The paper focuses on the impact of globalization on postcolonial Samoa's social, culture, and education. Due to the many global social, cultural, economical and educational changes, Samoa in the postcolonial era is currently in the process of recontextualising and restructuring Samoan cultural values to coincide with its social, cultural, economical and educational global changes. This recontextualising and restructuring is part of comprehending Samoa's hybrid social, cultural and education system in the current climate of transformation permeating Pacific nations. The colonial influence has continued to linger in post-colonised Samoa. These influences are reinvigorated by globalization which contributes to the social, cultural, and educational problems of Samoans.  It then directs discussion on the transformation of Samoan cultural and social values to western ways of living, which also leads to problems in the lives of former colonized individuals. The argument put forward by this paper is that there has to be a constructive post-colonial Samoa education system embracing global changes, and people to be well versed in the essence of these changes. Keywords: globalization, post-colonisation, colonisation . References Afamasaga, T. G. (2006). The Challenge in Education. In A. Lau (Ed.), Samoa National Human Development Report (pp. 81-101). Apia: National University of Samoa. Bahktiari, S. (unknown). Globalization and Education: Challenges and Opportunities. Isfahan University, Iran. Bracken, Christopher (1999), Postcolonialism , (included in Paul Bouissac's (ed) Postcolonialism: Encyclopedia of Semiotics , OUP, New York). Bhabha, H. (1994). The location of culture. London: Routledge. Becker, E. (2009).  Inversion and subversion, alterity and ambivalence: "mimicry" and "hybridity" in Sherman Alexie's ten little Indians. Commonwealth College Boon, J., Lafotanoa, T., Soo, A., & Vaa, U. F. (2006). Samoa National Human Development Report 2006: Sustainable livelihoods in a changing Samoa. Apia: National University of Samoa. Chinnamai, S. (2005). Effects of globalization on education and culture. University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Davidson, J. W. (1970). Samoa 1830 to 1900: The politics of a multi-cultural community. London: Oxford University Press. Fanon, F. (1967). Black Skin, White Masks . New York: Grove Weidenfeld. Fasshay, A. W. (1991). The curriculum matrix: Transcendence and Mathematics. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision. Ghandi, L. (1998).  Postcolonial Theory: A critical introduction. Sydney, Allen and Unwin. Guevara, C. (1964). Postcolonialism. Speech to the United Nations, December 11, 1964 Postcolonialims Hamadi, L. (2014). Edward Said: The postcolonial theory and the literature of decolonization. European Scientific Journal. Special edition vol.2 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 Harthi, H. (2002). Globalization and the necessity of educational reform in the Sultanate of Oman. Sultan Qaboos University. Iyer, R., and Tuia, T. T. (2015). Samoa's education policy: Negotiating a hybrid space for values. The International Educational Journal: Comparative Perspectives, Vol 14, No 2. King Jr, Dr. M. L. (1947). Morehouse college student paper. The Maroon Tiger. Kraidy, M. (2005). Hybridity, or the Cultural Logic of Globalization. Temple University Press Ma'ia'i, F. (1957). A study of the Developing Pattern of Education and the factors influencing that development in New Zealand's Pacific Dependencie's. Unpublished MA thesis in Education, Victoria, Wellington. Ministry of Education, Sports & Culture. (2007). Education for all: Mid-decade assessment report on Samoa. MESC Printing Press. Ministry of Education, Sports & Culture. (2006). Strategic policies and plan: July 2006 –June 2015 . Samoa: MESC Printing Press. Okoli, N. J. (2012). Effects of globalization on education in Africa 1983-2008. SAVAP International. Olsson, M. (2010). Colonial Legacies -Ambivalence, mimicry and hybridity in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Louise Erdrich's Tracks. Mid Sweden University English Studies. Quigley, C. (2009). Globalization and Science Education: The implications for indigenous knowledge systems. International Educational Studies, Vol 2, no 1. Razak, M. A. A. (2011). Globalisation and its impact of education and culture. World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization, 1 (1): 59-69 Rutherford, Jonathan. (1990). The Third Space. Interview with Homi Bhabha. In: Ders. (Hg): Identity: Community, Culture, Difference. London, Lawrence and Wishart. Said, E. (2005). Introduction to Orientalism. In G. Desai & S. Nair, (Eds.), Postcolonialisms: An anthology of cultural theory and criticism . New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. Scholte, J. A. (2000). Globalization: a critical introduction. London: Palgrave. Schrottner, B. T. (2010). The effects of globalization phenomena of educational concepts. US-China Education Review, Volume 7, No.8, USA. Spivak, G. C. (2003). From Can the Subaltern Speak? In L. Cahoone (Ed.), From modernism to postmodernism : an anthology. Oxford Blackwell Publishing. Tibile, R. (2012). Literary theories of Gayatri Spivak, Homi Bhabha, Ania Loomba, Gauri Viswanathan and Ganesh Devy: an assessment . http://hdl.handle.net/10603?4107 Tuia, T. T. (2013). Recontextualising and re-theorising Samoan cultural values in teacher education practices: A Samoan standpoint from a post-colonial and globalization perspective. Unpublished PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology. Tuia, T. T. (1999). Samoan culture and education in the European context: A case study based on one Samoan family from different generations. Unpublished Medstd, University of Queensland, Brisbane. United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural organisation. (2011). World Data on Education. Scientific Bureau of Education. 7 th Edition. Vaa, L. F. (2006). The Faasamoa. In T. Lafotanoa, A. Soo & U. F. Vaa (Eds.), Samoa National Human Development Report (pp. 113-137). Apia: National University of Samoa. Vulliamy, G. (2010). Educational Reform in a Globalised Age: What is globalisation and how is it affecting Education world-wide? University of York, UK. Yazdiha, H. (2010). Conceptualizing Hybridity: Deconstructing boundaries through the hybrid. Formations Vol. 1 No. 1.


Various studies during the past 8 yr have revealed that numerous species of diatoms, especially at bloom concentrations, can negatively affect the viability of eggs and the condition of nauplii of calanoid copepods, This has been observed during in situ and experimental investigations. Other in situ and experimental studies found no negative effects on reproduction rates and egg viability. Here an attempt is made to evaluate these different findings; in addition, consideration is given to future studies, and several hypotheses are formulated.


We assessed fMRI in the objective evaluation of visual function during treatment planning and postoperative follow-up in patients with occipital lobe and/or the afferent visual system lesions. Ten normal volunteers and eleven patients harbouring brain lesions with MR evidence of calcarine cortex and/or visual pathway damage underwent ophthalmoscopy, Goldmann perimetry and fMRI examination. Blood oxygenation sensitive series (gradient-echo, T2*-weighted, single-shot EPI: TR = 2 sec, TE ? 40 ms, FA = 40°, voxel volume 3.1 mm × 3.1 mm × 5 mm) were obtained using a 1.5-Tesla clinical imager with six contiguous slices, covering the occipital lobe parallel to the calcarine fissure. A repetitive, phasic experiment for visual stimulation was achieved using a binocular, stroboscopic, white light flashing at 10 Hz and was repeated twice to test reproducibility. Functional maps, generated using a cross correlation technique, were overlaid onto concurrent high resolution anatomic MR images and compared to Goldmann perimetry results. All volunteers demonstrated symmetric, bilateral, regional signal intensity changes (2%-5%) between photic stimulation and darkness in the primary visual cortex and dorsolateral and ventrolateral extrastriate areas. Cortical activation maps in ten patients clearly localised asymmetric response within specific regions in the primary visual cortex and correlated with Goldmann perimetry results. Displacement of the eloquent calcarine cortex was demonstrated in a patient with normal perimetry results. Primary visual area activation increased in two patients following surgery. fMRI performed on a conventional MR system can objectively evaluate visual function in neurosurgical patients with occipital lobe and/or afferent visual system lesions as part of treatment planning and postoperative follow-up.


Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian and a least one very fretful mother. Some names are famous Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli all feature but many others will be new to general readers. Their stories 94 in all remind us that history is more than dates and abstract concepts: it also arises from the lives of countless individual men and women.


Hemodynamic and pharmacological characteristics of 14 patients with clinical findings suggesting hyperdynamic β-adrenergic circulatory state (including 12 with hypertension of unknown cause) were compared with 13 essential hypertensive patients and 25 normotensive volunteer subjects. Patients with cardiac symptoms had significantly higher resting cardiac index and heart rate than normotensive or asymptomatic hypertensive individuals. Graded isoproterenol hydrochloride infusion increased heart rate significantly more in the symptomatic group than in the others, indicating increased β-receptor hyperresponsiveness. In nine of the 14 patients, isoproterenol produced an hysterical outburst, almost uncontrollable, which was promptly reversed with propranolol hydrochloride but not placebo. It therefore seems reasonable to ascribe the syndrome of cardiac awareness, increased heart rate responsiveness to various stimuli, and hyperkinetic circulation to increased β-adrenergic receptor reactivity. This conclusion is supported by remission of symptoms and reduction of arterial pressure with propranolol in all treated patients.


The paper addresses the existing cross-regional diversity of delivery models in the sector of suburban passenger transportation in Russia by building a formal model of endogenous organisational choice. We develop a conceptual game-theoretic framework that allows for a trusting partnership to have become equilibrium in a regulatory bargaining game with delegation. The monopoly service provider initiates a more cooperative relationship with regional authorities by offering a share in the joint venture. The latter being benevolent welfare maximiser either accepts or rejects the offer taking into account transportation market characteristics, local budget constraints, information structure, as well as socio-economic and political factors. Once the partnership is formed the private information of the parties is revealed and information rent is eliminated creating the room for welfare improvement. However, ex ante rational organisational choice to form a trusting partnership may not lead to welfare improvement ex post. In the extended model we consider how concessionary passengers and fare-dodgers affect the bargaining outcomes. Our results can be generalized to characterize the diversity of organizational choices in the public sector.


Introduction Epidemiological studies indicate that significant decreases in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be obtained by targeting multiple middle-age risk factors. However, as dementia is unlikely to be diagnosed for decades, short-term outcome measures are required. AD biomarker changes precede clinical symptoms by many years, but their sensitivity to mid-life change remains unknown. Methods and analysis PREVENT is a prospective cohort study examining biomarker status at mid-life in at least 150 individuals genetically at high, medium or low risk of late-onset AD. Participants are children of individuals with or without a diagnosed AD allocated to high, medium and low-risk groups according to parental clinical status and ApoE genotype. The biomarkers examined over 2 years are plasma and CSF Aβ42 amyloid, Tau and pTau, proinflammatory cytokines, acute-phase proteins, medial temporal-lobe atrophy, white matter lesion volume, cognitive performance related to transentorhinal and hippocampal functioning and hypothalamic−pituitary−adrenal and sympathetic axes regulation. Ethics and dissemination Detected pathologies are communicated to the participant's general practitioner with their permission. Risk status by genotype would not be revealed. The results of the study would be published in peer-reviewed journals and validated biomarkers used to construct a randomised controlled intervention study.


Background: α Fetoprotein (AFP) producing gastric cancer is an unusual form of aggressive adenocarcinoma with a complex histological picture, including enteroblastic and hepatoid differentiation. Aims: To investigate the genetic events underlying the phenotypic diversity in AFP producing gastric cancer and the ability of these tumours to produce AFP ectopically. Methods: Multiple foci from 19 AFP producing gastric adenocarcinomas were microdissected and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis was performed with a panel of microsatellite markers on nine chromosomal arms. Results: For informative cases, LOH was most frequently detected on 17p (100%), followed by 13q (88%), 3p (87%), 5q and 9p (80%), 11q (70%), 18q (58%), 16q (53%), and 8p (50%). The average fractional allelic loss was 0.72. LOH was detected either homogeneously throughout the microdissected foci, or only in some parts of the neoplastic foci for each case. Heterogeneous patterns of LOH indicated genetic progression and/or divergence in clonal evolution. Furthermore, in six cases with heterogeneous LOH of 13q, 13q LOH was restricted to immunohistochemically AFP positive neoplastic foci. Conclusion: AFP-GC arises as an aggressive clone with extensive LOH and high fractional allelic loss. The presence of heterogeneous patterns of LOH suggested that the AFP producing carcinoma foci might evolve through genetic progression and/or genetic divergence. Silencing of the crucial gene on 13q may be involved in the acquisition of the AFP producing phenotype.


Background From 2011–2014, the Model School Zone pilot project was implemented in 10 countries to improve pedestrian safety around 10 schools. Through multi-country data analysis, we sought to demonstrate that the program was effective in improving pedestrian safety and adaptable in low-, middle- and high-income countries. Methods The project was implemented in three phases over an 18-month period. During Phase I, grantees selected a school based on specific criteria and conducted a baseline needs assessment. The needs assessment included a school zone infrastructure assessment tool, student knowledge and behaviour surveys, participatory research tools and parent surveys. In Phase II, grantees implemented interventions based on the needs and risks identified. Interventions focused on permanent infrastructure changes but also included education and advocacy initiatives. In Phase III, grantees evaluated the effectiveness of the interventions. Results Behavioural surveys with 1,606 children showed that most walk to and from school, most walk alone, and most do not feel safe near their schools. Parent surveys revealed that more than half felt uncomfortable about their child's safety on the way to school, with speed of cars the highest rated concern. Permanent modifications were made to environments around 10 schools in 10 countries, resulting in changed behaviour and reduced injury. In Vietnam, for example, the number of fatalities decreased three-fold. Results and lessons learned were used to develop the Safe School Zone project, launched in 2015. Conclusion A phased approach to creating safe school zones focused on environmental changes, education and advocacy, is adaptable to low-, middle- and high- income countries, and leads to reduced fatalities and injuries.


An examination of eugenic thinking past and present, from forced sterilization to prenatal screening, drawing on experience with those who survived  eugenics.Part science and part social movement, eugenics emerged in the late nineteenth century as a tool for human improvement. In response to perceived threats of criminality, moral degeneration, feeble-mindedness, and ?the rising tide of color,? eugenic laws and social policies aimed to better the human race by regulating reproductive choice through science and technology. In this book, Rob Wilson examines eugenic thought and practice?from forced sterilization to prenatal screening?drawing on his experience working with eugenics survivors.  Using the social sciences' standpoint theory as a framework to understand the intersection of eugenics, disability, social inclusiveness, and human variation, Wilson focuses on those who have lived through a eugenic past and those confronted by the legacy of eugenic thinking today.  By doing so, he brings eugenics from the distant past to the ongoing present. Wilson discusses such topics as the conceptualization of eugenic traits; the formulation of laws regulating immigration and marriage and requiring sexual sterilization; the depiction of the targets of eugenics as ?subhuman?;  the systematic construction of a concept of normality; the eugenic logic in prenatal screening and contemporary bioethics; and the incorporation of eugenics and disability into standpoint theory. Individual purchasers of this book will receive free access to the documentary Surviving Eugenics, available at EugenicsArchive.ca/film.


It is well known that recursive least squares (RLS) filter is a prevalent adaptive filter that recursively updates the filter-coefficients to minimize a weighted cost function related to an input signal. Conventionally, such an input signal is a sequence of scaler numbers. Multichannel signals generated from one or more sources are often encountered nowadays. Therefore, there emerges a urgent demand to generalize the conventional RLS filter to accommodate multichannel signals with implicit interrelations. The key issue of this new generalization is to convert the correlation matrix involved in the conventional RLS filter for one-dimensional input to the correlation tensor required by the new RLS filter for multi-dimensional input. Due to lack of the sufficient mathematical framework of the required tensor operations, here we make the first attempt to established the new tensor recursive least squares filter (TRLS) theory based on our newly derived Woodbury tensor identity. We apply the Woodbury tensor identity to design a recursive algorithm for updating the weight-tensor. Furthermore, the performance analysis of the proposed new TRLS algorithm, including mean-squared deviation and misadjustment, are facilitated using the established tensor calculus theory. Numerical experiments are also presented to investigate the convergence speed, mean-squared deviation, and misadjustment for input signals with various statistical characteristics and different dimensions.


The aims of the study are to explore the "lived experience" of re-engaging with life after attempted suicide, and provide deeper insight into this important phenomenon in order to help others in similar circumstances. The research question that informed the study was "What is the lived experience of re-engaging with life after attempted suicide?" The past focus on understanding the rates, causes, and risks of suicide has not been effective in reducing suicide rates. There is an identified need for more research into the "lived experience" of people who have attempted suicide. The methodology underpinning this thesis is descriptive phenomenology in the tradition of Edmond Husserl. Information came from taped, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews of one to two hours with eight participants: adult volunteers who shared their experience of the phenomenon. Analysis of participants' transcripts of interview utilised Colaizzi's (1978) analytic process. Eight central themes emerged in relation to how people reengage with life after attempted suicide. These are: "The immediate aftermath"; "Doing the work"; "Life reshaping into something new"; "Finding a place to be"; "New ways of seeing"; "New ways of being"; "Making a difference"; and "In the long run." The findings in the current study have the potential to make a substantive contribution to existing knowledge about the phenomenon of re-engaging with life after attempted suicide.


The Black Hills State University Underground Campus (BHUC) houses a low background counting facility on the 4850′ level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility. There are currently four ultra-low background, highpurity germanium detectors installed in the BHUC and it is anticipated four more detectors will be installed within a year. In total, the BHUC will be able to accommodate up to twelve detectors with space inside a class 1000 cleanroom, an automated liquid nitrogen fill system, on-site personnel assistance and other required utilities.


The electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrochlorothiazide has been studied by ferrocenedicarboxylic acid modified carbon paste electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were used to investigate the suitability of ferrocenedicarboxylic acid as a mediator for the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrochlorothiazide in aqueous solution. The oxidation of hydrochlorothiazide occurs at a potential about 300 mV less positive than with the unmodified carbon paste electrode at pH 9.0. The catalytic reaction rate constant, kh was calculated (3.38 × 102 cm3 mol-1 s-1) using chronoamperometry.Under the optimized conditions, the electrocatalytic oxidation peak current of hydrochlorothiazide showed two linear dynamic ranges with a detection limit of 0.037 µmol L-1 hydrochlorothiazide. The linear calibration ranges were between 0.08-5.8 µmol L-1 and 5.8-500.0 µmol L-1 hydrochlorothiazide using square wave voltammetric method. Finally, the proposed method was also examined as a selective, simple and precise electrochemicalsensor for the determination of hydrochlorothiazide in real samples such as drug and urine.


Our study explores the discursive strategies of legitimation that organizations employ as they occupy different positions in an emergent institutional field. By examining both the frame-alignment strategies and the frame targets of two organizations in the U.S. wireless telegraphy field, we show how an organization's position – and its positional changes over time – affects the discursive strategies it uses to promote or protect its goals in the face of pressure from other field actors. Our results indicate that three distinct field positions – peripheral, central, and niche – are associated with three different legitimation strategies – which we label "robust," "co-optive," and "focused" – around which the discursive strategies coalesced. Organizations at the periphery attempt to break in to a field by employing a diverse range of frame-alignment strategies targeted toward a variety of relevant field actors. Those in a central position target fewer actors, but pursue a similar variety of frame-alignment strategies. Those in a niche position use fewer alignment strategies and target a smaller number of field-level actors. Our study enriches the literature on discursive strategies of legitimation by focusing on the ways in which central and non-central actors employ them, and the ways in which these strategies evolve alongside the field itself. More broadly, our work contributes to our understanding of discursive skills required to confront complex institutional pressures. These efforts depend on the interactive nature of discursive strategies from the vantage point of different field positions.


The article aimed to analyze the impacts of earmarking revenues and conditional transfers on the supply of health financing in Brazil. After analyzing the role of these Federal regulation mechanisms on decentralized healthcare administration, the article verified the effects on total expenditure in health and disaggregated by level of government, evaluated whether transfers by the Unified National Health System (SUS) were consistent with the evolution in the decentralized supply, and measured the inequalities in per capital health spending by municipalities. The conclusions showed the complementary relationship between earmarking revenues and conditional transfers according to supply, which: (1) increased the share of State and Municipal governments in health financing; (2) provided incentives for the decentralization of primary care according to Federal guidelines; and (3) reduced the inequalities between municipalities in per capita health expenditures.


Conflict resolution constitutes a crucial aspect of the European Union's foreign policy objectives and external actions. Despite its centrality, there is a profound mismatch between the academic level discussions about the EU's role and impact on various conflicts of ethno-political nature and what actually takes place in practice, as the EU conflict resolution agenda unfolds within different local settings. Adopting an analytical perspective of legitimation based on local support, the thesis seeks to understand how and when local agency impacts EU conflict resolution. Subsequently, the framework is applied to analyse the complex interaction between fragmented local groups (political elites, non-state organisations and public) and the EU (as a framework and as a policy-actor) in two grand conflict resolution projects of the EU: Kosovo and North Cyprus. The thesis finds that local groups have a distinctive ability to confer or withdraw support to certain EU policies, to push the EU to introduce or alter mechanisms for local participation into policy-setting process and to counter and disqualify the EU's normative arguments and policy choices with alternative normative arguments. Diverse local agents actively select norms and reinterpret them in order to match them with their extant ideas with an aim to push the Union to pursue a local vision of conflict resolution. This process of re-interpretation or localisation has behavioural implications on local groups as well. It approximates the conflict resolution process to local priorities and expectations; otherwise, the EU starts to lose its appeal to local groups to maintain its decisive role in the conflict resolution process. These findings help us complement the EU literature which analyse conflict resolution through Europeanisation/socialisation and conditionality perspectives. Local groups are not merely passive recipients of EU benefits. Nor do they go through a linear process of socialisation and natural acceptance of the EU agenda in the long-term. By analysing the reasons and implications of increasing local resistance in Kosovo and North Cyprus, the thesis also bridges the theoretical gap between the EU literature and broad conflict resolution studies which promotes a genuine focus to the 'everyday concerns' of local groups.


. Positive environmental and technological contexts make dry methane reforming (DMR) an extensively studied reaction. During this process two main greenhouse gases CH 4 and CO 2 can be simultaneously converted into syngas – a mixture of CO and H 2 . Supported-nickel is one of the most frequently applied DMR catalysts. Their activity depends mainly on Ni concentration, kind of its precursor and a deposition method. As DMR is a demanding high-temperature reaction, it requires not only an active but first a very stable catalyst. Structural, textural and functional properties of such support remain thus of crucial efficiency. Main aim of this work was to elucidate how the synthesis of CeO 2 -ZrO 2 support obtained by supercritical fluid method ( i.e. at temperature of 400°C under a pressure of 25 MPa), can influence the properties of Ni-based DMR catalysts. The supports of various compositions (CeO 2 content from 100 to 0 %), subsequently calcined at 800°C for 6h in air have been analyzed. precursor via classical wet impregnation. The final catalysts have been characterized structurally (XRD, RS), texturally (BET, SEM) and functionally (UV/Vis-DR, XPS). Catalytic tests in dry methane reforming reaction have been performed to determine activity and stability of the synthesized samples.


This section aims to identify feasible policy options that target key components identified in the Causal chain analysis in order to minimise future impacts on the transboundary aquatic environment. Recommended policy options were identified through a pragmatic process that evaluated a wide range of potential policy options proposed by regional experts and key political actors according to a number of criteria that were appropriate for the institutional context, such as political and social acceptability, costs and benefits and capacity for implementation. The policy options presented in the report require additional detailed analysis that is beyond the scope of the GIWA and, as a consequence, they are not formal recommendations to governments but rather contributions to broader policy processes in the region.


The origins of voter preferences about the vertical distribution of political power in federal systems are not well understood. I argue that negative historical experiences with higher-level governments can raise demands for both exit strategies and a decentralization of power, but also for upward integration. I specify conditions when delegating power upwards, for example, from the nation-state to a supranational level or international organization, can better serve the purpose of constraining nation-state actions to overcome history. Empirically, the quasi-random division of the French regions Alsace and Lorraine allows estimating differences in support for integration with a spatial regression discontinuity design. More negative exposure to nation-state actions causes persistently higher support for European integration in three referenda and less Euroscepticism in EU elections. Survey evidence supports exit and integration as two complementary alternatives. Both options can serve the purpose of moving power away from the government level associated with negative historical experiences.


This paper explores the intertwining of personal or autobiographical narratives with broader cultural and historical narratives associated with particular regions, nations and diasporas. More particularly, it is concerned with the intertwining of surnames, place names and 'place-stories', and with notions of clanship, clanlore and clanlands, as resources used in the negotiation of self-identity among members of the transnational Scottish heritage community. Using the spatial histories and mnemonic practices of the Clan Macpherson as examples, it demonstrates how the 'romantic ideology' of Highland clanship serves to re-root members of an 'unsettled' settler society in what is perceived as their ancestral homeland. This (re-)establishment of kinship ties to a particular territory is effected through various enunciative acts: for instance, becoming acquainted with the clan's origin myths, slogans, stories and symbols; visiting the clanlands and those collective 'sites of memory' associated with events in clan history; participating in clan marches and ceremonials; and tracing the family tree. Whilst this 'sedentary poetics' of Highland clanship entails a re-essentialization of identity that has become morally untenable in the contemporary West, it is argued that, in the context of Scottish diasporic roots-tourism, the assertion of a close bond between blood and soil is more benign. For those who, by virtue of a particular surname, or through the labours of their genealogical research, have identified themselves as members of a Scottish Highland diaspora, the ideal of Highland clanship provides a powerful 'answering image' to that represented by the indigenous peoples and cultures of the countries in which their migrant ancestors settled. Sensing their own (vicarious) complicity in the violences of colonization and thus questioning the legitimacy of their right to belong in lands historically appropriated from indigenous populations, the clan provides its diasporic members with the possibility of recovering their own indigenous identity.


Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG) and that emitted from enteric fermentation in livestock is the single largest source of emissions in Japan. Many factors influence ruminant CH4 production, including level of intake, type and quality of feeds and environmental temperature. The objectives of this review are to identify the factors affecting CH4 production in ruminants, to examine technologies for the mitigation of CH4 emissions from ruminants, and to identify areas requiring further research. The following equation for CH4 prediction was formulated using only dry matter intake (DMI) and has been adopted in Japan to estimate emissions from ruminant livestock for the National GHG Inventory Report: Y =- 17.766 + 42.793X - 0.849X 2 , where Y is CH4 production (L/day) and X is DMI (kg/day). Technologies for the mitigation of CH4 emissions from ruminants include increasing productivity by improving nutritional management, the manipulation of ruminal fermentation by changing feed composition, the addition of CH4 inhibitors, and defaunation. Considering the importance of ruminant livestock, it is essential to establish economically feasible ways of reducing ruminant CH4 production while improving productivity; it is therefore critical to conduct a full system analysis to select the best combination of approaches or new technologies to be applied under long-term field conditions.


The effects of protein-energy malnutrition on the concentrations of free amino acids, serotonin and norepinephrine in the brains of rats have been studied. The concentrations of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, GABA, glutamine and serotonin have been measured in the forebrain, cerebellum and brainstem of the rat between 7 and 120 days of age. DNA content was studied as a measure of cell number. Maternal protein deficiency from the 5th day of gestation did not result in any significant changes in the concentrations of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, GABA, serotonin and norepinephrine in the whole brain of one day old rats. Pre- and post-natal maternal protein deficiency, on the other hand, resulted in an increase in the concentration of aspartic acid and a decrease in that of glutamic acid in the forebrain, and an increase in the concentration of aspartic acid and in that of GABA in the cerebellum of offspring at 21 d of age. The activity of the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase was higher in the cerebellum of the malnourished rats at this age. The entry of U-C[14]-D-glucose was depressed in the forebrain and cerebellum in these animals. The free amino acid concentration in the brain returned to normal after rehabilitation for 120 d whereas the DNA content and cholesterol concentration did not. In male weanling rats fed a low protein diet for 56 days, the composition of the free amino acid was changed. There were differences between the different parts of the brain but the concentration of histidine and methionine were increased in each part studied. In rats fed a high protein diet of equal energy content, the free amino acid pool in the three brain parts was also altered, but not in the same way as in the animals that had eaten the low protein diet. The in vivo uptakes of C[14]-methionine and H[3]-histidine were increased. The incorporation of C[14]-methionine into brain protein was also increased. Giving a low protein diet to weanling rats also depressed the serotonin concentration in the forebrain and brainstem. The in vivo uptake of H[3]-tryptophan into the brain and its incorporation into brain protein was depressed in rats on a low protein diet, but not in those on a restricted high protein diet. Insulin injection enhanced the uptake of H[3]-tryptophan and its incorporation into brain protein in low protein animals. The possible relevance of this work to brain function and to the malnourished child is discussed.


Abstract Having overcome its 'middle-power' complex during the centre-left governments, Brazil obtained a relatively robust position in international politics as global power, siding with G-20, BRICS and other multilateral bodies. However, since the 2018 presidential elections Brazil has been undergoing a visible shift in its foreign policy towards more alignment with the US and the West that questions its traditional international autonomy, multilateralism, South-South engagement and environmental activism. This shift may consequently affect not only its positioning within the BRICS and governance alike, but also cause a slide into a conservative complacency with a hegemonic vision of the multipolar world.


AIDS denialist publics congregate online, circulating discourses that dissent from mainstream health science, encouraging behaviors that cause unnecessary exposures and premature death. We offer "networked public analysis" as a means to leverage computational research methods to discover the texts that are important to networked publics. From a close reading of the core texts of an AIDS denialist networked public, we illustrate digital rhetorics characterized by empowering interactivity, offering control and stability to persons experiencing the existential suffering that can attend HIV+ diagnosis. We underscore the necessity of communication researchers, health care providers, scientists, and public health officials to consider the existential situations of AIDS denialist publics, which entangle denials of AIDS science with legitimate social anxieties.


Noise level monitoring was camed out at 24 sites from November 2001 to February 2002 in Kathmandu valley Of these sites, 16 were selected in high vehicle pressure area (seven sites in ring road and nine sites inside ring road). Other remaining eight sites were selected from least vehicle pressure area. The temporal distribution of noise level in ring road and inside ring road were not significantly diferent. The spatial distribution of noise levels show slight variation at high vehicle pressure sites.The highest noise level was recorded at Putalisadak Chowk. The study clearly indicates that the present noise level in Kathmandu city is comparatively higher than the major cities in India. Some kind of mental health problems were also reported from high noisy areas of Kathmandu valley.


This
study
looks
at
a
national
policy
of
quality
assurance
in
higher
education
in
 South
Africa
and
aims
to
find
out
how
institutions
respond
to
and
affect
the
 higher
education
policy
process.
It
sets
out
to
explore
the
'gap'
between
policy
 formulation
and
implementation.
 South
African
higher
education
is
considered
in
the
context
of
the
transformation
 it
has
undergone
since
the
early
1990s.
A
review
of
theory
funnels
down
from
 broad
concepts
of
new
public
management
and
governance
towards
policy
 process
literature,
discussing
implementation
in
particular
and
modes
of
 governance.
 The
discussions
of
South
African
context
and
the
theoretical
approach
frame
the
 analysis
of
primary
data
gathered
through
qualitative
interviews
with
 individuals
in
central
administration,
and
academic
development
and
research
 units,
as
well
as
deans
of
faculties,
at
two
higher
education
institutions
in
South
 Africa,
in
August
2008.
Respondents
were
selected
on
the
basis
of
their
roles
 within
the
institutions.
 The
results
suggest
that
the
concept
of
policy
translation
could
be
useful
for
 explaining
the
dynamics
of
the
proverbial
'gap'
between
formulation
and
 implementation.
The
higher
education
policy
process,
and
trends
in
governance,
 may
support
or
inhibit
policy
initiatives.
Traditional
tensions
or
contradictions
 between
internal
and
external
mechanisms,
development
and
accountability‐ oriented
perspectives,
and
bottom‐up
and
top‐down
structures,
can
be
usefully
 understood
as
parallel
processes
supporting
implementation
and
adoption
of
 initiatives.


In many animal models, primordial germ cell (PGC) development depends on maternally-deposited germ plasm to avoid somatic cell fate. Here, we show that PGCs respond to regulatory information from the germ plasm in two distinct phases and mechanisms in zebrafish. We show that PGCs commence zygotic genome activation together with the rest of the embryo with no demonstrable differences in transcriptional and chromatin accessibility levels. Thus, cytoplasmic germ plasm determinants only affect post-transcriptional stabilisation of RNAs to diverge transcriptome from somatic cells, which, unexpectedly, also activate germ cell-specific genes. Perinuclear relocalisation of germ plasm is coupled to dramatic divergence in chromatin opening and transcriptome from somatic cells characterised by PGC-specific chromatin topology. Furthermore, we reveal Tdrd7, regulator of germ plasm localisation, as crucial determinant of germ fate acquisition.


A charge equalisation circuit is proposed for the series-connected battery bank in a serial charging scheme. The charge equalisation is based on buck–boost conversion, and hence is essentially nondissipative. The subcircuit associated with each battery acts as a current diverter to transfer the excess charging current from the fully charged batteries to the flat ones. By dynamic redistribution of charging energy, charge equalisation can be achieved more quickly and efficiently. The applicability of this approach is confirmed by experiments.


135 reduodenizations were performed for grave forms of the dumping-syndrome. Clinico-roentgenological investigations of patients in later terms after reduodenization have evidenced the development of great morphological and functional compensatory changes of the gastric stump, jejunal graft, duodenum and other portions of the small intestine. The results of reconstructive surgery in different terms of observations are presented.


BACKGROUND
Self-injurious behaviour among people with intellectual disability is relatively common and often persistent. Self-injurious behaviour continues to present a challenge to clinicians. It remains poorly understood and difficult to ameliorate despite advances in neurobiology and psychological therapies. There is a strong need for a better evidence base in prescribing and monitoring of drugs in this population, especially since none of the drugs are actually licensed for self-injurious behaviour.

OBJECTIVES
To determine clinical effectiveness of pharmacological interventions in management of self-injurious behaviour in adults with intellectual disability.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the following databases on 19 February 2012: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science, Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Social Science and Humanities, ZETOC and WorldCat. We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov, ICTRP and the reference lists of included trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials that examined drug interventions versus placebo for self-injurious behaviour (SIB) in adults with intellectual disability.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias for each trial using a data extraction form. We present a narrative summary of the results is presented. We did not consider meta-analysis was appropriate due to differences in study designs, differences between interventions and heterogeneous outcome measures.

MAIN RESULTS
We found five double-blind placebo-controlled trials that met our inclusion criteria. These trials assessed effectiveness and safety of drugs in a total of 50 people with intellectual disability demonstrating SIB. Four trials compared the effects of naltrexone versus placebo and one trial compared clomipramine versus placebo.One of the naltrexone versus placebo trials reported that naltrexone had clinically significant effects (≥ 33% reduction) on the daily rates of three of the four participants' most severe form of SIB and modest to substantial reductions in SIB for all participants; however, this study did not report on statistical significance. Another trial reported that naltrexone attenuated SIB in all four participants, with 25 mg and 50 mg doses producing a statistically significant decrease in SIB (P value < 0.05). Another trial (eight people) indicated that naltrexone administration was associated with significantly fewer days of high frequency self injury and significantly more days with low frequency self injury. Naltrexone had different effects depending on the form and location of self injury. Another trial with only 26 participants found that neither single-dose (100 mg) nor long-term (50 and 150 mg) naltrexone treatment had any therapeutic effect on SIB.Comparison of clomipramine versus placebo found no statistically significant benefit for any outcome measure, which included SIB rate and intensity, stereotypy and adverse events. However, it showed clinically significant improvement in the rate and intensity of SIB and stereotypy.There were very few noteworthy adverse events to report in any of the four trials in which these were reported.All trials were at high risk of bias, apart from one trial (Lewis 1996), which was probably at low risk of bias. The short period of follow-up was a significant drawback in the design of all five trials, as it did not allow long-term assessment of behaviour over time.We were unable to examine the efficacy of antidepressants other than clomipramine, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers or beta-blockers as we did not identify any relevant placebo-controlled trials.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There was weak evidence in included trials that any active drug was more effective than placebo for people with intellectual disability demonstrating SIB. Due to sparse data, an absence of power and statistical significance, and high risk of bias for four of the included trials, we are unable to reach any definite conclusions about the relative benefits of naltrexone or clomipramine compared to placebo.


Photograph of mountain laurel growing along the banks of a river. There is a scythe visible hanging in a tree in the right of the photo. Hazel Petrey and Gilbert Dove collected pine-baugh and mountain laurel to decorate the Sunny View Methodist Church for their wedding. Narrative by Junebug Clark: More images and information can be found in the July 28, 1941 issue of Life Magazine, pages 82-85 in the story "Life Magazine Goes to a Kentucky Wedding." Also in the Joe Clark, HBSS book "Country Wedding," published in 1974. Additionally, a 1982 photo of Hazel and Gilbert can be found in Joe's Tennessee Scrapbook. All are in the Clark Family Photography Collection.


Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are derived from past exogenous retroviral infections of germ cells, which integrated into the genome of mammals and are inherited in a Mendelian manner. ERVs belong to the class of retro-elements possessing three main viral genes: group-specific antigen (gag), polymerase (pol) and envelope (env) flanked by two long terminal repeats (LTR). More than 8% of the human genome is considered of retroviral origin. Most ERV genes are protein non-functional due to recombination, mutations and deletions; however some ERV gag, pol and env genes produce functional proteins. Although largely gene defective, the LTRs of ERVs retained their regulatory activities resulting in high transcriptional levels; and in addition represent most of the ~10,000 annotated long non-coding (lnc) RNAs. In somatic cells ERVs are generally silent; however we and others demonstrated ERVs become activated during tumorigenesis. Recently we showed that induction of immune responses in human cancer cells by DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi), like 5-azacytidine (Aza) and 29-deoxy-5-azacytidine (Dac) is primarily due to the activation of (hyper)-methylated ERVs (Chiappinelli et al. 2015, Cell 162: 974-86). Furthermore, the unique genomic architecture of ERVs with 5 and 3 LTRs induced sense and antisense RNAs leading to formation of cytosolic dsRNA, which activated the cellular viral RNA sensing and defense pathway (like TLR3 and MAVS) triggering the type I interferon (IFN) response. This kind of response following ERV activation is called viral mimicry or endogenous viremia. Using ovarian carcinoma (OVCA) cell lines as a model, we showed that Aza significantly induced multiple ERV families and IFN stimulated genes (ISG). The induction was due to the formation of dsRNA, which was abolished with RNAse III (hydrolyzing dsRNA) and TLR3 or MAVS specific inhibition. ISGs were also directly induced by transfected ERV genes. Subsequently, a cohort of primary human serous OVCA tissues was analyzed and a significant positive correlation between ERV and ISG expression could be demonstrated. We and others previously showed that treatment with the DNMTi Aza positively contributed to immune checkpoint blockade therapy in a mouse model and in human cancers. Like exogenous retroviruses, which upregulate immune checkpoint genes (ICG), we also evaluated for a possible connection between ERV induction and ICG expression in primary tumors. Presently, we demonstrate that human serous OVCA tissues express significantly higher ICGs than control ovarian tissues, with VTCN-1 (B7-H4) as the highest expressed ICG. Using serous OVCA cell lines transfected with different ERV genes we could show an early induction of ICGs, primarily LGALS9 and PD-L1. Further analysis of tumor infiltrating immune cells using the same serous OVCA cohort and multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC), we detect in some tumors high levels of tumor-associated CD79a, CD3+/CD8- and CD3+/CD8+ cells. Moreover, we find a direct link between ISG, ICG and infiltrating immune cells in OVCA. Analyzing other human tumors, e.g. brain tumors, like glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and giant cell GBM (gcGBM) also demonstrate a significant correlation between high ERV induction and ISG as well as ICG expression. In contrast to serous OVCA, PD1 and VTCN-1 were the highest expressed ICG in GBM and gcGBM, which could also be shown with ERV transfected GBM cell lines. Using IHC gcGBM shows a high level of immune cell infiltration, which associated with giant cells and ICG expression, like PD-L1. Interestingly, the highest ERV expression was found in gcGBM, which correlated with endomitosis and cell fusion leading to giant nuclei and multinucleated cells as also shown with a stable ERV transfected GBM cell line. In summary, DNMTi mediated loss of methylation induced ERVs forming dsRNA in tumor cells and stimulated the innate immune system via ISGs. ERV RNA per se induced ISGs, but also ICGs similar to exogenous retroviruses in order to escape the immune system. Different upregulated ERVs, ISGs and ICGs were found in different cancers, like serous OVCA, GBM and gcGBM indicating diverse tumor and tumor microenvironment signatures. Thus ERVs have an ambivalent role in tumorigenesis, where tumor microenvironmental factors tip the balance being detrimental by generating immune evasion or beneficial for cancer therapy by stimulating the innate immune system. Citation Format: Reiner Strick. Functional role of endogenous retroviruses in cancer immunity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2016 Oct 20-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2017;5(3 Suppl):Abstract nr IA02.


Diesel engines used in highly mechanised agriculture can contribute a significant proportion of the total green house gas emissions generated on farm. Stringent GHG emission control legislations internationally imposed for off-road diesel engines are applied on tractors as part of o�-road mobile sources. Australian national GHG emission factors (EF) are based on the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change Guidelines emissions factors, and in turn, those emissions factors are taken from studies conducted in 1975. The accuracy of these EFs are questioned by many researchers due to, i) no consideration of the transient effects of engine performance on emissions, ii) measurements were based on a relatively small sample of tractors and iii) studies were based on older tractor
models with engine technology superseded by developments during the last 40 years. Inaccurate emissions factors lead to inaccurate estimates of the emission thereby over reporting in the annual emission inventory report. This research work addresses the issue related to transient effects and engine technology that affect the emission factors. A 68.8 kW, Belarus 920 tractor was used in this study to evaluate the tractor performance and the exhaust gas emission component such as CO, CO2 and NOx. This study aims to evaluate Australian emission factors for agricultural tractor considering the transient effects on tractor operating condition. Steady-state test (ECE R-49) and the European Stationary Cycle Test were used to assess the emission factors. The experimental apparatus consists of PTO dynamometer, fast response portable gas analyser type CODA, speed sensors, flow rate measuring systems, thermocouples and pressure transducers.
Transient test result was compared with steady-state test result. The experimental results demonstrated that transient produce higher emission for CO2 and NOx (3.73% and 33.58% respectively). CO emission of transient test was lower by 44.26% than steady-state emission.
CO2-equivalent emissions were calculated for the ECE R-49 , ESC, and Constant Speed tests based on time integrated fuel consumption using the Australian emission factors. The calculations resulted in 11.8% (on average) less emissions than real measurements indicating there is a need for revising the emission factors or the followed methodology.


Ustekinumab is a subcutaneously and intravenously administered fully human monoclonal immunoglobulin (IgG1) antibody targeting the interleukin (IL)-12/23 shared P40 subunit. The pivotal role of IL-12/23 inflammatory-mediated pathways is increasingly recognized in a plethora of immune-mediated inflammatory disorders including Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis. In a randomized controlled trial of ustekinumab in moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease, clinical response was achieved most notably in infliximab-experienced primary and secondary nonresponders and suboptimal responders.


Abstract The well-documented market underperformance of the majority of value and growth stocks over a 12-month holding period reflects that traditional valuation metrics might tell us whether a stock is potentially cheap or expensive but little about when, or even if, it will experience a market correction. Two indicators have come to the fore in recent years that provide useful insights: sentiment/momentum and accounting fundamentals/financial health. We examine their single and combined impact on value and growth stocks and find that (i) they are effective in introducing a timing element into the selection of both value and growth stocks, (ii) the sentiment indicator completely dominates the financial health indicator and, (iii) both indictors contribute to the performance of the good and bad growth stocks. The size and significance of the investment profits that potentially can be generated using the two indicators in combination questions of the efficiency of the European equity markets. We conclude that our findings are consistent with the pricing cycle for a stock proposed by Lee and Swaminathan (Lee, C., Swaminathan, B. (2000) Price momentum and trading volume, Journal of Finance, 55, pp. 2017–2069.) and the under- and over-reaction in pricing inherent in models proposed by Barberis et al. (Barberis, N., Shleifer A., and Vishny, R. (1998) A model of investor sentiment, Journal of Financial Economics, 49, pp. 307–343.) and Hong and Stein (Hong, H., Stein, J.C. (1999) A unified theory of underreaction, momentum trading and overreaction in asset markets, Journal of Finance, 54, pp. 2143-2184.).


This paper presents a knowledge-based detection of objects approach using the OWL ontology language, the Semantic Web Rule Language, and 3D processing built-ins aiming at combining geometrical analysis of 3D point clouds and specialist's knowledge. Here, we share our experience regarding the creation of 3D semantic facility model out of unorganized 3D point clouds. Thus, a knowledge-based detection approach of objects using the OWL ontology language is presented. This knowledge is used to define SWRL detection rules. In addition, the combination of 3D processing built-ins and topological Built-Ins in SWRL rules allows a more flexible and intelligent detection, and the annotation of objects contained in 3D point clouds. The created WiDOP prototype takes a set of 3D point clouds as input, and produces as output a populated ontology corresponding to an indexed scene visualized within VRML language. The context of the study is the detection of railway objects materialized within the Deutsche Bahn scene such as signals, technical cupboards, electric poles, etc. Thus, the resulting enriched and populated ontology, that contains the annotations of objects in the point clouds, is used to feed a GIS system or an IFC file for architecture purposes.


The crude oil in Kuidong region of Liaohe Tanhai Oilfield is characterized by high oil viscosity, high density, high content of colloid asphalt, low content of wax and low freezing point. In the shallow region, the large current, high content of silt, long-distance subsea buried pipeline and drift ice in winter have brought great challenge to offshore construction and oil-gas transportation. In this paper, the investigations of offshore construction project and platform process are shown. Based on the well production rate, gas-oil ratio, water cut, wellhead back pressure and outlet temperature, the range of daily transportation volume was acquired, as well as the maximum inlet pressure and pressure difference of the pump. The paper also selected technically and economically feasible pumps, then designed the public projects, corresponding electric power and self-control facilities. The selected skidded twin screw multiphase pump system can smoothly transport produced liquid to the terminal systems onshore without any effect on the daily output.


In the frame of the FP7 European project MAXSIMA, an extensive simulation study has been done to assess the main shielding problems in view of the construction of the MYRRHA accelerator-driven system at SCK·CEN in Mol (Belgium). An innovative method based on the combined use of the two state-of-the-art Monte Carlo codes MCNPX and FLUKA has been used, with the goal to characterize complex, realistic neutron fields around the core barrel, to be used as source terms in detailed analyses of the radiation fields due to the system in operation, and of the coupled residual radiation. The main results of the shielding analysis are presented, as well as the construction of an activation database of all the key structural materials. The results evidenced a powerful way to analyse the shielding and activation problems, with direct and clear implications on the design solutions.


Dilute nitride GaInNAs alloys grown on GaAs have quickly become excellent candidate materials for lower cost 1.3μm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and high power edge emitting lasers. Despite the relative immaturity and challenges of this new materials system the results have been very promising. The major remaining challenges include the limited solubility of nitrogen in GaAs, non-radiative defects that may be caused by nitrogen incorporation, and phase segregation at high In compositions. A new component, Sb, has been added in order to improve epitaxial growth and optical properties at wavelengths longer than 1.3μm. By adding Sb to the alloy, luminescence has been greatly enhanced between 1.3-1.6μm where normally poor quality material results. Lasers fabricated from this new pentenary alloy have produced the lowest threshold lasers operating beyond 1.4μm on GaAs. Progress and the remaining challenges of this materials system are described.


As iron (Fe) and light availability strongly influence phytoplankton species distribution in low Fe-waters, we investigated the combined effects of increasing light (20, 200 and 500 μmol photons m−2 s−1) in conjunction with different Fe (0.4 and 2 nM Fe) availability on the physiology of two ecologically relevant phytoplankton species in the Southern Ocean, Chaetoceros debilis (Bacillariophyceae) and Phaeocystis antarctica (Haptophyceae). Combining Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry, elemental composition and pigment analyses with cell-based modelling, new insights on the photophysiological strategies of the two tested species were gained. Fe-deficient cells of P. antarctica displayed similar high growth rates at all irradiances. In comparison, Fe-deplete C. debilis cells grew much slower under low and medium irradiance and were unable to grow at the highest irradiance. Interestingly, Fe-deficient C. debilis cells were better protected against short-term excessive irradiances than P. antarctica. Next to similar electron transfer rates, Fe-deplete C. debilis cells displayed faster re-oxidation of the primary electron acceptor Qa, indicating operation of a putative plastid plastoquinol terminal oxidase, known to create a proton gradient in the thylakoid lumen. In line with this, high xanthophyll activity was shown by its high cellular diadinoxanthin content along with very high NPQ activities. Such strategy was especially efficient after short-term exposure to high irradiance, as seen by the high potential of Fv/Fm recovery (~70-80%), pointing towards a high tolerance of C. debilis to short-term high light stress. This tolerance was, however, counteracted by strongly lowered growth and particulate organic carbon production rates of the diatom relative to the prymnesiophyte. The prymnesiophyte also possessed high photoprotective capabilities, with strong alternative electron cycling activities (electron cycling around photosystem I, Mehler and/or photorespiration) being more important than xanthophyll cycling. Overall, our results suggest that P. antarctica could outcompete C. debilis in Fe-deficient waters at all light regimes.


ABSTRACT Malawi is a global leader in the design and implementation of progressive HIV policies. However, there continues to be substantial attrition of people living with HIV across the "cascade" of HIV services from diagnosis to treatment, and program outcomes could improve further. Ability to successfully implement national HIV policy, especially in rural areas, may have an impact on consistency of service uptake. We reviewed Malawian policies and guidelines published between 2003 and 2013 relating to accessibility of adult HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission and HIV care and treatment services using a policy extraction tool, with gaps completed through key informant interviews. A health facility survey was conducted in six facilities serving the population of a demographic surveillance site in rural northern Malawi to investigate service-level policy implementation. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Policy implementation was assessed by comparing policy content and facility practice using pre-defined indicators covering service access: quality of care, service coordination and patient tracking, patient support, and medical management. ART was rolled out in Malawi in 2004 and became available in the study area in 2005. In most areas, practices in the surveyed health facilities complied with or exceeded national policy, including those designed to promote rapid initiation onto treatment, such as free services and task-shifting for treatment initiation. However, policy and/or practice were/was lacking in certain areas, in particular those strategies to promote retention in HIV care (e.g., adherence monitoring and home-based care). In some instances, though, facilities implemented alternative progressive practices aimed at improving quality of care and encouraging adherence. While Malawi has formulated a range of progressive policies aiming to promote rapid initiation onto ART, increased investment in policy implementation strategies and quality service delivery, in particular to promote long-term retention on treatment may improve outcomes further.


Given a graph G where each node is associated with a set of attributes, attributed network embedding (ANE) maps each node v ∈ G to a compact vector Xv, which can be used in downstream machine learning tasks. Ideally, Xv should capture node v's affinity to each attribute, which considers not only v's own attribute associations, but also those of its connected nodes along edges in G. It is challenging to obtain high-utility embeddings that enable accurate predictions; scaling effective ANE computation to massive graphs with millions of nodes pushes the difficulty of the problem to a whole new level. Existing solutions largely fail on such graphs, leading to prohibitive costs, low-quality embeddings, or both. This paper proposes PANE, an effective and scalable approach to ANE computation for massive graphs that achieves state-of-the-art result quality on multiple benchmark datasets, measured by the accuracy of three common prediction tasks: attribute inference, link prediction, and node classification. In particular, for the large MAG data with over 59 million nodes, 0.98 billion edges, and 2000 attributes, PANE is the only known viable solution that obtains effective embeddings on a single server, within 12 hours. PANE obtains high scalability and effectiveness through three main algorithmic designs. First, it formulates the learning objective based on a novel random walk model for attributed networks. The resulting optimization task is still challenging on large graphs. Second, PANE includes a highly efficient solver for the above optimization problem, whose key module is a carefully designed initialization of the embeddings, which drastically reduces the number of iterations required to converge. Finally, PANE utilizes multi-core CPUs through non-trivial parallelization of the above solver, which achieves scalability while retaining the high quality of the resulting embeddings. Extensive experiments, comparing 10 existing approaches on 8 real datasets, demonstrate that PANE consistently outperforms all existing methods in terms of result quality, while being orders of magnitude faster.


Today, it is possible to estimate the density of snow in many different ways (gravimetry, attenuation of gamma rays and velocity of electromagnetic waves). In this paper, we suggest using the acoustic properties of snow. First, we recall the main studies on the acoustic properties of snow. Then, we show, from laboratory measurements, the correlation between density and the acoustic parameters of snow. We found a very good correlation between density and the modulus of the normalized characteristic impedance. We also show that use ofa three-parameter model simulating the propagation of an acoustic wave in porous media allows one to calculate the density of snow from its acoustic porosity.


Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) has been used for decades as a neurochemical tool for in vivo detection of phasic changes in electroactive neurotransmitters in animal models. Recently, multiple research groups have initiated human neurochemical studies using FSCV or demonstrated interest in bringing FSCV into clinical use. However, there remain technical challenges that limit clinical implementation of FSCV by creating barriers to appropriate scientific rigor and patient safety. In order to progress with clinical FSCV, these limitations must be first addressed through (1) appropriate pre-clinical studies to ensure accurate measurement of neurotransmitters and (2) the application of a risk management framework to assess patient safety. The intent of this work is to bring awareness of the current issues associated with FSCV to the scientific, engineering, and clinical communities and encourage them to seek solutions or alternatives that ensure data accuracy, rigor and reproducibility, and patient safety.


Sound is a neglected subject of today's products and services. The new technologies changed the way we interact with the people, objects and the world around us, thus, designers should aim at all senses, contemplating a multi sensorial experience. In this scenario sound becomes an important aspect to be considered during the project phase in a design process. Sound becomes part of the product identity and expression, the way the product talks to us. To foster this scenario designers should be aware of the possibilities and attributes of sound and how to explore them in a creative way. In this short paper we investigated published articles, workshops and publications to collect sound methods and techniques to be used into a design process. As a result, we proposed twenty essential sound methods that could be applied in a design thinking context. This is an ongoing research, part of a thesis experiment, since further methods and refinement could be added in the future.


This study deals with the cutting characteristics of titanium materials when milled by a small-diameter end mill, or a micro end mill. It is well known that titanium is difficult to cut by conventional means. However, its cutting characteristics have not yet been made sufficiently clear in cases where a micro end mill less than 1 mm in diameter is used. This study chiefly involves the experimental investigation of tool wear and surface roughness of micro-end milling of Ti-6Al-4V. The findings were that tool wear did not increase much when the cutting speed was increased from 50 m/min to 200 m/min. Furthermore, the cutting force required to cut decreased at high speeds and during wet cutting. In wet cutting, the surface had a roughness (Rz) of only 0.3 μm at 200 m/min in contrast to 0.6 μm at 50 m/min.


Card sorting is one widely used method to design website information architectures based on an understanding of their users' mental models. This paper studies the effect of participants' sense of direction on card sorting results. To this end, a two-phase study for an eshop was conducted. In the first phase, 40 participants rated their sense of direction on the standardized Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale (SBSOD) and were then involved in an open card sort study. Then, we analyzed the card sort data following a median-split approach based on participants' self-reported SBSOD score. This resulted in two proposed information architectures for the eshop: one from the SBSOD-low participants and one from the SBSOD-high participants. In the second phase, we first developed two prototypes for the eshop, one for each proposed information architecture. Next, 30 participants were involved in a within-subjects user testing study. Results showed that users interacting with the eshop produced by the SBSOD-high participants were significantly more effective, more efficient and rated the tasks as easier compared to users interacting with the eshop produced by the SBSOD-low participants. No significant difference was observed for users' perceived usability.


The broad objective of this research was to determine whether gender diversity of boards and board composition, affects performance. Secondary data was collected for a ten-year period from 2006 to 2015 from 98 sampled financial institutions. Multiple regression analysis and generalized estimating equations were used in analysis of the collected data. Parametric and nonparametric methodologies were used. The study was anchored on the agency theory, stakeholder theory, the human capital theory and resource dependence theory. The results show that, gender diversity of boards and board composition had no independent significant influence on performance of financial institutions. Through the study formulation of managerial policy and practice that promote better governance practices and appropriate firm characteristics that improve performance of financial institutions will be enhanced.


Species pluralism allows for multiple species concepts. Given the overwhelming number of such concepts (Mayden 1997, Wilkins 2011), this seems like an obvious interpretation of how `species' is used in contemporary biology. But why has it taken so long for this approach to be considered? I argue that part of the reason pluralism was overlooked due to the widespread use of a particular rhetorical strategy developed by Ernst Mayr. This strategy provided a framework for debates about the correct conception of species. That is, the strategy offered a means of comparing modern concepts with a monistic-essentialist understanding of species. I ask what would happen if we replaced this concept with Aristotle's own pluralist-essentialist understanding of species. As recent scholarship shows, Aristotle's philosophy of biology allows for an approach to classification that is in practice highly pluralistic (Henry 2011, 2014, Leunissen 2014). From this new framework we can understand what sort of assumptions are at stake between modern forms of species pluralism. My analysis shows that the essentialist story told by Mayr and others left us asking the wrong questions about how to conceive of species in an evolutionary world. Having a deeper understanding of Aristotle's approach to the classification of animals allows us to shift focus from the so-called species problem in order to raise four issues that are relevant to current debates. These are questions about: (1) the explanatory power of taxonomic ranks, (2) the importance of the species category problem, (3) whether species are constituted by intrinsic or extrinsic properties, and (4) how to interpret the ``cross-cutting'' metaphor endemic to the pluralist literature. In order to get to these questions I will first explain what sort of claim species pluralism is at the most general level, and a gloss on the standard interpretation of the historical shift from species monism to species pluralism.


This study aimed to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on coastal tourism in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), South Africa, and propose effective management interventions to enable swift recovery. A participatory system dynamics modelling approach was applied through a qualitative causal mapping processes to support a quantitative model. Multiple stakeholder perspectives were incorporated to gain a holistic understanding of the local impacts. The study revealed that the effects of the pandemic on tourism in NMB were dynamic and accompanied by shifts in governance responses and traveller behaviour. Uncertainty surrounding the rate of recovery in different sectors was observed. Through collaboration with local stakeholders, recovery interventions were identified and tested according to short-to-long-term tourism needs in stages of recovery, revival and growth. The findings highlight the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in facilitating informed decision-making for sustainable tourism recovery. Moreover, it is encouraged that participatory, multi-stakeholder approaches are adopted to explore the impacts of exogenous factors on the tourism sector, such as those arising from public health, climate, and social–political change. This inclusive and dynamic approach can be used to develop management strategies that are responsive and adaptable to complex and evolving circumstances that can impact the tourism industry.


In this work, nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA) powder was synthesized via mechanochemical method by a dry mixture of calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 and di-ammonium hydrogen phosphate (NH4)2HPO4 powders. The effect of mechanochemical process on powder properties was investigated. Three rotation speeds of 170 rpm, 270 rpm and 370 rpm were chose with 15 hours milling time respectively. Characterization of nanopowders was accomplished by Fourier transform infra red (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nanosizer analysis. The green compacted powders with 200 MPa isostatically pressed were prepared and sintered in atmosphere condition at various temperatures ranging from 1150oC - 1350oC. The results showed that the rotation speed affected the obtained powders where the crystallite size was found increased with rotation speed (9 – 21 nm). In contrast, the particle size distribution decreased with rotation speed (322-192 nm). The sintering process has influenced the stability of powder by yielding TCP phase at a lower sintering temperature, 1150oC. However, powder synthesized at 370 rpm has showed a significant hardness, 5.3 GPa after compacted and sintered at 1250oC with the relative density of 95%. This phenomenon is believed to be related with the nanosize powder synthesized at high speed which has contributes the high strength of the sintered bodies.


Although the theory of the socio-cultural approach to creativity is gaining steam, empirical studies with advanced statistical tools are lagging behind. To address the gap of empirical studies integrating individual, social environmental, and cultural factors, we examined how motivational factors and environmental responsiveness were jointly related to college students' creative achievement in different nations. Participants were university students from eight culturally and geographically diverse regions: Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, Kosovo, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Overall, the results painted a generally positive picture of the relationship between environmental responsiveness, motivational factors, and creative achievement. By employing structural equation modeling (SEM) and multiple-group SEM (MGSEM) methods, results partially supported the mediation role of motivational factors between environmental responsiveness and creative achievement. In addition, we observed more consistent relationships between parental responsiveness and motivational factors or creative achievement, than lecturer. This held in common across all seven countries which fulfilled the requirements for the SEM process, indicating that parents play a potential vital role in supporting students' motivational aspects and creative achievements, whereas lecturers supporting role is relative to the cultural organizational circumstances. As the first large-scale empirical study with a socio-cultural approach, we invited further discussion and proposed future cross-cultural research of this kind. Research implications and practical suggestions were addressed.


We propose high osmotic pressure chromatography (HOPC) to separate a large amount of polydisperse polymeric materials into fractions with different molecular weights. A concentrated polymer solution is introduced into a chromatographic column packed with porous materials that provide the polymer with sufficient geometrical confinement. The injection is continued until the polymer is detected at the column outlet. Then, the injection is switched to the pure solvent, and the eluent is collected into different test tubes. The separation principle is based on the segregation that takes place between pore channels and the surrounding solution, as a high osmotic pressure of the concentrated polymer solution drives low molecular weight components preferentially into the pore channels. As the polymer solution is transferred along the column, enrichment of the highest molecular weight components in the mobile phase is repeated at the solution front until it reaches the outlet. It is followed by the next highest molecular weight components. The molecular weight of fractions collected at the column outlet monotonically decreases as the number of fractions increases, but it is accompanied by a broadening of the distribution. The molecular weight distribution is narrow, especially for initial fractions. We demonstrate HOPC using silica gels as the porous materials for broad-distribution polystyrene, polystyrene standards, and other amorphous polymers.


Piloting is an approach that can be used when introducing a desired change. It allows for smaller scale trial and leaves room for modification prior to full implementation. When applicable, this approach can be a proactive way to avoiding any potential issues or conflicts relating to the change. As a graduate student in the Critical and Creative Thinking program at UMass Boston, I have explored the concept of pilot projects for three years, planning and implementing, and revising 3 pilot projects. These pilot projects include: Meeting of the Mind's, a space in which members of the community are invited to join a discussion on best practices in Early Childhood Education; a train the trainer model for fostering trauma sensitive environments in Early Childhood classrooms; and a play–based learning environments pilot that addresses the absence of play in Early Childhood programs. This synthesis includes a reflection on effective planning, implementation, and evaluating of pilot projects, using experience and data from my own personal pilot projects, pilots within my community, and literature reviews. A connection is made between pilot projects and Action Research, providing information on processes and tools that can used to enhance the design and success of a pilot project.


Meningococcal infection remains a significant health problem in children, with a significant mortality and morbidity. Prompt recognition and aggressive early treatment are the only effective measures against invasive disease. This requires immediate administration of antibiotic therapy, and the recognition and treatment of patients who may have complications of meningococcal infection such as shock, raised intracranial pressure (ICP) or both. Encouragingly, its mortality has fallen in recent years. This is the result of several factors such as the centralization of care of seriously ill children in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), the establishment of specialized mobile intensive care teams, the development of protocols for the treatment of meningococcal infection, and the dissemination by national bodies and charities of guidance about early recognition and management. We will review the pathophysiology and management of the different presentations of meningococcal disease and examine the possible role of adjunctive therapies.


We present a cross-sectional analysis of the maturation and migratory properties of the memory CD8(+) T cell compartment, in relation to the severity of heart disease in individuals with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection removed from endemic areas for longer than 20 years. Subjects with none or mild heart involvement were more likely to mount T. cruzi-specific memory IFN-gamma responses than subjects with more advanced cardiac disease, and the T. cruzi-specific CD8(+) T cell population was enriched in early-differentiated (CD27(+)CD28(+)) cells in responding individuals. In contrast, the frequency of CD27(+)CD28(+)CD8(+) T cells in the total memory CD8(+) T cell population decreases, as disease becomes more severe, while the proportion of fully differentiated memory (CD27(-)CD28(-)) CD8(+) T cells increases. The analysis of CCR7 expression revealed a significant increase in total effector/memory CD8(+) T cells (CD45RA(-)CCR7(-)) in subjects with mild heart disease as compared with uninfected controls. Altogether, these results are consistent with the hypothesis of a gradual clonal exhaustion in the CD8(+) T cell population, perhaps as a result of continuous antigenic stimulation by persistent parasites.


Ischemic stroke is a common cause of death and disability in the western world. Intraveneous (iv) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) has proven efficacious as acute treatment. Intraarterial treatment with t-PA and/or instrumentation of the vessel with the attempt to manipulate the clot and remove it (called Intra Arterial Therapy (IAT)) is emerging as a tool for treating patients with contraindications to iv t-PA or for patients with large clot burden, where iv t-PA is often unsuccessful. IAT is also potentially hazardous and in large series, 10% of patients suffer symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH).
 Stentreivers (a new form of removable stent) have shown promise in improving recanalization and outcome in IAT.
 At our institution 153 patients underwent IAT from 2004-2011. Stentreivers (ST) were used as part of the recanalization procedure in 42 patients. In the ST group, mean age was 63.7 years and mean presenting NIHSS was 16.6. In the non-ST group the same numbers were 63.3 years old and an NIHSS of 15.9. Using an unpaired t-test, there were no statistical differences in neither age nor NIHSS at presentation. Time to groin puncture was 257 minutes in the ST group and 275 minutes in the non-ST group, again no statistical difference.
 Recanalization (defined as TICI 2b or 3) was achieved among 35 of the 42 = 83.3% in the ST group and in 47/111 = 42.3% of the patients in the non-ST group, giving an odds ratio (OR) for recanalization using ST on 6.81 (p<0.001, Fischers exact test.) Good outcome defined as a modified Rankin Score of 0-2 90 days after the stroke was achieved among 16/42 = 38.1% in the ST group and among 47/111 = 42.3 % in the non-ST group. There was no statistical difference in these numbers.
 Recanalization was important for good outcome in both groups. OR for good outcome given recanalization was 5.89 in the ST group (p=0.03) and 6.97 in the non-ST group (p<0.001).
 Recanalization is important for good outcome, but even though recanalization was achieved much more often in the ST group, this did not translate into better outcomes. One explanation could be, that recanalization seems more obvious when using stentrivers.


Practices in domain-referenced assessment design and formative course evaluation are not common in still-developing, higher education systems around the world. This paper demonstrates skill-centered assessment and instructional design as a method for evaluating students' skills performances, and demonstrates how to use the overall results for improving the quality of instruc-tion in a course in computing education. It applies a case study method, describ-ing assessment methods linked to, targeted learning skills and learning domains. The measurements were carried out by the course instructor, adopting a replicable analytic approach. The measured outcomes on each skill provided specific information to guide actions by teachers, to improve course delivery. Results suggest important indicators for teachers to stress in the next cycle of course de-livery in which the students were weak. The study demonstrates an easy-to-apply approach in skill-centered assessment, starting with assessments linked to learning domains, as a means for promoting best practices in formative evaluation in the field of computer education. While the essential principles of this method date back to the literature on criterion-referenced testing and instructional design, the systematic process produces results to support quality improvements in higher education settings where such methods are not the norm.


Emergence can be described as the result of a system that has properties greater than
the sum of its parts. The result and individual actions are not traceable through
each step of the process, but instead emerge from the behavior of all agents. Examples
of emergence can be found in nature, such as birds flying in strange patterns
and ants foraging for food. Understanding these systems is hard to for the human
intuition, but since computer science enables techniques to examine emergence by
introducing simulation tools we can see the results and get a deeper understanding
of the system and its rules.
This thesis investigates what happens when the programmer does not micromanage
how each component in the system interacts with other components. When multiple
parts work together using simple rules, we sometimes get phenomena that we could
not predict. This is what we call rules and consequences; when the rules for the
components of the system give rise to emergent phenomena.
We have produced 25 different models and analyzed them using a guiding principle
we refer to as disciplined exploration, meaning two things. First, results are not
discarded even if they do not show what was intended or expected. Second, we systematically
map out the scope for the parameters, as opposed to randomly choosing,
by defining a "parameter space".
The thesis also provides insights about modeling systems this way using NetLogo.
While it is a simple and easy tool to use, we also show that it does have drawbacks.
Its internal scheduling and time complexity issues are problematic. Lastly, we provide
conclusions to why emergent behavior is interesting and surprising. Emergence
can be used to explain how complex system domains could be in reality and is always
of interest due to our limited intuition of what will come out of a multi-agent
system.


High strength pipelines is widely used in the long distance transportation of oil and gas resources. Fracture toughness is one significant material property for these high strength pipeline steels. In this study, the critical crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) of X80 pipeline steel was studied both experimentally and numerically. 3 point bending tests were conducted for 6 specimens with 2 thicknesses. Numerical model using the extended finite element method was also established, with maximum principle strain criterion used for damage initiation. Results show that, the critical CTOD decreases with the increases of the specimen thickness, and to give reasonable simulation results, larger maximum principle strain criterion should be used in the numerical model. This study can be referenced for the performance evaluation and quality assurance for X80 steel gas pipelines. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.2.14535


ABSTRACT Xanthomonas translucens pv. cerealis is the causal agent of bacterial leaf streak on true grasses. The genome of the pathotype strain CFBP 2541 was sequenced in order to decipher mechanisms that provoke disease and to elucidate the role of transcription activator-like (TAL) type III effectors in pathogenicity.


A phenomenological study of the processes occurring when a shock wave interacts with porous polyester and polyether foams has been undertaken. Plane shock waves generated in a shock tube were reflected off a slab of foam mounted against the back wall of the tube. Tests were conducted with an initial shock wave Mach number of 1.4 and a 70 mm thick slab of foam. The reduction in reflected shock wave strength and substantial increase in the back wall pressure over that for rigid wall reflection, found by other workers, were confirmed. Piezoelectric pressure transducers were used to record the pressure before, alongside and behind the foam specimen. Schlieren photographs of the flow were made and showed some features not previously reported. In particular it is shown that there is a flow of gas across the face of the foam at some point of the process. Previous investigations of this interaction process have assumed that the face of the foam is a contact surface. Short duration photographs of the distortion of the foam were taken, enabling the wave propagation in the foam material itself to be studied. It is established that the front of this compaction wave in the foam material moves at considerably lower velocity (∼ 90 m/s) than the gas wave as detected by the pressure transducers (∼ 200 m/s). This result contrasts with the assumption made in previous work that the two-phase medium behaves essentially as a homogeneous substance. A simple physical model based on a zone of compacted material in the foam acting as a high-resistance flow barrier, is proposed to explain the observed phenomena.


Iron folic acid (IFA) supplementation is used world over for reducing the prevalence of anemia. The objective of the present investigation is to study the sustainable effect of long term weekly Iron Folic Acid supplementation along with deworming on growth and haemoglobin status of rural school children. Method: Three schools were selected for the study. One school was a control group where no intervention was given. In the second school, weekly IFA supplementation of 60 mg elemental iron was given for 30 weeks along with 400mg Albendezole (DW) once in 6 months. In the third school only 400 mg Albendezole was given every six month. Before and after the intervention, height, weight and haemoglobin by cyanmet haemoglobin method was done. After 30 weeks supplementation of IFA+DW tablet, for 6 months no intervention was given. The washout effect of the intervention was seen on same parameters. Result: The intervention did not show sustainable effect on growth parameter. The prevalence of all the 3 anthropometric indices i.e. underweight, stunting and thinness remained unaltered with withdrawal of supplementation. In the IFA+DW supplemented group, there was a significant drop (p<0.01) in the mean Hb levels after 6 months of supplementation but after the washout effect the prevalence of anemia reverted back to the basal values. Thus weekly IFA+DW supplementation should be an ongoing programme to reduce the prevalence of IDA among school children.


The aggregate approach to the evaluation of production oriented expenditure in the United States has consistently shown high rates of return to agricultural research investments. These efforts, while showing the value of agricultural research, are limited in the information they can provide policy and budget decisionmakers. More recently, efforts such as the analysis of four major commodity groups by Bredahl and Peterson and cross sectional studies by Evenson, White, and Havlicek have begun refining the level of analysis to individual regions and states and for specific commodities (Evenson, Bredahl and Peterson, White and Havlicek). The objective of this study is to further disaggregate these commodity groupings of Bredahl and Peterson into individual commodities and to begin investigating the impact of interregional research "spillovers." Case studies of corn, wheat, and sorghum are made, using individual states as observation units over the time period for which research data on individual commodities are available. The empirical results presented in this paper are the results of some first attempts at estimation. Further work is being done to improve specification of variables measuring weather, cash inputs, risk, and other factors influencing yield response of grain commodities. A special cross sectional-time series algorithm is used in parameter estimation. Theoretical Framework, Model, and Data The conceptual framework of this study is particularly constrained by the availability of only 11 years of research expenditure data on individual commodities (1967-1977). The short number of years prohibits use of a 12-, to 13 year polynominal Almon distributed lag which has been used in previous studies to investigate the research lag structure (White, et al., Quance and Lu). The nonavailability of production input data for specific commodities for other than farm census years also limits utilizing the traditional aggregate production function approach to the analysis of agriculture research expenditure. Faced with these data limitation problems, the framework of a supply response analysis is developed as an alternative to investigating the impact on research expenditures on productivity of individual grain commodities. The supply response model which is derivable from the production function, expresses the quantity of a commodity offered for sale as a function of input and output prices, technical parameters, and a variety of shifters, such as weather and technological change. Supply analysis studies have typically represented the effects of technological change as a linear trend variable. While the research evaluation studies have not focused on the processes of technological adoption and diffusion, their analyses have shown that public investments in agricultural research activities have contributed to increases in productivity. On this basis, lagged research expenditures on individual commodities will be used as the technological change shifter in the commodity response functions.


The microbial assessment of skin-washed water samples taken from 39 poultry carcasses and
the wash water from a poultry processing unit revealed cumulative increases z"n the number of microflora
at each stage of processing. A comparison of the bacterial population densities on the skin at the'
start and at the end of processing showed that the levels of E. coli and coli forms increased by 231.1%
and 263.1% respectively whereas the Salmonella concentrations decreased by about 9%. A positive
correlation was obtained between the occurrence of bacterz"a and parameters such as wash water pH
and temperature, and suspended solids concentration. An examination of the storage tank effluent
which was used to store the poultry carcasses pri"or to packaging showed that E. coli and Salmonella
were able to thrive in the liquid. During the 4 h incubation period, the levels of both organisms decined
rapidly during the initial half hour, but quickly became adapted and multipUed z"n the subsequent
hours. The implications of both, the field and laboratory studies are discussed with a view of reducing
the level of contamination during processing.