Abstract : This study presents observations of turbulence dynamics made during the low winds portion of the Coupled Boundary Layers and Air-Sea Transfer experiment (CBLAST-low) in the ocean surface boundary layer. Observations include turbulent fluxes, turbulent kinetic energy, and the length scales of flux-carrying and energy-containing eddies. The observations of turbulent fluxes allowed the closing of heat and momentum budgets across the air-sea interface. The flux-carrying eddies are similar in size to those expected in rigid-boundary turbulence, but energy-containing eddies are smaller than those in rigid boundary turbulence. The observations confirm previous speculation that surface wave breaking provides a surface source of turbulent kinetic energy that dissipates as it is transported to depth. A model that includes the effects of shear production, transport, and dissipation is able to reproduce the enhancement of turbulent kinetic energy near the ocean surface. The ocean surface boundary layer is observed to have small but finite temperature gradients that are related to the boundary fluxes of heat and momentum, as assumed by closure models. However, the turbulent diffusivity of heat in the surface boundary layer is larger than predicted by rigid-boundary closure models. This discrepancy can be explained by the addition of wave breaking to the rigid-boundary model.


The purpose of the present study was to describe the effect of expressive writing on the level of one's grief through a sequential design (expressive writing experiments for 3 consecutive days for 15 minutes each days then an analysis of the participant's writing contents was conducted). This study used a pre-post test matching technique experimental design follow up by content analysis. The total number of participants (both in the experimental and control groups) was 30 (M-age = 21.2; SD = 1.2), lost their parents more than six month. Randomized matching technique was use to divide participant into experimental (expressive writing) and control (non-expressive writing).The baseline score measured by the complicated grieving inventory of >25 (Prigereson, 1995). Results showed that the experimental group had a decreased level of grief relative to the control group, the texts showed an interested result to be further discussed.


Epidemiological change in osteomyelitis had been observed for the past few years with a significant rise of chronic osteomyelitis by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). It complicates antibiotic selection,and if not managed adequately, it results in amputation, sepsis, or death. This study was conducted for one year in a tertiary care hospital to identify the etiological agents and their response to antibiotics for the development of adequate management policy of osteomyelitis. Fifty seven patients were analysed,& the variables examined include epidemiological characteristics, risk factors, radiographic changes,histopathological features. Etiological agents were identified, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by an automated system. About 73.7% of the cases presented with chronic osteomyelitis in the age group of 31-40 years (29.3%). In 53 patients, it resulted from contagious microbial seeding.The most common site of infection was the metatarsal bones of the foot (38.6%). The common predisposing factor was Diabetes (36.8%). The most common causative organism was Staphylococcus aureus (46.9%). Methicillin resistance was 41.9%. Among Gram-negative isolates, Enterobacterales group predominated (22.7%), 42.9% of Gram-negatives were multidrug -resistant (MDR). In our study, we found an increased prevalence of chronic osteomyelitis of the extremities of the lower limb instead of acute hematogenous infection of the long bones. Most of them resulted from trauma or after fracture fixation device implantation or as a sequela of diabetic foot. Fourty percent of the etiological agents in our study were either methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) or MDR Gram-negatives. This finding is challenging for the clinician to select the appropriate treatment option, reduce the risk of recurrence and improve the quality of life of the patients


This report (RE-298) summarizes OVE's evaluation of the IDB's program in Brazil during 1993-2003. The paper starts with a selective, brief analysis of background that is needed to inform the evaluation. It includes an assessment of the programming process and the relevance and coherence (hence the implied value-added) of the Bank's activities and approach. It also analyzes the composition and the efficiency of delivery of the program, investigates evaluability and the tracking of results, and assesses the prospects and the efficacy of the program in delivering results. Finally, the document provides a conclusion and distills recommendations for consideration by the Bank.


Using the plane-wave expansion method, the spin-wave band structures of two-dimensional magnonic crystals consisting of square arrays of different shape scatterers are calculated numerically, and the effects of rotating rectangle and hexagon scaterers on the gaps are studied, respectively. The results show that the gaps can be substantially opened and tuned by rotating the scatterers. This approach should be helpful in designing magnonic crystals with desired gaps.


The feasibility of measuring slab curling using high-speed profilers was assessed by the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration. The primary objectives of the study were to: (1) measure the surface profile of the concrete slabs using state-of-the-art profiling technology, (2) establish a standard procedure to identify warping and curling of the slabs using the measured surface profiles, (3) relate the changes in pavement surface profiles to the change in surface temperature, (4) determine the relationship between changes in pavement surface profile, roughness, premature transverse cracking, and construction condition, and (5) establish a standard procedure to analyze the condition of joints, including rotation and faulting, and determine the relationship between joint condition, and roughness. The paper discusses data mining on a database of 16 000 slabs measured during four time windows in a 24-h period. A visualization of all parameters and samples at all four times of the day show the groups of slabs which have cracked and are likely to crack shown by the divergence from the normal response measured in most slabs.


The rate of retinal photoisomerization in wild-type bacteriorhodopsin (wt bR) is compared with that in a number of mutants in which a positively charged (Arg82), a negatively charged (Asp85 or Asp212), or neutral hydrogen bonding (Asp115 or Tyr185) amino acid residue known to be functionally important within the retinal cavity is replaced by a neutral, non-hydrogen bonding one. Only the replacements of the charged residues reduced the photoisomerization rate of the 13-cis and all-trans isomers present in these mutants by factors of ∼1/4 and ∼1/20, respectively. Retinal photo- and thermal isomerization catalysis and selectivity in wt bR by charged residues is discussed in terms of the known protein structure, the valence-bond wave functions of the ground and excited state of the retinal, and the electrostatic stabilization interactions within the retinal cavity.


Here we publish the text of a translation of the Catechism of Astete into the dialect of Gipuzkoa, made in 1759 by Francisco Antonio Aguirre, the parish priest of Oikia; the text has remained practically unknown to scholars of Basque, despite the appearance in 1905-1906 of the faulty first edition, published by Julio de Urquijo. We show that the general oblivion into which the text has fallen does not do justice to its great interest for the study of the dialectology and history of the language, and particularly for those researching into the influence of Larramendi and the constitution of literary Gipuzkoan (a subject that has started to receive more and more attention in recent Basque philological literature). The remarkable things about it are the number of first appearances of words not borrowed from Spanish, the use of derivative suffixes, and the influence of Eastern linguistic models, reinforcing the conclusions of Sarasola (1986) on the influence of Larramendi.


Much theory and research that seeks to explain why and how technology transfers occur within multinational enterprises (MNEs) actually addresses the question of how these transfers occur among cooperative subsidiaries, and relies on the assumption of inter-subsidiary cooperation. However, subsidiaries do not always cooperate. We suggest that the success of technology transfer among subsidiaries depends on the extent to which the relationships among an MNE's subsidiaries (i.e. inter-subsidiary) are competitive or cooperative. Inter-subsidiary cooperation is determined by the MNE's international strategy, organizational structure, and the social relationships among subsidiaries. Both hierarchical and social relational factors drive the potential for inter-subsidiary multimarket competition that originates from the overlap on the subsidiaries' products, technologies, and market portfolios.


In this paper, a remote condition monitoring system is proposed, which fundamentally consists of real-time monitoring modules on the plant side, a remote support centre and the communications between them. The paper addresses some of the key issues related on the monitoring system, including i) the implementation and configuration of a VPN connection, ii) an effective database system to be able to handle huge amount of monitoring data, and iii) efficient data mining techniques to convert raw data into useful information for plant assessment. The preliminary results have demonstrated that the proposed system is practically feasible and can be deployed to monitor the emerging new energy generation systems.


We study variants of the vertex disjoint paths problem in planar graphs where paths have to be selected from a given set of paths. We study the problem as a decision, maximization, and routing-in-rounds problem. Although all considered variants are NP-hard in planar graphs, restrictions on the location of the terminals, motivated by railway applications, lead to polynomially solvable cases for the decision and maximization versions of the problem, and to a $p$-approximation algorithm for the routing-in-rounds problem, where $p$ is the maximum number of alternative paths for a terminal pair.


Abstract:This article offers the first comprehensive analysis of the outcomes of third-wave democratic transitions. It charts where democracy broke down, stagnated, advanced, and eroded, and it investigates the initial starting conditions associated with democratic deepening and breakdown. The findings are sobering: Among the 91 new democracies that (by our count) emerged from 1974 to 2012, 34 experienced breakdowns, often in short order. In 28 cases, democracy stagnated after transition, usually at a fairly low level, and in two more it eroded. Democracy advanced relative to the starting point in only 23 cases. Few countries have succeeded in creating robust liberal democracies. Regimes that started off with a higher level of liberal democracy, that were geographically surrounded by democracies, and that experienced better rates of economic growth were less likely to break down. Regimes that started off with a lower per capita GDP and those that experienced lower economic growth, as well as regimes that started off with a higher level of liberal democracy, were less likely to deepen democracy.


The membrane dipole potential is responsible for the modulation of numerous biological processes. It was previously shown (Ostroumova, O. S.; Kaulin, Y. A.; Gurnev, P. A.; Schagina, L. V. Langmuir 2007, 23, 6889-6892) that variations in the dipole potential lead to changes in the channel properties of the antifungal lipodepsipeptide syringomycin E (SRE). Here, data are presented demonstrating the effect of the membrane dipole potential on the channel-forming activity of SRE. A rise in the dipole potential is accompanied by both an increase in the minimum SRE concentration required for the detection of single channels at fixed voltage and a decrease in the steady-state number of open SRE channels at a given SRE concentration and voltage. These alterations are determined by several factors: gating charge, connected with translocations of lipid and SRE dipoles during channel formation, the bilayer-water solution partitioning of SRE, and the chemical work related to conformational changes during channel formation.


The second biennial Citizen Science Association Conference was held from the 17–20th of May 2017 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The conference is the biggest of its kind in the world and brought together more than 1,000 delegates for hundreds of conference presentations as well as workshops, panels, screenings, a hackathon and a citizen science festival. In this paper we review the history of the conference and outline the key events leading up to the 2017 conference. Abstract


ABSTRACT

What's in it for Me?
Competitive Strategy, Issue Interpretation and Practice Implementation in the Institutional Context

Marlon Delano Nangle

While pursuing business objectives, each organization faces the challenge of balancing competitive and institutional demands. However, for some firms the conformance to institutional pressures to adopt and fully implement a practice does not necessarily imply that the most effective and efficient choice is made. The conventional practice diffusion model tends to neglect the stage of implementation, thus in order to fill this void, attention needs to shift to the motivation and cognition surrounding the implementation decision, namely how the practice is interpreted. However, additional work is also needed to understand what factors might predict issue interpretation (Jackson and Dutton, 1988).

 Drawing theoretical insight from institutional theory, organizational agency, competitive strategy and issue interpretation I argue that a firm's competitive strategy will influence the extent of implementation a practice receives. To conduct this study I examined the implementation patterns of a quality practice that has been introduced to the tourist accommodation industry in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. The competitive factors that lead managers to interpret the practice as an opportunity for gain versus a threat for loss were examined to better understand motivations towards an adopted practice in a competitive environment.

 Results suggest that the competitive environment does indeed influence how an adopted practice is interpreted. Further results demonstrate that there exists a strong association between issue interpretation and practice implementation extent that is arguably decided by top management beliefs regarding the value of the practice. Limitations of the study and potential avenues for future research are discussed followed by practical implications rendered applicable to business and society.


M cells represent the primary route by which mucosal Ags are transported across the intestinal epithelium and delivered to underlying gut-associated lymphoid tissues. In rodents and rabbits, Peyer's patch M cells selectively bind and endocytose secretory IgA (SIgA) Abs. Neither the nature of the M cell IgR nor the domains of SIgA involved in this interaction are known. Using a mouse ligated ileal loop assay, we found that monoclonal IgA Abs with or without secretory component, but not IgG or IgM Abs, bound to the apical surfaces of Peyer's patch M cells, indicating that the receptor is specific for the IgA isotype. Human serum IgA and colostral SIgA also bound to mouse M cells. The asialoglycoprotein receptor or other lectin-like receptors were not detected on the apical surfaces of M cells. We used recombinant human IgA1 and human IgA2 Abs and domain swapped IgA/IgG chimeras to determine that both domains Cα1 and Cα2 are required for IgA adherence to mouse Peyer's patch M cells. This distinguishes the M cell IgA receptor from CD89 (FcαI), which binds domains Cα2-Cα3. Finally, we observed by immunofluorescence microscopy that some M cells in the human ileum are coated with IgA. Together these data suggest that mouse, and possibly human, M cells express an IgA-specific receptor on their apical surfaces that mediates the transepithelial transport of SIgA from the intestinal lumen to underlying gut-associated organized lymphoid tissues.


Too few financial advisers take the initiative when it comes to engaging clients on the question of philanthropy. Yet, having a meaningful conversation about charitable giving is an effective way of deepening client relationships and differentiating one's firm. What is important, however, is that advisers frame the discussion around the client's values, interests, and goals—not simply around the technical aspects of taxes and philanthropic vehicles.


Currently the TMS 602-08, "Specification for Masonry Structures," allows the specified compressive strength of masonry, fm′, to be determined using either the unit strength method or the prism test method. With regard to prism testing, the specification gives no requirements in terms of the number of prisms to be tested or how to use the results of the prism testing to determine the specified compressive strength. This paper summarizes the requirements of other codes and specifications and examines a statistical basis for determining a prism compressive strength, including the effects of sample size. It is recommended to use the 75th percent confidence on the ten-percentile value. This is reasonably consistent with other codes and specifications. A minimum of ten tests is recommended.


In Russia today, keeping the memory of the Soviet regime's political repressions alive is a struggle waged by a few in the face of general indifference. In addition to human rights activists and victims of the repressions, Orthodox believers are now actively involved, and the Russian Orthodox Church is increasingly monopolizing commemorative activities. This study analyzes a procession that carried a giant cross from the Solovetsky archipelago in the White Sea to the Butovo firing range near Moscow, along canals dug by Gulag prisoners. This procession was the only large-scale, non-local commemorative event to take place in 2007, the 70th anniversary year of the purges of 1937. It attempted to establish a link between different sites of the Gulag as well as a chronology. Initially attracting little attention, the procession became a major public event when it reached Moscow. In the wake of the procession, Butovo has become a lieu de memoire, a site of memory, yet one that does not speak to society at large because it gives pride of place to Orthodox victims. In Russian, extensive summary in English.


Neutrophils of 31 patients with neutropenia and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been studied to assess their ability to generate superoxide radicals (O-2) on activation. Seventeen patients had classical Felty's syndrome and 14 presumed chrysotherapy related neutropenia. Results were compared with those from age and sex matched controls with uncomplicated RA and from normal subjects. Neutrophils from patients with Felty's syndrome had a significantly reduced ability to generate superoxide radicals when compared with the other three groups. In addition, serum levels of IgG polymorphonuclear leucocyte binding activity (IgG PBA) were also raised in the group with Felty's syndrome. A statistically significant inverse correlation existed between O-2 generation and IgG PBA. It is concluded that neutrophil reactive IgG may have an important role in both quantitative and qualitative defects in neutrophil function in Felty's syndrome.


This work presents a new matrix factorization recommender system approach, that takes repeated interaction into account. We analyze if and how users' repeated interaction behavior---such as repeat purchases---can be integrated into a recommender system. We develop a method that takes advantage of this additional data dimension that is studied in many other fields to derive useful conclusions. Furthermore, we empirically test our method on real-life retailer data and on the Last.fm dataset. We compare our algorithm with popular matrix factorization approaches. Results indicate that our method manages to slightly outperform the existing methods.


A kinetic-thermodynamic model is presented to predict the total porosities of macroporous copolymer networks formed by free-radical crosslinking copolymeriza- tion of styrene (S) and commercial divinylbenzene (DVB, a mixture of meta and para DVB isomers and ethylstyrene). The kinetic part of the model predicts, based upon the method of moments, the concentration of the reacting species, the gel, and sol properties as a function of the monomer conversion. The thermodynamic part of the model describes the phase equilibria between the gel and separated phases during the S-DVB copolymerization and predicts the volume of the separated phase, which is the pore volume of the crosslinked material, as a function of the monomer conversion. Calcula- tion results show that the porosity of S-DVB networks increases as the polymer- diluent interaction parameter increases, or as the initial monomer concentration de- creases. Porosity also increases on increasing the DVB content of the monomer mixture. Both the polymerization temperature and the initiator concentration affect signifi- cantly the kinetics of S-DVB copolymerization. However, the final porosity of S-DVB copolymers is largely insensitive to the amount of the initiator and to the polymeriza- tion temperature. All calculation results are in accord with the experimental data published previously. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 2181-2195, 1999


A compilation of papers presented at the 2001 European Summer Meeting of the Association for Symbolic Logic, Logic Colloquium '01 includes surveys and research articles from some of the world's preeminent logicians. Two long articles are based on tutorials given at the meeting and present accessible expositions of research in two active areas of logic, geometric model theory and descriptive set theory of group actions. The remaining articles cover seperate research topics in many areas of mathematical logic, including applications in Computer Science, Proof Theory, Set Theory, Model Theory, Computability Theory, and aspects of Philosophy. This collection will be of interest not only to specialists in mathematical logic, but also to philosophical logicians, historians of logic, computer scientists, formal linguists and mathematicians in the areas of algebra, abstract analysis and topology. A number of the articles are aimed at non-specialists and serve as good introductions for graduate students.


Modern Web Information Systems (WIS) need to satisfy a large number of requirements coming from different WIS stakeholders. Modeling WIS by focusing at one design aspect at-a-time helps the implementation of these requirements. During the last years several model-driven methodologies have been proposed to support the WIS design. Strategic modeling is usually the first step in WIS design. It is a very general characterization of WIS which answers questions like: what is the purpose of the WIS?, which are the WIS users?, what functionality is provided by the WIS?, what is the content of the WIS?, what is the layout and atmosphere of the presentations provided by the WIS?, etc. It is only after answering the above questions at a high abstract level that the designer can proceed with the detailed specifications of the WIS. Data integration is one of the most important characteristics of WIS. Some examples of domains in which data integration is present are: public services and bioinformatics. WIS need to support user interfaces that make a lot of data coming from different sources available to the user in a transparent way. The Semantic Web technologies seem to facilitate the data integration problem on the Web by providing the necessary languages to describe the data semantics. Very often the Web user browses pages that he will like to view again at a later time. The present browsing history mechanisms included in Web browsers proved to be insufficient for an adequate retrieval of already seen information. A semantical organization of the previously visited pages can improve the process of retrieving previously seen data. There is an increasing demand to make WIS personalizable so that these systems better deal with the user interests. WIS design methodologies do propose adaptation techniques in order to realize WIS personalization. Despite the fact that some of these adaptation techniques are very similar (or even the same) in different methodologies, the notations to specify WIS personalization aspects are quite different. By defining a reference model for specifying WIS personalization one could improve the reuse of the personalization specifications and also enable a seamless translation between different specific personalization specifications. The above issues are some of the topics that are tackled in the workshop papers. We hope that we did raise the readers' interest so that they will have a close look at the papers and possibly contribute to the fascinating and challenging area of WIS modeling.


Suppression of TSH release from the hypothyroid thyrotrophs is one of the most rapid effects of 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (T(3)) or thyroxine (T(4)). It is initiated within an hour, precedes the decrease in TSHβ mRNA inhibition and is blocked by inhibitors of mRNA or protein synthesis. TSH elevation in primary hypothyroidism requires both the loss of feedback inhibition by thyroid hormone in the thyrotrophs and the positive effects of TRH. Another event in this feedback regulation may be the thyroid hormone-mediated induction of the TRH-inactivating pyroglutamyl peptidase II (PPII) in the hypothalamic tanycytes. This study compared the chronology of the acute effects of T(3) or T(4) on TSH suppression, TRH mRNA in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and the induction of tanycyte PPII. In wild-type mice, T(3) or T(4) caused a 50% decrease in serum TSH in hypothyroid mice by 5  h. There was no change in TRH mRNA in PVN over this interval, but there was a significant increase in PPII mRNA in the tanycytes. In mice with genetic inactivation of the type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase, T(3) decreased serum TSH and increased PPII mRNA levels, while T(4)-treatment was ineffective. We conclude that the rapid suppression of TSH in the hypothyroid mouse by T(3) occurs prior to a decrease in TRH mRNA though TRH inactivation may be occurring in the median eminence through the rapid induction of tanycyte PPII. The effect of T(4), but not T(3), requires the type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase.


This article analyzes the social transformation of secondary education in Hungary between 1867 and 1938 in an attempt to problematize the relation between structure and events. The research problem of the present paper is to describe and understand the interrelations of structure and events by focusing on educational change. Two types of events are taken into account to describe educational change or the inertia of structure. On the one hand, crucial events as the 1867 Ausgleich and the Great War, parliamentary acts like the Numerus Clausus and laws of secondary education, and on the other hand, local events are analyzed in terms of their influence on educational structure, namely the long term effects of the establishment of the Handelsschule in various vicinities. The paper thus argues that local events had a larger influence on educational change than previously attributed to them.


Gut mucosal healing (MH) is considered a key therapeutic target and prognostic parameter in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The dipotassium glycyrrhizate (DPG), a salt of the glycoconjugated triterpene glycyrrhizin, has been shown to inhibit the High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) protein, an allarmin strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of most inflammatory and auto-immune disorders. Here we discuss new insights on how DPG acts on MH comparing the acute phase and the recovery phase from experimental colitis in mice. We found that DPG strongly accelerates MH by differently regulating pro-inflammatory (CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL5, PTGS2, IL-1β, IL-6, CCL12, CCL7) and wound healing (COL3A1, MMP9, VTN, PLAUR, SERPINE, CSF3, FGF2, FGF7, PLAT, TIMP1) genes as observed only during the recovery phase of colitis. Relevant issue is the identification of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling genes, VTN, and PLAUR, as crucial genes to achieve MH during DPG treatment. Furthermore, a noticeable recovery of intestinal epithelial barrier structural organization, wound repair ability, and functionality is observed in two human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines exposed to DPG during inflammation. Thus, our study identifies DPG as a potent tool for controlling intestinal inflammation and improving MH.


Software design methodologies (SDMs) suggest ways to improve productivity and quality. They are collections of complementary design methods and rules for applying them. A base framework and modeling formalism to help designers compare SDMs and define what design issues different SDMs address, which of their components address similar design issues, and ways to integrate the best characteristics of each to make a cleaner, more comprehensive and flexible SDM are presented. The use of formalism and framework and the evaluation of objectivity and completeness using the type and function frameworks are described.<<ETX>>


This paper presents a statistical interior tomography (SIT) approach making use of compressed sensing (CS) theory. With the projection data modeled by the Poisson distribution, an objective function with a total variation (TV) regularization term is formulated in the maximization of a posteriori (MAP) framework to solve the interior problem. An alternating minimization method is used to optimize the objective function with an initial image from the direct inversion of the truncated Hilbert transform. The proposed SIT approach is extensively evaluated with both numerical and real datasets. The results demonstrate that SIT is robust with respect to data noise and down-sampling, and has better resolution and less bias than its deterministic counterpart in the case of low count data.


Dry Anaerobic Digestion (AD) presents different advantages if compared to wet AD, i.e. smaller reactor size, lesser water addition, digestate production and pretreatment needed, although several studies have demonstrated that water promotes substrate hydrolysis and enables the transfer of process intermediates and nutrients to bacterial sites. To better understand the role of water on AD, dry and semidry digestion tests of selected complex organic substrates (food waste, rice straw, carrot waste), with various TS contents of the treated biomass have been carried out in the present study. The results confirm that water plays an essential role on the specific methane production rate, final methane yield and Volatile Solids (VS) degradation. The final methane yield in semi-dry and dry conditions was 51% and 59% lower for rice straw and 4% and 41% lower for food waste, respectively, if compared with wet conditions. Inhibition tests, based on Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) analysis, were carried out to investigate the specific inhibition processes that take place with the selected substrates at different TS contents. In wet AD of carrot waste no VFA accumulation was found, and all VFA concentrations were lower than the inhibition limits. A direct correlation between TS content and total VFA (TVFA) concentration was noticed for rice straw and food waste AD. For rice straw a maximum TVFA concentration of 2.1 g/kg was found in dry condition, 1 g/kg in semidry conditions and 0.2 g/kg in wet conditions, whereas for food waste the TVFA concentration was 10 g/kg in dry condition, 9 g/kg in semidry conditions and 3 g/kg in wet conditions. A Mathematical model of complex organic substrate AD in dry and semidry conditions has been proposed to simulate the effect of TS content on the process. The data obtained from batch experiments, in terms of methane production and VFA concentrations, were used to calibrate the proposed model. The kinetic parameters of VFA production and degradation, calibrated using the experimental data, resulted highly dependent on the TS content and different from wet AD literature values. This is due to VFA accumulation in dry conditions, which implies higher values of the inhibition factors introduced in the model. Finally, as dry AD takes usually place in Plug Flow (PF) reactors, an historical and critical review on the role of hydrodynamics in PF bioreactors has been carried out


Students taking low-stake quizzes in a gamified environment shows improvement on their studies, thus has the potential to be an effective part in an improved learning experience. Previous researches show that implementing gamification into the educational system has positive outcome on the student's engagement, motivation and the overall experience of learning. In this study is a field experiment, where quizzes were created with the Kahoot application, to bring action and visual triggers into the classroom. The aim of this paper to measure the long-term learning effect of the Kahoot quiz in the exams. Several of the quiz questions during the class were purposefully blended into the exam's question bank as a multiple choice or a true or false question. In this research 200 bachelor students participated in a 14-week long elective course. The data was collected weekly from the Kahoot quizzes and from the two mandatory exams. All the results from the Kahoot quiz and the exams provided the base of the analysis. Furthermore, the exam results were analyzed based on number of Kahoot quizzes they took part, a comparison of the results of each question based. The results show that students who took part in more Kahoot quizzes tend to reach higher exam mark. Moreover, they marked more correct answers and less incorrect ones. As a conclusion, using some level of game-based learning has a positive effect on the student's results and perception of learning.


A gene family encoding msp36 (mouse submaxillary protein 36), a major product of the mouse submaxillary gland, was shown by Southern analysis and genomic cloning to contain approx. 10 related genes. Heteroduplex mapping has elucidated the structure of one of the genes. Close physical linkage of four of the genes in this family has been demonstrated by the use of specific oligonucleotide probes.


We present a comparative study of parameters identification of HIV dynamic models for naive patients that are treated with two different HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) protocols during a period of 48 weeks. Three HIV models of increasing complexity (in terms of number of state variables and parameters) have been chosen, and for each one the model parameters are computed by solving a nonlinear optimization problem via sequential quadratic programming (SQP). Model parameters are divided into "group dependent", common to all patients treated with same HAART protocol, and "patient dependent", specific for each patient, and are estimated in a way that an overall cost function comprising the fitting error of CD4+ concentration and viral load measurements. A preliminary parameter space grid search algorithm is performed in order to find a suitable initial guess for the SQP algorithm. Numerical results indicate that all considered models can give a good matching despite the scarcity of available measurements for each patient, and in this limited situation the minimal model appears to be (slightly) more effective than the other models.


Background: This study investigated patients' long-term radiological and physiological outcomes with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A total of 52 patients (26 men and 26 women, 32 with moderate COVID-19 and 20 with severe COVID-19, with a median age of 50.5 years) who had COVID-19 participated in this study. Follow-up thin-section chest computed tomography (CT) scans were performed at 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed on 37 patients 6 months after discharge. The clinical data and the chest CT findings were recorded and analyzed. Results: The predominant chest CT patterns of abnormalities observed at 6 months after discharge were parenchymal band, interlobular septal thickening, and traction bronchiectasis. The cumulative percentage of the complete radiological resolution was 17%, 42%, 67%, and 75% at discharge and 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge, respectively. A subgroup analysis revealed that 88% of patients with moderate type and 55% of patients with severe type COVID-19 achieved complete radiological resolution at 6 months after discharge, and the difference between the 2 groups was significant (P<0.001). The following risk factors were found to be associated with an incomplete radiological resolution at 6 months after discharge: an age >50 years old, the severe type of COVID-19, a hospital stay >18 days, mechanical ventilation, steroid therapy, immunoglobin therapy, an opacity score at discharge >4, and a volume of opacity at discharge >235 mL. Conclusions: Chest CT lesions were absorbed without any sequelae in most patients with COVID-19; however, fibrotic-like changes and cardiopulmonary insufficiency were still present in a considerable proportion of COVID-19 survivors at 6 months after discharge, especially in patients with severe type COVID-19.


The macroscopic flow of a glacier is substantially influenced by the plastic anisotropy of individual
ice crystals on the microscale. A preferred crystal orientation fabric (COF) develops with depth in a
glacier and is subjected to the influence of the temperature, deformation and recrystallisation regime
as well as the climate-dependent impurity load in the ice. Detailed knowledge about the crystal
anisotropy in a glacier is thus required to better constrain the response of ice sheets in a changing
climate. While the gradual change in anisotropy on a large scale of tens to hundreds of metres can
mostly be explained, this is not the case for changes in the anisotropic fabric on a shorter scale of
centimetres to decimetres. It is therefore essential to improve the understanding of how and why the
anisotropic COF changes on a sub-metre scale in a glacier.
Fabric data from an ice core of 72 m length, drilled at the high-altitude Alpine site Colle Gnifetti in
Switzerland, were measured in continuously sampled sections of ca. 1 m length, covering 10 % of
the entire core length. The eigenvalues of the second-order orientation tensor describing the
distribution of crystal axes were analysed in high-resolution together with impurity data from
meltwater analysis. It is found that the fabric anisotropy exhibits a strong variability on the short
scale in all depths of the ice core with extreme eigenvalue differences within one metre of up to 0.2,
often associated with small- or large-grained layers. The observation of a clear connection between
the grain size variation and the impurity content leads to the conclusion that the influence of
impurities on short-scale fabric variations is partially conveyed by the impurity-controlled grain size
in combination with the local deformation regime.


We report the first, to the best of our knowledge, hand-in-hand collaboration between human rights activists and machine learners, leveraging crowd-sourcing to study online abuse against women on Twitter. On a technical front, we carefully curate an unbiased yet low-variance dataset of labeled tweets, analyze it to account for the variability of abuse perception, and establish baselines, preparing it for release to community research efforts. On a social impact front, this study provides the technical backbone for a media campaign aimed at raising public and deciders' awareness and elevating the standards expected from social media companies.


Joint tax returns have generated controversy for many years. Married couples with the same joint income pay the same tax under our current system regardless of the earnings distribution between the spouses. This approach primarily rests on the idea that married couples share resources and operate as a single economic unit. Critics typically challenge this assumption and lament how marriage might significantly change a couple's taxes. Depending on their earnings breakdown, a couple's taxes could be reduced (a marital bonus for uneven earners) or increased (a marital penalty for even earners). These possibilities exist because the joint brackets are typically larger – but not twice as large – as the unmarried brackets.Recent Supreme Court decisions about same-sex marriage revitalize this debate since many same-sex couples face the marriage penalty. In response, some recent commentators propose the elimination of joint returns. However, such elimination faces serious roadblocks, including political concerns and tension with marriage's collaborative character. While higher joint bracket allowances likewise would provide penalty relief, this would increase both marital bonuses and the associated revenue loss.We propose instead a unique solution to the current standstill: an option for married couples to calculate their tax on their separate earnings. These separate amounts would be combined on a joint return. The new separate brackets would be more than half the joint allowance but less than the singles cap. This range permits maximum flexibility to balance revenue concerns with other important values. Further, our approach would provide significant penalty relief without any undesired impact on bonuses. It also would maintain our deeply-ingrained joint return system. Finally, we demonstrate the superiority of our proposal over other suggested compromises.


Background/aim: The complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) workforce is the third largest occupational group in the Australian health sector. Yet the profile of this workforce is not well understood. This study aims to provide new insight into the Australian CAM workforce by exploring the demographic and practice characteristics of this occupational group. Methodology: Members of the National Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA) were invited to participate in a descriptive, online survey. The NHAA, comprising of 1,125 members, is a professional association representing both Western herbalists and naturopaths, although nearly half of members primarily practice in another CAM discipline. The 82-item survey consisted of demographic questions (e.g. gender, age, highest qualification, place of residence, location of business), questions related to CAM practice (e.g. main occupation practiced, years in practice, employment type, number of clients consulted per week, fees charged and annual taxable income for practice), and questions relating to NHAA membership. Results: A response rate of 35.4% (n=399) was obtained. Participants were primarily female (86.7%), aged between 41-60 years (56.1%) and resided in a major city (61.7%). The majority of respondents (37.1%) held an undergraduate degree as their highest qualification, with 34.6% holding a postgraduate qualification and 27.6% holding an advanced diploma or lower-level qualification. Respondents most commonly practiced naturopathy (61.6%), herbal medicine (51.9%), nutrition (15.2%), massage therapy (14.4%) or another discipline (20.2%), with the majority of participants being in practice in their main modality for less than 10 years (47.6%). The number of years in practice, initial consultation fee and employment type were found to be statistically significantly associated with a higher income from clinical practice (p<0.001). Conclusion: The CAM workforce is a significant part of the healthcare landscape in Australia. Findings from this study suggest that the profile of this occupational group is changing, with signs of a shift toward a more female-dominant, part-time and highly qualified workforce. A more comprehensive investigation of the CAM workforce is now needed to corroborate these findings and to explore the implications of these results on CAM practice and policy.


In mathematics teaching, high-leverage practices include eliciting, analyzing, and responding to students' ideas and reasoning (Kazemi, Franke, & Lampert, 2009). While a focus on student thinking in professional development can be a powerful mechanism for linking pedagogy, mathematics, and student thinking, it is less clear how to support teacher candidates (TCs) to leverage student thinking in their mathematics teaching. Findings suggest developing an understanding of self as mathematics teacher relates to TCs' capacity for leveraging student thinking as a pedagogical practice and for making sense of their relations to the complex dynamics in schools. The tensions TCs experienced when leveraging student thinking in the actual socio-political contexts and constraints of schooling and the influence of their identity on their representations of practice lead to implications for mathematics teacher education.


We present the results of direct interferometric measurements on the pulse-to-pulse phase jitter of a metrological, fiber-based, infrared (IR) frequency comb. We show that the short-time evolution of such phase fluctuations, which cannot be actively controlled by any feedback system, imposes a stringent limit on the tooth linewidth of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) combs produced by high-order harmonic conversion, thus explaining the difference of 9 orders of magnitude between the coherence times of state-of-the-art IR and XUV frequency combs.


Objective: The diet of pregnant women is an important factor in the development of the fetus. In our study, we wanted to determine the diet of women who gave birth to healthy children at term (AGA), preterm (PTB) and small for gestational age neonates (SGA). Based on the analysis of dietary components we wanted predict the likelihood of giving birth AGA, PTB and SGA. Methods: The content of components in the women's diets were estimated based on the dietary questionnaire. The large number of variables analyzed in the diet was reduced using factor analysis. Next, the prediction of prematurity and SGA based on previously selected factors was analyzed. For this purpose, two independent methods were used: discriminant function analysis and ROC analysis. Results: Factor analysis resulted in nine factors containing at least one variable of the factor load being greater than 0.7. Analysis of variance only showed differences between the AGA and preterm groups. The study of discriminant function showed that three factors significantly affect the discriminative power to classify cases into AGA and preterm groups. ROC analysis confirmed diagnostic usefulness factor 1 (fatty acids) in classifying cases into AGA and preterm groups. Conclusion: Based on the analysis of dietary components of women one can predict the likelihood of giving birth to a healthy child at term and prematurely. For AGA the predicting factor is a higher content of short and medium chain fatty acids in a woman's diet.


The Swedish gender wage gap decreased substantially from the 1960s until the beginning of the 1980s. At the same time women had been narrowing men in employment experience and education. While women continued to catch up on men the average wage gap remained almost the same as in the 1980s. The catch-up hypothesis was obviously not the sole answer to the wage-gap. The purpose here was to discuss other factors of relevance for the evolution of the average pay gap. Data for the period 1972-2012 is used in the analysis: The results are mixed and firm conclusions are scarce. Some indications though, the older the women are at first birth the smaller the pay gap and the same for female union membership while unemployment, economic growth, fertility and time made the gap larger. It seems as "time", often reliable on issues such as changes in attitudes and prejudices, cannot settle this. One finding, common in other studies as well, is the influence "children" may have on the wage gap. If postponement of motherhood and/or fewer children is necessary to reduce the gender wage gap the question whether this is desirable or not must be addressed more seriously. If the answer is "no" it may be high time for men to catch up on women - through sharing the full responsibility for children and household duties.


Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has become a global pandemic. Neuroimmunological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, and myasthenia gravis, require long-term immunotherapies having the potential to increase the risk of infection. However, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the management of these disease during the pandemic, despite increasing concerns in patients and neurologists. Currently, there is no evidence of an elevated risk of morbidity and aggravation of COVID-19 in patients with these diseases, irrespective of whether they receive treatment. To prevent relapse or aggravation of the underlying diseases due to COVID-19, all patients should perform general preventive measures, such as social distancing, frequent hand washing, and respiratory hygiene. In patients undergoing immunotherapy, current treatment should be continued to prevent exacerbation of symptoms; however, exceptions to this include high-risk patients for COVID-19, such as the elderly, those with comorbidities including cardiac and respiratory diseases, those taking therapy with immunosuppressive agents, and those with deteriorating symptoms of COVID-19.


The purpose of this editorial is to provide an efficient way for readers and potential authors to see (a) what type of papers are published in this journal and (b) what subjects are appropriate. The editorial consists mainly of about a dozen pages of tables including live links to the papers' access/abstract pages to facilitate easy browsing. In the first table, the 85 papers that have been published in the journal's first five years are classified into: review papers; research papers; case studies; essays; book reviews; columns; and editorials about the journal. In the second table, the papers are inventoried into overlapping sets on: assessment; QL and writing; the construct of QL; focused QL courses and curricula; QL across the curriculum; QL centers; algebra and calculus education; statistics education; intersections with science and engineering; intersections with social sciences; financial numeracy; health numeracy; math anxiety; and cognition. Browsing these links confirms what we said in the first editorial: the scope of Numeracy is huge.


Humans are often faced with the need to make decisions regarding complex issues where multiple interests need to be balanced, and where there are a number of complex arguments weighing in opposite directions. The ability of humans to understand and internalize the underlying argumentation structure resulting from reasoning about complex issues is limited by the human cognitive ability. The cognitive limit can manifest itself both in relation to an inappropriate level and amount of detail in the presentation of information, as well as in the structuring of the information and the representation of the interrelationships between constituting arguments. The GATM model provides a structured way to represent reasoning, and can be useful both in the decision-making process as well as when communicating a decision. In this work a component-based overview of the GATM model is provided in the context of security policy reasoning, where previous work has shown that decision-making transparency and improved understanding of the reasoning behind a security policy may lead to a beneficial impact on policy compliance.


The paper studies youth attitudes to convergence in the digital ecosystem of Oman. The research examines patterns of online video and traditional TV consumption by youth in the age group from 18 to 25 years. Broadband has enabled an age of convergence in Oman. Watching online videos is a favourite activity along with using internet for communication. The same young audiences are also watching a number of Free-To-air channels. Despite low internet penetration there is a portion of young population in Oman which is now on the Internet. The paper examines if this young net population of Oman equipped with broadband access is shifting from passive TV viewing to more interactive online video consumption. The market variables include online and satellite channel viewership, broadband availability, internet penetration, telecommunication services, barriers to internet usage, time spent watching TV and internet videos, and genres popular across online and TV platforms. These factors contribute to an understanding of choices being made by a sample of 100 young audiences and also reveal the extent to which convergence of broadband on multiple screens including TV, personal computers, tablets and mobile phones is prevalent.


Background Persistence of high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) infections is the most critical risk factor for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer (CC). Treatment of persistent oncogenic HPV-positive women after 12–24 months follow-up is still controversy. Detoxification therapy of Chinese medicine (DTCM) has been conducted recently. However, the conclusions are still unclear. We planned to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore DTCM in the treatment of persistent hr-HPV infections. Methods Nine electronic databases were systematically searched from their inception to 30 September 2018. Randomized controlled trials comparing DTCM with follow-up or placebo were included. Risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane 'Risk of Bias' tool. Review Manager 5.3 was used for statistical analyses. Relative ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals were used for dichotomous data, and the mean difference (MD) was used for continuous data. We assessed the quality of trials by the GRADE. Results Seventeen RCTs from 2011 to 2018 with 1906 participants were included. The evidence showed that DTCM had a pooled efficacy difference in favor of increasing the HPV clearance rate compared to placebo groups (RR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.28 to 5.33, very low quality) and follow-up groups (RR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.60 to 2.22, low quality). The median HPV persistence tended to decline from 50% within six months to 41.5% at 12 months, and 31.5% at 24 months. A significantly increased regression rate of CIN was found in the DTCM compared with placebo groups (RR = 3.61, 95% CI 1.21 to 10.83, very low quality) and follow-up groups (RR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.31 to 2.45, very low quality). Additionally, we found DTCM have an impact on TNF-α (MD = 2.99, 95% CI 1.90 to 4.07; very low quality), IFN-α (MD = 3.47, 95% CI 2.42 to 4.52; very low quality), CD4+/CD8+ cells (MD = 0.21, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.37; very low quality) compared with follow up groups in some trials with small sample sizes. The major adverse events were genital mucosal irritation symptoms (10%, 5/50). Conclusions DTCM have favorable outcomes on improving the HPV clearance rate, increasing the regression rate of CIN, and impacting the proportion of some immune cells and cytokine levels. However, most of the evidence was of low quality. Any future high-quality trials and a more extended follow-up period of 24 months or more should be performed.


Pain is a complex, multidimensional experience that emerges from interactions among sensory, affective, and cognitive processes in the brain. Neuroimaging allows us to identify these component processes and model how they combine to instantiate the pain experience. However, the clinical impact of pain neuroimaging models has been limited by inadequate population sampling – young healthy college students are not representative of chronic pain patients. The biopsychosocial approach to pain management situates a person's pain within the diverse socioeconomic environments they live in. To increase the clinical relevance of pain neuroimaging models, a three-fold biopsychosocial approach to neuroimaging biomarker development is recommended. The first level calls for the development of diagnostic biomarkers via the standard population-based (nomothetic) approach with an emphasis on diverse sampling. The second level calls for the development of treatment-relevant models via a constrained person-based (idiographic) approach tailored to unique individuals. The third level calls for the development of prevention-relevant models via a novel society-based (social epidemiologic) approach that combines survey and neuroimaging data to predict chronic pain risk based on one's socioeconomic conditions. The recommendations in this article address how we can leverage pain's complexity in service of the patient and society by modeling not just individuals and populations, but also the socioeconomic structures that shape any individual's expectations of threat, safety, and resource availability.


Abdominal cocoon, a rare condition in which the small bowel is encased in a membrane, resembles peritoneal fibrsis. There are only 16 case reports of this condition in the world literature. A 15-year-old girl presented with recurrent abdominal pain due to distal small bowel obstruction. Abdominal X-ray showed multiple air fluid levels like small intestinal obstruction. Contrast study revealed segregation of the small bowel loops with a dilatedproximal small intestine and gradual narrowing of the distal ileum with the obstruction; the mucosal pattern was preserved till the distal ileum. Contrast was not flowing into the colon. At laparotomy, the small intestine was seen to be encased and coiled up in a membrane. The membrane was excised, resulting in release of the obstruction.


An Anti-Windup (AW) compensator is applied to the Embedded Cylindrical-Array Magnetic Actuator (ECAMA) to sustain the performance of spindle position regulation for milling machines under actuator saturation. Since ECAMA is a type of Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB), the maximum supplied coil current and the induced magnetic force are both limited by their extrema. Once the magnetic actuator is saturated, the required control input cannot be realized by the actuator as long as the magnitude of control input exceeds the upper limit of the actuator output. In this work, an AW compensator is therefore proposed and employed to compensate the output of PID controller to prevent saturation of ECAMA. By employing commercial software MATLAB/Simulink and signal processing interface, Module DS1104 by dSPACE, the efficacy of the AW compensation is practically verified by intensive experiments.


Although safe, civil aviation can result in some unique medical problems. Most physicians are not familiar with aviation-related medical problems. One such problem, decompression sickness, is not mentioned in most medical texts, and is not included in most medical school instruction. If not promptly recognized and treated, decompression sickness can result in permanent disability or death. I report a case of altitude-induced decompression sickness after a flight in an unpressurized aircraft. Language: en


The on-axis cumulative growth of nonlinear effects resulting from a monochromatic excitation of a circular source mounted in an infinite rigid baffle is analyzed by perturbation analysis. The first order (linear) signal is the summation of two propagating planar waves: one emanating from the center of the source and the other originating from the source boundary. The mutual nonlinear interaction and propagation of these two waves are analyzed on the basis of the nonlinear wave equation governing the velocity potential. Nonuniform validity of the pressure expression is corrected by the method of renormalization and thereby obtaining uniformly accurate expression in the near as well as far fields. Asymptotic trends at long range are derived which resulted in a Fourier series description for the pressure signal. The results yield a computationally efficient model that can predict the spectral components as well as the temporal waveform. The predicted results are compared favorably with experimental observations over a wide range of variable parameters.


A close-packed monolayer of a two-dimensional periodic array of Silica nanospheres (SNs) with gold (Au) crowning, forming a long-ranged archetypal plasmonic-photonic nanocomposite, has been achieved. We investigate the thermal crowning mechanism in such a nanocomposite using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Pre- and post-annealing morphological features reveal gold crowning on top of SNs, at different annealing temperatures for various thicknesses of the sputter-deposited gold. In situ grazing incidence X-ray diffraction was employed to structurally characterize the reconstruction in the Au-layer as a function of the annealing temperature. Finite element methods were used to simulate the interaction between the paired nanocomposites and the incident electromagnetic radiations to elucidate the crowning and nanodrop formation mechanism. This study provides an insight into real-time morphological and structural changes of a dewetting plasmonic film over a photonic basis and explores a robust, reliable, and scalable route to fabricate coupled nanocomposites. Such nanocomposites allow prospective applications in optoelectronics, sensing, catalysis, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy by exploiting the plasmonic-photonic pairing in archetypal two-dimensional structures.


Parosmia is a qualitative olfactory dysfunction characterized by distortion of odor perception. Traditional treatments for parosmia include olfactory training and steroids. Some patients infected with COVID-19 have developed chronic parosmia as a result of their infection. Here we present the case of a patient who developed parosmia after a COVID-19 infection that was not improved by traditional treatments but found significant improvement after hyperbaric oxygen therapy.


The use of cutting inserts is currently a normal part of the manufacturing process. The article deals with structural and material analysis of selected inserts and resulting wear after their use. These analyzes are part of the extensive research carried out at the Faculty of Production Technology and Management of Jan Evangelista Purkyne University in Usti nad Labem. Machining been hardened steel class 16 343 according to CSN 41 0002. For the used VBD were implemented SEM and EDX analysis.


Purpose

This study aims to examine how the modern marketing expectation of treating the customer like a king can become a source of power differential in societies that already have a predisposition for hierarchical structures. The authors explore how this marketing-generated power differential might have an adverse impact on service providers in Eastern cultures with high power distance.

Design/methodology/approach

Four studies involving receivers and providers of services in Canada and South Korea were conducted. The experiments required participants to read service scenarios and respond to survey questions.

Findings

The authors find that practicing the "The Customer is King" philosophy does produce a power differential between the customer and the service provider in Eastern cultures. In such cultures, customers may feel superior in social hierarchy compared to the service providers, may develop a sense of entitlement that infringes on the rights of the service providers and may carry over that expectation from service to non-service contexts. The power differential is also a source of stress for the service provider.

Research limitations/implications

The use of scenarios in our experiments may limit the generalizability of the study's findings.

Practical implications

Although sharing of best practices across cultures can be a worthwhile goal for managers, blind copying of some Western practices in Eastern markets can be problematic. The cultural context of markets calls for caution. In their quest for excellent customer service, managers should not let customers expect the service provider to become subservient and servile.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt at examining the social impact of a marketing philosophy (customer is king) and how the outcomes might be different depending on the culture in which the philosophy is practiced.


Developing economies are different than developed economies in many aspects, i.e., in terms of institutional framework and political situation etc. Thus, the monetary policy needed in developing countries is also different than developed countries. The goal of this study is to investigate exchange rate channel of monetary transmission mechanism in a developing country's setup. The variables included in our analysis are interest rate, exchange rate, exports, consumer price index and gross domestic product. Johansen cointegration technique is applied to analyze the long run relationship among variables while multivariate VECM granger causality test is used to explore the direction of causality among the set of our variables. We use annual data ranging from 1980 to 2015 while taking account of the limitations of time series data. Our findings suggest that output has a negative long run relationship with exchange rate and interest rate, positive relationship with exports and no statistically significant relationship with inflation. Interest rate granger causes all four of our variables thus showing the power of this policy tool. Exchange rate causes exports, consumer price index and output which means exchange rate is the second most powerful variable in our analysis. Output is granger caused by interest rate, exports and exchange rate which confirms the sensitivity of output to these variables. Consumer price index is granger caused by all four of our variables and came out to be the most sensitive variable in our analysis.


Genome association studies in human and genetic studies in mouse implicated members of the transmembrane protein 132 (TMEM132) family in multiple conditions including panic disorder, hearing loss, limb and kidney malformation. However, the presence of five TMEM132 paralogs in mammalian genomes makes it extremely challenging to reveal the full requirement for these proteins in vivo. In contrast, there is only one TMEM132 homolog, detonator (dtn), in the genome of fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, enabling straightforward research into its in vivo function. In the current study, we generate multiple loss-of-function dtn mutant fly strains through a polycistronic tRNA-gRNA approach, and show that most embryos lacking both maternal and paternal dtn fail to hatch into larvae, indicating an essential role of dtn in Drosophila reproduction.


Abstract Context: While rates of global obesity are high, a substantial proportion of the population remain lean despite living in an obesogenic environment. One potential difference between obesity resistant individuals (ORIs) and obesity susceptible individuals (OSIs) is oral fatty acid sensitivity.
Objective: We compared oral fatty acid sensitivity and fat ranking ability between ORIs and OSIs.
Design and participants: Oral sensitivity to oleic acid (1.4 mM) was determined using triplicate triangle tests amongst 50 ORIs and 36 OSIs. Participants tasted three milk samples, consisting of one sample with oleic acid and two control samples without oleic acid. Hypersensitive individuals were defined as those who chose the oleic acid sample three out of three tests. Participants also ranked the fat content of custard samples containing 0%, 2%, 6% and 10% fat.
Statistics: Logistic regression models including sex, age, and percentage body fat estimated adjusted odds ratios (OR) for oral fatty acid sensitivity between ORI and OSI. Negative binomial regression adjusting for age, BMI, and height compared fat ranking scores between ORIs and OSIs.
Results: The odds of being hypersensitive to fatty acids amongst ORIs was 3.60 times that for OSIs (P=0.034). There was no evidence for an association between resistance to obesity and the ability to rank the fat levels in a food (P=0.600).
Conclusion: Hypersensitivity to oral fatty acids among ORIs may influence their dietary fat intake, and thus their body weight regulation. Future larger studies are needed to confirm this.


Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the antioxidative status in patients with colorectal cancer and healthy controls, based on measurements made using a novel method. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between 2005 and 2007, and included 30 patients with colorectal cancer and 30 healthy controls. To determine the antioxidative status of the patients and healthy controls, serum total antioxidant capacity was measured using a novel automated method. Blood samples were taken from the healthy controls and the patients. Results: Total serum antioxidant capacity was significantly lower in colorectal cancer patients than in healthy persons (P < 0.023). Conclusions: Patients with colorectal cancer are exposed to oxidative stress, which may have a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The novel automated method used in this study was developed in our laboratory, and is feasible and fully automated; therefore, it may be useful for evaluating oxidativeantioxidative balance in patients with colorectal cancer.


This paper introduces the touch screen driver design based on Linux plays an important role in applications of touch screen. In order to further explore embedded touch screen driver design, and then optimize and improve existing drivers at practice level, this paper accomplished the design of touch screen driver using SPI interface and ADS7843 touch screen chip controller based on Samsung S3C2410s microprocessor. We designed the touch screen hardware interrupt program using the bottom half mechanism of the kernel timer, utilized 16 clock cycles of coordinate conversion sequences to achieve touch point based data acquisition and present the process of coordinate collection. The touch screen driver ran well on the UP-NETARM2410-S platform. The hardware design was verified to be simple and reliable while the corresponding software accomplished touch state detection and touch data conversion efficiently. The touch screen control method is simple, efficient and easy to realize.


Anesthetics are extremely important in modern surgery to greatly reduce the patient's pain. The understanding of anesthesia at molecular level is the preliminary step for the application of anesthetics in clinic safely and effectively. Inert gases, with low chemical activity, have been found to cause anesthesia for centuries, but the mechanism is unclear yet. In this review, we first summarize the progress of theories about general anesthesia, especially for inert gas narcosis, and then propose a new hypothesis that the aggregated rather than the dispersed inert gas molecules are the key to trigger the narcosis to explain the steep dose-response relationship of anesthesia.


Ph.D. research on "Agro-resource management studies on growth, yield, quality and economics of linseed (Linum usitatissimum Linn.) grown after rice in Alfisols of Chhattisgarh plains" was conducted during rabi seasons of 2009-10 and 2010-11 at Research cum Instructional Farm, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur with the specific objectives to study the interaction effect of sowing methods and fertilizer management on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, oil content and economics of linseed varieties. Two different experiments on linseed crop were undertaken during two consecutive rabi seasons of 2009-10 and 2010-11. The experiment was sown on 26th November, 2010 and harvested on 24th March, 2011. Based on 2 years experimentation it is concluded that treatment line sowing x RLC-92 (S1V1) registered significantly oil content as well as maximum oil yield. Among the fertilizer levels, maximum oil yield was obtained under 50% more RDF (F2) followed by RDF + S (F1) during both the years and on mean basis.


This research aims are to investigate the attitude levels of staff's and students' on the motivation, effectiveness towards the academic affairs services management at the faculty of Economics and Business Management, DongDok campus in the National University of Laos, and the faculty of Economic Sciences and faculty of Sciences, Sibiu campus in Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania. There were 220 participants, five groups; presidents, deans, heads of departments, lecturers and students. The five-point Likert scale rating questionnaires were used to collect data. The SPSS version 20 was used to perform the needed analysis for reaching the proposed aims. In this regard, univariate and bivariate statistics were computed; Pearson Chi-Square Test, ANOVA, scale reliability and validity analysis were undertaken. The research goals are to improve the academic affairs services management systems in the two mentioned universities. Therefore, the results advised the university committee boards, the governments, the national, international donors, curriculum developers, staff and students to use them for the educational purposes.


Learning is a life-long process, it requires dedication and motivation on the students and lecturers part; and resources and moral support on the administrators part. A leader's duty in an educational institution is to provide a system where the lecturers achieve the desired learning outcome not only because they are empowered, competent and accountable, but also because they care. The co-administrators must exercise visionary leadership responsive to emerging learning needs of the nation; ensure adequate resources; promote appropriate technology; create and sustain a climate conducive to enhancing learning. The 21st century educational world is becoming highly competitive in many aspects. The leader's primary role is to foster an organization committed to a culture of excellence in public service, with the emphasis on human resources being most important for our country. This article aims to assist higher education institute leaders to continuously improve the leadership practice in terms of competency and commitment from whatever level it begins, regardless of conditions prevailing and resources available. Moreover, it aims to explain the challenges facing the administrators in promoting higher education in the global community as well as developing the international links with appropriate organizations and individuals.


In this paper the displacement analysis of an under-constrained parallel robot supported by flexible shafts is addressed. The problem consists of identifying the equilibrium poses of a moving platform when the shaft lengths are changed. Similar to under-constrained cable-driven parallel robots, the moving platform preserves some freedoms once shaft lengths are fixed. Thus, kinematics and statics must be taken into account simultaneously. However in contrast to cables, shafts may also impose torsional resistance on the moving platform which is considered in this study. To investigate the effect of this torsional resistance the pose of the moving platform with respect to the changes of length of shafts is investigated and compared to the pose of moving platform driven by cables.


Along with the ever-increasing racial/ethnic diversity in U.S. schools, researchers began to investigate the impact of racial/ethnic identity on young people's understanding of the nation's history. Compared to other racial minorities, Asian American students have received little academic and educational attention. This article seeks to address this gap through a qualitative study on Korean American youth. Drawing from in-depth interviews with twenty Korean American high school students, this article examines how Korean American youth make sense of U.S. history and how their sociocultural backgrounds affect their historical perspectives as well as their ideas and experiences of learning history historical perspectives.


In order to treat the cut-and-fill embankment economically and effectively, geogrid was adopted to reinforce the filling body in cut-and-fill sections. After the discussion of causes of the pavement diseases and the mechanism of geogrid reinforcement, the triaxial geogrid was introduced with its special mechanical characters, and forces analysis of geogrid was carried out to establish a tension calculation model. Through the analysis, the theoretical calculation formula of geogrid tension was obtained, it could be used to calculate the tensile force of geogrid at the junction, which was also the required anchoring force for the geogrid at the anchorage point. Then, according to a typical embankment section in Chang-zhi to An-yang expressway, a finite element model was established to study the variation laws of tension of geogrid, lateral displacement and differential settlement of pavement. The results show that the triaxial geogrid reinforcement could reduce the differential settlement and lateral displacement of cut-and-fill embankment more economically and effectively than traditional geogrids.


Drg-1 was previously identified (N. van Belzen et al., Lab. Investig., 77: 85–92, 1997) as a gene that was up-regulated by the induction of differentiation in a colon carcinoma cell line in vitro. Subsequently, this gene was found to be regulated by several factors including hypoxia, androgen, p53, and N-myc. Recently, Drg-1 has also been shown to be involved in tumor progression in animals, although the clinical significance of its involvement remains to be investigated. To clarify the functional role of Drg-1 in prostate cancer, we examined a clinical archive of cancer specimens for the expression of Drg-1 by immunohistochemistry. We found that the expression of Drg-1 had a significant inverse correlation with the Gleason grading and the overall survival rate of patients. In particular, the gene expression in patients with lymph node or bone metastasis was significantly reduced as compared with those with localized prostate cancer, suggesting that the function of Drg-1 is negatively involved in metastatic progression of the disease. To further clarify the function of this gene in the advancement of prostate cancer, a spontaneous metastasis assay was performed in a severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse model. We found that Drg-1 almost completely inhibited lung colonization of highly metastatic prostate cancer cells without affecting the growth of the primary tumors. These results strongly suggest that Drg-1 is a candidate metastasis suppressor gene for prostate cancer and may serve as a useful prognostic marker.


Episodes of slow and fast plate subduction, slab rollback, and backarc opening are widely documented; e.g., in the central Mediterranean region. Pervasive damage by fluids is emerging as a possible weakening mechanism that could lead to slab segmentation and breakoff. We show that low-velocity anomalies within the Ionian slab present in along-dip seismic tomography profiles are traces of past damaging events generated by water penetration into the oceanic lithosphere when it was at the trench. We propose that the stepwise evolution of the central Mediterranean over the past 21 m.y. has been governed by strength changes of the Ionian slab induced by damage. More generally, we speculate that the cyclicity of such a process in space and time in the different circum-Mediterranean subduction events may have led to the present shape of the Mediterranean basin.


We report on a set of cell survival experiments performed in complex field combinations of therapeutic 12C ion beams. CHO cells were exposed to the superposition of two or three fields of 12C ions arranged in a similar way to real patient treatments. Two-dimensional survival distributions were measured and compared with the predictions of the TRiP98 treatment planning system. Good agreement was found in general. In particular the method of tissue sparing using dose ramps could be verified.


We provide a natural derivation and interpretation for the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics from the stochastic optimal control approach. We show that, in particular, the stochastic approach to quantum mechanics allows one to understand the uncertainty principle through the "thermodynamic equilibrium". A stochastic process with a gradient structure is key in terms of understanding the uncertainty principle and such a framework comes naturally from the stochastic optimal control approach to quantum mechanics. The symmetry of the system is manifested in certain non-vanishing and invariant covariances between the four-position and the four-momentum. In terms of interpretation, the results allow one to understand the uncertainty principle through the lens of scientific realism, in accordance with empirical evidence, contesting the original interpretation given by Heisenberg.


This article draws on survey findings from a questionnaire to primary headteachers concerned with the design and implementation of their School Development Plans (SDPs). It examines the findings in the light of recommendations to schools from the government, the local education authority and the literature on the characteristics of approaches which are claimed to enhance effectiveness. In so doing, the article comments upon discrepancies between the consensus in such 'official wisdoms' of how SDP should be undertaken and the reality of current approaches within primary schools. It concludes that any real progress in this area will need to be based upon an informed understanding of how


The aim of the study is to present a tentative framework to explore and investigate the drivers and barriers of adoption of the innovation of proactive knowledge use in connection to a knowledge management system (KMS) in health care. Semi-structured interviews were performed with champion implementers and physicians using the KMS along with a document analysis depicting significant events of the implementation process. The findings from the study suggested that drivers of the innovation were the characteristics of change agents, quality improvement, budget control and knowledge brought to the physician-patient dialogue by the KMS. In particular, there were indications of the KMS facilitating the process of making tacit knowledge explicit in the physician-patient dialogue. Identified barriers towards the innovation were resistance from clinical management, lack of motivation to share knowledge, lack of time and perceived flaws in the interface and compilation of data in the KMS.


Synthetic aperture imaging radiometers (SAIR) are powerful sensors for high-resolution observations of the Earth at low microwaves frequencies. Within this context, the European Space Agency is currently developing the SMOS mission devoted to the monitoring of soil moisture and ocean salinity at global scale from L-band space borne radiometric observations obtained with a two-dimensional interferometer. This contribution is concerned with the reconstruction of radiometric brightness temperature maps from interferometric measurements provided by SMOS.


Automatic Machine Translation (MT) evaluation is an active field of research, with a handful of new metrics devised every year. Evaluation metrics are generally benchmarked against manual assessment of translation quality, with performance measured in terms of overall correlation with human scores. Much work has been dedicated to the improvement of evaluation metrics to achieve a higher correlation with human judgments. However, little insight has been provided regarding the weaknesses and strengths of existing approaches and their behavior in different settings. In this work we conduct a broad meta-evaluation study of the performance of a wide range of evaluation metrics focusing on three major aspects. First, we analyze the performance of the metrics when faced with different levels of translation quality, proposing a local dependency measure as an alternative to the standard, global correlation coefficient. We show that metric performance varies significantly across different levels of MT quality: Metrics perform poorly when faced with low-quality translations and are not able to capture nuanced quality distinctions. Interestingly, we show that evaluating low-quality translations is also more challenging for humans. Second, we show that metrics are more reliable when evaluating neural MT than the traditional statistical MT systems. Finally, we show that the difference in the evaluation accuracy for different metrics is maintained even if the gold standard scores are based on different criteria.


'Expressed' and 'total' activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) were measured in freeze-clamped samples of mammary glands from lactating rats at intervals throughout the 24 h light/dark cycle. 'Expressed' activities were measured in microsomal fractions isolated and assayed in the presence of 100 mM-KF. 'Total' activities were determined in microsomal preparations from the same homogenates but washed free of KF and incubated with exogenously added sheep liver phosphoprotein phosphatase before assay. Both 'expressed' and 'total' activities of HMG-CoA reductase underwent a diurnal cycle, which had a major peak 6 h into the light phase and a nadir 15 h later, i.e. 9 h into the dark period. Both activities showed a secondary peak of activity (around 68% of the maximum activity) at the time of changeover from dark to light, with a trough in the value of the 'expressed' activity that was close to the nadir value. 'Expressed' activity was lower than 'total' at all time points, indicating the presence of enzyme molecules inactivated by covalent phosphorylation. Nevertheless the 'expressed'/'total' activity ratio was comparatively constant and varied only between 43% and 75%. Immunotitration of enzyme activity, with antiserum raised in sheep against purified rat liver HMG-CoA reductase, confirmed the presence of both active and inactive forms of the enzyme and indicated that at the peak and nadir the variation in 'expressed' HMG-CoA reductase activity resulted from changes in the total number of enzyme molecules rather than from covalent modification. The sample obtained after 3 h of the light phase exhibited an anomalously low 'total' HMG-CoA reductase activity, which could be increased when Cl- replaced F- in the homogenization medium. The result suggests that at that time the activity of the enzyme could be regulated by mechanisms other than covalent phosphorylation or degradation.


The aim of the study was to evaluate erythema migrans (EM) prevalence and treatment in north-eastern Poland during the last 25 years. The material for the study consisted of data sent to the Department of Dermatology by physicians from fifteen regional out-patient clinics. They were collected according to specially prepared questionnaires. The data were analysed with respect to the total number of EM cases, patients' age, seasonal prevalence of the disease, dynamics of its prevalence and treatment methods in successive years. Of the 262,421 case histories, retrospectively analysed 1235 EM cases (0.4%) were found. The age of the patients varied from 4 to 78 years. The highest incidence was observed between August and October (57.7% of all cases). The annual number of cases increased from only a few, in the years 1969-76, to over 436 in 1993. Penicillin or erythromycin were preferred for the treatment of EM before 1981, tetracycline or ampicillin between 1982-90, and amoxicillin or doxycycline in the last three years. Our results showed a significant increase in the number of EM cases in the dermatological clinics of north-eastern Poland in recent years. The treatment of the disease applied at present, complies with the generally accepted guidelines.


ABSTRACT Objective: The goal of this study is to provide annual estimates for the treated prevalence and expenditures attributable to overactive bladder (OAB) in the elderly prior to Medicare Part D drug coverage. Research design and methods: All Medicare claims were extracted for beneficiaries over 65 with continuous coverage for Medicare Parts A and B during 2003–2004. Two OAB definitions were created: (1) the base case included diagnosis codes that narrowly defined OAB, and (2) the sensitivity variant included additional codes indicative of OAB. Descriptive comparisons of baseline characteristics, annual expenditures, and events and procedures were performed for OAB vs. non-OAB subjects meeting the inclusion criteria. CMS expenditures (2004 US dollars) for individuals were totaled and multiple regression techniques were used to estimate costs attributable to OAB after adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions. Results: The prevalence of subjects with an OAB diagnosis ranged from 8.8 to 13.6% for the base and sensitivity definitions, respectively. While mean total annual expenditures ranged from $9331 to $9655, mean annual expenditures attributable to OAB ranged from $825 to $1184 per subject (9–12% of total medical expenditures for OAB subjects), with aggregate total OAB-attributable expenditures of $1.8–3.9 billion per year. Conclusions: The treated prevalence of individuals seeking treatment for OAB in the elderly Medicare population is comparable to some common chronic conditions in that population, and OAB-attributable CMS expenditures are considerable. However, due to study limitations this is a conservative estimate of the direct cost of OAB in the elderly population. The reported estimates exclude pharmacy and out-of-pocket costs, are extrapolated to only two-thirds of the elderly Medicare population, and do not include expenditures by Medicaid for long-term care. Additionally, claims data limits detection of chronic conditions to patients who receive treatment or consultation for OAB; diagnosis codes used were based on expert opinion rather than a review of medical records to identify OAB patients; and long-term care costs are not included.


The main topic of the article is to observe the current regulatory policy of cannabis and the reasons why it should be reorganized so that the society could gain largest potential economic benefit. The author basically wanted to prove the need for changes in international cannabis regulation. In order to gain the best results, the author uses legal and comparative analysis research methods and as credible sources exploits mainly drug reports published by international organizations, scientific journal and official government data. The main findings are that the current international legislation regarding cannabis is outdated, ineffective and actually obstructs the society from researching the respective substance and its possible advantages. More liberal and at the same time more specific regulation of cannabis market is found to be more effective to defeat the black market and give benefit to society's overall well-being. In the conclusion the author recommends to change the international cannabis legislation by presenting several step control mechanisms of the respective substance.


Studying what factors influence the ability to resonate with the pain of others in the aftermath of a genocide and how this extends to the following generation is critical to better understand the perpetuation of conflicts. In the present study conducted in Rwanda, we recruited former genocide perpetrators and survivors, and their respective children and investigated how their neural response to the pain of others is modulated when they visualized pictures of former perpetrators or survivors, or their offspring. We further evaluated how the impact of the genocide and psychological factors associated with trauma influenced the results. Results showed that the intergroup empathy bias-that is, a reduced neural response to the pain of the outgroup-is present for both individuals alive during the genocide and their offspring. We also observed that a higher number of stressors experienced during the genocide was associated with a higher reduction of the neural response to the pain of others, even toward the children of one's own ingroup. Finally, we observed that a deliberate and free decision to reconcile is associated with a higher neural response to the pain of others. The results may be central to encouraging reconciliation in peacebuilding programs and to fostering empathic repair after trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


Previous methods interpret zonal or polydisperse gel patterns of two‐dimensional Serwer‐type gels in terms of size and free mobility (surface net charge density). These two parameters have been determined for each component without quantitatively measuring the abundance of the components. The present study advances these previous methods by determining the relative concentration of each component by computer evaluation of densitometrically analyzed gel patterns. Suitable procedures and their underlying algorithms are presented. The mathematical routines are implemented in a user‐friendly software package, called GelFit and designed for a Macintosh personal computer. The program input sonsists of digitized images of gel staining patterns exemplified by those obtained from electrophoresis of native sub‐cellular‐sized particles. The data are processed through the following steps: (i) Noise reduction and calibration. (ii) Geometrical transformation of the pattern onto a rectangular size/free mobility coordinate system using rationales of the extended Ogston model. (iii) Analysis of the transformed image to determine density maxima, density profiles along iso‐free‐mobility or iso‐size lines, curve fitting of one‐dimensional profiles or two‐dimensional surfaces using Gaussian functions and curve stripping of surfaces to determine the possible number of particle populations.


This paper presents a description of a new agent based elevator sub-model developed as part of the buildingEXODUS software intended for both evacuation and circulation applications. A description of each component of the newly developed model is presented, including the elevator kinematics and associated pedestrian behaviour. The elevator model is then used to investigate a series of full building evacuation scenarios based on a hypothetical 50 floor building with four staircases and a population of 7,840 agents. The analysis explores the relative merits of using up to 32 elevators (arranged in four banks) and various egress strategies to evacuate the entire building population. Findings from the investigation suggest that the most efficient evacuation strategy utilises a combination of elevators and stairs to empty the building and clear the upper half of the building in minimum time. Combined stair elevator evacuation times have been shown to be as much as 50% faster than stair only evacuation times.


In this study, coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) (n = 70) isolated from subclinical sheep mastitis were screened for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to antimicrobials used commonly in veterinary field in Turkey. In addition, plasmid profiling and biofilm production of CoNS isolates was investigated. All isolates were found to be susceptible to amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, cephalothin, gentamicin, enrofloxacin and oxacillin. The highest resistance was observed in 42.9% (n = 30) of the isolates against the beta-lactam antibiotics, penicillin and ampicillin. All beta-lactam resistant isolates produced beta-lactamase and carried blaZ. Tetracycline resistance was observed in 11.4% (n = 8) of the isolates, either alone or in combination with beta-lactams and macrolides. Of the tetracycline resistant 8 isolates, 5 carried the tetK gene, one carried the tetM and 2 isolates carried both genes together. Erythromycin resistance was observed in 5.7% of the isolates; msrA was detected alone (one isolate) or in combination with mphC (one isolate) and ermC (one isolate). ermA was observed only in one isolate. Most of the strains showed only a single plasmid band in size of 19.3 kb, but some had 2 to 3 plasmids ranging from >19.3 kb to 0.9 kb. Out of 70 CoNS isolates, 28 (40%) were identified as biofilm producer by Congo red agar (CRA) method, and 30 (42.9%) were positive for both icaA and icaD genes, which are known to be responsible for biofilm formation in CoNS.


A new chelating ligand [4-methyl-2,6-bis-(pyridin-2-yl-hydrazonomethyl)-phenol] (1) was prepared by the condensation of 2-hydrazinylpyridine with 2,6-diformyl-p-cresol. Compound 1 exhibits weak fluorescence due to intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PET). The sensor (1) demonstrates Zn(2+)-specific emission enhancement due to the "PET off" process through a 1:1 binding mode with the metal ion. The fluorescence quantum yield of chemosensor 1 is only 0.020, and it increases more than 14-fold (0.280) in the presence of one equivalent of the zinc ion. Interestingly, the introduction of other metal ions causes the fluorescence intensity to remain either unchanged or weakened except for Cd(2+). The new sensor showed 'naked-eye' detection of Zn(2+) ions: a color change of the solution from colorless to yellow. Ratiometric displacement of Cd(2+) ions from the complex by Zn(2+) ions supports the formation of a more stable sensor–Zn(2+) complex over the sensor–Cd(2+) complex. The experimental findings have been correlated with theoretical results using the B3LYP functional and 6-31G (d, p), LANL2DZ basis set for Cd(2+) (2) and Zn(2+) (3) complexes, respectively, by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method. Moreover, the ability of probe 1 to sense Zn(2+) within human melanoma cancer cells has been explored, and the Zn(2+)-probing process in living cells was found to be reversible with zinc chelator solution of N,N,N,N-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) or EDTA.