The changes in funding for undergraduate courses in England mean that universities are reassessing their product offerings to prospective students. In order to make effective strategic decisions, universities can make use of consumer behaviour research to understand better the impact of higher fees on how students weigh up their options for university. This study uses conjoint analysis to simulate students' choices in applying for university. A range of criteria that affect university/course choice is selected, based on extant literature on students' choice of university. The results suggest that course and university reputation are much more important than fees but there are differences in patterns of utility across various segments of the student population. Findings suggest that whilst fees are not as important as course or university reputation, students from backgrounds where neither parent attended university experience more disutility from higher prices. The implications for the marketing of higher education institutions and the pricing of degree courses in the era full fees are discussed.


We present a forecasting strategy based on stationary wavelet transform combined with radial basis function (RBF) neural network to improve the accuracy of 3-month-ahead hake catches forecasting of the fisheries industry in the central southern Chile. The general idea of the proposed forecasting model is to decompose the raw data set into an annual cycle component and an inter-annual component by using 3-levels stationary wavelet decomposition. The components are independently predicted using an autoregressive RBF neural network model. The RBF neural network model is composed of linear and nonlinear weights, which are estimates using the separable nonlinear least squares method. Consequently, the proposed forecaster is the co-addition of two predicted components. We demonstrate the utility of the proposed model on hake catches data set for monthly periods from 1963 to 2008. Experimental results on hake catches data show that the autoregressive RBF neural network model is effective for 3-month-ahead forecasting.


Abstract Objective To explore the associations of absolute and relative measures of exposure to food retailers with dietary patterns, using simpler and more complex measures. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Urban regions in Belgium, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and the UK. Participants European adults (n 4942). Supermarkets and local food shops were classified as 'food retailers providing healthier options'; fast-food/takeaway restaurants, cafés/bars and convenience/liquor stores as 'food retailers providing less healthy options'. Simpler exposure measures used were density of healthy and density of less healthy food retailers. More complex exposure measures used were: spatial access (combination of density and proximity) to healthy and less healthy food retailers; density of healthier food retailers relative to all food retailers; and a ratio of spatial access scores to healthier and less healthy food retailers. Outcome measures were a healthy or less healthy dietary pattern derived from a principal component analysis (based on consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, fast foods, sweets and sweetened beverages). Results Only the highest density of less healthy food retailers was significantly associated with the less healthy dietary pattern (β = −129·6; 95 % CI −224·3, −34·8). None of the other absolute density measures nor any of the relative measures of exposures were associated with dietary patterns. Conclusions More complex measures of exposure to food retailers did not produce stronger associations with dietary patterns. We had some indication that absolute and relative measures of exposure assess different aspects of the food environment. However, given the lack of significant findings, this needs to be further explored.


The article deals with the problem of the stress-strain state of a rock mass around a vertical working of a circular cross-section. An exact formulation of the three-dimensional problem of the deformation of a half-space weakened by a deep cylindrical cavity is used. The stress-strain state of a half-space, as a three-dimensional body, strictly obeys the basic requirements of the three-dimensional linear theory of elasticity and is described by its corresponding equations and relations in a cylindrical coordinate system. The specific problem of rock mechanics has been solved, i.e. the considered rock mass works only in compression. The deformation process and stress state around vertical shafts of circular cross-section are expressed in terms of stress functions. Calculation formulas are derived for all nonzero components of the strain and stress tensors, taking into account the axisymmetry of the problem under consideration, represented in terms of stress functions.


To make space activities more brisk, TSTO (Two Stage To Orbit) has been investigated worldwide as an advanced space transportation system. TSTO vehicles, which have a booster and an orbiter, have to make flight in a wide range of flight speed from subsonic to hypersonic, where they undergo aerodynamic interactions due to their combined bodies. In hypersonic flow regime, aerodynamic heating is critical, which depends on aerodynamic interaction pattern. In the present study, a delta-wing is employed as a booster and a diagonally-cut circular cylinder as an orbiter to reduce the aerodynamic interaction between these two bodies. It was found as a result of experiment that the heat flux on the head part of the diagonally-cut circular cylinder becomes about 2.4 times as large as the stagnation heat flux, while that on the delta-wing becomes about 0.5 times as large. These two values are roughly half of those in the case of a baseline combination: hemisphere-cylinder and delta-wing, which suggests that the diagonally-cut circular cylinder is promising as an orbiter head shape.


This paper addresses our experience in the design of a serious game, aimed at computer-based support for intercultural participatory management of protected areas (e.g., parks, marine reserves, biosphere reserves...), in order to promote biodiversity conservation and social inclusion. Its objective is, via a computer assisted role-playing game, to help various stakeholders (e.g., environmentalist, tourism operator, traditional community...) to collectively understand conflict dynamics and explore negotiation strategies for the management of protected areas. Therefore, this helps at mutual understanding and negotiation between different cultures, contexts and practices (traditional community, technical manager, environmentalist...) about strategic issues when aiming at both biodiversity conservation and social inclusion. After introducing the objectives of our serious game, named Sim Parc, we will describe its design and its current architecture. We will also discuss the introduction of various types of agents in the system: a decision making agent playing the role of the park manager, artificial players replacing some of the human players in the game, assistant agents assisting human players, and expert agents providing human players with technical information about the viability of their proposal (e.g., about the survival of an endangered species), or to analyse relations (e.g., dominance or equity) among players proposals. This last type of agent aims at introducing a technical viewpoint and culture in this intercultural participatory process. Some of these agents have already been implemented and tested and some others are in progress.


A trap analysis of a highly faulted Pliocene-Pleistocene turbidite sequence is performed in order to understand the controls on column heights, which range from ~110-2400 ft. in >20 reservoir compartments. A kinematically viable structural and stratigraphic model is generated from an interpretation of 3D seismic data, stratigraphic picks from >20 wells, and systematic petrophysical analysis of well logs to develop a field-wide model of shale volumes. This model forms the framework for analyzing reservoir juxtapositions and estimating fault properties in five main reservoirs intervals that are distributed throughout four main fault blocks at Nansen. In the adjacent Boomvang field, two main reservoir units are evaluated in one fault block. Fault seal capacity functions derived from this work are currently being utilized for exploration risking in nearby fault-dependent prospects. These functions are significantly different than recently published relations, but consistent with core-derived data from the region, and highlight the requirement for local calibration.


This research explores the history and evolution of the Establishment Clause from the Everson v. Board of Education (1947) separation of church and state framework, to the newly anointed accommodationist approach preferred in the Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022), within the context of college football at public universities. Player-led prayers, coach-led prayers, PA system-led prayer, the use of team chaplains, and other acts of religious expression are thoroughly discussed. College football coaches have a unique relationship with the student-athletes on their team, which includes examination of the Establishment Clause and the role of coercion (Chaudhuri v. Tennessee (1997); Lee v. Weisman, (1992); Mellen v. Bunting (2003). Similarly, the Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022) to cast aside the Lemon Test analysis in favor of an approach that accommodates the traditional aspects of prayer applies the precedent from Marsh v. Chambers (1983) and Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014). While it is clear the use of team chaplains, coaches who actively proselytize at public institutions, and the use of the PA system for prayer at public institutions violates the Establishment Clause, coaches who engage in quiet, private prayer do not under the precedent established in Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022). However, this recent Supreme Court ruling leaves a large gray area of unanswered application relative to player-led team prayers, having a team prayer, coach-led prayer that is not quiet and private, and the role of coercion in the legal analysis.


In recent decades, the need for an accurate evaluation of energy use in buildings has become increasingly growing due to the rise in environmental awareness and political pressure around the world. The estimation of energy consumption is, therefore, a crucial criterion during building early-stage design. This paper investigates the recent trends and achievements in modelling occupant behaviour in energy simulation studies and aims to highlight achievements and research gaps in the domain. This study presents a state-of-the-art theoretical review of the research background through published papers in leading journals within this research domain. The main goals of this study lay in the two layers of determining recent research trends and crucial findings in the subject of occupants' behaviour and energy consumption, and more importantly, to identify research gaps for future studies. This research review highlights several areas for future research including studying behaviour in different countries considering various climate, cultures and comfort preferences affecting energy-driven behaviour and conducting similar studies in different building typologies and occupancies. Moreover, based on the reviewed article, it is clear that evaluating occupant behaviour as an independent variable on a larger scale energy analysis in urban studies needs to be addressed in future studies. The authors found a lack of comprehensive approaches to comfort and considering all forms of comfort while studying behaviour and consumption in recent studies. It is recommended that further investigation of behaviour and total energy consumption regarding occupant real comfort conditions be conducted.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
This study was undertaken to assess the utility of contrast-enhanced MR angiography at 6 months after endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils.

METHODS
Contrast-enhanced MR angiography was performed in 47 patients at 6 and 12 months after endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms (48 aneurysms). Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was used as reference and was performed at 12 months after the treatment in all patients. MR angiographs were analyzed independently by two senior radiologists. DSA and MR angiography findings were assigned into one of three categories: complete obliteration, residual neck, or residual aneurysm.

RESULTS
All examinations were assessable. Interobserver agreement was judged as very good for contrast-enhanced MR angiography (kappa=0.96), with one discrepancy between examiners. Comparison between MR angiography at 6 months and DSA at 12 months showed an excellent agreement between techniques (kappa=0.93). Two cases of complete occlusion at DSA were misclassified as a residual neck at 6-month MR angiography. All aneurysm recanalizations at DSA already were detected on MR angiography at 6 months. The size of aneurysm recanalization did not increase between both MR angiographs performed at 6 and 12 months.

CONCLUSION
Contrast-enhanced MR angiography after selective embolization of intracranial aneurysm seems to predict properly early aneurysm recanalizations.


Background: A common early complication of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is haematoma enlargement (HE), a strong independent predictor of a poor outcome. Therapeutic options to limit haematoma progression are currently scarce. Haemostatic therapy may be effective in patients with ICH, but it carries the risk of thromboembolic events in unselected patients. Accurate patient selection would, therefore, be of key importance for delivering potentially successful therapeutic strategies. Currently, there is no gold standard to accurately predict HE. The presence of contrast extravasation within the haematoma on computed tomography angiography (CTA), the 'spot sign', has been reported in several studies and seems a particularly promising marker but lacks a standardised evaluation so far. Summary: We conducted a systematic review of published data to address the research question: In adults with acute spontaneous ICH, how accurately does the spot sign predict HE on follow-up imaging and thus poor functional outcome or mortality? We searched PubMed and Embase databases (from 1980 to May 2012), using a highly sensitive search strategy and including all studies involving adult patients with spontaneous ICH evaluated with CTA and follow-up CT scans, reporting any measure of clinical outcome, and reporting or allowing calculation of accuracy measures of the spot sign in predicting HE and clinical outcome. Baseline characteristics, accuracy measures and effect measures, as well as bias assessment, were reported according to PRISMA recommendations. The quality of the studies was appraised using an adapted version of the REMARK reporting recommendations. From 259 potentially relevant studies, we finally selected 6 studies (1 of them was a multicentre cohort study) covering a total of 709 patients. Studies varied substantially in terms of size, methodological quality, definitions of terms, outcomes selected and results. In particular, definition of the spot sign was not consistent in all studies. Furthermore, the only outcome measure consistently available was HE, while definitions and analyses of clinical outcomes seemed not adequate. Lastly, the choice of candidate variables for univariate and multivariate analyses did not include all determinants of HE and poor functional outcome. High heterogeneity was demonstrated (I2: 94% for HE) with substantial potential of bias. Key Messages: Studies of the spot sign are diverse and therefore complex to interpret. Our research question could not be answered due to heterogeneity and potential of bias in the selected studies. Further appropriately powered studies using standardised definitions and taking all predictors of HE and poor clinical outcome into account are required for a proper clinical implementation.


Contour features are re-emerging in the categorization community as it moves from appearance back to shape. However, the classical assumption of one-to-one correspondence between an extracted image contour and a model contour constrains category models to be highly brittle, offering little abstraction between image and model. Moreover, todaypsilas contour-based models are category-specific, offering no mechanism for contour grouping and abstraction in the absence of an object prior. We present a novel framework for recovering a set of abstract parts from a multi-scale contour image. Given a user-specified part vocabulary and an image to be analyzed, the system covers the image with abstract part models drawn from the vocabulary. More importantly, correspondence between image contours and part contours is many-to-one, yielding a powerful shape abstraction mechanism. We illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of this work in progress on a set of anecdotal scenes.


Although academics and practitioners frequently refer in their work to equity value investing, no consensus exists as to what this style exactly encompasses. For a wide range of 3,168 alternative implementations (design choices) of what could all constitute value portfolios, the authors document the impact of parameter pertubations on risk-adjusted returns. The observed dispersion in Sharpe ratios allows the authors to identify the hierarchy of design choices and to better assess the degrees of freedom consumed within the strategy development process. The authors can therefore derive critical t-values that adjust for overfitting. This will prove to be useful in research governance and strategy selection. TOPICS: Style investing, statistical methods Key Findings • Design choices create large variations in risk-adjusted returns. Characterizing factor investing as (scientific or smart) betas with no alpha underestimates the importance of skillfull choices. • Among design choices, signal definition is most important in explaining risk–return differences. However, even inferior signals can lead to significant performance gains when combined with selected portfolio construction choices, indicating the potential for data mining. • Investment firms with credible research governance need more awareness of the many degrees of freedom their research teams consume daily. The statistical literature on multiple hypothesis testing can provide those tools.


Purpose
The social media industry has entered a new stage with intensifying competition and heightened uncertainty about future directions. The purpose of this paper is to provide analyses of the current challenges and to identify industry-wide trends that may offer a roadmap for the future.

Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on publicly available key performance metrics, company reports and press reports, this paper offers critical analyses of the challenges facing the major social media platforms and new trends in the social media industry.

Findings
This study identified five major trends in the current social media industry: 1) content is king, and that content is moving to visual; 2) artificial intelligence is key to competitive advantage; 3) network effects still matter, but business model innovation can overcome that barrier; 4) the need to broaden revenue sources; and 5) the strive for the everything app. In this changing environment, social media companies need to adapt and innovate their business models proactively to stay ahead.

Originality/value
This paper not only sheds light on the current challenges of individual social media platforms but also identifies industry-wide trends that may apply across all platforms. Taken together, these insights paint a comprehensive picture of the current industry landscape, as well as offer clues about its future directions.


Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was found to increase both the short-circuit current (Isc) and the efflux of 125I- or 36Cl- in the colonic epithelial cell line HT-29.cl19A. Neither the PMA-provoked rise in Isc nor the stimulation of 125I- efflux was affected by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. The PMA-induced increase in Cl- efflux was not accompanied by a rise in adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels. A prolonged incubation with PMA (3 h), however, inhibited the PMA- and the cAMP-stimulated Isc by greater than 90%, whereas the cAMP-provoked 125I- and 36Cl- efflux was not inhibited. The long-term PMA treatment was found to inhibit the basal and cAMP-provoked 86Rb+ efflux by 65 +/- 9 and 86 +/- 7%, respectively. A 3-h incubation with PMA also strongly inhibited the Ca2+ ionophore A23187-induced increase in 86Rb+ efflux, whereas the A23187-stimulated 125I- efflux was only marginally inhibited. These data suggest that phorbol esters, presumably by activation of protein kinase C, can provoke Cl- secretion in HT-29.cl19A colonocytes independently of a prostaglandin- or cAMP-mediated pathway. Prolonged exposure to PMA, however, causes an inhibition of net electrogenic Cl- secretion by downregulation of the activity of K+ transporters.


Introduction: The Anatomage Table is the only fully segmented real human 3D anatomy system. Individual structures are reconstructed in accurate 3D and it helps the medical pre-clinical students to  explore and understand  human anatomy  like never before and even beyond a cadaveric dissection. Anatomage is an interface that affords students the opportunity to explore life-size anatomy on an interactive 3D table.[1] Aim and Objective: The aim of the study was to gather student opinion regarding this virtual dissection table (Anatomage) technology. Subjects and Methods: A questionnaire addressing the role of the Anatomage table in anatomy education and its comparison with various other learning modality was completed by 150 pre-clinical medical students. A free hand comment section was also included in the study. Results: 96% of students  strongly preferred the cross sectional planes and images of Anatomage over still images of text book in learning Anatomy. 95% of students strongly agreed that the ability of Anatomage to rotate and dissect is better in visualizing the body systems. 90% of students strongly agreed that Anatomage can be an adjunct or added tool to cadaveric dissection but not its replacement.48% of students believe Anatomage visualisation is better than real dissected structures. Conclusion: Anatomage can play an important role in the acquisition of 3D  knowledge of Anatomy and promises to be a useful added tool to traditional learning modalities, which still ranked high. This feedback also reveals that students are fascinated with the inclusion of Anatomage in their curriculum as it helps them in understanding, revising and learning in a better way than before. This virtual dissection table can be of immense help in medical colleges where sufficient number of cadavers are not available for Anatomical study.


The Escherichia coli initiator protein, DnaA binds to the replicational origin of the chromosome (oriC) and initiates the replication in a manner depending on ATP binding. Replication of mini-chromosome (a plasmid bearing oriC) has been reconstituted in vitro using crude extracts or purified proteins. In these in vitro systems, only ATP-bound form of DnaA is active to initiate a series of initiation reactions which leads to loading of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme (pol III HE) onto DNA for DNA synthesis. In a manner dependent on Hda protein and DNA loading of pol III HE, ATP bound on DnaA is hydrolyzed. The resultant ADP-bound form of DnaA is inactive for the initiation. This inactivation system called RIDA (regulatory inactivation of DnaA) ensures the replication initiation only once per cell cycle. We here describe recent progress on our system to reconstitute the inactivation of DnaA by RIDA and a novel system to regenerate active DnaA. The reconstitution of the Hda-dependent DnaA-ATP hydrolysis requires the DNA-loaded form of the sliding clamp. This complex is formed by loading of the beta subunit of pol III HE onto DNA during replication process. Hda protein forms a stable complex with the sliding clamp, and most likely has a direct contact to ATP bound on DnaA. The cellular ATP-DnaA level fluctuates during the cell cycle. Regeneration from ADP-DnaA to ATP-DnaA is observed in vivo before the next round of the replication. Recently we have found a specific DNA segment DARS (DnaA-reactivating sequences) that has an activity to release ADP bound on DnaA. ATP-DnaA is regenerated by nucleotide-exchange in the presence of DARS and the elevated concentrations of ATP. The resultant ATP-DnaA was active in the mini-chromosome replication reaction in vitro. Thus, DARS can functionally reactivate ADP-DnaA. The inactivation-reactivation cycle of DnaA might be reconstituted in vitro in a manner controled by RIDA and DARS


This article examines the problem of 'legislative precariousness' of workers, and its compatibility with human rights. Legislative precariousness is defined as the special vulnerability created by the explicit exclusion or lower degree of protection of certain categories of workers from protective laws. A group that is frequently made precarious by law in many jurisdictions are domestic workers, the situation of whom the second part of the article explores. The intersection of numerous expressions of legislative precariousness of this category of workers disadvantages them in comparison to other workers, and also makes enforcement difficult. The legislative precariousness of domestic workers, therefore, places them in a uniquely vulnerable position. Looking at the European human rights system, which is an influential and effective mechanism of protection, the third part of the article examines the legal protection of the rights of domestic workers. It emerges that human rights law has potential to assist this group, but what also becomes evident is that aspects of the law on social rights create further precariousness. The exclusion of undocumented migrants is very troubling, but may be corrected to a degree, as the European example shows.The fourth part of the paper considers how human rights practice in Europe sheds light on the interplay between human rights and labour rights in the context of migrant domestic work. It emerges that human rights law challenges the traditional public/private divide, and plays an important role in addressing the legislative precariousness of domestic workers. It is, therefore, valuable to them. In addition, importantly, some further conclusions can be drawn as to the normative foundation of the two bodies of rules (human rights and labour rights). These involve their shared theoretical justification: dignity as non-commodification, liberty and distributive justice. At a normative level, the final part of the article finds that the human rights and labour rights of precarious workers have much in common, and have potential to address the legislative precariousness of domestic workers, and of other groups of workers found in a precarious position.


Optical Packet Switching (OPS) has been envisioned as a prominent future optical networking technology for datacentric IP over Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) networks, or optical Internet. Such OPS technology however raises significant transport and Quality of Service (QoS) challenges due to technological limitations. To circumvent OPS limitations, we have proposed a new Optical Coarse Packet Switching (OCPS) paradigm, which uses in-band-controlled per-burst switching and advocates traffic control enforcement to achieve high packet-loss performance and differentiated services. Based on OCPS, we have constructed an experimental IP-over-WDM network, referred to as OPSINET. OPSINET consists of two major types of nodes-edge routers, and Optical Label Switched Routers (OLSRs), and is facilitated with an out-of-band Generalized Multi-protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) control network. In this paper, we first introduce the OCPS paradigm. We then present the architecture of OPSINET, describe the in-band header/payload modulation technique, and detail the operations of the edge routers, OLSRs, and GMPLS control


Many students who traditionally struggle with basic aspects of Mathematics have little or no concept of; Mathematics as a living and growing subject area. They appear not to appreciate the background of the day-to-; day Mathematics that they study, and which some of them may one day teach. These students generally; have no exposure to this material and are unlikely to investigate the History of Mathematics independently.; In this paper we will discuss the incidents that lead us to consider how to introduce students with weak; mathematical backgrounds to the History of Mathematics. We will briefly mention the reasons why there are; such significant numbers of students with these issues. We will also provide some detail on the first steps; taken by the Mathematics Support Centre in the National University of Ireland Maynooth to try to introduce; the background and context of Mathematics to these students. Based on the feedback we have received to; date, we will discuss if these initiatives have had a positive impact in terms of students' attitudes and results.


Background and Purpose— Stroke thrombolysis is highly time-critical, but data on long-term effects of small reductions in treatment delays have not been available. Our objective was to quantify patient lifetime benefits gained from faster treatment. Methods— Observational prospective data of consecutive stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis in Australian and Finnish centers (1998–2011; n=2258) provided distributions of age, sex, stroke severity, onset-to-treatment times, and 3-month modified Rankin Scale in daily clinical practice. Treatment effects derived from a pooled analysis of thrombolysis trials were used to model the shift in 3-month modified Rankin Scale distributions with reducing treatment delays, from which we derived the expected lifetime and level of long-term disability with faster treatment. Results— Each minute of onset-to-treatment time saved granted on average 1.8 days of extra healthy life (95% prediction interval, 0.9–2.7). Benefit was observed in all groups: each minute provided 0.6 day in old severe (age, 80 years; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score, 20) patients, 0.9 day in old mild (age, 80 years; NIHSS score, 4) patients, 2.7 days in young mild (age, 50 years; NIHSS score, 4) patients, and 3.5 days in young severe (age, 50 years; NIHSS score, 20) patients. Women gained slightly more than men over their longer lifetimes. In the whole cohort, each 15 minute decrease in treatment delay provided an average equivalent of 1 month of additional disability-free life. Conclusions— Realistically achievable small reductions in stroke thrombolysis delays would result in significant and robust average health benefits over patients' lifetimes. The awareness of concrete importance of speed could promote practice change.


Integrating model-based machine learning methods into deep neural architectures allows one to leverage both the expressive power of deep neural nets and the ability of model-based methods to incorporate domain-specific knowledge. In particular, many works have employed the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm in the form of an unrolled layer-wise structure that is jointly trained with a backbone neural network. However, it is difficult to discriminatively train the backbone network by backpropagating through the EM iterations as they are prone to the vanishing gradient problem. To address this issue, we propose Highway Expectation Maximization Networks (HEMNet), which is comprised of unrolled iterations of the generalized EM (GEM) algorithm based on the Newton-Rahpson method. HEMNet features scaled skip connections, or highways, along the depths of the unrolled architecture, resulting in improved gradient flow during backpropagation while incurring negligible additional computation and memory costs compared to standard unrolled EM. Furthermore, HEMNet preserves the underlying EM procedure, thereby fully retaining the convergence properties of the original EM algorithm. We achieve significant improvement in performance on several semantic segmentation benchmarks and empirically show that HEMNet effectively alleviates gradient decay.


In deep sub-micron technologies post-layout tuning analysis has become the most critical phase in the verification of large system-on-chip (SoC) designs with several power-hungry blocks. An increasingly important factor that can introduce a severe performance loss is the power supply noise. As technology advances into the nanometer regime, the operating frequencies increase, and clock gating has emerged as an effective technique to limit the power consumption in block-based designs. As a consequence, the amplitude of the supply voltage fluctuations has reached values where techniques to include the effect of power supply noise into timing analysis based on linear models are no longer adequate, and the non-linear dependence of cell delay from supply voltage must be considered. In this work we present a practical methodology that accurately takes into account the power supply noise effects in static timing analysis, which can be seamlessly included into an industrial sign-off design flow. The experimental results obtained from the timing verification of an industrial SoC design have demonstrated the effectiveness of our approach


Physics-Based 3D Multi-Directional Reloading Algorithm for Deep Burn HTR Prismatic Block Systems. (August 2010) Tom Goslee Lewis III, B.S.; M.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Pavel Tsvetkov To assure nuclear power sustainability, ongoing efforts on advanced closed-fuel cycle options and adapted open cycles have led to investigations of various strategies involving utilization of Transuranic (TRU) nuclides in nuclear reactors. Due to favorable performance characteristics, multiple studies are focused on transmutation options using High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs). Prismatic HTGRs allow for 3Dimensional (3D) fuel shuffling and prior shuffling algorithms were based on experimental block movement and/or manual block shuffle patterns. In this dissertation, a physics based 3D multi-directional reloading algorithm for prismatic deep burn very high temperature reactors (DB-VHTRs) was developed and tested to meet DB-VHTR operation constraints utilizing a high fidelity neutronics model developed for this dissertation. The high fidelity automated neutronics model allows design flexibility and metric tracking in spatial and temporal dimensions. Reduction of TRUs in DB-VHTRs utilizing full vectors of TRUs from light water reactor spent nuclear fuel has been demonstrated for both a single and two-fuel composition cores. Performance of the beginning-of-life and end-of-life (EOL) domains for multi-dimensional permutations were evaluated. Utilizing a two-fuel assembly permutation within the two-fuel system domain for a Single-Fuel vector, the developed shuffling algorithm for this dissertation has successfully been tested to meet performance objectives and operation constraints.


The separation of Sumatra and Java occurred at the end of the Miocene (10 mya) to the end of Pliocene (1.8 mya). The existence of ecological variations and geographic barriers inhibits gene flow through the isolation of adaptation, geography, reproduction, inbreeding, and leading to population segregation. Cobra (genus Naja ) distribution became greatly influenced by the geologic condition and sea level. This study was conducted by phylogenetic analysis towards the 16S rRNA gene. Survey was done with Visual Encounter Survey (VES) method on 6 localities. There were 3 locations in Sumatra Island and the others in Java Island. Sample from other Asian region was obtained from Genbank, which are 11 individuals from China, Thailand, and Nepal. DNA extraction was done according to the QIAmp ® DNA Mini Kit standard protocol. The forward and reverse 16S sequences are combined with the Sequencher TM version 4.1.4 program, then in BLAST (Blast Local Alignment Search Tool) at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.  Phylogenetic analyzes of clade A (MP = 60, ML = 54, BI = 88) indicate the presence of division into two monophyletic subclade (AI and AII). Subclade AI consists of groups of Cobra  from Sunda (Thailand, Sumatra and Java). Subclade AII is a group of species N. kaouthia originating from Chumpon Province, Southern Thailand with (MP = 96, ML = 95, BI = 100). Clade B is divided into two subclasses (BI and BII). The result is supported by bootstrap value MP = 93, ML = 99, BI = 100. N. atra of Fujian Province is a sister lineage of the same species from Jiangxi Province (MP = 86, ML = 86, BI = 100). Keywords: Asian, 16s rRNA, Java, Cobra, Sumatra.


Pedestrian-navigation services enable people to retrieve precise instructions to reach a specific location. However, the development of mobile spatial-information technologies for pedestrians is still at the beginning and faces several difficulties. As the spatial behavior of people on foot differs in many ways from the driver's performance, common concepts for car-navigation services are not suitable for pedestrian navigation. Particularly, the usage of landmarks is vitally important in human navigation. This contribution points out the main requirements for pedestrian-navigation technologies and presents an approach to identify pedestrian flows and to imply landmark information into navigation services for pedestrians.


This paper presents the design, analysis, and experimental validation of a globally asymptotically stable (GAS) filter for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), with application to unmanned aerial vehicles. The SLAM problem is formulated in a sensor-based framework and modified in such a way that the underlying system structure can be regarded as linear time varying for observability analysis and filter design purposes, from which a linear Kalman filter with GAS error dynamics follows naturally. The performance and consistency validation of the proposed sensor-based SLAM filter are successfully assessed with real data, acquired indoors, using an instrumented quadrotor.


significant to read that the management consultants to the Irish Government were Messrs. McKinsey & Co. (the same as for Britain). Mention is made of the role of W.H.O., the Council of Europe, with interesting reference to the European Economic Community (E.E.C. or Common Market) and its probable influence on health administration. Chapters 6 to 13 give important basic information relating to the registration of medical and nursing personnel, health finance, eligibility for health services, voluntary health insurance, community


Vibrio vulnificus is a heterogeneous bacterial species that can be virulent for humans and fish. Virulence in fish seems to rely on a recently described plasmid that can be transmitted between strains, aided by a conjugative plasmid. The main objective of this work was to analyse the plasmid content of a wide collection of strains from the three biotypes of the species, as well as to identify putative conjugative and virulence plasmids by means of Southern hybridization with specific probes and sequence analysis of selected gene markers. We found 28 different plasmid profiles in a total of 112 strains, which were relatively biotype- or serovar-specific. Biotype 1 lacked high-molecular-mass plasmids, with the exception of a putative conjugative plasmid of 48 kb that was present in 42.8% of clinical and environmental strains isolated worldwide. All biotype 2 strains possessed the virulence plasmid, whose molecular mass ranged between 68 and 70 kb, and 89.65% of these strains also had a putative conjugative plasmid with a molecular size of 52-56 kb. Finally, a 48 kb putative conjugative plasmid was present in all biotype 3 strains. Data from partial sequencing of traD, traI and the whole vep07 (a recently described plasmid-borne virulence gene) from a selection of strains suggest that the plasmids of 48-56 kb probably belong to the same family of F-plasmids as pYJ016 and that the gene vep07 is absolutely essential for fish virulence. Additional cryptic plasmids of low molecular mass were present in the three biotypes. In conclusion, plasmids are widespread among V. vulnificus species and could contribute substantially to genetic plasticity of the species.


Osteoporosis is a major public health issue in several countries worldwide because it increases healthcare costs, and is a risk for mortality. There have been several studies that have examined BMD among the various Thai people and the regions that they inhabit.

 This study examined the distal forearm Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in men and women over 40 years of age among members of various Karen hill-tribes located in the Omkoi District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.

 Two hundred and sixty-two subjects (180 women, 82 men), ranging from 40 to 83 years old were recruited in this study. The non-dominant distal forearm bone mineral density was assessed by using peripheral dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (pDEXA).

 The results showed that the BMD were 0.530 ± 0.065, 0.508 ± 0.087, 0.461 ± 0.098, and 0.438 ± 0.124 g/cm2 for men age 40-49 years, age 50-59 years, age 60-69 years, and ages 70-83 years, respectively. For women, the BMD were 0.392 ± 0.051, 0.337 ± 0.063, 0.232 ± 0.065, and 0.212 ± 0.069 g/cm2 among women age 40-49 years, age 50-59 years, age 60-69 years, and ages 70-83 years, respectively. BMD had decreased in post-menopause as a function of duration time after menopause.

 We determined the prevalence of osteoporosis of men and women of Karen hill-tribes in the Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. These findings provided important information regarding bone health in Karen hill-tribes for any healthcare planning done in the immediate future.


This study employs descriptive qualitative analysis to explore the experiences of eight Mexican American veterans utilizing Veterans Affairs education benefits to pursue baccalaureate degrees. Participants were recruited in Southern California at two California Community Colleges and three California State Universities. The findings suggest that Mexican American student veterans navigate college and their education benefits based on their experiences in the military. The study identifies five factors Mexican American student veterans negotiate when transitioning to college: (a) minimization of racism; (b) lack of support; (c) being experiential learners; (d) substitute leadership; and (e) being financially motivated.


Intramembrane metalloproteases (IMMPs) control critical biological processes by cleaving membrane-associated proteins within a transmembrane segment or at a site near the membrane surface. Phylogenetic analysis divides IMMPs into four groups. SpoIVFB is a group III IMMP that regulates Bacillus subtilis endospore formation by cleaving ProK and releasing the active sigma factor from a membrane. To elucidate the enzyme-substrate interaction, single-cysteine versions of catalytically inactive SpoIVFB and C-terminally truncated Pro(1-126) (which can be cleaved by active SpoIVFB) were coexpressed in Escherichia coli, and proximity was tested by disulfide cross-linking in vivo. As expected, the results provided evidence that catalytic residue Glu-44 of SpoIVFB is near the cleavage site in the substrate. Also near the cleavage site were two residues of SpoIVFB in predicted conserved loops; Pro-135 in a short loop and Val-70 in a longer loop. Pro-135 corresponds to Pro-399 of RseP, a group I IMMP, and Pro-399 was reported previously to interact with substrate near the cleavage site, suggesting a conserved interaction across IMMP subfamilies. Val-70 follows a newly recognized conserved motif, PXGG (X is a large hydrophobic residue), which is in a hydrophobic region predicted to be a membrane reentrant loop. Following the hydrophobic region is a negatively charged region that is conserved in IMMPs of groups I and III. At least two residues with a negatively charged side chain are required in this region for activity of SpoIVFB. The region exhibits other features in IMMPs of groups II and IV. Its possible roles, as well as that of the short loop, are discussed. New insights into IMMP-substrate interaction build toward understanding how IMMPs function and may facilitate manipulation of their activity.


Multiplayer games have a long history in being used as key testbeds for evaluation and training in artificial intelligence (AI), aptly referred to as the "Drosophila of AI". Traditionally, researchers have focused on using games to build strong AI agents that, e.g., achieve human-level performance. This progress, however, also requires a classification of how 'interesting' a game is for an artificial agent, which requires characterization of games and their topological landscape. Tackling this latter question not only facilitates an understanding of the characteristics of learnt AI agents in games, but can also help determine what game an AI should address next as part of its training. Here, we show how network measures applied to so-called response graphs of large-scale games enable the creation of a useful landscape of games, quantifying the relationships between games of widely varying sizes, characteristics, and complexities. We illustrate our findings in various domains, ranging from well-studied canonical games to significantly more complex empirical games capturing the performance of trained AI agents pitted against one another. Our results culminate in a demonstration of how one can leverage this information to automatically generate new and interesting games, including mixtures of empirical games synthesized from real world games.


This paper reports the effect of Ho on the microstructure, texture and magnetostrictive properties of Tb0.3Dy0.7-xHoxFe1.95 (with x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2) alloys. The alloys were vacuum induction melted and directionally solidified by modified Bridgman technique. Ho addition has been found to improve the magnetostriction at lower concentration due to absence of deleterious pro-peritectic (Tb,Dy)Fe3 phase. The static strain co-efficient is found to be better in Ho added alloys and the prevalence of strong and texture is attributed to be the reason.


Prior research has found that salary discrimination based upon a player's race was present and eventually disappeared from the National Basketball Association (NBA). Recent research has produced similar findings regarding salary discrimination between foreign and U.S. players, which too has produced conflicting results. Foreign players have continued to enter the NBA over the past decades and the game has expanded as a global brand. This study examined salary discrimination between foreign and U.S players after the implementation of the 2011-2012 CBA using 39 foreign and 39 U.S. players. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine if salary discrimination persisted in the NBA between the 2011-2012 and the 2015-2016 seasons for these two groups of players and which of the statistical categories being measured had the greatest influence on a player's salary. The study found that U.S. players received a salary premium of $230,000, though the difference was not significant. In regards to the entire population, the variables with the greatest influence on a player's salary were Points per Game, Win Shares and Years in NBA. Document Type Undergraduate Project Professor's Name Dr. Emily Dane-Staples


A proposal for spectral broadening of an intense laser pulse with energy 15 mJ and a pulse duration of 40 fs in an argon-filled hollow fiber, using conjugate pressure-gradient method, is presented. The design, to be referred as conjugate pressure-gradient method, shall consist of a pair of hollow-fiber segments, each with gas pressure that increasingly and decreasingly varies, respectively. It is expected that the occurrence of early self-focusing can be avoided, as well as the elimination of the additional nonlinear processes at hollow fiber exit. Simulation using 15 mJ, 40 fs laser pulses shows that, in the intensity regime where ionization is important, excellent spectral broadening and spectral phase of the pulses can be obtained using the proposed conjugate pressure gradient method. The method therefore shall be useful for the spectral broadening of high-energy, ultrashort laser pulses.


Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS), also called Bean syndrome, is a rare disease associated with multiple venous malformations essentially in the skin and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract [1, 2]. It commonly presents with anemia and patients respond to supportivemeasures, but severe symptoms may be treated by surgical resection, endoscopic sclerotherapy, and laser photocoagulation [3, 4]. We report here a case of BRBNS presenting with GI bleeding in a 9-year-old boy who was first diagnosed at the age of 1, with a venous angioma in the knee. The onset of melena led to a complete exploration of the upper and lower GI tract, and capsule endoscopy, which revealed several typical blue lesions in the stomach (▶Fig. 1 a, b), small bowel (▶Fig. 2), and colon (▶Fig. 1 c). Gastric and colonic lesions were first treated with argon plasma coagulation (▶Fig. 3) in the pediatric hospital. The patient was then referred to our unit for double-balloon enteroscopy (EN-580T; Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan), through which we could identify five pedunculated lesions and four flat friable ones. The progression of the endoscope was difficult owing to the small size of the intestinal loops; however, successful sclerotherapy of the lesions was achieved by injecting aetoxisclerol (▶Video1). Apart from these angiomas, no further lesions required treatment, according to capsule endoscopy. The patient did not experience any new bleeding after this treatment. In conclusion, BRBNS is rare but the diagnosis has to be considerd when typical lesions are seen in different areas. Double-balloon enteroscopy using an adult enteroscope appears to be feasible in children, but progression is probably more difficult in a small-diameter bowel. As previously demonstrated, aetoxisclerol seems to be effective for the treatment of lesions with low risk of perforation.


The technical progress and the globalization accelerate rapidly the development of new disciplines and sub-disciplines. Consequently, new and specific terminology is necessary. In addition, the interdisciplinarity contributes as well to the development of communication problems between non-professionals and experts of a special domain or between experts of different domains—as well at international level. Usually, technical terms are defined differently according to their domains. Therefore, a new terminological approach will avoid semantic vagueness as synonymy, antonymy, risk of confusion, hypernymy-hyponymy relations and polysemy, homonymy, etc.. For example, the terms "localization" and "positioning" are prototypes for this semantic vagueness. The objective of the iglos ("intelligent glossary") terminology work of the Institute of Traffic Safety and Automation Engineering of the Technische Universitat Braunschweig is to clarify the multilingual and multidisciplinary misunderstanding between special languages of different domains by standardizing the definitions of technical terms. The focus of this paper lies on semantic problems of English navigation terminology in railway traffic domain and the clarification of the semantic vagueness between its terms with a modeling process and a linguistic method with different criteria. Finally, the result of these approaches should be a consistent navigation terminology in the railway domain.


We have investigated the effect of a Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) thermal barrier on the reset operations in TiN/Cu/SiC/Pt devices. When the GST film was introduced as a thermal barrier, the device showed a lower reset voltage and a lower reset current than a device without the GST layer. In particular, the reset speed of the device with the GST layer was significantly faster at room temperature compared to the device without the GST layer. We attribute the improved resistive switching to the GST thermal barrier, which induces thermally assisted electrochemical reduction of the Cu filament.


Cystadenoma of the pancreas is a rare tumor, which usually occurs in young women. In this paper, 8 patients are reported. The common clinical symptom was upper abdominal mass or discomfort. The tumor was located by ultrasonography and CT scan. Impression and displacement of the duodenum and stomach were showed by barium meal examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Macroscopically, the tumor was encapsulated. Its section showed cystic and multilocular structures. Microscopically, the tumor cells were in papillary arrangement. Six of these 8 patients were misdiagnosed as pseudocyst of the pancreas and cystojejunostomy was performed. Three of 6 underwent malignant change, which was finally diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology. This tumor, even after malignant change, is prone to local invasion and less likely towards distant metastasis. Resection, including pancreatoduodenectomy, is the best treatment.


ABSTRACT Purpose: Women's experiences of pregnancy, labour and birth are for some pregnant women negative and they develop a fear of childbirth, which can have consequences for their wellbeing and health. The aim was to synthesize qualitative literature to deepen the understanding of women's experiences of fear of childbirth. Methods: A systematic literature search and a meta-synthesis that included 14 qualitative papers. Results: The main results demonstrate a deepened understanding of women's experiences of fear of childbirth interpreted through the metaphor "being at a point of no return". Being at this point meant that the women thought there was no turning back from their situation, further described in the three themes: To suffer consequences from traumatic births, To lack warranty and understanding, and To face the fear. Conclusions: Women with fear of childbirth are need of support that can meet their existential issues about being at this point of no return, allowing them to express and integrate their feelings, experiences and expectations during pregnancy, childbirth and after birth. Women with fear after birth, i.e., after an earlier negative birth experience, need support that enables them to regain trust in maternity care professionals and their willingness to provide them with good care that offers the support that individual women require. Women pregnant for the first time require similar support to reassure them that other's experiences will not happen to them.


Bacteria are arguably the simplest of known microorganisms, forming a fundamental part of the world we live in. Many functions they perform are found in scaled-up versions in higher organisms. Among many advanced functions, bacteria possess the ability to move in search for nutrients and favorable growth conditions. Measurement of the dynamical variables associated with bacterial swimming has proven to be difficult due to the lack of an accurate and convenient tool. In the past optical traps have been used for the manipulation of microscopic objects and measurement of minute forces. Herein, I have devised techniques for use of optical traps for direct measurement of the dynamics of bacterial swimming and chemotaxis, shedding light on the propulsion apparatus and sensory systems. A detailed analysis is performed to explore the effects of non-local hydrodynamic interactions on the swimming of single cells. Due to the lack of reliable measurement techniques, experimentalists often use theoretical models to estimate bacterial dynamics, the validity of which are tested. I emphasize the shortcomings of the very popular Resistive Force Theory (RFT) and indicate how the more rigorous Slender Body Theory (SBT) is able to overcome the limitations. In addition the chemotaxis of the marine bacterial strain Vibrio alginolyticus is studied with the revelation of a previously unknown chemotactic mechanism. Direct observations showed that these cells are able to bend their flagella to impart direction changes, which is paramount for an effective search strategy. This interesting find opens several intriguing questions pertaining to chemotaxis.


: Electrocoagulation/flotation (ECF) is a process of passing a steady electric current through a liquid to remove a known contaminant. When aluminium electrodes are used, the aluminium goes into solution at the anode and produces aqueous aluminium species and hydrogen gas is released at the cathode. The experimental results indicate that the pH of solution is an important factor in the removal of fluoride. The optimal pH was found to be between 6 and 7.5. When pH<6, dissolved aluminium species such as (Al3+), Al(OH)2' and A l{O H )*2 are predominant and aluminium hydroxide is tended soluble. However when pH>9, soluble species AlfOHV is found to be predominant species. The strong presence of the hydroxy-aluminium in the pH range of 6-7.5, maximizes the formation of fluoro-hydroxide aluminium complexes and it is considered to be the main reason for defluoridation by electrocoagulation. The residual fluoride in such solutions may occur in different dissolved forms (F', A1F2+, A1F4') or finely precipitated to solid forms such as Al(OH) 3 _xFx . The composition of the sludge produced was analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. XRD analysis shows confirmation that the removal mechanism is a competitive ion adsorption between OH' and F\ The dried sludge obtained by ECF shows the formation of Al(OH) 3 _xFx and provides confirmation for the main mechanism for fluoride removal.


The Mpumalanga Highveld Region is commonly known for its coal mining activities, especially surface mines. South Africa is still reliant on coal as its main energy source. A dilemma identified is that most of the coal reserves in Mpumalanga are (or were) located below highly productive arable land formerly used for food production such as maize. With a growing energy demand, these valuable areas of land are being impacted negatively. The post-mining land is predominantly rehabilitated to a grazing land capability instead of the pre-mining arable land capability, hindering the production of crops on those areas when mining ceases. This adds to the food security threat which South Africa is currently facing. The National Development Plan 2030 indicated the intentions to diversify the national economy. It was identified that agricultural activities should be expanded to relieve the high levels of poverty in rural areas, and that sustainable agriculture should be the main focus. With the prevailing trends of surface coal mines expanding on available arable land, the realization of this goal might not be possible. This study looked at aquaponics as a possible environmental management alternative that will enhance the agricultural productivity of rehabilitated mine land. An experimental site located close to Middelburg and Emalahleni was used as the base for this study to determine the financial feasibility of such a venture. Five chosen mines within a 20km radius were investigated to understand their rehabilitation practices and to prove that the sites are rehabilitated to a grazing land standard. These sites were all identified as favourable for the initiation of aquaponics. The two post-mining land use alternatives were compared with one another to understand what the benefits and constraints are. The economic driver was a main focus, followed with a brief overview of environmental and social aspects that can be kept in mind when these land uses are established.


— A new Feed-Forward/Feedback Generalized Minimum Variance Pole-placement Controller to incorporate the robustness of classical pole-placement into the flexibility of generalized minimum variance self-tuning controller for Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) has been proposed in this paper. The design, which provides the user with an adaptive mechanism, which ensures that the closed loop poles are, located at their pre-specified positions. In addition, the controller design which has a feed-forward/feedback structure overcomes the certain limitations existing in similar pole-placement control designs whilst retaining the simplicity of adaptation mechanisms used in other designs. It tracks set-point changes with the desired speed of response, penalizes excessive control action, and can be applied to non-minimum phase systems. Besides, at steady state, the controller has the ability to regulate the constant load disturbance to zero. Example simulation results using both simulated and real plant models demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.


OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of menopausal-related symptoms and to evaluate their impact on quality of life (QoL) among a sample of menopausal women from Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted at the Gynecology department, Suez Canal University, Ismailia - Egypt. A total 1,214 women aged 40 - 70 years were recruited and studied using an interview questionnaire. The questionnaire contains four main items: socio-demographic data, menstruation status assessment, modified Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. RESULTS Mean age was 48.1 ± 10.3 years, with 26.6% of the studied participants were illiterates. According to menstruation status, 40.9% of the studied women were postmenopausal, 41.4% were premenopausal, while 17.7% were perimenopausal. Most of the studied participants have mild/moderate somatic symptoms. Mild/moderate depressive mode, irritability, and anxiety have been reported in 63%, 58.4%, and 58.2% of women, respectively. Postmenopausal women have significantly higher scores on MRS except for urogenital score that was higher in perimenopausal women. They also had significantly lower QoL score in all subscales of WHOQOL-BREF except for psychological domain that was lowest among perimenopausal women. MRS total score has significant negative correlation to all domains of WHOQOL questionnaire. CONCLUSION Postmenopausal women have higher prevalence of menopausal symptoms that significantly affect their quality of life more than pre- and perimenopausal women. Those in the transition period (perimenopausal) have higher prevalence of psychological symptoms with higher impact on their psychological welfare.


ABSTRACT Emerging economies have a diverse range of countries regarding both geography and stage of development that have been influenced by historical, cultural, and societal change. Recently more emphasis has been placed on understanding the role of entrepreneurship in emerging economies due to changing economic conditions and the rapid rise of entrepreneurs in the global economy. This special journal issue includes a number of articles on diverse issues related to entrepreneurship in emerging economies both from the micro, meso, and macro perspectives. Based on this, we argue that it is necessary to consider the institutional context of formal and informal institutions to understand better the continued growth of entrepreneurship in emerging economies. In addition to summarizing the main contributions of those articles in this Issue, we provide new insights and approaches to explore further how entrepreneurship can contribute to sustainable economic growth in this context. This will help contribute to the literature and practice about the development of entrepreneurial activity in emerging economies.


Context. Assessing the viability of animal populations in the wild is difficult or impossible, primarily because of limited data. However, there is an urgent need to develop methods for estimating population sizes and improving the viability of target species. Aims. To define suitable habitat for sambar (Cervus unicolor), banteng (Bos javanicus), gaur (Bos gaurus), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and tiger (Panthera tigris) in the Western Forest Complex, Thailand, and to assess their current status as well as estimate how the landscape needs to be managed to maintain viable populations. Methods. The present paper demonstrates a method for combining a rapid ecological assessment, landscape indices, GIS-based wildlife-habitat models, and knowledge of minimum viable population sizes to guide landscape-management decisions and improve conservation outcomes through habitat restoration. Key results. The current viabilities for gaur and elephant are fair, whereas they are poor for tiger and banteng. However, landscape quality outside the current distributions was relatively intact for all species, ranging from moderate to high levels of connectivity. In addition, the population viability for sambar is very good under the current and desired conditions. Conclusions. If managers in this complex wish to upgrade the viabilities of gaur, elephant, tiger and banteng within the next 10 years, park rangers and stakeholders should aim to increase the amount of usable habitat by ~2170 km2 or 17% of existing suitable habitats. The key strategies are to reduce human pressures, enhance ungulate habitats and increase connectivity of suitable habitats outside the current distributions. Implications. The present paper provides a particularly useful method for managers and forest-policy planners for assessing and managing habitat suitability for target wildlife and their population viability in protected-area networks where knowledge of the demographic attributes (e.g. birth and death rates) of wildlife populations are too limited to perform population viability analysis.


ABSTRACT Introduction The development of companion diagnostics (CDx) will increase efficacy and cost-benefit markedly, compared to the currently prevailing trial-and-error approach for treatment. Recent improvements in high-throughput protein technology have resulted in large amounts of predictive biomarkers that are potentially useful components of future CDx assays. Current high multiplex protein arrays are suitable for discovery-based approaches, while low-density and more simple arrays are suitable for use in point-of-care facilities. Area covered This review discusses the technical platforms available for protein array focused CDx, explains the technical details of the platforms and provide examples of clinical use, ranging from multiplex arrays to low-density clinically applicable arrays. We thereafter highlight recent predictive biomarkers within different disease areas, such as oncology and autoimmune diseases. Lastly, we discuss some of the challenges connected to the implementation of CDx assays as point-of-care tests. Expert opinion Recent advances in the field of protein arrays have enabled high-density arrays permitting large biomarker discovery studies, which are beneficial for future CDx assays. The density of protein arrays range from a single protein to proteome-wide arrays, allowing the discovery of protein signatures that may correlate with drug response. Protein arrays will undoubtedly play a key role in future CDx assays.


Nowadays, traditional arts in Traditional Javanese marriage ceremony are increasingly replaced by other forms of art. This is partly caused by the lack of appreciation by the society to traditional arts, and also by efforts to increase efficiency in the ceremony organization by eliminating several processions usually conducted in the ceremony.This condition raises concern to traditional art performers and the Javanese culture enthusiasts. Therefore, an effort to resurrect traditional arts in Traditional Javanese marriage ceremonyhas been initiated. To give new atmosphere and feels, new dances are choreographed and new gending songs arecomposed, in which these new creations are expected to be more interesting. Moreover, dances, karawitan songs, and traditional songs are also composed to suit the contexts and atmosphere of the ongoing event. By creativity and new innovation, songs are composed for every processions of the ceremony, namely for pasrah pengantin (handover and receiving of the bride), atur pambagyo (welcoming speech), and donga (prayers). Furthermore, dances of romance theme, such as Loro Blonyo , and gendings for the newlywed couple's reception ( pahargyan ). The effort has been conducted in Surakarta, primarily by the civitas academica of Indonesia Institute of the Arts Surakarta. It, as a form of conservation of Javanese traditional arts of dance and karawitan , has been well-appreciated, proven by the numerous performances in many occasions of wedding ceremonies in Surakarta. The development itself has not been fully maximized, since the performers should have a fine ability in singing and dancing. Therefore, a continuous effort is necessary to socialize traditional arts in Traditional Javanese marriage ceremony. Keywords : traditional arts, dance, tembang , marriage ceremony. DOI : 10.7176/ADS/76-06 Publication date :September 30 th 2019


A number of agency issues arise when a corporation chooses to exercise its freedom of speech by making donations to a super PAC or other political organization. This article draws a distinction between contributions designed to influence legislation and regulation of the corporation and political donations that corporations justify as goodwill or community outreach. Analyzing the issue with an emphasis on the duty of loyalty, the article argues that much corporate political spending cannot really be understood as a business decision that should enjoy the protection of the business judgment rule. It also reflects on the Supreme Court's recent decision in Hobby Lobby to illuminate the nature of much corporate political spending. The article concludes that greater scrutiny of corporate political donations under the law of fiduciary duties will have two positive benefits: 1. it will prevent spending that is designed to enrich the corporate decision makers themselves; and 2. it will shine more light on spending that helps advance a corporation's own interests at the expense of the public good.


Current state-of-the-art human action recognition is focused on the classification of temporally trimmed videos in which only one action occurs per frame. In this work we address the problem of action localisation and instance segmentation in which multiple concurrent actions of the same class may be segmented out of an image sequence. We cast the action tube extraction as an energy maximisation problem in which configurations of region proposals in each frame are assigned a cost and the best action tubes are selected via two passes of dynamic programming. One pass associates region proposals in space and time for each action category, and another pass is used to solve for the tube's temporal extent and to enforce a smooth label sequence through the video. In addition, by taking advantage of recent work on action foreground-background segmentation, we are able to associate each tube with class-specific segmentations. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm on the challenging LIRIS-HARL dataset and achieve a new state-of-the-art result which is 14.3 times better than previous methods.


BACKGROUND Rituximab is used extensively in combination with chemotherapy to cure non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and not only accelerates short-term improvement, but also prolongs patient survival and decreases receptor relapse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Fcgamma IIIA (FcgammaRIIIA) gene polymorphisms on the response to rituximab therapy for newly diagnosed B-cell lymphomas. METHODS Patients with newly diagnosed histologically-proven CD20-positive B-cell lymphoma were eligible for the study. All of the patients received rituximab combined with chemotherapy (CHOP). The FcgammaRIIIA type was analyzed by PCR. The initial efficacy was assessed after 6 cycles and the long-term survival was determined. RESULTS Thirty-four patients were recruited between October 2005 and April 2006. The FcgammaRIIIA distribution was as follows: 11 patients were VV, 5 were FF, and 18 were VF. After a median of 6 cycles (range 4-8) of rituximab combined chemotherapy, the overall response rate was 79% (82% in the VV group, 83% in the VF group, and 60% in the FF group; P=0.04). After a median follow-up time of 37 months (range 34-41), there were 12 relapses among 27 responders (44%); 5 of 9 patients (5/9) in the VV group, 5 of 15 patients (33%) in the VF group, and 2 of 3 patients (2/3) in the FF group (P=0.21). The 1-year overall survival in the VV, FF, and VF groups was 80%, 60%, and 80%, respectively, and the 3-year overall survival was 58%, 40%, and 69%, respectively (P=0.08). After analysis by COX regression, only the international prognosis index and response to initial treatment were significantly related to overall survival. CONCLUSIONS The distribution of FcgammaRIIIA polymorphisms in this B-cell lymphoma population shows that VF is most frequently expressed, followed by VV and FF. Patients with the FcgammaRIIIA VV and VF types are more sensitive to the initial treatment of rituximab combined with chemotherapy and have superior long-term survival compared with those with FF. Nevertheless, FcgammaRIIIA polymorphisms do not predict prognosis independently.


This paper aims to account for the role of occupants' efforts in reducing the space-heating costs of panel apartments linked to district heating systems. We present the findings of a questionnaire survey among residents of North-West Budapest (Hungary). Our results show that the roles of efforts are limited in the panel housing context, but wider access to appropriate information on those (limited) opportunities could significantly alleviate the burden on households trapped in an inadequate space heating regime.


Background: Occupational health and safety is the protective shield for workers against hazards and accidents at the workplace. Therefore, they must be fully awareness of the concepts and principles of occupational health and safety in order to avoid accidents within the petrochemical industries containing these hazards.
Aim: The study aimed to assess the workers awareness' with occupational health and safety at Northern Petrochemical Company in Salah Alden Governorate of Iraq and to find out relationship between this awareness with workers` demographical characteristics such as (age, period of services, marital status, and education level).
Materials and methods: A descriptive design was applied throughout the present study in order to achieve study goals. The study sample was (330) worker, working in basic factory departments, in the Northern Petrochemical Company. A special questionnaire was prepared by the investigator, through an extensive literatures review, opinion of experts and conducting a preliminary study. Data were gathered through the worker` interviewed in workplace. Content validity of the questionnaire was done through eliciting the opinions of a panel of (9) expert, while the reliability of questionnaire was done through a pilot study and by using internal consistency and calculation of Pearson Correlation Coefficient on data gathered from (10) workers.
Results: The results of the study showed that all workforces were males and most of them were married have low educational level with period of services more than ten years; The results of the study showed that workers have an awareness "of the occupational health and safety they need in the workplace and there a significant relationship differences between this awareness and the worker ages, services period and their educational level at P ≤ 0.05.
Conclusion: The awareness of workers' with occupational health and safety in the Northern Petrochemical Company comes from a comprehensive understanding of the hazards arising from the processes of production and use of chemicals materials and use of personal protection equipment. Awareness is also increasing among adult workers with a high level of education and long years of service period.


The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life of shiftworkers and non-shiftworkers. Satisfaction with various aspects of life and the overall satisfaction were examined by means of the Quality of Life Scale. A total number of 107 chemical industry workers participated in the study, of whom 56 worked shifts and 51 worked regular hours. The results revealed that the average satisfaction with the present job and financial status was lower in shiftworkers than in the non-shiftworkers (P < 0.05). The differences in the two predictors of life quality did not affect the overall satisfaction with life in either group.


Abstract Aims The impact of exercise training on the right heart and pulmonary circulation has not yet been invasively assessed in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right heart failure. This prospective randomized controlled study investigates the effects of exercise training on peak VO2/kg, haemodynamics, and further clinically relevant parameters in PH patients. Methods and results Eighty-seven patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and inoperable chronic thrombo-embolic PH (54% female, 56 ± 15 years, 84% World Health Organization functional class III/IV, 53% combination therapy) on stable disease-targeted medication were randomly assigned to a control and training group. Medication remained unchanged during the study period. Non-invasive assessments and right heart catheterization at rest and during exercise were performed at baseline and after 15 weeks. Primary endpoint was the change in peak VO2/kg. Secondary endpoints included changes in haemodynamics. For missing data, multiple imputation and responder analyses were performed. The study results showed a significant improvement of peak VO2/kg in the training group (difference from baseline to 15 weeks: training +3.1 ± 2.7 mL/min/kg equals +24.3% vs. control −0.2 ± 2.3 mL/min/kg equals +0.9%, P < 0.001). Cardiac index (CI) at rest and during exercise, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, 6 min walking distance, quality of life, and exercise capacity significantly improved by exercise training. Conclusion Low-dose exercise training at 4–7 days/week significantly improved peak VO2/kg, haemodynamics, and further clinically relevant parameters. The improvements of CI at rest and during exercise indicate that exercise training may improve the right ventricular function. Further, large multicentre trials are necessary to confirm these results.


Abstract The host plants of native Ceutorhynchus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) species are poorly known in North America, and knowledge of these is essential for biological control programmes involving this genus of weevils. We hypothesised that weevil larva emergence holes on plant specimens in herbarium collections might reveal potential plant-insect associations, and help locate populations of hosts for non-target testing. We examined 1114 plant specimens in 16 genera and 60 species of Brassicaceae and found 70 specimens among 30 species that showed evidence of feeding injury and exit holes typical of Ceutorhynchus. We used this information to locate populations of two species of Ceutorhynchus. Herbarium collections may be useful tools for developing knowledge of host plant associations for species of Ceutorhynchus.


OBJECTIVE
The routine clinical use of supported standing in hospitals, schools and homes currently exists. Questions arise as to the nature of the evidence used to justify this practice. This systematic review investigated the available evidence underlying supported standing use based on the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) Levels of Evidence framework.

DESIGN
The database search included MEDLINE, CINAHL, GoogleScholar, HighWire Press, PEDro, Cochrane Library databases, and APTAs Hooked on Evidence from January 1980 to October 2009 for studies that included supported standing devices for individuals of all ages, with a neuromuscular diagnosis. We identified 112 unique studies from which 39 met the inclusion criteria, 29 with adult and 10 with pediatric participants. In each group of studies were user and therapist survey responses in addition to results of clinical interventions.

RESULTS
The results are organized and reported by The International Classification of Function (ICF) framework in the following categories: b4: Functions of the cardiovascular, haematological, immunological, and respiratory systems; b5: Functions of the digestive, metabolic, and endocrine systems; b7: Neuromusculoskeletal and movement related functions; Combination of d4: Mobility, d8: Major life areas and Other activity and participation. The peer review journal studies mainly explored using supported standers for improving bone mineral density (BMD), cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength/function, and range of motion (ROM). The data were moderately strong for the use of supported standing for BMD increase, showed some support for decreasing hypertonicity (including spasticity) and improving ROM, and were inconclusive for other benefits of using supported standers for children and adults with neuromuscular disorders. The addition of whole body vibration (WBV) to supported standing activities appeared a promising trend but empirical data were inconclusive. The survey data from physical therapists (PTs) and participant users attributed numerous improved outcomes to supported standing: ROM, bowel/bladder, psychological, hypertonicity and pressure relief/bedsores. BMD was not a reported benefit according to the user group.

CONCLUSION
There exists a need for empirical mechanistic evidence to guide clinical supported standing programs across practice settings and with various-aged participants, particularly when considering a life-span approach to practice.


This paper presents the performance of a converter topology for PV array. The system containing solar cell, DC-DC boost converter and ac load. This paper presents the simulation of a photovoltaic system using MATLAB. The photovoltaic array is designed for 80V. The proposed PV model was prepared on MATLAB and input parameters are solar irradiation and temperature. The output current and power characteristics of PV model are simulated for varying effects of temperature and solar irradiation .A DC-DC boost converter is used for boosting of DC voltage obtained from Photovoltaic system. A DC DC converter is designed for 550 V.


The Singapore Armed Forces has, since 1986, established a comprehensive smoking control programme which combines health education, counselling and administrative measures aimed at discouraging non-smokers from smoking, and encouraging smokers to quit the habit. The prevalence of regular smoking decreased from 28.6% in 1987 to 20.7% in 1993. The latest, 1993 survey as in past surveys covered 3,545 respondents, made up of regulars (32.0%), NSF (62.2%) and NUSAF (5.6%). The 1993 survey revealed that the majority of smokers (88.9%) in the SAF who consist primarily of 18 to 20-year-olds, had started smoking before enlistment. Most acquired the habit on their own (49.8%) or through influences outside the SAF (40.3%). Very few smokers became smokers through the influence of fellow soldiers (4.9%). The majority (87.7%) of smokers readily agreed that smoking is harmful, but this is not translated into practice. Health education efforts need to focus more on bringing about positive attitudinal and behavioural changes, rather than merely give information and advice. The young age of smoking onset (mean age of 14.3 years) in the SAF population surveyed points to the need to focus preventive efforts further upstream than hitherto emphasised.


There is a noticeable slide in Malaysian mathematics achievement reported in the last three TIMSS studies and in particular in the area of Data and Chance. This is actually not only unique to Malaysia but also in many other countries in Asia and Africa. Recent studies have shown the influence of higher order thinking skills like reasoning and decision making on statistics achievement. Chan, Ismail and Sumintono (2014) found that statistical reasoning among Malaysian secondary school students to be poor. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of language, and misconception on statistical reasoning using a sample size of 374 Diploma of Science students from a campus of a large Malaysian public university. A quantitative research design was employed as the objective of this study was to measure the strength and direction of the effect. The flexibility and power to analyze complex multivariate relationships concurrently are possible using a multivariate linear regression approach. The research procedure included a pilot study to determine the feasibility of the procedure and suitability of the adapted Statistical Reasoning Assessment (SRA) to the population of interest. A survey form was used to collect both primary and secondary data. The form comprised of items to collect respondent profile information, grades from relevant courses they took previously and self-reported grades of their mathematical achievement and language proficiency in the public examinations. The findings showed that students did not do well in statistical reasoning (SR) and had a substantially high level of misconception (MC) about statistics. SR (M = 38.17, SD = 13.83) and MC (M = 34.44, SD = 11.56). Language mastery (ENG) was found to be above average, (M = 3.26, SD = .73). The regression coefficients indicated that Language mastery (ENG), and Misconception (MC) significantly predicted Statistical Reasoning (SR). The best model generated was . The coefficient of determination for the regression model was R2 = 0.309 indicating that ENG and MC alone explained 30.90% of the total variance. Squared semi-partial correlation (sr2) informs us of the unique variance explained by each of the variable. sr2 for ENG is given by (.186 X .186 = .035) while MC is calculated by using (-.493 X -.493= .243). These indices showed that ENG and MC accounted for 3.5% and 24.3% respectively of the variances. This paper concludes with a discussion on the pertinent issues related to the administration of the SRA instrument and recommendation for further research in the field of language, statistical reasoning and misconception.


The mechanism of long wave electromagnetic signal detection by glow-discharge plasma, based upon gas breakdown theory by high frequency electric fields, is developed to include internal signal amplification of the order of that associated with the photomultiplier, upper and lower limits to response linearity, temporal and spectral response properties, and noise in the abnormal glow discharge. Agreement between signal-to-noise expressions in this analysis and measurements involving simple and inexpensive glow discharge indicator lamps exhibiting excellent sensitivity to microwave radiaion is quite good. An inherent ideal limit to speed of response is derived which indicates picosecond-order risetimes are theoretically possible if parasitic reactance effects which limit risetimes of present day devices to microsecond order can be overcome. Sensitivity can be improved further by increasing the number of free electrons. Enhanced diffusion current losses for a subnormal glow yield spectrally flat response which can be useful in radiometric applications.


The remarkable interest in the supply chain management related research in the last decade has been due to its potential to improve the efficiency of operations and reduce cost. Vendor managed inventory is an integrated approach for market patricians coordination according to which the vendor decides on the appropriate inventory levels within bounds. The coordination problem for a two stage supply chain composed of a medical equipment supplier and a retailer is considered in this paper. The inventory management of medical equipment vendors under the uncertain demand is analysis and the model is designed, the variables of shortage cost and inventories cost are derived on the two cases with the demand fluctuations and the results are also discussed.


In this paper we develope a categorical theory of relations and use this formulation to define the notion of quantization for relations. Categories of relations are defined in the context of symmetric monoidal categories. They are shown to be symmetric monoidal categories in their own right and are found to be isomorphic to certain categories of $A-A$ bicomodules. Properties of relations are defined in terms of the symmetric monoidal structure. Equivalence relations are shown to be commutative monoids in the category of relations. Quantization in our view is a property of functors between monoidal categories. This notion of quantization induce a deformation of all algebraic structures in the category, in particular the ones defining properties of relations like transitivity and symmetry.


Commonly used agents of drug poisoning among patients who come to the emergency services are tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). These drugs may cause defect in cardiac conduction due to the slowdown in the cardiac depolarization and expansions in the QT interval. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are less expansion of the QT period and lower cardio toxic side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate QTc intervals and prognosis of the patients who come to the emergency service due to TCA and SSRI group antidepressant drug poisoning. In a study of 96 patients, 75 of whom were diagnosed to be poisoned by TCAs (TCA group) and 21 by SSRIs (SSRI group) were examined. Electrocardiographic alterations and QTc intervals all of patients were evaluated. QTc intervals of patients in TCA group were determined to be slightly more than those in SSRI group and it was not statistically significant. In the SSRI group, only one patient had QTc period more than 500 milliseconds (520 milliseconds); however, TCA overdose showed 9 (12%) patients with QTc interval over 500 milliseconds, and QTc values of 2 patients were over 600 milliseconds. In our study, it was determined that SSRI group drugs caused similar expansion of the QTc period as TCA drugs but they did not reach high values like TCA drugs, and their OTc intervals stayed in more innocent levels.


Two decades ago, the Virginia Law Review published our article "The Mechanisms of Market Efficiency" (MOME), in which we tried to discern the institutional underpinnings of financial market efficiency. We concluded that the level of market efficiency with respect to a particular fact depends on which of several market mechanisms - universally informed trading, professionally informed trading, derivatively informed trading, and uninformed trading operates to reflect that fact in market price. Revisiting our article is particularly appropriate today. A new framework for evaluating the efficiency of the stock market, called "behavioral finance," and a growing number of empirical studies pose a serious challenge to the Efficient Markets Hypothesis. Twenty years have made us appropriately more skeptical of the efficiency of those institutions.


This article aims to put Hong Kong on the map of East Asia's biotech studies by identifying the major themes of biotech innovation specific to the city-state's colonial past and postcolonial present and future. I provide evidence of a concerted effort led by biologist-entrepreneurs to promote the biotech industry in postcolonial Hong Kong. Through assessing scientific literature, media representations, business strategies, and programmatic visions of key scientist-entrepreneurs in Hong Kong's biotech enterprise, I highlight how factors such as local history and geopolitical considerations shape the emerging "Hong Kong's bioscience dream." Using the recent discovery of a new recombinant anticancer drug, pegylated human recombinant arginase (BCT-100), as a case in point, I explore how biotech research and applications are marketed and interpreted in relation to Hong Kong's unique historical, political, and cultural context, thus making it distinct from other Asian Tigers. My analysis of the featured recombinant drug reveals a set of uniquely Hong Kong–centered cultural meanings attributed to biopharmaceutical research and benefits. This case reflects how genetic engineering and biotech research are configured and imagined within the context of the postcolonial Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.


Remuneration policies in the banking sector incentivised excessive risk-taking, thereby contributing to the financial crisis. Since the crisis, remuneration rules have come into force to better align employees' incentives with the long-term health of banks and the financial system. This article explains the key components of the Prudential Regulation Authority's remuneration rules for banks and considers the direction of the global policy agenda.


ABSTRACT  Anthropologists have tended to portray their discipline as in crisis and ask whether "the end of anthropology" is near. I offer indicators to suggest that the discipline is alive and well as far as its internal activities are concerned. I then turn to the more worrying question of its external image, understandings and stereotypes more or less common among a wider public: the anthropologist as antiquarian and insensitive, slightly lost in real life. Anthropologists have been ineffective in offering a simple, coherent view of what the discipline is and what holds it together. I propose that a consistent emphasis on "diversity" as what anthropology is about best matches our combined interests and practices. To have a strong "brand" is essential under present-day cultural and political conditions, in and out of academic life. The foregrounding of "diversity" goes with the anthropological concern with ethnography, comparison, and cultural critique.


Morphological characters of Salix borealis were monitored during 1994-96 at 10 sites along a transect crossing the heavily polluted surroundings of Severonikel smelter in NW Russia, and analysed with respect to pollution load and density of the principal herbivore, the leaf beetle Melasoma lapponica. Leaf size and shoot growth increased and leaf pubescence decreased with an increase in pollution, whereas variation in other characteristics was not related to pollution load. Leaf fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and leaf pubescence increased with an increase in herbivory, whereas variation in other characters was not related to foliar damage. A field experiment demonstrated that leaf FA and pubescence were high in the year after defoliation. The data on leaf FA, a non-specific stress indicator, suggest that for the extant individuals of S. borealis, defoliation resulted in detectable stress, whereas long-lasting severe pollution by sulphur dioxide and heavy metals caused no measurable stress response and may even stimulate growth of leaves and shoots. Leaf FA of woody plants may serve as an early indicator of the biotic stress caused by herbivory, which expands the use of FA as a tool in helping to compare the relative strengths of different stressing agents.


Caffeine has been suggested as a chemical indicator for domestic wastewater in freshwater systems, although it is not included in water quality monitoring programs. The Third Fork Creek watershed in Durham, NC, is highly urbanized, with a history of receiving untreated wastewater from leaking and overflowing sanitary sewers. The poor water quality originating in the Third Fork Creek watershed threatens its intended uses and jeopardizes drinking water, aquatic life, and recreational activities provided by Jordan Lake. Organic waste contaminants have been detected in both Third Fork Creek watershed and Jordan Lake; however, the sampling periods were temporary, resulting in a few samples collected during nonstorm periods. It is recommended that (1) the concentration of caffeine and other organic waste contaminants are determined during storm and nonstorm periods and (2) caffeine is monitored regularly with traditional water quality indicators to evaluate the health of Third Fork Creek watershed.


In order to achieve the rural development destination, human development is necessary. Information and communication technology (ICT) as a knowledge extension innovation can help to improve the human development level of rural stakeholders. This paper explores the use of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for selecting an appropriate way of Internet access in Khuzestan villages. A panel of 24 experts of rural ICT center in Khuzestan utilized AHP to determine the priority of three methods of Internet access. The findings indicated that DSL according to cost criteria and wireless, regarding both quality and speed criteria were the most important. Furthermore, wireless was recognized as the best way of accessing the Internet in Khuzestan villages.

 Key words: AHP, Internet access, experts' decision, village, Khuzestan Province.


There's a popular notion which suggests that it can be helpful to compare every century of Christianity's existence to one year of life. That would make Christianity twenty-one years old, a young twenty-one, grown-up enough to exhibit a basic maturity but still far from a finished product. How insightful is this notion?


Hospitalists care for elderly patients daily, but few have specialized training in geriatric medicine. Elderly patients, and in particular the very old and the frail elderly, are at high risk of functional decline and iatrogenic complications during hospitalization. Other challenges in caring for this patient population include dosing medications safely, preventing delirium and accidental falls, and providing adequate pain control. Ways to improve the care of the hospitalized elderly patient include the following: screening for geriatric syndromes such as delirium, assessing functional status and maintaining mobility, and implementation of interventions that have been shown to prevent delirium, accidental falls, and acute functional decline in the hospital. This article addresses these issues with 10 evidence-based pearls developed to help hospitalists provide optimal care for this expanding population.