Detection of ECG characteristic points serves as a first step in many automated ECG analysis techniques. We propose a novel statistical scheme for ECG recognition. We design an effective feature, i.e. the randomly selected signal pair difference (RSSPD) feature, to effectively represent ECG morphology. The RSSPD generates a feature pool of signal pairs, and then a multi-class random forest is adopted in this work to train a classification model to detect all the ECG characteristic points simultaneously. After the post processing stage, the final output is generated. Our work provides robust and accurate detection performance in ECG datasets. The evaluation results on QT database show better detection accuracy compared with other studies.


This book provides a comprehensive introduction to hardware security, from specification to implementation. Applications discussed include embedded systems ranging from small RFID tags to satellites orbiting the earth. The authors describe a design and synthesis flow, which will transform a given circuit into a secure design incorporating counter-measures against fault attacks. In order to address the conflict between testability and security, the authors describe innovative design-for-testability (DFT) computer-aided design (CAD) tools that support security challenges, engineered for compliance with existing, commercial tools. Secure protocols are discussed, which protect access to necessary test infrastructures and enable the design of secure access controllers.


Infectious diseases caused by viral pathogens remain a major global health threat. Undoubtedly, great progress has been achieved in this regard by the development of highly efficient direct acting antivirals (DAAs). However, there is no clinically approved antiviral treatment for the majority of viral infections. Additionally, the inhibition of viral replication is not always sufficient to prevent a progression of a disease caused by the infection. In the present work we addressed challenges in the development of antiviral therapies against two positive-sense single stranded RNA viruses ((+)ssRNA), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While there are currently no antiviral regimens approved for clinical use against SARS-CoV-2, HCV infection can be nowadays efficiently cured by DAA treatment. However, several studies reported an acceleration of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV-positive patients who underwent DAA therapy. On that account, we focused our first study on the identification of phenotypic changes driven by direct acting antivirals in hepatoma cells. We demonstrated that the treatment of liver-derived cells with sofosbuvir (SOF), a nucleoside analogue and a backbone of DAA therapy against HCV, activated the EGFR signalling pathway. The serine/threonine kinase profiling revealed several other kinases downstream of EGFR, also activated during SOF treatment. Our findings imply that SOF may have an impact on liver-related pathological processes via the promotion of EGFR signalling and its downstream pathways. Notably, the administration of EGFR inhibitor, erlotinib, during SOF treatment could prevent this effect. In our second study we established a human cell culture model for SARS-CoV-2 infection which allowed us to perform a comprehensive analysis of host translatome and proteome during the infection. We identified several components of translation, splicing and metabolism to be remarkably altered during the course of viral infection. By applying inhibitors we proved that these pathways represent druggable targets for antiviral therapy against SARS-CoV-2. Globally, our work can contribute to efforts to develop highly efficient therapies against two (+)ssRNA viruses which are currently affecting millions of people worldwide. Our findings provide a rationale for the development of a host-targeted therapy in combination with canonical pathogen-directed drugs as antiviral strategy able to clear viruses as well as resolve underlying diseases. Lastly, we rapidly identified novel host targets which may accelerate the drug discovery against the current pandemic.


There is no doubt that Security Council Resolution 2417 (2018) is a first of its kind. More than its content, however, it is its adoption (by unanimity) that represents a success. For the first time, the Security Council engaged in a thematic manner with the issue of hunger (or food insecurity) in armed conflict, highlighting the vicious circle between food insecurity and armed conflicts and the duties of parties to conflicts to protect civilian populations and allow passage for humanitarian assistance and relief measures, as well as reiterating the prohibition of starvation as a method of combat, and its potential prosecution as war crime. On the basis of this resolution (which, inter alia, requests the Secretary-General to report on the matter more robustly, including through a form of early-warning mechanism that is per se an important new contribution) there is room for strengthened commitment to act more decisively on the part of the United Nations system as well as the Member States and other international actors. Moreover, the resolution paves the way for creative solutions which could entail, for example, the adoption of measures at the domestic level leading to more stringent regulation (and potential prosecution) of 'starvation crimes' and of any forms of deliberate obstruction to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The resolution could also provide arguments for interpreting existing rules more in line with the objective, clearly promoted by the resolution itself, to strengthen the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.


Light focusing characteristics of a negative refractive lens fabricated out of a silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal (PC) slab are investigated theoretically and experimentally. It focuses in the near infrared, but the focal spot is degraded by a lens aberration. To reduce the aberration, we designed a composite PC that gives rise to a narrower focal spot. In addition, two unique functions of this lens are demonstrated: refocusing outside of the PC and parallel focusing, enabling image transfer and real image formation, respectively. These results prove the feasibility of an in-plane free space optical network based on negative refraction.


Standardization is a relatively neglected aspect of the EU regulatory process and yet it is fundamental to that process and arguably has recently been the key vehicle in making the single market an economic reality. Yet the key standardization bodies in the EU, the ESOs, are scarcely known to the public and seldom discussed in the literature. In this article we redress this imbalance, arguing that standardization and integration are closely related concepts. We also argue that the ESOs have developed a degree of autonomy in expanding the boundaries of standardization and even in developing their own links with the rest of the world. Recent proposals put forward by the European Commission can be seen as an attempt to reduce that autonomy. These proposals emphasize the speed of, and stakeholder involvement in, standards production, which we further suggest are somewhat conflicting aims.


This article examines laws that allow people to decide what will happen to their bodies after death, referred to as laws protecting posthumous bodily integrity. It asks whose rights they intend to protect: the rights-holders could consist only of living individuals whose bodies will become the corpses at issue or could include the dead themselves. Whether rights to posthumous bodily integrity belong only to the living or survive death leads to three types of insight. First, the reasons for protecting posthumous bodily integrity are different depending on who the rights-bearers are. Second, to the extent that some laws are more consistent with an approach that views the dead as rights-holders versus only the living (or vice versa), this may help elucidate why we protect posthumous bodily integrity. Third, if one has an opinion about whether the dead are capable of having rights, this has implications for how one thinks laws protecting posthumous bodily integrity should be structured. For example, the article proposes a revision to anatomical gift legislation that is more easily justified than current legislation if one views the dead as incapable of having rights.


Drink and drive issue have become solemnly that needs immediate attention. This is due to drivers' ignorance towards road rules and regulations and their selfish attitude that caused loss of innocent lives. Although previously there is a drunk detecting mechanism using breathalyzer but it isn't suitable for current fast-paced lifestyle. Therefore, to overcome these issues, this system is proposed. This system is fixed on vehicle's steering to measure alcohol concentration reading using MQ-3 sensor from the driver's exhaled breath. If the driver found to be drunk beyond the threshold level of 400 ppm, then ignition lock is activated and the car engine does not start till alcohol concentration falls to a safe level. Or, if the driver consumes an alcoholic drink while driving, upon exceeding permissible limit, the car slows down till it stops. Then, the location of the vehicle is tracked and sent as Google Map integrated link via text message to authorized unit. Simultaneously, the car buzzer goes off while the car slows down so that surrounding road users are aware of the driver's condition and drives at a distance. The proposed detection system is highly potential to be implemented for reducing the drunk and drive accidents.


Background. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of hepatoprotectors in comprehensive treatment of adolescents with obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and dysfunctional disorders of the biliary tract (DDBT). Materials and methods. The study involved 80 adolescents with obesity and insulin resistance aged 10 to 18 years. Biochemical research and ultrasound investigation of the hepatobiliary system were conducted in all the patients. The metformin was used for all the patients in the treatment of obesity. According to the results of examination, all patients were divided into two groups: 1 st group — patients with clinical and ultrasound signs of DDBT, who received artichoke extract preparations; 2 nd group — patients with clinical and ultrasound signs of DDBT and biliary sludge, in whom ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) preparations were used. Control examinations were conducted after treatment and after the sixth month. Results. Adolescents with obesity complained of increased appetite, abdominal pain and dyspepsia. Pain in the right upper quadrant and signs of atherogenic dyslipidemia were determined in these patients. According to the ultrasound investigation, signs of steatohepatosis were found in one-third of patients. Improvement of contractile function of the gallbladder and decrease of steatohepatosis symptoms were more significant in those patients received artichoke extract preparations than in the comparison group. Homogenization of the bile, decrease in the signs of steatosis and hypotonia of the gallbladder were more significant in patients, who received UDCA preparations, than in the comparison group. Conclusions. The prescription of the artichoke extract preparations for the period of 1.5–2 months is reasonable for adolescents with obesity and hypotonia of the gallbladder. The administration of the UDCA preparations for the period of 2–3 months is reasonable in case of clinical signs of DDBT and biliary sludge presence. The positive effect of treatment after 6 months was observed only in patients, who were motivated to change their lifestyle.


The reliability of software that has a Deep Neural Network (DNN) as a component is urgently important today given the increasing number of critical applications being deployed with DNNs. The need for reliability raises a need for rigorous testing of the safety and trustworthiness of these systems. In the last few years, there have been a number of research efforts focused on testing DNNs. However the test generation techniques proposed so far lack a check to determine whether the test inputs they are generating are valid, and thus invalid inputs are produced. To illustrate this situation, we explored three recent DNN testing techniques. Using deep generative model based input validation, we show that all the three techniques generate significant number of invalid test inputs. We further analyzed the test coverage achieved by the test inputs generated by the DNN testing techniques and showed how invalid test inputs can falsely inflate test coverage metrics. To overcome the inclusion of invalid inputs in testing, we propose a technique to incorporate the valid input space of the DNN model under test in the test generation process. Our technique uses a deep generative model-based algorithm to generate only valid inputs. Results of our empirical studies show that our technique is effective in eliminating invalid tests and boosting the number of valid test inputs generated.


This article focuses on three different patterns of spirit possession in Mali, a country where spirits interact with human beings. Some Malian cases – but not all of them – comfort the well-received theory asserting that possession is a form of protest and is related to a historical crisis. African possession cults are generally considered as characteristics of marginal groups in response to the domination of a monotheist religion, especially Islam and Christianity, but several cults from the Minianka area contradict this ideal type. At a national level, some cults look for a compromise with the spirits, while others are aimed to get rid of them.


From a "world system" perspective, this monograph describes the processes by which the Nicobar Islands became integrated into the global economy. Situated some 1,200 km off the east coast of India in the Bay of Bengal, the islands are home to an indigenous population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants who draw their sustenance from horticulture, pig rearing, fishing and, more recently, copra production. The location of the Nicobar Islands on an ancient trade route to southeast Asia has had inevitable consequences for both the inhabitants and the islands' ecology; the pace of change increasing with the European colonisation of Asia. The islands are no longer a source of food and shelter to passing vessels as they used to be in former times, but are positioned, despite present protectionist measures, on the disadvantaged side of an exploitative relationship through an unequal exchange of resources within the modern world system. In drawing linkages between the world system perspective and environmental change, this monograph emphasises a shift from monetary indicators to biophysical indicators. Based on archival material and prolonged fieldwork, the monograph is a first detailed account of the colonial and economic history of the Nicobar Islands, and hence of interest not only to the scientific community, but to the general reader as well. (Less)


AIM
To examine the potential effects of replacing the Swedish alcohol retail system with a private licensing system on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm.

DESIGN
Two possible scenarios were analysed: (1) replacing the current alcohol retail monopoly with private licensed stores that specialize in alcohol sales or (2) making all alcohol available in grocery stores. We utilized a multiplicative model that projected effects of changes in a set of key factors including hours of sale, retail prices, promotion and advertising and outlet density. Next, we estimated the effect of the projected consumption increase on a set of harm indicators. Values for the model parameters were obtained from the research literature.

MEASUREMENTS
Measures of alcohol-related harm included explicitly alcohol-related mortality, accident mortality, suicide, homicide, assaults, drinking driving and sickness absence.

FINDINGS
According to the projections, scenario 1 yields a consumption increase of 17% (1.4 litres/capita), which in turn would cause an additional 770 deaths, 8500 assaults, 2700 drinking driving offences and 4.5 million sick days per year. The corresponding figures for scenario 2 are a consumption increase of 37.4% (3.1 litres/capita) leading to an additional annual toll of 2000 deaths, 20 000 assaults, 6600 drinking driving offences and 11.1 million days of sick leave.

CONCLUSIONS
Projections based on the research literature suggest that privatization of the Swedish alcohol retail market would significantly increase alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm.


Abstract Duets are highly coordinated acoustical displays produced by two individuals. Studying the structure of duet songs and its causes is essential to understand the ecological role and evolution of this form of communication. Our goals in this study were to describe the structure of the duet of the Large-footed Finch, the temporal synchronization of each individual, and to test the effect of provoked (playback) duets. We recorded birds at Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica and simulated territory intrusions using playback trials. The duet of this species consisted of overlapping notes between both members of a mated pair, which were emitted either randomly or periodically. Temporal synchronization was similar between both individuals in a mated pair. Both partners adjust the silent intervals between notes in response to the duration of its partner's note. The high frequency of the second part of the duet of this species decreased with time and the second individual, in duetting this part, not only synchronized its notes temporally with the first individual, but also synchronized the high frequency. The high frequency of the first note the second individual sung was a bit lower than the previous note sung by the first individual. Finally, birds responding to provoked duets produced duets with higher frequency and higher rate of notes compared to unprovoked duets. Our results provide information on the temporal and frequency synchronization in duets of an endemic emberizid and provide new information about a less reported vocal behaviour in bird duets, the acoustic frequency coordination.


This think about point to depict the planting of the center values of Pancasila-based character instruction to shape understudies as youthful individuals who are great, shrewdly, and adore the homeland. This inquire about is included in library inquire about, so the information source utilized is library information, both within the shape of diaries, book and magazines. In this case there are two types of information source utilized, to be specific essential information sources and auxiliary information sources. Essential information sources are information sources that are straightforwardly related to the subject. Whereas secondary information sources are information sources supporting subjects determined from different considers. The comes about of the examination appear that the teaching of the center values of Pancasila-based character instruction to understudies in schools is exceptionally critical to carry out, since it contains the values of devout character, social care, autonomy, national soul, popular governmet, resilience, and teach. The teaching of the center values of Pancasila based character instruction for understudies in schools is done through the educating and learning process.


Metagenomics has become an integral part of defining microbial diversity in various environments. Many ecosystems have characteristically low biomass and few cultured representatives. Linking potential metabolisms to phylogeny in environmental microorganisms is important for interpreting microbial community functions and the impacts these communities have on geochemical cycles. However, with metagenomic studies there is the computational hurdle of 'binning' contigs into phylogenetically related units or putative genomes. Binning methods have been implemented with varying approaches such as k-means clustering, Gaussian mixture models, hierarchical clustering, neural networks, and two-way clustering; however, many of these suffer from biases against low coverage/abundance organisms and closely related taxa/strains. We are introducing a new binning method, BinSanity, that utilizes the clustering algorithm affinity propagation (AP), to cluster assemblies using coverage alone, removing potential composition based biases in clustering contigs, but requires a minimum of two samples. To increase fidelity, a refinement script was developed that uses composition data (tetranucleotide frequency and %G+C content) to refine bins containing multiple source organisms. This separation of composition and coverage based signatures reduces clustering bias for closely related taxa. BinSanity was developed and tested on artificial metagenomes varying in size and complexity. Results indicate that this implementation of AP lead to a higher precision, recall, and Adjusted Rand Index over five commonly implemented methods. When tested on a previously published infant gut metagenome, BinSanity generated high completion and low redundancy bins corresponding with the published metagenome-assembled genomes.


The slime mould Physarum polycephalum is a suitable candidate organism for soft-matter robotics because it exhibits controllable transport, movement and guidance behaviour. Physarum may be considered as a smart computing and actuating material since both its motor and control systems are distributed within its undifferentiated tissue and can survive trauma such as excision, fission and fusion of plasmodia. Thus it may be suitable for exploring the generation and distribution of micro-actuation in individual units or planar arrays. We experimentally show how the plasmodium of Physarum is shaped to execute controllable oscillatory transport behaviour applicable in small hybrid engines. We measure the lifting force of the plasmodium and demonstrate how protoplasmic transport can be influenced by externally applied illumination stimuli. We provide an exemplar vehicle mechanism by coupling the oscillations of the plasmodium to drive the wheels of a Braitenberg vehicle and use light stimuli to effect a steering mechanism. Using a particle model of Physarum we show how emergent travelling wave patterns produced by competing oscillatory domains may be used to to generate spatially represented actuation patterns. We demonstrate different patterns of controllable motion, including linear, reciprocal, rotational and helical, and demonstrate in simulation how dynamic oscillatory patterns may be translated into motive forces for simple transport of substances within a patterned environment.


The Fourth Generation (4G) of cellular communication systems is a technology emerging from future wireless networks. In recent years, many researchers and scientists worldwide have been working on government and business funded projects, whose goal is an efficient wireless network, borne from all current technologies. By adapting new solutions for these enhanced telecommunications, superior quality, efficiency, and opportunities will be provided where wireless communications were otherwise unfeasible. Some researchers define 4G as a significant improvement of 3G, where current cellular network's issues will be solved and data transfer will play a more significant role. For others, 4G unifies cellular and wireless local area networks, and introduces new routing techniques, efficient solutions for sharing dedicated frequency bands, and an increased mobility and bandwidth capacity. One of the main solutions to improve the performance of new wireless communication systems is by improving TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) performance. This article investigates the possible practical solutions to enhancing the performance of TCP over 4G systems.


Historically, governments have adopted legalized, integrated, and global rules to govern oligopolistic industries, such as shipping, chemicals, and industrial production. By contrast, they have adopted nonbinding and unintegrated rules and institutions to govern competitive industries, such as energy, agriculture, and mining, at the national or subnational scale. Considering that competitive producers face greater barriers to political collective action, what explains the form of global governance across these sectors? This article demonstrates that oligopolistic producers are more intensively and extensively regulated than competitive markets because producers in oligopolistic industries can more cost-effectively alter markets to meet environmental goals. Therefore, despite their political influence, oligopolies are regularly called upon to initiate and sustain market transformation on a global scale. New qualitative evidence from two treaty regimes governing different types of markets supports this theory, as well as new quantitative data on the full range of global environmental treaty regimes since World War II.


: The authors analyze the results of treatment of 30 eyes of 28 patients suffering from various forms of diabetes mellitus for 1 to 15 years; no cases with neovascularization or proliferative diabetic retinopathy were included in the study. Extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens (IOL) intracapsular implantation was carried out according to the method developed by B. N. Alexeyev. Polymethylmethacrylate lens with a 5 mm diameter of the optic section with polymethylmethacrylate supporting elements was implanted into the capsular sac. In 4 cases lenses with 7 mm optic section diameter and with polypropylene supporting arches were implanted. IOLs were implanted in both eyes to 2 patients. The methods of examination included visometry, biomicroscopy, measurements of the blood sugar before and after surgery, tonometry, tonography, echography, ophthalmometry, gonioscopy, fluorescent angiography. The findings permit a conclusion that IOL intracapsular implantation to diabetics was effective in all 30 cases analyzed. High visual acuity was achieved in more than 80 percent of patients. No grave complications of the ocular or general condition due to diabetes mellitus were recorded. Therefore IOL intracapsular implantation is safe and possible in type I and II diabetes mellitus patients.


We studied the interactions between gum Arabic and select catecholic compounds like caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and catechol. We observed that GA is capable of promoting the auto-oxidation of the above-mentioned compounds into darkly colored pigments without the addition of redox-sensitive cations. Gum Arabic appeared to be unique among polysaccharide-based materials as many other types of polysaccharides promote the oxidation of the above-mentioned compounds only in the presence of redox cations like Fe2+ or Cu2+. RP-HPLC and SEC chromatographic techniques were employed to monitor the reactions and to observe the formation of high molecular mass, pigmented materials from gum Arabic and all three catecholic compounds. FT-IR spectroscopic analysis revealed that, despite their darkly colored appearances, the gum Arabic/pigment materials synthesized contain mostly gum Arabic and very little pigment. As chlorogenic acid is an ester of caffeic acid, we studied the capacity of gum Arabic to promote ester hydrolysis using acetylsalicylic acid as the model compound. We observed that gum Arabic did promote the hydrolysis of acetylsalicylic acid into salicylic acid. However, in all our experiments involving the pigment formation between gum Arabic and chlorogenic acid, we did not observe any evidence that chlorogenic acid was hydrolyzed leading to the release of caffeic acid during these reactions. In addition, we observed that heat treatment of gum Arabic did not affect its pro-oxidizing capability, but it did negatively affect its capability to hydrolyze salicylic acid. Thus, these two types of chemical reactivity present in the gum Arabic material may be associated with different components of the gum Arabic material.


This paper presents a novel method for using the industry standard IEEE Std. 1149.1 test port for accessing chip-wide testability features. The scheme reconfigures the test port to switch its normal asynchronous-to-chip-logic operating mode to a special synchronous-to-chip-logic operating mode that can be exploited in chip-alone test environments. The method allows the internal testability features to be designed normally and operated at full speed in chip's native clock domain.


The person-centred review (PCR) is a model for the review of a young person's special educational needs (SEN), advocated for use at transition. The young person and their family are placed at the centre of the process, which adopts principles relating to humanistic and positive psychology, and utilises visual strategies for information sharing and planning.
This exploratory study investigated the views of 16 students with SEN, and their parents/carers. A mixed-methods design was employed. The views of the participants were gathered through semi-structured interviews as the dominant qualitative method. A thematic analysis was conducted separately for parents and young people. Quantitative data were gathered from the young people before and after their PCR to explore changes in the young people's locus of control, feelings of positivity towards school and motivation.
The findings indicate that the PCR is a constructive and reassuring process for parents and young people. Parents shared views on the wealth of detailed information shared openly and honestly within a relaxed and informal, yet organised and structured process. Parents and young people felt they had contributed to the process as equal partners, feeling their voices were heard.
Child-friendly strategies ensured the young people could access the meeting, although some parents felt that the meeting was too long and parts were not understood by the child. The young people were generally positive about the process, although many felt daunted beforehand, possibly due to a lack of preparation. No change was found in the young people's locus of control or feelings of motivation. Many young people indicated higher ratings of positivity towards school following the PCR.
Implications for schools and education professionals are outlined, highlighting the role of the Educational Psychologist in facilitating PCRs, delivering facilitator training, and promoting meaningful pupil and parent participation.


Nitrate contamination in stream water and groundwater is a serious environmental problem that arises in areas of high agricultural activities or high population density. It is therefore important to identify the source and flowpath of nitrate in water bodies. In recent decades, the dual isotope analysis (δ15N and δ18O) of nitrate has been widely applied to track contamination sources by taking advantage of the difference in nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios for different sources. However, transformation processes of nitrogen compounds can change the isotopic composition of nitrate due to the various redox processes in the environment, which often makes it difficult to identify contaminant sources. To compensate for this, the stable water isotope of the H2O itself can be used to interpret the complex hydrological and hydrochemical processes for the movement of nitrate contaminants. Therefore, the present study aims at understanding the fundamental background of stable water and nitrate isotope analysis, including isotope fractionation, analytical methods such as nitrate concentration from samples, instrumentation, and the typical ranges of δ15N and δ18O from various nitrate sources. In addition, we discuss hydrograph separation using the oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of water in combination with the nitrogen and oxygen isotopes of nitrate to understand the relative contributions of precipitation and groundwater to stream water. This study will assist in understanding the groundwater flowpaths as well as tracking the sources of nitrate contamination using the stable isotope analysis in combination with nitrate and water.


The IPY long-run data were obtained from the European Incoherent Scatter Svalbard radar (ESR) observations during March 2007 and February 2008. Since the solar and geomagnetic activities were quite low during the period, this data set is extremely helpful for describing the basic states (ground states) of the thermosphere and ionosphere in the polar cap region. The monthly-averaged ion temperatures for 12 months show similar local time (or UT) variations to each other. The ion temperatures also show significant seasonal variations. The amplitudes of the local time and seasonal variations observed are much larger than the ones predicted by the IRI-2007 model. In addition, we performed numerical simulations with a general circulation model (GCM), which covers all the atmospheric regions, to investigate variations of the neutrals in the polar thermosphere. The GCM simulations show significant variations of the neutral temperature in the polar region in comparison with the NRLMSISE-00 empirical model. These results indicate that both the ions and neutrals would show larger variations than those described by the empirical models, suggesting significant heat sources in the polar cap region even under solar minimum and geomagnetically quiet conditions.


This book is a comprehensive text for both students and teachers of legal theory, jurisprudence and related subjects. It introduces all the traditional schools of legal theory, from natural law to Positivism to Legal Formalism as well as a number of contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches to legal theory including law and economics, law and society, law and literature, critical legal studies, feminism, race theory and post modernism. In the process of so doing, as well as introducing the reader to established jurists, such as Bentham and Hart, Rawls and Durkin, the text also introduces philosophers such as Plato, Kant and Sartre, economists such as Smith, Keynes and Galbraith, social theorists such as Foucault, Marx and literary theorists such as Derrida and Fish. This book seeks to perfect the increasing ambition of Legal Theory to reach beyond the narrow confines of traditional jurisprudence and to re-establish itself within the wider intellectual world. This book is not just a text about legal theory, it is also a text which introduces the reader to philosophy, economics, politics, history, literature and social theory. It thus provides not just a critical introduction to legal theory, but an introduction to the entire ambition of law as an intellectual discipline.


ABSTRACT Living cells are adaptive self-sustaining systems. They strictly depend on the sufficient supply of oxygen, energy, and nutrients from the outside in order to sustain their internal organization. However, as autonomous entities they are able to monitor and appropriately adapt to any critical fluctuation in their environment. In the case of insufficient external nutrient supply or augmented energy demands, cells start to extensively digest their own interior. This process, known as macroautophagy, comprises the transport of cytosolic portions and entire organelles to the lysosomal compartment via specific double-membrane vesicles, called autophagosomes. Although extensively upregulated under nutrient restriction, a low level of basal autophagy is likewise crucial in order to sustain the cellular homeostasis. On the other hand, cells have to avoid excessive and enduring self-digestion. The delicate balance between external energy and nutrient supply and internal production and consumption is a demanding task. The complex protein network that senses and precisely reacts to environmental changes is thus mainly regulated by rapid and reversible posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation. This review focuses on the serine/threonine protein kinases AMP-activated protein kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and unc-51-like kinase 1/2 (Ulk1/2), three interconnected major junctions within the autophagy regulating signaling network.


The present article discusses modern concepts on possible instances of cardiovascular involvement in Reiter's disease during the early and late stages of this medical condition. A case is reported in a clinical setting of left ventricular dilatation development and complicated life-threatening arrhythmia in a patient presenting with Reiter's disease.


ABSTRACT The genetic stability of selected epidemiologically linked strains of Campylobacter jejuni during outbreak situations was investigated by using subtyping techniques. Strains isolated from geographically related chicken flock outbreaks in 1998 and from a human outbreak in 1981 were investigated. There was little similarity in the strains obtained from the different chicken flock outbreaks; however, the strains from each of three chicken outbreaks, including strains isolated from various environments, were identical as determined byfla typing, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, which confirmed the genetic stability of these strains during the short time courses of chicken flock outbreaks. The human outbreak samples were compared with strain 81116, which originated from the same outbreak but has since undergone innumerable laboratory passages. Two main AFLP profiles were recognized from this outbreak, which confirmed the serotyping results obtained at the time of the outbreak. The major type isolated from this outbreak (serotype P6:L6) was exemplified by strain 81116. Despite the long existence of strain 81116 as a laboratory strain, the AFLP profile of this strain was identical to the profiles of all the other historical P6:L6 strains from the outbreak, indicating that the genotype has remained stable for almost 20 years. Interestingly, the AFLP profiles of the P6:L6 group of strains from the human outbreak and the strains from one of the recent chicken outbreaks were also identical. This similarity suggests that some clones ofC. jejuni remain genetically stable in completely different environments over long periods of time and considerable geographical distances.


The paper presents the results of studies on the effect of wastes of the Cherepovets iron-and-steel works containing phenol, naphthaline and oil products on fish parasites of the Sheksna part of the Rybinsk water reservoir (the Volga river system). It has been shown that the number of highly sensitive ectoparasites of Abramis brama (Protozoa, Dactylogyrus monogeneans, Ergasilus sieboldi crustaceans and Caspiobdella fadejewi leeches) considerably decreases in the zone of pollution. It has been first suggested to use Diplozoon paradoxum and Caryophyllaeus laticeps, parasites of bream highly resistant to toxic effect, the number of which considerably increases in the zone of pollution, as indicators of anthropogenic pollution and ecological state of a water body. Among diplozoons there have been first discovered individuals having structural anomalies (reduction of the attachment organs, violation in the symmetry of arrangement and number of valves) that serves as evidence of mutagenic effect of toxic substances of polluted waters on morphogenesis of the parasite.


This study aims to investigate the normative and economic implications of multilateral market openings and regulatory harmonisation of the global services sectors beyond the bilateral and WTO/GATS frameworks. The mobile communications industry serves as the initial benchmark analysis in order to empirically assess whether the multilateral liberalisation of the global services market can potentially respond more effectively to the growing transnational competition in production inputs, consumption outputs, and capital attraction in a broader pool of service-oriented economies. Ultimately, this study argues that the multilateral opening of the global services market is on balance beneficial to the domestic services industries, and as such the WTO/GATS framework can be superseded by further economic integration and regulatory harmonisation in future multilateral trade agreements currently under negotiation, such as the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). <br>


Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is the current main standard for asymmetric cryptography. Hyper-elliptic curve cryptography (HECC) is investigated for future applications. Our research group studies and prototypes hardware accelerators for ECC and HECC. Our accelerator architecture can be customized at design time with various numbers and types of units, curves parameters, key recoding methods and embedded protections against physical attacks (both passive and active ones). Finite field operations are handled in dedicated hardware units. Curve level operations (e.g. point addition and doubling) are handled in software using an instruction memory programmable by users at run time. Various configurations of the accelerator can be generated for very lost cost solutions up to fast but costly ones. Various protections can be added such as randomized key recoding schemes, arithmetic units with uniform power profiles, randomized internal memory accesses. We also develop a complete software tool chain to program our accelerator (from assembly level to Python code inside Sage). Some configurations of our accelerator, and the corresponding software tools, will be available for academic and industrial collaborations. In this talk, we will present our architecture, our tool chain, several configurations of the arithmetic units and the impact of various protections. Our current results in mid-range FPGAs show that HECC leads to 40% more efficient solutions than ECC for a similar security level and silicon cost.


11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) converts inert 11keto-glucocorticoids to active 11beta-hydroxy forms, thereby amplifying intracellular glucocorticoid action. Up-regulation of 11beta-HSD1 in adipose tissue and liver is of pathogenic importance in metabolic syndrome. However, the mechanisms controlling 11beta-HSD1 transcription are poorly understood. Glucocorticoids themselves potently increase 11beta-HSD1 expression in many cells, providing a potential feed-forward system to pathology. We have investigated the molecular mechanisms by which glucocorticoids regulate transcription of 11beta-HSD1, exploiting an A549 cell model system in which endogenous 11beta-HSD1 is expressed and is induced by dexamethasone. We show that glucocorticoid induction of 11beta-HSD1 is indirect and requires new protein synthesis. A glucocorticoid-responsive region maps to between -196 and -88 with respect to the transcription start site. This region contains two binding sites for CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) that together are essential for the glucocorticoid response and that bind predominantly C/EBPbeta, with C/EBPdelta present in a minority of the complexes. Both C/EBPbeta and C/EBPdelta are rapidly induced by glucocorticoids in A549 cells, but small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown shows that only C/EBPbeta reduction attenuates the glucocorticoid induction of 11beta-HSD1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated increased binding of C/EBPbeta to the 11beta-HSD1 promoter in A549 cells after glucocorticoid treatment. A similar mechanism may apply in adipose tissue in vivo where increased C/EBPbeta mRNA levels after glucocorticoid treatment were associated with increased 11beta-HSD1 expression. C/EBPbeta is a key mediator of metabolic and inflammatory signaling. Positive regulation of 11beta-HSD1 by C/EBPbeta may link amplification of glucocorticoid action with metabolic and inflammatory pathways and may represent an endogenous innate host-defense mechanism.


Exploiting the data gathered from Open Source Software contributors through in-depth interviews and Delphi method, this paper examines to what extend does gender variations affect the process of open source software development. Regardless of the rising literature on open source software process, information about gender and its issues in open source software is still limited, though the gender issues seem to be persisting issues on women in software technology industries. The extremely scarce numbers of women in open source software process reveals broader issues on the construction of open source software in its design and usage thus lead to the question of whether open source software is a gendered technology. This paper discussed that appropriate feminist approach through the lens of social constructivist's theory are important in understanding open source software development process as whether it is a gendered technology. © 2015 Published by ISICO


This paper describes the design, fabrication, and operational characteristics of a MEMS milliactuator designed for servo tracking in a hard-disk drive (HDD). The actuator is designed to increase the bandwidth of an HDD tracking servo and pack more recording tracks on a disk. An Invar (low thermal expansion metal) electrode position process was developed to meet the thermal stability requirement. The electroplated Invar's thermal coefficient of expansion is as low as 6.3/spl times/10/sup -6//K, which is almost half of that of pure nickel. For the plating mold pattern definition, a high-aspect-ratio polymer etching technique was developed. A high-aspect-ratio structure line-and-gap definition is required to achieve both a high directional stiffness ratio and electrode efficiency for the actuator. The etching technique described can etch through a thick (<40 /spl mu/m) polymer layer with an aspect ratio of 16:1 at an etch rate of <2 /spl mu/m/min. Low-cost/high-volume manufacturing is achievable by this batch fabrication technique. A milliactuator was fabricated and assembled with a suspension and a slider weighted at around 2 mg. The slider was successfully driven by the milliactuator while the slider was flying on a spinning disk. The operational characteristics (frequency response) of the in-flight milliactuator were measured, and the results indicate that the actuator is suitable for high-bandwidth HDD servo-tracking applications.


: Blast crisis terminates the life of the majority (approximately 80%) of patients with CML. The time of its onset appears to be a random phenomenon, varying from a probable coincidence occurrence with the onset of CML to more than a decade after onset of the chronic phase. In most patients the diagnosis is obvious as very immature cells are found to be the predominant cell in blood and marrow. However, in some, the onset is fairly subtle and the diagnosis of the syndrome will be dependent upon ancillary clinical and laboratory clues supplementing morphologic appearance of the blood and bone marrow. The same spectrum of morphological cell types is observed in blast crisis as is observed in acute myeloid leukemia. The predominant cells usually are myeloblasts and promyelocytes but may be immature monocytes, myelomonocytes, proerythroblasts, or immature megakaryocytes. These and other findings imply that the defect resides in the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell. It is possible, but by no means proven, that lymphoblastic conversion also may occur. Therapy of blast crisis is quite unsatisfactory but clearly is of benefit in some patients.


Healthy soundscapes are paramount to the missions of hospitals: patients need to sleep and heal without environmental stressors; staff, patients, and family need to communicate accurately but privately; staff need to be able to localize alarms and calls for help. This talk discusses recent findings from the Healthcare Acoustics Research Team (HART), an international, interdisciplinary collaboration of specialists in architecture, engineering, medicine, nursing, and psychology. Members of the HART network are actively engaged in research in the United States and Sweden, having worked in more than a dozen hospitals and a broad range of unit types including adult and neonatal intensive care, emergency, operating, outpatient, long-term care, mother-baby, and others. Highlights will include projects relating noise and room acoustic measures to staff and patient response in addition to studies evaluating impacts of acoustic retrofits. Results show that effective hospital soundscapes require a complex choreography of architectural layout, acoustic design, and administrative processes that is only beginning to be fully understood.


Arrhythmogenic effects of phenothiazines appear to be associated with sudden death, whereas respiratory complications have received little attention. In this report we describe 5 cases with accompanying obstruction of the airways after intra-muscular injections of levomepromazine (LPZ), a potent sedative phenothiazine, in combination with intravenous injections of benzodiazepine (BZ) during a 3-month period in a psychiatric intensive care unit. Two out of 5 cases were unpredictable because obstruction of the airways occurred 2 hours or more after the last injection. As compared with patients who received parenteral (intravenous or intramuscular) injections during the same period, the dose of intramuscular LPZ was significantly large in the 5 cases with obstruction of the airways. All 5 of these cases received intramuscular LPZ 0.52 mg/kg or more. In contrast, there was no patient with obstruction of the airways who received only intramuscular LPZ, the combination of LPZ and HDL, or BZ and HDL. The occurrence of obstruction of the airways among patients who received both intramuscular LPZ and intravenous BZ was significantly higher than among patients who received other drug regimes. These preliminary re-sults suggest that the intramuscular use of LPZ with intravenous BZ may be a risk for obstruction of the airways.


OF DISSERTATION LYMPHOCYTE-MEDIATED INFLAMM-AGING IN THE HORSE Senior horses (≥20 years) exhibit inflamm-aging, or chronic, low-grade inflammation that occurs systemically with aging, similarly to humans. Inflamm-aging has previously been characterized in the horse in circulation as well as specifically being mediated by lymphocytes and monocytes. In humans, inflamm-aging has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, in the horse, relatively little about inflamm-aging is known regarding clinical effects or factors influencing severity. The contribution of lymphocytes to inflamm-aging of senior horses was examined, specifically through determining the relationships of inflamm-aging with various other health parameters, effects of seasonality, and the extent to which inflamm-aging can be modulated by anti-inflammatory phytonutrient curcumin. The overall hypothesis of this research is that lymphocyte-mediated inflamm-aging of the senior horse is associated with various factors including season, endocrine function, body composition, and nutritional status, and may be modulated by polyphenol curcumin. The effect of season on lymphocyte-mediated inflamm-aging was examined, and senior horses exhibited elevated inflammation compared to adult horse as expected, while also exhibiting changes in inflammatory cytokine production and gene expression throughout the year. In addition to season, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), a common endocrinopathy in senior horses that is associated with immunosuppression, was examined in a group of senior horses to determine any effects on degree of inflamm-aging. Results indicated no significant differences between age-matched PPID and non-PPID horses for lymphocyte-mediated inflammatory cytokine production or gene expression. The immunosuppressive aspect of PPID does not appear to be associated with the degree of lymphocyte-mediated inflammation of the aged horse. Additionally, an expansive correlative study was undertaken to determine relationships between inflamm-aging and basal nutritional status, body composition, age, and PPID within a similarly-managed senior horse population. Results showed various relationships between inflammatory markers and nutritional status, particularly yielding positive associations with serum folate and with serum fatty acids C22:2n6c and C22:5n3c. Inflammation was also associated with age itself but was not associated with body composition parameters and showed mild association with PPID (and serum inflammatory C-reactive protein). As a whole, this study demonstrates that nutritional status can be associated with inflammatory markers. Similarly, many phytonutrients have exhibited anti-inflammatory properties, which may be beneficial to the senior horse exhibiting inflamm-aging. Specifically, the effects of polyphenols including curcuminoids, resveratrol, quercetin, pterostilbene, and hydroxypterostilbene on lymphocyte production of inflammatory cytokines by senior horses were examined in vitro and found to significantly reduce inflammation similarly to common non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. This study led to the in vivo investigation of the effectiveness of curcumin in modulating chronic inflammation of the senior horse. No significant differences were seen between groups receiving curcumin and placebo for the various inflammatory parameters, which may be due to the dose or low bioavailability of curcumin. As a whole, this research provides further understanding of factors associated with inflamm-aging of the senior horse.


Text augmentation techniques are widely used in text classification problems to improve the performance of classifiers, especially in low-resource scenarios. Whilst lots of creative text augmentation methods have been designed, they augment the text in a non-selective manner, which means the less important or noisy words have the same chances to be augmented as the informative words, and thereby limits the performance of augmentation. In this work, we systematically summarize three kinds of role keywords, which have different functions for text classification, and design effective methods to extract them from the text. Based on these extracted role keywords, we propose STA (Selective Text Augmentation) to selectively augment the text, where the informative, class-indicating words are emphasized but the irrelevant or noisy words are diminished. Extensive experiments on four English and Chinese text classification benchmark datasets demonstrate that STA can substantially outperform the non-selective text augmentation methods.


The purpose of this research was to investigate the combined effects of continuous gigahertz radio frequency signals and gamma irradiation on the threshold voltage of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors. The combined effects of gigahertz radio frequency waves and gamma irradiation on electronics presents a new challenge in electronic warfare and little is known of the combined effect on threshold voltage damage and recovery. The Fairchild NDS352AP, a commonly used commercial device, was irradiated by a cobalt-60 source under a +5 V bias with and without a radio frequency signal applied to the gate. The threshold voltage was measured during and after irradiation. During irradiation all devices exhibited an expected negative threshold voltage shift. The application of radio frequency to the gate resulted in a 7.2% increase in the rate of change of the threshold voltage during irradiation. When RF was applied after irradiation it produced no observable change when compared to the results of samples exposed to gamma radiation alone. Few conclusions can be drawn about the effects of radio frequency on the samples following irradiation owing to the long recovery time of the samples. Before irradiation the radio frequency produced a 5.95% increase in drain current for a given drain to source voltage during I-V measurements. The threshold voltage also increased by 1.57%. The power of the radio frequency signal was adjusted from 1 to 14 dBm with no measurable effect.


This paper presents the O&M experience at the Kalaeloa Cogeneration Plant. Performance issues and other problems related to firing heavy oil in a combustion turbine are presented together with their long-term solutions leading to the current successful operation of the IPP power station in Hawaii, USA.Copyright © 2000 by ASME


We propose a novel algorithm for decomposing general three-dimensional geometries into a small set of overlap-free height-field blocks, volumes enclosed by a flat base and a height-field surface defined with respect to this base. This decomposition is useful for fabrication methodologies such as 3-axis CNC milling, where a single milling pass can only carve a single height-field surface defined with respect to the machine tray but can also benefit other fabrication settings. Computing our desired decomposition requires solving a highly constrained discrete optimization problem, variants of which are known to be NP-hard. We effectively compute a high-quality decomposition by using a two-step process that leverages the unique characteristics of our setup. Specifically, we notice that if the height-field directions are constrained to the major axes, then we can always produce a valid decomposition starting from a suitable surface segmentation. Our method first produces a compact set of large, possibly overlapping, height-field blocks that jointly cover the model surface by recasting this discrete constrained optimization problem as an unconstrained optimization of a continuous function, which allows for an efficient solution. We then cast the computation of an overlap-free, final decomposition as an ordering problem on a graph and solve it via a combination of cycle elimination and topological sorting. The combined algorithm produces a compact set of height-field blocks that jointly describe the input model within a user given tolerance. We demonstrate our method on a range of inputs and showcase a number of real life models manufactured using our technique.


As they undertook the difficult transition to a market economy, the countries of Eastern Europe found that they needed to radically reform their health sectors. The scope, pace, and outcome of the reforms eventually undertaken varied. But they shared many characteristics. Most sought to decentralize care, increase private sector involvement in service delivery, rationalize or downsize hospital services, and strengthen the role of family practice physicians. Many introduced forms of national health insurance. Some took steps to strengthen public health programs and regulations (such as controls on public smoking and tobacco advertisement). Others sought to improve reproductive health services for women.


Introduction: Fungus parasitizing structures rich in keratin, like hair, skin and nails, lead to a dermal inflammatory response with intense itching and cosmetic disfigurement. Hence, diagnosis, treatment and regional epidemiological characteristics of the fungus by in vitro culture are required. Aim and objective: To see the Clinico-mycological pattern of skin and hair infections in dermatology outpatient's in New Delhi.
Materials and methods: This study was conducted (April 2013-December2013) in Mycology laboratory of a tertiary care hospital, New Delhi on 100 consecutive outpatients with clinical suspicion of superficial fungal infection of hair and skin. Plucked hair and scrapings, biopsy, and scales of skin were collected. Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) mounts and culture on Sabourauds Dextrose Agar (SDA) was done and incubated at 25°C and 37°C for 4-6 weeks. Identification was done by colony morphology, microscopic of Lactophenol cotton blue (LPCB) mounts and slide culture as per standard mycological procedures.
Results: The infection was more common in males (66%) with a male: female ratio of 1.9:1 and predominantly seen in <10 years of age (30%). Tinea corporis (32%) was the commonest presentation, followed by T. capitis (26%), T. mannum (20%), T. pedis (20%) and T. faciei (2%). Direct microscopy by KOH mount was positive in 37%, 46% by culture and 27% by both microscopy and culture. Dermatophytes were grown in 27(24.5%), while 17 (16.5%) had growth of non dermatophyte moulds (NDM) with only 6 (5.8%) of yeasts. Trichophyton rubrum (7.8%) was the commonest dermatophyte. T. verrucossum (5.8%), T. schoenleinii (5.8%), T. mentagrophyte (3.9%) and T. violaceum (1.9%) were also isolated. Aspergillus flavus (2.9%) was the most common NDM. Other NDMs isolated were, A. terreus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, Penicillium spp., Syncephalastrum spp., Paecillomyces spp., Mucor spp. Rhizopus spp. and Epicoccum spp.
Conclusion: There is a rising trend of Non dermatophytic Moulds causing infection replacing the most common Dermatophytes.


In response to a series of adverse weather events, in parts of the cereal crop belt from 1998 to 2001, the State and the Commonwealth Governments implemented support measures for farmers in the cereal belt of Western Australia. A critique of the State Government Adverse Seasonal Conditions in the Agricultural Sector (ASCAS) support packages is presented. The schemes are expensive, could adversely affect the normal adjustment process, have subjective boundaries, deliver grants to some multi millionaires, attract a small element of clearly ineligible claimants, and in 2001 the second ASCAS package was provided prior to excellent late winter and spring rains.


This paper presents a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the properties of deep-etched GaAs-AlGaAs optical waveguides designed using a version of the spectral index method which predicts mode losses due to leakage through the lower cladding into the high index GaAs substrate. By predicting and measuring the mode losses due to this mechanism as a function of guide width, we show that waveguides formed by reactive ion etching through the core to the lower cladding layer can be both low-loss (0.2 dB/cm) and single-mode even with core thicknesses and guide widths as large as 4.8 and 5.6 /spl mu/m, respectively. We demonstrate the advantages of this type of guide for making compact integrated optic devices.


The supersymmetric QED Lagrangian with electrons and positrons having opposite charge, parity and statistics is investigated in details related to the ĈP̂ T̂ invariance and particle permutations. In the present theory the charge conjugation anticommutes with permutation of particles. The measurement of positron-positron scattering and the dipositronium ground state should prove or rule out the proposed symmetry; however the experimental evidences are not yet available.


The article describes the case of Takotsubo syndrome, which arose in a 71-year-old female patient after a mitral heart valve replacement , performed due to its severe (3rd degree) insufficiency of non-rheumatic genesis. This pathology is quite rare. Questions of its etiology and pathogenesis remain controversial. A special feature of this case is the development of reversible left ventricular dysfunction in the early postoperative period after mitral valve replacement. The reduction of the left ventricular ejection fraction to 25% with hyperkinesia of its basal parts with subsequent recovery of the ejection fraction to 56% 3 weeks after the onset of the disease was observed. There were also electrocardiographic changes simulating acute circular myocardial infarction with the absence of hemodynamically significant lesions of the coronary arteries. The patient had risk factors for this syndrome (age, female gender, stress situation, surgical intervention, administration of dobutamine and fluoroquinolones). For the reasons given above, the presence of Takotsubo syndrome was suspected. This case demonstrates the possibility of developing takotsubo syndrome after cardiosurgical interventions and defibrillation.


This paper presents a new GPU-based implementation of fast non-local means (NLM) filtering for material restyling. Our fast NLM filtering algorithm is able to achive realtime feedback of interactive image editing. Furthermore a novel material editing method based on our fast NLM filtering is proposed to change the material appearance of image-based objects. Given an input image, an alpha matte is created to differentiate the object from its background. After the automatic matting process, the object is removed from the background, and the 3D shape of the object is recovered. We use the fast non-local means (NLM) filtering to process the luminance channel of an image and obtain a pseudo-depth map that is sufficient for altering the material appearance of the observed object. We recover the gradient luminance maps for the region to be material-restyled; and change the material property in the region-of-interest by solving the Poisson equation. In this way, the new material is mapped onto the 3D shape, resulting in an object which appears to be made of a different material. Our new NLM filtering-based material editing is easy to implement in parallel with graphics hardware. The experimental results have demonstrated the satisfactory performance of our method.


The aim of this study was to report a case of factitious lymphedema of the arm and related lymphoscintigraphic aspects. The case of a 36-year-old patient is reported who started to present with pain, in the 3rd finger of the right hand three years prior to this report, which she associated with her work. Joint effusion was identified and treated using a splint that restricted blood flow leading to edema of the distal third of the forearm. Since then the patient was treated however her condition worsened resulting in edema of the entire arm. Subsequently she was referred to our service. A physical examination identified a restrictive band in the axillary region of the arm that delimited the edema. Volumetry and lymphoscintigraphic examinations of the limb were performed. The lymphoscintigraphy demonstrated acceleration of the flow in the affected limb and dermal reflux. Clinical treatment with removal of the restriction allowed a rapid reduction in the volume of the limb.


Naples is one of the most ancient cities in Europe, located in the centre of the ancient Mediterranean region, and as such has a very rich cultural heritage. Nowadays, the current urban fabric preserves a selection of outstanding elements of its long and eventful history, but we set out to focus attention on this littleknown inner-city community, the Sanità District. Despite the district's rich cultural history and heritage, it is still a marginal touristic player. This workingclass district has been neglected for a long period of time. Since the 1990s, Naples has been experiencing a renaissance. The trend for reviving heritage would be selected through a locally relevant participation process that is appropriate to the context. Many associations are already working to foster an active and competitive heritage process. Local stakeholders must be associated with the mobilization of the inhabitants as with the associative dynamics that have been enacted since the 1980s. This concept is associated with the heritagization process: a Canadian concept from the 2008 Icomos Symposium. This integrates the attitudes that need to be adopted and the approaches and methods that need to be developed to ensure that the spirit of place can be transmitted; that is to say, the process that leads to the recognition of the historic value of certain objects and practices and of the imperative need to ensure they are protected. Our research method therefore is aimed at identifying how the effects of these are being felt by actors, public and private, and local inhabitants and tries to explore their needs, aspirations, fears and concerns by means of direct interviews and surveys. The results of these are focused on local networks and on stakes, objectives and modalities, the levels of success in achieving heritagization outcomes and an assessment of their social impact.


The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) fire management personnel routinely use a fire danger computer program to estimate the effects of recent weather upon the fire hazard on the BLM rangeland sites. The program used for this purpose is the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) which was developed by the National Forest Service (Deeming, 1978). The NFDRS was used in conjunction with fire weather stations in the Great Basin for the dual purposes of evaluating the abili ty of NFDRS to predict fire danger and of determining the effectiveness of the present fire station network in detecting fire weather on the Great Basin rangelands. Seasonal fire frequency and real time fire occurrence were examined with respect to climatic and weather variables to determine the meteorological parameters which are most closely related to fire occurrence. These parameters were then used to delineate zones within the Great Basin of approximately equal fire climate. The climate relationships are also discussed with regard to the possible development of pre-season fire projection models.


Hydralazine is associated with a lupus-like syndrome. There is evidence that many drug hypersensitivity reactions are due to reactive metabolites. Incubation of hydralazine with activated neutrophils or monocytes led to the production of phthalazinone, phthalazine and 3 unidentified metabolites. Formation of the metabolites, with the exception of phthalazine, required activation of the leukocytes. Using radiolabelled hydralazine, covalent binding to activated neutrophils was observed. Oxidation of hydralazine catalyzed by myeloperoxidase (MPO) produced the same metabolites and covalent binding to protein. We conclude that hydralazine is metabolized by activated leukocytes to a reactive metabolite which may be associated with hydralazine induced lupus.


SAEM W estern R egional R esearch F orum A bstracts The average number of SAR incidents per park visitor has decreased from 9.4 incidents per 100,000 visitors in the 10 years prior to 1998 to 7.6 per 100,000 visitors in the six years following (p=0.02). Conclusions: The Grand Canyon National Park PSAR program seems to have decreased the incidence of visitor illness and injury, thereby decreasing the need for costly and potentially dangerous SAR responses. A Needs-Assessment Questionnaire of Driving Fitness in Older Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department Shahram Lotfipour, MD, MPH; Adam Moheban, BS; Prahbas Gupta, BS; Craig Anderson, PhD; Federico Vaca, MD, MPH; Wirachin Hoonpongsimanont, MD; Diane Winn, RN, MPH; Phyllis Agran, MD. University of California, Irvine School of Medicine Patient Satisfaction with Routine Rapid HIV Testing in an Urban Emergency Department Using Streamlined Procedures and Pre-Existing Staff for Testing and Counseling Douglas White, MD; Otis Warren, MD; Alicia Scribner, MPH. Alameda County Medical Center, Highland Campus Background: Older adults (65 years and older) represent the fastest growing segment of the population. It is projected that by the year 2024 one in four drivers will be older adults. The Emergency Department (ED) may serve as a site for identifying older adults that need driving fitness evaluation and/or related intervention. Objective: Conduct a needs assessment for driving fitness- related issues in older adults presenting to the ED. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with English- speaking older adult patients presenting to a busy Southern California Level 1 Trauma Center and ED over a 10-month period starting February 2006. Inclusion criteria included medically stable older adults. Exclusion criteria included critically ill patients. Data was analyzed by using univariate descriptive analysis. Results: Out of the 332 patients surveyed, 186 were 65-74 years, 109 were 75-84 years, 35 were 85 years or older and the age for two patients were not recorded. Thirty-six patients had never driven and were only asked for demographic information. When the 296 patients who had driven were asked who they consider the most qualified person to give driving advice, 33% considered their family/spouse, 24% themselves, and 14% the Department of Motor Vehicles. Only 1% felt the ED physician was the most qualified person to give driving advice. Among the 196 who currently drive, 61% would rate their driving confidence to be at 10 out of 10, 83% would limit their driving, 77% would stop driving if asked by a physician, and 43% would like the ED to refer them for further help with their driving. Conclusion: Although the majority of patients were highly confident in their driving ability, nearly four out of five patients reported that they would be willing to limit and stop driving per physician recommendation. The discrepancy between the patients' confidence and their willingness to accept driving advice from physicians provides an opportunity for further driving-fitness research. Volume IX, no . 1 : January 2008 Objective: To determine patient satisfaction with a voluntary rapid HIV testing program in an urban emergency department (ED). Methods: Prospective observational study conducted in an urban academic ED. Between April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006, nursing-initiated HIV screening was offered to eligible patients, beginning with the triage nurse. Exclusions were: age <12 years; acute psychiatric or medical illness and language barrier. Pre-test HIV information and counseling was provided in a brochure. Nurses obtained bedside written informed consent, performed the test (OraQuick Advance, oral swab) and disclosed negative results. For positive patients, emergency physicians or HIV counselors performed counseling and arranged follow-up care. Testing was performed and negative results were disclosed in both private and non-private clinical areas (curtained rooms, hallways), while positive results were disclosed in private rooms. After result disclosure, a satisfaction survey was administered to patients testing preliminary positive and to a convenience sample of patients testing negative. Patients were asked whether or not they felt HIV testing and disclosure was done in a private manner and to rate their overall satisfaction with testing on a 5-point scale. Results: 6,381 HIV tests were performed with a 1% positivity rate. Fifty-seven of the 65 preliminary positive patients completed the survey (88%). One-hundred and five of the 178 patients testing negative who were approached completed the survey (59%). One-hunred percent (57/57) of patients testing preliminary positive and 99% (104/105) of those testing negative reported overall satisfaction with testing (p=0.50); 96% (55/57) of patients testing preliminary positive and 91% (96/105) of those testing negative felt that their results were disclosed in a private manner (p=0.22). Conclusions: Perception of privacy was maintained despite testing and disclosure of negative results in a variety of clinical areas. Overall, patients are satisfied with streamlined ED testing procedures. Evaluation of the Use of the TASER and Elevated Force to Control Workplace Violence in a Health Care Environment Robert L. Norton, MD; Gary Granger. Oregon Health & Science University Western Journal of Emergency Medicine


The question of 'what changes do we need to empower women smallholders and achieve food security?' has been asked repeatedly. But transformational changes in both public policy and practice have been few and far between, although increasing access to resources and opportunities for women farmers could substantially reduce the number of hungry people in the world. In this context, nine international development agencies (ActionAid, Care, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Find Your Feet, Oxfam, Practical Action, Save the Children, and Self Help Africa) have produced a briefing to share the lessons learned based on their experience of promoting gender equality and working with women smallholders and rural women over many decades. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for policy makers on measures to help close the gender gap in agriculture.


ABSTRACT Literature in malware proliferation focuses on modeling and analyzing its spread dynamics. Epidemiology models, which are inspired by the characteristics of biological disease spread in human populations, have been used against this threat to analyze the way malware spreads in a network. This work presents a modified version of the commonly used epidemiology models Susceptible Infected Recovered (SIR) and Susceptible Infected Susceptible (SIS), which incorporates the ability to capture the relationships between nodes within a network, along with their effect on malware dissemination process. Drawing upon a model that illustrates the network's behavior based on the attacker's and the defender's choices, we use game theory to compute optimal strategies for the defender to minimize the effect of malware spread, at the same time minimizing the security cost. We consider three defense mechanisms: patch, removal, and patch and removal, which correspond to the defender's strategy and use probabilistically with a certain rate. The attacker chooses the type of attack according to its effectiveness and cost. Through the interaction between the two opponents we infer the optimal strategy for both players, known as Nash Equilibrium, evaluating the related payoffs. Hence, our model provides a cost-benefit risk management framework for managing malware spread in computer networks.


Earnings data are often reported in round numbers. In fact, in the March 1995 Current Population Survey (CPS), 71% of all full-time earnings responses are some multiple of $1,000. Rounding is typically ignored in analyses of earnings data, which effectively treats it as noise in the data. Our GMM estimates of a simple model of rounding indicate that this behavior is highly systematic and correlated with the respondents' earnings level. We find that the systematic nature of rounding can affect some commonly used statistics based on earnings data. The statistics we investigate in this analysis are inequality summary measures, earnings quantiles, kernel density estimates, and frequency plots of wage adjustments. We find that rounding alters most of these statistics substantially, that is, by more than the typical level of annual changes or reported standard errors.


In this short review, we discussed some aspects of nanocomposites regarding electrical tree growth and breakdown. It appears that nanoparticles, properly mixed and dispersed in the polymer matrix, increase the breakdown strength and hinder the growth of electrical trees in the nanocomposite. Nanoparticles act as barriers obstructing electrical tree growth and delaying dielectric breakdown. This article also put forward a tentative proposal for the mechanisms of treeing and breakdown in nanocomposites.


We propose a new type of magneto-optical (MO) Spatial Light-Modulation device, driven by spin-polarized current flow, i.e. Spin Transfer Switching (STS-SLM). Its basic operation and characteristics were experimentally confirmed. The proposed SLM device has a spatial resolution as small as several hundred nanometers, and an ultra-high drive speed of several tens of nanoseconds, and its basic operation is possible without active devices. Unlike, existing SLM devices, this device meets both the size and speed requirements of SLMs for use in displaying holographic three-dimensional (3D) moving pictures. To improve SLM device light modulation functionality, we carried out studies on magnetic films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy to obtain large MO signals, which enabled us to perform improved light modulation performance. In addition, we obtained an MO signal that was thirty times larger than that possible with in-plane anisotropy. We conclude that this type of MO-SLM device is appropriate for displaying future super-high definition, holographic 3-dimensional moving images.


To further improve the power density of modern electric drive technologies many motor designers decide to increase the rotational speed of the motor up to several tens of thousands revolutions per minute. Along with these high frequencies of the fundamental wave of the flux density inside the laminated stator cores, the electromagnetic strain of the core and the importance of the iron losses are increasing. Due to this, the high amount of different mechanisms, responsible for these iron losses, need to be identified and associated to the appropriate production process. For this reason, a suitable and inline-capable electromagnetic measuring method is used to determine the iron losses for real motor stator core geometries and to separate the impact of different production steps. In this paper, the large number of manufacturing methods for stator cores is presented and the iron losses are assigned to the corresponding production step in an overall consideration. The cause of the measured losses are identified and described. The mentioned measuring adapter can also be used to monitor a specific assembly line with regard to separation and joining quality to represent an innovative and economic possibility of quality assurance.


Summary
Koji making is an essential step in the production of high-quality soy sauce. In this study, we inoculated koji with a halophilic aromatic yeast (Zygosaccharomyces rouxii) and Aspergillus oryzae and investigated the effects on the volatile compounds and quality of soy sauce moromi. Our results suggest that the optimal yeast inoculation was approximately 1.5 × 106 yeast per gram of koji, and excessive yeast greatly decreased A. oryzae enzyme activity. In comparison with the control group, there were no significant changes in the concentrations of amino nitrogen, total titratable acids, total soluble nitrogen and reducing sugar by extending the fermentation time during the first fermentation month, whereas the concentration of glutamate in the yeast-inoculated sample increased by 46.16% and the arginine concentration decreased by 61.07%. After the second fermentation month, 17, 38 and 38 volatile components were identified by GC–MS in C1, C2 and C5, respectively. Moreover, a large number of volatile components, such as 2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol, ethyl acetate and 1-Octen-3-ol were found in C2 and C5. And the total contents of volatile compounds in C2 were obviously higher than C5. This work furthers our understanding of the traditional multistrain koji making and provides a new method for enhancing the quality and flavour of soy sauce.


Electrocardiographic manifestations of transient myocardial ischemia were studied, in 11 patients undergoing angioplasty (PTCA) of a left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis, by the visual inspection of the standard surface electrocardiogram (S-ECG) and the intracoronary ECG (IC-ECG) as well as computer-assisted analysis of the S-ECG. Cross-correlation analysis (CCA) performed by computer was used to compare beat-to-beat variability in ST-T morphology of the S-ECG during different stages of PTCA. CCA was also applied to the signal-averaged high-frequency QRS (SA-HFQ). All patients developed angina during balloon inflation, accompanied by transient marked ST-T changes in IC-ECG in 10 of 11 patients (90%). Visual inspection of S-ECG revealed transient ST-T changes in only 6 of 11 (54%). In contrast, CCA of the S-ECG revealed transient ST-T changes in 9 of 11 (82%). Analysis of SA-HFQ revealed that balloon inflation was associated with a marked reduction in the calculated root-mean-square (RMS) voltage for such signals (2.31 +/- 1.04 microV) as compared with RMS values before (3.27 +/- 1.12 microV, p less than .05) PTCA or after conclusion of PTCA (3.79 +/- 1.39 microV, p less than .01). Balloon inflation was also accompanied by changes in waveform morphology of the SA-HFQ, including the development of new or more prominent time zones of reduced amplitude in 10 of 11 individuals (90%). Such zones may represent slow conduction in regions of the heart rendered ischemic during PTCA. CCA of the S-ECG and of SA-HFQ appears to detect evidence of transient ischemia with greater sensitivity than simple visual inspection of S-ECG, and may therefore prove to be of use in the evaluation of patients with chest pain of uncertain origin.


BACKGROUND
The management of complex groin wounds following VA-ECMO after heart transplant (HT) is uncertain due to limited experience. Sartorius muscle flaps (SMF) have been used in vascular surgery for groin wound complications. However, their use in HT recipients with perioperative VA-ECMO is unclear. This study aims to describe characteristics and outcomes of HT patients with groin complications after arterial decannulation for femoral VA-ECMO.

METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed HT patients who underwent peri-transplant femoral VA-ECMO at our institution from April 2011 to February 2023. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the presence of cannulation-related wound complications.

RESULTS
Among the 34 patients requiring VA-ECMO peri-transplant, 17 (50%) experienced complications at the cannulation site. Baseline characteristics including duration of VA-ECMO support were comparable in both groups. Patients with complications presented mostly with open wounds (41.1%) after a median duration of 22 days post-transplant. Concurrent groin infections were observed in 52.3% of patients, all caused by gram-negative bacteria. Wound complications were managed with 12 (70.6%) undergoing SMF treatment and 5 (31.2%) receiving conventional therapy. Four SMF recipients had preemptive procedures for wound dehiscence, while eight underwent SMF for groin infections. Among the SMF group, 11 patients had favorable outcomes without recurrent complications, except for one patient who developed a groin infection with pseudoaneurysm formation. Conventional therapy with vacuum assisted closure (VAC) and antibiotics were utilized in four patients without infection and one patient with infection. Three patients required additional surgeries with favorable healing of the wound.

CONCLUSION
Complications related to femoral VA-ECMO are common in HT patients, with infection being the most frequent complication. SMFs can be a useful tool to prevent progression of infection and improve local healing.


CoS is one of the ideal electrode materials for supercapacitor, but its long-term stability and electrochemical performance needed to be improved before its successful application. Uniformly embedding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) inside the CoS matrix can provide numerous and effective diffusion paths of electrons and electrolyte ions, which can reduce the charge-transfer resistance and effectively improve the electrochemical performance of CoS. In this work, nanocomposites of Co2(CO3)(OH)2 and CNTs were prepared using a facile hydrothermal method, and then were transformed into CoS1.29@CNTs nanocomposites via an ion-exchange process. The carbon nanotubes were uniformly embedded inside the CoS1.29 matrix. When the amount of CNTs was 6.1 wt%, the CoS1.29@CNTs electrode exhibited a higher specific capacitance (99.7 mAh g-1) than that of CoS1.29 electrode (84.1 mAh g-1) at a current density of 1 A g-1 measured in 2 M KOH electrolyte. The asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with the firstname.lastname@example.com% electrode and an activated carbon (AC) electrode exhibited an energy density of 39.1 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 399.9 W kg-1. Moreover, the specific capacitance of the email@example.com%//AC device maintained 91.3 % of its original value after 2000 cycles at a current density of 3 A g-1.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of green-grains from three cultivars of cowpea kept in refrigeration. The experiment was conducted at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco Unidade Acadêmica de Serra Talhada. The experimental design was completely randomized with 6 replicates within a 3 x 4 factorial arrangement. The first factor consisted of three cultivars of cowpea (BRS-Guariba, BRSTumucumaque and BRS-Potengi) and the second factor consisted of four storage periods: 0, 7, 14 and 21 days. Packages consisted of 200 g of green beans of each cultivar, placed in 15 x 10 cm polypropylene bags of 15 μm thickness. After sealed, samples were kept at 5 °C ± 2 and 90 ± 5 % of relative humidity. There was an intense drop in total acidity in chlorophyll and carotenoids, that was visually perceived by a change in the tone of green and increased content of soluble solids during cold storage. The maximum conservation time for the conditions studied was 14 days. After this period, a slight darkening of the beans was noticed. This conservation time is longer than the packages currently found in the market. The BRS-Guariba and BRS-Potengi cultivars showed the smallest variations in pH, titratable acidity (TA), chlorophylls (CLT) and carotenoids (CRT). These two cultivars were more suitable for storage at refrigeration. Key-words: Vigna unguiculata, Packaging, Postharvest, Chlorophylls


In Manduca sexta, the accessory planta retractor muscle (APRM), which retracts the larval proleg, is innervated by two excitatory motoneurons, the accessory planta retractor motoneurons (APRs). These muscles and motoneurons have been the focus of a number of developmental and behavioral studies. The present study investigated properties of the pair of APRs that innervate each APRM and determined their pattern of innervation of APRM fibers. Members of APR pairs could not be distinguished by their anatomical or electrical properties (resting membrane potential, input resistance and spike threshold). Spontaneous synaptic inputs to members of APR pairs were highly correlated, whereas spontaneous synaptic inputs to APRs and functionally dissimilar motoneurons were not well correlated. Synaptic inputs from identified mechanosensory neurons and interneurons to the two APRs were qualitatively similar, but the magnitude of the response to sensory stimulation sometimes differed within a pair. Both APRs produced large, rapidly rising excitatory junction potentials in APRM fibers. Within the APRM, some fibers were singly innervated by one or the other APR while the remaining fibers were dually innervated by both APRs. In dually innervated fibers, the motor terminals of the two APRs were spatially segregated. This innervation pattern appears to be unique among insects and shares some properties with the innervation of vertebrate muscle.


The PV system converts solar energy into electrical energy but the changes in the radiation from sun in varying weather conditions influence the generation of solar power. To provide impedance matching between PV systems and load a dc-dc converter with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is used between PV system and the load. This paper incorporates hybrid P and O (perturb and observe) fuzzy MPPT as a maximum power point tracker in dc-dc converter of a standalone photo voltaic system. For P and O algorithm previous knowledge of the PV array characteristics is not required and its procedure is simple. But the oscillations of the operating point around MPP under steady state conditions and the inability to respond for the rapid changing atmospheric conditions are the drawbacks of this system. In fuzzy logic MPPT system the problems associated are slow transient response and fluctuations in the output power. The hybrid P and O fuzzy system gets rid of the muddles of P and O and fuzzy MPPT systems. The conventional P and O MPPT, fuzzy logic MPPT and P and O fuzzy MPPT methods were applied to interleaved boost converter and their performance in terms of the rising time, oscillating time, output voltage, ripple in output voltage were analyzed using Matlab/Simulink software .


In March 2019, the European Commission mandated EFSA to revise itsguidance document on the risk assessment of plant protection products on bees (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp and solitary bees) One of the aspectsof this revision involvesareview of the evidence on bee background mortality, which is addressed in this report Eight different assessment questions were formulated in order to account for the variousbee groups, the difference between active and inactive periods, and to specifically consider the influence of beekeeping practices on honey bees A systematic literature review and a survey ofbeekeepers from several EU countries were used as the main sources of information The available dataset for honey bees is large enough to draw rather robust conclusions The results of the analysis highlight important differences in levels of background mortality between the castes and roles of the bees in the colony The impact of beekeeping practices on mortalityappears to be very limited, but not completely absent The dataset for bumble bees and solitary bees is smaller and too scattered to be able to draw robust conclusions Nevertheless,it issufficient to be able to define a plausible range of background daily mortality rates, and to provide some indications of differences among species


ISSN 2277 – 5056 | © 2012 Bonfring Abstract--The preference of customers is nothing but the required a product or commodity according to their expected features and attributes. In this regard the researcher is dealt with the housewife and taken them as respondents in the name of customer on their choices of purchasing electronic goods. In this fast moving world, the city life has much more advanced in many schedules. Without the adoption of electronic good one family could not be a competed one in the society. The family is always lead by the women, who shares the half of the burden of the leader for a family. In such a situation she preference more advanced and supporting commodities which fulfils her day to day works. The researcher has designed a framework or a task which is actually leads to find the significant relationship between the wife acceptance factor and the electronic goods [1]. This will also gives an opportunity to the retailers who actually deals with the electronic consumer goods, to know the exact behaviour of the family administrator on purchasing electronic commodities.


This paper is concerned with the problem of making causal inferences from observational data, when the underlying causal structure may involve feedback loops. In particular, making causal inferences under the assumption that the causal system which generated the data is linear and that there are no unmeasured common causes (latent variables). Linear causal structures of this type can be represented by non-recursive linear structural equation models. I present a correct polynomial time (on sparse graphs) discovery algorithm for linear cyclic models that contain no latent variables. This algorithm outputs a representation of a class of non-recursive linear structural equation models, given observational data as input. Under the assumption that all conditional independencies found in the observational data are true for structural reasons rather than because of particular parameter values, the algorithm discovers causal features of the structure which generated the data. A simple modification of the algorithm can be used)as a decision procedure (whose runtime is polynomial in the number of vertices) for determining when two directed graphs (cyclic or acyclic) entail the same set of conditional independence relations. After proving that the algorithm is correct I then show that it is also complete in the sense that if two linear structural equation models are used as conditional independence * oracles' for the discovery algorithm, then the algorithm will give the same output only if every conditional independence entailed by one model is entailed by the other and vice versa. Another way of saying this is that the algorithm can be used as a decision procedure for determining Markov equivalence of directed cyclic graphs; if the conditional independencies associated with two cyclic graphs result in the same output from the algorithm, when used as input, then the two graphs are equivalent. h thank P. Spirtes, C. Glymour, R. Scheines & C. Meek for helpful conversations. Research supported by NSF grant 9102169. ©1995 Thomas Richardson, Carnegie-Mellon University.


ABSTRACT Despite an increase in students of colour in higher education, a concomitant rise in faculty diversity is not evident. The present research focuses on faculty composition in business schools, which prepare students to lead across worldwide sectors. We examine the role of race in faculty hiring in order to identify barriers that hinder racial diversity within business schools. We use Critical Race Theory (CRT) as an analytic framework to examine the ways racial inequality is reproduced through specific practices in the business school search process. A qualitative methodology is used to investigate the experiences of underrepresented minority faculty who have served on business school search committees. Our participants' narratives reveal consistent themes across diverse institutions and draw attention to aspects of the business school recruiting process that may be modified to enhance the recruitment of racially diverse faculty in business schools.


The Global Urban Competitiveness Report – 2010 is an empirical study of the competitiveness of 500 cities around the world. This one-of-a-kind annual resource draws on a wealth of data sources, all of which are described and assessed. Using a sophisticated methodology and a team of 100 researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the book not only ranks these cities but also presents a wealth of information with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of each city in relation to each other. The book includes a full discussion of the factors that create urban competitiveness, what sorts or categories of cities are most competitive, and comments on the policies and initiatives that are adopted by the most competitive cities.


Formulaic language and sequence as the core characteristic of real-life language and native-like fluency, has been a subject of inquiry in recent decades. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of two extensive reading text types, i.e., adaptive and authentic, on Iranian EFL learners' development of lexical bundles. To this aim, 20 intermediate EFL learners were chosen to participate in a time-series experiment, in which one class received adaptive texts as their extensive reading project, while the other experienced authentic texts of graded readers. The learners were required to read texts and write summaries, out of which the frequency and percentage of lexical bundles were extracted. The results of frequency and t-tests revealed that learners who benefited from adaptive texts were more successful in lexical bundles progress. While the other group also indicated to have improved in terms of multi-word chunks, the shift was not statistically significant. It is recommended that teachers allocate more class time to explicit and implicit instruction of lexical bundles.