Strategic models like Porter's (1985) value chain have not been fully evaluated in the strategy literature and applied to all industries. To theoretically redefine the value chain technique, this research evaluates the value chain's use with various strategic issues by applying it to a specific aspect in the service field, namely the hotel industry. The study defines five key questions by which to evaluate a strategic model and the value chain model is examined using them. This research is a strategic theory-based study involving in depth field work on five hotels in order to seek answers for the five key strategic questions. In particular, the value chain of the hotel rooms divisions is discussed based on the field research findings. The research results show that the value chain technique is a useful strategic tool in most areas and that it can be also developed for hotel strategy. However, some of the commonly accepted issues about the value chain model have been challenged by this research. To further the theoretical development of the value chain, these issues are argued in each answer of the five strategic questions. Applying the value chain model for hotel strategy seems to require somewhat different factors from applying it for manufacturing. These are the key findings of this research. First, for strategic process, the hotel value chain model can be developed in the combination approach which combines the planning school and the incrementalism school. Second, the value chain is a very useful tool analysing most strategic issues, especially a firm's internal analysis, designing structure and performance measurement. Finally, unlike the traditional value chain for manufacturing, this study identifies that the value chain technique for service could be a more useful strategic tool for soft factors such as politics, culture and leadership than hard factors such as cost and margin.


Chinese endemic wheat landraces possess unique morphological features and desirable traits, useful for wheat breeding. It is important to clarify the relationship among these landraces. In this study, 21 accessions of the four Chinese endemic wheat landrace species were investigated using single-copy genes encoding plastid Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Acc-1) and 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (Pgk-1) in order to estimate their phylogenetic relationship. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian, and TCS network and gene flow values. The A and B genome sequences from the Pgk-1 loci indicated that three accessions of Triticum petropavlovskyi were clustered into the same subclade, and the T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum and the Sichuan white wheat accessions were grouped into a separate subclade. Based on the Acc-1 gene, T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum and T. aestivum ssp. yunnanense were grouped into one subclade in the A genome; the B genome from T. petropavlovskyi and T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum, and the Sichuan white wheat complex and T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum were grouped in the same clades. The D genome of T. aestivum ssp. yunnanense clustered with T. petropavlovskyi. Our findings suggested that (1) T. petropavlovskyi is distantly related to the Sichuan white wheat complex; (2) T. petropavlovskyi, T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum and T. aestivum ssp. yunnanense are closely related; (3) T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum is closely related to T. aestivum ssp. yunnanense and the Sichuan white wheat complex; and (4) T. aestivum ssp. tibetanum may be an ancestor of Chinese endemic wheat landraces.


This study designed a microwave link to connect PLDT-Calamba and ETON City in Laguna. The traffic would cater to various telecommunication needs of ETON City, such as WIFI, telephony, internet connectivity, and other residential and business services. Substantial data were gathered from the host company, municipalities, site personnel, and manufacturers. The technical design featured a path length of 8.19 Km on an average inland terrain with frequency of 7 GHz band and a channel capacity of STM-1 or 75E1's. Through the determination of path losses and other deteriorating factors, the system was prepared for any possible occurrence in its operation. Based on the different factors considered, TRuepoint 5300B Harris Radio Set and Andrew Antenna & Waveguide achieved the reliability objective of 99.9999%. The project was proven feasible on all applicable methods, having a payback period of 131 days and an internal rate of return of 302.678%.


The purpose of this study was twofold: to design, construct and commission a testing chamber for the calibration of in-situ devices in clay and to use the chamber to carry out a programme of research into the factors affecting the results of the Marchetti dilatometer test. A calibration chamber system was developed which was capable of producing one metre high by one metre diameter cylindrical beds of clay. The preparation technique involved an initial phase of one-dimensional consolidation in a rigid tube, followed by a second phase of consolidation in a chamber with independent stress control. The stress control was achieved through water-filled flexible membranes in the side and at the base of the chamber. Reasonably uniform distributions of the water content and the undrained strength were obtained from investigations carried out in each clay bed after they had been tested. The Marchetti dilatometer is an in-situ testing device the results of which have been interpreted chiefly through empirical correlations based on the results of field tests. The interpretation has mainly involved the use of two readings, and , though recently a third reading , has been introduced. Dilatometer tests were carried out in nine clay beds. The stress history and stress state of each clay bed were systematically varied in the test programme to allow their individual effects on the dilatometer readings to be assessed. The study revealed that in clay the dilatometer reading is controlled by the undrained strength and the horizontal stress and was independent of the degree of overconsolidation. Through use of this result it was shown that the applicability of many of the empirical correlations presently used to evaluate the dilatometer readings is restricted to deposits with one-dimensional stress histories. It was also found that was dependent on the undrained strength and that the reading was close to the total horizontal stress of the sample though the latter finding does not appear to be supported by the few field results that are available. The results have highlighted the redundancy of the reading for property evaluation. It was found that a timed sequence of , and readings could be used to detect the variation of the consolidation properties between clay beds. In addition to the tests in clay, the results of 31 dilatometer tests carried out in a calibration chamber for sand have also been analysed. An inter-relationship between , and was found suggesting that they were all measuring the same soil response; that of the pressure required to open a cavity in the sand. The reading was shown to be dependent on the horizontal stress and the state parameter, though this dependence could not be exploited to back calculate the horizontal stress. Overconsolidation of the sand specimens had no significant influence on the readings.


Lean premixed prevaporized (LPP) gas turbine generators have become popular in energy conversion applications to meet strict emission requirements. Because the combustion process is very lean, combustion instabilities due to acoustic perturbations are more likely to occur than in a less lean fuel combustion process. Current design of damping strategies for mitigating these instabilities is often based on empirical trial and error, which precludes the possibility of determining an optimal configuration. A combustion system whose elements consist of flames, passive dampers, and ducts must be optimized to reduce or completely eliminate combustion instabilities. Hence, a modular simulation tool is developed to examine the interaction of plane acoustic waves with typical combustion system elements. The simulation tool represents these interactions in the form of transfer matrices, which can be modularly arranged for exploring a variety of configurations. In this work, a heuristic gain-delay flame model is represented as a transfer matrix, which can be used to test damping devices. Similarly, transfer matrices representing a Helmholtz resonator and a perforated liner with bias flow are developed, and preliminary results are obtained.


Following their article on the German immigration laws in the No. 8 (1999) issue of the ZJAPANR / J.JAPAN.L., the authors now present an up-dated version of that contribution taking into account the important legal changes since 1999. The article first deals shortly with the legal frame of public international law, the immigration policy of the German Government, and the German immigration law. The authors, who both hold positions in the Ministry of the Interior of the Federal State of Baden-Wurttemberg, then give a very dense description of the relevance and consequences that the immigra-tion laws of the Federal Republic of Germany have for Japanese citizens. Special attention is given to the concession of working permits to Japanese nationals in Germany and the requirements that have to be fulfilled as well as the procedural steps for obtaining them. (The Editors)


Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder that affects tens of millions people worldwide. The most effective treatment is catheter ablation. This involves irreversible heating of abnormal cardiac tissue facilitated by electroanatomical mapping. However, it is difficult to consistently identify the triggers and sources that may initiate or perpetuate atrial fibrillation due to its chaotic behavior. We developed a patient-specific computational heart model that can accurately reproduce the activation patterns to help in localizing these triggers and sources. Our model has high spatial resolution, with whole-atrium temporal synchronous activity, and has patient-specific accurate electrophysiological activation patterns. A total of 15 patients data were processed: 8 in sinus rhythm, 6 in atrial flutter and 1 in atrial tachycardia. For resolution, the average simulation geometry voxel is a cube of 2.47 mm length. For synchrony, the model takes in about 1,500 local electrogram recordings, optimally fits parameters to the individual's atrium geometry and then generates whole-atrium activation patterns. For accuracy, the average local activation time error is 5.47 ms for sinus rhythm, 10.97 ms for flutter and tachycardia; and the average correlation is 0.95 for sinus rhythm, 0.81 for flutter and tachycardia. This promising result demonstrates our model is an effective building block in capturing more complex rhythms such as atrial fibrillation to guide physicians for effective ablation therapy.


Structural and numerical sperm chromosomal aberrations result from abnormal meiosis and are directly linked to infertility. Any live births that arise from aneuploid conceptuses can result in syndromes such as Kleinfelter, Turners, XYY and Edwards. Multi‐probe fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is commonly used to study sperm aneuploidy, however manual FISH scoring in sperm samples is labor‐intensive and introduces errors. Automated scoring methods are continuously evolving. One challenging aspect for optimizing automated sperm FISH scoring has been the overlap in excitation and emission of the fluorescent probes used to enumerate the chromosomes of interest. Our objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of combining confocal microscopy and spectral imaging with high‐throughput methods for accurately measuring sperm aneuploidy. Our approach used confocal microscopy to analyze numerical chromosomal abnormalities in human sperm using enhanced slide preparation and rigorous semi‐automated scoring methods. FISH for chromosomes X, Y, and 18 was conducted to determine sex chromosome disomy in sperm nuclei. Application of online spectral linear unmixing was used for effective separation of four fluorochromes while decreasing data acquisition time. Semi‐automated image processing, segmentation, classification, and scoring were performed on 10 slides using custom image processing and analysis software and results were compared with manual methods. No significant differences in disomy frequencies were seen between the semi automated and manual methods. Samples treated with pepsin were observed to have reduced background autofluorescence and more uniform distribution of cells. These results demonstrate that semi‐automated methods using spectral imaging on a confocal platform are a feasible approach for analyzing numerical chromosomal aberrations in sperm, and are comparable to manual methods. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry


Clutathione S-transferases (CSTs) with additional activities as fatty acid hydroperoxidases were investigated in soybean (Glycine max 1.) hypocotyls. Aside from the GSTs present in total soluble tissue extracts, enzyme activities and distinct immunoreactive GST polypeptides were also detected in the intercellular washing fluid. Whereas the intracellular isoenzymes were both constitutive and inducible, apoplastic CST and glutathione peroxidase was detectable only in tissues treated with the known GST inducer 2,3,5triiodobenzoic acid. Monensin inhibited the induced accumulation of apoplastic CST but did not affect the intracellular isoforms. The discovery of apoplastic inducible CST will be discussed in light of the putative function of these enzymes in plants.


We present a novel, laser-based microstructuring technique for the etching and deposition of solid materials. This technique, which we call laser-induced solid etching (LISE), utilises the absorption of femtosecond duration laser pulses in a constrained metal film between two bulk substrates, at least one of which is transparent to the laser wavelength. The very rapid pressure increase in the metal film following irradiation is believed to initiate crack-propagation in one or other of the bulk substrates. By spatially shaping the laser beam, the cracking process can be controlled to etch solid chunks of material from the substrates. Using LISE we have etched smooth, micron-scale pits and trenches in silicon and silica. The results will be compared to etched features produced using conventional techniques.A unique feature of LISE is that the material etched from the bulk substrate is removed as a single solid piece and is not shattered, melted, or vaporised by the process. Hence, the etched material can be collected on the other bulk substrate used in the process. In this way, we have deposited micron-scale dots and lines of silica onto silicon and visa-versa. The deposited structures obtained using LISE compare well with those obtained with conventional laser forward transfer techniques. Minimal evidence of melting during the process has been observed, suggesting that LISE may be a useful technique for the forward transfer direct-write of intact solid materials


Reservoir storage‐area‐depth relationships are the most important factors controlling thermal stratification in reservoirs and, more broadly, the water, energy, and biogeochemical dynamics in the reservoirs and subsequently their impacts on downstream rivers. However, most land surface or Earth system models do not account for the gradual changes of reservoir surface area and storage with the changing depth, inhibiting a consistent and accurate representation of mass, energy, and biogeochemical balances in reservoirs. Here we present a physically coherent parameterization of reservoir storage‐area‐depth data set at the global scale. For each reservoir, the storage‐area‐depth relationships were derived from an optimal geometric shape selected iteratively from five possible regular geometric shapes that minimize the error of total storage and surface area estimation. We applied this algorithm to over 6,800 reservoirs included in the Global Reservoir and Dam database. The relative error between the estimated and observed total storage is no more than 5% and 50% for 66% and 99% of all Global Reservoir and Dam reservoirs, respectively. More importantly, the storage‐depth profiles derived from the approximated reservoir geometry compared well with remote sensing based estimation at 40 major reservoirs from previous studies and ground‐truth measurements for 34 reservoirs in the United States and China. The new global reservoir storage‐area‐depth data set is critical for advancing future modeling and understanding of reservoir processes and subsequent effects on the terrestrial hydrological, ecological, and biogeochemical cycles at the regional and global scales.


Amidst fluctuate central-local governmental relations, extended decentralization policy to village level prompt discourses as to whether the policy could exploit local wisdom within which villages are supposedly develop. This article aims at explaining implications of centralized local development in Indonesia and which ways the village governments and communities exploit local wisdoms to implement localized central arrangement under the 2014 Village Law. A qualitative case study in two villages in two special autonomous provinces in Indonesia representing rich traditional culture-based tourism respectively is conducted. Data is gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews with some key informants and document analyses. Following that, the article argues that reciprocal relations between local wisdom and practices of village autonomy are lacking, whereby organic and traditional values are not compatible with modern and formal bureaucratic nature of village governance. Village apparatuses has rather sought for satisfying local development accountability than incorporating existing local wisdom therein. While the 2014 Village Law requires each village to integrate local wisdom living naturally in villages, its standardized procedures render them to shift their accountability from supposedly held to local people to municipal governments. This makes centralization of local development happened by and within local governments under localized administrative arrangements imposed by the central


Even though figurines are a ubiquitous find on many Neolithic sites, some aspects of figurines are still poorly understood. Figurines have been studied as symbolic messages to be decoded, as art, and as ritual/cult objects. The main drawback of these interpretative frameworks is that they fail to analyse figurines as artefacts. Instead, figurines are treated primarily, or even exclusively, as images or texts. In this paper it will be argued that in order to understand figurines we need to engage with their materiality in order to understand how figurines worked in their social setting. Within the framework of craft theory a sensory approach will be applied to the chaîne opératoire, and formulate perceptive categories, or those aspects of the material(s) that are recognisable and (possibly) relevant to craftspeople and elements that reflect choices made during the production process. This chaîne opératoire is embedded within a larger aim of creating object biographies for figurines where production, use and deposition are analysed holistically.


Background There is little knowledge about the causes of injuries in men's professional handball, in particular with a view to the specificity of regular league play. Objective To identify and describe typical injury situations, mechanisms and characteristics in German men's professional handball. Design Prospective video-based analysis of match injuries. Setting Two highest German professional leagues in men's handball. Participants All first and second league handball players who played at least one competitive club match (n=1,194) were included in the study and observed over a period of three consecutive seasons (2010–2013). Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) Analysis of all moderate and severe match injuries (time-loss>7 days) that were registered by clubs or physicians with the VBG (German statutory accident insurance for the administrative sector) as part of the occupational accident reporting. Main Outcome Measurements The video observation form contained 27 variables including data on injury location, time of injury, injury situation, injury mechanism. Results 560 moderate or severe match injuries were recorded during 2,227 competitive matches. 243 injuries (43.4%) were identified on video. 56.8% of injuries were contact injuries, 25.1% indirect contact injuries and 18.1% non-contact injuries. 63.8% of injuries occurred during attacking play. While pivots most often injured themselves in a defensive position and through contact, injuries in backcourt players were more often the result of indirect contact and in an attacking position. Injuries in field players were significantly overrepresented during the final thirds of each half, specifically in the last ten minutes of the game. Moreover, 7 typical injury situations for knee, ankle, shoulder and head injuries in were recognized. Conclusions Video-analysis of match injuries made it clear that not only sport-specific, but also position- and injury-specific aspects must be taken into account in order to derive targeted, multidisciplinary preventive measures.


In this work, the basic problem of order reduction of nonlinear systems subjected to an external periodic excitation is considered. This problem deserves special attention because modes that interact (linearly or nonlinearly) with external excitation dominate the response. These dominant modes are identified and chosen as the "master" modes to be retained in the reduction process. The simplest idea could be to use a linear approach such as the Guyan reduction and choose those modes whose natural frequencies are close to that of external excitation as the master modes. However, this technique does not guarantee accurate results when nonlinear interactions are strong and a nonlinear approach must be adopted. Recently, the invariant manifold technique has been extended to forced problems by "augmenting" the state space, i.e., forcing is treated as an additional state and an invariant manifold is constructed. However, this process does not provide a clear picture of possible resonances and conditions under which an order reduction is possible. In a direct innovative approach suggested here, a nonlinear time-dependent relationship between the dominant and nondominant states is assumed and the dimension of the state space remains the same. This methodology not only yields accurate reduced order models but also explains the consequences of various primary and secondary resonances present in the system. One obtains various reducibility conditions in a closed form, which show interactions among eigenvalues, nonlinearities and the external excitation. One can also recover all "resonance conditions" obtained via perturbation or averaging techniques. The "linear" as well as the "extended invariant manifold" techniques are applied to some typical problems and results for large-scale and reduced order models are compared. It is anticipated that these techniques will provide a useful tool in the analysis and control of large-scale externally excited nonlinear systems.


The external surfaces of two-dimensional (2D) nanoarchitectures are easily functionalized to confer attractive and unique properties in nanomedicine. On the basis of the high surface area for desired drug-loading capacity, efficient cell uptake, attractive biocompatibility, and established chemical functionalization routes, layered nanoarchitectures as hosts are significantly exploited to function as intelligent drug delivery platforms for chemotherapy and combined therapies. Additionally, functionalization on the surfaces of 2D nanomaterials is subsequently integrated with stimuli-responsive characteristics and, thus, 2D hybrid-based drug release platforms equipped with the characteristics of triggered cargo release contribute to improving therapy efficacy with simultaneously diminished side effects. Herein, we briefly introduce the classification of 2D nanomaterials integrated with chemical functionalization, with a complete list of responsive endogenous and exogenous triggers. Comparisons between diverse 2D nanoarchitectures are highlighted and proposed horizons are also presented for addressing current drawbacks that are affecting their potential clinical applications.


We present a new methodology to trace the information flow of communication events: Using the captions of press conference webcasts and textual analysis tools we fully automatically create timestamps for the different information content which can then be used to study the respective real-time impact on financial markets. Applying our approach to the press conferences of the European Central Bank we find that the ECB's announcements of non-standard monetary policy measures first further increased the pre-ECB drift (as documented by Ulrich et al., 2017) by 20% before equity prices start to drop. Over 50% of this fall is realized during the ECB's economic analysis, partly due to information about the real economy and partly due to inflation news. We relate the former to news about the course of the European sovereign debt crisis. The results are especially pronounced for the banking and insurance sector as well as the GIIPS countries in our sample.


Analyses of ocean observations and model simulations suggest that there have been considerable changes in the thermohaline circulation (THC) during the last century. These changes are likely to be the result of natural multidecadal climate variability and are driven by low-frequency variations of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) through changes in Labrador Sea convection. Indications of a sustained THC weakening are not seen during the last few decades. Instead, a strengthening since the 1980s is observed. The combined assessment of ocean hydrography data and model results indicates that the expected anthropogenic weakening of the THC will remain within the range of natural variability during the next several decades.


BACKGROUND
Docetaxel has recently been found to improve survival in patients with metastatic androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). Chemotherapy as a first-line option leaves room for improvement, while second-line options are multiple and somewhat controversial.

METHODS
Clinically relevant articles focusing on chemotherapy drugs for metastatic prostate cancer and their mechanism of action and efficacy were reviewed from January 2004 through April 2006.

RESULTS
Docetaxel is the standard of care for AIPC. However, for doublets with docetaxel or second-line chemotherapy, multiple studies have shown interesting and promising results with calcitriol, thalidomide, bevacizumab, satraplatin, vaccines, ixabepilone, and atrasentan.

CONCLUSIONS
Docetaxel should be considered for first-line treatment of metastatic AIPC. Due to its progression-free survival of only 6 months, more effective drugs and drug combinations need to be developed to treat patients with AIPC. Combination treatments with docetaxel and other new agents are promising, but adequately powered phase III trials need to be conducted with survival as the principal endpoint for these promising drug combinations.


This paper examines women's and men's decisions to participate in physical activity and to attain a healthy weight. These outcomes are hypothesized to be related to prices of food, drink and health care services and products, the respondent's personal characteristics (such as education, reading food labels (signaling a concern for good health), adjusted family income, opportunity cost of time, occupation, marital status, race and ethnicity) and his or her BMI at age 25. These decisions are represented by a trivariate probit model that is fitted to data for adults in the NLSY79 panel with geocodes that have been augmented with local area food, drink and health care prices. Separate analyses are undertaken for men and women due to basic physiological differences. Results include: Women and men who read food labels are more likely to participate in moderate and vigorous physical exercise, and women are less likely to be obese. Women with more education are more likely to be obese but educated men are less likely to be obesity. Higher prices for fresh fruits and vegetables and non-alcoholic drinks increase likelihood of obesity for females but not for males; and a higher price for processed fruits and vegetables reduce likelihood of obesity for females but not for males. A larger BMI at age 25 has wage effects later in life and also increases the probability of being obese.


Detecting anomalies has been a fundamental approach in detecting potentially fraudulent activities. Tasked with detection of illegal timber trade that threatens ecosystems and economies and association with other illegal activities, we formulate our problem as one of anomaly detection. Among other challenges annotations are unavailable for our large-scale trade data with heterogeneous features (categorical and continuous), that can assist in building automated systems to detect fraudulent transactions. Modelling the task as unsupervised anomaly detection, we propose a novel model Contrastive Learning based Heterogeneous Anomaly Detector to address shortcomings of prior models. Our model uses an asymmetric autoencoder that can effectively handle large arity categorical variables, but avoids assumptions about structure of data in low-dimensional latent space and is robust to changes to hyper-parameters. The likelihood of data is approximated through an estimator network, which is jointly trained with the autoencoder,using negative sampling. Further the details and intuition for an effective negative sample generation approach for heterogeneous data are outlined. We provide a qualitative study to showcase the effectiveness of our model in detecting anomalies in timber trade.


This article applies the literature on 'incidence analysis' to the case of Zimbabwe, the main hypothesis being that industrial protection indirectly taxes agricultural exports by increasing the price of non‐tradeables. The extent to which industrial protection increases the price of non‐tradeables is measured by Sjaastad's incidence parameter. The study shows that there exists a generally high level of incidence and finds major differences in 'true protection' across categories of exportables and individual agricultural export commodities. The calculated price effects of industrial protection indicate substantial indirect disincentives to the production of agricultural exportables. On average, these are more than offset by direct subsidies in the case of beef. For other agricultural export commodities, indirect taxes either overcompensate direct subsidies or exacerbate the negative direct protection resulting in extremely high true taxation.


Two adjacent nearshore estuaries in Iligan Bay (8°N, 124°E), Northern Mindanao were sampled to investigate annual temporal patterns in the abundance and stomach contents of Acetes erythraeus, and selected hydrometeorological factors. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) reveals temporal variations in A. erythraeus abundance and diet composition that appear to conform not only to the typical northeast and southwest monsoons, but also to three-month seasons (March-April-May [dry hot], June-July-August [wet hot], September-October-November [wet cold], December-January-February [dry cold]). Rainfall and tide largely explain variations of abundance and stomach contents. Peaks in A. erythraeus abundance are similar to those found in other tropical Acetes species whose bimodal temporal distribution patterns coincide with the start of the southwest monsoon and the end of the northeast monsoon. A. erythraeus is a zooplanktivorous omnivore with copepods, ostracods, other crustaceans, and molluscan veligers as the predominant food. A total of twelve (12) diet categories were recorded, including, for the first time, dinoflagellates and tintinnids. A comparison of stomach contents of shrimps, caught before and after midnight, showed higher ingestion after midnight. Diet composition of juvenile and adult shrimps, generally, is independent of sex and sampling location. Although there is overlap in the diet between adults and juveniles, the latter ingest more small-sized food categories.


Numerous solid freeform fabrication (SFF) or rapid prototyping (RP) techniques have been employed in the field of tissue engineering to fabricate specially organized three-dimensional (3-D) structures such as scaffolds. Some such technologies include, but are not limited to, laminated object manufacturing (LOM), three-dimensional printing (3-DP) or ink-jet printing, selective laser sintering (SLS), and fused deposition modeling (FDM). These techniques are capable of rapidly producing highly complex 3-D scaffolds or other biomedical structures with the aid of a computer-aided design (CAD) system. However, they suffer from lack of consistency and repeatability, since most of these processes are not fully controlled and cannot reproduce the previous work with accuracy. Also, these techniques (excluding FDM) are not truly direct-print processes. Certain material removing steps are involved, which in turn increases the complexity and the cost of fabrication. The FDM process has good repeatability; however, the materials that can be used are limited due to the high temperature needed to melt the feedstock. Some researchers also reported that the scaffolds fabricated by FDM lack consistency in the z-direction. In this paper, we will present a true direct-print technology for repeatedly producing scaffolds and other biomedical structures for tissue engineering with the aid of our Computer Aided Biological (CAB) tool. Unlike other SFF techniques mentioned above, our direct-print process fabricates scaffolds or other complex 3-D structures by extruding (dispensing) a liquid material onto the substrate with a prescribed pattern generated by a CAD program. This can be a layer-by-layer 2.5 dimension build or a true 3-D build. The dispensed liquid material then polymerizes or solidifies, to form a solid structure. The flexibility in the types of materials that can be extruded ranges from polymers to living cells, encapsulated in the proper material. True 3-D structures are now possible on a wide range of substrates, including even in vivo. Some of the advantages of the process are a) researchers have full control over the patterns to be created; b) it is a true direct-print process with no material removing steps involved; c) it is highly consistent and repeatable; and d) it is highly efficient and cost-effective. This paper will first give a detailed description of the CAB tool. Then, it will present a detailed process for printing polycaprolactone (PCL) into a defined 3-D architecture, where the primary focus for these constructs is for use in tissue engineering applications. Finally, mechanical characterization results of the printed scaffolds will be included in the paper.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


The central nervous system (CNS) is protected by various barriers, which regulate nervous tissue homeostasis and control the selective and specific uptake, efflux, and metabolism of endogenous and exogenous molecules. Among these barriers is the blood–brain barrier (BBB), a physical and physiological barrier that filters very efficiently and selectively the entry of compounds from the blood to the brain and protects nervous tissue from harmful substances and infectious agents present in the bloodstream. The BBB also prevents the entry of potential drugs. As a result, various drug targeting and delivery strategies are currently being developed to enhance the transport of drugs from the blood to the brain. Following a general introduction, we briefly overview in this review article the fundamental physiological properties of the BBB. Then, we describe current strategies to bypass the BBB (i.e., invasive methods, alternative approaches, and temporary opening) and to cross it (i.e., noninvasive approaches). This section is followed by a chapter addressing the chemical and technological solutions developed to cross the BBB. A special emphasis is given to prodrug‐targeting approaches and targeted nanotechnology‐based systems, two promising strategies for BBB targeting and delivery of drugs to the brain.


Magnetotelluric soundings were carried out at 45 stations along a north-south profile near western coast of India. The magnetotelluric results in the E- and H-polarizatjons showed a significant difference in behaviour. Detailed two-dimensional modelling was carried out to study the effect of the western and eastern coasts of India on magnetotelluric measurements. The effect of the coast on magnetotelluric measurements was seen near the coa"t in both the polarizations. This effect was maximum in the vicinity of the coast in broad frequency range. It is suggested that magnetotelluric measurements in the coastal region of India should be carried out in the E-polarization for a reliable vertical resistivity profile.


By using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, the dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) supercooled liquids turns out to be dependent on the system size, while the size dependence is not pronounced in three dimensional (3D) systems. It is demonstrated that the strong system size effect in 2D amorphous systems originates from the enhanced fluctuations at long wavelengths, which are similar to those of 2D crystal phonons. This observation is further supported by the frequency dependence of the vibrational density of states, consisting of the Debye approximation in the low-wavenumber limit. However, the system size effect in the intermediate scattering function becomes negligible when the length scale is larger than the vibrational amplitude. This suggests that the finite-size effect in a 2D system is transient and also that the structural relaxation itself is not fundamentally different from that in a 3D system. In fact, the dynamic correlation lengths estimated from the bond-breakage function, which do not suffer from those enhanced fluctuations, are not size dependent both in 2D and 3D systems.


Though UN peacekeeping has changed dramatically since its inception, peacekeepers are still ostensibly committed to the "holy trinity" of consent, impartiality, and minimum use of force. Impartiality has come under special pressure, as peacekeepers are increasingly expected not only to observe the situation, but to take forceful action against "spoiler" groups that threaten the peace or human rights. This essay draws on official statements, outside analysis, and a number of interviews with peacekeepers conducted by the author and his research assistant, to demonstrate that a wide variety of understandings of "impartiality" currently exist, potentially undermining peacekeeping operations. The author attempts to systematize these variations according to how they understand the standard of impartiality, the process for making impartial decisions, and the scope of operations that fall under the concept. Ultimately, the author argues for an understanding of impartiality that is practically focused on achieving peace and includes structured consultations with all parties as a conceptual necessity, not just a helpful technique.


Trading intensity in the European Carbon market has been found to carry price relevant information, prior to price changes. In this paper we propose a natural measure of trade intensity, the weighted durations, and we model it as a rescaled point process, using the ACD (Engle and Russell, 1998) framework to model liquidity dynamics in the early stages of EU ETS. The new model is called Autoregressive Conditional Weighted Duration (ACWD) and is employed to analyse the trading behaviour of market participants with respects to trading intensity and OTC transactions, as well as intraday uncertainty resolution. The findings confirm the existence of two sources of strong momentums in trading activity and return volatility. OTC trades appear to be strategic, by entering the market when their price impact is minimum. They introduce large in magnitude uncertainty shocks that they need at least five minutes to be absorbed. In parallel, relatively higher trading intensity trades also introduce uncertainty, which is lower in magnitude and takes longer to be resolved into price. Both shocks are absorbed faster in market environments where overall liquidity is higher. This suggests that although absolute liquidity improves overall market maturity, by allowing faster uncertainty resolution, relative liquidity is still linked to higher presence of better informed agents and thus, introduces uncertainty.


With the development of science and technology, the higher and higher surface accuracy of workpiece is required. The characterization of surface topography affect greatly on functional performance of workpiece. In recent years, many researchers have made a large progress on the study of surface topography and presented some related standards. The assessment of parameters of surface roughness, however, has not been researched intensively in the new generation of standards system. This paper proposes a novel roughness separation method based on B spline wavelet to analyze engineering surface. This method improves accuracy of roughness signal separation. The experimental results show that B spline wavelet can extracts accurately the roughness component and experiment results by the proposed method fit with the actual value of the standard sample plate.


The effects of antimony addition on the microstructures and creep behavior of AZ31 have been studied. Constant load creep tests were carried out at 200°C and an initial stress of 50MPa for AZ31 alloys containing antimony up to 0.84% by weight. Results show that Small additions of antimony to AZ31 effectively decreased the creep extension and steady state creep rates. The steady state creep rate of AZ31 was reduced 2.5 times by the addition of 0.84% of antimony by weight. The main reason for the higher creep resistance is due to the presence of high volume fraction (~20%) of second phases including Mg3Sb2, which effectively hindered the movement of dislocations during the elevated temperature creep.


The search for new photovoltaic materials has been driven by the combined need to exploit sources of energy that are clean and sustainable, while simultaneously doing it in a cost effective manner. In this light, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have recently emerged as an extremely promising photonic material, and their application as a functional photovoltaic layer has resulted in device efficiencies that rival long established silicon based technologies. Rapid progress in device efficiencies have occurred over the last years (22.1% being the current record). However, the simultaneous growth in basic studies of the material have not resulted in a conclusive understanding of the fundamental process that occur subsequent to photoexcitation. Hence, there is a pressing need to identify the pathways that currently limit device performance and provide direction for future work in materials and device engineering. Towards this goal, we investigate two perovskite compositions (CH3NH3PbI3 and (FAPbI3)0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15) using time-resolved (THz and electroabsorption) spectroscopic techniques. Chapter 1 and 2 provide a general introduction into the investigated system and the experimental techniques that have been used. In chapter 3, we detail time-resolved THz measurements and report on experimental evidence for carrier recombination through an indirect transition, as well as a direct recombination pathway that is present at higher carrier densities. We calculate temperature dependent carrier mobilities (at THz frequencies) and bimolecular recombination constants. Through which we identify phonon scattering as the primary limiting mechanism for carrier transport, and temperature dependent bimolecular recombination that is mediated by the relative mobility of the charge carriers. Analysis of the complex photoconductivity spectra using the Drude-Smith model revealed a large difference in carrier scattering between the two perovskite films that could be attributed to the significantly different morphologies. In chapter 4 we apply time-resolved electroabsorption spectroscopy (TREAS) to insulated CH3NH3PbI3 layers and investigate the macroscopic carrier transport dynamics under applied electric fields. Transport within the 40nm perovskite grain was discovered to be diminished by a factor ? 2 relative to the high frequency mobility obtained through THz spectroscopy. The averaged carrier mobility across the 280nm film length was reduced by a factor ? 4, due to the presence of grain boundaries and defects. Preliminary investigations also identified spectral signatures associated with carrier accumulation at the perovskite interface and delayed extraction at the contacts. Chapter 5 deals with complete solar cells formed using (FAPbI3)0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15 as the active layer and we report the first application of the TREAS technique to complete perovskite devices. Our results reveal that the improved morphology of the film results in film averaged mobilities that are near the intrinsic values obtained using THz spectroscopy. Analysis of transient absorption spectra revealed an electroabsorption signature, its dynamics can be correlated with the disassociation of a transient excitonic species to form free charge carriers.


I am sad to report the unexpected and sudden death of Peter Warren in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 3 May 2011. Peter Warren was a Guy's graduate who became an authority on pulmonary disease and reached the highest echelons of the medical professions in Canada.

Peter Warren—the son of Wilfrid Warren, a distinguished psychiatrist—was born on 4 October 1940 in Plymouth, Devon, and educated at Sherborne School. He came to study clinical medicine at Guy's Hospital in 1961, having taken a BA at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. In his three years as a clinical student at Guy's he excelled academically, winning the Hillman prize for haematology, the Larkin prize for medicine, the Oldham prize for ophthalmology, and the treasurer's gold medals for both medicine and surgery—an absolutely stellar achievement. Remarkably, he also found time to represent the Hospital Boat Club in the first VIII, where he proved a dedicated and reliable oarsman. He graduated in medicine in 1964.

Between 1964 and 1966 he held house appointments at Guy's. He followed this with a house officer appointment in cardiology at the Brompton Hospital, after which he was appointed junior lecturer in the department of medicine at Guy's, obtaining the MRCP in 1967 (becoming FRCP in 1987). There followed a registrarship in general medicine and chest diseases at St George's …


Purpose of reviewAnaphylaxis is an acute-onset and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can be caused by numerous allergic triggers including stinging insects. This review focuses on recent advances, natural history, risk factors and therapeutic considerations. Recent findingsRecent work suggests that concerns over insect allergy diagnosis continue to exist. This is especially true with individuals who have a convincing history of a serious life-threatening anaphylactic event, but lack the necessary diagnostic criteria of venom-specific IgE by skin test or in-vitro diagnostic methods to confirm the diagnosis. The role of occult mastocytosis or increased basophile reactivity may play a role in this subset population. Additionally, epinephrine continues to be underutilized as the primary acute intervention for an anaphylactic reaction in the emergent setting. SummaryThe incidence of anaphylaxis continues to rise across all demographic groups, especially those less than 20 years of age. Fortunately, the fatalities related to anaphylaxis appear to have decreased over the past decades. Our understanding of various triggers, associated risk factors, as well as an improved understanding and utilization of biological markers such as serum tryptase have improved. Our ability to treat insect anaphylaxis by venom immunotherapy is highly effective. Unfortunately, anaphylaxis continues to be underappreciated and undertreated especially in regard to insect sting anaphylaxis. This includes the appropriate use of injectable epinephrine as the primary acute management tool. These findings suggest that continued education of the general population, primary care healthcare providers and emergency departments is required.


The Upper Bajocian - Bathonian organic-rich claystone succession and the Lower Callovian sandy, marly and gaize (dispersed biogenic silica) deposits of central-southern Poland yield diverse and wellpreserved dinoflagellate cyst floras dominated by ctenidodinioids, principally Ctenidodinium combazii , Dichadogonyaulax sellwoodii and Korystocysta spp. Atopodinium and Wanaea are also common. The stratigraphical distribution of dinoflagellate cysts within the Upper Bajocian to Lower Callovian has provided a detailed correlation between the Polish area and the North Sea area (chronostratigraphy and diniflagellate cyst zonation). The dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphical events are of correlative value and are consistent with interpretations based on the macrofaunas. The Middle-Late Callovian yielded no dinoflagellate cysts. The British zonation (RIDING & THOMAS 1992, POULSEN & RIDING, in press) is demonstrated to be useful for the Polish sections. Some marker species have differences in their first or last appearances in Poland compared to those reported from England.


In this paper, we present a method of Dialogical Sketching. We introduce the development of this method as a discursive aid to understanding design probe responses within participatory co-design engagements but also articulate its potential more broadly within participatory research. Situated within a research study into the potential of digital jewellery to support self, we focus on how sketching can elucidate reflection on layers of meaning conveyed both explicitly and implicitly in participants' probe responses. The method enabled an iterative dialogue not bound by certainty, but more by inference, interpretation and suggested meanings. Systems of sketching scaffolded conversations about personal issues and feelings that were difficult to articulate in a way that was imaginative, rather than descriptive. We argue that the method firstly enriches the potential of probes, secondly encourages discourse in open and often uncertain ways and thirdly can enable sustained participatory engagement even through challenging circumstances.


Many different types of people now use websites for many sources of information. Nevertheless, the diversity and complexity of the online information available on websites and the desire to make websites provide all information for all users, regardless their interest, ability or characteristics, means that websites can be overwhelming to users. Museum websites are a case in point, trying to provide information to a great diversity of users. For these reasons, there have been numerous efforts to individualize user experiences in websites. These efforts have been based on users' individual or group differences such as their goals, interests, preferences, knowledge, backgrounds, demographic characteristics, experience, learning styles, and culture. This programme of research investigates whether learning styles as an individual difference and cultural background as a group difference can affect web users' experience, performance and perceived usability by conducting a card sort study, an interview study and an ecologically valid study of users' experience with museum websites.
To investigate learning styles, the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model was used with its associated Felder-Solomon Index of Learning Styles (ILS). The ILS was developed in English, making it unsuitable for Turkish learners, one of the target cultural groups for this research programme. Therefore, the ILS was translated into Turkish and adequate reliability and validity established by administering it twice over a four-week interval to 63 undergraduate students in Turkey. Henceforth, the Turkish version of the ILS will be referred as the Turkish Index of Learning Styles (T)ILS.
The aim of the card sort study was to investigate user understandings of the organization of the museum and news websites and to reveal learning styles and cultural differences between participants' categorizations and mental models of the information architectures. The study was conducted in UK and Turkey with 214 and 90 participants, respectively. Analysis of the data showed that participants have mental models that differ substantially from the typical websites in these domains. In addition, interesting and meaningful differences were found between participants with different learning styles profiles and among British, Chinese, Indian and Turkish participants. This study also made a methodological contribution, showing that the card sort method can be used to show learning styles and cultural differences.
 The aim of the interview study was to investigate the perceptions of museum personnel concerning the adaptation of websites in relation to both learning styles and cultural differences among visitors and to investigate whether they were interested in these issues. Five developers from Turkey and five developers from UK and USA were interviewed and content analysis was used to analyze their responses. The study showed that almost none of the interviewees were aware of the concept of learning styles, but the majority were very interested when they were told about it. Furthermore, a majority of interviewees thought learning styles had potential to make their websites more appealing to a wider range of visitors. Lastly, most interviewees were interested in the idea of dealing with cultural differences in other ways than mere translation of texts.
The final study investigated how learning styles and cultural differences affect users' experience, performance and perception of the usability of two museum websites. It was administered in the UK with an international sample of 210 participants. Participants were asked to perform a number of tasks on these websites, the tasking being carefully chosen to direct participants to aspects of the websites that would suit particular learning styles. This study showed significant differences among users depending on their learning styles and cultural background. This study also makes an important methodological contribution in that moves away from the paradigm of trying to manipulate online materials to match or clash with users' learning styles or other preferences.
The results of this research programme will be important for developers of museum and similar websites who want to take the advantage of developing supportive websites by focusing on users' learning styles and cultural differences.


This study guide was created as a reference to help prepare optometry students for the systemic disease portion of National Board of Examiners of Optometry Part I1 exam. The information has been compiled from various resources including general medicine textbooks, internet resources, National Board of Examiners of Optometry outlines, and systemic disease I, 11, 111 class information. This study guide is primarily organized in table format for easily accessible information regarding epidemiology, etiology, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Similar diseases are grouped into the same table for quick comparison and differential diagnosis purposes. This reference is only intended to be used as a guide, and the specific contents that are included are based on our interpretation of the National Board of Examiners of Optometry outline. It is not intended to represent all materials that will be covered on the exam. We hope the information regarding systemic diseases summarized into these concise tables will help students better prepare for the board exam.


Recently, the development of highly inspired biomaterials with multi-functional characteristics has gained considerable attention, especially in biomedical and other health-related areas of the modern world. It is well known that the lack of antibacterial potential has significantly limited biomaterials for many challenging applications such as infection-free wound healing and/or tissue engineering. In this perspective, a series of novel bio-composites with natural phenols as functional entities and keratin-EC as a base material were synthesised by laccase-assisted grafting. Subsequently, the resulting composites were removed from their respective casting surfaces and critically evaluated for their antibacterial and biocompatibility features. Information is also given on their degradation profile in soil. In situ synthesised phenol-g-keratin-EC bio-composites possess strong anti-bacterial activity against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, i.e., B. subtilis NCTC 3610, S. aureus NCTC 6571, E. coli NTCT 10418 and P. aeruginosa NCTC 10662. More specifically, 10HBA-g-keratin-EC and 20T-g-keratin-EC composites were 100% resistant to colonisation by all of the aforementioned bacterial strains, whereas 15CA-g-keratin-EC and 15GA-g-keratin-EC showed almost negligible colonisation. Moreover, at various phenolic concentrations, it was clear that the newly synthesised composites remained cytocompatible with human keratinocyte-like HaCaT, as an obvious cell ingrowth tendency was observed during the neutral red dye uptake assay. From the degradation point of view, an increase in the degradation rate was recorded during the soil burial analyses. Our investigations could encourage greater utilisation of natural materials in the development of bio-composites with novel and sophisticated characteristics for potential applications.


The simultaneous effects of human activities in the ocean and climate change have already produced a series of responses from the marine ecosystems. With the potential increment of future human activities, such as offshore renewable energy developments, proactive management is required. To facilitate effective management and conservation actions, it is imperative to identify species potentially at risk and their critical habitats. Here we examine 16 cetacean species habitat suitability in the western North Atlantic Ocean using generalized additive models developed from data collected by NOAA- Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers from 2010 to 2017. The models were based on observed species distribution as a function of 21 environmental covariates and compare species-specific core habitats between 2010 and 2017. We identified seasonal differences in patterns of habitat change across guilds and an average northward shift of 178 km across the study area. The effects of these shifts are still unknown, but for already stressed species, the contraction or displacement of their historical habitat could worsen their population status. Therefore, the imminent development of offshore regions, in addition to the effects of climate change emphasize the need of adaptively managing ecosystems on the face of multiple challenges.


Although the α- and β-adrenergic receptors have opposing effects on insulin secretion, the inhibitory influence of α-receptors appears to predominate. To determine if this was due to differences in number and affinity of receptors, isolated rat pancreatic islet cells were incubated with [3H]-dihydroalprenolol and [3H]-di-hydroergocryptine as ligands for β- and α-adrenergic binding sites. It was found that the number of β-adrenergic binding sites was 143 fmol/mg islet protein with a Kd = 0.57 nM. The number of α-adrenergic binding sites was 53 fmol/mg protein with a Kd = 0.26 nM. Thus, there are 2.7 times as many β-adrenergic binding sites as α-binding sites, and neither binding site number nor affinity is responsible for the predominant influence of the α-adrenergic receptors.


We calculate the costs and benefits of the largest ever U.S. Government intervention in the financial sector announced the 2008 Columbus-day weekend. We estimate that this intervention increased the value of banks' financial claims by $131 billion at a taxpayers' cost of $25 -$47 billions with a net benefit between $84bn and $107bn. By looking at the limited cross section we infer that this net benefit arises from a reduction in the probability of bankruptcy, which we estimate would destroy 22% of the enterprise value. The big winners of the plan were the three former investment banks and Citigroup, while the loser was JP Morgan.


The titanium oxide layer with nano–micro hybrid structure on the titanium substrate was formed by grit-blasting and anodic oxidation treatment. A micro rough surface can be formed by grit-blasting and nanotube arrays can be formed by anodic oxidation or NaOH treatment after anodic oxidation. We investigated the surface characterization on titanium and the response of the osteoblast like cell (MG-63) to the surfaces made by different treatments. Surface structure (morphology), wettability characterized by SEM, contact angle. The attachment and proliferation behavior of MG-63 cells on the titanium surface by different surface treatments were characterized by SEM observation and MTT assay.The attachment and proliferation of osteoblast cells is accelerated by the topography of the nano structure like a nanotube, the nano surface acts as an attachment point for the filopodia of growing cells. Nano structure increases surface area and nano-micro structure significantly increases surface area. Such nano–micro hybrid structure on the titanium substrate can be useful for a well-adhered bioactive surface layer on Ti implant used metals for orthopedic and dental implants.


After the older evidence that there is carbon dioxide on Mars made up of oxygen 2 and carbon now we have evidence that there is even normal water on the marble consisting of hydrogen 2 and oxygen. In other words, we have Martian oxygen combined with carbon and hydrogen, so we can extract oxygen directly to the site to initially create the source of the breathing necessary for those who will originally live in closed bases built on Mars in the form of huge bells, extremely solid, which will be permanently fed with oxygen for human respiration, but also for other beings, including pets. Our main objective, however, is to create the atmosphere on Mars, a ground-like, welcoming, friendly atmosphere, so that in the end Mars can live in the same way as on Earth. It is no longer a dream, but an imperative requirement. It is still difficult to conquer the very distant exoplanets we have just discovered and paratroop and yet we will do so slowly over time and then, as much as possible, it is imperative to begin the terratation of our Mars neighbor, showing clear signs that it was habitable or perhaps once inhabited and which today reveals real water, apart from the carbon dioxide that has been discovered for many years in following. Hydrogen being the number one element can now be obtained almost anywhere through various nuclear reactions. If we have oxygen extracted from the layers of CO2 or the water we have found recently, we can create a source of breath and then we can produce water in massive quantities, with the obvious purpose of rebuilding the friendly atmosphere of Mars to create a natural water circuit on Mars, even if originally it will be artificially produced using modern technologies. The most difficult problem was to find a source of oxygen on Mars, so we would not be forced to produce the necessary oxygen in massive amounts to terrify the planet from other substances through nuclear reactions. If there are already serious sources of carbon snow, plus the recently discovered sources of pure water, we can obviously extract the oxygen directly from them. How we have shown hydrogen production will not be a difficult issue, being element 1 so easy to obtain even from any other element through nuclear reactions first. If our solar system and our universe abound in hydrogen sources, there are still no obvious abundant sources of pure, elemental hydrogen on Mars. Frankly, even on our planet Terra, hydrogen even today does not abound as a pure element, being extracted or produced from water, hydrocarbons, or other elements through nuclear reactions. To create water on Mars, we already have clear possibilities due to the existence of oxygen and the possibility of extraction and hydrogen extraction. For a normal atmosphere and on Mars it is also necessary, besides oxygen and hydrogen, the nitrogen element. Here studies must be concentrated to find in the coming years and sources of nitrogen directly on the planet today, which we want to turn into a second blue planet in our solar system soon.


Poverty reduction and employment creation are some of the top United Nations Millennium Development goals as per the UN Summit of 2000. In both the developed and developing world this can best be achieved through an increase in employers. In the developing world, especially in Africa, small, medium and micro enterprises have been found to be the engine driving employment creation, economic development and poverty reduction. Having mentioned the crucial role, small and micro enterprises play in the economy and wellbeing of the people, their sustenance, success and continuity are of vital importance. Many small and micro businesses are started every year but most of them fail in their infancy due to a number of problems they face, especially lack of financial planning knowledge which is the main reason for embarking on this study. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the reality of financial planning knowledge among small and micro enterprises, especially from the perspective of owner-managers. An exploration is undertaken to see and understand their perception and attitude towards financial planning processes. The study proposes to find out what financial planning knowledge the owner-manager has tools they are currently employing in their businesses and whether or not, and to what extent do, they implement the advice from financial experts. The research wants to further explore what financial information is collected, recorded, how it is used (or not) to make business decisions and evaluate the enterprise's success or failure in relation to what they know, use and implement as far as financial planning is concerned. The study used a quantitative technique to collect data and a questionnaire was personally administered to 100 respondents in the Durban CBD including Warwick Triangle and the response rate was 100%. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The overall findings of the study were that most of the small and micro enterprises do not understand what financial planning is or what is involved in financial planning hence their inability to properly plan their finances and manage their businesses accordingly. Some of them were found to be able to calculate a mark-up on their selling price but no records were kept. For those who have a chance to get some advice from a financial expert, do implement the advice given, but in their own way they see suitable for their particular businesses. However, they do not implement the exact advice as given only in the form they see fit for their enterprises.


NMR saturation transfer difference of interaction study of Ralstonia solanacearum lectin with various carbohydrate ligands and selective labelling of the lectin due to partial assignment of Trp residues


This paper proposes an indoor visible light communication (VLC) system with multiple transmitters and receivers. Due to diffusivity of LED light beams, photodiode receive signals from many directions. We use one concave and one convex lens as optical antenna, and obtain the optimal lens structure by optimizing which corresponds to the minimum condition number of channel gain matrix. In this way the light emitted by different LED can be separated well from each other then minimize signal interference. However, interference increases in the case of system deviation, so we explore the system mobility. Then subsequent signal processing is carried out, including signal combining and successive interference cancellation (SIC). We combine the same signal received by different receivers to improve signal to interference noise ratio (SINR). And SIC can effectively restore interference and eliminate its impact. The simulation results show that channel capacity can be increased by more than 5 times and up to 20 times under the condition of receiver and transmitter alignment. In the case of movement, channel capacity can also be increased by about 4 times on average. Moreover, the mobile range of system is also significantly expanded.


Background: Treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) using thermal coagulation has recently attracted interest among the medical community in view of the easily portable and light equipment, less treatment time, faster patient turnover, less discomfort, use of minimal amounts of electricity as consumable, less vaginal discharge following treatment and a similar efficacy in treatment of ectocervical CIN lesions as compared to cryotherapy. However, literature on its performance is scarce particularly from low- and middle-income settings. Here, we report the effectiveness, safety and acceptability of thermal coagulation in women treated for histologically proven ectocervical CIN. Methods: We pooled data from five sites in Asia and South America for women treated for CIN with thermal coagulation from March 2010 to October 2015, and followed up within 6 - 12 months after treatment. Estimates of cure, adverse effects, or complications were presented as proportions. Bayesian models were used to assess factors affecting compliance to follow-up and cure rates. Results: Of the 1,626 women treated for CIN at baseline, 775 (48%) had follow-up evaluation. Attendance for follow-up increased with increasing education and CIN grade, and was less likely to be among those aged ≥ 40 years. The estimates of the cure after thermal coagulation treatment were 88% (475/543) for CIN 1, 83% (113/137) for CIN 2 and 83% (79/95) for CIN 3 lesions. No serious adverse effects or complications were observed throughout the follow-up period for which hospitalization was required. Conclusion: Thermal coagulation was effective, safe and accepted in treatment of women diagnosed with CIN. It should be used in the single-visit "screen-and-treat" approach, "see-and-treat" approach and in management of ectocervical CIN in cervical cancer control programs. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2017;6(3-4):58-64 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jcgo464w


Primary and secondary overacting inferior oblique muscles were examined by light and electron microscopy and compared to normal inferior oblique muscles. The most conspicuous light microscopic difference between primary overacting and normal muscles was the presence of granular fibers in overacting muscles that contained sarcoplasmic masses. Some primary and secondary overacting muscles also contained fibers displaying increased vacuolization and atrophy. Other secondary overacting muscles showed only numerous fibers at various stages of atrophy. The affected fibers were distributed throughout the central and global regions of the posterior portion of the muscle. Electron microscopic examination showed aggregations of mitochondria and degenerating mitochondrial profiles. Longitudinal fiber splitting and activated satellite cells were associated with fibers displaying increased vacuolization. The results suggest that the primary overacting inferior oblique muscle is the result of a bilateral paresis of the superior oblique muscle.


The history of the African and Middle Eastern world is, to a large extent, the story of a religion-Islam-and how it claimed millions of followers across empires and kingdoms. First proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century, Islam quickly spread, through trade and conquest, from the Arabian Peninsula to vast sections of Asia and Africa and even to parts of Europe. The cast of characters in this story is fascinating: from the Prophet himself to Abu Bakr Muhammad ar-Razi, a Persian physician who compiled a multivolume medical encyclopedia; Mehmed II, an Ottomon sultan who conquered Constantinople and brought the Byzantine Empire to an end; Mansa Musa, a West African emperor who distributed gifts of gold all along the route to Mecca; and Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan Berber whose travels through the Islamic world in the 14th century covered 75,000 miles. The pages of The African and Middle Eastern World tell not only about these figures and many others but also about Islamic principles and laws, the religion's different branches (including the Sunnis and Shiites), and the widely varied geography and cultural practices of this world. Also covered are people like the Shona of Southern Africa, who remained outside of Islam's long reach. Numerous primary sources-including excerpts from an eighth-century biography of Muhammad, "The Tale of King Sinbad and the Falcon" from The Thousand and One Nights, and a story about leadership from the West African oral tradition-further illuminate this history.


Using new data and an enlarged group sample we verify some of our previously published results and present a number of new facts that suggest that compact groups could be casual concentrations in prolate-like looser groups, and thus the nature of compact and ordinary poor groups is probably the same. To this end we used the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) redshift catalogue to look for galaxies with accordant redshifts in the nearby environment (up to ∼2 Mpc) of 15 Hickson compact groups (HCG). We also used known member redshifts of looser groups in the environment of 7 other HCGs. From this sample of 22 HCGs we find that: (a) HCG's tend to be aligned with the overall galaxy distribution in their ∼1 Mpc environment; (b) the well-established orientation effect by which the group velocity dispersion σ v correlates with group axial ratio q is present and particularly strong also in the HCG + environment systems; (c) the velocity dispersion σ v of the HCG +environment systems as well as of ordinary poor groups, depends only weakly on the group richness, i.e. on the mass; (d) the mean absolute K-band magnitude of E/S0 galaxies in HCGs is similar to the corresponding one in ordinary poor groups and is brighter than that of isolated E/SO's, indicating that they were formed by the merging of two galaxies of similar luminosity; (e) the fraction of E/S0 galaxies in these HCGs depends, albeit weakly, on the group's richness and on σ v ; (f) the fraction of AGNs is similar in the HCGs and their close environment, while the fraction of starburst galaxies is significantly higher in the HCGs; (g) the fraction of active galaxies (AGNs and starbursts) is anti-correlated with the velocity dispersion of the HCG + environment systems. The combination of all the above facts constitutes a picture in which compact groups are condensations within looser prolate-like, elongated systems, and they appear to be compact when their member galaxies, moving in radial orbits along the group elongation, happen to come close to each other (in which case dynamical interactions among these galaxies become even more probable) or when the group is oriented close to the line of sight, so that many of its members are projected over a small solid angle. The probability of either case is small, so the number of CGs should be much smaller than that of ordinary groups, as observed. Furthermore, the observed fractions of early-type and active galaxies, as well as their correlations with the group velocity dispersion suggests a picture by which nuclear activity and galaxy transformation by merging is instigated by effective gravitational interactions in the low-velocity dispersion groups, which then dynamically evolve via virialization processes to higher velocity dispersion groups, which thus have a higher fraction of early-type galaxies.


The effect of various classes of differentiation-inducing agents on macromolecular synthesis was studied in a human myeloblastic leukemia cell line (ML-1). Antineoplastic drugs such as 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, daunorubicin, and actinomycin D caused early inhibition of DNA synthesis, which generally preceded the accrual of differentiation markers. In contrast, retinoic acid and conditioned medium from mitogen-stimulated leukocytes caused a delayed decline in DNA synthesis, which accompanied the appearance of maturing morphology. With 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, the decline in DNA synthesis was temporally linked to the onset of maturation, and this agent evidenced some properties of both the antineoplastic agents and the more physiological inducers, retinoic acid and conditioned medium. Antineoplastic agents and conditioned medium, when applied simultaneously, induced differentiation in an additive or synergistic manner, simulating the effects of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. RNA and protein synthesis continued during maturation induced with all these agents, although a partial reduction in RNA synthesis was observed at later time points (greater than or equal to 24 hr). Agents incapable of inducing differentiation, such as cordycepin and cycloheximide, were characterized by a lack of sustained inhibition of DNA synthesis and/or by early (3 hr) inhibition of RNA or protein synthesis. The decline in DNA synthesis caused by the inducing agents was accompanied by decreased cell cycle progression, cells accumulating largely in G1 phase. With daunorubicin and actinomycin D, block of the G1-S transition was evident at 24 hr, whereas with conditioned medium and retinoic acid, accumulation in G1 occurred in a progressive fashion, greater than 77% of cells residing in this phase on Day 6. Maximal inducing doses of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (greater than 80% differentiation) caused an accumulation of cells in G1, as well as an accumulation of cells with a G2-M-phase DNA content (approximately 40%). These observations indicate that early inhibition of DNA synthesis, with sparing of RNA and protein synthesis, is characteristic of the differentiation-inducing antineoplastic drugs examined. These agents may induce differentiation by inhibition of the proliferation path, whereas conditioned medium and retinoic acid may act by the stimulation of differentiation paths. Differentiation can be enhanced by the simultaneous application of agents targeting both of these paths.


Abstract The ability of electron microscopes to analyze all the atoms in individual nanostructures is limited by lens aberrations. However, recent advances in aberration-correcting electron optics have led to greatly enhanced instrument performance and new techniques of electron microscopy. The development of an ultrastable electron microscope with aberration-correcting optics and a monochromated high-brightness source has significantly improved instrument resolution and contrast. In the present work, we report information transfer beyond 50 pm and show images of single gold atoms with a signal-to-noise ratio as large as 10. The instrument's new capabilities were exploited to detect a buried Σ3 {112} grain boundary and observe the dynamic arrangements of single atoms and atom pairs with sub-angstrom resolution. These results mark an important step toward meeting the challenge of determining the three-dimensional atomic-scale structure of nanomaterials.


The European film industry has by now lost most of its audience to American films; US productions take around eighty per cent of Europe's box-office revenues. There are many reasons for this imbalance, but one major difference between the European and the US film industries is easily identified: the Americans spend far more on development. Developing Feature Films in Europe is the first comprehensive study of this critical stage of the film-making process. Based on extensive research and interviews with more than seventy industry practitioners, it examines current funding practices, presents training initiatives for writers and producers, and highlights the potential for further improvements. Angus Finney has also compiled an invaluable directory of contacts, addresses and application procedures for public and private funding bodies throughout Europe.


Open Source Software (OSS) projects have the unique opportunity to reach an unprecedented level of software quality by tapping into its community and collaborative power. However, the community process of collaborative software Quality Assessment (QA) may not reach its full potential or worse be easily jeopardised by malevolent entities because there is a lack of protection mechanisms, easy-to-use enabling mechanisms and clear incentives. We propose such mechanisms as part of a decentralised collaborative test and QA framework centred on the OSS actors.


Background/aims This study aimed to predict the possibility of steroid-induced ocular hypertension (OHT) after intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implantation and to identify a proper safety zone for such injections. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted and included 908 patient eyes that underwent DEX implant injection due to various retinal diseases. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured before injection, at 1 week, and at 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months thereafter. Eyes of enrolled patients were divided into the OHT and normal IOP groups. Univariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess significant associations between steroid-induced OHT and covariates; significant and previously reported significant variables were analysed with a multivariable model, and predictive nomograms were developed. Results Age, sex, axial length, glaucomatous eye, neovascular glaucoma, secondary glaucoma, uveitis history, hypertension, depression, diabetes mellitus and a history of previous laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis or laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy were significantly related to steroid-induced OHT (p<0.05). The calibration plot revealed good prediction under a predicted value of 0.4. Cut-off values for 80%, 86%, 91%, 95% and 98% sensitivity and specificity were offered for the safety zone after intravitreal DEX implantation. Conclusion We developed two nomograms to predict a safety zone for intravitreal DEX implantation. These can be used to identify individuals who may be safely prescribed steroid treatments and for whom extra caution should be exercised.


Abstract : The reliability of a single-unit system experiencing degradation (wear) due to the influence of a general, observable environment process is considered. In particular, the failure time distribution is evaluated using only observations of the unit's current operating environment which is characterized as a finite semi-Markov process (SMP). In order to impose the Markov property, generally distributed environment state sojourn times are approximated as phase-type (PH) random variables using observations of state holding times and transition rates. The use of PH distributions facilitates the use of existing analytical results for reliability evaluation of units subject to an environment process that evolves as a continuous-time Markov chain. The procedure is illustrated through three numerical examples, and results are compared with those obtained via Monte Carlo simulation. The maximum absolute deviation in probability for failure time distributions was on the order of 0.004. The results of this thesis provide a novel approach to the reliability analysis of units operating in randomly evolving environments for which degradation or failure time observations are difficult or impossible to obtain.


Prolonged fever presents a challenge for the patient and the physician. Fever with a temperature higher than 38.3°C on several occasions that lasts for at least 3 weeks and lacks a clear diagnosis after 1 week of study in the hospital is called a fever of unknown origin (FUO). More than 200 diseases can cause FUO, and the information gathered from history taking, physical examination, laboratory and imaging studies should be evaluated with care. History taking and physical examination may provide some localizing signs and symptoms pointing toward a diagnosis. Infection, cancers, noninfectious inflammatory diseases and some miscellaneous diseases are the main etiologies, and some patients remain undiagnosed despite investigations. Tuberculosis, lymphoma and adult-onset Still's disease are the main diseases. Fluorodeoxyglucose PET is a promising imaging modality in FUO. Establishing a uniform algorithm for FUO management is difficult. Every patient should be carefully evaluated individually considering the previous FUO management experience.


The study objective was to validate the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire with regard to dimensionality, internal consistency, and construct and criterion validity. Another objective was to provide normative data. Data from the cross-sectional Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden were used. The 3406 participants in this study, 18 to 79 years old, constituted a random sample stratified for age and sex. Along with the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire, the participants responded to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Shirom Melamed Burnout Questionnaire for assessing construct validity. Factor analyses of the questions in the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire that relate to nocturnal sleep revealed the dimensions sleep quality, non-restorative sleep, and sleep apnea. A separate factor analysis on the questions regarding day time sleepiness revealed a sleepiness dimension. The sleep quality, non-restorative sleep, and sleepiness dimensions showed approximate normal distributions, whereas the distribution for sleep apnea was positively skewed. All dimensions showed good internal consistency. Satisfactory construct validity was found for all dimensions. Using the DSM-IV criteria of insomnia, relevant questions in the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire were combined into an index of nocturnal symptoms of insomnia as were questions of sleep apnea. Prevalences of insomnia and sleep apnea correspond well to those of other studies, indicating good criterion validity. The favorable psychometric properties of the dimensions and indexes from the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire suggest their use for assessing sleep quality, non-restorative sleep, sleep apnea, sleepiness and nocturnal symptoms of insomnia.


Faults play an important role in petroleum systems as both barriers and conduits to the flow of hydrocarbons. An understanding of the relationship between fluid and gas migration and accumulation, and faulting is often required during hydrocarbon exploration and production, and CO2 storage. While methods for predicting across-fault flow are well advanced (e.g. Yielding et al., 1997; Manzocchi et al., 1999), current geomechanical and geometrical methods for predicting the locations of up-fault (up-dip) hydrocarbon migration (and leakage) are relatively untested. This thesis investigates the relationships between up-sequence gas migration in the form of gas chimneys and Pliocene to Recent normal faults in the Kupe Area, South Taranaki Basin. It undertakes studies of the Kupe Area's structural development, examines spatial relationships between faults and gas chimneys, tests current geomechanical and geometrical models to predict up-dip gas flow in faults, and investigates the outcrop expression of fault structure below seismic reflection data resolution and gas flux rates at an onshore site of fault-related gas leakage. Data for this study are provided by highquality 2D and 3D seismic reflection lines (tied to stratigraphy in fifteen wells), and outcrop of Miocene and Oligocene strata in coastal cliff sections, together with methane concentration and flux measurements. Structural development in the Kupe Area was complex and provides a near complete record of deformation since the Late Cretaceous (~85 Ma). Basin strata up to 9 km thick record four main periods of deformation that reflect changing plate boundary configurations. Fault reactivation was common in the Kupe Area, with the locations and orientations of pre-existing faults strongly influencing the locations and geometries of younger faults and folds. Pliocene to Recent normal faults are highly segmented with low strain, consistent with an immature fault system in which fault lengths were established rapidly and subsequent fault growth was mainly achieved by accumulation of displacement. Plio-Pleistocene to Recent reactivation of Cretaceous rift faults provides conduits for gas migration from below the regional top seal in the Kupe Area into shallow strata and results in up-dip gas migration within the Plio-Pleistocene to Recent fault zones. These late-stage normal faults (younger than 4 Ma) are shown to have a strong spatial relationship with gas chimneys suggesting that fault zones are capable of producing channelised pathways for up-dip hydrocarbon migration. Fifteen of seventeen gas iii chimneys within the study area are rooted within fault zones. All of these fifteen faultrelated gas chimneys occur at geometrical complexities in fault structure (i.e. relay zones, lateral fault tips or fault intersections). Geometrical complexities are associated with locally high throw gradients which are inferred to be accompanied by off-fault strain in the form of fractures and/or bedding rotation. Three geomechanical modelling techniques (Slip Tendency, Dilation Tendency and Fracture Stability) for predicting the locations of up-fault hydrocarbon flow (leakage) are tested using the spatial distribution of gas chimneys and Pliocene to Recent normal faults in the Kupe Area. Slip Tendency, Dilation Tendency and Fracture Stability data for all of the faults analysed predict comparable likelihoods of gas migration on chimney and non-chimney sections of the fault surfaces and therefore do not provide a robust basis for predicting where on fault surfaces channelised up-dip gas flow will occur. Field-based observations of faults show that fractures observed in outcrop and below seismic reflection data resolution are localised around bends, steps and intersections of faults and show evidence of fluid flow post fault activity. In north Taranaki these fault complexities are present in a lateral equivalent to the Otaraoa top seal and, if present in the Kupe Area, are also likely to induce up-sequence gas migration through fracture networks. Methane concentrations measured at one site (Bristol Road Quarry) along the Inglewood Fault suggest that gas flux rates up faults may not be uniform over time. Based on the measured gas flux rates gas chimneys in the Kupe Area may form in association with gas migration in a series of discrete events lasting from days to years, with possible gas flows at the seabed of ~930 ft3 per chimney per day or 0.34 million ft3 per year.


In this paper we analyze three different approaches to improving the quality of an HMM-based speech synthesizer by means of an external duration model. The first approach uses the external duration model in a standard way to define the phone duration during synthesis. The second is a novel approach that uses the phone duration to create additional context features for the decision trees clustering. The third is a combination of the previous two approaches. A subjective evaluation showed a quality improvement with respect to the baseline for all three approaches, although for differing reasons. The standard approach produces an improvement in the duration estimation. The second approach degrades the duration estimation but improves the logF0 and aperiodicity by better modeling of their dependencies with respect to the duration. Finally, the combined approach benefits from the improvements of the other two and yields the best result of ca. 16% higher preference than the baseline among native English speakers.


Penetrating injuries to the myocardium are rare but potentially lethal. We present a 22-year-old asymptomatic male patient with a pellet lodged in the myocardium as a result of a gunshot that took place three years before. His medical history was otherwise unremarkable. The chest X-ray showed multiple pellets within the thorax. Computed tomography of the chest demonstrated many pellets in the anterior chest wall, while a few lodging within the lung tissue and one within the myocardium. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a pellet within the left ventricular myocardium presenting as an acoustic shadowing. Thickening of the adjacent pericardium was also noted. There were no signs of constrictive pericarditis or regional wall motion abnormality. Holter monitoring and treadmill exercise test did not show any abnormal finding. The patient was included in a periodic follow-up program.


Glacier observation data from major mountain regions of the world are key to improving our understanding of glacier changes: they deliver fundamental baseline information for climatological, hydrological, and hazard assessments. In many mountain ecosystems, as well as in the adjacent lowlands, glaciers play a crucial role in freshwater provision and regulation. This article first presents the state of the art on glacier monitoring and related strategies within the framework of the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers (GTN-G). Both in situ measurements of changes in glacier mass, volume, and length as well as remotely sensed data on glacier extents and changes over entire mountain ranges provide clear indications of climate change. Based on experiences from capacity-building activities undertaken in the Tropical Andes and Central Asia over the past years, we also review the state of the art on institutional capacity in these regions and make further recommendations for sustainable mountain development. The examples from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Kyrgyzstan demonstrate that a sound understanding of measurement techniques and of the purpose of measurements is necessary for successful glacier monitoring. In addition, establishing durable institutions, capacity-building programs, and related funding is necessary to ensure that glacier monitoring is sustainable and maintained in the long term. Therefore, strengthening regional cooperation, collaborating with local scientists and institutions, and enhancing knowledge sharing and dialogue are envisaged within the GTN-G. Finally, glacier monitoring enhances the resilience of the populations that depend on water resources from glacierized mountains or that are affected by hazards related to glacier changes. We therefore suggest that glacier monitoring be included in the development of sustainable adaptation strategies in regions with glaciated mountains.


In the present study the diversity and species composition of understory plants are examined in the submontane forest of Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia by comparing three rain forest types and three types of plantations of cacao differing in use intensity. The results showed that 376 understory plant species consisting of 140 species of tree seedlings, 162 herbs and shrubs, 29 terrestrial ferns and 45 climbers were collected in all land use types. The mean species numbers of herbs did not differ among three forest types but was significantly higher in cacao plantation with high use intensity, being about three times higher than in undisturbed rain forest and lightly disturbed rain forest. Urticaceae, Araceae, Hypoxidaceae and Acanthaceae were predominant in the forests, whereas Asteraceae and Poaceae in the cacao plantations. The number of species of ferns and climbers did not differ between forests and plantations. The study also recorded several invasive plant species at the cacao plantations such as Piper aduncum L., Bidens pilosa L., Ageratum conyzoides L., Sclerea purpuriens Steud and Paspalum conjugatum Berg. Keywords: Cacao plantation, Primary forest, Structure and Composition, Understory plant assemblages DOI: 10.3329/bjpt.v15i1.911 Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 15(1): 1-12, 2008 (June)


Electricity is being adopted to a great extent for space heating in marine work because of the simplicity and low cost of installation, saving in weight, freedom from leaks, noises and disagreeable odors as compared to steam heat, availability for heating of individual rooms, ability of placing heaters where most efficient, portability so that storerooms and other seldom-used spaces may be readily heated when desired, ease of regulation so that individual staterooms, etc., can be maintained at any desired temperature without affecting the whole system. A comparison of convector and radiant heaters is given, the proper use of each type is shown, and the conclusion drawn that for space heating on shipboard with metal decks and bulkheads, the convector heater is most efficient. Curves are given showing results obtained on tests to determine the best type of heater for shipboard and desirable features of heater are indicated. With low cost of electricity on shipboard, electric heating compares favorably in cost of maintenance with steam heating. It interferes very little with the lighting load, thus increasing the load factor, and seldom requires extra generator capacity.


Previous research shows that groupware improves the exchange of information within groups. However, the additional information does not often lead to better group decisions, probably because individuals fail to process the new information they receive. This study explored the use of groupware processes that required individuals in groups to categorize information, in order to induce group members to better attend to the new information received from others and to integrate it into their own individual decision-making processes. Different groupware processes had different effects on attention to and integration of information, and ultimately on decision quality. Groupware processes that provided categories to organize information and groupware processes that required the receiver of information to categorize information increased attention to information and integration of information, which led to improved individual decision quality.