We present a method for automatic seismic event detection and classification, focusing on volcanic-seismic signals by means of the validity of the hidden Markov modeling (HMM) method in active volcanoes. Recordings of different seismic event types are studied at one active volcano; San Cristobal in Nicaragua. We use data from one field surveys carried out in February to March 2006. More than 600 hours of data in San Cristobal volcano were analyzed and 1098 seismic events were registered at short period stations. These events were manually labelled by a single expert technicians and identified three types classes of signals (S1, S2, S3) and tremor background seismic noise (NS). The method analyzes the seismograms comparing the characteristics of the data to a number of event classes defined beforehand. If a signal is present, the method detects its occurrence and produces a classification. From the application performed over our data set, we have demonstrated that in order to have a reliable result, a careful and adequate segmentation process is crucial. Also, each type of signals requires its own characterization. That is, each signal type must be represented by its own specific model, which would include the effects of source, path and sites. Once we have built this model, the success level of the system is high. Extensive performance evaluation is conducted to derive the optimal configuration of the different parameters Correct classification rates of up to 80% are achieved. The high success rates obtained imply that the method is fully able to detect, isolate, and identify seismic signals on raw seismic data. These results imply that, once an adequate training process has been used, the present method is particularly appropriate to work in real time, and in parallel to the data acquisition.


Three-dimensional compositional models of individual InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) have been generated using compositionally-sensitive dark field 002 cross sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM) images. Recovery of a sample's structure from transmission electron microscope image data is an inverse problem, which is solved here by the use of simplifying assumptions. The reconstruction of the 3-D concentration is made possible using image analysis and fitting of the image data with a series of Gaussian functions, under an assumption of cylindrical symmetry. A further complication in the analysis is the existence of double-valued solutions for the composition, which required further information in order to find the right solution.
For high quality TEM specimens the model can determine the location and concentration of indium and gallium in different regions inside QDs and reveals differences in composition between samples, for example due to differing thermal treatments. Knowledge of the TEM specimen thickness is essential for quantitative analysis, as shown by comparison between simulated and experimental images. A new technique for measurement of specimen thickness using convergent beam electron diffraction techniques, to a small fraction of the extinction distance, is made possible using digital combination of several individual diffraction patterns. Our measurements of composition give insight into the growth process, as well as quantitative measurements which can be used for modelling of QD behaviour. The model is applied to different InxGa1-xAs QD structures, i.e. an InAs QD laser, D-WELL structure, QD infrared photodetector and double QD structure.
The thesis starts with an introduction in an epitaxial growth of III-V quantum dots, some of their applications and currently available 3D characterization techniques. Chapter 2 presents a general introduction to transmission electron microscopy, sample preparation and contrast mechanisms with particular attention paid to dark field 002 imaging of III-V quantum dots.
The principles used throughout the analysis, and the approach taken to implement them, are given in chapter3. It presents basic concepts, data processing algorithms and experimental imaging conditions. A data processing program, taking experimental transmission electron microscope images of QDs to produce a 3-D composition model; and an image simulation program, using dynamical diffraction theory to produce a TEM image from a 3-D composition model, were written using MatLab. Chapter 4 focuses mainly on the measurement of specimen thickness including digital large angle convergent beam electron diffraction (D-LACBED) and the 113-DF imaging technique. Experimental results are given in chapter 5. Chapter 6 is given to discussion and some conclusions and suggestions for further work given in chapter 7.


It is well known that parasites are often highly aggregated on their hosts such that relatively few individuals host the large majority of parasites. When the parasites are vectors of infectious disease, a key consequence of this aggregation can be increased disease transmission rates. The cause of this aggregation, however, is much less clear, especially for parasites such as arthropod vectors, which generally spend only a short time on their hosts. Regression-based analyses of ticks on various hosts have focused almost exclusively on identifying the intrinsic host characteristics associated with large burdens, but these efforts have had mixed results; most host traits examined have some small influence, but none are key. An alternative approach, the Poisson-gamma mixture distribution, has often been used to describe aggregated parasite distributions in a range of host/macroparasite systems, but lacks a clear mechanistic basis. Here, we extend this framework by linking it to a general model of parasite accumulation. Then, focusing on blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) on mice (Peromyscus leucopus), we fit the extended model to the best currently available larval tick burden datasets via hierarchical Bayesian methods, and use it to explore the relative contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on observed tick burdens. Our results suggest that simple bad luck—inhabiting a home range with high vector density—may play a much larger role in determining parasite burdens than is currently appreciated.


The Latvian language as a foreign language (LATS) is learned both in Latvia and abroad. It can be done in higher education institutions, as well as in different courses and self-directed learning. Outside Latvia, there are many countries and higher education institutions where it is possible to acquire LATS.
In some higher education institutions, the Latvian language has been taught since the beginning of the 20th century. The oldest LATS teaching traditions are in North America, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and Australia. In some universities, such as Stockholm University, Masaryk University, Saint Petersburg State University, etc., academically strong study programs in Baltic Studies were established. Over time, study programs have been closed for various reasons, at most leaving the Latvian language as an optional course. At some universities, the Latvian language course has been discontinued.
Although in some higher education institutions outside Latvia LATS could be acquired starting from the beginning of the 20th century, the most significant interest in the Latvian language was after the restoration of independence of the Republic of Latvia. Then many higher education institutions in Europe established Latvian language and culture study programs. This interest was related to the geopolitical situation. People tried to get to know the post-Soviet countries through the language. When Latvia joined the European Union, interest in the Latvian language decreased in Europe. Nowadays, interest in the Latvian language has increased in Asia, especially in China.
In Asia, it is possible to acquire the Latvian language in China and Japan. There are established different Latvian language bachelor programs in universities of China while in Japan the Latvian language is taught for somebody interested in Latvian culture and traditions more than in the Latvian language.


In India, public–private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects are mainly financed by commercial bank debt, and bond markets have had only limited participation in financing infrastructure. One of the factors that has constrained infrastructure projects from accessing bond markets has been their low-investment-grade credit ratings. Infrastructure projects are considered risky by rating agencies, and their low-investment-grade (BBB) rating levels do not attract bond market investments. However, the rationale for higher risk grades for infrastructure PPP projects is not clear. This article reviews research on financing infrastructure in India, analyzes rating transition studies over five years, and summarizes findings from an analysis of actual defaults for 134 infrastructure PPP projects in India. The findings indicate that infrastructure PPP projects exhibit lower rates of default than those expected from the credit ratings given to the infrastructure project debt. The use of external credit ratings by investors and financial sector regulators is constraining debt investments in infrastructure specifically from bond markets and long-term sources.


Preoperative risk-prediction models are an important tool in contemporary surgical practice. We developed a risk-scoring technique for predicting in-hospital death for cardiovascular surgery patients. From our institutional database, we obtained data on 21,120 patients admitted from 1995 through 2007. The outcome of interest was early death (in-hospital or within 30 days of surgery). To identify mortality predictors, multivariate logistic regression was performed on data from 14,030 patients from 1995 through 2002 and risk scores were computed to stratify patients (low-, medium-, and high-risk). A recalibrated model was then created from the original risk scores and validated on data from 7,090 patients from 2003 through 2007. Significant predictors of death included urgent surgery within 48 hours of admission, advanced age, renal insufficiency, repeat coronary artery bypass grafting, repeat aortic aneurysm repair, concomitant aortic aneurysm or left ventricular aneurysm repair with coronary bypass or valvular surgery, and preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump support. Because the original model overpredicted death for operations performed from 2003 through 2007, this was adjusted for by applying the recalibrated model. Applying the recalibrated model to the validation set revealed predicted mortality rates of 1.7%, 4.2%, and 13.4% and observed rates of 1.1%, 5.1%, and 13%, respectively. Because our model discriminates risk groups by using preoperative clinical criteria alone, it can be a useful bedside tool for identifying patients at greater risk of early death after cardiovascular surgery, thereby facilitating clinical decision-making. The model can be recalibrated for use in other types of patient populations.


Smart meters deployment and developments in telecommunication technologies allow easier response of consumers to price signals. In this context, real time pricing together with network price signals may incentivize consumers to consider their impact on distribution networks costs, both from the short-term and long-term perspectives. In this paper, the effect of demand response on network costs would consider the avoided or deferrable investment costs in networks. For this purpose, a large-scale distribution network planning tool, Reference Network Model, is used to estimate the reinforcements needed to meet the demand growth in a ten-year horizon. The results show that different factors affect the impact of demand response on networks: such as the grid topology, consumers' location, price signals and consumer's flexibility. One of the main findings is that a demand charge significantly reduces network costs already even at low demand flexibility levels to energy prices.


Collaboration across enterprises is becoming increasingly necessary in today's competitive marketplace. Such cross-enterprise collaboration requires simultaneously rich knowledge sharing and maximal information security, an often paradoxical accord. Current approaches to information security do not effectively manage this paradox in collaborative knowledge processes that take on an emergent nature. We propose a knowledge worker centric model of information security that considers individual and organizational factors that affect the decisions knowledge workers make whether to share or not in a collaborative relationship. These dynamic decisions involve trading off the consequences of sharing against the consequences of not sharing. We discuss strategies that help ensure that the appropriate balance is struck. A knowledge worker centric approach to security helps promote secure sharing in emergent collaborative knowledge work. Information security breaches as top management challenge


Copper single crystals of {110}<001> crystallographic orientation were cold rolled to a true strain of 1.4. Specimens were cut from the as-deformed crystals with all surfaces mechanically ground and deep-etched in concentrated nitric acid to minimise the likelihood of surface nucleation of recrystallized grains during subsequent annealing. The early stages of static recovery were studied by annealing specimens at 300 oC. The crystallographic features of the deformed and annealed microstructures were determined by high resolution electron backscatter diffraction. It was observed that deformation was homogeneous with the microstructure in ND-RD plane exhibiting two complementary sets of intersecting bands at ~+ 35o to ND. Along these bands and in the microstructure, in general, there was an overall spread in orientation about ND towards {110}<112>. However, the orientation spread along these bands was cyclic, that is, sinusoidal orientation gradients were generated about ND with amplitude of up to 20o and wavelength 5-10 µm. Annealing resulted in the preferred growth of cells that have orientations at the edge of the orientation spread of the deformation substructure. This localized coarsening of the microstructure is similar to the discontinuous subgrain growth observed in {110}<001> oriented Al single crystals and indicates that discontinuous subgrain (cellular) growth can also occur in metals of lower stacking fault energy.


When testing that a sample of n points in the unit hypercube [0,1] d comes from a uniform distribution, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and the Cramer-von Mises statistics are simple and well-known procedures. To encompass these measures of uniformity, Hickernell introduced the so-called generalized £ P -discrepancies. These discrepancies can be used in numerical integration through Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods, design of experiments, uniformity testing and goodness-of-fit tests. The aim of this paper is to derive the statistical asymptotic properties of these statistics under Monte Carlo sampling. In particular, we show that, under the hypothesis of uniformity of the sample of points, the asymptotic distribution is a complex stochastic integral with respect to a pinned Brownian sheet. On the other hand, if the points are not uniformly distributed, then the asymptotic distribution is Gaussian.


It has been noted in the literature on inter‐organisational relationships that long‐term cooperation is more effective in a business environment characterised by interdependence, commitment and trust. However, there is not enough knowledge about the effect of interdependence in different trust contexts. This paper draws on several theoretical contributions to examine the interaction of economic and social factors as determinants of industrial buyer‐seller relationships. In order to test the proposed hypotheses information was collected relating to supplier‐manufacturer relationships in the automotive industry. As expected, the empirical results indicate that trust moderates the effect of interdependence on the relational orientation of the exchange in that it enhances the relational orientation perceived by both manufacturer and supplier. A discrepancy was also found between suppliers' and manufacturers' relationship perceptions. The theoretical and managerial implications of the results are also discussed.


For the upgrade and expansion of an existing caprolactam wastewater treatment plant, a freely floating sponge media (BioCube) process was selected based on extensive pilot-plant tests, due to extreme space constraints. In order to protect nitrifier inhibition caused by high strength organics in caprolactam wastewater, the pilot plant consisted of an organics removal reactor, which functioned as a pretreatment for nitrification, and followed the nitrogen removal reactor. The suspended MLSS was 1,800–4,000 and the media attached MLSS was maintained at 22,000–26,000 mg/L. The final effluent COD was noticeably low, around 20.4–37 mg/L, even with fairly large fluctuations in the feed levels, between 1,400–6,770 mg/L. The removal of total nitrogen with the system, when denitrification was close to completion, was approximately 97.6%. For the entire run, complete nitrification of 99.6% was achieved, which might have been due to wellacclimatized nitrifiers attached in the BioCube media. Specifically, after adaptation, the nitrification continuously increased in the organics removal reactor, even under high residual organics conditions. From the numerous experimental results, the BioCube process seemed to be an effective method for the upgrading and expansion of the existing wastewater treatment plant, with minimum reactor enlargement.


The principle of cognitive radio (CR) systems is to utilize the licensed spectrum when their interference to primary users (PUs) can be maintained below a certain threshold. Thus, to successfully coexist, cognitive users must have awareness of PUs presence in the vicinity. As most communication signals exhibit statistical periodicities, cyclostationary feature detection (CFD) can be used to perform the task of sensing the spectrum for PUs presence. A second-order statistical approach is most widely used to perform CFD in which a set of lags should be chosen for statistical testing. The optimal method for choosing multiple lags requires knowledge of the 4th-order cyclic cumulant of PUs' signals, which can be a burden in practice. In this letter, we present a new idea for lag set selection with which avoids the mentioned 4th-order cumulant burden. The results, verified via analysis and simulation, show that the performance of the proposed method is comparable to the optimal one in the low signal to-noise ratio region where it is most critical for CR applications.


OBJECTIVES
We estimated the frequency and examined the characteristics of intimate partner homicide and related deaths in 16 US states participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), a state-based surveillance system.

METHODS
We used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze NVDRS data from 2003 to 2009. We selected deaths linked to intimate partner violence for analysis.

RESULTS
Our sample comprised 4470 persons who died in the course of 3350 intimate partner violence-related homicide incidents. Intimate partners and corollary victims represented 80% and 20% of homicide victims, respectively. Corollary homicide victims included family members, new intimate partners, friends, acquaintances, police officers, and strangers.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings, from the first multiple-state study of intimate partner homicide and corollary homicides, demonstrate that the burden of intimate partner violence extends beyond the couple involved. Systems (e.g., criminal justice, medical care, and shelters) whose representatives routinely interact with victims of intimate partner violence can help assess the potential for lethal danger, which may prevent intimate partner and corollary victims from harm.


Objective: Non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common clinical presentation of acute ischemic damage to the optic nerve. It is possible to evaluate choroidal changes in these cases with optical cohorens tomography (OCT). Methods: The records of 48 patients with NAION (group 1) were retrospectively reviewed. The best corrected visual acuities, intraocular pressure, ophthalmologic examination findings and macular enhanced depth imaging optic coherent tomography (EDI-OCT) examinations were evaluated. The data were compared with the right eyes of the control group of 50 volunteers (group 2). Results: The mean age of group 1 was 59.25±9.685 years, and the mean age of group 2 was 58.26±9.249 years. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (p=0.08). When the macular EDI-OCT tests were evaluated in the acute period, the affected eye choroidal thickness was significantly higher when compared with unaffected eyes in subfovea, nasal and temporal areas and group 2 (respectively p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.001). Group 1 unaffected eye subfovea, nasal and temporal OCT were significantly higher than control group (respectively p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.001). In the chronic period, thinning was observed in the affected eye choroidal thickness, but it was not statistically significant when compared with group 2 [respectively (p=0.543, p=0.513, p=0.497)]. Conclusion: The choroidal thickness changes in the early and late stages of the disease in NAION cases. This change may be due to the protection and adaptation mechanisms of optic nerve head perfusion.


Despite the public health importance of Salmonella infection in pigs, little is known about the associated dynamics of fecal shedding and immunity. In this study, we investigated the transitions of pigs through the states of Salmonella fecal shedding and immune response post-Salmonella inoculation as affected by the challenge dose and serotype. Continuous-time multistate Markov models were developed using published experimental data. The model for shedding had four transient states, of which two were shedding (continuous and intermittent shedding) and two non-shedding (latency and intermittent non-shedding), and one absorbing state representing permanent cessation of shedding. The immune response model had two transient states representing responses below and above the seroconversion level. The effects of two doses [low (0.65×106 CFU/pig) and high (0.65×109 CFU/pig)] and four serotypes (Salmonella Yoruba, Salmonella Cubana, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Derby) on the models' transition intensities were evaluated using a proportional intensities model. Results indicated statistically significant effects of the challenge dose and serotype on the dynamics of shedding and immune response. The time spent in the specific states was also estimated. Continuous shedding was on average 10–26 days longer, while intermittent non-shedding was 2–4 days shorter, in pigs challenged with the high compared to low dose. Interestingly, among pigs challenged with the high dose, the continuous and intermittent shedding states were on average up to 10–17 and 3–4 days longer, respectively, in pigs infected with S. Cubana compared to the other three serotypes. Pigs challenged with the high dose of S. Typhimurium or S. Derby seroconverted on average up to 8–11 days faster compared to the low dose. These findings highlight that Salmonella fecal shedding and immune response following Salmonella challenge are dose- and serotype-dependent and that the detection of specific Salmonella strains and immune responses in pigs are time-sensitive.


Diagnostics of thyroid gland pathology becomes more efficient with combined use of ultrasound and Doppler Ultrasonography. The article presents Color Doppler Ultrasonography data of 91 patients with hypertrophic and atrophic form of autoimmune thyroiditis. The obtained results showed considerable increase in resistive index in patients with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis and consequently the index can be used as diagnostic criterion of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.


Tart cherries possess properties that may reduce inflammation and improve glycemic control, however human data on supplementation and the gut microbiota is equivocal. Processing (i.e., juice concentrate, dried, frozen) may affect the properties of tart cherries, and therefore alter their efficacious health benefits. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 30 days of supplementation with Montmorency tart cherry (MTC) in concentrate or freeze-dried form on the gut microbiome and markers of inflammation and glycemic control. Healthy participants with no known disease (n = 58, age: 28 ± 10 y, height: 169.76 ± 8.55 cm, body mass: 72.2 ± 12.9 kg) were randomly allocated to four groups and consumed either concentrate or freeze-dried capsules or their corresponding placebos for 30 days. Venous blood samples were drawn at baseline, day 7, 14, and 30 and analyzed for inflammatory markers TNF-alpha, uric acid, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and glycemic control markers glycated albumin, glucose and insulin. A fecal sample was provided at baseline, day 14 and 30 for microbiome analysis. TNF-alpha was significantly lower at 30 vs. 14 days (p = 0.01), however there was no other significant change in the inflammatory markers. Insulin was not changed over time (p = 0.16) or between groups (p = 0.24), nor was glycated albumin different over time (p = 0.08) or between groups (p = 0.56), however glucose levels increased (p < 0.001) from baseline (4.79 ± 1.00 mmol·L−1) to 14 days (5.21 ± 1.02 mmol·L−1) and 30 days (5.61 ± 1.22 mmol·L−1) but this was no different between groups (p = 0.33). There was no significant change in composition of bacterial phyla, families, or subfamilies for the duration of this study nor was there a change in species richness. These data suggest that 30 days of MTC supplementation does not modulate the gut microbiome, inflammation, or improve glycemic control in a healthy, diverse group of adults. Clinical Trail Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04467372, identifier: NCT04467372.


We use panel data from two experiments conducted five months a part to investigate the stability of individual preferences and aggregate demand for five types of fish. Even though the bids in the two experiments are positively correlated, they clearly suggest that the individual preferences are unstable. This may be explained by internal desire for variety or by external effects such as new relevant information, seasonality in preferences, changes in the quality of the fish, and changes in the market price of fish. However, the aggregate demand curves of the participants are stable when we control for changes in the perceived quality of the fish and price expectations of the participants. In other words, the stability is generated by aggregation rather than derived from stable individual preferences.


This was a qualitative study that addressed an ethnocentric discourse in the context of international tourism based on the narrative of three tourists after their travels abroad. Ethnocentrism as a central or peripheral issue gave insights to several areas of study, but, apparently, it is not relevantly spotlighted in academic research in tourism. This fact is paradoxical given that the touristic phenomenon is the most important in terms of encounters among cultures. For that reason, in order to subsidize a discussion, this paper was divided into three sections. In the first section I outlined general contextualization and presented the methods utilized to perform this work. In the second part I approached ethnocentrism from its inception and, in a second moment, correlated to tourism. In the last stage, I narrated and correlated the three interviews in order to demonstrate how the ethnocentric discourse is not capable of logically sustaining itself and finally I exposed the conclusions as well as the references utilized in this work. Ideally, the encounter among cultures should promote awareness and cultural enrichment and a subject such as ethnocentrism should be widely discussed in all instances of the touristic field, but above all in the academic field. Furthermore, to promote awareness, education and motivate efforts towards cultural relativism is not just a matter of ethics or a convenient choice, but a logical necessity in a globalized context in which we, inevitably, find ourselves.


Mondia whitei root was evaluated to validate its anecdotal use and determine its possible mode of action in the management of erectile dysfunction. Rabbits were administered with daily oral doses of 100-400 mg kg(-1) crude ethanolic extract of M. whitei and sildenafil (50 mg kg(-1)) as positive control for 6 weeks. Cavernosal tissue NOS activity and levels of NO and cGMP, and NOS and PDE protein expressions were investigated. The effect of the crude extract, chloroform and petroleum ether fractions in vitro on cavernosal tissue NOS activity and levels of NO and cGMP at 0.01 and 0.10 mg g(-1) tissue were also investigated. Results indicate that the crude extract increased NOS activity by 7% at 200 mg kg(-1) with corresponding increases in NO (88%) and cGMP (480%) levels. No significant changes in these measurements were observed with the 100 and 400 mg kg(-1) doses whilst sildenafil slightly reduced them (15.9-37.5%). NOS and PDE protein expressions in test animals were not different from controls. Pre-incubation of cavernosal tissue in vitro with the crude extract of M. whitei and its chloroform fraction markedly increased NOS activity (26-132%) and levels of NO (25%) and cGMP (50-400%) at 0.01 mg g(-1) tissue but these were reduced to near control levels when their concentrations were increased to 0.10 mg g(-1) tissue whilst the petroleum ether fraction had no effect. These findings suggest that M. whitei may influence erectile function through activation/stimulation of NOS with corresponding increases in tissue NO and cGMP levels and that certain chemical constituents present in the chloroform fraction may be responsible for biological activity.


PURPOSE
To determine the incidence, associated consequences, and potential risk factors for horse-related injuries among youth and adults residing in Midwestern agricultural households.

METHODS
Demographic, injury, and exposure data were collected for 1999 and 2001 among randomly selected agricultural households within a 5-state region. A causal model facilitated survey design, data analysis, and interpretation of results; directed acyclic graphs guided multivariate modeling.

FINDINGS
From 7,420 households (84% response of eligible), involving 32,601 persons, 5,045 total injury events were reported; 1,016 were animal-related injuries, of which 215 (21%) were horse-related (rate, 6.7 events per 1,000 persons per year). Seventy-seven percent (77%) required health care; comparing those under age 20 and those 20 and older, 49% and 54%, respectively, lost work time on their operation (28% and 26%, one week or more), as a result of injuries largely associated with horse riding activities (70% and 56%). Multivariate analysis for youths under age 20 indicated: increased risks in North and South Dakota, for >0 hours worked, and for having a history of prior agriculture-related injury; and decreased risks for males. For those 20 and older, increased risks were identified for a prior injury history and less than high school education.

CONCLUSIONS
Horse-related injuries, primarily associated with riding activities, are a significant problem among agricultural communities, and greatly impact their operations.


Zinc is an essential micronutrient for human growth, development, and immune function. Zinc deficiency impairs overall immune function and resistance to infection. Mild to moderate zinc deficiency can be best detected through a positive response to supplementation trials. Zinc supplementation has been shown to have a positive effect on the incidence of diarrhea (18% reduction, 95% CI: 7-28%) and pneumonia (41% reduction, 95% CI: 17-59%), and might lead to a decrease in the incidence of malaria. Zinc has also proven to decrease the duration of diarrhea by 15% (95% CI: 5-24%). Maternal zinc supplementation may lead to a decrease in infant infections. Studies assessing the role of zinc supplementation among persons with HIV, tuberculosis, and the common cold have not been conclusive. Two studies have shown zinc supplementation to decrease child mortality by more than 50%. Zinc clearly has an important role in infant and childhood infectious diseases; programs to increase the intake of zinc among deficient populations are needed.


To fight deflationary pressures at the zero lower bound, in November 2013, the Czech National Bank (CNB) introduced a one-sided floor on the exchange rate, as an additional monetary policy instrument. This paper investigates the impact of the FX floor on inflation in the Czech Republic, by comparing actual inflation with counterfactuals in the absence of the exchange rate floor. Three different empirical strategies are implemented: an event study, difference-in-difference regressions and a synthetic control method. The empirical results provide evidence that the exchange rate was effective in fighting deflationary pressures and prevented inflation from going into negative territory. The magnitude of the effect ranges between 0.5 to 1.5 percentage points. The results are robust to different econometric specifications.


A common goal among governments is to promote socio-economic development and raise living standards of populations worldwide. As of today, some countries have achieved considerable development levels as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). On the other hand, a large part of the world population lives in developing countries, and many still lack access to the services and goods thought to be standard in the modern society. This discussion paper engages in a critical discussion of the Kuznets Environmental Curve concept which implies a emporary increase in carbon emissions per unit of GDP as countries transition to higher development levels. The coming years will see enduring efforts for socio-economic improvements in low and mid-developed countries, but the feasibility of conventional development models is put into question. Development paths based on emission-intensive growth have to be phased-out towards a low-carbon equivalent, not only by the leading countries but most importantly in the developing world.


Combination of a betalactam antibiotic (ampicillin or azlocillin) or polymyxin B with rifampicin were studied with their administration in succession at various intervals in an experimental model of plague infection of albino mice. It was shown that when the administration of the betalactams or polymyxin B preceded the administration of rifampicin, the efficacy of the preventive therapy considerably increased. The time of the intervals was noted to be of importance and should be predetermined for every subsequent administration.


To provide a live and on demand video services over the internet due scalability issue, P2P technology which proved to be more scalable is widely used today. Since most of the video streams presented in P2P live video streaming systems are television channels all over the world, we therefore referred them as P2PTV systems. The behavior of single user is presented in terms of exponential closed queuing network. Based on the model we construct a behavioral model of multiple users in P2PTV-network with multiple channels. The stationary probability distribution of P2PTV-network model is obtained in a product form in terms of the number of channels and the number of users present in the network. Given the popularity of television channels we obtained formulas for the analysis of some QoE parameter in P2PTV-network with finite and infinite number of viewers.


This article studies the Generative grammar approach and some other theories driven from it to lexicon and lexical entries. Generative grammar is known as a syntax-based theory, so some aspects of language which have been studied in this theory may have been ignored in other theories. This article shows that more attention has been given to lexicon and lexical entries since 50s. we may claim that the information which are considered in the lexical entries at the latest version of generative grammar and some other theories driven from it, are the most complete information which have been ever considered in the lexical entries. In the next sections of the article, one lexical entry in three English-Persian dictionaries has been studied to see which kinds of information have been presented in that lexical entry in the dictionaries. It has been finally shown that considering the quality and quantity of entries in these dictionaries, the information are not the same, but even in the most complete ones, the amount of information is less than what have been presented in the latest version of Generative grammar and some other theories driven from it.

Keywords: Lexical entries, attribute, feature, value, heredity.


Four attitudinal components of customer loyalty were synthesised from the services literature and combined to produce a loyalty conceptualisation that excludes repurchase behaviour. This proposed conceptualisation of service loyalty was then modelled in two quantitative studies to determine the effects of potential predictors. The influence of consumers' evaluative judgements was compared against the effects of relational outcomes. The three evaluative judgement measures were service encounter satisfaction, perceived core service quality and value for money while relational measures comprised social comfort, social regard and friendship. It was found that while personal friendship between customer and service employee was significantly associated with loyalty, service encounter satisfaction was the major predictor. It was also found that the relational factors of social comfort and social regard played indirect roles through their influence on customer's evaluation of satisfaction and quality. Conversely, friendship was not related to the mediating variables of service encounter satisfaction and perceived core service quality.


In the past year, climate change has moved from political controversy to political consensus; at least, in relation for price-based policies the need to limit emissions. Uncertainties remain but with both major parties proposing to develop an emissions trading regime, it is timely to highlight some important practical issues that will face them on that path. In writing this, we take the case for action as given. There is a scientific consensus that global warming is taking place and that it is, in large part, due to the actions of humans on the planet. The policy prescription is to limit net emissions although the precise technologies that will likely carry the load have yet to be developed. Consequently, in the short-term, behavioural responses are required and to engage in that appropriately a price must be set. Economists disagree as to the way in which a carbon price might be generated. One set of economists (including the Pigou Club led by Greg Mankiw) support a carbon tax. This would fix the price for emissions, leaving the quantity to be determined by the market. Concern has been expressed that reliance on national carbon taxes may forgo opportunities for international cooperation. Other economists favour emissions trading, which involves the quantity being set by governments and the price by markets. The issue with emissions trading is that it is largely unknown how it will operate on national and international scales covering a broad range of activity. As with the design of market mechanisms, some caution needs to be applied. It is that need and the trade-offs inherent in it that we address here.


In recent papers, Elizabeth Finneron-Burns and Johann Frick have both argued that it is not a wrong-making feature of human extinction that it would cause many potential people with lives worth living never to be born, and hence that causing human extinction would be, in at least one way, less wrong than many have thought. In making these arguments, both assume that merely possible future people cannot be harmed by their nonexistence, and thus do not have any claim to be brought into existence. In this paper, we raise objections to their arguments and suggest that there is nothing inherent in the moral theories they put forward that implies future people cannot have this sort of 'existential' claim. In doing so, we draw on the work of Derek Parfit, who argued, in a recent paper, that coming into existence benefits a person in that it is 'good for' them, even if it is not 'better for' them than non-existence. We also find that many of their objections to the view that it is wrong not to bring future people into existence rest on the assumption that, were these people to have claims on us, these must be equivalent to the claims that existing people have to be benefitted. However, we show that Parfit's work demonstrates how this is not the case.


In the real world, patient has to be monitored by the person present in the home or by the helpers. There is no automatic alerting system being implemented so far. In this paper, the condition of the Patient is fully monitored with the help of Arduino Heart Beat, Temperature and vibrations Sensors that are connected through wireless communication. These sensors, senses the various parameters of the patient and those parameters are monitored by an android phone connected through Bluetooth communication. In case of any emergency Mobile GPS is automatically triggered and the message is sent to the Server via mobile GSM. The Server will calculate the nearest path to reach the Ambulance and also sends an alert SMS to the relatives.


Ketamine hydrochloride (KH) and xylazine hydrochloride (XH) used in combination (KH-XH) were effective immobilants for captive and wild black bears (Ursus americanu8). Single intramuscular injections of 1.5-17.1 mgofKH per kg body weight combined in an approximate ratio of 2:1 with 0.9 10.0 mg of XH per kg body weight immobilized bears for 1.5-197 mm. Dosages most frequently used were 4.5-9mg KH/kg with 2-4.5mg XH/kg. Supplemental administrations maintained tractability for up to 31 h. Immobilization was characterized by smooth induction, relaxed muscles, occasional groaning and vomition, no eye closure, no defecation, and a smooth recovery phase of variable length. Male and female bears responded similarly to KH-XH. Induction times for small bears ( 25kg) were shorter than for larger bears.


The emergence of novel antibiotics against the upsurge of "Superbugs" is a breakthrough health intervention. Daptomycin has gained prominence as a novel antibiotic produced by Streptomyces roseosporus which has demonstrated a broad spectrum of activity in vitro against a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. The economic viability and large scale applicability of this high-value secondary metabolite is hampered by its poor production and tedious growth of S.roseosporus. The present study aims at strategic improvement of Daptomycin yield through reusability of the producer strain by its immobilization onto various nonconventional support matrices. Sufficient void volume, permeability, and cost effectiveness prompted the use of ultra porous refractory brick and ceramic foam for the immobilization of S.roseosporus. The surface area and porosity of the materials were characterized by BET surface analysis. Morphological transformations of the microbial cells were observed microscopically over the time. The cell mass adhered to the carrier was determined using SEM. The repeated use of immobilized cells led to high production in case of immobilized cells by refractory brick and ceramic foam i.e 336mg/L and 260mg/L respectively in lesser time than the free cells. Enhanced Daptomycin production was achieved by using refractory brick as immobilization carrier under submerged conditions. They showed high mechanical strength and reusability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on immobilization strategy for Daptomycin production. Thus, this preliminary study can further contribute to the industrial scale production of Daptomycin. INTRODUCTION: In today's scenario, the health care sector is threatened with the problem of antibiotic resistance among Gram-positive bacteria, particularly in Staphylococcus spp., Enterococci spp. and Streptococci spp. 1, 2 .


Summary WDR97 provides the basis for creating a reasonable working consensus about the role of government in development. It achieves this not by providing specific policy conclusions on which we can all agree – the Report itself makes few such claims – but rather by providing a language, a perspective, and a set of concepts and concerns that will make it easier for people with divergent views actually to debate and discuss with one another in a productive way. However, the relatively open approach of the Report to a variety of ideas and perspectives does have some adverse consequences. The lack of a strong and clear sense of policy direction may please academics and intellectuals, but will leave policymakers groping for direct advice. And the Report pays very little attention to the ways in which the causes of and remedies for poor governance in developing and transitional countries lie outside their own frontiers, in the international system or in the governments of the rich countries.


Words are building blocks of a meaningful communication, which make them very significant in terms of languages. Vocabulary is always one of the most important grade when the point is foreign or second language learning and teaching. Many people must have seen images or pictures and sentence examples being used to enable learners to learn new vocabulary. Some think pictures are more efficient on vocabulary learning while others think the more efficient ones are sentences. The purpose of this study is to find which technique is more efficient; sentence examples or pictures. To find an answer to this question, 20 Turkish speaking, Uludag University students, whose ages ranged from 18 to 25 and who studied English as a foreign language at least one term, participated in the study on the days between 22 and 30 April in 2016. They did it in cafes, at Uludag University and in a girls' dormitory, so we can say the majority of the participants were females. Their level were neither tested nor asked because there was no specific level demanded for participating in the research. Firstly, they were given a pre-test on which there were 20 English words with a blank next to each word. The participants were requested to write the Turkish translations or meanings of the 20 target words next to the words, in the blanks. Then, 10 of them have received paper on which there were pictures that represented the target words (Picture Group) and the other 10 have received paper on which there were sentence examples including the target words and their Turkish translations except for the target words' translations (Sentence Group). The two groups examined the paper. Soon after, all of them were given the post-test which were the same as pre-test. They tried to write the Turkish translations or meanings of the target words again on the post-test. Their pre-test and post-test results were compared and the per cent of the gap between the results of the pre-test and post-test was computed by considering and counting the correct translations in both tests. It was unsurprisingly observed that all of the participators increased their correct translations, which shows positive effect of pictures and sample sentences on vocabulary learning. While the Picture Group made 29,5 per cent process, the Sentence Group did 32,5. These findings suggest that sentence examples may have more positive effects than pictures have on foreign language vocabulary learning.


The analogies between optical and electronic Goos–Hänchen effects are established based on electron wave optics in semiconductor or graphene-based nanostructures. In this paper, we give a brief overview of the progress achieved so far in the field of electronic Goos–Hänchen shifts, and show the relevant optical analogies. In particular, we present several theoretical results on the giant positive and negative Goos–Hänchen shifts in various semiconductor or graphene-based nanostructures, their controllability, and potential applications in electronic devices, e.g. spin (or valley) beam splitters.


This paper proposes the use of a generalized finite difference method for the numerical simulation of free surface single phase flows during mould filling process which are common in some industrial processes particularly in the area of metal casting. A novel and efficient idea for the computation of the normal vectors for free surface flows is introduced and presented for the first time. The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are numerically solved by the well-known Chorin's projection method. After we showed the main ideas behind the meshless approach, some numerical results in two and three dimensions are presented corresponding to mould filling process simulation.


Objective: A pre/post pilot study was designed to investigate neurobiological mechanisms and plasma metabolites in an 8-week Tai-Chi (TC) group intervention in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Twelve postmenopausal women underwent Tai-Chi group exercise for 8 weeks (60 min/session, three times/week). Outcomes were measured before and after Tai Chi intervention including pain intensity (VAS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), plasma metabolites (amino acids and lipids), as well as resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI, 10 min, eyes open), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI, 12 min), and structural MRI (4.5 min) in a subgroup. Clinical data was analyzed using paired t-tests; plasma metabolites were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; and rs-fMRI data were analyzed using seed-based correlations of the left and right amygdala in a two-level mixed-effects model (FSL software). Correlations between amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) connectivity and corresponding changes in clinical outcomes were examined. DTI connectivity of each amygdala was modeled using a Bayesian approach and probabilistic tractography. The associations between neurobiological effects and pain/physical function were examined. Results: Significant pre/post changes were observed with reduced knee pain (VAS with most pain: p = 0.018; WOMAC-pain: p = 0.021; BPI with worst level: p = 0.018) and stiffness (WOMAC-stiffness, p = 0.020), that likely contributed to improved physical function (WOMAC-physical function: p = 0.018) with TC. Moderate to large effect sizes pre/post increase in rs-fMRI connectivity were observed between bilateral mPFC and the amygdala seed regions (i.e., left: d = 0.988, p = 0.355; right: d = 0.600, p = 0.282). Increased DTI connectivity was observed between bilateral mPFC and left amygdala (d = 0.720, p = 0.156). There were moderate-high correlations (r = 0.28–0.60) between TC-associated pre-post changes in amygdala-mPFC functional connectivity and pain/physical function improvement. Significantly higher levels of lysophosphatidylcholines were observed after TC but lower levels of some essential amino acids. Amino acid levels (alanine, lysine, and methionine) were lower after 8 weeks of TC and many of the lipid metabolites were higher after TC. Further, plasma non-HDL cholesterol levels were lower after TC. Conclusion: This pilot study showed moderate to large effect sizes, suggesting an important role that cortico-amygdala interactions related to TC have on pain and physical function in subjects with knee osteoarthritis pain. Metabolite analyses revealed a metabolic shift of higher lyso-lipids and lower amino acids that might suggest greater fatty acid catabolism, protein turnover and changes in lipid redistribution in response to TC exercise. The results also support therapeutic strategies aimed at strengthening functional and structural connectivity between the mPFC and the amygdala. Controlled clinical trials are warranted to confirm these observed preliminary effects.


Objectives. General frameworks for conducting and reporting health economic evaluations are available but not specific enough to cover the intricacies of the evaluation of diagnostic tests and biomarkers. Such evaluations are typically complex and model-based because tests primarily affect health outcomes indirectly and real-world data on health outcomes are often lacking. Moreover, not all aspects relevant to the evaluation of a diagnostic test may be known and explicitly considered for inclusion in the evaluation, leading to a loss of transparency and replicability. To address this challenge, this study aims to develop a comprehensive reporting checklist. Methods. This study consisted of 3 main steps: 1) the development of an initial checklist based on a scoping review, 2) review and critical appraisal of the initial checklist by 4 independent experts, and 3) development of a final checklist. Each item from the checklist is illustrated using an example from previous research. Results. The scoping review followed by critical review by the 4 experts resulted in a checklist containing 44 items, which ideally should be considered for inclusion in a model-based health economic evaluation. The extent to which these items were included or discussed in the studies identified in the scoping review varied substantially, with 14 items not being mentioned in ≥47 (75%) of the included studies. Conclusions. The reporting checklist developed in this study may contribute to improved transparency and completeness of model-based health economic evaluations of diagnostic tests and biomarkers. Use of this checklist is therefore encouraged to enhance the interpretation, comparability, and—indirectly—the validity of the results of such evaluations.


One of the main applications of the Hybrid Reactors (ADS - Accelerator Driven System) is the incineration of transuranics (TRU) by fast neutrons that emerge from a spallation source in a sub critical reactor waste burner [1, 2]. For this application, an accurate description and prediction of spallation reaction is necessary, including all the characteristics concerning spatial and energetic angular distributions, spallation products and neutron multiplicity. To describe the nuclear reactions at intermediate and high energies, Monte Carlo calculations have been used. The CRISP package considers the intranuclear cascade (INC) that occurs during the spallation process in a realistic time-sequence approach in which all particles inside the nucleus can participate in the cascade and the nuclear density fluctuations are naturally taken into account during the process. The occupation number of each single particle level is considered as a function of time and a more realistic Pauli blocking mechanism can be performed. None of the existing models have effectively used all those features. The evaporation of protons and alpha particles are taken into account making possible the correct prediction of fissilities of actinides and pre-actinides [3]. Another implementation is the NN single-pion production reaction. This reaction is especially relevant if one is interested in neutron or proton multiplicities, since the creation/emission of pions is directly related with the excitation energy of the residual nucleus. We will present some results obtained with the CRISP package for proton-nucleus reaction at intermediate and high energies. This package was obtained by the coupling of the MCMC [4] and MCEF [5] codes, with the introduction of some improvements, such as better Pauli blocking mechanism, which constrains the residual nucleus energetic evolution to the Pauli Principle from the ground-state to the final compound-nucleus formed at the end of the intranuclear cascade process, and introduction of the most relevant resonant excitation and the NN single pion production channel. The results of interest for ADS development are consistent with the experimental data at different proton energies. More detailed calculations are being performed for studying other features of proton-nucleus reactions and with different targets.


Abstract Context. Management of the exploitation of resources requires biological information on exploited species. The skins of large reptiles have a commercial value as luxury leather items and Tupinambis lizards from southern South America have historically been exploited for this purpose. Argentina implemented management plans for Tupinambis lizards since 1988 that established a minimum capture size based on the width of dried skins, but this prescription has not been linked to local reproductive attributes of species. Aim. In this study, we aim to determine the reproductive parameters of Tupinambis merianae and evaluate which class sizes of individuals are susceptible to commercial trade in central Argentina to generate local and species-specific information to improve available management tools. Methods. We determined the relationship between the width of dried skins and live body sizes. We identified size at sexual maturity in males and females. Moreover, we determined status of reproductive individuals by body size and characterised gonadal development and seasonal reproductive events in central Argentina. We evaluated the relationship between female body size and clutch size. Key results. Reproduction of T. merianae in central Argentina is markedly seasonal, with both sexes concentrating their reproductive activities between October and December. Size at sexual maturity was smaller for males than females, and the percentage of reproductive females was lower than males. In both sexes, the frequency of reproductive individuals was low in smaller lizards, and bigger females had bigger clutch size. The width of dried skins was positively related to body size. Conclusions. Size at sexual maturity, and reproductive period, should be taken into account when management plans are designed to minimise any negative impacts of harvesting. Implications. In central Argentina, the breeding season coincides with hunting periods set by national legislation. The results of our study have prompted local authorities to impose hunting closures for part of December and to raise the minimum catch size. Further, we offer an equation that can be used as a monitoring tool for estimating snout to vent length of live animals from skins. Studies like ours should be replicated in different areas and extrapolated to other models.


The structure and use of space of city municipality of Grocka was influenced
 by its specific position and resources, as well as by development processes
 that have taken place in recent decades. Apart from the natural, the way of
 spatial development was significantly influenced by anthropogenic factors,
 often disturbing the natural conditions and opportunities. In that sense, the
 analysis of existing environmental state is an important basis of integrated
 planning of future spatial development of the municipality. Several different
 sources of environmental pollution are identified in the municipality of
 Grocka, some of which have "significant" impacts on closer and wider
 environment. This paper presents the state of environment in individual
 elements (air, water and soil), problems of noise, waste and the risk of
 accidents in the municipality, and finally made valorization of the
 environment from the pollution level.


Introduction A new rehabilitative approach, called UPper Limb Children Action Observation Training (UPCAT), based on the principles of action observation training (AOT), has provided promising results for upper limb rehabilitation in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). This study will investigate if a new information and communication technology platform, named Tele-UPCAT, is able to deliver AOT in a home setting and will test its efficacy on children and young people with UCP. Methods and analysis A randomised, allocation concealed (waitlist control) and evaluator-blinded clinical trial with two investigative arms will be carried out. The experimental group will perform AOT at home for 3 weeks using a customised Tele-UPCAT system where they will watch video sequences of goal-directed actions and then complete the motor training of the same actions. The control group will receive usual care for 3 weeks, which may include upper limb training. They will be offered AOT at home after 3 weeks. Twenty-four children with UCP will be recruited for 12 participants per group. The primary outcome will be measured using Assisting Hand Assessment. The Melbourne Assessment 2, ABILHAND, Participation and Environment Measure-Children and Youth and Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life Questionnaire will be included as secondary measures. Quantitative measures from sensorised objects and participants worn Actigraphs GXT3+ will be analysed. The assessment points will be the week before (T0) and after (T1) the period of AOT/standard care. Further assessments will be at T1 plus, the week after the AOT period for the waitlist group and at 8 weeks (T2) and 24 weeks (T3) after AOT training. Ethics and dissemination The trial has been approved by the Tuscany Paediatric Ethics Committee (169/2016). Publication of all outcomes will be in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. Trial registration NCT03094455.


The present study focused on analysis of genetic diversity using agro-morphological traits in tomato. Cultivated tomato is reported to have very low genetic diversity. Extent of heritable variation in tomato germplasm was determined in present study. A total of 46 accessions acquired from Northern Areas of Pakistan were used to characterize for 14 agro-morphological traits in order to recommend the best performing accessions for cultivation and breeding programs in the local area. Principal component (PC) and cluster analysis were used to analyze the data. On the basis of similarities, cluster analysis revealed grouping of accessions irrespective of geographical origin. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed positive contribution of agronomic and fruit traits. A number of agro-morphological traits were noticed with significant level of variability. The highest variation was observed in percentage of germination (G%) 669.4, followed by fruit weight (FWT) 307.1 and Plant height (VL) 166.8. The 46 accessions comprised of five clusters on the basis of hierarchical method of clustering. PCI contributed 25.87%, PCII accounted for 14.21% and PCIII was calculated as 12.87% for total variation based on morphology. On the basis of highest values, percentage of germination, fruit width, fruit weight and fruit length; five promising genotypes Sashaltai, Riogrande, Longkeeper, 17870 and 1173 performed high which can be used for future breeding programs under the agro-ecological conditions of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Among these 17909 and 17906 were the two best genotypes identified which could be evaluated further for future breeding programs.  More than 50% of variation was investigated in the selected germplasm, which can be employed for different vital combinations as well in future breeding programs.


The area of the European bison during historical time Holocene is discussed with addition of new information published in last years. Northern border of an area corresponds 60 0 N. The area included average and southern Urals Mountains, the south of Western Siberia. On the east the European bison lived up to the Altay Mountains and Lake Baikal. The same area at a red deer having similar ecological needs. Increase of inbreeding level considerably and negatively influences adaptable and reproductive opportunities of a bison. This circumstance is especially shown in case of its reintroduction in mountain areas. The basic projects on cultivation of the European bison in Russia are discussed.


Purpose: Many parents of multiples experience elevated mental health symptoms in the perinatal period. This population often presents with unique treatment needs and barriers to care; however, no tailored interventions have been developed for pregnant or postpartum mothers of multiples and/or their partners. This study involved an initial exploration of the perceived mental health treatment needs, preferences, and barriers to care in this population, as a first step toward developing such an intervention. Methods: Participants were 241 parents of multiples who were recruited in-person and online. They completed self-report measures assessing treatment history/preferences, barriers to care, and symptoms during the perinatal period. Results: Participants identified postpartum months 0 to 3 as the most difficult time. Few participants received any form of mental health treatment, although a significant percentage (approximately half) expressed interest in such treatment. Treatment interest was high for a range of clinical concerns. Participants were interested in both traditional treatment paradigms and eHealth approaches. Barriers to care were common, with the most common barrier being lack of time. Conclusions: There is a large, unmet need for mental health treatment in parents of multiples in the perinatal period, especially the early postpartum months. eHealth strategies seem particularly feasible and acceptable in this population and may help circumvent common barriers to care. Clinical recommendations and considerations in treatment development are discussed.


OBJECTIVES
We sought to immunophenotype blasts, monocytes, and granulocytes in chronic myelomonocytic leukemias (CMMLs) and compare CMML subtypes, to identify if significant antigen expression differences existed.

METHODS
Bone marrow blasts, monocytes, and granulocytes from CMML subgroups (n = 30; World Health Organization types 1/2, proliferative/dysplastic, therapy related/de novo, and low/intermediate/high cytogenetic risk) were immunophenotypically compared by flow cytometry with 10 nonneoplastic control marrows.

RESULTS
Aberrancies were present in blasts of 26 (87%) of 30 CMMLs (26 diagnostic; four follow-up) and six (60%) of 10 controls (P = .089), monocytes of 28 (93%) of 30 CMMLs and six (60%) of 10 controls (P = .026), and granulocytes of eight (28%) of 29 CMMLs and zero of 10 controls (P = .166). Underexpression of CD14 and CD15 on monocytes was more common in CMMLs compared with controls (P = .008 and P = .043). Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in antigen expression between the CMML subgroups on blasts or monocytes; granulocytes demonstrated more common HLA-DR expression in CMML-2 vs CMML-1.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings confirm heterogeneity within CMML subgroups and find no specific qualitative or quantitative findings characteristic of a subgroup.


In corpses removed from water, when there are no specific findings related to drowning in water, there are difficulties in determining the mechanism and origin of death. The death of the individual may be related to natural causes before entering the water or when in the water, or to trauma or other non-natural causes. A 40-year old woman who had been married for approximately 3 years was reported missing for 1 day. She had argued with her husband 3 days previously about children from a previous marriage. She had threatened to drown herself. Eyewitnesses stated that she had previously been rescued after a suicide attempt in the same pond where her body was found. Three days after the attempted suicide, while her husband was away from the city, the woman went out without telling the family. As she had previously stated to her brother that she would commit suicide by water, the family searched the pond and found the body floating facedown in the water. In the case here presented, the rarely seen finding of intramuscular haemorrhage was observed. It is emphasized that attention must be paid to these rare findings when differentiating between strangulation and drowning.


The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of poly(para‐xylylene)s (PPX) is an enabling technology for materials design as well as for numerous high‐performance applications. Additionally, PPX possesses of a unique set of structure–property relationships that can be tuned over a wide range. Different strategies vary from functionalization of the most used precursor [2.2]paracyclophane to the testing of new precursors and the copolymerization with various monomers. In this review, some recent developments on synthesis and properties of this unique class of polymers, the PPX, are reported.


IN THE course of previous investigations designed to identify more specifically the nature of mental aberrations peculiar to patients with psychomotor epilepsy, we were not a little surprised to find that our psychological and psychiatric evaluations failed to differentiate psychomotor from nonpsychomotor seizure patients who were otherwise matched for age, sex, seizure frequency, general intelligence, and economic background. 1 In a second study undertaken with different techniques, patients, and collaborators, only one measure significantly differentiated a group of psychomotor epilepsy patients from subjects with "centrencephalic" grand and petit mal seizures. This test, a continuous performance task, indicated that the "centrencephalic" group performed less well than did the psychomotor patients. 2 Although our findings are consistent with those of the few other controlled studies that appear in the literature, 3-5 our conclusions, namely that the psychomotor epilepsies are not associated with an


This thesis examines the history, use, and value of the Davide Turconi Nitrate Frame Collection of film fragments, housed at George Eastman House. An Italian film historian, Turconi (1911-2005) compiled the collection in the 1960s. Over the past decade, GEH and its partner institutions digitized the collection's 23,5000 fragments, which mostly date from the 1900s and 1910s. The thesis's case study analyzes two films represented by fragments in the collection: Les Tulipes (Pathé, 1907) and Maid of Niagara (American Kenema-Pathé, 1910). This case study employs a small section of the collection to speak to its importance as a whole and is particularly focused on the collection's early applied colour effects. It compares the fragments to multiple preserved versions of the films, arguing that the Turconi Collection, as well as other frame collections housed at various institutions, are primary documents, unlike most modern restorations of early silent films.


Background Workplace bullying is a severe stressor that is related to numerous adverse outcomes, such as poor health and low quality of life. Previous studies have shown that bullying is a strong predictor of long-term sickness absence that can have substantial costs for both society and the individual. A commonly used definition of bullying is when an individual, over a prolonged period of time, such as six months, perceives him/herself as being exposed to negative acts from superiors or co-workers that it is difficult to defend one-self against. The causes of long-term sickness absence are multifactorial. One possible pathway linking workplace bullying and sickness absence is through chronically increased levels of perceived stress. Objective To examine if perceived stress mediated the association between workplace bullying and subsequent long-term sickness absence. Methods The PRISME cohort was established in 2007 and re-examined in 2009. Questionnaire data about workplace bullying (self-labelling question) and perceived stress (Cohen's perceived stress scale) were obtained from 4114 individuals. Participants were followed in registers on long-term sickness absence (≥30 consecutive days of sickness absence). Results We had 4,114 participants with no history of long-term sickness absence in the previous two years contributing 6,331 observations in 2007 and/or 2009, giving a total of 6331 observations of which 430 were among workplace bullied. Workplace bullying was associated with subsequent sickness absence (OR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.57–2.65) and concurrent high perceived stress levels (OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.86–2.96). A high perceived stress level was also associated with subsequent sickness absence (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.13–1.56). Perceived stress explained 13% (95% CI: 6–23%) of the total association between bullying and sickness absence. Conclusions The association between workplace bullying and subsequent long-term sickness absence may be partially mediated by perceived stress.


Abstract Thermal adaptation theory predicts that thermal specialists evolve in environments with low temporal and high spatial thermal variation, whereas thermal generalists are favored in environments with high temporal and low spatial variation. The thermal environment of many organisms is predicted to change with globally increasing temperatures and thermal specialists are presumably at higher risk than thermal generalists. Here we investigated critical thermal maximum (CT max) and preferred temperature (T p) in populations of the common pond snail (Radix balthica) originating from a small‐scale system of geothermal springs in northern Iceland, where stable cold (ca. 7°C) and warm (ca. 23°C) habitats are connected with habitats following the seasonal thermal variation. Irrespective of thermal origin, we found a common T p for all populations, corresponding to the common temperature optimum (T opt) for fitness‐related traits in these populations. Warm‐origin snails had lowest CT max. As our previous studies have found higher chronic temperature tolerance in the warm populations, we suggest that there is a trade‐off between high temperature tolerance and performance in other fitness components, including tolerance to chronic thermal stress. T p and CT max were positively correlated in warm‐origin snails, suggesting a need to maintain a minimum "warming tolerance" (difference in CT max and habitat temperature) in warm environments. Our results highlight the importance of high mean temperature in shaping thermal performance curves.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Date of Award Spring 2015 Document Type Thesis Degree Name Master of Arts (MA) Department Department of History Advisor(s) Chris Arndt Abstract When the Constitution was drafted in 1789, Americans did not have a sense of national identity. The process toward achieving a national identity was long and fraught with conflict. Some of the most influential events on the United States were foreign affairs. American reactions to these events reveal the gradual coalescence of national identity. The French Revolution was incredibly divisive and Americans defined their political views in relation to it. The wars spawned by it caused Great Britain and France to seize American ships believed to be carrying contraband. The American public took an active role in making its opinions known on specific foreign policy decisions, revealing a growing trend toward democracy and away from the hierarchical world of the Federalists. The election of 1800 ushered in a new era for the United States. Thomas Jefferson, the leading Republican, promoted continued democratization. Also under his administration can be found the seeds of American expansionism in the Louisiana Purchase. A strong sense of national honor reveals itself through the Barbary Wars and in the United States handling of British impressment and the aftermath of the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair. British insults to American honor would eventually lead to the War of 1812. While not an official war aim, many Americans desired the permanent conquest of Canada, revealing the continued growth of American expansionism. Although many New England Federalists bitterly opposed the war, battlefield victories instilled in Americans a new sense of pride and gave them new heroes to admire. The combined news of the victory at New Orleans and the Peace Treaty at Ghent allowed them to reinvent the War of 1812 as a second American Revolution. As far as they were concerned, their national honor had been insulted, they had sought satisfaction for it, and they had received it. That the United States finally had a sense of national identity—one defined by expansionism, a strong sense of national honor, and increasing democratization—is seen in James Monroe's visit to New England in 1817. Recommended Citation Best, George E., "American Identity Crisis, 1789-1815: Foreign affairs and the formation of American National Identity" (2015). Masters Theses. 17. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/17  Download


Formic acid (HFo) and acetic acid (HAc) have both natural and anthropogenic sources and a role in the atmospheric processing of carbon. These organic acids also have an increasing importance in setting the acidity of precipitation as nitrate and sulfate concentrations have decreased. This dissertation examines HFo and HAc tropospheric formation and transport in the continental United States using observations and models. Observational data from two field campaigns were collected with the peroxide chemical ionization mass spectrometer (PCIMS) using iodide clusters for both HFo and HAc recorded at mass-to-charge ratios of 173 and 187. The first campaign, the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Experiment (DC3), was in May and June 2012 and observations extended from the surface to 13 km over the central and eastern United States. The second campaign, the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPÉ), was in July and August 2014 with measurements from the surface to 7 km over the Colorado Front Range. Post-mission calibration work determined glycolaldehyde (GA) is a significant isobaric interference to HAc with the HAc:GA sensitivity ranging from 1:1 to 1:10. PCIMS HAc data from both campaigns are reported as the acetic acid equivalent sum (AAES). Based on DC3 model work and estimates of secondary production during FRAPPÉ the instrumental sensitivity was closer to a 1:1. Manuscripts 1 and 2 focus on the DC3 May 21 st airmass storm case study at the Alabama/Tennessee border. During this flight a 700 ppt HFo plume at 8 km was observed, approximately 300 ppt in excess of boundary layer air. Different potential reasons for this increase including aqueous production and a pH dependent scavenging were evaluated with the Weather Research and Forecasting model version 3.7 coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem). Manuscript 1 evaluated the WRF-Chem meteorological reproduction of the airmass storm and the applicability of the Model for Ozone And Related chemical Tracers version 4 and Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOZART-MOSAIC) compatible microphysics schemes, Morrison and Purdue Lin, in conjunction with a lightning data assimilation (LDA) method. The Morrison microphysics scheme with an LDA temperature range of 261 – 291 K best represented the case study storm. Manuscript 2 showed that there was no difference in WRF-Chem scavenging between a convective complex and isolated convection. It is possible to have cloud top HFo greater than cloud base in a more acidic cloud, pH of 3.5, with multiple HFo aqueous sources, and assuming there is aqueous chemistry up to -40 o C. Manuscript 3 investigated HFo and AAES distributions on the Colorado Front Range using three geographic and four chemical classifications. HFo was highest near predominately biogenic sources with the Denver Metropolitan area as the second highest region. AAES was higher than HFo throughout the campaign with the highest AAES in the Denver Metropolitan area and during the Greeley missed approaches. This dissertation highlights that precipitation chemistry influences organic acids in the upper troposphere. Additionally, HFo and HAc gas phase production are controlled by different emission sources which could provide insight into the atmospheric processing of carbon.


Background: Maxillo-facial fractures can lead to substantial long-term functional, aesthetic and psychological complications, being considered among the most common facial accidents. As, in recent years, a significant increase of such cases has been recorded, the present study aims at describing the incidence, etiology and pattern of mandibular fractures recorded in Sonepat. Materials and method: A prospective study of maxillofacial injuriy cases was carried out at the newly created B.P.S Government Medical College for Women, Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat, from September 2011 to February 2013. Data on patients, including gender, age, mechanism of accident, fracture site and pattern were collected and analysed. Results: A total number of 474 patients with 86 mandibular fractures was registered, males outnumbering female patients by a ratio of 2.9:1. Age of patients ranged between 9 months and 72 years, maximum incidence occurring in the 18-34 year group of age. Most injuries were caused by road traffic accidents (48.83%), followed by assaults (26.74%) and sporting activities (13.95%). The most prominent site of mandibular fracture was parasymphysis (27.90%), followed by angle (24.41%) and body (18.60%) regions. 30.23% of the patients with mandible fractures were having multiple fracture sites. Also, 10% of the patients with mandible fracture had associated mid-facial fractures. Closed reduction was done in 13.6% of patients, open reduction and internal fixation was performed in 46.4% of cases, while 18.1% of them were treated conservatively. The mean duration of hospitalization was 10.12 ± 6.24 days. Conclusions: The present study highlights the importance of dental surgery in the management of maxillofacial injuries and the need to reinforce legislation for reducing their number among both children and adults.


SUMMARY We tested the hypothesis that polarization sensitivity enhances the detection of moving, transparent objects by examining the escape response of the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii Girard) from a visual threat. A transparent, birefringent target trans-illuminated by either partially linear polarized or unpolarized light was advanced toward individual crayfish. The optical axis of the target was aligned such that it would be conspicuous to a viewer with polarization sensitivity when trans-illuminated by polarized light. Under polarized light, significantly more crayfish retreated from the target than under unpolarized light of identical intensity (P<0.00005, Fisher's exact test). Whereas the potential for polarization sensitivity has been shown in neurophysiological and structural studies of the visual system of P. clarkii and the signal crayfish Pasifastacus leniusculus (Dana), our results provide the first behavioral evidence for polarization sensitivity among crayfish. The ecological function of this ability is unclear, but it may enhance the detection of fish with silvered scales, transparent zooplankton or macroinvertebrates. Because escape responses are generally more reliably induced than other behaviors, the method employed in this study may prove useful for examining sensory capabilities in other species.


Essentials of Health Economics takes a timely approach to the study of the public health care system through the lens of economics. With the use of numerous examples and profiles related to the field, students and faculty will be able to grasp the importance and relevance of health economics as well as how it relates to more general analysis of health policy issues. This book has wide appeal among students of public health and health administration, since it conveys the essence of the economic issues at hand while avoiding complicated methodological issues that would interest only students of economics. It is written with the non-specialist in mind, while focusing on how to do descriptive, explanatory, and evaluative economics in a systematic way.


In recent years, the crystal engineering library has been enriched with a number of previously unrecognized or unnoticed intermolecular interactions, such as agostic, tetrel, chalcogen, pnicogen bonding and chelate ring stacking – collectively referred to as "unconventional interactions". Many open questions remain unaddressed regarding their ability to form synthon interactions, specificity, and cooperativity, for example with π–π stacking interactions. In this work, we throw light on the formation of chelate ring stacking in metal–organic assemblies of nicotinohydrazide ligands (N′-(1-(2-pyridyl)ethylidene)nicotinohydrazide (HL) and N′-(phenyl(pyridin-2-yl)methylene)nicotinohydrazide (HL1)) with mercury(II) halide (HgBr2, HgI2) salts. Their reaction produced five compounds, namely [Hg(μ-L)BrHgBr2]n (1), [Hg(μ-L1)Br]n (2), [Hg(L)I2] (3), [Hg(HL1)I2]·(CH3OH) (4), and [Hg(μ-L1)I]n (5). Crystal structure analysis reveals that chelate ring stackings are formed in four of the reported metal–organic compounds, and are common also in the literature precedents. The energies of chelate ring stackings and π–π heterocycle stackings have been computed and analyzed by means of DFT calculations, and the results were verified using Bader's theory of "atoms in molecules". These results provide a rationale for preferential formation of both unconventional and conventional stackings and allow us to conclude that chelate ring interaction may be considered as a synthon interaction for nicotinohydrazide metal complexes. Interpretations for packing differences imposed by the substituent effect (substitution of methyl group in HL for phenyl group in HL1) were provided based on the Hirshfeld surface analysis and 2D fingerprint plots of the crystal structures reported here.


Synovial sarcomas are uncommon soft tissue malignancies that usually affect the extremities in the vicinity of large joints. The recognition of this tumor in an unexpected site, such as the pleura, is often difficult and the monophasic variant of synovial sarcoma is often mistaken for some other spindle cell tumor. In this report, we describe a very rare case of primary monophasic synovial sarcoma of the pleura treated with radical surgery. 2011 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.


Moth-flame optimization (MFO) algorithm inspired by the transverse orientation of moths toward the light source is an effective approach to solve global optimization problems. However, the MFO algorithm suffers from issues such as premature convergence, low population diversity, local optima entrapment, and imbalance between exploration and exploitation. In this study, therefore, an improved moth-flame optimization (I-MFO) algorithm is proposed to cope with canonical MFO's issues by locating trapped moths in local optimum via defining memory for each moth. The trapped moths tend to escape from the local optima by taking advantage of the adapted wandering around search (AWAS) strategy. The efficiency of the proposed I-MFO is evaluated by CEC 2018 benchmark functions and compared against other well-known metaheuristic algorithms. Moreover, the obtained results are statistically analyzed by the Friedman test on 30, 50, and 100 dimensions. Finally, the ability of the I-MFO algorithm to find the best optimal solutions for mechanical engineering problems is evaluated with three problems from the latest test-suite CEC 2020. The experimental and statistical results demonstrate that the proposed I-MFO is significantly superior to the contender algorithms and it successfully upgrades the shortcomings of the canonical MFO.


A 61‐yr‐old liver transplant recipient presented with abdominal cramping and nonbloody diarrhea resulting in orthostasis. Multiple ulcerations throughout the colon were seen during endoscopy, and biopsies from the ulcer edges revealed histoplasmosis. Treatment with a course of itraconazole improved the diarrhea. The patient later presented with pericarditis and symptomatic pleural effusions, the latter of which was confirmed to be a result of disseminated histoplasmosis. Treatment with amphotericin B led to resolution. Histoplasmosis should be considered in liver transplant patients with diarrhea and large ulcers in the colon. The presence of disseminated histoplasmosis should be ruled out once colonic histoplasmosis has been diagnosed. Liver Transpl 12:677–681, 2006. © 2006 AASLD.


The pyroelectric coefficients of 0.72Pb(Mg1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-0.28PbTiO3 (PMN-28PT), 0.67Pb(Mg1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-0.33PbTiO3 (PMN-33PT), and 0.92Pb(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-0.08PbTiO3 (PZN-8PT) single crystals, oriented and poled along three different crystallographic directions, [001]C, [011]C, and [111]C, have been measured using a dynamic method. The suffix C indicates reference to the prototypic cubic coordinate system. Large coefficients of up to 1070μCm−2K−1 have been observed for the [111]C oriented, rhombohedral PMN-28PT and PMN-33PT samples, where the measurement direction corresponds to the polar axis of the crystal. For each composition and orientation two different poling procedures are compared, a commonly used field cooling method and a low temperature poling protocol. It was found that in otherwise pseudoorthorhombic samples of PZN-8PT, a room temperature rhombohedral phase could be stabilized by application of a field along the [111]C direction while heating from −70°C.


IntroductionSecondary prevention care after a Myocardial Infarction (MI) has not improved during the last 15 years at the same rate as acute MI care. One reason could be that research and health care focus more on treatment, symptoms and risk factors and not on the individuals' perceptions of the recovery process after an MI. Most previous research focuses on recovery from the women's and their partners' point of view. Since cardiac rehabilitation nurses meet many women after MI, their experiences of the women's recovery process may be an important complement perspective.Purpose The aim was to explore cardiac rehabilitation nurses' experiences of factors influencing female patients' recovery after their first MI.MethodThe study was conducted using qualitative content analysis. Twenty cardiac rehabilitation nurses were interviewed and the study was carried out at 10 hospitals in Sweden.Conclusions Cardiac rehabilitation nurses experienced that women's recovery after an MI was influenced by factors that were both related to their own individual as well as by their surroundings factors. The underlying meaning of women´s recovery is characterized as the transition process to the recovery to health.


Additive and subtractive manufacturing of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) were employed for fabricating samples. The Additive manufacturing was represented through 3D printing, whereas subtractive manufacturing carried out by Turning. Some developments have been applied for enhancing the performance of the 3D printer. Tribological measurements of the turned and 3D printed specimens have been achieved. Studying the difference between static and dynamic friction factors and the examination of wear values were included. A comparison of the tribological behaviour of the turned and 3D printed ABS polymer has been investigated.


The note examines regional planning, and future participatory methods for economic development in West Africa, based on the work carried out by the Club du Sahel - a branch of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - responsible for coordinating northern donor agencies, in support of food security, and natural resource management in the desert-edge portions of West Africa, in cooperation with the Interstate Committee for Struggle Against Drought in the Sahel. The results prompted controversy, because of disagreements between Europeans - favoring urban-oriented scenarios - and North Americans - more inclined toward rural-oriented ones - including the views of Northerners who provided the analysis, in contrast to that of African researchers who felt somehow shortchanged. However, collaboration on a participatory study of decentralization, and capacity building, involving case studies of local communities, assumed a major new development, and management responsibilities on their own. Through a trial methodology, researchers invited debate, and analysis on future community, and regional cooperation. The work covered examining changes occurred in communities, country, and the West Africa region, concentrating on the environment, demography, economy, society and culture, and politics. Findings suggest the exercise transformed the strategy into a set of tools for self-assessment, and strategic planning of local associations, and businesses.


For over 100 years, reference has been made to a unique sapphire, the color of a lotus blossom, the padparadscha. Yet the precise hue represented by this rare stone has been a subject o f discussion, and often controversy, ever since the term was first introduced. In an effort to establish some grounds for a common understanding, the author reviews the historical references to the padparadscha sapphire, examines the modern usage of the term, and states GIA's current interpretation of the trade name padparadsc ha.


Cultural probes have emerged as an effective user requirements capturing toolset for sensitive environments, such as domestic and educational settings. Previous efforts with cultural probes have been done on a small scale with no more than 20 users and have mostly considered urban environments. In contrast, we have collected cultural probes from more than ten remote schools and involved more than 100 students and teachers. We have found that some of the original analog probes might be already outdated in the face of contemporary digital tools and technologies, even in places that have remained greatly unaffected by modern life. The results of this study provide a framework for employing, administering, and analyzing cultural probes in longitudinal studies of remote places.


Although wolf recolonization can be considered a success in terms of population increase and geographical dispersal, the return of grey wolves Canis lupus to rural central Sweden has caused frustration and discontent among local stakeholders. Farmers and hunters living in — or adjacent to — wolf territories perceive the political decision to support wolf recovery as intruding on local lives and restricting opportunities for small-scale farming and hunting. They feel that decision-makers have left the consequences of wolf recovery policies unaddressed. To overcome the failure of previous policies and increase local consensus, in October 2009 the Swedish parliament passed a resolution concerning the introduction of licensed hunting on wolves as a measure expected to promote local acceptance and facilitate dialogue among different parties. In doing so, the Parliament delegated to the regional authorities the responsibility to organize, coordinate and implement licensed hunting in the administrative counties concerned. According to Swedish wolf hunting regulations, the regional authorities are to be involved not only in the achievement of primary policy goals, but are also expected to overcome antagonism and conflict through collaboration. Questioning the normative idea which suggests that public managers are expected simply to implement national legislation at the local level, this paper argues that managers create practices and establish routines that enable them to cope with problems related to the realization of collaborative management. Through a combination of participant observations and semi-structured interviews conducted with authorities and field-staff in four administrative counties during the implementation of licensed hunting, this paper concludes that in order to understand how collaborative management of natural resources works, greater attention has to be directed to the way public managers organize their activities, how they cope with their mandate and how they themselves relate to networks of actors.


Prospect Theory (PT: Kahneman & Tversky, 1979) of risky decision making is based on psychological phenomena (paradoxes) that motivate assumptions about how people react to gains and losses, and how they weight outcomes with probabilities. Recent studies suggest that people's numeracy affect their decision making. We therefore conducted a large-scale conceptual replication of the seminal study by Kahneman and Tversky (1979), where we targeted participants with larger variability in numeracy. Because people low in numeracy may be more dependent on anchors in the form of other judgments we also manipulated design type (within-subject design, vs. single-stimuli design, where participants assess only one problem). The results from about 1,800 participants showed that design type had no effect on the modal choices. The rate of replication of the paradoxes in Kahneman and Tversky was poor and positively related to the participants' numeracy. The Probabilistic Insurance Effect was observed at all levels of numeracy. The Reflection Effects were not fully replicated at any numeracy level. The Certainty and Isolation Effects explained by nonlinear probability weighting were replicated only at high numeracy. No participant exhibited all 9 paradoxes and more than 50% of the participants exhibited at most three of the 9 paradoxes. The choices by the participants with low numeracy were consistent with a shift towards a cautionary non-compensatory strategy of minimizing the risk of receiving the worst possible outcome. We discuss the implications for the psychological assumptions of PT.