For more than two decades, broadband has been recognized in the EU as having great benefits for economic and social development. This recognition is evident in the first EU policy document on the telecommunications market – the 1987 Green Paper – which assumed that harmonization and liberalization through competition mechanisms could be used as tools to bring all those benefits to European citizens. Although the policy emphasized competition mechanisms in the years that followed, many additional instruments were developed and implemented in order to make broadband available to all European citizens. Some of the instruments can be seen in the form of directives, and some in the many policy strategies. All of them make a considerable contribution to the growth of broadband deployment in the EU. However, the importance of broadband infrastructures is furthermore elevated in the context of an emerging information society representing a fundamental transformation of social and economic structures resulting from innovation in information and communication technologies. With globalization, the policy impetus for broadband has shifted towards a means to increase the competitiveness of a nation or region. In addition, concerns of sustainability have emerged as a central issue for the long-run development of modern societies, and questions have been raised about the role of broadband in this context. This changing emphasis, due to globalization, competitiveness, and sustainability, impacts the design of policy instruments. A question can be raised as to which instruments can serve a new concept for future broadband policy.

This thesis aims to propose a conceptual framework for broadband policy that takes into account both traditional and new aspects of telecommunications sector in an information society by observing the empirical world, and analyzing literature and empirical studies. Particularly, this thesis presents an evolutionary concept for broadband policy in the EU by providing a model for integrating the related broadband policy instruments. A timeline of all the instruments and initiatives that are being implemented is explored. This evolution is analyzed to see what kind of future model is applicable to an information society when broadband policy is based on a perspective of globalization, regional competitiveness, and sustainability. The analysis addresses how well the existing instruments are applicable to a new concept of broadband policy and what the needs are for a new policy framework.


With Progressive Fine Granularity Scalability (PFGS) video coding, one given encoding (with a prescribed bit rate) can flexibly be transmitted at any lower bit rate. However, the transmitted video is only efficiently encoded when the transmission bit rate is in the vicinity of the encoding bit rate; for transmission bit rates far from the encoding bit rate up on the order of 4 dB in video quality are lost. In this paper we develop and evaluate a suite of policies for accounting for this coding efficiency issue, which has been largely overlooked in previous PFGS streaming studies, in uni- and multicast streaming. Our adaptive policies select the PFGS encoding rate from a small number of pre-encoded versions and drop packets so as to maximize the reconstructed video qualities. Our policies consider both the visual video content, expressed using the motion activity level of MPEG-7 descriptor, as well as the channel variability. We find that an optimal non-adaptive streaming policy overcomes the 4 dB inefficiency and on top of this efficiency gain, our adaptive unicast streaming policy achieves 0.8 dB improvement over the optimal non-adaptive streaming. We also find that our content-dependent packet drop policies enforce fairness among multiple streams in terms of reconstructed video qualities and that our multicasting policy improves the average reconstructed video qualities at a group of receivers by up to 2 dB.


A neutral extract from human leukocytes was shown to have proteolytic activity which could degrade triple-helical basement membrane collagen from bovine lens capsules into specific triple-helical sub-fragments. The enzymes responsible is not identical to the leukocyte collagenase active against interstitial collagen types I, II and III. After denaturation, the neutral protease reaction products showed three major peptides with molecular weights of 70,000, 50,000 and 30,000, by dodecylsulphate gel electrophoresis analysis. Electron microscopic observation and viscosity measurements showed the initial twice-pepsinized collagen to be comprised of intact rod-like molecules about 300 nm long. The fragments produced by the protease were also triple-helical and were resistant to the action of trypsin at 20 degrees C. The fragments were completely degraded by purified bacterial collagenase or by raising the reaction temperature above the melting temperature of the basement membrane collagen during incubation with leukocyte extract. Enzyme activity has its pH optimum between 7 and 9, EDTA, EGTA and 1,10-phenanthroline (metal-chelating agents) completely inhibited enzyme activity, as did serum. Partial inhibition of the activity was obtained with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and soybean trypsin inhibitor.


Finding the right balance between public and private competition enforcement is a critical issue for almost all jurisdictions. This article surveys the forces that are producing an apparent contraction in private rights of actions in the United States, an expansion of such actions in the European Union, and the need for some form of private actions including aggregate claims and indirect purchaser actions for any jurisdiction seeking a system of viable private enforcement. The article concludes that some form of private enforcement is a necessary complement to public competition law enforcement and that public-private enforcement networks geared to local needs should be encouraged to create stable and effective competition law regimes.


Data on the patterns of growth of young, folded mountains are needed to complement inferences about orogenic histories derived from study of ancient deformed rocks. Crustal movements in the central Coast Ranges during the last 2 or 3 million years are determined by Pliocene-Pleistocene stratiggraphy, structures, and physiography. Although the magnitudes of movements are rather uncertain, the geometry is qualitatively well established by strata that dip off the flanks of the ranges. Boundaries between rising and subsiding areas are independent of the course of the San Andreas fault; furthermore, the geometric relationship of these major crustal blocks to the San Andreas fault is not that of a system of "wrench-fault tectonics." Vertical movements of major blocks are probably mechanically independent of strike-slip movements on major faults; they appear to be primary, rather than secondary, results of lateral contraction. Comparison with other places and times suggests the possibility that the vertical movements may be related to intrusion of magma at depth.


The aim of this contribution was either to confirm or refuse the supposition that there are soils on the vol - canic effusive rocks in the Bruntal district which can be assigned to the referential group of Andosols. The conditions for the genesis of Andosols are described and the diagnostic criteria of the andic process are defined both according to the principles of the WBR/FAO 2006 classification and according to the Slovak MKSPS 2000 classification system. In the Czech classification system, the diagnostics of Andosols has not yet been described or defined because their occurrence on the territory of the Czech Republic has not been confirmed till now. On the Velký Roudný volcanic dome (780 m), samples from two profiles were taken and described: one from below the summit as a sample of forest soil, and the other from the terraced, grass-covered foot of the hill, formerly used as a ploughed land. The samples from the two profiles were processed, and analyses were carried out according to both the classification systems mentioned above. The results of the analyses were subsequently evaluated. It was discovered that both evaluated profiles conformed to most of the diagnostic characteristics of andic development according to both WRB 2006 and the Slovak 2000 classification systems. Both evaluated profiles could be then classified - according to WRB 2006 - as Vitric Andosol (Dystric) and Vitric - Umbric Andosol (Dystric, Colluvic), respectivelly; according to Slovak Classifi - cation System as Andic Cambisols. The occurrence of soils with andic development in the Czech Republic was thus confirmed. The conclusion drawn by some authors (eg. in US Taxonomy) that a higher content of volcanic glass and a substrate of andesite type are not an indispensable condition for the creation of soils classified as Andosols was also confirmed. Likewise, according to the WRB criteria, a melanic humus horizon is not a necessary condition. Because of the difficulties in distinguishing the types, the Czech classification system recommends that a humic andic horizon should be evaluated as molic. We assume that in some cases it could be better classified as umbric. A preliminary proposal has been put forward to insert the Andozem soil types in Taxonomic Soil Classification System of the Czech Republic: Haplic Andosol, Vitric Andosol, Lithic Andosol, Umbric Andosol, but the properties and criteria of those soils will have to be defined precisely. One problem which will also have to be resolved is how to allocate the profiles displaying andic properties either to the proposed subtype of Cambic Andosol or to the subtype of Andic Cambisol (outside the referential class of Andsols). This issue is, indeed, not dealt with satisfactorily either by the Slovak system or the worldwide WRB 2006 classification, either.


Background Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are implicated in protection against vascular disease. However, studies using angiography alone have reported conflicting results when relating EPCs to epicardial coronary artery disease (CAD) severity. Moreover, the relationship between different EPC types and the coronary microcirculation is unknown. We therefore investigated the relationship between EPC populations and coronary epicardial and microvascular disease. Methods Thirty-three patients with a spectrum of isolated left anterior descending artery disease were studied. The coronary epicardial and microcirculation were physiologically interrogated by measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR), index of microvascular resistance (IMR) and coronary flow reserve (CFR). Two distinct EPC populations (early EPC and late outgrowth endothelial cells [OECs]) were isolated from these patients and studied ex vivo. Results There was a significant inverse relationship between circulating OEC levels and epicardial CAD severity, as assessed by FFR and angiography (r = 0.371, p = 0.04; r = -0.358, p = 0.04; respectively). More severe epicardial CAD was associated with impaired OEC migration and tubulogenesis (r = 0.59, p = 0.005; r = 0.589, p = 0.004; respectively). Patients with significant epicardial CAD (FFR<0.75) had lower OEC levels and function compared to those without hemodynamically significant stenoses (p<0.05). In contrast, no such relationship was seen for early EPC number and function, nor was there a relationship between IMR and EPCs. There was a significant relationship between CFR and OEC function. Conclusions EPC populations differ in regards to their associations with CAD severity. The number and function of OECs, but not early EPCs, correlated significantly with epicardial CAD severity. There was no relationship between EPCs and severity of coronary microvascular disease.


A fundamental problem in the human genome project is uncovering the correct assembly of the human genome. Many studies, including transcriptional analysis, SNP detection and characterization, gene finding and EST clustering, use genome assemblies as templates so it is important to determine the consistency among the various whole genome assemblies. A comparison of the order and orientation of the GenBank entries used to construct the NCBI and UCSC Goldenpath assemblies was made. In addition, a sequence level comparison was performed using MULTI, an efficient database search tool developed to make whole genome comparisons possible. The resulting comparisons show significant discrepancies in the sequence as well as in the order and orientation of GenBank entries used in constructing the NCBI and UCSC assemblies.


The present study was done to compare the pulse rate and oxygen saturation before and after six minute walk test between the exercising & non exercising young adult. This is a cross- sectional study conducted on total of 140 medical students of age group 17-25years of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore .The standard informed consent is to be taken from all the subjects following approval from the college ethics committee. The 6-min walk test was conducted according to a standardized protocol. Blood Pressure of all the subjects is also recorded by auscultatory method before & within 5minutes after the six minute walk test. oxygen saturation , and pulse rate were assessed at the start and end of the 6-min walk test using Pulse Oximetry. Data was analyzed using student unpaired't' test . P≤ 0.05 was considered as significant. In the present study the pulse rate of non-exercising students was higher compared to exercising group but there was no statistical significance Systolic Pressure,Diastolic Pressure and Oxygen Saturation in non-exercising also did not show any significant difference compared with exercising group respectively. Thus it is concluded from the study that Oxygen desaturation during the six minute walk is not related to walk distance, nor does it determine the degree of perceived exertion.


Check-out our MCC Library collections for menu and decorating ideas. Craft with some of our offerings for check-out. Peruse our magazines for recipes and holiday tips. Use our recommendations and ideas for the readers on your gift-giving lists!


Petrographic, detrital zircon, major, trace, and rare earth element data from the deep-water slope upper Miocene upper Mount Messenger Formation, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand have been characterized to examine their provenance, tectonic setting, grain size, and source-to-sink implications. Sandstone samples have an average quartz–feldspar–lithic framework composition of Q37F9L54. Lithic fragments are metasedimentary and commonly quartz and epidote bearing, having been recycled through at least two phases of erosion and deposition from an original orogenic to transitional arc setting. Detrital zircon U–Pb ages (total 304 single-grain ages) range from 37 to 2466 Ma, with large Triassic to Permian modes and small mid-Cretaceous, Early Jurassic, Devonian–Ordovician, Cambrian, and Proterozoic modes. The ages show subtle variation from the base to the top of the formation and statistical similarity with the Torlesse composite terrane and Waipapa Group. Trace and rare earth element analyses indicate enrichment in Th and Zr compared with Sc and Cr, and a strong Eu anomaly. The depositional system is overwhelmingly fine- to very fine–grained and probably reflects grain recycling and mechanical breakdown, either through an intermediate depositional cycle or derived directly from metasedimentary basement sources. Basement sources appear to be primarily the Torlesse composite terrane (Rakaia, Pahau, and Kaweka terranes) and Waipapa Group located east and southeast of the study area. This study documents source-to-sink elements in a profoundly regressive depositional system within an active margin setting. It also contributes new information on the composition and depositional history of a stratigraphic interval that contains important petroleum reservoirs in the nearby subsurface.


: A new field facility was used to study CO2 migration processes and test techniques to detect and quantify potential CO2 leakage from geologic storage sites. For 10 days starting 9 July 2007, and for seven days starting 5 August 2007, 0.1 and 0.3 t CO2 d-1, respectively, were released from a ~;100-m long, sub-water table (~;2.5-m depth) horizontal well. The spatio-temporal evolution of leakage was mapped through repeated grid measurements of soil CO2 flux (FCO2). The surface leakage onset, approach to steady state, and post-release decline matched model predictions closely. Modeling suggested that minimal CO2 was taken up by groundwater through dissolution, and CO2 spread out on top of the water table. FCO2 spatial patterns were related to well design and soil physical properties. Estimates of total CO2 discharge along with soil respiration and leakage discharge highlight the influence of background CO2 flux variations on detection of CO2 leakage signals. Abstract. A new field facility was used to study CO 2 migration processes and test techniques to detect and quantify potential CO 2 leakage from geologic storage sites. For 10 days starting 9 July 2007, and for seven days starting 5 August 2007, 0.1 and 0.3 t CO 2 d -1 , respectively, were released from a ~100-m long, sub-water table (~2.5-m depth) horizontal well. The spatio-temporal evolution of leakage was mapped through repeated grid measurements of soil CO 2 flux (F CO2 ). The surface leakage onset, approach to steady state, and post-release decline matched model predictions closely. Modeling suggested that minimal CO 2 was taken up by groundwater through dissolution, and CO 2 spread out on top of the water table. F CO2 spatial patterns were related to well design and soil physical properties. Estimates of total CO 2 discharge along with soil respiration and leakage discharge highlight the influence of background CO 2 flux variations on detection of CO 2 leakage signals.


Transcranial sonography of brain parenchyma (TCS) using sophisticated clinical ultrasound systems today allows a higher image resolution of echogenic deep brain structures than magnet resonance imaging (MRI) under clinical conditions. Subtle changes of certain deep brain structures (substantia nigra, midbrain raphe, basal ganglia) such as abnormal trace metal accumulation and circumscribed degenerative processes can often be detected more sensitively with TCS than with conventional MRI. High mobility of modern ultrasound systems as well as low invasiveness, short investigation time and practically unlimited repeatability argue for the use of TCS for screening of populations at risk of certain neurodegenerative diseases, especially in the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. In addition, the high-resolution real-time imaging by TCS allows its application for the intra-operative monitoring of the insertion of deep brain stimulation electrodes. There TCS supports the correct positioning of electrodes while preventing haemorrhages by simultaneous depiction of brain arteries at the target region.


Using data on industrial air pollution exposure in the United States, we compute three measures of environmental inequality: the Gini coefficient of exposure, the ratio of median exposure of minorities to that of non-Hispanic whites, and the ratio of median exposure of poor households to that of non-poor households. Comparing inequalities in states and Congressional districts, we find that relative rankings by the three measures vary considerably. We conclude that different measures of environmental inequality may be appropriate for different analytical purposes.


Methods for the selective determination of organic compounds in biological fluids, such as blood, are very important in clinical analyses. Most analyses of organic compounds can be performed by spectrophotometric methods, based on specific enzyme-catalyzed reactions. However, because of the complicated procedure, these methods cannot be applied directly to bed-side monitoring. Alternatively, biosensors based on enzymes and electrochemical transducers possess excellent sensitivity for biological substrates and can determine a single compound in a biological fluid directly without need for a prior separation step. Therefore, in the past several years, many kinds of biosensors have been developed, and implantable microbiosensors for a body organ have also been reported.


Computer-based interactive learning environments in physics can help students to differentiate between their intuitive views on natural phenomena and the formalisms of Newtonian physics. This thesis describes empirical investigations of a specific type of interactive learning environments, computer-based simulations. In many cases computer simulations deal with a simplified and idealised version of the natural phenomenon. Presenting the user with a simplification of reality is seen as one of the advantages of simulations, since too complex and too realistic simulations may sometimes be overwhelming for learners and may not permit the identification of the underlying model. Yet implications arise about the degree to which students either expect or perceive simulations to be real and how these expectations and perceptions affect their interaction with the simulation. Reality for the purposes of this research is considered to be a construct comprising the visual fidelity (fidelity) and the complexity of the underlying physical model (complexity) of the simulation. Evaluation of a number of simulations, two case studies and interviews with simulation designers and educators suggested these components. Altering the relation between fidelity and complexity levels affects students' learning and contributes to the students' perception of reality. This is demonstrated in a study of a number of simulations of the same physical phenomenon (Newtonian collisions) with degrees of fidelity and complexity which have been examined to test this hypothesis. Two empirical studies were then conducted to investigate the use of simulations which represented different fidelity and complexity levels. Analyses were carried out on videotapes and questionnaires of students interacting collaboratively with the simulations (40 hours of computer based activity). The empirical approaches to these studies, reports on work done, including the emerging data in multiple forms (questionnaires, video and audio tapes of the students interaction) and its analysis are presented in this thesis. The work reported looks at students' interaction with the simulations (pre to post test learning gain and issues concerning pre and post testing), their comments on the interface and the model underlying the simulation. The thesis supports the view that well designed computer-based simulations can promote learning and that design issues are essential to the creation of successful simulations. The findings claim that: a) enhanced fidelity of an instructional simulation has positive effects on the learner outcome, b) interfaces which use multiple representations offer valuable information which facilitates problem solving strategies and c) low complexity simulations are better suited to novice learners. These outcomes are presented as implications for simulation design and the use and development of a syntax in simulation design is also discussed (design criteria for how systems might be built). Finally the outcomes' applicability, the limitations of the studies, as well as the scope for further research that should lead to an understanding of the factors which promote successful use of simulations in the teaching of physics are presented.


: The state of pro-oxidant-antioxidant homeostasis in guinea pigs exposed to whole-body fractionated X irradiation (5 fractions of 0.2 Gy at a 24 hr interval, up to total dose of 1.0 Gy, at a dose rate of 0.425 R/min) and a possibility of its disturbance correction with the complex of vitamins C, E and P was studied. Accumulation of primary and secondary lipid peroxidation products, decrease of the ascorbic acid content, increase of the content of its oxidized forms (dehydroascorbic acid and diketogulonic acid) in radiosensitive (spleen and small intestine) and radioresistant organs were found. Antioxidant complex administration reduced the disturbances of pro-oxidant-antioxidant homeostasis, but did not provide complete normalization.


ABSTRACT This study uses bibliometrics and social network analysis methods to investigate the characteristics of the most cited research papers in the Web of Science (WoS) database in virtual patient (VP) studies in interactive learning environments. We identify the most cited studies from the WoS database and then visualize and analyze the research data using bibliometric analysis and VOSviewer. The studies in the dataset were published in 294 different journals in 17 countries between 1989 and 2020. The highest-volume journal was found to be Medical Teacher, and the United States (US) was the country with the highest yield of published studies. The most frequent keywords were virtual patients, simulation, virtual reality, and medical education. The research results show that publishing articles in journals with high impact factors improves the quality of research. The trends in VP research further lay the foundation of bibliometrics for scholars and identify researchers, scientific journals, countries, hot topics, and relevant fields for VP literature. The most cited research uncovers new horizons in the field, providing research inspiration for investigators.


For robots to be more capable interaction partners they will necessarily need to adapt to the needs and requirements of their human companions. One way that the human could aid this adaptation may be by teaching the robot new ways of doing things by physically demonstrating different behaviours and tasks such that the robot learns new skills by imitating the learnt behaviours in appropriate contexts. In human–human teaching, the concept of scaffolding describes the process whereby the teacher guides the pupil to new competence levels by exploiting and extending existing competencies. In addition, the idea of event structuring can be used to describe how the teacher highlights important moments in an overall interaction episode. Scaffolding and event structuring robot skills in this way may be an attractive route in achieving robot adaptation; however, there are many ways in which a particular behaviour might be scaffolded or structured and the interaction process itself may have an effect on the robot's resulting performance. Our overall research goal is to understand how to design an appropriate human–robot interaction paradigm where the robot will be able to intervene and elicit knowledge from the human teacher in order to better understand the taught behaviour. In this article we examine some of these issues in two exploratory human–robot teaching scenarios. The first considers task structuring from the robot's viewpoint by varying the way in which a robot is taught. The experimental results illustrate that the way in which teaching is carried out, and primarily how the teaching steps are decomposed, has a critical effect on the efficiency of human teaching and the effectiveness of robot learning. The second experiment studies the problem from the human's viewpoint in an attempt to study the human teacher's spontaneous levels of event segmentation when analysing their own demonstrations of a routine home task to a robot. The results suggest the existence of some individual differences regarding the level of granularity spontaneously considered for the task segmentation and for those moments in the interaction which are viewed as most important.


Before contact, Indigenous peoples had their own notions of justice and ways of responding to wrongdoing. However, these systems have been repressed by colonial forces and imposed governance. The present research utilised semistructured interviews with a diverse group of Haida people who shared their insights into visions of a Haida justice system (HJS). The guiding research questions included: What does justice mean to Haida people? What do Haida people envision in terms of Haida justice? What could some potential first steps betowards Haida Justice? Four main themes emerged: Culture is keeping us from collapsing under the weight of colonial oppression; Haida law, values and ways of being; old ways of doing justice; and, visions of tll yahda—Haida Justice. This study provides an examination of Haida culture, law and justice. Results demonstrate the importance of accountability, witnesses, potlatch, culture and resolution.


This paper analyzes how the circulation of disinformation regarding a possible "cure" for coronavirus on Brazilian Twitter took place in a period of ten days in March 2020. Our focus is the discussion of  (1) how discourses related to disinformation about alleged cures were spread, (2) the different types of disinformation discourse and their prevalence and (3) the discursive disputes against other discourses that deny this disinformation. Through a mixed methods study, using both content analysis and social network analysis of 57.295 tweets, we observed: (1) the alignment of the disinformation discourse with the political discourse of support of the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, mostly by the actions of opinion leaders aligned with his support base; (2) the growth of disinformation circulation based on the president's speeches; (3) the circulation of misleading framing as the key disinformation strategy, seeking to connect the "cure" discourse with disinformation.


Data were available from general population surveys carried out in six countries in the years 2000 to 2005 under the auspices of Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study (GENACIS). A total of 2089 adults aged 24–32 in the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Isle of Man, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (UK) responded to questions about their drinking habits and social consequences directly resulting from their drinking. Survey methods varied from quota sampling with face-to-face interviewing in Spain and the UK to telephone surveys in Denmark and Sweden. Response rates varied from 50%% to 72%%. "Binge drinking" defined as a usual amount of more than 8 UK "units" for men and more than 6 units for women was more likely than moderate drinking to lead to social consequences, fights, or being asked to cut down on drinking. There were highly significant differences between the countries both in the percentages of "heavy" drinkers and in the adverse consequences of binge drinking. In Spain, the UK, and the Czech Republic binge drinking was more likely to lead to adverse consequences than was binge drinking in the other three countries. Male gender, low educational level, high drinking frequency, and single marital status were also significantly associated with adverse social consequences from drinking, but none of these variables explained the country differences. The presence of children had little effect.


A fractured dolomite reservoir of an alpine thrust nappe, influenced by several deformations, was modelled for simulation requirements. A three step workflow (data analysis - conceptual model - reservoir model) was initiated to deal with the limited data situation.
Log, core and test data as well as 3D seismic were insufficient to describe the reservoir situation. An outcrop study extended the limited data set and resulted in 6 deformation cycles, several fracture and fault rock types. The rock types were grouped to 4 pseudo facies types (matrix, micro-fractured, fractured and fault rock) and log-calculated porosity was split up on these 4 pseudo facies. Using different synthetic phi/k functions permeability was calculated for each pseudo facies. A large number of production tests approved the calculated permeability.
As a dual porosity / dual permeability approach was planned for simulation, the 4 pseudo facies types had to be combined in two sets of contrasting properties. Fault rock with very high permeability represents the simulation fracture set, whereas matrix, microfractures and fractures with poor to medium permeability act together as simulation matrix set. Both sets have their own phi and k properties. Without major adjustments a good history match was achieved.


Theoretical analysis and bandwidth enhancement of the cascaded double-stage distributed amplifiers (CDSDA) are presented. The characteristics of the general cascaded multi-stage distributed amplifiers (CMSDA) with open idle drain terminations at intersections for a high gain are investigated with lossy artificial lumped line models. This reveals the inherent bandwidth limitation of the CMSDA due to interference from the reverse wave reflection at the open drain terminations. To achieve simultaneous high gain and bandwidth, drain line impedance tapering is introduced to enable a counterbalance of the reverse wave by partial reflection of the forward wave at each of the impedance junctions. Detailed analysis and design considerations are provided where it is shown that typical parasitic drain capacitance of transistors makes the drain line tapering practically viable for the CMSDA up to the double-stage configuration. Extensive validation of the theoretical analysis and the tapered drain line technique are given through the experiment of a 3.2 GHz 25.2-dB hybrid CDSDA, and through the simulation of a 13.8 GHz 14-dB CDSDA using a 0.18 ¿m CMOS process.


SUMMARY: A heat-labile elicitor of phytoalexin accumulation in carrot (Daucus carota L.) was detected in culture filtrate of Chaetomium globosum grown in Czapek-Dox medium. The elicitor activity correlated with the activity of pectinolytic enzymes in the culture filtrates. The culture filtrates induced the release of heat-stable elicitors from carrot cell homogenates, pectic fraction of carrot cell walls and citrus pectin. The coincidence of heat sensitivity and sodium periodate inactivation profiles of elicitor and pectinolytic activity suggested that the activity of pectinolytic enzymes is essential for the release of the heat-stable elicitor. The culture filtrates of Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium moniliforme and Helminthosporium oryzae showed similar elicitation patterns.


Traditional relational models prefer Humanity as colonising the ecoand technolandscapes, distinguishing Humanity as Self, and Nature and Technology as Other. However, this essentialist view is challenged through regarding them as an open network of collaborative potential. Posthumanist works, such as Donna Haraway's 'A Cyborg Manifesto', have promoted this potential, and popular filmmakers such as James Cameron have followed suit in integrating posthumanist philosophy into their work. Cameron's hypothesis regarding the potential of Human-NatureTechnology interfacing is offered in his film, Avatar (Cameron 2009). Where Cameron's previous films tend towards an essentialist view of the feminine being more connected with Nature and Humanity, and the masculine with Technology, in Avatar, he is conflicted. He wants to promote bio-conservatorship through perpetual Human-Nature-Technology interfacing, but also wants to honour a common storytelling imperative to favour a single, masculine protagonist as saviour and relegating the feminine, Nature and Technology as serving a masculine agenda. Though Cameron does, upon closer scrutiny, present a masculine protagonist that does not subscribe to Self-Other, active-passive binaries, he does default towards an essentialist stance in resolving his story. However, the film does act as a catalyst for debate between essentialist and posthumanist views, where Cameron offers Humanity, Nature and Technology as symbiotic potentials alongside antonymous absolutes.


There is an important history often neglected by genealogies of 'critical whiteness studies': Steve Biko's Black Consciousness critique of white liberalism. What would it mean to retrieve this criticism in the context of white anti-racism in the post-apartheid era? Said's (2003) contrapuntal method proves useful here as a juxtaposing device whereby the writings of a past figure can be critically harnessed, travelling across temporal and ideological boundaries to interrogate the present. Four interlinked modes of disingenuous white anti-racism can thus be identified: (1) a fetishistic preoccupation with disproving one's racism; (2) ostentatious forms of anti-racism that function as means of self-promotion, as paradoxical means of white self-love; (3) the consolidation and extension of agency through redemptive gestures of 'heroic white anti-racism'; (4) 'charitable anti-racism' which fixes tolerance within a model of charity, as an act of generosity and that reiterates the status and role of an anti-racist benefactor.


UNLABELLED
AIM. Assessment of possibilities of correction of coronary and myocardial reserves in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril included into combination antiischemic therapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Antianginal and angioprotective effects of perindopril (8 mg/day) were studied in 37 patients (22 men, 15 women, mean age 62,2 +/- 5,3 years) with IHD and functional class (FC) I - III angina. Methods of control included assessment of severety of angina, 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring, bicycle exercise test, echocardiographical investigation at rest, stress-echocardiography (SEchoCG) with physical work load, investigation of endothelium dependent vasodilation of brachial artery (BA) and Doppler study of blood flow velocities. Duration of treatment was 6 weeks.

RESULTS
Antianginal effect of perindopril was noted in 73% of patients mostly with FC I - II with decrease of number of attacks per week by 11.3% (p < 0.05). According to data of ECG monitoring number of episodes of myocardial ischemia per day diminished 19.3% ( < 0.05), including 10.1% decrease of painless ( " silent " ) episodes. Total duration of episodes of ischemia decreased 22.4% ( < 0.05). According to results of veloergometry increase of total duration of work from 261.2 +/- 93,5 to 305.9 +/- 98.7 s (by 17.1%, < 0.05) was noted. EchoCG at rest revealed disturbances of local contractility of left ventricular (LV) myocardium (hypo- and akinesia) in 73%, sings of LV diastolic dysfunction - in 92% of patients (E /A =0.83). After therapy with perindopril improvement of local systolic LV function was noted: at rest and at exercise number of segments of hypokinesis decreased 11.3 ( < 0.05) and 5.9% ( < 0.05), respectively. In patients with initial signs of LV diastolic dysfunction prescription of perindopril led to significant 17.3% ( < 0.05) increase of DE/A at rest. In 7 patients index E/A at rest normalized. Number of patients with endothelial dysfunction decreased 26 and 8% in angina FC I - II and III, respectively. In patients with FC I - II angina significant 9.8% increase ( < 0.05) of BA diameter, increases of linear and volume blood flow velocities from 5.0 +/- 1.9 to 41.5 +/- 2.1cm/s ( < 0.05) and from 2.1 +/- 0.5 to 6.9 +/- 0.5 ml/s ( < 0.05), respectively, were noted.

CONCLUSION
Perindopril in the dose of 8 mg/day in patients with IHD with stable effort angina FC I - III in combination antiischemic therapy exerts positive influence on the state of coronary and myocardial reserves of the heart and decreases degree of dysfunction of endothelium what denotes antianginal and vasoprotective effects of the drug. Enhancement of coronary blood flow leads to betterment of diastolic function of the myocardium in patients with disturbances of relaxation and to improvement of local contractility of the myocardium appearing as decrease of quantity of hypokinetic segments.


BACKGROUND
In the Netherlands, leprosy is a rare and non-endemic disease, still occurring as an 'import disease'. Moreover a considerable group of people affected by leprosy, originating mainly from the former Dutch colonies, suffer from neuropathic complications. This study investigates the social implications of leprosy for those affected in the Netherlands.

METHODS
Thirty-one people affected were interviewed as well as six medical leprosy experts. The social implications were measured by means of semi-structured interviews and the Participation Scale.

RESULTS
Self-stigma, shame and secrecy were often reported. Discrimination and stigmatisation of ex-leprosy patients by people around them seems a less frequent problem. Yet, people affected by leprosy seem to be a forgotten group with a high social burden due to low self-esteem and reduced social participation. Medical experts do not seem to be aware of the severity of leprosy-related forms of stigma in their patients. Ex-leprosy patients lack sound disease-related information and support groups. Due to the low incidence and as a consequence, the lack of awareness among doctors, leprosy patients in the Netherlands are faced with substantial diagnostic delay (mean delay 1-8 years).

CONCLUSIONS
Leprosy and its stigma affect the social lives of patients, even in a non-endemic area such as the Netherlands. Almost all respondents were affected by self-stigma. There is a need for 1) more information and support groups for patients, and 2) increased awareness among professionals.


The study is relevant due to the landsliding which lead to emergencies with the threat of building destruction, land use, and human safety. Special difficulties in the study of landslides are caused by forecasting the activation of landsliding. The aim of the study is to assess the engineering-geological and hydrogeological conditions at the site of the bridge crossing and forecast the development of the landslide process on the slopes using FEM modeling.  Object of the study is the geological medium of the area of the designed bridge within the Volga upland. The paper considers the main factors influencing the development of landslide: geomorphological and tectonic conditions; lithological composition; physical and mechanical properties of soils, hydrological and hydrogeological conditions of the area. Methods: brief review of the literature; analysis of information obtained from the funds of the survey company, calculation of slope stability, modeling of the behavior of the soil massif FEM. The results. We considered the main factors of the landslide process of this territory and calculated the stability of slopes on dangerous sections by various methods. The slope is unstable in general. The simulation showed the expansion of landslide deformation zone on the left side to 107 m, on the right bank of the river to10 m from the bed with a seasonal increase in the level of groundwater. Summary. The main causes of deformation are: weakly lithified Jurassic clay, composing the entire slope; groundwater formed within the plateau and discharged into landslide accumulations, maintaining high moisture in them. It is recommended to use a layer of Permian clay deposits with high physical and mechanical characteristics as a bearing layer for bridge supports.


E. coli ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), composed of the homodimeric subunits alpha2 and beta2, catalyzes the conversion of nucleotides to deoxynucleotides via complex radical chemistry. The radical initiation process involves a putative proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) pathway over 35 A between alpha2 and beta2. Y356 in beta2 has been proposed to lie on this pathway. To test this model, intein technology has been used to make beta2 semi-synthetically in which Y356 is replaced with a DOPA-amino acid. Analysis of this mutant with alpha2 and various combinations of substrate and effector by SF UV-vis spectroscopy and EPR methods demonstrates formation of a DOPA radical concomitant with disappearance of the tyrosyl radical, which initiates the reaction. The results reveal that Y356 lies on the PCET pathway and demonstrate the first kinetically competent conformational changes prior to ET. They further show that substrate binding brings about rapid conformational changes which place the complex into its active form(s) and suggest that the RNR complex is asymmetric.


Academic) Thriving youth have the capacity to contribute to greater society and develop independence, mastery, generosity, and a sense of belonging. This development is frequently enhanced through youth programming as ability expansion rather than capacity for authority and community engagement. In Virginia 4-H teen-leadership initiatives infused with positive youth development provide opportunities to bolster active and engaged citizenship (AEC). The purpose of this study was to explain AEC through the examination of ethical factors, demographics, and problem-solving disposition of youth participating in leadership-development programs. This study utilized both personand variable-centered analyses to develop youth profiles and determine the impact of ethical factors, demographics, and problem-solving disposition on AEC for participants in long-term 4-H teen-leadership programs and short-term 4-H leadership trainings. An ex post facto survey design was used to develop clusters of youth and explain the relationship between problem-solving disposition, demographics, ethical factors, and AEC. The findings indicated that both ethical factors and problem-solving disposition significantly explained AEC for both treatments. Additionally, findings indicated significant differences between clusters for AEC, civic duty, and civic skills. These differences were predominately observed through membership in long-term or short-term leadership programs as well as enrollment in honors/AP courses, gender, ethical views, and problem-solving disposition. Findings informed the incorporation of community problem-solving in the youth's AEC model. A conceptual model for Youth in Community Problem Solving (YCPS) was developed based on theory and findings. Sociocultural theory and reasoned actioned approach, situated within relational developmental systems metatheory, provided a foundation for the YCPS model. Additional literature on positive youth development, youth-leadership development, selfconsciousness, sense of community, and problem-solving disposition was utilized in support of the model. Evidence for the inclusion of problem-solving disposition in the model was found through a recent study with youth in leadership programs. If youth are to engage in YCPS partnerships, both youth and adults should be equipped with the necessary tools and resources for equal partnership, so they can overcome power dynamics and inner team conflicts. Additionally, Youth leadership practitioners should consider avenues for infusing character and problem-solving development in gender inclusive program curriculum to increase likelihood for contribution.


Designing and adapting organizations to secure viability and increase performance is a challenge. Research models often fail to integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) aspects in the concept development and its implementation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to propose a holistic approach how organizations can be designed, changed and managed considering its implications to service management under a CSR approach. Hereby the Viable System Model was applied. Its structure can be applied to any kind of structured organization and for its management with goals to be achieved in modern society; however focus of the research is the cluster of charity organizations. Goal of the developed model is to be able to react to all potential organizational environments by taking decisions correctly and in the right moment based on the needed information reducing service lead times and manpower allocation as well as increasing the service level. To ensure this, service management tasks were assigned and standardized communication channels were defined. In conclusion this proposed approach empowers organizations to have internal mechanisms to secure viability by pursuing the goal of a high performance CSR approach.


The main goal of this paper is to solve a class of Darboux problems by converting them into the two-dimensional nonlinear Volterra integral equation of the second kind. The scheme approximates the solution of these integral equations using the discrete Galerkin method together with local radial basis functions, which use a small set of data instead of all points in the solution domain. We also employ the Gauss–Legendre integration rule on the influence domains of shape functions to compute the local integrals appearing in the method. Since the scheme is constructed on a set of scattered points and does not require any background meshes, it is meshless. The error bound and the convergence rate of the presented method are provided. Some illustrative examples are included to show the validity and efficiency of the new technique. Furthermore, the results obtained demonstrate that this method uses much less computer memory than the method established using global radial basis functions.
doi:10.1017/S1446181121000377


The binding of adriamycin and aclacinomycin A with PM2 DNA, and the consequent cleavage of DNA have been demonstrated by agarose gel electrophoresis, using an ethidium bromide assay. Adriamycin was observed to induce a single strand scission of DNA in the presence of a reducing agent, but aclacinomycin A caused much less degree of DNA breaks. The DNA cleavage was enhanced by Cue} and Fe2+, but not significantly by Ni2+, Zn2+, Mg2+ and Ca2+, suggesting that reduction and auto-oxidation of the quinone moiety and H2O2 production participate in the DNA-cutting effect. The DNA degradation was dependent upon concentrations of the anthracyclines and CuCiz. The degree of DNA cleavage at 0.04 mm adriamycin was similar to that at 0.4 mm aclacinomycin A in the presence of 1 mm NADPH and 0.4 mm CuCl2. DNA was degraded to small fragments at 0.4 mm adriamycin and 0.2 mm CuClz. The anthracycline-induced DNA cleavage was stimulated by H2O2, but partially inhibited by potassium iodide, superoxide dismutase, catalase and nitrogen gas atmosphere. The results suggested that both free radical of anthracycline quinones and hydroxyl radical directly react with DNA strands.


Background Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has emerged as a neuroinvasive virus responsible for several large outbreaks in the Asia-Pacific region while virulence determinant remains unexplored. Principal Findings In this report, we investigated increased virulence of unadapted EV71 clinical isolate 237 as compared with isolate 4643 in mice. A fragment 12 nucleotides in length in stem loop (SL) II of 237 5′-untranslated region (UTR) visibly reduced survival time and rate in mice was identified by constructing a series of infectious clones harboring chimeric 5′-UTR. In cells transfected with bicistronic plasmids, and replicon RNAs, the 12-nt fragment of isolate 237 enhanced translational activities and accelerated replication of subgenomic EV71. Finally, single nucleotide change from cytosine to uridine at base 158 in this short fragment of 5′-UTR was proven to reduce viral translation and EV71 virulence in mice. Results collectively indicated a pivotal role of novel virulence determinant C158 on virus translation in vitro and EV71 virulence in vivo. Conclusions These results presented the first reported virulence determinant in EV71 5′-UTR and first position discovered from unadapted isolates.


Many researches show that media coverage has a significant impact on stock price and its return, and even leads to long-term deviation of the company's stock price from its fundamental value. Sometimes, when stale news is reprocessed and diffused again by mass media, it may also trigger violent fluctuation for stock price. Since media coverage has such an important influence on capital market, company management is likely to disclose strategically by media to seek a favorable impact on their company's capital market performance, and the motivation of managing media coverage is particularly strong during major events.  Relevant literature indicates that the internalization or outsourcing of media disclosure management mainly depends on company management's media communication capability and its experience. The significant impact on stock market by news media, personal interests of managers and externalities of media disclosure from their peers will further stimulate the corporate motivation of media disclosure management. Generally, company managers manage media coverage by influencing the factors of media bias such as disclosure timing, news positioning, media type, media exposure and report tone, especially during important events, such as corporate crisis, IPO, merger and acquisition, insider trading and second equity offerings, so as to maximize the company's or managers' self-interests. Finally, under the analysis of limitations for the existing research, we further discuss about its future research from methodology, sample data and institutional environment.  In this paper, the possible contributions lie in: (1) From the perspective of the definition, patterns, motivations, ingredients and the performance of media disclosure management, we collect and review a large number of literature in recent years about strategic media disclosure by corporate management from the field of accounting and finance. This not only provides us some enlightenments to further research the mode and mechanism for corporate media of information disclosure management, but also enriches the existing documents on corporate information disclosure and its market effect. In the meantime, this research may help people better understand the important role of corporate managers in the process of media disclosure and their endogenous impact on stock price, and help investors appreciate and grasp the nature and law of stock price fluctuation. (2)In addition, it also provides new support and references for corporate media (information) disclosure management in China, and makes contributions for improving regulations of information disclosure as well as investor education.


It is argued that in educating economists we should sacrifice some of the more technical aspects of economics (which can be learned later), in favour of the compulsory inclusion of (a) philosophy, (b) political science and (c) economic history. Three reasons for interdisciplinary studies are given. In the discussion of the place of mathematics in economics fuzziness enters when the symbols a, b, c are identified with individuals, firms, or farms. The identification of the precise symbol with the often ambiguous and fuzzy reality, invites lack of precision and blurs the concepts. If the social sciences, including economics, are regarded as a "soft" technology compared with the "hard" technology of the natural sciences, development studies have been regarded as the soft underbelly of "economic science". In development economics the important question is: what are the springs of development? We must confess that we cannot answer this question, that we do not know what causes successful development.


of A MODERN MEDIEVAL MYSTERY PLAY: TAKING THE "MYSTERY" OUT OF THE MIDDLE AGES by Robyn Lee Bernadette Gram The Middle Ages in Europe is commonly referred to (at least as a popular culture stereotype) as the "Dark Ages." The popular conception of this time is one where culture, depth of ideas and creativity were at a standstill. Through studying works of the Middle Ages (specifically medieval mystery plays), I have concluded that the above statements are false. The example of medieval mystery plays truly shows the dynamic, richly creative and deeply complex world of medieval theater and theology. Through producing a medieval mystery play, I plan to enrich the observer with an appreciation of medieval culture in its many aspects. I used a wide variety of sources in this project. I researched books, online articles and scholarly journals to compile data and information about the cycle plays. Also, I employed artwork and film to facilitate my understanding of the visual and theatrical elements of a medieval mystery play. Through my research and the production of my play, I came to numerous conclusions about the culture of the Middle Ages. Mainly, in Europe, the Middle Ages were a time when people of all classes enjoyed a fulfilling cultural experience. Specifically, through the development of theater outside of the liturgical setting, European citizens experienced a uniquely creative and deeply complex spiritual experience. The performance of a medieval mystery play brought to the audience an entire history of human sin and salvation through innovative dramatic and comedic devices. This experience was fulfilling to the citizens of the Middle Ages and, I believe, continues to be relevant and fulfilling to a modern audience. _____________________________, Committee Chair Candace Gregory-Abbott, Ph.D. ______________ Date iv


The development of oil&gas steel products in Baosteel in the past two decades is reviewed. After years of R&D works of steel products used in energy industry such as drilling, exploitation, collection, transportation, and storage of oil and gas, the alloy system and manufacturing processes of oil&gas steel products have been established in Baosteel. The oil&gas steel products of Baosteel consist of two major categories, i.e. the Oil Country Tubular Goods used in underground service, and the pipes used for pipeline construction on the ground. Currently, the product quality has been maintained stable, and the involved products have been extensively used in worldwide oil&gas exploration and transportation industry.


Cooperative diversity can enjoy the same benefits of MIMO systems when there is no possibility of carrying multiple antennas on a communication terminal. The main distinction between MIMO and cooperative diversity systems is the inherent asynchronism in the latter. We propose a model to study the effects of carrier frequency offset along with symbol asynchronism. Based on the proposed model, a Viterbi equalizer is utilized as a solution for demodulation. Through simulations, it is observed that such a solution suffers a graceful loss with increasing carrier frequency offset


Throughout much of the Central Hardwoods region, the use of prescribed fire on public lands has increased rapidly in the last decade to improve oak regeneration. While prescribed fire can favor oak regeneration, its use may also increase risk of invasion and expansion of nonnative invasive species (NNIS). Although fire has often been shown to facilitate the expansion of NNIS in the Western United States, much less in known about the effects of fire on invasives in the Eastern United States. In 2008, a team of Ohio scientists and land managers initiated a Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) project to study how the distribution and abundance of Ailanthus altissima (Ailanthus) relates to recent prescribed fires, harvesting activity, seed sources, and other landscape and stand characteristics. We found that recent timber harvest activity was the best predictor of Ailanthus presence; prescribed fire was not a good predictor. We also quantified the direct effects of prescribed fire on the demography of Ailanthus populations, with and without a pre-burn application of steminjected herbicide. We found that after one prescribed fire, Ailanthus germinants and sprouts from topkilled saplings and trees were poor competitors with faster-growing post-fire woody regeneration as forest floor shading increased over time. This study demonstrates that prescribed fire alone does not appear to facilitate the spread of Ailanthus. These findings also suggest that further empirical studies are needed to address the combined impacts of fire and timber harvesting on Ailanthus invasions in eastern U.S. forests.


Applications of image content recognition, as for instance landmark recognition, can be obtained by using techniques of kNN classifications based on the use of local image features, such as SIFT or SURF. Quality of image classification can be improved by defining geometric consistency check rules based on space transformations of the scene depicted in images. However, this prevents the use of state of the art access methods for similarity searching and sequential scan of the images in the training sets has to be executed in order to perform classification. In this paper we propose a technique that allows one to use access methods for similarity searching, such as those exploiting metric space properties, in order to perform kNN classification with geometric consistency checks. We will see that the proposed approach, in addition to offer an obvious efficiency improvement, surprisingly offers also an improvement of the effectiveness of the classification.


We propose an extension of RBF networks which includes a mechanism for optimizing the complexity of the network. The approach involves two procedures: adaptation (training) and selection. The first procedure adaptively changes the locations and the width of the centers of the basis functions and trains the linear weights. The selection procedure performs the elimination of some of the basis functions using an objective function. By iteratively combining these two procedures we achieve a controlled way of training and modifying RBF networks, which balances accuracy, learning time, and complexity of the resulting network.


Fracture and loosening of implant-supported prostheses (ISPs) are complications encountered in routine dental practice. In the present report, management of a fractured maxillary full-arch cement-retained (CR) fixed dental prosthesis supported by six implants is presented. Due to stripped screws, complications were encountered that prevented the retrieval of two of the six abutment screws, which was managed by using a hybrid retention approach, whereby a single full-arch CR and screw-retained (SR) ISP was used. The techniques used to successfully retrieve four of the abutment screws are described. The final retention design involved a combination of three CR and three SR restorations, which offers the advantages of both retention designs.


The Medipix All Resolution Scanner (MARS) spectral CT is intended for small animal, pre-clinical imaging and uses an x-ray detector (Medipix) operating in single photon counting mode. The MARS system provides spectrometric information to facilitate differentiation of tissue types and bio-markers. For longitudinal studies of disease models, it is desirable to characterise the system's dosimetry. This dosimetry study is performed using three phantoms each consisting of a 30 mm diameter homogeneous PMMA cylinder simulating a mouse. The imaging parameters used for this study are derived from those used for gold nanoparticle identification in mouse kidneys. Dosimetry measurement are obtained with thermo-luminescent Lithium Fluoride (LiF:CuMgP) detectors, calibrated in terms of air kerma and placed at different depths and orientations in the phantoms. Central axis TLD air kerma rates of 17.2 (± 0.71) mGy/min and 18.2 (± 0.75) mGy/min were obtained for different phantoms and TLD orientations. Validation measurements were acquired with a pencil ionization chamber, giving an air-kerma rate of 20.3 (±1) mGy/min and an estimated total air kerma of 81.2 (± 4) mGy for a 720 projection acquisition. It is anticipated that scanner design improvements will significantly decrease future dose requirements. The procedures developed in this work will be used for further dosimetry calculations when optimizing image acquisition for the MARS system as it undergoes development towards human clinical applications.


The Orinoco Oil Belt (OOB) is one of the largest heavy and extra-heavy crude oil reserves in the
world, with its weakly consolidated formations, low temperatures and reservoirs close to saturation
conditions all representing a challenge for the characterisation of fluid properties (PVT analysis).
Obtaining PVT information of an experimental nature requires high investment due to the complexity
of operational procedures in the field, sampling tools and the technology needed for reliable
laboratory analyses.
As a consequence of the above, common practice in the Venezuelan oil industry has been based
on the use of correlations or on establishing analogies with neighbouring fields to estimate PVT
parameters, although these methods do have some limitations. In this regard, the purpose of this
research lies in evaluating the reliability of the use of information from contiguous areas, assuming
that they reproduce behaviour similar to the properties of the fluids.
Through analysis of the main components (AMC), inter-associations between six of the most
important variables were analysed for the characterisation of fluids, allowing the construction of
a factorial design with axes describing saturation indices and the heaviness of the crude. The
directions of the axes are defined by the eigenvectors associated with the eigenvalues which
capture the largest portion of total variability, thereby allowing a reduction in the scalability of
the study.
By including in the AMC the geographic area from which the sample was taken as an illustrative
categorical variable, it emerged that the nearby PVT data may behave completely differently,
which means that proximity does not determine the characteristics of the fluids, and they therefore
must be differentiated through proper characterisation of the oil reservoirs, allowing correlations to
be established or reliable analogies to be carried out in addition to the optimisation of acquisition
plans and analysis of PVT information. Another important finding refers to the relationship between
the variables involved in the PVT characteristation; if easy-to-measure variables are known, such as
pressure, temperature or API gravity, then any well may be located wthin the factorial designs
generated, which can then be analysed according to saturation and heaviness profiles, and then
compared with samples showing similar behavour.


A monoclonal antibody (7B10) which displays differential reactivity with breast carcinomas compared to benign lesions or normal breast tissue was selected by fusion of spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with the T47D human mammary carcinoma cell line. The antigen, recognized by 7B10 on T47D cells, appeared to be both surface and cytoplasm localized, as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase, and electron microscopy studies. This antibody (IgG1) bound with four human breast cancer cell lines (T47D, MCF7, ZR-75-1, and HSL53) which express estrogen receptors. No binding was observed with cancer cell lines of other origin or with normal cells. In vivo, by immunoperoxidase staining of frozen sections of normal breast, the antigen recognized by 7B10 appeared to be located on epithelial cell membranes, whereas in benign and malignant mammary disorders, staining also involved the cytoplasm, as confirmed by electron microscopy on fresh cancer tissue. On formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, cytoplasmic staining was detected in breast cancer, but no immunostaining was observed with benign lesions or normal breast. In paraffin sections, most normal tissues investigated did not react with 7B10 antibody. However, ducts in the parotid gland, tubules in the kidney and some biliary ducts, and apocrine glands in the skin showed irregular, diffuse weak staining. 7B10 was unreactive with adenocarcinomas of origin other than breast, except for some cells in ovarian clear cell carcinoma. No reactivity was observed with squamous carcinomas, lymphomas, or melanomas. The antigen recognized by 7B10 appeared to be a Mr 32,000 protein, as identified by immunoprecipitation from extracts of T47D after labeling with [35S]methionine. Since the antigen was present only on the membrane of differentiated normal mammary epithelial cells, and was also expressed in the cytoplasm of tumor cells, it may be of interest in immunological studies of mammary epithelial cell differentiation. Moreover, since in formalin-fixed tissues immunostaining is virtually confined to mammary carcinomas, monoclonal antibody 7B10 may have diagnostic applications in breast cancer.


Seismocardiography (SCG) is a non-invasive method for measurement of vibrations on the chest wall originating from the heart. Respiration changes the morphology of the SCG-signal and analyzing these changes could improve the diagnostic value of SCG. This study aimed to determine the nasal respiration signal amplitude at mitral closure (MC) and aortic opening (AO) using SCG features. The three proposed methods for this were multiple regression analysis (MRA), support vector regression (SVR), and a neural network (NN). SCG, Electrocardiography and nasal-catheter flow signals were acquired from 18 healthy subjects (age $29\pm 6$). SCG-signal fiducial points were used as features and were found using an automatic algorithm followed by manual verification. Fiducial points amplitudes, timings between these and frequency components formed 12 features. All models were trained on 80% of the data, underwent 10-fold cross-validation and were tested on the remaining 20% of the data. Predictions on test data for MC and AO time points, the Pearson correlations coefficient, and sum of squared errors of prediction were: $(r_{MC},\ r_{AO},\ SSE_{MC},\ SSE_{AO})$ for the following models: NN (0.908, 0.904, 11.71, 12.05), SVR (0.881, 0.833, 18.95, 19.76) and MRA (0.450, 0.437, 51.21, 51.48). These predictive models show a strong correlation between the SCG-signal and respiration.


Small-animal imaging is rapidly becoming an essential tool for preclinical development of new compounds for imaging and therapy. Although imaging performance evaluations and regular quality control are both important, surprisingly, there are relatively few appropriate phantoms available for such procedures. Phantoms can also be used with liquid or gel dosimeters for measuring radiation doses in different compartments, as well as cross-doses to other compartments. Both imaging and therapy applications, however, could benefit from phantoms with walls that are thinner than those currently available (~1 mm). Using high-resolution stereolithography (SL), we produced phantoms with 2-cm-long cold rods or hot channels ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 mm in diameter. Hollow spheres with 3- mm inner diameter were also produced, with wall thickness from 100 to 350 mum. All phantoms were imaged by muCT, with 27 mum resolution. SL performance was estimated by measuring the dimensions of many structures in the micro-CT images. We also evaluated the degree of water absorption by two different SL resins, Somosreg 11120 and Accurareg 40, after curing. The average bias (and precision) of the cold-rod and hot-channel structures over the size range 0.5 to 1.0 mm, were 0.75% (1.93%) and 0.9% (1.92%), respectively. Water absorption by the resins after 4 hours was minimal (0.1 to 0.15% weight change) for both materials; however, after 66 hours in water, the change was greater for Accurareg 40 (1.5%) than for Somosreg 11120 (0.25%); thus, the latter is a more suitable material for nuclear medicine applications. The muCT images demonstrated that the minimum acceptable spherical wall thickness was ~150 mum; this will allow beta particles from low-energy beta emitters, e.g., Lu-177, Cu-67, or 1-131, to deliver a greater radiation dose to neighboring compartments. SL is a robust and accurate method for fabrication of phantoms with thin walls for small-animal imaging systems and dosimetry measurements.


Syndecan-1 is a cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan that is proposed to serve in cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix anchorage, and growth factor signaling. Its expression is temporally and spatially regulated during epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in many developing tissues. In some cases, this regulation appears to be achieved at the level of transcription. However, induction of syndecan-1 expression in the embryonic kidney mesenchyme is suggested to occur at the level of mRNA translation (Vainio, S., M. Jalkanen, M. Bernfield, and L. Saxen. 1992. Dev. Biol. 152:221-232). To identify a system in which the regulatory mechanisms controlling syndecan-1 expression can be studied, cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage, which regulate the expression of many cell surface receptors, were screened for syndecan-1 expression. The syndecan-1 gene is active in blood monocytes as well as resident and thioglycollate-elicited mouse peritoneal macrophages, but expression of the proteoglycan is regulated at two levels. First, elicited macrophages accumulate nine-fold more syndecan-1 mRNA than do resident macrophages or circulating blood monocytes. Another member of the syndecan family of proteoglycans, syndecan-4, shows a distinct pattern of expression, suggesting that this regulation is specific for syndecan-1. Second, utilization of the mRNA for syndecan-1 production encounters a post-transcriptional block in the elicited macrophages that can be overcome by triggering agents such as E-type prostaglandins or dibutyryl cAMP, which raise intracellular cAMP levels. Dibutyryl cAMP does not induce syndecan-1 expression in resident peritoneal macrophages, which lack a pool of stored mRNA. This suggests that this agent promotes the post-transcriptional utilization of stored syndecan- 1 mRNA. The induced proteoglycan appears at the cell surface as a integral of 100-kD heparan sulfate-rich isoform of syndecan-1. This suggests that a cAMP-dependent post-transcriptional control mechanism may be present in a variety of tissues when syndecan-1 expression is regulated.


Increasing life expectancy together with reforms in the retirement savings market and changes in the job market pose significant challenges for Israelis, who today find themselves confronted with the need to carefully plan for future retirement. Financial literacy is critical to retirement planning, particularly in wake of the increasingly wide array of long-term financial products, schemes and services marketed to individual investors. Our research focuses on financial literacy as it relates to financial planning for retirement ("retirement literacy"). It surveys and documents two aspects of financial literacy: financial knowledge and financial decision-making behavior. The findings indicate that the activities of searching for financial information and monitoring household expenses are positively correlated with retirement literacy, even after controlling for various demographic and behavioral variables. Surprisingly, no significant correlation was found between retirement literacy and financial knowledge or numeracy skills, when controlling for other variables. Financial literacy regarding retirement savings increases with an individual's tendency to meticulously check bills and periodic account statements, while financial expertise does not necessarily translate into higher levels of retirement literacy.


Verbs that can have more than one meaning pose problems for Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications. While homonyms (words with unrelated meanings) are fairly tractable, polysemous verbs with similar related meanings pose the greatest hurdle for automatic Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD). A major problem with WSD for verbs is that even humans disagree about what constitutes a different sense for a polysemous word.
This thesis investigates verb lexical semantics and their computational representations, and how these can be used for automatic WSD. Our main contribution is in defining criteria by which humans make sense distinctions for verbs, and in translating these criteria into linguistically-motivated features that we use to build a state-of-the-art automatic WSD system. Our explicit criteria for sense distinctions allow humans to sense-tag data more consistently. Improved human performance on the WSD task enables improved system performance. We begin by examining the definition of verb polysemy implicit in Levin verb classes. We describe our work on VerbNet, a lexical resource in which different senses of a verb are defined by membership in different verb classes; the classes have distinctive syntactic frames and explicit semantic predicates that characterize the verb senses in that class. We then translate some of these lexical semantic characteristics into richer linguistic features used to build our automatic WSD system. The system performs competitively on the English verbs of Senseval-1 and Senseval-2 by combining information from syntax, lexical collocations, and semantic class constraints on verb arguments. Adding gold-standard predicate-argument information from PropBank further improves system performance.
Because humans have difficulty making fine-grained sense distinctions, creation of manually sense-tagged corpora is time-consuming and expensive. We experiment with active learning to get additional training data for our system, but find that the quality of manually sense-tagged data is limited by an inconsistent or unclear sense inventory. We develop criteria for grouping senses and show that well-defined groupings of WordNet senses can improve both human inter-annotator agreement and system performance. The groupings fit into a hierarchy of WordNet senses that allow different NLP applications to use different granularities of sense distinctions.


Fusarium wilts are widespread diseases affecting most agricultural crops. In absence of efficient alternatives, sowing resistant cultivars is the preferred approach to control this disease. However, actual resistance sources are often overcome by new pathogenic races, forcing breeders to continuously search for novel resistance sources. Selection of resistant accessions, mainly based on the evaluation of symptoms at timely intervals, is highly time-consuming. Thus, we tested the potential of an infra-red imaging system in plant breeding to speed up this process. For this, we monitored the changes in surface leaf temperature upon infection by F. oxysporum f. sp. pisi in several pea accessions with contrasting response to Fusarium wilt under a controlled environment. Using a portable infra-red imaging system we detected a significant temperature increase of at least 0.5 °C after 10 days post-inoculation in the susceptible accessions, while the resistant accession temperature remained at control level. The increase in leaf temperature at 10 days post-inoculation was positively correlated with the AUDPC calculated over a 30 days period. Thus, this approach allowed the early discrimination between resistant and susceptible accessions. As such, applying infra-red imaging system in breeding for Fusarium wilt resistance would contribute to considerably shorten the process of selection of novel resistant sources.


This Article presents an empirical analysis of testamentary preferences pertaining to the selection, compensation, appointment, powers, and liability of executors. Often an after-thought in the will-drafting process, such administrative terms deserve careful attention because the executor's central role in the transfer of property at death is so often a source of posthumous conflict. Prior research has shown that executor-related objections are the most frequently asserted claims in probate litigation. This Article surveys the history of estate fiduciary law and summarizes major reforms in the twentieth century that established modern rules governing the appointment, powers, and liability of executors. It then presents empirical findings from a sample of wills probated in New Jersey in 2015.

Major findings from this dataset reveal new information about: (1) who testators nominate to serve as executor, (2) how often nominees agree to serve as executor, (3) what testators say about executor compensation, (4) which fiduciary powers testators grant or withhold from the executor, and (5) whether testators exculpate their executors from liability or otherwise modify the default fiduciary duties of care and loyalty. The Article provides examples of executor-related will provisions extracted from the dataset of probate files.


Glomerulonephritis is one of the most common causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the world. Recent establishment of guidelines for classification of CKD in five stages has led to increased awareness of the risks of comorbidity and mortality, also in patients with early stages of disease, and the need to further advance our understanding of their pathogenic mechanisms. Many glomerular diseases are complex and curative treatment options are currently lacking, in part due to the difficulties to identify new molecular targets for treatment. The work included in this thesis focuses on physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms in glomerular mesangial cells and podocytes, especially in the disease IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Through analysis of mesangial cells derived from IgAN patient biopsies we found that patient cells proliferated more than healthy control cells in response to pathogenic IgA or PDGF-BB. They also released more PDGF-BB and IL-6 into the growth medium than control cells in response to the same stimuli, suggesting an increased sensitivity and thereby susceptibility for disease in the patient cells. A subsequent study of the glomerular transcriptome from patients with IgAN and healthy kidney donors was done by microarray and bioinformatics analysis. It demonstrated that differential expression of mesangial cell specific standard genes was prominent in IgAN, while podocyte standard genes were less significant in this context. The mesangial cell standard genes also correlated to patients' clinical parameters after z-score transformation. Finally, we identified potential functions for the protein CKAP4 in glomerular cells, where it appears to be involved in regulation of proliferative signaling in mesangial cells through association with the PDGF pathway, and in maintenance of the podocyte structural stability through effects on the actin cytoskeleton. In conclusion, our findings support previous knowledge about the central role of mesangial cells in IgAN, as well as suggest that these cells can have an altered susceptibility to disease. We also identified glomerular transcriptomic and mesangial cell proteomic pathways relevant for further research into development and progression of IgAN. We also found that CKAP4 is involved in disease mechanisms of mesangial cells and podocytes, warranting further investigation into the functions of the protein in health as well as in different forms of glomerular disease.


Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (G. uralensis) is one of the most widely used herbal medicines. This study was designed to enrich total flavonoids (TFF) from G. uralensis. The chemical profile of TFF was identified by HPLC and colorimetric assay. The TFF mainly contained liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, isoliquiritin apioside, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin without glycyrrhizic acid. To study the anti-inflammatory activity of TFF, the DMB-induced ear vasodilatation assay and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model have been utilized. Treatment with TFF showed significant anti-inflammatory activities in the two models. The two in-vivo edema assays demonstrated that the TFF possesses significant dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity, similar to that of indomethacin at a dose of 500 mg/kg. In rat paws with carrageenan, treatment with TFF (500 and 250 mg/kg) markedly inhibited the expression of IL-1β and iNOS. TFF at all doses noticeably decreased levels of NO and MDA at the site of inflammation, while only i.g. TFF at a dose of 500 mg/kg significantly decreased TNF-α levels in the carrageenan-injected paws. In addition, an increase in SOD activity was induced by TFF at all doses. These results revealed that TFF exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute inflammatory models.


: A slow decline of responses was obtained after acetylcholine and KCl-stimulation of musculus rectus abdominis of the lake frog in the presence of antymicin A (0.27 mcg/ml). Dinitrophenol (up to 6.7.10(-4) M) as well as antymicin A inhibited the muscle contractility, with the effect being reversible. Muscle contraction ensued the application of dinitrophenol in concentration more than 6.7.10(-4)M. Decurarization ability of dinitrophenol was established. Mechanisms of disruption of the excitation--contraction coupling due to metabolic inhibitors are discussed.


Purpose Normal color vision depends on normal long wavelength (L), middle wavelength (M), and short wavelength sensitive (S) cones. Hereditary "red-green" color vision deficiency (CVD) is due to a shift in peak sensitivity or lack of L or M cones. Hereditary S cone CVD is rare but can be acquired as an early sign of disease. Current tests detect CVD but few diagnose type or severity, critical for linking performance to real-world demands. The anomaloscope and newer subjective tests quantify CVD but are not applicable to infants or cognitively impaired patients. Our purpose was to develop an objective test of CVD with sensitivity and specificity comparable to current tests. Methods A calibrated visual-evoked potential (VEP) display and Food and Drug Administration-approved system was used to record L, M, and S cone-specific pattern-onset VEPs from 18 color vision normals (CVNs) and 13 hereditary CVDs. VEP amplitudes and latencies were compared between groups to establish VEP sensitivity and specificity. Results Cone VEPs show 100% sensitivity for diagnosis of CVD and 94% specificity for confirming CVN. L cone (protan) CVDs showed a significant increase in L cone latency (53.1 msec, P < 0.003) and decreased amplitude (10.8 uV, P < 0.0000005) but normal M and S cone VEPs (P > 0.31). M cone (deutan) CVDs showed a significant increase in M cone latency (31.0 msec, P < 0.000004) and decreased amplitude (8.4 uV, P < 0.006) but normal L and S cone VEPs (P > 0.29). Conclusions Cone-specific VEPs offer a rapid, objective test to diagnose hereditary CVD and show potential for detecting acquired CVD in various diseases. Translational Relevance This paper describes the efficacy of cone-specific color VEPs for quantification of normal and abnormal color vision. The rapid, objective nature of this approach makes it suitable for detecting color sensitivity loss in infants and the cognitively impaired.


Purpose: Social crowding refers to the extent of social presence and proximity to others. A large number of studies have explored the effect of social crowding on consumers' feelings and behaviours in real shopping scenes, whereas few studies have examined the potential marketing effect of social crowding on online mobile consumption behaviour despite mobile commerce's increasing popularity in recent years. The current intends to explore the effect of social crowding on online mobile purchase and its underlying neural basis. Methods: The current study employed a questionnaire survey and an implicit panic buying experiment, in which the participants were asked to press the button as soon as possible to buy the showed product. A 2-level social crowding (low vs high) × 2-level feedback of panic buying (success vs fail) design was employed to test the negative impact of social crowding on consumers' online mobile purchase intention by using electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. Results: Behaviorally, participants showed higher purchase intention in low social crowding environment compared with the high crowding condition. The event-related potentials (ERPs) results indicated that consumers had a higher affective/motivational evaluation (reflected in a smaller feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitude) regarding the successful rather than the failing feedback in the low social crowding condition. However, this difference was not detected in the high social crowding condition. Meanwhile, more attentional resources (reflected in a greater P300 amplitude) were directed toward processing the feedback outcomes in the low rather than the high social crowding condition. Conclusion: The current study provided neurophysiological response that social crowding negatively influences consumers' online purchase intention. Some implications for theory and practice were also discussed.


The current paper deals with a detailed experimental and numerical investigation of the
secondary flow structures in the corner region between blade and endwall in a highly loaded
compressor cascade, with the objective to provide extensive validation data and performing a
first comparison with numerical results. The used cascade has been designed and optimized
specifically for use at low Reynolds number conditions, as can be found at high altitudes. The
study was divided into an experimental and a numerical part. The experimental part of the
investigation was performed in the transonic cascade wind tunnel of DLR in Cologne at a
Mach number of 0.6 and Reynolds number of 9.0x105. Wake measurements with a 5-hole
probe at four distances behind the cascade trailing edge were carried out, in order to obtain
measurement data of the loss distribution, comparable to the numerical results. Furthermore,
oil streak patterns on the endwall and blade surface were conducted. Additionally, tomographic
PIV (tomo-PIV) and conventional stereo PIV (SPIV) are utilized, in order to assess the quality
of CFD prediction of the flow structure in the corner region.
The numerical investigation of the cascade flow was performed by means of the turbomachinery
CFD code TRACE, which is an in-house developed code of the DLR Institute of Propulsion
Technology. The focus was on the detailed description of the secondary flow close to the
corner region and on the determination of the loss distribution in the wake behind the cascade.
Furthermore, the influence of the boundary layer transition on the cascade flow was considered
by the usage of a transition model.
In the paper a detailed comparison between the experimental and the nurmerical results is
given. It is shown, that the experimental extension of the corner separation on the cascade
surfaces and the development of the loss distribution behind the cascade is well reflected by the
CFD results, but there are differences in the loss intensity


Abstract: This research examines how the use of the CAT (Critical thinking Assessment Test) and involvement in CAT-Apps (CAT Applications within the discipline) training can serve as an important part of a faculty development model that assists faculty in the assessment of students' critical thinking skills and in the development of these skills within their courses. Seventy-five percent of faculty participating in a CAT scoring workshop at their institution reported greater understanding of students' strengths and weaknesses in critical thinking and 45% reported that CAT scoring had changed their teaching practices and/or assessment. In addition, participants attending a training session on CAT-Apps reported a greater willingness to place more emphasis on critical thinking assessments and less on factual knowledge assessments in their courses as a result of participation in training.


The purpose of this philosophical paper was to synthesize theoretical and historical foundations of the project method and compare them to modern best-practices. A review of historical and contemporary literature related to the project method yielded six themes: 1) purpose of projects; 2) project classification; 3) the process; 4) the context; 5) individual vs. group projects; and 6) the teacher's role. Conclusions and recommendations include the continued importance of the project method with suggestions to broaden the context in which projects are classified (in class and out of class, group and individual), ensure that practitioners are educated about appropriate experiential learning processes, and emphasize the role of the teacher as facilitator.


Abstract Bioprosthetic heart valve replacement, recommended for patients older than 65 years of age, increases the quality of life, however grafts exhibit limited functionality due to degradation and calcification. Decellularized and tissue-engineered pulmonary valves (PV) get repopulated by autologous interstitial cells when implanted into juvenile sheep. Thus, in vivo matrix guided regeneration results in restored valve function. In this study, we investigated the regeneration capacity in elderly sheep. Sheep (O 7 yrs old, O weight of 88.5 kg) received pulmonary valve replacement. Decellularized PV (n=6), decellularized PV coated with proangiogenic CCN1 (n=6), and decellularized, CCN1 coated and reendothelized PV (n=6) were implanted in orthotopic position. For endothelialization PV were seeded with autologous endothelial cells (EC) differentiated from EPC from peripheral blood. Cells were flow adapted in a pulsatile bioreactor system prior implantation. PV functional analysis in vivo was realized by echocardiography, directly after implantation and prior explantation. Allografts were explanted after six and twelve months in vivo and investigated in respect to endothelium coverage, to the integrity of the extracellular matrix, and to the degree and cellular identity of invaded cells by histological and immunochemical stains. All allografts showed good to adequate function, no stenosis, low gradients and only occasional insufficiency without clinical symptoms. No signs of degradation of the extracellular matrix and minimal calcification restricted at the anastomosis of the grafts were found. All grafts were repopulated with cells but to various degree. Only one, explanted after one year, showed complete repopulation including the leaflets. In general, cell-density in the pulmonary artery was higher on the adventitial than on the luminal side and leaflets were better repopulated at the ventricular than at the arterial side. The majority of cells expressed sm-alpha-actin. Endothelial cells located on the luminal side appeared in some grafts as intact complete monolayer. Beside a slight tendency of better repopulation observed in the reendothelialized PV group, no significant difference of cell densities was found among the groups. Autologous repopulation of decellularized heart valve matrices implanted in the orthotopic position in the elderly sheep demonstrates retained regenerative capacity even in the older organism. This observation combined with the fact that no functional loss must have taken into account, implantation of decellularized heart valves matrices in patients over age 65 remains a therapy option to overcome the drawbacks of current used bioprosthesis.


There are many methods available for designing GRP (glass reinforced plastic) piping systems for internal pressure. These include short term methods such as those found in ASME RTP-1 and long term methods such as ASTM D2996. Other standards, such as ASME B31.3, ASTM F1173, and ABS Rules for Steel Vessels and MODUs, provide options for both long term and short term methods. ASME RTP-1 goes one step further by allowing a design process based on design calculations only. This paper will provide the details for designing GRP piping systems according to a new standard, ISO 14692. This method involves generating a design envelope to address all stresses from the design conditions of the system. This paper will also provide a comparison of this method's advantages and disadvantages to other standards currently in use.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
'FMS'-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have been brought from discovery in the early 1990s to clinical targeting in the past 10 years. Despite several promising leads in preclinical models, no agent has yet been approved for clinical use. Here we will review the development of novel therapies for AML with FLT3 mutations.

RECENT FINDINGS
Initial clinical development focused on broad kinase inhibitors which were found to have limited clinical activity due to insufficient kinase inhibitory activity and high toxicity. Subsequent development has brought forth narrow-spectrum inhibitors with potent in-vivo activity and reasonable clinical tolerance, but many patients still progress with prolonged use.

SUMMARY
The optimal role for targeting FLT3 may depend on multimodality therapy and will likely require hematopoietic transplant. The incorporation of ABL kinase inhibitors into acute lymphoblastic leukemia management should serve as a model for incorporation of FLT3-targeted agents into clinical care. Strategies incorporating FLT3-targeted agents into AML therapy are ongoing, but challenges in trial design, clinical heterogeneity and need for long-term follow-up make these investigations complicated in design and implementation.


Despite the importance of roofs, improved roof selection has not been explored in significant depth. Therefore this research explores the possibilities that roofs offer to improve the value and sustainability of buildings. It is concerned with the roof as a system, explicitly connected with the building and their impacts on wider society. This research, develops and tests techniques to better understand what constitutes value and sustainability for a building project's context through action research. The sustainability and value themes output through the use of such techniques are then considered as a basis for the selection of roof attributes through Keeney's value focused thinking approach. Once the roof performance attributes have been established, designers and clients then require quantitative data to decide which roof type represents the highest value / most sustainable option. Thus the research also collates and maps peer reviewed quantitative performance data on the performance of roofing systems in relation to climate type as well as providing information from leading modelling packages for different roof options. An approach for selecting the most appropriate data is then developed. This allows the practitioner to be able to access reliable peer reviewed information and utilise leading modelling techniques to quickly gain information regarding the performance of various roof systems for use in the project context. An approach is developed to bring this information together with the important sustainability considerations for the project to inform sustainable roof selection. This combines the different types of roof performance with the relevant decision attributes early in the design process, to provide insight into which roof option represents the best overall economic, environmental and social value and therefore the most sustainable roof option. The primary contribution to knowledge presented in this thesis is the development of a pragmatic realist approach to sustainable roof selection.