The presence of absorbing gas around the central engine of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is a common feature of these objects. Recent work has looked at the effect of the dust component of the gas, and how it enhances radiation pressure such that dusty gas can have a lower effective Eddington limit than ionized gas. In this work, we use multiwavelength data and X-ray spectra from the 2 Ms exposures of the Chandra Deep Field-North and Chandra Deep Field-South surveys to characterize the AGN in terms of their Eddington ratio (λ) and hydrogen column density (N H ). Their distributions are then compared with what is predicted when considering the coupling between dust and gas. Our final sample consists of 234 objects from both fields, the largest and deepest sample of AGN for which this comparison has been made up to date. We find that most of the AGN in our sample tend to be found at low Eddington ratios (typically 10 -4 10 22 cm -2 ), with black hole masses in the range ~(10 8 -10 9 )M ⊙ . Their distribution is in agreement with that expected from the enhanced radiation pressure model, avoiding the area where we would predict the presence of outflows. We also investigate how the balance between AGN radiation pressure and gravitational potential influences the behaviour of clouds in the Galactic bulge, and describe a scenario where an enhanced radiation pressure can lead to the Fundamental Plane of black hole/galaxy scaling relations.


Biological control offers an environmentally friendly alternative to the use of pesticides for controlling plant diseases. Unfortunately, growers continue to use chemical control over biological agents, and lack of knowledge often contributes to the downfall of a biocontrol agent. Knowledge of the biological environment in which the agent will be used and of how to produce a stable formulation are both critical to successful biocontrol. Certain Gram-positive bacteria have a natural formulation advantage over their Gram-negative counterparts: the spore. Although the Gram-positive bacteria have not been as well represented in the biocontrol literature, their spore-forming abilities and historical industrial uses bode well for biocontrol success. Here we describe several systems utilizing Gram-positive biocontrol agents that have been researched in depth and provide models for the future of biocontrol.


The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of an isokinetic endurance task. After habituation, 10 physically active males completed three trials of an isokinetic endurance task on nonconsecutive days. The task was performed on a Cybex Norm dynamometer. It consisted of 30 maximal, concentric and eccentric, contractions of the hip extensors at 180°/s. Reliability was assessed through technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM, group coefficient of variation and intraclass correlation (ICC). During eccentric actions both average power per repetition (APR) and work done (WD) showed very good reliability. For APR the group coefficient of variation was 8.0% and the ICC was 0.93. The TEM and relative were 28.9 W and 16.3%, respectively. For WD these values were 5.6%, 0.94%, 451% and 12.4% J, respectively. By contrast, fatigue index (FI) demonstrated poor reliability with TEM, group coefficient of variation and ICC values of 16.2%, 26.1% and 0.32%, respectively. The reliability from the concentric actions demonstrated more variable results. The group coefficient of variation was low for both APR (5.9%) and WD (5.3%), however, the ICC values were lower than for eccentric actions with a score of 0.85 for both APR and WD. Once again FI demonstrated low reliability with a TEM, group coefficient of variation of 12.8%, 28.3% and ICC of 0.72%. The reliability of the hip extensors, both concentrically and eccentrically, depended on the dependent variable measured. FI showed poor reliability, while WD showed high reliability.


Most everyone reading this publication has committed to memory the mission of the National FFA Organization. If not, here is the mission one more time, "The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education." I am and will always be proud of my association with FFA and agricultural education because of the program's specific focus on STUDENTS - students who are current and future leaders of agriculture and America. A support organization for the National FFA Organization, the National FFA Alumni Association also has STUDENTS in mind as they seek to ease teachers' outside commitments of teaching, bring support to agricultural education programs and give teachers more freedom to do what they do best - teach students. Specifically, the mission of the National FFA Alumni Association is to secure the promise of FFA and Agricultural Education by creating an environment where PEOPLE and COMMUNITIES can develop thenpotential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. It doesn't take a genius to see the similarities and differences between the FFA and Alumni mission statements. The primary difference is the focus on community, which of course includes our students. Individuals (students) are and become part of the community. Communities that have been developed through the help of organizations such as the National FFA and the National FFA Alumni Association have greater potential to develop "social capital." This leads to greater "productivity" for individuals and for the community itself. A community with greater productivity is one that is thriving and it is one that can sustain itself. As an agriculture teacher seeking to develop your community and create social capital that makes your program, students, and community more productive, you have an excellent resource in the National FFA Alumni Association. Research conducted in Georgia and Tennessee indicated that future teachers felt least prepared to utilize their alumni - if one even existed. Perhaps articulating the values of the National FFA Alumni Association will help you identify specific ways and means that the alumni may be able to support your program, students, and community. The values of the National FFA Alumni Association are as follows. The National FFA Alumni Association values the integral nature of FFA and agricultural education. An alumni is there to help with more than just FFA activities. If you need help with resources, instruction, facilities, or administrators the FFA understands the connectedness of all phases of the program and they won't hesitate to assist. Don't be afraid to ask alumni for help in any and all areas of the curriculum. Fundraising is important and many folks assume that is all alumni is there for, but the truth is their understanding of all phases of our program provides something far more important than monetary capital - it provides social capital. The National FFA Alumni Association values agriculture as an essential part of society. Whether you teach in rural, urban, or suburban America, agricultural education seems more relevant today than ever before for those in the know. Most people, however, seem further removed from "agriculture" than ever before. The alumni is an excellent resource if you are looking to provide curricular and community examples of agriculture and/or agriculture's role in the local and national economy. They can serve as guest speakers. They can help with setting up field trips. They can even help in identifying SAE opportunities for students struggling to find their niche in agriculture. The National FFA Alumni Association values diversity in serving all populations. Do all of your students look the same? Are they all from the same part of town? This type of similarity among our students limits the development of our students, programs, and communities. …


A tax on child benefit for wealthier parents, a national minimum wage, and a guarantee of universal health care are part of the Commission on Social Justice's proposals for modernising Britain's welfare state. The commission, an independent body of 16 people, was set up by John Smith, the late leader of the Labour party, and spent 18 months carrying out an inquiry into social and economic reform. Its 400 page report contains a 10-15 year programme for economic renewal and social change aimed at giving people a "hand up rather than a hand out."

The report is the first radical rethink of the welfare state since Sir William Beveridge laid the foundations in 1942. "We are angry that one in five people are dependent on benefit," said Sir Gordon Borrie QC, the commission's chairman. "We are dismayed that the gap between highest and lowest paid is greater than at any time since 1886." The report states that the gap between the healthy and unhealthy has grown as a "direct result of more unemployment, more stress and greater social inequality. The gap between different social classes, different regions and different communities is not inevitable and is simply unacceptable. In a just society everyone …


Darmawan C, Wiendi NMA, Utomo C, Liwang T. 2020. Electroporation-mediated genetic transformation of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Biodiversitas 21: 3720-3726. Novel traits introduction to existing varieties may shorten the duration of oil palm genetic improvement. This approach heavily relies on efficient plant transformation and regeneration methods. Commonly used methods such as biolistic and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation still generated low efficiency for oil palm. Therefore, it is important to find alternative transformation methods that have the potency to give better results. Electroporation is usually used for delivering genes into bacteria or plant protoplast where cell wall does not exist, however, in this research, it was used to deliver plasmid into plant tissues. The aim of this research is to establish an optimum electroporation protocol for delivering genes into oil palm calli. Electric field strength of 250, 500, 750, 1,000, and 1,250 V/cm were applied for oil palm calli electroporation. Transient GUS assay was not applicable for initial detection presumably due to oil palm endogenous GUS-like protein activity after electroporation. Delivered gene could be detected in survived calli from all tested electric field strength treatments and the highest calli growth rates were observed from 250 V/cm electroporation treatment. Overall results showed that electroporation could be used to deliver specific genes into oil palm calli and might be developed further to increase its efficiency.


The advantages of a multicenter trial can easily be lost if results from individual centers cannot be safely combined for statistical analysis. One objective of the Kroc Study was to develop methods that would allow valid amalgamation of results from laboratories at the six clinical centers and a central biochemical laboratory at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Responsibilities of the local laboratories, in addition to measurement of plasma glucose, creatinine, and glycosylated hemoglobin, were to obtain and prepare samples for measurement of plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and serum lipids at the central laboratory, of C-peptide at the University of Chicago, and to collect and prepare samples for measurement of urinary albumin excretion at Guy's Hospital. The central laboratory was additionally to provide a system to ensure the comparability of plasma glucose determinations between and within centers, and to advise on common procedures for sample handling. Major problems were encountered with sample labeling, dispatch, and transport to the central laboratory. Although central determinations of plasma glucose and serum lipids were still possible in transported specimens, central assay of glycosylated hemoglobin proved inaccurate and useless. Compliance with the plasma glucose quality control program was variable among centers. Although the difference between the centers recording the highest and lowest values was 24.6% of the mean estimate of plasma glucose level, correlation between local and central plasma glucose determinations was good (r = 0.99, see pages 22–26). From this experience, we suggest that for satisfactory performance of a multicenter trial an individual is given responsibility for coordinating efforts between laboratories, supervising and auditing local procedures of sample preparation and quality control, and ensuring adequate communication between the central laboratory, local centers, and the data collation center. A biochemist at each local laboratory should in turn be personally responsible for the specimens generated by each experiment, and preparation and dispatch of samples to the central laboratory. Duplication of assays of critical variables, namely at local and central laboratories, is recommended. Blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin assays should be by a single method using one type of instrument, the methods chosen being selected by their ability to produce reliable and comparable results in different hands. These measures should minimize the likelihood of loss of critical information due to poor sample management, and the variability inherent in the combined use of biochemical data derived from multiple laboratories.


In her article Isabelle Doucet discusses the recent exhibition 'A Vision for Brussels: Imagining the Capital of Europe', curated by Pier Vittorio Aureli and Joachim Declerck from the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, at the BOZAR Centre of Fine Arts in Brussels. Rather than discussing the exhibition as such, she re-positions it within the broader context of recent as well as concurrent contributions to the Brussels debate. By doing so, she treats the exhibition and its accompanying publication as the departure point for a reflection on how Brussels reflects on Brussels. She relates the exhibition to some 'brand new' attempts to provide a strong vision for this European Capital: two new journals about 'planning the capital' and another Europe-in-Brussels exhibition. However, while she argues that 'A Vision for Brussels' aims to formulate a vision for the architectural discipline too, she questions whether 'A Vision for Brussels' produces a 'vision' for the city, a full-blown 'project' for Brussels and/or a 'solution' to the crisis of architecture and the city as well. In other words, who is leading the show in the exhibition: Brussels, Europe or the architecture and urban design disciplines?


Introduction: De novo or acquired resistance to endocrine therapy limits its utility in a significant number of estrogen receptor (ER) breast cancers. An increasing number of molecular assays predict the likelihood of distant recurrence in tamoxifen-treated patients with node-negative, ER+ breast cancer. However, these do not provide the mechanistic basis for endocrine resistance. It is crucial to identify novel targets and improve the success of endocrine therapies. We previously shown that epithelial splicing regulatory proteins 1 and 2 (ESRP1 and ESRP2), RNA binding proteins that promote splicing, are significantly elevated in cases with high Oncotype DX scores (innate resistance) and in ERα-positive cells with acquired tamoxifen resistance (MCF-7 LCC2 cells) and fulvestrant and tamoxifen resistance (MCF-7/LCC9 cells). The aim of this study was to investigate the ESRP1/ESRP2-regulated alternative splicing events leading to innate and acquired endocrine resistance. Methods: A combinatorial bioinformatics approach was employed to identify genes altered through alternative splicing by ESRP1/ESRP2 in endocrine resistance. Briefly, genes with ESRP1/ESRP2 motifs were screened in the human genome. This data was integrated with tamoxifen-treated datasets, and filtered using protein-protein interactions (PPI; BIOGRID) and clinical outcome (KM plotter. Potential target gene transcripts were further narrowed down using an algorithm based on motif binding location and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) breast cancer datasets with low and high ESRP1 cases. The alternative transcripts were further validated using splice variant specific-custom qRT-PCR in low and high RS Oncotype cases as surrogate for endocrine sensitivity and resistance. Results: Motif analysis in combination with tamoxifen-treated datasets identified 2212 differentially expressed genes. Further collective analysis of number of PPI (>50) and survival data from KM plotter (P Conclusion: ESRP1/ESRP2 by inducing alternative splicing play an important role in tamoxifen resistance and recurrence of ER+ breast cancer. Targeting alternative splicing may offer novel avenues for combating endocrine-resistance in breast cancer. Citation Format: Yesim Gokmen-Polar, Yaseswini Neelamraju, Chirayu Pankaj Goswami, Harikrishna Nakshatri, Sarath Chandra Janga, Sunil Badve. ESRP1 adds sp(l)ice to endocrine resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-05-20.


The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), or sedimentation rate (sed rate), is a measure of the settling of red blood cells in a tube of blood during one hour. The rate is an indication of inflammation and increases in many diseases. Westergreen method is routinely used determination of ESR, however, it requires large volume of blood and it is time consuming as it takes one hour for analysis. In order to overcome these challenges, new technologies have implemented an automated system which saves on labour, no need for aliquots, shorter turnaround time and minimizes exposures of laboratory staff to biohazard risks. The main objective of this study was to compare Westergreen method and automated IRIA analyzer in determination of ESR. The specific objectives were to determine the ESR using both Westergreen tube method and automated IRIA analyzer and to determine the correlation between Westergreen tube method and automated IRIA analyzer methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 205 blood samples at Polyclinique La Medicale from August 2017 to April 2018. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 21. The current Original Research Article Niyibizi et al.; AHRJ, 1(4): 1-6, 2018; Article no.AHRJ.45295 2 study included a total of 205 participants 123 (60%) females and 82 (40%) males. For a total of 205 participants, the normal tests on westergren method were 142 (69.3%) and abnormal tests were 63 (30.7%), whereas for automated IRIA ESR analyzer, 131 (63.9%) were normal and 74 (36.1%) tested abnormal. There was a strong correlation between automated IRIA ESR analyzer and Westergreen method with r=0.9. The authors recommend that IRIA ESR analyzer should be used in determining ESR due to its advantages over Westergreen method.


The study was carried out to determine the fungal species affecting the leaves of different pepper varieties in Dutsinma Town, Katsina State. The three pepper varieties studies were Capsicum chinense, C. frutescens L. and C. annum L. A total of twenty seventy (27) samples were collected, 9 each of the three different pepper variety from three fungi devastated farms in the study area. Samples of leaves from the collected pepper varieties were separately chopped up into smaller bits using flame-sterilized scalpel and following standard procedures, they were transferred into prepared PDA plates to which streptomycin (0.2% final concentration) has been added to suppress bacterial growth. The fungal colonies that emerged were continuously sub-cultured in order to obtain a pure culture of the fungal isolates. Isolated fungi were identified based on colony and morphological characteristics such as colour, shape and type of spores observed with the microscope. The fungal species isolated were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigates, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Penicillium corylophilum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Verticillium spp. some of these species were reported to have caused various diseases in pepper and other plants species which include soft rotting, damping-off, wilting and general spoilage. Efforts were recommended to alert growers in this area, and similar places on the need to safeguard their pepper plants against fungal infections.


Using a polyacrylamide gel method, a series of LaSrCo0.9B'0.1O4 (B'= Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu) mixed oxides were prepared and their catalytic activity was studied with CO and C3H8 oxidations as a testing reaction. The results show that the specific effects of B' ions on CO and C3H8 oxidations depend on their category. In comparison to LaSrCoO4 catalyst, the activity of LaSrCo0.9Ni0.1O4 catalyst for CO and C3H8 oxidations is higher, while only lower activity is obtained for Mn, Fe or Cu-doped catalysts. The information derived from TPD, XRD and iodometry experiments shows that the increase in oxidation activity of LaSrCo0.9Ni0.1O4 catalyst towards CO and C3H8 oxidation can be related to the increases in O2-adsorption quantity, CO2-desorption quantity, oxygen vacancies and lattice distortion due to the adulteration of nickel. Further investigation shows that the apparent activation energy of LaSrCo0.9Ni0.1O4 towards CO oxidation is lower than that of LaSrCoO4.


W: Quantitation of myocardial infarct size with Tc-99m pyrophosphate and correlation between myocardial CPK depletion and radionuclide uptake. (abstr) J Nucl Med 16: 369, 1975 33. Kjekshus JK, Sobel BE: Depressed myocardial creatine phosphokinase activity following experimental myocardial infarction in the rabbit. Circ Res 27: 403, 1970 34. Willerson JT, Parkey RW, Harris RA Jr, Bonte FJ, Stokely EM, Buja LM: Sizing acute myocardial infarction utilizing technetium stannous pyrophosphate myocardial scintigrams in dogs and man. (abstr) Clin Res 23: 214A, 1975 35. Coleman RE, Klein MS, Ahmed SA, Roberts R, Sobel BE: Improved detection of myocardial infarction with Tc-99m(Sn) pyrophosphate and serum MB CPK. (abstr) J Nucl Med 16: 521, 1975 36. Bruno F, Cobb FR, Rivas F, Bache RJ, Goodrich JK: Sequential 9Tc pyrophosphate imaging of acute myocardial infarction in awake dogs. Circulation 50 (suppl III): 111-104, 1974


Assessment for learning (AfL) has been touted as one of the most promising pedagogical approaches for enhancing student learning. Research suggests that engaging students in AfL helps to improve their achievement, develop metacognition and support motivated learning and positive self-perceptions. However, despite these promises, there have been notable barriers impeding teachers' use of AfL in their classrooms. Time and class sizes; conceptual confusions related to AfL; perceived misalignment between system priorities and classroom assessment practices; and a lack of effective models for professional development on assessment have all been cited as critical challenges in promoting the implementation of AfL in classrooms. Given these challenges, in this paper we ask: What would it take to make AfL integration possible and practical within the current context of education? In response to this question, we assert the benefits of using contemporary approaches to teacher professional learning that explicitly address gaps and challenges in AfL implementation. Further, we provide grounding for a programme of research in developing teachers' assessment capacity by first summarising challenges to the integration of AfL and then exploring potential directions for professional learning in this area...


Over a wide range of brightness of the adapting field, for different color combinations of stimulus and adapting field, contrast thresholds for moving point sources are measured, as a function of the length of the covered track, for different exposure times. When the brightness B of the adapting field does not exceed certain limits, the experimental results agree with the quantum theory of vision, when the known behavior of the summative properties of the retina is taken into account. For backgrounds with high brightness level, deviations from this description occur. These deviations are probably due to increasing saturation of the activated nerve fibers and decrease of the concentration of rhodopsin with increasing brightness of the adapting field. The importance of these effects differs for stimuli of various lengths and exposure times.


ABSTRACT Bacterial infections are major causes of human mortality. The activation of coagulation pathways leading to the deposition of insoluble fibrin frequently accompanies bacterial infection, and much attention has focused upon the pathological attributes of infection-stimulated fibrin deposition. Nevertheless, here we present conclusive evidence that infection-stimulated fibrin deposition can perform critical protective functions during bacterial infection. Specifically, we demonstrate that coagulation-impaired fibrin(ogen)-deficient mice, in comparison with genetically matched control mice, display increased mortality upon peritoneal infection with the gram-positive facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. To distinguish effects of fibrinogen from those of fibrin, we treat wild-type mice with warfarin, an anticoagulant that suppresses fibrin formation without impacting fibrinogen levels. Warfarin treatment exacerbates listeriosis, suggesting that fibrin is the key mediator of protection. With regard to the underlying protective mechanisms, we demonstrate that fibrin(ogen) suppresses anemia, reduces hemorrhagic pathology, and limits bacterial growth during listeriosis. Despite confirming a prior report that fibrin(ogen) promotes the peritoneal clearance of the extracellular bacterium Staphylococcal aureus, we demonstrate that fibrin(ogen) plays little role in controlling peritoneal numbers of L. monocytogenes bacteria or the dissemination of L. monocytogenes bacteria from the peritoneal cavity. Rather, fibrin(ogen) primarily limits the growth of these intracellular bacteria within hepatic tissue. While the pathological potential of excessive infection-stimulated fibrin deposition is well appreciated, our findings reveal that fibrin can function protectively, via multiple mechanisms, during bacterial infection.


Historically, the traceability of the laboratory calibration of Earth-observing satellite instruments to a primary radiometric reference scale (SI units) is the responsibility of each instrument builder. For the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS), a program has been developed using laboratory transfer radiometers, each with its own traceability to the primary radiance scale of a national metrology laboratory, to independently validate the radiances assigned to the laboratory sources of the instrument builders. The EOS Project Science Office also developed a validation program for the measurement of onboard diffuse reflecting plaques, which are also used as radiometric standards for Earth-observing satellite instruments. Summarized results of these validation campaigns, with an emphasis on the current state-of-the-art uncertainties in laboratory radiometric standards, will be presented. Future mission uncertainty requirements, and possible enhancements to the EOS validation program to ensure that those uncertainties can be met, will be presented.


Despite their common core in statistics, insurance and epidemiology propel two different forms of solidarity. In insurance, the collective is a source of protection, thanks to the pooling of risks; in epidemics by contrast, the group remains the source of danger for the individual. The aim of this paper is to highlight the conceptions of community and solidarity at play in epidemics in contradistinction to insurance, with a focus on the shift introduced by big data and algorithms. Paradoxically, while the new technologies and epidemiology share a common view on the relation between the individual and the collective, tracing apps were not widely adopted in the Covid-19 crisis. This reluctance to use current technologies for the sake of epidemic containments highlights, beyond legitimate interrogations, a confusion between two imaginaries of the social: insurance solidarity where the interdependence is a source of rights, and epidemic solidarity that imposes duties.


A mechanical polishing process was used to reduce surface roughness through mechanical fracturing and removal of the substrate's roughened regions. It was thus necessary to understand the effect of grain size and morphology on the material removal mechanisms of silicon wafers by stepwise polishing using a fixed abrasive pad. A hybrid process combining the optimized silicon polishing recipe for rapid roughness reduction with a micro-sized diamond, and then polishing using a nano-sized diamond to produce a final finished surface, may be the optimum approach. The best result using the hybrid polishing process was the surface roughness (Ra) value of 3.32 nm.


This report documents the national summit meeting of digital humanities centers and major funders, which took place on April 12th and 13th at NEH headquarters, in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the meeting was to take seriously the ACLS Cyberinfrastructure Commission's call for digital humanities centers to become key nodes of cyberinfrastructure in the United States. The summit was especially concerned with assessing the value of and the desire for greater collaboration and communication among the centers; among the funders; and between both groups. The NEH and the summit steering committee invited participants from a representative group and range of 17 digital humanities centers, as well as 14 key funders of the field, including NEH, Mellon, NSF, IMLS, ACLS, the Getty, and the Luce, Macarthur, and Sloane Foundations, plus two representatives from Google.


Decay heat is a crucial issue for in-core safety after reactor shutdown and the back-end cycle. An accurate computation of its value has been carried out at the CEA within the framework of the DARWIN2.3 package. The DARWIN2.3 package benefits from a Verification, Validation and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) process. The VVUQ ensures that the parameters of interest computed with the DARWIN2.3 package have been validated over measurements and that biases and uncertainties have been quantified for a particular domain. For the parameter "decay heat", there are few integral experiments available to ensure the experimental validation over the whole range of parameters needed to cover the French reactor infrastructure (fissile content, burnup, fuel, cooling time). The experimental validation currently covers PWR UOX fuels for cooling times only between 45 minutes and 42 days, and between 13 and 23 years. Therefore, the uncertainty quantification step is of paramount importance in order to increase the reliability and accuracy of decay heat calculations. This paper focuses on the strategy that could be used to resolve this issue with the complement and the exploitation of the DARWIN2.3 experimental validation.


In this paper, we present a solution to the frictionless multiple impact problems that may arise in the rocking blocks. We use an approach based on the impulse–momentum methods, the energetic coefficient of restitution and the impulse correlation ratio. Subsequently, we present the results of an experimental study that is used to compare the results predicted by the proposed method with the experimental outcomes.


The impact of projected Arctic sea ice loss on the stratosphere is investigated using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), a state-of-the-art coupled chemistry climate model. Two 91-year simulations are conducted: one with a repeating seasonal cycle of Arctic sea ice for the late twentieth-century, taken from the fully coupled WACCM historical run; the other with Arctic sea ice for the late twenty-first century, obtained from the fully coupled WACCM RCP8.5 run. In response to Arctic sea ice loss, polar cap stratospheric ozone decreases by 13 DU (34 DU at the North Pole) in spring, confirming the results of Scinocca et al (2009 Geophys. Res. Lett. 36 L24701). The ozone loss is dynamically initiated in March by a suppression of upward-propagating planetary waves, possibly related to the destructive interference between the forced wave number 1 and its climatology. The diminished upward wave propagation, in turn, weakens the Brewer–Dobson circulation at high latitudes, strengthens the polar vortex, and cools the polar stratosphere. The ozone reduction persists until the polar vortex breaks down in late spring.


In model-driven engineering (MDE), models constitute the main de- velopment artifacts. As a consequence, their quality significantly affects the qual- ity of the final product. Thus, adequate techniques are required for ensuring the quality of models. We present a testing framework, comprising a test specification language and an interpreter, for validating the functional correctness of UML ac- tivities. For this purpose, we utilize the executability of a subset of UML provided by the fUML standard. As UML activities are employed for different purposes, from high-level process specifications to low-level object manipulations, the pro- posed testing framework not only allows to validate the correctness in terms of input/output relations, but also supports testing intermediate results, as well as the execution order of activity nodes. First experiments indicate that the proposed testing framework is useful for ensuring the correct behavior of fUML activities.


The Hierarchical Conditional Random Field (HCRF) model have been successfully applied to a num- ber of image labeling problems, including image segmenta- tion. However, existing HCRF models of image segmenta- tion do not allow multiple classes to be assigned to a single region, which limits their ability to incorporate contextual information across multiple scales. At higher scales in the image, this representation yields an oversimplified model since multiple classes can be reasonably expected to appear within large regions. This simplified model particularly lim- its the impact of information at higher scales. Since class- label information at these scales is usually more reliable than at lower, noisier scales, neglecting this information is undesirable. To address these issues, we propose a new con- sistency potential for image labeling problems, which we call the harmony potential. It can encode any possible com- bination of labels, penalizing only unlikely combinations of classes. We also propose an effective sampling strategy over this expanded label set that renders tractable the underlying optimization problem. Our approach obtains state-of-the- art results on two challenging, standard benchmark datasets


Open innovation and the recent emphasis on client involvement imply the emergence of hybrid software licensing models combining the limited openness of source code with traditional value appropriation logic. A practical hybrid licensing model responds to the needs of both business-to-business software vendors in vertical domains and consultancies that must maintain separate quasi-products. The central idea is that the vendor of commoditized products also licenses source code to select clients, who become participants in and subscribers to an ongoing closed development community. The tools and techniques are readily available from open source development, but the motivations and relationship management work differently than in a pure open source context.


Basic proteins are able to control the intracellular metabolism of ascorbic acid in human erythrocytes. The stimulating effect of ascorbic acid expressed by means of cellular peroxidase reactions of intact erythrocytes depends on the ascorbic acid and basic protein concentrations as well as on the structure of the histone molecule. Leukocyte and calf thymus histones can stimulate the intracellular metabolism of ascorbic acid in human erythrocytes, in contrast to the protamines which show an inhibitory effect in the above mentioned intracellular peroxidase metabolic system.


Soliciting answers from online users is an efficient and effective solution to many challenging tasks. Due to the variety in the quality of users, it is important to infer their ability to provide correct answers during aggregation. Therefore, truth discovery methods can be used to automatically capture the user quality and aggregate user-contributed answers via a weighted combination. Despite the fact that truth discovery is an effective tool for answer aggregation, existing work falls short of the protection towards the privacy of participating users. To fill this gap, we propose perturbation-based mechanisms that provide users with privacy guarantees and maintain the accuracy of aggregated answers. We first present a one-layer mechanism, in which all the users adopt the same probability to perturb their answers. Aggregation is then conducted on perturbed answers but the aggregation accuracy could drop accordingly. To improve the utility, a two-layer mechanism is proposed where users are allowed to sample their own probabilities from a hyper distribution. We theoretically compare the one-layer and two-layer mechanisms, and prove that they provide the same privacy guarantee while the two-layer mechanism delivers better utility. This advantage is brought by the fact that the two-layer mechanism can utilize the estimated user quality information from truth discovery to reduce the accuracy loss caused by perturbation, which is confirmed by experimental results on real-world datasets. Experimental results also demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed two-layer mechanism in privacy protection with tolerable accuracy loss in aggregation.


This article responds to "Taking the Work System Theory Forward" (Niederman and March, 2014), a JAIS research perspective article about an article on work system theory (Alter, 2013e). The research perspective article recognizes value in the work system approach, suggests that WST is not a proper theory, and suggests areas for related theory development. After summarizing the main ideas in WST, this article explains disagreements between Niederman and March (2014) and Alter (2013e), hereafter called N&M and the WST article, regarding what WST is and what WST should become. It notes that N&M interprets basic ideas in WST differently than those ideas were defined in the WST article. It notes that N&M's critique of WST is anchored in issues about the nature of theory, especially a preference for Gregor's Type 4 theory. It explains that WST is a special case of general system theory, and as such should not and cannot take the form of a theory that expresses relationships between independent variables, moderating variables, and dependent variables. Next it explains why the WST article called WST a theory when it might have been called something else, and also why the development of WSM was not treated as a design science research project. The concluding section responds directly to N&M's title, "Taking the Work System Theory Forward" by explaining that WST is becoming a platform for applications and extensions in IS and within and across a number of disciplines. It illustrates that view using examples under five categories.


Rationale: Little direction exists on how to integrate early palliative care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives: We sought to identify patient and family caregiver early palliative care needs across stages of COPD severity. Methods: As part of the Medical Research Council Framework developmental phase for intervention development, we conducted a formative evaluation of patients with moderate to very severe COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV 1 ]/FVC , 70% and FEV 1 , 80%-predicted) and their family caregivers. Validated surveys on quality of life, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and social isolation quanti fi ed symptom severity. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed for major themes on early palliative care and needs in patients and family caregivers and across COPD severity stages. Results: Patients ( n =10) were a mean ( 6 SD) age of 60.4 ( 6 7.5) years, 50% African American, and 70% male, with 30% having moderate COPD, 30% severe COPD, and 40% very severe COPD. Family caregivers ( n =10) were a mean age of 58.3 ( 6 8.7) years, 40% African American, and 10% male. Overall, 30% ( n =6) of participants had poor quality of life, 45% ( n =9) had moderate – severe anxiety symptoms, 25% ( n =5) had moderate – severe depressive symptoms, and 40% ( n =8) reported social isolation. Only 30% had heard of palliative care, and most participants had misconceptions that palliative care was end-of-life care. All participants responded positively to a standardized description of early palliative care and were receptive to its integration as early as moderate stage. Five broad themes of early palliative care needs emerged: 1 ) coping with COPD; 2 ) emotional symptoms; 3 ) respiratory symptoms; 4 ) illness understanding; and 5 )prognosticawareness.CopingwithCOPDandemotionalsymptoms were commonly shared early palliative care needs. Patients with very severe COPD and their family caregivers prioritized illness understanding and prognostic awareness compared with those with moderate – severe COPD. Conclusions: Patients with moderate to very severe COPD and their family caregivers found early palliative care acceptable and felt it should be integrated before end-stage. Of the fi ve broad themes of early palliative care needs, coping with COPD and emotional symptoms were the highest priority, followed by respiratory symptoms, illness understanding, and prognostic awareness.


The study aims to investigate the initial public offering's (IPO) lock-up provision and its effects on price changes, trading volume and bid-ask spread around the lock-up expiry date. The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) is investigated in relation to the lock-up provision by using the event study methodology and comparison period returns approach (CPRA). The sample comprises 379 IPO companies, issued from January 2001 to December 2011. Both techniques support the semi-strong form of EMH for IPO market and all trading boards, as there is no detection of abnormal returns in price. In addition, total number of existing and new institutional and individual shareholders that bought shares and came in as substantial shareholders is more than the existing institutional and individual shareholders that sold their shares during lock-up expiration, and most of them have a significant cumulative average abnormal returns (CAARs). However, all these significant CAARs did not lead to a significant abnormal returns for all trading boards and IPO market. The results are the same as European findings, but contradict most US studies. On the other hand, the result of the event study methodology and CPRA shows a positive abnormal trading volume at lock-up expiry date for IPO market and buy and sale by institutional and individual shareholders, except for the ACE Market, which is negative. Insider trading activity sends noticeable signals for the investors as the lack of confidence of insiders about the futures' prospects, motivates sales of stocks after the expiration. In addition, high trading volume at and around the lock-up expiration is compatible with shareholders' selling due to the diversification reasons and wealth recognition. As seen, these increases in trading volume cannot be a strong driver for price change at and around expiration. The event study methodology does not show a significant difference in the abnormal relative spread through the IPO market, different boards and sectors at the expiry date. On the other hand, the average abnormal spread for IPO market, MESDAQ and Main Market during the event window (-7, +7) is significantly different from unity for the event study methodology. However, the results of CPRA methodology for the abnormal spread contradict the event study methodology. CPRA's result shows a mean daily spread for IPO market and different boards separately. The wider spread associated with the first lock-up expiry is likely to be imposed by market makers who are concerned with trading against the informed insiders. The analysis of buy and sell of substantial shareholders (individual and institutional) during the lock-up expiration shows an increase in average abnormal spread and mean daily spread (MDS) (CPRA methodology) for all categories. This significant increase in abnormal spread of mentioned categories shows information asymmetries between insiders and market makers (outsiders) that can be a strong driver for the significant change in abnormal spread of IPO market. On the other hand, market makers are forced to increase the spread to protect themselves from loss against liquidity or informed traders. The increase in trading costs in the shape of wider bid-ask spread reduces the interest of the stocks. However, bid-ask spread is used as the reward to the market maker for bearing the risk, and as an indicator of the amount of activity in the market. In this case, policy makers must propose strategies to monitor insiders' activities during the lock-up period.


The Neem plant has a history for treating gum and teeth problems and this plant is used for oral care in India. The active component (Azadirachta indica) has been proven to exhibit antibacterial properties. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of different concentrations of Neem leaves extract on the inhibition of Streptococcus mutans. Neem leaves extract at concentrations of 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% was prepared. Fifty milliliters of each concentration were dropped into holes of 6 millimeters in diameter on a MHA agar that has been inoculated with Streptococcus mutans. Distilled water was used as a control. After 24 hours of incubation, the inhibition diameters were measured and analyzed. The statistical results of the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) illustrated that the different concentrations of Neem extract had a significant influence on the inhibition of Streptococcus mutans. This was followed with the Least Significant Difference (LSD) which implied that there were significant differences between all the concentrations of Neem leaves extract used in this experiment. The conclusion of this study was that Neem leaves extract exhibited antibacterial effect towards Streptococcus mutans and different concentration of Neem leaves extract influenced the inhibition of Streptococcus mutans.


This paper addresses the applicability of classical Human Computer Interaction (HCI) methods to design usable interfaces to geographic information and the question for a need of specific methods taking into account the characteristics of spatial data. Based on design guidelines three prototypes of a user interface to an information platform for natural hazards were designed and evaluated in an experiment using standard usability evaluation methods and eye movement recordings. The results show that the design solution for an interface with a balance of thematic navigation inside a tree and mapbased, spatial navigation scored best. It is therefore suggested to harness a combination of HCI methods and an independent design theory for spatial applications to develop usable geographic information interfaces.


Video communication within a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) has the potential to be of considerable benefit in an urban emergency, as it allows emergency vehicles approaching the scene to better understand the nature of the emergency. However, the lack of centralized routing and network resource management within a VANET is an impediment to video streaming. To overcome these problems the paper pioneers source-coding techniques for VANET video streaming. The paper firstly investigates two practical multiple-path schemes, Video Redundancy Coding (VRC) and the H.264/AVC codec's redundant frames. The VRC scheme is reinforced by gradual decoder refresh to improve the delivered video quality. Evaluation shows that multiple-path 'redundant frames' achieves acceptable video quality at some destinations, whereas VRC is insufficient. The paper also demonstrates a third source coding scheme, single-path streaming with Flexible Macroblock Ordering, which is also capable of delivery of reasonable quality video. Therefore, video communication between vehicles is indeed shown to be feasible in an urban emergency if the suitable source coding techniques are selected.


Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) often define protocols -- restrictions on the order of client calls to API methods. API protocols are common and difficult to use, which has generated tremendous research effort in alternative specification, implementation, and verification techniques. However, little is understood about the barriers programmers face when using these APIs, and therefore the research effort may be misdirected. To understand these barriers better, we perform a two-part qualitative study. First, we study developer forums to identify problems that developers have with protocols. Second, we perform a think-aloud observational study, in which we systematically observe professional programmers struggle with these same problems to get more detail on the nature of their struggles and how they use available resources. In our observations, programmer time was spent primarily on four types of searches of the protocol state space. These observations suggest protocol-targeted tools, languages, and verification techniques will be most effective if they enable programmers to efficiently perform state search.


In this contribution we focus on the interlinkages between participatory knowledge production and sustainability transformations by proposing an empirical enquiry into transdisciplinary (TD) research projects. With hindsight to (un)sustainability the limitations of knowledge production within the exclusive realms of science have become manifest in malfunctioning feedback between science and political action. In reaction, claims have been made that scientific inquiry along clear-cut boundaries between scientific knowledge production and the societal usage thereof is not sufficient for managing complex socio-ecological systems. TD, aiming at integrating diverse forms of expertise, has emerged as a key notion in this quest for more 'robust' knowledge. The core assumption is that the participation of a wider set of societal actors enhances the impact of research and facilitates transformations. These high expectations associated with TD notwithstanding, fairly little is known about the link between participation in and societal impact of TD research. In this presentation we address this relationship between participation and societal impact of sustainability research. We investigate (i) which factors constitute different practices of participation, (ii) how both scientific and non-scientific actors in TD projects establish the link between participation practices and envisaged impact of their projects and (iii) how they weight the importance of participation practices as compared to other factors influencing societal impacts. Empirically we rely on our accompanying research of a major funding programme in the field of sustainability research. We present results from qualitative analyses of several research projects, which differ with regard to (i) goals, (ii) expected societal impact and (iii) type of participation. We provide insights into how both scientific and non-scientific actors in TD projects conceive of and perceive participation as a factor on the pathway to societal change. Upon that basis we present a tentative analytical framework sensitive to diverse participatory processes and different types of potential impacts they are associated with.


Dispute resolution experts have much to offer local leaders during a time of national division. They can provide ways for these leaders to: preserve and build trust, take advantage of the energy underlying protest to help the community deal over the long term with root causes of the concerns that residents raise, and prepare the community by making it more resilient and ready to deal with a divisive incident or conflict. In creating and using a "virtual toolkit" of resources for assisting local officials, several strategies emerged that will help dispute resolution experts reach these leaders. The strategies include: ask other local leaders to transform the dispute resolution practices into leader-to-leader counsel, omit alternative dispute resolution (ADR) jargon, fit leaders' schedules, offer an engaging format that might be a change of pace for leaders, educate for discovery so that local leaders can tailor the concepts to local situations, and conduct the conversations quietly.


INTRODUCTION
Informed consent, as the declaration of patients' will, forms the basis of legality of medical procedures. A standard form based on the Department of Health model is widely used in the National Health Service (NHS). The aim of this audit process was to assess the current consent practice in comparison to the UK's General Medical Council guidance and local policy and make any appropriate improvements.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
254 adult consent forms were reviewed during the patients' admission. Data collected included legible documentation, grade of health professional completing the consent form, providing additional written information, use of abbreviations, securing the consent form in the medical records and, providing a copy to the patient. After initial assessment, interventions in an attempt to improve adherence to guidelines were introduced. A repeat audit of a further set of 110 notes was completed to assess the effectiveness of our interventions.

RESULTS
Our baseline assessment of 254 consent forms comprised of 198 (78%) elective and 56 (22%) emergency procedures. 87 (34%) consent forms were secure in the medical records. Grade of health professional was recorded in 211 (83%). 191 (75%) forms were legible. 48 (19%) patients were given copy of the consent. Only 24 (9%) patients were given additional written information. Abbreviations were used in 68 (27%) forms. Only 12 (5%) of consent forms met all criteria simultaneously. Re-audit after intervention assessed 110 consent forms; 30 (27%) for elective and 80 (72%) for emergency procedures. 52 (47%) of consent forms were secure in medical records, grade of health professional was recorded in 94 (85%), 101 (75%) forms were legible, 42 (38%) patients received copy of consent and 41 (37%) of patients received additional written information.

CONCLUSION
Initially only 5% of consent forms completely met GMC guidelines. This demonstrates an alarmingly poor adherence to such guidance that plays a vital role in patient safety, patient ethics autonomy, not to mention potential medico-legal and clinical governance implications for surgical practice. Our intervention has improved the quality of consenting within our hospital according to these guidelines. With these interventions set to continue and further develop, we expect that the quality of the consenting process will continue to provide patients with all that it is designed to.


Extreme environments such as soda lakes are potential sources of microbes with biotechnological applications in different sectors. This study aimed at isolation, characterization and investigation of antibacterial potential of actinobacteria from Momela Soda Lakes, at Arusha National Park in Tanzania. One hundred and twenty (120) isolates were recovered from soil and water samples using the dilution plate technique. The isolates were morphologically and biochemically characterized, and further, screened for antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion method as well as the micro dilution technique. Cytotoxic effects were determined using the brine shrimp lethality test. Results showed that, all 120 isolates were Gram-positive rod-coccus shaped. Forty-four out of them showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The Streptomyces (101TI) and Dietzia (56BI) strains exhibited exceptionally higher antibacterial activity compared to the rest with inhibition zones of 16.25 and 21.00 mm, respectively. These two strains were toxic against brine shrimp-larvae. Microbacterium (5LI), Hoyosella (113BI), Streptomyces (62BI), Dietzia (117SI), Hoyosella (37SI) and Microbacterium (3BI) strains had low antibacterial and cytotoxic activities. This study therefore revealed that Momela Soda Lakes harbour actinobacteria with antimicrobial potential.
Keywords: Actinobacteria; antimicrobial activity; extremophiles; Momela soda lakes


Exploration of the local chemical space of molecular scaffolds by post-functionalization (PF) is a promising route to discover novel molecules with desired structure and function. PF with rationally chosen substituents based on known electronic and steric properties is a commonly used experimental and computational strategy in screening, design and optimization of catalytic scaffolds. Automated generation of reasonably accurate geometric representations of post-functionalized molecular scaffolds is highly desirable for data-driven applications. However, automated PF of transition metal (TM) complexes remains challenging. In this work a Python-based workflow, ChemSpaX, that is aimed at automating the PF of a given molecular scaffold with special emphasis on TM complexes, is introduced. In three representative applications of ChemSpaX by comparing with DFT and DFT-B calculations, we show that the generated structures have a reasonable quality for use in computational screening applications. Furthermore, we show that ChemSpaX generated geometries can be used in machine learning applications to accurately predict DFT computed HOMO–LUMO gaps for transition metal complexes. ChemSpaX is open-source and aims to bolster and democratize the efforts of the scientific community towards data-driven chemical discovery.


Two nitrifying reactors were operated under the same conditions except that one was twice inoculated with the aerobic denitrifying bacteria Microvirgula aerodenitrificans . The first bioaugmentation induced a transient nitrogen loss. Fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed that the bioaugmented bacteria had been rapidly eaten by protozoa. The second massive inoculation unbalanced the ecosystem and resulted in an overgrowth of protozoa and perturbations of nitrification, whereas both parameters remained stable in the non bioaugmented reactor. To enhance the incorporation of the added bacteria to indigenous flocs, two strategies were then tested. First, coagulating and flocculating substances were added to the reactor just after bioaugmentation and second, the bacteria were embedded in alginate beads before inoculation. The latter strategy gave the best results. After break-up of the beads, alginate fragments, containing microcolonies of M. aerodenitrificans , were found to be incorporated into the existing flocs. Alginate beads offer a temporary protection against grazing and favor the adhesion of the exogenous bacterial microcolonies to the existing flocs. These beads therefore constitute a suitable bioaugmentation vector to incorporate a bacterial strain into activated sludge flocs.


BACKGROUND
Some investigators on receiving queries from Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC), either leave the queries unanswered or withdraw their studies. The present study was conducted to assess the queries raised by two IECs after reviewing studies that were not initiated and to identify reasons for the same. Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) website was checked to review approval status of these studies at other sites.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective analysis of studies (submitted between January 2006 and December 2011) not initiated by investigators on receiving queries from IECs were identified. The nature of of these studies: whether sponsored (pharmaceutical industry (pharma)/government/investigator initiated), single-centre/multi-centric, and queries raised were analyzed. Status of multi-centric trials; not initiated at our site was checked at CTRI. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS
A total of 219/2075 (11%) studies were not initiated. The proportions in pharma sponsored, investigator initiated, and government sponsored were 33%. 7.4%, and 8%, respectively. Out of a total of 1676 queries, the maximum queries were related to ethics (42%) and the least were administrative (7%). The largest proportion of queries in the pharma studies was ethical (47%), whereas majority were scientific queries (45.5%) for the investigator initiated studies. Twenty-one of the 94 multi-centric studies not initiated at our site were found registered at the CTRI and were ongoing or completed at 2-55 sites.

CONCLUSION
Inability of investigators to defend studies due to lack of good clinical research practice (GCP) and research methodology training or unwillingness of sponsors to comply with local IEC requirements could be potential reasons for studies remaining uninitiated. Continued GCP training of investigators and IEC members and development of uniform ethical review standards across IECs are strongly recommended.


Recently, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have been extensively studied due to their promising optical properties with relatively low-cost and simple processing. However, the perovskite solar cells have some low optical absorption in the visible spectrum, especially around the red region. In this paper, an improvement of perovskite solar cell efficiency is studied via simulations through adding plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) at the rear side of the solar cell. The plasmonic resonance wavelength is selected to be very close to the spectrum range of lower absorption of the perovskite: around 600 nm. Both gold and silver nanoparticles (Au and Ag NPs) are selected to introduce the plasmonic effect with diameters above 40 nm, to get an overlap between the plasmonic resonance spectrum and the requested lower absorption spectrum of the perovskite layer. Simulations show the increase in the short circuit current density (Jsc) as a result of adding Au and Ag NPs, respectively. Enhancement in Jsc is observed as the diameter of both Au and Ag NPs is increased beyond 40 nm. Furthermore, there is a slight increase in the reflection loss as the thickness of the plasmonic nanoparticles at the rear side of the solar cell is increased. A significant decrease in the current loss due to transmission is achieved as the size of the nanoparticles increases. As a comparison, slightly higher enhancement in external quantum efficiency (EQE) can be achieved in case of adding Ag NPs rather than Au NPs.


A major aim of the Web service platform is the integration of existing software and information systems. Data integration is a central aspect in this context. Traditional techniques for information and data transformation are, however, not sufficient to provide flexible and automatable data integration solutions for Web service-enabled information systems. The difficulties arise from a high degree of complexity in data structures in many applications and from the additional problem of heterogeneity of data representation in applications that often cross organisational boundaries. The authors present an integration technique that embeds a declarative data transformation technique based on semantic data models as a mediator service into a Web service-oriented information system architecture. Automation through consistencyoriented semantic data models and flexibility through modular declarative data transformations are the key enablers of the approach.


Self-excitation in pulsed duty alternators is utilized to meet energy and power density system requirements. In the eventually fielded system, a small energy source will be pulsed into the field coil to start the excitation process. At this point, power electronics on the ac output of the generator will control the charging of the field coil and invert the field energy safely back into the rotor inertia at the end of the discharge sequence (or in the event of a fault). A static rectifier was used in the selfexcitation process in the laboratory testing of a subscale prototype compulsator. Without control of this bridge, a simple cost effective method was devised to terminate the excitation process safely at the end of a generator discharge sequence or in the event of a fault. To safely dissipate the field energy an explosive opening switch in parallel with a resistive element was placed in series with the bridge output and field coil. On command, the opening switch would commutate current into the resistive element properly sized to terminate the excitation process and with sufficient thermal mass to dissipate the field coil energy. The test program for the compulsator was designed to increment the self-excitation current in small steps in the commissioning of the system. Near the end of the test program, it was observed that the opening switch was having difficulty commutating the current into the inductance of the dissipation resistor. A shunt capacitor was sized to limit the commutation voltage and allow the opening switch plasma time to extinguish before large voltage developed across the resistive element. This paper presents information on the sizing of the resistor and capacitor and test data on its performance in the compulsator self-excitation circuit. This work is important because future systems under the control of active power converters will still require a fail-safe element to dissipate field energy in the event of a control system fault.


Participation in whitewater kayaking is growing faster than any other outdoor recreational pursuit. With increases in participation, an increase in the number of injuries associated with whitewater kayaking may also become apparent. Overuse injuries are the most prevalent type of injury found in whitewater kayakers. Due the large range of motion and forces that occur through the shoulder while kayaking, the most common injury location is the shoulder. Little scientific inquiry has been performed assessing the kinematics of kayaking and the musculoskeletal attributes of these athletes. Sixteen whitewater kayakers with shoulder pain and sixteen whitewater kayakers without shoulder pain participated in this study. Each subject underwent kinematic and electromyographic analysis of the forward kayak stroke. Additionally, participants underwent clinical examination of shoulder injury, clinical assessment of shoulder and torso range of motion, posterior shoulder tightness assessment, isokinetic strength testing at the shoulder, and a scapular kinematic evaluation during a standardized humeral elevation task.The most common type of injury found was related to overuse. Statistical comparisons occurred between the involved and uninvolved limb in the shoulder pain group and between the involved and uninvolved and matching shoulders in the control group, respectively. Significant differences were found between in involved and uninvolved shoulder for shoulder internal rotation and abduction range of motion. Additional differences were found for these variables between the involved shoulder in the pain group and the matching shoulder in the control group. Kayakers with shoulder pain present with decreased shoulder range of motion on their involved shoulder. Assessment of the specific types of injuries seen in whitewater kayakers should be further evaluated. Additionally, the role of increasing range of motion through injury prevention programs in whitewater kayakers with shoulder pain should be investigated.


Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer related death in both the UK and USA. Development of diagnostic approaches that have the ability to detect lung cancer early are a research priority with potential to improve survival. Analysis of exhaled breath metabolites, or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is an area of considerable interest as it could fulfil such requirements. Numerous studies have shown that VOC profiles are different in the breath of patients with lung cancer compared to healthy individuals or those with non-malignant lung diseases. This review provides a scientific and clinical assessment of the potential value of a breath test in lung cancer. It discusses the current understanding of metabolic pathways that contribute to exhaled VOC production in lung cancer and reviews the research conducted to date. Finally, we highlight important areas for future research and discuss how a breath test could be incorporated into various clinical pathways.


A total of 32 circular-section concrete columns confined by CFRP sheet were tested in uniaxial compression involved in different preload ratio, concrete strength and CFRP plies. The failure characteristic and mechanics behavior of confined concrete columns were presented, and the descending of the peak stress and strain of confined concrete due to preload were analyzed. The experimental results indicated that the confinement effect of CFRP was influenced by preload ratio observably. The second stiffness, the peak stress and strain declined with preload ratio ascending, and the extent developed with the enhancement of CFRP ply.


The time-dependent mixed bioconvection flow of an electrically conducting fluid between two infinite parallel plates in the presence of a magnetic field and a first-order chemical reaction is investigated. The fully coupled nonlinear systems describing the total mass, momentum, thermal energy, mass diffusion, and microorganisms equations are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations via a set of new similarity transformations. The detailed analysis illustrating the influences of various physical parameters such as the magnetic, squeezing, and chemical reaction parameters and the Schmidt and Prandtl numbers on the distributions of temperature and microorganisms as well as the skin friction and the Nusselt number is presented. The conclusion is drawn that the flow field, temperature, and chemical reaction profiles are significantly influenced by magnetic parameter, heat generation/absorption parameter, and chemical parameter. Some examples of potential applications of such bioconvection could be found in pharmaceutical industry, microfluidic devices, microbial enhanced oil recovery, modeling oil, and gas-bearing sedimentary basins.


Introduction: The aim of the current study was to investigate positive thinking in Islamic spirituality and to develop a theoretical model based on Islamic view. Methods: The research method in this study was based on qualitative approach. The study used a content analysis design with a hermeneutic approach to collect and analyze the data. In order to do so, sacred texts especially holy texts (i.e. Quran and Ahl al-Bayt's performance and oral tradition) were reviewed through hermeneutic understanding. Results: Findings demonstrated that positive psychology in Islamic spirituality mostly centers on the following topics: Islamic positive view of human, believing in Divine benevolence, gratitude, Tawakkul, and universal man. Also, based on the attachment theory, positive thinking was interpreted and its applications were explained for individual's thinking about past events, interpretations of present events, and future expectations. Positive thinking in this paradigm was discussed in a way that included individual's relationship with transcendental beings, others, nature, and self. Conclusion: The Islamic approach is very optimistic about human nature and its capacity for growth. It is also optimistic about the relation of human beings with God. The fourfold relational paradigm of positive thinking in Islamic spirituality has been accepted as a base for all relations. Approaching this paradigm and orienting thoughts, feelings, and actions towards this view may be achieved through an ontological gnostic worldview. Keywords: Attachment, Fitrah, Islam, Positive Thinking, Model


Recent work of Bravyi et al. and follow-up work by Bene Watts et al. demonstrates a quantum advantage for shallow circuits: constant-depth quantum circuits can perform a task which constant-depth classical (i.e., 0) circuits cannot. Their results have the advantage that the quantum circuit is fairly practical, and their proofs are free of hardness assumptions (e.g., factoring is classically hard, etc.). Unfortunately, constant-depth classical circuits are too weak to yield a convincing real-world demonstration of quantum advantage. We attempt to hold on to the advantages of the above results, while increasing the power of the classical model. Our main result is a two-round interactive task which is solved by a constant-depth quantum circuit (using only Clifford gates, between neighboring qubits of a 2D grid, with Pauli measurements), but such that any classical solution would necessarily solve -hard problems. This implies a more powerful class of constant-depth classical circuits (e.g., 0[p] for any prime p) unconditionally cannot perform the task. Furthermore, under standard complexity-theoretic conjectures, log-depth circuits and log-space Turing machines cannot perform the task either. Using the same techniques, we prove hardness results for weaker complexity classes under more restrictive circuit topologies. Specifically, we give 0 interactive tasks on 2 × n and 1 × n grids which require classical simulations of power 1 and 0[6], respectively. Moreover, these hardness results are robust to a small constant fraction of error in the classical simulation. We use ideas and techniques from the theory of branching programs, quantum contextuality, measurement-based quantum computation, and Kilian randomization.


Background: Mycoplasma bovis is an important pathogen causing severe disease outbreaks in cattle farms. Since 2011, there has been an apparent increase in M. bovis outbreaks among Danish dairy cattle herds. The dairy cattle industry performed cross-sectional antibody screening for M. bovis on four occasions, using the indirect BIO K 302 M. bovis enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Bio-X, Belgium) in bulk tank milk from all dairy herds between June 2013 and July 2014. The objective of this study was to investigate the evolution of the spatial distribution of M. bovis in the Danish dairy herd population throughout the study period. Repeated bulk tank milk samples were used as a proxy for the herd-level diagnosis. Descriptive and spatial analyses were performed for the four screening rounds. Based on a previous diagnostic test evaluation study, the M. bovis status for each herd was determined as test-positive or test-negative using a cut-off of 50 optical density coefficient %. The spatial global clustering was evaluated through a modified K-function method, and local clusters were identified by scan statistics. Results: The results showed that M. bovis test-positive herds had a dynamic pattern in space. The global clustering analysis showed that M. bovis test-positive herds were spatially correlated in rounds one, three and four. These findings were supported to some extent by the local clustering analysis, which found significant high- and low-risk spatial clusters in rounds one and three in the north and south of the mainland. Conclusion: The clusters with a high risk of observing test-positive herds did not remain between sampling rounds, indicating that M. bovis did not tend to persist upon emergence in dairy herds. In contrast, the clusters with a low risk of observing test-positive herds persisted in the same area throughout the study period.


Background: The usage of insecticide rendered the successful vector control program with the high usage of the pyrethroid. However, the intensive and extensive use of pyrethroid, causing resistance in Aedes aegypti and hampered the control program. Knockdown resistance (kdr) resulting from the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel (vgsc) is one of the mechanisms of resistance in pyrethroid group insecticide. Investigating the phenotypic status of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes is a lead in knowing the current resistance status and as an indicator of the genotypic resistance. In this study, we investigate the resistance in phenotypic and genotypic of Ae. aegypti with a new kdr mutation point, A1007G was detected. Methods: Using the adult bioassay, we tested the phenotypic resistance from the Selangor state against 0.75% permethrin, 0.05% deltamethrin with and without the addition of PBO synergist. Permethrin-resistant and deltamethrin-resistant, including susceptible samples, were subjected to genotyping analysis on mutation point in domain II and domain III of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel (vgsc). Results: Adult bioassay revealed that the Ae. aegypti was highly resistance toward 0.75% permethrin and 0.05% deltamethrin. The bioassay with the presence of PBO synergist showed an increment of mortality rate, but the status of Ae. aegypti is still resistance towards both insecticides. Genotyping result showed that three common kdr mutations (S989P, V1016G, and F1534C) have existed in the Ae. aegypti population. Luckily, a new mutation on A1007G was also detected in this population, and this is the first time reported. Conclusions: This study has brought a piece of information on the current resistance status in Ae. aegypti in Malaysia. The detection of new mutation point of A1007G has added the knowledge on the resistance in mosquitoes. Thus, this study will aid the decision in using the insecticide usage in vector control program before this invaluable insecticide rendered ineffective in killing mosquitoes.


We give a brief introduction to the oxide (ZnO, TiO2, In2O3, SnO2, etc.)-based magnetic semiconductors from fundamental material aspects through fascinating magnetic, transport, and optical properties, particularly at room temperature, to promising device applications. The origin of the observed ferromagnetism is also discussed, with a special focus on first-principles investigations of the exchange interactions between transition metal dopants in oxide-based magnetic semiconductors.


This senior project will provide the reader with a brief background about neutrinos, neutrinoless double beta decay, and the CUORE experiment being constructed in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Assergi, Italy. The remainder of the paper will follow my experience working as an undergraduate researcher at the laboratory during the summer of 2012. It will discuss the process of performing a cool down with the CUORE-0 cryostat as well as quality assurance testing of Teflon spacers to be used in the CUORE towers.


BACKGROUND
Accompanied by significant improvements of modeling techniques and computational methods in medical sciences, the last thirty years saw the flourishing of pharmacokinetic models for applications in the pharmacometric field. In particular, physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models, grounded on a mechanistic foundation, have been applied to explore a multiplicity of aspects with possible applications in patient care and new drugs development, as in the case of siRNA therapies.

METHOD
This article summarizes the features we recently introduced in PBPK modeling within a threeyear research project funded by Italian Research Ministry. Four major points are detailed: (i) the mathematical formulation of the model, which allows modulating its complexity as a function of the administration route and active principle; (ii) a dedicated parameter of the PBPK model quantifies the drugprotein binding, which affects the active principle distribution; (iii) the gall bladder compartment and the bile enterohepatic circulation process; (iv) the coupling of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models to produce an overall understanding of the drug effects on mammalian body.

RESULTS
The proposed model is applied to two separate endovenous (remifentanil) and oral (sorafenib) drug administrations. The resulting PBPK simulations are consistent with the literature experimental data. Blood concentration predictability is confirmed in multiple reference subjects. Furthermore, in case of sorafenib administration in mice, it is possible to evaluate the drug concentration in the liver and reproduce the effects of the enterohepatic circulation. Finally, a preliminary application of the coupling of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models is presented and discussed.


Many cosmetics contain UV filters as active ingredients for skin protection. Homosalate (HMS) is one of the most widely used organic UV filter. Despite the widespread use of these products, data about their genotoxic effects are lacking. Genotoxicity assessment is an important part of biosafety evaluation; therefore, we aimed to investigate genotoxic effects of homosalate as organic UV filter. The cytotoxicity effects of homosalate were assessed by trypan blue exclusion. Homosalate was incubated with four different concentrations for 30 min and 120 min. Our results revealed that HMS increased the DNA migration both the time and concentration manner. DNA damage was higher in cells that had been incubated with the greatest concentration of 200 μg mL-1 (p<0.05). Results obtained by the present study indicate that homosalate would be genotoxic at higher concentration and incubation time. Further studies should be carried out with different test systems (in vivo and in vitro) related to its genotoxic effects and incubation time should be extended. This may be helpful for genotoxicity evaluation of compounds with similar characteristics and their impact of human population.


: Hepatic biopsy of five patients with Gilbert's syndrome was examined at the electron microscopy and only one disclosed incharacteristic alterations. The others were considered normal.


PURPOSE
Mean arterial blood pressure (mean arterial pressure (MAP)) at rest is conventionally estimated as the product of the diastolic pressure plus one-third of the pulse pressure. Since pulse wave forms and the duration of diastole change during exercise, one might question the validity of this prediction equation for the exercise state. Our purpose was to test this by directly measuring blood pressure over a wide range of exercise intensities.

METHODS
Pressure was recorded by arterial catheterization in 29 subjects performing progressive exercise and/or constant-load exercise at different intensities. Actual MAP was measured by integrating the area under the pulse curve and compared it with the value which was predicted from systolic and diastolic measures over heart rates ranging from 100 to 200 beats x min(-1).

RESULTS
Predicted values were quite close to actual MAP, and the accuracy of the prediction equation changed minimally with increased exercise intensity.

CONCLUSION
This method provides a valid estimation of MAP during exercise.


The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of several non-Annex I countries mention agroforestry but mostly without associated mitigation target. The absence of reliable data, including on existing agroforestry practices and their carbon storage, partially constrains the target setting. In this paper, we estimate the mitigation potential of agroforestry carbon sequestration in Vietnam using a nationwide agroforestry database and carbon data from the literature. Sequestered carbon was estimated for existing agroforestry systems and for areas into which these systems can be expanded. Existing agroforestry systems in Vietnam cover over 0.83 million hectares storing a 1346 ± 92 million ton CO2 equivalent including above-, belowground, and soil carbon. These systems could be expanded to an area of 0.93–2.4 million hectares. Of this expansion area, about 10% is considered highly suitable for production, with a carbon sequestration potential of 2.3–44 million ton CO2 equivalent over the period 2021–2030. If neglecting agroforestry's potential for modifying micro-climates, climate change can reduce the highly suitable area of agroforestry and associated carbon by 34–48% in 2050. Agroforestry can greatly contribute to Vietnam's 2021–2030 NDC, for example, to offset the greenhouse gas emissions of the agriculture sector.


National data indicate recent increases in the number of children in foster and kinship care placements. Children in out-of-home placements are at elevated risk for behavioral problems, often stemming from maltreatment or trauma exposure before placement. Behavioral problems are associated with placement disruptions, delinquency, and substance use; long-term data show children with histories of foster and kinship care disproportionately experience these negative outcomes. Thus, research is needed to identify factors that can be targeted in prevention and intervention efforts to improve behavioral health outcomes among this vulnerable population. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic review with the aim of developing a better understanding of the psychosocial factors associated with the behavioral health of children in foster and kinship care. Guided by the PRISMA protocol for systematic reviews, we identified relevant literature through searches of 3 electronic databases: Social Work Abstracts, Social Service Abstracts, and PsycINFO. Criteria for review inclusion were study samples of children in foster or kinship care; studies published between 2010 and 2016; and study focus on behavioral health outcomes, with psychosocial factors as the predictor variables. Studies were evaluated for risk of bias. The final sample included 40 studies, from which we identified almost 50 psychosocial factors associated with the behavioral health of children in foster and kinship care, including the most frequently examined psychosocial factors of caregivers' parenting practices and placement type. Additionally, we found positive psychosocial factors (e.g., positive parenting practices; healthy family functioning) predicted fewer behavioral problems. Practitioners should consider placement types and parenting interventions as a means to reduce problem behaviors. Given the substantial number of racial/ethnic minority samples in the reviewed literature, future research should focus on the direct and indirect influences of race/ethnicity and cultural competencies on children's behavioral health outcomes.


Abstract Multiscale entropy analysis (MSE) is a novel entropy-based approach for measuring dynamical complexity in physiological systems over a range of temporal scales. MSE has been successfully applied in the literature when measuring autism traits, Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia. However, until now, there has been no research on MSE applied to children with dyslexia. In this study, we have applied MSE analysis to the EEG data of an experimental group consisting of children with dyslexia as well as a control group consisting of typically developing children and compared the results. The experimental group comprised 16 participants with dyslexia who visited Ankara University Medical Faculty Child Neurology Department, and the control group comprised 20 age-matched typically developing children with no reading or writing problems. MSE was calculated for one continuous 60-s epoch for each experimental and control group's EEG session data. The experimental group showed significantly lower complexity at the lowest temporal scale and the medium temporal scales than the typically developing group. Moreover, the experimental group received 60 neurofeedback and multi-sensory learning sessions, each lasting 30 min, with Auto Train Brain. Post-treatment, the experimental group's lower complexity increased to the typically developing group's levels at lower and medium temporal scales in all channels.


Information security incidents frequency has been increasing dramatically, the aim of this study is to analyze the state-space reachability problems through the transition of vulnerable status after the inf ormative system vulnerability exposure. In this research we took into consideration the time factor to analyze the arrival time to reacha ble states problem discussed in stochastic Petri nets. The mean arrival time and variance of the process between starting from an initial state and arriving at reachable states. We will therefore elaborate a novel model based on the semi-Markov stochastic Petri nets model for analyzing the period between the exposure of the vulnerability and the completion of its patch. We use the semi-Markov process to analyze the state-space reachability problems of the stochastic Petri nets, resulting in a novel model for software vulnerability patch management. Moreover, we include also the concept of discounted multi-objective semi-Markov decision process to obtain the total of the efficient extreme point set.


As this study is concerned with the noetic process of a pre-literate, oral tradition in eighteenth century Scotland, we are obliged to address that mental economy through residual artifacts which survive in translation as products of a print driven, literary culture. As such, those artifacts have already been engaged to a literary process and, if they are to be subjected here to a further breach of cultural integrity, it is a minimum requirement that we attempt to respect the intellectual and psychological priorities which energise the traditional word.

The central aims of the study are: to establish useful parameters of literary understanding for these residues, to assess the manner of translation through which the original materials were subjected to a literary process and to elucidate the nature of the literary product that they became, as well as that of the literary creativity which they inspired.

With this in mind, our attention is directed initially toward the way in which a traditional text generates meaning for a contemporary, literary audience. The application of oral theory to Scottish traditional poetry and song, in chapter one, aims to propose a literary model of a particular tradition at a critical stage in its development. This model seeks to recognise both the conceptual underpinning of that process and the accumulative feedback that occurs when literary styles and politics infuse and regenerate within the process of transmission and translation to become embedded in the 'oral' artifacts of a culture in transition.

In chapter two we look, in the editorial conflict between creative and conservative mediators, to identify the aesthetic circumstances of that tradition in a transitional culture so as to elucidate the nature of those artifacts as literary products. As a measure of how these competing forces pressurise traditional sources, we engage with the dynamic of cultural negotiation surrounding the authentication of traditional 'texts'. This focuses our attention on the status of the traditional aesthetic within the existing literary critique and the implications that aesthetic conflict held for original, imaginative writing.


H.J. Holtzmann's Die synoptischen Evangelien (1863) is not only regarded as having established Markan priority and the basic contours of the Two Source hypothesis; it also offered a sketch of the life of Jesus based on a Mark-like source that represents a starting point for the so-called 'Liberal Lives of Jesus' which prevailed from 1863 until the early 1900s. Holtzmann's 'Life' portrayed Jesus as an exemplary personality, and posited psychological development in seven stages in the career of Jesus. This essay discusses the intellectual context leading to Holtzmann's book and then offers an annotated English translation of Holtzmann's 'Life of Jesus'. This is Part 2 of a two-part essay.


Conventional robotic systems have proved their versatility in the industry where complex tasks requiring high force, high speed and high precision are desired. However, these rigid-bodied systems cannot collaborate safely with humans. Soft robots which are primarily made of highly compliant materials bring robots and humans together by operating safely in unstructured environments. Soft robots demand dexterous soft actuators that preserve or enhance their softness and safety features. This article reports on modeling, performance quantification, and soft robotic applications of directly three-dimensional (3-D) printed linear soft vacuum actuators (LSOVA), that are manufactured in a single step, using a low-cost and affordable open-source fused deposition modeling 3-D printer. Numerical and experimental results presented show that LSOVA have multiple advantages including high bandwidth (∼6.49 Hz), high output force (∼27 N) and long lifetime (∼21 500 cycles). LSOVA blocked force and linear stroke can be predicted accurately using finite element and analytical models. Furthermore, LSOVA are scalable. The soft actuators can be either assembled in parallel as a bundle, where a linear relationship exists between the number of actuators and the output force or can be scaled up in terms of internal volume where a linear relationship exists between the output force and the internal volume of a single actuator. Finally, LSOVAs were tailored for various robotic applications including soft crawling robots for navigation in tubular systems, soft parallel manipulators for pick and place tasks, soft artificial muscles, soft prosthetic fingers for prosthetic hands, and soft adaptive grippers for gripping applications.


Low utilization of household credit in developing countries may be partially due to religious considerations. In a randomized marketing experiment in Jordan, this paper estimates the effect of sharia-compliant loan features on demand for credit. To comply with Islamic law, the sharia-compliant product uses a bank fee rather than an interest payment structure, while keeping the rest of the product features very similar. Sharia-compliance increased the application rate for loans from 18 percent to 22 percent, an increase in demand that is equivalent to a 10 percent decrease in interest rates. This study also randomly varied the price of the sharia-compliant loan and finds that less religious individuals are twice as elastic with respect to price as the more religious. By comparing reasons for refusal across treatment groups, this paper estimates that survey measures that try to assess the importance of religious objections to conventional credit overestimate the importance of this type of objection by a third.


Context. The imaging and timing properties of {\gamma}-ray emission from electromagnetic cascades initiated by very-high-energy (VHE) {\gamma}-rays in the intergalactic medium depend on the strength B and correlation length {\lambda}B of intergalactic magnetic fields (IGMF). Aims. We study the possibility of measuring both B and {\lambda}B via observations of the cascade emission with {\gamma}-ray telescopes. Methods. For each measurement method, we find two characteristics of the cascade signal, which are sensitive to the IGMF B and {\lambda}B values in different combinations. For the case of IGMF measurement using the observation of extended emission around extragalactic VHE {\gamma}-ray sources, the two characteristics are the slope of the surface brightness profile and the overall size of the cascade source. For the case of IGMF measurement from the time delayed emission, these two characteristics are the initial slope of the cascade emission light curve and the overall duration of the cascade signal. Results. We show that measurement of the slope of the cascade induced extended emission and/or light curve can both potentially provide measure of the IGMF correlation length, provided it lies within the range 10 kpc< {\lambda}B <1 Mpc. For correlation lengths outside this range, gamma-ray observations can provide upper or lower bound on {\lambda}B. The latter of the two methods holds great promise in the near future for providing a measurement/constraint using measurements from present/next-generation {\gamma}-ray-telescopes. Conclusions. Measurement of the IGMF correlation length will provide an important constraint on its origin. In particular, it will enable to distinguish between an IGMF of galactic wind origin from an IGMF of cosmological origin.


Background Critical care can be daunting and intimidating to students. The aim was to provide a safe, realistic session for students to assess an intubated patient, familiarise with surroundings and practice safe handling whilst maintaining patient-centred care. Medical and physiotherapy students worked collaboratively through a clinical scenario. This was explored by a facilitated discussion with an interprofessional faculty. The session ended with peer-led demonstrations of clinical skills relevant to the clinical scenario and often inherent in own professions. This allowed the opportunity to learning from, with and about each other.1 The collaboration of medicine and physiotherapy complimented the problem base learning as each profession had equality in the task, allowing understand of each other's roles, sharing of knowledge and perspectives in critical care environment.2 Description of innovation Creating a realistic critical care environment was achieved using a simulated ward area. A combination of real equipment (mannequins, monitors infusions and catheters) and the use of photos mounted onto boxes (anaesthetic machine, extra pumps) were used. Detail was paid to the surrounding area in the ward by availability of patient notes, charts etc. and around the bed spaces by placing photos of the patient and get well soon cards. This was to simulate the reality of working around patient bed spaces but also to encourage the students to 'see' the patient.3 The final idea to enrich reality was the use of sound. A recording of a critical care unit, complete with alarms, ringing telephones and distant incoherent chattering was played into the room during the session. Conclusion Overall evaluations were positive about the environment and the problem based learning format. Highly rated were the interprofessional approach and the ability to access expert advice from the faculty. The evaluations requested more clinical scenarios to be covered and pre-reading to make the most of the session. References Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (2002) Interprofessional education- a definition www.caipe.org.uk Gilligan C, Outram S, Levett-Jones T. Recommendations from recent graduates in medicine, nursing and pharmacy on improving interprofessional education in university programs: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Education 2014;14:52 Barry MJ, Edgman-Levitan S. Shared Decision Making - The Pinnacle of Patient-Centred Care. N Engl J Med 2012;366:780–781