This symposium introduces the recent ISSP book project: "Athletes' Careers across Cultures" (Stambulova & Ryba, 2013). The book editors and several chapter authors will discuss how culture (as a multilevel phenomenon) informs athletes' career development as well as existing career research and career assistance programs around the world. The first presenter will briefly introduce the idea of "Athletes' Careers across Cultures" project and then focus on two epistemological perspectives ('waves') in existing career research, such as the cross cultural perspective gravitating to the positivist epistemology, and the cultural mindset perspective located within a constructivist epistemological paradigm. She will further share the insights related to the emerging "third wave" based on the cultural praxis paradigm. The second presenter will focus on Canadian context tracing an evolution and introducing several theoretical frameworks and lines of current career research in Canada. The third presenter is going to discuss New Zealand context emphasizing how a change on the society/sport system level that is development of the Carded Athlete Program influenced carded athletes' career development and transitional experiences. This presenter will also point out that a holistic perspective in managing athletes' development in the Carded Athlete Program is only declared, and more should be done to incorporate this perspective in New Zealand's sporting culture. The forth presenter will show how the holistic/developmental perspective embodied into the developmental model of transitions faced by athletes (Wylleman & Lavallee, 2004) has already informed both career research and career support services for athletes in Belgium (Flanders). The fifth presenter is going to emphasize the lessons learned from the analysis of career research and career assistance in 19 countries represented in "Athletes' Careers across Cultures" and will proceed with a set of new challenges for career researchers and practitioners shaped as cultural praxis of athletes' careers approach.


Linear implementations of the efficient coding hypothesis, such as independent component analysis (ICA) and sparse coding models, have provided functional explanations for properties of simple cells in V1 [1,2]. These models, however, ignore the non-linear behavior of neurons and fail to match individual and population properties of neural receptive fields in subtle but important ways. Hierarchical models, including Gaussian Scale Mixtures [3, 4] and other generative statistical models [5, 6], can capture higher-order regularities in natural images and explain nonlinear aspects of neural processing such as normalization and context effects [6,7]. Previously, it had been assumed that the lower level representation is independent of the hierarchy, and had been fixed when training these models. Here we examine the optimal lower-level representations derived in the context of a hierarchical model and find that the resulting representations are strikingly different from those based on linear models. Unlike the the basis functions and filters learned by ICA or sparse coding, these functions individually more closely resemble simple cell receptive fields and collectively span a broad range of spatial scales. Our work unifies several related approaches and observations about natural image structure and suggests that hierarchical models might yield better representations of image structure throughout the hierarchy.


ABSTRACT The international trend of state restructuring and the rise of decentralized welfare systems means a key challenge for social research is to systematically explore the breadth of factors shaping the territorialization of third sector welfare delivery at the meso level in federal and union states. We address this lacuna by synthesizing historical-institutionalism and critical realism with Salamon and Anheier's classic framework on civic infrastructure development to produce an inductive analytical model for wider empirical testing. Its application here to the longitudinal case study data covering Wales shows it to be effective in providing a holistic understanding of the temporal and spatial processes underpinning decentralization. The wider significance of the case study lies in underlining the iterative, reciprocal relationship between governance reforms and territorialization – and showing how territorialization can originate in response to national crises and welfare demand caused by state and market failure in the delivery of public goods.


Abstract. Soil erosion is the main driver of land degradation in Ethiopia, and in the whole region of East Africa. This study was conducted at the Northeast Wollega in West Ethiopia to estimate the soil losses by means of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The purpose of this paper is to identify erosion spot areas and target locations for appropriate development of soil and water conservation measures. Fieldwork and household survey were conducted to identify major determinants of soil erosion control. Six principal factors were used to calculate soil loss per year, such as rainfallerosivity, soil erodiblity, slope length, slope steepness, crop management and erosion-control practices. The soil losses have shown spatio-temporal variations that range from 4.5 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in forest to 65.9 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in cropland. Results from the analysis of stepwise multiple linear regression show that sustainable soil erosion control are determined byknowledge of farmers about soil conservation, land tenure security and off-farm income at community level. Thus, policy aim at keeping land productivity will need to focus on terracing, inter-cropping and improved agro-forestry practices.


Some physical and chemical properties of samples of light, medium and heavy Nigerian crude oils and petroleum products including gasoline, kerosene and engine oil have been measured and are reported in this paper. The crude oils and petroleum products have also been characterized by fractional distillation and elution liquid chromatography. The fractions obtained from elution liquid chromatography were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC). The GC fractions were identified by comparing the retention time of peaks in the unknown samples with those of components of calibration standard mixtures. The importance of the physico-chemical properties and the significance of the fractional distillation and chromatographic separation methods to industrial process operations have been discussed.

bULL.cHEM.sOC.eTHIOP. 16(2), 115-132


Whether the business process and operational activities of the third party logistics (3PL) enterprise is coordinated and optimized is a key factor determining the operational efficiency of 3PL. Based on the value chain theory, a model of the business process optimization of 3PL cooperation is built. By analyzing the relationship between the business process and operational activities, how to allocate cost and value to operational activities is determined. In this way, the business activities with competitive advantages in the corporation are found, and the business process is further optimized accordingly, which can improve the operational efficiency of 3PL enterprise as a result. At last, a case study of business process optimization modeling for a 3PL enterprise that operates steel products is given to validate the effectiveness and practicability of this method.


Different protocols of food deprivation were used to bring two groups of juvenile three-spined sticklebacks Gaslerosteus aculeatus to the same reduced body mass in comparison with a control group fed daily ad libitum. One group experienced I week or deprivation then 2 weeks on maintenance rations. The second group experienced I week of ad lithium feeding followed by 2 weeks of deprivation. The deprived groups were reduced to a mean mass ore. 80% of controls. The compensatory growth response shown when ad libitum feeding was resumed was independent of the trajectory by which the three-spined sticklebacks had reached the reduced body mass. The compensatory response was Sufficient to return the deprived groups to the mass and length trajectories shown by the control group within 4 weeks. There was full compensation for dry mass and total lipid, but incomplete compensation for lipid-free dry mass. Hyperphagia and increased growth efficiency were present in the re-feeding phase, but there was a lag of a week before the hyperphagia was established. The consistency of the compensatory response of immature three-spined sticklebacks provides a potential model system for the analysis and prediction of appetite and growth in teleosts. (C) 2003 The Fisheries Society of the British isles.


Vascular access maintenance is crucial to providing adequate hemodialysis (HD) and hence preventing signs and symptoms of uremia. The best vascular assess is a permanent arteriovenous fistula (AVF) because it has the longest survival with the least number of complications. However, because of problems with AVF maturation, the majority of HD in the United States is provided via an arteriovenous graft (AVG) or tunneled cuffed central venous catheter. The most common access complications include infection and thrombosis. For these reasons, a patient is often referred to interventional radiology for a procedure such as a catheter placement, change, or a thrombectomy with angioplasty and/or stent placement. Commonly, a HD patient will present after missing a dialysis session. This might predispose the patient to further complications. This review is intended to provide insight into some of the common medical problems (infectious, hematologic, and cardiac) facing a HD patient as a consequence of uremia. Increased awareness to these medical issues provides guidance to prevent unnecessary complications in this difficult patient population.


We report the cutaneous manifestations of multiple myeloma, using a retrospective review of 115 patients' records obtained from tumor registry files. Five patients were found to have biopsy-proved extramedullary plasmacytomas without extension from an underlying bony focus. Twelve patients had ecchymoses without thrombocytopenia; two of them had biopsy-proved amyloidosis. One patient presented with pyoderma gangrenosum and was subsequently diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The last patient initially presented with what clinically appeared to be leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and, in the course of a standard workup, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. These findings are discussed with regard to the current literature on the cutaneous manifestations of multiple myeloma.


Abstract. The chemical and physical properties of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed by the photochemical degradation of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC) are as yet still poorly constrained. The evolution of the complex refractive index (RI) of SOA, formed from purely biogenic VOC and mixtures of biogenic and anthropogenic VOC, was studied over a diurnal cycle in the SAPHIR photochemical outdoor chamber in Julich, Germany. The correlation of RI with SOA chemical and physical properties such as oxidation level and volatility was examined. The RI was retrieved by a newly developed broadband cavity-enhanced spectrometer for aerosol optical extinction measurements in the UV spectral region (360 to 420 nm). Chemical composition and volatility of the particles were monitored by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer, and a volatility tandem differential mobility analyzer. SOA was formed by ozonolysis of either (i) a mixture of biogenic VOC (α-pinene and limonene), (ii) biogenic VOC mixture with subsequent addition of an anthropogenic VOC (p-xylene-d10), or (iii) a mixture of biogenic and anthropogenic VOC. The SOA aged by ozone/OH reactions up to 29.5 h was found to be non-absorbing in all cases. The SOA with p-xylene-d10 showed an increase of the scattering component of the RI correlated with an increase of the O / C ratio and with an increase in the SOA density. There was a greater increase in the scattering component of the RI when the SOA was produced from the mixture of biogenic VOCs and anthropogenic VOC than from the sequential addition of the VOCs after approximately the same ageing time. The increase of the scattering component was inversely correlated with the SOA volatility. Two RI retrievals determined for the pure biogenic SOA showed a constant RI for up to 5 h of ageing. Mass spectral characterization shows the three types of the SOA formed in this study have a significant amount of semivolatile components. The influence of anthropogenic VOCs on the oxygenated organic aerosol as well as the atmospheric implications are discussed.


True exfoliation syndrome is characterized by the peeling of a translucent membrane from the anterior lens capsule. The condition increases with age and despite the classic association with occupations involving intense heat, most cases are idiopathic. We have proposed a new clinical classification system dividing true exfoliation syndrome into 4 successive stages based on characteristic changes in the anterior capsule. We have also proposed a new mechanism related to iris movement and aqueous flow accounting for the capsular delamination. We have found that a detached flap occurs exclusively in areas that lack the anterior zonules. In our series of 259 consecutive patients, 47 (19.5%) patients developed primary open-angle glaucoma, 26 (10.0%) had primary angle-closure glaucoma, and 15 (5.8%) were primary angle-closure suspects. Twenty-six (10.0%) patients demonstrated spontaneous phacodonesis or anterior lens dislocation, of whom 14 also had secondary angle-closure and 2 had open-angle glaucoma. Histologic studies have shown that the lens dislocation is associated with a lack of anterior zonular support. All patients developed cataracts, predominantly nuclear sclerosis. The double-ring sign frequently occurs during capsulorhexis.


The thesis offers a reassessment of the works of the Russian architect Nikolai Alexandrovich L'vov (1751-1803). His designs are examined in the context of European architecture. Sources of inspiration for his advanced Neo-Classical style are found in monuments of Greek and Roman antiquity, Renaissance architecture and works of British, French and Italian architects, such as Charles Cameron, Adam Menelaws, Ennemond-Alexandre Petitot and Giacomo Quarenghi. The comparative analysis of L'vov's works with designs of his Russian and foreign contemporaries, for instance Matvei Kazakov, Adrean Zakharov, John Soane, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux and others, highlights the innovative character of L'vov's designs. The investigation of the works produced by L'vov for Catherine the Great, Paul I and the powerful statesman Alexander Bezborodko demonstrates that the architect was entrusted to express political concepts, such as the 'Greek Project', Catherine's plan to liberate Constantinople from the Turks. It is argued that his public buildings and garden scenery of the park of Bezborodko in Moscow were designed as propaganda tools to influence people. The discussion focuses on the consideration of L'vov's interpretation of the ideas derived from European architecture. For example, L'vov was the first Russian architect to declare himself a follower of Palladio. The pioneering study of the Medieval architecture of Moscow produced by L'vov was parallel to the development of the preservationist attitude to national heritage in Britain. He produced ingenious engineering ideas, such as that of the double-shelled dome influenced by the examples of antique and French architecture and adapted to the requirements of Russian climate. He also introduced to Russia the modernised method of building from earth, derived from a French source and modified with the assistance of his Scottish associates. By analysing the relationships between the architecture of L'vov and that of Britain and other European countries, this study seeks to establish his reputation as one of the outstanding European architects of the late eighteenth century. ii


In-situ synchrotron X-ray radiography has been used to study columnar and equiaxed dendritic growth in directional solidification of Al-Cu alloys employing a Bridgman furnace. Nominal spatial and temporal resolutions of 1.5 µm and 150 ms, respectively, were obtained with a 1.3 %1.3 mm2 field of view, and a signal-to-noise above 99.5 %. Dedicated processing software has been developed to allow for quantitative extraction of data such as solid-liquid interface morphology, local propagation velocities and constitutional gradients from the images. The data collected also contain unprecedented in-situ observations on dendrite fragmentation. The limited field of view together with a slight sample position dependency in the heat transfer coefficients made it necessary to impose thermal gradients, G > 10 K/mm, to have reproducible solidification processes. Non-vanishing horizontal G-components contributed to convection that at some occasions resulted in observable effects on growing crystals or on liquid segregates.


Perceptual thresholds for the detection of the direction of linear motion are important for motion simulation. There are situations in which a subject should not perceive the motion direction as, e.g., during repositioning of a simulator, but also opposite cases where a certain motion percept must intentionally be induced in the subject. The exact dependency of the perceptual thresholds on the time evolution of the presented motion profile is still an open question. Previous studies have found evidence for a sensitivity of the thresholds on the rate of change of acceleration, called jerk. In this study we investigate three motion profiles which differ in their jerk characteristics. We want to evaluate which profile can move people furthest in the horizontal plane in a given time without them noticing the direction. Our results suggest that a profile with a minimum peak jerk value should be chosen.


This pioneering volume explores the long-neglected history of social rights, from the Middle Ages to the present. It debunks the myth that social rights are 'second-generation rights' – rights that appeared after World War II as additions to a rights corpus stretching back to the Enlightenment. Not only do social rights stretch back that far; they arguably pre-date the Enlightenment. In tracing their long history across various global contexts, this volume reveals how debates over social rights have often turned on deeper struggles over social obligation – over determining who owes what to whom, morally and legally. In the modern period, these struggles have been intertwined with questions of freedom, democracy, equality and dignity. Many factors have shaped the history of social rights, from class, gender and race to religion, empire and capitalism. With incomparable chronological depth, geographical breadth and conceptual nuance, Social Rights and the Politics of Obligation in History sets an agenda for future histories of human rights.


Substantial evidence indicates that a single topical application of prostaglandins (PGs) can reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eyes of several species. However, earlier literature, dealing with ocular hypertensive and inflammatory responses, shows the development of tachyphylaxis to subsequent doses of PGs. If similar tolerance developed to the ocular hypotensive effects of PGs, it would preclude the use of these agents in the treatment of chronic glaucoma. The present study shows, however, that although tachyphylaxis to the ocular hypotensive effects of PGs develops in rabbits, this is not a typical response among mammals. Significant IOP reduction was maintained in cats for up to 9 months by topical application of PGE2 at 12-, 24-, or 48-hr intervals. The IOP reduction was jeopardized seriously only when the PG was applied every other day for several days or when, on a few occasions, 3 days were allowed to elapse between PGE2 applications. Ocular hypotension was also maintained during the course of topical treatment of rhesus monkey eyes with PGF2 alpha. Short periods of pupillary constriction followed the application of each dose of PGF2 alpha to cat eyes, but the miotic response of rhesus monkeys to PGF2 alpha and cats to PGF2 was negligible. Other apparent side effects were noted, but none of these were severe or progressive. These results clearly demonstrate that tachyphylaxis, or tolerance, is not expected to present an obstacle to the development of eicosanoids and/or their derivatives as therapeutic agents for the long-term treatment of ocular hypertension and chronic glaucoma.


CNC machine tools has always screw joints in its feed drive systems; In order to obtain good performance of CNC machine tool, it is necessary to model the screw joint with more accuracy and to research its influence on the vibration characters of the feed drive system. In this paper, the screw joint is analyzed by multi-body system theory and is modeled as flexible multi-body; Its mathematical describe of constraint condition is given by the modeling of screw joint. A revise factor is introduced into the process of FEM simulation to reflect the deformation in the screw joint. By this way, the effect of deformation in the screw joint is researched in the modeling under the ANSYS circumstance, the harmonic response under considering deformation contrast to that of without deformation. From the analysis in the simulation, it is necessary to take the deformation of screw joint into account.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the sensitivity and specificity of the BTA stat test, NMP-22 and voided urine cytology in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

METHODS
The study comprised 100 patients or follow-up or with a suspicion of bladder cancer. A voided urine sample was obtained and alliquoted in three samples for the BTA stat test, NMP-22 and cytology. The patients were subsequently evaluated by cystoscopy and TUR was performed when cancer was suspected. The bladder cancer was classified according to TNM stage and WHO grade. The McNemar test was utilized to compare the results. The cut-off level used for NMP-22 was 10 U/ml. ROC curves were plotted to determine the NMP-22 values for optimal sensitivity and specificity in our seires.

RESULTS
Two patients were excluded from the study. The overall sensitivity was 76.47% for cytology, 78.43% for the BTA stat test and 84.31% for NMP-22 (p = n.s.). The specificity was 91.49%, 87.23% and 87.23% respectively (p = n.s.). By grade and stage, NMP-22 showed the best results followed by the BTA stat test and lastly cytology, although the differences were not significant. The ideal cut-off for NMP-22 in our series was 6 U/ml and not the generally recognized 10 U/ml.

CONCLUSIONS
NMP-22 is superior to the BTA stat test and cytology in the diagnosis of bladder cancer, although the differences were not significant. The ideal cut-off in our series was 6 U/ml. The BTA stat test has the advantage of being easy to perform and provides the results in 5 minutes. In our view, NMP-22 and BTA stat test can replace cytology in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.


The safety and pharmacokinetics of imipenem/cilastatin sodium (IPM/CS) were evaluated in comparative studies using single intramuscular injection, intravenous infusion or multiple intramuscular administration. The studies were done employing 30 healthy volunteers. Adverse effects were observed in 5 of 18 volunteers in the single intramuscular dose study. One of them complained of mild itching and mild pain at the injection site, and the other 4 volunteers had mild pain at the injection sites. With the other methods of administration, no adverse effects were observed. No other abnormal physical findings nor abnormal laboratory test values were observed in any of the studies. Imipenem (IPM) was absorbed rather slowly through the muscles, resulting in a low maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and a prolonged half life (T1/2) upon intramuscular injection compared to the results obtained upon intravenous infusion. The total areas under the curves obtained with these 2 methods were similar, however. Cilastatin (CS) was absorbed rapidly after intramuscular injection, and the Cmax obtained was higher than that obtained for IPM. The T1/2 and the AUC of CS obtained with intramuscular injection were similar to those obtained with intravenous infusion. Cumulative urinary recovery rates obtained with these 2 different routes of administration were not different. Detectable urinary levels of IPM were maintained much longer upon intramuscular injection than upon intravenous infusion. In the multiple dose study, neither IPM nor CS showed tendency to accumulate.


The management of the enhancement of the quality of service delivery is often primarily focused on minimising negative responses to product offerings, rather than maximising positive responses. To date there has been little debate on the negative aspects of quality. This paper reviews the origins and use of the concepts dissatisfaction, dissonance, disconfirmation and disaffection which are variously explored in a diverse collection of literature spanning service quality, the service experience and marketing. A framework is proposed that places these four concepts on a grid on the basis of whether the term applies to one incident, or many, and the action that is likely to be taken by customers as a result of experiencing each of these. This grid can be used to better understand the relationship between the various approaches that are used to provide organisations with feedback on customer perceptions of their service quality, such as complaints procedures, surveys, suggestion boxes, focus groups and representation and consultation.


ABSTARC The changes in human population often correspond with change in land use, including expansion of urban areas, agriculture and increasing industrialization, which necessitate increasing the available amount of drinking water. As the surface water sources are under the pressure of pollution, it has become necessary to use groundwater at an increasing rate. Groundwater recharge can be abundant in the alluvial plains where the urban areas are often located. Such areas can face danger of pollution of groundwater and the changes in land use are likely to result in change in groundwater quality. Keeping these aspects in view, it was planned to development a groundwater water quality index in the Ganga-Yamuna interfluve area of northern India, The objective of the present study is to develop the Index of Aquifer Water Quality (IAWQ) inside the Geographic information system (GIS) environment, which can be used by the field investigators and modeler's in assessing the groundwater vulnerability. The formula to estimate the IAWQ index is adopted from the procedure suggested Melloul and Collin (1998). The procedure developed for this involves weights assigned to these 8 parameters as per their analytical hierarchy in violating the (drinking water) standards and not as an arbitrary means (as taken by Melloul and Collin). The suggested procedure can be extending to include more number of chemical parameters as necessitate in individual case studies. In the modified procedure presented in the present study, the number of measured chemical parameters n is taken as 8 (Cd, Mn, Pb, Fe, NO3-, Total Alkalinity, TDS and Ca2+) as against n=2 (chloride and nitrate) as taken in the Melloul and Collin's work


The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 and 2009 was the deepest global cyclical downturn since the Great Depression of 1929-1933. Historically, major worldwide economic events have influenced economic thought and this has been reflected in the economics curriculum. For example, the Great Depression ushered in Keynesian economics; and the oil price shocks of the 1970s contributed to stagflation,1 which led to recognition of the role of aggregate supply and expectations through the expectations-augmented Phillips curve. The GFC and its aftermath have already challenged established thought in some areas of macroeconomics, which has implications for undergraduate macroeconomics. A proper understanding of the causes and effects of the GFC must draw on some ideas that do not normally feature in undergraduate macroeconomics subjects and must pull together strands from other economics subjects as well as subjects from the disciplines of accounting and finance. This article first explains that debt and asset prices can be integrated into the standard aggregate demand (AD)-aggregate supply (AS) model and discusses the importance of understanding the relationship between equity, assets and liabilities. This is followed by a brief discussion of the implications of the GFC for monetary and fiscal policy.


The study investigated the effects of rationalisation and re-deployment amongst a statistically sound sample of educators in the Province of KwaZulu Natal . It examined primarily the social and psychological effects of such phenomena in the lives and careers of educators, in a province that has gone through political , historical and ideological turbulence , violence and intimidation that had direct and indirect negative effects on educational patterns and processes. The literature review examined the various dynamics associated with these key phenomena in the educational system, including the legal frameworks and policies that shape the educational landscape, such the South African Schools Act. It needs to be said that such social and educational phenomena both shape and are shaped by the social and public policies of the democratic government that was elected from 1994 until today. These phenomena are an integral part of a series of processes that have been shaped by the various educational authorities in the new democratic dispensation, such as the various audits, new plans and strategies as well aspects of quality assurance and the like . These are inextricably linked with the dynamics unfolding in the educational terrain , especially in relation to rationalisation and re-deployment . These are situations that can be faced by all teachers , throughout the country , and it has been hoped that the internationally accepted scientific selection of the sample will permit the researcher to make inferences to similar or other populations . The study basically used two sets of data collection instruments, a structured questionnaire, and a Likert-scale type questionnaire .The questionnaires were administered to the groups of educators who were selected scientifically from the official lists of the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education. One hundred questionnaires were utilised, distributed collected and analyzed. The sample consisted of 45 males and 55 females. Amongst the sample there were educators who were both rationalised and re-deployed. The findings could be summarised as follows: • The majority of teachers felt strongly that rationalization and redeployment led to stress. • Stress created social and psychological problems for the educator, his/her immediate environment. • Redeployment and rationalisation had serious negative consequences on learners. • Most teachers reported that they were not coping with the stress associated with rationalization and redeployment as they created serious psychological and social problems. • There was no gender difference in the teachers' abilities to cope with stress associated with rationalization and redeployment. Most teachers expressed a negative attitude towards the policy of rationalization and redeployment. They felt it was a policy that created serious problems within the education system both at macro and micro level. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE SURVEY 2.


Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are serious autoimmune diseases requiring lifelong management and support. Uncontrolled psoriatic disease wields a significant impact on the lives of those affected, resulting in lowered quality of life, disability, depression, increased risk of related illnesses (eg, heart disease, diabetes), and early mortality. In National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) surveys, roughly two-thirds of patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis said their disease made them feel angry, frustrated, and/or helpless, and more than half said psoriasis interfered with their ability to enjoy life. The economic burden of psoriasis is equally daunting, and NPF surveys consistently report cost to be a significant barrier to treatment. This challenge is one of many reasons the NPF launched an aggressive strategic plan in 2014 intended to: 1) cut in half the number of patients who report that their condition is a problem in everyday life, 2) increase by 50% the number of patients receiving the right treatment, and 3) double the number of healthcare providers effectively managing patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The NPF has launched several large-scale projects-including the development and implementation of solutions that reduce high out-of-pocket costs-intended to significantly increase the number of people with psoriatic disease who are effectively managing their condition.


Problem statement: Bluetooth has emerged as very popular ad hoc network standard today. Bluetooth network applications include wireless synchronization, e-mail/internet/intranet access using local personal computer connections, hidden computing through automated applications and networking. Due to this ability, it is not impossible for the network to receive any attack. Approach: In this study, we developed an algorithm to build new software that secures connections between two Bluetooth platforms, which included authentication, authorization and confidentiality. There is no authentication when using the protocol in connecting the Bluetooth platform. When there is no security, so that all users can directly connect to the server without any permission because n most of the application nowadays that refers to RFCOMM protocol is not. Results: The test environment for the non-secure connections is also being setting up before build the software. The purpose of this study was to build a secured Bluetooth application in connecting Bluetooth Platform using Radio Frequency Communication (RFCOMM) protocol. Conclusion: Furthermore focusing on setting up the test environment for a non-secure connection application.


This paper presents a procedure for solving the short term generation scheduling problem for a large hydrothermal system that includes transmission limitations. The integrated system is divided into a hydro and a thermal subsystem. A reduced gradient algorithm is employed for the solution of the hydro subproblem. This algorithm is specialized to efficiently solve nonlinear network flow problems with additional constraints of non-netwrk type. The thermal subsystem is solved using a fast unit commitment and dispatch algorithm. A case study with the Swedish system is discussed.


Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a common and validated simulation method in research and industry for the analysis of fluid systems. In the past years, it has proven to become more and more applicable for modeling the flow physics inside positive displacement (PD) machines. The working chamber and thus the discretized flow domain of PD machines are changing in time, characterized by complex thermodynamics. Compressible fluids, real-gas properties and leakage flows with trans- or supersonic characteristics are phenomena which have to be accounted for in order to properly model the behavior of the machine. As CFD methods evolve in general, but also for the application of PD machines in particular, the numerical model can replace a prototype during early stages of the product development. The desired simulation approach should be able to deliver sufficient accuracy at a feasible effort in terms of computational time and manpower to create the numerical model. This paper presents the methodology of creating the numerical model for a sample screw compressor provided by Sullair for research purposes. It is a dry running two stage twin screw compressor running with air at a rated power range between 160 and 250 kW. The two stages are gear driven by the main shaft at rotational speeds between 1180 and 2100 rev/min. Each stage features different rotor profiles, where the first stage has a 4-6, the second stage a 5-7 lobe combination. The total pressure ratio of the two stages combined is up to 10:1. To enhance the performance of the compressor, discharged air from the first stage is cooled down before entering the second stage. A specific meshing method is used to model the size-changing working chambers between rotors and casing, where only hexahedral cells are used and mesh topology is constant. The model accounts for radial and axial clearances between rotors and stator, where rotors and stator are connected with interfaces. The transient simulation results are compared to experimental measurements for torque, and flow rate. Also discharge pressure and temperature after first and second stage are compared to the experimental results. In addition, the possibilities of the simulation are exemplified by the gathering of time- and space-resolved monitor points like temperature or pressure at distinct points within the compressor. Apart from direct comparison to the experiment, also a sensitivity study regarding the change of housing clearances is presented, as leakage flow has severe impact on the compressor performance. These clearances and the resulting leakages are often not exactly known whereas they also vary because of manufacturing tolerances or deformations due to the load on rotors and stator. Here, the numerical simulation can serve as a helpful tool to estimate the sensitivity and change of machine characteristics, which is hard to determine in the scope of experiments.


One common theme throughout the lean production literature is the focus on manufacturing companies. This paper begins the investigation into the contingencies to the applicability of lean production to service companies. A framework for lean production is described and translated into service companies, using an empirical base consisting of descriptions of lean production applications in the service sector, made by practitioners from service companies. The findings indicate that lean production is applicable to service operations, although there are contingencies to the application. The contingencies stem from the characteristics of services. There are also instances where lean production is perhaps more applicable to services than manufacturing, again due to the nature of services. The conclusions indicate a need to make operations more general, avoiding making clear differentiation between manufacturing and services, and instead focusing on the similarities between the two and thus the possibility to learn from each other.


The increasing need for interconnect bandwidth between ICs on PCBs together with limited pin count demands high-speed serial interfaces. Many fast serial transceivers have been published in this field, but they are rather large, noisy and/or power hungry for embedded applications, especially in a mixed-signal environment. For short-distance communication, phase-locked clock recovery and oversampling, are quite 'expensive' techniques for data recovery and synchronization, resulting in fixed wordlengths protocols and limited flexibility. Interchip interconnect research focuses on driver techniques and throughput per pin. Serial transfer of parallel data and synchronization issues are not discussed. The solution presented in this paper is simple, robust and flexible and has low electromagnetic interference (EMI). This makes it especially suitable for data busses between AD/DA converters and a microprocessor or DSP, although it can be applied for other bus types as well. While a prototype is implemented in standard 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS, the concept can be used in many technologies and is future-proof, regarding signaling levels and circuit techniques.


. Blind image super-resolution (BISR) aims to reconstruct a high-resolution image from its low-resolution counterpart degraded by unknown blur kernel and noise. Many deep neural network based methods have been proposed to tackle this challenging problem without con-sidering the image degradation model. However, they largely rely on the training sets and often fail to handle images with unseen blur kernels during inference. Deep unfolding methods have also been proposed to perform BISR by utilizing the degradation model. Nonetheless, the existing deep unfolding methods cannot explicitly solve the data term of the unfolding objective function, limiting their capability in blur kernel estimation. In this work, we propose a novel unfolded deep kernel estimation (UDKE) method, which, for the first time to our best knowledge, explicitly solves the data term with high efficiency. The UDKE based BISR method can jointly learn image and kernel priors in an end-to-end man-ner, and it can effectively exploit the information in both training data and image degradation model. Experiments on benchmark datasets and real-world data demonstrate that the proposed UDKE method could well predict complex unseen non-Gaussian blur kernels in inference, achieving significantly better BISR performance than state-of-the-art. The source code of UDKE is available at https://github.com/natezhenghy/UDKE .


The article examines the dynamics of political competition over the control of the executive that shapes the coexistence of popularly elected presidents and prime ministers in semi-presidential regimes. It explores how variation in the political status of cabinet and the character of the party system, as well as differences in presidential and parliamentary powers over the cabinet, affects both the type and intensity of intra-executive conflict in democratic and semi-democratic environments. It demonstrates that presidents' and prime ministers' strategies in intra-executive relations in both types of political environment are systematically affected by the nature and extent of cabinet's political support in parliament, as well as by the degree of presidential control over cabinet.


THEY'RE ALREADY TEACHERS: EXPLORING NOTIONS OF IDENTITY, BELONGING, AND COMMUNITY WITH TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS Michelle Clusiau Fraboni Interest in the elementary education major by underrepresented minority (URM) students at a public four-year institution (Queens College) increased from 36% of declared majors in 2012 to 51% in 2017. However, a disproportionate number of URM students drop out of the educator pipeline, leaving the average percentage of URMs who complete the elementary education major at 22%. While there has been a great deal of research on the preparation of preservice teachers, the bulk of the scholarly literature is focused on the final student teaching practicum and preservice teachers' experiences at the end of their academic programs. Little research has been done on beginning teacher education students and how their educational experiences, both past and present, influence the way they see themselves as learners and future teachers. Guided by a sociocultural lens, this qualitative study examines teacher education students' educational experiences and how those experiences influence and shape their paths into the teaching profession. The study was conducted using an interpretive inquiry approach to enable the exploration of participants' lived educational experiences (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990), using data collected from semi-structured interviews, critical incident reports, and a focus group. Analyses informed by narrative inquiry and grounded theory methodologies were used to look across data collected from participants to paint a rich chronicle of the participants' stories. Findings highlight the pedagogy of care in conversation with notions of identity, belonging, and community, in order to note its significance for the more oftstudied aspects of teaching. This study contributes to research on teacher education and teaching and learning in higher education, and considers a different perspective on long-standing ideas about communities of practice.


"The titanosaurid skull is interpreted as Camarasaurus-Iike, but with ""peg-like"" teeth restricted to the extremity of the jaws, which exhibit wear facets sharply inclined with respect to the labio-lingual axis. The last character is shared with Brachiosaurus Riggs and Pleurocoelus Marsh, and it is considered a probable synapomorphy of Titanosauriformes. Several cranial characters are considered synapomorphies of Titanosauria or a less inclusive group (long recurved paraoccipital processes, becoming slender downwards; reduced, narrow supratemporal fenestra), or synapomorphies within Titanosauridae (""peg-Iike"" teeth; teeth restricted ro the anterior region of the snout and mandibular symphysis perpendicular to the long axis of the lower jaw). Several characters, such as ""peg-like"" teeth restricted to the anterior region of the snout, wear facets sharply inclined with respect to the labiolingual tooth axis, and mandibular symphysis perpendicular to the long axis of the lower jaw, suggest that Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis Nowinski and Quaesitosaurus orientalis Kurzanov and Banikov are related to the Titanosauridae. ""Pleurocoelus"" sp., from the Lower Cretaceous of Texas and Utah, is considered a basal titanosaur by having procoelous anterior caudals, teeth with an intermediate morphology between Brachiosaurus and titanosaurids, and dorsal verterbrae with centro-parapophyseallamina and ventrally widened, sligthly forked infradiapophyseal Iarnina. Basal titanosaurs and other titanosaur-related sauropods had a wide distribution during the Early Cretaceous. The hypothesis that Alamosaurus sanjuanensis Gilmore is a Late Cretaceous inmigrant from South America is consistent with its phylogenetic position. The Saltasaurinae, in turn, represent an endemic group of South America. "


On a recent eye care mission to Indonesia, epidemiological information was collected on 2656 indigenous patients. Prevalence of refractive errors, corneal arcus and blood pressure readings were recorded and evaluated. The data from three different sites on the island of Java presented with a definite increased pattern of myopia amongst the youth ages 8 to 19. When compared to other nations, the average refractive error of Indonesians was slightly less hyperopic. Against-therule astigmatism had the highest occurrence when compared to other axis orientations, yet the overall occurrence of astigmatism was less than that found in western nations. An elevated prevalence of corneal arcus was discovered in this population. Blood pressure was found to be within normal limits when compared to western clinical standards.


A methodology is presented for following a cohort of older depressed patients to examine neurocognitive outcomes of depression. A total of 265 depressed individuals and 138 healthy, nondepressed controls age 60 and older who completed at least 1 year of follow-up data underwent periodic clinical evaluation by a geriatric psychiatrist. A subset of 141 patients and 137 controls had neuropsychological testing. A consensus panel of experts reviewed 63 depressed subjects with suspected cognitive impairment. Twenty-seven individuals in the depressed group were assigned diagnoses of dementia, including 11 with Alzheimer's disease, 8 with vascular dementia, and 8 with dementia of undetermined etiology. In addition, 25 individuals had other forms of cognitive impairment, and 11 were considered cognitively normal. Among elderly controls, 2 developed substantial cognitive impairment with clinical diagnoses of dementia. Among the depressed group, the incidence rates for dementia for this age are much higher than would be expected. These results are consistent with prior evidence linking depression and later dementia. Future studies are needed to examine neuroimaging and genetic, clinical, and social predictors of neurocognitive decline in depression. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2004;17:202-211)


Phenomenological and mechanistic characteristics of the thermal decomposition of perchlorate, nitrate, thiocyanate, chloride and bromide iron(III) complexes with the Schiff base 1,2-bis(imino-4'- antipyrinyl)ethane (GA) were studied by thermo gravimetric and derivative thermo gravimetric analyses. It was observed that the counter anions may have a major effect on the thermal stability of the present complexes.The decomposition reaction mechanism is in accordance with a 'random nucleation with one nucleus on each particle, i.e. the Mampel model'.


Abstract The US housing crisis affected millions of people nationwide. One recent study found a connection between foreclosure and suicide, and prior research showed an association between macro-level economic hardship and suicide rates. Using data from 142 US metropolitan statistical areas and a measure of housing stress that accounts for limitations of prior measures, we tested the association between the housing crisis and overall and sex- and race-specific suicide rates. Weighted least squares regression results indicated that housing-mortgage stress had no effect on suicide rates in our sample. We discuss the theoretical and social implications of these findings and areas for future research.


OVERVIEW: How to achieve a sustained competitive advantage that ensures long-term survival is a major concern for managers everywhere, but even more so for those in smaller firms, which may have more difficulty enduring under hostile environmental conditions than larger organizations. Because innovation is a key driver of sustained competitive advantage and sustainable business growth, the management of innovation is a central concern for these firms. While research in innovation management has provided many insights into specific aspects of innovation, the encompassing problems confronting general managers, especially managers of small and medium-size firms, have been overlooked in the development of innovation management tools. As a case study in the value of innovation management techniques and tools in the development of a collaborative innovation network, this paper analyzes the use of innovation management techniques and tools by a leading Spanish elevator manufacturer's research unit in implementing its open innovation strategy. This empirical study will help managers to understand the role of innovation management tools in structuring an open innovation strategy based on collaboration and technology transfer.


The use of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) has progressively lead doctors to focus their practice on the disease and not on the patient anymore. They consider a sick body or a sick part rather than a sick person. Such an attitude results in a progressive process of alienation or "unauthentic experience". On the contrary the Medical Humanities represents a strong reaction to this state of things, and for Medicine a chance to embrace again its humanistic "vocation". Narrative Based Medicine (NBM) places at the center of the clinical practice the communicative and relational dimension. This study deepen the application of NBM to the scope of neonatal care. As a result of our work, we have identified in the NBM applied to the neonatal area a fundamental characteristic, the Neonatal Triangle (doctors, patient, parents), and a triple functionality (diagnostic, ethical and educational) placed in three different ideal chronological moments ( before , during and after ). We explore the close connection between these functions and the clinical work and how the NBM model, through these same functions, enhance the opportunity of care and relationship. The main assumption is obviously the Doctors ability to build a shared narrative relation with the Parents of the little Patients, that in the technical terms of the Narrative Based Medicine is called co-construction of the illness history. We can remark that with the NBM we understand (the narrative frame), build (the therapeutic alliance) and share (decisions).


In Silico Clinical Trials (ISCT), i.e. clinical experimental campaigns carried out by means of computer simulations, hold the promise to decrease time and cost for the safety and efficacy assessment of pharmacological treatments, reduce the need for animal and human testing, and enable precision medicine. In this paper we present methods and an algorithm that, by means of extensive computer simulation-based experimental campaigns (ISCT) guided by intelligent search, optimise a pharmacological treatment for an individual patient (precision medicine). We show the effectiveness of our approach on a case study involving a real pharmacological treatment, namely the downregulation phase of a complex clinical protocol for assisted reproduction in humans.


In this work, we have synthesized ozonides from sunflower, flaxseed and baru oils. In addition, ozonolysis reaction of sunflower oil in the presence of water was performed, and the product obtained had high viscosity and a gel-like appearance. The ozonated products were investigated for their antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. The oleogel, with an MIC ≤ 3 mg mL−1, exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against standard and clinical strains. All products showed no cytotoxicity when tested against NIH/3T3 murine fibroblast cells. Effects of ozonation time on the oils were analyzed by IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. DSC analysis shows that the ozonides of vegetable oils decompose with a peak at about 150 °C and with a broad exotherm. The decomposition enthalpy is proportional to the degree of ozonation reached.


Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe and progressive infection of deep soft tissues which results in destruction of the fascia and overlying subcutaneous fat. We report a case of a 45-year-old diabetic gentleman who initially presented with left shoulder pain, which was treated symptomatically. Upon representation, he had fever and the pain extended to his left upper back. There was a warm, firm and mildly tender purplish swelling on his mid to the left upper back. Blood tests revealed significantly elevated white cell counts and C-reactive protein. A CT thorax showed extensive soft tissue gas within the deep and superficial fascial layers of his left upper back. Necrotizing fasciitis was confirmed intraoperatively. The diagnosis of this condition is often difficult as early symptoms can be mild and nonspecific. A high Laboratory Risk Indicator for NECrotizing fasciitis (LRINEC) score may be helpful to rule in this diagnosis and guide further management.


Interest in the relationships between the Catholic Church and the environment has grown in recent years, especially following Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical Laudato Si', or On the Care for Our Common Home. His letter was widely praised by many Catholic and non-Catholic scholars, journalists, and activists who suggested that this encyclical marked a massive shift in Catholic views about the environment, particularly the climate crisis. Yet despite this early hope, policies around the world remain generally unchanged and the promise early commentators saw in Laudato Si' lies unfulfilled. This thesis investigates whether the Catholic Church has attempted to act on Pope Francis's encyclical, and if so, how the Laudato Si' has led to changes in Catholic teaching and practice. I use the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, NY as a case study. I contend that the parochial clergy must be central to any successful effort to implement Laudato Si' and Catholic environmental teaching. Drawing on fieldwork from the summer and fall of 2018, I argue that few clergy are using Laudato Si' to change their lives or those of their parishioners. This thesis does not blame the Catholic clergy for this but instead contends that, due to both internal and external pressures, Catholic clergy are not currently able to implement the changes the encyclical demands, though many want to. This thesis thus adds important empirical information to discussions about Catholicism and the environment. However, its contributions go beyond this particular case, as the thesis also argues that Catholic environmental teaching is a distinct subset of Catholic social teaching and should be considered as such. It also offers a corrective to ongoing academic and public discourses about religion and the environment that are often overly focused on texts to the exclusion analyzing practices, arguing that discussions of religion should foreground practical and lived methodologies. Speaking directly to such practical concerns, this thesis also argues that far more must be done by Catholic actors if Laudato Si' is to transform the world, as well as suggesting possible steps Catholic parochial clergy could take to bring environmental themes into their parishes. Building an Ecological Church: Laudato Si', Climate Change, and Clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse By Dominic Wilkins B.A., Colgate University, 2017


INTRODUCTION
Continuous display four channels EEG monitoring and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are relatively new and valuable techniques used for continuous brain monitoring in the neonatal period. Supporting the value of continuous display four channels EEG monitoring in the evaluation of neonates with paroxysmal motor events is a study recently conducted at Miami Children s Hospital.

DEVELOPMENT
In this study 30 events were captures in 88 hours of simultaneous continuous display four channels EEG monitoring and continuous video EEG telemetry recording in five patients. Fourteen of the events were consider epileptic and 16 were considered non epileptic after evaluation of the continuous display four channels EEG monitoring printed epochs.

RESULTS
The continuous video EEG telemetry confirmed the diagnosis for all the events. Several studies attest to the usefulness of NIRS in neonates and in older children with pathologies similar to those seeing in neonates.

CONCLUSIONS
1. NIRS is the best method to monitor regional cerebral oxygen saturation; 2. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation values are primarily those of the venous circulation in the subcortical white matter below the sensor; 3. Values of regional oxygen saturation should be considered not independently but only relative as a change over time; 4. Decreased regional cerebral oxygen saturation may be a sign of impending or established hypoxemia or hypotension, increased cerebral metabolic demands, or a cerebral oxygenation or perfusion problem that involve only brain, and 5. NIRS should be used in conjunction with arterial oxygen saturation and pressure monitoring (to detect hypoxemia and hypotension), with EEG to detect increased cerebral metabolic demands (electroencephalographic seizures) and with anterior cerebral artery Doppler ultrasound to detect perfusion (decreased flow velocity) and oxygenation (constant flow velocity) problems that involve only the brain.


Late Jurassic platform carbonates of Languedoc (southern France) are deeply incised by Late Miocene canyons, allowing the observation of karst systems filled with sediments containing evidences of marine origin. Field and structural relationships as well as new biostratigraphic data (planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils) provide a Latest Cretaceous-Earliest Paleocene age for the major karstification and a Paleocene (Danian-Selandian) age for the sedimentary filling. The ≥ 350 m vertical extent of this karst system and its subsequent marine filling gives a minimum amplitude for the base-level variation responsible for the karstification and then the marine flooding events. The observations suggest that at least, two marine successive events occurred in the Late Danian then in Selandian time. The large amplitude of base level is not in agreement with eustatic sea-level change, and the rate of base-level change is too fast for tectonic uplift and subsidence within the tabular, poorly deformed studied area. We propose a model of a silled endoreic basin, which was dessiccated and karstified over hundreds of meters, when it was disconnected from the World Ocean, and later suddently transgressed by the Paleocene sea and the karst flooded, when the bounding sill was submerged. Such a model is similar, although with significant differences, with the later Messinian-Zanclean event that affected the Mediterranean realm.


Abstract. Droughts are serious natural hazards, especially in semi-arid regions. They are also difficult to characterize. Various summary metrics representing the dryness level, denoted drought indices, have been developed to quantify droughts. They typically lump meteorological variables and can thus directly be computed from the outputs of regional climate models in climate-change assessments. While it is generally accepted that drought risks in semi-arid climates will increase in the future, quantifying this increase using climate model outputs is a complex process that depends on the choice and the accuracy of the drought indices, among other factors. In this study, we compare seven meteorological drought indices that are commonly used to predict future droughts. Our goal is to assess the reliability of these indices to predict hydrological impacts of droughts under changing climatic conditions at the annual timescale. We simulate the hydrological responses of a small catchment in northern Spain to droughts in present and future climate, using an integrated hydrological model calibrated for different irrigation scenarios. We compute the correlation of meteorological drought indices with the simulated hydrological time series (discharge, groundwater levels, and water deficit) and compare changes in the relationships between hydrological variables and drought indices. While correlation coefficients linked with a specific drought index are similar for all tested land uses and climates, the relationship between drought indices and hydrological variables often differs between present and future climate. Drought indices based solely on precipitation often underestimate the hydrological impacts of future droughts, while drought indices that additionally include potential evapotranspiration sometimes overestimate the drought effects. In this study, the drought indices with the smallest bias were the rainfall anomaly index, the reconnaissance drought index, and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. However, the efficiency of these drought indices depends on the hydrological variable of interest and the irrigation scenario. We conclude that meteorological drought indices are able to identify years with restricted water availability in present and future climate. However, these indices are not capable of estimating the severity of hydrological impacts of droughts in future climate. A well-calibrated hydrological model is necessary in this respect.


The widespread adoption of bottom‐up participation as opposed to top‐down modernisation approaches has opened up challenging opportunities for anthropology in development. The new focus on indigenous knowledge augurs the next revolution in anthropological method, informants becoming collaborators and their communities participating user‐groups, and touches upon such contemporary issues as the crisis of representation, ethnography's status with regard to intellectual property rights, and interdisciplinary cooperation between natural and social scientists. Indigenous‐knowledge studies are challenging not only because of difficulties in cross‐cultural communication and understanding but also because of their inevitable political dimensions. Contributing to development which intervenes in people's lives, these studies engage with them in novel ways.


The aim of this study was to explore how the design of this chemistry lesson for citizenship influences students' use of different perspectives in decision-making about 'the use and sale of laughing gas'. In this study, 'the use and sale of laughing gas among youth' was chosen as a socio-scientific issue. This chemistry lesson for citizenship was designed according to the 5E instructional approach, and activating pedagogical methods and tools (i.e., group discussion, reading the information cards, taking notes, watching instructional videos) were used. Both the types of perspectives used and the effectiveness of the pedagogies implemented were explored. Twenty-three students from two classes participated in the study. The data were collected through five tools (four worksheets and a questionnaire). The students mainly used 'scientist' perspective by focusing on what research says about the possible consequences of inhaling laughing gas. The students also focused on 'health'; principally, they referred to the relation between the amount of laughing gas used and the damage it may cause. As to the influential pedagogical elements of the lesson, the 'videos' were found to be the most effective and informative. In addition, the 'group discussion' was also found to be an influential activity of the lesson on making decisions about the use and sale of laughing gas. Therefore, our results suggest that the lesson design supported the students to recognize and use different perspectives to make informed decisions about the sale and use of laughing gas.


In today?s world due to the rapid industrialization, recycled aggregates play an important role in the construction activities for the preservance of natural aggregates. The study is to determine the suitability of recycled aggregates for the construction of rural roads, which will in achieving the economy for the road construction and also helps in protecting environment degradation in terms reducing the mining and pollution. For the construction of rural roads requires large quantity of fresh aggregates, replacement of fresh aggregates by recycled aggregates is considered in this study.Recycled aggregates were collected from the demolished building from chamarajpet, Bangalore. Various tests were conducted on coarse and fine aggregates. Grade of the concrete used is M30. Compression, flexural and split tensile tests has been carried out and compared the test results with the prepared control mix. Also the rigid pavement analysis has been carried out in FEM based KENPAVE software. Variation of middle, edge and corner stress is found for the different slab thickness. For the analysis single axle with single wheel and dual wheel are considered.


ABSTRACT How did the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing differ from prior disasters and what implications did it have for disaster mental health services and service delivery? The federal disaster mental health approach in this country developed largely out of experiences with natural disasters. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing differed in several important ways, including the large number of human casualties, higher rates of psychopathology, and an extended period of concern due to the criminal investigation and trials, which suggested the need to consider modifications in the program. Outreach was extensive, but psychiatric morbidity of direct victims was greater than that of victims of natural disasters, emphasizing the need for attention to the triage and referral process. Other concerns that warrant consideration include practices related to record keeping and program evaluation.


Clinical guidelines recommend reevaluation of glucose-lowering medications and relaxation of HbA1c targets in patients with diabetes after a severe hypoglycemic event. We compared diabetes management before and after hypoglycemia requiring emergency department (ED) visit or hospital admission. Using data from OptumLabs® Data Warehouse, we identified privately insured and Medicare Advantage enrollees 18+ years with pharmacologically-treated type 2 diabetes and an ED visit or hospitalization for hypoglycemia between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. We assessed the differences in the number of physician office visits, glucometer test strips filled, continuous glucose monitor (CGM) use, diabetes medication fills, and HbA1c levels (available for 1582 [27.7%]), within 6 months prior to and 6 months after hypoglycemia. Among 5721 patients with type 2 diabetes and severe hypoglycemia, mean age was 67.8 (SD 12.3), 51% women, 63% white, and 68% used insulin. Changes in management are summarized in Table 1. After an event, the proportion of patients filling insulin increased, but the proportion filling sulfonylureas declined. Less than one third of patients with a baseline HbA1c Few of the recommended changes in diabetes management occur after a severe hypoglycemic event. These findings suggest the need for better post-event care to improve the safety of glucose-lowering therapy. Disclosure P. Vijayakumar: None. S. Liu: None. P.A. Kahn: None. R.G. McCoy: None. A.J. Karter: None. K.J. Lipska: Consultant; Self; Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG). Research Support; Self; National Institute on Aging. Other Relationship; Self; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T35DK104689); National Institute on Aging; American Federation for Aging Research; National Institutes of Health (K23AG048359)


: Parameters of innate and adaptive immunity were studied in the blood serum of 180 patients, aged 15-25 years, with different endogenous mental diseases with depressive and mania disorders in the clinical picture (affective psychoses (29 patients), schizoaffective psychoses (106 patients) , slow-progressive schizophrenia (23 patients) and intermittent-progressive schizophrenia (22 patients)). The activation of innate immunity (the increase in the degranulation activity of leukocyte elastase (LE) and functional activity of alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) were found in all the diseases. The increase in disease severity (from affective disorders to intermittent-progressive schizophrenia) was correlated with the significant elevation of LE activity. The LE activity did not depend on the polarity and severity of affective pathology in each diagnostic group. The mean levels of autoantibodies to the nerve growth factor and the myelin basic protein did not differ from the control values in all the groups of patients.


Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising treatment for cancer, which uses viruses that selectively target and kill cancer cells. In this article, we developed a system of partial differential equations, which describes the spatiotemporal dynamics of cancer cells under virotherapy and immune response. We carried out numerical simulations of the system and analyzed the important biological parameters. The numerical results suggest that high viral infection plays an important role in improving the treatment outcomes. Moreover, strong immune response can improve the result of virotherapy along with a high immune killing rate of cancer cells. This model could be validated by using patients' data; and thus it may help oncologists choose the optimal therapy to eradicate cancer.


Enormous volumes of effluent are generated at different stages of textile manufacturing, as a result of the use of copious amounts of chemicals and dyes. Several tons of textiles required to meet up with societal demands are produced daily in this industry. Effluent derived from the textile and dyestuff activities can provoke serious environmental impact in the neighboring receptor water bodies because of the presence of toxic reactive dyes, chlorolignin residues and dark coloration. Nature has demonstrated its capacity to disperse, degrade, absorb or otherwise dispose of unwanted residues in the natural sinks of the atmosphere, waterways, ocean and soil. It is realized however that this ability is not finite. The discharge of these waste residues into the environment eventually poison, damage or affect one or more species in the environment, with resultant changes in the ecological balance. The biological breakdown of the chlorolignin residues and the chromophoric groups responsible for the dark coloration of the textile effluent can be accomplished by the use of enzymes from the white rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The siderophores detected from the culture of the organism have been found useful in the decolourization and remediation of the effluent. This review summarizes the available information in the use of this fungus for bioremediation purposes and also assesses the current status of the technology.


SUMMARY: A restriction map of o A7 DNA (46·7 kb) was established for nine endonucleases (Bc/I, ClaI, EcoRI, EcoRV, HpaI, PvuI, SacII, SphI and XbaI) which cut the phage genome up to 11 times. There were no sites for BamHI, Bg/II, HindIII, PstI, PvuII, SacI or Sa/I. o A7 DNA, circularized through its cohesive ends, could integrate into the genome of several Streptomyces hosts, to form stable lysogens. Integration occurred by recombination between unique attachment sites on the phage (attP) and the host (attB) genomes. The attP site has been located on the o A7 restriction map. Deletion mutants of o A7 DNA were obtained by selecting for pyrophosphate- or EDTA-resistant clones. The deletions occurred either near the left-hand end of the conventional restriction map, or about 18 kb from the right-hand end, close to, but not affecting the unique SacII site. Together, the deletions defined at least 7·9 of DNA (16·9% of the phage genome) non-essential for plaque formation. o A7 DNA was introduced into S. lividans protoplasts by liposome-assisted transfection. Since the phage does not adsorb to intact cells of this strain, and therefore does not form plaques, an overlay of S. antibioticus spores was used to detect the infectious progeny released by the protoplasts. Using this technique, o A7 could be introduced into S. antibioticus with an efficiency of about 6 × 106 p.f.u. per μg DNA (equivalent to 3 × 10-4 p.f.u. per DNA molecule).


Abstract Flash floods are highly variable phenomena in both time and space. Therefore, tools with the potential to provide early warning are needed to analyse them. In Europe, flash floods often occur on small catchments; it has already been shown that the spatial variability of rainfall has a great impact on the catchment response. The aim of this paper is to use a coupled hydrological-hydraulic model (MIKE SHE/MIKE 11) to determine the rainfall thresholds and transformation coefficients from hourly rain to other durations, which will lead to flooding of the inhabited areas to the ungauged Ungureni catchment. The model was calibrated and validated using a reference discharge previously obtained by UTCB at the downstream gauge section of Teleorman River (Tatarastii de Sus) using MIKE 11 UHM module. Once the rainfall thresholds are determined, they can be used in flood forecasting and issuing warning with lead time for the inhabitants of the two villages located in Ungureni watershed. The method proposed in this paper can be used for other watersheds prone to flooding, so warnings can be issued with lead time.


Cobalt phosphide (Co2P) nanoshuttles were synthesized via simple microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment of cobalt chloride and yellow phosphorus at 220 °C for 30 min. Their crystalline structure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The as-prepared nanoshuttles were ∼20 μm long, and their diameter decreased from about 300 nm in the central part to <30 nm at their terminal tips. A combined oriented attachment and Ostwald ripening mechanism is proposed for the Co2P nanoshuttle formation, based on the experimental results and density functional theory calculations. The as-prepared Co2P nanoshuttles exhibited excellent electrochemical properties, e.g., a specific capacitance of 246 F g−1 at a discharge current density of 1 A g−1 along with excellent cycling stability, suggesting their great application potential in high-performance energy storage/conversion devices.


ABSTRACT Soft sediment deformation structures in lower Miocene alluvial sediments of the High Plains include three distinct types: long projections with nearly circular cross-sections, short projections with reniform cross-sections and massive volcanic ash structures. These structures project more than one meter downward into more dense host sand. The morphology of each type of structure is described and each is related to associated structures in the host sand. The origin of the long projections is probably related to activity of plants and/or animals. These projections probably formed by fining of burrows or root casts by fluid-saturated volcanic ash. The short projections intermediate axes are coincident with the axes of loaded ripples and indicate that these structures probably formed by t ixotropic flow through ripple troughs. Volcanic masses within host sand are most difficult to explain. Laboratory experiments were conducted to duplicate these structures and suggest that they formed by movement of sand through a layer of volcanic ash. Collectively, these structures are unique and indicate probable formation in a braided stream environment with high fluctuation in discharge, biologic activity and rapid accumulation of sediment.


Service learning programs have demonstrated effectiveness in helping today~ students develop essential levels of understanding about selfawareness, citizenship, the environment, diversity and leadership. International service learning extends the learning experience to other cultures, providing opportunities for language development and crosscultural communication skills, as well as the realization that the world is an interdependent system. The design and outcomes of successful international service learning programs are presented.


Background Within lifecourse epidemiology, there is substantial interest in relationships between exposures (X) measured longitudinally (e.g. at time 0, 1, 2; hence X0, X1, X2) and outcomes (Y) measured cross-sectionally once (e.g. Y2 or Y2 + t). Within a causal framework, modelling presents many challenges, such as how to account for time-invariant confounding. It has been demonstrated that the information contained in separate models for each exposure can be combined into an overall model using unexplained residuals; it is suggested this also reduces standard errors of estimated effect sizes. This study explored how confounders are incorporated into this framework and whether standard errors are indeed reduced. Methods Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) depict a range of potential causal relationships between a longitudinal exposure (BMI: body mass index, aged 2, 15 and 64 years; BMI2, BMI15 and BMI64), and a later-life outcome (CRP: C-reactive protein, a marker for cardiovascular disease) measured once around the time of the last exposure assessment (CRP64), in the presence of a time-invariant confounder (S: sex) measured only at baseline. The DAG guides plausible covariance structures in the data simulation and steers thinking about at which stage(s) in the residual increase modelling process one should incorporate confounders. Residual increase models were then contrasted to standard regression models. Results With standard regression we model the impact of BMI2 using CRP64~BMI2+S, the impact of BMI15 using CRP64~BMI15+BMI2+S, and the impact of BMI64 using CRP64~BMI64+BMI15+BMI2+S. In residual increase models, BMI15~BMI2+S and BMI64~BMI15+BMI2+S yield residuals E15 and E64, representing differences between expected and actual values of BMI at each time point (or the 'residual increase' in BMI) while controlling for the confounding effect, S. We also control for S in the overall model: CRP64~BMI2+E15+E64+S. It is shown that the residual increase model has coefficients equivalent to those produced by the separate standard regression models and this model offers a modest reduction in the standard errors of estimated coefficients. Conclusion A time-invariant confounder must be accommodated when generating 'residual increases' and in the overall residual increase model. Incorporating confounders this way allows for the interpretation of multiple effects in a single model, though this offers no new information about variable relationships in and of themselves. It is important to use DAGs to determine how to incorporate confounders into the residual increase model framework, which offers modest reductions in the standard errors of estimated coefficients, though model interpretation is perhaps not as straightforward as with standard regression models.


Elevated production of amyloid(A ) as a preventive antioxidant for brain lipoproteins under the action of increased oxidative stress in aging is postulated to represent a major event in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increase in A production is followed by chelation of transition metal ions by A , accumulation of A -metal lipoprotein aggregates, production of reactive oxygen species and neurotoxicity. Chelation of copper by A is proposed to be a most important part of this pathway, because A binds copper stronger than other transition metals and because copper is a more efficient catalyst of oxidation than other metals. This amyloid-binds-copper (ABC) model does not remove A peptide from its central place in our current thinking of AD, but rather places additional factors in the center of discussion. Most importantly, they embrace pathological mechanisms known to develop in aging (which is the major risk factor for AD), such as increased production of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria, that are positioned upstream relative to the generation of A . © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. Keywords—Amyloid, Alzheimer's disease, Antioxidant, Transition metals, Oxidation, Lipoproteins, Free radicals


Introduction: The patient-based evaluation of outcome is gaining increased importance. The aim of the study was to translate and culturally adapt the short musculoskeletal function assessment questionnaire (SMFA) into German and to evaluate the practicability, metric properties, and distribution characteristics of the German version (SMFA-D). Methods: The SMFA is a questionnaire on the functional status of the musculoskeletal system of patients consisting of a function index (34 items) and bother index (12 items) with a 5-point response format. The SMFA was independently translated by orthopaedic-trained, qualified German- and English-speaking translators. A consensus committee review and selection of an optimally comprehensible German version was performed. Patients checked this version for comprehensibility and time to complete the questionnaire. 40 fluently German-speaking patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee completed the SMFA-D twice at a one week interval. The test-retest reliability and internal consistency were evaluated. The values are standardized on an scale from 0-100. High values indicate a poor function. Results: The SMFA-D is comprehensible and can be completed within 20 minutes in the mean. There were no skewness and no floor or ceiling effects. The mean function index was 47 (SD 17, range 16-80). The mean bother index was 44 (SD 19, range 5-75). Test-retest reliability were 0.88 (function index) and 0.71 (bother index), respectively. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.92 (function index) and 0.88 (bother index), respectively. Conclusions: The SMFA-D is a practical and reliable questionnaire for patient-based evaluation of functional problems of the musculoskeletal system.


INTRODUCTION The current deterioration of the American economy is bringing new attention to the problem of poverty in the United States. After falling over the last few years, the number of Americans living in poverty has begun to rise once again. (1) Notwithstanding the achievements of recent "welfare reforms," the American poor continue to be numerous by any measure. Unfortunately, decades of affluence have exacerbated American tendencies to view liberal concepts such as freedom, autonomy, tolerance, and choice in ways that accentuate personal autonomy over community integration. These liberal values have been increasingly unhinged from strong countervailing principles like duty and responsibility, and many Americans feel no strong impetus to sacrifice in order to help the weakest members of their society. This situation continues unabated as a lack of common purpose in American life and a materialistic vision of society have made it extremely difficult for American law and public policy to confront poverty in the United States in a meaningful way. After explaining how strong propensities toward materialism and individualism in American culture have affected views toward welfare in the United States, I will explain how current American reforms of economic assistance for the poor are creatures of a political rendering of poverty that fails to take seriously the low regard in which many Americans hold the poor. From this it becomes clear that, in the long run little should be expected from American welfare reform. For an alternative vision, I will draw on Catholic social thought and David Hollenbach's recent work in Christian ethics to argue that the principles of solidarity and the common good as understood in Catholic social thought would: (1) offer the poor a more integrated role in American society, (2) function as a corrective to the ongoing erosion of a sense of communal responsibility in American culture, and (3) provide the theoretical foundation for a more comprehensive structure of income and social support for the American poor. I. MORE PRECIOUS FOR WHAT THEY HAVE THAN FOR WHO THEY ARE: WELFARE REFORM IN A MATERIAL WORLD The trend toward an excessively inward looking and materialistic culture has a long history in the United States. As early as the 1950s a trend was identified, and the tragic effects it would have on the lives of the American poor were recognized. In 1957, Catholic theologian John Courtney Murray wrote that human dignity was severely threatened by what he termed American "practical materialism." (3) As increasing numbers of Americans adopted the belief that the accumulation of material goods and wealth was the highest attainment of human endeavor, Murray feared that deeper understandings of human dignity and purpose in American life would be destroyed: [American practical materialism] has had, in fact, one dominating ideal: the conquest of the material world.... It has made one promise: a more abundant life for the ordinary man and woman, the abundance being ultimately in physical comfort. It has had one technique of social progress: the exploitation, for all they are worth in cold hard cash, of the resources of the land and forest and stream, and of the mechanical inventiveness of its citizens. It has recognized one supreme law: supply and demand. It has had one standard of value: the quantitative, that judges that best which is biggest. It has aimed at one order: the economic. It confers one accolade on those who serve it: wealth. It knows one evil: poverty. (4) In an American society obsessed with material consumption and wealth creation, the existence of the poor and the intractable nature of poverty are discomforting signs of the limits of the nation's materialistic ethos. It also reveals that core ideologies, such as unfettered individual liberty, and the inevitability of American-style capitalism and political democracy have failed to realize an end to poverty. …


HYPOTENSIVE anesthesia to reduce bleeding during surgery has recently evoked a great interest among surgeons and anesthesiologists. For the past two years we have been using hypotensive anesthesia in selected cases of radical pelvic and abdominal surgery at the Memorial Cancer Center in New York City. The physiological basis for this type of anesthesia will be discussed very briefly. It is known that the blood pressure varies mainly as the product of cardiac output and peripheral resistance; blood pressure equals cardiac output times peripheral resistance. In case of hemorrhage the blood volume is reduced, leading to decrease in venous return to the heart, with subsequent fall in cardiac output. The compensatory mechanism of the body acting via the sympathoadrenal system tries to maintain normal blood pressure levels by increasing the peripheral resistance. The produced vasoconstriction achieves temporarily this goal, but with further blood loss the blood pressure falls and reaches low


Modern portable electronic devices create a strong demand for flexible energy storage devices. Paper based nanocomposites are attractive as sustainable materials for such applications. Here, we directly explored the hydroxyl chemistry of cellulose fibers to synthesize hybrid ternary nanocomposites, comprised of rice paper, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and manganese oxide nanoparticles. The functional groups on cellulose fibers can react with adsorbed permanganate ions, resulting in uniform deposition of manganese oxide nanoparticles. SWCNTs coated on top of manganese oxide nanoparticles form a highly conductive network connecting individual manganese oxide particles. By using the hybrid ternary composites as electrodes, the assembled two-electrode supercapacitors demonstrated high capacitance (260.2 F g(-1)), energy (9.0 W h kg(-1)), power (59.7 kW kg(-1)), and cycle stability (12% drop after 3000 cycles). In addition, the nanocomposites show good strength and excellent mechanical flexibility, and their capacitance shows negligible changes after bending more than 100 times. These findings suggest that opportunities exist to further explore the rich chemistry of cellulose fibers for innovative energy applications.


Preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) through breastfeeding is important to reduce the number of infected children. Research on making breastfeeding safer is a high priority. The authors reviewed the attempts to develop alternative methods, other than antiretroviral (ARV) therapy of mothers and/or babies, to decontaminate breast milk of infectious HIV-1 (free and associated with lymphocytes). They also review how these methods affect milk constituents, as well as their current and prospective status. A PubMed search for English publications on methods to prevent MTCT through breast milk was completed. Methods that have been tested, other than systemicuse or ARV or immunoprophylaxis, to reduce or prevent MTCT of HIV-1 through breast milk were broadly classified into 5 groups: (1) modified feeding practices, (2) heat treatment of milk, (3) lipolysis, (4) antimicrobial treatment of the breastfeeding mother, and (5) microbicidal treatment of infected milk. Their advantages and disadvantages are discussed, as well as future directions in the prevention of MTCT through breastfeeding.


This article reports in silico analysis of methyl isocyanate (MIC) on different key immune proteins against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The analysis shows that MIC is released in the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, which is highly toxic and extremely hazardous to human health. In this study, we have selected immune proteins to perform molecular docking with the help of Autodock 4.0. Results show that the CD40 ligand and alpha5beta1 integrin have higher inhibition compared to plasminogen activator urokinase, human glutathione synthetase, mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38 MAPK 14), surfactant protein-B, -D (SP-D), and pulmonary SP-D. MIC interacted with His-125, Try-146 residue of CD40 ligand and Ala-149, and Arg-152 residue of alpha5beta1 integrin and affects the proteins functioning by binding on their active sites. These inhibitory conformations were energetically and statistically favored and supported the evidence from wet laboratory experiments reported in the literature. We can conclude that MIC directly or indirectly affects these proteins, which shows that survivals of the disaster suffer from the diseases like tuberculosis infection and lung cancer.


In Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit Jodi Magness unearths footprints buried in both archaeological and literary evidence to shed new light on Jewish daily life in Palestine from the mid-first century b.c.e. to 70 c.e. the time and place of Jesus life and ministry. Magness analyzes recent archaeological discoveries from such sites as Qumran and Masada together with a host of period texts, including the New Testament, the works of Josephus, and rabbinic teachings. Layering all these sources together, she reconstructs in detail a fascinating variety of everyday activities dining customs, Sabbath observance, fasting, toilet habits, burial customs, and more."


A challenge for owners operating nuclear power plants and spent fuel canisters is to provide sound technical basis for the safety and security of long-term operation and storage, respectively. Two code cases N-729-6 and N-770-5 provide performance requirements for mitigation of Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking (PWSCC) in ASME Section XI and Code Case N-860 "Examination Requirements and Acceptance Standards for Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage and Transportation Containment Systems" is under development in ASME Section XI. The primary degradation concern being addressed in N-860 is Chloride Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking (CISCC). ASME Section III has formed two Task Groups with the intent to reduce PWSCC and CISCC in operation by mitigating residual stresses during new construction of components.
 ASME Section III formed Task Group Weld Residual Stress (TG-WRS) to incorporate lessons learned into the Code from operating plants regarding their experience with stress corrosion cracking. An example of expected guidance from TG-WRS is to consider residual stresses after weld repair of a susceptible material when the repair surface is exposed to the wetted environment. To address this concern, one form of mitigation could be the use of SSI which has been used in operating plants. However, there is a gap because no acceptance or performance criteria exists for mitigation of SCC by surface stress improvement for ASME Section III components.
 The executive committee of ASME requested that a new Task Group named "Advanced Surface Stress Improvement Technology" (ASSIT) be formed by the Korean International Working Group (KIWG) and Materials Fabrication and Examination (MF&E) to address this gap by developing a code case for mitigation of PWSCC and CISCC for new ASME Section III components by SSI techniques. This paper will discuss the background and current approach being taken by Task Group ASSIT in developing SSI acceptance or performance criteria for mitigation of SCC. The necessary technical reports supporting this code case are also under development as part of joint projects between Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction (DOOSAN), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Sun Moon University (SMU). Interim reports summarizing the status of these joint projects will be presented as separate papers in the same session.


This study addresses the impact of trade openness on technical efficiency in the U.S. agricultural sector. The results indicate that trade protectionism illustrated with a decrease in the share of agricultural imports in agricultural GDP led to an increase in technical efficiency. A change in the share of agricultural exports in agricultural GDP had no impact on technical efficiency. These results are partially consistent with the premise of the new trade theory, but also seem to be driven by the intricacies of the agricultural sector and agricultural policy in the United States and internationally.


Materials research is often characterized as a pure scientific activity. However, such approach cannot be applied when materials researchers must deal with Appropriate Technology (AT) development. Science and engineering which focus on pure scientific background must be integrated with appropriateness of AT in engineering and technology levels. This study aims to discover such integration by investigating right positioning of materials research to AT development at the intersections between materials research and AT in Science, Engineering, and Technology research areas. Seven pillars of survivability which describe the tiers of appropriateness are also taken as the basis of exploration. They are coupled with the intersections to deliver complete overview of research positioning of materials research in AT development. This study concludes that materials researchers become the inventors (Science), innovators (Engineering), and constructors (Technology) of materials used in AT. They have to produce materials for AT that that must be able (Science), feasible (Engineering), and visible (Technology) to improve local activities through a technological solution. By looking at the discussion, this study contributes in several issues at once: AT, materials research, and research design, including all aspects considered as the fundamental principles of survivability, by taking these issues in the positioning of materials research in AT development.


In the classic analysis of smuggling importers choose the optimal mix of legal and illegal trade, given trade taxes and the technology of detection. This paper introduces an inconvertible currency in the framework, so that illegal trade is valued at a rate higher than the (fixed) official exchange rate. Sections 1 and 2 show how the smuggling ratio and the domestic price markup for the import and export good are simultaneously determined. With balanced legal and illegal trade, changes in the (long-run) black market premium are a weighted average of changes in trade taxes, whereas changes in the smuggling ratios depend on the ratio of trade taxes. Thus, an import tariff and an export subsidy rising at the same rate would keep smuggling ratios constant but imply a rising black market premium (section 3 and 4). To determine the quantity of exports and imports, a model of the economy is presented in section 5, featuring the production of exports and non-traded goods and the consumption of imports and non-traded goods, as well as a government confiscating the amounts of traded goods unsuccessfully smuggled. Then export production may fall, and welfare may rise, if trade taxes have a negative effect on the relative price of exports and imports stronger than the positive effect on smuggled exports and imports, which is always welfare-reducing. Section 6 introduces the short-run determination of the black market premium via portfolio balance. In this case, rising rade taxes may be associated with a premium rising even faster if there is unreported capital flight and conversely.