Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs) have recently been advocated as a highly efficient and environmentally benign 'green' phosphorus (P) nanofertilizer in modern agriculture. However, knowledge of how low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) secreted by plants in agricultural soils mediate the dissolution of HANPs and release of dissolved phosphate is nonexistent. Here, three of the most commonly occurring LMWOAs (acetic, oxalic, and citric acids) were evaluated for their roles in HANPs dissolution in both batch and column systems. Particularly, O-isotopic ratios of dissolved phosphate during HANPs dissolution were measured to disentangle mechanisms controlling isotope fractionation. Our results reveal that in a batch system HANPs dissolution was very fast but the overall dissolution efficiency was low (≤30%), unlike in a column system where ∼100% dissolution was achieved. The low dissolution efficiency of HANPs in the batch system was due predominantly to rapid consumption of protons, whereas in the column system the HANPs were progressively dissolved by low pH LMWOAs and reaction products were eluted out. Regardless of LMWOA type and experimental system, the isotopically lighter phosphate (P16O4) was preferentially released during the initial phases of dissolution and dissolved phosphate became gradually P18O4-enriched with time. This fractionation was less in batch (−0.3‰ to +1.1‰) than in column (−1.3‰ to +1.1‰) systems due primarily to lower dissolution efficiency and higher P16O4 and P18O4 exchange between HANPs and dissolved phosphates. The Rayleigh model well described O-isotopic fractionation of dissolved phosphate under different LMWOAs. Overall, our findings provide important insights into the dissolution kinetics and O-isotopic evolution of phosphate-based NPs that are relevant to plant–soil systems particularly at the rhizosphere.


Two degenerate SDEs arising in statistical physics are studied. The first is a Langevin equation with state-dependent noise and damping. The second is the equation of motion for a particle obeying Stokes' law in a Gaussian random field; this field is chosen to mimic certain features of turbulence. Both equations are hypo-elliptic and smoothness of probability densities may be established. By developing appropriate Lyapunov functions and by studying the necessary control problems, geometric ergodicity is proved.


The diurnal cycles of mitotic activity in the ear epidermis of the adult male mouse have been determined by the removal of earclips at 2 hr. intervals throughout the 24 hr. The mice used were between 3 and 4 months old, and were of the Kreyberg white label and Strong's CBA strains. A considerable degree of individual variation was found, but on the average the maximum mitotic activity was at 06.00 and 14.00 hr. and the minimum mitotic activity at 10.00 and 20.00 hr. This observation was confirmed by killing groups of mice, each group consisting of five males, at the same 2 hr. intervals throughout the 24 hr. Similar variations in the mitotic activity of the ear epidermis were observed, and, in addition, similar cycles were evident in the mid-dorsal epidermis of the back, the stratified epithelium of the oesophagus, the lining epithelium of the epididymis, and the proliferating zone of the duodenal mucosa. In this last tissue the rate of cell division never fell to a very low figure, and in the proliferating centres of the intestinal lymph nodules and in the seminiferous tubules of the testis there was no trace of a cycle since the rate of cell division remained constantly high. A study was also made of the spontaneous bodily activity of the mice throughout the 24 hr., and by comparing the average figures so obtained with the average figures for epidermal mitosis, it proved possible to make the significant correlation that when the animals are at rest mitotic activity is at a maximum and that when they are awake and active it is at a minimum. This correlation permits an explanation of the individual variation in mitotic activity, since there is also a high degree of individual variation in spontaneous bodily activity. It also permits an explanation of the contradictory results which have been reported in the past regarding diurnal mitosis rhythms in mice, since it is evident that the rhythms of bodily activity must be strongly affected by differences in the age, sex and condition of the animals used, in the season of the year, and in the routine of the laboratory.


The purpose of this research was to summarize the major findings and implications of employee perception on retention factors from the results of the survey questionnaire. First it connects the importance of human resource management to business strategies. Assets, including human resources forms part of the organizations competitive advantage. Thus to keep key employees in the organization, the human resource practitioner must think of ways and means to retain them. The second part discusses the conceptual framework by identifying the relationship of employee perception to the eight factors of employee retention, the end goal of which is employee retention. It presents the eight factors, the studies made through the years and their influence to employee decision. The last part of this literature review views the three dimensions to bring strategic employee retention; employee perception, human resource practices, programs and policies, and employer branding.


Buildings consume a vast amount of energy during the life cycle stages of construction, use and demolition. Total life cycle energy use in a building consists of two components: embodied and operational energy. Embodied energy is expended in the processes of building material production, on-site delivery, construction, maintenance, renovation and final demolition. Operational energy is consumed in operating the buildings. Studies have revealed the growing significance of embodied energy inherent in buildings and have demonstrated its relationship to carbon emissions. Current interpretations of embodied energy are quite unclear and vary greatly, and embodied energy databases suffer from the problems of variation and incomparability. Parameters differ and cause significant variation in reported embodied energy figures. Studies either followed the international Life Cycle ystem boundary Assessment (LCA) standards or did not mention compliance with any standard. Literature states that the current LCA standards fail to provide complete guidance and do not address some important issues. It also recommends developing a set of standards to streamline the embodied energy calculation process. This paper discusses parameters causing problems in embodied energy data and identifies unresolved issues in current LCA standards. We also recommend an approach to derive guidelines that could be developed into a globally accepted protocol. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Nanocomposites are materials that integrate either a unit of nanoscale material or multi-units of nanoscale material into a matrix of a standard substance. The main purpose of the current study is to fabricate and evaluate nanocomposite transdermal films of Etoricoxib. The transdermal films of etoricoxib were developed with a mixture of polymers viz. Eudragit RL-100 and HPMC K4M, with or without different percentages of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT, 1, 3, 5, and 10%, w/w of total polymer) using solvent casting method. Various parameters including FT-IR, DSC, drug content, folding endurance, moisture content, moisture uptake, water vapour permeability (WVP), and in-vitro drug release employing Franz diffusion cell were assessed for the prepared films. The absence of interaction between the drug and polymers was confirmed by FT-IR and DSC studies. The thickness of the resulted films was within the range of 0.33±2.76 µm to 0.43±2.76 µm. The weights of prepared films were between 85.1±1.3 mg to 85.15±0.8 mg. The drug content was measured to be between 4.486 and 5.993 mg. The folding endurance of the developed films ranged from 237.33±7.8 to 342±6.5. The moisture content (%) was between 5.91 ± 1.2% and 8.84 ± 4.0%, whereas the percent moisture uptake of prepared films was observed to be between 8.23 ± 2.1% and 12.38 ±3.6%. The WVP of films was found to be 97.08 ± 0.57 g/m 2 /day to 194.17 ± 0.81 g/m 2 /day. In-vitro release studies revealed that formulation F4 prepared with an equal amount (50:50) of Eudragit RL-100 and HPMC K4M, and 5% MWCNT shows the highest drug release after 24 hr of study.The above results imply that the nanocomposite films could be an effective tool for transdermal delivery of etoricoxib and could act as a better prospect in replacing the oral dosage form.


A new gene encoding a 35.8-kDa mosquitocidal toxin (Mtx3; 326 amino acids) was isolated from Bacillus sphaericus SSII-1 DNA. Mtx3 is a new type of mosquitocidal toxin with homology to the Mtx2 mosquitocidal toxin of B. sphaericus SSII-1, the epsilon-toxin of Clostridium perfringens, and the cytotoxin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The mtx3 gene is highly conserved and widely distributed in both high- and low-toxicity mosquito larvicidal strains of B. sphaericus.


We present a semi-analytical method for accurate modeling of wave propagation in cylindrically symmetric subwavelength metal-dielectric multilayers. Utilizing a cylindrical transfer matrix method, we compute the amplitude transfer function of cylindrical hyperlens, simulate the exact field distribution and propagation for a given source and compare it to that in effective hyperbolic medium. We investigate the conditions under which the effective medium theory (EMT) is valid and show that in cylindrical configuration, a new degree of freedom is present in the applicability of the EMT-the ratio between the inner radius of the structure and the unit cell size.


Abstract A critical discussion of recent studies that analysed the effects of climate change on the water resources of the River Nile Basin (RNB) is presented. First, current water-related issues on the RNB showing the particular vulnerability to environmental changes of this large territory are described. Second, observed trends in hydrological data (such as temperature, precipitation, river discharge) as described in the recent literature are presented. Third, recent modelling exercises to quantify the effects of climate changes on the RNB are critically analysed. The many sources of uncertainty affecting the entire modelling chain, including climate modelling, spatial and temporal downscaling, hydrological modelling and impact assessment are also discussed. In particular, two contrasting issues are discussed: the need to better recognize and characterize the uncertainty of climate change impacts on the hydrology of the RNB, and the necessity to effectively support decision-makers and propose suitable adaptation strategies and measures. The principles of a code of good practice in climate change impact studies based on the explicit handling of various sources of uncertainty are outlined. Citation Di Baldassarre, G., Elshamy, M., van Griensven, A., Soliman, E., Kigobe, M., Ndomba, P., Mutemi, J., Mutua, F., Moges, S., Xuan, J.-Q., Solomatine, D. & Uhlenbrook, S. (2011) Future hydrology and climate in the River Nile basin: a review. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(2), 199–211.


Abstract:There has been growing disquiet about the reach and restrictive nature of historic area controls in recent years, with some critics arguing that UNESCO listings of historic cities, for example, leads to a kind of "urbanicide." Conversely, some preservation advocates have been alarmed by the tendency for cities to encourage and support architecturally alien interventions in highly valued and formally recognized historic areas. Consequently, there is an emerging discussion around the level of deference that is appropriate in such places and about the degree of aesthetic disjunction and difference that should be tolerated. This paper proposes, however, that the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved by resorting only to character guidelines, nor solely to conservation methodology or planning rules of thumb. While the outcome is paramount, we argue that it is an ethic of participation in the context, rather than a required aesthetic, that better drives new architectural projects in valued historical environments.This paper explores this proposition by considering two recent projects by the small Australian practice, OOF! Architecture. Both are situated within conservation areas. One takes a kind of architectural found object, the remnants of a decaying two-storey timber cottage, and sews it into a new architectural project. The other deploys a prevalent brickwork tradition to produce an architectural super-graphic that very literally initiates a dialogue with the neighborhood. These projects serve to illustrate the formal and cultural potential of a reanimated concept of architectural participation in historical places.


Early Gothic Revival architecture in Canada, particularly from the period prior to the 1840s, when the influence of A. W. N. Pugin and the Ecclesiologists began to be felt, has been little studied. This paper reconstructs a lost monument-St. Mary9s, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as erected 1820-1830-which may have been the first ambitious essay in the Gothic Revival style, especially as it apparently precedes by a few years the single and most famous monument of this time, the parish church of Notre-Dame in Montreal, itself often considered the starting point of the style in Canada. Although the exterior of St. Mary9s was modest-essentially it was an exemplar of the rectangular box with "west" tower, definitively formulated by James Gibbs, and ubiquitous since the 1720s-with Gothic detailing replacing Baroque, the interior, known only from one watercolor and partly surviving today, is of greater interest. Divided into nave and aisles by piers of clustered shafts, the piers9 form, plus plaster vaults and pointed arches, helped create an aura reminiscent of the Gothic period. The interior was dominated by the design of the sanctuary (now destroyed), where an unusual congregation of architectural forms suggests both the appearance of illusionistic architecture, with a possible connection to New York, and a further transformation of Baroque forms into their Gothic equivalents, with a possible connection to Quebec City. Tenuous, circumstantial evidence will be provided to substantiate the plausibility of such sources. This paper also attempts to place St. Mary9s in the context of the Gothic Revival in North America c. 1820-1830. As a result, it will be seen that its exterior, although without precedents in Canada, is typical of Gothic Revival churches of the period in the United States. By contrast, the interior design, especially of the sanctuary, suggests it was one of the more imaginative creations in either context. It therefore emerges as a more significant monument in the history of Canadian and North American architecture than heretofore suspected.


Rare calcareous nannofossils from the Cape Roberts Project drillhole CRP-2A indicate that this area was episodically invaded by marginal oceanic surface waters during the a t e and late early Oligocene. These depauperate assemblages lack most of the biostratigraphic index fossils for the Oligocene, but do provide two da tum that aid in constraining the age of the section: the last appearance datum (LAD) of Dic~ococc i tes bisectiis (23.9 Ma) at 149.28 mbsf and the LAD of Clzic~s~~zolithns altus (26.1 Ma) at 412.25 mbsf. Calcareous nannofossil assemblages stratigraphically below r. 440 mbsf contain conspicuous evidence of reworking of older (late Eocene) specimens that renders age determination difficult.


Purpose
This paper aims to address risks inherent in business model innovation. The authors make the case that entrepreneurs and managers, in relying on sources of innovation when designing business models, need to pay heed to these hidden risks – or tripwires – that can prevent the venture from efficiently, effectively and profitably scaling. The authors provide a guiding framework to help entrepreneurs and managers identify four distinct tripwires in their business model underlying the sources of innovation.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors build a systematic framework of the four tripwires – structure, scaling, systems and strategy – underlying offer-driven, customer-driven, finance-driven and resource-driven business model innovations. By relying on academic research, the authors' scholarly work on organizational decline, innovation and corporate turnaround and the authors combined experiences and observations in industry, this study makes explicit and highlights problem areas in the business model, providing examples of representative companies to illustrate the challenges and consequences of failing to identify and manage its tripwires.

Findings
The authors demonstrate that awareness and attention to the tripwires underlying sources of innovation can mitigate a business model's future challenges. Business model innovations can and often do conceal hazards that become apparent only as a venture begins to grow. As such, it is essential that entrepreneurs and managers attend to these potential problem areas in the early stages of designing their business models. In bringing awareness to innovation-related tripwires, the authors offer a risk-management "patch" for managers and entrepreneurs when developing their business models.

Originality/value
Business model innovation is a powerful tool to help in identifying growth opportunities. Yet in launching, scaling or transforming their business models, entrepreneurs and managers can encounter unforeseen challenges. While sources of innovation in the business model prioritize the discovery of growth opportunities, this has often come at the expense of the potential risks underlying them. The authors provide a means to identify four distinct tripwires that may be triggered when implementing business model innovations.


One of the main challenges that Asian countries are facing, and will continue to face in the coming years, is the need to adjust their economic and social systems in accordance with the process of globalization. This process cannot be managed equitably and efficiently without social dialogue among the main stakeholders. From the ILO's perspective, tripartism and social dialogue are integral components of decent work and essential channels for achieving it. As stated by the ILO Director General 'cohesive tripartism is the ILO's bedrock'. The main goal of social dialogue is to promote consensus building and democratic involvement among the main stakeholders in key aspects relating to the work environment. The objective of this publication is to introduce concepts of social dialogue at the workplace, enumerate enabling conditions for social dialogue to work effectively, and demonstrate positive features of social dialogue with empirical studies.


We propose a self-consistent site-dependent Hubbard U approach for density functional theory (DFT)+U calculations of defects in complex transition metal oxides, using Hubbard parameters computed via linear response theory. The formation of a defect locally perturbs the chemical environment of Hubbard sites in its vicinity, resulting in different Hubbard U parameters for different sites. Using oxygen vacancies in SrMnO3 as a model system, we investigate the dependence of U on the chemical environment and study its influence on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of defective bulk and strained thin-film structures. Our results show that a self-consistent U improves the description of stoichiometric bulk SrMnO3 with respect to generalized gradient approximation (GGA) or GGA+U calculations using an empirical U. For defective systems, U changes as a function of the distance of the Hubbard site from the defect, its oxidation state, and the magnetic phase of the bulk structure. Taking into account this dependence, in turn, affects the computed defect formation energies and the predicted strain- and/or defect-induced magnetic phase transitions, especially when occupied localized states appear in the band gap of the material upon defect creation.


The convenience of dynamic anterior cervical PMMA biomaterial placement of spinal implants is considered by finite element modeling. The maximum fatigue behavior was also studied in surface coated Ti-5Al-2.55n spinal screw-rods. Anterior cervical biomaterial plates reduce the hazard for spinal cord injury and provide outstanding fixation for the anterior column, to stop the relocation and slackening of screws-rods by a cross-split screw crown that may be fastened into the biomaterial plate. This article reports about the hollow Ti-5Al-2.55n screw and cervical biomaterial PMMA plate system. The flexion movement of the spine implant was modeled to control the stresses and strains of the bone and screw interfaces under the external forces, as well as motion of the vertebrae by finite element modeling. This computational engineering analysis is aimed to support patients suffering anterior cervical arthrodesis after degenerative disease or trauma. The data from this research may provide an essential base to estimate the stabilization quality. A model for the biomaterial between C4 and C6 segments of vertebrae of cervical spine was obtained. Study of the cervical biomaterial implant provides instantaneous secure fixation virtual experiment with minimal complications, before the real implant surgery, using computer aided virtual engineering.


The modern industry discourse on sustainability is the idea of 'green growth', which is described as the paradox of the continuation of increased economic growth, at the same time as increasing sustainability. Policy makers face the challenge of how to encourage and sustain appropriate levels of individual behavioural change to manage consumption in a changing environment. In addressing this challenge, this study seeks to move beyond discrete elements of human consumption behaviour and develop a better understand of the wider inputs including culture, societal norms, institutions and governance. The research methodology adopted uses a systematic literature review approach coupled with thematic analysis. The study presents a new understanding of the interrelatedness of consumption policy, social structures, and the boundary arrangements of governance. What emerges is a focus on the role of governance and societal context in influencing outcomes. A fundamental output of the study is the designation of 27 evidence-based principles of change. These principles represent a new framework: the Governance and Sustainable Policy Development (GSPD) framework or 'Road Map', designed to guide decision making and aid the understanding of what motivates individuals and institutions within a wider neo-liberal societal system to manage their consumption from a more sustainable policy and governance perspective.


In recent optoelectronic communication systems, microprocessors tend to be imbedded on-chip with analog interface circuitry. This results in a critical substrate noise issues for mixed-signal chip designers because switching transients in digital MOS circuits can interfere with analog circuits integrated on the same die by means of coupling through the substrate. In order to optimize the dynamic range of the system and to minimize the sensitivity to substrate noise, many noise-reduction techniques, such as a P+ guard ring, a N-well guard ring, trench oxide isolation, and MOSCAP have been developed and employed to suppress substrate noise generated by clocking of the digital circuitry in microprocessor. In this paper, a fully differential method is described, which is used to reduce the substrate noise effect caused by the microprocessor. This approach has been implemented in a communications data processing application, in which the microprocessor is located next to the analog current-input optical data receiver and quantization circuits which have a sensitivity of -28 dBm and variable gain characteristic for power efficiency. Both simulated and experimental results of this design approach are presented herein.


The decorative mosaic adorning the ancient synagogue floor is innocent of its future. Good luck, it means to say, or my swastika hands miming perpetual motion wish you everlasting peace and prosperity. And what coincidence sends my son running across the plaza, blowing again and again on his precious pinwheel toy? Say what you mean, I want to shout. I am listening to the politicians in the courtyard, excavating for small truths buried beneath thick stratum of tedious lies. And when I am dust who will interpret these few odd poems addressed to family and friends? When I am gone who will explain Dante's politics to my child? Exiled during the war of the Blacks and the Whites, did his writings favor empire or church? Sometimes I forget even my own lust for small temporary power. Good luck. is my wish for my son who briefly holds his breath as if contemplating his future, and the pinwheel of words he will spin into the world to disguise or uncover his meanings. — Richard Michelson


The conditions of cascade extraction and isolation of some active constituents from Siraitia grosvenorii were optimized. The active constituents were extracted by ultrasonic extraction and isolated by chromatography; the obtained active constituents were determined by HPLC and/or spectrophotometry etc. The yields of the active constituents were as follows, mogroside 3.97% (purity 91.84%), polyphenol 3.45%, free polysaccharide 12.53%, free oligosaccharide 11.96%, combined polysaccharide 2.29%, combined oligosaccharide 2.88%, amino acids 6.54% and alkaloid 7.06%. This extraction process could be used as a guideline for the multi-utilization of Siraitia grosvenorii.


Development of new photoresponsive polyoxometalate hybrids is an active research area in recent years. Aromatic sulfonium counter ion based polyoxometalates are a relatively new class of materials having immense potential for structural and electronic fine-tuning. Continuing our studies on aromatic sulfonium polyoxometalates as tunable photochromic materials, herein we report four new aromatic sulfonium polyoxomolybdates, (DMTS)3[PMo12O40] (1), (MPDS)3[PMo12O40] (2), (HMPDS)3[PMo12O40] (3) and (BMPMS)3[PMo12O40] (4); where DMTS = dimethyl(p-tolyl)sulfonium, MPDS = (4-methoxyphenyl)dimethylsulfonium, HMPDS = (4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)dimethylsulfonium and BMPMS = butyl(4-methoxyphenyl)methylsulfonium. These hybrids were characterized by various analytical and spectroscopic techniques including ESI-MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction (hybrids 1, 2 and 4) analyses. Solid state studies revealed that these hybrids exhibit a color change from yellow to green or dark green under UV illumination and the photochromic properties exhibited by these hybrids can be fine-tuned by introducing various substituents on the counter ion moiety at multiple locations. The observed color change is due to the reduction of the Mo6+ centers of the cluster to Mo5+, as evidenced by EPR studies. The effects of various substitutions introduced on the counter ion moiety in determining the photocoloration speeds of the hybrids are discussed.


The precise definition of performance limit states at both the member and structure levels, considering brittle failure modes, is essential to arrive at reliable earthquake loss estimation systems for reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. A wide range of shear failure prediction approaches that account for the impacts of shearaxial interaction and flexural ductility on shear supply are thus assessed analytically and experimentally in this study, aiming at selecting verified models for the vulnerability assessment of pre-seismic code and code-conforming RC buildings. The shear supply models of both columns and shear walls are implemented in a versatile post-processor to monitor the shear supply-demand response during multistep dynamic simulations. Ten reference structures are adopted to represent pre-code and modern RC buildings in the highly populated and seismically active areas of the UAE, which is selected as a case study to represent medium seismicity regions. The pre-code structures are assessed using a diverse range of far-field and near-source seismic events, while the vulnerability of code-conforming buildings is investigated under the effect of horizontal ground motions only (HGMs) as well as both horizontal and vertical ground motions (HVGMs). Based on the extensive inelastic dynamic response simulations of the pre-code buildings, it is concluded that the influence of shear assessment on the performance limit states is more pronounced on shear wall structures compared with frame buildings, particularly for relatively medium-rise wall structures. For this class of buildings, the impact of shear response on the results obtained from both far-field and near-source earthquake scenarios is observable. For code-conforming structures, the impact of shear assessment on the performance limit states is more observable under the effect of HVGMs, particularly vii medium-rise wall structures. The results confirmed that the damage probabilities of both pre-seismic code and modern buildings increase with decreasing the building height. Therefore, earthquake scenario-structure-based limit state criteria are selected and used to derive a wide range of fragility relationships for the ten reference buildings using different earthquake scenarios. The results of the analytical study reflected the pressing need for confirmatory testing to provide further insights into the shear response of RC members under cyclic loading and the suitable shear strength models for the vulnerability assessment. Shake table testing is thus conducted for shear vulnerable RC specimen representing the framing system of a substandard building. The specimen is subjected to a far-field earthquake record with four increasing intensity levels. The shake table test results of the specimen are compared with those obtained from dynamic response simulations. It is confirmed from the comprehensive shake table results that the first indication of shear failure is detected in the columns provided with the higher longitudinal reinforcement ratio at eight times the design PGA, which is well predicted by the shear strength approaches adopted in this study. The consistent results obtained from both the shake table testing and dynamic response simulations verify the adopted limit states and confirm the reliability of the developed fragility curves in this study for the seismic loss estimation of the RC building inventory in the UAE.


Several reports have pointed to the unevenness in the UK of services for rehabilitation after head injury. A study was conducted in the Eastern Region of England to define the key stages in recovery and rehabilitation, by an iterative process of questionnaire, interview and consensus conference. Findings were translated into a draft set of maps showing current availability of services which were revised after feedback. Working groups then developed a set of definitions and classification codes for each stage of rehabilitation which were likewise disseminated for feedback. The maps were then redrafted to correspond with the definitions together with a flowchart of potential head injury rehabilitation services. The definitions were piloted at a regional neurosurgery unit and a rehabilitation hospital. Core services for neurorehabilitation region-wide were found to be variable and uncoordinated with fragmented and inequitable allocation of resources. The definitions and mapping system that emerged from this study should facilitate the design of care pathways for patients and identify gaps in the services.


Histories of the Great Barrier Reef have characterised the period between 1900 and 1939 as a creative prelude to modern Reef conservationism. These histories, however, have not given sufficient consideration to how perceptions of the Reef were entangled with evaluations of its economic potential. By examining the writings of Edmund Banfield, the intensification of tourism and science, and a collection of popular texts about the Reef, this paper argues that early twentieth-century perceptions of the Reef were entangled with an utilitarian ethos which leaned toward exploitation.


Coralline algal (maerl) beds are widespread, slow-growing, structurally complex perennial habitats that support high biodiversity, yet are significantly understudied compared to seagrass beds or kelp forests. We present the first eddy covariance (EC) study on a live maerl bed, assessing the community benthic gross primary productivity (GPP), respiration (R), and net ecosys- tem metabolism (NEM) derived from diel EC time series collected during 5 seasonal measurement campaigns in temperate Loch Sween, Scotland. Measurements were also carried out at an adja- cent (~20 m distant) permeable sandy habitat. The O2 exchange rate was highly dynamic, driven by light availability and the ambient tidally-driven flow velocity. Linear relationships between the EC O2 fluxes and available light indicate that the benthic phototrophic communities were light - limited. Compensation irradiance (Ec) varied seasonally and was typically ~1.8-fold lower at the maerl bed compared to the sand. Substantial GPP was evident at both sites; however, the maerl bed and the sand habitat were net heterotrophic during each sampling campaign. Additional inputs of ~4 and ~7 mol m −2 yr −1 of carbon at the maerl bed and sand site, respectively, were required to sustain the benthic O2 demand. Thus, the 2 benthic habitats efficiently entrap organic carbon and are sinks of organic material in the coastal zone. Parallel deployment of 0.1 m 2 benthic chambers during nighttime revealed O2 uptake rates that varied by up to ~8-fold between repli- cate chambers (from −0.4 to −3.0 mmol O2 m −2 h −1 ; n = 4). However, despite extensive O2 flux vari- ability on meter horizontal scales, mean rates of O2 uptake as resolved in parallel by chambers and EC were typically within 20% of one another.


Recent interest in long-range missiles has stimulated a search for new experimental techniques which can reproduce in the laboratory the high temperatures and Mach numbers associated with the missiles' flight. One promising possibility lies in free-flight testing of laboratory models which are flown at the full velocity of the missile. In this type of test, temperatures are approximated and aerodynamic heating of the model is representative of that experienced by the missile in high-velocity flight. A prime requirement of the free-flight test technique is a device which had the capacity for launching models at the velocities desired. In response to thie need, a gun firing light models at velocities up to 15,000 feet per second has been developed at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The design of this gun, the analysis of its performance, and the results of the initial firing trials are described in this paper. The firing trials showed that the measured velocities and pressures agreed well with the predicted values. Also, the erosion of the launch tube was very small for the eleven rounds fired. The performance of the gun suggests that it will prove to be a satisfactory launcher for high-velocity free-flight tests. However, it should be mentioned that only the gross performance has been evaluated so far, and, consequently, the operation of the gun must be investigated in further detail before its performance can be reliably predicted over its full operating range.


The purpose of this work is to evaluate the useless power consumption of a micro-processor that is, the power dissipated to perform those tasks that are not useful for the ultimate goal of committing instructions. This is a first-order estimation of the useless power consumption. A generic high-performance processor is divided in its basic micro-architecture blocks and the amount of useful and useless accesses to each of these blocks is estimated through simulations. The useless power consumption is further divided into useless power when: (a) executing instructions within a mispredicted path, and (b) then executing instructions that will be eventually committed by some of the block accesses performed by these instructions are not needed. The simulations performed indicate that if the useless power dissipation of a high-performance processor could be totally removed (at the cost of no IPC degradation), the overall processor power consumption would be reduced by as much as 65% compared to the same processor in which all the blocks are accessed every cycle.


The focus of this paper is on how computer technology can be used to enhance the effectiveness of clinical problems in a problem-based medical curriculum. Visual/audio triggers are being used in the medical course at The University of Melbourne to set the stage for clinical problems by introducing students to a virtual patient, and to some of the circumstances surrounding the hypothetical situation. Digitised photographs, Shockwave movies, digitised video segments or a combination of these media types act as entry portals into the on-line "problems of the week". In designing the triggers our aim was to create authentic images that would "suspend the disbelief" of students and allow them to approach each problem as if it were a real life clinical scenario.


A new method for evaluating powder flowability is developed using a constant volume shear tester; this tester measures the upper and lower normal stresses and the shear stress acting on a powder bed. A single shear test provides a series of characteristics, such as powder yield locus (PYL), consolidation yield locus (CYL), critical state line (CSL), shear cohesion, stress relaxation ratio, stress transmission ratio, and void fraction. The values of the shear stress as a function of the normal stress and the void fraction are visualized in three-dimensional diagrams. Furthermore, powder flowability is evaluated using a flow function obtained from the PYL.


In this study we examined the selectivity of dopamine (DA) for rat striatal DA D1 and D2 receptors. In a Krebs‐HEPES buffer, the Ki values of DA for D1 binding sites (labelled with [3H]SCH23390) and D2 binding sites (labelled with [3H]spiroperidol) in striatal membranes amounted to about 30 and.0.3 μM, respectively. However, the EC50s of DA (3 μM) and the DA releasing drug amphetamine (1 μM) were identical considering D1 receptor‐stimulated and D2 receptor‐inhibited adenylate cyclase activity in superfused striatal slices. Moreover, these EC50 values were also obtained studying DA‐ and amphetamine‐induced D2 receptor activation, resulting in inhibition of the electrically evoked release of [14C]acetylcholine from the slices. Therefore, with regard to the apparent affinity of exogenous and endogenous DA for D1 and D2 receptors in rat striatal slices, the ligand‐receptor binding data appeared to be misleading. Thus, our data show that in rat striatal slices DA has an identical apparent affinity towards functional D1 and D2 receptors, which is particularly intriguing in view of the very high receptor selectivity of synthetic D1 and D2 receptor agonists for these functional receptors in superfused brain slices as predicted on the basis of binding assays. This may have important implications for our understanding of central DA neurotransmission. For instance, since the inhibitory effect of opioid and muscarinic receptor activation on adenylate cyclase activity has been shown to be inversely related to the degree of DA D2 receptor activation, the degree of activation of D1 and D2 receptors by released DA is suggested to act as a functional gate allowing distinct neurotransmitters to play a role in striatal neurotransmission. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Based on the assumptions that firms entering the transiton markets typically are ignorant about these market and that these markets, owing to the transition from plan-governed system to a market economy, typically are turbulent, the paper argues that the entry process as a consequence contains discoveries of the beforehand unknowable. A longitudinal study made in real-time of a Swedish firm's entry process into the Russian market from 1987 until 1996 indicates that this development is tied to different types of activities. The paper makes a distinction of performance of three types of activities: search, routine and improvisation, and discusses how these relate to the discoveries made and the characteristics of the entry process.


Soil bacteria are essential components of terrestrial ecosystems. Soil bacterial composition and distribution are affected by anthropogenic factors as well as fluctuations in naturally occurring environmental factors such as the change in seasons. In this study, a total of 438 culturable heterotrophic soil bacteria were isolated in the winter, fall and summer so as to evaluate the effects of seasons on bacterial diversity in Southwestern Pennsylvania. 16S rDNA sequences of the isolated bacteria were analyzed in the microbial community analysis platform, MOTHUR. We found that the same phyla were represented in all seasons, albeit to different levels. While Bacteroidetes were most common in the winter, Firmicutes dominated during the summer. Firmicutes and Gamma-Proteobacteria were isolated throughout the year. Bacterial diversity fluctuated between seasons, being highest in the summer with 57 different bacterial species and lowest in the winter with 25 different bacterial species. Thus, this study has not only illustrated seasonal shifts in soil bacterial diversity, but has also been useful in establishing a baseline of soil bacterial diversity in this region of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Continued monitoring of soil bacterial diversity will enable long-term ecological monitoring and study of the potential environmental impacts of the Marcellus shale gas drilling.


During systematic sampling of volcanic ash (tephra) layers at a well-known Antarctic meteorite collection site (the Allan Hills main ice field), a band of unusually dark and rounded (many spheroidal) particles was discovered. This debris layer (BIT-58) extends parallel to the stratigraphy of the ice established from the tephra bands, apparently marking a single depositional event. The shapes, internal texture, major element composition, and levels of cosmogenic nuclides of particles from within BIT-58 all strongly suggest that this material represents ablation debris from the passage of a large H-group ordinary chondrite. Preliminary cosmogenic isotope dating suggests an age of 2.8 Ma, implying that the East Antarctic ice sheet has been stable since that time. The relationship of the Bit-58 layer to known impact events is not clear.


A novel technique is described, wherein Support Vector Machines are used to perform relatively effective text categorization based on small numbers of positive examples (fewer than 10 in some cases). It is assumed that in addition to the positive examples a query describing the positive category is given (in the form of a set of key phrases or a sentence). The technique combines two innovations: a special way of altering the SVM score threshold based on looking at the distribution of scores across the training set; and, a method of feature selection that involves retaining only features that display semantic association to the content words in the query (according to a word-association database produced by statistical analysis of a parsed corpus). Examples are given on a number of test cases drawn from the Reuters and FBIS news archives.


We consider several models of complex systems with active elements and show that the auction mechanism appears very natural in attaining proper equilibrium states, even in comparison with game theory ones. In particular, network equilibria are treated as implementation of the auction principle. An additional example of resource allocation in wireless communication networks is also described.


In this paper, billet caster mold oscillation have been found that the mold have sinked and swing have became deformed in the operated process, in order to solve the problem, firstly,the billet caster mold oscillation is simulated on dynamics by using Adams; the force of every joining on swinging arm is obtained. Then, the finite element analysis is worked on swinging arm by using Solid Works COSMOS Works; the stress on everywhere is obtained. The place of maximum stress value is found, then reconstruct swinging arm, at last, the maximum stress value of swinging arm is declined and the factor of safety of swinging arm is increased. So the problem of mold sunk is solved.


This study resulted in construction an econometric model for the Chinese agriculture. The model reflects the current Chinese mixed planning and market system. Related policy variables are directly included in objective function for the representative producer. In the mixed system, marginal decisions of producers are affected by state prices only if market price is uncertain. If market price is known, marginal decision rules much like those in market economies are directly applicable;Output supply and input demand equations for risk averse producers were derived from a specific utility function and a normalized quadratic profit function. The complete model includes seven outputs (grain, protein feed, other food from crop, nonfood agricultural products, bovine meat, dairy products, and other meat), two variable inputs (fertilizer and feed), two fixed inputs (land and livestock inventory), two policy variables (state grain price and state grain quota), and one time variable to reflect technical change;The two submodels for the dual system, crops and livestock, were separately estimated using annual data, 1978 to 1985. Full information maximum likelihood methods were used to estimate the system while maintaining the theoretical restrictions following from the optimal process behavior. The elasticity estimates were plausible. Model validation statistics implies satisfactory performance in the sample period for all endogenous variables;The model was used to analyze policy scenarios for the state purchase price and the state purchase quota of grain for years from 1978 to 1988. Two policy conclusions were suggested by the empirical results. First, the government should increase the state price of grain and decrease the state quota of grain if grain production is a high priority for the Chinese agricultural development. Alternatively, if the government wishes to stimulate production of other food and nonfood agricultural products, then a decrease in the state price and an increase in the state quota of grain should be adopted. Second, if the free market is treated as a residual in the state planning process, unintended price variations may have significant impacts on producer resource allocation decisions and incomes. Therefore, it is important not to ignore the free market in mixed systems, as perhaps has been the case for central planners in China.


A new concept of an electrostatic spray column for liquid-liquid extraction was investigated. An important problem for separation processes is the presence of azeotropic or close-boiling mixtures in their production, for example heptane with ethanol, since the separation is impossible by ordinary distillation. The use of ionic liquids (IL) as a dispersed solvent specially engineered for any specific organic mixture in terms of selectivity is a key factor to successful separation. As IL present particularly attractive combination of favorable characteristics for the separation of heptane and ethanol, in this work we use 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulfate [BMIM][MeSO4]. Because of high viscosity and relatively high cost of IL a new technique was introduced, consisting in the electrostatically spray generation to enhance the mass transport between the phases. In order to optimally design the geometry of the contactor a series of numerical simulation was performed. Especially multi-nozzle variants for better exploitation of contactor volume were investigated. Experiments showed excellent possibility of control of the dispersion characteristics by applied voltage and thus control of the rate of extraction. The preliminary simulations based on our mathematical model for a three nozzle variant exhibited visual agreement with the theory of electrostatics.


The purpose of this study was to examine if religiosity is a significant predictor of organ donation acceptability. Specifically, to examine if religiosity is negatively correlated with organ donation acceptability. Furthermore it was predicted that this correlation would be stronger for men compared to women. The participants of this study included 18 males and 22 females for a total of 40 undergraduate students from The University of Western Ontario. Participants were given two surveys which measured religiosity and organ donation acceptability. As predicted, findings from this study demonstrated that religiosity was negatively related to organ donation acceptability. In addition, sex moderated the relationship between religiosity and organ donation acceptability. Specifically the negative relation occurred for men but not for women. In conclusion, the hypotheses for this study were supported. The results of the study support the need to educate religious communities on organ donation with the hopes of maximizing underrepresented demographics in organ donor pools.


With the rise of the global economy and an increasingly mobile global workforce, expat communities are commonplace the world over. Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) play an increasingly important role in keeping people connected, facilitating the formation of virtual communities based on interest, stage of life, profession and other commonalities. These virtual communities, much in the same way as traditional communities, feature social transactions of different kinds, including information seeking. Using content analysis, our study seeks to delineate patterns of information seeking on three Facebook groups for expats in terms of the categories of information sought and shared, speed of responses and group participation using the Facebook metrics for stakeholder engagement as proposed by Bonson and Ratkai (2015). We found that certain themes of information seeking/sharing were popular across the three groups. We also found that for all the groups, the most engaged members were those that responded the most to other's posts. This study can shed some light in viewing social media as an important and alternative source of information for expatriates a less explored yet sizable user group. By understanding the process of information sharing between the expatriates in social media groups, our study can provide insights that may be of interest to group administrators and others.


Bacterial diseases are responsible for important economic losses in aquaculture over the world, and South American catfishes are susceptible to Gram negative bacteria causative of haemorrhagic septicemia. This study registers the biochemical characteristics, antimicrobial resistance and pathological effects of Citrobacter freundii infection in cachara Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum. Moribund juvenile fish with non-specific clinical signs were used for bacteriological and parasitological diagnosis. No parasitic infections were found in examined fish, but two isolate obtained from the kidney and encephalon was characterized by Gram negative bacilli, catalase positive and oxidase negative. Isolates were submitted to biochemical identification by a commercial API 20E. Susceptibility analysis to 15 drugs was performed by the diffusion method in Agar Muller Hinton discs. Experimental assay was also made to confirm the Kock postulate. The isolates showed biochemical profile corresponding to Citrobacter freundii. A multiresistance at 66.7% of the antibiotic molecules tested was observed. In experimental infection haemorrhagic septicaemia, severe enteritis and important lesions in kidney and gills are described.


My paper deals with mythological/religious imagery and syncretic soteriologies in Thomas Pynchon's 2006 novel Against the Day , focusing in particular on the character of Cyprian Latewood, bisexual spy, Orpheus stand-in, and masochist par excellence. Cyprian's path throughout the novel is specifically an Orphic descent/return myth, but it also deals with issues of mystical transcendence, metempsychosis, Dionysian ekstasis , and Buddhist nirvana . These are represented at the macro level in themes such as retreat from the world, neo-monasticism, anarchic activism, or hope for transcendent knowledge, and also within specific images and scenes, such as those involving flight, self-negation, disembodied voices, and the final voyage of the Chums of Chance, a Manichaean allegory of escape. Cyprian's final home at a Bogomil-Orphic monastery near Thrace serves to tie together disparate religio-political strands within the novel, including a syncretic teleology (Gnostic/Buddhist/Manichaean) and countercultural activism. It is simultaneously a retreat from the world – a political move with relevance to the history of the Bogomils as both persecuted sect and social agitators – and also a move towards transcendence through gnostic ritual. There are a few important results of this reading, touching on religious, mythological, and Pynchon studies, and sexual and political discourse. Firstly, it challenges the ease with which Western, and specifically Christian, ideologies appropriate counter-discourses in acts of cultural hegemony, exemplified in one instance by Kathryn Hume's early reading of the novel's ethos as explicitly Roman Catholic, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary ("The Religious and Political Vision of Against the Day ", 2007). Secondly, though other critics have gestured at the presence of Orphism and Buddhism in Against the Day , they have failed to convincingly tie these concerns to a larger conversation around Pynchon's oeuvre and the meaning of the evolution of the author's religious vision. None, so far as I know, have commented on the expressly Manichaean concepts in the work, and the consequences of the presence of this specific cosmological binary. Lastly, by making the heroic Cyprian the focus of the novel's transcendental religious narrative, the author complicates two assumptions which have lingered unquestioned for far too long in Pynchon studies, namely the anti-metaphysics of his earth-centered onto-epistemology, and the inherent homophobia present in  a worldview which privileges the nuclear, procreative family structure and seems to use homosexuality and sadomasochism strictly in negative significations, as metaphors for unequal political and economic power dynamics (see Julie Christine Sears' "Black and White Rainbows and Blurry Lines").  This paper resists the reductive impulse towards conclusiveness, but rather seeks to complicate existing readings while pushing forward into new territory by synthesizing areas of discourse around the author, his works, and mythology and politics, which are usually considered only as discrete entities. Pynchon's postmodern playfulness in his arrangement of historical, religious, and political signifiers resists organization into a singular narrative, but is rather designed to lead readers to question the ways in which knowledge is produced and belief is rationalized, and to consider alternatives to a future which marches blindly in lockstep with our past and present realities.


Abstract upper densities are monotone and subadditive functions from the power set of positive integers to the unit real interval that generalize the upper densities used in number theory, including the upper asymptotic density, the upper Banach density, and the upper logarithmic density. We answer a question posed by G. Grekos in 2013, and prove the existence of translation invariant abstract upper densities onto the unit interval, whose null sets are precisely the family of finite sets, or the family of sequences whose series of reciprocals converge. We also show that no such density can be atomless. (More generally, these results also hold for a large class of summable ideals.)


INTRODUCTION
Portable spirometers are often perceived as inaccurate. We aimed to evaluate the performance of AioCare®, a new portable spirometer, by comparing it with a reference desktop spirometer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sixty-two patients diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease performed spirometry examinations on a portable and the reference spirometer. The patients were randomized to two groups with different order, in which the spirometers were used. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and FEV₁/FVC rate were compared.

RESULTS
The study revealed a high correlation in FEV₁, FVC, FEV₁/FVC and PEF between portable and reference spirometers. The mean differences between measurements obtained from the AioCare® and reference spirometer were: 0.0079 liter for FEV₁ (p = 0.61), 0.05 liter for FVC (p = 0.14), 5.1 liter/min for PEF (p = 0.28) and -0.0034 for FEV₁/FVC rate (p = 0.54). Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed high association of FEV₁ (R = 0.994; 95% CI: 0.990-0.997; p < 0.001), FVC (R = 0.984; 95% CI: 0.974-0.990; p < 0.001), PEF (R = 0.965; 95% CI: 0.942-0.979; p < 0.001), and FEV₁/FVC (R = 0.954; 95% CI: 0.924-0.972; p < 0.001) readings from both spirometers.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that the portable spirometer produces largely similar readings to those obtained by a stationary spirometer in patients with chronic lung diseases, and therefore it may serve as a complementary tool in daily, remote management of patients with lung diseases.


The object of this grounded theory study was a three year long, public sector inter-organizational information system (IOIS) project which spanned four user organizations, two suppliers, one national organization, a research organization and a Government Ministry. The data were elicited by means of narrative stories, observations of project meetings, diaries, project memoranda and emails sent by project members to each other during these years. Glaserian grounded theory method was used as the technique for theory building. Three core categories were identified: governance, power and emotions. The study offers two key contributions: first, it builds a substantive theory of Emotions of Control in an IOIS project, presented in the form of propositions. The theory offers an approach to understanding the meaning of emotions in project work and the consequences of emotions in collaboration. Second, we offer a window into the theory building process using Glaserian grounded theory. We argue that the findings of this study have some implications of value to researchers studying emotional issues in IOIS projects or information system (IS) projects in general, because the role of emotions in project work can be pivotal in determining project success.


Among the multisource data fusing methods, the potential advantages of remote sensing of solar-reflective visible and near-Infrared [(VNIR); 400-900 nm] data and thermal-infrared (TIR) data have not been fully mined. Usually, a linear unmixed method is used for the purpose, which results in low estimation accuracy of subpixel land-surface temperature (LST). In this paper, we propose a novel method to estimate subpixel LST. This approach uses the characteristics of high spatial-resolution advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) VNIR data and the low spatial-resolution TIR data simulated from ASTER temperature product to generate the high spatial-resolution temperature data at a subpixel scale. First, the land-surface parameters (e.g., leaf area index, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil water content index, and reflectance) were extracted from VNIR data and field measurements. Then, the extracted high resolution of land-surface parameters and the LST were simulated into coarse resolutions. Second, the genetic algorithm and self-organizing feature map artificial neural network (ANN) was utilized to create relationships between land-surface parameters and the corresponding LSTs separately for different land-cover types at coarse spatial-resolution scales. Finally, the ANN-trained relationships were applied in the estimation of subpixel temperatures (at high spatial resolution) from high spatial-resolution land-surface parameters. The two sets of data with different spatial resolutions were simulated using an aggregate resampling algorithm. Experimental results indicate that the accuracy with our method to estimate land-surface subpixel temperature is significantly higher than that with a traditional method that uses the NDVI as an input parameter, and the average error of subpixel temperature is decreased by 2-3 K with our method. This method is a simple and convenient approach to estimate subpixel LST from high spatial-temporal resolution data quickly and effectively.


: The author sets out to propose a methodology for the study of the history of Islamic science. He chooses the externalist, rather than the internalist method for his discussion. The internalist method of science follows a rational course, while the externalist methodology studies many factors that influence the direction of sciences and may not be rational. He argues that narrative history and the logic of discovery are not adequate when one is trying to identify those key factors that have influenced the tradition of Islamic science. If Islamic science is unique, we should be able to explain how and when, it branched off from the ancient sciences. Only external history, involving a study of cultural and sociological influences on the development of science and the roles of various socioeconomic and political institutions can explain how Islamic science developed as a unique tradition and why it could not be sustained.


This study investigated the diversity of epiphytic mosses in Mount Alab Permanent
Research Plot, Crocker Range Park (CRP). The objectives were (1) To determine
the diversity and abundance of epiphytic mosses in Mount Alab Permanent
Research Plot; (2) To determine the relationships between vertical distributions,
tree size and DBH of host tree with species composition of epiphytic mosses, and
(3) To produce an updated checklist of mosses for Crocker Range Park based on
the area studied. This study was conducted in six 10 m x 10 m sub plots; three sub
plots B2, C4 and 03 with large trees and three sub plots AD, 01 and E4 with small
trees. On each tree, three quadrats of 600 cm2 each (20 cm x 30 cm; on small tree
15 em x 40 em) were positioned at height zone 1:0-40 cm; height zone 2:40-80 cm
and height zone 3:140-180 em. Parameters such as vertical zone and tree size were
selected to determine their relationships with species composition of epiphytic
mosses. A total of 20 species belonging to 10 genera with 163 specimens of
epiphytic mosses were documented. Sub plots B2 and C4 yielded the highest total
number of species with 12 species respectively followed by 03 and 01 with 10
species respectively, whereas E4 recorded nine species and AO recorded the lowest
number of species that is eight. In all, seven families were recorded. The family
Sematophyllaceae yielded the highest number of species, followed by Oicranaceae,
Calymperaceae and leucobryaceae. Meanwhile, Hypnaceae, Sphagnaceae and
Oaltoniaceae yielded the lowest number of species. The three most dominant
species were Dicranaloma blumei, Acroporium rufum and Mastopoma armitti. There
was a significant difference in the species composition of epiphytic mosses at
different vertical zones where species composition was highest in height zone 3
followed by height zones 2 and height zone 1. However, the species composition of
epiphytic mosses was not significantly different for tree size. The correlation
between OBH of host tree and species composition of epiphytic mosses was not
significant except for host tree Tristaniopsis. An updated checklist of mosses in CRP
was compiled whereby a total of 173 species in 87 genera and twenty nine families
were documented. Out of this number, 9 species are new records to CRP, namely
Acroporium rufum, Acroporium d. convolutum, Trichosteleum pseudo-mammosum,
Mastopoma armitti, Dicranaloma blumei, Syrrhopodon laevis, Leucobryum scabrum,
Ectopothecium falciforme and Sphagnum junghuhnianum.


The article is a review of the literature on the problem of heart disease in liver cirrhosis of different etiologies (alcohol, amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, viral lesions of the heart). Examined in detail the pathogenesis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and diagnosis, occurring in cirrhosis of any etiology. This article presents a noninvasive methods of diagnosis of myocardial fibrosis using serum markers of fibrosis, myocardial fibrosis degree of calculation on the basis of echocardiography and ECG.


Soft robot research has led to the development of platforms that should allow for better performance when working in uncertain or dynamic environments. The potential improvement in performance of these platforms ranges from mechanical robustness to high forces, to applying lower incidental contact forces in uncertain situations. However, the promise of these platforms is limited by the difficulty of controlling them. In this paper, we present preliminary results on simultaneously controlling stiffness and position for a pneumatically actuated soft robot. Improving on our prior work, we show that by including the pressure in our soft robot actuation chambers as state variables we can improve our average rise time by up to 137%, settling time by 119%, and overshoot by 853%. In addition to these improvements, we can now control both joint position and stiffness simultaneously. This performance improvement comes from using Model Predictive Control running at 300 Hz with improved dynamic models of the soft robot. High performance control of soft robot joints, such as the joint presented in this paper, will enable a wide range of robot applications that were previously difficult or impossible due to the rigid nature of traditional robot linkages and actuation schemes.


Diagnosis and management of pre-rupture stage of the pregnant horn are difficult and usually missed on a routine ul- trasound scan. Also most cases are detected after rupture of pregnant horn. We presented a 28-year-oldG2 L1 woman with diagnosis of rudimentary horn pregnancy (RHP) at 14 weeks of gestation. We diagnosed her with a normal intrauterine pregnancy, whereas a pregnancy in a right-sided non-communicating rudimentary horn with massive he- moperitoneum was later discovered on laparotomy. RHP has a high risk of death for mother, so there must be a strong clinical suspicion for the diagnosis of RHP. Although there is a major advancement in field of diagnostic ultrasound and other imaging modalities, prenatal diagnosis has remained elusive and a laparotomy surgery is considered as a definitive diagnosis.


The aim of the study is to propose a solution by examining the adaptation problems experienced by the Afghan students who are studying in different faculties and departments of various universities of Turkey. The survey based on the primary data collected by online sampling method and 60 different questions from Afghan students studying in Turkey by August 2017. In the analysis of the obtained data, SPSS version 21.0 program was used and parametric and nonparametric analysis techniques applied in the direction of research findings. The survey has been done in 49 various universities, 12 different faculties, and 161 students. Among the participants 39.1% had scholarships from the Turkish government (YTB), 26.7% were supported by the Afghanistan government, and 34.2% were studying by their own financial possibilities. All of the students came from Afghanistan for education purposes. Their parents' economic and educational levels are good; nearly all of them are well-educated people. Most of the students are living in dormitories, and they are happy to study in Turkey. They don't have any problems with interpersonal relationships and cultural adaptation with other students in dorms, as well as with people in Turkey.


Ethylene is an established plant growth regulator linked with programmed cell death (PCD). To investigate the relationship between the cell cycle and PCD, ethylene was used to see if it induced mortality in a cell cycle specific manner. Tobacco BY-2 cultures synchronized with aphidicolin were treated with ethylene. Cell cycle progression and mortality, measured at hourly intervals, showed distinct peaks of mortality at the G2/M boundary and S-phase. In conjunction with this, DNA fragmentation increased at G2/M. Furthermore, ethylene caused a significant reduction in cell size of the cycling population. Simultaneous addition of silver nitrate with ethylene ameliorated ethylene-induced G2/M mortality, although a toxic effect of silver alone was evident. Due to the toxicity of silver, 1-MCP, an alternative chemical for blocking ethylene receptors was used. 1-MCP neither affected the BY-2 cell cycle nor mortality levels. In addition, 1-MCP ameliorated ethylene-induced G2/M mortality. To balance the chemical approaches to blocking ethylene receptors, tobacco BY-2 cells were transformed with Atetr1 that encodes a dominant insensitive form of the Arabidopsis ETR1 ethylene receptor. Atetr1 expression caused a massive perturbation to the tobacco BY-2 cell cycle, especially in S-phase, and resulted in high levels of mortality throughout the cell cycle. Ethylene treatment caused a doubling of G2 duration but did not affect temporal distribution of mortality. However, ethylene treatment generated a peak of mortality in S-phase. These results suggest that ethylene induces PCD at G2/M through the known ethylene signaling pathway. Furthermore, it confirms that 1-MCP and Atetr1 result in ethylene insensitivity.

To examine the G2/M transition, Spcdc25, a positive regulator of G2/M in fission yeast was transformed into the tobacco BY-2 cell line. This resulted in premature entry into mitosis, a shortened cell cycle, and reduced cell size. This was similar to Spcdc25 over-expression in fission yeast and suggests the presence of a CDC25-like phosphatase in plants.


Two reproducible new phases of 2D boron sheets have been found on Ag(1 1 1). One of them shares the identical atomic structure of the previously reported S1 phase (β12 sheet) but has a different rotational relationship with the substrate, and thus exhibits very different features in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images. The other new phase has a hexagonal symmetry and is proposed to be the long-expected α-sheet. Both of these two boron sheets are confirmed to be metallic by scanning tunneling spectroscopy.


The country will mark Canada Health Day on May 12, so CMAJ asked Dr. Michael Gordon to reflect on Canada's health care system and the changes it has seen and will see. The special day, cosponsored by the Canadian Public Health Association, is designed to highlight "the need for better communication between health professionals and the communities they serve." In this article, Gordon reflects on the dangers facing Canada's medicare system and the need to protect it from the inroads threatened by privatization.


Abstract
A person's sleep quality is said to be good if it does not show a variety of signs of sleep deprivation and does not experience sleep problems. Sleep disorders are commonly found among young adults, especially students who later can lead to reduced concentration of learning and health problems. This can cause the achievement of academic achievement optimally because the learning process is disrupted. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of quantity and quality of sleep with the competency test DIII Nursing Ministry of Health Polytechnic Jakarta I. The research design used was an analytical method with a cross sectional design. The research sample was a total sampling of students DIII Health Ministry Polytechnic nursing Jakarta I who had graduated in 2017 with 76 respondents. Sleep quality data was taken using the Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI) and the 2017 competency test graduation value. The results of this study indicate there is no relationship between the quality and quantity of sleep and the graduation of nursing competency tests.


Several cases of rock pulverization have been observed along major active faults in granite and other crystalline rocks. They have been interpreted as due to coseismic pervasive microfracturing. In contrast, little is known about pulverization in carbonates. With the aim of understanding carbonate pulverization, we investigate the high strain rate (c. 100 s−1) behavior of unconfined Carrara marble through a set of experiments with a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar. Three final states were observed: (1) at low strain, the sample is kept intact, without apparent macrofractures; (2) failure is localized along a few fractures once stress is larger than 100 MPa, corresponding to a strain of 0.65%; (3) above 1.3% strain, the sample is pulverized. Contrary to granite, the transition to pulverization is controlled by strain rather than strain rate. Yet, at low strain rate, a sample from the same marble displayed only a few fractures. This suggests that the experiments were done above the strain rate transition to pulverization. Marble seems easier to pulverize than granite. This creates a paradox: finely pulverized rocks should be prevalent along any high strain zone near faults through carbonates, but this is not what is observed. A few alternatives are proposed to solve this paradox.


Charles Elton is not simply a towering figure in the history of animal ecology; in many respects he deserves to be called its founding father. His interest in natural history, rooted in childhood, was burnished by experience on Arctic expeditions, and on the basis of these firm personal foundations he wrote Animal ecology (1)*. This book, which he records that he wrote in 1926 in 85 days (Elton, mss†), sets out much of the framework of the subject–at the levels of both the population and the community. He outlined the various factors that could potentially regulate populations, the significance of dispersal and many of the key concepts such as the pyramid of numbers and the composition of food chains. The first phase of his research was concerned with fluctuations, particularly regular ones (cycles), in animal populations; the second was devoted to the study of the community in the shape of Wytham Wood near Oxford. From this he derived other concepts such as the inverse pyramid of habitats and the girder system of communities, although these have not achieved the wide credence of his earlier ideas. His foundation of the Bureau of Animal Population in Oxford and of the Journal of Animal Ecology were truly seminal steps in the organizational development of the subject. Nevertheless, the Bureau remained small, and he preferred the small team to the large department and seldom attended national or international meetings.


Digital mindsets and technology transformation is an inevitable need that organizations, businesses and individuals cannot ignore anymore. Businesses worldwide are gearing up for digital transformation in their existing processes, competencies, models and transactions. Digitization of financial systems and transactions are fallout of this revolution. Bitcoin can also be called a child of this technological revolution. At the onset, bitcoins can be seen as the first pan-global medium of which have been used by people internationally and independently, i.e. without any reliance on government regulations. Of the various forms of digital currencies available today, the current bullish (rather more than bullish) rally of Bitcoin in the year 2016-17, caught my attention and motivated to examine the future of this transaction system, and analyze the two often speculated status of bitcoin - as the currency of the future or an asset worthy of investment, or a mere bubble that will eventually burst. As the most popular form of cryptocurrency (according to research produced by Cambridge University in 2017, there are 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of them using bitcoin) that is used for transactions and can be recorded in a ledger, various conflicting opinion exists regarding its perceived value as the digital currency of the future. In the paper I evaluate how the value of bitcoin is created and examine its potential as a currency of future or a commodity or asset.


The development of project, project and portfolio management systems supports the global acceleration of innovation. Significant changes in the environment require additional research on the effectiveness of the use of existing flexible methodologies, knowledge systems, the competency of project managers and their leadership. The foundation of environmental change lies in changing the decision-making paradigm to flexible project management and innovation development programs. The article examines modern approaches to leadership formation in the application of flexible methodologies, their specificity in terms of decision-making processes in project management. The problems of formation and maintenance of leadership in application of flexible methodologies of project management of creation and introduction of information and communication systems are considered. The research was conducted on the basis of the application of a competency approach under the model of the International Association for Project Management. The patterns of behavior of flexible leaders and leaders are formed in the system of behavioral competencies in project management based on Agile technology methods and tools. These competencies were: Self-reflation and self-government, Personal integrity and reliability, Personal communication, Relationships and interaction, Leadership, Teamwork, Conflicts and crises, Inventiveness, Harmonization, and Orientation to the result. The content model of competency of the leader, which applies flexible control, is given. The patterns of behavior of project managers as flexible leaders in project product creation and flexible project management were studied. Differences in patterns of behavior of managers and flexible leaders on elements of behavioral competencies within certain key competency indicators are studied. Such patterns allowed the authors to identify bottlenecks in applying flexible project management methodologies in the context of the dynamics of the development of innovative products and information and communication systems.


This article deals with the development of numeracy among young children of the four to seven year age group. The research investigation described had two aims: to see how early numeracy develops in children of different ages; and to see whether there are fixed points which might serve as milestones in the development of infant numeracy. The results of this investigation involving 96 children indicate a strong development of numeracy skills during this period. With reference to the literature, it is also shown that certain items of a test previously developed for this purpose may be taken as core items that do indeed represent milestones in the development of infant numeracy.


Article Type : Research article Corrective and reconstructive cranio-maxillofacial interventions are a challenging area of surgery that requires careful pre-operative planning. To accommodate the need for precision pre-operative planning, surgeons frequently need guidance such as a 3D model to display complex cranial structures. 3D model is a manufactured model made by a 3D printer using digital imaging and communication for medicine (DICOM) data from a CT scan, and then, converted into computer-assisted design (CAD) data. Image acquisition is a very important step in generation of 3D objects as the quality of the object depends on the quality of the data. MSCT is widely applied for rapid prototyping because image post-processing is less complex for MSCT data.This aim of the present study is to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of the 3D printed mandibular models fabricated by two different additive manufacturing techniques using highly precise one as selective laser sintering (SLS) and low-cost one as fused filament fabrication and whether they are both comparable in terms of precision.In this diagnostic accuracy study , 7 mandibular models will be recruited for the study, 10 linear measurements will be determined on the models. MSCT scanning of the model will be performed. afterwards 3d printing of the scanned image will be done using SLS and FFF 3d printers. the predetermined 10 linear measurement will be measured on the printed models to be compared with the reference standard measurement to determine the accuracy of the 3d printers in dental applications like surgical guides, orthodontic appliances, fixed prosthodontics appliances and other many dental applications. The study is scheduled to be done by october 2020Article Type : Protocol for diagnostic accuracy study


Aims
The present Euro-Filling report aimed at comparing the diagnostic accuracy of the 2009 and 2016 echocardiographic grading algorithms for predicting invasively measured left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP).

Method and results
A total of 159 patients who underwent simultaneous evaluation of echo estimates of LVFP and invasive measurements of LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were enrolled at nine EACVI centres. Thirty-nine (25%) patients had a reduced LV ejection fraction (<50%), 77 (64%) were in NYHA ≥ II, and 85 (53%) had coronary artery disease. Sixty-four (40%) patients had elevated LVEDP (≥15 mmHg). Taken individually, all echocardiographic Doppler estimates of LVFP (E/A, E/e', left atrial volume, tricuspid regurgitation jet velocity) were marginally correlated with LVEDP. By using the 2016 recommendations, 65% of patients with normal non-invasive estimate of LVFP had normal LVEDP, while 79% of those with elevated non-invasive LVFP had elevated invasive LVEDP. By using 2009 recommendations, 68% of the patients with normal non-invasive LVFP had normal LVEDP, while 55% of those with elevated non-invasive LVFP had elevated LVEDP. The 2016 recommendations (sensitivity 75%, specificity 74%, positive predictive value 39%, negative predictive value 93%, AUC 0.78) identified slightly better patients with elevated invasive LVEDP (≥ 15 mmHg) as compared with the 2009 recommendations (sensitivity 43%, specificity 75%, positive predictive value 49%, negative predictive value 71%, AUC 0.68).

Conclusion
The present Euro-Filling study demonstrates that the new 2016 recommendations for assessing LVFP non-invasively are fairly reliable and clinically useful, as well as superior to the 2009 recommendations in estimating invasive LVEDP.


In an advanced scientific and technological context, where it is now tangible the possibility of interfering indefinitely in the process of dying, it becomes necessary to disseminate knowledge about end of life that, for the great variety of areas that it invests, presents many controversial aspects. With the Law no. 219/2017, the right of self-determination and freedom of treatment of the patient is enshrined, aspects that to date still remain too little discussed. An online survey was conducted from December 2019 to February 2020, among the population residing in the provinces of Lecce and Brindisi, spread thanks to the collaboration of local authorities. A large part of the sample (82.4%, N=333) claims the right to self-determination, stating that therapeutic decisions are up to the patient who has signed his advance treatment dispositions, declared absolutely binding for 50% (N=205) of the sample. However, there is still a lack of information about how to draw up advance treatment agreements (AADs). 12.6% (N=51) of those interviewed stated that they knew nothing about it and only 32.9% (N=133) felt ready and adequately informed to make their own declarations. Another peculiar aspect is that topics such as euthanasia and assisted suicide seem to be considered at the margins of acceptability among End-of-Life instances. The results of the study show that knowledge on the subject has definitely improved over the years and that in most of the issues addressed, the population has an adequate degree of preparedness even though there is still some skepticism in dealing with issues such as assisted suicide and euthanasia. Future research could explore the possibility of identifying effective training tools and communication strategies that can be used by the widest possible segment of the population.


During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the cystic duct (CD) is ligated in one of two ways: by clipping or by creating a knot outside the abdominal cavity and then introducing it into the cavity. A new technique allows safe ligation of the CD intracorporeally before its division by tying the knot at the site with absorbable tie material. To build the knot, a loosely constructed surgeon's square knot encircling the CD is converted to a slip knot, which is then cinched and tightened. The tightening process of the slip know is executed by winding the long tail clockwise around the left-hand needle holder (traction) While the right-hand needle holder winds the short tail counterclockwise (countertraction). The endpoint of the tightening is determined by feeling the amount of torque to both hands and by visual confirmation of the knot integrity. To prevent reverse slippage, three single, flat knots are tied in square fashion. The cystic artery has also been ligated intracorporeally during laparoscopic cholecystectomy using the same technique with the same positive results and without complications.


Table 1 and Figures 2 and 3 have been revised by the authors and these revisions were incorporated into the publication on May 27, 2008. This publication provides an overview of forest resource attributes for Rhode Island based on an annual inventory conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program at the Northern Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service. These estimates, along with web-posted core tables, will be updated annually. For more information regarding past inventory reports for Rhode Island, inventory program information, and sampling/estimation procedures, please refer to the citations at the end of this report.


We present an extensive data set of ground-based observations and models of the dust environment of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko covering a large portion of the orbital arc from about 4.5 au pre-perihelion through 3.0 au post-perihelion, acquired during the current orbit. In addition, we have also applied the model to a dust trail image acquired during this orbit, as well as to dust trail observations obtained during previous orbits, in both the visible and the infrared. The results of the Monte Carlo modelling of the dust tail and trail data are generally consistent with the in situ results reported so far by the Rosetta instruments Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) and Grain Impact Analyser and Dust Accumulator (GIADA). We found the comet nucleus already active at 4.5 au pre-perihelion, with a dust production rate increasing up to ∼3000 kg s−1 some 20 d after perihelion passage. The dust size distribution at sizes smaller than r = 1 mm is linked to the nucleus seasons, being described by a power law of index −3.0 during the comet nucleus southern hemisphere winter but becoming considerably steeper, with values between −3.6 and −4.3, during the nucleus southern hemisphere summer, which includes perihelion passage (from about 1.7 au inbound to 2.4 au outbound). This agrees with the increase of the steepness of the dust size distribution found from GIADA measurements at perihelion showing a power index of −3.7. The size distribution at sizes larger than 1 mm for the current orbit is set to a power law of index −3.6, which is near the average value of insitu measurements by OSIRIS on large particles. However, in order to fit the trail data acquired during past orbits previous to the 2009 perihelion passage, a steeper power-law index of −4.1 has been set at those dates, in agreement with previous trail modelling. The particle sizes are set at a minimum of r = 10 μm, and a maximum size, which increases with decreasing heliocentric distance, in the 1–40 cm radius domain. The particle terminal velocities are found to be consistent with the in situ measurements as derived from the instrument GIADA on board Rosetta.


The purpose of this study was to determine intra- and inter-observer agreement for the three skeletal ages derived from the TW2 method among male pubertal soccer players. The sample included 142 participants aged 11.0–15.3 years. Films of the left hand-wrist were evaluated twice by each of two observers. Twenty bones were rated and three scoring systems used to determine SA adopting the TW2 version: 20-bone, CARPAL and RUS. Overall agreement rates were 95.1% and 93.8% for, respectively, Observer A and Observer B. Although, agreement rates between observers differed for 13 bones (5 carpals, metacarpal-I, metacarpal-III, metacarpal-V, proximal phalanges-I, III and V, distal phalanx-III), intra-class correlationa were as follows: 0.990 (20-bone), 0.969 (CARPAL), and 0.988 (RUS). For the three SA protocols, BIAS was negligible: 0.02 years (20-bone), 0.04 years (CARPAL), and 0.03 years (RUS). Observer-associated error was not significant for 20-bone SA (TEM = 0.25 years, %CV = 1.86) neither RUS SA (TEM = 0.31 years, %CV = 2.22). Although the mean difference for CARPAL SAs between observers (observer A: 12.48±1.18 years; observer B: 12.29±1.24 years; t = 4.662, p<0.01), the inter-observer disagreement had little impact (TEM: 0.34 years: %CV: 2.78). The concordance between bone-specific developmental stages seemed was somewhat more problematic for the carpals than for the long bones. Finally, when error due to the observer is not greater than one stage and the replicated assignments had equal probability for being lower or higher compared to initial assignments, the effect on SAs was trivial or small.


Analyzing the variations of page replacement implementations in recent Linux kernel versions of 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4, we compare their abilities to deal with system thrashing. We show that although the page implementation in Kernel 2.2 is relatively effective to protect thrashing among the three versions, none of them have adaptive ability, and thus the protection is limited. By running several groups of memory-intensive application programs on Kernel 2.2, we observe serious thrashing when memory shortage attains a certain level.

We propose and implement a thrashing protection patch in Linux kernels, which makes replacement policy responsively resolve excessive memory paging by temporarily helping one of the active processes quickly build up its working set. Consequently, thrashing could be eliminated at the level of page replacement, so that load controls at a higher level, such as process suspensions/swapping can be avoided or delayed until it is truly necessary. Our experiments show that our patch can significantly reduce page faults and the execution time of each individual thrashing process for several groups of interacting programs. We also show that our method introduces little additional overhead to program executions, and its implementation in Linux (or Unix) system is straightforward.


Dental trauma is a public health problem in young aged patients. The aim of thisstudy was to investigate the percentage and severity of dental trauma andmalocclusion and their correlation, as well as analyze the general risk factors like theeffect of age, gender, causes of the trauma and malocclusion in anterior permanentteeth.The sample of the present study include patients who came to the Pedodonticclinic in the Pedodontic and Preventive department at the College ofDentistry/Baghdad University seeking treatment of traumatized anterior permanentteeth. The traumatized teeth were examined clinically (according to Garcia-Godyclassification) and radiographically. Types of occlusion was determined according toAngle's classification, while the over jet and overbite were recorded according to thecoding criteria described by Kinnan's study.In all age groups, the most frequent cause of trauma was found to be falls (61.4%).Enamel and dentin fracture was the most frequently seen type of injury(38.6%) inwhich upper central incisors were the most affected teeth from dentaltrauma(47.7%).Regarding malocclusion, patients with class II malocclusion represent(71.9%) from the total sample, while those with increased over jet (26.3%) in which(66.7) of them seek treatment for two fractured teeth. However, the number of injuredteeth per child was 1.54. Increased overbite was correlated with more sever type ofdental trauma.There is a relationship between malocclusion and fractured anterior teeth in whichmalocclusion will increase the number of fractured teeth as well as the severity ofdental trauma


We describe a simple whole-cell method for quantitative reverse transcription (RT) PCR amplification of RNA that consistently allows the analysis of trace amounts of RNA, such as those carried by a fraction of a single mouse oocyte or preimplantation embryo, without organic extraction. The method is based on a preliminary genomic DNA digestion by DNase I in the presence of Mn++ and a subsequent RT step with rTth Reverse Transcriptase at 70°C with the same buffer components, which also has the effect to irreversibly denature DNase I activity. Because of the completeness of genomic DNA digestion and RNA recovery, this procedure makes it possible to quantitatively amplify any target RNA, including those coded by intronless genes or genes whose intron-exon boundaries are unknown. By taking mRNAs of β-actin, heat-shock protein HSP70.1 and ribosomal protein S16 as experimental models, we demonstrate the effectiveness of genomic DNA digestion by DNase I-Mn++ and of DNase I heat-denaturation and the quantitative properties of our method. We also show that this procedure is useful for transcriptional analyses during development that are hindered by paucity of biological material.


B d 0 -B d 0 oscillations are observed in "self-tagged" samples of partially reconstructed B mesons decaying into a lepton and a charmed meson collected in pp collisions at √s=1.8 TeV. A flavor tagging technique is employed which relies upon the correlation between the flavor of B mesons and the charge of a nearby particle. We measure the flavor oscillation frequency to be Δm d =0.471 -0.068 +0.078 ±0.034 ps -1 . The tagging method is also demonstrated in exclusive samples of B u + →J/ψK + and B d 0 →J/ψK *0 (892), where similar flavor-charge correlations are observed. The tagging characteristics of the various samples are compared with each other, and with Monte Carlo simulations.


Football fans' perceptions of their role in the home advantage were obtained by questioning fans from supporters clubs using a paper and pencil questionnaire. 357 highly identified fans were questioned towards the end of the season, from clubs facing either certain (already promoted, relegated, or due to finish mid-table) or uncertain (possible promotion or relegation) outcomes in the English football league. All fans rated their fellow fans as significantly more supportive, loyal, emotional, and passionate than fans of other teams. All fans also rated their team kits, aspects of their home stadiums (view, comfort, atmosphere, facilities, attractiveness), and match-day catering, significantly higher than those of all other teams. There were no differences between the certain and uncertain groups. It is thought that this type of 'positive illusion' allows fans to maintain the positive outcomes of allegiance to their team, but reduces the potential discomfort of losing. However, fans of teams facing uncertain outcomes rated their identification with their fellow fans significantly higher than the fans of the teams facing certain outcomes, suggesting that fans of teams with an uncertain future come to identify more strongly with their fellow fans. These results concur with uncertainty reduction theory, which indicates that people identify more strongly with groups of high entitativity when they are feeling uncertain; this may be an efficient and immediate way of reducing self-conceptual uncertainty. The questionnaire was repeated with fans of teams playing in the Helenic Football Federation in Greece, this data is yet to be analysed.


The word-of-mouth diffusion has been regarded as an important mechanism to advertise a new idea, image, technology, or product in online social networks (OSNs). This paper studies the prediction of popular and viral image diffusion in Pinterest. We first characterize an image cascade from two perspectives: (i) volume — how large the cascade is, that is, total number of users reached, and (ii) structural virality — how many users in the cascade are responsible for attracting other users. Our model predicts whether an image will be (a) popular in terms of the volume of its cascade, or (b) viral in terms of the structural virality. Our analysis reveals that a popular image is not necessarily viral, and vice versa. This motivates us to investigate whether there are distinctive features for accurately predicting popular or viral image cascades. To predict the popular or viral image cascades, we consider the following feature sets: (i) deep image features, (ii) image meta and poster's information, and (iii) initial propagation pattern. We find that using deep image features alone is not as effective in predicting popular or viral image cascades. We show that image meta and poster's information are strong predictors for predicting popular image cascades while image meta and initial propagation patterns are useful to predict viral image cascades. We believe our exploration can give an important insight for content providers, OSN operators, and marketers in predicting popular or viral image diffusion.