We investigate the transition from private to public ownership of companies that had previously been subject to leveraged buyouts. As they go to the public markets for equity, such firms face an information asymmetry problem. Behavioral effects are also likely to be at work. We show that the combination of informational and behavioral effects will cause firms to handle information in particular ways, leading to an equilibrium pattern in which disappointing performance after the initial public offering should be expected. We find empirical support for this theory by studying 62 reverse LBOs that went public between 1983 and 1987. There is strong evidence that the performance of the reverse LBOs before going public overestimates their likely performance after the initial public offering. The market appears to anticipate this pattern.


Veterinary research laboratories play an essential role in the provision of veterinary services in most countries. These laboratories are the source of new knowledge, innovative ideas and improved technology for the surveillance, prevention and control of animal diseases. In addition, many laboratories provide diagnostic and other services. To ensure the optimal integration of various veterinary activities, administrators must understand the functions and constraints of research laboratories. Therefore, a brief discussion is presented of the following: organisational structures methods for developing research programmes outputs of research scientists and how these are measured the management of quality assurance funding of research. Optimal collaboration can only be attained by understanding the environment in which a research scientist functions and the motivational issues at stake.


Mangrove bird communities in north Australia comprise relatively few passerine species compared with other arboreal habitats in the region. Mangroves are dominated by a few tree species and there are potentially few resource axes available for partitioning by terrestrial birds. Competition for limited resources is predicted to cause strong niche differentiation and a highly structured, but low diversity, bird assemblage. Using multivariate and bipartite network analyses based on 1771 foraging observations (33% of 5320 behavioral observations), we examined resource partitioning by 20 terrestrial bird species in mangroves of north Australia. The mangrove bird community largely comprised generalist insectivores that partitioned insects by size with moderate‐to‐high interspecific overlap in diet. Gleaning for insects was the most common foraging mode. Few species specialized on nectar. Flowers of one or more mangrove species were available in every month of the year and insect abundance was correlated with flowering peaks. Niche differentiation by birds was determined by food type and foraging mode more than by broad spatial (mangrove zones) or temporal (seasonal) segregation of the use of resources. There was little evidence of bird species saturation or species sorting, suggesting loose species packing and a lesser role than expected for species interactions and interference competition in structuring the bird assemblage in mangroves.


Sixty two patients were randomised to be seen by osteopathic physicians for palpation of the thoracic paravertebral soft tissue, T1-T8. Twenty five patients had clinically confirmed acute myocardial infarction. Of the remainder, 22 without known cardiovascular disease served as controls and 15 were placed in an excluded group because of diagnosed cardiovascular disease other than myocardial infarction. Observations were described in predetermined standard terminology. The control group was found to have a low incidence of palpable changes throughout the thoracic dorsum, and these changes were uniformly distributed from T1 to T8. Examination of the group with myocardial infarction disclosed a significantly higher incidence of soft tissue changes (increased firmness, warmth, ropiness, oedematous changes, heavy musculature), confined almost entirely to the upper four thoracic levels. The 15 patients who were excluded from the experimental group because they had various cardiovascular diseases other than myocardial infarction also showed significantly different changes on palpation compared with the group with myocardial infarction. These findings suggest that myocardial infarction is accompanied by characteristic paravertebral soft tissue changes which are readily detected by palpation.


The development of cloud computing has achieved the goal of computing as a service, abstracting the resource "as a cloud". This service has extended to include not only computation but its associated storage and communication components as well. The smart grid hopes to integrate the dynamics of distributed generation and demand. If the computational requirements of these demands are as dynamic as the phenomena they seek to control, then the cloud computing model provides an appropriately flexible platform for smart grid computing. This paper evaluates the Cloud for Energy Informatics (CEI), a computational-control abstraction that provides flexible and efficient computational resources on-demand as defined by the smart grid. We focus on how the CEI addresses performance and efficiency measures of smart grid related computation such as latency, bandwidth, storage and compute cycles. We compare CEI with traditional approaches using simulation to quantify the resource savings, efficiency and reliability gains from switching to a CEI model.


Abstract Most lizard species feed on small arthropods, and although some are omnivorous, only a few species are strict herbivores. We studied the diet of Dicrodon guttulatum, a teiid lizard endemic to the arid coastal deserts and dry forests of northern Peru. Herbivory by this lizard has been identified as a potential limiting factor in the regeneration of plant communities in these dry ecosystems. We collected gastric and fecal samples of adult males, adult females, and juveniles of D. guttulatum in different plant communities. Based on the ontogenetic shift from insectivory to herbivory observed in other herbivorous lizards, we hypothesized that juvenile D. guttulatum would have an omnivorous or insectivorous diet. We found D. guttulatum to be almost exclusively herbivorous (78–100%) and to feed largely (12–95%) on mesquite (Prosopis pallida) leaves and flowers across all plant communities and locations. Contrary to our predictions, there was a large overlap in diet between adult males and juveniles, whereas adult females were most likely to include plant species other than P. pallida in their diet. The consistency of herbivory in both juveniles and adults makes the origin of herbivory in D. guttulatum very interesting. We discuss potential factors promoting the evolution of herbivory in this species and the importance of lizard herbivory in the dry ecosystems of northern Peru.


Contribution to the principal textbook used by undergraduate and postgraduate students in this complex and controversial area of law. Book description: The fifth edition of Textbook on Immigration and Asylum Law continues to provide students with expert coverage of case law and legislation, along with dynamic analysis of the political context and social impact of the law, and a strong focus on human rights. An essential text for students at all levels, the book deftly guides the reader through this fascinating and constantly developing area of law. Online Resource Centre This book is accompanied by an Online Resource Centre, which contains the following resources designed to support the book: - Twice-yearly updates providing easy access to changes and developments in the law - Problem questions to test knowledge and develop analytical skill - Guidance on how to answer the end-of-chapter questions - A selection of web links to support additional research.


ABSTRACT Yang, B.; Lee, J.; Hwang, J.S.; Kweon, H.M., and Lee, J.L., 2014. Quantitative risk assessment for beach drowning management. The beach is recognized as the most important resource because it provides the best recreational amenity to tourists. However, the beach safety aspect is getting more relevant, because the drowning risks all over the world are much too high and do not decrease enough. Especially, drowning is a major public health problem with substantial personal, societal, and economic costs, each year many people drown at the beach and many more are seriously injured. In Korea, most of the beach safety services belong to personnel rescue services. In contrast, Australia and the United Kingdom have developed several practical integrated beach risk management programs and safety systems. In this study, we have carried out field survey for beach safety on 4 popular beaches along the Korean coast, and conducted a beach risk audit and prepared a report. In addition, we developed a quantitative risk assessing method with reference to the Australian method. In this method, three parameters that were related to emergency rescue factor, risk avoidance factor and safety preparedness factor, are included in the risk assessment for management purpose. The purpose of coastal drowning risk assessment is to make decisions, based on the outcomes of risk analysis, about which risks need treatment priorities. From these results, we will implement preferred treatment options or an action plan for managing the beach safety in order to minimize the risk of injury by drowning.


Pervasive computing is an emerging computing paradigm that provides intelligent context-aware applications. Such applications handle contextual information in order to determine the current user's situation. Contextual information is typically inaccurate (e.g., noise of sensor readings). A novel context fusion engine* that models, determines and reasons about the current user's situation is proposed. This engine, based on dynamic Bayesian networks and fuzzy logic, deals with the reliability of sources and approximate contextual reasoning.


Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and oil-and-water preparations (extracts) of plants are used in feeding farm animals, improving their health and productivity. It was attempted to use a plantorigin preparation (extract) and spray-dried brewer's yeast as feed additives. The experiment was conducted on 80 arctic foxes of both sexes born in the first decade of May. An addition of a phytogenic preparation and yeast to feed did not show a negative effect on health or final body weight of growing foxes. Supplementation of diet with yeast increased the feed intake, leading to a higher weight and higher content of storage fat in the body. Moreover, an addition of yeast to feed significantly improved coat quality as assessed both in vivo and post-slaughter.


COMS (Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite) is a geostationary satellite and has been developing by KARI for communication, ocean and meteorological observations. It will be launched by ARIANE 5. Ka-band components are installed on South panel, where single solar array wing is mounted. Radiators, embedded heat pipes, external heat pipe, insulation blankets and heaters are utilized for the thermal control of the satellite. The Ka-band payload section is divided several areas based on unit operating temperature in order to optimize radiator area and maximize heat rejection capability. Other equipment for sensors and bus are installed on North panel. The ocean and meteorological sensors are installed on optical benches on the top floor to decouple thermally from the satellite. During the transfer orbit operation, satellite will be under severe thermal environments due to low dissipation of components, satellite attitudes and LAE(Liquid Apogee Engine) firing. This paper presents temperature and heater power prediction and validation of thermal control design during transfer orbit operation.


Background and Purpose The most important treatment for subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD) is controlling the blood pressure (BP). However, the few studies that have investigated the relationships between diurnal BP rhythm and subcortical ischemic vascular cognitive impairment have produced inconclusive results. In the study presented here, the 24-hour BP values of three groups of subjects-patients with subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment (SvMCI), patients with SVaD, and normal controls-were compared using working criteria and 24-hour ambulatory BP (ABP) monitoring. Methods The subjects (42 patients with SVaD, 37 patients with SvMCI, and 30 controls) were selected according to the study's inclusion/exclusion criteria. All subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR angiography, detailed neuropsychological testing, and 24-hour ABP monitoring. Results The prevalence of nondippers differed markedly between the control group and both the SVaD and SvMCI groups. Loss of nocturnal dipping was significantly associated with SVaD [odds ratio (OR), 4.827; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-12.05]. Conclusions It was found that SVaD is associated with loss of nocturnal BP dipping combined with increased pulse pressure and systolic BP (SBP) variability. Correction of these factors could therefore be important in the prevention of SVaD, independent of measures used to reduce BP.


Both the International Criminal Court (icc) and the UN Security Council (unsc) are vested with the capacity to request States to freeze individuals' assets. The two bodies are also bound to cooperate closely under the terms of their relationship agreement 'with a view to facilitating the effective discharge of their respective responsibilities'. This article examines whether this obligation extends to the unsc coordinating its targeted sanctions regime to support the icc in respect of the enforcement powers with which the latter is equipped. It does so by analysing eight cases where unsc action (could) have coincided with icc operations, with a particular focus on the (non-)parallel implementation of the two bodies' asset freezing procedures. The article demonstrates that, though the activities of the unsc and the icc in this sphere of their respective operations might have overlapped on a number of occasions, they have rarely been deliberately coordinated. This leads the author to conclude that close cooperation as envisaged in the relationship agreement between the two bodies is unlikely on this front.


Oil and gas exploration around the world continues at a rapid pace. This rapid pace of oil and gas exploration in North America has been fueled primarily thorough the development of horizontal drilling and the "fracking" process of underground shale formations. The demand for various grades and dimensions of API casing and pipe has and will continue to increase in the foreseeable future as these shale formations are exploited.To support this demand in North America, Gallatin Steel has embarked on a program to develop API casing and pipe coil skelp via their Compact Strip Plant (CSP). A key characteristic of API grade pipeline steels is excellent fracture toughness. This is one area where historically CSP facilities have struggled, especially in gauges greater than 8.8 mm (0.350″) due to overall lack of reduction from the thin slab design of a CSP facility. In addition, utilizing the typical Thermomechanical Control Processing (TMCP) separating recrystallized and non-recrystallized rolling used in API coil skelp production for strength and toughness of a traditional HSM or plate mill is difficult to achieve in the continuous CSP facility. Gallatin Steel has successfully developed, through a controlled combination of slab quality, alloy design, process modifications and process control, excellent toughness in both charpy and DWTT performance from a 65 mm (2.56″) slab in final coil thicknesses up to 12.7 mm (0.500″).This paper will describe the results achieved to date on various thicknesses from 7.6 mm to 12.7 mm API skelp development at Gallatin Steel. Mechanical property performance along with microstructures/grain size will be presented. In addition, future work that Gallatin Steel will undertake to further improve the capability to produce quality API coil skelp will be discussed.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The essay examines the phenomenon of Holocaust denial from the point of view of constitutional law. After having distinguished Holocaust denial from other similar phenomena (such as hate speech or historical revisionism), the essay reviews the normative solutions adopted in the various European legal systems, highlighting the difficulty to provide universally valid solutions. With regard to the Italian system, discarding the option to introduce a specific crime of Holocaust denial, the paper proposes to practice a distinction between freedom of expression, freedom of historical research and freedom of teaching, thus suggesting to break down the triad of history, memory and truth.


This paper proposes a new ac-ac static power converter based on the switched-capacitor (SC) principle, intended to replace the conventional autotransformer in commercial and residential applications. The principle of operation, a qualitative and quantitative analysis, the design methodology, and an example are described in this paper. The main advantages of the proposed ac-ac converter are the absence of magnetic elements, the stress voltages in all components being equal to half of the high-side voltage, the common reference between input and output voltages, the employment of a single SC leg, the ability to be bidirectional, the high efficiency, and the high power density. In order to demonstrate the performance of this converter in the laboratory, a prototype of 1-kW, 220-Vrms high-side voltage, 110-Vrms low-side voltage, and switching frequency of 100 kHz was designed and fabricated. The relevant experimental results are reported herein. The maximum and rated power efficiencies obtained in the laboratory were 98% and 96%, respectively.


A cylindrical standing wave ultrasonic motor using cantilever type bending transducer is proposed in this paper. There are four cantilevers outside the cylinder, and four PZT ceramics are set on each end surface of cantilevers. The bending mode of cylinder is excited by the bending vibration of transducers. Thus, a linear simple harmonic motion is achieved at the particle on the tooth. The working principle of proposed motor is analyzed. The cylinder and transducer are designed with FEM. The bending vibration modals of transducer and cylinder are degenerated. The transient analysis is developed to gain the vibration characteristics of stator, and the results indicate the proposed motor has potential good output characteristics. The results of this paper verify the theoretical feasibility and provide instructions for the development of proposed motor.


In academic year 2010-2011, the English Department and Centre for Teaching and Learning at
National University of Ireland Maynooth collaborated to provide academic writing support for
first year students. The sessions, which were workshops and large group lectures, were active
and participative in nature, and designed with the sole purpose of helping students to improve
their writing, regardless of the level from which they were beginning. The intervention was a
response to a desire by staff at departmental level to help students to understand what was
required with regards writing in university and to assist them to meet these requirements. In
addition, the topic was raised during discussions at the Teaching and Learning Committee, and
subsequently, was undertaken as a pilot/case study rather than as a research project. The
implications of the intervention were gauged by analysing the written feedback on the process
provided by students. This paper provides an opportunity to reflect on the various aspects of
this exercise and to plan the future activity of academic writing support for students. In order to
orientate the reader for the discussion to follow, the genesis for support for student writing in
the wider context will be briefly described. In addition, the role of the key stakeholders involved
in the motivation for the writing intervention will be explored.


OBJECTIVE To study the effect of qingxin kaiqiao formula and saponin on the learning and memory ability and the expression of the apoptosis signal transducers Abeta and betaAPP in AD rat brain. METHOD The comparative observation method was adopted for the animal test. Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely the normal group, the model group, the aricept group, the qingxin kaiqiao formula group and the saponin group, with eight rats in each group. Abeta(25-35) (10 g x L(-1)) was injected into their bilateral amygdala to establish the AD rat model. Since the next day, they were intragastrically administered with Aricept (1.67 mg x kg(-1)), Qingxin Kaiqiao decoction (12.67 mL x kg(-1)), saponin (6.30 mg x kg(-1)) and double distilled water filling for 2 weeks to observe their spatial memory ability in a Morris water maze and study the expression of Caspase-3, Abeta and betaAPP in brain tissues by immunohistochemistry. RESULT Each traditional Chinese medicine groups showed significant improvement in the learning and memory ability of AD rats and notable differences (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) compared with the control group. The qingxin kaiqiao formula group and the saponin group showed a decrease in the expressions of Caspase-3, Abeta and betaAPP in cerebral cortex and hippocampus area, displaying notable differences (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION qingxin kaiqiao formula and saponin can obviously improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats with by decreasing the expression of Caspase-3, Abeta and betaAPP in cortex and hippocampus.


In this paper we investigate the optimal taxation of CO2 and its co-pollutants. While CO2 is a uniformly mixed stock pollutant, important CO2 co-pollutants like SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 are flow pollutants with spatially differentiated damages. Recent proposals have called for CO2 control that accounts for its effects on emissions of its co-pollutants, which implies that optimal CO2 taxes would have a spatial component. However we demonstrate that setting a CO2 tax that varies from its marginal damage is justified only if co-pollutants are regulated inefficiently. We demonstrate that the optimal CO2 tax deviates from the CO2 marginal damage across sources depending on the source-specific co-pollutant marginal damage, the level of inefficiency in the co-pollutant regulation, and the abatement cost interaction of the two pollutants. An alternative to adjusting CO2 policy to account for the inefficient regulation of a co-pollutant is to address the inefficiency directly by modifying the regulation of the co-pollutant. Since this approach is more efficient in general, we quantify the expected reduction in social costs from this regulation relative to adjusting CO2 taxes. With a simulation of CO2 and SO2 control from the U.S. power sector, we find that setting efficient taxes for both CO2 and SO2 provides a welfare gain that is likely to be many orders of magnitude greater than the gain from adjusting CO2 taxes to account for the inefficient regulation of SO2.


OBJECTIVE
To determine tissue solubilities of desflurane, sevoflurane, enflurane, and halothane in swine and to evaluate the effects of freezing specimens on tissue solubility,

SAMPLE POPULATION
Arterial blood samples and specimens of brain, heart, liver, kidney, muscle, and subcutaneous fat from 5 healthy female adult Chinese Meishan pigs.

PROCEDURE
Each tissue specimen was divided into 2 parts. One part was used to measure tissue-gas partition coefficients immediately after collection. The other part was frozen at -20 C for 6 days prior to determination of tissue-gas partition coefficients. Tissue-gas and blood-gas partition coefficients were measured by use of gas chromatography, and tissue-blood partition coefficients were calculated. Regression analysis was performed to determine whether fat-gas partition coefficients were correlated with lean tissue-gas partition coefficients.

RESULTS
Tissue-gas and blood-gas partition coefficients of halothane were greater than those of enflurane followed by coefficients of sevoflurane and desflurane. However, the order of anesthetic agents with the greatest to smallest tissue-blood partition coefficients was sevoflurane, halothane, enflurane, and desflurane. Muscle-gas partition coefficients of sevoflurane and enflurane, liver-gas partition coefficients of desflurane and halothane, and the kidney-gas partition coefficient of enflurane were significantly greater in frozen specimens, compared with fresh specimens. Lean tissue-gas partition coefficients of all 4 volatile anesthetics correlated directly with fat-gas partition coefficients.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
The fat content of lean tissue is an important factor in determining the tissue solubility of volatile anesthetics. Freezing specimens before determination of tissue-gas partition coefficients may result in a false increase in tissue solubility.


This paper describes prediction of aeroacoustics from a rotating machinery fan using compressible Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The fan is installed semi-opened space located between the fan cover and the body of rotating machinery such as a electric motor. The fan distributes air from the fan cover intake onto the cooling fins. The Reynolds number of the rotating fan is 9 × 105; its Mach number is approximately 0.1. Under the low Mach number regime, hybrid computational aeroacoustics (hybrid CAA) method, which is solved turbulent flow and acoustics separately, is generally used. However, we used a direct CAA method because interaction between pressure fluctuation from the turbulence and sound propagation should be considered.
 For the direct CAA method approach, compressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved. Density is calculated from the ideal gas law. To compute turbulence phenomena, LES is used as the turbulence model. The Dynamic Smagorinsky Model is used for the subgrid scale. The sound propagation speed is approximately 10 times faster than the flow speed.
 Therefore, the numerical schemes, time step, and computational grids size were evaluated with line sound source in the two-dimensional domain as a fundamental study to determine the numerical schemes. Subsequently we evaluated the sound pressure level with the electric motor fan, which is an experimental structure.
 Through verification of the direct CAA model, we obtained the following results. (1) The predicted pressure fluctuation spectra show good agreement with the experimentally obtained spectra. Specifically, the blade passing frequency (BPF) and trend of the pressure fluctuation decay in the inertial turbulence subrange were predicted. (2) The predicted sound pressure spectra also show good agreement with BPF. Specifically, the acoustic mode and broadband turbulence noise level were predicted.


Current two-dimensional face recognition approaches can obtain a good performance only under constrained environments. However, in the real applications, face appearance changes significantly due to different illumination, pose, and expression. Face recognizers based on different representations of the input face images have different sensitivity to these variations. Therefore, a combination of different face classifiers which can integrate the complementary information should lead to improved classification accuracy. We use the sum rule and RBF-based integration strategies to combine three commonly used face classifiers based on PCA, ICA and LDA representations. Experiments conducted on a face database containing 206 subjects (2,060 face images) show that the proposed classifier combination approaches outperform individual classifiers.


We present the first results from our spectroscopic survey of strong gravitational lens environments. Six of the eight lens galaxies in our sample belong to a poor group of galaxies, three of which are newly discovered here (those associated with BRI 0952-0115, MG 1654+1346, and B2114+022). For the three previously known groups (surrounding MG 0751+2716, PG 1115+080, and B1422+231), we more than double the number of group members. The group velocity dispersions range from 110 to 470 km s-1. The higher velocity dispersions of the richer groups (MG 0751, PG 1115, and B1422) are consistent with those of nearby X-ray-luminous groups; the lower velocity dispersions of the other groups are more typical of dynamically younger groups. The lens galaxy is the brightest member in fewer than half of the groups. The brightest group galaxy is an early-type galaxy that, at least for the poorer groups, lies outside the group centroid and on an orbit indistinguishable from other group members. In at least three cases, MG 0751, PG 1115, and B1422, the group environment significantly affects the lens potential. These happen to be the quadruply imaged lenses in our sample, suggesting a connection between image configuration and environment. Finally, we assess the importance of line-of-sight mass structures, showing that, in principle, the lens potential may be affected by structures lying at a wide range of spatial and redshift offsets from the lens. We quantify the real line-of-sight effects, finding that four of the eight systems have substantial interloping structures and that at least one of those (behind MG 0751) significantly affects the lens potential.


The primary goal of systems biologists is to understand the mechanics underlying complex, collective, self-organizing behaviors displayed by all living systems, from biofilm formation and wound healing to embryogenesis. Myxococcus xanthus is a soil bacterium used as a model organism to study biofilm self-organization. It has a relatively large genome and a complex life cycle that involves two distinct phases. M. xanthus cells can move on agar, and a few million cells will organize to form a predatory biofilm or "swarm" that grows and expands if placed on a nutrient-rich agar surface. If placed on a nutrient-poor agar surface, the same swarm will turn inward and contract, aggregating to form spore-filled multicellular fruiting bodies designed to survive periods of starvation. Extensive progress has been made in identifying genes and genetic pathways that regulate fruiting body formation. However, an accurate description of the dynamics that underlie the process of aggregation is still lacking, and there is still debate and disagreement on the subject. This dissertation provides some explanation regarding individual M. xanthus cell behavior during fruiting body formation, as well as the behavior of aggregates. In the first part of this work, we show that the transition from individual cells to the formation of multicellular aggregates can be controlled through relatively small changes in M. xanthus cell behavior; complicated cell-to-cell signaling, stigmergy (where a trace formed by a cell on an agar surface influences the movement of nearby cells that contact the trace), and cell differentiation are not required for aggregation. We propose that M. xanthus aggregation matches a physical phenomenon that has been characterized in non-living systems, called motility induced phase separation (MIPS). By studying non-reversing mutant cells and manipulating their velocities, we show that cell movement can be made to fall within the boundary of the phase region so that cells succeed in forming aggregates. Alternately, cell movement can be made to fall outside the boundary of the phase region so that cells fail to form aggregates. After the initial stages of aggregation, an M. xanthus swarm actively rearranges the number and relative positions of aggregates by causing some of them to move, merge, or disappear. In the second part of this work, we demonstrate that equations describing Ostwald ripening within a thin liquid film were able to predict aggregate behavior with high accuracy. Consistent with this theory, both relative aggregate size and the distance between aggregates influence the likelihood that a given aggregate will disappear. In general, in neighboring aggregates, the ones that are small and in close proximity will tend to shrink and disappear, while the larger, more isolated aggregates will likely persist and become permanent. By tracking individual cells around aggregates, we show that more cells are leaving shrinking, disappearing aggregates than entering them, while more cells are entering growing, persistent aggregates than leaving them. All of these data are in good agreement with the Ostwald ripening equations. In the last part of this work, we show that aggregation can break down in only a certain number of ways by analyzing single gene disruption of four paralogous gene families representing almost 400 genes. We found that gene families correlate with phenotype, suggesting possible redundancy. In conclusion, my dissertation data provides possible answers to some of the persistent questions regarding M. xanthus developmental dynamics.


Both proofs allow extension to more than four sides. The first proof, by means of the Poincaré ring theorem [l] (*), is restricted to the plane but allows somewhat more general subdivision of the sides than simple bisection. The second proof, by minimal area, extends the theorem to circumscribed polyhedra of any number of sides in any number of dimensions. The need for Theorem 1 first appeared in the course of some proofs of properties of unit spheres in normed linear spaces [2]. The applications to the problem which originally suggested Theorem 1 are clearer if, in a normed linear space, x normal to y is defined to mean ||a;e+y|| ^\\y\\ for all real a; that is, that the line through y parallel to Ox comes no closer to the origin than y. This relationship in a Euclidean space is equivalent to orthogonality of x and y; in other normed spaces it retains some of the properties of orthogonality but is, in general, not symmetric [2, §6]. Theorem 1 asserts that in any twodimensional normed space there exist two points of norm one each normal to the other. The generalization, Theorem 4.1, to « dimensions asserts that in each n-dimensional normed linear space there exist n points x¡ such that ¿2i^ia¡Xj is normal to x,for any choice of i = \, ■ ■ ■ , n and real numbers a/. Translating this notion of normality in the obvious way to Finsler spaces gives : Through every point P of an n-dimensional locally-Minkowskian Finsler space there exist w hypersurfaces each normal at P to the intersection of all the others. 2. Proof by the ring theorem. Throughout this section assume that C is a closed convex (not necessarily symmetric) curve with no flat sides; that is, that no line segment of positive length lies on C. (The general case of Theorem 1 is easily proved by approximation from this special case.) Choose a positive direction, say counterclockwise, around C. Then for each point b outside or on C there is a unique tangent line from b to C which passes in the chosen


The effects of cyclic loading on contact damage in curved bi-layer systems are investigated. Dome structures consisting of glass shells, filled with epoxy resin, simulate the essential structure of monolithic all-ceramic dental crowns on natural tooth dentine. Cyclic loading, with only a vertical component, was carried out with the Multi-Functional Chewing Simulator (Willytec. Munich, Germany). The specimens were tested by indentation with hard spheres of tungsten carbide, with the load applied axially at the apex of the dome. This project reports some new results on the effect of cyclic loading on curved bi-layer systems. In addition, the effect of aqueous environments is addressed. In both air and water tests, observations taken throughout the cyclic loading course indicated that the outer cone cracks inhibited the propagation of radial cracks. Results confirm that crack initiation occurred more rapidly in wet conditions of testing, emphasizing the influences of the moist environment of the oral cavity. Furthermore, the experiments took into account the evolution of inner cone cracks observed in wet cyclic loading tests. The new results are important since nearly all-dental crowns exhibit some curvature. The implications of the results on the failure of dental crowns are discussed.


Two distinct markets are developing for vehicle automation: semi-automated vehicles for personal/household ownership and fully automated vehicles for shared and public service use as robo-shuttles and robo-taxis. These two markets will compete for consumers (car-buyers vs. ride-buyers), as household vehicles and public transit do now. As these markets develop, the competition between them will complicate infrastructure, require complex regulations, delay our path to the promised 90% reduction in crashes and fatalities, and push out the time at which we can achieve a hoped-for new level of optimal land-use and optimal urban mobility given by lowered pressure from massive storage of parked vehicles and the flaws of human drivers. This paper outlines why this is competition unavoidable and will mean a significant period of difficulty on the way to a new era of mobility.


In the present work, removal of nigrosine dye from its aqueous solution via combined photocatalysis and adsorption has been reported using ternary catalyst lanthanum cerate under visible light. The catalyst has been synthesized by citric acid assisted sol-gel method. XRD graph reveals that the average crystallite size of sample is found to be approximate 4.0 nm having cubic fluorite structure. There is 64.45% oxygen. 17.76% lanthanum and 17.79% cerium atoms present in the material, as observed by EDS result. FESEM results shows that obtained particles are in the form of rice grain shape arranged densely in homogeneous manner. TGA curve shows that there is a evaporation of moisture, nitrate and carbon. Two exothermic peaks are observed at about 170°C and 200  C in the DTA curve. The UV-Visible spectrum gives the band gap of lanthanum cerate and it is 3.0 eV. A spectrophotometer has been used to follow the photocatalytic degradation of nigrosine dye at specific intervals of time. The effect of various parameters such as p H, concentration of dye, photocatalyst dosage and light intensity has been studied on the rate of degradation. A tentative mechanism for degradation of nigrosine has been proposed involving superoxide and hydroperoxyl radicals as main oxidizing species.


The design and synthesis of new metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is important from both a fundamental and application standpoint. In this work, a novel, highly‐connected rare‐earth (RE) MOF with shp topology is reported, named RE‐CU‐10 (RE = rare‐earth, CU = Concordia University), comprised of nonanuclear RE(III)‐cluster nodes and tetratopic pyrene‐based linkers. This represents the first time that the 1,3,6,8‐tetrakis(p‐benzoic acid)pyrene (H4TBAPy) linker is integrated in the shp topology. Y‐CU‐10 was explored as a heterogeneous photocatalyst for the selective oxidation and detoxification of a sulfur mustard simulant, 2‐chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2‐CEES), showing a halflife for conversion to the less toxic 2‐chloroethyl ethyl sulfoxide (2‐CEESO) of 6.0 min.


All-spin logic devices are promising candidates to augment and complement beyond-CMOS integrated circuit computing due to non-volatility, ultra-low operating voltages, higher logical efficiency, and high density integration. However, the path to reach lower energy-delay product performance compared to CMOS transistors currently is not clear. We show that scaling and engineering the nanoscale magnetic materials and interfaces is the key to realizing spin logic devices that can surpass energy-delay performance of CMOS transistors. With validated stochastic nano-magnetic and vector spin transport numerical models, we derive the target material and interface properties for the nanomagnets and channels. We identified promising new directions for material engineering/discovery focusing on systematic scaling of magnetic anisotropy (Hk) with saturation magnetization (Ms), use of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and interface spin mixing conductance of ferromagnet/spin channel interface (Gmix). We provide systematic targets for scaling spin logic energy-delay product toward a 2 aJ.ns energy-delay product, comprehending the stochastic noise for nanomagnets.


Stable isotope tracer methods are gaining popularity in many fields, including environmental science, agriculture and medicine. This is particularly true in the clinical sciences, where the use of radioisotopes can be precluded on ethical grounds and 13C and 15N tracers are being used more frequently for metabolic studies. Mass spectrometry is the preferred technique for isotope analysis. Sample preparation techniques for classical isotope ratio mass spectrometry are often tedious and can involve the use of complex vacuum apparatus that is quite foreign to the biological chemist. Organic gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) overcomes many sample preparation problems but may lack the performance needed for isotope analysis. This paper describes the analysis of 13C using an automatic elemental gas chromatograph interfaced to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer, a system which was developed initially for the analysis of 15N.

Details of the residual gas background, peak broadening due to high carrier gas pressures, mass spectral linearity and response to changing sample peak heights and variations of the measured isotope ratio with sample pressure are described. Sensitivity and performance data (reproducibility ± 0.62% at natural abundance) are also given. The potential of this system for other gas chromatographic applications, automatic data handling and the possible simultaneous analysis of 13C and 15N are also discussed.


Uncontrolled space objects in the geostationary orbit domain
are hazardous threats for active satellites. Catalogs
need to be build up, in order to protect this precious
domain. The Swiss ZimSMART telescope, located
in Zimmerwald, regularly scans the geostationary ring in
order to provide a homogenous coverage. This surveying
technique typically yields short measurement arcs,
called tracklets. Each tracklet provides information about
the line-of-sight and the rates of change but typically not
about the full state of the observed object. Computationally
intensive multi-hypothesis filter methods have been
developed to associate tracklets with each other. An effective
implementation to this approach is presented that
uses an optimization algorithm to reduce the number of
initial hypotheses. The method is tested with a set of real
measurements of the aforementioned telescope.


The learning objective of this article is the placement of nonsubmerged implants immediately after extraction, with membrane barriers, according to the principles of guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Fixtures were immobilized by engaging bone beyond the apex and were exposed to the oral cavity during healing. The implants and cell-occlusive barriers were placed in 6 patients; all barriers were removed by week 10. Three patients received freeze-dried bone allografts. A systemic antibiotic, an oral antimicrobial rinse, and reinforced plaque removal were employed. Radiographic and attachment level measurements at 3 and 6 months indicated that osseous regeneration had taken place and was still ongoing. All fixtures were restored after each implant reached 6-month maturity.


Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a known complication of COVID-19 and is associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality. Unbiased proteomics using biological specimens can lead to improved risk stratification and discover pathophysiological mechanisms. Methods Using measurements of ~4000 plasma proteins in two cohorts of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, we discovered and validated markers of COVID-associated AKI (stage 2 or 3) and long-term kidney dysfunction. In the discovery cohort (N= 437), we identified 413 higher plasma abundances of protein targets and 40 lower plasma abundances of protein targets associated with COVID-AKI (adjusted p <0.05). Of these, 62 proteins were validated in an external cohort (p <0.05, N =261). Results We demonstrate that COVID-AKI is associated with increased markers of tubular injury (NGAL) and myocardial injury. Using estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) measurements taken after discharge, we also find that 25 of the 62 AKI-associated proteins are significantly associated with decreased post-discharge eGFR (adjusted p <0.05). Proteins most strongly associated with decreased post-discharge eGFR included desmocollin-2, trefoil factor 3, transmembrane emp24 domain-containing protein 10, and cystatin-Cindicating tubular dysfunction and injury. Conclusions Using clinical and proteomic data, our results suggest that while both acute and long-term COVID-associated kidney dysfunction are associated with markers of tubular dysfunction, AKI is driven by a largely multifactorial process involving hemodynamic instability and myocardial damage.


This paper investigates the impact of financial wealth and earned income on the retirement decision using data from the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing. The estimation results from a random effect dynamic probit model show that housing wealth has virtually no impact on the decision to retire, while financial wealth encourages it and earned income discourages it. The retirement decision is also found to be state dependent, and this persistence is stronger for those retirees with lower housing wealth and lower financial wealth.


It is assumed that the relationship between intelligence (defined here as reasoning skills) and students' academic outcomes in mathematics is moderated by different internal and external factors on the individual student and classroom level. This study analyzes the question of whether classroom composition affects gifted students differently than average-ability students. Multilevel analyses were conducted using a sample of N = 333 Austrian primary school students, consisting of n = 51 mildly and moderately gifted students (IQ > 115), and n = 233 average-ability students (IQ 85 115). Data from n = 49 below-average students (IQ < 85) were taken into account at the class level. A classroom-specific effect of reasoning skills on gifted students' outcomes could be detected. There was significant variation in the slope of the reasoning skills predictor depending on the class students were in. Additional predictors on the class level were found to exert an influence on gifted students' performance. No evidence was found for cross-level effects. For the averageability student subgroup, the context level explained a lower proportion of the variance. Moreover, the class regression lines indicated stable relationships between reasoning skills and mathematics achievement across classes.


Salt-induced land degradation has gradually increased in several major irrigation schemes within arid and semiarid regions. To maximize crop productivity under saline conditions, either salt tolerance crops should be cultivated or areas should be desalinated. One of the most promising and cost-effective ways to maximize crop productivity is to use salt tolerant plants to remove salt from the soil. For this study, four levels of saline soils were cultivated with the halophyte species Salsola soda L. and Portulaca oleracea L. in pots. The soils had the following salinity levels: 1) nonsaline soil (NSS, 0.9 dS m-1), 2) slightly saline soil (SSS, 4.2 dS m-1), 3) moderately saline soil (MSS, 7.2 dS m-1), and 4) highly saline soil (HSS, 14.1 dS m-1). To assess the salt tolerance capacity of the halophytes, physiological and biochemical parameters as well as the accumulation of leaf Na+ and Cl? ions in the halophytes were investigated. Soils were additionally evaluated for electrical conductivity, pH, and soil ion concentrations prior to planting and the following harvest.The fresh and dry weights of both halophytes increased with increasing salinity levels (P ≤ 0.05). The proline contents of S. soda and P. oleracea were 3.1 and 4.6 times higher, respectively, than within the same species grown under control conditions. The malondialdehyde and membrane stability index values for S. soda were insignificant under all salt conditions. Only P. oleracea showed significantly higher membrane damage under HSS conditions. In a similar manner, the chlorophyll content of both halophytes was not impacted for all of the salinity levels. Na+ and Cl- concentrations significantly decreased in soils that were planted with both halophytes (P ≤ 0.05). The impact of S. soda on the removal of Na+ from HSS was significantly higher than that of P. oleracea and removed 151.4 mmol Na+ pot-1 as compared to the removal of 61.2 mmol Na+ pot-1 by P. oleracea.


Previous literature suggested that muscle forces applied to the skeleton may be an important factor in increasing bone mineral density (BMD). This purpose of this study was to determine whether trunk rigidity and trunk muscle strength were associated with lumbar spine BMD in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Forty‐three PD patients and 29 controls participated in this study. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry was used to measure lumbar spine BMD of PD patients. Additionally, an isokinetic dynamometer was used to evaluate trunk rigidity and trunk muscle strength of all subjects. The results showed that PD patients had significantly lower trunk muscle strength, but more trunk rigidity than controls by 46.6 and 162.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). In bivariate correlation analysis, lumbar spine BMD was significantly related to trunk muscle strength (r = 0.475, P = 0.001), but not trunk rigidity (r = 0.271, P = 0.079). In multiple regression analysis, after adjusting for relevant factors, only trunk muscle strength remained independently associated with lumbar spine BMD, accounting for 10.0% of the variance (R2 = 0.342, F5,37 = 3.838, P = 0.007). Trunk muscle strength, but not trunk rigidity, is independently associated with lumbar spine BMD in patients with PD. Further randomized controlled studies are required to determine whether trunk muscle strengthening exercise is effective in enhancing lumbar spine BMD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society


Hydrothermal vents are well-known for their exotic faunas, but common ecological descriptors of communities, apart from species lists, have eluded vent ecologists for decades. Using replicate sampling, we examine species richness, diversity, evenness, and composition within mussel beds at the Lucky Strike hydrothermal vent field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and we compare these measures to those found at intertidal mussel beds along the south-central Alaskan coast using similar sampling efforts. The number of species found at the vent mussel beds is less than half that of the intertidal mussel beds. From calculations of diversity and evenness indices, we find that the lower diversity of the vent mussel beds is a reflection of a reduced number of rare species found there compared to intertidal mussel beds. In contrast to relatively even distributions of deep-sea soft-sediment (non-vent) communities, both vent and intertidal mussel beds share the attribute of very uneven distributions, with a large number of individuals found in a small number of species. Based on comparisons of the Shannon diversity index (H) within vent mussel beds and in a variety of other marine environments, we find that diversity at vent mussel beds is low, but no lower than the diversity measured in certain shallowwater environments. We hypothesize that diversity within the Lucky Strike mussel beds, located on a slow-spreading ridge where the spacing between vents is large, represents the low extreme of diversity at hydrothermal vents. We expect higher diversity at mussel beds on fast-spreading ridges (e.g., on the East Pacific Rise).


IPv6 is the next generation protocol for the Internet, designed to support continued Internet growth in number of users and functionality. The current version, IPv4, was developed in the 1970's and provides the basis for today's Internet interoperability. IPv4 suffers some limitations that may be inhibitors to growth of the Internet, and use of the Internet as a global networking solution. Requirements for more address space, simpler address design and handling at the IP layer, better quality of service support, greater security, and an increasing number of media types and internetcapable devices have all contributed to drive the development of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). IPv6 is a new version of IP which is designed to be an evolutionary step from IPv4. It is a natural increment to IPv4. It can be installed as a normal software upgrade in internet devices and is interoperable with the current IPv4. Its deployment strategy is designed to not have any flag days or other dependencies. IPv6 is designed to run well on high performance networks (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet, OC-12, ATM, etc.) and at the same time still be efficient for low bandwidth networks (e.g. wireless). In addition, it provides a platform for new internet functionality that will be required in the near future. IPv6 is designed to solve many of the problems of the current version of IP (known as IPv4) such as address depletion, security, auto-configuration, research and extensibility. Its use will also expand the capabilities of the Internet and enable a variety of valuable and exciting scenarios, including peer-to-peer and mobile applications. IPv6 includes a transition mechanism which is designed to allow users to adopt and deploy IPv6 in a highly diffuse fashion and to provide direct interoperability between IPv4 and IPv6 hosts. The transition to a new version of the Internet Protocol must be incremental, with few or no critical interdependencies, if it is to succeed. The IPv6 transition allows the users to upgrade their hosts Omae M. O, School of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering, Department of Telecommunication & Information Engineering, JKUAT (phone: +2540722805012; fax: +2546752711; e-mail: email@example.com). Ismail Adeya, Faculty of Information Technology, S. U. (phone: +2540728054615; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). to IPv6, and the network operators to deploy IPv6 in routers, with very little coordination between the two. This paper seeks to enlighten Kenyan companies and institutions on the reasons why they should move from IPv4 to IPv6 and inform them of what methods are available to enable the transition without affecting their networks. This is because all companies all over the world are encouraged to do so since IPv4 addresses are expected to be exhausted by august 2011. This means that they shall be forced to move to IPv6 at one given point but the earlier the better. It is also in response to IPv6 world day on 8 June, 2011, where Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, Akamai and Limelight Networks will be amongst some of the major organizations that will offer their content over IPv6 for a 24-hour "test flight". The goal of the Test Flight Day is to motivate organizations across the industry; Internet service providers, hardware makers, operating system vendors and web companies to prepare their services for IPv6 to ensure a successful transition as IPv4 addresses run out. "Please join us for this test drive and help accelerate the momentum of IPv6 deployment" Quote from internet society. Keywords—ICT, manufacturing, organization.


This study examines the associations between religious affiliation and religiosity and support for political violence through a nationwide sample of Israeli Jews and Muslims. Based on structural equation modeling, the findings show that by and large Muslims are more supportive of political violence than Jews and more religious persons are less supportive of political violence. Deprivation, however, was found to mediate these relations, showing that the more deprived – whether Muslims or Jews, religious or non-religious persons – are more supportive of political violence. The explanatory strength of religion and deprivation combined in this manner was found to be stronger than any of these variables on their own. The findings cast doubt on negative stereotypes both of Islam and of religiosity as promoting political violence. They suggest that governments which want peace at home, in Israel as elsewhere, would do well to ensure that ethnic and religious differences are not translated into, and compounded by, wide socio-economic gaps.


In order to improve the students' mastering at elementary schools, it is important to note that the teaching strategies should not be only focused on "how to teach", however the teaching should be also focused on "how to stimulate" and "how to learn". In this context, the contextual teaching and learning approach (CTL) is considered as the new approach, particularly for math subject, which has been applied in Indonesia. For this purpose, this article offers the concept teaching model by Dienes theory using CTL approach.


In Japan, four projects for the application of Bi-based superconducting magnets to practical apparatus are currently underway. These projects involve the development of an insert magnet for a 1 GHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a magnet for a silicon single-crystal pulling apparatus, a magnet for a magnetic separation system, and a 1 T pulse magnet for a superconducting magnet energy storage system. For example, the magnet for the silicon single-crystal pulling apparatus is of the class with stored energy of 1 MJ to be operated at around 20 K. This review focuses on the present status of the development of these magnets, followed by a discussion of the problems of the present superconducting tapes that need to be overcome for future applications.


Couple communication and joint decision-making are widely recommended in the family planning and reproductive health literature as vital aspects of fertility management. Yet, most studies continue to rely on women's reports to measure couple concordance. Moreover, the association between communication and decision-making is often assumed and very rarely studied. Arguably, associations between dyadic communication and shared decision-making constitute a missing link in our understanding of how communication affects fertility-related practices. Informed by Carey's notions of transmission and ritual communication, this study sought to address those gaps with two complementary studies in Nepal: a qualitative study of married men and women and a quantitative study of 737 couples. To assess spousal concordance on matters of family planning-related communication and decision-making in the quantitative study, responses from the couple were compared for each question of interest and matched responses were classified as concordant. Quantitative results found that more than one-third of couples reported spousal communication on all measured family planning-related topics. Nearly, 87% of couples reported joint decision-making on both family planning use and method type. Partner communication was significantly and positively associated with concordant family planning decision-making in both bivariate and multivariate models. Couples communicating about three family planning topics had more than twice the odds of concordant family planning decision-making than did those not reporting such communication. The qualitative findings provided insights into discordant as well as concordant interactions, revealing that decision-making, even when concordant, is not necessarily linear and is often complex.


Constantin Negruzzi was born in 1808, at the Negruzzi family estate in Trifeștii Vechi, also known as Hermeziu (Iași County). He began his public activity in 1825, as an office clerk at the Treasury Department of the Principality of Moldavia, becoming a distinguished statesman and an eminent author. He is considered our first great modern prose writer. In the first issue of the magazine "Dacia literară" (1840), he published the historical novella Alexandru Lăpușneanul, his most successful literary piece, "which would have become a famous work like Hamlet if Romanian literature had the prestige of a universal language to help it", according to George Călinescu, the famous literary critic. Constantin Negruzzi died in the spring of 1868, in Iași, and Titu Maiorescu reminded the readers of the magazine "Convorbiri literare" that "with Constantin Negruzzi the Romanian literature lost one of the few authors whose writings showed our reborn literature a salutary path".


Thanks to recent progress in category-level object recognition, we have now come to a point where these techniques have gained sufficient maturity and accuracy to succesfully feed back their output to other processes. This is what we refer to as cognitive feedback. In this paper, we study one particular form of cognitive feedback, where the ability to recognize objects of a given category is exploited to infer meta-data such as depth cues, 3D points, or object decomposition in images of previously unseen object instances. Our approach builds on the implicit shape model of Leibe and Schiele, and extends it to transfer annotations from training images to test images. Experimental results validate the viability of our approach.


The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region of the human genome is the most polymorphic sequence part on chromosome 6; this roughly 4 Mbase long stretch contains many genes involved in immune response and disease association. The HLA genes have a crucial role in transplantation; patients receiving organs or bone marrow from matching donors have significantly higher chance for survival. NGS-based HLA typing brings the hope of accurate genomic consensus sequences by relatively cheap and simple laboratory workflow. Using either targeted or whole-genome sequencing data, there are a lot of pos‐ sibilities to get ambiguous results (combinations of several alleles as a result instead of a single pair). These can be sampleor reference-related, or the results of artifacts generated during the targeting and amplifying step. NGS technology itself has additional artifacts leading to ambiguity listed in our paper. The final bioinformatics step will not be able to resolve all the ambiguities; we are also proposing quality control metrics to assess the fi‐ nal ambiguity and typing failure.


Background: There is no direct comparison from clinical trials amongst the direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), leaving an evidence gap in decision-making regarding the choice of a DOAC. Methods: We performed a systematic review for an indirect comparison from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for comparative effects amongst DOACs in the patients with acute VTE. Results: A total of 16 RCTs were included for analyses, among which three for dabigatran (n = 7,963 patients), six rivaroxaban (n = 17,935), five apixaban (n = 12,823), and two edoxaban (n = 9,286). There was no significant difference in risk of recurrent VTE (evidence quality: low) and major bleeding (evidence quality: very low) for treatment effects between the four DOACs. Albeit non-significantly, apixaban seemed to have a lowest risk of major bleeding while rivaroxaban had a smallest risk of VTE. Although in general all the included trials were comparable, data from the included trials indicated that the assumption of transitivity may be challenged. Further methodological research including simulation studies, using a net-benefit or benefit-harm approach, running ranking probability analysis, and developing decision aids with machine-learning may be a worthwhile endeavor to help with the choice of DOACs in patients with acute VTE. Conclusions: To conclude, based on results from the indirect comparison no significant difference in the efficacy and safety was found among the DOACs in patients with acute VTE. More evidence from direct comparative trials is needed to further inform the choice of DOACs in patients with acute VTE.


A new algorithm for the integrated data path synthesis of high-performance DSP systems has been proposed. The integrated synthesis problem, that is the combined problem of module selection, scheduling, and allocation, is systematically formulated as a clique-partition problem of mixed-vertex compatibility graph on a module library and is solved simultaneously. We introduce a global cost function based on clique partition heuristic to evaluate each decision along the synthesis process. Salient features, such as library-adaptive and integrated processing (i.e., make all resources, including operators and interconnects, tradeoffs), are processed in the algorithm and experimental results are quite encouraged.<<ETX>>


Today, modeling and programming constitute separate activities carried out using modeling respectively programming languages, which are neither well integrated with each other nor have a one-to-one correspondence. As a consequence, platform and implementation details, such as the usage of existing software components and libraries, are usually introduced on code level only. This impedes accurate model-level analyses that take platform-specific decisions into account as well as the direct deployment of executable models on the target platform. In this work we present an approach for integrating existing software libraries with fUML models—an executable variant of UML models for which a standardized virtual machine exists—not only at design time but also at runtime. As a result of that, the modeler is empowered with the capabilities provided by existing software libraries on model level. Our approach is evaluated based on unit tests and initial case studies available in the ReMoDD repository that assess the correctness, performance, and completeness of our implementation.


In this paper we extend previous results about how trade integration can affect poverty and income distribution in Brazil. To assess the impacts of a Doha Development Agenda (DDA) scenario on poverty and income distribution in Brazil, a 2 computable general equilibrium model (CGE) of Brazil was used, linked to a microsimulation (MS) model. This method was proposed by Ferreira Filho and Horridge, and guarantees consistency between both models. The model comprises 112,055 Brazilian households and 263,938 adults, distinguishing 42 activities, 52 commodities, and 27 regions. The Doha round is simulated with the aid of a modified version of the GTAP model, and its impacts upon poverty and income distribution in Brazil analyzed. Results suggest that even a large shock like the one simulated would not greatly reduce poverty in Brazil, although the poorest households benefit most. The analysis was extended to look more carefully inside agriculture, splitting the households according to their working status (temporary workers, permanent workers, self-employed and employers), as well as according to their land ownership status (land less workers and farmers holding 5 land size farms). Model results show an increase of 253,066 new jobs in the agricultural activities. Most of it (197,187) would be new jobs creation, or workers coming to agriculture from unemployment, and the other part (55,882 workers) would be a net attraction of jobs from contracting industries. The job creation benefits the poor disproportionately: 57% of the new agricultural workers belong to the first three lowest income classes (78% if only count the previously unemployed are considered). As a result of this job increase, total income increases by 3.3% in agriculture as a whole, and almost half of this increase (1.42%) is due to workers coming from unemployment and getting new jobs in agriculture. The simulated DDA scenario, which was found to be poverty-reducing in previous work by the authors, is shown to also reduce poverty inside Brazilian agriculture. Despite the regional differences, all the players in agriculture seem to gain from the policy change. There are complex region/product/technology interactions to be taken into account, and no simple pattern emerges from the analysis. Model results, then, contradict the notion that only landlords would gain from trade liberalization in the DDA agenda, an idea that became somewhat popular recently. The strong agricultural employment effect and the distribution of land ownership must be taken into account for this discussion.


A high performance liquid chromatographic method for the separate detection of benzimidazole anthelmintics and their principal metabolites has been developed, and an evaluation was made of the reproducibility of the method using spiked tissue, milk and plasma samples. In addition, an investigation of benzimidazole concentrations in tissues, milk and plasma of treated animals was carried out, from the day of administration until residues could no longer be detected, to assess if the recommended withdrawal periods were adequate and, by means of an abattoir survey, if benzimidazole residues pose a problem to the consumer. The animals used were cattle and sheep, and the drugs used were febantel (a pro-benzimidazole), and the benzimidazoles, albendazole, fenbendazole, oxfendazole and thiabendazole. For all of the drugs studied residues were found in tissues. Relatively high concentrations of benzimidazoles and metabolites were found in liver compared with plasma or other tissues. Detectable residues of febantel, fenbendazole, oxfendazole and thiabendazole in liver persisted beyond the recommended withdrawal periods. In muscle, residues of all the drugs studied were low, being similar to those found in plasma. None of the sulphide benzimidazoles (albendazole and fenbendazole) were detectable in milk at any time after administration to cows and only sulphoxides (oxfendazole and albendazole sulphoxide) and sulphones (oxfendazole sulphone and albendazole sulphone) were detectable. In an abattoir survey of cattle and sheep carcasses, no residues of any of these drugs were detected in one hundred livers analysed. The relevance of these results to the safety of benzimidazoles in humans is discussed.


1. Comparisons of original calls and their echoes allow echolocating microchiropteran bats to collect information about their surroundings. Echolocation calls are also a source of information for other animals. A spectacular example is the hearing-based defence of many species of insects that use echolocation calls to detect marauding bats. The role of echolocation calls remains unknown for bats that eat other bats.

2. Other eavesdroppers, biologists, regularly monitor echolocation calls to collect information about the distribution and patterns of habitat use of echolocating bats. People monitoring echolocation calls have discovered cryptic species of bats.

3. Vocal communication in bats involves social calls that serve only in communication, as well as echolocation calls that influence the behaviour of conspecifics and others. There is evidence of individual- and colony-specific social and echolocation calls.

4. The long age-spans of bats and the propensity of some species to roost in groups combine with conspicuousness of echolocation calls to set the stage for the discovery of more behavioural interactions mediated by individual-specific echolocation calls. In the echolocation of microchiropteran bats, signals can serve multiple functions, both for producers and listeners.


Since 1960, particularly in the non-western world, there has been a remarkable increase in the number and size of independent pentecostal-like churches and organisations. Using a case-studies methodology, this thesis analyses the theology of mission of this "neopenteocostal" movement. Part One of the thesis introduces and sets the historical stage for the movement; Part Two analyses the movement's missiology. This analysis includes an examination of the movement's theology, aims, strategies and ecumenism as well as its role in society and relationship with the larger Church. Conclusions, incorporating the suggestion that a neopentecostal missiological paradigm of 'proclamation plus signs and wonders' be considered a third paradigm for mission studies, are drawn in the final chapter.


Physiological range  Upper and Lower limit value are the reference to consider normal in any state of medical parameter.  To address Blood glucose or Blood pressure value reaching upper limits of normal so called high normal or border line a new term is introduced called as pre-disease, the concept of pre-disease is relatively new like addressing prediabetes or prehypertension which do pose health risk and might be a sign of warning that a patient is progressing towards overt hypertension or diabetes.  This short paper focus on the concept of prediabetes and its definition along with its historical perspective. Key word; Prediabetes


SIR,-We have recently had a peculiar complication of antecubital venepuncture. A 67-year-old man was admitted because of suspected pulmonary emboli. He received intravenous heparin intermittently. On the sixth day of therapy, after an antecubital venepuncture for diagnostic purposes, a hematoma of 6 x 8 cm developed, and he began to complain of severe pain with median distribution. In two weeks he presented a clear-cut carpal-tunnel syndrome without any signs of bleeding in this region. After six weeks he was operated on and the nerve was found to be compressed by a tiny blood clot. His state improved but permanent damage remained. It must be assumed that this small amount of blood wandered along the nerve from the antecubital region to the carpal tunnel, where it coagulated and showed its adverse effect. DAVID KOHN ASIA BUSH ISIDOR KESSLER


Fatigue Fract Eng Mater Struct. 2019;1–17. Abstract For metallic materials, standard uniaxial tensile tests with round bar specimens or flat specimens only provide accurate equivalent stress–strain curve before diffuse necking. However, for numerical modelling of problems where very large strains occur, such as plastic forming and ductile damage and fracture, understanding the post‐necking strain hardening behaviour is necessary. Also, welding is a highly complex metallurgical process, and therefore, weldments are susceptible to material discontinuities, flaws, and residual stresses. It becomes even more important to characterize the equivalent stress–strain curve in large strains of each material zone in weldments properly for structural integrity assessment. The aim of this paper is to provide a state‐of‐the‐art review on quasi‐static standard tensile test for stress–strain curves measurement of metallic materials. Meanwhile, methods available in literature for characterization of the equivalent stress–strain curve in the post‐necking regime are introduced. Novel methods with axisymmetric notched round bar specimens for accurately capturing the equivalent stress–strain curve of each material zone in weldment are presented as well. Advantages and limitations of these methods are briefly discussed.


Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels is one of the most widely used medicinal plants for various conditions and is a popular fruit for food consumption. This review aims to provide information regarding its phytochemical constituents, toxicity, and traditional and pharmacological uses from vast number of published literatures inside and outside the Philippines. The authors hope that this article provides essential directions for future researchers who wish to focus on this medicinal plant.


Internet of Things (IoT) systems are complex, and consist of distributed and interdependent components, making the modeling, prediction and monitoring of their behavior a critical challenge. This challenge is specifically exacerbated by the need to develop precise models that inherently consider the domain knowledge about the underlying physical structure, and the causal interdependencies between the various components of IoT systems. In this paper, we present an approach that is capable of leading to improved modeling and monitoring at the edges. To this end, we consider an IoT system as a network that can be represented by a graph. Then, we develop an approach that combines a semantic knowledge graph with a Transformer-based neural networks, under a Graph Convolutional Neural Networks (GCNN). Our GCNN produces features that are subsequently used with the Transformer to learn the parameters of an IoT model. We exploit the parameters of the model for monitoring and anomaly detection. We validate our approach using a real robot workcell for anomaly detection during a pick and place process, and we demonstrate that our approach outperforms other competitive techniques.


Afterschool programs (ASPs) designed to increase academic performance and prevent behavior problems among young people are implemented widely. Yet few evaluations that include a comparison group have been conducted to assess the effects of these preventive interventions. This is particularly true for programs located in community settings, where research infrastructure tends to be less developed than schools. This study used a quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent comparison groups to examine the effects of a community-based ASP located in low-income and racially segregated neighborhoods on academic performance and school behavior problems among students in grades kindergarten to 12. The ASP's ecological program model is guided by positive youth development and a public health framework that considers risk and protective factors for academic and other behavior problems. Intervention components include academic tutoring, homework help, a manualized reading curriculum, and skill building groups that aim to enhance participants' academic and socialemotional development. Youth who participated in the ASP (n=418; mean age= 10.8 years; 52% female; 89% youth of color) had significantly higher levels of school attendance, a greater increase in independent reading level over the academic year, and lower odds of incurring a suspension or expulsion from school than youth in a comparison group (n=226; mean age=8.99; 49% female; 94% youth of color). Participation in the ASP was also significantly related to classroom teacher ratings of proficiency in the subject areas of math and science. These findings suggest that community-based afterschool interventions have the potential to improve academic performance and school behavior among children and youth living in public housing.


Aggregate African agricultural production is expected to fall due to changes in temperature and rainfall under current economic models, but 65 percent of the African labor force is employed in agriculture activity. Therefore, climatic changes have the potential to significantly impact all African citizens, especially farmers. Agricultural producers must adapt to these climatic changes and the risk filled environment that rural households operate, especially small-holder farmers, which makes them particularly vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity without successful adaptation. The limited success of improving agricultural technology in Zambia makes it important to understand the determinants of changes in farm yield for major staple crops, including maize, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, and cassava. This paper generates an empirical model of the determinants of changes in farm yields using a three wave panel dataset for three agricultural seasons. Results indicate that over households have made minimal changes in crop choice and little impact has been observed due to changes in climate for Zambian farmers. Increases in yearly average rainfall and temperature positively affect maize yields. As temperatures continue to rise in the future, this relationship may not hold as the climate becomes unsuitable for large scale maize production. Changes in rainfall negatively affect household groundnut and sweet potato production which might result from switching between crops as weather changes. Finally, increased temperatures negatively affect cassava production.


Firewalls are among the most pervasive network security mechanisms, deployed extensively from the borders of networks to end systems. The complexity of modern firewall policies has raised the computational requirements for firewall implementations, potentially limiting the throughput of networks. Administrators currently rely on ad hoc solutions to firewall optimization. To address this problem, a few automatic firewall optimization techniques have been proposed, but there has been no general approach to evaluate the optimality of these techniques. In this paper we present a general framework for rule-based firewall optimization. We give a precise formulation of firewall optimization as an integer programming problem and show that our framework produces optimal reordered rule sets that are semantically equivalent to the original rule set. Our framework considers the complex interactions among the rules in firewall configurations and relies on a novel partitioning of the packet space defined by the rules themselves. For validation, we employ this framework on real firewall rule sets for a quantitative evaluation of existing heuristic approaches. Our results indicate that the framework is general and faithfully captures performance benefits of firewall optimization heuristics.


Internal environment and appropriate natural lighting of the building interior largely affects the health status and course of treatment of patients with psychiatric diagnoses such as depression, Alzheimer and disorder of functions. In particolar, this paper aims to show how smart glass surfaces, allowing the entry of natural lighting, can better support therapeutic process. It is important to elaborate knowledge for optimized lighting conditions in different healthy populations as well as in patients suffering from visual impairments and circadian rhythm disorders. To contribute to the development of new technologies about smart glass surfaces related to various aspects of light conditions for different populations and patients. In the process of preparation of architectural guidelines it is essential to summarize the findings of the researchers, technologiekst, designers, doctors and other related professionals working in particular environments and based on their incentives to specify requirements the architectural or technical design of the space for elederly people.


The growing impact of within-die process variation has created the need for statistical timing analysis, where gate delays are modeled as random variables. Statistical timing analysis has traditionally suffered from exponential run time complexity with circuit size, due to the dependencies created by reconverging paths in the circuit. In this paper, we propose a new approach to statistical timing analysis which uses statistical bounds and selective enumeration to refine these bounds. First, we provide a formal definition of the statistical delay of a circuit and derive a statistical timing analysis method from this definition. Since this method for finding the exact statistical delay has exponential run time complexity with circuit size, we also propose a new method for computing statistical bounds which has linear run time complexity. We prove the correctness of the proposed bounds. Since we provide both a lower and upper bound on the true statistical delay, we can determine the quality of the bounds. If the computed bounds are not sufficiently close to each other, we propose the use of a heuristic to iteratively improve the bounds using selective enumeration of the sample space with additional run time. The proposed methods were implemented and tested on benchmark circuits. The results demonstrate that the proposed bounds have only a small error, which could be further reduced using selective enumeration with modest additional run time.


AIMS
In a previous study, neurological and cognitive deficits reflecting central nervous system (CNS) disruption from chronic inhalant abuse showed substantial recovery after 2 years' abstinence. Functional recovery was progressive, with recovery rates dependent on the degree of impairment prior to abstinence, and severity and duration of initial abuse. Persistent deficits occurred in those with previous 'lead encephalopathy' from leaded petrol abuse. The current study examined recovery in the same cohort 15 years after baseline.

DESIGN
Prospective cohort design.

SETTING
Two remote Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS
Using baseline group classifications, 27 healthy controls, 60 ex-chronic inhalant abusers and an additional 17 with previous lead encephalopathy were assessed.

MEASUREMENTS
Standard neurological, ocular-motor and cognitive functions and blood lead levels.

FINDINGS
Chronic (non-encephalopathic) inhalant abusers showed elevated blood lead levels and abnormal scores on most tasks at baseline. At 2 years' abstinence, blood lead was reduced but remained elevated and most scores had normalized. By 15 years, blood lead and all performance scores were equivalent to healthy controls for this group (P > 0.05). The encephalopathic group was more severely impaired on all scores at baseline and showed little improvement, if any, across all tests after both 2 and 15 years' abstinence. Blood lead for this group declined, and was not significantly different to controls after 15 years.

CONCLUSIONS
Some inhalant abusers experience severe and persistent neurological deficits, suggesting irrecoverable damage attributable to lead encephalopathy. In the absence of this encephalopathy long-term abstinence from inhalants may allow recovery of normal brain function.


INTRODUCTION
The Irish national mental health service provider commissioned a national training programme to support a patient and public involvement (PPI) initiative in mental health services. The programme evaluation afforded an opportunity to describe the learning gains and learning enablers and the factors that support PPI in mental health.

AIM
We aimed to evaluate a PPI training programme across nine regional administrative units in a national mental health service.

METHODS
We conducted a participant exit survey, using the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) instrument. We analysed the survey responses using SPSS version 24 software and applied directed content analysis to the narrative comments provided in open-ended questions.

RESULTS
A total of 54 participants returned the completed questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 60 per cent. The overall mean SALG score yielded was 3.97 (SD 0.66; range 1-5), indicating that participants reported very good to excellent gains in their learning from the programme. Participants who offered narrative comments indicated an overall positive experience but suggested that all stakeholders should work together to co-produce the training.

DISCUSSION
All the stakeholders in a PPI training initiative to support the engagement of service users, their families and carers in mental health, should work together to achieve their desired outcome. This requires co-production in the design, delivery and evaluation of the training initiative, and co-production can impact at both individual and local levels.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
PPI training initiatives in mental health should retain a focus on understanding conflict resolution, committee effectiveness, interpersonal and facilitation skills. Ensuring a shared understanding of key concepts, such as co-production, is a necessary prerequisite at the co-commissioning, co-design, co-planning, co-delivery and co-assessment stages of programme development As is the need to avoid artificial or actual distinctions between health professionals and those who are non-professionals, such as the service users. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Abstract: Genetic factors contribute importantly to the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), and in the past decade, there has been major progress in this area. The tools applied include genome-wide association studies encompassing >200 000 individuals complemented by bioinformatic approaches, including 1000 Genomes imputation, expression quantitative trait locus analyses, and interrogation of Encyclopedia of DNA Elements, Roadmap, and other data sets. close to 60 common SNPs (minor allele frequency>0.05) associated with CAD risk and reaching genomewide significance (P<5×10−8) have been identified. Furthermore, a total of 202 independent signals in 109 loci have achieved a false discovery rate (q<0.05) and together explain 28% of the estimated heritability of CAD. These data have been used successfully to create genetic risk scores that can improve risk prediction beyond conventional risk factors and identify those individuals who will benefit most from statin therapy. Such information also has important applications in clinical medicine and drug discovery by using a Mendelian randomization approach to interrogate the causal nature of many factors found to associate with CAD risk in epidemiological studies. In contrast to genome-wide association studies, whole-exome sequencing has provided valuable information directly relevant to genes with known roles in plasma lipoprotein metabolism but has, thus far, failed to identify other rare coding variants linked to CAD. Overall, recent studies have led to a broader understanding of the genetic architecture of CAD and demonstrate that it largely derives from the cumulative effect of multiple common risk alleles individually of small effect size rather than rare variants with large effects on CAD risk. Despite this success, there has been limited progress in understanding the function of the novel loci; the majority of which are in noncoding regions of the genome. (Circ Res. 2016;118:564-578. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.306566.)


Effective utilization of renewable energy sources is an essential component of countries' sustainable development strategies. A thorough evaluation of renewable energy alternatives is required to assure maximum exploitation of resources. The evaluation of renewable energy sources is a complicated problem since many criteria, even some of them are conflicting, must be taken into account simultaneously. Pythagorean fuzzy sets are better able to reflect uncertainty and vagueness in an assessment process by providing a greater domain for decision makers to describe their opinions. Therefore, this study aims at prioritizing renewable energy alternatives by employing interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy WASPAS method. The obtained results are compared to the results of intuitionistic type-2 fuzzy WASPAS, interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy WASPAS and crisp WASPAS methods. Biomass is selected to be the best renewable energy alternative for Central Anatolia Region of Turkey.


Summary This paper presents results from an ongoing research project (SINTEF 2011) on pressure-tolerant power electronics. The main goal of the research is to provide and demonstrate solutions that enable power-electronic converters to operate in pressurized environments. Oil companies have plans for subsea processing of oil and gas. Today's concept considers power-electronic converters in 1-bar vessels. As the depth and the converter power rating increase, these vessels become increasingly bulky and heavy. Pressurebalanced converters would allow lower vessel-wall thickness, thereby giving lower weight, and simpler cooling owing to improved heat conduction through the vessel walls. The new concept considers power-electronic converters placed in vessels completely filled with appropriate dielectric liquid able to operate at pressures from 1 bar up to several hundred bar. Dielectric fluids are required to prove their properties, especially those related to insulation, incompressibility, and heat transport. The methodology presented here considers a mechanical adaptation of components followed by various laboratory experiments for verifying or correcting the proposed solutions (Pittini et al. 2010; Hernes and Pittini 2009; Petterteig et al. 2009). Standard off-the-shelf components and special pressure-adapted components have been subjected to various provocative pressurization tests up to 300 bar. Tests clarified the need for special adaptation of some components, while others could be used without any modification. Subsequently, a full converter phase leg has been built, submerged in dielectric liquid, and tested in full operation up to 300 bar. This phase leg is based on a press-pack insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modified for operation at high pressure. Measurements performed at different pressures demonstrate that there is no relevant difference in terms of electrical parameters between this modified IGBT and a standard IGBT. Long-term tests proved the concept's validity. The next step will be to test bonded IGBT technology in a high-pressure environment, and finally, we will realize a demo converter to be located at a suitable subsea site.


Thyroid disorders are frequently encountered. The diagnosis is straightforward unless clinical or laboratory findings are inconclusive and/or perplexing. Hyperthyroidism due to a thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenoma rarely occurs and symptoms due to thyroid hormone excess are subtle. The presentation of the disease becomes unusual when co-secretion of other hormones with thyrotropin or concomitant thyroid parenchymal pathology exist. We present the case of a 63-year-old female patient with thyrotropinoma co-secreting growth hormone and multinodular goiter. She developed hyperthyroidism first due to thyrotropinoma and later due to a toxic nodule. Herein, we discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of hyperthyroidism with atypical presentation.


The parallel trends of Moore's Law, the growth of modern telecommunications networks, and the increasing prevalence of mobile and smart devices make possible the development of a wide range of new technologies. However, some of these technologies may be perceived to threaten privacy. For example, the pervasive usage of RFID in the form of smartcards, observed widely in the world, have the potential to reveal private information without the user being aware of it (Uesugi and Okada, 2008). If this perceived threat is not addressed, adoption of potentially privacy-invading technologies (PPITs) may be low as a result and the full benefit of telecommunications networks may not be realised. Using Goldberg's (1990) Five-Factor model of personality traits, Uesugi et al. (forthcoming) investigated consumers' comfort levels with PPITs with which they are not familiar and suggest that an individual's score in the Neuroticism factor might influence their decision of whether or not to reject a potentially privacy-invading technology. Uesugi et al. concluded with a call for further analysis of issues surrounding the decision to use or to reject PPITs. One particularly important area is international comparisons to establish whether the phenomena being investigated are unique to Japan or are more generalisable. This paper therefore continues the work of Uesugi et al. by comparing parallel studies, one from Japan and one from Australia. Differences and similarities between the two studies are discussed and the implications for the adoption for PPITs are discussed.


Summary In culture, cell confluence generates signals that commit actively growing keratinocytes to exit the cell cycle and differentiate to form a stratified epithelium. Using a comparative proteomic approach, we studied this 'confluence switch' and identified a new pathway triggered by cell confluence that regulates basement membrane (BM) protein composition by suppressing the uPA–uPAR–plasmin pathway. Indeed, confluence triggers adherens junction maturation and enhances TGF-&bgr; and activin A activity, resulting in increased deposition of PAI-1 and perlecan in the BM. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-accumulated PAI-1 suppresses the uPA–uPAR–plasmin pathway and further enhances perlecan deposition by inhibiting its plasmin-dependent proteolysis. We show that perlecan deposition in the ECM strengthens cell adhesion, inhibits keratinocyte motility and promotes additional accumulation of PAI-1 in the ECM at confluence. In agreement, during wound-healing, perlecan concentrates at the wound-margin, where BM matures to stabilize keratinocyte adhesion. Our results demonstrate that confluence-dependent signaling orchestrates not only growth inhibition and differentiation, but also controls ECM proteolysis and BM formation. These data suggest that uncontrolled integration of confluence-dependent signaling, might favor skin disorders, including tumorigenesis, not only by promoting cell hyperproliferation, but also by altering protease activity and deposition of ECM components.


This study has been developed to endeavor the relationship between ten Human Resource Practices (job analysis, recruitment & selection, adequate training facilities, performance appraisal, adequacy of information, supervisory treatment, opportunities for career development, compensation & benefit, managerial relationship with employees and degree of employee participation in decision making) and their possible impact on employee retention. The research was carried out with a sample size of 252 non-managers and 62 top level managers of 23 public and private corporate firms in Bangladesh. Data have been collected through a detailed structured questionnaire from the respondents. Judgment sampling method has been used to recruit the respondents. Result after careful statistical analysis has drawn a very interesting and unusual conclusion. It has indicated that there is a positive but insignificant relationship between job analysis, adequacy of information, management-employee relationship and participation in decision making with employee retention. The other six independent variables, recruitment & selection, job training facilities, performance appraisal, supervisory treatment, career development and compensation & benefit have negative relationship with employee retention. Among them, job training, compensation & benefit and supervisory treatment have strong negative relationship with employee retention.