a key means by which a university achieves strategy, ensures quality, mitigates risk and complies with its regulatory environment.

This presentation explores the impact of a three-year, policy implementation project undertaken in an Australian university. Effectively a change program, it established a flexible and sustainable framework for the development, deployment and ongoing review of policy.

The presentation identifies the vital role of development and implementation of a governance-level policy framework (the 'meta policy' or 'policy on policies'), the positive impact of an engaged sponsor and application of a project management methodology.

A reflection upon the challenges and lessons learned will explore the key role of keen organisational knowledge and a strong, yet flexible and adaptive, approach to project management.

The presentation will provide an analysis of the critical success factors and benefits realised from the project, including the critical nature of policy deployment, establishment of organisational policy development capability and the consequent maturation of cross organisational collaboration and change facilitation.

The key role of planning to embed project outcomes into 'business as usual' activity is brought into focus, as is the need to plan for and integrate evaluation, review and continuous improvement.

Consistent with this, post-project lessons and subsequent high-level policy change agenda adjustments are explored. The nexus between policy development and project management is considered and clear parallels drawn between the approach taken and the recommendations provided in the report of Professor Peter Shergold, AC, Learning from Failure (2015).

Outcomes from this project and its subsequent embedding in standard organisational practice continue to inform change, research and efficiency agendas. They have the potential to impact similarly across the higher education sector and more broadly.

References:

Shergold, P. (2015). Learning from Failure - Why large government policy initiatives have gone so badly wrong in the past and how the chances of success in the future can be improved. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia Retrieved from http://www.apsc.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0003/72687/learningfromfailure.docx.


Present day secure speech communication mainly deals with providing maximum security at the cost of minimum complexity. While doing so, they are mainly looking forward to the speech coders for compressing the speech signal thus minimizing the complexity. In this paper an algorithm is proposed that aims at exploiting the basic characteristics of speech signal, while designing such system with reduced complexity. As observed from different speech signals, silent zones are present which comprises of about 30% to 40% of the whole speech. These zones do not bear any speech information. Processing these parts leads to significant increase in the computational complexity and also needs more frames to be transmitted. These can be avoided by removing such zones from the original speech signal. In case of secure speech communication, modern day encryption system does not provide the user, full flexibility in choosing the level of security. Those encryption algorithms mainly consist of single level of encryption. A scheme is proposed where up to three tiers of security levels can be achieved and the user is given the full flexibility in choosing the level of security one desires to impart to the speech communication system. Removal of the silent zones reduces the complexity which may circumvent the increasing computational complexity while implementing the multi-tier encryption algorithm.


In Cairo, infidel spirits called jinns threaten to possess Muslims with weak souls, a weakness that is deemed to be closely connected with lack of faith and morality. An informal group of Muslims called sheikhs exorcise the invading spirits, and in doing so help to constitute the discursive logic underlying spirit possession in Cairo. Through a ritual that asserts the centrality and supremacy of God, the sheikhs reinstate God's presence by reciting the Qur'an in order to exorcise the jinns out of the Muslims' bodies. Based on the findings of a fifteen month fieldwork research in Cairo (2007-2008), this thesis focuses on the ritual of the Qur'anic exorcism, along with the cosmology and the discursive logic that surrounds it, as this is expressed by the agents involved in it: the exorcists, the possessing spirits and the Muslims possessed, all forming a particular spirit possession complex that dwells in Islamic grounds and evolves at a certain socio-historical moment, being part of the broader cultural process of what is called "Islamic Revival". By offering a perspective on anthropological debates about Islamic pluralism, the thesis argues that the Islamic ritual of exorcism escapes binary classifications inspired by the Gellnerian interpretative tropes, and reveals the ability of Islam to express itself poetically and in plural ways while at the same time constituting its monism through an underlying metaphysics concerned with establishing God as both centre and border of Islamic practice and cosmology. Taking ritual as an expression of the broader social and cultural orders within which it is embedded, the thesis shows that the Islamic exorcism in Cairo is in crucial ways homologous with the social and moral order of the world in which the Cairenes live, a moral order that is to be understood in relation to the "Islamic Revival" as an ethical project.


Objective
Regular moderate-intensity exercise has beneficial health effects, whereas regular strenuous exercise increases the production of oxidants that may lead to DNA, skeletal, and cardiac muscle damages. Triathletes experience strenuous muscular activity both during competition and training, being at risk of developing these tissue damages. The objective of the present study was to estimate DNA, skeletal, and cardiac muscle damages using blood biomarkers, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), myoglobin, and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) among young triathletes.

Materials and Methods
Age-matched seven male and seven female triathletes were recruited for the study. They were on a standardized training regimen and on average competed in at least one endurance event every month for the past 3-4 years. Serum biomarkers were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the start and at end of the racing season.

Results
Both male and female triathletes showed a statistically significant increase in 8-OHdG. A similar pattern of increase was seen with serum myoglobin, which was not statistically significant in both male and female triathletes. cTnI levels did not show any change in both sexes.

Conclusion
Our study shows that there could be an increased evidence of DNA damage among triathletes. However, similar effects were not observed with skeletal and cardiac muscle biomarkers.


Bone marrow skeletal stem cells (SSCs) secrete many cytokines including stromal derived factor-1 or CXCL12, which influences cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. All CXCL12 splice variants are rapidly truncated on their N-terminus by dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4). This includes the common variant CXCL12 alpha (1-68) releasing a much less studied metabolite CXCL12(3-68). Here, we found that CXCL12(3-68) significantly inhibited SSC osteogenic differentiation and RAW-264.7 cell osteoclastogenic differentiation and induced a senescent phenotype in SSCs. Importantly, pre-incubation of SSCs with CXCL12(3-68) significantly diminished their ability to migrate toward CXCL12(1-68) in transwell migration assays. Using a high-throughput G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) screen (GPCRome) and bioluminescent resonance energy transfer molecular interaction assays, we revealed that CXCL12(3-68) acts via the atypical cytokine receptor 3-mediated β-arrestin recruitment and as a competitive antagonist to CXCR4-mediated signaling. Finally, a reverse phase protein array assay revealed that DPP4-cleaved CXCL12 possesses a different downstream signaling profile from that of intact CXCL12 or controls. The data presented herein provides insights into regulation of CXCL12 signaling. Importantly, it demonstrates that DPP4 proteolysis of CXCL12 generates a metabolite with significantly different and previously overlooked bioactivity that helps explain discrepancies in the literature. This also contributes to an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of osteoporosis and bone fracture repair and could potentially significantly affect the interpretation of experimental outcomes with clinical consequences in other fields where CXCL12 is vital, including cancer biology, immunology, cardiovascular biology, neurobiology, and associated pathologies.


In this paper, three different fertilizer draw solutions were tested in a novel forward osmosis-microfiltration aerobic membrane bioreactor (MF-FDFO-MBR) hybrid system and their performance were evaluated in terms of water flux and reverse salt diffusion. Results were also compared with a standard solution. Results showed that ammonium sulfate is the most suitable fertilizer for this hybrid system since it has a relatively high water flux (6.85 LMH) with a comparatively low reverse salt flux (3.02 gMH). The performance of the process was also studied by investigating different process parameters: draw solution concentration, FO draw solution flow rate and MF imposed flux. It was found that the optimal conditions for this hybrid system were: draw solution concentration of 1 M, FO draw solution flow rate of 200 mL/min and MF imposed flux of 10 LMH. The salt accumulation increased from 834 to 5400 μS/cm during the first four weeks but after integrating MF, the salinity dropped significantly from 5400 to 1100 μS/cm suggesting that MF is efficient in mitigating the salinity build up inside the reactor. This study demonstrated that the integration of the MF membrane could effectively control the salinity and enhance the stable FO flux in the OMBR.


To meet the global demand for wood the old forest management module of the IMAGE integrated assessment model (Bouwman et al. 2006) only applied clear felling. As a consequence in whole gird cells the forest was completely harvested. In reality, however, there many different ways to produce wood, ranging from selective logging to clear felling and forestry plantations. Each of these logging systems will have different effects on the area needed for wood production and impact on remaining forest and diversity patterns. The global biodiversity model GLOBIO (Alkemade et al. 2009), which is coupled to the IMAGE model, however, needs more precise information on area needed and differentiates in impact of different forest management types. In this report an overview is given of different forest management types (clear felling, selective felling, reduced impact logging and forest plantations) and the associated wood production and harvest losses on an area base in different climate zones (boreal, temperate and tropical). The data were collected form scientific and grey literature for a sample of 20 important wood producing countries across most world regions that are distinguished within the IMAGE model. Together these example countries covered 81.5% of the global industrial round wood production in 2005.


Members of the Duffy binding like erythrocyte binding-protein (DBL-EBP) family represent some of the merozoite proteins involved in invasion of the erythrocyte; they bind with high
affinity to glycophorins on the surface of erythrocytes. At present, five members of the DBLEBP family have been identified in the P. falciparum genome, based on gene structure and amino acid sequence homology. Several studies, on both field isolates and laboratory strains have examined the level of polymorphism in several members of the EBP family: EBA-175, EBA -140 and EBA -165 in region II and Duffy binding protein region II in P. falciparum and P. vivax respectively. EBA are prime malaria vaccine candidates and antigenic diversity within populations is one of the main factors limiting efficacy of any asexual -stage vaccine including one based on ebl-l. In this study DNA coding for ebl-l antigen was isolated in 53 isolates from Tiwi and Mbita which are malaria endemic regions in Kenya. Nested peR using published primer sequences (Genebank) was used to amplify the region one of ebl-lgene. The amplicons were purified and nucleotide sequences obtained. Neutrality test was applied to these sequences (Mbita D=0.06353, Tiwi D=0.00355 and Ka/Ks ratio of 0.14494 in Mbita, 0.18634 in Tiwi) which provided evidence of significant difference in selective pressure operating on the sequences of ebl-l domain from the two regions. This is consistent
with ebl-l being a target of protective immunity. Similarly a peculiar pattern of regional diversity (mean nucleotide diversity, 0.258 Tiwi and 0.287 Mbita) and particular substitutions (substitution of amino acid glutamine with stop codon in coding region) found were suggestive of strong constraints acting on evolution of ebl-l at the population level. The information yielded by this study has implication for the design and assessment of EBP based vaccines


We apply the theory of continuous time random walks (CTRWs) to study some aspects involving extreme events in financial time series. We focus our attention on the mean exit time (MET). We derive a general equation for this average and compare it with empirical results coming from high-frequency data of the U.S. dollar and Deutsche mark futures market. The empirical MET follows a quadratic law in the return length interval which is consistent with the CTRW formalism.


The growth in the area of two-dimensional (2D) crystals offers renewed opportunities for efficient, ultrathin excitonic solar cells (XSCs) beyond those three-dimensional traditional materials. Here, based on first principles, we propose a family of achievable 2D tetragonal-structured titanium nitride halides (TiNX, X = F, Cl, Br) as donor and acceptor materials for XSCs in virtue of their desirable optoelectronic properties, such as a direct bandgap with moderate size, superior optical absorption, ultrahigh photoresponsivity together with very small effective masses and exciton binding energy. More importantly, we find that they can be easily superimposed onto each other to form effective solar cell systems with the type-II heterojunction alignment. We predict that the maximum energy conversion of the designed TiNF/TiNBr, TiNCl/TiNBr and TiNF/TiNCl bilayer solar cells can reach as high as ∼18%, 19% and 22%, respectively, which are far superior to those of typical conjugated polymer or fabricated 2D solar cell systems. Our work suggests these potential bilayer systems are appealing 2D solar cell materials with high efficiency.


Laser first came into light in 1960 and has been used extensively in various fields of dentistry. Lasers are widely used for a numerous procedures such as de-epithelization, pocket disinfection, frenectomy, scaling and root planing, and surgical procedures such as excision of soft-tissue growths. Improved healing, hemostasis, and sutureless excisions are some of the many advantages of laser over conventional treatment modalities. It is because of these advantages that laser is becoming more and more popular as a treatment option in various aspects of dentistry. We hereby present a case report, where we have used soft-tissue diode laser for surgical management of a fibroepithelial hyperplasia with reactive bone formation, because of its many advantages over conventional methods. Fibroepithelial hyperplasia is most commonly seen at the site of trauma in mouth or in other areas of the body. This polyp is usually not harmful and does not grow in size. However, at times, these tags may need to be surgically excised for esthetic and functional purposes or for the fear of malignancy.


In industrial practice the material laser cutting is extensively used for rather accurate and high-quality cutting of both metal and non-metal materials. The objective of the submitted paper is to point out direct relation between influence of cutting speed and surface character of material cut by laser. Cutting speed ranks among the most significant technological parameters in laser cutting and represents important parameter for the productivity of production process. The results of experimental measurements can be applied in practice.


: Gas chromatography of total lipids from blood serum exhibits about 40% error in diagnosis of liver functional insufficiency. Combination of gas chromatography with quantitative thin-layer chromatography and subsequent gas chromatographic analysis of the lipid fractions obtained enabled to increase by 25% the efficiency of diagnoses not only of icteric but also of non-icteric forms of liver functional insufficiency. Simultaneous gas- thin-layer chromatographic analysis of total lipids will apparently improve the differential diagnosis of diseases accompanied by liver functional insufficiency; it permits also to study pathogenesis of impairments in lipid metabolism under conditions of liver functional insufficiency and of other pathologies.


The Kronecker limit formula for a positive definite binary quadratic form or the Dedekind zeta-function of an imaginary quadratic field is quite well-known and there exists an enormous amount of literature pertaining to its proof and applications. Here we give a different kind of proof depending on the hypergeometric transform. The idea goes back to Koshilyakov and we adopted it in this note to give a new derivation of the formula. Here the connection formula for the hypergeometric function plays an essential role.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how speech naturalness relates to masculinity–femininity and gender identification (accuracy and reaction time) for cisgender male and female speakers as well as transmasculine and transfeminine speakers.Method: Stimuli included spontaneous speech samples from 20 speakers who are transgender (10 transmasculine and 10 transfeminine) and 20 speakers who are cisgender (10 male and 10 female). Fifty-two listeners completed three tasks: a two-alternative forced-choice gender identification task, a speech naturalness rating task, and a masculinity/femininity rating task.Results: Transfeminine and transmasculine speakers were rated as significantly less natural sounding than cisgender speakers. Speakers rated as less natural took longer to identify and were identified less accurately in the gender identification task; furthermore, they were rated as less prototypically masculine/feminine.Conclusions: Perceptual speech naturalness for both transfeminine and transmasculine speakers is strongly associated with gender cues in spontaneous speech. Training to align a speaker's voice with their gender identity may concurrently improve perceptual speech naturalness.Supplemental Material S1. Speaker utterances, mean gender ratings, and media sources for the stimuli.Supplemental Material S2. Minimum, maximum, and average speech sample durations in seconds from each of the four speaker groups.Merritt, B., & Bent, T. (2020). Perceptual evaluation of speech naturalness in speakers of varying gender identities. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00337


Considering prostate adenocarcinoma, the cancer of higher incidence in men, having as treatment of choice the prostatectomy, and the high prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and erectile dysfunction (ED) after the surgery, the physiotherapy becomes an eligible treatment for such alterations. The rehabilitation of postprostatectomy effort urinary incontinence is considered a recommendation grade B. Erectile dysfunction has as its first line of treatment penile vacuum therapy. Pelvic health physical therapy has as its main tool the rehabilitation of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM), which can be assisted by biofeedback and electrotherapy. The training of these muscles accelerates the recovery process of post-prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence and has greater therapeutic relevance when the physiotherapeutic treatment is initiated in the pre-surgical period. Post-micturition dribble is also treated by training the pelvic floor muscles. Urinary urgency, associated or not with incontinence, can be treated with electrotherapy, which is considered second or third line of treatment. Erectile rehabilitation has two physical resources of treatment, physical therapy, one through the vacuum and the other of the shock wave. Both penile vacuum therapy and shock wave therapy are considered the first line of treatment in the approach to erectile dysfunction.


This thesis concerns the theoretical investigation of interference phenomena related to elastic and inelastic scattering of quantized light. The presented work is naturally divided into two parts, the first is concerning elastic scattering while the second explores inelastic scattering. In the first part we use a scattering-matrix formalism combined with results from random-matrix theory to investigate the interference of quantum optical states on a multiple scattering medium. We investigate a single realization of a scattering medium thereby showing that it is possible to create entangled states by interference of squeezed beams. Mixing photon states on the single realization also shows that quantum interference naturally arises by interfering quantum states. We further investigate the ensemble averaged transmission properties of the quantized light and see that the induced quantum interference survives even after disorder averaging. The quantum interference manifests itself through increased photon correlations. Furthermore, the theoretical description of a measurement procedure is presented. In this work we relate the noise power spectrum of the total transmitted or reflected light to the photon correlations after ensemble averaging. This analysis enables us to describe an experimental observation of the quantum nature of light that survives the averaging over disorder. In the second part we investigate inelastic scattering. This we do by first treating the scattering of light on dipoles embedded in an arbitrary dielectric environment. By considering the two different models for dipole interaction known as the minimal-coupling and electric-dipole interaction Hamiltonians, we find exact relations between the electric field and the dipole operators in the Heisenberg picture, while keeping the model of the dipoles arbitrary. Due to the exact treatment of the electric-field operators, we obtain kernels known from classical scattering theory to describe the propagation of the field from the dipoles. Using the found electric field operators we derive the Heisenberg equations of motion for the dipoles while treating them as quantum two-level systems and using the Born–Markov and rotating-wave approximations. Postponing the rotating-wave approximation to the very end of the formal calculations allows us to identify the different physical parameters of the dipole evolution in terms of physical quantities known from optics. Finally, we use our Heisenberg picture formalism to treat a dilute cloud of two-level atoms, by simplifying the equations of motion using a single-scattering approximation for the interaction between the atoms. This


Studies have shown that there is a disparity between males and females in south-east Asia with regard to oral cancer morbidity. A previous study found that oral cancer tissue showed loss of heterozygosity of the X-linked lncRNA XIST gene. We suggest that XIST may play an important role in oral cancer morbidity when associated with sex. Saliva contains proteins and RNAs that are potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases. This study investigated salivary XIST expression and the correlation to clinical–pathological data among oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. Salivary XIST expression was only observed in females, and a high proportion of females with OSCC lack salivary lncRNA XIST expression (88%). The expression showed no correlation with alcohol consumption, betel quid chewing, or cigarette smoking habits. People lacking salivary lncRNA XIST expression had a significantly increased odds ratio of suffering from OSCC (OR = 19.556, p < 0.001), particularly females (OR = 33.733, p < 0.001). The ROC curve showed that salivary lncRNA XIST expression has acceptable discrimination accuracy to predict the risk of OSCC (AUC = 0.73, p < 0.01). Lack of salivary lncRNA XIST expression was associated with an increased risk of OSCC. We provided an insight into the role of salivary lncRNA XIST as a biomarker to predict the morbidity of OSCC.


In an era of proliferating multidrug resistant bacterial infections that are exhausting the capacity of existing chemical antibiotics and in which the development of new antibiotics is significantly rarer, Western medicine must seek additional therapeutic options that can be employed to treat these infections. Among the potential antibacterial solutions are bacteriophage therapeutics, which possess very different properties from broad spectrum antibiotics that are currently the standard of care, and which can be used in combination with them and often provide synergies. In this review we summarize the state of the development of bacteriophage therapeutics and discuss potential paths to the implementation of phage therapies in contemporary medicine, focused on fixed phage cocktail therapeutics since these are likely to be the first bacteriophage products licensed for broad use in Western countries.


New polymers were prepared from a monomer (5-vinyl-1H-tetrazole), which was prepared from acrylonitrile with sodium azide in the presence of ZnCl2.Another monomer (Methyl acrylate) was also used. Co-monomers were polymerized usingBPO as initiator. The second step was the preparation of copoly acid hydrazide from the reaction of compound2 with hydrazine hydrate, followed by the reaction with carbon disulphide in the presence of KOH to obtain copoly (5-subs.-2-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole). Next,compound4 was reacted with chloroacetyl chloride to yield compound4 5 which was reacted with (hydrazine hydrate , phenyl hydrazine and 2,4-di nitro phenyl hydrazine) as shown in scheme(1). Physical properties of all the prepared copolymers were characterized by FT-IR and, in certain cases,by1HNMR spectroscopy.


The Drosophila antennal lobe (AL) has become an excellent model for studying early olfactory processing mechanisms. Local interneurons (LNs) connect a large number of glomeruli and are ideally positioned to increase computational capabilities of odor information processing in the AL. Although the neural circuit of the Drosophila AL has been intensively studied at both the input and the output level, the internal circuit is not yet well understood. An unambiguous characterization of LNs is essential to remedy this lack of knowledge. We used whole cell patch-clamp recordings and characterized four classes of LNs in detail using electrophysiological and morphological properties at the single neuron level. Each class of LN displayed unique characteristics in intrinsic electrophysiological properties, showing differences in firing patterns, degree of spike adaptation, and amplitude of spike afterhyperpolarization. Notably, one class of LNs had characteristic burst firing properties, whereas the others were tonically active. Morphologically, neurons from three classes innervated almost all glomeruli, while LNs from one class innervated a specific subpopulation of glomeruli. Three-dimensional reconstruction analyses revealed general characteristics of LN morphology and further differences in dendritic density and distribution within specific glomeruli between the different classes of LNs. Additionally, we found that LNs labeled by a specific enhancer trap line (GAL4-Krasavietz), which had previously been reported as cholinergic LNs, were mostly GABAergic. The current study provides a systematic characterization of olfactory LNs in Drosophila and demonstrates that a variety of inhibitory LNs, characterized by class-specific electrophysiological and morphological properties, construct the neural circuit of the AL.


Text-Based Information Retrieval (IR) is a field where the search in a large document is a basic concept. Concise queries are very fundamentals process in order to satisfy user's need for information. One of the basic fundamental techniques in IR to implement queries is Hashing. Different types of hashing algorithms are used in IR. This paper discussed about guidelines for users who are implementing Hash join algorithm variations in their IR applications. Algorithms are varied based on its techniques involved in join operations. Three different variations of hash join algorithm, namely, XJoin algorithm, Hash Merge Join (HMJ) algorithm, and Early Hash Join (EHJ) algorithm are studied experimentally. Analysis on the results obtained is given. A user guideline based on three factors: overall execution time, response time and input/output operations performed are presented.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. OBJECTIVES: Although there is a substantial published experience of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during the H1N1 pandemic, less is known about the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with other subtypes of the influenza A virus. We hypothesized that the severity of illness and survival of patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation would differ for those with H1N1 influenza A compared with other subtypes of influenza A. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS: Retrospective study of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation–supported adults (> 18 yr) with influenza A viral infection reported to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry between 2009 and 2019. We describe the frequency and compare characteristics and factors associated with in-hospital survival using a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Of 2,461 patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for influenza A, 445 had H1N1, and 2,004 had other subtypes of influenza A. H1N1 was the predominant subtype between 2009 and 2011. H1N1 patients were younger, with more severe illness at extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation and higher reported extracorporeal membrane oxygenation complications than those with other influenza A subtypes. Patient characteristics including younger age and higher weight and patient management characteristics including longer ventilation duration before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were associated with worse survival. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation complications were associated with reduced survival. There was no difference in survival to hospital discharge according to influenza subtype after adjusting for other characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for H1N1 were younger, with more severe illness than those supported for other influenza A subtypes. Survival to hospital discharge was associated with patient characteristics, management characteristics, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation complications but was not impacted by the specific influenza A subtype.


A number of challenges exist for genetically modified (GM) crop development at the production level. Contract strategies can resolve some of these challenges. Contracts can be designed to induce legal adoption of GM crops by varying technology fees, violation detection, and penalties. The objective of this research is to analyze contracting strategies to determine terms to induce legal adoption of GM wheat and to minimize technology agreement violations. A simulation model of the prospective introduction of GM technology into hard red spring wheat was developed. Results illustrate that contracts can be designed to induce desired behavior. Technology fees, probability of detection, and the level of non-GM premium were the most notable factors influencing adoption decisions.


Background
For the period 2009 to 2011, NHS Calderdale, in partnership with Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, was awarded
£2 million for 'Healthy Halifax' as part of the UK government's Healthy Towns Programme. The overall aim of 'Healthy
Halifax' was to target initiatives on facilitating healthier lifestyles in local populations living in four Calderdale wards with
the greatest health inequalities and poorest health outcomes. As part of understanding 'what works' and how best to meet
the health needs of these target populations, a lifestyle survey was undertaken across the four wards.
Method
The Healthy Halifax lifestyle survey was designed and distributed based on the most up-to-date evidence-based
recommendations, and sought to elicit population data on health-related attitudes and behaviours, physical activity, diet,
alcohol consumption, smoking, and perceptions of community. Demographic and anthropometric information was also
collected.
Surveys were distributed in two phases, March to May 2011 and October to November 2011. A random sample of
postcodes from the target wards was generated using a Royal Mail address database, and survey booklets were distributed
to all domestic addresses within each randomly selected postcode. The main method of survey distribution was
door-to-door, either conducted by a bilingual member of the community to overcome language and/or literacy barriers,
or by a trained interviewer familiar with the local area.
The target response rate was 250 completed surveys per ward, and following completion of Phase 1, under-represented
groups based on gender, ethnicity and age (working age or retired) were identified by comparison of respondents with ward
profile proportions, and a target quota sample was calculated. In Phase 2, target respondents were identified on-street or
door-to-door by a market research team, and the surveys were completed using face-to-face
Interview methods.
Results
The Healthy Halifax lifestyle survey sample (n=1339) was found to be representative of the target wards when compared
with ward profile demographics. This resulted in an accurate and rich source of health data collected from traditionally
under-represented, hard to reach groups. Findings suggest that poor health behaviours constitute predominant social
norms within these wards, but differences in health behaviours were observed both within and between the target wards,
indicating that generalised area interventions informed by local and national policy may not be accurate (and therefore not
effective) as they do not reflect the complexities of individual populations. However, findings also suggest that there is clear
potential to invest and build on existing community assets in order to increase social capital and create more sustainable
changes in order to reduce health inequalities.
Conclusions
Findings from the Healthy Halifax lifestyle survey appear to recommend a bottom-up community development approach
alongside a top-down commissioner approach to target resources where they are most needed. More detailed,
longitudinal research and evaluation within target populations is needed in order to increase knowledge of health
behaviours and attitudes in such communities and measure changes over time.


Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plastic softener used in polyvinylchloride (PVC) products (e.g., plastic bags and medical equipment), has been reported to have toxic effects on animal reproduction and is considered an environmental hazard based, mostly, on rodent studies. However, the doses used in these studies are often considerably higher than that presumed in human exposure. In the present study we used young boars as model animals to assess the effects of pre-pubertal DEHP exposure on the ability of spermatozoa to penetrate homologous oocytes in vitro. Eight pairs of cross-bred male boar siblings were used. One brother in each pair became, at random, the test animal exposed to DEHP per os, three times a week, from 3 to 7 weeks of age while the other acted as the control, i.e., placebo-exposed. Semen was collected and frozen between 8 and 9 months of age and stored until spermatozoa were evaluated for their ability to in vitro penetrate in vitro-matured homologous oocytes post-thaw. Both the penetration rate and the number of spermatozoa per oocyte were considered within expected ranges for frozen boar semen of good quality. Penetration rate did not significantly differ (p > 0.05) between the groups with DEHP-exposed: 50%; control: 59%, which could be owing to a large variation between boars, and between replicates. The number of spermatozoa in the ooplasm was low and similar (p > 0.05) between the groups with DEHP-exposed: 1.5 and the control: 1.7. Under the conditions of the present experiment, pre-pubertal exposure to DEHP does not seem to cause a deleterious effect on the in vitro fertilizing ability of frozen spermatozoa post-puberty.


Community disaster education, communication and engagement (ECE) is an integral component of emergency management in Australia and around the world. Its main goal is to promote public safety and, to a lesser extent, reduce damages. However, many governments around the world, including Australia, aim to also build community disaster resilience, with learning viewed as a critical mechanism. There is therefore a need to examine current community disaster ECE practices with a view to aligning them to the broader goal of disaster resilience. To attempt this, an exploratory research methodology was utilised to examine possible education content and processes that could be used by emergency agencies and other organisations to design plans, programs and activities that build disaster resilience in local communities. The research found that disaster resilience ECE content should not only cover preparedness and response aspects, but also learning about speedy and effective recovery for people, organisations (e.g. businesses) and communities. It found that disaster resilience ECE should also involve learning about the community itself, including how to reduce vulnerabilities and connect communities through social capital formation. As a result of the research, opportunities for disaster resilience ECE were identified in the main learning domains: behavioural, cognitive, affective and social. The findings demonstrated that many current disaster ECE programs are only using limited parts of this learning 'spectrum', although this would be significantly increased by further embracing social media as a disaster resilience learning medium. The research also identified a framework to design disaster resilience ECE programs that can be used for any community. The framework includes guiding principles, 'palettes' from which to choose appropriate learning content and processes, and a series of 'filters' to tailor the programs to specific disaster-impacted communities.


The outcome of the three main objectives of the exploratory CFD research on a Coriolis mass flowmeter is described briefly here. The first goal was to generate a FSI model representing a U-shaped flowmeter and try to
validate the accuracy of this model by comparing the numerical results with the available literature. A FSI model of the U-shaped flowmeter was made in Ansys. It turned out that two different U-shaped geometries were used in the available literature. For one geometry
the first natural frequency was provided, for the other geometry the phase difference as function of the mass flow was provided. The small difference in geometry was only noticed during the last week of the internship, because then I searched for the cause why there
was still a difference in the phase difference as function of the mass flow that resulted from
Ansys, compared to the phase difference as function of the mass flow stated in the literature. A new FSI model of the U-shaped flowmeter was then quickly made in Ansys and two "final simulations", with refined settings, were executed during the final days of my internship
period. It was expected that due to this improvement the existing deviation in the phase difference as function of the mass flow would become much less, but this turned out to be not the case. The results from the two "final simulations" in Ansys resulted in a phase
difference as function of the mass flow that is 21% higher than stated in the literature. The
conclusion is thus that the calculated phase difference is very inaccurate. Many possible causes of this deviation are mentioned in this report. Further investigation has to be done to find the root cause.
The second goal was to find out what the best way is to setup a FSI model and how the acquired data can be processed efficiently and accurately. This has been investigated. The best way to setup a FSI model in Ansys can be read in the report, because it is not possible
to summarize all steps here. To retrieve the phase difference out of the sensor data that follows from Ansys, it was determined that the best way to do this is with the use the Fast Fourier Transform in Matlab. The table with displacement results at the sensor positions
from Ansys has to be copied into an Excel file. This Excel file is then loaded into Matlab. To use the Fast Fourier Transform correctly in Matlab, the time range with displacement data should contain exactly an integer amount of oscillations. The timestep in Ansys is often a
nice rounded number like 0.0001s, 0.0002s, 0.00025s or 0.0005s. So when this timestep is known, the applied frequency at the actuator position should then be chosen in such a way that the selected time range, which will be used for analysis in Matlab, consist out of an integer amount of timesteps and also an integer amount of oscillation periods. The startup effect of a simulation should also be outside this timerange. If all this is not the case, then the Fast Fourier Transform in Matlab will give inaccurate results. The applied frequency
in Ansys will thus probably always differ from the actual natural frequency, because a nice rounded frequency (often a frequency that can precisely be divided by a number like 2, 3, or 5) has to be chosen. The current requirement to use a nice rounded frequency can probably
be eliminated when the Matlab script is improved, because actual flow meters are also able measure the phase difference when the flow meter oscillates in a natural frequency that is not precisely a nice rounded frequency. So it has to be investigated how this also can be
realized with Matlab.

The third goal was to generate a FSI model representing a flowmeter of DEMCON and investigate the applicability of FSI analysis on this large and complex geometry. A FSI model of the "Bronkhorst geometry" was made in Ansys. A transient simulation of this model was started when I left Demcon at the end of my internship period. The estimation was that the complete transient solution of the Ansys Bronkhorst model would be available after a
couple of weeks. However, the simulation crashed before the simulation was completed due to removal of my personal account at Demcon. The solution is only available for the first 0.05 sec, which is the part that contains a startup effect. Therefore no phase difference as function of the mass flow could be determined based on this short time range. However, based upon the time that it took to solve the first 0.05 sec, an estimation could be done about how long a simulation of 0.3 sec would take. 0.3 sec is probably the total solution time that is needed in order to have a time range with a length of 0.1 sec up to 0.2 sec, that doesn't contain the startup effect. This time range is then used in Matlab to retrieve the phase difference. The run of the Bronkhorst model is based on a relatively coarse mesh, a
laminar model, a timestep of dt = 0.0005s and a RMS value of 0.01. Solving the first 0.05 sec took 57 hours on 6 CPU. A solution time of 0.3 sec for the Bronkhorst geometry would thus mean a solution time of 2 weeks on 6 CPU. The solution will probably not be converged
with these settings. So a simulation with a much stricter RMS convergence value would take even longer, for example a month on 6 CPU. Running a simulation with a turbulence
model, thus therefore also a coarser mesh, would then take probably multiple months on 6 CPU. As mentioned in discussing the first goal of this internship, the calculated phase difference as function of the mass flow for the relatively simple U-shape model turned out
to be very inaccurate. As long as Ansys isn't able to provide accurate results for this simple U-shape model, then it has no use to do lengthy simulations in Ansys with the large model of the "Bronkhorst geometry".


Based on intraday data for a large cross-section of individual stocks and exchange traded funds, we show that short-term as well as long-term fluctuations of realized market and average idiosyncratic higher moments risks are priced in the cross-section of asset returns. Specifically, we find that market and average idiosyncratic volatility and kurtosis are significantly priced by investors mainly in the long-run even if controlled by market moments and other factors, while skewness is mostly short-run phenomenon. A conditional pricing model capturing the time-variation of moments confirms downward-sloping term structure of skewness risk and upward-sloping term structure of kurtosis risk, moreover the term structures connected to market skewness risk and average idiosyncratic skewness risk exhibit different dymanics.


Different from the traditional classification tasks which assume mutual exclusion of labels, hierarchical multi-label classification (HMLC) aims to assign multiple labels to every instance with the labels organized under hierarchical relations. Besides the labels, since linguistic ontologies are intrinsic hierarchies, the conceptual relations between words can also form hierarchical structures. Thus it can be a challenge to learn mappings from word hierarchies to label hierarchies. We propose to model the word and label hierarchies by embedding them jointly in the hyperbolic space. The main reason is that the tree-likeness of the hyperbolic space matches the complexity of symbolic data with hierarchical structures. A new Hyperbolic Interaction Model (HyperIM) is designed to learn the label-aware document representations and make predictions for HMLC. Extensive experiments are conducted on three benchmark datasets. The results have demonstrated that the new model can realistically capture the complex data structures and further improve the performance for HMLC comparing with the state-of-the-art methods. To facilitate future research, our code is publicly available.


Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe psychiatric disorder linked to abnormalities in the cortico-striatal circuit and in glutamate signaling. We sequenced coding and regulatory elements for 608 genes implicated in OCD from humans and two animal models (mouse and dog). Using a new method, PolyStrat, which prioritizes variants disrupting evolutionarily conserved, functional regions, we found four strongly associated genes when comparing 592 cases to 560 controls. These results were validated in a second, larger cohort. NRXN1 and HTR2A are enriched for coding variants altering postsynaptic protein-binding domains, while CTTNBP2 (synapse maintenance) and REEP3 (vesicle trafficking) are enriched for regulatory variants. The rare coding variant burden in NRXN1 achieves genomewide significance (p=6.37×10−11) when we include public data for 33,370 controls. Of 17 regulatory variants identified in CTTNBP2 and REEP3, we show that at least six alter transcription factor-DNA binding in human neuroblastoma cells. Our findings suggest synaptic adhesion as a key function in compulsive behaviors across three species, and demonstrate how combining targeted sequencing with functional annotations can identify potentially causative variants in both coding and noncoding regions, even when genomic data is limited.


The study evaluated sources of within- and between-subject variability in standard white-on-white (W-W) perimetry and short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP). The Influence of staircase strategy on the fatigue effect in W-W perimetry was investigated for a 4 dB single step, single reversal strategy; a variable step size, single reversal dynamic strategy; and the standard 4-2 dB double reversal strategy. The fatigue effect increased as the duration of the examination Increased and was greatest in the second eye for all strategies. The fatigue effect was lowest for the 4dB strategy, which exhibited the shortest examination time and was greatest for the 4-2 dB strategy, which exhibited the longest examination time. Staircase efficiency was lowest for the 4 dB strategy and highest for the dynamic strategy which thus offers a reduced examination time and low inter-subject variability. The normal between-subject variability of SWAP was determined for the standard 4-2 dB double reversal strategy and the 3 dB single reversal FASTPAC strategy and compared to that of W-W perimetry, The decrease in sensitivity with Increase in age was greatest for SWAP. The between-subject variability of SWAP was greater than W-W perimetry. Correction for the Influence of ocular media absorption reduced the between-subject variability of SWAP, The FASTPAC strategy yielded the lowest between-subject variability In SWAP, but the greatest between-subject variability In WoW perimetry. The greater between-subject variability of SWAP has profound Implications for the delineation of visual field abnormality, The fatigue effect for the Full Threshold strategy in SWAP was evaluated with conventional opaque, and translucent occlusion of the fellow eye. SWAP exhibited a greater fatigue effect than W-W perimetry. Translucent occlusion reduced the between-subject variability of W-W perimetry but Increased the between-subject variability of SWAP. The elevation of sensitivity was greater with translucent occlusion which has implications for the statistical analysis of W-W perimetry and SWAP. The influence of age-related cataract extraction and IOL implantation upon the visual field derived by WoW perimetry and SWAP was determined. Cataract yielded a general reduction In sensitivity which was preferentially greater in SWAP, even after the correction of SWAP for the attenuation of the stimulus by the ocular media. There was no correlation between either backward or forward light scatter and the magnitude of the attenuation of W-W or SWAP sensitivity. The post-operative mean deviation in SWAP was positive and has ramifications for the statistical Interpretation of SWAP. Short-wavelength-sensitive pathway isolation was assessed as a function of stimulus eccentricity using the two-colour Increment threshold method. At least 15 dB of SWS pathway Isolation was achieved for 440 nm, 450 nm and 460 nm stimuli at a background luminance of 100 cdm-2, There was a slight decrease In SWS pathway Isolation for all stimulus wavelengths with increasing eccentricity which was not of clinical significance. Adopting a 450 nm stimulus may reduce between-subject variability In SWAP due to a reduction In ocular media absorption and macular pigment absorption.


In the past decade, several dedicated tools have been developed to help natural resources professionals integrate climate science into their planning and implementation; however, it is unclear how often these tools lead to on-the-ground climate adaptation. Here, we describe a training approach that we developed to help managers effectively plan to execute intentional, climate-informed actions. This training approach was developed through the Climate Change Response Framework (CCRF) and uses active and focused work time and peer-to-peer interaction to overcome observed barriers to using adaptation planning tools. We evaluate the effectiveness of this approach by examining participant evaluations and outlining the progress of natural resources projects that have participated in our trainings. We outline a case study that describes how this training approach can lead to place and context-based climate-informed action. Finally, we describe best practices based on our experience for engaging natural resources professionals and helping them increase their comfort with climate-informed planning.


Background The main German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) have implemented digital contact tracing apps to assist the authorities with COVID-19 containment strategies. Low user rates for these apps can affect contact tracing and, thus, its usefulness in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus. Objective This study aimed to assess the early perceptions of people living in the German-speaking countries and compare them with the frames portrayed in the newspapers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted qualitative interviews with 159 participants of the SolPan project. Of those, 110 participants discussed contact tracing apps and were included in this study. We analyzed articles regarding contact tracing apps from 12 newspapers in the German-speaking countries. Results Study participants perceived and newspaper coverage in all German-speaking countries framed contact tracing apps as governmental surveillance tools and embedded them in a broader context of technological surveillance. Participants identified trust in authorities, respect of individual privacy, voluntariness, and temporary use of contact tracing apps as prerequisites for democratic compatibility. Newspapers commonly referenced the use of such apps in Asian countries, emphasizing the differences in privacy regulation among these countries. Conclusions The uptake of digital contact tracing apps in German-speaking countries may be undermined due to privacy risks that are not compensated by potential benefits and are rooted in a deeper skepticism towards digital tools. When authorities plan to implement new digital tools and practices in the future, they should be very transparent and proactive in communicating their objectives and the role of the technology—and how it differs from other, possibly similar, tools. It is also important to publicly address ethical, legal, and social issues related to such technologies prior to their launch.


One hundred and forty randomly selected liver transplant recipients were studied before and after primary orthotopic liver transplantation for the presence or absence of CMV enteritis. Following OLTx, 65 patients were treated with cyclosporine A and 75 were treated with FK506. The two groups were similar with regard to the incidence, location, and outcome of their upper gastrointestinal CMV infection. Prior to OLTx, only one patient had evidence of enteric CMV infection. The incidence of CMV enteritis post-OLTx was 27.7% in the CsA-treated group and 20% in the FK-treated group. During the first posttransplant month, no patient in the FK-treated group developed CMV enteritis, compared with 11.5% of the patients who were treated with CsA (P less than 0.05). Gastric CMV was found in over 80% of those positive for any organ in either group. In addition to CMV infection of the upper gastrointestinal tract, clinically evident CMV disease involved more nonenteric organs in the CsA-treated group than in the FK-treated group. In the CsA-treated group, CMV-negative patients had a statistically higher 1-year survival rate (100%) than CMV-positive patients (77.8%) (P less than 0.05). In the FK-treated group, no difference in survival was observed between CMV-positive or CMV-negative cases at 1 year. Of the patients on CsA, 20% received OKT3 for persistent rejection, as compared with 13% in the FK-treated group. The patients receiving both CsA and OKT3 had a higher rate of upper gastrointestinal CMV infection than did FK-treated patients who also received OKT3 therapy (38.5% versus 20%, respectively). Based upon these data, it can be concluded that (1) patients receiving FK have a lower incidence of enteric CMV infection; (2) following OLTx, upper gastrointestinal CMV infection presents later in FK-treated patients; (3) the stomach is the most frequently involved organ in the UGIT; (4) FK-treated liver recipients have less severe enteric CMV infection than do CsA-treated patients; (5) enteric CMV is not a major cause of mortality in liver transplant recipients; and (6) in patients receiving FK, those who require OKT3 therapy do not appear to be at a greater risk for the development of CMV enteritis than those who do not.


High-strain-rate superplasticity (HSRS) can be attained in tetragonal ZrO2-30vol% MgAl2O4 spinel composite. In order to examine the flow behavior of the two-phase composite, the standard rule of the mixture model was employed. The strain rate of the composite can be explained by the isostrain model that is predicted from the data set of Al2O3 doped ZrO2 and spinel polycrystals. For the isostrain model, since the strain and strain rate are the same for ZrO2 and spinel phases, the harder ZrO2 phase carries more of the stress in the composite. In order to preserve homogeneous deformation and material continuity, a concomitant accommodation process within the harder ZrO2 grains is also necessary. For HSRS in the ZrO2-spinel composite, therefore, the rate of deformation may be controlled by the slower dislocation recovery process limited by the lattice diffusion within harder ZrO2 grains rather than within spinel grains.


ABSTRACT Introduction: The endocannabinoid system is an important regulator of various physiological processes. Preclinical and clinical studies indicate that attenuation of the endocannabinoid system via antagonism of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1) is an excellent strategy to treat obesity, metabolic syndrome and associated disorders. However, centrally acting antagonists of CB1 also produce adverse effects like depression and anxiety. Current efforts are geared towards discovery and optimization of antagonists and modulators of CB1 that have limited brain penetration. Areas covered: Several recent publications and patent applications support the development of peripherally acting CB1 receptor antagonists and modulators. In this review, recent patents and applications (2015–2018) are summarized and discussed. Expert opinion: Approximately 30 new inventions have been reported since 2015, along with 3 recent commercial deals, highlighting the importance of this class of therapeutics. Taken together, peripherally acting CB1 receptor antagonists and modulators are an emerging class of drugs for metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other important disorders where this receptor has been implicated.


Looking at Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf and Elizabeth Bowen, this thesis examines the ways in which the everyday 'things' of their modernist short fiction reflect the aesthetics of their creators. Looking specifically at Mansfield and snack food, Woolf and armchairs and Elizabeth Bowen and hats and gloves, it explores the ways in which each type of object models a particular way of reading. Pitched against conceptions of the novel as the most apt literary vehicle for ideas and modernism as a highfalutin and inaccessible enterprise, it argues that the modernist short story is a philosophical form which encourages revelatory reading in quotidian contexts. Through examination of the intrinsic interrelation between stories and everyday objects, each fitting ergonomically around the other in terms of their production, consumption and contents, this thesis calls for a reappraisal of the importance of the short fiction genre to the development of modernist aesthetics. It conceives of Katherine Mansfield's short fiction as a type of literary snack: accessible, quickly consumed and working against restrictive traditions. Examining moments of snacking in Mansfield's short fiction via Walter Benjamin's conception of Jetztzeit (from 'Theses on the Philosophy of History', 1940) – time that is poised, abundant and filled with potential revolutionary energy – it argues that snacks and stories allow access to the insight enabled by the 'presence of the now'. Next, it goes on to consider how the armchair functions in Woolf's stories as both noun and adjective; a space for reading stories and the wider world, which also encourages a democratising, amateur perspective. Employing Martin Heidegger's concept of phenomenology as necessitated by a questioning mode of being (as set out in Being and Time, 1927), it suggests both the armchair and story as routes to authentic being. Finally, it examines Bowen's short fiction, exploring peripheral detail as epitomised by hats and gloves as philosophical expression of her emphasis on the eccentric. Using Jacques Derrida's notion of the parergon from The Truth in Painting (1987) as a framework for examining Bowen's aesthetics, it establishes accessory detail in her stories as a rich and anarchic site of meaning which encourages eccentric and creative reading practices. This thesis argues that in modelling ways of reading, these modernist stories also recommend ways of being.


The recognition of the role of Kingella kingae as one of the main etiologic agents of skeletal system infections in young children and the recent discovery of the novel Kingella negevensis species have resulted in an increasing interest in these two emerging pediatric pathogens. Both bacteria colonize the oropharynx and are not detected in nasopharyngeal specimens, and the colonized mucosal surface is their portal of entry to the bloodstream. ABSTRACT The recognition of the role of Kingella kingae as one of the main etiologic agents of skeletal system infections in young children and the recent discovery of the novel Kingella negevensis species have resulted in an increasing interest in these two emerging pediatric pathogens. Both bacteria colonize the oropharynx and are not detected in nasopharyngeal specimens, and the colonized mucosal surface is their portal of entry to the bloodstream. Although species-specific nucleic acid amplification assays have significantly improved the detection of kingellae and facilitated patients' management, the increasing use of this diagnostic approach has the potential drawback of neglecting culture recovery of these organisms. The isolation of Kingella species enables the thorough genotyping of strains for epidemiological purposes, the study of the dynamics of asymptomatic colonization and person-to-person transmission, the investigation of the pathogenesis of invasive infections, and the determination of antibiotic susceptibility patterns. The culture isolation of pharyngeal strains and their comparison with isolates derived from normally sterile body sites may also aid in identifying virulence factors involved in the transition from colonization to invasive disease which could represent potential targets for a future protective vaccine. The two species are notoriously fastidious, and their isolation from upper respiratory tract specimens requires a short transport time, plating on selective vancomycin-containing blood-agar medium, and incubation under capnophilic and aerobic conditions. The identification of K. kingae and K. negevensis can be performed by a combination of the typical Gram stain and biochemical tests and confirmed and differentiated by molecular assays that target the groEL and mdh genes.


We present a set of integer programs (IPs) for the Steiner tree problem with the property that the best solution obtained by solving all IPs provides an optimal Steiner tree. Each IP is polynomial in the size of the underlying graph and our main result is that the linear programming (LP) relaxation of each IP is integral so that it can be solved as a linear program. However, the number of IPs grows exponentially with the number of terminals in the Steiner tree. As a consequence, we are able to solve the Steiner tree problem by solving a polynomial number of LPs, when the number of terminals is fixed.


Recent development of novel methods based on deep neural networks has transformed how high-content microscopy cellular images are analyzed. Nonetheless, it is still a challenge to identify cellular phenotypic changes caused by chemical or genetic treatments and to elucidate the relationships among treatments in an unsupervised manner, due to the large data volume, high phenotypic complexity and the presence of a priori unknown phenotypes. Here we benchmarked five deep neural network methods and two feature engineering methods on a well-characterized public data set. In contrast to previous benchmarking efforts, the manual annotations were not provided to the methods, but rather used as evaluation criteria afterwards. The seven methods individually performed feature extraction or representation learning from cellular images, and were consistently evaluated for downstream phenotype prediction and clustering tasks. We identified the strengths of individual methods across evaluation metrics, and further examined the biological concepts of features automatically learned by deep neural networks.


OBJECTIVE: In clinical trials, the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) was efficacious in preventing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) and related health care encounters. We assessed the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of RV5 among US infants during the first 2 rotavirus seasons after vaccine licensure. METHODS: Using a large, national, health insurance claim database, we monitored 2 cohorts of infants (infants who received 3 doses of RV5 and a concurrent group of infants who received 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine but did not receive RV5) through the 2007 and 2008 rotavirus seasons (January 1 to May 31), to identify cases of RGE and all-cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE) resulting in medical care encounters. We estimated the VE in reducing hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) and physician office visits, and health care resource utilization, as measured by days and costs of hospitalizations and ED visits. RESULTS: A total of 33 140 RV5-vaccinated infants and 26 167 infants in the concurrent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine cohort were included in the analysis. The VE against RGE (hospitalization and ED) was 100% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 87%–100%), whereas the VE against AGE was 59% (95% CI: 47%–68%). In the outpatient setting, the VE against RGE and AGE was 96% (95% CI: 76%–100%) and 28% (95% CI: 22%–33%), respectively. There was a complete (100%) reduction in RGE hospitalization and ED visit days and a 100% reduction in costs. RV5 was associated with a 66% decrease in AGE-related hospitalization and ED visit days and a 74% reduction in costs. CONCLUSIONS: In this first nationwide study evaluating VE under conditions of routine use, RV5 was highly effective in preventing RGE and AGE and in reducing health care resource utilization. Further research is needed to assess VE with an incomplete rotavirus vaccination regimen.


In this paper a two-sector model of urban unemployment is developed which focuses on the formation of a secondary sector under conditions in which a demand shock in the primary sector leads to a sharp increase in unemployment. The optimal location in the secondary sector is shown to be at the edge of the city, giving rise to a multicentric urban spatial structure. Within this spatial structure, we establish conditions under which the new labour market equilibrium involves not only a decrease in unemployment, but also an increase in net income for those unemployed. These results are extended to the case in which all unemployment benefits are financed by local taxation of firms. In this context, it is shown that when taxation discourages entry of a secondary sector, there may be profit incentives for the primary sector to subsidize the entry of a secondary sector.