HIV-positive patients have an increased risk of hyperglycemia factors associated with inflammatory activity and antirretrovirals treatment, and this can directly impact in survival and life quality. This study proposed to evaluate impact and risk factors for insulin resistance in HIV patients. Total of 218 patients were included and we detected increase in glucose levels after HAART initiation (18.5% vs. 36.7%, p=0.0025). High fasting glucose levels were pointed as risk factor for symptomatic clinic during follow-up (RR=1.35; IC 95% 1,01-1,80; p=0.002), and higher monocyte/lymphocyte ratio was associated with hospitalization after treatment start (p=0.033).


Minarets are slender and tall structures that are built from different types of materials. Modern materials are also starting to be used in such structures with the recent developments in material technology. The seismic vulnerability and dynamic behavior of minarets can vary, depending on the material characteristics. Within this study's scope, thirteen different material types used in minarets in Türkiye were chosen as variables. A sample minaret model was chosen as an example with nine different heights to reveal how material characteristic change affects seismic and dynamic behavior. Information and mechanical characteristics were given for all the material types. Natural fundamental periods, displacements, and base shear forces were attained from structural analyses for each selected material. The empirical period formula for each material is proposed using the obtained periods, depending on the different minaret heights taken into consideration. At the same time, fundamental natural periods for the first ten modes and 13 different types of materials used in the study were estimated with the established Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. The real periods from the experimental analyses were compared with the values estimated by the ANN using fewer parameters, and 99% of the results were successful. In addition, time history analyses were used to evaluate the seismic performance of the minaret (three different materials were considered). In this specific case, the acceleration record from the 2011 Van (Eastern Turkiye) earthquake (Mw = 7.2) was taken into consideration. Performance levels were determined for the minaret according to the results obtained for each material. It has been concluded that material characteristics significantly affect the dynamic and seismic behavior of the minarets.


A compact rectenna with a wide input power range is proposed for wireless power transfer (WPT). Two different diodes, having distinct operating powers, i.e., high-input-power diode and low-input-power diode, are introduced to the rectenna design for extending the operating input power range. A mid-inductor is placed in the rectifying circuit to isolate the radio frequency (RF) signal from dc power, thereby delivering the rectified dc power to the load. Also, with the aid of mid-inductor, the fundamental RF signal and harmonic signals could flow back to the two rectifying diodes for achieving higher conversion efficiency via the means of harmonic signal re-rectification. Owing to the mid-inductor, the sub-rectifier circuit can be avoided, and a compact structure can therefore be realized. Over 50% measured conversion efficiency, ηc can be achieved in a very wide input power range of 35 dB (−10 to 25 dBm). The proposed rectenna can be widely used in WPT systems with unpredictable and variable RF energy levels.


Critical practice is at the core of all activity undertaken with service users, carers and their communities. Conveying the diverse nature of this work The Critical Practitioner in Social Work and Health Care takes a comprehensive and reflective look at key areas of practice and the challenges professionals face in training and in their working lives. The chapters focus on the skills and values fundamental to the caring role and helps readers understand the importance of being able to adapt to changing demands and expectations.


Cytonuclear discordance, commonly detected in phylogenetic studies, is often attributed to hybridization and/or incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). New sequencing technologies and analytical approaches can provide new insights into the relative importance of these processes. Hybridization has previously been reported in the Australian endemic plant genus Adenanthos (Proteaceae). Like many Australian genera, Adenanthos is of relatively ancient origin, and provides an opportunity to examine long-term evolutionary consequences of gene flow between lineages. Using a hybrid capture approach, we assembled densely sampled low-copy nuclear and plastid DNA sequences for Adenanthos, inferred its evolutionary history, and used a Bayesian posterior predictive approach and coalescent simulations to assess relative contributions of hybridization and ILS to cytonuclear discordance. Our analyses indicate that strong incongruence detected between our plastid and nuclear phylogenies is not only the result of ILS, but also results from extensive ancient introgression as well as recent chloroplast capture and introgression between extant Adenanthos species. The deep reticulation was also detected from long-persisting chloroplast haplotypes shared between evolutionarily distant species. These haplotypes may have persisted for over 12 Ma in localized populations across southwest Western Australia, indicating that the region is not only an important area for old endemic lineages and accumulation of species, but is also characterized by persistence of high genetic diversity. Deep introgression in Adenanthos coincided with the rapid radiation of the genus during the Miocene, a time when many Australian temperate plant groups radiated in response to large-scale climatic change. This study suggests that ancient introgression may play an important role in the evolution of the Australian flora more broadly.


Although the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is known to play roles in episodic memory retrieval, the specific processes it supports are not fully understood. The high temporal resolution of the event-related potential (ERP) technique provides one fruitful avenue for investigations of these processes. However, the PFC-supported retrieval operations that may be indexed by ERPs are currently under-specified. The work contained in this thesis is concerned with providing a more specific characterisation of PFC-supported processes that operate during episodic retrieval than is available currently. To this end, Experiments One to Three were designed in order to assess the likely functional significance of one known modulation which has been identified in ERP studies of episodic retrieval - the right-frontal ERP old/new effect. This effect is widely assumed to reflect activity generated within the PFC. Experiments Four and Five extended this work to related issues which arose as a result of the outcomes of the initial experiments. All five experiments reported in this thesis employed source memory tasks in which participants studied a list of words presented in one of two contexts (or sources). These words were presented visually in one of two colours in Experiments One, Two, Three, and Five (Visual condition), and were presented auditorily in a male/female voice in Experiments Four and Five (Auditory condition). At test, in all experiments, all studied words were presented visually in white letters intermixed with unstudied (new) words. For words judged to have been encountered previously (old words), a second judgment was required. In Experiments One and Two, this was a binary decision regarding the source in which the word had been previously presented (study colour). In Experiments Three, Four, and Five, a high/low source confidence rating was also made. For the right-frontal ERP old/new effect, strong evidence was provided in Experiments One and Two to rule out the potential contributions of three aspects of task design that may have contributed to disparate and seemingly contradictory findings in the published literature. These were: the presence/absence of copy cues at test, response requirements at test, and the difficulty of the retrieval task. Experiment Three was designed in order to test directly a "number of decisions account" for the right-frontal old/new effect (Dobbins & Han, 2006 Hayama, Johnson, & Rugg, 2008), and provided strong evidence inconsistent with such an account. A serendipitous finding in this study was evidence for a left-frontal ERP old/new effect that was functionally and electrophysiologically dissociable from the right-frontal old/new effect, and which differentiated between high and low confidence correct source judgments. There was no evidence for this effect in Experiment Four, however, when auditory (male/female voice) rather than visual (pink/yellow letters) source information was to be retrieved at test, suggesting the content-specificity of this frontally distributed ERP effect. This possibility was tested directly in Experiment Five in which versions of Experiments Three and Four were completed within-participants. Two separable frontal old/new effects were observed. These effects differed in their scalp distributions as a function of the forms of episodic content that were retrieved (i.e. visual vs. auditory source). The scalp distributions of the frontal old/new effects across Experiments Three to Five also varied according to whether the data from the first or the second halves of retrieval phases were analysed. These qualitative changes in neural activity according to time on task are interpreted in terms of processes involved in the resolution of interference, which presumably increases during the course of a retrieval task. The implications of this finding for conclusions made on the basis of averaged measures of neural activity across the entirety of a retrieval task are also discussed. In combination, the data reported in this thesis provide evidence that ERPs are sensitive to multiple neurally, functionally, and temporally distinct PFC-supported processes which operate during episodic retrieval, and offer insights into the roles played by PFC during episodic retrieval.


Abstract Historians at one time emphasized the critical causal interventions of important individuals, ascribing decisive differences in outcomes across time and place to human agency and idiosyncratic initiative. Subsequently, structure, contingency, and a collection of nonidiosyncratic choices became more prominent in causal explanations. Culture, geography, climate, economic circumstance, ideology, etc., became the favored variables in attempts to answer significant questions about key turning points in the global past. In Why Nations Fail, however, Acemoglu and Robinson demonstrate that leadership and governance matter much more than we thought. Although structural analyses add powerfully to our research, it is the quality of leadership that often determines whether a state is to flourish politically or economically.


Charles Babbage designed Difference Engine No. 2 between 1846 and 1848. Contemporary drawings illustrate a machine - never built during his lifetime - that calculates and tabulates polynomials, printing results in hard copy and producing stereotype molds for plates intended for use in conventional printing presses. This article describes construction of the first complete physical realization of a full Babbage engine design and outlines Babbage's ambitions for this advanced engine.


Transferring emergent target tracking data to sinks is a major challenge in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), because inefficient data transmission can cause significant personnel and property loss. For tracking a constantly moving mobile target, sensing data should be delivered to sinks continuously and quickly. Although there is some related research, the end to end tracking delay is still unsatisfying. In this paper, we propose a Fast and Efficient Data Forwarding (FEDF) scheme for tracking mobile targets in sensor networks to reduce tracking delay and maintain a long lifetime. Innovations of the FEDF scheme that differ from traditional scheme are as follows: firstly, we propose a scheme to transmit sensing data through a Quickly Reacted Routing (QRR) path which can reduce delay efficiently. Duty cycles of most nodes on a QRR path are set to 1, so that sleep delay of most nodes turn 0. In this way, end to end delay can be reduced significantly. Secondly, we propose a perfect method to build QRR path and optimize it, which can make QRR path work more efficiently. Target sensing data routing scheme in this paper belongs to a kind of trail-based routing scheme, so as the target moves, the routing path becomes increasingly long, reducing the working efficiency. We propose a QRR path optimization algorithm, in which the ratio of the routing path length to the optimal path is maintained at a smaller constant in the worst case. Thirdly, it has a long lifetime. In FEDF scheme duty cycles of nodes near sink in a QRR path are the same as that in traditional scheme, but duty cycles of nodes in an energy-rich area are 1. Therefore, not only is the rest energy of network fully made use of, but also the network lifetime stays relatively long. Finally, comprehensive performance analysis shows that the FEDF scheme can realize an optimal end to end delay and energy utilization at the same time, reduce end to end delay by 87.4%, improve network energy utilization by 2.65%, and ensure that network lifetime is not less than previous research.


: The study aimed to investigate the effects of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions, intragroup interactions, and complex understanding of others. A total of 50 freshmen not receiving any training in meditation intervention were randomly divided into the meditation group (25 subjects) and the control group (25 subjects). The meditation group was imple-mented with group meditation intervention for 4 weeks, three times a week, about 30 minutes each time. The results revealed that the effect sizes in interpersonal interaction and complex understanding of others in the meditation group were both above 0.8, indicating strong effects. It was concluded that loving-kindness meditation can effectively improve positive emotions, interpersonal interactions, and complex understanding of others in college students.


The Apollo 12 magnetometer has measured a steady magnetic field of 36 � 5 gammas on the lunar surface. Surface gradient measurements and data from a lunar orbiting satellite indicate that this steady field is localized rather than global in its extent. These data suggest that the source is a large, magnetized body which acquired a field during an epoch in which the inducing field was much stronger than any that presently exists at the moon.


In the light of our awareness of the immersion in the era of breakthrough technologies of revolution 4.0, this article reflects current issues of recent times and the evolutionary trends of the global economy: the need for digitalization of business processes, the introduction of artificial intelligence in the country's economy, the use of Business Intelligence technologies to improve the efficiency of enterprises, increase productivity of labour and more equitable redistribution of benefits between all participants of the processes of transformation of sovereign states into strongholds of global corporatocracy.


Given the context in which precarity is unevenly distributed in today's corporate university, it is important for women's studies to consider its role in bringing about higher education policy reform. Reporting on the findings of a national survey of chairs and directors of women's studies departments, this article suggests strategies for performing "affective activism" within the university through research and action, guided by feminist theory—including collaborative organic theater, institutional discourse analysis, and the drafting of position statements. Drawing from a range of experiential and discursive primary-source materials, the essay suggests strategies and examples for how institutional norms can be made available for interrogation and transformation. In this work, emotion can provide a lens by which to see the institutional situation of women's studies and its intervention in the new status quo of the corporate university.


In the first Epistle of Peter, Gentile Christians are addressed as aliens and exiles (lPet.1.1) but also as 'a Chosen People, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, God's Own People' (lPet.2.9). The epithets are drawn from Is.43.20,21 and Ex.19.6 referring to Israel.0 In this thesis I have traced the roots of the exiles' new identity to Israel's position in the OT, called in the Exodus to find her identity as The Chosen People of JHWH. According to O.T. presentation, Israel agreed at Sinai to her designation as a kingdom of priests, a holy nation (Ex.19.6), titles underlining her separateness and responsibility as witnesses to God's glory. Dt. restates this covenant. Israel was to find her true life and joy in wholehearted love for JHWH through the keeping of His laws, worked out in the everyday, to the exclusion of all idolatry. Balaam's story recalls God's promise to Abraham in Gen. 12.3. Israel's identity as the blessed of JHWH remains intact. She cannot be cursed. Yet the holy image was blurred. At Qumran in a highly exclusive context the Community sought to reestablish the Sinai tradition of holiness, linked to an understanding of themselves as spiritual Temple with strict law-keeping as sacrifice. The way was thus prepared for Christ to be Himself Temple, sacrifice and atonement, opening the way for all believers - such as Peter's addressees - to know themselves as inheritors of the elect status of Israel. I argue that IPeter demonstrates to a marked degree the continuity of significant aspects of NT Christianity with the faith of Israel, in particular in its emphasis on the finding of identity in the context of exile and trial and in its call to holiness, both to be a means of showing forth God's glory.


This study aims to analyze the corporate criminal liability system in Indonesia in a psychological perspective. The object of this research is limited to the Attorney General's Regulations, Supreme Court Regulations, and 18 laws outside the Criminal Code that recognize corporations as the subject of offenses in criminal law. The results of the study found that there is no single rule studied that regulates when a corporation can be held liable for criminal acts committed by the management, the corporation or both. Corporate criminal responsibility theories that develop in theoretical discourse are also not used. This condition will clearly make it difficult for law enforcement officers in handling criminal cases committed by or involving corporations. Even though the Attorney General and Supreme Court Regulations were made to fill weaknesses in corporate regulation in various laws, these two regulations are also inaccurate because they regulate legal norms that should be contained in legal products of law. Also, neither of them regulates the criteria for corporate criminal liability, especially regarding the punishment and the determination of actors in a psychological perspective.


To study the industrial technology for application of the C100 High strength and high performance concrete which is in freezing shaft lining of thick overburden, the industrial test of the shaft wall of high strength and high performance concrete is carried out under the engineering background of auxiliary shaft in Yuncheng coal mine of Juye coal mining area in Shandong Province. The verified laboratory testing results comported with the results of industrial technology from macro-mechanics, failure fractal, resultant morphology and pore characteristics. And the quality control system of high performance concrete and construction technology can be established. The results show that the experimental formula and construction technology of C100 high strength and high performance concrete can meet the requirement of field concrete shaft lining and achieve the high level of quality control. The industrial application and study results accord with the field requirement. Furthermore, the study results also provide experimental basis and industrial production data for industrial application of C100 high strength and high performance concrete.


Blue-collar remote and mobile workers (BC-RMWs) such as repair/installation engineers, delivery drivers, and construction workers, constitute a significant share of the workforce. They work away from a home or office work base at customer and remote work sites and are highly dependent on ICT for completing their work tasks. Low occupational well-being is a key concern regarding BC-RMWs. The objective of this research is to understand how BC-RMWs can use information and communication technology (ICT) to elevate their occupational well-being. Drawing from the job demands-job resources theoretical framework in occupational psychology, we theorize that the distinctive work characteristics faced by BC-RMWs can be viewed in the conceptual framing of job demands. We conceptualize BC-RMWs' practices of ICT use as possible ways to gather resources to tackle these demands. We conducted a study of 28 BC-RMWs employed in two private sector firms (telecom service provision and construction industries) in the UK across 14 remote work sites. Based on our findings, we developed the concept of ICT-enabled job crafting and theorized how ICT-enabled job crafting by BC-RMWs can help them increase their job resources to tackle their job demands and consequently increase their occupational well-being. The empirical context of the paper, i.e., the study of BC-RMWs, provides further novelty because these kinds of workers and their distinctive and interesting work conditions have not received much attention in the literature.


Successful implementation of directed self-assembly in high volume manufacturing is contingent upon the ability to control the new DSA-specific local defects such as "dislocations" or "line-shifts" or "fingerprint-like" defects. Conventional defect inspection tools are either limited in resolution (brightfield optical methods) or in the area / number of defects to investigate / review (SEM). Here we explore in depth a scatterometry-based technique that can bridge the gap between area throughput and detection resolution. First we establish the detection methodology for scatterometry-based defect detection, then we compare to established methodology. Careful experiments using scatterometry imaging confirm the ultimate resolution for defect detection of scatterometry-based techniques as low as <1% defect per area sampled – similar to CD-SEM based detection, while retaining a 2 orders of magnitude higher area sampling rate.


Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is defined as breast cancer develops either during or within 1 year after pregnancy, it is a rare disease arising in 1:3,000 to 1:10,000 pregnant women. Prognosis of this tumor is influenced by local or systemic treatment, which might be conditioned by gestational age and limited by the concern on potential adverse impact on fetus. The aim of this literature review is to analyze the main topics regarding surgical treatment of patients diagnosed with breast cancer in pregnancy: anesthesia and maternal-fetal monitoring, type of breast surgery, immediate breast reconstruction after radical surgery and management of the axilla. Some important topics remain controversial since the relative rarity of PABC precludes the feasibility of large studies leading to a lack of literature data. Multi-institutional collaboration is warranted to collect women with PABC, in order to best define surgical treatment in view of associated maternal and fetal risks.


Somogyi's contribution of the test for serum amylase 1 has made possible the more frequent diagnosis of pancreatitis, with the result that nonsurgical treatment for the disease can be used oftener. The edematous type of pancreatitis, which is found more commonly and which may manifest itself in repeated attacks, usually responds well to conservative treatment. The more fulminating hemorrhagic type in which there is free fluid in the peritoneal cavity still carries a high mortality. The recognition of pancreatic duct obstruction, whether it be secondary to obstruction at the ampulla of Vater, due to extrinsic compression of the ampulla or pancreatic duct, or within the pancreatic duct itself, as a factor in the cause of pancreatitis has gradually led to measures directed toward decompression of the pancreatic ductal system or removal of the element of obstruction. Removal of a calculus from the common bile duct and Doubilet's operation of sphincterotomy


The anatomic response to intravitreal bevacizumab injection in three patients with aggressive, posterior retinopathy of prematurity is described. In all cases, the worse eye was treated with a single intravitreal injection of 0.75 mg of bevacizumab as monotherapy or complementary to laser therapy. In 24 hours, all injected eyes showed regression of the tunica vasculosa lentis and iris vessel engorgement and disappearance of iris rigidity. In addition, plus disease and retinal proliferation began to regress. None of the eyes required additional treatment. Follow-up of up to 10 months


BACKGROUND
There are no reported studies on the safety and efficacy of low-dose aspirin with low-intensity oral anticoagulation in patients with heart valve replacement. In this study, we compared the use of 100 mg/d aspirin with 650 mg/d aspirin in the prevention of systemic embolism and vascular death in patients with heart valve replacement who were being treated with oral anticoagulants with a target international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0 to 3.0.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Four hundred nine of 416 consecutive patients who had cardiac valve replacement were randomized in open allocation into one of two groups; both groups were treated with oral anticoagulant therapy with a target INR of 2.0 to 3.0. Two hundred seven patients who received 100 mg/d aspirin for an average of 24.1 months were compared with 202 patients who received 650 mg/d aspirin for an average of 21.7 months in a randomized-treatment, open-allocation study. There were no significant differences in systemic embolism, vascular death, or total death rates between the low- and high-dose aspirin treatment groups (0.5 and 1.1, 1.2 and 0.5, and 4.6 and 2.5 per 100 patients/y, respectively). The total number of hemorrhagic events was 13.4 per 100 patients/y in the high-dose aspirin group and 7.9 per 100 patients/y in the low-dose aspirin group (P = .035), but the rate of bleeding was influenced by dipyridamole in the 650-mg aspirin group.

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with mechanical heart valve replacements, low-dose aspirin (100 mg/d) in conjunction with oral anticoagulants at an INR of 2.0 to 3.0 is as effective as the use of high-dose aspirin (650 mg/d) in the prevention of systemic embolism.


Nowadays, large-scale Cloud-based applications have put forward higher demand for storage ability of data centres. Data in the Cloud need to be stored with high efficiency and cost effectiveness while meeting the requirement of reliability. While in current Cloud systems, typical 3-replicas data replication strategies are applied for data reliability, in this paper we propose a novel cost-effective dynamic data replication strategy which facilitates an incremental replication method to reduce the storage cost and meet the data reliability requirement at the same time. This replication strategy works very well especially for data which are only used temporarily and/or have a relatively low reliability requirement. The simulation shows that our replication strategy for reliability can reduce the data storage cost in data centres substantially.


Renibacterium salmoninarum infection causes bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in salmonid freshwater and saltwater life stages, with potentially severe financial loss for the aquaculture industry. Preventing vertical transmission, from infected broodstock to eggs, is key to disease management. As there is no perfect reference standard for detecting R. salmoninarum, we used Bayesian latent class analyses to compare real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-rPCR, mRNA target) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; p57 antigen target) diagnostic accuracy for detection in Atlantic salmon broodstock from British Columbia, Canada, and assessed ELISA repeatability. In 2016, 4,544 Atlantic salmon broodstock (no clinical signs of BKD or gross lesions) were sampled for ELISA testing of kidney tissue. Two groups of ELISA positives (n = 132) and two groups of a random sample of ELISA negatives (n = 137) were then tested with RT-rPCR, and ELISA testing was repeated. ELISA testing of broodstock provided the best diagnostic sensitivity (DSe; less chance of false-negative results). The use of joint RT-rPCR and ELISA testing improved DSe over that from each test alone, if a sample was considered positive when either test result was positive. Using these testing schemes in combination with management practices can decrease the likelihood of vertical transmission from subclinically infected broodstock.


This paper applies bacterial colony chemotaxis (BCC) algorithm to distribution network planning and makes some improvements about this algorithm. Firstly, we put forward an improved strategy based on the parallelogram law in order to make full use of different kinds of optimization information generated in the iterative process of BCC algorithm. Secondly, according to the characteristic of distribution network planning, the solution strategy of Boolean predicament is proposed. Lastly, we apply the improved BCC algorithm to distribution network planning and it is proved effective and feasible.


Piwi proteins are part of a superfamily of Argonaute proteins, which are one of the core components of the RNA silencing pathway in many eukaryotes. Piwi proteins are thought to repress the transposon expression both transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. Recently, Drosophila melanogaster Piwi was recently reported to associate with chromatin and to interact directly with the Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1a). However, similar interactions have not been reported in other higher eukaryotes. Here we show that silkworm Piwi proteins interact with HP1s in the nucleus. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, has two Piwi proteins, Ago3 and Siwi, and two typical HP1 proteins, HP1a and HP1b. We found that HP1a plays an important role in the interaction between Ago3/Siwi and HP1b in the ovary-derived BmN4 cell line. We also found that Ago3/Siwi regulates the transcription in an HP1-dependent manner. These results suggest that silkworm Piwi proteins function as a chromatin regulator in collaboration with HP1a and HP1b.


Marine macroalgae are globally distributed on rocky coastal shores, from tropical to polar regions. They are important marine coastal primary producers, and of particular importance to the function of many ecosystems. Kelps, brown algae of the order Laminariales, dominate rocky shores of cold-temperate regions. There, they help to structure the biodiversity of coastal ecosystems by forming huge forests, which provide habitats and nurseries for various marine organisms. The distribution of kelps is constrained by abiotic factors like light including UV radiation and temperature. Future global environmental changes could therefore have a potentially significant impact on geographic distribution patterns, vertical zonation, and primary productivity of kelp. The basic physiological and ecophysiological characteristics of kelps are well studied. Several physiological studies have been performed on kelp, primarily on the effects of single abiotic stressors, e.g. UV radiation and temperature. Only a few projects have focused on the interactive effects of multiple stresses. So far, no study is available on the molecular processes underlying physiological acclimation to abiotic stress factors in these important organisms. This thesis represents the first large-scale transcriptomic study of acclimation to abiotic stress in a kelp species, and aims on investigating molecular mechanisms underlying physiological acclimation to multiple abiotic stresses in Saccharina latissima from the Arctic (Spitsbergen).
Young sporophytes of Saccharina latissima were exposed in multifactorial experiments to different combinations of photosynthetically active radiation, UV radiation and temperature for durations of 8h, 24h and 2 weeks. In order to observe the degree of photoinhibition in response to different exposure conditions, maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm) was measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiments. A cDNA library from RNA sampled under various light and temperature regimes was constructed for subsequent functional genomic studies on the mechanisms and pathways involved in stress acclimation to multiple stressors. Gene expression profiles under abiotic stress were assessed by microarray hybridizations. Thereby two different stress exposure durations, 24hours and 2 weeks, were applied to distinguish molecular mechanisms of short-term versus long-term acclimation to stress. Finally, a comparative approach investigating gene expression profiles in both laboratory and field grown sporophytes was carried out to elucidate interactive effects of UVR, temperature and growth conditions.
The established cDNA library consists of 400,503 ESTs, which were assembled to 28,803 contigs. Sequence comparison by BLASTx, Interpro protein-motif annotation, and Gene Ontology (GO) yielded in putative functions or orthology relationships for over 10,000 contigs. Comparative analysis with the genome of E. siliculosus revealed high functional genomic coverage of 70% of the cDNA library. The cDNA library is representative of the S. latissima transcriptome under the tested conditions and displays a rather complete gene catalogue of the species. It therefore constitutes an excellent basis for subsequent functional genomic studies on molecular acclimation to multiple stresses in Saccharina latissima.
S. latissima responds to abiotic stress with a multitude of transcriptional changes. Temperature had a smaller influence on metabolic processes than light. Two main temperature effects were observed. On the one hand, induction of genes associated with the glycine, serine and threonine metabolism in response to low temperature, and on the other hand repression of transcripts encoding carbohydrate biosynthetic and catabolic processes at high temperature. General stress responses observed in sporophytes subjected to high PAR include induction of catabolic processes for energy supply, heat shock proteins and antioxidant enzymes.
The combination of the stress factors high PAR, UVR and temperature caused interactive effects on photosynthesis and gene expression. Thereby excessive light at 17°C was the most destructive stress condition for S. latissima, resulting in a strong repression of several crucial metabolic processes, e.g. photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Acclimation to high irradiance at low temperatures includes enhanced induction of glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, potentially as a consequence of a higher demand of glutathione (GSH), a reducing co-factor for several enzymes involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification.
Reactive oxygen species formation (ROS) displays a central element of abiotic stress response. The observed regulation of various ROS scavenging enzymes in response to temperature, high PAR and UVR stress demonstrates the crucial role of ROS metabolism in acclimation to abiotic stress in S. latissma. Interestingly, gene expression data bear evidence for the existence of compartment specific ROS scavenging mechanisms in S. latissma. Furthermore, sophisticated regulation of Hsps was observed, which is involved in acclimation not only to temperature but also to combined environmental stresses such as high PAR in combination with high temperature.
Short- and long-term acclimation to UVR includes enhanced regulation of photosynthetic components, e.g. light harvesting complex proteins, thylakoid proteins and proteins associated with both photosystems. Gene expression analysis showed that photosystem II exhibits a higher susceptibility towards UV radiation than photosystem I. Furthermore, repair of UV damaged PS II reaction centre seems to function by increasing the transcript pool for transcripts associated with PS II. The observed induction of vitamin B6 biosynthesis after all short- and long-term UVR treatments seems to be a crucial component of UVR acclimation in Saccharin latissima. Only short acclimation to UVR caused enhanced regulation of DNA replication and DNA repair. Three different DNA repair processes, photoreactivation, homologous recombination, and nucleotide excision repair were detected, indicating a sophisticated regulation of different DNA repair processes. As no enhanced regulation of DNA metabolism was detected after the 2 weeks UVR exposure experiments, S. latissima seems to be able to acclimate to UVR radiation and to overcome the negative effects of UV radiation on DNA.
Finally, comparisons of gene expression profiles in field and cultivated sporophytes were conducted. Large differences in gene expression between cultured and field material were observed. Principal effects of UVR, targeting mostly photosynthesis and DNA, were similar in cultured and field sporophytes, demonstrating laboratory experiments being well suited to investigate basic molecular mechanisms of acclimation to abiotic stresses. The study revealed that field sporophytes exhibit a higher susceptibility to UVR and a higher oxidative stress level at 12°C, whereas cultivated sporophytes in contrast must make stronger efforts to acclimate to UVR at 2°C. These findings are mostly due to the different growth temperatures of between -3°C and 1°C for field sporophytes versus 10°C for cultivated sporophytes. However, the results indicate that cold acclimation of S. latissima from the field caused metabolic alterations to increase stress performance at low temperatures, which concurrently led to higher susceptibility at 12°C.
This thesis presents an initial idea on the complexity of molecular acclimation to abiotic stress in Saccharina latissima. The molecular data obtained by this study improve our understanding on stress response in a kelp species and provide a useful platform for future research regarding molecular approaches in kelp. This project furthermore demonstrates the importance of research on interactions of abiotic stresses on both the physiological as well as on the molecular level. The results of the comparative gene expression study in cultured and
field sporophytes highlight the influence of growth conditions on molecular acclimation to stress and underscore the importance of conducting experiments with field material, when aiming to predict effects of changing abiotic factors in the field.


The book...has enough depth for even a seasoned professional to pick up enough tips to pay back the price of the book many times over. Dr. Paul Dorsey, President, Dulcian, Inc., Oracle Magazine PL/SQL Developer of the Year 2007, and President Emeritus, New York Oracle Users Group This is a fascinating guide into the world of Oracle SQL with an abundance of well-collected examples. Without a doubt, this book is helpful to beginners and experts alike who seek alternative ways to resolve advanced scenarios.Oleg Voskoboynikov, Ph.D., Database Architect The Worlds #1 Hands-On Oracle SQL WorkbookFully Updated for Oracle 11g Crafted for hands-on learning and tested in classrooms worldwide, this book illuminates in-depth every Oracle SQL technique youll need. From the simplest query fundamentals to regular expressions and with newly added coverage of Oracles powerful new SQL Developer tool, you will focus on the tasks that matter most. Hundreds of step-by-step, guided lab exercises will systematically strengthen your expertise in writing effective, high-performance SQL. Along the way, youll acquire a powerful arsenal of useful skillsand an extraordinary library of solutions for your real-world challenges with Oracle SQL. Coverage includes 100% focused on Oracle SQL for Oracle 11g, todays #1 database platformnot generic SQL! Master all core SQL techniques including every type of join such as equijoins, self joins, and outer joins Understand Oracle functions in depth, especially character, number, date, timestamp, interval, conversion, aggregate, regular expressions, analytical, and more Practice all types of subqueries, such as correlated and scalar subqueries, and learn about set operators and hierarchical queries Build effective queries and learn fundamental Oracle SQL Developer and SQL*Plus skills Make the most of the Data Dictionary and create tables, views, indexes, and sequences Secure databases using Oracle privileges, roles, and synonyms Explore Oracle 11gs advanced data warehousing features Learn many practical tips about performance optimization, security, and architectural solutions Avoid common pitfalls and understand and solve common mistakes For every database developer, administrator, designer, or architect, regardless of experience!


Landscape heterogeneity, namely the variation of a landscape property across space and time, can influence the distribution of a species and its abundance. Quantifying landscape heterogeneity is important for the management of semi-natural areas through predicting species response to landscape changes, such as habitat fragmentation. In this paper, we tested whether the change in spatial heterogeneity of the vegetation cover due to farming expansion affected the distribution of the African elephant in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, northern Tanzania. Spatial heterogeneity (based on the normalized difference vegetation index) was characterized at multiple spatial scales using the wavelet transform and the intensity-dominant scale method. Elephant distribution was estimated from time-series aerial surveys using a kernel density function. The intensity, which relates to the contrast in vegetation cover, quantified the maximum variation in NDVI across multiple spatial scales, whereas the dominant scale, which represents the scale at which this maximum variation occurs, identified the dominant inter-patches distance, i.e. the size of dominant landscape features. We related the dominant scale of spatial heterogeneity to the probability of elephant occurrence in order to identify: 1) the scale that maximizes elephant occurrence, and 2) its change between 1988 and 2001. Neither the dominant scale and intensity of spatial heterogeneity, nor the probability of the elephant occurrence changed significantly between 1988 and 2001. The spatial scale maximizing elephant occurrence remained constant at 7000 to 8000 m during each wet season. Compared to the findings of a recent, similar study in Zimbabwe, our results suggest that the change in the dominant scale was relatively small in Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem and well within the critical threshold for elephant persistence. The method is a useful tool for monitoring ecosystems and their properties.


We propose a control strategy for excess AlF/sub 3/ and bath temperature of a prebake aluminum electrolysis cell based on analyses of measured data and studies of a simple dynamic model. Model validation indicates that there are dynamics that the model does not capture, and hence, we use real data of excess AlF/sub 3/ and bath temperature to estimate AlF/sub 3/ and energy disturbances, respectively. The estimation results show that the energy disturbance is the dominating disturbance. Hence, the proposed control strategy is based on an almost constant AlF/sub 3/ input close to average consumption and energy manipulations to compensate for the disturbances. This requires the possibility for the resistance reference to be reduced without decreasing the current efficiency. Compared to present control strategies, this introduces an additional degree of freedom in the controller. The proposed control strategy may imply a significant economic potential through increased and stabilized current efficiency, reduced and stabilized energy consumption, reduced consumption of expensive additives, and prolongation of cell life.


We present XNLP: an interactive browser-based system embodying a living survey of recent state-of-the-art research in the field of Explainable AI (XAI) within the domain of Natural Language Processing (NLP). The system visually organizes and illustrates XAI-NLP publications and distills their content to allow users to gain insights, generate ideas, and explore the field. We hope that XNLP can become a leading demonstrative example of a living survey, balancing the depth and quality of a traditional well-constructed survey paper with the collaborative dynamism of a widely available interactive tool. XNLP can be accessed at: https://xainlp2020.github.io/xainlp.


New guidance for antenatal education and reviews of evidence on the effects of perinatal parenting interventions and care during a child's early years are prompting midwives and others to think critically about what we offer. In particular, they prompt us to consider our work with fathers. Participative courses, with small group work as a core feature, enable women and men to learn in a way that is consistent with an adult learning model and to get to know others going through a similar life change. NCT antenatal courses are used as a case study to consider aspects of preparation against current criteria for good practice, based on evidence from a survey and qualitative feedback from fathers.


Results are presented from a numerical study of transient growth experienced by infinitesimal perturbations to flow in an axisymmetric pipe with a sudden 1-2 diametral expansion. First, the downstream reattachment point of the steady laminar flow is accurately determined as a function of Reynolds number and it is established that the flow is linearly stable at least up to Re=1400. A direct method is used to calculate the optimal transient energy growth for specified time horizon tau, Re up to 1200, and low-order azimuthal wavenumber m. The critical Re for the onset of growth with different m is determined. At each Re the maximum growth is found in azimuthal mode m=1 and this maximum is found to increase exponentially with Re. The time evolution of optimal perturbations is presented and shown to correspond to sinuous oscillations of the shear layer. Suboptimal perturbations are presented and discussed. Finally, direct numerical simulation in which the inflow is perturbed by Gaussian white noise confirms the presence of the structures determined by the transient growth analysis. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3313931]


In an oligopolistic product market, shareholders strategically use information on rival firms'performances when designing management-incentive contracts. When shareholders use industry performance information through relative performances evaluation (RPE), they evaluate their manager's effort more easily, but hinder collusive behavior in the product market. However, when compensation is positively linked to the industry performance through strategic group performance evaluation (SGPE), the credibility of a manager's commitment to product market collusion increases, and the sustainability of a collusive outcome increases. I test how industry performance affects management-incentive compensation using the data from 796 Japanese firms during the period 1968 to 1992. The results show that management compensation is positively linked to industry profit, suggesting the use of SGPE in management-incentive compensation. Cross-sectional analysis shows that the positive effect of industry profit on management compensation is higher in competitive industries than in concentrated industries. The positive effect is greater in slow-growing industries than in fast-growing industries. Empirical tests incorporating the risk component method show the same results. These results are consistent with the argument that, in a growing market or in a concentrated market, the value of SGPE diminishes as the value of commitment to collusion diminishes.


To investigate Zn and Cu accumulation and isometallothionein (iso-MT) induction in ascites-sarcoma S180A cells, 5 jug ofZn2+ or Cu2+/g body weight was administered to tumour-bearing mice intraperitoneally. In the tumour cells the Zn or Cu concentration increased more than in the host liver, which is the target organ for those metals; the maximum Zn or Cu level was about 2-3 times that in the host liver. The amounts of Zn-MT or Cu-MT accumulated in the tumour cells and host liver were proportional to such dose accumulation levels in the each cytosol; the maximum level of Zn-MT or Cu-MT was 4 or 2 times higher than in the host liver. MT accumulated in the tumour cells showed two subfractions (MT-I and MT-2); the ratio of Zn (or Cu) bound to MT-I to that bound to MT-2 in the host liver and tumour cells was 1.0 (or 1.0) and 0.7 (or 0.25) respectively, suggesting that the induction level of MT-2 in the tumour cells is more than that of MT-1. The h.p.l.c. profiles (using an anion-exchange column) of the isolated MT-I and MT-2 subfractions from Zn-treated normal-mouse liver showed a single peak (MT-I-i) and two peaks (MT-2-1 and MT-2-2) respectively; mouse MTs were separated into three isoforms. In the ascites cells, the MT fraction obtained by a gel filtration was also separated into three isoforms; however, the amount of MT-2-1 isoform was 3 times that in the Zn-treated normal-mouse liver.


Hereditary achondroplasia (chondrodystrophia foetalis) in the rabbit has been described in the present and preceding papers (1, 2). It is the first instance of this abnormality in rodents to be reported. The variation arose in pure bred Havana stock. The abnormality is determined by the expression of a simple recessive unit factor, affected individuals being homozygous for the factor. Females are somewhat more frequently affected than males, but the character is not sex-linked. Rabbits heterozygous for the factor as determined by appropriate breeding tests have a perfectly normal appearance at birth and in later life. The condition appears to be determined solely by the genetic constitution of the animal. Attention was drawn to the fact that although the development of the achondroplastic form proceeds to birth at term, death regularly occurs at the time of or very shortly after parturition. This feature of the condition is briefly discussed.


Publisher: FedOA Press (Federico II University Press).
Series: UrbsHistoriaeImago. Storia e immagine dei territori, dei centri urbani e delle architetture.
Pages: 169.
Language: Italian; English.
NBN: http://nbn.depositolegale.it/urn:nbn:it:unina-22023
Abstract: Capodimonte was the first Palace of Neapolitan Dinasty "Borbone", but it was neglected due to the rise of Portici and Caserta's Royal Palaces, therefore, it was built very slowly. It was completed only a century after the laying of the foundation stone (1738). After so long times, which saw the succession of several architects aiming the leadership to the royal site, some of them were quite famous among the most representative figures of Architecture and Art History in Naples, across Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries.
The Royal Site was originally meant as Hunting reserve nearby the Capital and significant place of rest for the young Carlo di Borbone (Charles of Bourbon), who two years later decided to build a Royal Palace too. That decision was intended to amend the territorial aspects of Neapolitan northern hill, also to influence the urban layout before the unification of Italy. This study, based on a careful documentary and iconographic research, highlights the complex development of the palace and its park which are still paying a high price for the most controversial aspects of the project and its execution, emerged since the beginnings.


The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the manner in which the Qur'an and sunna depict female personalities in their narrative literature. It is a comprehensive study of all the female personalities mentioned in the Qur'an, and is selective in the personalities of the sunna to the three prominent women of ahl al-bayt, Khadi>ja, Fa>t}ima, and Zaynab. The sources examined here are the major sources of Ima>mi> Shi>'i> Islam, including the exegetical compilations of the eminent Shi>'i> religious authorities of the classical and modern periods; as well as the authoritative books of Shi>'i> traditions. The results reached here are that female personalities are portrayed as human beings, and that they display feminine qualities, which are often viewed positively and are sometimes commendable traits for men, at least as far as the spiritual domain is concerned. The hypothesis, particularly about women's humanity, will be tested against the depiction of womanhood in the h}adi>th literature, with special emphasis on Nahj al-Bala>gha. The study recommends that future research on the subject of "women in Islam" widen the scope of what it considers to be its data, outside the domain of the law.


A reciprocity gap linear sampling method (RG-LSM) coupled with an analytic continuation method is proposed to localize and retrieve the shape of objects buried under a rough surface from multistatic data at a fixed frequency. The obtained procedure makes feasible the application of the RG-LSM algorithm to imaging experiments where the data are collected in the upper domain. It does not require the computation of the Green's function of the background layered medium and also does not require any a priori knowledge on the number or the physical properties of the buried scatterers. The efficiency and robustness of the method are validated through various numerical experiments for single and multiconnected objects.


1. Lysine is readily incorporated into mycobactins P and S. Incorporation is into the hydroxamic acid moieties only and is equal in the mycobactic acid and cobactin portions of the molecule. 2. 2-Amino-6-hydroxyaminohexanoic acid is not taken up by cells of Mycobacterium phlei and is not detectable in extracts of cells actively synthesizing mycobactin. 3. The most abundant material derived from lysine that can be detected in such cell extracts is an N(6)-acyl-lysine. Cells grown in the presence of iron contain markedly less of this material than do those grown under conditions of iron deficiency. 4. When added to growing cultures of M. phlei the N(6)-acyl-lysine is readily incorporated into mycobactin. 5. The hydroxy acid of cobactin P is derivable from propionate.


Implantable sensors that detect biomarkers in vivo are critical for early disease diagnostics. Although many colloidal nanomaterials have been developed into optical sensors to detect biomolecules in vitro, their application in vivo as implantable sensors is hindered by potential migration or clearance from the implantation site. One potential solution is incorporating colloidal nanosensors in hydrogel scaffold prior to implantation. However, direct contact between the nanosensors and hydrogel matrix has the potential to disrupt sensor performance. Here, we develop a hollow-microcapsule-based sensing platform that protects colloidal nanosensors from direct contact with hydrogel matrix. Using microfluidics, colloidal nanosensors were encapsulated in polyethylene glycol microcapsules with liquid cores. The microcapsules selectively trap the nanosensors within the core while allowing free diffusion of smaller molecules such as glucose and heparin. Glucose-responsive quantum dots or gold nanorods or heparin-responsive gold nanorods were each encapsulated. Microcapsules loaded with these sensors showed responsive optical signals in the presence of target biomolecules (glucose or heparin). Furthermore, these microcapsules can be immobilized into biocompatible hydrogel as implantable devices for biomolecular sensing. This technique offers new opportunities to extend the utility of colloidal nanosensors from solution-based detection to implantable device-based detection.


Background: Seatbelts are the most effective means of providing occupant protection in a vehicular accident. This works by two mechanisms; by preventing ejection from the vehicle which has been reported to be the leading cause of both injury and death in accidents. Ejection converts the passenger into a "Passenger missile" and thrown out of the vehicle on impact against some stationary objects outside the vehicle – trees, earth, Pillars, culverts, and even on innocent by-standers! Also, ejected passengers can suffer roll-over injuries if the vehicle tumbles over and rolls over and/or crushes the ejected (1) passenger! Seat belts prevent compression injuries, by deploying Airbags. In 70% of collisions, Seatbelts trigger off the deployment of air bags. These air bags restrain the occupant from being flung about in the vehicle and making contact with the vehicular panels like the steering wheel and other environmental surfaces in the vehicle - especially in frontal (or headon) collisions The airbags thus deployed prevent subsequent compression between the patient's organs and some of these (2) framework thus preventing catastrophic compression/blunt injuries.Maximum protection is therefore achieved by the simultaneous use of seatbelts and airbags and this combination has been (3) shown to reduce both the severity and fatality of motor vehicular injuries.Aim: To do an extensive literature search looking for an explanation of how the seat belt, a seemingly safe/protective device can become a weapon of severe and at times very fatal injury.Methodology: Literature search about "Mechanism of Seat-belt syndrome" was done via websites like "Netting the evidence" website: www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/ir/netting which gave us a comprehensive list of internet resources and also sites for virtual library. We also visited the Cochraine library via their website www.thecochrainelibrary.com which supplied us with the database of Abstracts and Reviews. We also looked at Systematic Review and Controlled trials of high impact collisions using robots, baboons and other mammals. We also used the Pubmed Advanced Search tool looking for the "Mechanism of Seat belt syndromes"Results: The relative risk taken by an occupant without a seat-belt is 70% higher than that of a belted occupant. Therefore seatbelts, properly installed and properly worn, offers the best protection for the automotive occupant during impact.Conclusion: Seat-belts do not prevent accidents; they only work when accidents have occurred. The simultaneous action of seat-belts and air-bags have shown to reduce both the severity and fatality of motor vehicular injuries.Keywords: Seat Belt; Seatbelt Sign; Visceral Injury, Chance Fracture


The Ediacaran Period follows the Cryogenian Period in the wake of a snowball Earth glaciation and precedes the Cambrian Period with its rising tide of animal radiation. It is also the longest among all stratigraphically defined geological periods, lasting 94 million years (635-541 Ma). Hence, a good Ediacaran time scale is essential, not only to elucidate geological time, but also to provide a temporal context for extreme climatic events and transformative evolutionary transitions. Ediacaran fossils are known from many sections and boreholes around the world, permitting ready age recognition and stratigraphic correlation of Ediacaran strata. However, the Ediacaran fossil record is colored by taphonomic biases that variously affect the preservation of the soft-bodied organisms that dominated Ediacaran marine ecosystems, and the Phanerozoic approach of defining stratigraphic boundaries using the first appearance datum (FAD) of widely distributed, rapidly evolving, easily recognizable, and readily preservable species would have limited success in the Ediacaran System. The subdivision of the Ediacaran System must therefore be founded on a holistic approach integrating biostratigraphic, chemostratigraphic, and geochronometric data for correlation. Series-level subdivision of the Ediacaran System is a challenging task, and alternative models subdividing the Ediacaran System into two or three series can be recognized. Resolving these alternatives critically depends on obtaining further data to constrain the age, duration, and global extent of the Shuram negative δ 13 C excursion, to calibrate and correlate Ediacaran acanthomorph biozones, and to determine the temporal relationship among the Shuram excursion, the Gaskiers glaciation, and Ediacaran acanthomorph biozones. Stage-level subdivisions at the bottom and top of the Ediacaran System, however, are realistic goals in the near future, and we propose that the subdivision of the Ediacaran System should initially aim at the second Ediacaran stage (SES) and the terminal Ediacaran stage (TES) where stratigraphic information is relatively rich and consensus for stratigraphic correlation is emerging. Potential stratigraphic markers for the definition of the SES include the post-glacial radiation of eukaryotes as represented by the first appearance of acanthomorph acritarchs, the termination of the cap carbonate series, or the end of the negative δ 13 C excursion (EN1 = Ediacaran negative excursion 1) associated with the cap carbonate. Terminal Ediacaran strata are well dated and host several taxa of skeletal and tubular fossils that postdate the Shuram negative δ 13 C excursion (or its probable equivalent, EN3 = Ediacaran negative excursion 3) where their stratigraphic relationship can be determined; these biostratigraphic markers may be used to define the TES in a Phanerozoic fashion. Additional Ediacaran stages between the SES and TES can be envisioned. Through collaborative efforts in the Ediacaran community, we hope that the first Precambrian stage will be established in the near future to facilitate a better understanding of the geological aftermath of snowball Earth, the redox history of global oceans, the early evolution of multicellular life, and the evolutionary fuse of the Cambrian explosion.


Transport systems for C 4-dicarboxylates, such as malate, fumarate and succinate, are poorly understood in Gram-positive bacteria. The whole genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis revealed two genes, ydbE and ydbH, whose deduced products are highly homologous to binding proteins and transporters for C 4-dicarboxylates in Gram-negative bacteria. Between ydbE and ydbH, genes ydbF and ydbG encoding a sensor–regulator pair, were located. Inactivation of each one of the ydbEFGH genes caused a deficiency in utilization of fumarate or succinate but not of malate. Expression of ydbH, encoding a putative transporter, was stimulated in a minimal salt medium containing 005 % yeast extract but repressed by the addition of malate to the medium. Inactivation of the putative sensor–regulator pair or solute-binding protein, ydbFG or ydbE, caused complete loss of ydbH expression. The utilization of fumarate and stimulation of ydbH expression resumed in a ydbE null mutant in which ydbFGH were overproduced. Based on these observations, together with analysis of the sequence similarities of the deduced product, we conclude that YdbH is a C 4-dicarboxylate-transport protein and its expression is regulated by a C 4-dicarboxylate sensor kinase–regulator pair, YdbF and YdbG. Furthermore, it is suggested that YdbE does not directly participate in transport of C 4-dicarboxylates, but plays a sensory role in the ydbF–ydbG two-component system, giving rise to specificity or increased efficiency to the system. Deletion analysis of the promoter region of ydbH revealed that a direct repeat sequence was required for the activation of ydbH expression. A catabolite-responsive element (CRE) was also found in the N10 region of the promoter, suggesting negative regulation by a CRE-binding protein.


An increase in service life of equipment and plants (objects) in electric power systems makes it more appropriate to relate the organization of a system of maintenance service and restoration of wear and tear to their technical condition. This, in turn generates the need to quantitatively estimate the indices of their individual reliability. There can be no data on failures and defects of concrete objects, therefore, in practice we often calculate generalized reliability indices. An intuitive understanding of the varied significance of varieties of attributes is reflected by classifying statistical data for some varieties of attributes. For example, they can be classified according to voltage class, design, service life, etc. At the same time, the question on the appropriateness of the statistical data classification is not considered. Initial assumptions of known methods and criteria of checking if it is expedient to classify the statistical data on failures of the electric power system objects in most cases are unacceptable, since they are not relevant to this data set. We have developed a new method and an algorithm to assess the appropriateness of the statistical data classification. Their novelty lies in the application of a fiducial approach to estimation of critical values of a sample from a set of multivariate statistical data.


The study examined the socio-economic determinants of women access to healthcare services in Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 1995-2015. The study adopted the dynamic panel model and estimated it using the System Generalized Method of Moments in a bid to overcome the endogeneity problem inherent in the model of study.
The study harmonized the theoretical strands in literature by describing the measure of access determinants as three main components:
i. health service availability,
ii. Health service utilization and,
iii. Health service decision.
The indicators of health service availability such as community health workers, physician, nurses and midwives and hospital beds improve women access to healthcare facilities in Africa. Also, health service utilization indicators such as population density worsen the quality of healthcare services available to women while electricity access and private health expenditure enhances women access to quality healthcare delivery. Health service decision indicators such as female bank account ownership, female labour force participation, attainment of basic education and female household headship were important in enhancing women access to healthcare facilities. Generally, women health outcomes were more responsive to health service utilization; implying that service utilization is an important proof of healthcare access in Africa.


Ethanol administration inhibits hepatic protein and glycoprotein secretion. Previous studies have shown that the metabolism of ethanol is required for this effect. Experiments were designed to determine whether acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol oxidation, mediated the ethanol‐induced secretory defect in rats with normal and stimulated (inflammation‐induced) rates of hepatic protein secretion. This study used cyanamide, an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor, to correlate enhanced acetaldehyde levels with an increased ethanol‐induced inhibition of hepatic protein secretion. Inflammation was induced by turpentine 24 hr prior to cyanamide (5 mg per kg body weight) or saline pretreatment. Nonfasted rats were intragastrically gavaged with ethanol (4 to 6 gm per kg body weight) or isocaloric glucose 1 hr following pretreatment. [3H]Fucose and/or [14C]leucine were injected intravenously 2 hr following intubation. With elevated levels of acetaldehyde, the ethanol‐induced impairment of secretion of labeled proteins and their parallel retention in the liver were markedly potentiated.During inflammation, this inhibition of secretion by ethanol was maintained and further increased with cyanamide pretreatment. These results indicate that the ethanol‐induced impairment of hepatic glycoprotein secretion is mediated by acetaldehyde in both normal and inflammation‐stimulated animals.


The goal of this article is to introduce an iterative application of dimension reduction methods. It is known that in some situations, methods such as Sliced Inverse Regression (SIR), Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Cumulative Mean Estimation (CUME) are able to find only a partial basis for the dimension reduction subspace. However, for many models these methods are very good estimators of this partial basis. In this paper we propose a simple iterative procedure which differs from existing combined approaches in the sense that the initial partial basis is estimated first and the second dimension reduction approach seeks only the remainder of the dimension reduction subspace. Our approach is compared against that of existing combined dimension reduction approaches via simulated data as well as two example data sets.


We suggest a phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)-blended chlorobenzene (CBZ) hybrid anti-solvent washing technique for the morphological control of perovskite films. Compared to standard CBZ washing, the CBZ + PCBM hybrid washing technique endows perovskite films with a pinhole-free and compact surface morphology. Surface topography combined with phase imaging using atomic force microscopy showed that PCBM could fill up the voids and pinholes on the perovskite surfaces. Inverted planar perovskite solar cells processed using this new approach exhibited an impressive increase in the average fill factor from 0.583 to 0.747 for 40 tested devices by reducing charge recombination through the pinholes, which also contributed to an enhancement of the power conversion efficiency of the best performing cells of about 16.1% (from 9.48 to 11.01%). Furthermore, the fabricated devices showed negligible hysteresis phenomena. The presented results suggest a new and simple approach that reinforces the feasibility of low-temperature-processed inverted planar perovskite photovoltaics with enhanced performances.


Dynamic programming (DP) optimization and HEC-5 simulation models were developed for planning the long-term operation of the Karoon-Dez multireservoir system in Iran. The well-known dimensionality problem associated with DP was controlled using a heuristic approach to narrow the required search algorithm within the state space of DP. HEC-5 as a common and widely available computer program for studying reservoir systems regulation was also used to simulate operation of the Karoon-Dez system with water supply and hydropower generation objectives. HEC-5 is able to consider flood control, hydropower generation and conservation purposes. Both the DP and HEC-5 models were applied to the Karoon-Dez system consisting of six reservoirs; five reservoirs in series parallel to a sixth one. The results obtained by the HEC-5 and DP models were analysed and compared. The results show that, although the DP results were better than those of HEC-5 in terms of meeting system operating targets and energy generation, HEC-5 as a simulation model demands much less computer time and memory, making it attractive for practical use.


Adult Bagrus docmac in the Nyanza Gulf of Lake Victoria feeds mostly on fish–Haplochromis spp. and Engraulicypris argenteus (Pelligrin). Juveniles prefer aquatic benthic invertebrates with Phyllogomphus aethiop.?(K.elys), Phanostoma senegalense(Brauer), Chironomus spp. and Caridina nilotica (Roux) dominating, followed by Chaoborus spp., Povilla adusla (Navas), Valvata spp. and Neoperla spio (Newman) in order of importance. B. docmac exhibits diurnal changes in feeding habits. It feeds actively during dusk and dawn, taking advantage of the twilight environment for successful feeding mission–a crespuscular feeding behaviour. Selectivity of food seems dependent on occurrence of prey items. The species has an ubiquitous distribution in the Gulf but occurs more frequently with increasing water depth and decreasing water temperature. The biomass of the predator shows little correlation with water conductivity. Bagrus docmac and the other important piscivorous species in the lake, Lates niloticus (L.), are mutually exclusive in their bathymetric distribution within the Gulf. They also have different preferences for water temperature and conductivity.


For over a century social analysts have debated the connection between trade policy and economic performance. This controversy continues today, even as the world is experiencing an unprecedented period of trade liberalization, and in spite of numerous empirical studies that claim to have found a positive effect of openness on growth. Two issues have been at the core of these controversies: first, until recently theoretical models had been unable to link trade policy to faster equilibrium growth. And second, the empirical literature on the subject has been affected by serious data problems. In this paper I use a new comparative data set for 93 countries to analyze the robustness of the relationship between openness and TFP growth. I use nine alternative indexes of trade policy to investigate whether the evidence supports the view that, with other things given, TFP growth is faster in more open economies. The regressions reported here are robust to the use of openness indicator, estimation technique, time period and functional form, and suggest that more open countries have indeed experienced faster productivity growth. Although the use of instrumental variables goes a long way towards dealing with endogeneity, issues related to causality are still somewhat open, and will require time series analyses to be adequately addressed.


In the past many grid-based video coding schemes using image warping p17ediction have been proposed. The advantage of grid-based motion compensation is its ability to model non-translational motion. Disadvantages are the interdependency of motion vectors which require more complex motion estimation strategies and its restricted ability to model motion boundaries. In this paper different solutions, to cope with the latter deficiency are presented and compared with respect to coding efficiency. In particular, three adaptive modes for handling motion discontinuities and a block-adaptive loop filtering are presented. It is shown that these are key components for achieving a high coding gain in grid-based hybrid coding. Introducing these features into a wavelet-based video coder leads to a coding gain of up to 2,5 dB compared to ITU H263 + and MPEG-4.


Various syntactical forms may be used for presenting an emotional event. The choice of a grammatical form may be related to cultural, social and personal attitudes towards the nature of emotions. One of the cases in which the consistency of choices is evident is the description of bodily changes during an emotional event. In one possible syntactic style, the human experiencer is in the center of attention when a somatic change takes place, or the experiencer actively produces the vocal or facial communicative act. In a different syntactic style, the focus is on a body part or a physical sensation, which arises spontaneously and independently of the person's will. Examples of translations from English into Hebrew and from Hebrew into English exemplify the syntactical alternatives. An empirical study is presented that links syntactic scripts to different emotion scenes.


Under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Act), U.S. farms with 10 or fewer base acres became ineligible to receive Direct and Countercyclical Payment (DCP) or Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program payments(Section 1101(d) and 1302(d)) from USDA. Limited resource and socially disadvantaged owners are exempt from this "base 10" provision. Eliminating payments on farms with 10 or fewer base acres reduces payments made by USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the cost of administering the DCP and ACRE programs. We examine the characteristics of the farms affected by the limited base acre provision and answer the question: How does the provision affect small farms?


Activation of the nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) inhibitory system in cat airways causes coincident release of acetylcholine from vagal nerve terminals. The present study was undertaken to determine if neurally released acetylcholine is involved in initiating or modulating activity in the lung NANC inhibitory system. Electrical field stimulation experiments were performed on isolated segments of cat trachea and bronchi and additional studies were conducted in intact anesthetized, mechanically ventilated cats. In isolated airways, frequency-dependent NANC relaxations of bethanechol contracted tissues were identical to NANC responses of airways contracted with 5-hydroxytryptamine. This result suggested that muscarinic receptor activation did not influence NANC inhibitory system function. In additional studies where agents that inhibited or potentiated the actions of acetylcholine were used, similar results were obtained. Pretreatment of tissues with hexamethonium or atropine did not alter NANC frequency response curves. Contractile responses evoked by field stimulation were potentiated by neostigmine and abolished by hemicholinium treatment; NANC relaxation responses were not significantly affected by either agent. In intact cats, neostigmine pretreatment did not alter the magnitude or duration of vagally mediated NANC bronchodilation. Acetylcholine administered as an aerosol to cats treated with atropine did not mimic the NANC response. These findings suggest that NANC inhibitory system function in cat airways is neither dependent upon nor modulated by neurally released acetylcholine.


Abstract It is disputed whether trade liberalisation processes are sufficient for reducing poverty and inequality. We explore how 'gains from trade' have been distributed in the two minor trade partners of Mercosur, Uruguay and Paraguay, by analysing the impact of trade liberalisation on poverty and inequality through two main transmission channels: prices and income. In the case of Uruguay, trade liberalisation favoured a reduction in poverty indicators but had an almost zero effect on income inequality. In the case of Paraguay, trade liberalisation had a markedly negative impact in terms of poverty yet income distribution improved. We conclude that in the case of Mercosur, the effect of trade on poverty and income inequality varies per country and per region. In particular, we conclude that trade integration policies cannot be regarded as 'poverty-alleviating' per se.


Background: The eMouse Atlas of Gene Expression (EMAGE) is an online resource that publishes the results of in situ gene expression experiments on the developmental mouse. The resource provides comprehensive search facilities, but few analytical tools or visual mechanisms for navigating the data set. To deal with the missing visual navigation, this paper explores the application of sunburst and icicle visualizations within EMAGE. Results: A prototype solution delivered a simple user interface that helps the user query EMAGE and generate a sunburst/icicle diagram. An evaluation featuring test subjects from the EMAGE staff studied the visualizations and provided a range of suggested improvements. Moreover the evaluation discovered that in addition to providing a visual means of walking through the data, when grouped, the sunburst delivers an interactive overview that assists with analysing sets of related genes. Conclusions: The sunburst and icicle visualizations have been shown to be effective tools for summarising gene expression data. The sunburst with its space saving radial layout was found especially useful for providing an overview of gene families or pathways. Work is ongoing to integrate these visualizations into EMAGE.


Clinical decision support systems (CDS) have an important role in the implementation of precision medicine, particularly for pharmacogenomics. This study examines potential factors for their acceptance by primary care clinicians. For this qualitative study we purposively selected five U.S. primary care sites with a variety of sizes, electronic health record vendors, and patients. We interviewed an average of seven clinicians per site. Clinicians placed a low priority on incorporating pharmacogenomics into practice. Other themes included the potential of precision medicine, clinician unfamiliarity with genomics, minimal evidence for primary care uses, additional costs and time burdens, workload, and a need to first successfully complete other electronic health record interventions. This study outlines issues in implementing primary care precision medicine and the role for genomic CDS. Currently there are signficiant barriers. With more evidence and the development of effective CDS, however, there is potential for turning each of the barriers into facilitators.


The detection and classification of emotional states in speech involves the analysis of audio signals and text transcriptions. There are complex relationships between the extracted features at different time intervals which ought to be analyzed to infer the emotions in speech. These relationships can be represented as spatial, temporal and semantic tendency features. In addition to emotional features that exist in each modality, the text modality consists of semantic and grammatical tendencies in the uttered sentences. Spatial and temporal features have been extracted sequentially in deep learning-based models using convolutional neural networks (CNN) followed by recurrent neural networks (RNN) which may not only be weak at the detection of the separate spatial-temporal feature representations but also the semantic tendencies in speech. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based model named concurrent spatial-temporal and grammatical (CoSTGA) model that concurrently learns spatial, temporal and semantic representations in the local feature learning block (LFLB) which are fused as a latent vector to form an input to the global feature learning block (GFLB). We also investigate the performance of multi-level feature fusion compared to single-level fusion using the multi-level transformer encoder model (MLTED) that we also propose in this paper. The proposed CoSTGA model uses multi-level fusion first at the LFLB level where similar features (spatial or temporal) are separately extracted from a modality and secondly at the GFLB level where the spatial-temporal features are fused with the semantic tendency features. The proposed CoSTGA model uses a combination of dilated causal convolutions (DCC), bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM), transformer encoders (TE), multi-head and self-attention mechanisms. Acoustic and lexical features were extracted from the interactive emotional dyadic motion capture (IEMOCAP) dataset. The proposed model achieves 75.50% and 75.82% of weighted and unweighted accuracy, 75.32% and 75.57% of recall and F1 score respectively. These results imply that concurrently learned spatial-temporal features with semantic tendencies learned in a multi-level approach improve the model's effectiveness and robustness.


Ease of Internet accessibility has offered business the opportunity to incorporate this electronic infrastructure technology into establishing electronic-based supply chains. With the improved efficiency that this brings to the management and functionality of the supply chain, there are also security considerations that should be taken into account for protecting the integrity of the electronic supply chain, not only within each business node, but also across the entire supply chain. Such security vulnerabilities can be negated with the implementation of security measures and policies, however these need to be consistent throughout the supply chain and regularly assessed against security benchmarks in order to ensure they meet adequate security standards.


ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effects of reminiscence therapy as a nursing intervention on the quality of life (QOL) of nursing home residents. This was a quasi-experimental study with a single-group pretest and posttest design. Sampling inclusion criteria were being 65 years of age or older, ability to communicate, lack of hearing impairment, lack of dementia or any given psychiatric disorder, and volunteering to participate in the study. Participants included 32 nursing home residents, who were divided into groups of 2–5 and received a total of 12 sessions of group reminiscence therapy. After the intervention, a decrease was noticed in the total score and subdomain test scores of a QOL scale. Although the study design did not allow confirmation of the effect of reminiscence, analysis showed some useful indications for further research. Additionally, participants stated that the reminiscence program might be a meaningful activity for nursing home residents.


This paper presents new U-Pb (SHRIMP) data for zircons from the late syn-kinematic Hurungwe granite in the internal zone of the Magondi Belt northwest Zimbabwe. The Concordia age of 1997.5 ± 2.6 Ma obtained on magmatic zircons from the Hurungwe granite is interpreted as the crystallisation age of the intrusion. These new data provide minimum age constraints on both the contractional stage of the Magondi orogeny and the deposition of the Piriwiri Group rocks into which the Hurungwe granite is intrusive. Based on the new data, the minimum age of the Magondi orogeny is 70 Ma older than the, currently constrained, maximum age of deformation and metamorphism in the Kheis Belt of South Africa, suggesting that models which link these two fold and thrust belts as coeval components of the same Palaeoproterozoic orogen are no longer valid.


What is the employment outlook for doctoral students completing their graduate work in communication? This paper reports the results of two original studies, a national survey of faculty needs and preferences administered to a sample of administrators of institutions offering instruction and degrees in communications programs, and a content analysis of 803 advertised faculty openings in programs of journalism and mass communication. Together, they provide useful indicators of the employment outlook and hiring trends in colleges and departments of communication and the scholarship and experience characteristics considered desirable in the current market. Past Indicators Few studies address journalism and mass communication education employment indicators. In 1993, DeFleur forecast a shortage of Ph.D. holders seeking faculty positions in American colleges and schools of communication. He used government data, a survey of administrators throughout the United States, and a content analysis of faculty positions for the 1991-92 recruiting season. DeFleur predicted that in the five years to follow, the number of entry-level faculty positions available would be greater than the number of applicants who were Ph.D. holders. "(T)here seems little doubt that the years ahead will provide many opportunities for those who complete the communications Ph.D. If present estimates are correct, only about half of the number of communications Ph.D.s needed will complete the degree during the next five years,"I DeFleur said. The mismatch between the available talent pool and the academic market demand for communication faculty with doctorates would be caused, DeFleur argued, by rising undergraduate enrollments replacing a previously downward trend, insufficient numbers of students entering Ph.D. programs, an increase in the rate of faculty retirements, and fiscal policies imposed on institutions of higher education. Even so, DeFleur found that more than 80% of advertised positions preferred or required a doctorate. Yet only half the number of candidates with doctorates needed to fill those vacancies would be available in the short term. These trends would be more severe in the communications field than in other academic disciplines because Ph.D. production had been level or in decline for several years. One implication, DeFleur said, would be a continuation of the practice of utilizing part-time instructors who may hold a master's degree, but who had not eared a doctorate. With DeFleur's work as a foundation, Merskin and Huberlie 2 examined announcements of positions for communication graduates. The authors attempted to draw conclusions about the nature of the advertised positions and the information they conveyed and looked for: the teaching rank and load; stated preference for candidate qualifications; and additional responsibilities, salaries, and benefits such as summer teaching. The researchers pointed out that most ads communicated little information and with a sense of irony suggested that, at least in terms of their position announcements, "communication schools must learn to practice what they preach." In another study, Herling3 found that the production of Ph.D.s needs to be tied to trends in enrollment... and retirements. Herling observed the Ph.D. production process needs to be evaluated to improve current completion rates. He concluded that communication disciplines will suffer from a shortage of qualified individuals to fill predicted openings for the 1990s. Two threads run throughout these foundational articles. Each predicts a shortage of Ph.D.s, and each states a need for more research on hiring trends in higher education's communication programs. Schuster analyzed relevant market issues in 1995 and forecast the academic labor market up to 2005.4 Schuster's interpretation of national data led him to predict an attractive market for emerging doctoral degree holders across the disciplines and professional schools. …


Serotype Infantis ranks within the top-five Salmonella serotypes in many European countries. An association between this serotype and the poultry ecosystem is apparent in some geographic areas and could account for its persistent or emergent role as causative agent of human salmonellosis. Recently, in southern Italy isolation from eggs and poultry has become increasingly frequent, and in one case the egg yolk also cultured positive. Molecular typing was performed to assess the possible relationship among isolates from human, food and animal sources. Isolates of serotype Infantis identified in southern Italy between 2000 and 2005 rom various sources were submitted to pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) by a CHEF-Mapper apparatus fter endonuclease digestion of DNA by XbaI. PFGE patterns of isolates from swine and poultry reservoirs showed distinctive PFGE profiles and human solates shared pulsotypes with isolates from both sources. Moreover, egg isolates from different farms ppeared very similar to each other. Epidemiological investigation and risk assessment can obtain reliable and useful pointers from he pplication of molecular epidemiology techniques.


Following their 'wipe-out' at the 1997 General Election, Scottish Conservatives worked from the assumption that they had endured their own 'crisis' in representation. The material consequences of this 'crisis' entailed losses of !nancial and other resources, knowledge and political legitimacy. This article describes how some Conservative activists addressed this 'crisis' in the period leading to the 2003 local Government and Scottish Parliament elections. Their efforts to render the secret ballot transparent in order to discern the voting intentions of potential supporters both demonstrated and re!ected their efforts to manage this crisis. Despite legal constraints, they constructed an imaginary of thousands of local voters' preferences through a variety of discursive instruments, which allowed Party activists to disaggregate the electoral roll in order to apprehend a new whole – the Conservative electoral base. This, in turn, enabled a Conservative politics of self-knowledge, as a form of empowerment for these activists.


OBJECTIVES
Effects of air pollution parameters of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM10) values on the respiratory system were investigated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Data of SO2 and PM10 were obtained daily for air pollution and classified into two groups: Group I (2006-2007), coal burning years and Group II (2008-2009), natural gas+ coal burning. Groups I and II were divided into two subgroups according to the months of combustion as combustible (November-April) and noncombustible (May-October). The number of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) was recorded between 2006 and 2009.

RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference between Groups I and II for PM10 and SO2 (p>0.05). Within the years, the values of SO2 and PM10 were statistically different between the groups defined by month (p<0.01). The number of patients in the combustible and noncombustible subgroups were found to be different for every 4 years, and the numbers of patients with COPD or asthma were not changed through the years. There was a strong correlation between PM10 and COPD (r=0.59, p<0.01) and a weak correlation between PM10 and asthma (r=0.25, p>0.05). A correlation was found between SO2 and COPD (p<0.01) but not between SO2 and asthma (p>0.05). The number of visits for COPD and asthma was statistically different between combustible and noncombustible subgroups (X2:58.61, p=0.000; X2:34.55, p=0.000, respectively). The r2 values for SO2 and PM10 for COPD patients were 17% and 24%, respectively, in contrast to 8% and 5%, respectivley for asthma patients.

CONCLUSION
Air pollution is known to increase respiratory disease occurrences. With decrease in the usage of solid fuel, air pollution could be reduced and may be effective in preventing respiratory diseases.


Cloud computing provides various kinds of services to its users. Storage-as-a-service is one of the services provided by cloud infrastructure in which large amount of electronic data is stored in cloud. As valuable and important data of enterprises are stored at a remote location on cloud we must be assured that our data is safe and be available at any time. In situations like Flood, Fire, earthquakes or any hardware malfunction or any accidental deletion our data may no longer remain available. To maintain the data safety there must be some data backup technique for cloud platform to recover valuable and important data efficiently in such situations mentioned above. This paper provides a review on various backup techniques used for Cloud Computing platform regarding this concern.


ABSTRACT Background The ABILHAND questionnaire is recommended to assess perceived manual ability after stroke; however, more knowledge on interpretability is needed to improve the clinical applicability. Objectives To determine clinically meaningful cutoff scores for different levels of perceived manual ability, assessed by ABILHAND, corresponding to established observed and perceived upper extremity assessments post stroke. Methods This cross-sectional study, part of the Stroke Arm Longitudinal Study (SALGOT) at the University of Gothenburg, included 80 participants with upper extremity impairments after stroke. The self-reported upper extremity functioning was assessed with ABILHAND and Stroke Impact Scale Hand (SIS Hand), and the observed functioning was assessed by Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) at 3 months after stroke. Receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity analyses were used to determine the cutoffs. Results The overall discriminating accuracy was excellent (AUC > 0.90) for most of the cutoffs and sensitivity and specificity values ranged from 0.73 to 1.0. The ABILHAND cutoff score 1.78 discriminated well between low and good functioning resulting in a 95% match with SIS Hand and 87.5% match with ARAT and FMA-UE. Conclusions The determined cutoff scores of the ABILHAND, validated through established upper extremity assessments, will provide a useful tool to clinicians when interpreting the logit scores and when selecting individualized treatment options. ABILHAND matched well with self-reported SIS Hand, but discrepancies found with observed scales implies that self-perceived assessments should be complemented with observed assessments.


The R package stampr implements functions for analyzing movement in mapped polygon data. Methods described in this paper include deriving change events based on spatial relationships, plotting change events, summarizing measures of distance and direction of movement, characterizing changes in polygon shape changes, and characterizing sequences of polygons over time using graphs. Two examples are used to demonstrate the core functionality available in the stampr package.


We live in times of big changes. The credit-crunch has affected businesses and organisations all over the world and Iceland particularly, its consequences being layoffs, cutbacks in projects due to lack of funding amongst other things. The municipality of Reykjavik is no exception to this; it is one of the largest workplaces in Iceland with operations that are both diverse and complex. Employees are well educated specialists and many have studied management of some sort. No project management office is in place, and therefore there is no standardized set of practices and procedures regarding the preparation and execution of projects, nor a centralized documentation of projects completed (or failed) within the municipality. The HRS (human resource system) does not list the abilities and education of its employees and no formal knowledge management is practiced. The level of project management maturity is uncertain and this paper attempts to give an overview of the maturity level of the municipality by fitting the PM practices to the project management maturity model (PMMM). Finally a suggestion is made on how project management practices and knowledge management might be strengthened in order to increase support and cooperation between offices and departments, enhance the level of project management consciousness and skills and hopefully improve the efficiency of municipal organisations. © 2012, MPM-Program, Reykjavik University, Menntavegi 1, 101 Reykjavik.