If you stand on the northwestern coast of Ireland's County Donegal and look out across the North Atlantic on a clear day, you will see like "a castellated mirage on the horizon"—Tory Island, one of the world's most barren inhabited islands. Two and one-half miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide, Tory is windswept and has no trees. Its two tiny towns and their surrounding fields and bog are dwarfed by gigantic rock formations and dramatic ocean inlets, just as the names of Tory's towns—East Town and West Town—fade to cartographic blandness next to the vivid, evocative names of its natural crags and harbors. Like so many other environments of potent oral cultures throughout the world, Tory's named landscape is the visible and significant record of its layers of oral history. Among the stories told by and among these rocks is a very ancient one. Dun Baloir, Balor's Castle, the high rock at the eastern end of the island, is the legendary home of King Balor, a monstrous oppressor whose single, poisonous eye is said to have withered permanently all the vegetation on Tory and on the visible mountains of the nearby Donegal coast. Balor had a single daughter whom he kept imprisoned in the crag of An Tor Mor (The Great Tower), near his castle, isolated from all men because of a prophecy that Balor could be killed only by his own grandson. Another island placename, Port na Glaise (The Harbor of the Gray Cow), commemorates Balor's predatory jealousy of the mainlanders, evoking the story of how he stole from a Donegal blacksmith a magical cow, An Glas Gaibhleann, that gave an endless supply of milk, and by her tail dragged her ashore onto the island at Port na Glaise. The young hero, Ceannfhaolaidh (Kineely), who came to rescue the cow also gained access to An Tor Mor and left Balor's daughter (and in most versions of the tale her twelve serving maids as well!) pregnant before he made his escape the next day. Returning nine months later, he escaped in his little boat with all


ITO (indium tin oxide) film of a high transmittance and high conductivity has been extensively studied because of its applications in optoelectronics. In this study, ITO nano-powder was prepared by constant pH chemical coprecipitation method. The experimental results show the precursor of the powders play a key role. The optimum was selected with orthogonal experiments. The optimum showed pH 8.5, temperature 60 °C, solution of indium and tin adding speed 100 mL/min, stirring rate 500rpm, additives 25 mg/L. the primary particle size is less than 10 nm with narrow distribution and good decentralization. SEM shows that particles are sphere-like and XRD shows that precursor consist of indium hydroxide and amorphous body. Zeta potential showed the powder is in nanoscale with uniformly dispersiveness. ITO nanocrystalline powder was formed after sintering at 600°C.


Purpose
The importance of e-literacy of staff in the digital life is fundamentally very crucial, to such an extent that it is considered as one of the primary conditions for successful utilization of knowledge management processes using social technologies within organizations. This study aims to explain and test a novel conceptual model to show the impact of applying social technologies on knowledge management (KM) processes in the context of Iranian organizations, considering the moderator role of e-literacy of employees.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on an in-depth study of the relevant literature, a questionnaire was designed. The sound questionnaires obtained from our sample size was 207 and respondents were experts in the field of information technology (IT) within the Central Office of Insurance companies in Tehran. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and path analysis.

Findings
The results indicate that the use of social technologies with the factor loading of 0.57 has the highest impact on knowledge exchange and 0.61 on knowledge utilization. In addition, the results indicate that e-literacy with the factor loadings of 0.69 and 0.74 has the highest impact on knowledge exchange and knowledge utilization, respectively. In addition, the impact of social technologies with the factor loading of 0.82 has the highest impact on e-literacy.

Research limitations/implications
One of the limitations of this study was the generalizability of the findings, which may be limited, as it is focused on one developing country. Also, the lack of full implementation of KM and the use of social technologies in the insurance industry may affect the obtained results.

Originality/value
To the best knowledge of the authors, this study is among the first of its kind which examines the impact of social technologies usage on the KM processes considering an important variable, i.e. e-literacy of employees.


Image parametric amplification and its applications are reviewed in this paper. Phase matching conditions allow the resolution to be determined and spatial frequency filtering to be performed. The phase conjugate idler image can be used to cancel aberrations. Then, time gating properties are applied to ultrafast imaging, imaging through diffusing media, and lifetime fluorescence imaging. Degenerate schemes permit polychromatic amplification as well as phase-sensitive amplification, which is proved to be noiseless with respect to spatial fluctuations at the quantum level. Finally, it is shown that the spatial fluctuations of the signal and the idler are subshot noise correlated.


In October 2014, the International Safeguards for Children in Sport were launched. These Safeguards were developed, implemented, and evaluated based on a pilot process which took place over the preceding 2 years. Throughout this piloting phase, a range of qualitative techniques were employed to capture the experiences of people within 32 of the organizations that were working toward the International Safeguards. The participant organizations varied based on their geographical focus (e.g., local, national, and international) as well as their mission (e.g., participation, competition, and sport for development). Based on a thematic analysis, eight key pillars were identified on which systems which safeguard children can be built. These are known as the CHILDREN pillars: Cultural sensitivity, Holistic, Incentives, Leadership, Dynamic, Resources, Engagement, and Networks. Illustrative examples are provided and the future directions of this project will be discussed.


Abstract In 2010, Austria introduced the Registered Partnership as the only form of legal recognition for same-sex couples while marriage is limited to heterosexual couples. In a recent judgment, the Austrian Constitutional Court decided this limitation to be unconstitutional. Due to numerous legal changes in the last years, the legal framework governing registered partnerships and marriage became nearly identical. By upholding different terms for the same kind of relationship, same-sex partners are presented unequal to different-sex couples and forced to show their sexual orientation even in situations where sexual orientation should be irrelevant. This puts them at risk of discrimination. The Court considers this as a violation of the principle of equality.


High-speed complex full-range Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is demonstrated. In this FD-OCT, the phase modulation of a reference beam (M scan) and transversal scanning (B scan) are simultaneously performed. The Fourier transform method is applied along the direction of the B scan to reconstruct complex spectra, and the complex spectra comprise a full-range OCT image. Because of this simultaneous B-M-mode scan, the FD-OCT requires only a single A scan for each single transversal position to obtain a full-range FD-OCT image. A simple but slow version of the FD-OCT visualizes the cross section of a plastic plate. A modified fast version of this FD-OCT investigates a sweat duct in a finger pad in vivo and visualizes it with an acquisition time of 27 ms.


In this demonstration, the core processing engines of two video applications, 3D video and intelligent video surveillance, are demonstrated. The developed algorithms and its VLSI design results are shown with hardware prototypes processing input video on-the-fly. In addition to the processing engine design, the development tools for efficiently designing these chips are also demonstrated.


One outcome of globalization is an increasing number of seafarers, who seldom are members of the same crew two voyages in a row and must cooperate with seafarers from many countries (Progoulaki and Roe WMU J Marit Affairs 10:7 – 23, 2011). This situation challenges the level of social capital on board, i.e., the resources inherent in network cooperation associated with norms of reciprocity and trust (Putnam 2000: 19). Fragmentized " blue " social capital should, however, be restored, as work performance depends on the quality of cooperation among crew members horizontally, as well as between crew members and the shipping company vertically. Drawing on anthropological fieldwork data from four Danish international ships, the purpose of this paper is to offer a new theoretical framework for analyzing cooperation among crews. Our inductive empirical findings suggest that a balance between three types of social capital — bonding, bridging and linking — is needed to achieve a high-performing work system (Gittell et al. Organ Sci 21(2):490 – 506, 2010). Hence, the main actors within the shipping sector should take " blue " social capital into account to increase work efficiency and economic performance.


This study examined the effects of mist generated from NaCl solution on the electrochemical properties of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Mist-containing Na+ and Cl- ions were generated using a custom-made mist generator. The current density-voltage-power density curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of fuel cells were systematically achieved. Furthermore, long-term stability experiments were carried out using chronoamperometry mode for 20 h with deionized water and NaCl solution. After the chronoamperometry measurement, the regeneration of fuel cells was performed with deionized water. The effects of regeneration methods on the performance of the fuel cell were evaluated. Due to the internally produced H2O, constant voltage regeneration was more effective than open circuit voltage regeneration.


The poor results of systemic chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases have focussed attention on the use of regional chemotherapy. Emobolizing, biodegradable particles can be coadministered with anticancer drugs to slow temporarily the arterial blood flow and increase drug uptake within the tumour-bearing liver. Alternatively, such microspheres can be loaded with cytotoxic agents and act as slow-release mechanisms following embolization. In both instances, size and rate of degradation are important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological degradation of albumin microspheres in the liver of patients with colorectal liver metastases. Seven patients with advanced liver metastases had a 200–250 mg bolus dose of customized albumin microspheres (diameter range: 20–40 μm), labelled throughout with covalently bound 131I, injected into the hepatic artery. The abdomen was imaged immediately before injection to give an estimation of background count rate, and daily after injection for five days. Activity-time curves were constructed for the liver region. The median biological half-time of the particles within the whole liver was 2.4 days (range: 1.5–11.7 days), but was longer in tumours than in normal liver in some patients. The rate of microsphere degradation within tumours may be an important factor in the efficacy of microsphere-based regional therapy, and can be studied accurately by the technique we have employed.


We explore the use of a new way to log into a web service, such as email or social media. Using on-demand biometrics, users sign in from a browser on a computer using just their name, which sends a request to their phone for approval. Users approve this request by authenticating on their phone using their fingerprint, which completes the login in the browser. On-demand biometrics thus replace passwords or temporary access codes found in two-step verification with the ease of use of biometrics. We present the results of an interview study on the use of on-demand biometrics with a live login backend. Participants perceived our system as convenient and fast to use and also expressed their trust in fingerprint authentication to keep their accounts safe. We motivate the design of on-demand biometrics, present an analysis of participants' use and responses around general account security and authentication, and conclude with implications for designing fast and easy cross-device authentication.


The kinematics of peoples' body movements provide useful cues about emotional states: for example, angry movements are typically fast and sad movements slow. Unlike the body movement literature, studies of facial expressions have focused on spatial, rather than kinematic, cues. This series of experiments demonstrates that speed comprises an important facial emotion expression cue. In Experiments 1a–1c we developed (N = 47) and validated (N = 27) an emotion-induction procedure, and recorded (N = 42) posed and spontaneous facial expressions of happy, angry, and sad emotional states. Our novel analysis pipeline quantified the speed of changes in distance between key facial landmarks. We observed that happy expressions were fastest, sad were slowest, and angry expressions were intermediate. In Experiment 2 (N = 67) we replicated our results for posed expressions and introduced a novel paradigm to index communicative emotional expressions. Across Experiments 1 and 2, we demonstrate differences between posed, spontaneous, and communicative expression contexts. Whereas mouth and eyebrow movements reliably distinguished emotions for posed and communicative expressions, only eyebrow movements were reliable for spontaneous expressions. In Experiments 3 and 4 we manipulated facial expression speed and demonstrated a quantifiable change in emotion recognition accuracy. That is, in a discovery (N = 29) and replication sample (N = 41), we showed that speeding up facial expressions promotes anger and happiness judgments, and slowing down expressions encourages sad judgments. This influence of kinematics on emotion recognition is dissociable from the influence of spatial cues. These studies demonstrate that the kinematics of facial movements provide added value, and an independent contribution to emotion recognition.


Dairy industries are considered as the most environmentally unfriendly processes, because they produce wastewater that contains suspended solids. The release of this water into aquatic bodies affects aquatic life and the water quality. This paper investigates coagulation and flocculation processes for the removal of suspended matter from the dairy wastewater. The jar tests were carried out using a polyamine salt coagulant which neutralizes the charge of the particles and polyacryamide flocculent that helps in building the size of the floc. The effective flocculant capacity of the flocculant was determined based on the final turbidity and the suspended solids removal of the wastewater. The capacity was also found as a function of the flocculent types, concentration and pH of the wastewater. A notable decrease in the suspended solids were observed. This was mainly because of the mechanism of electrical double layer formed on the solid surface. By the addition of cationic polyelectrolytes, it neutralises the particles on the outer layer and attracts particles in the inner layer. Thus it leads to the process of charge neutralisation and bridging of smaller floc molecules.


How do organizations strategize for legitimacy in pluralistic contexts? Little is known about the strategies organizations use to manage their legitimacy with multiple internal and external stakeholders within pluralism. For instance, how strategies interrelate and are combined simultaneously by organizations has not been researched. Through addressing this question the thesis seeks theoretical elaboration that contributes to our understanding in this regard and addresses this gap in the legitimacy literature. In particular, a combinatorial picture of legitimacy strategies is provided that provides insight into how strategies might be combined and interrelate. Based on a novel tabulation that brings the various strands of the literature together a framework is developed for investigating the research problem. Theoretical extension is then sought through an empirical focus on the pluralistic setting of New Zealand's science sector. Six case studies based on two layers of replication are explored, principally through 58 multi-stakeholder interviews. The findings show that multiple embedded tensions and complex diffused power relationships characterise these organization cases. This provides a basis for investigating legitimacy strategies amidst pluralism: the basis of the analysis A picture of agency intensive legitimation is provided with organizations found to construct and change, as well as conform to, legitimacy demands. This informs the research agenda focused on redressing an identified 'conformity bias' (Kitchener, 2002) in much legitimacy theory. Further, a traditional preoccupation with overarching field level systems within dominant strands of legitimacy research has been recognized (Kraatz & Block, 2008). This research contributes by seeking to rectify this imbalance through adopting a framework of legitimacy strategies at the organizational level. The result is five propositions and extension to the theoretical framework. Prior work has tended to associate an organization with a dominant single strategy. This thesis finds multiple legitimacy strategies and strategic combinations being implemented by organizations amidst pluralism. Propositions are offered in this regards. The result is increased understanding of both infrequently explored legitimacy strategies and the relationships between them. Such theoretical development blurs the 'demarcating lines' that and are implicit in many frameworks and empirical studies. Additional propositions are also provided regarding why similar organizations experiencing similar pluralism might implement different legitimacy strategies. It is proposed that differences in stakeholder perceptions of pluralism's dimensions are associated with the implementation of different legitimacy strategies by organizations. Overall, both the creative potential and challenges inherent in strategizing for legitimacy amidst pluralism are illustrated. A nuanced picture in this regard is enabled by the diverse array of strategies surfaced both within and across the focal pluralistic organizations.


Early prediction of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias is important in developing early medical supports and social supports, and may identify ideal stages for testing novel therapeutics aimed at preventing disease progression. Currently, a diagnosis is based on clinical expertise and cognitive screening tests, which have limited accuracy in earlier stages of disease, or invasive and resourceintensive testing, such as lumbar puncture or specialized neuroimaging. Changes in speech and language patterns can occur in dementia in its earliest stages and may worsen as the disease progresses. This has led to recent attempts to create automatic methods that predict dementia through language analysis. In addition to features extracted from language samples, previous works have improved the prediction accuracy by introducing some taskspecific features. But task-specific features prevent the model from generalizing to other tests. In this paper, we apply a neural model (Hierarchical Attention Networks) to the dementia prediction task. Remarkably, the model requires no task-specific feature and achieves state-of-the-art classification result on a widely used dementia dataset of spoken language. We also perform a detail analysis to interpret how a prediction is made. Interestingly, the same neural model does not work well on a corpus of written text, suggesting that dementia prediction from language may require different methods depending on the genre of the source language.


Background: Child involvement in health care decision-making is essential during health planning. Additionally, parents' perceptions of their children's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) could influence healthcare utilization in regards to children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and their families.
Objectives: Our goal was to assess the level of agreement between children with CP and their parent's perception of HRQOL by using the PedsQL™ 3.0 instrument in Arabic.
Materials and Methods: a cross-sectional study involving a convenient sample of 29 children with CP (mean age of 10.3 ± 1.5 years old) and their parents/caregivers filled the electronic version of the PedsQL™ 3.0 Cerebral Palsy Module in Arabic. The data was analysed via Pearson's Correlation Co-efficient (PCC) and Intraclass Correlations Coefficient (ICC).
Results: We found a strong to moderate positive correlation between child self-reports and parent proxy-reports in the Daily Activity (r=0.58, p<0.001); Movement and Balance (r=0.61, p<0.001); and Eating Activities (r=0.58 p<0.001). A moderately positive correlation was found in the Speech and Communication scale (r=0.48, p<0.001) of PedsQL™ 3.0. There was no significant correlation in the School Activity, Fatigue, and Pain and Hurt scales. The parents/caregivers significantly underestimated their children's QOL in the School Activity, Pain and Hurt, and Movement and Balance scales.
Conclusion: An acceptable level of agreement was found in certain PedsQL™ 3.0 scales. However, we found a tendency for parents/caregivers to underestimate their child's QOL. Future studies should include a larger sample size and validate the Arabic translation of the PedsQL™ 3.0.


Background Early identification of invisible comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders, such as specific learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactive disorders, and developmental coordination disorders, is crucial to improving children's daily functional deficits related to executive functions. However, a practical questionnaire to address parents' concerns is lacking. Aims To develop a reliable and valid assessment tool that can identify young children at risk for invisible underrecognized neurodevelopmental disorders. This article describes the development and standardization of the Child Evaluation Checklist (CHECK). Methods and Procedures Participants were 186 children aged 3 to 6 years: 91 with suspected invisible neurodevelopmental disorders, and 95 controls with typical development. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire, the CHECK, and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). Outcomes and Results The CHECK's construct validity indicated high internal consistency for each part (Part A: α = .94; Part B: α = .90) and moderate-to-high consistency for each of Part A's four factors. Significant correlations, as well as significant group differences, were found between the CHECK factors and BRIEF-P scores. Conclusions and Implications Use of the CHECK allows for timely identification of suspicious ("red flags") invisible neurodevelopmental disorders. It may support parents' sufficient awareness and knowledge to refer their children for comprehensive evaluation and intervention.


In this work, a density functional theory (DFT) methodology was developed and validated against experimental data for relative hydrogen abstraction (Cs) and monomer reactivity ratio (r1) parameters associated with free radical polymerization. For hydrogen abstraction, we considered ethane, cyclohexane, 2-butanone, propylene, isobutene, isobutane and propanal while methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, 1-butene, propylene and isobutene were the molecules of choice for benchmarking r1. It was shown that the M06-2X/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory along with the counterpoise correction for the basis set superposition error (BSSE) produced estimated values in excellent agreement with experimental data. The calculated parameters were within a factor of 1.5 from the experimental values. This translated into a maximum error of 0.32 kcal mol−1 in Gibbs free energy of activation difference. The only exception was Cs for ethane with an experimental-to-calculated ratio of 3.0. Even then, the DFT estimate was within the experimental error. Furthermore, the approach managed to capture a wide range of empirical parameters as well as distinguish between monomers with close values. This robust and computationally inexpensive method can be applied to elucidate the reactivity of much larger species of industrial importance and rationally design the next generation of branching and chain-transfer agents for low density polyethylene (LDPE) systems.


Background:Post discharge, Home-based exercise program (HEP), prescribed by physiotherapist is an integral part, to plan effective stroke rehabilitation, with the intended goal of maintaining functional motor performance and enhancing functional progress.Earlier studies have shown that many factors attribute to adherence and barriers for structured group based exercise program. Objective: This study was designed to identify the factors in stroke subjects, which may influence the adherence and barriers to individually tailored HEP post-discharge, in stroke subjects.Method: An analytical cross-sectional study, with non-random sampling, consisting of first onset stroke subjects who had received acute stroke rehabilitation from tertiary care hospitals. Post-discharge, seventy-four participants were followed up and their responses related to adherence and barriers to the prescribed HEP by administering a self-reported adherence to home exercise questionnaire. Results: 63.5% were adherent and 36.5% were non-adherent to HEP, among 74 subjects. The adherent group had performed exercises for at least 5-6 times in a week, for 31-45 minutes each day. Intrinsic factors related to self-efficacy and perceived level of anticipated recovery had found an association with adherent and non-adherent groups.The most common barriers for adherence to HEP were fear of fall or injury and fatigue for both adherent and non-adherent subjects. Conclusion: This present study helped to put an insight, onto sociodemographic and intrinsic factors, with the level of adherence and to identify the barriers for adherence to individually tailored HEP.


Astaxanthin is a natural carotenoid pigment with powerful antioxidant capacity which has been reported for beneficial effects on human health to prevent cancers and anti-degenerative diseases. Bioavailability of astaxanthin is however limited due to insoluble and instable properties of its lipophilic nature. This study describes the cytotoxicity and astaxanthin delivery using a surfactant (tween 80) and penetration enhancers (methyl -cyclodextrin and liposome) to enhance astaxanthin bioavailability in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Toxicity of tween 80 and methyl -cyclodextrin increased with concentration. Liposome did not alter cell viability relative to untreated controls, regardless of concentration tested. Cellular uptake among delivery vehicles was compared at 24 hours and was found to be higher than that of astaxanthin without a vehicle. The cellular uptake rate was highest when liposome was used as the delivery vehicle. This finding aids in the development of design criteria for vehicles for delivery of antioxidants to cells.


Abstract : The purpose of CyberCIEGE is to create an extensible Information Assurance (IA) teaching and learning laboratory. Through a scenario definition language, educators can create simulations to demonstrate specific IA concepts. In addition to rigorous scientific foundations, it involves the application of abstract principles to a virtual world. This hands-on virtual laboratory provides a dynamic and often surprising context where abstract principles can be applied.


This paper investigates the operation of a hybrid system including a two-stage PV system and a SCIG based wind turbine. The wind turbine is connected directly to the AC side of the PV system's inverter and they are connected to the external grid through a step up transformer. With this configuration, the free land around the turbine tower can be utilized to install the PV system. A more important thing is that the inverter of the PV system can play the role of a STATCOM to support reactive power to the SCIG –wind turbine. This allows reactive power compensating equipments such as capacitor bank, SVC and so on to be absent at the wind turbine. The simulation results show that thank to the support of the PV system's inverter, the SCIG-turbine can be stable in steady state and it can ride through fault easily. In addition, this investigation demonstrates a locus of critical fault-clearing time among different PV capacities and the minimum capacity of the PV system helping the wind power to ride through fault is identified.


A circularly polarized (CP) stack antenna with tri-band operation is presented. The proposed antenna has a square loop resonator with the perturbation to present dual-mode effects, and it is excited by a strip with the tuning stub through the coupling of an aperture in the ground plane. The ability to enhance the bandwidth and reconfigure the CP performances is achieved by the perturbation and the tuning stub. The proposed antenna presents the desired bands of 1.87 GHz with bandwidth (BW) = 210 MHz (12%), 3.75 GHz with BW = 200 MHz (5.3%) and 5.32 GHz with BW = 1320 MHz (25.4%). The circular polarizations for tri-band are demonstrated with AR spectrum and orthogonal modes. The design antenna is successfully simulated and measured with frequency responses, radiation patterns and current distributions.


This paper aims to investigate the long-term relationships of long-term European Monetary Union (EMU) government bond yields. From an asset managers' or risk managers' perspective during the euro crisis, the relevance of sovereign credit and redenomination risk became a major issue. Furthermore, it has to be differentiated between core and non-core EMU member countries.,Methods of applied time series analysis are used to investigate EMU government bond yields and EMU government bond yield spreads for Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria and Germany. Both standard unit root testing procedures and breakpoint unit root tests are used to examine cointegrating relationships and structural changes in these relationships.,The empirical results deliver clear evidence for structural shifts in the long-term relationship between German and the two non-core EMU countries (Italy and Spain). The timing of the breaks coincides with the timing of the euro crisis. On the contrary, the results for Austria and The Netherlands are different from the findings for the two non-core countries.,One major limitation of the study is the limited availability of data regarding to the reaction of asset managers or risk managers to the euro crisis. Especially in the context of the discussion with regard to the relevant risk-free rate for investors, this strand of research is relatively new.,A deeper understanding of changes in the long-term relationship between government bond yields and the re-emergence of redenomination risk is important for asset managers and risk managers in the financial services industry. This is especially true for German life insurers.,The study provides various empirical contributions to the literature on the euro crisis and sovereign credit risk. First, previous results with regard to the structural changes in the long-term relationship between German and Spanish, German and Italian, German and Austrian as well as Germany and Dutch government bond yields are confirmed using unit root breakpoint tests. Second, investigating the autoregressive coefficient and the timing of the breaks delivers evidence that non-core countries have been more exposed to the fear of redenomination risk. Third, we raise the question which risk free interest rate is relevant for the affected countries.


Drug delivery via the oral mucous membrane is considered to be a promising alternative to the oral route. Sublingual route is a useful when rapid onset of action is desired with better patient compliance than orally ingested tablets. In terms of permeability, the sublingual area of the oral cavity (i.e. the floor of the mouth) is more permeable than the buccal (cheek) area, which in turn is more permeable than the palatal (roof of the mouth) area. The portion of drug absorbed through the sublingual blood vessels bypasses the hepatic first‐pass metabolic processes giving acceptable bioavailability. Various techniques can be used to formulate sublingual tablets. New sublingual technologies address many pharmaceutical and patient needs, ranging from enhanced life‐cycle management to convenient dosing for paediatric, geriatric, and psychiatric patients with dysphagia. This review highlights the different sublingual dosage forms, factors affecting the sublingual absorption, advantages, various in vitro and in vivo evaluation parameters and commercially available sublingual dosage forms..


OBJECTIVE
To assess estimated effectiveness of control and eradication procedures for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in a region of California.

SAMPLE POPULATION
2,238 herds and 5 sale yards in Fresno, Kings, andTulare counties of California.

PROCEDURE
A spatial stochastic model was used to simulate hypothetical epidemics of FMD for specified control scenarios that included a baseline eradication strategy mandated by USDA and supplemental control strategies of slaughter or vaccination of all animals within a specified distance of infected herds, slaughter of only high-risk animals identified by use of a model simulation, and expansion of infected and surveillance zones.

RESULTS
Median number of herds affected varied from 1 to 385 (17% of all herds), depending on type of index herd and delay in diagnosis of FMD. Percentage of herds infected decreased from that of the baseline eradication strategy by expanding the designated infected area from 10 to 20 km (48%), vaccinating within a 50-km radius of an infected herd (41%), slaughtering the 10 highest-risk herds for each infected herd (39%), and slaughtering all animals within 5 km of an infected herd (24%).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Results for the model provided a means of assessing the relative merits of potential strategies for control and eradication of FMD should it enter the US livestock population. For the study region, preemptive slaughter of highest-risk herds and vaccination of all animals within a specified distance of an infected herd consistently decreased size and duration of an epidemic, compared with the baseline eradication strategy.


Two types of problems are studied in this thesis: reconstruction and visualization of polygons and polyhedra.
Three problems are considered in reconstruction of polygons and polyhedra, given a set of projection characteristics. The first problem is to reconstruct a closed convex polygon (polyhedron) given the number of visible edges (faces) from each of a set of directions S . The main results for this problem include the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a polygon that realizes the projections. This characterization gives an algorithm to construct a feasible polygon when it exists. The other main result is an algorithm to find the maximum and minimum size of a feasible polygon for the given set S . Some special cases for non-convex polygons and for perspective projections are also studied.
For reconstruction of polyhedra, it is shown that when the projection directions are co-planar, a feasible polyhedron (i.e. a polyhedron satisfying the projection properties) can be constructed from a feasible polygon and vice versa. When the directions are covered by two planes, if the number of visible faces from each of the directions is at least four, then an algorithm is presented to decide the existence of a feasible polyhedron and to construct one, when it exists. When the directions see arbitrary number of faces, the same algorithm works, except for a particular sub-case.
A polyhedron is, in general, called equiprojective, if from any direction the size of the projection or the projection boundary is fixed, where the "size" means the number of vertices, edge, or faces. A special problem on reconstruction of polyhedra, is to find all equiprojective polyhedra. For the case when the size is the number of vertices in the projection boundary, main results include the characterization of all equiprojective polyhedra and an algorithm to recognize them, and finding the minimum equiprojective polyhedra. Other measures of equiprojectivity are also studied.
Finally, the problem of efficient visualization of polyhedra under given constraints is considered. A user might wish to find a projection that highlights certain properties of a polyhedron. In particular, the problem considered is given a set of vertices, edges, and/or faces of a convex polyhedron, how to determine all projections of the polyhedron such that the elements of the given set are on the projection boundary. The results include efficient algorithms for both perspective and orthogonal projections, and improved adaptive algorithm when only edges are given and they form disjoint paths. A related problem of finding all projections where the given edges, faces, and/or vertices are not on the projection boundary is also studied.


Syngas is a desirable fuel for combustion in the Allam-Fetvedtcycle which involves combustion under supercritical-CO2(sCO2) conditions. While some work has been conducted in collecting ignition delay times at the extreme pressures required by these systems, significant model deficiencies remain. Additionally, considerable barriers in terms of non-ideal gas dynamic effects have been shown for these experiments in shock tubes. Further investigation into the fundamental combustion kinetics ofH2/CO/CO2 mixtures is required. Time-resolved speciation measurements for target species have been shown to better aid in improving the understanding of underlying chemical kinetics than global ignition delay time measurements. Therefore, laser absorption measurements ofCO were collected behind reflected shock waves during combustion of syngas at 5 and 10bar and temperatures between 1080 and 2100 K. The mixtures investigated utilized H2-to-COratios of 1:1 and 1:4, respectively, each at stoichiometric conditions, allowing for discussions of the effect of initial fuel composition. A ratio of fuel to CO2 of 1:2 was also utilized to represent commercially available syngas. The mixtures were highly diluted in helium and argon(20%He,76.5%Ar) to minimize thermal effects and to expedite CO thermal relaxation during the experiment. The resulting CO time histories were then compared to modern chemical kinetics mechanisms, and disagreement is seen for this system which is assumed to be fairly well known. This study elucidates particular chemistry that needs improvement in moving toward a better understanding of syngas combustion at elevated pressures.


Flame-acoustic wave interactions have been studied widely in the combustion community; however the whole physicochemical mechanism is still not clear. The present research aims to further investigate the unfinished areas and focus on the acoustic excitation effect on flow and flame characteristics. An experimental approach has been adopted, and the results have been analysed and discussed. PIV diagnostic system and high speed schlieren visualisation system have been applied and built together with a signal synchronisation system which enables the phase-locked observation. The acoustic field and the interactions between acoustic waves and flames in an acoustically excited tube were studied in detail.
The acoustic wave induced by external excitation and its effect on both cold jet fuel flow and jet flames have been investigated. Results indicate that the flame behaviour is affected mostly by the variation of the excitation frequency. The infrasound (Frequency < 20 Hz) was observed to have less influence on air motion. The natural flame flicker was suppressed by the forcing infrasound because of the excitation effect on the fuel jet. In the case of harmonic frequencies at which a standing wave is formed, the ambient air and flame were less affected by the excitation in the velocity node area. In contrast, the cold fuel jet, flame and ambient air experienced large velocity variations in the anti-node area. At non-resonant frequencies, which are between the 1st and 2nd harmonic frequencies (65 Hz to 220 Hz), the flame pattern and luminosity were very different in each excitation case. The frequency analysis of flames has shown that flame/acoustic coupling behaviour results in a complex nonlinear coupling effect. The excitation frequency may be coupled with the sub-harmonic frequencies and the flame flickering frequency. These frequencies were then found to couple with each other and create complex nonlinear frequency couplings. It can be seen that the surrounding air, cold jet fuel flow and flames are strongly affected by the excitation frequencies, phase angles and the nozzle location relative to the tube, and the coupling effect creates complex flame dynamics.


This article discusses the control strategy of the steel casting system which possesses the characteristics of large inertia, time-varying and nonlinear. Aiming at getting the minimum deviation of liquid level, the control strategy uses the genetic algorithm to off-line optimize the parameters (cij,bj) of the Gaussian membership function and the network structure of fuzzy controller which affect the overall system firstly. Then, BP algorithm is used to online regulate and optimize the weight parameters of the control output which affect the system partly. Finally, the intelligent control system of the liquid level which is based on GA-FNC is simulated. The results show that the method can enhance the ability of self-learning and robustness of the system greatly and improve the stability of steel casting system significantly.


Objective: The extracardiac Fontan procedure, as compared with classic atriopulmonary connections, may have the potential for optimizing ventricular and pulmonary vascular function by maximizing the laminar  ̄ow principle, by the avoidance of intra-atrial suture lines and cardiac manipulation, and by minimizing cardiopulmonary bypass time. In this study the clinical results of this procedure are assessed. Methods: From January 1990 until January 1997, 45 patients (33 males and 12 females) with a median age of 4.0 years (range 2.7±38 years) underwent an extracardiac Fontan procedure for univentricular physiology. The underlying diagnoses included tricuspid atresia (n ˆ 19), double-inlet left ventricle (n ˆ 11), and complex anomalies (n ˆ 15). Forty patients (89%) were in sinus rhythm. The median ventricular ejection fraction was 60%. In 37 patients (82%) the procedure was staged. Results: Median cardiopulmonary bypass time was 72 min, with a decrease to a median time of 24 min in the last ten patients. Aortic cross-clamping was avoided in 33 patients (73%). The intraoperative Fontan pressure and transpulmonary gradient were low: 13.6 ^ 3.2 and 8.5 ^ 3.9 mmHg, respectively. Transient supraventricular tachyarrhythmias were observed in six patients (13%). There was no early or late mortality. At a median follow-up of 64 months (range 26±105 months), 39 patients (87%) were in NYHA class I, four (9%) were in NYHA class II, and two (4%) were in class III. Forty patients (89%) remained in sinus rhythm. The median ventricular ejection fraction was 59%. The median arterial oxygen saturation raised from 82% preoperatively to 97%. Functional class (P ˆ 0:02), maintenance of sinus rhythm (P ˆ 0:04), and preservation of ventricular function (P ˆ 0:05) was superior in patients who were appropriately staged. None of the patients had atrial thrombus, chronic pleural effusions, or protein losing enteropathy. Conclusions: In the majority of patients, the extracardiac Fontan procedure, when performed as a staged procedure, provides excellent early and midterm results in terms of quality of life, maintenance of sinus rhythm, and preservation of ventricular function. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


Purpose: Although numerous COVID-19 therapies have been investigated, there is no established treatment strategy. In this report, we presented two cases of COVID-19: a mother and her son. Patients and methods: The patients underwent physical examination and imaging, such as chest x-ray and computed tomography. They received ciclesonide treatment. Results: The son was believed to have contracted the disease from his mother, who had returned from a Nile tour in Egypt. The son accompanied his mother to the local hospital when she developed an eye ailment. Both mother and son developed pneumonia three and seven days later, respectively, and were admitted to the hospital. They remained symptomatic with fever and cough until the initiation of inhaled steroid treatment, after which the fever rapidly decreased. Conclusions: This is the first report on ciclesonide contributing to a successful outcome in familial cases of COVID19. The importance of this report lies in expanding our current knowledge on COVID-19 treatment and its clinical implications for human health.


Background: Biobanks have been supporting longitudinal prospective and retrospective studies by providing standardized services for the acquisition, transport, processing, storage, and distribution of high-quality biological material and associated data. Here, we describe how the Dog Aging Project (DAP), a large-scale longitudinal study of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) with translational applications for humans, developed a biobank of canine biospecimens and associated data. Design and methods: This was accomplished by working with the Cornell Veterinary Biobank, the first biobank in the world to receive accreditation to ISO 20387:2018—General Requirements for Biobanking. The biobank research team was involved in the early collection stages of the DAP, contributing to the development of appropriate workflows and processing fit-for-purpose biospecimens. In support of a dynamic strategy for real-time adjustment of processes, a pilot phase was implemented to develop, test, and optimize the biospecimen workflows, followed by an early phase of collection, processing, and banking of specimens from DAP participants. Results: During the pilot and early phases of collection, the DAP Biobank stored 164 aliquots of whole blood, 273 aliquots of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, 130 aliquots of plasma, and 70 aliquots of serum, and extracted high molecular weight genomic DNA suitable for whole-genome sequencing from 109 whole blood specimens. These specimens, along with their associated preanalytical data, have been made available for distribution to researchers. Conclusion: We discuss the challenges and opportunities encountered during the implementation of the DAP Biobank, along with novel strategies for promoting biobanking sustainability such as partnering with a DAP quality assurance manager and a DAP marketing and communication specialist and developing a pilot grant structure to fund small innovative research projects.


This Article explores equality-based arguments for abortion rights, revealing both their necessity and their pitfalls. It first uses the narrowness of the "health exception" to abortion regulations to show why equality arguments are needed - because our legal tradition's conception of liberty is based on male experience, and we have no theory of basic human rights grounded in women's reproductive experiences. Next, however, the Article shows that equality arguments, although necessary, can undermine women's reproductive freedom because they require that pregnancy and abortion be analogized to male experiences. The result is that equality arguments focus on either the bodily or the social aspect of pregnancy, to the detriment of the other. Most recently, for example, Jack Balkin has argued that there are "two rights" to abortion, one based in the right to bodily integrity and one based in the right to avoid motherhood. This is the wrong way to theorize pregnancy. The body-focused arguments fail to resonate with the reasons most women seek abortions, and the role that pregnancy and abortion play in women's lives. The burden-of-motherhood arguments imply a sunset clause on abortion rights and lend credibility to arguments for a right to "male abortion."This division between the body and the social suggests that women's liberty can be protected only by breaking it into pieces that have analogs in men's experiences. When men are the norm, women's rights become derivative. A woman-centered vision of these rights would stand more firmly on its own footing. The Article proposes a relationship model for theorizing pregnancy as a starting point for developing a liberty framework directly from women's experiences.


The present study was undertaken to define whether intracarotid injection of capsaicin induces Fos expression associated with the activation of NOS containing neurons in brainstem nuclei by combining the immunocytochemical method for Fos with NADPH d histochemical technique for NOS. The results obtained are as follows: (1) Intracarotid injection of capsaicin caused a significant increase of Fos like immunoreactive neurons in area postrema (AP), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), paragigantocellularis lateralis (PGL) and locus coeruleus (LC), without influence upon the neurons of raphe nuclei (RN) and periaqueductal gray (PAG). (2) NO containing neurons in PGL and NTS and the double labeled neurons in PGL were also increased significantly following intracarotid injection of capsaicin. Small numbers of NO containing neurons were found in LC, but there was no change in the number of NO containing neurons in RN and PAG. No NADPH d histochemical activity could be found in AP. (3) The above responses to capsaicin were significantly inhibited by pretreatment with either a capsaicin receptor antagonist ruthenium red or a NMDA receptor antagonist MK 801. The above results indicate that intracarotid injection of capsaicin may activate the neurons in brainstem nuclei involved in cardiovascular regulation, and that NO only plays an indirect role in the modulation of the responses of brainstem nuclei to capsaicin. These effects of capsaicin are mediated by capsaicin receptors with involvement of glutamate.


In 2011, after many years of research and development SiC power MOSFETs became available in the commercial marketplace. This paper presents the results of Co60 total ionizing dose (TID) effects for the new high power-high current 24 A SiC devices irradiated at room temperature and 125°C. These commercially available components remained operational after a radiation dose of more than 100 krad. However, gamma ray irradiation gave rise to changes in current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics. Specifically, threshold voltage decreased, resulting in increased current drive. We also observed rises in interface state densities, as well as input, output and reverse transfer capacitances with increasing accumulated doses.


In the field of human-machine interaction, there are still lacking efficient tools within visual perception of human non-verbal comunication. In this context, some investigation has been conducted within the paradigm of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) [1‐5]. This work, will explore how visual signals can be processed in order to retrieve useful features which will allow the characterization of movements in a semantic/intuitive way (e.g. reaching). The LMA shape component will be the main focus of this work, and the implementation will follow the guidelines of previous work. The head and both hands will be tracked within the image, and stereo vision model will be used to retrieve 3-D information of the performer's pose. From this 3-D data, invariant features will be generated, and used as evidences in a Bayesian framework, which is the selected tool for Laban Movement Analysis implementation. The current work intents to further extend the LMA Bayesian models, towards a full robust descriptor of non-verbal cues for machine interpretation of human behaviour. Results show that the more complete the global Laban Movement Analysis model becomes, better results are achieved, leading to the thought that Laban can provide a good computational movement classifier.


This study investigates the determinants and motives of professionals who change career to vocational teaching. The framework for this study is the Swiss vocational education system, which requires that teachers of vocational subjects must have a prior career in that specific field. Thus, to work in teaching, every vocational teacher has to change his or her initial career. This paper focuses on the relevance of monetary motives for changing a career to teaching. Using a unique data set of trainee teachers, we show that professionals who change their careers to teaching earned on average more in their first career than comparable workers in the same occupation. Our findings additionally demonstrate that the average career changer still expects to earn significantly more as a teacher than in the former career. However, the study shows substantial heterogeneity and a zero wage elasticity of the teacher supply, suggesting that non-monetary motives are more relevant for career change than monetary factors.


Although not curable or preventable, acne can benefit from adequate, appropriate therapy. Modern therapy for acne includes various topical agents highly effective against noninflammatory lesions, and oral or topical antibiotics effective against the inflammatory lesions. Long-term physical and psychologic scarring can be minimized by controlling acne in its active stages. Acne may flare during the first two to three weeks of intensive therapy. Unless undue side effects occur, any single agent or combination of agents should be tried for at least six weeks before being considered ineffective. Treatment needs to be individualized to achieve maximal effect.


Abstract Dinoflagellate cysts and associated aquatic palynomorphs have been recovered from the dinosaur-bearing Tendaguru Beds (Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous) at Tendaguru, a hill in southeast Tanzania. Palynofloras from these beds are generally dominated by pollen grains of Mesozoic conifers (mainly Classopollis), but dinoflagellate cysts occur sporadically throughout the succession. They attain highest relative abundances and diversities in the marine intercalations between the Saurian Beds, namely in the Nerinea Bed (between the Lower and Middle Saurian Beds) and even more so in the Trigonia smeei Bed (between the Middle and Upper Saurian Beds). Peak levels of dinoflagellate cysts correspond to times when the shallow marine environments of the Nerinea and Trigonia smeei Beds had access to the open sea, while scarcity or absence of dinoflagellate cysts in the Saurian Beds is related to intervals of restricted access to the sea in tidal flat and coastal plain environments. Four informal dinoflagellate cyst assemblages can be distinguished in the Tendaguru Beds: the Rigaudella aemula-Chlamydophorella wallala assemblage from the Nerinea Bed (Oxfordian to Kimmeridgian); the Endoscrinium attadalense-Ctenidodinium sellwoodii group assemblage from the Middle Saurian Bed (late Kimmeridgian); the Dingodinium jurassicum-Kilwacysta assemblage from the Trigonia smeei Bed (Tithonian); the Muderongia-Oligosphaeridium assemblage probably from the Trigonia schwarzi Bed at Namunda Plateau, 8 km south of Tendaguru (late Valanginian to Hauterivian). The age determinations are based on correlation with known dinoflagellate cyst ranges and zonations in Australia, Europe and elsewhere. However, the stratigraphic position and previous biostratigraphic interpretations of the Tendaguru Beds based on ammonites, charophytes and ostracods were also taken into consideration. One new genus (Kilwacysta), three new species (Kilwacysta multiramosa, Kilwacysta semiseptata and Protobatioladinium lindiensis) and the new combination Barbatacysta capitata are proposed.


Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is an X-linked inherited metabolic disease associated with the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) in the nervous system, adrenal cortex, and testes. At least seven phenotypes can be distinguished, which are Addison only, childhood, adolescent and adult cerebral ALD, adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), and symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers. Children most often develop rapidly a progressive cerebral disease, whereas adults rarely develop a cerebral disease. The majority of adult-onset ALD patients are AMN. The prognosis of ALD remains unpredictable in individual patients. Family history can be very informative. The plasma VLCFA assay permits precise diagnosis. Specific changes on brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can have diagnostic utility. However, there is considerable overlap among adult-onset leukodystrophies. Adult onset form of cerebral X-linked ALD (AOCALD) is a rare disease. The disease progresses rapidly with widespread demyelination of the cerebral hemispheres. AOCALD is an important differential diagnosis for adults with psychiatric symptoms and progressive cognitive changes. In this article, we review on case reports of AOCALD.


Although there has been significant research into approaches to teaching in higher education, comparatively little is known about university teachers' approaches to design. This paper presents preliminary findings from a study that is investigating the design processes of Australian university academics across disciplines in the Arts, the Sciences and the Professions. A summary of the design processes of two Australian university teachers in the Sciences is presented. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief background to the study and discuss the preliminary insights gained from these two individuals.


Al-Si metal anode was fabricated by cold-press sintering with Al and Si as embedded powder in argon atmosphere. The anti-oxidation in the air and anti-corrosion in molten cryolite properties of Al-Si metal anode at high temperature were examined. The experimental results showed that the oxidation kinetics curve obeyed the parabolic law. The corrosion behavior Al-Si metal anode was studied in electrolysis test. The electrolyte consisted of Na3AlF6(90 wt%),CaF2(5 wt%) and Al2O3(5 wt%) which corresponded to molecular ratio of 2.4. The results indicated that the cell voltage was stable and the electric polarized corrosion rate was higher than the static corrosion rate of metal anode. SEM photographs showed an oxidation film formed in the surface of Al-Si metal anode which can obstruct the further corrosion in molten cryolite. It may be concluded that Al-Si metal anode has good combination property and can replace the carbon anode in the aluminum cell.


The low depth of the Argentine financial system raises concerns about its potential for development, even under favorable macroeconomic expectations. Contributing to the analysis of this key industry, this paper develops a methodology to measure the evolution of market power of financial intermediaries in the Argentine market. The proposed alternative framework models the industry production, and takes into account the duality of the financial intermediation business.
The structural model follows the guidelines of the New Empirical Industrial Organization (NEIO) and the discrete choice literature, adapting the analysis to the local industry. The paper finds evidence supporting the presence of market power in the financial intermediation industry, but also finds signs of increase in the level of competition.


Fluctuating asymmetry is more a signal of genetic fitness than a marker observable only to the researcher. Hence, it has to be demonstrated that low FA is an honest signal of genetic quality; this has not been demonstrated in Gangestad & Simpson's otherwise useful review.


Evidence suggests that one reason doctors provide certain interventions in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is because of patient demand. This is particularly the case when it comes to unproven interventions such as 'add-ons' to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles, or providing IVF cycles that are highly unlikely to succeed. Doctors tend to accede to demands for such interventions because patients are willing to do and pay 'whatever it takes' to have a baby. However, there is uncertainty as to what moral weight should be placed on patient-led demands in ART, including whether it is acceptable for such demands to be invoked as a justification for intervention. We address this issue in this paper. We start by elucidating what we mean by 'patient-led demand' and synthesise some of the evidence for this phenomenon. We then argue that a doctor's professional role morality (PRM) yields special responsibilities, particularly in commercialised healthcare settings such as ART, because of the nature of professions as social institutions that are distinct from markets. We argue on this basis that, while there may be reasons (consistent with PRM) for doctors to accede to patient demand, this is not always the case. There is often a gap in justification between acceding to patient-led demands and providing contested interventions, particularly in commercial settings. As a result, acceding to demand in such settings needs a strong justification to be consistent with PRM.


ABSTRACT Do-it-yourself (DIY) science research is currently in an expansion phase both in terms of its depth (with an increasing number of papers published each year) and its scope (with the core ideas being linked to an increasing number of constructs). To develop a more holistic appreciation of how the field has developed and to identify potential avenues of future research we undertake a bibliometric content analysis of the DIY science literature post 1980. We find four major clusters pertaining to education, culture, the operationalising of DIY science (including commercialisation) and technology-related issues. We review each of these clusters and the main themes contained within the cluster, including highlighting possible research questions that align to these key themes. We find the field to be highly dispersed theoretically on the basis of the bibliometric content analysis. In considering a range of sample papers in each thematic cluster, we identify a range of potential research topics going forward. Identifying the key thematic foci of DIY science research to date provides the researchers within the field the opportunity to clearly locate their work within a highly diverse literature and to build new research trajectories around core concepts.


recedinginfant mortality rate. As regardsinfant mortality, considerableprogressis recordedin a numberof countries. In Sweden,where the lowest infant mortality rate in the world is registered,it dropped from 22 per thousandlive births in 1951 to 17 in 1956. During the sameperiod in New Zealand, the drop was from 23 to 19. In the Netherlandsit droppedfrom 25 to 19,in the United Kingdom from 30 to 24, in Denmarkfrom 29 to 25, in Finland from 35 to 26, in Switzerlandfrom 30 to 26, and in the United States of America from 28 to 26.


Midlife is a time when many women encounter life changes. Mind and body exercise programs such as t'ai chi and yoga continue to increase in popularity as a way to manage with life stressors and enhance well-being. A new form of exercise called Neuromuscular Integrative Action, ...also known as Nia, has been added to the mind and body paradigm. I used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to better understand the role Nia has as a mind and body movement form with eight women in midlife and its potential for counselors to consider, as an adjunctive therapeutic means to aid in managing and enhancing greater well-being. The findings were set within the reflective interpretations across the four lifeworld existentials of time, body, relationship, and space. The women's narratives revealed: 1) reflections through time in representations of stories of the past - childhood, shifting and tragic, living in the moment, and future glimpses, 2) the body's wisdom ~ the body's movement in representations of body being ~ body listening, music ~ movement ~ emotions, and energetic connections ~ spiritual connections, 3) transforming relationships were understood through representations of self-discovery ~ self-acceptance, self-expression ~ self-care, and compassionate responses, and 4) living well-being in midlife spaces emerged as representations of a welcoming and safe space, making connections with other women, and well-being in midlife ~ lived as a life style. Further synthesis and discussion focuses on an overarching theme of how the revisioning of self-identity of midlife women practicing Nia leads to a sense of wellness through reconstructions of the reflective self, the connected self, the authentic self, and the contextualized self. Finally, considerations related to aligning social identity with well-being are also discussed.


In their article, Drs. Choi and Billings address a number of strategic areas in palliative care. These topics include the definition and scope of the evolving field, the complexities involved in the use of modalities that carry burden or risk (such as artificial nutrition and bowel decompression), and the underappreciated importance of communication skills and a capacity for ethical reasoning.


As a contribution to the current debate on the state-of-the art of regional science, this paper presents some reflections on the epistemological and methodological status of the discipline as we approach the turn of the century. First of all, and contrary to the widely held view that quantitative approach is seriously 'in crisis', it is argued that the discipline is going through a period of intensive, but constructive, theoretical development. To support this assertion, the authors suggest that it is important to abandon a hidden source of prejudice: the tendency to evaluate the present situation in terms of an outdated conception of the discipline. Modern quantitative geography and regional science is a vast and varied scientific field, which has radically evolved under the pressure of changing theoretical paradigms and technological advance. It has little to do with the old regional science of the 60s. The first part of the paper reviews this evolution: 1. from the original goal of applying to geography the tools of classical science, such as statistics, optimization and modelling (whose use was made possible in the 60s by the availability of the new "number crunching" computers) 2. to the present informatization (and hence quantification) of all branches of regional science, based on PCs and the Net, used as tools not just for computation, but for data handling, representation, visualization and communication). An attempt is made to fit all of these efforts, those with a long tradition (modelling, O.R., gaming simulation, statistics etc.), as well as the more recent approaches (expert systems, G.I.S., hypermedia, virtual reality, A.I.) into a single framework, stressing the specific aims of each and identifying existing - or potential - interconnections. In the second part of the paper we focus on the new frontiers of regional science and quantitative geography with particular reference to the processes of analysis and planning. It is suggested that: 1. the goal of analysis is shifting from simulation (the explicitation in terms of the "scientific method") of the mental processes involved in problem-solving, to the replication of the human ability to "formulate problems". This implies that creativity, and related aspects such as learning, and expertise, will come increasingly within the scope of research in regional science 2. progress in planning will be limited unless we will be able to go beyond the misleading counterposition between the formalised "rational" approach and the intuitive design approach. A fruitful way to cope with planning in a complex world is to integrate the two strategies and, in doing so, to tap into wider sources of knowledge. In other words, it is important to learn the 'art' of using the tools of geographical science.


Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well‐being, but also health. Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs. Since the 1960s, a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States. Some of these experiments include health outcomes, providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence‐based policymaking. Our comprehensive review and meta‐analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life, income support, and health insurance interventions. However, most studies were underpowered to detect health outcomes. Context Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of all known randomized social experiments in the United States that included health outcomes. We reviewed 5,880 papers, reports, and data sources, ultimately including 61 publications from 38 randomized social experiments. After synthesizing the main findings narratively, we conducted risk of bias analyses, power analyses, and random‐effects meta‐analyses where possible. Finally, we used multivariate regressions to determine which study characteristics were associated with statistically significant improvements in health outcomes. Findings The risk of bias was low in 17 studies, moderate in 11, and high in 33. Of the 451 parameter estimates reported, 77% were underpowered to detect health outcomes. Among adequately powered parameters, 49% demonstrated a significant health improvement, 44% had no effect on health, and 7% were associated with significant worsening of health. In meta‐analyses, early life and education interventions were associated with a reduction in smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86‐0.99). Income maintenance and health insurance interventions were associated with significant improvements in self‐rated health (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.06‐1.36, and OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.10‐1.73, respectively), whereas some welfare‐to‐work interventions had a negative impact on self‐rated health (OR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.66‐0.90). Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta‐analyses. A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements. We found evidence of publication bias for studies with null findings. Conclusions Early life, income, and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health. However, many of the included studies were underpowered to detect health effects and were at high or moderate risk of bias. Future social policy experiments should be better designed to measure the association between interventions and health outcomes.


Performance evaluation of tractor drawn turmeric digger was studied by conducting experiments on a test set-up having provision to vary design variables. The test set-up consists of digging unit and soil separation unit. Three digging blades are selected i.e. Strips shape, Inverted 'V' shape and Crescent shape for digger machine for comparing on field test. The design parameters soil moisture content, rake angle of digging unit and speed of operation of digger machine were evaluated. Performance parameters like digging efficiency, damaged percentage of turmeric rhizomes, soil separation index and power requirement were measured at different levels of design parameters and design values of different components were determined. In strips shape digging blade the maximum digging efficiency was observed 97. 35 per cent at 3.0 km/h speed of operation with 20 o of rake angle and optimum soil moisture content was 14.23±0.35 respectively. Minimum damage percentage of turmeric rhizomes of 4.7 per cent was observed in strips shape digging blade with 20 o rake angle at 3.0 km/h speed of operation and soil moisture content 14.23±0.35 per cent respectively. The soil separation index was most affected by rake angle of soil digging unit and speed of operation of digger machine. A minimum soil separation index of 0.25 was obtained at 15 o and 20 o rake angle at 3 km/h speed of operation digger machine respectively. An average minimum power requirement for the operation of turmeric digger for selected three digging blades i.e. strips shape, inverted 'v' shape and crescent shape at a speed of 1.5 km·h -1 was 0.91, 1.15 and 1.21 kW at 15° of rake angle and soil moisture content 14.23±0.35 per cent. K e y w o r d s


For the last decades, computer users have been witnessing new paradigms in human computer interfaces technology. The arrival of new gadgets and technologies is boosting the way into the realization of friendly and easy-to-use interfaces. Libraries contain huge amounts of information relating to almost every aspect of life. Along with new technologies, libraries have evolved from card based catalogs to online accessible media. This paper introduces the concept of using virtual human characters to support user personalization in the library environment. The new aspects are the user personalization and the improved user and tangible interface supported by the intelligent virtual humans and books. To realize the concept, a kiosk based information system, named Neva, is developed for the McLuhan Documentation Center at the ISNM International School of New Media at the University of Lubeck, Germany. By employing state of the art technologies like RFID to identify the users and Haptek character animation to realize the character support, Neva offers a simple and user friendly interface. It provides various services to the users based on their interest areas. The combination of text, graphics, spoken language, facial expression and gaze is used to present the results to the users.


Millennium generation is the up and coming group that will have a serious impact upon the business, political, and social realms of the Malaysia. Many from millennium generation have joined the workforce and still more are to come. Transformational leadership represents the essential quality for successful management of transformational organizational changes. It is about the quality that, in fact, so-called transactional management has missed to bring to an end of the transformational cycles with efficiency. In that sense, the success in realizing transformational organizational changes means that the key people in an organization millennium generation develop sets of appropriate skills and attributes that are characteristic to so-called transformational leaders. This paper will go into the background of the desires of attitude, skills and knowledge (ASK), by all generation and demographic factors of employees in Oil and Gas Industry towards transformational leadership and how organizational change. This study employed the sampling design method to examine of attitude, skill and knowledge (ASK) towards transformational leadership by all generation or demographic factors.


This paper analyzes the accounting profitability among a broad cross-section of firms in the World economy from 1995 to 2005 based on McGahan (2004) four trajectories of industry evolution. The purpose of the analysis is to verify propositions of each evolutionary trajectory in a World basis. Our results reveal that some theoretical propositions about firm and industry returns in each path are empirically verifiable, as the fact that industries under "Architectural" change have depressed profitability and firm's returns in "Progressive" evolution models follow the industry patterns. We also verified that industries may face different evolution across countries and that sources of firm returns variability vary according to the environmental conditions of each course.


This article provides an analysis of the application of Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which provides for the making of confiscation orders following conviction in criminal cases. It examines the policy reasons behind the Act and traces the legislative development which commenced following the House of Lords ruling in R v Cuthbertson and Others that it had no jurisdiction to make an order for the defendants involved in, at the time, the biggest drug ring in the United Kingdom to forfeit their proceeds. This article considers the defendant's 'benefit' from crime which may be assessed at a much higher amount than that which has passed through his hands. It focuses on three problem areas: cases involving joint defendants, the operation of statutory 'assumptions', and the discretion afforded to the court in confiscation proceedings.


According to the characteristics of the soft soil subgrade reinforced by geosynthetic and piles, the deformation of geosynthetic was modeled as circular arc and the arching effect in embankments and the interaction of piles and soil are both considered in the calculation. The interaction mechanism of geosynthetic, pile and soil under the embankment load was analyzed. The method presented in this paper was validated by comparing with the testing results and three current design methods in the literature. The results show that the analytical solutions have agreement with the measured data and can be applied in engineering practice. Finally, four important parameter (the differential settlement, the diameter of pile, the width of pile cap, the height of equal settlement plane) were investigated.


Objective Intensive ambulatory assessment, such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), is increasingly used to capture naturalistic patient-reported outcomes. EMA design features (eg, study duration, prompt frequency) vary widely between studies, but it is not known if such design decisions influence potential subjects' willingness to participate in a study. We hypothesise that intentions to participate will be higher in studies that are less burdensome and have higher reward (eg, compensation). Design This experimental study examined if four EMA study design features (study duration, prompt frequency, prompt length, compensation) affected intentions to participate in a hypothetical EMA study and participation appraisals (eg, participation effort). Participants were randomly assigned to conditions (reflecting a fully crossed design of the four features, each with two levels). Each condition presented a vignette describing a study (each a unique combination of design features) and asked them to report on likelihood of participating and study appraisals. Participants A convenience sample of participants (n=600; 46% female, Mage=40.39) were recruited using an online service. Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcomes were willingness to participate (No/Yes) and reported participation likelihood (0–100 scale). Secondary outcomes included appraisals of interest, enjoyment, effort, and if the study makes a valuable contribution to science. Results We examined main effects, and two-way interactions for participation likelihood, across study design features. Overall, reported willingness to participate and participation likelihood were high (89%, M=83.90, respectively). Shorter study duration, fewer prompts, shorter prompts and higher compensation increased willingness to participate and elicited higher participation likelihood (each associated with ~6%–8% increases). Findings suggested that more intensive studies were judged as somewhat less interesting and enjoyable, and requiring more effort. Conclusion Hypotheses were generally supported. Design features influence behavioural intentions to participate in, and appraisals of, EMA studies. Implications for participant recruitment and generalisability, and remaining research questions, are discussed.


We applied the seismic interferometry technique to characterize the subsurface velocities of the Planchon-Peteroa Volcanic Complex, Argentina-Chile, down to a depth of about 350 m. Ambient seismic noise data were recorded by an array of six stations deployed in the eastern flank of the current active volcano of this volcanic complex—the Peteroa. To ensure retrieval of accurate surface-wave Green's functions, we analyzed the directivity of the recorded ambient noise and then selected the noise windows containing source directions in line with the stationary-phase area for each station pair. Then, we obtained dispersion curves and further utilized them for the estimation of the S-wave velocity profile for the area enclosed by the stations. We inferred two layers above the investigation depth limit. In the first 70 m, a lowvelocity layer (300–400 m=s) is present, which is followed by a higher velocity layer (450–570 m=s) down to, at minimum, a depth of about 350 m. Higher velocities are observed at the northeast and the very southwest of the area under investigation, and lower velocities are observed between these areas. The S-wave velocity structure is consistent with the known near-surface lithologies of the area. The results along the western side of the area corroborate previous results obtained from geochemical studies. Velocity variations in the area are potentially caused by changes in lithology, porosity, and water saturation. This work contributes to the understanding of the subsurface of Peteroa volcano and provides useful information to the authorities for decision- making. Furthermore, these results are expected to be used by studies preceding risk analysis and hazard-assessment investigations.


Problem . In 1 Cor 8:1-10:29a, Paul has been consistently on the side of the brother in 8:11 whose conscience is weak to eat food offered to idols. But, in 10:29b-30, he seems to reverse himself, here suggesting that one should be able to eat anything, regardless of its provenance or the effect such eating may have on others. Or, what should be made of the two questions asked in the text that appear neither fitted to the context nor directly answered by what precedes and follows in the discussion of εἰδωλόθυτα in 8:1-11:17? Approach . Scholars have employed various methodological interpretations in search for the contextual meaning of the two questions asked in 1 Cor 10:29b-30 without a solution. However, no one has treated the two questions asked in the passage as an argumentative device intended to resolve theproblem of eating idol food discussed throughout 8:1-11:1. In order to understand the function of 10:29b-30 in Paul's argumentation, my research agenda is laid out in the following manner. First, following the introductory chapter, the four broader issues where no consensus exists are discussed in chapter 2 because they in no small measure impact the understanding of the two questions asked in 1 Cor 10:29b-30. For example, the view that Paul intervened in two different ways has led to the partitioning of chaps. 8 and 10 into 8:1-13 + 10:23-11:1 where it is argued Paul allows the eating of idol food, and 10:1-22 where the same food is denounced, is informed by the content of 10:29b-30. Because Paul defends a position of not eating an account of the weak brother, the view is found inadequate upon examination of 10:29b-30 in its context. Second, the examination of 1 Cor 10:29b-30 in the larger context of 8:1-10:22 (chapter 3) and the narrower context of 10:23-11:1 (chapter 4) suggests a unified deliberative rhetorical argumentation that characterizes 1 Corinthians. Paul's deliberative rhetoric reveals that the two rhetorical questions in 10:29b-30 function in two ways. First, they are asked to dissuade the "strong" from setting a bad example for the "weak" by participating in idol feasts. Second, they help to persuade the strong to adopt Paul's own behavioral patterns following their wrong use of knowledge (chap. 8), exercised in thename of authority or "rights" (chap. 9), and freedom (chap. 10). Thus, the two questions asked in the passage belong to one of the three proofs (πίστεις) Paul used to persuade the strong to consider the weak brother (vss.29b-33) before his final appeal in 11:1. Conclusion . My investigation of the function of the two rhetorical questions asked in 1 Cor 10:29b-30 reveals some of the problems in the interpretation of 1 Corinthians in general, and 8:1-11:1, in particular. However, Paul's use of the deliberative rhetorical device provides insights to resolve the problems of understanding the passage against other rhetorical species and methods. The device helps to account for 10:29b-30 as Paul's means of disarming the strong in their wrong use of freedom, and his reason for choosing not to eat idol food because of his concerns for the weak brother.


Understanding the complex relations between multiple environmental stressors and ecological conditions in streams can help guide resource-management decisions. During 14 weeks in spring/summer 2013, personnel from the US Geological Survey and the US Environmental Protection Agency sampled 98 wadeable streams across the Midwest Corn Belt region of the USA for water and sediment quality, physical and habitat characteristics, and ecological communities. We used these data to develop independent predictive disturbance models for 3 macroinvertebrate metrics and a multimetric index. We developed the models based on boosted regression trees (BRT) for 3 stressor categories, land use/land cover (geographic information system [GIS]), all in-stream stressors combined (nutrients, habitat, and contaminants), and for GIS plus in-stream stressors. The GIS plus in-stream stressor models had the best overall performance with an average cross-validation R2 across all models of 0.41. The models were generally consistent in the explanatory variables selected within each stressor group across the 4 invertebrate metrics modeled. Variables related to riparian condition, substrate size or embeddedness, velocity and channel shape, nutrients (NH3), and contaminants (pyrethroid degradates) were important descriptors of the invertebrate metrics. Models based on all measured in-stream stressors performed better than models based on GIS landscape variables, suggesting that the in-stream stressor characterization reasonably represents the dominant factors affecting invertebrate communities and that GIS variables are acting as surrogates for in-stream stressors that directly affect in-stream biota.


UNLABELLED
Hyperglycemia without previous history of diabetes mellitus (DM) is observed in a high percentage of patients in intensive care units (ICU).

OBJECTIVE
To determine the behavior of glycemia in nondiabetic patients with hyperglycemia by administering two micronutrients.

METHODS
A clinical trial was conducted in 32 patients, 16 in the intervention group and 16 in the control group. To the intervention group was given, since the admission, the micronutrients vitamin D3 in doses of 1.000 international units (IU) and calcium in doses 1.000 mg every 24 hours, for a period of 72 hours.

RESULTS
No significant differences were observed in blood glucose income between the intervention and control groups (152,6 and 153,3 mg / dl, respectively p = 0,922), but after 72 hours the behavior of the glycemia decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (98,41 and 141,6 mg / dl respectively p 100 mg/ dl), showing that 2,29 patients should be treated to decrease an undesirable event (NNT).

CONCLUSION
The use of the analyzed micronutrients in critically ill patients with no previous diagnosis of diabetes requires more research that addresses te limitations posed here. Due to the limited literature found about similar studies, this investigation would provide another alternative for reducing hyperglycemia in these patients.


Background and Objectives: Cerebral aneurysms can cause disability or death during rupture, but information on the etiology of cerebral aneurysms is currently lacking. Periodontal disease causes both systemic inflammation and local inflammation of the oral cavity. Systemic inflammation is a major cause of cerebral aneurysms. The aim of our study was to determine whether the presence of periodontal disease is related to the occurrence of unruptured cerebral aneurysms in a nationwide population-based cohort. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data on demographics, previous medical history, and laboratory test results of 209,620 participants from the Korean National Health Insurance System-Health Screening Cohort. The presence of periodontal disease and oral hygiene parameters, including the number of lost teeth, tooth brushing frequency per day, dental visits for any reason, and expert teeth scaling, were investigated. The occurrences of unruptured cerebral aneurysms (I67.1) were defined according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases Related Health Problems-10. Results: The mean age of the participants was 53.7 ± 8.7 years, and 59.4% were male. Periodontal disease was found in 20.9% of the participants. A total of 2160 (1.0%) cases of unruptured cerebral aneurysms developed after 10.3 years of median follow up. In multivariate analysis, the presence of periodontal disease was significantly associated with an increased risk of unruptured cerebral aneurysms (hazard ratio: 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.09–1.34, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The presence of periodontal disease could be associated with the occurrence of unruptured cerebral aneurysms. It should be noted that when periodontal diseases are present, the risk of aneurysms is increased in the future.


Segmentation algorithms for images generally are based on one of two basic properties of image intensity values: discontinuity and similarity. In the first category, the approach is to position an image based on abrupt changes in intensity, such as edges. The principal approaches in the second category are based on partitioning an image into regions that are similar. In this paper we discuss a number of approaches into two categories just mentioned, as they apply to images. Edge detection has been staple of segmentation algorithms for many years. We compare different types of edge detection techniques like Sobel, Prewitt, Roberts, Laplacian of Gaussian(LoG),Zero crossing and Canny in this paper.


Introduction For individuals with gluten-related disorders (GRD) eating out has traditionally been difficult, and socially impacting, due to concern over the lack of public awareness regarding GRD and a gluten-free diet (GFD). However, the recent rise in media coverage highlighting these conditions may have altered knowledge amongst community members. Aims To assess whether there has been a change in awareness of GRD, and a GFD, amongst the general public and chefs over a ten year period. Methods A face-to-face questionnaire survey about coeliac disease (CD) and gluten sensitivity (GS) was performed on the general public and chefs based in Sheffield, United Kingdom. The assessment was first conducted in 2003 and repeated in 2013. Chefs were also asked about their workplace (takeaway or restaurant) and whether or not they had formal qualifications. Additional questions for the 2013 cohort included correct recognition of the cross-grain symbol to identify gluten-free products and whether they displayed a notice/sign for gluten-free products. Results Public survey: 513 public members in year 2003 (mean age 49.2, 62% female) were compared to 575 public members in year 2013 (mean age 37.8, 57% female). Adjusting for age and sex, there was a significant rise in the awareness of GRD from the years 2003 to 2013; CD (44.2 to 74.4%, OR 3.94 [CI: 2.99–5.19]) and GS (58.2 to 89%, OR 7.09 [CI: 5–9.98]), p value < 0.0001. Chef Survey: 322 chefs in year 2003 (mean age 37.6, 15.2% female, qualified 51.2%, restaurant chefs 50%) were compared to 265 chefs in year 2013 (mean age 27.1, 38.1% female, qualified 93.2%, restaurant chefs 83%), p < 0.0001. Adjusting for age, sex, workplace and qualifications, there was a significant rise in the awareness of GRD from the years 2003 to 2013; CD (17.1 to 78.1%, OR 12.5 [CI: 7.9–19.6]) and GS (9.3 to 87.5%, OR 65.7 CI: [35.4–122]), p < 0.001. Whereas in 2003 the public were significantly more aware of GRD than chefs, by 2013 there was a similar prevalence of awareness in both groups. In addition, the correct recognition of the gluten-free symbol was 44% for the public and 40% for chefs (p 0.28). Furthermore, in the year 2013, 41% of restaurants and 27% of takeaways displayed selling gluten-free products (p 0.07). Conclusion There has been a dramatic rise in both the public and chefs awareness of GRD. This suggests that individuals with GRD can take greater confidence discussing and ordering a GFD whilst eating out. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


The article focuses on Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM), especially on its societal aspects in organizations. It is proposed that the potentially constructive or destructive impact of cultural diversity is a function of the management of that diversity, which is ultimately a reflection of organizational culture. It is argued that the benefits of cultural diversity (e.g., creativity or constructive conflict) will be realized when organizational culture of diversity underlies the management of that diversity. Implications for developing an organizational culture which values diversity is discussed. The paper contributes to the literature linking sustainability to the issues researched in HRM literature. It discusses how the notion of sustainability has emerged and developed. Then some politics in the frame of societal approach to Sustainable HRM are briefly depicted. Afterwards, Diversity Management policy is discussed in more detail. Diversity Management is presented as the crucial manifestation of the societal approach to Sustainable HRM. Finally, some concluding remarks about the role of diversity management in SHRM are delivered. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ss.89.3.13669


Background: Transition from the intensive care unit (ICU) to an inpatient unit is a vulnerable period where communication gaps between medical teams may be associated with preventable adverse events. The transition-in-care (TIC) summary encompasses essential clinical information and facilitates seamless continuity of patient care between sending and receiving healthcare teams. Yet, current dictation practices often produce summaries of suboptimal quality that result in delayed or incomplete information. An electronic TIC summary tool, an alternative method to dictation, standardizes information, which may ensure more timely and complete communication to reduce information breakdowns and delays.
Objective: In order to standardize information communicated during ICU-to-inpatient transitions, an ICU-specific, electronic TIC summary tool was implemented in four adult ICUs in the Calgary zone. It is hypothesized that implementation of the electronic summary will improve completeness and timelines of TIC summaries.
Methods: A multiple baseline study design was used to evaluate the implementation of the electronic TIC summary. ICUs continued dictation practices for a baseline period, until the electronic tool was implemented sequentially (in a randomized order) to each ICU and evaluated for six months following implementation. Post-implementation, providers had the option to dictate or use the electronic summary. The primary outcome was a binary measure of both completeness of four critical elements and availability of the TIC summary at ICU release.
Results: Preliminary results were obtained for two months of baseline (n=48) and post-implementation (n=48) from one ICU. Post-implementation summaries contained four critical elements and were more frequently available at ICU transfer than pre-implementation dictations (73% versus 2%, p<0.001). More post implementation summaries contained completion of essential information (median 88% versus 63%, p<0.001) and had greater availability during transition (90% versus 73%, p=0.04) than pre-implementation dictations. With data collection scheduled to end in June 2019, we anticipate full study results to be available fall 2019.
Conclusions: Preliminary results post-implementation suggest greater completion and faster availability for the receiving clinicians. It is anticipated that full study findings will add to the current literature on the effect of computerized tools for reducing communication gaps between ICU and inpatient units during transitions-in-care to ultimately improve patient safety.


Kelantan has been the poorest state in Malaysia for the past five decades. Despite the various Malaysian Development Plans for the past several decades, regional disparity between states remains in Malaysia. Thus, the objective of the present paper is to address the question whether Kelantan has been narrowing their income gap with other states in Malaysia. Using annual data for the period 1961 to 2003, our panel unit root test result suggest that (i) Kelantan converges towards Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pahang, Perlis and Selangor.; (ii) Kelantan is catching-up to Johor, Melaka, Penang, Sabah, Terengganu and Wilayah Persekutuan; and (iii) Kelantan show divergence with Sarawak. In this respect, the government has an important role to play in enhancing growth by continuously providing stable economic environment for investment and other productive economic activities. This will ensure full convergence can take place in the future.


A numerical analysis is conducted on steady magnetic fluid flow in a circular straight pipe under a nonuniform steady transverse magnetic field taking into account the nonuniform distribution of mass concentration of particles (DMC) in the pipe. The effect of DMC on the pressure becomes larger at the upper stream area of the nonuniform magnetic field. The effect of DMC on the flow velocity appears clearly in the magnetic field region as the larger index of the number of aggregated particles, appearing as a prorate spheroid.