How to effectively allocate system resource to meet the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of Web servers is a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose an improved scheme for autonomous timing performance control in Web servers under highly dynamic traffic loads. We devise a novel delay regulation technique called Queue Length Model Based Feedback Control utilizing server internal state information to reduce response time variance in presence of bursty traffic. Both simulation and experimental studies using synthesized workloads and real-world Web traces demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Recent research highlights the benefits of internal hiring––filling a job by hiring a worker currently employed by the organization––and more than half of jobs are filled that way. Yet we know surprisingly little about the processes that facilitate the movement of workers across jobs within firms. I address this gap by first detailing the portfolio of internal hiring processes employed by large organizations, focusing on posting and slotting. Posting is a predominantly market-based process in which a manager posts an open job and invites interested candidates to apply, whereas slotting is a predominantly relational process in which a manager personally identifies a preferred candidate and "slots" him or her into an open job. I then examine how key differences between posting and slotting shape two outcomes of importance to firms and workers: quality of hire and compensation. My analysis of 8,107 internal hires at a large U.S. health-services firm reveals that outcomes for internal candidates depend, in part, on the nature of the process used to facilitate the movement from one job to the next; compared with slotted employees, workers who enter a job through posting have higher performance ratings, earn higher salaries, and are less likely to exit the firm. My findings suggest that the posting process improves the quality of hires by expanding the pool of potential candidates at the recruiting stage and by disciplining the information managers use to evaluate candidates at the selection stage. As well, internal candidates hired through posting are more likely to initiate salary negotiations and negotiate more competitively, resulting in higher initial salaries.


Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a common problem in dogs and humans. IVD degeneration can lead to herniation of the IVD with subsequent compression of neural structures and various clinical signs, including back pain. Current treatment of IVD disease is conservative or surgical. However, these therapies do not restore health or functionality to the IVD and may lead to spinal instability and recurrence of clinical signs. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to investigate the process of IVD degeneration and develop new treatment strategies for dogs with IVD degenerative disease, as well as for humans with IVD degenerative disease using the dog as a research model for translational research purposes. The key findings of the thesis were: Surgical treatments for canine IVD disease that involve partial removal of the IVD result in a significant loss of disc height and spinal stability. Additional stabilization and restoration of IVD functionality are required for optimal treatment of dogs with IVD degenerative diseases. Pedicle screw-rod fixation of the lumbosacral junction can successfully stabilize spinal segments affected by IVD degeneration in middle-sized and large-breed dogs. Although this procedure does not result in interbody fusion of the spinal segment, the surgical outcome is successful and appears to restore the propulsive function of the hind limbs in patients affected by degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. Ways to improve the surgical technique to achieve spinal fusion have been identified. Functional repair of the nuclectomized IVD can be achieved by inserting a nucleus pulposus prosthesis into the nuclear cavity created after nuclectomy. The success of prosthesis insertion can be evaluated by radiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. When intact, in situ, and with adequate closure of the annulus fibrosus, the prosthesis significantly restores disc height and spinal stiffness to the nuclectomized spinal segment, and therefore may serve as a valuable future treatment for dogs with IVD disease. IVD degeneration alters the biomechanics of the spine. The spinal biomechanics of chondrodystrophic dogs (with nucleus pulposus rich in chondrocyte-like cells) and non-chondrodystrophic dogs (with nucleus pulposus rich in notochordal cells) are markedly different, probably as a result of differences in the cell population and the extracellular matrix of the nucleus pulposus, and other biomechanical factors. The notochordal cell, the main cell type of the healthy canine nucleus pulposus, exhibits basal canonical Wnt signaling. Early IVD degeneration, which involves the replacement/differentiation of notochordal cells by/into chondrocyte-like cells, is associated with down-regulation of canonical Wnt signaling and with a decreased expression of caveolin-1, a protein that appears to be fundamental to the preservation of notochordal cells. Early IVD degeneration is accompanied by significant changes in the expression of genes involved in numerous biomolecular signaling pathways, including extracellular matrix remodeling and bone morphogenetic protein signaling. These findings might facilitate the design of strategies for IVD regeneration and help clarify several points debated in the current scientific literature.


Psychiatric nurses are increasingly being involved in the provision of care for outpatients with bipolar disorder. The establishment of a body of knowledge for the nursing of these patients is vital for the development of integrated evidence-based treatment. The literature for the period January 1980 to January 2006 is reviewed. A sensitive literature search included not only the nursing care based on research results but also nursing care based on experiences acquired by practising nurses. The results show that formal research on the nursing of patients with a bipolar disorder is remarkably limited. Three quantitative studies were identified in five articles and six qualitative studies addressing a broad range of topics. The remainder of articles meeting the inclusion criteria contained mostly descriptive reports. An overview is presented of the nursing processes used during the euthymic stage of a bipolar disorder and during an acute episode of (hypo)mania. No specific nursing processes for acute episodes of bipolar depression are described in the literature. The results show hardly any evidence for the described nursing processes.


Carney complex is an autosomal dominant disorder that occurs due to a mutation in PRKAR1A, which encodes protein kinase A. The clinical features are multiple endocrine gland neoplasms, skin tumors, pigmented skin lesions, myxomas, and schwannomas. In Carney complex, the cardiac myxoma is a common co-morbidity. It occurs in multiples, during young age, regardless of gender and cardiac chamber and is known to recur frequently. Therefore there are high risks of adhesion and massive bleeding due to repeated surgeries. Such surgical risks account for over 50% of disease-specific mortality of Carney complex patients. Here, we present anesthetic experiences of myxoma removal surgery in two patients with Carney complex.


Trade remedies (anti-dumping, countervailing, and safeguards) are important trade policy instruments for the mitigation of the negative effects of globalisation and international trade liberalisation, and for industrial development. Yet, the vast majority of African countries are poorly equipped to use them (and actually do not use them). Only four countries on the continent – Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia – have modern functional trade remedy mechanisms, though several other African countries are in the process of setting up ones. This paper assesses the experiences and identifies the constraints that African countries (the small ones in particular) face in the area of trade remedies. Moreover, it proposes some solutions, including regional approaches and ad hoc trade remedy investigating bodies, to overcome these constraints. The main argument is that trade remedies are important and needed in Africa, both from development economics perspective and also for transparency and good governance in the area of foreign trade policy.


Introduction: Otosclerosis is a primary metabolic localized disease characterized by conductive deafness. The mainstay of treatment of this condition remains surgical. Several techniques and approaches are commonly used with largely excellent results. A newly developed piston made of Nitinol has the property of crimping by heat activation rather than manually. This study, carried out at a tertiary care centre of the armed forces, proposed to evaluate the efficacy and complications of the Nitinol Smart piston in comparison to the conventional pistons currently being used. Methods and Materials: 50 patients of otosclerosis were evaluated with Pure tone audiometry and randomized into test and control groups of 25 each. The control group underwent stapedotomy by the conventional Teflon piston and in the test group Nitinol smart pistons were used. Pure tone Audiometry for hearing thresholds and AB gap was performed at 06 weeks after surgery and repeated at 06 months, 01 year and 02 years after surgery. Results: Results show an almost identical outcome in terms of improvement of hearing thresholds with the two kinds of prosthesis used with the 'Smart' piston showing marginally better results. There was no significant difference in the postoperative ABG (P < .23) or ABG closure (P < .09). Conclusion: The nitinol piston prosthesis represents the latest advancement in stapes prosthesis design in that incorporates heat-sensitive crimping to preclude the technically difficult step of manual crimping. It is at least as effective as a standard prosthesis in closing the ABG in patients with otosclerosis.


A seawater bacterium, designated IMCC3195T, was isolated from the Antarctic coast. Cells of the novel strain were Gram-negative, rusty-coloured, strictly aerobic, chemoheterotrophic, non-budding and non-motile rods or vibrioids that possessed a thin prostheca. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, the novel strain was most closely related to the genera Hyphomonas (89.4-90.9%), Maricaulis (90.1-90.4%), Hirschia (89.0%) and Oceanicaulis (87.9%) of the family Hyphomonadaceae. Phylogenetic analyses also showed the Antarctic isolate to be only distantly related to the genera of stalked bacteria of marine origin in the family Hyphomonadaceae. The DNA G+C content of the novel strain was 60.3 mol% and the predominant cellular fatty acids were C18:1omega7c (41.9%), C17:1omega8c (21.4%) and C17:0 (14.3%). The major quinone was Q-10. Several phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, including optimum temperature and salinity range for growth, cell morphology, pigmentation and fatty acid content, differentiated the novel strain from other related genera in the family Hyphomonadaceae. From the taxonomic evidence collected in this study, it is suggested that strain IMCC3195T (=KCCM 42687T=NBRC 103098T) represents a new genus and novel species in the family Hyphomonadaceae, for which the name Robiginitomaculum antarcticum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.


The objective of this study was to assess whether the emergency department (ED) injury surveillance systems in Europe are suitable for cross-country comparisons. For this, the ED injury surveillance systems in Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK (England, Wales) were considered. Standardised injury incidence and healthcare utilisation indices were calculated and the influence of measurement bias due to data collection and sampling differences, as well as trauma policy and health systems characteristics were assessed. The results showed that there was an over 3-fold variation of the grossly estimated incidence for home and leisure injuries (HLIs), with the highest values observed in England and Greece (111 and 104 per 1000 person years), and the lowest in Ireland and the Netherlands (27 and 48 per 1000 person years). The ranking of countries changed, however, when only injuries with an inherent need for ED treatment were considered (selected radiological verifiable fractures) with Austria topping the table followed by Greece and England. Thus, it is concluded that the naïve use of ED injury surveillance systems for cross-country comparisons should be discouraged, as this is subject to measurement bias. Nevertheless, the observed variation in the healthcare utilisation and injury incidence, particularly among children and older people, indicates the potential to reduce the burden of HLI in Europe.


Several non-thyroid factors such as age, breed, concomitant diseases and use of certain drugs might influence the diagnosis of hypothyroidism in dogs. Changes in the concentrations of thyroid hormones due to non-thyroid illnesses are named euthyroid sick syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of visceral leishmaniasis on thyroid function in dogs without clinical signs of hypothyroidism, with or without azotemia. Positive animals for leishmaniasis were divided into six groups (absence or presence of hypoalbuminemia, normal or increased creatinine, normal or increased urea). The effect on these groups was evaluated on the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (TT4) and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations. Dogs that were positive for leishmaniasis, by ELISA test, presented thyroid-stimulating hormone serum concentrations greater than seronegative animals, while total thyroxine and free thyroxine in dogs with leishmanisis were lower (P≤0.01) when compared to healthy dogs. However, the results were within the values for euthyroid animals. In seropositive dogs for leishmaniasis, TT4 showed statistically significant difference (P ≤0.04) in the group with hypoalbuminemia compared to the group with normoalbuminemia, respectively, 1,01ug/ dL and 1.4 g/dL. Based on this study, we could conclude that positive dogs for visceral leishmaniasis have not presented euthyroid sick syndrome, although when compared to healthy dogs, FT4 and TT4 were reduced and TSH increased.


This particular work deals with the Pucciniales fungi (Basidiomycetes) of Morocco. Surveys in northern Atlantic Morocco have allowed collecting dozen species of plants (Oxalis corniculata, Vicia sativa and Lotus edulis) infected by rust. The different symptoms that have been observed are described in the laboratory and a microscopic study of spores, allowed to identify the responsible pathogens for these symptoms which are like: Puccinia oxalidis, Uromyces ervi and Uromyces genistae-tincortoriae. The obtained results help to know the diversification of host Pucciniales and the description of other new species for that cause the fungal diversity of Morocco is to be known.


Friction stir welding (FSW) is an innovative process that has been successfully used in joining aluminum alloys, normally difficult to weld. Important advantages over fusion welding are better retention of baseline material properties, lower residual stresses and excellent mechanical properties. Defects that occur in FSW joints are due to improper tooling or setup. Non-destructive techniques used to inspect FSW joints are X-rays, eddy current, conventional ultrasonic testing and dye penetrant proper only for surface breaking defects. Currently there is no non-destructive technique that can guarantee absence of flaws in friction welds during manufacturing. In this work, non-destructive remote testing of friction welds, based on laser ultrasonic technique, was investigated to detect and quantify defects in the joint. The laser ultrasonic system generates ultrasonic acoustic waves by thermal expansion and detects the surface vibration by an interferometric receiver. Several specific FSW samples were inspected; some, manufactured with optimum parameters, used as calibration samples, and others, manufactured with modified settings, with defects. The results of the tests conducted on the FSW samples show that the system is able to detect the defect. A quantitative analysis of the defects was extrapolated from the ultrasonic signals acquired across the weld. Since the defect evaluation can be done in-line, during the friction weld manufacturing process, the laser ultrasonic technique plays an important role in containing the FSW


Landslide Inventory Database Indonesia (LIDIA) is a database application for landslide inventory. It aims to provide a framework and tools for displaying and analyzing landslide information in Indonesia. LIDIA is a tool to quantitatively assess hazards, systematically manages the diverse and detailed information, and improve the quality of Landslide Susceptibility Assessment (LSA). It was developed in 2011, as a part of inhouse development of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany and were tested within the Georisk Project and Geological Agency of Indonesia (GAI). In 2012, LIDIA was translated from english to Bahasa. It becomes a user friendly database software, specially for local goverment. Up to 2016, LIDIA has stored more 5000 landslide events. The information in the database updated on an ongoing basis. For best practices, GAI requires additional database functionality to develpved a pratical and effective approach for LSA and disaster risk reduction. A WebGIS information and an android platform on landslides inventory considerably to be the next improvement. It will provide fixed, reliable and up-to-date information on landslide in Indonesia.


The spread of infrastructure requirements and variety in mechanisms used to secure contributions (infrastructure provision) from private sector was a reflection of the institutional framework in planning system.The study has identified that although both private and local authorities have a good understanding of the fundamental of concept of local infrastructure provision and the arguments for and against the use of private provision, there are still considerable areas of uncertainty surrounding the precise definition (as prescribed in the relevant legislations) and measurements of the key elements pertaining to local infrastructure.The findings revealed that the previous studies has tended to examine the nature of the practice of the infrastructure delivery within the framework of national economy and very little focus has been given to a comprehensive examination on how private developers can be involved in local infrastructure development.The primary problem is that there is no single framework available at the local level that might be considered or applied to secure infrastructure from private developers.The study then provides the parameters for securing contributions towards infrastructure provision. To achieve a complete understanding of this issue, it is necessary to appreciate the broader picture of what is required in terms of infrastructure for the operation of the urban environment.


This report presents the results of the conceptual and empirical work conducted as part of the JRC research on "Exploring Digital Government Transformation: understanding public sector innovation in a data-driven society" conducted within the framework of the "European Location Interoperability Solutions for eGovernment (ELISE)" Action of the ISA2 Programme on Interoperability solutions for public administrations, businesses and citizens, coordinated by DIGIT. Building on the systematisation of the state of the art carried out in the previous phase of the research, the report presents an original conceptual framework for assessing the impacts of Digital Government transformation in the EU and discusses the results of case studies carried out using an experimental or quasi-experimental approach to test and validate it, carried out in different policy areas in various EU countries. The report concludes outlining the final proposal of DigiGov F 2.0, which defines the dimensions and elements of analysis for assessing the effects that can be generated by digital innovation in the public sector and the impacts they have at social, economic and political levels in different policy-cycle phases and governance contexts.


OVERVIEW
Bergstan South Africa was appointed by the City of Cape Town, Transport for Cape Town (TCT) Branch, to design and implement upgrades to the Lotus Canal. These bulk upgrades form the final construction phase that would complete the requirements of the Lotus Canal storm-water master-plan. The Lotus Canal is a storm-water carrier that was constructed during the middle of last century to convey increased post-war development runoff. The canal originates in the Cape Town Airport Industria area and flows south through Gugulethu, Ottery,Grassy Park and the Zeekoevlei wetland before discharging into False Bay. The 14 km2 catchment shown in Figure 1 is the main storm-water contributor to the study area. The grades of the catchment are typically low and as a result the catchment is susceptible to flooding. The aim of the project was to design and implement a storm-water conveyance and temporal storage solution that would meet the requirements of the 50-year fully developed flow scenario for this study area and reduce the flood risk up- and downstream. The hydraulic study focused on the stretch of canal between Duinefontein Road and Vygekraal Road along with the two bodies of water south of Govan Mbeki Road and Jakes Gerwel Drive. The designers were cognisant of the environmental sensitivity of the areas due to the sites being located either side of the Edith Stevens Nature and Wetland Reserve. The 7 ha site south of Jakes Gerwel Drive had good potential to complement and contribute to the existing wetland environment, and therefore a softer engineering approach would be implemented with the aim of reintroducing wetland habitat into the area.


A new chaos generator is described that produces chaotic fluctuations of the optical-path difference in a coherence modulator driven electrically by a nonlinear delayed-feedback loop. Numerical simulations and experimental results are reported. A closed branch of periodic solutions bounded by a forward and a reverse Hopf bifurcation is observed for the first time, to our knowledge, for this type of nonlinear dynamical system.


The users of e-commerce websites are on the increase and so is the number of products and services: the pursuit to meet every customer's needs web space requirements have had to vary. This research examined the reasons why web space requirements with regards to e-commerce websites are changing. To address this problem, the researcher used a quantitative research method by randomly selecting subjects from website developers, web hosting service providers and e-commerce website operators in Ghana using Google search. Interview was used as an instrument for data collection. The analysis was done using SPSS 20.0 Software and, and the findings presented in tables and charts. The findings from the study revealed that subjects upgraded their web spaces not only as a result of low web spaces, but also to avoid future problems. Subjects who experienced low web space had slow websites and also had their websites suspended. It was recommended that e-commerce websites operators resort to the use of dedicated hosting services as this gives better performance, is more reliable and relatively cheaper compared to cloud hosting in terms of high workloads.


Microporosity is volumetrically the most important porosity type in the giant carbonate reservoirs of Arabia and can significantly impact reservoir quality and ultimate oil recovery. Understanding the impact of microporosity on reservoir quality and accurately predicting the spatial distribution of microporosity at the reservoir scale is required to improve the recovery of remaining hydrocarbons from the reservoirs. Utilizing an integrated data analysis approach applied to multi-scale geological and geophysical datasets from micrometer scale SEM imagery to decameter scale seismic data, we predict the distribution of microporosity at the reservoir grid-block scale. We apply the proposed methodology to Arab-D reservoir equivalent outcrop data from the Upper Jubaila Formation, Saudi Arabia. Thirty-five meters of near-surface well core and a 600 m long 2D near-surface p-wave seismic reflection profile were acquired at the outcrop location. From the core, 106 plug samples are analysed to determine porosity and permeability, ultrasonic velocities, powder XRD compositions, and SEM data. With the seismic reflection data, we perform a near-surface colored inversion to obtain a high-resolution acoustic impedance image of the seismic data. The morphology of micrite crystals that host microporosity was characterized and quantified by analysing SEM data using machine learning image classification tools. We use the resulting data to derive robust statistical relationships between microporosity and texture of micrite microcrystals on centimetre scale geophysical properties with a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) approach for data clustering. A Differential Effective Medium (DEM) model enabled us to correlate acoustic impedance and porosity, and distribute porosity across the 2D seismic cross-section. The key depositional lithofacies identified from core descriptions are bioturbated mudstones intercalated by packstones and grain dominated rudstones and floatstones. Image-based machine learning classification results indicate that microcrystals that host microporosity in this formation were typically homogenous in size but varied in morphological aspects such as granularity and angularity. Based on data clustering results, granularity and angularity of microcrystals appear to be the dominant controls over the lab-measured geophysical properties. This effect is manifested as a simple log-linear relationship between porosity and permeability among the major depositional facies. The DEM fitting parameter effectively represents the velocity-porosity relationship and can be used to predict the distribution of porosity across a seismic cross-section. For the first time, an integrated multi-scale data methodology involving machine leaning tools is applied to the Late Jurassic Upper Jubaila Formation outcrop data. Although we demonstrate the proposed methodology using outcrop data, it can be applied to any subsurface reservoir zone dominated by microporosity.


We introduce the use of describable visual attributes for face images. Describable visual attributes are labels that can be given to an image to describe its appearance. This thesis focuses mostly on images of faces and the attributes used to describe them, although the concepts also apply to other domains. Examples of face attributes include gender, age, jaw shape, nose size, etc. The advantages of an attribute-based representation for vision tasks are manifold: they can be composed to create descriptions at various levels of specificity; they are generalizable, as they can be learned once and then applied to recognize new objects or categories without any further training; and they are efficient, possibly requiring exponentially fewer attributes (and training data) than explicitly naming each category. We show how one can create and label large datasets of real-world images to train classifiers which measure the presence, absence, or degree to which an attribute is expressed in images. These classifiers can then automatically label new images.
We demonstrate the current effectiveness and explore the future potential of using attributes for image search, automatic face replacement in images, and face verification, via both human and computational experiments. To aid other researchers in studying these problems, we introduce two new large face datasets, named FaceTracer and PubFig, with labeled attributes and identities, respectively.
Finally, we also show the effectiveness of visual attributes in a completely different domain: plant species identification. To this end, we have developed and publicly released the Leafsnap system, which has been downloaded by almost half a million users. The mobile phone application is a flexible electronic field guide with high-quality images of the tree species in the Northeast US. It also gives users instant access to our automatic recognition system, greatly simplifying the identification process.


Automobile and aerospace industries are facing problems more and more on reducing the weight and manufacturing cost of a structure, but guaranteeing an equal level of comfort with satisfactory structural performance of components. To overcome these contradictory requirements traditional designs and materials must be revised. Therefore, this research study aims to design, manufacture and characterise the properties of novel contoured-core sandwich structures to obtain strong, stiff and lightweight structures including air ventilation to reduce the danger of deterioration and humidity retraction. Two different contoured profiles, named flat-roof and spherical-roof contoured-cores, were designed to investigate structural response under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Flat-roof and spherical-roof structures were made from a glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) and a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The composite contoured cores were fabricated using a hot press moulding technique and then bonded to skins based on the same material, to produce a range of lightweight sandwich structures. Testing was initially focused on establishing the influence of the number of unit cells, thickness of the cell wall, width of the cell and the core filled with foam on their mechanical behaviour under quasi-static loading. Fibre fracture and matrix cracking in the composite systems, as well as debonding between the skins and the core, were observed during the compression. The compression strength and modulus were shown to be dependent on the number of unit cells and the cell wall thickness. It has also been shown that the specific energy absorption capacity of the panel increases nonlinearly with increasing the cell wall thickness, with the spherical-roof cores outperforming their flat-roof counterparts. Moreover, the foam filling on the composite contoured-core systems improved the strength as well as specific energy-absorbing characteristics of the structures. Low velocity impact loading was subsequently performed on the sandwich structures and showed that the values of energy absorption were slightly higher than the tests conducted at quasi-static loading, as a result of the rate-sensitive effects on the damage resistance of the composite material. In addition, blast tests were undertaken to subject the core materials to a much higher strain-rate. Extensive crushing of the contoured cores was observed, suggesting that these structures are capable of absorbing a significant amount of energy under the extreme loading condition. Finally, the results of these tests were compared with previously-published data on a range of similar core structures. The energy absorbing characteristics of the current spherical-roof systems are shown to be superior to other core structures, such as aluminium and composite egg-box structures. The finite element models using ABAQUS/explicit were further developed to simulate the quasi-static and low velocity impact response of woven carbon and glass fibre contoured-core designs. Initially, a two dimensional model with Hashin's failure criteria was developed to compare with the experiment. Following this, a user defined material subroutine (VUMAT) was implemented to model the through thickness damage of the contoured-core structures using Hashin's 3D failure criteria. The FE models were validated against the experimental results in terms of the stress-strain responses, the specific energy absorption and the failure mode, with reasonably good correlation. The models developed could be further used for parametric studies to assist in designing and optimising the structural behaviour of contoured-core sandwich structures.


The proliferation of book clubs, reading groups, "outline" volumes, and new forms of book reviewing in the first half of the twentieth century influenced the tastes and pastimes of millions of Americans. Joan Rubin here provides the first comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon, the rise of American middlebrow culture, and the values encompassed by it. Rubin centers her discussion on five important expressions of the middlebrow: the founding of the Book-of-the-Month Club; the beginnings of "great books" programs; the creation of the New York Herald Tribune 's book-review section; the popularity of such works as Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy; and the emergence of literary radio programs. She also investigates the lives and expectations of the individuals who shaped these middlebrow institutions--such figures as Stuart Pratt Sherman, Irita Van Doren, Henry Seidel Canby, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, John Erskine, William Lyon Phelps, Alexander Woollcott, and Clifton Fadiman. Moreover, as she pursues the significance of these cultural intermediaries who connected elites and the masses by interpreting ideas to the public, Rubin forces a reconsideration of the boundary between high culture and popular sensibility.


The sensitivities of clinical strains of obligate anaerobic bacteria, isolated from the periodontal pouches of patients with generalized periodontitis, to antibiotics, quinolone drugs, and metronidasole were studied. The minimal suppressing concentration (MSC90) of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and antibiotics gramicidin C, eritromicin, lincomycin, levomicetin, and trichopol for sensitive strains of Porphyromonas, peptostreptococci, and fusobacteria ranged from 5 to 10 mg/ml. Among the bacteria and actinomyces studied the highest percentage of resistant strains was noted for abactal and tarivid, and the minimal for gramicidin C and eritromicin. Actinomyces were little sensitive to quinolone derivatives.


Today, we have to deal with many data (Big data) and we need to make decisions by choosing an architectural framework to analyze these data coming from different area. Due to this, it becomes problematic when we want to process these data, and even more, when it is continuous data. When you want to process some data, you have to first receive it, store it, and then query it. This is what we call Batch Processing. It works well when you process big amount of data, but it finds its limits when you want to get fast (real-time) processing results, such as financial trades, sensors, user session activity, etc. The solution to this problem is stream processing. Stream processing approach consists of data arriving record by record, and rather than storing it, the processing is done as the data arrive. In this paper, we propose an assessment quality model to evaluate and choose stream processing frameworks. We describe briefly different architectural frameworks such as Spark Streaming, Storm, Flink and Samza that address the stream processing. Using our quality model, we present a decision tree to support engineers to choose a framework following the quality aspects. Finally, we evaluate our model doing a case study to Twitter and Netflix streaming; model that will serve as well for engineers, as for future framework designers.


This paper takes stock of trade policies in Southeast Asia after the Asian crisis and in the wake of the current global economic crisis. It compares trade policies in individual Southeast Asian countries; places them in the context of regional and global economic integration; and particularly draws implications for the region from the rise of China and India. The first section looks at recent trade and FDI patterns in Southeast Asia. Then follows an overview of key trade-policy trends, in the region overall and in individual countries. The next sections examine ASEAN countries in international trade negotiations and agreements: first in the WTO, especially in the Doha Round; then within ASEAN; and finally on cross-regional FTAs. The paper concludes that ASEAN countries cannot rely on external tracks from above for meaningful trade policy reform. Since the Asian crisis there has been a slowdown of reform momentum, and too much reliance on trade negotiations especially FTAs. Rather, countries in the region have to rely on themselves from below as it were. The engine of liberalisation and regulatory reform has to be home-driven as it was before the Asian crisis with governments taking unilateral measures in response to internal and external conditions.


Coopetition is the simultaneous cooperation and competition amongst competitors (Gnyawali & Madhaven, 2001); the objective being mutually beneficial results (Oxford, 2012). It is a fairly new concept and has not widely been applied to the hospitality industry. Most of the research that exists on this topic relates to destination marketing, cooperation or competition in tourism and hospitality; very little looks at coopetition. The current economic situation, and as its negative impact on the hospitality industry in South Africa, has provided a need to explore how hotels are able to work together in order to retain their position in the market as well as gain a competitive edge over one another and other markets. The primary objective of the research report is to contribute to coopetition theory, specifically in the hospitality industry. The study is based on research of the interaction between the network of fivestar hotels in Cape Town. It explores their relationships with one another and with other hotels in South Africa. The secondary objective is to answer a number of subordinate research questions which provide insight into the factors that promote or hinder coopetition. It considers the reasons for coopetition, the role of third parties in the relationship, the impact of geographic location on these relationships, amongst other factors. The results of the study have provided insights as to how factors internal and external to the organisations impact their willingness to cooperate with their competitors. The study determines reasons for coopetition, activities where it is present and shares the impact of the coopetitive initiatives to date. It confirms some of the existing theory and highlights areas where there is scope for future research.


In this paper, we present a discussion and comparison of CMOS and GaAs HBT technologies for handset power amplifiers. Our perspective is unique to other comparisons in that we actually have products in both technologies. To understand the application space where each of these technologies makes sense, we discuss current and near-term PA requirements as well as technology and technology support issues. Finally, we aim to dispel some the common misperceptions surrounding these technologies.


The species status of D. autographus and D. hectographus is investigated by means of morphological and biosystematic methods. A hybridization experiment resulted in progeny, but the F 1 generation appeared to be infertile. The size of the punctures on the elytral declivity and two dimensions of the endophallic portion of the penis were measured on specimens from the two forms and the hybrids. The declivital punctures show great variation with overlap. The shape of the penis in the two forms is distinctive and is therefore an excellent diagnostic character. The hybrids occupy intermediate positions to a great extent. D. hectographus is significantly longer than D. autographus . Olfactometer experiments showed that male Dryocoetes produce aggregation pheromones, and there was some cross-attraction between the two forms. Measurements of the supercooling points showed that significantly more D. hectographus were cold adapted. Electrophoretic analysis of both forms taken from the same breeding stock revealed a conspicuous and constant difference in the protein pattern, indicating that they are genetically distinct. It is concluded that the two species should still be considered as distinct.


The weed infestation monitoring was conducted in 2019 and 2020. The purpose was to document the weed flora in a large part of the wine vineyard plots in the cadastral area of the Kolarovo, Ovcharovo, Dositeevo, Balgarin and Izvorovo villages within the administrative territory of the Harmanli municipality and the micro-climatic region of South Sakar. The established weed species composition was represented by 38 weed species belonging to 18 botanical families in ratio 81.58% to 18.42% monocarpous to polycarpous species classified in a total of nine biological groups.


Abstract:Sociable curiosity - wondering and finding out about others (empathetic curiosity), and being curious with them (relational curiosity) - can draw people together, bridging differences and social distances. This promises more than the distant connections that are increasingly recognised and endorsed as mechanisms of coping with diversity and living within societies that have been characterised as diverse. It reaches towards more active and definite engagement with others. But curiosity - associated as it is with taxonomy and therefore with exploring and sometimes disrupting and recasting categories - can also be a vehicle for more fundamental explorations of social difference. Understandings of sociable curiosity are distilled in this paper through readings of theoretical literature on curiosity, wonder and taxonomy, and through a series of more tangible encounters, drawn from experiences of anti-war activism and museum projects in the UK, which bring sociable curiosity into focus.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To identify appropriate strategies for pharmacotherapeutic agents in the management of pain in older adults with cancer.

DATA SOURCES
PubMed literature searches, personal reference collection, and clinical experience.

DATA SYNTHESIS
To make good decisions about pain management when developing treatment plans for older adults, healthcare providers should focus on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs in the context of the physiologic changes that occur with aging.

CONCLUSIONS
Unrelieved pain can have a detrimental effect on older adults; conversely, overmedicating can lead to an increased risk of adverse events. With advancing age, physiologic changes alter the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs by reducing their absorption, changing their distribution, and modifying their metabolism and elimination. Also, common comorbidities increase the risk of pharmacologic toxicity and narrow the therapeutic window. In addition, polypharmacy-an issue more common in older adults-increases the complexity of prescribing and risk of adverse events. Consequently, older adults require individualization of their pharmacotherapies. Healthcare providers should consider carefully the risks and benefits of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and adjuvants before initiating an analgesic trial. The 2009 guidelines published by the American Geriatrics Society described several key principles for prescribing analgesics to older adults and offered specific recommendations and caveats for each drug class.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Current guidelines support appropriate management of cancer pain in older adults with specific recommendations for each class of analgesics as well as general prescribing principles.


A controversial study showing that some specialist doctors received more than $A700 000 (pounds sterling 280 000) a year from the public Medicare system has sparked a big row between doctors and the federal government. Senator Graham Richardson, the health minister, told parliament that some of the nation's surgeons were "greedy" and "exploited" their patients by charging excessive fees. He warned that any increases in the health budget would not be used to prop up the incomes of specialist doctors. "The great majority of doctors - more than two thirds - choose not to exploit their market power, but one third does. A minority of them exploit their position and do so shamelessly," he said.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) accused the senator of indulging in the "politics of envy." The …


It has been known that both brain and heart produce magnetic fields however, intensity of heart magnetic field is more. The question arises that what is the relation between heart and brain waves. We answer this question by suggesting a theoretical model which use of hemoglobins and other spinors as packages of information and spin waves for exchanging information between heart and brain. In this model, heart genes within heart cells control motions of charged ions and their spins. By motions of these electrical and spinor ions, both electrical and magnetic waves are emerged. Electrical waves produce known action potentials and magnetic waves force on iron atoms within hemoglobins and electrons on other biological objects and induce spin waves and information in multigonal structures around them. Hemoglobins and other spinors are carried by blood cells and liquid molecules and move from heart to brain. Near neurons within the brain, magnetic spins within the hemoglobins and spinors force into ions and cause to their motion towards cells. These ions pass the neuron membranes, force on ionic packages and cause that some new ions become free. These charged/spinor ions produce electrical currents between neurons and emit some magnetic and electrical waves around the brain. We have done some calculations which show by increasing height differences between two mans, time differences for exchanging information between brain and heart increase. This result is related to local entanglement between spinors. However, there is additional non-local entanglements between spinors on the heart and spinors on the brain. These entanglements may be produced through two ways: 1. Some spinors within blood vessels and nerve systems may join to each other and form several strings. Any change in one of spins within this string, cause to changes in all spins. Thus, information could be transmitted between brain and heart immediately. 2. In addition to classical magnetic field which is produced by charged currents, there is another quantum magnetic field which is produced by spinors. This quantum wave couldn't be detected by present devices, however any change in spinors on the heart cause to a change in quantum magnetic field and spinors on the brain. This is a theoretical model and could be a proposal for scientists to test it.


In many real-world strategic settings, people use information displays to make decisions. In these settings, an information provider chooses which information to provide to strategic agents and how to present it, and agents formulate a best response based on the information and their anticipation of how others will behave. We contribute the results of a controlled online experiment to examine how the provision and presentation of information impacts people's decisions in a congestion game. Our experiment compares how different visualization approaches for displaying this information, including bar charts and hypothetical outcome plots, and different information conditions, including where the visualized information is private versus public (i.e., available to all agents), affect decision making and welfare. We characterize the effects of visualization anticipation, referring to changes to behavior when an agent goes from alone having access to a visualization to knowing that others also have access to the visualization to guide their decisions. We also empirically identify the visualization equilibrium, i.e., the visualization for which the visualized outcome of agents' decisions matches the realized decisions of the agents who view it. We reflect on the implications of visualization equilibria and visualization anticipation for designing information displays for real-world strategic settings.


In this paper, we describe our investigation of the motivational differences between project managers and developers. Motivation has been found to be a central factor in successful software projects. However the motivation of software engineers is generally poorly understood and previous work done in the area is thought to be largely out-of-date. We present data collected from 6 software developers and 4 project managers at a workshop we organized at the XP2006 international conference.


The impact of metacercaria infestation on the metabolic activity, thermal tolerance and freezing tolerance of Corophium volutator (Pallas, 1766) was investigated. Metabolic activity was measured by direct microcalorimetry at different temperatures and oxygen conditions. In 2 cases only, at 15°C/50 % O 2 and 10°C/100 % O 2 , a positive correlation between infestation intensity and metabolic heat loss was found. At all temperatures examined, hypoxia down to 35% oxygen saturation did not have a significant effect on metabolic heat loss. With rising temperature, enhanced locomotory activity of C. volutatorwas observed during measurements, but an effect of infestation intensity was not found. According to the results of the thermal tolerance experiments, metacercaria infestation at studied intensities does not compromise infested hosts. In the freezing tolerance experiments, heavily infested C. volutator specimens survived better than specimens with lower infestation intensities. The results indicate a good adaptation of the parasite, because survival of the second intermediate host until consumed by the final host is essential for the completion of the life cycle of digenetic trematodes. It is concluded that under normal field conditions, changes of metabolic activity or reduced tolerance towards thermal stress and freezing as a result of metacercaria infestation should not be responsible for mass mortality events observed in the field. The role of the developmental stage of the metacercaria and the possibly more severe impact caused by not yet or only recently encysted metacercariae, compared to metacercariae with multi-layered cyst walls, is discussed.


This paper discusses the Mujib Dam reservoir9s storage during the drought years of 2007–2009. It has been concluded that the policy of unplanned water release during the dry year 2007, when little attention was paid to the possibility of a continuation of the drought, contributed to the remarkable lack of surface water storage during 2008, another dry year. For better management and planning, this paper presents theoretical models to evaluate the occurrence probability and return period for extreme droughts, assuming that drought deficits are Beta distributed. Droughts of a short length (2–3 years) and deficits that exceed a threshold deficit ( D o ) are the most frequent droughts in the central Jordan region. Regardless of the drought deficit magnitude and the drought length, the return period of any drought condition is nearly 4 years. This paper recommends the application of large-scale sustainable solutions to reduce the gap between the demand on water and supply in Jordan during drought conditions. Furthermore, it is recommended that water losses from the clean water distribution systems be reduced below the existing loss rate, that large-scale rainwater capturing techniques are employed, and that large-scale desalination practices are applied to the readily available brackish and seawater in Jordan.


Building planes is based on a lot of different manufacturing processes. New challenges and higher production rates lead to the necessity of optimizing those processes. This Master Thesis focuses on one of them: the plane transit process, when the plane moves from a building station to another. Today, this manufacturing step takes a lot of time and deteriorates the production rhythm. This gate has a direct impact on the provider and the receiver stations and it was essential to find a way of improving it.This document presents the A330 Final Assembly Line (FAL), the plane transit process, the Business Improvement Project (BIP) method at Airbus and explains the created solutions and the related results.


Objective: The relationship between injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash (MCC) by unhelmeted motorcyclists and the multitude of costs associated with those injuries has been a decades-long debate. Results from research addressing injuries and mortality due to helmet use in MCCs demonstrates that unhelmeted motorcyclists experience more severe injuries, resulting in higher health care costs and an increased likelihood of requiring care beyond the hospital in other facilities. However, a link between injury severity and hospital costs has not been established with its spillover effect onto health insurance providers. This retrospective study was designed to delineate the health care and insurance costs of adult trauma patients admitted to a Level 1 trauma center due to an MCC. Methods: The study included adult trauma patients 18 years of age or older admitted to a Level 1 trauma center due to an MCC between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2010. The center is a receiving hospital for the central third of a Midwestern state, serving a medium-sized city as well as rural and isolated population areas. Patients were stratified into 2 groups based on helmet use. Patient variables included mechanism of injury, clinical characteristics, total units of blood used, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, days on a ventilator, mortality, number of procedures during hospital stay, primary payor, discharge location, and total hospital charges. A linear regression model was used to predict the charges associated with the severity of injuries. Results: A significant difference was found for total hospital charges. The mean total hospital charge for helmeted patients was $4184.26 compared to $7383.31 for unhelmeted patients. The prediction model was statistically significant, indicating that not wearing a helmet starts the patient at a cost of $3199.06. The cost of treatment for patients who wore helmets was $256.93 for each incremental increase in Injury Severity Score (ISS) compared to $537.57 for unhelmeted patients. ICU LOS, hospital LOS, and vent days were statistically significant, with durations longer for unhelmeted patients. Helmeted patients also required more units of blood. The total number of procedures for each patient approached significance, with the unhelmeted group requiring more procedures. Conclusions: The goal of the study was to delineate the medical costs associated with helmet use and nonuse in motorcyclists. The results demonstrate that medical costs due to an MCC for an unhelmeted motorcyclist were significantly higher than for a helmeted motorcyclist. These costs were paid by providers of health insurance, mainly Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), Medicaid, and commercial insurance.


One of the aims of university education is to prepare young people to be responsible citizens for the future. In the business world, the notion of sustainability is increasingly recognised as an important agenda. Both the Higher Education Funding Council (2008) and the Quality Assurance Agency (2014) acknowledge the critical role of higher education in educating socially responsible and ethically aware graduates. In line with this trend, many business schools have responded by offering sustainability related subjects and exploring pedagogical tools for engagement. Developing sustainability literacy (Stibbe 2011), shifting mindsets (Stubbs and Cocklin, 2008), developing critical thinking skills (Brookfield, 2011) and creating significant learning experiences for students (Dee Fink 2003) are just some examples of approaches which have proved successful. However, such initiatives and the concept of sustainability itself pose some difficult educational challenges for both educators and students.
This paper explores the impact of an innovative module on business and sustainability entitled Develop Sustainable Enterprises which is offered as an option to second year students in the Business School at Canterbury Christ Church University. This is the second year that the module has run and sixty five students elected to participate. Evidence of impact has been gathered (a) using a pre and post module questionnaire; (b) through the 'voices' of four students who have responded to the module in different ways. Tutor reflections provide an additional viewpoint. The student contributions make this an unusual and strongly grounded presentation which will illustrate a shared experience between students and tutor on a learning journey.


AIMS AND METHODS
Our aims were to determine the frequency of diabetic hyperosmolality (DH) in our Department, its causes, therapeutic implications and evolution. A five-years retrospective study was performed in 60 patients regarding age, sex, type and duration of diabetes mellitus (DM), previous antidiabetic therapy, underlying diseases, biochemical data, precipitating factors, therapeutic management and outcome.

RESULTS
The hyperosmolar coma was responsible for 90% of the metabolic comas and for 3% of the diabetic patients. The median age of the cohort was 54.6 +/- 9.4 years, being females 61.7% and males 38.3% In 40% no prior diagnosis of DM was made and in the remaining patients the previous antidiabetic therapy was unknown in 61%. Altered consciousness was found in 90%, being 28% in coma. The metabolic acidosis was detectable in 22.2%, the average glycaemia was 956 +/- 267 mg/dl and the osmolality was 349.4 +/- 34.3 mosm/l. The precipitating factors were: poor metabolic control in all patients (HbA1C 12.5 +/- 2.75%), infections in 76.6%, suspension of antidiabetic therapy in 10% and concomitant hyperglycaemic drugs in 6.6% of patients. The global mortality was 20%.

CONCLUSIONS
The majority of the situations could be preventable if an attempted screening and diagnosis of DM was made and precipitating factors avoid or promptly treated.


Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented an unprecedented challenge to the health-care system across the world. The current study aims to identify the determinants of illness severity of COVID-19 based on ordinal responses. A retrospective cohort of COVID-19 patients from four hospitals in three provinces in China was established, and 598 patients were included from 1 January to 8 March 2020, and divided into moderate, severe and critical illness group. Relative variables were retrieved from electronic medical records. The univariate and multivariate ordinal logistic regression models were fitted to identify the independent predictors of illness severity. The cohort included 400 (66.89%) moderate cases, 85 (14.21%) severe and 113 (18.90%) critical cases, of whom 79 died during hospital-isation as of 28 April. Patients in the age group of 70+ years (OR = 3.419, 95% CI: 1.596 – 7.323), age of 40 – 69 years (OR = 1.586, 95% CI: 0.824 – 3.053), hypertension (OR = 3.372, 95% CI: 2.185 – 5.202), ALT >50 μ /l (OR = 3.304, 95% CI: 2.107 – 5.180), cTnI >0.04 ng/ml (OR = 7.464, 95% CI: 4.292 – 12.980), myohaemoglobin>48.8 ng/ml (OR = 2.214, 95% CI: 1.42 – 3.453) had greater risk of developing worse severity of illness. The interval between illness onset and diagnosis (OR = 1.056, 95% CI: 1.012 – 1.101) and interval between illness onset and admission (OR = 1.048, 95% CI: 1.009 – 1.087) were independent significant predictors of illness severity. Patients of critical illness suffered from inferior survival, as compared with patients in the severe group (HR = 14.309, 95% CI: 5.585 – 36.659) and in the moderate group (HR = 41.021, 95% CI: 17.588 – 95.678). Our findings highlight that the identified determinants may help to predict the risk of developing more severe illness among COVID-19 patients and contribute to optimising arrangement of health resources.


Additive manufacturing (AM) offers access to the entire volume of a printed artifact during the build operation. This makes it possible to embedding foreign components (e.g. sensors, motors, actuators) into AM parts, thus enabling multifunctional products directly from the build tray. However, the process of designing for embedding currently requires extensive designer expertise in AM. Current methods rely on a designer to select an orientation for the embedded component and design a cavity such that the component can be successfully embedded without compromising the print quality of the final part. For irregular geometries, additional design knowledge is required to prepare a shape converter: a secondary piece to ensure a flush deposition surface on top of the embedded component. This research aims to develop a tool to automate these different design decisions for in-situ embedding, thus reducing the need for expert design knowledge. A three-stage process is proposed to 1) find the optimum orientation based on cavity volume and cross-section area, 2) create the necessary cavity geometry to successfully insert the component, and 3) perform a Boolean operation to create the digital design for any requisite shape converter. Performance of the tool is demonstrated with four test cases with varying levels of geometric complexity. These test cases show that the proposed process successfully handles arbitrary embedded geometries, though several limitations are noted for future work.


Abstract In this study, machinability behavior of AA7075 aged at different time lengths was examined experimentally and by using artificial neural network prediction model. The hardness values were measured after the heat treatment processes. Homogenized reference samples and aged samples were machined by turning processes. On the one hand, the wear occurring on the cutting edge during machining, and the cutting forces depending on cutting speed and surface roughness were investigated. Surface roughness values for each reference material and aged sample were measured using processing parameters. Acquired surface roughness values formed a surface roughness prediction model by using artificial neural networks. The results showed that the surface roughness of the samples decreases while the cutting speed of the lathe increases. In the prediction model formed by using surface roughness acquired after the machinability tests, cutting force, cutting speed and aging process were used as input parameters. Surface roughness as a result of machinability tests were used as output parameters of the proposed prediction model. High coefficient of determination, R2 rate, obtained in the formed prediction model showed that the model is successful in the prediction of surface roughness.


An investigation was conducted into developing a portable Braille device which would allow visually impaired individuals to read electronic documents by actuating Braille text on a finger. Braille books tend to be bulky in size due to the minimum size requirements for each Braille cell. E-books can be read in Braille using refreshable Braille displays connected to a computer. However, the refreshable Braille displays are expensive, bulky and are not portable. These factors restrict blind and visually impaired individuals from accessing much of the literature which isn't available in Braille.

The proposed device overcomes the problem of carrying bulky Braille books by allowing multiple e-books to be saved in a portable memory device. By convert text from Latin characters into Braille patterns, it will give the blind access to books which were never published in Braille. The single Braille cell design reduces the bulk of the device allowing it to be portable and reducing the cost. An additional benefit of the device is that it can be integrated into a glove and worn thus giving the user freedom to carry on with other tasks while reading.

A prototype was developed to prove Braille could be read by actuating Braille characters on a finger. The device read text from an SD card, translated it into Braille characters and actuated the Braille pattern. Blind volunteers proficient in Braille reading were able to decipher the Braille text actuated on the finger after some practice.

The investigation confirmed the feasibility of the Electronic Braille document reader built around a microcontroller system translating text into Braille. It also proved the theory that Braille could be read from a single Braille cell by the patterns actuating on the finger instead of the finger sliding across an already formed Braille pattern. A portable Electronic Braille Document Reader promises provide substantial benefits to blind and visually impaired individuals, and overcome the limitations of Braille books.


In this study, although the majority of responding physicians seemed to perceive advertising as not having an impact on the medical marketplace, the results concerning the medical profession appear quite different. In addition to soundly rejecting advertising as a communication mode in their profession, the physicians felt strongly that it would damage the profession's public image, plus promote fraud and hucksterism. A majority of respondents even went so far as to state that advertising would cause the quality of care to deteriorate. A majority also felt that advertising is ethically wrong for physicians. From these results, it seems that these physicians were not as concerned about the evils of advertising, per se, as the manner in which advertising would be applied by their colleagues to undermine the profession. It is very clear from the factor analysis that the major dimension of these physicians' attitudes toward advertising pertained to concern for the image of the profession, although economic and media communications aspects were of some importance. The question items loading most heavily on the IMAGE factor reflect perceptions that advertising will impact on the quality of care, promote fraud and hucksterism, convey a negative public image, etc. Thus, the primary focus of the physicians' negative attitudes does not seem to be toward the economic consequences, nor toward advertising as a societal entity. But, the major element for negativity is the way in which advertising would be applied by medical practitioners. More specifically, physicians believed that it would be applied in an unprofessional, unethical manner. Results of the factor analysis imply that the negativity focused upon advertising is really directed toward uncertainty pertaining to the ethics of medical practitioners and the way in which these ethics would be projected through media and other communications vehicles.


Corpus technology is commonly used by researchers and professionals for language description; however it can also be employed by second or foreign language learners in what has come to be known as data-driven learning (DDL). DDL has been suggested as an effective approach to improve second language (L2) learners' writing competence. To popularize DDL approach among ordinary language teachers and learners, this paper offers an overview of empirical DDL research in writing published from 2010 to 2016, which can provide insights into how DDL approach is integrated into an actual writing classrooms and how much it can contribute to the development of L2 writing skill. The analysis of the surveyed studies reveals the great potentials of DDL activities in L2 writing class from different perspectives but it's also found that corpora are not superior to other traditional reference tools for some consultation purposes. It is thus necessary to develop online platforms which could provide easy and free access to the user-friendly corpora along with other types of reference tools. Then suggestions about further studies are also offered in the end.


The first two of a total of six nano-satellites that will constitute the BRITE-Constellation space photometry mission have recently been launched successfully. In preparation for this project, we carried out time-resolved colour photometry in a field that is an excellent candidate for BRITE measurements from space. We acquired 117 h of Stromgren uvy data during 19 nights. Our targets comprised the Beta Cephei stars Kappa and Lambda Sco, the eclipsing binary Mu 1 Sco, and the variable super/hypergiant Zeta 1 Sco. For Kappa Sco, a photometric mode identification in combination with results from the spectroscopic literature suggests a dominant (l, m) = (1, -1) Beta Cephei-type pulsation mode of the primary star. The longer period of the star may be a rotational variation or a g-mode pulsation. For Lambda Sco, we recover the known dominant Beta Cephei pulsation, a longer-period variation, and observed part of an eclipse. Lack of ultraviolet data precludes mode identification for this star. We noticed that the spectroscopic orbital ephemeris of the closer pair in this triple system is inconsistent with eclipse timings and propose a refined value for the orbital period of the closer pair of 5.95189 +/- 0.00003 d. We also argue that the components of the Lambda Sco system are some 30% more massive than previously thought. The binary light curve solution of Mu 1 Sco requires inclusion of the irradiation effect to explain the u light curve, and the system could show additional low amplitude variations on top of the orbital light changes. Zeta 1 Sco shows long-term variability on a time scale of at least two weeks that we prefer to interpret in terms of a variable wind or strange mode pulsations.


In recent years, many countries have either abolished inheritance and estate taxes or exempted spouses from these taxes. However, Turkey still levies inheritance tax on foreign spouses and heirs despite an increase in marriages with foreigners. This study examines thirty-two cases of inheritance in Turkey and compares Turkish inheritance tax policies with another eleven European policies using data from OECD statistics and the 2018 Worldwide Estate and Inheritance Tax Guide. It also examines Turkish laws and court cases and identifies several legal issues that foreign widows encounter when inheriting assets from Turkish spouses. Finally, it discusses the potential implications for Turkey's current tax policies. The results demonstrate that Turkish inheritance tax law is problematic for foreign spouses. Turkey's lack of tax agreements with other countries increases the problems associated with double taxation. The results also identified the lack of provisions for same-sex spouses and couples as well as couples who live together but are not married, and Turkey trails behind many other European countries in this regard. In conclusion, Turkey should, like many other countries, abolish the spousal inheritance tax, or it should conclude agreements with other countries to avoid double taxation of foreign widows and heirs living in Turkey.
Tax law, estate tax, inheritance tax, Turkish spouse, foreign widows, tax policy, tax exemption, double taxation, marriage with foreigners, same-sex spouses


Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) systems learn generalised, interpretable rules in a data-efficient manner utilising existing background knowledge. However, current ILP systems require training examples to be specified in a structured logical format. Neural networks learn from unstructured data, although their learned models may be difficult to interpret and are vulnerable to data perturbations at run-time. This paper introduces a hybrid neural-symbolic learning framework, called NSL, that learns interpretable rules from labelled unstructured data. NSL combines pre-trained neural networks for feature extraction with FastLAS, a state-of-the-art ILP system for rule learning under the answer set semantics. Features extracted by the neural components define the structured context of labelled examples and the confidence of the neural predictions determines the level of noise of the examples. Using the scoring function of FastLAS, NSL searches for short, interpretable rules that generalise over such noisy examples. We evaluate our framework on propositional and first-order classification tasks using the MNIST dataset as raw data. Specifically, we demonstrate that NSL is able to learn robust rules from perturbed MNIST data and achieve comparable or superior accuracy when compared to neural network and random forest baselines whilst being more general and interpretable.


This paper highlights experiences of young mothers, victims of child, early and forced marriages (CEFM) as pertaining to their basic rights, social wellbeing and sustainable livelihood four years after their participation in the Girls Inspire project. CEFM is still a critical issue in Tanzania and one of the obstacles toward girls' and women's empowerment. Data was collected from six districts in the regions of Dodoma, Rukwa and Lindi between 2016-2018 through the use of questionnaires for a random sample of 367 as well as in-depth interviews with 34 young mothers between 13 to 19 years old who were purposively selected. Other data was generated from the use of focus group discussions for a non-random sample of 137 young mothers. The findings show how the provision of alternative learning through ODL, coupled with skills development in areas of vocation and entrepreneurship can help vulnerable girls and young women  be involved in shaping decisions  that affect their lives as well as enhance their well-being, employability and sustainable livelihoods.
Keywords: Child marriages, teenage pregnancies, gender equality and sustainable livelihood.


A number of prefix delegation-based schemes have been proposed to solve the route optimization problem in NEMO, where a group of hosts move together as a mobile network. The schemes trade off between inefficiency of routes and various overheads. With the rapid growth of mobile computing, this overhead will give rise to the scalability issue of these schemes. However, there has been no quantitative study on the asymptotic scalability analysis of these schemes. In this paper, we have developed analytical models for scalability analysis of these schemes in terms of network size, mobility rate, distance between mobility agents, and traffic rate. Our analysis shows that the prefix delegation-based schemes exhibit asymptotically identical overhead on the network, and they show better asymptotical scalability in terms of number of mobile routers. The analytical framework for scalability analysis presented in this paper will help in visualizing the effects of future network expansion on the performance of these route optimization schemes of NEMO.


Beam structures are a common form in many large structures, and therefore the real-time condition monitoring and active control of beams will improve the reliability and safety of many structures. This paper presents a damage assessment method which combines the impedance method and guided wave method. The combination enabled to improve the damage detection efficiency. The impedance method is used first to detect whether the damage occurs or not and judge the damage extent. The guided wave then is introduced to accurately localize damages. The improved method provides possibility for more accurately identifying and localization damages compared to that conventional method. A powerful wavelet transform is used to extract the signals efficiently. Additionally, with using the general function generator to excite the piezoceramic (PZT) patches to generate the guided wave, the guided wave propagates along with the beam structures with PZT patches bonded, and the real-time signals are recorded. Damages are indicated by a change of response signals when compared with a template undamaged condition. The wave attenuation and mode conversion is sufficient to detect various types of defects. The results show considerable ability for identifying and localization of the simulated damages.


The study aims to estimate an international reserves demand model for China using economic growth, propensity to import, real effective exchange rate and trade openness variables for quarterly period spanning from 1985Q1 to 2014Q4.The bounds testing technique to cointegration is used to test for a long run relationship, while the autoregressive distributed lag approach is used to estimate short run and long run coefficients. The bounds F-test critical values generated by Pesaran et al. (2001) are used for comparison.A long run cointegration relationship is found among the variables when international reserves demand is the dependent variable; and international reserves demand to be significant at conventional levels with respect to propensity to import and trade openness only in the long run. The error correction term is found negative and statistically significant in the short run.


The purpose of this study was to investigate whether, and to what extent, Conscientiousness, as part of the personality construct, and Self-Awareness, as part of the emotional intelligence construct, influence the occupational stress outcomes of absenteeism and burnout in culinary chefs. The research method and design selected for this study was a quantitative correlation and regression. The researcher selected the SelfAwareness factors from the ECI – 2.0, and the Conscientiousness factors from the NEOFFI to measure the individual and interactive effect on absenteeism and burnout. The experience of burnout itself was measured the Maslach Burnout Inventory GS, and absenteeism was measured by reported number of days absent from work. This study utilized an online survey of 66 questions, including 39 items based on these wellestablished measures in scholarly research and 27demographic items compiled by the researcher. Of the 213 restaurant chefs who were sent the survey, 70 responded rendering a return rate of 32.86%. The majority of the respondents were Caucasian males of an average age of 35. Nearly one-third of the sample was composed of Executive Chefs, while approximately 29 percent were Sous-Chefs. Another 14 percent were Chef Owners, and 13 percent were Junior Chefs. The vast majority (89 percent) worked at a freestanding restaurant. iii The findings of this study revealed that Conscientiousness significantly affect burnout in culinary chefs. No other tested variables correlated with statistical significance in this study. Several non-tested variables demonstrated significant correlations in the relationships between demographic data, Conscientiousness, and burnout primarily. This study contributes to the field by adding information for future research ideas, literature reviews, research design, and data collection and analysis when utilizing Conscientiousness, Self-Awareness, burnout and absenteeism in the study of occupational stress outcomes. Specifically, it addressed some important first step finding for understanding how certain personality factors and emotional intelligence factors might influence occupational stress outcomes in culinary chefs.


Cross-modal person re-identification (Re-ID) is critical for modern video surveillance systems. The key challenge is to align cross-modality representations conforming to semantic information present for a person and ignore background information. This work presents a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) based architecture designed to learn semantically aligned cross-modal visual and textual representations. The underlying building block, named AXM-Block, is a unified multi-layer network that dynamically exploits the multi-scale knowledge from both modalities and re-calibrates each modality according to shared semantics. To complement the convolutional design, contextual attention is applied in the text branch to manipulate long-term dependencies. Moreover, we propose a unique design to enhance visual part-based feature coherence and locality information. Our framework is novel in its ability to implicitly learn aligned semantics between modalities during the feature learning stage. The unified feature learning effectively utilizes textual data as a super-annotation signal for visual representation learning and automatically rejects irrelevant information. The entire AXM-Net is trained end-to-end on CUHK-PEDES data. We report results on two tasks, person search and cross-modal Re-ID. The AXM-Net outperforms the current state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods and achieves 64.44% Rank@1 on the CUHK-PEDES test set. It also outperforms by >10% for cross-viewpoint text-to-image Re-ID scenarios on CrossRe-ID and CUHK-SYSU datasets.


Air pollution monitoring has attracted much attention in recent years. However, accurate and high-resolution monitoring of atmospheric pollution remains challenging. There are two types of devices for air pollution monitoring, i.e., static stations and mobile stations. Static stations can provide accurate pollution measurements but their spatial distribution is sparse because of their high expense. In contrast, mobile stations offer an effective solution for dense placement by utilizing low-cost air monitoring sensors, whereas their measurements are less accurate. In this work, we propose a data-driven model based on deep neural networks, referred to as AirNet, for calibrating low-cost air monitoring sensors. Unlike traditional methods, which treat the calibration task as a point-to-point regression problem, we model it as a sequence-to-point mapping problem by introducing historical data sequences from both a mobile station (to be calibrated) and the referred static station. Specifically, AirNet first extracts an observation trend feature of the mobile station and a reference trend feature of the static station via dual encoder neural networks. Then, a social-based guidance mechanism is designed to select periodic and adjacent features. Finally, the features are fused and fed into a decoder to obtain a calibrated measurement. We evaluate the proposed method on two real-world datasets and compare it with six baselines. The experimental results demonstrate that our method yields the best performance.


. High-affinity IL2 receptors consist of three components, the (cid:97) , (cid:98) , and (cid:103) chains that are associated in a noncovalent manner. Both the (cid:98) and (cid:103) chains belong to the cytokine receptor superfamily. Interleukin 2 (IL2) binds to high-affinity receptors on the cell surface and IL2-receptor complexes are internalized. After endocytosis, the components of this multimolecular receptor have different intracellular fates: one of the chains, (cid:97) , recycles to the plasma membrane, while the others, (cid:98) and (cid:103) , are routed towards late endocytic compartments and are degraded. We show here that the cytosolic domain of the (cid:98) chain contains a 10–amino acid sequence which codes for a sorting signal. When transferred to a normally recycling receptor, this sequence diverts it from recycling. The structure of a 17–amino acid segment of the (cid:98) chain including this sequence has been studied by nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy, which revealed that the 10 amino acids corresponding to the sorting signal form an amphipathic (cid:97) helix. This work thus describes a novel, highly structured signal, which is sufficient for sorting towards degradation compartments after endocytosis. buffer, the presence of antibodies was revealed by incubat- ing the cells for 20 min at 37 (cid:56) C in permeabilization buffer containing labeled second antibodies. For 7G7B6 and OKT9, the second antibodies were Texas red–labeled anti-IgG2a (1/250) and FITC-labeled anti-IgG1 (1/ 100), respectively. Washes, sample mounting, and confocal microscopy were performed as described in reference 23. No immunofluorescence staining was ever observed when second anti- bodies were used without the first antibody or with an irrelevant first antibody.


Persistent conversation is human-to-human interaction that is carried out over computer networks; it is produced by typing, speaking or other means, and, unlike face-toface conversation, it leaves a trace -in the form of text on a computer screen, sound files, etc, -that persists for varying amounts of time. Examples of persistent conversation include interactions carried out using email, mailing lists, news groups, bulletin board systems, textual and graphic MUDs, chat clients, structured conversation systems, and document annotation systems. Persistent conversation differs from spoken conversation in interesting ways. For example, because it leaves a perceptible trace, persistent conversation can occur asynchronously with lags of minutes to months between conversational turns, as happens in e-mail. Alternatively, the turns of persistent conversation can overlap, with many participants effectively 'speaking' at once, as often happens in on-line chats. Freeing conversation from the lock-step synchrony of face-to-face talk has major implications both for the ways in which people and groups turn persistent conversation to their own ends, and for the design of systems which support conversation. Relaxation of synchrony is just one of the characteristics that distinguish persistent conversation from its spoken counterpart. Other characteristics include textual and graphic compensation for the loss of social cues present in face-to-face conversation; the possibility of very-large-scale conversations with hundreds or thousands of participants; and the social and ethical consequences (in terms of responsibility, accountability and liability) of the creation of potentially permanent records of what used to be an ephemeral process. The particular aim of this minitrack, and of its associated workshop, is to bring together researchers who analyze existing computer-mediated conversational practices and sites, with designers who propose, implement, or deploy new types of conversational systems. By bringing together participants from such diverse areas as anthropology, computer-mediated communication, HCI, interaction design, linguistics, psychology, rhetoric, sociology, and the like, we hope that the work of each may inform the others, suggesting new questions, methods, perspectives, and design approaches.


During lung development, Fibroblast growth factor 10 (Fgf10), which is expressed in the distal mesenchyme and regulated by Wnt signaling, acts on the distal epithelial progenitors to maintain them and prevent them from differentiating into proximal (airway) epithelial cells. Fgf10-expressing cells in the distal mesenchyme are progenitors for parabronchial smooth muscle cells (PSMCs). After naphthalene, ozone or bleomycin-induced airway epithelial injury, surviving epithelial cells secrete Wnt7b which then activates the PSMC niche to induce Fgf10 expression. This Fgf10 secreted by the niche then acts on a subset of Clara stem cells to break quiescence, induce proliferation and initiate epithelial repair. Here we show that conditional deletion of the Wnt target gene c-Myc from the lung mesenchyme during development does not affect proper epithelial or mesenchymal differentiation. However, in the adult lung we show that after naphthalene-mediated airway epithelial injury c-Myc is important for the activation of the PSMC niche and as such induces proliferation and Fgf10 expression in PSMCs. Our data indicate that conditional deletion of c-Myc from PSMCs inhibits airway epithelial repair, whereas c-Myc ablation from Clara cells has no effect on airway epithelial regeneration. These findings may have important implications for understanding the misregulation of lung repair in asthma and COPD.


We empirically study the price adjustment process at multiproduct retail stores. We use a unique store level data set for five large supermarket and one drugstore chains in the U.S., to document the exact process required to change prices. Our data set allows us to study this process in great detail, describing the exact procedure, stages, and steps undertaken during the price change process. We also discuss various aspects of the microeconomic environment in which the price adjustment decisions are made, factors affecting the price adjustment decisions, and firm-level implications of price adjustment decisions. Specifically, we examine the effects of the complexity of the price change process on the stores' pricing strategy. We also study how the steps involved in the price change process, combined with the laws governing the retail price setting and adjustment, along with the competitive market structure of the retail grocery industry, influence the frequency of price changes. We also examine how the mistakes that occur in the price change process influence the actions taken by these multiproduct retailers. In particular, we study how these mistakes can make the stores vulnerable to civil law suits and penalties, and also damage their reputation. We also show how the mistakes can lead to stockouts or unwanted inventory accumulations. Finally, we discuss how retail stores try to minimize these negative effects of the price change mistakes.


Assuming the model f(A) GA1- 2H, as A -- 0 +, for the spectral densityo f a covariances tationaryp rocess,w e considera n estimateo f H E (0, 1) which maximizes an approximate form of frequency domain Gaussian likelihood, where discrete averaging is carried out over a neighbourhood of zero frequency which degenerates slowly to zero as sample size tends to infinityT. he estimate has several advantages. It is shown to be consistent under mild conditions. Under conditions which are not greatly stronger, it is shown to be asymptotically normal and more efficientt han previous estimates. Gaussianity is nowhere assumed in the asymptotict heory,t he limitingn ormal distributioni s of very simple form, involving a variance which is not dependent on unknown parameters, and the theory covers simultaneously the cases f(A) -x oc, f(A) -+ 0 and f(A) -+ C E (0, oc), as A -* 0. Monte Carlo evidence on finite-sample performance is reported, along with an application to a historical series of minimum levels of the River Nile.


Cellulosic ethanol has shown promise as a feasible alternative fuel, especially if the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is done through a single step process known as consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). A major challenge for CBP, especially for large-scale industrial applications is the inhibition of celluloytic microorganisms by ethanol. While recombinant DNA technology and microbial acclimatization by exposure have resulted in some increase in ethanol tolerance, the search remains for robust bacteria that can proliferate in industrially-relevant conditions. This study applied an anaerobic gradient system to provide a continous spatial pathway for the selection of cellulolytic consortia with increased tolerance to ethanol. DGGE analysis showed that increasing concentrations of ethanol impacts the community profile. Biofilm formation of cellulose degrading communities has been found to be influenced by species diversity. Environmental gradients have shown promise for selective enrichment of cellulolytic consortia at desired conditions required for industrial application.


Belette-Gera Forest is one of the Afromontane rain forests in south western Ethiopia. The diversity and abundance of insect communities within the forest are not studied and there is no documentation of the insect fauna of the forest.Iinsects is ecologically important and play valuable role in the ecosystem of Belette-Gera forest. This study identified insect species within the forest and assesssed thier diversity, abundance and distribution among habitats and seasons. Habitat distribution of insect fauna was catagorized into three habitats having different land uses/cover and varying degrees of disturbance; Natural forest habiat, Plantation forest habitat and Wetland habitat. Seasonal distribution of insect fauna was also studied in three seasons; long rain season, long dry season and short rain season. Insect species richness and abundance of insect communities of Belette-Gera forest was investigated along a line transect of 100m × 100m starting from the bottom of the valley to the top of the ridge with sample quadrats of 10m ×10m laid for sampling insects. A total of 1560 insect specimens from 14 orders and 120 families were collected from September 2013 to August 2015 using sweep net trap, beating cloth, pitfall trap and hand picking. Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Evenness were used to measure diversity and abundance of the insects at the family level. The highest insect diversity was observed in the order Coleoptera with Shannon diversity index, Hʹ value of 1.77 and evenness, E value of 0.37. Dermaptera, Ephemeroptera, Mecoptera and Neuroptera were the raret insect orders. Similarly, diversity was measured in each habitat III using Shannon-Wiener species diversity index and Evenness. A total of 620 specimens (39.74 %) in the Natural forest habitat, 472 specimens (30.26 %) in the Wetland habitat and 468 specimens (30 %) in the Plantation forest habitat, were collected. These insects were used to determine the richness of the insect fauna in each habitat type. The highest insect diversity was observed in the Natural forest habitat with (Shannon's, Hʹ= 2.36) and (Evenness, E = 0.49) followed by Plantation forest habitat (Hʹ= 1.84; E = 0.38) and the lowest were recorded in the Wetland habitat (Hʹ= 1.78; E= 0.37). In addition, the influence of season on the diversity and abundance of insects was computed for two different years (2013/2014 and 2014/2015). Shannon-Wiener species diversity index (H') and Evenness (E ) were used to measure species diversity and abundance in each season. Paired sample T test was computed to determine the significant differences in insects collected in the rainy and dry seasons. Insect abundance and diversity were significantly different between seasons and in 2013/2014 the highest diversity was recorded in the long rain season with (Hʹvalue of 2.563; E value of 0.563). On the other hand, the lowest diversity was recorded during the short rain season (Hʹ value of 1.234; E value of 0.271). Furthermore, in 2014/2015 the highest diversity was recorded in long rainy season with Shannon's Hʹvalue of 1.868 and with E value of 0.417. The lowest insect diversity was recorded from short rainy season with Shannon's Hʹ value 1.57. The diversity and abundance of insect communities varied with respect to habitat type and season. As a result, Wet land habitat, Plantation forest habitat and Natural forest habitat were varied in increasing order with respect to diversity and abundance of insect communities. In addition, Short rainy season, Long dry season and Long rainy season varied in increasing order with respect to of diversity and abundance in the study forest. The variation of insect species diversity and abundance in the habitat types and seasons were the result of IV environmental variation (both biotic and abiotic factors), human interference; and the responce of insects to thesef actors influenced the diversity and abumdance of insect communities residing in these habitats in different seasons. Therefore, knowledge on the identity of insect species and factors which influence their diversity and abundance is important as baseline information for further study to assess the different aspects of the insect founa adapted in Belette-Gera forest.


Based on findings of maternal and fetal circulating oxytocin levels during spontaneous labor and the available information on oxytocin secretion patterns, the dosage and mode of administration of oxytocin for induction of labor is discussed. It is recommended that intravenous infusion rates should not exceed 2 to 8 mU/min. Oxytocin administered in a pulsatile fashion beginning with 1 mU/min every 8 minutes with doubling the pulse dose every 24 minutes is equally as efficient as continuous infusion. Because both the peak levels and the total dose of oxytocin needed for induction are lower with pulsatile than continuous administration, the risk of adverse effects for the mother and the fetus is significantly reduced.


Objective To test different bucket shapes and to measure the force needed to spill the water contained into it. Methods We designed six metal buckets, all 23 cm high and 26 cm of rim diameter, but with different base diameters: 26.00, 24.67, 23.26, 21.75, 20.14 and 18.38 cm. We fill all them with water up to 20 cm from bottom-to-top. Then, we exert a progressive pressure in a 45 downward direction until the bucket was tilted enough to pour the water it contained. The pressure in kg at that moment was measured and registered. Results Base bucket diameter and kg pressured needed to till the bucket showed a straight and direct relationship, with β=1.20 kg, α=−14.05, r=0.99 and p<0.001. Conclusion For the bucket sample studied, its stability is in direct relationship with its base diameter: the bucket with the wider base (diameter of 26 cm) needed 17.3 kg to till, while the narrower (diameter of 18.38 cm) needed 8.0 kg. Since a 11 months old child weight about 9.7 kg, in the case he/her trips over a bucket and falls into it could more easily till the bucket (pour the water and save his/her life) when the base is narrower (at least 50%) than the diameter of the opening when the diameter of the rim is 26 cm and the height is 23 cm.


Dilemma of a Dyslexic Man is a true story. It was printed originally for the Twentieth Annual Conference of Southwest Foundations. This edition contains additional material. Although Dwayne's case is more extreme than that of many dyslexics, his use of the medium of educational television and his multiple coping mechanisms have helped him to become knowledgeable in many fields. At this time no startling improvement in reading has been effected through private class work, but Dwayne continues with his
medication and with use of talking books for the blind. He is enrolled as a full-time university student and is making excellent grades. Two faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin
served as critic readers for the original manuscript. We appreciate the help of Dr. William Harmer, associate professor of curriculum and instruction and director of the Learning Disabilities Center, and
Dr. Norris Davis, professor of journalism, who read the document for content, authenticity, and style.