Abstract Clutch performance refers to improved or successful performance under pressure. Whether such performances should be assessed using objective indicators (e.g., performance statistics) or subjective indicators (e.g., athletes' perceived performance) remains an important unresolved issue within the field. The aim of this study was to examine the types of performance indicators that basketballers use to identify clutch performance. A mixed-methods multiple case study design was adopted involving four semi-elite basketballers (3 male, 1 female). Four sources of data were collected: (1) performance statistics; (2) a screening questionnaire measuring pressure and perceived performance; (3) observations; and (4) event-focused interviews. As two participants reported on two different performances, a total of six cases were included. Within-case analysis was conducted to become familiar with each case, followed by an integrated cross-case analysis. Results suggested that whilst objective indicators are important for identifying clutch performance, these were often viewed through a subjective lens. Further, subjective indicators such as perceived effort and control appear similarly important in assessing clutch performance. Lastly, it was reported that clutch performances do not always require winning, but may rather be about a sense of contributing to the team performance. Overall, these findings suggest that operationalizations of clutch performance should consider athletes' subjective interpretations, and not rely solely on objective indicators.  Lay summary: An important step in facilitating performance under pressure is understanding how to measure such performances. This study suggests that athletes' perceptions of their performance under pressure are important to consider, and may not align with traditional objective performance indicators, such as performance statistics. Implications for practice When examining performance under pressure, practitioners should consider athletes' own interpretations of objective performance indicators Practitioners may also consider examining subjective indicators of performance, such as perceived effort or control when measuring performances under pressure Encouraging athletes to contribute toward the team performance, rather than focusing on the outcome, may facilitate assessments of clutch performance.


We develop a Bayesian modeling approach for tracking people in 3D from monocular video with unknown cameras. Modeling in 3D provides natural explanations for occlusions and smoothness discontinuities that result from projection, and allows priors on velocity and smoothness to be grounded in physical quantities: meters and seconds vs. pixels and frames. We pose the problem in the context of data association, in which observations are assigned to tracks. A correct application of Bayesian inference to multi-target tracking must address the fact that the model's dimension changes as tracks are added or removed, and thus, posterior densities of different hypotheses are not comparable. We address this by marginalizing out the trajectory parameters so the resulting posterior over data associations has constant dimension. This is made tractable by using (a) Gaussian process priors for smooth trajectories and (b) approximately Gaussian likelihood functions. Our approach provides a principled method for incorporating multiple sources of evidence, we present results using both optical flow and object detector outputs. Results are comparable to recent work on 3D tracking and, unlike others, our method requires no pre-calibrated cameras.


A study was conducted to determine trends of variability and extremes in rainfall and temperature in order to inform stakeholder's decisions in planning for appropriate adaptation strategies to climate change. Daily rainfall and temperature data sets from 1961 to 2013 were used. Data were subjected to trend analysis using non-parametric Mann-Kendall tests while rainfall and temperature extremes were derived using RClimdex software. Coefficient of variation (CV) in annual rainfall was 25.3, 12.9 and 16.3 % for Mbarara, Masindi and Soroti respectively. Mean daily maximum temperatures were 26.7, 29.6 and 30.8 oC for Mbarara, Masindi and Soroti respectively. Annual total wet days were increasing but not significant (P>0.05). Consecutive wet days (CWD) were increasing only in Mbarara while consecutive dry days, CDDs revealed weak declining trends in Mbarara and stronger significant increasing trends in Soroti (P<0.05). The number of hot days (TX90p) and warm nights (TN90p) was significantly increasing (P< 0.05) in Mbarara and Masindi. The number of warmest nights (TNx) and hottest days (TXx) was also significantly increasing (P<0.05). Mean diurnal temperature range, DTR showed significant decreasing trends in Mbarara and Masindi (P<0.05) while in Soroti it was significantly increasing. The observed increasing temperatures, coupled with declining CWDs and increasing CDDs will most likely result into increased heat stress to livestock, drying of most surface water sources and changes in pasture species composition thus causing a decline in livestock productivity. Key words: Climate change and cattle corridor, hot days, trends, wet days


Objective. Pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are strongly correlated in veteran populations. Arguments for which one condition predicts or worsens the other condition have gone in both directions. However, research addressing this issue has been primarily limited to cross-sectional studies rather than examinations of a potential bidirectional relationship between pain interference and PTSD symptoms over time. In addition, no studies have examined deployment injury status as potentially moderating this bidirectional effect in veterans. To address these gaps in the literature, the present longitudinal study examined whether there is a bidirectional relationship between pain interference and PTSD symptoms in a sample of male and female veterans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation New Dawn ( N ¼ 729) and whether deployment injury status moderates this relationship. Methods. Participants completed phone interviews regarding pain interference and PTSD symptoms at three time points, each three months apart. Results. Pain interference at Time 1 predicted worse PTSD symptoms at Time 2 for the subset of veterans who sustained injuries during deployment ( n ¼ 381) but not for veterans with pain interference who did not sustain injuries ( n ¼ 338). From Time 1 to Time 3, elevations in PTSD symptoms were mediated by pain interference for injured veterans; in contrast, PTSD symptoms did not appear to drive changes in pain interference in either group. Conclusions. These results indicate that physical symptom management should be a crucial target of psychological intervention for returning veterans with PTSD symptoms and deployment-related injuries.


Troubled by actions of the Trump Administration, some academics have defended the administrative state. This may be a mistake. The scholarly definition of the administrative state has shifted over decades, and today scholarly usage of the term diverges substantially from popular usage. When academics invoke the concept, they may unwittingly trigger negative associations in the minds of non-academics and defeat their own cause. This mistake is easily avoided, because academics often do not need to talk about the administrative state at all. Scholarly inquiry would be improved by using different terms to describe three distinct ideas: the state, the administrative component of the state, and the administrative state, a type of state that emerged at a specific moment in American history. If academics want to defend the public service in the realm of politics, it would be better to do so in those terms, rather than using a phrase that triggers fears about big and irresponsible government.


Warming and acidification are expected impact of climate change that will affect marine areas in the future. These areas are, furthermore, vulnerable to strong anthropogenic stresses such as chemical pollutants. Nevertheless, the consequences of both stressors for marine ecosystems and organisms are still unidentified. The present study aims to examine, for the first time, the effect of temperature and CO2 pressure increase on bioaccumulation of phenanthrene as a PAHs model in four tissues, gills, digestive gland, muscle and mantle of a commercially important pearl oyster Pinctada radiata. Oysters were exposed to various combination of the ambient temperature and pH currently measured in Persian Gulf (T = 24 ºC and pH = 8.1) and the expected ocean warming and acidification (T = 28 ºC and pH = 7.6), as well as proper PhE concentration (0.8 ng.l− 1) during 28 days. In all exposures, higher PhE contents were observed under hypercapnia and warming condition in the digestive gland and gills, followed by the mantle and muscle. Generally, the results visibly reveal that longer exposure period led to promote PhE bioaccumulation in all tissues under ocean warming and acidification environment which was time-dependent pattern of PhE accumulation in P.radiata. Present-day PhE environmental concentrations, which combined with ocean warming and acidification, may lead to rigorous interruption of physiological functions can be extra threatened the ecological fitness of pearl oysters.


This paper supersedes the work presented in WP.No.2014-02-06. We study the problem of allocating doctors to primary health centers (PHC). We model the problem as a multi-period uncapacitated facility location problem under uncertainty. The problem is unconventional in that the uncertainty is in the number and period of availability of doctors. This work aims to determine the sequence of opening facil- ities (assigning doctors to the PHC) over multiple periods so as to cover the maximum demand. We use a minmax regret approach to solve the problem under uncertainty. We present solution techniques using tabu search and compare our solutions with optimal solutions obtained using commercial solvers. We see that one of our tabu search algorithms is faster and yields optimal solutions in the problems we tested on.


Abstract Questions: Do lianas alter the relative success of tree species during regeneration? Are the effects of lianas on tree seedlings moderated by canopy openness? How are patterns of biomass allocation in tree seedlings affected by liana competition? Location: Tropical moist semi-deciduous forest in Ghana. Methods: Seedlings of the trees Nauclea diderrichii (pioneer), Khaya anthotheca (non-pioneer light demander) and Garcinia kola (non-pioneer shade bearer) were planted with the lianas Acacia kamerunensis (fast growing) and Loeseneriella rowlandii (slow growing) in large and small gaps (ca. 15% and 8% PAR respectively) and in the forest understorey (ca. 4% PAR). Seedling survival, growth and biomass allocation were measured. Results: Canopy openness moderated the interaction between liana and tree seedlings. The nature of the interaction was both liana and tree species specific and displayed temporal variation. Acacia competition effects were stronger in sites with greater canopy openness. In big gaps, Acacia reduced significantly the biomass of Nauclea by 32% and Khaya by about 50%. Khaya growth in leaf area was five times greater without Acacia, while Nauclea and Garcinia were not affected. Acacia was more plastic than Loeseneriella in response to the environment and the tree species. Our results show that while Loeseneriella, with lower rates of growth, did not affect seedling growth of the three species evaluated, Acacia could alter the relative success of tree species during regeneration. Conclusions: There is evidence that competitive effects by Acacia on tree regeneration through competition could modify tree species capacity to establish. Effects by lianas at the regeneration phase may have important implications for forest management. Nomenclature: Hall & Swaine (1981) and Hawthorne (1995).


Percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) is an effective method of treating the lumbar herniated nucleus pulposis (HNP) that is both contained by the annular/posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) complex and connected to the parent disc of origin. Not all radiological studies have the same ability to diagnose this specific type of herniation and therefore are not equally useful in the preoperative evaluation of the PLDD candidate. Ninety PLDD treated patients were retrospectively reviewed to determine which of the four most commonly performed lumbar imaging exams, when abnormal, correlated with a successful outcome. Overall MacNab criteria improvement occurred in 73.3% of PLDD-treated patients. An abnormal CT discogram correlated with PLDD success in all patients treated (100%). An abnormal MRI, CT, or myelogram correlated with success in 75% or less of patients treated. The theoretical reasons for the superiority of CT discography are discussed and the diagnostic potential of all major lumbar imaging modalities is reviewed. A diagnostic decision scheme for the evaluation of the prospective PLDD patient is presented.


Sphere-plane gaps constitute one of the most, theoretically and practically, interesting electrode configurations in High Voltage testing. Up to now, most of the studies available in the literature are, almost entirely, based on laboratory experiments and the specification of the Critical Flashover Voltage (CFO). The methodology, presented in this paper, for the calculation of breakdown voltage, is based on the specification of the maximum electric field and the place on the electrode configuration where this appears. The proposed simulation model is studied under electrostatic conditions using Finite Element Method (FEM). Assumptions and outcomes from previous works are also considered, both during the simulation [1] and the calculation [2] procedures. The obtained results indicate a significant convergence with already published test measurements and calculation results, especially for gap distances where the electric field is considered as uniformly and quasi-uniformly [2] distributed. Finally, useful conclusions are derived, regarding both the electric field distribution and the behaviour of the breakdown voltage.


Abstract:The transfer and management of information systems (IS) technology present a significant challenge to multinational corporations (MNCS). Very few studies have investigated the managerial concerns and issues that confront IS executives in an international context This paper presents the empirical results of a two-phase study designed to identify and prioritize important international information systems issues in U.S.-based MNCS. The findings are compared to those reported in the earlier domestic MIS issues studies. The study reported here (a) identifies a number of international IS issues unique to multinational corporations; (b) emphasizes that top-rated international IS concerns are a mixture of managerial and technical issues much like the domestic issues studies of the 1980s; (c) concludes that multinational service and manufacturing firms perceive the importance of international IS issues differently; and (d) demonstrates, for manufacturing MNCS, that the level of international involvement d...


Background: Protein Z (PZ) is a vitamin K-dependent plasma glycoprotein, it plays a key role in the physiologic inhibition of coagulation by acting as a cofactor in the inactivation of factor Xa. The relationship between PZ gene polymorphisms and pregnancy loss is controversial. To address this, we investigate the association between PZ (rs3024718, rs3024719, rs3024731, rs3024778 and rs3024772) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss (IRPL) in in women from Tabuk region (North western region, Saudi Arabia). Methods: A case control study, including Sixty-three women with at least three unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) were selected and matched with seventy-eight healthy and fertile women (controls). SNP genotyping was carried out by allelic discrimination using real time PCR. Results: The outcome was that the minor allele frequencies (MAF) are 0.23 vs 0.20, 0.24 vs 0.19, 0.02 vs 0.02, 0.26 vs 0.21, and 0.02 vs 0.01 respectively for rs3024718 A/G, rs024719 G/A, rs3024778 G/A, rs3024731 G/A, and rs3024772 A/G PZ polymorphisms. The genotype distribution was similar between women with RPL and control women (P>0.05) and none of the tested SNPs were associated with RPL under co-dominant, dominant, or recessive genetic models. The lack of association was also confirmed by haplotypes analysis showing an absence of RPL risk with the constructed haplotypes. Conclusion: It was concluded that the studied PZ polymorphisms are not associated with the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss in the studied population


Framework for Multi-agency Environments (FAME) was one of the Local Government On-Line funded National Projects sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). Within FAME there were six local projects (known as strands) led by English local authorities in partnership with service providers. Each strand aimed to improve a particular set of services (for example, to vulnerable older people or disabled children) through effective and appropriate exchange of information. These local projects worked with IT suppliers (known as technology partners) to produce a technical system to facilitate the exchange and management of client / patient information across agency boundaries. Not all the outputs of FAME were in the form of IT systems. Improvements to business processes and information sharing practices were also expected. Newcastle University led two further strands, the Generic Framework and Learning & Evaluation. The Generic Framework identifies and describes nine building blocks that are essential to effective multi-agency working. The FAME website http://www.fame-uk.org contains details of these building blocks, together with a 'how to' guide and a toolkit to support local authorities and their partners in assessing their 'readiness' for multi-agency working. This is the report of the Learning & Evaluation strand. The Learning & Evaluation team worked closely with the local FAME project teams, who were supportive of our work and generous with their time. Throughout the project we reported back to the local teams both individually and collectively. Evaluation was thoroughgoing and critical, not an exercise in public relations or advocacy. It is important to stress that learning is likely to be gained from what did not work as well as from what did. Problems and setbacks, as well as successes, are therefore documented and analysed in the report.


As of May 2022, Omicron BA.2 variant is the most dominant variant in the world. Thereafter, Omicron subvariants have emerged and some of them began outcompeting BA.2 in multiple countries. For instance, Omicron BA.2.11, BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5 subvariants are becoming dominant in France, the USA and South Africa, respectively. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity of these new Omicron subvariants (BA.2.11, BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5) to eight therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (bamlanivimab, bebtelovimab, casirivimab, cilgavimab, etesevimab, imdevimab, sotrovimab and tixagevimab). Notably, we showed that although cilgavimab is antiviral against BA.2, BA.4/5 exhibits higher resistance to this antibody compared to BA.2. Since mutations are accumulated in the spike proteins of newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, we suggest the importance of rapid evaluation of the efficiency of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against novel SARS-CoV-2 variants.


628 Gold(I) phosphine derivatives have previously attracted interest as potential antitumour agents but hepatotoxicity was encountered during preclinical development. A series of bidentate pyridyl phosphine gold(I) and silver(I) complexes were synthesised covering a range of lipophilic/hydrophilic properties. Previously we reported that their lipophilicity greatly affects cellular uptake and cytotoxicity in a CH1 cell line. Herein we examined their in vitro uptake and cytotoxicity in a panel of human ovarian tumor cell lines and isolated hepatocytes. Sulforhodamine B assay and lactate dehydrogenase release assay were used to determine tumor cell growth inhibition and hepatocyte viability. Gold content was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The in vitro cytotoxicity of bidentate pyridyl phosphine complexes to isolated hepatocytes and ovarian tumor cell lines correlated with their lipophilicity and rate of gold uptake. The 3- and 4-pyridyl derivatives showed less hepatotoxicity, slower cellular uptake and marked cytotoxicity to 2-deoxy-D-glucose-sensitive tumor cell lines. The cellular uptake of the 2-pyridyl gold(I) phosphine complex was partially inhibited by the membrane potential inhibitor valinomycin, and was higher in mitochondria relative to cytosolic and nuclear fractions. Unlike the phenyl phosphine gold(I) complex, the 2- and 4-pyridyl derivatives did not induce hepatotoxicity in vivo and showed lower gold accumulation in liver relative to tumor. In conclusion, the in vitro cytotoxicity of bidentate pyridyl phosphine gold(I) and silver(I) complexes to isolated hepatocytes and tumor cell lines correlated with their lipophilic/hydrophilic properties and cellular uptake. Their hepatotoxicity and antitumour activity may be due to their direct cytotoxicity, interference with energy metabolism and preferential accumulation in mitochondria. The Auckland Medical Research Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Auckland Division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand supported the work.


I n 2009, Sharon Kujawa and M. Charles Liberman introduced to the auditory neuroscience field the fascinating phenomenon of hidden hearing loss—a circumstance in which a brief noise exposure causes a temporary elevation of hearing thresholds, resulting in dramatic, detrimental, and permanent physiologic and histologic consequences to the peripheral auditory system. The response of the cochlear nerve to suprathreshold acoustic stimulation was significantly diminished in these animals with otherwise normal hearing thresholds. Moreover, the synaptic populations electrophysiologically connecting the inner hair cells to auditory neurons were decimated. Notably, this reduction in peripheral signal has since been suggested to result in central gain and contribute to the development of tinnitus and hyperacusis, among other auditory conditions (J Neurophysiol. 2014;111[3]:552; Neuron 2016;89[4]:867). The investigators demonstrated this effect in multiple mammalian species and hypothesized early on that this phenomenon likely occurs in humans as well (J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2011;12[5]:605). It appears that they are correct. Independently, the Melcher and McAlpine groups found that normal hearing subjects with tinnitus had reduced wave I amplitudes of their auditory brainstem response (ABR), representing the summed activity of the cochlear nerve. Evidence for perceptual consequences of hidden hearing loss has also been mounting. Bramhall and associates reported that reduced ABR wave I amplitude was associated with impaired speech-in-noise performance, while Liberman and colleagues found that young adults with substantial noise exposure history had poorer word-recognitionin-noise performance and physiologic evidence of auditory neuronal loss. Intriguingly, this cohort also demonstrated significantly heightened sound annoyance and avoidance symptoms, hinting at the role of auditory neuronal degeneration in the development of hyperacusis. So what can clinicians take from these remarkable findings? If neuronal loss from advancing age or noise trauma plays an instrumental role in a variety of auditory pathologies, what interventions can be provided to symptomatic patients? Animal studies continue to provide further insights into these clinical questions. In recent decades, successful promotion of auditory neuronal survival via neurotrophin delivery, gene therapy, and electric stimulation, among others, has been thoroughly demonstrated in animal models. Of particular note, the O'Leary and Liberman groups independently described a significant attenuation of the impact of noise trauma to ABR wave I amplitudes and cochlear synaptic populations with round-window delivery of neurotrophins. Currently, there are few, if any, roadblocks to the delivery of neurotrophins to the human inner ear; otolaryngologists routinely provide medication to the cochlea via transtympanic injection. Moreover, a host of gel formulations has been developed to provide chronic delivery of therapies, and these materials could provide weeks to months of neurotrophic support to the spiral ganglia. Viralmediated inner ear gene therapy has already been trialed in humans, and accordingly, the road to study the impact of neurotrophin production from transfected cochlear cells has been well-paved. Although auditory neuronal stimulation and tinnitus suppression via inner ear electric stimulation has long been well-established, providing patients with safe and stable current to the cochlea remains a substantial technical obstacle (Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;23[5]:382). Recent developments of innovative implantable auditory prostheses may inspire novel methods of the delivery of electricity to the spiral ganglia. These and other lines of research strongly suggest the role of the hidden hearing loss phenomenon in the pathophysiology of a myriad of troublesome auditory symptoms and, more importantly, the need to translate landmark animal studies to clinical trials on the diagnosis and treatment of hidden hearing loss.


This study aims to further the scientific understanding of the microbial quality and safety of grated cheese. Samples of grated cheese product (n = 20) were obtained from markets in the central region of Brazil and submitted to microbiological analysis using conventional and alternative (Petrifilm™ and RIDA(®) plates) methodologies. Based only on the criteria from the Brazilian Health Ministry, all samples were considered adequate for consumption. However, most samples presented foreign substances and high levels of contamination by other hygiene indicator microorganisms, indicating failures in processing and possible risks to consumers. Despite the hygienic quality of the samples, the obtained results showed good correlation indexes and similarities between the conventional and the alternative methodologies, indicating their viability for the quality control of grated cheese.


Learning to control an agent from data collected offline in a rich pixel-based visual observation space is vital for real-world applications of reinforcement learning (RL). A major challenge in this setting is the presence of input information that is hard to model and irrelevant to controlling the agent. This problem has been approached by the theoretical RL community through the lens of exogenous information, i.e, any control-irrelevant information contained in observations. For example, a robot navigating in busy streets needs to ignore irrelevant information, such as other people walking in the background, textures of objects, or birds in the sky. In this paper, we focus on the setting with visually detailed exogenous information, and introduce new offline RL benchmarks offering the ability to study this problem. We find that contemporary representation learning techniques can fail on datasets where the noise is a complex and time dependent process, which is prevalent in practical applications. To address these, we propose to use multi-step inverse models, which have seen a great deal of interest in the RL theory community, to learn Agent-Controller Representations for Offline-RL (ACRO). Despite being simple and requiring no reward, we show theoretically and empirically that the representation created by this objective greatly outperforms baselines.


There are many different types of manufacturing methods for heat sink fins in the current market. The aim of this study is to design an extrusion die for a radial-finned heat sink using a commercial finite element package, DEFORMTM 3D. We then conduct a series of simulation analyses with different variables such as friction factor, ram velocity, and fin gate stage of the die to evaluate the methods of decreasing the warping in the extrusion process. The die is assumed as a rigid body in the analyses. The results confirm the suitability of DEFORMTM 3D to design an extrusion die achieving a lower warping behavior of the radial-finned heat sink.


We investigate the problem of learning action effects in partially observable STRIPS planning domains. Our approach is based on a voted kernel perceptron learning model, where action and state information is encoded in a compact vector representation as input to the learning mechanism, and resulting state changes are produced as output. Our approach relies on deictic features that assume an attentional mechanism that reduces the size of the representation. We evaluate our approach on a number of partially observable planning domains, and show that it can quickly learn the dynamics of such domains, with low average error rates. We show that our approach handles noisy domains, conditional effects, and that it scales independently of the number of objects in a domain.


Modelling is often an expensive and time-consuming process. Issues with modelling efficiency and implications to model adoption are long recognized in the broad modelling/simulation as well as system dynamics literature. Computational methods for supporting model learning provide an opportunity for addressing these limitations by providing computational tools that have the capabilities to analyse large datasets and explore possible model structures and parameters that can explain the behaviour of interest. This paper, a part of an ongoing research, aims to contribute to the area of using machine learning to support learning about system dynamics models. Towards this aim, the paper has three objectives. First, we present an overview of recent advances in system dynamics model learning. Secondly, we present and describe the proposed methodology which uses a genetic programming method under the assumptions of full and partial information available about the system. Thirdly, we present three case studies to develop and test the proposed methodology. Preliminary results show that the genetic programming was able to find good approximated models for first and second order system dynamics model. However, the results for third order models the learned models were not good approximations for the original models. Combining genetic programming and embedding reconstruction technique showed better results in the case of third order model.


Abstract. Wind erosion susceptibility of Hungarian soils was mapped on the national level integrating three factors of the complex phenomenon of deflation (physical soil features, wind characteristics, and land use and land cover). Results of wind tunnel experiments on erodibility of representative soil samples were used for the parametrization of a countrywide map of soil texture compiled for the upper 5 cm layer of soil, which resulted in a map representing threshold wind velocity exceedance. Average wind velocity was spatially estimated with 0.5′ resolution using the Meteorological Interpolation based on Surface Homogenised Data Basis (MISH) method elaborated for the spatial interpolation of surface meteorological elements. The probability of threshold wind velocity exceedance was determined based on values predicted by the soil texture map at the grid locations. Ratio values were further interpolated to a finer 1 ha resolution using sand and silt content of the uppermost (0–5 cm) layer of soil as spatial co-variables. Land cover was also taken into account, excluding areas that are not relevant to wind erosion (forests, water bodies, settlements, etc.), to spatially assess the risk of wind erosion. According to the resulting map of wind erosion susceptibility, about 10 % of the total area of Hungary can be identified as susceptible to wind erosion. The map gives more detailed insight into the spatial distribution of wind-affected areas in Hungary compared to previous studies.


The VAT exemption for management of special investment funds has been a topic of discussion for a long time. In the Fiscale Eenheid X NV judgment (9 December 2015, C-595/13), the Court of Justice of the European Union again gave its view on the interpretation of this exemption. The judgment raises many questions and the fact that the dispute relates to a period in which the AIFM Directive had not yet been introduced makes these questions even more complicated. In this contribution, the authors share their thoughts on the consequences of the judgment, the introduction of the AIFM Directive and the current scope of the exemption for management of special investment funds. In particular attention will be paid to the interpretation of the terms 'special investment fund' and 'management'


Context dependency and systematicity in connectionism Jordi Maj` a University of Edinburgh Abstract: I argue that connectionist models are well prepared to deal with the problem of context dependency. I understand the problem of context dependency in the case of language processing and in relation to the problem of systematicity as follows: if the meaning of a word in a sentence is context dependent, then the systematicity of our cognitive capacities could not be explained, since the same word in a new sentence (though being the same) would not have the same meaning as in the initial sentence, and then, concerning systematicity, our ability to produce or understand a new sentence would not depend on our ability to produce or understand the initial sentence. A correctly trained network should be able to distinguish them as different meanings precisely because the meaning is always differently determined in the network. I will discuss to which extent systematicity would be a problem for connectionism.


CONSIDERING SENIORS' PROVINCIAL MENTAL HEALTH POLICIES IN CANADA: FOCUS ON HOME CARE AND LONG-TERM CARE. WHERE HAVE WE BEEN? WHERE ARE WE GOING? AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Kimberley Wilson Co-Advisors: Dr. Joseph Tindale University of Guelph, 2015 Dr. Donna Lero Increased life expectancies and the prevalence of chronic illness in late life have illuminated a structural lag in our healthcare systems. While Canada's publicly insured healthcare system was designed around acute illness, older adults use home and long-term care services more than other age groups. There is also a need for understanding the impact and prevalence of mental illnesses in late life. Given that older adults with mental illness frequently use services outside of the publicly insured healthcare system, this dissertation explores how provinces have organized home and long-term care to support older adults with mental health issues. This research is guided by the political economy theory of aging and the life course theoretical perspective. Qualitative methods including the Policy Triangle Framework and Framework Analysis were used in this comparative analysis of Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Through analysis of 23 policy documents and 18 key informant interviews, findings are organized by themes associated with research questions. This includes analysis of the content of the policies, and an exploration of the key drivers, processes, context, and actors/champions that interact to shape policymaking. Current policy gaps and alignment with evidence in the field are examined. Cross-provincial analysis found that seniors' mental health falls between gaps in policies. Furthermore, mental health strategies focus on children/youth, and aging policies often minimize mental health issues beyond dementia. Provincial political ideologies and contexts influence messaging in policies, as evidenced by a residualist social welfare model in Alberta. Apocalyptic demography, especially intergenerational justice, is found within policy documents, focusing on "fair" and "equitable" systems that meet the needs of seniors without compromising other populations. Across provinces there is divergence from research in terms of the perspective around mental illness and dementia. Instead of taking an integrated view, policy silos and legacies separate dementia as a medical/organic issue and mental illness as a psychiatric issue. Promising innovations are also highlighted. Theses findings contribute to the literature about seniors' mental health policy in Canada. Challenges to doing applied health policy analysis in an ever-changing landscape are discussed, and future research directions and policy recommendations are offered.


Complexes of Co(II), Ni(II) and Fe(III) with ampicillin and amoxicillin as ligands have been synthesized in aqueous solution and characterized by physical, IR and electronic spectra. The elemental data obtained agreed with the general formula [M(A)(C)].3H2O, where A= amoxicillin, C= ampicillin and M= metal ion. The IR spectra shows that the ligands coordinated to the metal ions through v(C=O), v(COO) and v(N-H) respectively due to their structural similarities. Electronic spectral data further revealed the probable geometry of Co(II) and Fe(III) complexes to be octahedral, while that of Zn(II) complex is tetrahedral. All the complexes and the ligands were screened for their biological activity on some selected bacterial species which includes:- Staphylococcus aurous, Streptococcus pyogene, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella shigela, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa. The results of biological activity indicated that the Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes have increased activity while Fe(III) had decreased activity. The complexes are also soluble in polar solvents.


Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is an inborn disorder of amino acid metabolism, often presenting with neurological symptoms. We present the results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) of the brain in a 16‐month‐old male patient with classic neurological and laboratory findings for MMA. MRI demonstrated the hyperintensity within globi pallidi both on T2‐weighted image and DWI during the acute episode of metabolic acidosis.


Although highly legible, the National Park Service's (NPS) Clarendon font produces sign legends that can be 10% to 20% longer than those depicted in conventional sans serif fonts. Placing these wider signs on narrow park roads and in urban historic districts can be prohibitive. To address this problem, a project was initiated to create a new NPS Roman-style (i.e., serif) font that requires less horizontal sign space than Clarendon while improving sign readability and retaining Clarendon's unique "signature quality." The present study also evaluated a set of guide sign arrows to select the most legible for use on NPS guide signs. Three candidate typefaces were developed for daytime and nighttime field evaluation with 72 older and younger subjects. From the results of the evaluation, a fourth font was created and field tested with 12 additional subjects. Words created with the fourth font (NPS Roadway) were 5% to 11.5% shorter than those created with Clarendon. Further, subjects were able to read these words at 10.5% longer average threshold legibility distances than the same words composed in Clarendon. The relative legibility of 12 candidate guide sign arrows was evaluated in an outdoor field study. Forty-eight subjects participated in the daytime, and 32 subjects viewed the arrows at night. There were statistically significant differences in legibility distance among the various arrow shapes. The arrow ultimately recommended for use on NPS road guide signs performed 18% better than the FHWA "standard arrow".


High-performance nonpolar a-plane GaN-based metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) ultraviolet (UV) photo-detectors are fabricated based on high-quality nonpolar a-plane GaN epitaxial films grown on LaAlO3(100) substrates. By effectively controlling the interfacial reactions between GaN and LaAlO3(100) through low temperature growth by pulsed laser deposition, together with systematically studying the formation mechanism of GaN/LaAlO3 hetero-interfaces by first-principles calculations, high-quality nonpolar a-plane GaN epitaxial films with no interfacial layer are obtained. The as-grown ∼300 nm-thick nonpolar a-plane GaN epitaxial films grown at a low temperature of 450 °C show high crystalline quality with the full-width at half-maximum values of 0.21° and 0.41° for GaN(11−20) and GaN(10−11) X-ray rocking curves, respectively; and a very smooth surface with a root-mean-square surface roughness of 1.2 nm. These high-quality nonpolar a-plane GaN epitaxial films are then fabricated into MSM UV photo-detectors, which reveal a high responsivity of 1.35 A W−1 with a low dark current of 8.2 nA @ 5 V. These are the best values for nonpolar GaN-based MSM UV photo-detectors ever reported. These high-performance nonpolar a-plane GaN-based MSM UV photo-detectors have immense potential for application in UV warning and curing systems and light therapy devices.


perform a similar study of patients with Crohn's disease. Twenty two consecutive patients with Crohn's disease (11 men, 11 women, mean age 42, range 19-83) attending an outpatient clinic were studied. The Crohn's disease had been present from one month to 22 years (mean 61 years), and a disease activity index' at the time of study was 0-15 (mean 4). A random urine sample was collected, and urinary cc, microglobulin concentration measured by single radial immunodiffusion with the results corrected for urinary creatinine concentration and expressed as mg/g creatinine. Albustix testing was negative, and plasma creatinine concentrations were normal in all patients. Urine cx, microglobulin concentration was increased in 10 patients (> 10 mg/g creatinine) (mean (SD) 37 6 (26) mg/g; range 11-786 mg/g). These findings indicate previously unrecognised renal proximal tubular dysfunction in Crohn's disease, but as in rheumatic diseases its importance is unknown. The patients with increased ox microglobulin could not be distinguished by duration of disease or by degree of disease activity in this small sample. It seems, however, that this type of tubular dysfunction may be common to several chronic inflammatory diseases.


IBM Spectrum Scale's parallel file system General Parallel File System (GPFS) has a 20-year development history with over 100 contributing developers. Its ability to support strict POSIX semantics across more than 10K clients leads to a complex design with intricate interactions between the cluster nodes. Tracing has proven to be a vital tool to understand the behavior and the anomalies of such a complex software product. However, the necessary trace information is often buried in hundreds of gigabytes of by-product trace records. Further, the overhead of tracing can significantly impact running applications and file system performance, limiting the use of tracing in a production system. In this research article, we discuss the evolution of the mature and highly scalable GPFS tracing tool and present the exploratory study of GPFS' new tracing interface, FlexTrace, which allows developers and users to accurately specify what to trace for the problem they are trying to solve. We evaluate our methodology and prototype, demonstrating that the proposed approach has negligible overhead, even under intensive I/O workloads and with low-latency storage devices.


OBJECTIVE
To qualify surgeons to participate in a randomized trial comparing laparoscopic and open distal D2 gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
No studies have sought to qualify surgeons for a randomized trial comparing laparoscopic and open D2 gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer.

METHODS
We conducted a multicenter prospective observational study evaluating unedited videos of laparoscopic and open D2 gastrectomy performed by 27 surgeons. Surgeons performed 3 of each laparoscopic and open distal gastrectomies with D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer. Five peers reviewed each unedited video using a video assessment form. Based on experts' review of videos, a separate review committee decided surgeons as "Qualified" or "Not-qualified."

RESULTS
Twelve surgeons (44.4%) were qualified on initial evaluation whereas the other 15 surgeons were not. Another 9 surgeons were finally qualified after re-evaluation. The median score for Qualified was significantly higher than Not-qualified (P < 0.001).Significant differences between Qualified and Not-qualified were noted both in operation type and in all evaluation area of surgical skill, perigastric, and extra-perigastric lymphadenectomy, although the inter-rater variability of the assessment score was low (kappa = 0.285). However, Not-qualified surgeons' scores improved upon re-evaluation of resubmitted videos.When compared laparoscopy with open surgery, median scores were similar between the 2 groups (P = 0.680). However, open gastrectomy scores for surgical skills were significantly higher than for laparoscopic surgery (P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS
Our surgeon quality control study for gastrectomy represents a milestone in surgical standardization for surgical clinical trials. Our methods could also serve as a system for educating surgeons and assessing surgical proficiency.


Plan: The present research work is aimed to synthesize newer, less toxic and more effective Mannich bases of 1, 4 thiazine derivatives and further compare their antifungal activities.

Preface: Microbial infections are becoming the most important issue for global health and economy. Among these fungal infections are the major problem these days. The morbidity and mortality of invasive fungal infections are unacceptably high. It is an urgent need for the development of new antifungal agents to treat these life-threatening invasive infections.

Methodology: Mannich base was synthesized by using o-amino thiophenol with maleic anhydride. Further, four derivatives of Mannich bases were synthesized from 3-oxo-3, 4-dihydro-2H-1, 4-benzothiazin-2-yl) acetic acid with sulpha drugs, ethanol, and formaldehyde. Then synthesized Mannich bases were docked against Dihydrofolate reductase complexed with NADPH and 6- methyl-5- [3-methyl-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl) but-1-yn-1-yl]pyrimidine-2,4-diamine (UCP115A)using Argus Lab software. On this basis, we selected 3QLS as a biological target for docking study of synthesized compound.

Outcome: The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by UV, IR and Mass Spectroscopic studies. All the newly synthesized derivatives were screened for antifungal activity against Candida albicans NCIM 3100 and Aspergillus niger NCIM 596 by agar diffusion method (Kirby- Bauer method) using fluconazole (10µg/disc) as the standard and dimethyl sulphoxide as the vehicle. The docking results indicate the Mannich bases of 1, 4-thiazines (ligand binding energy varies from -8.9046kcal/mol to -12,0457kcal/mol) shows considerable antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Out of the four derivatives, E4 (Sulfamethoxazole substituted 1, 4- thiazine) possess the best ligand pose energy (-12.0414 kcal/mol) and two hydrogen bond. Among these synthesized compounds, compound E4([4({[4-(N-(5-methyl-3-isoxazolyl) amino sulfonyl) phenyl] amino} methyl)-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H1,4-benzothiazin-2yl] acetic acid) showed highest antifungal activity due to the presence of 1,4- thiazine with sulfamethoxazole substitution.


A new model-reference data-driven approach is presented for synthesizing controllers for the CERN power converter control system. This method uses the frequency response function (FRF) of a system in order to avoid the problem of unmodeled dynamics associated with low-order parametric models. For this particular application, it is shown that a convex optimization problem can be formulated in the H∞ sense to shape the closed-loop FRF while guaranteeing the closed-loop stability. This optimization problem is realized by linearizing a non-convex constraint around a stabilizing operating point. The effectiveness of the method is illustrated by designing a controller for the SATURN power converter which is used in the Large Hadron Collider, in injector machines, and for pulsed applications at CERN. Experimental validation in the frequency-domain is also presented.


Despite progressive improvement in treating major depressive disorder (MDD), it remains mostly unresponsive to one antidepressant medication. Zinc is a brain highly abundant trace metal, a brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) inducer, a modulator of synaptic plasticity and potent suppressor of the NMDA receptors. We proposed that co-administration of zinc with the antide-pressants may represent a valuable regimen to improve the efficacy of these drugs. This work has been implemented to evaluate the behavioral changes of acute and sub-acute co-administration of zinc with Paroxtine in mice. Methods: The animals were injected intra-peritoneal with either Paroxtine (20 mg/kg) which was a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), zinc sulfate (30 mg/kg) or Paroxtine in combination with zinc for one day and one week (once daily). The pattern of the animal behavior was assessed in the forced swim test (FST). Results and Discussion: The behavioral patterns of the animals in the FST include immobility, swimming and climbing. Successful antidepressant should decrease the immobility time with either increase in swimming and/or climbing behavior based on the drug pharmacological activity. Our results revealed a significant decrease of immobility and increase of swimming behavior indicating serotonin-dependent pharmacological activity of Paroxtine or zinc alone as well as in the animals treated with zinc in combination with Paroxtine. There was no significant difference in the animals' behavior between acute and sub-acute treatment with zinc or even upon its addition to paroxetine. Our data support the concept that co-administration of zinc may provide further antidepressant activity. Zinc may offer additional clinical value particularly in geriatric patients or other populations where zinc level has shown dramatic decrease.


Pharyngitis is an inflammation or irritation of the pharynx or palatine tonsil. The etiology is usually viruses which cause the majority of the pharyngitis but most bacterial cases are attributed to group A Streptococci (GAS). This study aimed to identify the frequency of bacterial pharyngitis especially GAS of children, according to epidemiological factors. Symptoms present and signs for each patient were recorded, following which a throat swab was collected. There were 237 cases of  children aged between 1 and 14 years with inflammation; out of 394 cases that visited the ENT primary care at  Souk Al-Kameess during the 12 months study period. From the incidence of 394 sore throat cases,  GAS was observed in 237 cases (60.15%). Of these 110 (46.41%) were girls and 127 (53.59%) were boys. A higher proportion of children were found with GAS pharyngitis aged 5-9 and the lowest incidence of sore throat occurrence was 3-4 years. The highest incidence of children pharyngitis was recorded in January (Winter) and September (Autmn). The following factors showed independent positive correlation with GAS sore throat infection; patients visiting, months, year season, tonsillectomy, culture result, catalase test result and bacitracin test result with significant value of P<0.01, whereas sex, age and gram stain results with P˃ 0.01. In conclusion, the results of this study found that cases of bacterial sore throat were higher than non-bacterial sore throat. The main cause of bacterial pharyngitis was GAS. Therefore, this study suggested that the use of the effectiveness of antibiotics and recommended anti-bacterial pharyngitis therapy to prevent initial rheumatic fever and its complications.

 Key words: Pharyngitis, tonsillitis, epidemiological factors, Streptococcus, children.


In order to gain insight into the events that take place when serotonergic growth cones are remodeled into synapses, we tested the hypothesis that neurotransmitter-related properties of presynaptic terminals are already present in these growth cones before synaptogenesis begins. The ontogeny of markers for the specific reuptake of 5-HT and for 5-HT-storing synaptic vesicles was studied in isolated growth cone (IGC) fractions from developing rat brain. High- affinity 3H-imipramine binding (a marker for the plasma membrane 5-HT transporter) was significantly enriched in IGC fractions prepared before the beginning of cortical synaptogenesis [embryonic day 15 (E15) and E20]. Radioautography with 3H-imipramine or 3H-paroxetine (another marker for the transporter) confirmed that the 5-HT transporter is present in the cerebral cortex when it contains serotonergic growth cones, but not serotonergic synapses. Specific uptake of 3H-5-HT was found in IGC fractions as early as E15; this uptake was inhibited by fluoxetine. Electron microscopic radioautography demonstrated directly that growth cones were the structures in IGC fractions that took up 3H- 5-HT. The synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin and a 45 kDa protein found specifically in serotonergic synaptic vesicles, serotonin-binding protein (SBP), were each enriched in IGC fractions from E15 to postnatal day 5; SBP immunoreactivity increased approximately 10-fold between E15 and E20. Endogenous 5-HT was detected in IGC fractions at E15 and increased in amount as development proceeded. The ratio of 5-HT to 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid suggested that 5-HT within growth cones is protected from catabolism by monoamine oxidase. Reserpine-induced depletion of 5-HT, a marker for the vesicular carrier of 5-HT, was apparent in IGC fractions at E20, but not at E15. These data suggest that properties that characterize the presynaptic components of mature serotonergic synapses develop in growth cones before synapses are formed. The early development of these properties may permit neurotransmission to be established rapidly during synaptogenesis or, alternatively, enable 5-HT to play a role in ontogeny.


College students have a high tendency to participate in risky behaviors, such as hazardous drinking and sleeping while driving, which could result from low sleep quality. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to identify correlations between sleep quality, hazardous drinking, and sleeping while driving among a sample of college students and examine differences by demographic factors (i.e., race/ethnicity and gender). It is aimed to better understand correlations between these risky behaviors for further prevention and development of programs in the future. The study will provide associations between the three specific behaviors, while other studies have focused on one or two of the variables, but not all three. This secondary dataset is survey data collected from 1,228 participants enrolled in a personal health course (HLTH 1000) at East Carolina University in the Spring 2016 semester. The study found that male and White (non Hispanic) individuals had a higher AUDIT-C sumscore than other individuals. The study also found that those who had a higher AUDIT-C sumscore did have lower quality sleep and increased sleeping while driving episodes. COLLEGE STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN RISKY BEHAVIORS 3


The stochastic block model (SBM) provides a popular framework for modeling community structures in networks. However, more attention has been devoted to problems concerning estimating the latent node labels and the model parameters than the issue of choosing the number of blocks. We consider an approach based on the log likelihood ratio statistic and analyze its asymptotic properties under model misspecification. We show the limiting distribution of the statistic in the case of underfitting is normal and obtain its convergence rate in the case of overfitting. These conclusions remain valid when the average degree grows at a polylog rate. The results enable us to derive the correct order of the penalty term for model complexity and arrive at a likelihood-based model selection criterion that is asymptotically consistent. Our analysis can also be extended to a degree-corrected block model (DCSBM). In practice, the likelihood function can be estimated using more computationally efficient variational methods or consistent label estimation algorithms, allowing the criterion to be applied to large networks.


The effect of mastitis on the milk ~at globule membrane of milk samples from individual quarters was investigated. Wisconsin Mastitis Test positive (>20mm) milk contained appro ".xi~ately 10% less milk fat globule membrane material than negative ( < 10tuna) milk. The lipid portion of the milk fat globule membrane preparation from positive milk contained smaller amounts of phospholipids and larger amounts of cholesterol. Milk fat globule membrane preparations from positive milk had higher aldol~se activity and lower xanthine oxidase activity. Dissociated membrane protein prepared from positive milk was resolved into five components by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis while the membrane protein prepared from negative milk was resolved into three components.


Distance learning has been used widely as a helpful solution by many institutions to offer learning on demand opportunities to working adults. Educational technology evaluation model (ETM) have been tested in large sample size among students, and little research has been conducted to measure the success of distance learning technologies such as Learning Management System (LMS) from the point of view of instructors. Based on previous literature of critical success factors (CSF), this study validated a multidimensional model for assessing distance learning management systems success from the perspective of the instructors. To conceptualizing the ETM, measuring factors, collecting data procedure, reliability and validity testing are described. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), which is a statistical technique, is used to estimate a series of interrelated dependence relationships of ETM factors simultaneously. This technique is applied to help in generating a model of relationships among variables. This paper presents results of the instrument reliability and constructs validity by analyzing data from a sample of 110 participants. Managerial and theoretical implications of the results are discussed. This empirical validation of the ETM will be useful to researchers in developing and measuring distance learning technologies, as well as to organizations in implementing successful distance learning technologies. Keywords— Information System Success, Educational Technology, learning management system, distance learning


In this study, we examine the financial impact of employment discrimination lawsuit verdicts and settlements on publicly traded firms subject to lawsuits between 1997 and 2008. Using data on 174 sex and race discrimination lawsuits involving 107 publicly traded companies, we assess the effect of lawsuit verdicts and settlements on changes in defendants' daily stock returns. Findings indicate that verdicts and settlements have an immediate negative impact on defendants' stock prices. In addition, the negative effect is more pronounced among cases that involve monetary payouts, cases in which the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a plaintiff and cases that involve sex as opposed to race or national origin discrimination. These results demonstrate the extent to which legal rulings introduce a market penalty for employers and have implications for the study of law, organizations, and market responses to discriminatory behavior.


In the context of touch-based object localisation in structured environments, solving the full 6D problem is computationally expensive as complexity scales exponentially with the number of degrees of freedom. Previous related works provided solutions to problems whose initial uncertainty was bounded by the computational feasibility for on-line applications. Observing the results of an experiment in which human beings face a blind localisation task, a new planning approach, named DOF-Decoupled Active Force Sensing (D-DAFS), is presented for such robotics applications. Specifically, the whole task is divided into a sequence of subtasks, each of them focused on reducing a piece of uncertainty, so that the resolution of the inference model can be increased accordingly. This allows a better allocation of resources, focusing on adopting the most accurate, thus expensive, scheme only when the uncertainty is sufficiently low for on-line calculations. The proposed methodology has been applied to perform a 3-DOF localisation with a Staubli RX90 robot, and a series of simulations have been run to prove its effectiveness in coping with high initial uncertainty avoiding computational overheads.


Thermosyphon solar water heaters are the best choice to be utilized in residential sector to provide the required hot water in Libya. These systems are autonomy in operation and as a result require less maintenance and hence low operation and initial costs than active system. ln this paper, GenOpt optimization technique provided in TRNSYS simulation program is used for sizing Thermosyphon systems to obtain the optimum size (namely V/A ratio) of Thermosyphon system that suits Libyan families according to the weather and operating conditions of Tripoli. The typical hot water load pattern and quantity of the Libyan families are taken from a field study conducted on a number of the solar systems for a whole year. Whereas, the typical weather data are taken from five-year measurements recorded at CSERS weather station.
The results showed that the optimum storage tank volume to collector area ratio of Thermosyphon systems is between 49-60 Lit/m2 for the most common collector characteristics ratio (equation!!) and the auxiliary heater set point temperature ranges from (45-60C).


This article investigates variant forms of the demonstrative 'that' and the adjective in the Caligula Manuscript of Laȝamon's Brut and concludes that they to a large extent maintain the traditional category distinction between the accusative and the dative by the use of the suffixes -ne and -Vn (where V stands for any vowel) respectively. There are, however, factors that potentially compromise the status of these terminations as case markers: phonetic reduction (which has often been invoked), capricious addition or deletion of final e, occasional doubling or simplification of nasals, and simply unexpected choices of forms in the paradigm. These seem to be consistent with the sort of mistakes that scribes might occasionally make when faced with an original that has a different orthographical and morphological system from their own, and they are not as disruptive of the case-marking system as at first sight they might appear. For one thing, they occur rather rarely and are generally outnumbered by historically expected forms; for another, the resultant unexpected case forms, usually with the stem vowel preferred by the historical forms in the case of the demonstrative, are predominantly accompanied by a historically motivated case form of their head noun. The status of accusative -ne and dative -Vn, in fact, appears to be stable enough to lead to the development of a system or subsystem of indicating case regardless of gender considerations in their respective case contexts. These suffixes can therefore be treated validly as independent case markers, although in concrete cases the possibility always exists that there is an optional final e, an unhistorical double or single n, or an unexpected choice of inflectional forms.


Making effective use of the vast amounts of data gathered by large-scale sensor networks will require scalable, self-organizing, and energy-efficient data dissemination algorithms. Previous work has identified data-centric routing as one such method. In an asso-ciated position paper [23], we argue that a companion method, data-centric storage (DCS), is also a useful approach. Under DCS, sensed data are stored at a node determined by the name associated with the sensed data. In this paper, we describe GHT, a Geographic Hash Table system for DCS on sensornets. GHT hashes keys into geographic coordi-nates, and stores a key-value pair at the sensor node geographically nearest the hash of its key. The system replicates stored data lo-cally to ensure persistence when nodes fail. It uses an efficient consistency protocol to ensure that key-value pairs are stored at the appropriate nodes after topological changes. And it distributes load throughout the network using a geographic hierarchy. We evaluate the performance of GHT as a DCS system in simulation against two other dissemination approaches. Our results demonstrate that GHT is the preferable approach for the application workloads predicted in [23], offers high data availability, and scales to large sensornet deployments, even when nodes fail or are mobile.


Abstract. Observations indicate that resuspension and associated fluxes of organic material and porewater between the seabed and overlying water can alter biogeochemical dynamics in some environments, but measuring the role of sediment processes on oxygen and nutrient dynamics is challenging. A modeling approach offers a means of quantifying these fluxes for a range of conditions, but models have typically relied on simplifying assumptions regarding seabed–water-column interactions. Thus, to evaluate the role of resuspension on biogeochemical dynamics, we developed a coupled hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and biogeochemical model (HydroBioSed) within the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). This coupled model accounts for processes including the storage of particulate organic matter (POM) and dissolved nutrients within the seabed; fluxes of this material between the seabed and the water column via erosion, deposition, and diffusion at the sediment–water interface; and biogeochemical reactions within the seabed. A one-dimensional version of HydroBioSed was then implemented for the Rhone subaqueous delta in France. To isolate the role of resuspension on biogeochemical dynamics, this model implementation was run for a 2-month period that included three resuspension events; also, the supply of organic matter, oxygen, and nutrients to the model was held constant in time. Consistent with time series observations from the Rhone Delta, model results showed that erosion increased the diffusive flux of oxygen into the seabed by increasing the vertical gradient of oxygen at the seabed–water interface. This enhanced supply of oxygen to the seabed, as well as resuspension-induced increases in ammonium availability in surficial sediments, allowed seabed oxygen consumption to increase via nitrification. This increase in nitrification compensated for the decrease in seabed oxygen consumption due to aerobic remineralization that occurred as organic matter was entrained into the water column. Additionally, entrainment of POM into the water column during resuspension events, and the associated increase in remineralization there, also increased oxygen consumption in the region of the water column below the pycnocline. During these resuspension events, modeled rates of oxygen consumption increased by factors of up to  ∼  2 and  ∼  8 in the seabed and below the pycnocline, respectively. When averaged over 2 months, the intermittent cycles of erosion and deposition led to a  ∼  16 % increase of oxygen consumption in the seabed, as well as a larger increase of  ∼  140 % below the pycnocline. These results imply that observations collected during quiescent periods, and biogeochemical models that neglect resuspension or use typical parameterizations for resuspension, may underestimate net oxygen consumption at sites like the Rhone Delta. Local resuspension likely has the most pronounced effect on oxygen dynamics at study sites with a high oxygen concentration in bottom waters, only a thin seabed oxic layer, and abundant labile organic matter.


Diseases caused by fungi pose risks to modern agriculture globally. The most commonly used control is the chemical, but the indiscriminate use of these products causes risks of environmental contamination and of rural workers. In the search for alternative methods of control, essential oils appear, which are natural plant products with antifungal, antibacterial and insecticidal properties, and present less risk to the environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of essential oils on the inhibition of mycelial growth of phytopathogenic fungi. The essential oils of bush avocado (Persea major), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), cinnamom-fire (Cryptocarya aschersoniana Mez.), sassafras cinnamom (Ocotea odorifera Vell.), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), capitiu (Siparuna guianensis Aubl.), India clove (Syzygium aromaticum), guamirim (Myrcia splendens) guava brava (Myrcia tomentosa Aubl.), jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril L.), black peper (Piper nigrum L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and annatto (Bixa orellana L.) against fungi Fusarium solani, Pestalotiopsis guepinii, Phytophthora spp., Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The mycelial growth of these fungi was evaluated by means of the Petri dish mycelial growth inhibition index containing the potato, dextrose, agar environment in the concentration of 1,000 μl/mL of the essential oils. The design was completely randomized with three replications. Among the essential oils used, the thyme and India clove promoted complete inhibition of all fungi tested. Garlic essential oil and lemon grass completely inhibited the mycelial growth of three of the five fungi tested. These results demonstrate the importance of the oils for the alternative control of phytopathogens. Key-words: Alternative Control, Mycelial Growth, Medicinal Plants


The socio-environmental impact of rapidly increasing piles of electrical and electronic waste or E-waste at global level has been evaluated in detail. Malaysian scenario was selected as a case study to analyse various issues regarding generation, storage, transportation and disposal of E-waste. Generation of E-waste has been estimated to be about 652909 tonnes in 2006 and was extrapolated to reach around 706 000 tonnes in 2011 and about 1.2 million tonnes in 2020 in Malaysia alone. E-waste basically includes disposed materials of refrigerators, calculators, alarm clocks, computers, printers, televisions, monitors, audio setups, electronic thermometers, laser printer, etc, most of which contain batteries and other components. They carry traces of heavy elements and toxic compounds that threaten  human and animal health and various other parts of ecosystem. As per the estimation, over 75% of subjects interviewed in this study has lack of  knowledge in storage and disposal techniques of E-waste. The situation may be worse in some other parts of the world. Finally, this paper proposes viable procedures for the safe management of E-waste. Keywords: E-waste, electrical, electronic, waste management, solid waste, built environment


Objective: The objective of the present study was to prepare tacrolimus liposomal gel formulations using ethanolic injection technique for efficacious and cost-effective treatment of atopic dermatitis. Methods: The liposomes were prepared using ethanolic injection technique at the drug concentration of 0.1% w/v and optimized by varying the lipid component/ cholesterol ratio and by monitoring particle size, polydispersity and entrapment efficiency. The optimized composition was incorporated into 0.5% Carbopol Ultrez 10 gel for topical application. The developed liposomal gel was evaluated with respect to physicochemical parameters such as pH, viscosity, rheometery and spreadability. Stability study was performed at different temperatures (4°C, 25°C and 40°C) to evaluate the long-term stability. In vitro permeation of tacrolimus gel was studied using freshly excised rat skin on Franz diffusion cell. The therapeutic efficacy study was performed on allergic contact dermatitis model in rats. Results: Stable tacrolimus liposomal gel was successfully formulated using ethanolic injection technique. In-vitro permeation study indicated higher release of the drug (69.7%) as compared to free drug in hydroalcoholic solution (32.8%) and marketed ointment (63.7%). The formulation also showed shear thinning performance, which is a required property of topical formulation. The therapeutic efficacy study in rats indicated that liposomal gel containing 0.1% tacrolimus exhibited better activity as compared to 0.1% marketed tacrolimus ointment. Conclusion: The study indicated that tacrolimus can be effectively incorporated in liposomes by commercially viable rapid ethanolic injection method and can be more efficient for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.


My contribution aims to modify current concepts of unreliable narration in literature and film. Although in film studies it is more common to talk of mind-game movies, this notion is not synonymous with unreliable narration: mind-game movies are films which question (the perception of) reality through the deployment of  various specific ambiguities, whereas unreliable narration excludes – in my definition – the ambiguity by using an unexpected plot twist. In order to account for all narrative techniques which produce strange effects and call attention to themselves, I introduce the new concept of perturbatory narration. Conceived of as a transmedial and transgeneric mode of narration, this umbrella term includes the interplay of unreliable and paradoxical narration (i.e. metalepsis, certain forms of mise en abyme , self-begetting novels, Mobius strips etc.), explicit metafiction as well as Fantastic Narration. Each of these disturbs the reader's or viewer's process of orientation within the fictional world, which can result in either stronger immersion or, on the contrary, a breach of the aesthetic illusion. Based on a typology of unreliable narration, my analysis of three films of the new Argentine cinema aims to show this typology's validity, but also its limits: elements of the paradoxical and fantastic which are intertwined with the unreliable narration point to  the necessity of a new, broader narratological concept, one which could then be described as perturbatory narration.


Abstract. Quick mosaicking of wide range remote sensing imagery is an important foundation for land resource survey and dynamic monitoring of environment and nature disasters. It is also technically important for basis imagery of geographic information acquiring and geographic information product updating. This paper mainly focuses on one key technique of mosaicking, color balancing for wide range Remote Sensing imagery. Due to huge amount of data, large covering rage, great variety of climate and geographical condition, color balancing for wide range remote sensing imagery is a difficult problem. In this paper we use Ecogeographic regionalization to divide the large area into several regions based on terrains and climatic data, construct the algorithmic framework of a color balancing method according to the regionalization result, which conduct from region edge to center to fit wide range imagery mosaicking. The experimental results with wide range HJ-1 dataset show that our method can significantly improve the wide range of remote sensing imagery color balancing effects: making images well-proportioned mosaicking and better in keeping images' original information. In summary, this color balancing method based on regionalization could be a good solution for nationwide remote sensing image color balancing and mosaicking.


A hemorrhagic stroke model that provides the long-term presence of test materials in the focus has been constructed. A lesion is induced in the motor cerebral cortical region. The lesion location and locomotor dysfunction are reproducible. The presence of platelets in the focus reduces the extent and volume of hemorrhages, increases the number and diameter of newly formed vessels, and attracts a macrophage population not found in the control, which is identified from green granules and perivascular location. Motor function is restored more rapidly than in the control. The impact of microgravity is opposite to that of platelets. There are increases in blood congestion, hemorrhage area and postoperative mortality and a reduction in the population of macrophages with green granules. No motor function recovery was observed during a 7-day follow-up.


Serracutisoma proximum is a harvestman with alternative male morphs. Large males use sexually dimorphic second legs in fights for the possession of territories on the vegetation, where females oviposit. Small males have short second legs and do not fight but rather sneak into the territories and copulate with egg-guarding females. We investigated the presence of male dimorphism across 10 populations of S. proximum, compared gonadal investment between male morphs, and assessed if the distribution of the sneakers is influenced by harem size. In all populations, there was male dimorphism, indicated by the bimodal distribution of the leg II length/body length. Gonadal investment did not differ between morphs and was not affected by male size, second leg length, and morph relative frequency in the populations. We found 361 territories, 90.0% containing 1 male, 9.7% containing 2 males (dyads), and 0.3% containing 3 males. The probability of encountering dyads increased with the number of females present in the territories. Moreover, the proportion of sneakers in territories containing dyads was higher than would be expected by chance. One possible reason for the ubiquity of alternative morphs in S. proximum could be the high mating opportunities experienced by sneakers in spatially structured populations with a resource defense polygyny system. Additionally, the high frequency of successful invasions by sneakers and hence the high sperm competition risk for both morphs may explain the similarity in gonadal investment between male morphs.


In this paper, we present design and numerical simulations of nano-cavities for free-space matching in solar cells at optical frequencies. The cavity designs are inspired by the well-known antenna geometries that are commonly used at radio and microwave frequencies. Using such designs that have not been explored before in the context of solar cells, the electromagnetic mismatch between solar-cell surfaces and vacuum is significantly reduced, in comparison to planar interfaces and those with the conventional corrugations. This way, using the designed optimal cavities, the efficiency of solar cells can be increased without employing any matching layer that complicates the fabrication processes. All simulations and comparisons are performed in highly accurate in-house implementations of surface integral equations accelerated with the multilevel fast multipole algorithm.


This article reviews our data on secondary localized corneal amyloidosis after chronic ocular inflammation including trichiasis and keratoconus. Previous findings have suggested that lactoferrin is a precursor protein in secondary corneal amyloidosis. The clinical finding that amyloidosis is frequently observed in female patients also supports a role for lactoferrin as a precursor protein. However, among the whole population with chronic corneal inflammation, the incidence of secondary amyloidosis is low. In this regard, we have identified a genetic polymorphism (Glu561Asp) on the lactoferrin gene in secondary amyloidosis associated with trichiasis. Structural changes may destabilize the local hydrophobic cluster, resulting in exposure of the amyloidogenic region and amyloid fibril formation. On the other hand, this polymorphism was not detected in secondary amyloidosis associated with keratoconus. A different mechanism such as enzymatic digestion might contribute to lactoferrin aggregation. We histochemically analyzed 13 keratoconus specimens obtained at keratoplasty and found lactoferrin protein at corneal epithelial basal cells before amyloid deposition in 3 cases. In some other cases, amyloid was present coincidentally with lactoferrin deposits between basal cells and Bowman membrane. These results suggest that lactoferrin is derived from corneal basal cells. By immunostaining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, we have shown that human corneal epithelial cells are a putative source of lactoferrin.


We introduce an hybrid approach for computing multiple knife-edge diffraction attenuation. First, we show that the well-known Epstein-Peterson method can be considered as the first order approximation of the Vogler method. In the other words, the Vogler method is a combination of the Epstein-Peterson method and an higher order approximation. Then, we propose to learn the approximation based on deep learning methods. The key advantage of this approach is the significant reduction of generating training data to approximate the Vogler method while still offering a good accuracy and fast computation. Comparison to the state-of-the-art methods demonstrates the effectiveness of our proposed approach.


The new rapidly growing wind energy market has been moving to offshore waters the last few years. New techniques and growing experiences make it possible to move to challenging offshore domains and towards harsher conditions and deeper waters. From the oil a gas industry a lot of expertise is already available on support structures. The focus in this thesis is on the installation of a jacket type sub-structure for an offshore wind turbine. In more detail: the horizontal added mass for suction bucket jackets during installation was studied, from the moment the bucket touches the water till the buckets are fully submerged. This is a period during installation with a lot of uncertainties and unknowns, especially inside the buckets. A suction bucket jacket is identical to the commonly known jacket type support structure, however, at the bottom of each leg a suction anchor is attached. For a structure of about 60[m] in height and 1000[tonne], these anchors have a rough dimension of 8-9[m] in diameter and have similar heights. Note that the combined mass of the enclosed water inside the buckets can almost reach twice the weight of the dry structure. A benchmark suction bucket with dimensions 10[m] in diameter, 10[m] in height and a wall thickness of 10[cm] was used to design a scale model of 50[cm] diameter, 62.5[cm] in height and a wall thickness of 0.5[cm]. This corresponds to a Froude scaling factor of 1:20. The experiments were executed at the hydrolab at Boskalis, Papendrecht. A tank of 20x3.5x3[m] was available there to execute the experiments. The water-depth in the tank was 1.12[m]. During the experiments a vertical pipe segment was forced to oscillate at a known frequency. The pipe was attached to a guiding system, restraining all motions but the surge direction. The applied force by the actuator was measured by a load-cell attached at the point where the crankshaft was connected to the pipe. Simultaneously a LBT-sensor measured the position of the pipe versus time. The experiments were done for the following settings for draft and scale model wave period range, each experiment was executed three times to reduce the error: Periods: 2.46 2.24 2.01 1.79 1.57 1.34 1.12 0.89 seconds. Drafts: 0, D/4, D/2 3D/4 D. The data was filtered and analyzed with the use of the linear Least Squares Method (LSM). The raw data was fitted by adjusting the amplitude and phase of a sinusoidal fit signal. The amplitude and phase provide information on the relation between damping and added mass in the system. Finally the results added mass (and damping) were checked with the theoretical potential theory. While for all frequencies the added mass stayed more or less constant for each draft, during sloshing the added mass decreased. The damping was more or less constant for all drafts at low frequency, but at a wave period of 9[s] the damping start to increase for deeper drafts. Sloshing occurred at the shortest two periods. This had a significant impact on the damping and added mass terms. At sloshing the added mass decreased rapidly with 40%, while the damping increased up to 300%.


This is the report of an internal review, headed by former NSW Chief Justice Sir Laurence Street, looking at the way in which the AFP works with its partner agencies on counter-terrorism investigations. The committee made recommendations covering the four broad areas of operational decision-making processes, joint taskforce arrangements, information sharing, and training and education. The AFP has accepts all the recommendations and will work closely with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and other national security agencies to ensure the recommendations are implemented as soon as possible. ASIO officers will soon be attached to the Melbourne and Sydney Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams (JCTT), ensuring better communication between the agencies at an operational level. The AFP will act immediately on the recommendation to participate in exercises simulating the investigation and prosecution of terrorism offenders in Australia and more will be done to retain expertise in the joint counter-terrorism teams. In relation to the other recommendations: • the AFP will develop a joint operations protocol with ASIO, • guidelines will be drafted on the role of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in counter-terrorism investigations; and • a committee comprising the AFP Commissioner, the Director-General of Security and Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions will be established to ensure national security issues, strategic priorities and enhanced interoperability are reviewed on a regular basis. Recommendations relating to enhanced information technology systems and information sharing will be managed in stages over the coming months.


The validation of new methods for the diagnosis of incipient cases of Keratoconus (KC) with mild visual limitation is of great interest in the field of ophthalmology. During the asymmetric progression of the disease, the current diagnostic indexes do not record the geometric decompensation of the corneal curvature nor the variation of the spatial profile that occurs in singular points of the cornea. The purpose of this work is to determine the structural characterization of the asymmetry of the disease by using morpho-geometric parameters in KC eyes with mild visual limitation including using an analysis of a patient-specific virtual model with the aid of computer-aided design (CAD) tools. This comparative study included 80 eyes of patients classified as mild KC according to the degree of visual limitation and a control group of 122 eyes of normal patients. The metric with the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was the posterior apex deviation. The most prominent correlation was found between the anterior and posterior deviations of the thinnest point for the mild keratoconic cases. This new custom computational approach provides the clinician with a three-dimensional view of the corneal architecture when the visual loss starts to impair.


The purpose of this work is to employ the meditations of Plato, son of Ariston, and the Hungarian polymath Michael Polanyi in an analysis of the essence of science and philosophy, and the causes and conditions of nihilism. As the means to that endeavour, we shall proceed by way of comparative exegeses of key writings by both men, Plato's "Politeia", "Symposium", "Timaeus", and "Critias"; and Polanyi's "Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy", "The Study of Man", "The Tacit Dimension", and "Knowing and Being". Through that process we shall be reflecting upon their philosophic anthropologies and their accounts of the existential character of the open soul versus that of l'homme revolte; on the grounds of scientific and philosophic knowledge of reality; and the nature of the free society as the open soul writ large.


This research focused on the issue of IS/IT integration within M&As. Because IS/IT has such an important role within organizations nowadays, integration of IS/IT is considered to be crucial in M&As.
After a first exploration of existing literature regarding the topic we found that this literature did not provide us with a method for a systematic approach towards an IS/IT integration strategy. Therefore, the main objective of this research became to combine and reuse existing knowledge about IS/IT integration in M&As, such that the issue could be approached in a systematic manner.
The research started with an exhaustive and systematic literature review to identify important topics and concepts that play a role within IS/IT integration. Based on this literature review we formed a framework which should help organizations in systematically analysing the current situation and working towards a solution.
In the second part of this research the framework was applied to two manufacturing companies. For this specific case we found the framework to be very useful and therefore believe that the framework is a good first attempt towards a more systematic approach. It is however clear that the framework requires further testing to make solid conclusions about its added value.


OBJECTIVE. Accidental falls among community‐dwelling older adults are preventable and increase the risk of morbidity, hospitalization, and institutionalization. We updated and broadened a 2008 systematic review examining the evidence for the effectiveness of fall prevention interventions in improving fall‐related outcomes, occupational performance, quality of life, and health care facility readmissions for community‐dwelling older adults. METHOD. We searched and analyzed literature published from 2008 to 2015 from five electronic databases. RESULTS. Fifty articles met the inclusion criteria and were critically appraised and synthesized—37 provided Level I; 5, Level II; and 8, Level III evidence. Analysis was organized into four intervention themes: single component, multicomponent, multifactorial, and population based. Mixed evidence was found for single‐component and multifactorial interventions, strong evidence was found for multicomponent interventions, and moderate evidence was found for population‐based interventions. CONCLUSION. These findings can inform the delivery and integration of fall prevention interventions from acute care to community discharge. &NA; The findings from this systematic review inform the delivery and integration of interventions in various settings to minimize falls among community‐dwelling older adults.


BACKGROUND
Hospital-level findings on patient experiences with care are increasingly reported publicly. A critical aspect left unexamined is the commonality of composite measures of patient experiences across different groups of patients, nursing units, hospitals, and countries. Absence of commonality is termed measurement noninvariance and is hypothesized to have a strong impact on performance assessment.

AIM
The aim of this study is to examine measurement invariance across groups and levels under study (patients, nursing units, hospitals, and countries) and illustrate the degree to which this method of analysis impacts hospital rankings.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Data were collected from 11,289 patients in 7 European countries, 186 hospitals, and 824 nursing units. Multilevel factor analytic models were applied to evaluate measurement invariance across the hierarchical levels of the study and across groups at specific levels (self-perceived health at patient level; unit speciality at nursing unit level). Hospital rankings for the final multilevel model were compared with those from a single-level factor model that is unsuspecting of measurement invariance.

RESULTS
Cross-group invariance was shown for levels of self-perceived health and to a large degree also for nursing unit speciality. Patient experience composite measures were, however, not invariant across patient, unit, and hospital levels. Hospital rankings were largely impacted when accounted for this cross-level invariance. The percentage of hospitals with discordant ranks by >10 percentile points varied from 26.7% in Spain to 70% in Poland.

CONCLUSIONS
Leaving unexamined possible noninvariance across groups and hierarchical levels may have far reaching consequences for how the public perceives hospitals' position relative to other hospitals.


Role clarity was examined in terms of its relationships with personal outcomes and organizational effectiveness. Organizational level as a moderator of such relationships was also investigated. Using 490 underwriting personnel from 4 levels in 20 insurance offices, hypotheses based on prior research were generally confirmed. Role clarity was positively related to perceptions of job satisfaction, personal influence, organizational effectiveness, and task-oriented leadership. Role clarity was higher at higher organizational levels, where relationships with perceived organizational effectiveness were not significant. An independent measure of effectiveness showed members in high-performing offices had greater role clarity than members in low-performing offices. Role clarity and organizational level are important variables in organizational behavior research and warrant continued study.


Many Indigenous languages in Canada are facing the threat of extinction. While some languages remain in good health, others have already been lost completely. Immediate action must be taken to prevent further language loss. Throughout Canada's unacceptable history of expunging First Nations' ways of life, systemic methods such as residential schools attempted to eradicate Indigenous cultures and languages. These efforts were not entirely successful but Indigenous language and culture suffered greatly. For Indigenous communities, language loss impaired intergenerational knowledge transfer and compromised their personal identity. Additionally, the cumulative effects of assimilation have contributed to poor mental and physical health outcomes amongst Indigenous people. However, language reclamation has been found to improve well-being and sense of community. To this objective, this paper explores the historical context of this dilemma, the lasting effects of assimilation, and how this damage can be remediated. Additionally, we examine existing Indigenous language programs in Canada and the barriers that inhibit the programs' widespread success. Through careful analysis, such barriers may be overcome to improve the efficacy of the programs. Institutions must quickly implement positive changes to preserve Indigenous languages as fluent populations are rapidly disappearing.


At present, there are many fault conditioning systems for electrical/mechanical systems due to flexibility in data collection for training and testing as entire data can be collected from one or two machines. Only constraint is different machines from which data for training and testing are collected should be of same behavior specifications. But in the case of automobiles, data for training has to be collected from many automobile engines as fault signals will vary in its characteristics from one to another. The acoustic signal produced by a motorbike engine is important information of fault diagnosis in any automobile. Previous approaches have been tried out in silent conditions. Here, acoustic signals are collected in noisy conditions and required preprocessing is done using wavelets to remove the effect of noise. In this paper, hidden markov model and neural network are used for back-end classification and their performance is compared.


Economic concentration has become a political and social issue, beyond its direct economic implications. Public outrage has been expressed at the concentration of economic power in the hands of few large conglomerates and those wielding power through them. In this paper I explore the legal mechanisms which allow for and facilitate such economic concentration. I explore antitrust and corporate law and their interaction, from the focus on micro-effects of specific markets and firms (rather than macro-effects), to specific rules which allow for conglomerate growth and pyramidial structures. Contrasting the economic benefits of concentration with public outcry, I assess the political factors driving the calls for reducing concentration, and conclude that while economic rhetoric looms large in the debate, the true issues are political and the feeling of 'the common man' that he lacks influence and is taken advantage of. The calls for regulation are thus a cry for the state to step in and wield a larger stick than that held by large conglomerates. In essence, a call for state political power to loom larger than firm economic power.


The following remarks were delivered by NJ State Senator Loretta Weinberg at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the New Jersey Historical Commission on December 4, 2017 in Trenton. The New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) is a state agency dedicated to the advancement of public knowledge and preservation of New Jersey history. Established by law in 1967, its work is founded on the fundamental belief that an understanding of our shared heritage is essential to sustaining a cohesive and robust democracy. The NJHC receives its funding primarily by legislative appropriation. It fulfills its mission through various initiatives, including an active grant program. The goal of the grant program is to engage diverse audiences and practitioners in the active exploration, enjoyment, interpretation, understanding, and preservation of New Jersey history.