Communication technology is perhaps one of the newest trends in education for improving parental involvement. Schools across the world are implementing software programs such as Edline™ in order to strengthen the connection between the home and the school. The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the Edline™ program through the perceptions of its users: teachers, administrators, parents, and students.
Stufflebeam's CIPP model, Context, Input, Process, Product, was used as a comprehensive framework for conducting formative and summative evaluations of Edline™. A mixed-methods case study was embedded in this framework in order to collect data about user perceptions. The single case design of the study included administrator interviews, parent and teacher focus groups, and student questionnaires. The major research question guiding this study is as follows: Based on the perceptions of its users, does Edline™ improve parental involvement and the education of the child? The research questions investigated the operational effectiveness of Edine™ as a tool for improving parental involvement. Purposive sampling was used by the researcher to conduct n=3 administrator interviews, n=300 hundred student questionnaires, n=3 parent focus groups, and n=3 teacher focus groups.
The research questions investigated user perceptions (teachers, parents, administrators, and students) with respect to Edline™'s effectiveness. These perceptions, in effect, were used to determine whether or not Edline™ improved communication between the home and the school. Recurring themes were triangulated from the survey research to assist the researcher in compiling outcomes of the program.
The findings of the research revealed that Edline™ improved communication between the home and the school. Perhaps stated more succinctly, Edline™ made the dissemination of information such as grades and homework convenient, expedient, and accessible. Whether or not Edline™ improves the education of the child is a question that remains indeterminate. A portion of Edline's users feel that the technology is not conducive to developing a culture of independent learners. Another portion of Edline™'s users feel that the technology has provided students with a sense of academic accountability.
While the benefits of online grading systems such as Edline™ are endless, there exist many challenges of the Edline™ technology that linger in the peripheral. Chief among these challenges are a focused and sustained vision of change, internal commitment and consistency from teacher-to-teacher, and a general cohesiveness in the use and application of the technology among Edline™'s users. In order for Edline™ to work more effectively as a system, there needs to be more consistency from teacher-to-teacher and more cohesiveness in the structure and vision of the technology. It can be summarily deduced that Edline™ is a great tool that could be an even greater tool with the belief that its novelty and reflection thereof will only lead to its evolution.


The purpose of this research is to study and explore the importance of hospitals in natural disaster events and to identify the impacts on the hospitals in natural disaster events. A disaster is an unforeseen event, which can overwhelm the capacity of the affected people to manage its impact. Many people are periodically exposed to natural disasters in their life, and most disasters, or more correctly hazards that lead to disasters, cannot be prevented. However, their effects can be mitigated. Disaster management efforts aim to reduce or avoid the potential losses from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to the victims of a disaster, and achieve a rapid and effective recovery. It is crucial that hospitals remain safe and functional during and after disasters. Health facilities at all levels deserve special attention in the case of natural disasters as they must continue the work of current patient treatment within their facilities and provide additional care for persons injured by the disaster event. Disaster management becomes even more important for hospitals as the health sector has been particularly vulnerable to the damage caused. For this study, secondary information was retrieved from the Internet on sudden-onset natural disasters in different parts of the world was collected. This study found some barriers and deliverables for disaster managers that could mitigate the risk of a natural disaster's impact on a hospital. Accordingly, this paper evaluates the importance of disaster management for hospitals and the challenges that need to be considered during the disaster response.


Distal environs of the Ludlow‐age Trichrug Formation from south central Wales (UK) detail deposition on the outer fringe of an ephemeral debris flow‐dominated alluvial fan. Debrites and subordinate sheetflood deposits are interbedded with sporadic thin sandstone‐dominated heterolithic units deposited in shallow, ephemeral ponds in the axial valley. The latter slope wetland system fringed the permeable alluvial fan deposits, being maintained by streamflow, precipitation and ground water recharge. A prolonged high water table is indicated by low chroma intervals interpreted as the result of gleying. A variety of redoximorphic indicators, including colour mottling and ferricrete concretions, are evidence of iron mobilization and concentration associated with a seasonally fluctuating water table. The slope wetlands were colonized periodically by Skolithos‐generating organisms, most likely to have been arthropods. The widespread occurrence of redoximorphic indicators and ferricrete contrasts markedly with calcrete Vertisols in penecontemporaneous continental deposits (Lower Old Red Sandstone) of the region. It is likely that the alluvial fan‐toe area was the site of a wetland depression, which maintained a high, though fluctuating, water table. In contrast the alluvial channel reaches of the surrounding drainage network were significantly better drained, with floodplains prone to wetting and drying and Vertisol palaeopedogenesis.


: The study presents introductory laboratory and in-situ experiments focused on elimination of As from the pit water in locality Zlatá Idka-Rieka, Slovakia, as well as on characterization of the sediment parameters in this locality from the viewpoint of their eventual toxicity. The mobility of As from the sediment is dependent on the chemical bonds with non-stable Fe oxides/hydroxides, creating surface coatings on the grains of minerals and soil, present in the lake of pit water. Leachates after the Simply Bioavailability Extraction Test contained high concen- trations of Fe (223 mg.l –1 ), Mn (165 mg.l –1 ), as well as As (11.1 mg.l –1 ), which are potential toxic for people in case of contamination of the soil attached to vegetables, or from coarse dust that can be inhaled and then swallowed. The batch adsorption experiments were performed in the laboratory and next in in-situ conditions. As adsorbents natural zeolite, terra rossa and their mixture were used. In laboratory the As adsorption was fast, reached equilibri- um almost after 4 hours. The adsorption capacity of zeolite and terra rossa was 18.3 and 25,3 μg.g –1 , respectively. Effect of in-situ As removal was the highest for terra rossa (almost 85 %) and the concentration of As in leachate after the experiment was slightly higher than required limited value. The promising results for future in-situ applications brought laboratory column experiments, where after 4 cycles of adsorption the effectivity of columns was still 95 % independently on the columns filling (layers or mixture of studied adsorbents).


ABSTRACT: The fideicomisos and trusts are similar institutions from different legal systems. Because of the advantages of arbitration it is not a surprise to find arbitration clauses in the instruments of such legal mechanisms. However, there is an obstacle to the effectiveness of the arbitration clause; this obstacle is the lack of acceptance of the beneficiaries of the arbitration clause. Lack of consent is due to the structure of the fideicomiso and the trust. Despite this obstacle, there are theories and legislations that support the effectiveness of arbitration clauses in trust instruments which questions the conventional paradigm of arbitration.


Ontologies are formal theories that specify the kinds of entities and relations found in a domain. To quickly gain access to the content and structure of ontologies, ontology visualization techniques are commonly used. Visualization of ontologies often uses representations of hierarchical structures that are extracted from ontologies, most notably representations of the taxonomic relationships between classes. These graph-based representations can also be used to visualize structural changes in ontologies. We have developed a novel visualization environment for ontologies in which automated reasoning is used to generate a graph-based representation of an ontology's deductive closure, and subclass relations as well as description logic axioms that are entailed to hold between two classes are represented visually. The visualization environment can also be used to show differences between the entailed axioms of different ontology versions. The source code of the visualization environment is freely available, and we added our visualization environment to AberOWL (http://aber-owl.net), an ontology repository that contains over 400 ontologies, all of which can now be visually explored using our system.


Swift triggered on a precursor to the main burst of GRB 061121 (z = 1.314), allowing observations to be made from the optical to gamma-ray bands. Many other telescopes, including Konus-Wind, XMM-Newton, ROTSE, and the Faulkes Telescope North, also observed the burst. The gamma-ray, X-ray, and UV/optical emission all showed a peak ~75 s after the trigger, although the optical and X-ray afterglow components also appear early on, before or during the main peak. Spectral evolution was seen throughout the burst, with the prompt emission showing a clear positive correlation between brightness and hardness. The SED of the prompt emission, stretching from 1 eV up to 1 MeV, is very flat, with a peak in the flux density at ~ 1 keV. The optical to X-ray spectra at this time are better fitted by a broken, rather than single, power law, similar to previous results for X-ray flares. The SED shows spectral hardening as the afterglow evolves with time. This behavior might be a symptom of self-Comptonization, although circumstellar densities similar to those found in the cores of molecular clouds would be required. The afterglow also decays too slowly to be accounted for by the standard models. Although the precursor and main emission show different spectral lags, both are consistent with the lag-luminosity correlation for long bursts. GRB 061121 is the instantaneously brightest long burst yet detected by Swift. Using a combination of Swift and Konus-Wind data, we estimate an isotropic energy of 2.8 × 1053 ergs over 1 keV-10 MeV in the GRB rest frame. A probable jet break is detected at ~2 × 105 s, leading to an estimate of ~10 51 ergs for the beaming-corrected gamma-ray energy.


This paper reviews the present state of organization of world-wide activity in the study of the corrosion of metals. Reference will be made to the organizations in various countries involved in the study of metallic corrosion, the forums at which the research and technology are discussed, the journals in which the results are published, and the handbooks and textbooks available on the subject. The sources of standards, recommended practices, and specifications are identified. It will be seen that there is participation by governments, industries, and universities, and that an effective system of organizing and publishing the available information exists.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the effects of microRNA-212-5p (miR-212-5p) on biological functions of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and to find the potential molecular mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We measured the expression level of miR-212-5p in 35 AML patients and 20 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) as control cases. Besides, the miR-212-5p expression at cellular level was checked as well. In order to screen the functional targets of miR-212-5p, online prediction software was used and gene frizzled class receptor 5 (FZD5) attracted our attention. The effects of miR-212-5p on biological functions of AML cell line (Kasumi-1) were analyzed by subsequent experiments. The mRNA and protein expressions of FZD5 were detected by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB) analysis, respectively. Cell proliferation was tested by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. Finally, protein expression of β-catenin was analyzed by WB assay.

RESULTS
In AML cases and cells, miR-212-5p was found to be lowly expressed. The potential target of miR-212-5p was predicated in three public databases. Through a series of experiments including qRT-PCR, WB and luciferase assay, we identified FZD5 as a functional target of miR-212-5p. In further cellular functional experiments on Kasumi-1, we found overexpression of miR-212-5p in Kasumi-1 cells greatly inhibited the cell viability and proliferation. The ratio of cells in G0/G1 phase and the proportion of apoptotic cells increased after miR-212-5p overexpression. Furthermore, Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway was the most apparent pathway that was regulated by miR-212-5p according to WB results. However, the effects of miR-212-5p were suppressed after restoring the expression of FZD5.

CONCLUSIONS
Expression of miR-212-5p was significantly lower in AML patients and cell lines, indicating that miR-212-5p served as a tumor-suppressor gene in AML. According to our in vitro experiments, miR-212-5p/FZD5 was likely to become a new therapeutic target for AML.


Vagal afferent neuronal somas are in the nodose and jugular ganglia. In this study, we identified extraganglionic neurons in whole-mount preparations of the vagus nerves from Phox2b-Cre-ZsGreen transgenic mice. These neurons are typically arranged in small clusters and monolayers along the cervical vagus nerve. Although infrequent, these neurons were sometimes observed along the thoracic and esophageal vagus. We performed RNAscope in situ hybridization and confirmed that the extraganglionic neurons detected in this transgenic mouse strain expressed vagal afferent markers (i.e., Phox2b and Slc17a6) as well as markers that identify them as potential gastrointestinal mechanoreceptors (i.e., Tmc3 and Glp1r). We also identified extraganglionic neurons in the vagus nerves of wild-type mice that were injected intraperitoneally with Fluoro-Gold, thereby ruling out possible anatomical discrepancies specific for transgenic mice. In wild-type mice, extraganglionic cells were positive for peripherin, confirming their neuronal nature. Taken together, our findings revealed a previously undiscovered population of extraganglionic neurons associated with the vagus nerve. Going forward, it is important to consider the possible existence of extraganglionic mechanoreceptors that transmit signals from the abdominal viscera in future studies related to vagal structure and function.


Antimicrobial activity of neutrophilic granulocytes (NG) is based on effective recognition and elimination of microbial pathogens, as well as on complex intracellular signal transduction pathways interconnecting these processes. NG dysfunction leads to emergence of atypical infectious and inflammatory diseases recalcitrant to standard interventions, which requires new vector platforms aimed at restoring normal NG functioning and overcoming antibiotic resistance. Moreover, we emphasize about special interest paid to the NOD1 and NOD2 agonist polymuramyl and NOD2 agonist glucosaminylmuramyldipeptide. Objective of the study was to compare effects triggered by NOD1 and NOD2 agonist polymuramyl and NOD2 agonist glucosaminylmuramyldipeptide on phenotype of neutrophilic granulocyte subsets CD64 - CD16 + CD32 + CD11b + , CD16 + CD62L + CD63 - , CD16 + CD62L + CD63 + in the in vitro system. 64 samples of peripheral blood (PC) collected from 8 apparently healthy children (4 boys and 4 girls) aged 3 to 9 years were examined by flow cytometry (FC 500, Beckman Coulter, USA) assessing NG surface receptors CD64, CD16, CD32, CD11b, CD62L, CD63 with MonAb (Beckman Coulter International S. A., France) by analyzing NG number (%) expressing receptors examined, density of receptor expression measured as mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). For this, there were assessed intact peripheral blood NG from apparently healthy children (comparison group) as well as those exposed to polymuramyl (PM) (at concentration of 10 -6 g/l) or glucosaminylmuramyl-dipeptide (GMDP) (at concentration of 10 -6 g/l) for 60 minutes at 37 °С temperature. Comparative analysis of surface receptor expression was performed on CD64 - CD16 + CD32 + CD11b + , CD16 + CD62L + CD63 - and CD16 + CD62L + CD63 + NG subsets that suggested about positive transformation of activation parameters in circulating NG exposed to NOD1 and NOD2 agonist polymuramyl as well as NOD2 agonist glucosaminylmuramyldipeptide. At the same time, similar effects of varying intensity were revealed manifested as increased count of NG subsets CD16 + CD62L + CD63 + bearing increased level of CD16 and reduced CD62L expression, as well as differences uncovered as significantly increased expression of surface membrane molecules CD16 and CD11b in CD64 - CD16 + CD32 + CD11b + NG subset from apparently healthy children exposed to polymuramyl as well as increased surface CD32 expression after incubation with GMDP.


Introduction Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumour, and represents the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide.1,2 The most important risk factor is liver cirrhosis, mainly due to chronic infections such as hepatitis B or C.2 Increasing HCC cases are seen in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods The aim of the study was to compare demographics, treatments and survival among hepatitis C virus (HCV/HCC) and NAFLD (NAFLD/HCC) cohort of patients. Data were collected from medical electronic case notes, imaging reports and HCC multidisciplinary meetings. Results Among 292 patients, 212 patients (73%) had underlying HCV/HCC and 80 patients (27%) had NAFLD/HCC. The median age at diagnosis was significantly higher in NAFLD/HCC (p < 0.001). The majority (82%) were male. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in NAFLD/HCC (p < 0.001). The majority were Caucasian (96%) in NAFLD/HCC, whilst the HCV/HCC cohort was significantly more ethnically diverse (p < 0.001). Diabetes mellitus was more common in NAFLD/HCC patients (p < 0.001). The median alpha fetoprotein level in HCV/HCC patients were 32.0 compared to 12.0 in NAFLD/HCC (p = 0.085). Patients with HCV/HCC were significantly more likely to be transplanted during the study period than NAFLD/HCC (30% vs. 15%, p = 0.010). Both transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) were significantly more likely to be used as a single treatment in NAFLD patients, compared to HCV patients (p = 0.042, p = 0.021). Sorafenib was used as the only treatment in 6% of HCV/HCC and 3% of NAFLD/HCC cohorts (p = 0.364). Post transplant survival appeared to be worse in HCV-HCC patients compared to NAFLD/HCC, although it did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.081). Overall five year survival rates were similar between the two groups regardless of any treatment therapies (p = 0.424). Conclusion Despite the NAFLD/HCC being older and with higher metabolic risk factors, a significant proportion could undergo active therapy. Furthermore, patients with NAFLD/HCC selected for transplantation seemed to have better long term outcomes, possibly due to stricter selection for transplantation as well as variations in tumour biology between the two groups. References 1 Mittal S, El-Serag HB. Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma: consider the population. J Clin Gastroenterol 2013;47 Suppl:S2–6 2 Lu T , et al. Prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic viral hepatitis B and C infection. World J Gastroenterol 2013;19(47):8887–8894 Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


Numerous legal provisions were enacted at an EU level in order to protect consumers contracting with professionals, especially in a digital environment (see, in particular, the protection measures provided by directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights; directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices; directive 2000/31/EC on electronic commerce, etc.). With the development of the web 2.0 and the so-called "sharing economy", consumers are now entitled to easily conclude agreements with other consumers through intermediation platforms. EU Consumer Acquis shall normally be applicable to the relationship between the platform and each of the peers (the seller or the provider on one hand, and the buyer or the recipient on the other hand), with the exclusion of C2C relationships.
The objective of this paper is to highlight the potential issues and gaps in the context of consumer protection (lack of information, warranty issues, no right of withdrawal, etc.), resulting from the fact that C2C agreements are normally out of scope of the EU Consumer Acquis (and only governed by the traditional contract law). Some propositions de lege ferenda will also be made, in order to ensure a higher level of consumer protection (with additional legal duties prescribed for the intermediaries, for instance). Blockchain technology and smart contracts shall also be taken into account, since they should normally give rise to a "disintermediation" process. It should however be assessed whether or not consumer protection will benefit from this disintermediation.


Causality tests and path analysis are combined to create a new procedure for use in evaluating agricultural markets. The two complementary techniques combine to form a strong process for measuring the direction and strength of causal relationships within a structural equation model. An empirical example which evaluates midwestern corn market price relationships is presented.


This paper is a follow up to Robert Duncan's seminal article, "What is the Right Organization Structure?" published in Organization Dynamics in 1979. The purpose of this paper is to present key developments in organization structure and design since Duncan's article was published. The design developments are organized into three eras. Era 1was dominant until the late 1970s and included the use of traditional functional and divisional structures, including matrix overlays. Era 2 started in the 1980s and includes the designs that organize around horizontal processes, such as re-engineering. Era 3 came into its own in the 1990s when corporations embraced the hollow, modular and virtual organization forms that open the organization to outside sourcing partnerships. Design principles and examples of when to use each design are discussed.


Today's rapidly changing economic and social environment requires reconsideration of leadership issues, a special attention paying to ethical issues that are an integral part of socially responsible business. There are numerous studies on the subject matter of ethical leadership but until now the matter of developing business students' ethical leadership competences has been hardly touched. This is one of the gaps to be filled if we want to speak about the Europe of knowledge at all. The purpose of the present study is twofold: to summarize the previous research in the field of ethical leadership and to research Latvian business students' perception of ethical leadership. Hence the tasks of this study are: to conceptualize main notions of the ethical leadership; to disclose the concept of power bases and social influence;) to work out the research design and to perform the survey on student perception of the ethical aspects of exercising influence; to interpret results and work out practical suggestions for teaching business ethics. The primary method used in the present inquiry is quantitative survey applying the Likert scale (the sample of probability is N=206 – business students attending classes in business ethics taught by the author of the present paper). The students were asked to put themselves in the shoes of the business organization manager and to decide for themselves what steps they would take in order to influence their subordinates. The results were grouped according to five power bases (coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, referent power). No form of power is inherently immoral; still some of them (especially related to power and coercion) can be more unethical in certain circumstances. The results of the survey showed that ethical issues of business leadership in general were of no special concern for students, although they recognized some critical aspects and cases of unethical behavior. The results made it possible to work out suggestions how to improve the course plan in business ethics (introducing new aspects related to leadership; including more subject related case study discussions; preparing practical exercises, etc.). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.8.6987


The utilization of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the United States has reached an all-time high with many clinicians utilizing this form of therapy for a myriad of dermatologic disorders. World-wide, PDT is now being introduced to a wider audience. The purpose of this manuscript is to review PDT, from its history to it current uses and indications, and to expand upon its proper use and after care, to minimize any potential adverse events, and to make PDT treatments useful and effective for all of our patients. Two photosensitizers are now routinely available in the US and we will review both of these sensitizers, their FDA and off-label uses, and their affects on the skin and how they have made a positive effect in dermatology.


A thorough knowledge of the geographic distribution of Schistosoma mansoni vector snails is indispensable for the control of Schistosoma mansoni schistosomiasis and its epidemiologic surveillance. From the water masses of the State of São Paulo (Brazil) 8,771 lots of snails--total of 108,244 individuals of the genus Biomphalaria--were captured between 1982 and 2002. These specimens are now part of the malacological collection of (Superintendência de Controle de Endemias--São Paulo). According to species: Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818), 225 lots (6%)--8,002 (7.4%); specimens Biomphalaria tenagophila (d'Orbigny, 1835), 3,402 lots (91.7%)--88,068 (81.4%) specimens and Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848), 85 lots (2.3%)--12,174 (11.2%) specimens. The geographic distribution of B. tenagophila and B. glabrata breeding sites tends to be compact and their occupation of territory is clear-cut. B. tenagophila habitats characteristically show a tendency to cluster around municipalities with high levels of urbanization and organic pollution. The presence of B. straminea is isolated in all hydrographic basins. This situation suggests that the persistence of schistosomiasis endemic areas in the State of São Paulo depends on the chance of host-parasite contacts resulting from the concentration of B. tenagophila and B. glabrata breeding sites.


We address the problem of encoding signals which are sparse, i.e. signals that are concentrated on a set of small support. Mathematically, such signals are modeled as elements in the `p ball for some p ≤ 1. We describe a strategy for encoding elements of the `p ball which is universal in that 1) the encoding procedure is completely generic, and does not depend on p (the sparsity of the signal), and 2) it achieves near-optimal minimax performance simultaneously for all p < 1. What makes our coding procedure unique is that it requires only a limited number of nonadaptive measurements of the underlying sparse signal; we show that near-optimal performance can be obtained with a number of measurements that is roughly proportional to the number of bits used by the encoder. We end by briefly discussing these results in the context of image compression.


In the last decades US non-property companies have opened up increasingly to alternatives to real estate ownership and thus have reduced their holdings. European companies followed this trend in a more cautious way still showing generally higher ownership ratios. Incentives might become stronger in the future though, if owning real estate competes with new business requirements and thus harms firm performance. Despite the great number of articles analyzing the contribution of real estate ownership to non-property company's performance, the business environment and especially external trends are rarely considered. Therefore, this paper addresses two main questions: Firstly, how real estate ownership affects organizational performance in general and secondly, whether the contribution of ownership changes considering future market trends. Using the example of German non-property companies, the article analyzes whether firms affected by structural change demonstrate a higher willingness to reduce corporate real estate (CRE) ownership holdings. The paper begins with a literature based elaboration of the term structural change followed by a comparison of international ownership holdings. In a next step the relationship between ownership and its impact on organizational performance considering influences of business environment is summarized in a theoretical framework. Hereafter, a multivariate cluster analysis is performed on a dataset taken from the study by Just and Pfnuer (2016). In a last step, the identified firm clusters are tested regarding their tendency to reduce ownership holdings. The article provides diverse explanations of why ownership could harm firm performance if market trends are considered. In accordance with these findings, the results of the multivariate analysis suggest that the higher firms are affected by structural change, the higher is their willingness to reduce ownership by sale-and-rent-back transactions.This article differs from existing literature in two ways. Instead of using balance sheet data, the analysis applied in this article is based on a dataset of surveyed CRE managers. Moreover, the paper takes a broader view on ownership and firm performance by including the business environment. First hints show that structural change and associated new business requirements change the relevance of CRE ownership. In order to avoid competitive disadvantages, especially European firms should scrutinize their high ownership ratios.


Born in Geneva in 1857, Albert Brun studied pharmacy before going on to mineralogy. He was a member of many scientific societies and carried out extensive research in mineralogy and volcanology alongside his career as a pharmacist. His numerous articles and other communications shed light both on his varied interests and the development of the Earth Sciences at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was particularly interested in 'volcanic exhalations', the gasses released by volcanoes, and devoted much of his spare time to collecting and analyzing them. A large part of his collection of rocks and minerals is now housed in the Natural History Museum of Geneva.


Immunity to sand fly salivary protein correlates to protection against cutaneous leishmaniasis in rhesus macaques. Leishmania vaccine targets the messenger The old adage "Don't kill the messenger" may not hold true when vaccinating against leishmaniasis. Oliveira et al. demonstrate that a vaccine against sand fly salivary protein can protect nonhuman primate from leishmania infection. Leishmaniasis is transmitted by the bite of infected phlebotomine sand flies, which also transfer some of their saliva with the bite. Most macaques vaccinated against PdSP15, a sand fly salivary protein, had decreased parasite burden after induction of cutaneous leishmaniasis initiated by infected bites. Moreover, people exposed to sand fly bites developed an immune response to PdSP15 as well, suggesting that this approach may be translatable to humans. Currently, there are no commercially available human vaccines against leishmaniasis. In rodents, cellular immunity to salivary proteins of sand fly vectors is associated to protection against leishmaniasis, making them worthy targets for further exploration as vaccines. We demonstrate that nonhuman primates (NHP) exposed to Phlebotomus duboscqi uninfected sand fly bites or immunized with salivary protein PdSP15 are protected against cutaneous leishmaniasis initiated by infected bites. Uninfected sand fly–exposed and 7 of 10 PdSP15-immunized rhesus macaques displayed a significant reduction in disease and parasite burden compared to controls. Protection correlated to the early appearance of Leishmania-specific CD4+IFN-γ+ lymphocytes, suggesting that immunity to saliva or PdSP15 augments the host immune response to the parasites while maintaining minimal pathology. Notably, the 30% unprotected PdSP15-immunized NHP developed neither immunity to PdSP15 nor an accelerated Leishmania-specific immunity. Sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals naturally exposed to P. duboscqi bites recognized PdSP15, demonstrating its immunogenicity in humans. PdSP15 sequence and structure show no homology to mammalian proteins, further demonstrating its potential as a component of a vaccine for human leishmaniasis.


In a large indoor environment such as a sports arena or convention center, smooth egress of crowd after an event can be seriously affected if infrastructure such as elevators and escalators break down. In this paper, we propose a novel crowd simulator known as SIM-DISRUPT for simulating egress scenarios in non-emergency situations. To surface the impact of disrupted infrastructure on the egress of crowd, SIM-DISRUPT includes features that allows users to specify selective disruptions as well as strategies for controlling the distribution and egress choices of crowd. Using SIM-DISRUPT, we investigate effects of crowd distribution, egress choices and infrastructure disruptions on crowd egress time and measure efficacies of different egress strategies under various infrastructure disruption scenarios. A real-world inspired use case is used to demonstrate the usefulness of SIM-DISRUPT in planning egress under various operational conditions.


Arabic is a language unique to the intended pronunciation of the word written. It cannot be determined exactly according to the orthographic level of representation. The development of a different word formation gives a different meaning. To translate the words into English with the addition of this configuration in a single word, this research looks at using an equation for the formation of the translation after that to see the performance and accuracy of the system by using metrics for ease of use. This research is looking at morphological model of Arabic language and which will then uses the equation to put diacritics according to Arabic grammatical rules. Based on this research a system was developed. The input of the system is Arabic word. The system used morphological Arabic natural language processing and translation Arabic word into English. The output of the system will show percentage of translated words successfully with high precision. The result shows that the Quran translation is translated using 11 words; 9 with high accuracy the result 69% and literature language used 7 arabic words; 4 words from these words that have been translated with high accuracy, which results in 31%, and while every other input was between the successes rates of the program compiled by 100%. Furthermore, quality assessment is performed to calculate efficient and effective usability metrics based on the ANLP developed. Based on the result, the system can be used as a translator from Arabic language to English.


We study power allocation for secrecy rate maximization in a multicarrier decode-and-forward relay system, where an eavesdropper exists. We consider three transmission modes: in no communication, the source and the relay do not transmit at all; in direct communication, the source broadcasts signals during the first time slot and the relay does not forward any signal during the second time slot; in relay communication, the source broadcasts signals during the first time slot and the relay forwards the reencoded signals to the destination during the second time slot. Determining the transmission strategy adaptively on each subcarrier, the optimal source power and the optimal relay power over all subcarriers are derived to maximize the sum secrecy rate under a total system power constraint. In addition, a suboptimal power allocation scheme is proposed to substantially reduce the computational complexity. It is shown that the proposed suboptimal solution is asymptotically optimal in the limit as the number of subcarriers goes to infinity. Extensive numerical results are presented for various scenarios. In particular, the performance of the suboptimal scheme is very close to that of the optimal scheme even if the number of subcarriers is moderately small.


In order to minimize risk of infection and potential foot complications, it is recommended that people with and without diabetes check their feet regularly for problems such as cuts, sores, blisters or calluses. Hence, an understanding of how to craft effective messages to encourage people to check their feet is important. Two studies investigated the use of narrative stories to encourage foot problem detection behaviour; Study 1 in a general population sample (N = 193), and Study 2 in a sample of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (N = 129). In both studies participants were randomised to either (a) receive an information sheet written in first-person narrative; (b) the same in non-narrative format; or (c) no information sheet. Changes in weekly detection behaviour was the outcome of interest. In both studies, greater detection behaviour was observed in the narrative message condition vs. non-narrative condition and the non-narrative condition vs. no information condition. Our findings have implications for the design of health messages in delivering effective foot care education to people with and without diabetes, suggesting that narrative information sheets may be more effective than non-narrative information sheets.


While the tsunami is a most destroyable hazard among all natural disasters livingenvironmental strategies of people completely are changed by tsunamis than othernatural disasters. The unfortunate experience in Sri Lanka in 2004 relates to the abovesituation. In this case, Coastal areas of Sri Lanka situated in the southern and easternprovinces were destroyed due to the Tsunami. This paper has identified the effects ofTsunami on socio-economic conditions of people who are living in the coastal areas ofSri Lanka. Likewise, it identifies the challenges which are been faced by them in theirsocio-economic environment. As the result of fall the key economic factors of family,their physiological and mental situations are felt. Therefore, we can develop arelationship between people"s mental status and the effect of natural disasters. It affectsany kind of natural disasters, Family Economic Insurance (FEI) and overall family wellbeing. The study used simple statistics techniques based on the SPSS and was alreadybased on primary data collected from a questionnaire survey held in a Kaluthara resettlementTsunami village. Especially, compares resources endowment of these peopleduring before and after the Tsunami which has identified some speciall remarks.Because, many people try to train their life cycle. In this case, activation the implicationprogramme after the Tsunami must be attended to build physically and mentally theirsocio-economic welfare. For that, we can suggest two ways. As such, (i) Human Capitalempowerment strategies and (ii) Physical Capital settlement projects. While the HumanCapital empowerment strategies must be planned to develop Physical Capitalcomponents like house, commercial commodities and other supporting goods and items.However, Microenterprises and Microfinance are identified major importantopportunities to empower people who faced the Tsunami. Key words: - Tsunami, Socio-Economic environment, Human capital, Microfinance,Family economic insurance


A numerical method for extracting parameters of extreme sea wave and calculating its dispersion relation is presented. The nonlinear sea surface can be regarded as waves whose wave numbers and frequencies change with temporal and spatial points. At every point, the height of sea surface can be interpolated by the value of an extending sine wave whose parameters (such as wave numbers and frequencies) are constant. From the first order and the second order derivative of extreme wave, we can extract wave numbers, frequencies, and amplitudes of the extreme wave. The numerical amplitude results show that this method is valid. Comparing values of ω 2 / k with g , we can find that the nonlinear area does not lie in the area of extreme waves, but lies very closely to both sides of them. The corresponding wave heights in these areas are lower than that in the linear dispersion area. Compared with wavelet and Hilbert transform analysis method, our method has two advantages: Firstly, it saves much buffer capacity and CPU time. Secondly, it can supply disperse relationship of systems which other methods cannot supply. The disadvantage of this method is that, in the area of engineering application, it is only applicable to systems with coexisting temporal series data and spatial data.


Hexavalent chromium is a toxic form of chromium metal generally used in many industrial applications for its anticorrosive properties. Removal of chromium from water is obligatory in order to avoid the chromium contamination. From literature review it is found that water containing hexavalent chromium causes severe health problems throughout the world. There are several methods like chemical precipitation, electro-dialysis, photo-catalysis, ion exchange method, activated carbon adsorption or bio sorption, solvent extraction, reverse osmosis. Which are used to remove chromium from the water but they are not feasible in all places and conditions due to various serious limitations. Among all the technique available, adsorption is one of the most suitable because of its useful process. But the efficiency of the process depends on the adsorption media. Though there are several adsorbent available still there are huge scopes to develop a number of adsorption media for the benefit of the common people. In this work the Ceria nanopowder is synthesized by using Cerium chloride and sulphuric acid at a pH of 7, an attempt has been made to remove the chromate by Ceria nanopowder in batch mode. The adsorbent is characterized by various analytical techniques like FTIR, SEM, XRD, BET and AAS. The percentage removal of hexavalent chromium was studied as a function of pH of the solution, contact time, dosage of adsorbent and reaction temperature. The removal of chromium from the synthetic solution having initial Cr (VI) concentration of 100 mg/L was found to be 86.4 % at an optimal condition of pH 6, adsorbent dose 0.07mg/100ml, temperature 300C and contact time of 30 minutes.


Biotechnology and genomic innovation are seen as increasingly important for achieving public health goals in Africa. In particular, vaccines based on advances in genomic technology are deemed vital in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) provide a collaborative mechanism to ensure these vaccines are developed when the private sector lacks incentives to develop these products. These partnerships provide new mechanisms for transferring the knowledge required to ensure vaccine development occurs as quickly and efficiently as possible. One such vaccine partnership is the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI). This has been successful in ensuring 'value added' (benefit gained by taking part) is created for those involved particularly in the area of intangible value added determinants of collaboration and knowledge capacity. This paper outlines the results of a case study of SAAVI and argues that it provides evidence of a need to strengthen our understanding of the linkage between wider conceptual 'systems' of innovation and health. In particular, it espouses the usefulness of 'Systems of Innovation' thinking as a means to ensure that more specific focus is placed on process outputs such as collaboration and knowledge capacity. This will ensure that necessary knowledge flow is transferred between those working in the vaccine project for more efficient and effective operations. The research also raises questions about the possibility of such case studies highlighting areas of attention that need addressing if greater linkage is to occur between innovation and health at a wider health research policy level. Genomic technologies, neglected diseases and PPPs The 'genomics revolution' has highlighted the potential of new medical technologies. The successful sequencing of the Human Genome has provided the groundwork for the production of applications and technologies that will "revolutionize research in life science and the practice of medicine". 1 The World Health Organisation's 2002 Genomics and World Health report emphasised the role of functional genomics including proteomics, transcriptomics, gene regulation and bioinformatics as creating new solutions to the world's leading health problems such as communicable diseases and cancer. However, there is growing recognition of a "genomics divide" 2 whereby developing countries are unable to harness or access the potential benefits of the 'genomics revolution'. In particular it has been shown that 90% of the world's disease burden receives less than 10% of global health research spending. 3 This 10/90 gap has given rise to the term 'neglected diseases' to describe those diseases, particularly affecting developing countries, for which there is little investment to find solutions. Examples of such diseases are HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, chagas and sleeping sickness. Thus there were only 13 new chemical entities (NCEs) developed related to tropical diseases out of a total of 1223 NCEs developed between 1976 and 1996. 4 Genomics, Society and Policy 2006, Vol.2, No.3, pp.37-48


In chronic experiments on cats short-latency evoked potentials (EPs) to clicks were recorded simultaneously in three cortical areas--auditory (nuclear elements of the cortical end of the auditory analyser) sensorimotor and visual ones (scattered auditory elements). EPs to above threshold clicks in the auditory area differed from EPs of non-auditory areas by a greater amplitude and relatively stable configuration. The EP threshold in the auditory area was lower and the increase in its amplitude throughout a rise in clicks' intensity far greater than in the non-auditory areas. The above difference in responses of nuclear elements in the primary auditory cortex and of scattered elements in non-auditory areas are considered as the sign of specificity of their functional organization, i. e. as the manifestation of the participation of auditory nuclear elements in a relatively delicate analysis of auditory stimuli and that of scattered ones--in a more simple and limited analysis.


Education is the way towards encouraging learning, or the procurement of information, abilities, values, convictions, & propensities. Education often happens under the direction of instructors. Academic performance is the result of education — the degree to which a pupil, educator or institute has accomplished their educative targets. Education is a critical issue with respect to the advancement of a nation, particularly in India, where tutoring is a component firmly connected with social mobility; accordingly, it is of extraordinary enthusiasm to recognize the pupils who are at hazard of failing, at the earliest opportunity, & also to understand which variables affect this. A Data Mining model is an appropriate instrument to include these assignments. An approach where supervised learning, learning where a training set of correctly identified observations is available is ideal. Statistical classification or classification, which is an instance of supervised learning is chosen as the method to achieve aforementioned tasks. A data set from two Portuguese schools, a country where educational & social mobility are closely related, much like India, was chosen. Broadly, three classification algorithms are used to construct data mining models: Naïve Bayes Classifier, a Decision Tree Classifier (C4.5) & Neural Networks (Feedforward Neural Networks) using Gravitational Search Algorithm. Firstly, a C4.5 Decision Tree in Java is used to test & train the data for both pruned & unpruned trees. Further, both Naïve Bayes Classifier & C4.5 are used to train models using cross validation & cost matrices. Lastly, a Feedforward Neural Network is trained for the dataset in which weights are updated using GSA which further takes in consideration, the error of FNN. Neural Networks (Feedforward Neural Networks) using Gravitational Search Algorithm tends to have better accuracy than its counterparts.


In this work, we study the maximin share fairness notion for allocation of indivisible goods in the subadditive and fractionally subadditive settings. While previous work refutes the possibility of obtaining an allocation which is better than 1/2-MMS, the only positive result for the subadditive setting states that when the number of items is equal to m, there always exists an Ω(1/log m)-\MMS allocation. Since the number of items may be larger than the number of agents (n), such a bound can only imply a weak bound of Ω(1/(n log n))-MMS allocation in general.

 In this work, we improve this gap exponentially to an Ω(1/(log n log log n))-MMS guarantee. In addition to this, we prove that when the valuation functions are fractionally subadditive, a 1/4.6-MMS allocation is guaranteed to exist. This also improves upon the previous bound of 1/5-MMS guarantee for the fractionally subadditive setting.


AbstractIn the present study, the effect of contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial cadmium concentration on the adsorption of Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions by pre-conditioned phosphogypsum was investigated. The kinetics of adsorption was studied and, pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich models were used to fit the experimental data, which was obtained from batch experiments. The kinetic adsorption data fitted well into the second-order kinetic model. Adsorption mechanism was explained with the intraparticle diffusion and Boyd kinetic models.


Knowledge Graphs are widely used to store facts about real-world entities and events. With the ubiquity of spatial data, vertexes or edges in knowledge graphs can possess spatial location attributes side by side with other non-spatial attributes. For instance, as of June 2018 the Wikidata knowledge graph contains 48; 547; 142 data items (i.e., vertexes) to date and ≈13% of them have spatial location attributes. The co-existence of the graph and spatial data in the same geographic knowledge graph allows users to search the graph with local intent. Many location-based services such as UberEats, GrubHub, and Yelp already employ similar knowledge graphs to enhance the location search experience for their end-users. In this paper, we demonstrate a system, namely Spindra, that provides efficient management of geographic knowledge graphs. We demonstrate the system using an interactive map-based web interface that allows users to issue location-aware search queries over the WikiData knowledge graph. The Front end will then visualize the returned geographic knowledge to the user using OpenStreetMaps.


PURPOSE
To investigate circadian changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and the relation to systemic factors in healthy subjects.

METHODS
Thirty-eight eyes of 19 healthy volunteers were enrolled. SFCT was measured by using prototype high-penetration optical coherence tomography. Intraocular pressure (IOP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressures (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were measured every 3 hours over a 24-hour period. Circadian changes in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) were calculated. The difference between the maximal and minimal SFCTs was analyzed, and correlations between the SFCT and other systemic factors were evaluated.

RESULTS
There was a significant circadian variation in SFCT (P < 0.0001). The total mean SFCT was 280.3 ± 106.1 μm. At 6 PM, the mean SFCT (271.9 ± 103.5 μm) was the thinnest and at 3 AM it was the thickest (290.8 ± 110.8 μm). The SFCTs in 32 of 38 eyes were thickest between 3 and 9 AM and in 27 of 38 eyes, thinnest between 3 and 9 PM. The mean SFCT was significantly negatively correlated with the mean SBP (R(2) = 0.59, P = 0.02) in all eyes. There were no significant correlations between the mean SFCT and the mean DBP, MAP, HR, IOP, and MOPP in all eyes.

CONCLUSIONS
We investigated the circadian change of choroidal thickness using high-penetration optical coherence tomography in healthy volunteers. The significant diurnal change was found and the choroid was thicker at night and thinner in daytime. Fluctuations in the choroidal thickness may be related to SBP.


This thesis provides a systematic approach to the system-level design of embedded signal processing applications. Such applications tend to have mixed hardware-software components and are often subject to severe cost, performance, and design-time constraints. Our approach is to codesign these systems. The code-sign approach allows the hardware and software designs to be tightly coupled throughout the design process. We focus on the four key problems of partitioning, cosynthesis, cosimulation, and design methodology management. Applications are assumed to be specified using synchronous dataflow semantics.
A key contribution of the thesis is to formulate the extended partitioning problem. In system-level design, applications are represented as task graphs where tasks (called nodes) have moderate to large granularity and each node has several implementation options differing in area and execution time. The extended partitioning problem involves the joint determination of the mapping (hardware or software), schedule, as well as the implementation option for each node, so that the overall area allocated to nodes in hardware in minimum. This problem is considerably harder (and richer) than the traditional binary partitioning that determines just the best mapping and schedule.
Both extended and binary partitioning problems are constrained optimization problems and are shown to be NP-hard. We first present an efficient heuristic, called GCLP, to solve the binary partitioning problem. The heuristic reduces the greediness associated with serial traversal-based algorithms by formulating a global criticality (GC) measure. The GC measure also permits an adaptive selection of the objective (optimizing either area or time). We then present an efficient heuristic for extended partitioning, called MIBS, that alternately uses GCLP and an implementation-bin selection procedure. The implementation-bin selection procedure chooses the bin that maximizes the area-reduction gradient. Solutions generated by both heuristics are shown to be reasonably close to optimal. Extended partitioning generates considerably smaller overall hardware area as compared to binary partitioning.
Our approach to cosynthesis is to generate synthesizeable descriptions of the hardware and software components and to use pre-existing synthesis tools such as Ptolemy and Hyper to generate the actual software and hardware implementations. Techniques for generating these synthesizeable descriptions, starting with a partitioned graph, are discussed. Cosimulation involves simulating the hardware, the processor, and the software that the processor executes, within a unified framework. The requirements of a cosimulation framework are discussed and the use of Ptolemy for hardware-software cosimulation is illustrated.
Due to the large system-level design space, the system-level design problem cannot, in general, be posed as a single well-defined optimization problem. Typically, the designer needs to explore the possible options, tools, and architectures. We believe that managing the design process plays an equally important role in system-level design, as do the tools used for different aspects of the design. To this end, we present a framework that supports design methodology management.
We embody all the above concepts in a tool called the Design Assistant. The Design Assistant contains tools for partitioning, synthesis, and simulation and operates in the design methodology management framework.


This study examines the level of clinical sophistication of information technology (IT) in a sample of hospitals in Japan and benchmarks the extent of clinical sophistication in Japan with the findings from similar surveys conducted at different points in time in the State of Iowa in the US and two provinces in Canada. Data for the study were collected using a validated instrument assessing three dimensions of IT sophistication: functional, technological and integration levels. Clinical areas that were assessed include patient management, patient care activities and clinical support activities. The results show that the majority of processes and activities that have been computerised in Japan are the basic patient management processes, such as admission, registrations and order entry systems. Telemedicine, expert systems and voice recognition systems for notes transcriptions were only available in less than 5% of the sample hospitals. Overall, there were no differences between the small hospitals and large hospitals in terms of functional and integration sophistication. However, large hospitals had higher technological sophistications than small hospitals. Functional sophistication was higher in Japan than Canada and the US. Technological sophistication in Japan was somewhat better than that of Canada but lower than that of the US. The results demonstrated that there exists substantial room for expanding clinical IT systems in the hospitals in Japan.


In this contribution the question is raised how the relationship between anthropology and the science of Islam (Islamic Studies) has developed since the beginning of the institutionalization of both traditions as academic disciplines at the turn of the 20th century. Starting from the observation that from the foundation of social and cultural anthropology to the 1960s, Islam hardly found consideration as an empirical field, this essay discusses the function Islam had taken in the discursive structure of anthropological research. The essay draws particular attention to the German anthropologist Leo Frobenius (1873–1938), who as one of the few anthropologists engaged in a vivid yet short lived discussion with the just emerging science of Islam over the role of Islam in cultural diffusion. Using his image of Islam as an example, the difference of the anthropological design of Islam and that which the science of Islam has created will be explored. Finally, the essay addresses the consequences for both academic traditions which follow from the crumbling of the epistemological wall erected some 100 years ago due to the differentiation between social sciences and geisteswissenschaften.


Higher education in Tunisia is currently undergoing educational reform with the aim to enhance the employability prospects of its graduates, the standards of educational quality, and the popularity of its course offering to an international audience. At the heart of these discussions, the question of language of instruction at tertiary education continues to be raised. Due to historically entrenched reasons, most secondary school subjects and university programmes are currently taught in French while the official language policy states that Arabic is the official and national language of Tunisia. More recently, an increasing number of university courses are offered through the medium of English. This complex sociolinguistic situation raises questions regarding the identity of the country and the role of its official language and foreign languages in the educational sector, particularly in higher education. It also calls for an exploration of the possibility to embrace English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) policy at tertiary level. This report presents the findings of an exploratory, mixed method research that investigates how English is currently positioned in the Tunisian Higher Education sector, with the aim to uncover the possibilities of, and potential for, gradually introducing English as a medium of instruction in public universities. The project's design consists of 391 questionnaires completed by university students and semi-structured interviews with 63 educational stakeholders: university teaching staff, university students, senior members from the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education. The project stems from the view that for language planning to be most effective, it is crucial to combine voices from the 'top' with experiences and feelings from 'below'. The findings of the project suggest that while there are no attitudinal challenges associated with English as a language that Tunisian students and teaching staff need as part of their multilingual repertoires, there are some practical and pedagogical challenges facing the implementation of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). These are mainly associated with teacher training, teacher recruitment, the content of English classes at universities and secondary schools, baccalaureate exams not measuring speaking and listening language skills, as well as the lack of clarity surrounding language strategy in Tunisia. There are, however, some 'enablers' that provide some practical and attitudinal support platforms that reinforce a stronger position for English in the Tunisian higher education system.


Dynamin is a large GTPase involved in several distinct modes of cell endocytosis. In this study, we examined the possible role of dynamin in UT-A1 internalization. The direct relationship of UT-A1 and dynamin was identified by coimmunoprecipitation. UT-A1 has cytosolic NH(2) and COOH termini and a large intracellular loop. Dynamin specifically binds to the intracellular loop of UT-A1, but not the NH(2) and COOH termini. In cell surface biotinylation experiments, coexpression of dynamin and UT-A1 in HEK293 cells resulted in a decrease of UT-A1 cell surface expression. Conversely, cells expressing dynamin mutant K44A, which is deficient in GTP binding, showed an increased accumulation of UT-A1 protein on the cell surface. Cell plasma membrane lipid raft fractionation experiments revealed that blocking endocytosis with dynamin K44A causes UT-A1 protein accumulation in both the lipid raft and nonlipid raft pools, suggesting that both caveolae- and clathrin-mediated mechanisms may be involved in the internalization of UT-A1. This was further supported by 1) small interfering RNA to knock down either caveolin-1 or μ2 reduced UT-A1 internalization in HEK293 cells and 2) inhibition of either the caveolae pathway by methyl-β-cyclodextrin or the clathrin pathway by concanavalin A caused UT-A1 cell membrane accumulation. Functionally, overexpression of dynamin, caveolin, or μ2 decreased UT-A1 urea transport activity and decreased UT-A1 cell surface expression. We conclude that UT-A1 endocytosis is dynamin-dependent and mediated by both caveolae- and clathrin-coated pit pathways.


In a distributed environment the utilization of file buffer caches in different clients may vary greatly. Cooperative caching is used to increase cache utilization by coordinating the usage of distributed caches. Existing cooperative caching protocols mainly address organizational issues, paying little attention to exploiting locality of file access patterns. We propose a locality-aware cooperative caching protocol, called LAC, that is based on analysis and manipulation of data block reuse distance to effectively predict cache utilization and the probability of data reuse. Using a dynamically controlled synchronization technique, we make local information consistently comparable among clients. The system is highly scalable in the sense that global coordination is achieved without centralized control.


Marketing education in Jesuit business schools, as in most other business schools, is mainly oriented towards traditional for-profit business enterprises. Over the last decade interest has grown in the field of social entrepreneurship and in the . management of social entrepreneurial organizations (SEOs). By including an emphasis on SEOs, with their primary focus on social and environmental impact, Jesuit business schools can reposition themselves in a way that places considerable emphasis on social and ecological concerns. Such an orientation is in keeping with the Jesuit tradition particularly as articulated in the last few general congregations of the Jesuits. A primary question that we explore is: does marketing planning for SEOs, especially those that operate in the context of subsistence marketplaces, differ. from that of traditional for-profit business enterprises? If so, how might Jesuit business education, specifically with regard to marketing education, be modified so as to also apply to SEOs? Further, how does our identity as Catholic, Jesuit institu tions influence our offering and distinguish it from that offered at. secular institutions?


While prior research has uncovered racial disparities in the administration of death sentences, little attention has been devoted to earlier stages in the capital punishment processes. To understand the locus of racial bias within death penalty institutions, this study examines the entry of homicide cases into Los Angeles County's criminal justice system during a 5-year period. This two-part analysis seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) Does victim/defendant race influence homicide clearance and death penalty charging decisions? and (2) if so, does the likelihood of clearance mediate the effect of victim race on death penalty charges? Logistic regressions indicate that cases involving Latino victims are less likely to be cleared. Moreover, cases with Black and Latino victims are less likely to be prosecuted with a death penalty–eligible charge. Racial disparities accumulate across these stages, with clearance patterns influencing subsequent death penalty charging decisions. Results underscore the cumulative nature of racial within criminal justice institutions. By linking police and prosecution outcomes, these findings also highlight the interrelationship between criminal justice agencies.


Mobility and portable nature of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANET) has increased its popularity by two fold. MANETs have become a commonly used network for various applications. But this advantage suffers with serious security concerns, mainly a wireless transmission medium perspective where such networks may be subject to packet dropping. Mobility and portable nature of Mobile Ad hoc Network may also lead to link failure. During packet forward, valuable packets may be dropped by malicious nodes present in the network. Link error and malicious packet dropping are the two sources for packet losses in MANET. A node can act maliciously and could harm the packet sending process. Ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) is a popular routing protocol but is exposed to well known packet dropping attack. Proposed system introduces a new protocol named secured Ad hoc on demand distance vector (SAODV), which can truthfully detect packet dropping attack in MANET. SAODV can detect malicious nodes by identifying dropping of routing and data packet. Packet dropping due to both link error and presence of malicious nodes can detect by SAODV. It also provides importance to preserve privacy of data.


Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) patients may have decreased muscle strength. This decline can have multiple causes, among them diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). We sought to determine the effect of nerve deterioration on muscle strength in DM2 patients with and without DPN. Methods: Nineteen DM2 patients with DPN (DPN group), 15 DM2 patients without DPN (DC group), and 18 healthy subjects (HC group) were recruited. We determined motor and sensory nerve function of the lower extremity. Isometric dynamometry was performed to determine maximum torque of the ankle joint. Results: The DPN group had significantly diminished nerve function and muscle strength (P < 0.05) compared with both other groups. Only muscle strength was lower in DC subjects compared with HCs. No significant correlations were found between nerve function and muscle strength. Conclusion: These results indicate that reduced ankle joint torque in DM2 patients with and without DPN is independent of the presence of disturbed nerve function. Muscle Nerve, 2011


Highlights the Emergence of Image Processing in Food and Agriculture In addition to uses specifically related to health and other industries, biological imaging is now being used for a variety of applications in food and agriculture. Bio-Imaging: Principles, Techniques, and Applications fully details and outlines the processes of bio-imaging applicable to food and agriculture, and connects other bio-industries, as well as relevant topics. Due to the noncontact and nondestructive nature of the technology, biological imaging uses unaltered samples, and allows for internal quality evaluation and the detection of defects. Compared to conventional methods, biological imaging produces results that are more consistent and reliable, and can ensure quality monitoring for a variety of practices used in food and agriculture industries as well as many other biological industries. The book highlights every imaging technique available along with their components, image acquisition procedures, advantages, and comparisons to other approaches. Describes essential components of imaging technique in great detail Incorporates case studies in appropriate chapters Contains a wide range of applications from a number of biological fields Bio-Imaging: Principles, Techniques, and Applications focuses on the imaging techniques for biological materials and the application of biological imaging. This technology, which is quickly becoming a standard practice in agriculture and food-related industries, can aid in enhanced process efficiency, quality assurance, and food safety management overall.


Background Worldwide, dengue is an unrelenting economic and health burden. Dengue outbreaks have become increasingly common, which place great strain on health infrastructure and services. Early warning models could allow health systems and vector control programmes to respond more cost-effectively and efficiently. Methodology/Principal Findings The Shewhart method and Endemic Channel were used to identify alarm variables that may predict dengue outbreaks. Five country datasets were compiled by epidemiological week over the years 2007–2013. These data were split between the years 2007–2011 (historic period) and 2012–2013 (evaluation period). Associations between alarm/ outbreak variables were analysed using logistic regression during the historic period while alarm and outbreak signals were captured during the evaluation period. These signals were combined to form alarm/ outbreak periods, where 2 signals were equal to 1 period. Alarm periods were quantified and used to predict subsequent outbreak periods. Across Mexico and Dominican Republic, an increase in probable cases predicted outbreaks of hospitalised cases with sensitivities and positive predictive values (PPV) of 93%/ 83% and 97%/ 86% respectively, at a lag of 1–12 weeks. An increase in mean temperature ably predicted outbreaks of hospitalised cases in Mexico and Brazil, with sensitivities and PPVs of 79%/ 73% and 81%/ 46% respectively, also at a lag of 1–12 weeks. Mean age was predictive of hospitalised cases at sensitivities and PPVs of 72%/ 74% and 96%/ 45% in Mexico and Malaysia respectively, at a lag of 4–16 weeks. Conclusions/Significance An increase in probable cases was predictive of outbreaks, while meteorological variables, particularly mean temperature, demonstrated predictive potential in some countries, but not all. While it is difficult to define uniform variables applicable in every country context, the use of probable cases and meteorological variables in tailored early warning systems could be used to highlight the occurrence of dengue outbreaks or indicate increased risk of dengue transmission.


In this study, synthesis and characterisation of fatty hydroxamic acid (FHA) from
palm olein with hydroxylamine using reflux method. FTIR spectrum, 1H NMR and
elemental analysis tests conducted on FHA reveal that FHA was successfully
produced from palm olein,. The conversion percentage of palm olein to FHA
increases (81%) when the optimum reaction time to be 10 hours and a molar ratio of
(hydroxylamine to palm olein) 7:1.
FHA was used as one of the organic compounds to modify natural clay (Na-MMT).
The clay modification was carried out by stirring the clay particles in an aqueous
solution of the FHA or octadecylammonium (ODA) by which the clay layer distance
increases from 12.2 A to 31.02 A and 29.49 A, respectively. The modified clays
were then used in the preparation of polylactic acid/polycaprolactone (PLA/PCL)
composites. The optimum clay contents that yielded maximum tensile strength were
2% and 3% for PLA/PCL-ODA-MMT and PLA/PCL-FHA-MMT, respectively. The intercalation of the modifier in the clay layer was characterized by X-ray diffraction
(XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR).
Elemental analysis (CHN) was used to estimate the amount of FHAs and ODA in the
clay.
In the first part of the preparation, the composites were synthesized by melt blending
of the modified clay and PLA/PCL by a two-roll-mill internal mixer blending at a
temperature setting of 185°C, rotor speed of 50 rpm and the mixing time of 12
minutes. Mechanical properties of the produced composites were then characterized
by an lnstron universal testing machine.
The composites were also synthesized by using solution casting in the second part of
the study. In this process, Chloroform was chosen to dissolve PLA and PCL under
magnetic stirrer for 1 h. The required amount of the modified clay was added to the
mixture, the composites were poured into Petri dish and left to dry.
The results indicate that the presence of the modified clay has dramatically improved
the properties. Both of PLA/PCL-ODA-MMT and PLA/PCL-FHA-MMT
composites prepared by melt blending have high tensile strength 38.91 MPa and
39.31 MPa compared to those of solution casting 31.43 MPa and 32.84 MPa for
PLA/PCL-ODA-MMT and PLA/PCL-FHA-MMT, respectively. These composites
were further characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA and scanning electron microscopy
(SEM).It was found that similar results of FTIR and TGA were obtained when solution
casting and melt blending processes were used to produce PLA/PCL, PLA/PCLODA-
MMT and PLA/PCL-FHA-MMT. Thermal stability of these composites was
improved to 349.26 °C and 354.62 °C for PLA/PCL-ODA-MMT and PLA/PCLFHA-
MMT, respectively, compared with the blend of polymers 342.15 °C. While
the values of basal spacing in melt blending were higher 34.61 A and 36.15 A
compare with those of solution casting 31.15 A and 33.18 A for PLA/PCL-ODA-MMT
and PLA/PCL-FHA-MMT, respectively.


Internet services have become an indispensable part of our lives, with billions of users on a daily basis. Example use cases include services for real-time communication and collaborative editing of documents. Furthermore, there are many hidden—nonetheless omnipresent—use cases like cashier systems and sensors of industry facilities. Users expect to use Internet services at any time at low cost with the desired service quality despite potential load spikes a service might face. A straightforward strategy to provide services with high availability is to allocate dedicated resources for each service. In turn, this strategy is likely to lead to over-provisioning and increased operating expenses, which contradicts offering services at a low price. A solution to this problem is to leverage resource scheduling to share the underlying resources among many different workloads and services. Sharing the underlying resources is a key enabler to offer highly scalable services while keeping operating expenses of each service low.
A wide range of resource scheduling systems for the distributed computing landscape has been proposed in the past, covering the application and infrastructure levels. Application-level scheduling focuses on problems such as given a set of resources, configuring an application to reach high throughput and good service quality. Many application-level resource scheduling systems lack support for runtime scheduling, often due to slow or unsuitable algorithms. Without runtime scheduling, resource scheduling must run in advance for many scenarios and, at best, repeats periodically to update scheduling decisions. This is likely to result in inefficient resource usage. In contrast to application-level scheduling, infrastructure-level scheduling is about orchestrating resources and serving resource requests of various applications, aiming at high resource utilization. Infrastructure-level scheduling leverages generic resource abstractions, e.g., containers and virtual machines, to fulfill these properties. These abstractions make assumptions (e.g., homogeneity, linear resource consumption) to simplify management, but ignore the fact that current distributed computing systems have been evolving in the post-Moore's law era and many of these assumptions need to be revised. In particular, the recent trend of new programmable networking devices, ushering in a new area of in-network computing (INC), overtaxes the generic abstractions of compute containers running on servers. The ever-growing demand for Internet services in general and increasingly heterogeneous resources combined with the highly varying demand in particular, require runtime solutions for holistic resource scheduling, covering both the application and infrastructure levels.
This dissertation presents four novel solutions to holistic runtime scheduling for the distributed computing landscape. Two solutions cover the application and two the infrastructure levels. We start with an analysis of the field of resource scheduling for the distributed computing landscape and classify involved systems, resources, and abstractions. Based on this, we present a classification of INC which helps to understand the design space of INC resource scheduling. Next, we discuss two scenarios at the application level and demonstrate how runtime scheduling improves resource efficiency. As a first scenario, we consider big data aggregation systems and present ROME, a middleware system to reduce the total aggregation time. ROME automatically analyzes at runtime the involved aggregation function's data stream and optimizes each node's responsibilities in the aggregation plan. ROME reduces total aggregation time even compared with manually fine-tuned systems. The second scenario discusses resource scheduling of distributed service function chains. We present STEAM, the first distributed runtime scheduler for this problem, that operates at packet-level granularity without requiring a priori information of traffic estimates and a global view of the systems. Compared with non-runtime solutions to this problem, STEAM achieves better service quality when using the same resources and reduces the amount of resources required to serve the same load.
For the data center infrastructure level, we present two mutually exclusive solutions. Our first solution is IncSched, a system that retrofits existing data center resource schedulers for INC. Based on the proposed classification of INC, IncSched presents a new resource model, translates resource requests to be compliant with the plugged retrofitted scheduler, and holds the logic for managing INC resources. IncSched makes existing resource schedulers compatible with INC for the first time, contributing to a broad acceptance of INC. For a holistic integration of INC in data center resource scheduling, we propose HIRE, a full-fledged resource scheduling solution for INC. HIRE extends the resource model of IncSched for automatic augmentation of resource alternatives and incorporates non-linearity property of INC resource usage. HIRE is the first scheduler that combines all server and INC resources in the same scheduling problem to attribute interdependencies on data center level. These novelties make HIRE more successful in satisfying resource requests with INC, finding better placements concerning locality, and reducing tail latencies. We evaluate all solutions using extensive simulations, and for some also using system prototypes and integrated benchmarks.
In summary, this dissertation proposes four novel solutions for holistic runtime resource scheduling. The contributions foster the importance of runtime resource scheduling for more efficient resource usage. Our contributions to holistic resource scheduling make shared INC available on a data center level for the first time.


Abstract Cuadros et al. (2019) used a wide range of data from dioctahedral and trioctahedral Fe3+-bearing, 2:1 phyllosilicates to propose a model describing how tetrahedral occupancy by Fe3+ takes place in both dioctahedral and trioctahedral 2:1 phyllosilicates. The partition coefficient approach (Decarreau and Petit 2014) focusing on the distribution of Al3+ and Fe3+ between octahedral and tetrahedral sites of dioctahedral smectites has been disregarded in the study of Cuadros et al. (2019). This approach was applied here on the set of data from Cuadros et al. (2019). The partition coefficient value linked to the distribution of Al3+ and Fe3+ between octahedral and tetrahedral sites determined from natural and synthetic dioctahedral smectites applies well to trioctahedral phyllosilicates too. Data from synthetic iron-rich 2:1 smectites also fit well with both Cuadros et al. (2019) and Decarreau and Petit (2014) models.


Shape-Text matching is an important task of high-level shape understanding. Current methods mainly represent a 3D shape as multiple 2D rendered views, which obviously can not be understood well due to the structural ambiguity caused by self-occlusion in the limited number of views. To resolve this issue, we directly represent 3D shapes as point clouds, and propose to learn joint embedding of point clouds and texts by bidirectional matching between parts from shapes and words from texts. Specifically, we first segment the point clouds into parts, and then leverage optimal transport method to match parts and words in an optimized feature space, where each part is represented by aggregating features of all points within it and each word is abstracted by its contextual information. We optimize the feature space in order to enlarge the similarities between the paired training samples, while simultaneously maximizing the margin between the unpaired ones. Experiments demonstrate that our method achieves a significant improvement in accuracy over the SOTAs on multi-modal retrieval tasks under the Text2Shape dataset. Codes are available at here.


Stewart-Treves Syndrome ('STS) is a rare, extremely malignant and quickly progressing tumor. It is angiosarcoma developing in lymphostasis of an arm after radical mastectomy for cancer. The patient aged 80 years was followed-up, in whom STS had developed 19 years after radical mastectomy. Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by pathomorphological examination of dermal biopsy. Advanced age and severe associated diseases made it impossible to carry out specific therapy. The patient died of intoxication and increasing cardio-vascular insufficiency 9 months after the onset of the disease.


In this paper, an efficient low bit-depth representation based motion estimation approach which is particularly suitable for low-power mobile devices is proposed. Motion estimation is carried out using bit truncated gray-coded image pixels in the proposed approach. The hardware architecture of the proposed motion estimation method is also designed to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. It is shown that the proposed approach provides improved motion estimation accuracy compared to the other bit-truncation based approaches. The proposed hardware architecture has low hardware complexity and consumes very low power compared to the 8-bits/pixel based hardware architectures thus, it can be easily integrated to the state of the art video encoders.


On the Bonneville salt flats, the sound of roaring engines can be heard in the distance. At the wheel is Icarus, a chimpanzee hell-bent on transcending the limits of speed. Aboard iconic and increasingly powerful vehicles, Icarus will attempt to reach the ultimate speed of 400 Mph, thought to be impossible for land vehicles. As Icarus reaches for the sky, will he prevail or be consumed by his self-destructive quest?


Infections have complex interactions with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). They can complicate clinical course of lupus at any point of time. Inefficient immune system increases risk of infections in lupus patients in addition to immunosuppressive agents. Uncommon fungi, viruses, parasites and bacteria must be kept in mind while treating lupus patients. This case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) had multiple infections. Amongst them, systemic mucormycosis was the most unusual one while CMV infection was another one. H1N1 influenza, pseudomonas, and E.coli were other co-existing infections which had contributed in mortality of this patient. Systemic mucormycosis can involve different organs depending upon underlying disease and immune status of patient lungs, gastrointestinal tract, paranasal sinuses etc. More than one infection can co-exist in same patient of SLE due to multiple breaks in defence mechanisms of innate and adaptive immune system. Infections and lupus is a dreadful combination and increases morbidity and mortality significantly.


Diabetes has become a chronic metabolic disorder, and the growing diabetes population makes medical care more important. We investigated using a portable and noninvasive contact lens as an ideal sensor for diabetes patients whose tear fluid contains glucose. The key feature is the reversible covalent interaction between boronic acid and glucose, which can provide a noninvasive glucose sensor for diabetes patients. We present a phenylboronic acid (PBA)-based HEMA contact lens that exhibits a reversible swelling/shrinking effect to change its thickness. The difference in thickness can be detected in a picture taken with a smartphone and analyzed using software. Our novel technique offers the following capabilities: (i) non-enzymatic and continuous glucose detection with the contact lens; (ii) no need for an embedded circuit and power source for the glucose sensor; and (iii) the use of a smartphone to detect the change in thickness of the contact lens with no need for additional photo-sensors. This technique is promising for a noninvasive measurement of the glucose level and simple implementation of glucose sensing with a smartphone.


In order to improve the course design of a CS1 model-driven programming course we study potential indicators of success for such a course. We explain our specific interpretation of objects-first. Of eight potential indicators of success, we have found only two to be significant at a 95% confidence interval: math grade from high school and course work. The two significant indicators explain 24.2% of the variation of the exam grade. The result concerning math grade contradicts earlier findings. We discuss four aspects of our research: the explanation power of the potential success indicators, the impact of our findings on teaching, limits of what to conclude from the available data, and the variety of the notion "objects-first". Because of the variety of interpretations of "objects-first", the present research is necessary as a supplement to earlier research in order to make generalizable results on the success factors for objects-first programming.


The main purpose of this paper is to acquire a better understanding of the hydroelastic interactions, which take place between oscillating flexible cylinders and fluid forces. The cylinders are subjected to currents and shear flow, and the hydrodynamic forces are estimated by CFD tools. This article presents the results of an investigation being carried out at the University of Sao Paulo, in which a discrete vortex method is used to simulate the flow around a flexible cylinder. The calculations are compared with results obtained employing the quasi-steady theory, as proposed by Ferrari [2]. Also, the calculations are compared with experiments of a cantilever flexible cylinder immersed in a current, see Fujarra [6]. The reduced velocity vs. non-dimensional amplitude curve obtained in our calculations is compared with the experimental results. Visualizations of the wake indicate a hybrid mode of vortex shedding along the span. A 2S mode is found in regions of low amplitudes, changing to a 2P mode in the regions of larger amplitudes. The position of the transition of the modes varies with the reduced velocity. Our intention is to apply this model to problems occurring in the offshore industry. In this industry fluids are conveyed from the seabed to the platform through slender structures called risers. These risers are subject to shear and oscillatory flows due to currents and waves, respectively, flows with a very high degree of complexity, with changes of intensity and direction the deeper the water depth. A finite element structural model based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory was developed. In order to evaluate the dynamic response, a general equation of motion is solved through a numerical integration scheme in the time domain. The hydrodynamic forces are evaluated in two-dimensional strips. The technique used is the Discrete Vortex Method, which is a Lagrangian numerical scheme to simulate an incompressible and viscous fluid flow. A practical case of marine risers is also presented. In this case the results for various uniform currents acting on a single, flexible cylinder, representing a riser of 120m with 100m under water, are shown. Envelopes of maximum and minimum in-line and transverse displacements are presented. There is also a comparison of a shear flow case between the CFD numerical code with the quasi-steady theory code developed by Ferrari [2].Copyright © 2002 by ASME


The results of the investigation of the radiation emission (X-ray and electron
emissions) from a 2.2 kJ plasma focus operated in argon are presented. Experiments
were carried out using the University of Malaya-Dense Plasma Focus (UM-DPF2)
device operated in argon. The charging voltage was 12 kV and the operating pressure
was in the range of 0.7–2.5 mbar. Several diagnostics techniques were employed during
the project, namely, high-voltage probe, five-channel PIN diode, Faraday cup, X-ray
spectrometer, and scintillator–photomultiplier as detectors. In addition, the Lee model
code was used to simulate the plasma focus discharge and the corresponding emission
in terms of X-ray yield and electron beam fluence were analysed and compared to the
measured results obtained. The main goal of our project is to conduct an in-depth
investigation on X-ray emission from the UM-DPF2 device within an optimum pressure
range, as well as the electron beam emission in the same pressure range. The X-ray
yield, electron temperature, and electron beam fluence of argon plasma at 1.5–2.0 mbar
were analysed. The charge and density of the electron beam is high at this pressure
range of argon gas. The model is used to compare the results of temporal evolution and
characteristics of X-ray yield and electron beam for 1.5–2.0 mbar pressure range of
argon gas in the plasma focus device. The pressure 1.7 mbar of argon was found to give
maximum X-ray yield and electron beam emission. A reliable low-energy plasma focus
device with X-ray emission or electron beam could be used as an electron beam source
in various technological fields.


Objective: We aimed to investigate the frequency of seizure after acute carbamazepine poisoning and the important risk factors related to the outcomes of therapy. Methods: In this two-year cross-sectional study conducted in a University Hospital in Iran, 114 patients with acute carbamazepine poisoning were divided into two groups of with seizure (n = 8) and without seizure (n = 106) after intoxication. Demographic data, average amount of drug ingestion, time elapsed from ingestion to hospital admission, history of seizure before poisoning, mental status, visual disturbances and nystagmus, duration of hospitalization, the outcomes of therapy, arterial blood gas values and serum biochemical indices were compared between the two groups. Findings: Patients with seizure had an estimated (Mean ± SD) ingestion of 14,300 ± 570 mg carbamazepine, which was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than the seizure-free group (4600 ± 420 mg). The estimated average time between drug ingestion and hospital admission in patients with seizure and the seizure-free group were 515 ± 275 and 370 ± 46 minutes, respectively (P < 0.0001). In this study, 104 out of the total number of patients had recovered without any complication. Need for respiratory support, including airway support or intubation were the most recorded complication. One patient died after status epilepticus and aspiration pneumonia. Conclusion: The ingested amount of carbamazepine and the time elapsed from the ingestion of drug to hospital admission may influence the occurrence of seizure after acute carbamazepine poisoning; however, the outcome of supportive care in these patients seems to be positive.


The aim of this paper is to examine the ways in which leadership at middle management level in the public realm is gendered. This is attempted largely through a consideration of academic literature, supported by some empirical findings from a research investigation into higher education and social work in Sweden and England and a review of literature that reveals varying types of leadership characterized as masculinist. Taking the position that context shapes social relationships and subject positions, and provides opportunities as well as constraints, we consider leadership in the public sector under the sway of new public management, framed by neo‐liberalism and the valorization of competition, self‐interested instrumentality, uncertainty and risk, operationalized in public sector organizations through performative regimes. It is argued that while some women and men are willing participants in the new regimes, others are antagonistic or ambivalent, finding themselves mired in neo‐bureaucratic processes of surveillance and control, often stuck in occupational cul‐de‐sacs. It is contended that neo‐liberalism and new public management are associated with masculinist forms of rationality that elevate individual winners and losers and divert attention from collective issues of gender. Rather than focus on gendered styles of leadership it is suggested that it is more important to look at their gendered performance and effects.


The geographical region of Insular South East Asia and New Guinea is well-known as an area of mega-biodiversity. Less well-known is the extreme linguistic diversity in this area: over a quarter of the world's 6,000 languages are spoken here. As small minority languages, most of them will cease to be spoken in the coming few generations. The project described here ensures the preservation of unique records of languages and the cultures encapsu-lated by them in the region. The language resources were gathered by twenty linguists at, or in collaboration with, Dutch universities over the last 40 years, and were compiled and archived in collaboration with The Language Archive (TLA) at the Max Planck Institute in Nijmegen. The resulting archive constitutes a collection of multimedia materials and written documents from 48 languages in Insular South East Asia and West New Guinea. At TLA, the data was archived according to state-of-the-art standards (TLA holds the Data Seal of Approval): the component metadata infrastructure CMDI was used; all metadata categories as well as relevant units of annotation were linked to the ISO data category registry ISOcat. This guaranteed proper integration of the language resources into the CLARIN framework. Through the archive, future speaker communities and researchers will be able to extensively search the materials for answers to their own questions, even if they do not themselves know the language, and even if the language dies.