This research originates from a practice-driven urge to achieve simultaneity and immediacy in the creation and experience of animation by aiming to bring together construction, production and presentation of illusion of movement in time and place. Focusing on illusion of movement as animation, this research borrowed from the perceptual elements already employed in animation practices. However, recording a sequence – as in filmmaking – leads to temporal and physical distance between the creation and presentation of an animated work. Accomplishing the aimed simultaneity and immediacy suggested looking for ways to achieve illusory movement without producing material artefacts to yield it. In order to realise this goal, this research turned to performance studies, where ephemerality and immediacy are theorised as inherent properties of performance practice. Those insights from performance theory were developed as possibilities for animation within the research practice. Performance theorist Erika Fischer-Lichte's positioning of performance event as open-ended and artwork as fixed was taken as a starting point. On the basis of that theoretical grounding, a process to unite separate phases in animation creation is explored in tandem with incorporating event properties into animation.

The research asks the question:
How can animation be created and experienced simultaneously and immediately, as ephemeral as a performance event?

In this practice-based research, the enquiries were carried out through practical experimentation while building a framework for reference and analysis based on performance theories. As suggested by Gray and Malins, this study devised its own methodology where collecting visual, auditory and written data, building physical and developing theoretical tools, as well as working with participants provided methods to inquire an animation practice of immediacy.

The research begins in animation practice, negotiating possible ways to create the illusion of movement. In order to understand how this illusion occurs in animation, the research looked at perceptual and cognitive mechanisms. The preliminary investigation of optical toys and flipbooks, rather than films, was then extended to non-visual modes of illusory perception, and possibilities through aural and haptic illusions of movements were explored.

The study then introduced the theoretical framework to explore the immediacy of 'event-ness'. Based on Fischer-Lichte's framing of the four characteristics of performance, the framework through which to shape and analyse the research practice emerged: mediality (bodily co-presence), materiality (transience), semioticity (emergence of new meaning) and aestheticity (the experience of performance as 'event'). The considerations of liveness, co-creation, ephemerality, and fixity of the research practice thus found structure for evaluation through Fischer-Lichte's perspective.

Finally, as contribution to expanding animation practice, it is proposed to approach animation as an event where illusory movement is observed through instructional scores. By calibrating and analysing possibilities of animation through the framework provided by Fischer-Lichte's work, it becomes possible to amalgamate the three separate processes of animation – construction, production and presentation – into a single process, the animation event. In this event, the creation and experience of animation are simultaneous and concurrent; thus, providing an answer to the research question.


The leaf spotting disease complex is a major biotic constrain in enhancing grain production in the major wheat growing regions. Two leaf spotting diseases, tan spot, caused by an ascomycete fungus Pyreno- phora tritici-repentis, and Stagonospora nodorum blotch besides causing average yield losses of 5-10%, cause significant losses in grain quality by red smudge, black point and grain shriveling. Conservation agriculture in combination with wheat monoculture involving cultivation of susceptible cultivars has resulted in frequent onset of leaf spots epidemics worldwide. Development of resistant wheat cultivars, in conjunction with crop rotation, will provide an effective, economical, and environmentally safe means of controlling leaf spot. Inter - national Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico has initiated major efforts to mitigate the threat of tan spot. Efforts include screening of wheat germplasm, identification of new sources of resistance, characterization of new tan spot resistance genes through classical and molecular genetic analysis, incorpora - tion of resistance into adapted cultivars, and assessing the variability in the tan spot fungus. Screening studies reveal that elite CIMMYT germplasm has high level of resistance to tan spot caused by P. tritici-repentis race 1. These germplasm have diverse genetic make-up and the resistance is likely broad based. Association mapping studies done with CIMMYT germplasm reconfirmed the presence of previously identified genomic regions for tan spot resistance; however, novel genomic regions on long arm of chromosomes 6A and 7B have also been identified. Studies done to date indicate that CIMMYT germplasm possess high level diverse genetic based resistance to tan spot of wheat. Efforts are in place to develop desired wheat cultivars with tan spot resistance. Virulence studies indicate presence of P. tritici-repentis race 1 only with some variability in level of toxin Ptr ToxA produced in each of the 76 isolates studied.


This paper proposes an advanced iterative decoding scheme based on stopping criterion for BICM-ID embedded turbo codes. A fixed iterative number scheme has been used in the receiver and lower complexity than the conventional schedule can be achieved. To acquire a smaller total iterative number and fewer calculations of CE, the maximum and minimum iterative numbers (Imax/Imin) are introduced in this proposed scheme. However, iterative numbers which correspond to different SNRs are varied. In order to receive better flexibility, both Imax and Imin, whose values are not unique, are determined by the statistics of the average iterative numbers and the CG criterion. Simulation results confirm that, compared with the fixed iterative number scheme, similar BER performances and much lower complexity can be achieved. Further improvement of the adaptability results from this self-adaptive option of Imax/Imin.


A calcium bentonite from Kutahya region (Turkey) was activated with Na2CO3 at various ratios (1, 2, 2.5, 5, 10, 15g / 100 g bentonite). Due to ion exchange, the original Ca-bentonite was converted to Na-bentonite by Na2CO3 when the Na2CO3/bentonite ratio was 2.5% (2.5 g Na2CO3/100 22g bentonite, A2.5). Na-bentonite (A2.5) obtained by soda activation was treated with 3 g CaCl2/ 100 g bentonite and converted to Ca-bentonite again. The products were investigated by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction and micropore analysis. It was observed that the cation exchange capacity (CEC) did not change until the soda ratio was 2.5%. After this value the CEC decreased rapidly. The main montmorillonite hkl diffraction reflections were changed by Na2CO3 and CaCl2 treatments. This showed that ion exchange was realized. It was observed that the specific surface area decreased from 49.34 m2g-1 to 29.92 m2g-1 by Na2CO3 and increased from 29.92 m2g-1 to 70.34 m2g-1 by CaCl2. In addition, it was determined that Na2CO3 activated Kutahya Ca-bentonite can be used as drilling mud.


The generation of a high velocity carrier gas flow for cold metal particle applications is addressed; with specific focus on titanium cold spraying. The high hardness of this material makes cold spraying titanium difficult to achieve by industry standard nozzles. The redesign of a commercial conical convergent-divergent cold spray nozzle is achieved by the application of aerospace design codes; based on the Method of Characteristics; towards producing a more isentropic expansion by contouring the nozzle walls. Steady threedimensional RANS SST k-ω simulations of nitrogen are coupled two-way to particle parcel tracking in the Lagrangian frame of reference. The new contoured nozzle is found to produce higher particle velocities with greater radial spread; when operated at the same conditions/cost of operation as the commercial nozzle. These numerical results have shown the potential for extending cold spray to high density and low ductility particles by relatively minor rig modifications; through an effective synergy between gas dynamics and material science.


The paper assesses the effectiveness of the circular self-test path BIST technique from an experimental point of view and proposes an algorithm to overcome the low fault coverage that often arises when real circuits are examined. Several fault simulation experiments have been performed on the ISCAS89 benchmark set, as well as on a set of industrial circuits: in contrast to the theoretical analysis proposed in [PKKa92], a very high fault coverage is attained with a limited number of clock cycles, but this happens only when the circuit does not enter a loop. This danger cannot be avoided even if clever strategies for flip-flops ordering, aimed at reducing the functional adjacency, are adopted. Instead, we suggest that loops can be avoided and fault coverage increased by carefully choosing the initial state, and we present an approach based on binary decision diagrams and symbolic techniques to solve the problem.


The physiology of atypical atrioventricular junctional reentrant (achycardia (AVJRT) occurring following catheter modification of the AV node is poorly defined. Six patients undergoing radiofrequency current catheter modification of the AV node had inducible atypical AVJRT before or after AV nodal modification. Typical AVJRT was differentiated from atypical AVJRT by a ventriculoatrial (VA) time < 60 msec in the His‐bundle electrogram recording. Five of six patients had typical AVJRT and two had atypical AVJRT prior to AV nodal modification. Following anterior approach AV nodal modification, previously undetected atypical AVJRT was induced in four patients. Earliest retrograde atrial activation in the posterior septum was documented in all patients with atypical AVJRT prior to modification and in three four patients with atypical AVJRT following modification. The AH intervals during tachycardia were 320 ± 52 msec in typical AVJRT, 88 ± 33 msec in the premodification atypical AVJRTs, and 172 ± 12 msec in the postmodification atypical AVJRTs (P − 0.0001). The AHJRA ratios were 4.1 ± 0.9 in typical AVJRT, 0.5 ± 0.2 in the premodification atypical AVJRTs, and 0.9 ± 0.2 in the postmodification atypical AVJRTs (P = 0.0001). Two patients with postmodificafion atypical AVJRT underwent further posterior approach AV node modification that resulted in VA block. One patient with postmodification atypical AVJRT had further anterior approach AV nodal modification that resulted in heart block. The retrograde limb of the atypical AVJRT seen following anterior approach AV nodal modification is a posterior, slow pathway.


Higher education institutions are becoming increasingly reliant on ICT for providing enhanced teaching and learning, and lecturers are adopting new methods of working and ways of teaching with technology all the time. However, without structure and commitment, these changes may not be bringing out the best that ICT has to offer. Providing a wide-ranging account of the quality issues surrounding the use of ICT in higher education, this book develops useful advice and guidance on key areas including: * devising an institution-wide strategy * developing course materials * providing distance and e-learning courses * using ICT-assisted assessment * adopting professional support processes. With authoritative and practical contributions from leading experts in the field, this book will be a valuable addition to the shelves of all those involved in using ICT in higher education - managers, lecturers or education developers.


Connect 2 Complete (C2C) is a Campus Compact program with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At Edmonds Community College C2C employs community-engaged peer advocacy to foster the success and completion of low-income students who need developmental education courses. Our strategy is two-pronged. First, we have supported four faculty fellows who teach developmental courses at Edmonds CC. Three fellows returned from last year and we have added a new fellow this year. Faculty fellows integrate peer advocacy and service-learning into their existing courses, integrating their efforts with the mentoring programs on campus. Second, we have enhanced, streamlined and integrated peer advocate training for mentoring programs across campus. Peer advocates, under the guidance of four full-time AmeriCorps members, lead C2C and service-learning students through hands-on service and learning activities in the community and on campus. These activities that we call "sponsored projects" reach additional low-income students who need developmental courses and provide an ongoing structure of support for C2C students when they complete their course or courses with our faculty fellows. We are exceeding our quantitative targets for reaching low-income students who need developmental education. Beginning this year and going forward we have been placing greater emphasis on the faculty fellows prong of our strategy. This strategy should have the biggest impact long-term and has been encouraged by the national office of Campus Compact. The attention to success and retention of low-income students who need developmental courses coincides with efforts to revamp our college success courses under the auspices of Achieving the Dream. C2C's complementary and parallel efforts show considerable promise for implementing peer advocacy on a broad scale across campus as a strategy for improving the success of low-income students who need developmental education courses.


Abstract The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is an intuitive device used by witnesses of an incident without medical training in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. Its operation consists in delivering an electrical pulse to the cardiac conduction system, as a result of which normal heart rate is restored. The lack of awareness in society concerning the usefulness of the device and the inadequate deployment of AEDs result in their too infrequent application by witnesses of incidents. The aim of this paper is to verify whether cluster analysis is the appropriate statistical method to determine the appropriate deployment of AED devices on the basis of cases of sudden cardiac arrest in out-of-hospital conditions. The initial cluster analysis showed the validity of using the method in question for planning the appropriate locations of AEDs.


In early 2020 a pandemic was declared following the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe. As a result, numerous governments worldwide implemented strict measures to limit the movements of their populations to prevent increases in COVID-19 infections (Ludvigsen & Hayton, 2020; Mohanty et al., 2020). These restrictions included regional and national 'lockdowns' which severely restricted personal activities, with all but essential workers urged to work from home, schools and universities closed and moved online, and only critical business (such as supermarkets and pharmacies) to remain open (Richter, 2020). Many industries were affected by the lockdowns, with the tourism, hospitality, and events industries most severely affected (Mohanty et al., 2020). The Meetings Industry Association (mia) reported that in the UK the impact of COVID-19 on the events industry has resulted in £ billions lost in revenue through cancelled events and declines in enquiries, and that over 126,000 event jobs in the UK have been lost to date (mia, 2020), with fears this could increase to over 500,000 job losses without more government support (Fullard, 2020). This picture is mirrored in other countries, such as the USA, where it is outlined that 46% (8 million people) of those working in food, travel and events have lost their jobs (Dubay, 2020). Events are a global industry, worth $ trillions annually (Events Industry Council & Oxford Economics, 2018), and the shutdown of events presents an existential crisis to the industry which may take years to recover (EventMB, 2020b; mia, 2020; Mohanty et al., 2020).


Arnick Boons (1957) is part time Professor in Management Accounting & Control at RSM Erasmus University. He obtained a PhD in financial management at Erasmus University Rotterdam (2000). At the same time he joined Deloitte as a consultant on financial management issues. His consultancy practice includes cost- and performance management assignments mainly in the public sector. His academic research and teaching interests are in the area of costing problems, customer value management and operational excellence. In this inaugural address he discusses recent developments in the area of management accounting and control, and in particular he explores the implications of customer value management for the design of management accounting and management control systems. The central theme of the accounting research programme of ERIM concerns the economic and behavioral aspects of organizational governance structures. These structures comprise the (1) external institutional and regulatory environment of the organization and (2) the organization's internal control arrangements. Special attention is devoted to the analysis of interactions between external and internal governance arrangements. While current research projects mainly focus on the private sector, i.e. listed companies and their governance and control arrangements, new initiatives are taken to study the public sector, with a special focus on health care governance.


: Biological functions of exometabolits of various bacterial species were analyzed from Quorum Sensing position, which showed that the functional activity of microbiocenosis is in many respects determined by the system of metabolic regulation. Possibility of changing the composition of complex microbial communities with low-molecular compounds, products of bacterial cell vital activity, is grounded from theoretical point of view. The authors adduce data on the effects of a synthetic composition on the basis of E. coli metabolites, an ingredient of colibacterin, a probiotic preparation. The preparation demonstrated a high stimulating activity towards a range of microorganisms of normal microflora, and an ability to improve the condition of intestinal epitelial cells. The results may substantiate application of metabolic probiotics for correction of intestinal microflora in man.


Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) improves outcome in animal models of fibrotic renal disease by opposing transforming growth factor 1 (TGF)-dependent fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Here, we studied the effect of BMP-7 on response to TGFin the proximal tubular cell line HK-2 (PTC). BMP-7 specifically limited Smad3 but not Smad2 signaling. BMP-7 did not inhibit Smad3 phosphorylation or nuclear accumulation, nor did BMP-7 alter phosphorylated Smad3 dephosphorylation or degradation. However , BMP-7 treatment reduced Smad3 DNA binding to a consensus Smad binding element probe, and chromatin immunoprecipitation showed reduced Smad3 binding to the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter in PTCs treated with BMP-7 and TGFcompared with TGFalone. Degradation of the transcriptional repressor SnoN has recently been shown to be necessary for Smad3 (but not Smad2) signaling. SnoN expression was transiently lost in PTCs after TGFstimulation, but BMP-7 prevented this. Furthermore, BMP-7 had no effect on Smad3 signaling after siRNA-mediated SnoN knockdown, whereas prevention of SnoN degradation with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 reproduced the inhibitory action of BMP-7 on Smad3 signaling. We conclude that BMP-7 prevents TGF-mediated loss of the transcriptional repressor SnoN and hence specifically limits Smad3 DNA binding, altering the balance of transcriptional responses to TGFin PTCs. These results provide an important mechanistic insight into a key regulator of TGFsignaling. (Am J Pathol 2010, 176:1139–1147; DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2010.090459)


Image local invariant features have been used in a wide range of applications, e.g., image retrieval, object categorization and robot localization. The matching of local feature points involves a succinct and discriminative descriptor for each point. However, current local descriptors use only neighborhood information, which typically suffer the lack of global context and fail to resolve ambiguities that can occur locally when an image has multiple similar regions. Although some methods have proposed to enrich the discriminative power of local descriptors with global or contextual information, these descriptors typically have higher dimension, which results in matching efficiency declined. This paper proposes a method for image local invariant features matching using local and global information, separately. Firstly, local feature points are detected and described using neighborhood information in two images. And then initial matched points are obtained by local descriptors. Next, new coordinate systems are created in the two images using each pair of initial matched feature points. In the new coordinate systems, the spatial locations of the other matched points are used to form the global feature vectors. Finally, the total relative location errors are computed for filtering out the mismatches. This method makes full use of the local and global features to avoid using only local neighborhood information to characterize the feature points. Experimental results show that the global feature vector proposed can express the global information of the feature point, and filter out the mismatches effectively. The accuracy of the matched point set is improved prominently.


Purpose
The ability to operate global distribution channels of products is commonly considered a critical determinant of a manufacturer's competitiveness. Nowadays, many products are often complemented with value-added services challenging the efficacy of the status quo of distribution channels. Investigating this rather new phenomenon, the purpose of this paper is to provide an initial understanding of the implications of servitization for manufacturers' global business-to-business (B2B) distribution.

Design/methodology/approach
The aim is to elaborate service-dominant logic (SDL) in the context of global B2B distribution. The study builds on case study data collected from a medium-sized European manufacturing company offering production equipment and solutions, and three of its global distributors.

Findings
The results indicate that the co-producing customer value, the increasing role of operant resources of both a distributor and a manufacturer, and triadic co-creation between a manufacturer, a distributor and an end customer have increasing importance in the indirect distribution network.

Research limitations/implications
Data are limited to data collected from a single in-depth case study. The results of this study should be investigated by collecting more data in a broader context in the form of surveys.

Practical implications
Several guidelines related to global distribution are developed for managers, and current distributor selection criteria are completed to meet the needs of this servitization approach.

Originality/value
Empirical research on servitizing manufacturers with global B2B distribution is scarce. This paper employs SDL to provide an in-depth understanding of the implications of servitization for distribution.


Multi-speaker speech recognition of unsegmented recordings has diverse applications such as meeting transcription and automatic subtitle generation. With technical advances in systems dealing with speech separation, speaker diarization, and automatic speech recognition (ASR) in the last decade, it has become possible to build pipelines that achieve reasonable error rates on this task. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end modular system for the LibriCSS meeting data, which combines independently trained separation, diarization, and recognition components, in that order. We study the effect of different state-of-the-art methods at each stage of the pipeline, and report results using task-specific metrics like SDR and DER, as well as downstream WER. Experiments indicate that the problem of overlapping speech for diarization and ASR can be effectively mitigated with the presence of a well-trained separation module. Our best system achieves a speaker-attributed WER of 12.7%, which is close to that of a non-overlapping ASR.


Behavioral and physiological responses can be broadly classified as innate or learned. The former are most appropriate in critical and predictable contexts when particular stimuli require a clear and often automatic response. The latter are required in novel situations in which proper mapping between stimuli and responses must be learned through association. In many cases, distinct neuronal pathways mediate these two types of responses, even within a given sensory modality and even for a given stimulus. Many animals heavily rely on their chemical senses to guide both innate and learned behaviors, and in most mammals, multiple olfactory subsystems are used to accomplish this. The two most prominent sub-systems are the main olfactory system (MOS) and the vomeronasal system (VNS). A common view holds that the MOS is a generalist system with advanced associative capabilities, while the VNS is dedicated to mediating innate responses to a confined set of well-defined sensory cues. Although particular hardwired VNS-mediated behaviors can show flexibility in the strength of coupling between stimulus and response, it remains unknown whether the VNS can map arbitrary cues into entirely new behavioral outputs. Indeed, the designation of the VNS as a pheromone processing system suggests that responses mediated by this system will be hardwired, stereotyped, and even involuntary. The goal of the present study was to experimentally challenge this notion by testing the capacity of the VNS to support associative learning. Using various strategies for selective optogenetic activation of vomeronasal pathways, we show that mice can exploit VNS activity to form novel behavioral associations. These findings call for a revised view of the VNS as a hardwired system, and suggest that it has a significant capacity for associative learning.


Bifacial photovoltaic cells, modules, and systems are rapidly overtaking the market share of monofacial PV technologies. This is happening due to new cell designs that have replaced opaque, monolithic back surface foil contacts with isolated contacts, which allow light to reach the cell from the rear side. Minor adjustments to cell processing steps have resulted in bifacial solar cells with rear side efficiencies from >60% to over 90% of the front side efficiency. Bifacial cells now come in many varieties (e.g., PERC+, n-PERT, HIT, etc.) and many cell lines have converted to producing bifacial cells.


The North American opioid epidemic has resulted in over 800,000 related premature overdose fatalities since 2000, with the United States leading the world in highest opioid deaths per capita. Despite increased federal funding in recent years, intended to address this crisis, opioid overdose mortality has continued to increase. Legally prescribed opioids also chronically induce a problematic reduction in affect. While an ideal analgesic has yet to be developed, some effective multimodal non-opioid pharmacological regimens for acute pain management are being more widely utilized. Some investigators have suggested that a safer and more scientifically sound approach might be to induce "dopamine homeostasis" through non-pharmacological approaches, since opioid use even for acute pain of short duration is now being strongly questioned. There is also increasing evidence suggesting that some more robust forms of electrotherapy could be applied as an effective adjunct to avoid the problems associated with opioids. This 4-patient case-series presents such an approach to treatment of severe pain. All 4 of these chiropractic treatment cases involved a component of knee osteoarthritis, in addition to other reported areas of pain. Each patient engaged in a home recovery strategy using H-Wave® device stimulation (HWDS) to address residual extremity issues following treatment of spinal subluxation and other standard treatments. A simple statistical analysis was conducted to determine the change in pain scores (Visual Analogue Scale) of pre and post electrotherapy treatments, resulting in significant reductions in self-reported pain (p-value = 0.0002). Three of the four patients continued using the home therapy device long-term as determined by a post-analysis questionnaire. This small case-series demonstrated notably positive outcomes, suggesting consideration of home use of HWDS for safe, non-pharmacological and non-addictive treatment of severe pain.


Despite extensive studies of phenological shifts associated with climate change, a few unresolved issues remain. In particular, little is known about the phenological shifts of marine organisms, and simultaneous evaluations of phenological and distributional shifts in reproduction are needed. Chub mackerel Scomber japonicus in the western North Pacific is a small pelagic fish species with its main spawning ground around the Izu Islands. Since its spawning patterns are af fected by the sea surface temperature (SST), changes in the spawning time and spawning ground are expected if the SST has increased around the Izu Islands. Here, to elucidate phenological and distributional shifts in reproduction associated with climate change and the underlying causes, we first examined the long-term changes in spawning patterns and spawning ground using a geostatistical model with 40 yr time series data for spawning eggs of chub mackerel in the western North Pacific. We then tested the prediction that increasing SST impacts the timing and distribution of chub mackerel reproduction. We found that the spawning period was extended owing to a delay in the end of spawning. The geographic location of the spawning ground moved northward after the 2000s, and this was probably related to the change in SST. In addition, SST in the spawning ground after the 2000s was not significantly different from the SST in the previous spawning ground. Therefore, the environmental change associated with climate change likely influences phenological and distributional shifts in reproduction simultaneously and underlines the importance of focusing on spatio-temporal changes in reproduction.


: Sixty five patients with pulmonary tuberculosis subjected to extensive and traumatic surgical interventions were investigated. Metabolic alkalosis to the end of the 1st--2d postoperative day would develop in patients, who showed acid-base balance disorders toward acid aspect during the operation. In the mechanism of development of a grave decompensated postoperative metabolic alkalosis the role of a trigger factor is played by a massive intraoperative blood loss with marked hemodynamic disturbances in the immediate postoperative period.


Electronic Fetal Monitoring in the form of cardiotocography is routinely used for fetal assessment both during pregnancy and delivery. However its interpretation requires a high level of expertise and even then the assessment is somewhat subjective as it has been proven by the high inter and intra-observer variability. Therefore the scientific community seeks for more objective methods for its interpretation. Along this path, presented work proposes a classification approach, which is based on a latent class analysis method that attempts to produce more objective labeling of the training cases, a step which is vital in a classification problem. The method is combined with a simple logistic regression approach under two different schemes: a standard multi-class classification formulation and an ordinal classification one. The results are promising suggesting that more effort should be put in this proposed approach.


The small-scale research presented in this paper was conducted as part of the GeoCapabilities project. Though originating in the Anglophone world, the project attempts to address the purposes and values of geography education internationally. Using the idea of "powerful disciplinary knowledge" the project asks what geography has to offer that helps young people develop the human capabilities they need in order to live a life that they consider valuable. In this paper we explore the challenges and opportunities presented by GeoCapabilities in several European national contexts. We asked selected teachers and teacher educators in four different countries (Finland, Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden) what role they thought geography plays in enhancing students' "human potential". Despite marked differences relating to the legal and structural background in each country we found major similarities in teachers' and teacher educators' curriculum thinking in relation to geography's contribution to the future well-being of their students.


Abstract. The political pressure on the scientific community to provide medium to long term flood forecasts has increased in the light of recent flooding events in Europe. Such demands can be met by a system consisting of three different model components (weather forecast, rainfall-runoff forecast and flood inundation forecast) which are all liable to considerable uncertainty in the input, output and model parameters. Thus, an understanding of cascaded uncertainties is a necessary requirement to provide robust predictions. In this paper, 10-day ahead rainfall forecasts, consisting of one deterministic, one control and 50 ensemble forecasts, are fed into a rainfall-runoff model (LisFlood) for which parameter uncertainty is represented by six different parameter sets identified through a Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) analysis and functional hydrograph classification. The runoff of these 52 * 6 realisations form the input to a flood inundation model (LisFlood-FP) which acknowledges uncertainty by utilising ten different sets of roughness coefficients identified using the same GLUE methodology. Likelihood measures for each parameter set computed on historical data are used to give uncertain predictions of flow hydrographs as well as spatial inundation extent. This analysis demonstrates that a full uncertainty analysis of such an integrated system is limited mainly by computer power as well as by how well the rainfall predictions represent potential future conditions. However, these restrictions may be overcome or lessened in the future and this paper establishes a computationally feasible methodological approach to the uncertainty cascade problem.


In Sudan the Nile River provide water for agriculture and industry, and for the majority of Sudanese households. Where Nile water is unavailable, sub-surface water reservoirs are tapped. No comprehensive study has ever been made on the fluoride contents of Sudanese ground water. Dental fluorosis is, however, found in certain areas of the country, especially in the Northern and Western provinces. In the present study water samples were collected from 55 wells in various provinces in the northern part of Sudan. The fluoride concentration of the waters ranged from 0.08 to 3.55 mg-F/L. The overall average fluoride concentration was 0.34 mg-F/L. Dental fluorosis was studied in two villages in the Khartoum area, Treit el Biga (TeB) and Abu Groon (AG). The fluoride contents of the village wells were 0.25 and 2.5 mg-F/L, respectively. All the examined children in AG had dental fluorosis, with Dean's scores ranging from 1 to 4. The Community index was 2.44. The prevalence and degree of dental fluorosis in high-fluoride AG was comparable to what has previously been reported from areas with a similar fluoride concentration. Dental fluorosis was seen in 91 percent of the children in low-fluoride TeB. The TeB community index was 1.40. The fact that 91 percent of the examined children developed dental fluorosis in TeB; an area with lower than average fluoride concentration in the drinking water, is alarming, and requires further studies.


The effect of milling on the densification behavior of MoSi2 powder during spark-plasma sintering (SPS) was investigated. MoSi2 starting powder with an average particle size of 10 µm was milled to reduce particle sizes to less than 1 µm. Sintering was performed in a SPS facility, varying the sintering temperature from 1200°C to 1500°C. Changes in relative density and the densification rate were measured as a function of temperature. Additionally, the microstructure of sintered compacts was analyzed by means of SEM and EPMA. The sintered density was lower for ballmilled powder compacts (having 94-95% relative density) than for as-received ones (having 94- 98% relative density) despite a higher densification rate of the former in the early and middle stages of sintering. These apparently contradictory results can be explained by a pick-up of oxygen (from 0.3 to 1.8 wt. % O) during the milling process, leading to the formation of silicon oxide and its decomposition into a gas phase at temperatures above 1200°C.


AIM
The objective of this project was to explore the influence of immunoactive drugs (tactivin, thymulin, and thymosin fraction 5) on the development of the passive avoidance conditioned reflex.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two types of passive avoidance boxes were used--a regular two-chamber box and a modified three-chamber box, comprising a dark chamber in which rats were exposed to electrical shock, a safe dark chamber, and a light chamber in the center.

RESULTS
The project has established that the memory trace persists longer under the influence of the immunoactive drugs in both models, which is consistent with the reference nootropic piracetam test results. Notably, the immunoactive drugs' mnemotropic effect was more pronounced in the modified three-chamber box than in the standard two-chamber box. Using the modified box helped to establish the influence of tactivin, thymulin, and thymosin fraction 5 on the spatial memory component. Immunotropic preparations from thymus caused the animals to select the safe chamber 24 hours later and in subsequent tests.

CONCLUSION
The project's results indicate that the drugs tested do possess mnemotropic properties, so their range of clinical use can be broadened.


A study is presented of the modeling and implementation of different concepts for linear feedback control of a single-mode resonance shallow cavity flow. When a physics-based linear model is used for cavity pressure oscillations, an H ∞ controller was designed and tested experimentally. It significantly reduced the main Rossiter mode for which it was designed, while leading to strong oscillations at other Rossiter modes. Other linear control methods such as Smith predictor controller and proportional integral derivative (PID) controller exhibited similar results. The ineffectiveness of using fixed linear models in the design of controllers for the cavity flows is discussed. A modification of the PID design produced a parallel-proportional with time-delay controller that remedied this problem by placing zeros at the frequencies corresponding to other resonance states. Interestingly, it was observed that introducing the same zero to the H ∞ controller can also successfully avoid the strong oscillations at other Rossiter modes otherwise observed in the single-mode-based design. The parallel-proportional with time-delay controller was compared to a very effective open-loop method for reducing cavity resonance and exhibited superior robustness with respect to departure of the Mach number from the design conditions. An interpretation is presented for the physical mechanisms by which the open-loop forcing and the parallel-proportional with time-delay controllers reduce the cavity flow noise. The results support the idea that both controls induce in the system a rapid switching between modes competing for the available energy that can be extracted from the mean flow.


In this paper the assumptions of stage theory and major theories of child art are reviewed to develop an explanation of artistic expres sion that allows for variable end points and accounts for relationships between children's drawings and adult art. Numerous studies indicate strong similarities among children's early drawings, which suggests that primarily universal factors of influence are operative. Cross-cultural similarities and differences among adult art suggest that universal factors are still operative, although relative factors predominate. A model of artistic selection pos sibilities is developed on the premise that art consists of options selected from universal and relative domains, circumscribed by the imperatives of time, place, and level of skill acquisition. Similarities and differences be tween child and adult art as well as variable personal and cultural end points are ac counted for when artistic development is de scribed as a selection process rather than a step-by-step, predefined progression.


The book is volume 14 in the series Studies in Vocational and Continuing Education. Series editors are Philipp Gonon & Anja Heikkinen. Volume 14, History of Vocational Education and Training in Europe: Cases, Concepts and Challenges is edited by Esther Berner, Professor for Educational Science, Helmut-Schmidt University in Hamburg, Germany, and Philipp Gonon, Professor for VET and Teacher Training, University of Zurich, Switzerland.


Open government data are considered a key asset for eGovernment. One could argue that governments can influence other types of data disclosure, as potential ingredients of innovative services. To discuss this assumption, we took the example of the U.S. 'Green Button' initiative - based on the disclosure of energy consumption data to each user - and analysed 36 energy-oriented digital services reusing these and other data, in order to highlight their set of inputs. We find that apps suggesting to a user a more efficient consumption behaviour also benefit from average retail electricity cost/price information; that energy efficiency 'scoring' apps also need, at least, structured and updated information on buildings performance; and that value-added services that derive insights from consumption data frequently rely on average energy consumption information. More in general, most of the surveyed services combine consumption data, open government data, and corporate data. When setting sector-specific agendas grounded on data disclosure, public agencies should therefore consider (contributing) to make available all three layers of information. No widely acknowledged initiatives of energy consumption data disclosure to users are being implemented in the EU. Moreover, browsing EU data portals and websites of public agencies, we find that other key data ingredients are not supplied (or, at least, not as open data), leaving room for possible improvements in this arena


This Research Guide provides information about marketing, including social media marketing, resources found in the CCCC libraries and linked databases.


In this study, ITS sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA were conducted for six putative species of Orinus ( O . alticulmus , O . anomala , O . kokonorica , O . longiglumis , O . thoroldii and O . tibeticus ) with 572 individuals from 73 populations. The results found that the six species formed two monophyletic groups: the one ( O . anomala Keng ex Keng f. and L. Liou) with O . alticulmus , O . anomala and O . kokonorica , and another ( O . thoroldii (Stapfex Hemsl.) Bor) with O . longiglumis , O . thoroldii and O . tibeticus . The taxonomic data from ITS sequences were not congruent with those from morphological characteristics, likely resulting from rapid speciation trigged by the uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent regions and the extensive selection pressure under the alpine environments. The ITS data suggest that the classification of the six species within the genus Orinus should be reduced to two species. We include a complete taxonomic revision of the genus and a key to distinguish the two species. Therefore, it is very necessary to make the comprehensive revision and arrangement of these taxa, strictly regulate the taxa confusion of genus and species order, and do new reports on belonging to the genus taxa.


We give a simplified proof of the generalized Kirszbraun theorem for Alexandrov spaces, which is due to Lang and Schroeder. We also discuss related questions, both solved and open.


Several studies have highlighted the combined role of emotions and reasoning in the determination of judgments about morality. Here we explore the influence of Kolmogorov complexity in the determination, not only of moral judgment, but also of the associated narrative interest. We designed an experiment to test the predictions of our complexity-based model when applied to moral dilemmas. It confirms that judgments about interest and morality may be explained in part by discrepancies in complexity. This preliminary study suggests that cognitive computations are involved in decision-making about emotional outcomes.


Radiation therapy is a first-line treatment for prostate cancer patients with localized tumors. Although some patients respond well to the treatment, approximately 10% of low-risk and up to 60% of high-risk prostate cancer patients experience recurrent tumors. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor recurrence remain largely unknown. Here we show that fractionated ionizing radiation (IR) induces differentiation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells into neuroendocrine (NE)-like cells, which are known to be implicated in prostate cancer progression, androgen-independent growth, and poor prognosis. Further analyses revealed that two cyclic AMP-responsive element binding transcription factors, cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB) and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2), function as a transcriptional activator and a repressor, respectively, of NE-like differentiation and that IR induces NE-like differentiation by increasing the nuclear content of phospho-CREB and cytoplasmic accumulation of ATF2. Consistent with this notion, stable expression of a nonphosphorylatable CREB or a constitutively nuclear-localized ATF2 in LNCaP cells inhibits IR-induced NE-like differentiation. IR-induced NE-like morphologies are reversible, and three IR-resistant clones isolated from dedifferentiated cells have acquired the ability to proliferate and lost the NE-like cell properties. In addition, these three IR-resistant clones exhibit differential responses to IR- and androgen depletion-induced NE-like differentiation. However, they are all resistant to cell death induced by IR and the chemotherapeutic agent docetaxel and to androgen depletion-induced growth inhibition. These results suggest that radiation therapy-induced NE-like differentiation may represent a novel pathway by which prostate cancer cells survive the treatment and contribute to tumor recurrence.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs that posttranscriptionally control the translation and stability of target mRNAs in a sequencedependent manner. MiRNAs are essential for key cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation, cell death and metabolism, among others. Consequently, alterations of miRNA expression contribute to developmental defects and a myriad of diseases. The expression of miRNAs can be altered by several mechanisms including gene copy number alterations, aberrant DNA methylation, defects of the miRNA processing machinery or unscheduled expression of transcription factors. In this work, we sought to analyze the regulation of the miR-182 cluster, located at the 7q32 locus, which encodes three different miRNAs that are abundantly expressed in human embryonic stem cells and de-regulated in cancer. We have found that the Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) directly regulates miR-182 cluster expression in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and in melanoma tumors, in which the miR-182 cluster is highly expressed and has a pro-metastatic role. Furthermore, higher KLF4 expression was found to be associated with metastatic progression and poor patient outcome. Loss of function experiments revealed that KLF4 is required for melanoma cell maintenance. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of the miR-182 cluster expression and new opportunities for therapeutic intervention in tumors in which the KLF4-miR-182 cluster axis is deregulated.


The gross anatomical features, namely stem, blade and petiole and the micromorphological features, trichome, pollen and nutlet of Salvia vermifolia Hedge & Hub.-Mor. (Sect. Aethiopis Bentham, Lamiaceae) were examined using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). S. vermifolia is a perennial endemic herb growing on igneous and serpentine slopes in Sivas province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. The results obtained from anatomical studies show that the stem is made up of 4–8-layers of collenchyma cells and 1-3-layers chlorenchyma cells. The blade is amphistomatic, bifacial, with 2-3-layered palisade cells on the adaxial. The petiole has three large central bundles and six small subsidiary bundles. Peltate glandular, capitate glandular and non-glandular trichomes are present in S. vermifolia. The peltate glandular trichomes are present in abundance on the calyx and corolla, and capitate glandular trichomes are predominant on the calyx, inflorescence axis, pedicel and stem. The acicular non-glandular trichomes are mainly situated on the calyx, corolla, inflorescence axis and pedicels whereas the floccose non-glandular trichomes are common on both sides of the leaf, inflorescence axis and petiole. The pollen grains are hexacolpate to octacolpate, medium to large (P, polar axis=45.29–62.49 μm; E, equatorial axis=45.32-62.38 μm), oblate-spheroidal to prolate-spheroidal (P/E=0.91–1.02) and their exine ornamentation is bireticulate. The nutlets are 2.70–2.90 mm long and 1.90–2.13 mm wide, brown, ovoid-oblong in their outline, rounded-trigonous in transverse section, and their surface is glabrous and colliculate.


The use of nutritional strategies to improve the quality of meat is a relatively new approach that has emerged at the interface of animal science and food science. The effects of dietary medicinal plants ( Allium sativum L., Piper nigrum L., and Capsicum annuum L.) addition to chicken nutrition on quality characteristics of breast and thigh with drumstick meat, as well as caloric value of chicken meat were investigated. Quality measurements included meat sensory (colour, smell, taste, softness, chewiness, juiciness and overall impression), physical (pH, colour – CIE L*a*b* and drip-loss) and chemical (moisture, protein, fat and ash content) characteristics. Herbs showed significant (P < 0.05) influence in altering most examined quality parameters of chicken meat, especially when adding red hot pepper. Caloric value of chicken meat was improved which makes garlic, black pepper and hot red pepper valuable natural feed additives in improvement of meat quality as well as a natural growth promoter. In conclusion, herbs had positive influence on chicken meat quality, however the knowledge of their mode of action is still limited and thus requires further investigation.


BACKGROUND
Actinic keratoses (AKs) are a common premalignant tumor of the skin. Several treatment modalities exist for broad-area therapy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one such treatment modality. Disruption of squamous epithelium locally compromises the normal physical barrier of the skin, potentially allowing bacteria penetration into the dermis. This may occur subsequent to PDT, resulting in cellulitis and its sequelae. Undiagnosed and untreated this can prolong recovery times and increase patient discomfort.

OBJECTIVE
We report 4 cases of cellulitis that developed after treatment of AKs with PDT. These cases developed 1 to 4 days after PDT.

METHODS
Standard short-contact 2-hour incubation is performed on patients receiving treatment on the face or scalp. Patients are contacted by telephone on day 1 and day 3 postprocedure. Patients are asked to call immediately if they experience no resolution of discomfort or an abrupt increase in pain in the days following treatment. Those patients reporting an increase in pain and discomfort on either of these days are asked to come to the office for examination. A culture and sensitivity is performed on those presenting with cellulitis clinically and empiric antibiotic therapy is initiated. Antibiotic therapy is adjusted, if necessary, based on the culture and sensitivity report.

RESULTS
All cases of cellulitis presented with an increase in pain and burning as the primary symptom between day 1 and 4 following PDT. The appearance of impetiginized areas or pustules was clearly evident in 2 out of the 4 patients. A culture and sensitivity confirmed the growth of staphylococcus aureus in all 4 patients.

CONCLUSION
Cellulitis should be considered as a possible complication in patients reporting an abrupt increase in pain or those who do not experience a gradual resolution of pain and discomfort following PDT.


Inference of the physical properties of stellar populations from observed photometry and spectroscopy is a key goal in the study of galaxy evolution. In recent years, the quality and quantity of the available data have increased, and there have been corresponding efforts to increase the realism of the stellar population models used to interpret these observations. Describing the observed galaxy spectral energy distributions in detail now requires physical models with a large number of highly correlated parameters. These models do not fit easily on grids and necessitate a full exploration of the available parameter space. We present Prospector, a flexible code for inferring stellar population parameters from photometry and spectroscopy spanning UV through IR wavelengths. This code is based on forward modeling the data and Monte Carlo sampling the posterior parameter distribution, enabling complex models and exploration of moderate dimensional parameter spaces. We describe the key ingredients of the code and discuss the general philosophy driving the design of these ingredients. We demonstrate some capabilities of the code on several data sets, including mock and real data.


Investment in education has always been a key national strategy to ensure Singapore's economic competitiveness and growth. Before the turn of the century, in 1997, a major educational reform with the official vision of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation (TSLN) was introduced by the then Prime Minister at the 7^th International Conference on Thinking. The aims of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation were to develop critical and creative thinking, instil lifelong learning passion, and promote nationalistic commitment in the young. To support the TSLN vision several initiatives were implemented to promote thinking skills, National Education, and information technology in schools.Sequentially, to enable schools to implement these new initiatives another thrust called Teach Less, Learn More (TLLM) was introduced by the Ministry of Education. This paradoxical phrase is a call to teachers to be less dependent on the use of rote learning and to move away from teaching for tests and examinations. Instead, they are to engage their students with more student-centered pedagogies to prepare them for the challenges of the 21^st century. The focus of Teach Less, Learn More was on the transformation of teaching pedagogies in order to promote more active learning on the part of the learners. To support all these new thrusts and initiatives, the curriculum review committee boldly recommended a content reduction in all subjects thereby freeing up more curriculum time for more student-centered pedagogies in the classrooms.Against this background, geographical education in Singapore has undergone critical transformations to be responsive and relevant to the needs of the changing educational scene in Singapore since the turn of the century. This paper will critically discuss the changes in terms of geographical content, pedagogy and assessments and also highlight the challenges in geographical education in Singapore as a result of these changes.


Given a linear form $C_1X_1 + \cdots + C_nX_n$ , with coefficients in the integers, we characterize exactly the countably infinite abelian groups $G$ for which there exists a permutation $f$ that maps all solutions $(\alpha_1, \ldots , \alpha_n) \in G^n$ (with the $\alpha_i$ not all equal) to the equation $C_1X_1 + \cdots + C_nX_n = 0 $ to non-solutions. This generalises a result of Hegarty about permutations of an abelian group avoiding arithmetic progressions. We also study the finite version of the problem suggested by Hegarty . We show that the number of permutations of $\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$ that map all 4-term arithmetic progressions to non-progressions, is asymptotically $e^{-1}p!$ .


In the Chinese Altai, on the northern side of the Erqis fault, the ~10-m-wide Qiemuerqieke gabbro is composed almost entirely of hornblende and plagioclase. Its relative crystallization sequence is olivine, hornblende, plagioclase, and it shows a narrow compositional range in SiO 2 (48.7–50.2 wt%), MgO (6.33–8.54 wt%), FeO (5.27–6.46 wt%), Na 2 O (3.06–3.71 wt%), and K 2 O (0.26–0.37 wt%). These contents result in a high Mg# value (68–72) and a low K 2 O/Na 2 O ratio of ~0.1. It has ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i ratios of 0.70339–0.70350, e Nd(t) values of 4.8–6.0, and zircon e Hf(t) of 11.4–15.8; these values demonstrate a mantle-derived source, and a whole-rock δ 18 O of ~6.7‰ suggests a mantle wedge origin. The presence of magmatic hornblende suggests a relatively high water fugacity, and the crystallization temperature (715–826 °C) calculated using Ti-in-zircon thermometry is considerably lower than that of a normal mafi c melt but consistent with an origin from a water-bearing magma. The gabbro has a secondary ion mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb age of 276.0 ± 2.1 Ma, which is coeval with the 275 Ma mantle plume in the northern Tarim craton, but the Qiemuerqieke petrological and geochemical data do not indicate an abnormally high mantle temperature or a deep mantle signature, which would commonly characterize a mantle plume source. Our results integrated with published data support a model of juvenile crustal growth by a subduction-related process.


The use of multiple receive antennas as well as multiple transmit antennas has attracted worldwide attention to extend the performance of existing mobile communication systems. Therefore, it is of great importance to know the features of the real propagation channel. The real propagation channel is investigated by MIMO channel sounding, where high-resolution parameter estimation schemes are used to resolve the physical channel with respect to its spatial (and temporal) structure. However, due to narrow diffuse scatterers, the commonly used model of discrete wavefronts is no longer valid. We introduce a simple approach to model wavefronts with small angular spread. Additionally, we show that the ESPRIT (estimation of signal parameters by rotational invariance techniques) algorithm with a slight modification is applicable to estimate the direction of arrival and the angular spread jointly. The approach is based on the assumption of Gaussian distributed wavefronts.


The reaction of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) with OH radicals is studied theoretically by using electronic structure calculations. The reaction of TMB with OH radicals is found to proceed by H-atom abstraction and OH addition reactions at the C1 and C2 positions of TMB. The rate constant is calculated for the initial H-abstraction and OH-addition reactions using canonical variational transition state theory (CVT) over the temperature range of 250 to 350 K. The results from the calculated thermodynamic parameters and kinetic calculations show that the formation of the TMB–OH adduct (I4) is more favorable with the rate constant of 11.8 × 10−12 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 at 298 K and the lifetime of TMB is 4 hours at a normal atmospheric OH concentration. The initially formed radicals from these reactions undergo atmospheric transformation by reacting with molecular oxygen leading to the formation of peroxy radical intermediates. The reaction of peroxy radicals with other atmospheric oxidants, such as HO2 and NO leads to the formation of products, such as trimethyl phenol, bicyclic peroxides, bicyclic carbonyl and methylglyoxal. The calculated thermodynamical parameters show that the reactions corresponding to the formation of the intermediates and products are highly exothermic. The results obtained from the current theoretical study are in excellent agreement with the available literature and elucidate the reaction pathways corresponding to the formation of secondary organic aerosols from TMB oxidation in the atmosphere.


Data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 1971 and 1972 were used to determine what factors are associated with the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration. The study was limited to those who were at least 45 years old at the time of the ophthalmology examination. Stratified analysis, adjusting for age, showed that education, systolic blood pressure, past history of hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and refractive error were all associated with macular degeneration. With the exception of education, these factors remained statistically significant when simultaneously entered into a logistic regression model. The frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins A and C suggested a negative association with the prevalence of macular degeneration after stratified adjustment for age. In a logistic regression analysis, adjusting for demographic and medical factors, the inverse association of vitamin C with age-related macular degeneration was no longer present. The frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A remained negatively correlated with age-related macular degeneration even after adjustment for demographic and medical factors.


In this paper, electrochemical corrosion tests and full immersion corrosion experiments were conducted in seawater at room temperature to investigate the electrochemical corrosion behavior and the corrosion mechanism of high-strength EH47. The polarization curve, EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscope), and EDS analyses were employed to analyze the results of the electrochemical corrosion process. The electrochemical corrosion experiments showed that the open circuit potential of EH47 decreases and then increases with an increase in total immersion time, with the minimum value obtained at 28 days. With an increase in immersion time, the corrosion current density (Icorr) of EH47 steel first decreases and then increases, with the minimum at about 28 days. This 28-day sample also showed the maximum capacitance arc radius, the maximum impedance and the minimum corrosion rate. In the seawater immersion test in the laboratory, the corrosion mechanism of EH47 steel in the initial stage of corrosion is mainly pitting corrosion, accompanied by a small amount of crevice corrosion with increased corrosion time. The corrosion products of EH47 steel after immersion in seawater for 30 days are mainly composed of FeOOH, Fe3O4 and Fe2O3.


We need much better understanding of information processing and computation as its primary form. Future progress of new computational devices capable of dealing with problems of big data, internet of things, semantic web, cognitive robotics and neuroinformatics depends on the adequate models of computation. In this article we first present the current state of the art through systematization of existing models and mechanisms, and outline basic structural framework of computation. We argue that defining computation as information processing, and given that there is no information without (physical) representation, the dynamics of information on the fundamental level is physical/ intrinsic/ natural computation. As a special case, intrinsic computation is used for designed computation in computing machinery. Intrinsic natural computation occurs on variety of levels of physical processes, containing the levels of computation of living organisms (including highly intelligent animals) as well as designed computational devices. The present article offers a typology of current models of computation and indicates future paths for the advancement of the field; both by the development of new computational models and by learning from nature how to better compute using different mechanisms of intrinsic computation.


This study aims to explore the influence of external actors on investment decision-making and the potential to subsequently prejudice investment outcomes in the UK office market. Research to date on decision-making processes in real estate has focused on the field of valuation. Work by Diaz (1990a; 1990b), Diaz and Hansz (1997) and Diaz and Wolverton (1998) have shown that valuers fail to follow the procedures in which they have been trained, take short cuts in their decision-making and are influenced various forms of market sentiment. Further to this, valuers have been found to be influenced by external actors such as the client. Levy and Schuck (2005) considered the potential for a client to influences the outcome of a valuation. Their findings indicate that opportunities to exert influence are afforded by the control the client has over the valuation process and that clients with expertise and a high level of knowledge of the property market are able to influence valuers by way of expert and information power. These studies reflect a gradual accumulation of evidence to suggest that valuers may be prone, in certain ways and in certain circumstances, to behave in a manner that is inconsistent with typical prescriptions (Gallimore, 1996). To date, these significant findings about actors in property, their behaviour and the influences on their behaviour have not been applied in any consistent manner to any other fields in property research. There is a limited literature available to describe the process of property investment decision-making. That which does exist portrays the process fundamentally as an exercise in rational analysis, evaluation and choice. Several studies have highlighted the distinct and continuing preference of UK investors for office properties located in the core market, irrespective of their relative performance (Ball, 1998; Key et al., 1998; Rowley and Henneberry, 1999). Despite this evidence and a clear need for further study, to date there has been little research done on the process of decision-making, influences on the process and the potential for bias or outside influences to prejudice this process. In order to gain a deeper understanding the structure and nature of the property market, it is essential to appreciate the nature and characteristics of the underlying processes and influences that drive the market. This paper reports on a series of interviews with property investment managers in the UK property market undertaken in mid-2004. The study has identified three distinct groups who play a significant role in the investment decision-making of property investment managers in the UK. These groups have all been found to exert varying degrees of influence at different stages of the decision-making process and to cause significant deviations from normative models of decision making. Influences of this scope and magnitude have the potential to bias the investment process and subsequently affect investment outcomes.


In his influential book, Kingdoms of the Savanna (1966), Jan Vansina described the rise of the kingdoms of the south-central African interior from the 15th century. These include the Luba (the mulopwe titleholders), Lunda (the nuclear Lunda, also termed Rund, of the mwant yav titleholders), Lunda-Ndembu, Chokwe, Pende, Luvale, Luluwa, Kanyok, Luba-Kasai, Kuba, Eastern Lunda, Yeke, and the Bemba. New analyses of oral traditions as well as the study of art, archaeology, ethnographic fieldwork, linguistics, and documentary sources haverevised understandings of these polities and added details. Historians have considered the context of the production of primary sources, in particular art and oral traditions, which were created during a transformative 19th century, when trade and violence contributed to the centralization of power for some polities and the disintegration of others. With subjects questioning the power of sovereigns, art, oral traditions, and oral praises projected royal genealogies and the qualities of kingship into a vague antiquity. The study of historical linguistics has also provided inroads into understanding the dissemination of political institutions and titles along with tentative accounts of their historical depth. Ethnographic fieldwork has further elaborated on the functioning of political systems and religious ideas. These diverse primary sources complicate the historiography of central African kingdoms; they also indicate the spread of alternative political and religious affiliations during the 18th and 19th centuries, in particular Luba fertility associations and Lunda fictive kin alliances.


Since the 2000s, agricultural land acquisition (ALA) for urbanization and industrialization has been quickly implemented in Vietnam, which has led to a huge socioeconomic transformation in rural areas. This paper applies the sustainable livelihoods framework to analyze how ALA has impacted the socioeconomic status (SES) of rural women whose agricultural land was acquired. To get primary data, we surveyed 150 affected households, conducted three group discussions and interviewed nine key informants. The research findings reveal that ALA, when applied toward urbanization, has significantly improved the occupational status of rural women by creating non-farm job opportunities that have improved their income, socioeconomic knowledge and working skills. While their SES has been noticeably enhanced, these positive impacts are still limited in cases where ALA is applied toward industrial and energy development, since these purposes do not create many new jobs. Moreover, the unclear responsibility of stakeholders and inadequate livelihood rehabilitation programs of ALA projects have obstructed the opportunities of rural women. To improve the SES of rural women, we recommend that ALA policy initiate a flexible livelihoods support plan based on the purpose of ALA and the concrete responsibilities of stakeholders and investors.


This thesis examines how convictions about gift and grace integrate with conceptions of agency and obedience for Paul and for his Jewish contemporaries. While post-Sanders scholarship has rightly noted the coexistence of grace and works in the Pauline and Jewish literature, it has failed to account for the diverse and sophisticated ways in which those two concepts can coexist. Following recent intertextual studies, this thesis argues that ancient Jews read descriptions of 'heart-transformation' in Deuteronomy 30, Jeremiah 31–32 and Ezekiel 36 as the solution to human ineptitude. Paul was no exception and his reading of those texts had a profound influence on his articulations of divine grace and human agency. On Paul's complex understanding moral competence is dependent upon divine agency and divine and human agencies co-exist and coinhere in, but never outside of, Christ.
Beyond advancing our understanding of the apostle's agency dynamics, this thesis shows how Second Temple interpretations of texts that concern heart-transformation provide fruitful ways of comparing Paul and his contemporaries' respective views regarding divine grace, human transformation, and humanity's ability to obey God. While most Jews in this period did not set divine and human agency or grace and obedience in competition with one another, the precise forms grace took, the functions it performed, the spheres in which it operated, and the qualification for its receptions differed markedly and this would have contributed to vehement disagreements between Jews. Paul would not have been immune from such debates. While his views about grace and agency are not sui generis in every respect, he would have still appeared radical to most of his contemporaries.


The Canadian government's shift to a neo-liberal communication policy regime has also been accompanied by a narrowing of the public service aspect of public interest in communications. This has had a major impact on community organizations that provide communication and information services to citizens. As part of the regime both federal and provincial levels of government invested heavily in advanced digital networks and systems that permitted the outsourcing of public and social services, which were previously provided by government, to community organizations. The paper shows that these services were provided with government short term programs and initiatives, which only provided the community centers with connectivity or learning networks. It also notes that the government electronic systems measured and monitored organizational service delivery and citizen interactivity. The paper proposes extending and strengthening democratic communication rights and social collective obligations as part of the public interest in communications to address the broader needs that permit communities and individuals to realize their full capabilities.


A domestic appliance (for example, a microwave oven), comprising: a housing; a front door; a retention mechanism (for example including a latch), located within the housing and engageable with the door; wherein the retention mechanism is movable between a first configuration, in which the door is retained in a closed position, and a second configuration, in which the door is non-engaged; an electromechanical actuator (for example a relay), adapted to move the retention mechanism out of said first configuration; and a controller (for example a microprocessor coupled to the relay, the microprocessor being operable in responsive to one or more signals to activate the relay, and thereby release the door from the closed position. Under spring bias, the door thus opens to about 30-45 degrees. The microprocessor-controlled door opening may be operable in three or more modes, including: in response to user actuation of a touch switch on the oven front panel, through infra-red remote control, or automatically in response to microwave power ceasing at the end of cooking.


This study revisits the association between bilateral relations and trade based on rare-event data from Integrated Data for Event Analysis (IDEA). Our results suggest that a country imports more from another if the two countries are friendlier. We further argue that states face two constraints when attempting to manipulate trade. First, they are constrained by domestic institutions such as elections and congress. Second, they are constrained by international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Our results show that the imports of authoritarian countries follow the flag of politics, but democratic countries' imports are less likely to be affected by bilateral relations. Moreover, WTO membership can gradually restrict democratic states from intervening on imports but has little impact on authoritarian governments.


Galectins have emerged as potent immunoregulatory agents that control chronic inflammation through distinct mechanisms. Here, we report that treatment with Galectin-8 (Gal-8), a tandem-repeat member of the galectin family, reduces retinal pathology and prevents photoreceptor cell damage in a murine model of experimental autoimmune uveitis. Gal-8 treatment increased the number of regulatory T cells (Treg) in both the draining lymph node (dLN) and the inflamed retina. Moreover, a greater percentage of Treg cells in the dLN and retina of Gal-8 treated animals expressed the inhibitory coreceptor cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4, the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10, and the tissue-homing integrin CD103. Treg cells in the retina of Gal-8-treated mice were primarily inducible Treg cells that lack the expression of neuropilin-1. In addition, Gal-8 treatment blunted production of inflammatory cytokines by retinal T helper type (TH) 1 and TH17 cells. The effect of Gal-8 on T cell differentiation and/or function was specific for tissues undergoing an active immune response, as Gal-8 treatment had no effect on T cell populations in the spleen. Given the need for rational therapies for managing human uveitis, Gal-8 emerges as an attractive therapeutic candidate not only for treating retinal autoimmune diseases, but also for other TH1- and TH17-mediated inflammatory disorders.


The enforcement of digestive anastomoses with glue is recognized now. It is possible to glue a circular instrumental anastomosis by applying or spraying a fibrin glue.


Standardized gynecological oncological therapeutical guidelines are based on ordinary predictive factors, such as depth of stromal invasion, histopathological type of tumor, lymphovascular space invasion, lymph node metastases. Unfortunately, the power of these prognostic factors is not able to determine the safety of this procedure in the relation to disease recurrence in a group of patients who are indicated for conservative operations. This is the appropriate area for new, especially biomolecular prognostic factors (proteins: p63, TAp63, p16, p21, p27, COX-2, genes: hTERC, MYCC). Moreover, comprehensive evaluation of cervical cancer prognostic factors and assessment of new biomarkers of cancer can ease prediction of risk of spread outside primary localization and determine probability of disease recurrence. This information can help to individualize surgical, radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic treatment.


This contribution was intended as a defence of section 25(1) of the Supreme Court Act 59 of 1959. However, the Supreme Court Act was repealed in August 2013 and replaced by the Superior Courts Act 10 of 2013, and in the process section 25(1) of the former gave way to section 47(1) of the latter. Both sections concern the doctrine of leave to sue judges in South Africa. Both prescribe that any civil litigation against a judge requires the consent of the court out of which such litigation is to be launched. Both apply to civil suits against judges for damage caused by either their judicial or their non-judicial conduct. Although section 25(1) had been one of the more inconspicuous sections of the Supreme Court Act , it was contested on occasion. Both curial and extra-curial challenges to section 25(1) assailed its constitutionality, alleging essentially that its provisions violated the right of access to courts enshrined in section 34 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa , 1996 and that such violation did not meet the limitation criteria contained in section 36. It may be anticipated with considerable confidence, given its legal continuity with section 25(1), that any serious assault upon section 47(1) of the Superior Courts Act also will focus upon its relationship to section 34 of the Constitution . This contribution is a pre-emptive defence of section 47(1) of the Superior Courts Act and, by extrapolation, a belated justification of section 25(1) of the Supreme Court Act . An attempt will be made to demonstrate, contrary to conventional wisdom, that section 47(1) does not limit section 34 and passes constitutional muster at the first level of enquiry, thereby obviating the need for advancing to the second level of enquiry contained in section 36 of the Constitution . The jurisprudential crux of section 47(1) of the Superior Courts Act is embedded in the nature of the judicial office and its core value of judicial impartiality. The procedural immunity which the section affords South African judges is a mechanism for sparing them the nuisance of having to deal with frivolous litigation, either as defendant or as adjudicator. Every specious suit against a judge, per definitionem , represents an incursion into judicial impartiality by urging that the court give credence to a claim which does not qualify for curial adjudication. In this regard, the doctrine of leave to sue seeks to ensure that judges do not have to adjudicate claims which resort beyond the compass of their judicial capacity. It is a doctrine which operates to protect and advance the unimpeachable principle of judicial impartiality.


: This report concerns possible adverse health effects and benefits that might result from consumption of large amounts of choline, lecithin, or phosphatidylcholine. Indications from preliminary investigations that administration of choline or lecithin might alleviate some neurological disturbances, prevent hypercholesteremia and atherosclerosis, and restore memory and cognition have resulted in much research and public interest. Symptoms of tardive dyskinesia and Alzheimer's disease have been ameliorated in some patients and varied responses have been observed in the treatment of Gilles de la Tourette's disease, Friedreich's ataxia, levodopa-induced dyskinesia, mania, Huntington's disease, and myasthenic syndrome. Further clinical trials, especially in conjunction with cholinergic drugs, are considered worthwhile but will require sufficient amounts of pure phosphatidylcholine. The public has access to large amounts of commercial lecithin. Because high intakes of lecithin or choline produce acute gastrointestinal distress, sweating, salivation, and anorexia, it is improbable that individuals will incur lasting health hazards from self-administration of either compound. Development of depression or supersensitivity of dopamine receptors and disturbance of the cholinergic-dopaminergic-serotinergic balance is a concern with prolonged, repeated intakes of large amounts of lecithin.


The myths and rumours that circulated during the First World War originated with soldiers and the general public, excepting atrocity stories. The British population used these myths and rumours to construct a discourse to explain its involvement in the First World War. This discourse reconciled the experience and understanding of civilians with the new era of Total War, offering hope and consolation in a time of crisis. It also acted as a form of mass, popularly produced propaganda which promulgated pro-war views that supported the British and Allied causes, while demonising the Germans and their methods of warfare. Belief in myths and rumours was equated with patriotism, and criticism decried as pro-German and un-British. The myths were widely disseminated and widely believed by important sections of the population. They drew on concepts palatable to British civilians: ideas of 'just' war and a moral cause; the nobility of their sacrifices; the bestiality of the enemy; and the necessity for the subordination of all else to the war effort. Myths about atrocities, spies and the paranormal helped the British public to survive a war that surpassed previous human and disquietude, but also experience. They also hinted at vulnerability, while expressing the unequivocal support which the majority offered the British war effort.


Reinforcement learning on high-dimensional and complex problems relies on abstraction for improved efficiency and generalization. In this paper, we study abstraction in the continuous-control setting, and extend the definition of MDP homomorphisms to the setting of continuous state and action spaces. We derive a policy gradient theorem on the abstract MDP for both stochastic and deterministic policies. Our policy gradient results allow for leveraging approximate symmetries of the environment for policy optimization. Based on these theorems, we propose a family of actor-critic algorithms that are able to learn the policy and the MDP homomorphism map simultaneously, using the lax bisimulation metric. Finally, we introduce a series of environments with continuous symmetries to further demonstrate the ability of our algorithm for action abstraction in the presence of such symmetries. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on our environments, as well as on challenging visual control tasks from the DeepMind Control Suite. Our method's ability to utilize MDP homomorphisms for representation learning leads to improved performance, and the visualizations of the latent space clearly demonstrate the structure of the learned abstraction.


Depletion mode (DM) silicon carbide JFETs are considered very promising switching semiconductor devices for demanding high power and high temperature PV inverter applications. This paper presents an original gate drive circuit for normally-ON SiC JFETs based on the equivalent model and the characteristic parameters of the device. The gate drive provides excellent device switching performance and offers protection against coupled noise induced shoot-through and gate punch-through faults. The gate-to-drain interaction effects are minimized, leading to limited overshoots in drain-to-source voltage as well as in drain current. Experimental results in an inverter bridge leg configuration verify the effectiveness of the gate drive towards improving the switching performance of the device. It is also shown that the device intrinsic body diode can be used for free-wheeling operation at the cost of a high voltage drop.


We surveyed agonistic behaviors of 20 captive groups of pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) housed under identical spatial conditions. Fifteen groups contained one male each; the other five groups contained no adult males. Groups included six to twelve adult females, some of which had infants with them. We found no relationship between social density of groups and incidence of agonistic behavior, but significantly more contact aggression (grab, hit, push, bite) and noncontact aggression (chase, open-mouth "threat," bark vocalization) occurred among females in groups containing no males than in those containing one male each. Apparently, males played an important role in the inhibition of intragroup conflict. We also found that females in groups containing males exhibited less noncontact aggression if infants were present than if no infants resided in their groups. Thus, competition of females over infants must not have been an important constituent of intragroup conflict under the conditions of this survey.


Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells are the most common mammalian cell line used around the world and are considered the "workhorse" for production of recombinant proteins in the pharmaceutical industry.
Efforts have been made to optimise the production process through advancements in media formulation and improving process control strategies like bioreactor design, fed-batch feeding and temperature shift approaches, increasing batch titres from 50 mg/L to 5-10 g/L. However, it is believed that there is still room for improvement in the advent of media and process optimisation reaching a plateau. An alternative route to overcome this plateau is through engineering of the CHO host cells themselves.
The overall aim of this PhD project was to identify and exploit endogenous CHO promoters to enhance heterologous protein expression.
Having obtained ~ 30 CHO putative promoter sequences of varying length from 9 target genes from PCR, we screened and cloned 4 priority CHO promoter fragments into a variety of reporter vectors (GFP, Luciferase, p27 and EPO) to test their strength and utility. We have identified 3 novel temperature responsive promoters fragments from Cirbp SSu72 and Mdm2 genes and one constitutive promoter from a miRNA cluster [miR-17-92].
These promoters can permit moderate to high expression of a desired protein similarly to viral commercial ones such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and simian virus (SV40) as well as boost expression levels of reporter proteins upon a temperature shift to 31oC. As a result, these novel tools are particularly advantageous in a bioprocess where reduced temperature is used already to increase protein production. In addition, we reported a ~94% decrease in clonal GFP stability of a CMV viral promoter versus our endogenous promoters over a 3 month timecourse experiment proving that viral promoters cannot sustain prolonged activity in culture like our novel endogenous promoter sequences.
We have also shown that CHO clones overexpressing human XIAP exhibited 2/3-fold increased resistance to apoptosis and survival in extended culture settings compared to control cells. A secondary aim was to identify potential interacting miRNAs by utilising a novel pulldown method (miR-Capture), to isolate miRNAs targeting the anti-apoptotic XIAP mRNA in two different cell types, using a biotinylated anti-sense oligonucleotide capture affinity technique.
Thus, identifying miRNAs which may impact on favourable phenotypes such as anti-apoptosis and increased growth rate may provide a means of improving CHO cell lines used for biopharmaceutical production. From the miR-Capture, there were 26 miRNAs detected in the human lysates and 14 in the CHO lysates. Four miRNAs (miR-124, miR-526b*, miR-760 and miR-877) were shown to be common from parallel CHO and human miR-Capture's, using oligos designed against XIAP. Functional validation provided further evidence that miR-124 targets XIAP mRNA in CHO and human cells and may be a suitable target for miRNA engineering in CHO.


Between June and July 2016 Oxford Archaeology East conducted an archaeological excavation on land adjacent to Edison Bell Way, Huntingdon (TL 2351 7221). The works comprised an open area excavation that extended approximately 50m back from the Ermine Street frontage. Following on from the excavation, monitoring of service trenches took place in May 2017.
The earliest evidence for activity on site comprised a series of elongated pits and ditches aligned broadly parallel with the extant Ermine Street. These features contained a small quantity of Iron and Roman pottery. Late Saxon activity took the form of a ditch running perpendicular to the road and a small number of discrete features in the south-western part of the site.
The majority of the archaeological activity on site dated to the earlier part of the medieval period with several phases of ditching demarcating plot boundaries, between which were interspersed a large number of pits of varying sizes. This included a particularly large pond-like feature whose long axis was aligned parallel with Ermine Street and which was recorded during the archaeological investigations immediately adjacent to the site in 2013. This feature and a number of the larger pits were very square-cut in profile, with further evidence for their maintenance also surviving in one pit in the form of wooden revetting.
During the post-medieval period it would appear that very little activity took place on the site, only a small number of pits and post holes pre-dating the activity associated with the 19th-century housing and associated services.
The activity on site was broadly comparable with that recorded immediately to the south-east during the Link Road excavations.


The authors examined teachers' (N = 19) use of different question types during small‐group comprehension instruction for 6–11‐year‐olds (N = 115). The authors tagged the corpus of 40 hours of guided reading sessions to enable computer‐based searches for syntactic forms of questions. Teachers frequently asked high‐challenge wh‐ word questions (e.g., "How does that fit in with what you just read?"), and this was more pronounced in schools located in regions of low socioeconomic status, a finding associated with recency of completion of teacher training. Students' responses were more linguistically complex when teacher questions comprised a high frequency of high‐challenge questions, particularly wh‐ word adverb questions (predominantly why and how). These findings applied across the wide age and ability range of the sample, indicating that high‐challenge questions are effective in small‐group comprehension instruction for students in different age groups and at various levels of reading ability. The authors conclude that teachers benefit from being informed about the effect of various syntactic forms of questions, particularly the nuances of wh‐ word questions. The findings also highlight the advantages of using corpus search methods to examine the influence of teacher question‐asking strategies during classroom interactions.


The slag generated in the rotary furnaces is classified hazardous waste. In this regard, landfill disposal of lead smelting slag is not feasible since a few hundred tons are produced per year; leaching of heavy metals into ground water is of concern. The release of heavy metals into the environment has resulted in a number of environmental problems. The disposal of slag is becoming more expensive each year due to large land areas needed for its disposal. The best way to solve the disposal problem of waste materials is to decrease the quantity for disposal with utilization of waste materials in the industry. The toxicity of the waste is determined by leaching tests and depending on the characteristics of the waste the spent abrasive must be disposed of as solid or hazardous waste. The aim of this study is to investigate leaching characteristics of lead smelting slag according to leaching tests such as TCLP, and TS EN 12457-4 tests methods. In this study, mixed-level factorial design was applied to optimize process parameters for lead removal from lead smelting slag using natural (sepiolite, montmorillonite, illite and seashell) and waste material (red mud). The established model was then used as a predictor to achieve better understanding of the adsorption process and to obtain optimal settings of the experimental factors. The present study includes the safe disposal of lead smelting slag using natural and waste materials. Experimental results indicated that red mud and seashell can be used as environmentally friendly adsorbents that are capable of lead release from lead smelting slag.


The TORE SUPRA Tokamak was built by EURATOM-CEA association. The NbTi conductor of superconducting coils is inserted in a tight enclosure filled with pressurized superfluid helium of 0.125 MPa at 1.8 K [1]. The thick casing is cooled to 4.5 K by 1.8 MPa in 4.5 K supercritical helium circulation. Around this thick casing, a 80 K thermal shield protects the parts at very low temperatures from the thermal radiation, which is cooled by pressurized helium at 80 K and 1.8 MPa. A new measurement method for helium mass flow rate of 80 K shield and 4.5 K casing is described in this paper. The commissioning was done on the two helium loops of the cryoplant: the supercritical 4.5 K thick casing and 80 K shields. The purpose is to improve control of the 4.5 K and 80 K refrigeration loops.


Hemiparesis is common following stroke. The ability to reach and grasp is a necessary component of many daily life functional tasks, hence reduced upper limb function has an impact on the ability to perform activities of daily living. In hemiparetic patients, the unrestricted and unguided repetition of a motor task may reinforce compensatory movements. Trunk restraint allowed the patients to use joint ranges that were present but not recruited during unrestrained reaching. Later, studies combined the trunk restraint training with additional therapeutic interventions. With the growing number of studies on this intervention in the stroke population, there is the need to consolidate this evidence to determine the potential use of trunk restraint training in improving arm reaching in neurological rehabilitation particularly for stroke patients. A considerable research effort had assessed the effects of trunk restraint training on the recovery of reaching movements in hemiparetic patients. This review identified 5 relevant trials in which one trial is a pilot study. Among 5 trials, three trials recorded the movement kinematics (outcome measure) by Optotrak Motion analysis System, in the other two trials the movement kinematics (outcome measure) were analysed by a 6 – camera, 3D Motion analysis system and 10 – camera Motion Analysis System respectively. The effect size for the intervention was calculated by Cohen's d. In this review, for the meta-analysis we used trunk displacement, trunk flexion, elbow extension, Smoothness and hand trajectory straightness (movement variables in kinematic analysis). The results of our review demonstrated that the use of trunk restraint as a treatment paradigm aimed at decreasing compensatory strategies has the potential of becoming an effective therapy. Further studies are necessary to determine the long term effect of the trunk restraint training.


Sarcoidosis rarely affects the alimentary tract and is usually asymptomatic. However, sarcoid granulomas are commonly found as a reaction to a local cause or as a feature of other systemic disease. Thus, the differential diagnosis of alimentary tract granulomas is wide. Before accepting a diagnosis of sarcoidosis of the alimentary tract, it is important to exclude its many mimics.


In addition to realized earnings and employment shocks, forward-looking individuals are presumed to condition their consumption and labor supply decisions on their subjective beliefs about future labor market risks. This paper analyzes these perceptions of earnings and employment risks using rich monthly panel data. It documents considerable individual heterogeneity in expected earnings growth and earnings growth uncertainty and in the perceived likelihood of a voluntary and involuntary job exit. We examine how these expectations evolve over the working life and the business cycle, and how they co-vary with expectations about the macro economy. Our analysis provides novel evidence on the perceived persistence in earnings growth shocks and on the association between future earnings and spending growth.