This study compared suspension f eedng , assimdation efficiency, respiration and excretion, and energy budgets (= scope for growth, SFG) in relation to body size in 2 pearl oysters, Pinctada maryaritifera and P. maxima, at a low food concentration (ca 5000 cells ml-l Tahitian Isochrysis galbana). Clearance rate (CR), respiration rate ( K ) and ammonia excretion rate (E) were strongly correlated with body size (p < 0 001) in both species, wlth exponents of 0.60 and 0.61 (CR), 0.44 and 0.56 (R), and 0.64 and 0.78 (E) , respectively, for P margaritdera and P maxima. CR did not differ significantly between the species, but absorption efficiency, which was unrelated to size, was significantly greater in P maxima (57 5 vs 51 %, p < 0.05). There was, however, no significant difference in absorbed energy (AE) between the species. Respired energy (RE) and excreted energy (EE) as proportions of AE were slgniflcantly lower (p < 0.01) in P. maxima of 0.1 g dry soft tissue wt (ca 36 mm shell height, SH). The former was 0.36 compared to 0.58 in P. margaritifera of the same size. Thus, P. m a x m a of 0.1 g dry soft tissue wt exceeded P. margaritlfera of the same size in SFG, which accords with the former species' more rapid early growth. Both species of pearl oysters have a high abihty to acquire energy under low phytoplankton conditions. Both species are exceptional bivalves in terms of energy fluxes, with clearance rates of 50 to 100 1 h-' in large oysters of 150+ mm SH. They show among the highest CR, R, E and SFG values recorded for blvalves (using 1 g dry soft tissue wt as a standard size). The largest g a n t clam, Tridacna gigas, is one tropical bivalve with comparable SFG. It, however, 1s dependent on energy from autotrophy as well as heterotrophy to achieve its high SFG.


Aim To evaluate the primary and secondary stability of implants in the posterior maxilla. Methods Patients were allocated into three groups: (A) native bone, (B) partially regenerated bone, and (C) nearly totally regenerated bone. Insertion torque (IT) and implant stability quotient (ISQ) were measured at placement, to evaluate whether satisfactory high primary stability (IT ≥ 45 N/cm; ISQ ≥ 60) was achieved; ISQ was measured 15, 30, 45, and 60 days after placement, to investigate the evolution to secondary stability. Results 133 implants (Anyridge®, Megagen) were installed in 59 patients: 55 fixtures were placed in Group A, 57 in Group B, and 21 in Group C. Fifty-two implants had satisfactory high primary stability (IT ≥ 45 N/cm; ISQ ≥ 60). A positive correlation was found between all variables (IT, ISQ at t = 0, t = 60), and statistically higher IT and ISQ values were found for implants with satisfactory high primary stability. Significant differences were found for IT and ISQ between the groups (A, B, and C); however, no drops were reported in the median ISQ values during the healing period. Conclusions The evaluation of the primary and secondary implant stability may contribute to higher implant survival/success rates in critical areas, such as the regenerated posterior maxilla. The present study is registered in the ISRCTN registry with ID ISRCTN33469250.


The MPEG-1 Layer III (MP3) algorithm is one of the most successful audio formats for consumer audio storage and for transfer and playback of music on digital audio players. The MP3 compression standard along with the AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) algorithm are associated with the most successful music players of the last decade. This book describes the fundamentals and the MATLAB implementation details of the MP3 algorithm. Several of the tedious processes in MP3 are supported by demonstrations using MATLAB software. The book presents the theoretical concepts and algorithms used in the MP3 standard. The implementation details and simulations with MATLAB complement the theoretical principles. The extensive list of references enables the reader to perform a more detailed study on specific aspects of the algorithm and gain exposure to advancements in perceptual coding. Table of Contents: Introduction / Analysis Subband Filter Bank / Psychoacoustic Model II / MDCT / Bit Allocation, Quantiza ion and Coding / Decoder


Field collections and laboratory isolation in moist chamber cultures are two complementary techniques widely used to record sporocarps of myxomycetes. The species recorded using either method tend to be different due to the distinct ecological pressures taking place in natural and artificial systems. The present study summarized the results of two myxomycete surveys, carried out in different decades and by different research teams, in the Abies forests of Cofre de Perote National Park. In both studies the two sampling techniques were used, and recorded data showed the complementarity of the methods and the importance of including both of them to minimize non-planned variability. In one survey, most of the results were obtained in moist chamber cultures whereas field collections represented most of the data in the other survey. When the general dataset was pooled together, 75 species of myxomycetes were recorded. As expected, the survey where most of the results were associated with moist chamber data showed a higher proportion of species of the genera Didymium, Perichaena and Physarum; whereas the survey where field collections represented most of the results showed a higher proportion of species within the genera Arcyria, Cribraria and Trichia. No structural differences were found in the data between the two surveys. This study demonstrates the complementary nature of the two recording techniques on myxomycete sporocarps and it shows very prominently the advantages of collaboration and communication among research teams to generate local lists of species. Having two different teams working in the same area at different times also minimized taxonomic skewness and increased the representativity of the obtained data.


Objective To examine the clinical and serological features of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients treated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors (TNFi). Methods Consecutive, unselected AS patients commencing TNFi were prospectively studied between 2004 and 2011. Patients received standard physiotherapy, in addition to TNFi and were reviewed 3 monthly year 1 of therapy and then annually. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), chest expansion, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C reactive protein (CRP) scores were assessed. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare non-parametric categorical and continuous data. Spearman's rank was used to assess correlations. Results are given as the mean unless otherwise specified. Results 147 AS patients were registered commencing TNFi with a mean age of 45 (IQR 15) and mean disease duration of 11 years (IQR 13), 72% were male and 61% were current or ex-smokers. Less than half (42%) were in employment. TNFi agents used included etanercept (50%), adalimumab (35%), infliximab (14%) and golimumab (1%). Mean first recorded BASDI for the whole cohort was 4.7 (IQR 3), BASFI 4.3 (3.8), BASMI 3.7 (2.6). There was no significant difference between the TNFi either in speed of response or outcomes measured. Current smokers presented with significantly more spinal pain than never/ex-smokers (p=0.045). At baseline female AS patients had significantly lower BASMI scores (2.9 vs 4, p=0.012) but worse patient global health (6.7 vs 5.5, p=0.033) compared to male AS patients. At 3 months post-TNFi therapy the BASDI (3.7 vs 2.7, p<0.001) and BASFI (3 vs 2.4, p=0.032) scores were significantly higher in female AS patients, the former correlated with ESR levels post-TNFi (r=0.42, p=0.02). In addition, HAQ (.6 v.2, p<0.001), ESR (21 vs 9, p<0.001), CRP (8 vs 6, p=0.047) and patient global scores (5 vs 3, p<0.001) were higher in female compared to male AS patients. Conclusion Female AS patients present with higher pain and disability despite better mobility. Following TNFi therapy they continue to have higher inflammatory markers, disease activity and functional scores compared to male AS patients. AS patients who smoke have more pain at baseline.


Many events occur in the world. Some event types are stochastically excited or inhibited---in the sense of having their probabilities elevated or decreased---by patterns in the sequence of previous events. Discovering such patterns can help us predict which type of event will happen next and when. We model streams of discrete events in continuous time, by constructing a neurally self-modulating multivariate point process in which the intensities of multiple event types evolve according to a novel continuous-time LSTM. This generative model allows past events to influence the future in complex and realistic ways, by conditioning future event intensities on the hidden state of a recurrent neural network that has consumed the stream of past events. Our model has desirable qualitative properties. It achieves competitive likelihood and predictive accuracy on real and synthetic datasets, including under missing-data conditions.


Currently, security of the cyber space (computer networks and the Internet) is mostly based on detection and/or blocking of attacks by the use of Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS), according to (National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST SP80094], 2010). However IDPS lacks in security as it is based on postmortem approaches threats and attacks are identified and/or blocked only after they can inflict serious damage to the computer systems either while attacks are happening, or when attacks have already imposed losses to the systems (Haslum et al, 2008). On the subject of earthquakes, one can notice the same kind of limitation: once an earthquake has already begun, devices can provide warnings with just few seconds before major shaking arrives at a given location (Bleier & Freund, 2005), (Su & Zhu, 2009). In the cyber space context, intending to cover the deficiency of late warnings, predicting techniques have already been approached in a small number of studies for cyber attacks in the last few years (Pontes & Zucchi, 2010), (Haslum et al, 2008), (Lai-Chenq, 2007), (Yin et al 2004).


Background Many epidemiologic studies have shown that women with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with men with diabetes. The aim of this study is to elucidate whether disparities of adiposity, age and insulin resistance (IR) at the time of diabetes diagnosis exist between women and men in the adult Korean population. Methods Data from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, performed in Korea from 2007 to 2010, were used. In the survey, anthropometric data and blood samples were obtained during a fasting state. IR and β-cell function were calculated using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR and HOMA-β, respectvely). Results The mean age of diabetes diagnosis was 58.5 years in women and was 55.1 years in men (P=0.015). The mean body mass index (BMI) of newly diagnosed diabetes subjects was 26.1 kg/m2 in women and 25.0 kg/m2 in men (P=0.001). The BMI was inversely related to age in both genders, and the higher BMI in women than men was consistent throughout all age groups divided by decade. The HOMA-IR in women with diabetes is higher than in men with diabetes (7.25±0.77 vs. 5.20±0.32; P=0.012). Conclusion Korean adult women are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at higher BMI and older age than men and are more insulin-resistant at the time of diabetes diagnosis. This may help explain why women with diabetes have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease after the diagnosis of diabetes, compared to men.


This thesis presents a series of scientific studies exploring the thermal stability of CrN and TiN based metal nitride hard coatings. vacuum sputtered Cr1-xAlxN (14 <x<21 at.%), Cr1-xSixN (5 < x < 18 at.%), Cr1-xNixN (13<x<40 at.%) and Ti1-xSixN (0< x <4 at.%) thin film coatings, in the temperature range of 25 – 800 °C, were studied using (1) synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction beamline at Australian Synchrotron (SR-XRD), (2) nanoindentation tests, (3) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and (4) Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) imaging. Rietveld refinement method has been applied to SR-XRD patterns to quantitatively analyse the phase evolution and the changes of microstructure in the coatings. First principal calculations via density functional theory (DFT) and quasi-harmonic approximation (QHA) methods were used to calculate the structural and mechanical properties of metal nitrides at ground state and high temperatures up to 2800 °C. This study also presents a novel model which can predict the mechanical properties of such hard coatings at high temperatures.

Adding Al to CrAlN coatings improved microstructural and mechanical properties for ~14-21 % Al content. Rietveld analysis indicated various crystalline phases in the coatings that included: CrN, AlN, α-Cr with a small amount of AlO2 and Al2O3 over 25 – 700 °C range. Al doping improves resistance to crystal growth, stress release and oxidation resistance of the coatings. Al doping also enhances the coating hardness and elastic modulus up to 42 and 438 GPa. First-principles and QHA method on bulk CrN and AlN were incorporated to predict the thermo-elastic properties of Cr1-xAlxN thin film coating in the temperature range of 0 - 1500 °C. The simulated results at T= 1500 °C give a predicted hardness of H = ~41.5 GPa for a ~ 21% Al doped Cr1-xAlxN coating.

Adding Si to CrN reduced the crystallite size; stabilised the microstructure; modified coating softening resistance, and improves the hardness of CrN coatings up to 36 GPa. Although the coatings containing Ni have not shown a stable microstructure at high temperatures, changes in hardness and elastic modulus after heating are negligible. Formation of (Cr,Si)N and Ni(Cr) solid solutions are also postulated by studying the changes in lattice constants of CrN during heat treatment and comparing to estimated values from QHA calculations. The hardness of the CrN and Ni phases up to 930 °C was estimated by correlating the hardness with the bulk and shear modulus of these phases. The simulated hardness results predict hardness of H≈20 and ≈6 for CrN (930 °C) and Ni (330 °C), respectively.

The influence of substrate bias voltage, ranged from -30V to -80V, on the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the TiSiN coatings were investigated. As-deposited TiSiN coatings consist of cubic TiN in the form of (Ti,Si)N solid solutions. Increasing substrate bias voltage up to -80 V during Ti– Si–N deposition resulted in significant changes in Si content, surface morphology, phase composition, microstructure and Oxidation resistance of the coatings. TiO2 and Ti2O3 were identified above 600 °C for the samples deposited at lower bias voltages. Oxidation resistance and thermal stability of the TiSiN coatings were improved as the bias voltage increased beyond -40V. As the substrate bias voltage increases from -30V to -80V, Si content reduced from 4% to 0; hardness and Young's modulus of the coatings constantly improved from 23 GPa to 33 GPa and 310 GPa to 450 GPa, respectively, corresponding to almost 50% increase.

DFT-QHA algorithm was used to calculate phonon spectra, electronic properties, elastic constants (Cij) and thermodynamic properties of TiN within the temperature range of 0-2830 °C and under a pressure range 0-60 GPa. QHA method, as implemented in the Gibbs2 code, is utilised to accurately estimate thermal expansion coefficients, entropies, heat capacity values and Debye's temperature. A similar approach was used to investigate electronic properties and stability phase diagrams the cubic boron nitride (c-BN) surfaces. Enthalpy of formation of c- BN was estimated to be -2.816 eV. The c-BN(100) surface offers separate B and N terminations, whereas c-BN(111) and c-BN(110) are truncated with combinations of boron and nitrogen atoms. Optimised geometries of surfaces display interlayer displacements up to the three topmost layers. Bulk c-BN and its most stable surface c-BN(100)_N possess no metallic character, with band gaps of 5.46 and 2.7 eV, respectively. We find that only c-BN(100)_B configuration exhibits a metallic character. c-BN(110)_BN and c-BN(111)_BN surfaces display corresponding band gaps of 2.5 and 3.9 eV and, hence, afford no metallic property.

The presented microstructural and mechanical analysis of metal nitride coatings using SR-XRD data along with the proposed methods to predict mechanical properties at high temperatures can be used to design superhard coatings with sophisticated microstructure and superior thermal stability at elevated temperatures.


The main purpose of this article was to present the state of the Russian economy and finance during World War I and in connection with the revolutionary events taking place in Russia in 1917. In this regard, a general analysis of widely unknown legal and economic works from 1917 by authors such as Z.S. Kacenelenbaum, I.A. Mikhailov, N.N. Lyubimov, G.D. Dementyev, D.P. Bogolepov, A.V. Venediktov, N.M. Yasny, P. Haensel, B.D. Bruckus, D.V. Kuzovkov, and A. Schreider was made. The works analyzed in the article are an example of the discussion of the Russian elites about the state's problems in the context of the Legislative (Constitutional) Assembly that is to be assembled.


To evaluate the anti-angiogenic efficacy of CB-12181 [an azasugar derivative that has inhibitory actions against matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) converting enzyme (TACE)], we investigated the suppressing ability on in vitro (tube formation by endothelial cells) and in vivo (retinal neovascularization on murine ischemia-induced proliferative retinopathy) models of angiogenesis. For in vitro analysis, a capillary-like tube formation model using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and fibroblasts co-culture assay was employed. Tube formation of HUVECs was stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and incubated with different concentrations of CB-12181 (0.1-100 microM) for 11 days. For in vivo analysis, mice were exposed to 75% oxygen between postnatal days 7 and 12 (P7 to P12). Then, the mice were removed from the oxygen treatment and treated with CB-12181 (1, 15, or 50 mg/kg) by daily subcutaneous injection from the time of reintroduction to room air at P12 until P16. At P17, pathological and physiological angiogenesis was quantified using retinal flat-mounts visualized by fluorescent angiography. In the in vitro angiogenesis model, CB-12181 significantly suppressed VEGF-induced HUVEC tube formation. Furthermore, in the in vivo angiogenesis model, administration of CB-12181 significantly suppressed retinal neovascularization without any apparent side effects on physiological revascularization to the oxygen-induced obliteration area. These results suggest that CB-12181 might be useful in the treatment of various diseases that depend on pathologic angiogenesis, and especially valuable for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.


The open chain polyethers, 1-(o-carboxymethoxyphenoxy)-2-(ohydroxyphenoxy) ethane HL(A), HL(B), and the diol were prepared and characterised by m.pt. and IR and 1H NMR spectroscopies.
In order to determine whether the ions other than Co(II) or Zn(ll) can form complexes of type [M(M'L2)2 (M = Transition element, M' = monovalent ion), the extraction of the metal ions Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(ll), Fe(ffl), Cr(ffl), and Pr(Ill) in the presence of K, Rb, Cs, and NH4 in an aqueous solution into the solutions of HL or HL(B) in methylene chloride was studied over a pH range.
In contrast to conclusions reached previous, it was found that the Cu(ll) was extracted as [CuL2] and not as [Cu(KL2)2]. The structure of the blue crystals grown from the organic solution was determined using DTG (1-120), AAS (Cu), UV, IX, EXAFS and microanalysis (C, H) and the crystal structure was determined by X-ray crystallography.
Attempts were made to substitute protonated amnes for the group 1 metals or NH4 ions in compounds of type [M(M'L2)2], (using HL and HL(B)) both in direct addition reactions and in solvent extraction studies. Extraction studies with some protonated amino esters, amino acids and alkyl ammOnium chlorides showed that Co(II), Ni(II), or Zn(ll) could not be extracted effectively from aqueous solution.
The work has shown that only a very few systems analogous to [Co(KL2)2] appear sufficiently stable for isolation and extraction studies; protonated organic amines seem relatively ineffectual. Accordingly, it was decided to explore the possibility of inserting phosphonate residues into polyether ligands to develop a new class of ligands. Although the presence of phosphorus containing crown ether systems is known, it was found that the direct insertion of the phosphonate residues on to polyether ligands is not possible.
As an another route to complexes of open chain polyethers, it was decided to introduce the open chain polyethers on to the phosphonateplatinum(II) complexes. Due to the requirement for a labile alkyl group on the phosphonate, it was decided to study the co-ordination chemistry of t-butyl phosphonate with platinum(ll).
In reactions between (RO)2PHO and [PtC12(COD)], (COD = cyclo-octa- 1,5-diene) greater steric hindrance when R = t-Bu inhibits formation of the normal product [Pt((RO)2POH)2{(RO)2P0)2] (R = Me, Et and Ph) and results in formation of the symmetrical chlorine bridged complex [Pt2C12RRO)2POH}2{(RO)2PO}2]. The bridge is readily cleaved by neutral
donors (L) to give cis-[PtC1(L){(RO)2POH}{(RO)2P0}] (L = amines, R3P, R3As, Ph3Sb, Ph3PSe, MeCN, DMSO), and trans-[PtC1(L){(RO)2POH}- ((RO)2P0)] where L = t-BuNC and Cl - to give [PtC12((RO)2POH)2]. In cis-[PtC1(L){(RO)2POH}{(RO)2P0}] the chloride ligand has been replaced by anionic ligands X, where X = Br, I, N3, NCO, NCS, NO2, 0NO2, 02CMe,
02CCF3, CN, CL!3, and H). The POH proton participates in an intramolecular hydrogen bond to the P0 group and may be replaced by Li or Na+.
The complexes provide a general route to complexes of primary phosphites (HO)2POR and of phosphorus(uI) acid; the t-butyl groups of cis- [PtC1(Ph3P) ((t-BuO)2POH) {(t-BuO)2P0}] are cleaved sequentially by CF3COOH, eventually forming cis-EPtC1(Ph3P){(H0)3P)RHO)2P0)], the crystal structure of which shows an approximately planar ring formed by Pt, two P0 groups and a connecting hydrogen bond. All complexes have been characterised by 31P NMR specroscopy.


Primary health care in Australia has undergone 2 decades of change. Starting with a vision for a national health strategy with general practice at its core, Australia established local meso-level primary health care organizations—Divisions of General Practice—moving from focus on individual practitioners to a professional collective local voice. The article identifies how these meso-level organizations have helped the Australian primary health care system evolve by supporting the roll-out of initiatives including national practice accreditation, a focus on quality improvement, expansion of multidisciplinary teams into general practice, regional integration, information technology adoption, and improved access to care. Nevertheless, there are still challenges to ensuring equitable access and the supply and distribution of a primary care workforce, addressing the increasing rates of chronic disease and obesity, and overcoming the fragmentation of funding and accountability in the Australian system.


An examination of Propertius in light of nonclassical, modernist literary techniques, especially internal monologue or stream of consciousness and imagism.Classical writers typically try to order or shape disparate experiences while modernists seek to present the complexity and disarray of human experience. Failing to realize that Propertius is in the modernist camp has led previous textual critics to divide and reorganize his poems. A. E. Housman, for example, unsuccessfully tried to reorder the lines in one Propertian poem into a logical and chronological sequence.On the contrary, Propertius, like the modernists, attempts to communicate experience itself through the association of ideas or through the reflection upon a visual picture or series of pictures (imagism, or what Pound described as the "superposition" of image and narrative). Benediktson finds philosophical justification for imagism in the Epicurean theory of images and in the Epicurean theorist and poet Philodemus, as well as in the doctrine of "ut" "pictura poesis. "The result is a picture of Propertius that accounts for the mathematical precision of Book I, the structural chaos of Book II, and the more balanced poetry of Books III and IV.


This extraordinary prescient work by Ferdinand Toennies was written in 1887 for a small coterie of scholars, and over the next fifty years continued to grow in importance and adherents. Its translator into English, Charles P. Loomis, well described it as a volume which pointed back into the Middle Ages and ahead into the future in its attempt to answer the questions: "What are we? Where are we? Whence did we come? Where are we going?" If the questions seem portentous in the extreme, the answers Toennies provides are modest and compelling. Every major field from sociology, to psychology, to anthropology, has found this to be a praiseworthy book. The admirable translation by Professor Loomis did much to transfer praise for the Toennies text from the German to the English-speaking world. Now, outfitted with a brilliant new opening essay by John Samples, the author of a recent full-scale biographical work on Toennies, Community and Society is back in print; a welcome reminder of the glorious past of German social science.


Abstract: In the first volume of the Quarterly Journal of Public Speaking Frank Lane addresses the issue of coaches producing arguments and evidence for debaters and competitive public speakers. There seems to have been a consensus in the academic ranks at the time that debate teams should have active coaches. However, early argumentation scholars disagreed over what limits, if any, should be imposed on the coach. At the beginning of the 20 th century there was a concern that the lack of a definitive set of standards led to instructors intruding into debate in a way that could lead to unfair contests.  In the early stages of the 21 st century the increasing demands on policy debate coaches to produce evidence for students has profoundly negative implications on both the competitive balance in the modern community and on the ability of coaches to devote a full professional career to coaching policy debate. Frank Lane's essay raises the issue of evidence production for students and its effect on competitive balance in debate.  A review of his work raises questions about the impact that coach produced evidence has on debate and the ways in which that practice undermines the pedagogical benefits of contest debating.  After reviewing the trends in evidence production by coaches, this essay calls for the elimination of the evidence loophole in the American Forensics Association code to return the research burden to forensics competitors. Key words: American Forensics Association, Coaching, Debate, Evidence, and Research.


This paper investigates how language comprehension is modulated by temporal information, marked by time adverbs, and bodily constraints imposed by motor actions. The experiment used a paradigm similar to that employed by de Vega, Robertson, Glenberg, Kaschak and Rinck (2004), but included significant refinements in the materials and the procedure, allowing for stronger theoretical conclusions. Participants read sentences describing two manual actions as simultaneous or consecutive by means of the adverbs while or after, respectively (e.g., While [After] cleaning the wound he unrolled the bandage). Comprehension was more difficult (longer reading times and lower sensibility rates) when actions were described as simultaneous. This indicates that the semantics of time marked by temporal adverbs is not an independent dimension, but interacts with the motor properties of the described actions. These results cannot be easily explained by the temporal iconicity assumption, but they are consistent with embodied theories of language such as the indexical hypothesis.


This paper develops a theoretical understanding of learning during recovery from recurring disasters when humanitarian organizations deploy WASH technologies using examples from 2012–2013 floods in Assam, Northeastern India.,A mixed methods study was conducted in Assam, where Oxfam had responded after 2012 floods and erosion. Two surveys (n1 = 313; and n2 = 279) in 2013, along with 38 semi-structured interviews, 18 household interviews and 23 focus group discussions (FGDs) were undertaken. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were interpreted thematically.,One of the product-level innovations included raised platforms with WASH facilities as a preparedness measure for future floods, enabled by a co-learning approach. Social learning within community members provided contextual inputs, while Oxfam learnt through its institutionalized learning mechanisms, namely real-time evaluations, knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) surveys and strong monitoring mechanisms. Despite these measures, the precarity of such geographies remains a major concern in increasing vulnerability, and hence this study advocates for an approach towards innovation that equally emphasizes and advances learning within community groups as well as organizations so that lessons can be captured and revisited in future programmes and promote wider application.,This study is exploratory, and longitudinal in nature, although the data and findings are fairly representative of the target population, they do not imply causality and attribution. Since the study relies on a case study, there are limitations of how the findings could be generalized in other similar contexts.,This paper offers a new theoretical lens emphasizing context-specific understanding of short-term but rapid onset and cyclical emergencies resulting in local population displacement. It provides a bottom-up perspective on innovations and technologies deployed by external aid agencies as a commentary on recovery of community resilience from recurring disasters.,This paper reframes agency approaches in how they perceive community resilience and enable flood-affected and displaced communities to recover using innovations in WASH technologies.,This paper expands on the key lessons to be gleamed from the many interventions in humanitarian WASH technologies from learning perspective and benefits from reflections as a practitioner in the field.


K is more toxic in plants than Na at similar concentrations but the molecular mechanisms governing excess K-induced salt stress are unknown. We used Arabidopsis thaliana and its extremophyte relative Schrenkiella parvula, to explore this largely unexplored question using comparative physiological, ionomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic approaches aimed at understanding how plants can develop resilience to excess K. Our results showed that the stress responses exhibited by the two plants diverged at a decisive step where the stress-sensitive A. thaliana could not limit excess K influx and suffered severe nutrient depletion. The stress adapted model, S. parvula, was able to independently regulate reduction in K uptake while sustaining uptake of other major nutrients including N. Maintaining N uptake and its uninterrupted assimilation into primary metabolites allowed S. parvula to sustain growth and concurrently boost its antioxidant and osmolyte pools, facilitated by a targeted transcriptomic response. In contrast, A. thaliana descended into mismanaged transcriptional cascades including induction of biotic and abiotic stress responses and autophagy accompanied by inhibited growth, reduced photosynthesis, and increased ROS. This study provides a basic framework to select key pathways to target in the development of building plant resilience towards nutrient imbalance caused by K-induced salt stress.


Charles Gore's two-volume commentary on Romans (1899, 1900) showed his heartfelt delight in the grace and love of God. Gore questions whether Luther had really understood Paul, thus in certain respects anticipating the so-called 'new perspective' of E. P. Sanders and others. He manages, in a way that Sanders does not, to hold together 'justification' and 'being in Christ', though he does not integrate these with Romans 9–11. When we today explore Paul more fully, we see that Romans was yet more integrated than Gore had realised, and that two of Gore's principal emphases, the vital importance of holiness and the social and political dimensions of the gospel, have a more solid exegetical basis than he realised.


Advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation may contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis, particularly in diabetes. The present study explored atherosclerosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice that were randomized (n = 20) to receive for 20 weeks no treatment, the AGE cross-link breaker ALT-711, or the inhibitor of AGE formation aminoguanidine (AG). A sixfold increase in plaque area with diabetes was attenuated by 30% with ALT-711 and by 40% in AG-treated mice. Regional distribution of plaque demonstrated no reduction in plaque area or complexity within the aortic arch with treatment, in contrast to the thoracic and abdominal aortas, where significant attenuation was seen. Diabetes-associated accumulation of AGEs in aortas and plasma and decreases in skin collagen solubility were ameliorated by both treatments, in addition to reductions in the vascular receptor for AGE. Collagen-associated reductions in the AGEs carboxymethyllysine and carboxyethyllysine were identified with both treatments. Diabetes was also accompanied by aortic accumulation of total collagen, specifically collagens I, III, and IV, as well as increases in the profibrotic cytokines transforming growth factor-beta and connective tissue growth factor and in cellular alpha-smooth muscle actin. Attenuation of these changes was seen in both treated diabetic groups. ALT-711 and AG demonstrated the ability to reduce vascular AGE accumulation in addition to attenuating atherosclerosis in these diabetic mice.


Flood events can change the riverbed topography as well as the riverbed texture and structure, which in turn can influence the riverbed hydraulic conductivity (Krb) and river‐aquifer exchange fluxes. A major flood event occurred in the Emme River in Switzerland in 2014, with major implications for the riverbed structure. The event was simulated with the fully integrated hydrological model HydroGeoSphere. The aim was to investigate the effect of the spatial and temporal variability of riverbed topography and Krb on predictions of hydraulic states and fluxes and to test whether data assimilation (DA) based on the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) can better reproduce flood‐induced changes to hydraulic states and parameters with the help of riverbed topography changes recorded with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and through‐water photogrammetry. The performance of DA was assessed by evaluating the reproduction of the hydraulic states for the year 2015. While the prediction of surface water discharge was not affected much by the changes in riverbed topography and in Krb, using the UAV‐derived postflood instead of the preflood riverbed topography reduced the root‐mean‐square error of predicted heads (RMSE [h]) by 24%. If, in addition to using the postflood riverbed topography, also Krb and aquifer hydraulic conductivity (Kaq) were updated through DA after the flood, the RMSE (h) was reduced by 55%. We demonstrate how updating of Krb and Kaq based on EnKF and UAV‐based observations of riverbed topography transience after a major flood event strongly improve predictions of postflood hydraulic states.


Why are men less likely than women to embrace environmentally friendly products and behaviors? Whereas prior research attributes this gender gap in sustainable consumption to personality differences between the sexes, we propose that it may also partially stem from a prevalent association between green behavior and femininity, and a corresponding stereotype (held by both men and women) that green consumers are more feminine. Building on prior findings that men tend to be more concerned than women with gender-identity maintenance, we argue that this green-feminine stereotype may motivate men to avoid green behaviors in order to preserve a macho image. A series of seven studies provides evidence that the concepts of greenness and femininity are cognitively linked and shows that, accordingly, consumers who engage in green behaviors are stereotyped by others as more feminine and even perceive themselves as more feminine. Further, men's willingness to engage in green behaviors can be influenced by threatening or affirming their masculinity, as well as by using masculine rather than conventional green branding. Together, these findings bridge literatures on identity and environmental sustainability and introduce the notion that due to the green-feminine stereotype, gender-identity maintenance can influence men's likelihood of adopting green behaviors.


We investigate theoretically the switching behavior of a dithiolated phenylene-vinylene oligomer sandwiched between Au(111) electrodes using self-interaction corrected density-functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's-function method for quantum transport. The molecule presents a configurational bistability, which can be exploited in constructing molecular memories, switches, and sensors. We find that protonation of the terminating thiol groups is at the origin of the change in conductance. H bonding at the thiol group weakens the S-Au bond and reduces by about one order of magnitude the transmission coefficient at the Fermi level, and thus the linear response conductance. Furthermore, protonation downshifts in energy the position of the highest occupied molecular orbital, so that the current of the protonated species is lower than that of the unprotonated one along the entire bias range investigated, from −1.5 to 1.5 V. A second protonation at the opposite thiol group has only minor effects and no further drastic reduction in transmission takes place. Our results allow us to re-interpret the experimental data originally attributing the conductance reduction to H dissociation.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of filler metals in the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process on the Aluminium alloy of AA 6061-T6 welded joints. 6 mm thickness plate with single V butt configuration was used and welded using two different fillers ER 4043 and ER 5356 and controlled welding parameters. The relationship between hardness and microstructure of the welded parts were studied and compared and the results showed that the post weld mechanical property has decreased especially for the filler ER 5356. The hardness at the heat affected zone (HAZ) of ER 5356 also has reduced almost 85% compared to the hardness of AA 6061 base metal. The microstructure of ER 4043 welding material shows the shape of columnar grains and dendrite structure. Microstructure morphology of ER 5356 welding material shows dendrites and intermetallic particles (Mg2Si) have partially dissolved and scattered in the welding material.


Zika fever is caused by an arbovirus (a virus transmitted by insects) belonging to the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family, like dengue tick-borne encephalitis, west Nile virus and yellow fever, just to name a few. The insect vector of the disease is the female mosquito of Aedes aegypti , which originated in Africa. Aedes albopictus ( A. albopictus ) (the tiger mosquito from Asia) could also transmit the Zika virus, as it already does for dengue and Chikungunya virus, which is another arbovirus sharing similar vectors and geographical distribution with dengue and Zika virus. The Zika virus was detected for the first time in a monkey in Uganda in 1947.


Epiblepharon, a common occurrence among children of East Asian descent, is a congenital anomaly whereby a horizontal skin fold across the eyelid (upper or lower) overlaps the eyelid margin resulting in inturning of the eyelashes.1–3 This usually occurs in the presence of a normal eyelid margin position. Surgical treatment is indicated for patients with significant ocular irritation or keratopathy that has failed prior medical treatment or visually threatening astigmatism.4 5

There are two papers in this issue on the use of everting sutures to successfully treat mild to moderate cases of epiblepharon.6 7 Although the technique of everting sutures for epiblepharon treatment is not new, having been described by Quickert et al 8 in 1983, novel modifications by the above authors have improved the success and recurrence rates of epiblepharon using this principle. This provides useful insight as to how the majority of cases may be managed henceforth without the need for traditional incisional procedures.

The authors have also sought to classify the severity of epiblepharon based on an accepted grading system proposed by Khwarg and Lee9 prior to treatment and also set out strict inclusion criteria for their study. This no doubt has helped to increase success rates using everting sutures.

To paraphrase Lord Kelvin, 'If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it'.10 Establishing a common objective system for grading epiblepharon therefore is advisable to help determine the appropriate indications for surgery and the type of procedure required for each grade of severity. In addition, having an objective system of classification and surgical criteria will help make direct comparisons of outcomes between different treatment …


A generalized history-dependent recurrence theory for the time-response analysis is derived for avalanche photodiodes with multilayer, heterojunction multiplication regions. The heterojunction multiplication region considered consists of two layers: a high-bandgap Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As energy-buildup layer, which serves to heat up the primary electrons, and a GaAs layer, which serves as the primary avalanching layer. The model is used to optimize the gain-bandwidth product (GBP) by appropriate selection of the width of the energy-buildup layer for a given width of the avalanching layer. The enhanced GBP is a direct consequence of the heating of primary electrons in the energy-buildup layer, which results in a reduced first dead space for the carriers that are injected into the avalanche-active GaAs layer. This effect is akin to the initial-energy effect previously shown to enhance the excess-noise factor characteristics in thin avalanche photodiodes (APDs). Calculations show that the GBP optimization is insensitive to the operational gain and the optimized APD also minimizes the excess-noise factor.


Background The new coronavirus called COVID-19 originated in the city of Wuhan, China and has currently spread to different continents, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a "pandemic". Therefore, the aim of this review was to present a new proposal for a care protocol in Peruvian Dentistry: Provisional review of the diagnosis, treatment, epidemiological characteristics, routes of transmission and recommendations of COVID-19. Material and Methods A search of digital scientific literature was made in the databases: Science Direct, Pubmed and Google Scholar. The Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT: "Covid-19" "Dental" "Routes of transmission. They were included Scientific articles published in English between December 2019 - March 2020. Results Different studies were found mainly of epidemiological, observational and experimental design. On March 6, 2020, the President of the Republic of Peru confirmed and declared in Peru the beginning of the first case of coronavirus. According to reports from the Ministry of Health (MINSA) as of July 30, there are: PCR (+) 108, 299; Rapid test (+) 292, 384 positive cases and 18, 816 deceased with a lethality of 4.7%. Conclusions Within the limitations of this literature review, the presence of the virus is inevitable in dental practice. The dentist must understand the evolution of this microorganism like all vulnerable professionals in the health sciences. Key words:COVID-19, dentistry, Peru, protocol, routes of transmission.


A study was conducted at experimental area of Pulses Program, National Agricultural Centre, Islamabad to investigate the integrated effects of humic acid (HA) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer on growth and yield of mungbean crop. There were two levels of humic acid viz, 0 and 60 kg ha−1 and three levels of Pviz, 0,30 kgha−1 and 60 kg ha−1 . The experiment was laid down in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data were recorded regarding podsplant−1 , thousands grain weights (g), grain yield (t ha−1 ), P content in grain and shoot, and P uptake. Maximum mungbean yield, i.e., 1.42 tha−1 was recorded with combined application of 60 kg ha−1 P2O5 with 60 kg ha−1 humicacid. Similarly, the highest P uptake, i.e., 17.9kgha−1was observed with treatment having 60 kgP2O5 ha−1 along with 60 kg HAha−1 followed by 13.9 kg P2O5ha−1 where P was applied @ 30 kg P2O5ha−1 along with 60 kg HA ha−1 . Overall results showed that combined application of P and HA to mungbean significant impact on growth, yield and nutrient availability.


The two volumes of Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya provide current archaeological perspectives on Maya courts conceived as vital, functioning social groups composed of lords, courtiers, scribes, priests, and entertainers, among many others. In addition to archaeological data on the architecture and other spatial attributes of courts, the studies in the two volumes bring to bear on the topic the most recent evidence from inscriptions, vase paintings, murals and friezes, and ethnohistoric records in order to flesh out a portrait of the actors and roles that made up Maya courts through time and across space. The attributes of courts are explored in the Maya highlands and lowlands, from the origins of early kingship through the Classic period to the Postclassic and Terminal epochs. Pertinent comparisons are also drawn from the Aztecs and other ancient and contemporary societies. Volume 1: Theory, Comparison, and Synthesis establishes a carefully considered framework for approaching the study of courts and their functions throughout the world of the ancient Maya. Volume 2: Data and Case Studies provides authoritatively current data and insights from key Maya sites, including Copn, Tikal, Caracol, Bonampak, and Calakmul.


The standard loader (ld.so) is a common target of attacks. The loader is a trusted component of the application, and faults in the loader are problematic, e.g., they may lead to local privilege escalation for SUID binaries. Software-based fault isolation (SFI) provides a framework to execute arbitrary code while protecting the host system. A problem of current approaches to SFI is that fault isolation is decoupled from the dynamic loader, which is treated as a black box. The sandbox has no information about the (expected) execution behavior of the application and the connections between different shared objects. As a consequence, SFI is limited in its ability to identify devious application behavior. This paper presents a new approach to run untrusted code in a user-space sandbox. The approach replaces the standard loader with a security-aware trusted loader. The secure loader and the sandbox together cooperate to allow controlled execution of untrusted programs. A secure loader makes security a first class concept and ensures that the SFI system does not allow any unchecked code to be executed. The user-space sandbox builds on the secure loader and subsequently dynamically checks for malicious code and ensures that all control flow instructions of the application adhere to an execution model. The combination of the secure loader and the user-space sandbox enables the safe execution of untrusted code in user-space. Code injection attacks are stopped before any unintended code is executed. Furthermore, additional information provided by the loader can be used to support additional security properties, e.g., in lining of Procedure Linkage Table calls reduces the number of indirect control flow transfers and therefore limits jump-oriented attacks. This approach implements a secure platform for privileged applications and applications reachable over the network that anticipates and confines security threats from the beginning.


The use of corticosteroids in combination with other hormonal substances has long been known to result in increased mass gain with bovines. Practice has demonstrated, however, that even the single use of a glucocorticoid may result in growth promoting effects. In addition to the popular dexamethasone, more recently other corticosteroids have also been misused for fattening purposes. The first part of this study deals with the detection of two of them, namely betamethasone and triamcinolone acetonide. Betamethasone was administered orally to a cow at a dose of 50 mg d-1 for 5 d, then later the same cow was injected intramuscularly with a dose of 50 mg of betamethasone dipropionate. Excretion in urine and faeces was followed with both HPLC-enzyme immunoassay and a previously described method based on negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NCI-MS) after oxidation. For the triamcinolone acetonide study a cow was treated with 50 mg d-1 of the drug during a 7 d period. Excretion in faeces was followed with GC-NCI-MS. As triamcinolone acetonide is resistant to the previously described oxidation procedure, however, a hydrolysis step had to be introduced prior to oxidation. In addition to this specific modification necessary for triamcinolone acetonide, in a subsequent part of this study the original oxidation procedure with pyridinium chlorochromate was re-investigated especially to shorten the procedure. With the introduction of potassium dichromate the reaction time could be decreased from 3 h to 10 min.


describes a study in which the author was involved in a two-year project with a City Police Department in America. The social scene there has significant differences from that in this country. Nevertheless, there are some useful lessons to be learned from the clear description of the author's approach, relation ships with police, evaluation of his work, and con clusions. The book is easier to read and less verbose than some American publications. It will be useful reading for those who are considering their own relationship with Police Departments or who are developing their own community services. A. A. BAKER.


This thesis addresses two aspects of financial constraints focusing, firstly, on the impact of financial constraints on firm performance and, secondly, on the impact of dual-class share structure on financial constraints. The first issue has been addressed in a large number of research studies, but the results are mixed. This study, therefore, conducts a meta-analysis of those earlier studies to provide a summary view of the results which, in contrast to narrative reviews of the empirical literature, provides an objective overview. The second issue examines the impact of dual-class share structures on financial constraints. The period of the global financial crisis is used to test the impact of the state of the economy on that relationship. To examine the impact of financial constraints on firm performance, 26 empirical studies with 189 effect sizes representing listed firms have been analysed. The study finds that overall there is a positive relationship between financial constraints and firm performance. The study also shows that the set of market-based measures of firm performance has a significant negative impact on the relationship, compared with the set of accounting-based measures. In terms of the financial constraints measure, the set of external financial constraints measures have a positive and highly significant impact on the relationship. The meta-regression analysis suggests that the choice of measure, regional difference, journal quality and publication status all have a significant impact on the relationship, and explain the variation in the association.
To examine the impact of dual-class share structures on financial constraints the study analyses a sample of non-financial US firms over the period 2002-2018. Share structure is measured by the existence of a dual-class structure and also by excess voting rights and the proximity of the superior class shareholders in such structures. The study also shows that if financial constraints are measured by the WW index, irrespective of how dual-class share structure is measured, it increases the level of financial constraints. Similar results are obtained where financial constraints are measured by the KZ and SA indexes, except where dual-class share structure is measured by the proximity of superior class shareholders. The study also finds that if financial constraints are measured by the WW index, dual-class had a reduced impact during the period of the global financial crisis, thus, providing support for the propping theory. However, if financial constraint is measured by the SA index, dual-class share structure appears to have an increased impact during the GFC years.
Among the additional tests, the HM index has been used as a measure of financial constraints, and the findings show that the impact of dual-class structures on financial constraints appears to be driven by their effect on debt constraints. The study also shows that firm age moderates the impact of dual-class share structures if financial constraints are measured by the WW index. The KZ, WW, and SA indexes are based on firm characteristics and, therefore, the study also tests for an impact of dual-class structures when financial constraint is measured by a text-based index, the BLM index. However, the results do not provide evidence of an impact in that case.


Panic disorder is the most common anxiety disorder in the primary-care setting. It is characterized by episodes of acute, unexpected, and unprovoked anxiety and is often associated with depression and/or agoraphobia. Symptoms may become so pervasive that many life situations may be avoided. Management of panic disorder includes cognitive behavioral therapy, patient education, and pharmacotherapy. This article focuses on the rationale of drug therapy, methods of management, and other clinical considerations such as side effects. In addition, newer formulations are available that may subsequently change how patients are managed. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered first-line therapy, with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) as a possible alternative if the patient fails to respond. These agents are also useful in the management of comorbid depression. Benzodiazepines offer more rapid anxiolysis and may be used in combination with an SSRI for bridging. Although monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) have been studied, they do not have a significant role in the pharmacological management of panic disorder. (Formulary 2003;38:431?38.)


Mindfulness as a Treatment Component for Adults Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder By Johanna L. Hauck, LSW Research Chair: David Roseborough, Ph.D Committee Members: Kathleen Fargione, LICSW; Uta Wolfe, Ph.D Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has become a widely recognized and accepted mental health concern affecting many individuals. Various treatment approaches are used to alleviate the symptomology of this mental health condition including: different therapeutic approaches, psychotropic medication, and mindfulness. The purpose of this research project was to analyze and distill existing research pertaining to the neurological implications of trauma and mindfulness, with emphasis on how the latter is an effective treatment approach for the former. Data were analyzed in three phases: one, PTSD and Mindfulness; two, Mindfulness and the Brain and; three, Mindfulness and its Impact on the Brain for adults with PTSD. Findings show how that trauma not only impacts the three regions of the brain (hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain), but a person's body as a whole. Findings suggest that mindfulness may positively counteract the effects of PTSD due to activating and influencing different areas of the brain, which have been deregulated after encountering trauma, with particular impact upon the structure and function of the brain.


An investigation was reported of the injection of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to fix diamond beads on wire saws. Effects of injection material hardness, injection temperature and dwell pressure on the mechanical properties of three types of TPU plastics were studied and the results showed that with the increase of material hardness, both the 100% Modulus and the tensile strength of TPU were improved, but the rupture extensibility reduced. With the increase of injection temperature, the tensile strength increased but the rupture elongation decreased. To every type of TPU, a minimum injection temperature can be found for an ideal density of TPU.


The introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made the diagnosis of syringomyelia safer and more exact. Moreover, the lack of correlation between the clinical picture and the MRI findings was demonstrated, and unsuspected cases could be identified as pertaining to syringomyelia. The three cases reported should point at the variable symptomatology in syringomyelia. A more frequent occurrence of unusual symptoms and courses of the disease than previously assumed is discussed.


This Red Guide explores our experiences of introducing a large-scale student peer mentoring scheme by focusing on its impact from an Assessment for Learning (AfL) perspective. The Guide is structured into three sections. To begin with, the context of the peer mentoring project is outlined, secondly, we explain our view of mentoring, informed by what our students have told us, given that many definitions of mentoring exist within the literature. Finally we highlight some students' perspectives, gathered as part of research undertaken with the student mentors, which we have analysed from an Assessment for Learning perspective.


Many immigrant groups disproportionately experience unemployment and this disadvantage often extends to their children—the second generation. This paper contributes to this stream of research by studying unemployment dynamics of the ancestral population and second-generation immigrants in Sweden. In particular, we ask: does unemployment persistence differ between ancestral Swedes and 10 second-generation immigrant groups? We answer this question using correlated dynamic random-effects logit models to study the effect of past on current unemployment—also known as genuine state dependence. We use Swedish register data to follow individuals over their early working careers. The results indicate that although past unemployment has a similar relative effect on current unemployment across the ancestry groups, past unemployment increases the probability of current unemployment (absolute effect) more among second-generation Middle-Eastern, Turkish, and Southern European immigrants. Because of higher baseline levels of unemployment, the labour market consequences of similar relative effects are more pronounced among the second generation as compared to ancestral Swedes. The paper concludes by elaborating on the reasons behind these contrasting results while highlighting the importance of examining heterogeneous effects on both the relative and absolute scales.


Mental load is an important construct in reading, writing, bilingualism, and multitasking research. It is also an implicit concept in most accounts of both translators' mental processes and expertise, where it is often related to controlled and automated processes, which are interrelated. TPR projects tend to equate problem solving with controlled processing, but problem solving is not fully conscious or analytic and TPR should consider many other factors and the translation event as a whole. On the other hand, automated processes seem to comprise several phenomena, such as the optimization of the bilingual mental lexicon, the proceduralization of translation routines, and the development of translation-specific monitoring and evaluative processes and coping tactics. Many of the coping tactics translators develop are epistemic actions that deserve further study. Focusing on mental load in TPR may foster both theoretical and empirical efforts and also establish a bridge with interpreting research.


Using information from the Amadeus dataset and the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey, we provide an empirical investigation of the industry and firm-specific determinants of the intensive margin (i.e., within existing firms) job creation process in eleven Central and Eastern European economies during the period 2002–2009. Our results indicate that during the years prior to the global financial crisis, traditional industries were crucial for the net intensive margin creation of jobs in the region but, by contrast, services firms were less vulnerable to the economic downturn. At the firm level, small and young already existing firms and subsidiaries of multinational corporate groups tended to register the highest employment growth rates. The empirical results also indicate that more productive surviving firms tended to be less vulnerable to the economic downturns in terms of employment change. The perceived quality of the business climate by enterprises of the region is robustly correlated with intensive margin employment growth both before and during the recent global financial crisis. Interestingly, the best performing surviving firms are estimated to be most negatively affected by a poor business environment. Institutional barriers thus appear as an important factor hampering firm growth in Central and Eastern Europe. These findings hold for the group of high-growth surviving firms (gazelles) that disproportionately accounted for the creation of new jobs in these economies.JEL classificationL16; L21; L25; L51; L53


Since its advent, the liner shipping industry has been characterized by fierce competition and cooperation amongst the member carriers. In recent years, almost all the liners have sought extensive cooperation with others, as reflected mainly by the formation of strategic shipping alliances. Despite this, there are still some liners who prefer the 'go-it-alone' policy and have achieved relative success. It seems that cooperation is not always necessary for a liner company's success. It follows that a study that aims to find the rationale behind liner cooperation (or non-cooperation) is of great significance. Over many years of development, game theory has proved to be a useful tool in the study of economics. It is analytically applicable in this market. With these arguments in mind, this paper aims to apply cooperative game theory to analyse co-operation among members of liner shipping strategic alliances. This will involve: (i) presenting a detailed and systematic analysis of liner shipping strategic alliances: (ii) a concise overview of the development of game theory with specific focus on cooperative game theory, and (iii) deducing a conceptual framework through the application of cooperative game theory to liner shipping strategic alliances. The accomplishment of the aforementioned objectives will enhance understanding of inter-organizational relationships and decision-making behaviour in the liner shipping sector.


Abstract Context. European rabbits evolved in Spain and Portugal and are adapted to winter-rainfall Mediterranean habitats. On introduction into Australia in 1859, wild rabbits quickly colonised similar habitats across the southern two-thirds of the continent. However, over the past 40 years, they have spread further into monsoonal savanna habitats in northern Queensland. Aims. To explain this, we considered adaptive responses of wild rabbits to hot conditions, particularly potential mechanisms for reducing the heat load of lactation, which has been identified as a likely limiting factor. Methods. We analysed data from captive wild rabbits to identify mechanisms that could potentially reduce lactational heat load, and obtained data from shot samples of wild rabbits from northern Queensland to determine which of these might be most important in the field. Key results. Rabbits spread food intake evenly across the 20-day lactation period and under hot conditions, captive wild individuals used body reserves to meet energy requirements for lactation, which is more energy efficient than converting digestible foods to milk. Conclusions. This strategy reduces the heat load of lactation, enabling rabbits to suckle young successfully under hot conditions, but it comes at a cost. Rabbits need extra body reserves before breeding and need to regain those reserves between litters. Implications. The slow spread of rabbits into Australia's monsoonal savannas is likely to continue, given the rabbit's reproductive flexibility and further natural selection for breeding in this environment.


Objectives During the last years, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified a number of common genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the genetic overlap between these two immune-mediated diseases has not been thoroughly examined so far. The aim of the present study was to identify additional risk loci shared between RA and SLE. Methods We performed a large-scale meta-analysis of GWAS data from RA (3911 cases and 4083 controls) and SLE (2237 cases and 6315 controls). The top-associated polymorphisms in the discovery phase were selected for replication in additional datasets comprising 13 641 RA cases and 31 921 controls and 1957 patients with SLE and 4588 controls. Results The rs9603612 genetic variant, located nearby the COG6 gene, an established susceptibility locus for RA, reached genome-wide significance in the combined analysis including both discovery and replication sets (p value=2.95E−13). In silico expression quantitative trait locus analysis revealed that the associated polymorphism acts as a regulatory variant influencing COG6 expression. Moreover, protein–protein interaction and gene ontology enrichment analyses suggested the existence of overlap with specific biological processes, specially the type I interferon signalling pathway. Finally, genetic correlation and polygenic risk score analyses showed cross-phenotype associations between RA and SLE. Conclusions In conclusion, we have identified a new risk locus shared between RA and SLE through a meta-analysis including GWAS datasets of both diseases. This study represents the first comprehensive large-scale analysis on the genetic overlap between these two complex disorders.


The purpose of this paper is to analyse the dynamics of problematization of ADHD in France and to understand how it emerged as a public issue in the last 15 years, drawing on the abundant production of reports related to the disorder during this period.
Until the end of the 1990s, the massive lack of academics' interest in ADHD, may have delayed its coming as an issue worth debating and enquiring about. As a consequence, ADHD emerged as a public issue in quite peculiar circumstances:
-Firstly, the INSERM collective expertises on various disorders, in which ADHD surfaced as an unsettled condition, provided high visibility to international bodies of literature and brought in a biological-oriented conception of these disorders, opening up debates on their very nature.
-Secondly, Hypersupers, the main French group of patients and families concerned with ADHD, took initiatives for assembling scientists and clinicians who manifested an interest in ADHD, though holding divergent views, an effort which culminated in the organization in 2009 of an international conference. Hypersupers also produced experiential knowledge on the disorder in order to "state the fact" of ADHD.
-Thirdly, working groups on disorders more or less associated to ADHD blossomed, which Hypersupers joined in some cases. All together, these successive groups sustained reflection over the last 15 years, and progressively constituted an epistemic community. Their enduring effort helps to understand the continuing elaboration and re-elaboration of public policies on these conditions.
-Fourthly, the 2005 French Disability Act led to the invention of the notion of "cognitive disability" which offered a conceptual framework for articulating medical care and education interventions that Hypersupers has long promoted, as much as it helped professionals working with disabled persons to enact such a multimodal approach.
The progressive emergence and installation of ADHD does not imply its univocal positing within the French scientific and medical landscape. The multimodal approach that Hypersupers and its network has been promoting from its beginnings is core to the French problematization of ADHD and led to ADHD care models integrating a variety of interventions, including psychotherapies.
We end the paper by some reflections on the issue of medicalization and the implications that the continuing problematization of ADHD as an unsettled condition have on public policies.


The goals of the present study were to analyze the accuracy of cytological techniques for the intra-operative diagnosis of central nervous system tumors. In this study, 50 patients with brain or spinal tumor (according to the previous physical examination and imaging studies) were evaluated in the neurosurgery center of Hazrat Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital. Cytological methods including touch, scrape and squash were performed on the fresh tissue specimen received during neurosurgical procedure. Later, cytological diagnoses were compared with final histopathological diagnoses of the same specimens. This comparison revealed 94% correlation between cytological and histopathological diagnoses(including 73% complete, 21% partial and 6% no correlation). In this study the highest rate of correlation was in cases with meningiomas, glial tumors, pituitary adenomas, medulloblastomas and epidermoid cysts.


The volatility of agricultural markets has increased remarkably in recent years. In spite of this, the way in which supply  chain  actors  perceive market  volatility  has  only  rarely  been  analyzed.  This  paper  seeks  to  close  this research gap by presenting empirical findings about how the volatility of agricultural markets is perceived, how increasing market volatilities are being explained, and what adaptations to the volatile external environments are being suggested. Based on a large‐scale media analysis, we have identified perceptions, which vary greatly over time, especially with regard to the perception of the threats and opportunities volatility creates for farms and firms and the most frequently identified reasons for volatile prices.


There are many examples of branching networks in nature, such as tree crowns, river systems, arteries and lungs. These networks have often been described as being self-similar, or following scale-invariant branching rules, and this property has been used to derive several scaling laws. In this paper we model root systems of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) as branching networks following several simple branching rules. Our objective is to establish a relationship between trunk diameter and root biomass. We explore the effect of the self-similar branching assumption on this relationship. Using data collected from a mature stand in British Columbia, we find that branching asymmetry and the rate of root taper change with root size, thereby violating the assumption of self-similarity. However, the data are in general agreement with Leonardo da Vinci's area-preserving branching hypothesis. We use the field data to parameterize two models, one assuming self-similar branching and a second incorporating the measured size dependencies of branching parameters. The two models differ by only a small amount (≈8%) in their predictions. For both models, the predicted relationship between trunk diameter and root biomass is in good concordance with previously published empirical data. We conclude that the assumption of self-similar branching, although violated by the data, nevertheless provides a useful tool for predicting the allometric relationship between trunk diameter and root biomass. Finally, we use our models to show that the geometric properties of individual bifurcations fundamentally change the root biomass cost of different root topologies.


A highly strained GaAs/GaAs0.64Sb0.36 single quantum well laser has been grown on GaAs (100) substrate by using solid source molecular beam epitaxy. The uncoated broad-area laser demonstrates 1.292 µm pulsed operation with a low threshold current density of 300 A/cm2. The spontaneous emission of the laser was also studied. The result reveals that the Auger recombination component dominates the threshold current at high temperature.


Rooted from the gas kinetics, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is a powerful tool in modeling hydrodynamics. In the past decade, it has been extended to simulate rarefied gas flows beyond the Navier-Stokes level, either by using the high-order Gauss-Hermite quadrature, or by introducing the relaxation time that is a function of the gas-wall distance. While the former method, with a limited number of discrete velocities (e.g., D2Q36), is accurate up to the early transition flow regime, the latter method (especially the multiple relaxation time (MRT) LBM), with the same discrete velocities as those used in simulating hydrodynamics (i.e., D2Q9), is accurate up to the free-molecular flow regime in the planar Poiseuille flow. This is quite astonishing in the sense that less discrete velocities are more accurate. In this paper, by solving the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook kinetic equation accurately via the discrete velocity method, we find that the high-order Gauss-Hermite quadrature cannot describe the large variation in the velocity distribution function when the rarefaction effect is strong, but the MRT-LBM can capture the flow velocity well because it is equivalent to solving the Navier-Stokes equations with an effective shear viscosity. Since the MRT-LBM has only been validated in simple channel flows, and for complex geometries it is difficult to find the effective viscosity, it is necessary to assess its performance for the simulation of rarefied gas flows. Our numerical simulations based on the accurate discrete velocity method suggest that the accuracy of the MRT-LBM is reduced significantly in the simulation of rarefied gas flows through the rough surface and porous media. Our simulation results could serve as benchmarking cases for future development of the LBM for modeling and simulation of rarefied gas flows in complex geometries.


The experience of the method of radiofrequency thermoablation in complex of treatment in 95 patients, suffering primary and metastatic hepatic cancer, was summarized. The lower complications rate, the shorter rehabilitation period in the patients in comparison with those indices after hepatic resection performance, the possibility to achieve the late results, comparable with those in surgical treatment, constitute the method advantages.


BACKGROUND
Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has shown to slow chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. This is most notable at the earlier stages of diabetic and proteinuric nephropathies. Objective. Here, we observed the impact of discontinuation of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi)/angiotensin receptors blockers (ARB) in patients with advanced kidney disease.

METHODS
52 patients (21 females and 31 males) with advanced CKD (stages 4 and 5), who attended our low clearance clinic (LCC) in preparation for renal replacement therapy (RRT). Mean age was 73.3 ± 1.8 years with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 16.38 ± 1 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Baseline urine protein:creatinine ratio (PCR) was 77 ± 20 mg/mmol. 46% suffered from diabetes mellitus. Patients were followed for at least 12 months before and after ACEi/ARB were stopped.

RESULTS
12 months after discontinuation of ACEi/ARB eGFR increased significantly to 26.6 ± 2.2 ml/min/ 1.73 m(2) (p = 0.0001). 61.5% of patients had more than a 25% increase in eGFR, whilst 36.5% had an increase exceeding 50%. There was a significant decline in the eGFR slope -0.39 ± 0.07 in the 12 months preceding discontinuation. The negative slope was reversed +0.48 ± 0.1 (p = 0.0001). Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) increased from 90 ± 1.8 mmHg to 94 ± 1.3 mmHg (p = 0.02), however ≥50% of patients remained within target. Overall proteinuria was not affected (PCR before = 77 ± 20 and after = 121.6 ± 33.6 mg/mmol).

CONCLUSION
Discontinuation of ACEi/ARB has undoubtedly delayed the onset of RRT in the majority of those studied. This observation may justify a rethink of our approach to the inhibition of the RAAS in patients with advanced CKD who are nearing the start of RRT.


The End of Marriage? argues that the order in which sex, marriage, cohabitation and childbirth occur can no longer be assumed, nor can the pattern of contributions that men and women make to the household. Indeed, maintains Jane Lewis, there is something of a vacuum which is being filled in part by an increase in negotiation at the household level. This questions the idea that individualism is necessarily selfish, which in turn raises issues regarding the regulation of the family, an increasingly delicate task for policymakers.


As part of the project 'competences for innovation', a question was posed by B.V. Twentsche Kabelfabriek (TKF) aimed at studying if and how the competences of production workers should be realigned with the innovation strategy. TKF strives to become a customer‐oriented solutions provider. A change has to be made from a more commodity‐based organization towards a provider of cable solutions for niche markets. To outperform competitors and to deliver high‐quality innovative solutions, innovation of processes, products and organisation is required. The central question of this research is which competences production workers (i.e. machine‐operators) should possess in order to contribute to organizational innovativeness. And to what extent are these competences possessed by the current machine‐operators?
Theory suggests that employees should display innovative work behaviour (IWB) to increase organizational innovativeness. IWB consists of four stages: opportunity exploration, idea generation, championing and application. All stages should be fulfilled to transform an idea into an innovation. A literature review provided various factors that stimulate IWB. The factors that I studied are individual factors and organizational factors. The individual factors can be divided in three categories: task‐related (role‐orientation production knowledge, challenging job), cognitive competence (educational level) and action competence (taking initiative). The organizational factors include leadership (delegating, support for innovation and providing resources) and innovation‐enhancing organizational climate (support for innovation).
In order to determine the innovativeness of the current machine‐operators, I developed a questionnaire based on the constructs that could be derived from the literature review. This questionnaire was handed out to the machine‐operators. The answers were anonymous. The response‐rate was 88%, which is remarkably high and provides a solid base for data analysis. Additional data were gathered by observing machine‐operators and shift leaders while they were working, and by informal interviews with the respondents. Based on these data the actual situation was determined. It turned out that machine‐operators find themselves to rarely or sometimes engage in innovative behaviour. The generation of ideas occurs more regularly, while championing and application of ideas scores quite low. Regarding their production‐related skills (task‐related competence) and the willingness to take initiative (action competence), machine‐operators are relatively positive. The group of respondents scores quite low on educational level (cognitive competence). They find their work challenging and are relatively positive regarding the leadership aimed at support for innovation and delegating responsibilities. Providing resources for innovative ideas scores somewhat lower. The most striking result is the low score on (self‐rated) innovative work behaviour.
To indicate what the desired situation would be if competences were aligned with the organizational strategy, managers filled out the questionnaire as well. One stating the expected current situation and a second version concerning the desired situation. It turned out that managers' perception of the current situation differed from machine‐operators. In fact, managers tend to underestimate what machine‐operators think they are capable of.
Based on the theoretical framework regarding factors that enhance IWB, some recommendations can be formulated. TKF should start by informing employees about the importance of innovation and the role of the employee in this. Moreover, employees report that they are willing to take initiative. Combining this with the perceived unutilized potential of machine‐operators, a chance would be to increase the responsibilities of these employees. This can be done by delegating responsibilities by shift leaders or by departments such as R&D and process and technology. This will further challenge the employee and enhance innovative work behaviour. Besides, providing resources for innovative ideas might enhance the championing and application of ideas. Furthermore, upgrading employees' cognitive competences or recruiting new highly‐educated proactive individuals might increase organizational innovativeness. A slightly different, but crucial recommendation that I suggest to improve the current situation, is to enhance the communication throughout the different levels of the organization. Informing shift leaders regarding crucial strategic choices and other decisions that affect the employees within Operations is important. The shift leaders work directly with the machine‐operators on a daily basis. When striving for a change on the shop floor, shift leaders are key persons. TKF should inform about, organize and facilitate for, stimulate and implement innovative ideas.


Nanotechnology is gaining tremendous impetus in the present century due to its capability of modulating metals into their nano size, which drastically changes the chemical, physical and optical properties of metals. The extremely small size of nanoparticles help them to occupy a greater surface area and hence a better accessibility and targeted action. Nanoparticles can overcome existing drug resistance mechanisms, including decreased uptake and increased efflux of drug from the microbial cell, biofilm formation, and intracellular bacteria. Nanoparticles can target antimicrobial agents to the site of infection, so that higher doses of drug are given at the infected site, thereby overcoming resistance. Antibacterial nanoparticles are also very important in the textile industry, water disinfection, medicine, and food packaging. Organic compounds which are used for disinfection have some disadvantages, including toxicity to the human body; therefore, the interest in inorganic disinfectants such as metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) is increasing. Present review focuses the wide application of different antimicrobial nanoparticles against various pathogens infecting plants and animals as well. Chitosan based nanoparticles are effective against broad range of gram positive and gram negative bacteria, which can be applied for medical applications due to less toxicity caused. Various carbon based nanoparticles like carbon nanotubes, fullerene and graphene oxide nanoparticles are toxic against the pathogens like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Bulkholderia cepecia and various others which are animal and plant pathogens. Metal oxide nanoparticles like Al2O3, Fe3O4, CeO4, ZnO, MgO, TiO2 etc. are very useful against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella sp. and Streptococcus sp. which are medicinally important pathogens. Besides this other nanoparticles like gold nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles are also gaining their attention due to wide host range and targeted action.


In this paper, the author studies water supply tariffs setting schemes, the structure of the tariffs, and other issues related to this process.   The target was set to study water supply tariffs regulation principles both in Latvia and in the European Union aiming to set forward solutions for optimisation of  tariff-setting processes. The following tasks were set forward for reaching the target: 1. studying theoretical aspects of public utilities regulation and the setting of tariffs, 2. evaluation of tariffs structure in Latvia and Lithuania, 3. finding out and analysing the principal factors of tariffs increase, 4. ellaboration  of a new solution for the optimisation of the tariffs setting process. Scientific research methods and materials: 1) scientific deduction method when analysing theory on the issue studied; 2) scientific induction method when summarising study research results, evaluations, conclusions, suggestions; 3) dynamic time series analyses aiming at finding out development progress and rate of processes, facts and costs; 4) graphical method when visualising data surveyed and executed; 5) data grouping and dynamic analyses method has been applied for the analyses of the statistical data; 6) evaluation of computer programmes to select the most appropriate for reaching the target set. This research paper consists of an introduction, four interrelated chapters, conclusions and proposals. The first part of the paper describes the specificity of monopoly market and the necessity of regulation of public services. In the second part of the paper the Author analysis the regulation of public utilities in water management in Latvia and Lithuania, the structure of water supply tariffs is being compared and analysed. In the third chapter the process of determining water management tariffs is being researched, in the fourth chapter – problems related to the regulation of water management tariffs have been identified. The Author mentions implementing the ESF projects as one of the reasons for tariff increase. Their impact on tariffs the Author will evaluate in her future research. Another problem that has been identified is the complicated revision and analysis process of tariff, which is rather long and demands both human and time resources. To solve the problem the Author proposes to introduce a new innovative method – the visualisation of geo-information that would allow to compare similar enterprises – public utilities providers (on similar criteria) making the process of tariff evaluation faster. Scientific research and publications by Latvian and foreign scholars, data by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Developmentof the Republic of Latvia, information by tariffs regulatory institutions in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, theoretical and analytical literature as well as other information sources listed under the List of Literature  have been used for the research. As a result of the study the Author suggests to use the software of geographic information system for the optimization of water tariffs comparison, evaluation and setting processes that would enable for visualisation option. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.7.3726


Background: Medical students play an important role in creating a supportive environment within their communities for screening behaviours in health promotion. Medical students must possess the appropriate knowledge concerning breast self examination (BSE) and breast cancer to be effective health educators. objective: To investigate the level of knowledge concerning BSE and breast cancer and to evaluate the practice of BSE among female medical students. Materials and methods: A crosssectional descriptive study conducted between March and June 2008 involving female students drawn from schools within the College of Health sciences, University of Nairobi. The questionnaires contained items on the biodata, knowledge and practice of BSE and knowledge on breast cancer. Responses on awareness on breast cancer were weighed using a 3-point Likert's scale. Results: A total of 169 respondents were interviewed. Majority (94.6%) had heard about BSE with 114 (69.9%) having ever practiced it. Less than 20% of the respondents performed BSE regularly. There were no significant differences between clinical and preclinical students. Mass media was the most common source of information (45.2%). Relatives an formal lectures formed the least (7%) source of information for the respondents. Significant interschool differences on knowledge and practice are presented. Conclusion: Despite being aware, a significant proportion of female medical students do not practice BSE. Information
dissemination regarding breast health is underprovided among family members. Recommendation: Programs targeting improved propagation of information and BSE especially among medical trainees should be instituted so as to strengthen health promotion in the community. Key words: Breast self examination, breast cancer, female medical students


The endogenous opioid dynorphin A-(1-17) (Dyn A) has been implicated as a mediator of tissue damage after traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) and causes hindlimb paralysis when administered intrathecally. Motor impairment following intrathecal Dyn A is attenuated by antagonists of excitatory amino acids (EAAs); whether opioid receptors mediate such injury has been questioned. TSCI causes various biochemical changes associated with secondary tissue damage, including alterations in tissue amio acids, phospholipids, and fatty acids. Such changes reflect injury severity and correlate with motor dysfunction. The present studies examined whether dynorphin administration causes similar biochemical alterations and whether effects of Dyn A can be modified by treatment with opioid-receptor antagonists. At 24 hr after intrathecal Dyn A, there were significant declines in tissue levels of glutamate, aspartate, and glycine. Increases in total free fatty acids were found at 2 and 24 hr, reflecting changes in both saturated and unsaturated components, which were associated with significant decreases in tissue cholesterol and phospholipid phosphorus at the earlier time point. Each of these neurochemical changes, as well as corresponding motor deficits, were limited by pretreatment with the opioid antagonist nalmefene. In separate experiments, both nalmefene and the selective kappa-opioid antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) limited dynorphin- induced motor dysfunction; effects of nor-BNI were dose related, and those of nalmefene were stereospecific. Therefore, behavioral and neurochemical consequences of Dyn A administration are mediated in part through opiate receptors, most likely kappa-receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This study explores the potential of Canadian immigrant community-based theatre as a means of promoting empowerment among newcomers. Alongside an integrated literature review, the paper centres on a case study of a group of five Canadian immigrant women and their coordinator who participated in a community-based theatre project in Toronto called Tomorrow's Time, funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and facilitated by Working Women Community Centre. The development of the group and the play, the actors' involvement, the roles of the funder, facilitators, and directors are described and discussed. The paper concludes that the processes involved in community-based theatre contributed to the participants' personal and social empowerment in terms of developing confidence, acting skills, integration within communities, and involvement in peer education. Additionally, findings support the critical necessity of a sensitive director, equitable compensation of participants' contributions, and inclusion of participants' narratives as characteristics of successful community-based theatre.


Fluctuations in census increase staffing costs for most hospitals. By aggregating patients care units and implementing optimal patient placement rules, a hospital can reduce its census variation and nursing labor costs for the aggregated units. There rules are developed through a decision-support technique called economic sizing to lower overall nursing labor costs. Economic sizing established the sequence and census levels by which patients are placed on nursing units.


Society 5.0 focuses on people and changes from innovation to technological transformation through industrial automation 4.0. In this study, environmental turbulence refers to exogenous factors that give rise to an uncertain and volatile situation that impacts performance. This study was measured by asking respondents' perceptions through explanatory studies and preliminary surveys about market predictability, innovation, and customer preference. Disruptive innovation and environmental turbulence are key creative drivers for reengineering businesses; however, only agile innovation can take advantage of the economic downturn. Exploratory case studies and literature reviews are using to test the antecedent of environmental turbulence, Distinctive Innovation Capabilities, through an innovative business model to firm performance. From a managerial perspective, this study provides a comprehensive view of environmental turbulence's impact, how to develop a DIC strategy for developing an organization's business model, how to achieve it, what variables contribute, and how to relate it to performance. This research's authenticity lies in how management comes up with a practically oriented framework of how organizations shape to be innovative and competitive by constructing common business models. However, this study has limitations due to its qualitative nature and conceptual framework, which needs to be investigated further through large-scale surveys by quantitative research.


Background: Our aim was to evaluate the long-term treatment results in patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with endovascular techniques. Methods: Forty-four patients treated due to intracranial aneurysms between 1996 and 2002 were investigated with a time-of-flight sequence magnetic resonance angiography (TOF MRA). Results: Depending on the assessment, 47% to 51% of the treated aneurysms had a residual neck at the last digital subtraction angiography follow-up. There was filling of the aneurysm base (2%) in only 1 patient, whereas the remaining aneurysms were totally occluded. A TOF MRA performed 6 to 14 (mean 9.68) years after the last procedure showed a stable result in 93.9% of the treated aneurysms. There were no de novo aneurysms and previously untreated aneurysms were unchanged in size. Conclusion: Our long-term follow-up showed a stable result in previously coiled intracranial aneurysms.


Backward induction is a benchmark of game theoretic rationality, yet surprisingly little is known as to how humans discover and initially learn to apply this abstract solution concept in experimental settings. We use behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to study the way in which subjects playing in a sequential game of perfect information learn the optimal backward induction strategy for the game. Experimental data from our two studies support two main findings: First, subjects converge to a common process of recursive inference similar to the backward induction procedure for solving the game. The process is recursive because earlier insights and conclusions are used as inputs in later steps of the inference. This process is matched by a similar pattern in brain activation, which also proceeds backward, following the prediction error: brain activity initially codes the responses to losses in final positions; in later trials this activity shifts to the starting position. Second, the learning process is not exclusively cognitive, but instead combines experience-based learning and abstract reasoning. Critical experiences leading to the adoption of an improved solution strategy appear to be stimulated by brain activity in the reward system. This indicates that the negative affect induced by initial failures facilitates the switch to a different method of solving the problem. Abstract reasoning is combined with this response, and is expressed by activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Differences in brain activation match differences in performance between subjects who show different learning speeds.


There are a number of dermatoglyphic patterns that occur more frequently in certain syndromes than in the general population. The relative frequencies of various dermatoglyphic features have been reviewed for nine chromosomal disorders, three single-gene defects, three syndromes of unknown cause, and one caused by an environmental teratogen. The data are presented in a form that may aid the clinician in arriving at a diagnosis.


Tropical and subtropical regions have seen an alarming increase in vector-borne diseases especially tick-borne diseases. Ehrlichiosis is one of the most important vector-borne disease from a zoonotic perspective and it can be even more lethal in dogs and humans a compromised immune system. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of E. canis in Van province of Turkey. A total of 387 blood samples were collected from dogs in Van veterinary clinics in 2019. Extracted DNAs were run through Nested PCR using the appropriate primers. A total of 79 samples out of 387 were E. canis positive at 389 bp revealed by Nested PCR. Sanger method was used for DNA sequencing of two selected positive samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that relevant amplicon was 100% compatible with 16S RNA gene isolated from E. canis in many geographical regions.