The clinical behaviour of ovarian tumours of low malignant potential (LMP) is unpredictable and it has been suggested that the majority of these lesions have no invasive potential. This study has analysed 92 epithelial ovarian tumours [11 mucinous cystadenomas, 18 mucinous LMP tumours, 15 mucinous carcinomas (9 FIGO stage I), 16 serous cystadenomas, 15 serous LMP tumours, and 17 serous carcinomas (11 FIGO stage I)] for numerical abnormalities of chromosomes 1, 11, 17, and X by interphase cytogenetics. Overall, numerical aberrations were identified in none of the cystadenomas, 15 per cent of serous LMP tumours, 17 per cent of mucinous LMP tumours, 67 per cent of mucinous carcinomas, and 82 per cent of invasive serous carcinomas. In mucinous LMP tumours, chromosome gains were associated with spindled nuclear morphology. Chromosome abnormalities were significantly more frequent in invasive mucinous (overall p< 0·01; stage I p< 0·05) and serous (overall p< 0·001; stage I p< 0·01) carcinomas than in the corresponding LMP tumours. No significant relationship between either stromal invasion or tumour type and the pattern of chromosome loss or gain was identified, although monosomy X was identified almost exclusively in invasive serous carcinomas. These observations are consistent with the concept that LMP tumours are unlikely to be precursors of ovarian carcinoma, but suggest that chromosome instability is important in the development of the invasive phenotype. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Role based e-learning is becoming popular as part of the pedagogical arsenal of the constructivist paradigm that puts emphasis on learning by doing in collaborative environments that include simulations, games and role plays. This paper examines and delineates two dimensions of role-based e-learning, the significance of role and the significance of rules, for the design of online learning environments and their implications in meeting educational objectives. The paper defines the differences between simulations, games and role plays and argues that to be effective in meeting educational objectives role based e-learning must carefully consider what I will call the reflexivity of roles and the relations between game rules and social rules.


The rice stem stink bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stal (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an important pest of rice in Brazil. This study aimed to register egg parasitoids of T. limbativentris in irrigated rice crop in Eldorado do Sul (state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). The area (603 m2) was inspected weekly from 01/21/2010 to 03/03/2010 and rice stem stink bug eggs were collected. It was observed only the occurrence of Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) as egg parasitoid and the parasitism rate was 75%. This is the first record of T. podisi in rice stem stink bug eggs collected in rice fields in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.


AIMS--To evaluate the interobserver variation in the diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial lesions, including the new category "borderline abnormalities of uncertain significance" (BAUS) which has not been tested before. METHODS--Biopsy specimens of 122 patients were reviewed by five histopathologists and the diagnoses subjected to kappa statistical analysis. RESULTS--There was poor interobserver agreement in all categories, particularly between BAUS and normal tissue. CONCLUSIONS--The current guidelines for the histological diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and BAUS are poorly reproducible.


During development, prenatal and postnatal factors program homeostatic set points to regulate food intake and body weight in the adult. Combinations of genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of neural circuitry that regulates whole-body energy homeostasis. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) and its receptor, Tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB), are strong candidates for mediating the reshaping of hypothalamic neural circuitry, given their well-characterized role in the central regulation of feeding and body weight. Here, we employ a chemical-genetic approach using the TrkBF616A/F616A knock-in mouse model to define the critical developmental period in which TrkB inhibition contributes to increased adult fat mass. Surprisingly, transient TrkB inhibition in embryos, preweaning pups, and adults all resulted in long-lasting increases in body weight and fat content. Moreover, sex-specific differences in the effects of TrkB inhibition on both body weight and hypothalamic gene expression were observed at multiple developmental stages. Our results highlight both the importance of the Bdnf/TrkB pathway in maintaining normal body weight throughout life and the role of sex-specific differences in the organization of hypothalamic neural circuitry that regulates body weight.


Crustal velocity structure for the region near Coalinga, California, has been derived from both earthquake and explosion seismic phase data recorded along a NW-SE seismic-refraction profile on the western flank of the Great Valley east of the Diablo Range. Comparison of the two data sets reveals P -wave phases in common which can be correlated with changes in the velocity structure below the earthquake hypocenters. In addition, the earthquake records reveal secondary phases at station ranges of less than 20 km that could be the result of S - to P -wave conversions at velocity interfaces above the earthquake hypocenters. Two-dimensional ray-trace modeling of the P -wave travel times resulted in a P -wave velocity model for the western flank of the Great Valley comprised of: (a) a 7- to 9-km-thick section of sedimentary strata with velocities similar to those found elsewhere in the Great Valley (1.6 to 5.2 km/sec); (b) a middle crust extending to about 14 km depth with velocities comparable to those reported for the Franciscan assemblage in the Diablo Range (5.6 to 5.9 km/sec); and (c) a 13- to 14-km-thick lower crust with velocities similar to those reported beneath the Diablo Range and the Great Valley (6.5 to 7.30 km/sec). This lower crust may have been derived from subducted oceanic crust that was thickened by accretionary underplating or crustal shortening.


Syntax of Dutch: Verbs and Verb Phrases consists of three volumes. Volume 1 opens with a general introduction to verbs, including a review of various verb classifications and discussions on inflection, tense, mood, modality and aspect. This is followed by a comprehensive discussion of complementation (argument structure and verb frame alternations). Volume 2 continues the discussion of complementation, but is more specifically focused on clausal complements: the reader will find detailed discussions of finite and infinitival argument clauses, complex verb constructions and verb clustering. Volume 3 concludes with a description of adverbial modification and the overall structure of clauses in relation to, e.g., word order (verb placement, wh-movement. extraposition phenomena, scrambling, etc.).


ABSTRACT The window period in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still a major problem in ensuring blood safety. HCV RNA detection by nucleic acid amplification technology-based tests has contributed to reduce the infectivity of blood products, but it is expensive, time-consuming and affected by a high prevalence of false-positive results. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of a newly developed enzyme immunoassay for the detection of HCV core antigen and its suitability for use in the screening of blood units in order to identify infecting samples that do not contain specific antibodies. For evaluation of laboratory performance, different samples were selected: to evaluate specificity, we tested 2,586 sera from blood donors, 500 general population samples, and 58 "difficult sera". All samples were tested by two screening assays, and results were negative. To estimate clinical sensitivity, 103 HCV RNA-positive, anti-HCV-negative samples, 6 natural seroconversion panels, and 9 commercial seroconversion panels were tested. Intra- and interassay precision were determined on two HCV-RNA-positive, anti-HCV-negative sera. Seventeen (0.66%) blood donor samples, 2 (0.4%) general population samples, and 2 (3.44%) difficult sera were initially reactive; 3 sera were positive on repetition. These 21 samples tested by reverse transcription-PCR were negative. The clinical sensitivity calculated with seroconversion panels and seroconverted patient samples was very similar to PCR sensitivity: 95% of PCR-positive, antibody-negative samples contained detectable HCV antigen. Data on intra- and interassay precision showed dispersion indices with values of less than 10%. In conclusion, the HCV antigen assay showed high sensitivity and specificity and could become a useful means of improving the safety of blood and blood products.


The O'Kalem Collection: 1910-1915 (2011)Directed by Sidney Olcott (The "O'Kalem" Films, 1910-1915)Directed by Peter Flynn (Blazing The Trail: The O'Kalems in Ireland)Distributed by the Irish Film Institute and Biff Productionswww.ifibooking.ie86 minutesIn 1910, the Kalem film company sent a small group of filmmakers from New York City to scenic County Cork, Ireland, where they shot the emigrant drama The Lad From Old Ireland, reportedly both the first American fiction film made outside the Americas and the first fiction film made in Ireland. Over the next several summers, director and actor Sidney Olcott, along with scenarist and actor Gene Gauntier, led a varied group of crewmembers and performers back to Ireland, producing just under 30 films, and earning the nickname 'The O'Kalems'. The Irish film archive has gathered eight surviving films from these trips, most of which have damaged or missing footage, from archives and private collections around the world and they are now available on a two disk DVD set The O'Kalem Collection: 1910-1915, released by the Irish Film Institute and Biff Productions. Also included are a feature documentary about the making of the films, Blazing the Trail: The O'Kalems in Ireland (2011), and an image gallery. Made in the midst of the transition to features, the films include both one reel and multi-reel stories of emigration and Irish history based on original stories or adapted from familiar songs, poems and dramas. The O'Kalem Collection is of considerable interest to film scholars, not only from a variety of historical perspectives but also on the basis of the films' aesthetic merits.Upon arriving in Ireland, the O'Kalems created a base in the O'Sullivan family hotel in Beaufort, Co. Kerry. They employed locals, including their hosts at the hotel, for small parts and extra work. Working without electricity and coping as best they could with an unpredictable climate and difficult driving conditions, they shot in and around Killarney, making good use of the area's scenic splendor, including the Gap of Dunloe, Muckross Lake and Abbey, and the Tore Waterfall. The scenery inspired Olcott to create some stunning deepspace compositions, as well as spectacular chase scenes staged across the hills and lakes of Killarney, in films such as Rory O'More (1911) and For Ireland's Sake (1914). After performing all day in varied conditions, Gauntier stayed up late writing scenes for the next day's shooting.Kalem's Irish films extended the company's strategy of using location shooting to differentiate its products. Founded in 1907, Kalem initially specialized in Western romances shot in the wilds of Fort Lee New Jersey. Olcott and Gauntier, both former employees of Biograph, were an effective production team, contributing in particular his talent for shooting exteriors and her intrepid performance style to Kalem's production formula. In the winter of 1908, the two travelled to Florida to extend their season away from the cold New York winters, shooting Civil War stories and Southern costume dramas with swamps and southern scenery as their backdrop. In addition to Ireland, Olcott and Gauntier did location work for Kalem in England, Germany, Egypt and Palestine, bringing footage back to New York to finish the films. They returned to Ireland in 1911 and 1912, with an expanded crew, to make films that included the one-reelers Rory O'More and You Remember Ellen, as well as three-reel adaptations of Irish playwright Dion Boucicault's stage melodramas The Colleen Bawn and Arrah-na-Pogue. The two filmmakers left Kalem at the end of 1912 to form the Gene Gauntier Feature Players, and returned to Ireland in 1913 to make several three-reel dramas, including For Ireland's Sake and Come Back to Erin. Olcott and Gauntier dissolved their professional partnership after this trip. Olcott returned to Ireland for a final time in 1914 with a new featured performer, Valentine Grant, with whom, among other films, he made the three-reel drama Bold Emmett, Ireland's Martyr, which was distributed through Lubin. …


The water resource supply-demand relationship in the Sinu-Caribe Basin, Colombia, was analyzed based on current values and values projected for 2015 and 2025 by the Instituto de Hidrologia, Meteorologia y de Estudios Ambientales de Colombia). The projections included estimated changes in the relationship based on general circulation climate change models under A2 greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning) System was applied to analyze and simulate different water systems and to guide management policies in order to provide tools, criteria and decision-making elements for devising adaptive strategies under adverse conditions.


Effective use of the processor memory hierarchy is an important issue in high performance computing. In this work, a part level mesh topological traversal algorithm is used to define a reordering of both mesh vertices and regions that increases the spatial locality of data and improves overall cache utilization during on processor finite element calculations. Examples based on adaptively created unstructured meshes are considered to demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure in cases where the load per processing core is varied but balanced (e.g., elements are equally distributed across cores for a given partition). In one example, the effect of the current ajacency-based data reordering is studied for different phases of an implicit analysis including element-data blocking, element-level computations, sparse-matrix filling and equation solution. These results are compared to a case where reordering is applied to mesh vertices only. The computations are performed on various supercomputers including IBM Blue Gene (BG/L and BG/P), Cray XT (XT3 and XT5) and Sun Constellation Cluster. It is observed that reordering improves the per-core performance by up to 24% on Blue Gene/L and up to 40% on Cray XT5. The CrayPat hardware performance tool is used to measure the number of cache misses across each level of the memory hierarchy. It is determined that the measured decrease in L1, L2 and L3 cache misses when data reordering is used, closely accounts for the observed decrease in the overall execution time.


In Bangladesh, maize stands second place after rice; since it faces diverse natural calamities during its highest growing season (rabi/winter), particularly strong storm during the reproductive stage. Sometimes in some regions, this crop is completely damaged by natural disasters. Considering the burning issue, thirteen hybrids, including 10 previously selected short stature hybrids were evaluated against three local and standard checks: 'BHM-9', '981' and 'Sunshine' in two consecutive years in seven locations of Bangladesh. Combined analysis over locations and seasons instigated that genotypes 'Sunshine', '981' and 'G10' were the top-high yielders, while genotypes 'G1', 'G2', 'BHM-9' and 'Sunshine' were found the most stable. On the other hand, five genotypes such as 'G3', 'G4', 'G6', 'G8' and 'G9' had the below-average mean yield and the genotypes 'G6' and 'G9' were the most unstable. Among the seven environments, Jamalpur, Joydebpur and Dinajpur were most discriminating and Ishwardi was the least discriminating; whereas Joydebpur was more representative and Borishal was the least representative of other test environments. In the case of plant and ear height, most of the genotypes showed a lower value than all the checks, which was desirable. But among the top three high yielders, local cross-genotype, the 'G10' had the lowest and more stable value for both plant height and ear height. Therefore, considering the plant and ear height, grain yield, and yield stability, the genotype 'G10' has been recommended for release as commercial variety and has been released as new maize variety in Bangladesh with the local name of 'BARI Hybrid Maize-16' (BHM-16).


: In 40 patients suffering from gastrogenic anemia subject to study were the iron content in the daily ration, iron excretion with feces, as well as the level of the serumal iron, the whole blood copper, the number of erythrocytes and the blood hemoglobin level both before the treatment and at different stages of the therapy, 6 mg of copper per day included in the diet. The iron was determined after Henry (1958) and copper after L.N. Lapin (1957). The data obtained indicate that following a regular taking of copper there increases the iron retention in the organism of the patients, this phenomenon being attended by a falling concentration of copper in the whole blood and a rising level of the serumal iron, hemoglobin and an increase in the number of erythrocytes in the peripheral blood. These data confirm the fact of physiological synergism between copper and iron in the organism, including that in the organism of patients with gastrogenic anemia.


chinua Achebe has proven his worth among english-speaking African novelists by representing the African social and political environment in a thoroughly realistic way. his novels depict life within a particular historical background, and convey a sense of growing disgust and unrest within nigerian society, a society that has started to emerge from the 'colonial complex' caused by years of denigration and self-abasement. A Man of the People ( 967) is Achebe's fourth novel. it describes nigeria in its post-independence phase, during which time the country became a 'cesspool of corruption and misrule' in the context of colonial-style social and economic development, a situation that resulted in conflict between the emergent, elitist middle class and the general population. Achebe's reputation as a novelist rests on his impartial understanding of, and ability to represent, the nigerian environment. his realistic characterization, and diagnosis, of his country's malaise has the power to inspire a revolution informed by African ideologies.


Across postconflict regions of the world, explosive ordnance (EO), which includes remnant antipersonnel land mines, antivehicle/tank mines, unexploded cluster munitions, improvised explosive devices, and explosive remnants of war (ERW) such as unexploded ordnance and abandoned explosive ordnance, remains a critical humanitarian concern. Clearance and land release efforts anchored on manual geophysical detection and mechanical probing methods remain painstakingly slow, expensive, and dangerous to operators. As a result, postconflict regions impacted by EO contamination significantly lag in social and economic development. Developing, calibrating, and field testing more efficient detection methods for surficial EO is a crucial task. Unpiloted aerial systems featuring advanced remote sensing capabilities are a key technology that may allow the tide to turn in the EO crisis. Specifically, recent advances in hardware design have allowed for effective deployment of small, light, and less power consuming hyperspectral imaging (HSI) systems from small unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs). Our proof-of-concept study employs UAV-based HSI to deliver a safer, faster, and more cost-efficient method of surface land mine and ERW detection compared to current ground-based detection methods. Our results indicate that analysis of HSI data sets can produce spectral profiles and derivative data products to distinguish multiple ERW and mine types in a variety of host environments.


A Study of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Tie2 and its Interaction with Novel Signalling Intermediates. The receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 is expressed predominantly in endothelial cells and has a role in blood vessel formation, remodelling and maturation. This receptor also has antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects on endothelial cells. To delineate the signalling pathways utilised by Tie2 two approaches were used. The first approach involved the use of Tie2 chimeric receptors in order to gain control over Tie2 activation. When transiently expressed in endothelial cells Tie2 chimeric receptors were autophosphorylated and insensitive to further increases in tyrosine phosphorylation following ligand treatment. In stable cell lines Tie2 chimeras showed reduced levels of autophosphorylation but once again were insensitive to further increases in tyrosine phosphorylation following ligand treatment. Furthermore stably expressed Tie2 chimeras could not be readily immunoprecipitated and so this approach was deemed unsuitable for determining Tie2 interacting proteins. The second approach was to use the yeast 2-hybrid system to screen a human endothelial cell cDNA library. This screen identified a novel protein, termed FL9.1 that interacted with the intracellular domain of Tie2. FL9.1 was found to represent the human homologue of the recently described murine A20 binding inhibitor of NFkB activation-2 (ABIN-2). FL9.1 was determined not be endothelial cell specific, to bind Tie2 in a phosphotyrosine-dependent manner but not become tyrosine phosphorylated by Tie2. Furthermore FL9.1 was shown to bind specifically to Tie2 but not Tiel. Deletion analysis showed that within FL9.1 amino acid residues 171-272 are required for Tie2 binding. NFkB regulates genes participating in immune and inflammatory responses. Expression of FL9.1 deletion mutants in human endothelial cells suppressed the ability of the Tie2 activating ligand angiopoietin-1 to inhibit phorbol ester-induced NFkB-dependent reporter gene activity. These findings represent a potentially novel Tie2 signalling pathway and may be the pathway through which Tie2 exerts its anti-inflammatory actions in endothelial cells.


Cerebrovascular disease plays a paramount role in mortality and morbidity, and the clinical and basic sci entific study of acute stroke has blossomed, leading both to increased survival and to increasing numbers of people with disabilities from stroke. Neurobiological study of the chronic form of this prevalent neurological disease has lagged behind investigation of the acute illness. This article reviews how and why this situation will change. Four major points are addressed: 1) The anatomical organizations of functional brain systems are less topographically precise than commonly believed. 2) Cortical plasticity exists in adults and takes a number of forms, including unmasking of existing circuits, growth of new synapses via axonal sprouting or dendritic proliferation, and development of compensatory processes. 3) It is possible to manipulate this plasticity with behavioral and pharmacological interventions, and such manipulations can have a beneficial effect on recovery. 4) Functional neuroimaging, particularly the noninvasive method of fMRI, can be used to study in vivo both cerebral plasticity after stroke and the interventions that might influence recovery by affecting this plasticity. Although there is much to be accomplished, the prognosis is extremely good for a neuroscience of stroke rehabilitation. NEUROSCIENTIST 4:426-434, 1998


The frequency of recovery was studied as was sensitivity to antibiotics of staphylococci and streptococci of the faucial tonsils over the last 7 years in those children with chronic tonsillitis who are in poor health. In always ailing children, it is Staphylococcus aureus that is recovered from the tonsils more often than not, with pathogenic streptococcus being found on more rare occasions. Sensitivity of pathogenic streptococci to benzyl penicillin sodium salt has gotten much lower in recent years. This accounts for a low efficiency of penicillin therapy of streptococcal infection, which fact is to be considered in designing therapeutic measures to be instituted in those children being in poor health.


Understanding generalization in reinforcement learning (RL) is a significant challenge, as many common assumptions of traditional supervised learning theory do not apply. We focus on the special class of reparameterizable RL problems, where the trajectory distribution can be decomposed using the reparametrization trick. For this problem class, estimating the expected return is efficient and the trajectory can be computed deterministically given peripheral random variables, which enables us to study reparametrizable RL using supervised learning and transfer learning theory. Through these relationships, we derive guarantees on the gap between the expected and empirical return for both intrinsic and external errors, based on Rademacher complexity as well as the PAC-Bayes bound. Our bound suggests the generalization capability of reparameterizable RL is related to multiple factors including "smoothness" of the environment transition, reward and agent policy function class. We also empirically verify the relationship between the generalization gap and these factors through simulations.


Despite some skepticism among experts about the effects of a minimum wage, there is remarkably widespread public support for such policies. Using representative survey data from 2015 and 2016, we investigate the subjective attitudes driving public support for Germany's recent minimum wage reform. We find that socio-economic characteristics and political orientations explain a minor part of the variation in attitudes, whereas beliefs that the reform will bring positive redistributional effects and perceptions that it will help people to maintain or improve their overall economic situation (measured by living standards, income, hours worked, and job security) play a major role.


were made by means of stereotaxic electrocoagulation in intact and gonadectomized mice, which were subsequently treated with methylthiouracil. Lesions could be placed with an acceptable degree of precision and with moderate postoperative mortality. Correctly placed lesions made in intact females and castrated males caused a marked inhibition of goitre development, indicating a depressed secretion of thyrotrophin. However, in intact males and spayed females inhibition of goitre formation could not be demonstrated convincingly.


Condition assessment of in-service structures, is highly depending on subjective visual inspections. While technology exists to collect objective measurements related to structural response, these techniques are costly in terms of equipment and field setup, often requiring lane closure and special equipment for sensor installation. This thesis aims to investigate cost-effective and efficient non-contact methods of structural response measurement. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) can be an effective measurement technique for displacement and strain in 2D and 3D applications. With any experiment, test setup is vital to ensure collection of accurate measurements. Also, the methods of data collection must be appropriate for the expected level of structural response. In order to evaluate the appropriateness of DIC, laboratory experiments and three field applications of DIC are included in this study. A four-point bending test was used to evaluate data collection protocols and environmental conditions collected via DIC and Go Pro® cameras. Structural strain measurements were collected at Six Flags New England in Agawam, MA and the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, NH, while structural displacement measurements were collected at the Bagdad Road Bridge in Durham, NH. These studies showed that the DIC setups herein are appropriate to collect bridge deflection data but they did not have the required strain range to collect meaningful strain measurement for in-service bridges structures. This study also presents a load rating procedure that is enhanced by the deflection information collected with DIC.


Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is a monoclonal antibody targeting the extracellular domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (1) utilized for the treatment of adjuvant and metastatic breast cancer (2) in the United States and worldwide. We mined published microarray and gene expression data (3, 4) to discover in an unbiased manner the most significant transcriptional changes associated with trastuzumab treatment. We identified FGF10 among the genes most differentially expressed in the primary tumors of patients with breast cancer treated with trastuzumab. The primary tumors of breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab expressed higher levels of FGF10 messenger RNA than did patients not treated with trastuzumab, and a single administration of trastuzumab was sufficient to result in differential expression of FGF10 in primary tumors of the breast, demonstrating increased expression of a growth factor which provides signals to support development of the limbs and for the differentiation of radial glial cells from neuronal progenitor cells (5-7) as a direct transcriptional consequence of treatment with trastuzumab.


This paper investigates the performance of narrowband, slowly fading, and delay-limited multiple-antenna systems where channel state information (CSI) is available at the transmission end. This situation can arise in time-division duplex (TDD) based two-way systems where channel state estimation can be performed using the signal received from the opposite link. Power control methods which attempt to keep the transmission rate constant at the expense of randomizing the transmit power are considered. It is shown that significant savings in average transmit power (sometimes on the order of tens of decibels) can be expected compared to systems which keep the total transmit power constant. Several practical channel coding examples using are illustrated and their bit and frame error rate performance are discussed.


These days akhlak education have started to hollowed, so there is a need to provide perpetual study about these. The purpose of this study is to know how the implementation of akhlak education according to KH Abd Wahab Hasbullaj in Madrasah Aliyah Unggulan KH Abd Wahab Hasbullah Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas Jombang, because it is one of the school which using the name of Kyai Wahab as its name. This study is a study using qualitative approach with library research as a main metode.
Some of the akhlak of KH Abd Wahab Hasbullah are: his attention towards NU organization, dicipline, presevering, diligent, generous, merciful, kind, friendly, have broad knowledge, nationalist, have forward tought, and firm. While the implication of akhlak education according to KH Abd Wahab Hasbullah in Madrasah Aliyah Unggulan KH abd Wahab Hasbullah Tambakberas Jombang have been applied, it is proved that these are included in the vision and mission of the Madrasah, which is the implementation of modeled akhlak education from KH Abd Wahab Hasbullah, that is producing 'smart, right, professional, environment carer, and pious to God' generation, which all of these things are inside the figure of KH Abd Wahab Hasbullah himself.


A review of all flexor tendon repairs in the "no man's land" performed from January of 1985 to June of 1987 was done to evaluate the efficacy of our method of rehabilitation. There were 60 fingers (57 patients) with complete laceration of the flexor digitorum profundus and flexor digitorum superficialis tendons in zone II. Fingers with phalangeal fractures, joint injuries, or significant skin loss were exlcuded. Follow-up ranged from 12 to 48 months. Rehabilitation consisted of a 12-week protocol using the U.S. military combined regimen of controlled motion. Features from the technique of controlled active extension against rubber band passive flexion as well as those of controlled passive extension and passive flexion were incorporated. The palmar pulley modification of Kleinert's dynamic traction splint was utilized. Strickland's total active motion formula was employed to determine results. The results were classified into the four categories of excellent, good, fair, and poor. Fifty-two fingers (86 percent) were rated excellent, 4 fingers (7 percent) were rated good, 1 finger (2 percent) was rated fair, and 3 fingers (5 percent) were rated poor.


This experimental paper analyzes the effects of auxiliary plate position along the centerline of a vertical channel on combined air natural convective and radiative heat transfer. These configurations can be found in the telecommunication systems and electronic cabinets with vertical cards.
 The experiments are carried out by means of temperature measurements to obtain significant thermal parameters. A comparison between the different positions of the plate inside the channel is given in terms of channel wall temperatures. The results are given in terms of heated wall temperature profiles and radiative heat transfer for different thermal and geometrical parameters. Average Nusselt number as a function of the main thermal and geometrical parameters are presented and useful correlation equations are proposed. The comparison of the placement of the auxiliary plate, for high radiative heat transfer, shows that the auxiliary plate placed at the channel exit displays the lowest maximum channel wall temperatures when high Rayleigh numbers and heat flux values are considered. The configuration with this auxiliary plate placement is thoroughly examined for several h/L values and different emissivity coefficients. The channel aspect ratio, L/b, is equal to 10 and 20, the ratio of the auxiliary plate height to the channel one, h/L, 0, 0.25, 0.33 and 0.5, with emissivity coefficients of the walls equal to 0.1 and 0.9 and three different auxiliary plate positions inside the channel. The modified Rayleigh number values are in the 102–105 range.


Introduction: Urinary incontinence is a common health, physical, and social problem in the world. There is an urgent need of effective questionnaires for its evaluation in Iranian women. Aim: The present study aimed to assess validity and reliability of the adapted and translated version of the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7) and the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) in the Persian language. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to October 2015. A sample of 200 consecutive women who participated in this study filled the final version of the questionnaires. Eligible samples were divided into two groups (with and without UI). Standard forward-backward procedure was applied for translating the questionnaires into Persian. Reliability was assessed using test/retest reliability and internal consistency. In addition, validity was evaluated using face and content validity, comparison with known groups, and convergent validity. Results: Two hundred women participated in this study and filled both the questionnaires. Both the normal and incontinent groups had 100 subjects. Mean age of the respondents was 47.52±9.84 years. The content validity analysis produced favourable results. IIQ and UDI successfully discriminated the two groups. There was a significant negative correlation between the two questionnaires and all subscales of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for UDI-6 and IIQ-7 was 0.88 and 0.95, respectively. The Intraclass Correlations (ICC) scores for the Persian language versions were 0.96 for UDI-6 and 0.97 for IIQ-7. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the newly developed Persian language version of IIQ-7 and UDI-6 are short, valid, and reliable methods for assessing the quality of life of women with UI. © 2018, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved.


Matisone I., Zumberga A., Lībiete Z., Gerra-Inohosa L., Jansons J. (2018): The impact of forest infrastructure reconstruction on expansion of potentially invasive plant species: First results from a study in Latvia. J. For. Sci., 64: 353–357. Today, when anthropogenic pressure on natural ecosystems promotes degradation of natural habitats and facilitates distribution of alien species, local disturbances such as forest management become more significant in relation to alien plant species expansion. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of forest road and drainage network reconstruction on the vegetation composition focusing on the expansion of invasive alien plant species. The occurrence and coverage of vascular plant and bryophyte species were recorded within 160 sample plots along four forest roads and four drainage ditches. This paper summarises the first results of this study. The main results indicate that small-scale linear corridors like forest roads and drainage networks can promote the expansion of invasive alien plant species.


A lthough procalcitonin (PCT) serum level is still considered to be a highly specific and sensitive biologic marker of severe bacterial infections, it can be increased in noninfectious situations such as diffuse metastatic solid cancers, C-cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland, major trauma or surgery, or after cardiopulmonary bypass. Herein we show that PCT level increases in some patients with severe drug reactions. Clinicians should therefore not rely on PCT values to discriminate between infectious and immunoallergic eruptions in patients who present with fever and a rash.


The study compares the revised and signed text of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EUVFTA) and the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) in respect of important procedural aspects relating to investor-State dispute settlement. The findings are juxtaposed to the procedural rules governing the preliminary reference procedure and direct action (action for annulment) before the Court of Justice of the European Union as well as the individual application before the European Court of Human Rights. In doing so, it provides a tool and manual to evaluate the EU's todays and future progress in reforming the international investment law regime. By outlining key features of the procedural frameworks governing two international courts, some 'tried and tested' concepts as source of inspiration for the possible design of a 'multilateral investment court' might be found.


In contrast to hepatocytes, hepatoma cells lack glucokinase activity and show increased aerobic glycolysis. FTO-2B and H4IIE rat hepatoma cell lines were obtained in which the rat glucokinase gene was expressed (FTOGK and H4GK). These lines were generated by infection of the hepatoma cells with a retroviral vector carrying the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK)-glucokinase chimeric gene. Both the FTOGK and H4GK cells expressed the chimeric gene in a regulated manner, like the endogenous PEPCK gene. Glucokinase activity was detected in both FTOGK and H4GK. These cells lines showed a marked increase in glucose uptake with 18.5 mM glucose in the incubation medium. FTOGK and H4GK showed an increase in the content of glucose 6-phosphate, and were able to accumulate high levels of glycogen, in contrast to FTO-2B cells, which were unable to store the polysaccharide. In addition, cells expressing glucokinase showed high concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and substantial lactate production, which was related to the glucose concentration in the medium and the time of incubation. These results suggest that glucose phosphorylation is rate limiting for glucose uptake and utilization in FTO-2B and H4IIE cells.


A new design using a dielectric reflector to reduce the back radiation of aperture coupled antennas is proposed and developed in this paper. To validate the proposed design, a concise theory analysis is first conducted and then the proposed design is analyzed in a modified aperture coupled microstrip antenna. In this design, a radiating patch and a microstrip feed line are both etched on the same side of a top substrate and a coupled slot is etched on the opposite side of this substrate. To examine the effect of the dielectric reflector on the antenna performance, theoretical simulations and experimental investigations were carried out, and a good agreement between the theoretical expectation and the measured results validates the proposed design. The measured radiation patterns show that the proposed structure can offer a high radiation efficiency, a high front to back radiation ratio, and a high co-cross polarization ratio. With these features, the proposed design is significant in the electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) designs for reduced undesirable radiation.


This paper is based on the application of the People Capability Maturity Model (CMM) to the Foundation Bruno Kessler (FBK), a research centre located in Trento (Italy). People CMM is a framework to study the level of maturity of an organization in order to improve workforce's development and to help management to define people's capabilities in the organization. The project is an ongoing project. What we are presenting here is our critical approach to data collection. In particular, our aims is to understand how FBK can modify its practices in order to achieve an higher level of maturity in the management of human resources, that is according to the model: a managed level where "the first step toward improving the capability of the workforce is to get managers to take workforce activities as high-priority responsibilities of their job." In this position paper, we will discuss the implication deriving from the notion of "practice" assumed by the model with respect to a different notion of practice, which is intended to complement it.


A method in use since about 1965 for design optimization by computer is described. It has been applied to a large variety of transformers, turbine generators, hydroelectric generators, smaller salient pole synchronous machines, and squirrel-cage induction motors. The programs have been developed in close cooperation with industrial users. The method is surprisingly simple and efficient. A small program has been made solely for the purpose of explaining the method and demonstrating how it works. The program designs small single-phase transformers with two round wire layer windings.<<ETX>>


It is now acknowledged that sustainable development is a new paradigm of international investment protection law, to be taken into account when planning domestic investment policies and drafting future investment agreements. Yet, the paper intends to provide a re-contextualization of the currently existing investment regime in a way that already allows focusing on the protection of wider interests than the ones of pure economic value in the application of investment law. In order to do that, the paper consists of two parts. First, it analyses the term economic development as the object and purpose of the currently existing international investment regime, suggesting that economic development is a generic term whose current meaning requires to put it in the context of sustainable development. Sustainable development essentially means the achievement of an equitable balance between economic development, social development and environmental protection. Consequently, sustainable development - as the object and purpose of investment protection law - requires finding a balance between the State's regulatory responsibilities and a foreign investor's interests. Second, the paper suggests that in order to find that balance, sustainable development - as the inherent objective of investment protection - may alter perceptions of applicable law and guide the contextual and effective interpretation of investment protection standards by requiring a focus on wider interests than merely those of foreign investors. As a result, it may influence the methodologies used for the establishment of violations of investment guarantees.


The term pulmonary hypertension refers to a serious condition characterised by high pulmonary vascular pressure, mainly as a consequence of various cardiac and respiratory diseases. Current clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension considers five distinct groups. Transthoracic echocardiography represents the first and most important noninvasive screening tool for estimating the probability of pulmonary hypertension. The diagnostic approach to pulmonary hypertension is supported by a proposed algorithm, which identifies the underlying cause. The definitive diagnosis and classification of pulmonary hypertension requires invasive confirmation of an elevated pulmonary artery mean pressure during a right heart catheterisation at rest. Pulmonary artery wedge pressure assessment has a pivotal role in differentiating precapillary from postcapillary pulmonary hypertension. The correct acquisition and interpretation of invasive pulmonary haemodynamic variables play a central role, not only in confirming the diagnosis but also in prognostication and treatment decision-making. During right heart catheterisation correct zero levelling of the external pressure transducer and pressure tracing readings at end-expiration should be assured. Obese patients and patients with obstructive lung diseases require special attention, given that spontaneous positive end-expiratory intrathoracic pressures are frequently observed. Because pressure and flow determinations with a fluid-filled flow-directed thermodilution catheter are potentially insufficiently precise, it is recommended to average at least three measurements. Acute vasoreactivity testing is indicated only in selected patients. Recent data suggest that invasive pulmonary haemodynamic measurement during exercise may be more sensitive than resting haemodynamics for early diagnosis, for treatment response assessment and for prognostic purposes.


Perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRG), such as miscanthus and switchgrass, are considered promising lignocellulosic feedstocks. Their cultivation is expected to experience a significant increase in the near future, as it offers a wide range of benefits. For instance, when PRG replace typical annual crops, positive biodiversity impacts are usually anticipated. However, to date, there is no solid, statistically strong evidence for this hypothesis. This study aims to evaluate its validity through a meta‐analysis based on an extensive systematic literature review of research comparing biodiversity attributes in PRG and common annual crops. Dynamics of species richness and abundance in response to PRG cultivation were quantitatively evaluated drawing on 220 paired comparisons from 25 studies. This includes data on five taxonomic groups—arthropods, birds, earthworms, mammals and plants—and three PRG—miscanthus, switchgrass and reed canary grass. The results indicate that biodiversity tends to be higher in PRG cultivations relative to the reference crops, but the initial hypothesis of significantly beneficial impacts could not be confirmed. Trends were specific to the individual taxonomic groups: significantly higher biodiversity was found for plants and small mammals. Positive but insignificant trends were observed for arthropods and birds, while earthworm response was neutral and insignificant. More substantial conclusions could not be drawn, which is mainly due to the low number of studies conducting biodiversity assessments in PRG cultivations that included a comparison with annual crops. In addition, a detailed analysis of the observed responses was impaired by poor reporting of the parameters influencing biodiversity in the studies reviewed, such as planting and crop density, as well as yields. For this reason, we conclude with a call for improved data reporting in biodiversity assessments of PRG cultivations and detail requirements for future biodiversity research.


For much of the last half of the twentieth century, W. G. Lambert devoted much of his research energy and effort to the study of Babylonian texts dealing with Mesopotamian ideas regarding creation, including especially Enuma Elish. This volume, which appears almost exactly 2 years after Lambert's death, distills a lifetime of learning by the world's foremost expert on these texts. Lambert provides a full transliteration and translation of the 7 tablets of Enuma Elish, based on the known exemplars, as well as coverage of a number of other texts that bear on, or are thought to bear on, Mesopotamian notions of the origin of the world, mankind, and the gods. New editions of seventeen additional "creation tales" are provided, including "Enmesharra's Defeat," "Enki and Ninmah," "The Slaying of Labbu," and "The Theogony of Dunnu." Lambert pays special attention, of course, to the connection of the main epic, Enuma Elish, with the rise and place of Marduk in the Babylonian pantheon. He traces the development of this deity's origin and rise to prominence and elaborates the relationship of this text, and the others discussed, to the religious and political climate Babylonia. The volume includes 70 plates (primarily hand-copies of the various exemplars of Enuma Elish) and extensive indexes.


In this paper, issues related to price forecasting in a smart grid environment are discussed. In such an environment, demand-side resources are enabled to play a bigger role in the operation of electricity markets, compared to the limited demand-side market participation in most of the existing markets. The response of the demand-side to price forecasts could impact the formation of price patterns, thus calling for further research.


We study dust capture by vortices and its long-term consequences in global two-fluid inviscid disk simulations using a new polar grid code RoSSBi. We perform the longest integrations so far, several hundred disk orbits, at the highest resolution attainable in global disk simulations with dust, namely, 2048 × 4096 grid points. We vary a wide range of dust parameters, most notably the initial dust-to-gas ratio ϵ varies in the range of 10−4–10−2. Irrespective of the value of ϵ, we find rapid concentration of the dust inside vortices, reaching dust-to-gas ratios of the order of unity inside the vortex. We present an analytical model that describes this dust capture process very well, finding consistent results for all dust parameters. A vortex streaming instability develops, which invariably causes vortex destruction. After vortex dissipation large-scale dust rings encompassing a disk annulus form in most cases, which sustain very high dust concentration, approaching ratios of the order of unity; they persist as long as the duration of the simulations. They are sustained by a streaming instability, which manifests itself in high-density dust clumps at various scales. When vortices are particularly long-lived, rings do not form but dust clumps inside vortices can survive a long time and would likely undergo collapse by gravitational instability. Rings encompass almost an Earth mass of solid material, while even larger masses of dust do accumulate inside vortices in the earlier stage. We argue that rapid planetesimal formation would occur in the dust clumps inside the vortices as well as in the post-vortex rings.


This paper analyses and compares the performances of Business-to-Business e-Commerce data quality and service quality among the use of the 'Push' and 'Pull' models. RosettaNet's original Partner Interface Processes use the 'Push' model which suffers from data redundancy when the volume of business-to-business transaction increases. However, when the 'Pull' model is used, although it reduces data redundancy, it has a greater chance of not getting the latest updates. It is then argued that if the 'Push' and 'Pull' models are combined, the resulting model would further enhance the overall trade document interchange performance with improved data quality and greater personalizability, especially among the smaller non-Electronics industries.


While adverse events such as inpatient violence, recidivism, and readmission to hospital are extremely common among individuals found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD), very little is known about developmental risk factors that predict these adverse events in this population. Developmental risk factor research (RFR) focuses on childhood risk factors and later outcomes, and allows for establishing a timeline for events, experiences, and the onset of behaviours or illnesses. The present study is a retrospective file review of inpatients and outpatients at Forensic Mental Health Hospital in South Central Ontario who have been found NCRMD. Developmental risk factors that have been found to predict adverse events in criminal, psychiatric, and forensic psychiatric populations, and adverse events over the period of 1 year were coded. Overall, risk factors occurring in childhood did not predict adverse events. Risk factors occurring in adolescence, specifically trauma, abuse or neglect, predicted adverse events.


We have studied the optical spectra of a sample of 28 O- and early B-type stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 22 of which are associated with the young star forming region N11. Our observations sample the central associations of LH9 and LH10, and the surrounding regions. Stellar parameters are determined using an automated fitting method (Mokiem et al. 2005), which combines the stellar atmosphere code fastwind (Puls et al. 2005) with the genetic algorithm based optimisation routine pikaia (Charbonneau 1995). We derive an age of 7.0 ± 1.0 and 3.0 ± 1.0 Myr for LH9 and LH10, respectively. The age difference and relative distance of the associations are consistent with a sequential star formation scenario in which stellar activity in LH9 triggered the formation of LH10. Our sample contains four stars of spectral type O2. From helium and hydrogen line fitting we find the hottest three of these stars to be 49{-}54 kK (compared to 45{-}46 kK for O3 stars). Detailed determination of the helium mass fraction reveals that the masses of helium enriched dwarfs and giants derived in our spectroscopic analysis are systematically lower than those implied by non-rotating evolutionary tracks. We interpret this as evidence for efficient rotationally enhanced mixing leading to the surfacing of primary helium and to an increase of the stellar luminosity. This result is consistent with findings for SMC stars by Mokiem et al. (2006). For bright giants and supergiants no such mass discrepancy is found; these stars therefore appear to follow tracks of modestly or non-rotating objects. The set of programme stars was sufficiently large to establish the mass loss rates of OB stars in this Z Eœ 1/2 Zo environment sufficiently accurate to allow for a quantitative comparison with similar objects in the Galaxy and the SMC. The mass loss properties are found to be intermediate to massive stars in the Galaxy and SMC. Comparing the derived modified wind momenta D_mom as a function of luminosity with predictions for LMC metallicities by Vink et al. (2001) yields good agreement in the entire luminosity range that was investigated, i.e. 5.0 < log L/Lo< 6.1. Appendix A is only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org


This paper explores novel interfaces for First Person Shooting (FPS) games on Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices. We describe a new approach inspired by a study of the interaction patterns used in desktop FPS games. Intelligent gesture recognition, based on these patterns, is used to create an optimal implementation of basic game functions (i.e., jump, shoot, walk forward). This new interaction system is evaluated through a prototype 3D FPS game. We believe the newly designed interface more adequately leverages the interaction capabilities of current PDAs, to better solve the problem of rapidly and accurately executing a large number of gaming commands.


This paper analyzes the gain in pricing power that a firm achieves by merging with a potential competitor in its market. Using pricing data for the merger of USAir and Piedmont, empirical analysis finds that prices rose by 5.0 to 6.0 per cent on routes that one carrier served and the other was a potential entrant. This was more than half the increase on routes where the two carriers had been direct competitors. Other important factors included carrier size, market concentration, incumbent's identity and the potential entrant's presence at one or both endpoints.


Despite dramatic advances in neuroimaging techniques, patient-based analyses of brain disorders continue to offer important insights into the functioning of the normal brain. Bridging the gap between the work of neurologists studying clinical disorders and neuroscientists studying the neural mechanisms underlying normal cognition, this book reviews classical neurobehavioral syndromes from both neurological and cognitive scientific perspectives.The contributors are all practicing neurologists who also conduct cognitive neuroscience research. Each chapter begins with a case study, describing the patient's symptoms and the cognitive processes involved. The clinical descriptions are followed by historical background on the neurobehavioral syndromes and discussion of the methods used to understand the underlying neural mechanisms. In their attempts to reconcile conflicting data derived from different methodologies, many of the authors shed new light on the cognitive mechanisms they discuss. The syndromes include neglect, Balint's syndrome, amnesia, semantic dementia, topographical disorientation, acquired dyslexia, acalculia, transcortical motor aphasia, Wernicke's aphasia, apraxia, and lateral prefrontal syndrome.


A chronic deficiency of ascorbic acid was induced in guinea pig. The level of catecholamines, copper and the activities of ceruplasmin, catecholamine oxidase, monoamineoxidase and acetylcholinesterase were checked in brain, liver and serum. Also the levels of ascorbic acid and glutathione were measured in the organs of ascorbic acid-deficient animals. The most important changes due to the ascorbic acid deficiency were observed in the brain were monoamineoxidase, catecholamineoxidase, acetylcholinesterase and the concentration of catecholamines were altered. The statement that brain is the organ most affected by the ascorbic acid deficiency is discussed.


Background Conserving both biodiversity and ecosystem services is a major goal of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Hotspots for biodiversity in the Andes significantly overlap with areas with dense human populations that sustain their economy through agricultural production. Therefore, developing management forms that reconcile food provisioning services—such as agriculture—with biodiversity conservation must be addressed to avoid social conflicts and to improve conservation in areas where biodiversity co-occurs with other ecosystem services. Here, we present a high-resolution conservation plan for vascular plants and agriculture in the Ecuadorian Dry Inter-Andean Valleys (DIAV) hotspot. Trade-offs in conserving important areas for both biodiversity and agriculture were explored. Methods We used a dataset containing 5,685 presence records for 95 plant species occurring in DIAVs, of which 14 species were endemic. We developed habitat suitability maps for the 95 species using Maxent. Prioritization analyses were carried out using a conservation planning framework. We developed three conservation scenarios that selected important areas for: biodiversity only, agriculture only, and for both biodiversity and agriculture combined. Results Our conservation planning analyses, capture 33.5% of biodiversity and 11% of agriculture under a scenario solely focused on the conservation of biodiversity. On the other hand, the top 17% fraction of the agriculture only scenario captures 10% of biodiversity and 28% of agriculture. When biodiversity and agriculture were considered in combination, their representation varied according to the importance given to agriculture. The most balanced solution that gives a nearly equal representation of both biodiversity and agriculture, was obtained when agriculture was given a slightly higher importance over biodiversity during the selection process. Discussion This is the first evaluation of trade-offs between important areas for biodiversity and agriculture in Ecuadorian DIAV. Our results showed that areas with high agricultural productivity and high biodiversity partly overlapped. Our study suggests that a land-sharing strategy would be appropriate for conserving plant diversity and agriculture in the DIAV. Overall, our study reinforces the idea that friendly practices in agriculture can contribute to biodiversity conservation.


type="main"> Child mortality rates have fallen substantially in developing countries since 1960. The expected fertility decline has followed only weakly in sub-Saharan Africa compared to other recent and historic demographic transitions. Disease and anthropometric data suggest that morbidity remains prevalent in Africa despite child survival improvements. The uniquely high infectious disease burden among children in Africa reduces population health and diminishes the returns to human capital investment, thwarting the quantity–quality tradeoff for children that typically accompanies the mortality transition. Individual-level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys are used to show that persistent morbidity has weakened the positive relationship between child mortality and total fertility rates throughout the region, slowing Africa's demographic transition.


Based on the traffic accidents statistical data of 10 typical freeways in mainland China, by using of some kinds of regression model, the influences of the average vehicle speed and the speed standard deviation on the traffic safety are studied. According to the regression results, the accidents show an increasing trend with the increase of the vehicle average speed and the speed standard deviation. On this basis, in view of the regression results, the strategy is put forward for controlling the vehicle average speed and the speed standard deviation, which has important theoretical and practical significance for improving highway safety. After a comprehensive comparison among these regression methods, it is found that the nonlinear regression method of user-defined model expression has the best fitting effect, and it can also more accurately describe the objective reality. It has high practicality and popularized value.


[Extract] Many sociologists have identified what appears to be a tendency toward 'greening' in public policy discourse and in social practice. For Harper (1993) an enhanced understanding - and politicisation by green movements - of environmental degradation is viewed a key factor in the greening of policy.

Greening is, in large part, oppositional to the neo-conservative forces driving technological change. More broadly, Gray (1997) has detected an increased salience of environmental issues - something that has lead to widespread acknowledgment of the legitimacy of a green rhetoric, to the greening of political parties and to the enactment of green policies throughout the western world.

One of the factors associated with the changes described above is that of 'green consumerism'. For Mitsuda (1997), writing about Japan, green consumerism embraces the avoidance by consumers of products which harm the environment and the adoption of practices which reduce household waste. Underpinning these behaviours are strong concerns about the environment. He reports that, in one poll, some 44 per cent of the Japanese public believe global environmental problems threaten their daily lives and some 64 per cent are 'highly concerned' about environmental problems at the community level. Other writers have sought to broaden the term 'green consumerism' by focusing on the 'clean' - often equated with chemical-free - nature of foods. That is, rather than dwelling upon the harm caused to the environment by artificial substances, the focus is upon the non-tainted quality of foodstuffs (basically, that they are free of chemical residues). 'Freshness', 'safety' and 'naturalness' are other issues here. Consumers appear to demand products with these characteristics, as they are associated with healthy eating (Warde 1997).

The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary outline of a framework for explaining the ways in which foods are becoming 'green'. We present details of research conducted by Lyons as part of her doctoral studies. This research - with field studies undertaken in New Zealand and Australia during separate periods from 1996 to 1998 - sought to ascertain the motives for grower and processor involvement in organics.


BACKGROUND
We present the first long-term evaluation of myocardial energetics after dynamic cardiomyoplasty (CMP) in a model of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Seventeen dogs underwent rapid ventricular pacing (RVP) to create heart failure. Eight dogs were randomly selected to undergo cardiomyoplasty. All dogs continued RVP for 6 additional weeks, whereas the CMP dogs underwent a simultaneously delivered synchronized muscle wrap conditioning protocol. After termination of RVP at 10 weeks in all dogs, myoplasty dogs continued to receive muscle wrap stimulation until the terminal study. Pressure-volume analysis to assess LV energetics was conducted at baseline and 4 weeks and 3 months after termination of RVP (6 months after baseline). At 6 months, CMP dogs displayed enhanced contractility, lower volumes, and more optimal energetics compared with control animals. Acute muscle wrap stimulation further increased effective contractility and myocardial efficiency compared with unassisted beats.

CONCLUSIONS
The decrease in NYHA functional class that occurs in patients after dynamic cardiomyoplasty may be secondary to its beneficial effects on long-term myocardial function, volume, and energetics.


Recent evidence suggests that glutamatergic and dopaminergic afferents must be activated to induce persistent long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. Whereas extensive evidence supports the role of glutamate receptors in long-lasting synaptic plasticity and spatial learning and memory, there is less evidence regarding the role of dopamine receptors in these processes. Here, we used dopamine D1 receptor knockout (D1R ) mice to explore the role of D1R in hippocampal LTP and its associated gene expression. We show that the magnitude of early and late phases of LTP (E-LTP and L-LTP) was markedly reduced in hippocampal slices from D1R 2/2 mice compared with wild-type mice. SCH23390, a D1/D5R antagonist, did not further reduce L-LTP in D1R 2/2 mice, suggesting that D5Rs are not involved. D1R 2/2 mice also showed a significant reduction of D1R-induced potentiation of N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid-mediated currents, via protein kinase activated by cyclic adenosine 39,59-monophosphate activation. Finally, LTP-induced expression of the immediate early genes zif268 and arc in the hippocampal CA1 area was abolished in D1R mice, and thesemice showed impaired learning. These results indicate that D1R but not D5R are critical for hippocampal LTP and for the induction of Zif268 andArc, proteins required for the transition from E-LTP to L-LTP and for memory consolidation in mammals.


Although wellbeing tends to be associated with positive affect, the phenomenological terrain in this regard is often poorly differentiated. In the interest of bringing further granularity to this area, an enquiry was conducted into relevant concepts found across the world's cultures, focusing specifically on so-called untranslatable words. Through a quasi-systematic search of academic and grey literature, together with conceptual snowballing, 134 relevant terms have been located so far (with the process of enquiry ongoing). Through a process of grounded theory analysis, seven main themes were identified: peace/calm; contentment/satisfaction; cosiness/homeliness; savouring/appreciation; revelry/fun; joy/euphoria; and bliss nirvāṇa. The analysis highlights the need for a more expansive and granular conceptualisation of positive affect, one that recognises the depth and breadth of the subjective terrain that it covers.


Abstract : This thesis discusses the production of Digital Elevation Maps (DEM) using varying density of data points from a Lidar (Laser or Light Detection And Ranging) collection. Additionally, this thesis contains information on the multiple space missions that use laser altimetry or Lidar to gather data about planet earth, the moon, asteroids, Mars and Mercury. The thesis covers the accuracy of different amounts of data used when generating a DEM in Quick Terrain Modeler software package and the ILAP Bare Earth Extraction Plug-In and discusses the error analysis when comparing the different DEMs built by randomly selecting 90%, 66%, 50%, 30%, 10%, 5%, 3%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.05%, 0.03% and 0.01% of the data from an airborne Lidar collection from Honduras in 2008. Analyzing surface DEMs created in QTM, the results of the point reduction experiment indicate that a collection cloud point density of 60,000 points per square kilometer are required for an accurate surface DEM in this environment.


The original contribution of this thesis is an examination of how the concept of metanarrative can be used to illuminate shifts in popular thought in the Information Age. There is disagreement over what Information Age paradigms signify, and whether a metanarrative can exist. The postmodern dismissal of metanarrative requires re-examination in the face of understandings that have accompanied contemporary technological advancements. Information technology will be used in this study to explain the movement in globalised culture towards metanarrative understandings as technology is the most broadly visible indicator of human advancement. Branching out from a core literature of media and cultural theorists and internet researchers, I also employ analogous understandings of such a phenomenon from tangential theory including philosophy, psychology and natural science.

Observations have been made of a pattern of increased self-referral over recent decades occurring in various disciplines, indicating shifts in the contextualisation of understandings. Our paradigms are becoming more selfconscious as narratives. As humankind's ideas and capacity to harness understandings of the world continue to develop, we are increasingly engaging with further levels of self-awareness that provide us with the
perspective needed for epistemological shifts. This thesis explores the way in which our advancement brings us closer to a meta-textual awareness. I will argue that this constitutes a shift in our perception towards an initial oneness of cultural narratives. An examination of convergence paradigms in the Information Age can be demonstrated to speak of an underlying metanarrative that fundamentally shapes our constructed narratives.

The institutions constructed by our conscious theorisations are becoming seen as conceits, as the Information Age is illustrating for the public that our notions of discrete concepts are constructed from narratives. The dream world offered by the virtual is ingraining us with the idea of a potential for any narrative to emerge and shape the collective consciousness. I conclude from this investigation that we increasingly have a self-awareness of the narratives we inhabit as constructions, creating a popular conceptualisation of everyday interactions as narratives being acted out.


Focus Areas: Integrative Approaches to Care Specific effects of homeopathic treatment are often dismissed as unbelievable due to use of remedies diluted beyond Avogadro's number. Recent basic science research suggests that this argument will no longer hold water with the demonstration that classically prepared ultradilute homeopathic medicines (HM) contain measurable source nanoparticles (NP) and/or silica NP with adsorbed source materials that are heterogeneously dispersed in colloidal solution and have biological properties that differ substantially from bulk forms of the same substance. These findings will soon address the plausibility question; however, individualized homeopathy may remain obscure due to the need for hundreds of hours of training required for effective practice where a different remedy may be needed for every patient regardless of condition. The Banerji Protocols help to alleviate this obstacle. The Prasanta Banerji Homeopathic Research Foundation (http://pbhrfindia.org) is well known for its cancer treatment protocols, having been identified by NCI in 1999 for its Best Case Series with subsequent translational research on specific homeopathic medicines (HM) being done at MD Anderson. Less known are the Protocols for numerous serious conditions that have been developed over four generations of homeopathic practice with thousands of patients in Kolkata, India. The new book from Drs Prasanta and Pratip Banerji, published in June 2013, contains dozens of protocols for the treatment of conditions such as chronic renal failure, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, hepatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and traumatic brain injury. Dr Barbara Sarter has spent many months collecting data in the Kolkata clinic. She and Dr Joyce Frye have already used many of these protocols in their respective US homeopathic practices with excellent results. The Protocols suggest highly efficacious and cost-effective treatments of numerous conditions for which conventional medicine has limited options.


This pre- and poststudy included Internal Medicine interns at a community-based hospital. Interns were provided an electronic medical record pocket guide to assess for any improvement in information gathering during patient care and whether their confidence level improved. The authors' results show that use of the electronic medical record guide was well received among Internal Medicine interns and that it led to increased completeness in patient information gathering. Abstract Objectives The transition from medical student to intern is associated with a significant increase in workloads and responsibilities. This includes using the electronic medical record (EMR), which can lead to challenges in information gathering and patient care; however, no formal residency interventions exist in the use of an EMR for information gathering, with most EMR training occurring in the clinical setting. The present study aimed to improve information gathering on patient care and enhance the confidence of Internal Medicine interns in information gathering. Methods We performed a pre- and postprospective study in July 2021. All of the Internal Medicine interns at our community hospital were included. A pre- and postassessment to evaluate interns' confidence was distributed to participants during orientation week and at the end of the inpatient Internal Medicine rotation. A pre- and postconfidence assessment was collected at the beginning and end, respectively, of each intern's inpatient Internal Medicine rotation. Results Seventeen (85%) interns completed both the preassessment and postassessment. Use of an EMR guide led to a significant increase in completeness of patient information gathering (preassessment: 73.2% ± 18.4% vs post-EMR guide: 94.7% ± 7.4%, P < 0.001) and in intern confidence (P = 0.001). Conclusions The use of an EMR guide was well received among Internal Medicine interns and led to increased completeness in patient information gathering. Residency programs may benefit from developing an EMR guide to improving the transition of interns during residency.


Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are important causes of hospital admission and mortality. Pneumonia is a major contributor to hospitalization for AECOPD and has a close relationship with poor outcomes. We performed a prospective cohort study to evaluate the prognosis of AECOPD patients with or without community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) who hospitalized from January 2012 to December 2015. We investigated mortality and readmission rates within 6 months after the first admission between two groups and analyzed the difference of survival rate according to readmission duration (≤30 vs. >30 days) or intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. Total 308 AECOPD patients (134 with CAP and 174 without CAP) were enrolled. The mean age was 72.3 ± 9.5 years old, and 235 patients (76.3%) were male. The 180-day mortality was higher in AECOPD with CAP than without CAP (24.6% vs. 13.2%; hazard ratio (HR): 1.982; 95% CI: 1.164–3.375; p = 0.012). However, readmission rate showed no significant difference between two groups (51.5% vs. 46.6%; HR: 1.172; 95% CI: 0.850–1.616; p = 0.333). It showed a significantly lower survival rate in AECOPD with CAP rather than without CAP when were readmitted within 30 days (HR: 1.738; 95% CI:1.063–3.017; p = 0.031). According to ICU treatment, survival rate was not significantly different between two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed the readmission within 30 days (p  <  0.001), serum hemoglobin concentration (p  =  0.010), and albumin level (p =  0.049) were significantly associated with 180-day mortality of AECOPD with CAP. AECOPD with CAP showed lower survival rate than AECOPD without CAP during 6 months. Early readmission within 30 days was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality.


Aqueous mixtures of two non-ionic polymers, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and the amphiphilic triblock copolymer, (EO)27(PO)67(EO)27, known by its trade name Pluronic® P104, showed an associative phase separation (miscibility gap), which decreased with the decrease of PAA length. It was found that PAA is a much less selective "solvent" to P104 molecules than water. P104 aggregates are disintegrated and thus the liquid crystalline structures are destroyed upon replacement of water by PAA. Oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, DNA (double- or single-stranded) and two cationic derivatives of the hydroxyethyl cellulose (cat-HMHEC and cat-HEC) were mixed in water. An asymmetric associative phase separation was observed: small amounts of cat-(HM)HEC could precipitate DNA but large amounts of DNA were needed to precipitate the polycations. The rheological properties of the off-stoichiometric one-phase mixtures were investigated. The viscosity increased as the polymer content was increased and showed an interesting non-monotonic behaviour for the cat-HEC/dsDNA/H2O system. Redissolution of insoluble polyion-surfactant ion complex salts by adding excess surfactant was investigated using the simple approach of preparing the complex salts and mixing them with excess surfactant. The complex salts contained poly(acrylate) homopolymer or copolymers containing acrylate and NIPAM or DAM. The phase diagram for the long homopolyions systems presented a large miscibility gap, while efficient redissolution was obtained for shorter polyions. Incorporation of neutral units (more hydrophobic) originated efficient redissolution. Polymerizations in surfactant systems were performed. The acrylate counterion to the surfactant ion was polymerized under conditions where the growing poly(acrylate) chain was the sole counterion to the surfactant ion aggregates. Therefore the equilibrium phase diagrams constructed using the complex salts and excess surfactant predict the result of different pathways from polymerization reactions: phase diagrams come alive. The structure of the polyion-surfactant ion concentrated phase was changed in situ through the degradation of the surfactant into alcohol. The used cationic surfactant (decyl betainate) had a hydrolyzing ester group sensitive to high pH. The degradation of the surfactant into decanol changes the curvature of the ordered structure of the concentrated phase. Multi-lamellar nano-particles were obtained. (Less)


This paper discusses the specific process and mechanism of how the market realizes resource allocation under the guidance of the government and acts on the realization of micro enterprise strategy. After continuous tracking, we find that BOE has actively carried out layout around the national strategy, invested in many places, built production lines, and continuously strengthened innovation investment under the interaction of the government and the market. Through more than ten years of efforts, it has formed a relatively reasonable production line and production capacity layout nationwide, and finally made outstanding achievements in market, technology, brand, export and global competitiveness.Based on the theoretical tools of the relationship between the government and the market, the relationship between the central government and the local government, and the life cycle of enterprises, this paper makes an essential analysis of the case phenomenon and draws the following conclusion: (1) In China, the government is not opposed to the market. Government support and market mechanism are important forces to promote the realization of national strategy at the micro level. It is also the concrete embodiment of China's economic development road confidence. (2) Coordinating the relationship between the central government and the local government is an important guarantee for maintaining the unified leadership of the central government, mobilizing the enthusiasm of the local government and the market, and promoting the rational cross-regional distribution of enterprise investment. (3) The innovation effect of the interaction between government support and market mechanism has significant periodicity and hysteresis, and its economic effect is the result of enterprises' multi-cycle development. Therefore, the realization of the strategic goal of the interaction between the government and the market needs a long-term process.The contribution of this paper is that it breaks through the opposite perspective on the understanding of the relationship between the government and the market, reveals the experience of China's economic development with the interactive operation mechanism in real cases, and provides a realistic basis for China's road confidence.


Common Internet users today are inundated with a deluge of diverse data being generated and siloed in a variety of digital services, applications, and a growing body of personal computing devices as we enter the era of the Internet of Things. Alongside potential privacy compromises, users are facing increasing difficulties in managing their data and are losing control over it. There appears to be a de facto agreement in business and scientific fields that there is critical new value and interesting insight that can be attained by users from analysing their own data, if only it can be freed from its silos and combined with other data in meaningful ways. This thesis takes the point of view that users should have an easy-to-use modern personal data management solution that enables them to centralise and efficiently manage their data by themselves, under their full control, for their best interests, with minimum time and efforts. In that direction, we describe the basic architecture of a management solution that is designed based on solid theoretical foundations and state of the art big data technologies. This solution (called Personal Data Lake - PDL) collects the data of a user from a plurality of heterogeneous personal data sources and stores it into a highly-scalable schema-less storage repository. To simplify the user-experience of PDL, we propose a novel extensible metadata management framework (MMF) that: (i) annotates heterogeneous data with rich lineage and semantic metadata, (ii) exploits the garnered metadata for automating data management workflows in PDL – with extensive focus on data integration, and (iii) facilitates the use and reuse of the stored data for various purposes by querying it on the metadata level either directly by the user or through third party personal analytics services.
We first show how the proposed MMF is positioned in PDL architecture, and then describe its principal components. Specifically, we introduce a simple yet effective lineage manager for tracking the provenance of personal data in PDL. We then introduce an ontology-based data integration component called SemLinker which comprises two new algorithms; the first concerns generating graph-based representations to express the native schemas of (semi) structured personal data, and the second algorithm metamodels the extracted representations to a common extensible ontology. SemLinker outputs are utilised by MMF to generate user-tailored unified views that are optimised for querying heterogeneous personal data through low-level SPARQL or high-level SQL-like queries. Next, we introduce an unsupervised automatic keyphrase extraction algorithm called SemCluster that specialises in extracting thematically important keyphrases from unstructured data, and associating each keyphrase with ontological information drawn from an extensible WordNet-based ontology. SemCluster outputs serve as semantic metadata and are utilised by MMF to annotate unstructured contents in PDL, thus enabling various management functionalities such as relationship discovery and semantic search. Finally, we describe how MMF can be utilised to perform holistic integration of personal data and jointly querying it in native representations.


Purpose High-fidelity simulation training is effective for learning crisis resource management (CRM) skills, but cost is a major barrier to implementing high-fidelity simulation training into the curriculum. The aim of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of self-debriefing and traditional instructor debriefing in CRM training programs and to calculate the minimum willingness-to-pay (WTP) value when one debriefing type becomes more cost-effective than the other. Methods This study used previous data from a randomized controlled trial involving 50 anesthesiology residents in Canada. Each participant managed a pretest crisis scenario. Participants who were randomized to self-debrief used the video of their pretest scenario with no instructor present during their debriefing. Participants from the control group were debriefed by a trained instructor using the video of their pretest scenario. Participants individually managed a post-test simulated crisis scenario. We compared the cost and effectiveness of self-debriefing versus instructor debriefing using net benefit regression. The cost-effectiveness estimate was reported as the incremental net benefit and the uncertainty was presented using a cost-effectiveness acceptability curve. Results Self-debriefing costs less than instructor debriefing. As the WTP increased, the probability that self-debriefing would be cost-effective decreased. With a WTP ≤Can$200, the self-debriefing program was cost-effective. However, when effectiveness was priced higher than cost-savings and with a WTP >Can$300, instructor debriefing was the preferred alternative. Conclusion With a lower WTP (≤Can$200), self-debriefing was cost-effective in CRM simulation training when compared to instructor debriefing. This study provides evidence regarding cost-effectiveness that will inform decision-makers and clinical educators in their decision-making process, and may help to optimize resource allocation in education.


Asia consists of numerous countries that vary in population, culture, land area and economic resources. However, within the disparity and diversity of the Asian economies, there are some common grounds that have sparked off regional co-operation. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the level of economic convergence of the combinations of ASEAN-5 (namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand), Japan, China and Korea economies, a fundamental source of regional co-operation. The empirical findings suggest that GDP, CPI and interest rates of ASEAN-5, Japan, China and Korea are all cointegrated, signifying synchronisation and initial convergence within the region, a positive indication for closer economic co-operation with lesser adverse impact on any individual economy. Subsequently, three possible economic alliances are identified as ASEAN-5, ASEAN-5, Japan, China and Korea, as well as ASEAN-5, Japan and China. The tests on dynamic properties of GDP of ASEAN-5, GDP of ASEAN-5, Japan and China, CPI of ASEAN-5, Japan China and Korea, and interest rates of ASEAN-5, demonstrate significant macroeconomic linkages among these economies, validating a possible economic co-operation.
Apparently, managing the interest rates is a policy tool to keep in check the economy's price level, the CPI. Since managing CPI would be the concern of most economy to contain inflation, the convergence of CPI among ASEAN-5 + 3 through government intervention, is expected.
Furthermore, a relatively short impulse response of ASEAN-5's interest rates implies monetary co-ordination within the region. Since GDP represents overall macroeconomic activities within an economy, it provides a relatively good implication on the readiness of economies to be integrated. Hence, based on these empirical findings, the first phase of a serious economic integration would be ASEAN-5, to be ready in approximately 4 to 5 years' time. The second phase should include other economies like Japan, China and perhaps in a later stage, to also include Korea. Besides, the time varying analysis validates these suggestions by revealing gradual convergence for all economies under study.
Nonetheless, in order to form a union, ASEAN-5 has to revamp its current financial systems as well as to formulate reasonable and workable economic integration guidelines. Setting clear, consistent and simplified trade procedures and regulations, as well as extending mutual trade collaboration are necessary. Moreover, the underlying incentive structure behind the process of integration should also be made known to all ASEAN economies and not be wiped out with some other trade and non-trade barriers. As for newer ASEAN members like Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia, ASEAN-5 could draft special preferential trade guidelines to boost trade among ASEAN members in preparation to include all ASEAN members into AFTA. However, the realisation of a serious integration may take longer than expected due to the lack of political commitment, economic stability, unpredictable natural disasters and its aftermath, as well as the inevitable spread of deadly diseases.


Microbial communities are ubiquitous in every ecosystem on earth, but the social interactions within these communities have only recently become a topic of investigation. Biofilms, the most common growth pattern found in nature, offer an exciting opportunity to study these interactions in a complex, spatially structured environment. This series of investigations explored the relationships between chemical warfare, a common competitive strategy, the three-dimensional spatial structure found in biofilms, and the phenotypic variation common in natural communities using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. In the first set of experiments, the competitive effects of toxin production and biofilm formation were measured in well-mixed liquid environments, simple agar colonies, and complex biofilm colonies. Spatial structure strongly influenced the final community composition, with significant differences found between the liquid and agar substrates in the majority of cases. Toxin proved to be most effective against competing strains in spatially structured environments, regardless of biofilm formation. In the second set of experiments, the effect of adding a third, toxin-resistant strain was assayed in the same sets of growth conditions. It was expected that in spatially structured conditions, the resistant strain would passively form a physical barrier between the sensitive and toxin-producing strains, thus increasing the fitness of the sensitive strain. The results from these trials indicated that the relationships within these three-strain communities were much more complex than in two-strain communities. The resistant strain acted primarily as a competitor in all cases, and variation in the competitive outcomes of the trials was high. These results suggested when studying communities with multiple lineages, a combination of cell-level fitness metrics and whole-colony spatial analysis is a more appropriate analysis framework. These investigations contributed to an area of study with high ecological and evolutionary relevance but little existing knowledge, and opened new avenues for future research concerning microbial communities.


An introduction to 1,400 years of Islamic art and culture as seen through the stunning and diverse masterpieces of the new Aga Khan Museum. Opening in 2014 in Toronto, the Aga Khan Museum will be a showplace for Islamic art and culture unlike anything in the Western Hemisphere. This richly illustrated volume features the new museum and park complex and more than one hundred rare treasures from one of the most important collections of Islamic art and objects in the world, assembled by His Highness the Aga Khan and his family. Masterpieces of design, texture, and artistry created from 600 AD to the 1800s in Spain, North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, Central Asia, India, and China, the works include radiant illuminations and calligraphy; marvels in ivory, wood, glass, and metal; and exquisite paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and textiles.


Background: Patient satisfaction is an important component of quality of care. To date, no studies have looked at differences in faculty and resident patient satisfaction in a pediatric practice. Purpose: The purpose was to compare physician measures of patient satisfaction among residents in training and faculty attendings. Methods: We conducted satisfaction surveys containing 4 questions related to physician performance at a children's health clinic. We compared satisfaction scores across training levels of physicians. Results: We analyzed 676 surveys. The 2nd-year and 3rd/4th-year residents had similar high scores on all questions compared to faculty preceptors. The 1st-year residents scored significantly lower than faculty preceptors, 3rd/4th-year residents, and 2nd-year residents on 1 question and the combined average of the 3 physician-specific questions. Conclusions: The 1st-year residents scored lower on patient satisfaction than physicians at higher levels of training. The 2nd-year and 3rd/4th-year residents achieved high satisfaction scores in a primary care clinic, comparable to scores of experienced practitioners.


We will compare three types of prices, namely, rational (hedging) prices, geometric (growth rate) prices, and martingale (measure) prices. We will show that rational prices in the complete market theory are sometimes contrary to common sense. In the continuous-time case, we insist that the market model should differ between the small volatility case and the large volatility case.


ABSTRACT Background/objective: To describe the design of 'DepMod,' a health-economic Markov model for assessing cost-effectiveness and budget impact of user-defined preventive interventions and treatments in depressive disorders. Methods: DepMod has an epidemiological layer describing how a cohort of people can transition between health states (sub-threshold depression, first episode of mild, moderate or severe depression (partial) remission, recurrence, death). Superimposed on the epidemiological layer, DepMod has an intervention layer consisting of a reference scenario and alternative scenario comparing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a user-defined package of preventive interventions and psychological and pharmacological treatments of depression. Results are presented in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained and healthcare expenditure. Costs and effects can be modeled over 5 years and are subjected to probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Results: DepMod was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of scaling up preventive interventions for treating people with subclinical depression, which showed that there is an 82% probability that scaling up prevention is cost-effective given a willingness-to-pay threshold of €20,000 per QALY. Conclusion: DepMod is a Markov model that assesses the cost-utility and budget impact of different healthcare packages aimed at preventing and treating depression and is freely available for academic purposes upon request at the authors.


Commercial urban development in municipalities is often follows the same linear logic that tends to dominate urban development regimes. While linearity might improve management efficiency, agility might suffer. Assessing the success of completed projects could improve municipal planning and development organizations to adapt for future changes. However, knowing the criteria for success and indicator's for its measurement is a precondition for creditable project assessment. But how do municipal officials define the success or failure of urban commercial development projects?To answer this question we use data from interviews with 20 municipal officials involved in commercial urban development in Finland. Interviewees were selected among the 32 biggest municipalities in Finland (=municipalities having at least 35 000 habitants) with geographical variation. The interviews were semi-structured and consisted of project specific questions (e.g. what, when, how, was the project a success) as well as general questions (e.g. "how is success defined in commercial urban development projects"). The interview length varies from one to two hours.The interviews seem to indicate that municipalities lack understanding on when an urban commercial development project can be seen successful, especially when it comes to the usage phase. Often the only success requirement was stated to be the actualization of the building phase of the commercial properties. If other factors existed, they were mostly related to the planning phase (e.g. the fluency of the process, monetary gains from land sales). However, most interviewees noted that better assessment of the usage phase could be useful.Based on the interviews it could be argued that currently the system does not sufficiently support and allow actions that improve learning and adaptability in urban commercial development in municipalities. Instead, it seems to encourage municipal officials to concentrate only planning and not on the usage phase.