The goal of the paper is to evaluate the impact of reducing the administrative costs on the efficiency in the public sector. Within the general framework provided by the specialised literature, the proposed methodology uses the classical model of a function of production, thus describing the factors of influence of the administrative costs on production and productivity in the public sector. The theoretical results are empirical exemplified for a local service of public utility. Adapting the theoretical model to the empirical situation is grounded on statistic methods of analysis and regression. The interpretation of results inscribes in the economic framework specific for public economics. The results aim both the novel model of analysis and the concrete evaluation of the economic impact of reducing the administrative expenditure in the public sector. At the same time, the general topic of reducing the administrative costs is extended towards the public sector. The most relevant conclusion refers to the capacity of the classical economic models in developing the public sector


&NA; Myocardial perfusion imaging with technetium‐99m‐labelled methoxyisobutyl isonitrile single photon emission computed tomography (99mTc‐MIBI SPECT) has proven to be an important clinical procedure in assessing the severity of myocardial ischaemia. The uptake and clearance of 99mTc‐MIBI by the myocardium is affected by cell viability and membrane integrity. Consequently, infectious diseases, such as myocarditis, may also affect myocardial perfusion by inducing local inflammation and necrosis. We compared 99mTc‐MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging with other heart monitoring methods in order to assess its value in the diagnosis of children with Coxsackie viral myocarditis. We examined 46 patients (age, 3–12 years) with Coxsackie viral myocarditis using 99mTc‐MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging and compared the perfusion data with myocardial enzymes, electrocardiographic findings and echocardiography. Regions of hypoperfusion were found in all 46 patients. Seventeen patients (37%) showed two or more areas of diminished perfusion. Myocardial hypoperfusion was mild‐to‐moderate (<30%) in 33 (72%) patients and severe (>30%) in 13 (28%) patients. Characteristic creatine‐kinase isoenzyme (CK‐MB) increases, ST‐T segment changes and diminished heart function were significantly correlated with reduced myocardial perfusion (all comparisons P<0.05). The results of this study suggest that the presence of myocardial uptake of 99mTc‐MIBI may be a marker of myocardial inflammation and necrosis. All 46 patients with Coxsackie viral myocarditis showed a certain degree of reduced perfusion. When the perfusion findings were compared with other parameters, it was shown that myocardial enzyme levels, ST‐T segment changes and left ventricular function correlated well with the 99mTc‐MIBI‐established perfusion defect severity. 99mTc‐MIBI SPECT imaging is therefore helpful in providing additional diagnostic information in patients with Coxsackie viral myocarditis.


Text categorization involves mapping of documents to a fixed set of labels. A similar but equally important problem is that of assigning labels to large corpora. With a deluge of documents from sources like the World Wide Web, manual labeling by domain experts is prohibitively expensive. The problem of reducing effort in labeling of documents has warranted a lot of investigation in the past. Most of this work involved some kind of supervised or semisupervised learning. This motivates the need to find automatic methods for annotating documents with labels. In this work we explore a novel method of assigning labels to documents without using any training data. The proposed method uses clustering to build semantically related sets that are used as candidate labels to documents. This technique could be used for labeling large corpora in an unattended fashion.


This article presents a participatory design approach to Decision Support Systems, which is specifically built to face the socio-technical gap that often impedes DSS acceptability by end-users in real work environments. The approach has been experimented in two case studies in the field of health-related emergencies, namely earthquake and pandemic flu. The application of the approach and the results obtained are described with specific focus on the phases of requirement analysis and system evaluation.


Abstract The paper analyses the complex economic models of continuous cover forestry based on the 'Dauerwald' principles in the early transformation period and in the traditional rotation system both in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) stands in central Hungarian study sites. The analysis was carried out on both the stand and estate-levels, and the performances were compared as well. We found that continuous cover forest management (CCF) can achieve at least the same economic efficiency as traditional rotation forest management (RF) in both beech and in Turkey oak stands. The regeneration problems occurring in poor quality sites in Turkey oak stands made visible the economic differences between the two management systems investigated.


Abstract This study is the third in a series of studies comparing the development of the working conditions of child welfare social workers in Sweden during the last decade. The same questionnaire was distributed in 2014 (n = 349) to the social workers handling investigations of children and youth who were working with the same types of tasks in the districts previously investigated in 2003 (n = 309). The questionnaire (QPS Nordic) contained questions about their job content, role conflicts, demands, organisational climate, job satisfaction and intention to leave the workplace or change profession. The aim of the present study was to analyse this development in relation to the low-income, middle-income and high-income districts where the social workers were employed. The results reveal two different patterns. The first concerns the social workers' perception of their work tasks where the situation seems to have deteriorated in all three income areas but more so in the low income areas. Furthermore, the social workers' intention to leave the workplace and health problems had increased overall, but were more pronounced in the low income areas. The second pattern concerns the differences in the social workers' perception of their workplace in terms of support, leadership and organisational climate. In the low-income areas the social workers today are significantly less satisfied with how their organisations function than their colleagues were in 2003, whereas the social workers in the other areas today seem significantly more satisfied than in 2003. The consequences of these changes and their probable background are discussed.


In the present work, radicals induced in γ-irradiated solid sodium ascorbate (SA) were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. While unirradiated samples presented no ESR signal, irradiated samples were found to present a spectrum of an unresolved doublet with a shoulder at the low-magnetic field side. Structural and kinetic features of the radical species responsible for the experimental ESR spectrum were explored through the variations of the signal intensities associated with spectrum maxima and minima with applied microwave power, sample temperature, and room temperature storage time. Activation energies of the involved species were also determined using the data derived from annealing studies performed at high temperatures. Produced radical species were observed to be relatively stable at room temperature. This gave the opportunity to distinguish irradiated SA or SA containing irradiation products from unirradiated ones even long after irradiation. SA presented also the features of a dosimetric material, which could be used in the estimation of dose range in accidental dosimetry.


Expanded health insurance benefits for the treatment of mental illness have obliged psychiatrists to devote more time to justifying psychiatric treatment to claims reviewers. The author, drawing from experience in utilization review and peer review, summarizes factors contributing to the denial of payment for psychiatric services by health insurers, and gives practical advice on protecting against claims denials and on the process of appealing denials. Psychiatrists should make greater use of peer review committees to justify legitimate treatment services in the face of claims denials. Greater coverage for psychiatric treatment under national health insurance will increase the psychiatrist's responsibility for public accountability. This accountability will require better communication between psychiatrists and claims reviewers.


Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) ligands have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties that include the inhibition of transcription factor activation and the expression of inflammatory genes. Using pancreatic beta-cells, we have shown that PPARgamma ligands such as 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (PGJ(2)) attenuate interferon-gamma-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 activation and interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced nuclear factor-kappaB activation by a pathway that correlates with endoplasmic reticulum stress and the induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR is a conserved cellular response activated by a number of cell stressors and is believed to alleviate the stress and promote cell survival. However, prolonged activation of the UPR results in cellular death by apoptosis. In this report, we have examined the effects of PGJ(2) on UPR activation and the consequences of this activation on cell survival. Consistent with induction of a cell death pathway, treatment of rat islets and RINm5F cells for 24 h with PGJ(2) results in caspase-3 activation and caspase-dependent beta-cell death. The actions of these ligands do not appear to be selective for beta-cells, because PGJ(2) stimulates macrophage apoptosis in a similar fashion. Associated with cell death is the enhanced phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha), and in cells expressing a mutant of eIF2alpha that cannot be phosphorylated, the stimulatory actions of PGJ(2) on caspase-3 activation are augmented. These findings suggest that, whereas PGJ(2)-induced UPR activation is associated with an inhibition of cytokine signaling, prolonged UPR activation results in cell death, and that eIF2alpha phosphorylation may function in a protective manner to attenuate cell death.


Simultaneous multithreading (SMT) as a processor design to achieve higher levels of system and application throughput is a well-accepted and deployed technique in most desktop and server processors. We study the power implications of varying SMT levels i.e., thread counts per core for various multi-threaded applications on a real SMT multicore platform, and introduce a novel software mechanism of changing SMT level of a core to tune platform power. Power-shifting policies by varying per core SMT levels for performance benefits within a power cap are introduced. Projected power savings (of 15%) for a streaming parallel benchmark can be attained using SMT-level power shifting mechanisms.


This preliminary report describes a new brief interview based assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder using an 8-item treatment-outcome post-traumatic stress disorder scale (TOP-8). The TOP-8 was developed from a larger post-traumatic stress disorder evaluation scale based on items which occurred frequently in the population and which responded substantially to treatment across time. The 8 resultant items were drawn from all three symptom clusters for post-traumatic stress disorder, and showed an improved ability to detect drug versus placebo differences in comparison with the original scale. The eight-item treatment-outcome post-traumatic stress disorder scale also correlated significantly with a self-rated measure of post-traumatic stress disorder and distinguished at a highly significant level between responders and non-responders on an independently judged Clinical Global Impressions measure. The results of this study are discussed and future directions suggested.


The effectiveness of group psychotherapy in decreasing PTSD symptoms and psychiatric distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, and hostility) and increasing adequate coping strategies was examined among women exposed to severe violence and multiple trauma. The gender- and culture-sensitive group therapy was tailored to increase self-awareness, violence protection, empowerment, and coping capacity and to create support networks. Participants were 33 women from the Southeast Anatolian region diagnosed with PTSD. Women completed the Post Traumatic Stress Scale, the Impact of Event Scale Revised, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Scale of Coping With Stress at pretherapy, posttherapy, and at 3 and 6 months' follow-up. The group psychotherapy sessions involved a 2-day meeting once a month for 5 months. Results showed significant decreases in PTSD symptoms and depressiveness, anxiety, hostility, interpersonal problems, and paranoid ideation during the group therapy, and the improvement sustained across the follow-ups. Inadequate coping strategies (submissive approach and helpless withdrawal) decreased and seeking social support increased during the therapy, and the change was sustained across follow-ups. Group psychotherapy tailored specially for multitraumatized women and sensitive to their culture proved to be effective in decreasing psychological suffering and increasing resources.


We investigated the impact of temporary food restriction on a set shifting task requiring participants to judge clusters of pictures against a frequently changing rule. 60 healthy female participants underwent two testing sessions: once after fasting for 16 hours and once in a satiated state. Participants also completed a battery of questionnaires (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]; Persistence, Perseveration and Perfectionism Questionnaire [PPPQ-22]; and Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire [EDE-Q6]). Set shifting costs were significantly increased after fasting; this effect was independent of self-reported mood and perseveration. Furthermore, higher levels of weight concern predicted a general performance decrement under conditions of fasting. We conclude that relatively short periods of fasting can lead to set shifting impairments. This finding may have relevance to studies of development, individual differences, and the interpretation of psychometric tests. It also could have implications for understanding the etiology and maintenance of eating disorders, in which impaired set shifting has been implicated.


Abstract Single enzyme nanoparticles (SENs) are a state of art technology that allows immobilisation of individual enzyme molecules in a nanometre scale cross-linked polymer matrix that is covalently bonded to the enzyme. Although the method has great potential in the enzyme immobilisation, it has attracted relatively low attention from researchers over the last decade. Therefore, it can be very fruitful to apply this method to several enzymes in order to increase the understanding about the mechanisms and parameters important for the technique. In this study, Trametes versicolor laccase enzyme (TvL) was immobilised as SENs without phase transfer. The enzyme was immobilised via acryloyl chloride modification that is followed by an in situ polyacrylamide polymerisation in the water phase. The resulting single TvL nanoparticles were found to be less than 50 nm in diameter and round in shape with an activity recovery of 66.33 ± 2.57%. Both Vmax and Km values of the TvL SENs were lower than the free counterpart. However, approximately the same Kcat/Km values suggested similar catalytic efficiencies for the free and the immobilised enzymes. The significantly lower (∼2 fold) Km value of the immobilised enzyme suggested an affinity increase towards 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) upon immobilisation. Whilst the immobilised and the free enzymes showed similar thermal stabilities at 60 °C for 240 min, the immobilised form showed higher stability in solution at ambient temperature after 15 days which may suggest an increase in microbial stability.


We present here LOCATE, a curated, web-accessible database that houses data describing the membrane organization and subcellular localization of proteins from the FANTOM3 Isoform Protein Sequence set. Membrane organization is predicted by the high-throughput, computational pipeline MemO. The subcellular locations of selected proteins from this set were determined by a high-throughput, immunofluorescence-based assay and by manually reviewing >1700 peer-reviewed publications. LOCATE represents the first effort to catalogue the experimentally verified subcellular location and membrane organization of mammalian proteins using a high-throughput approach and provides localization data for ∼40% of the mouse proteome. It is available at .


Sharing the huge amount of data existed and being produced in specific domain is of great significance for researches. The semantic heterogeneity has been identified as the most important and toughest problem when integrating various sources. This paper proposes a semantic data integration method to manipulate information scattered over many data sources in specific area of science. The method uses OWL ontology to represent the global semantics of domain model and the local semantics of heterogeneous sources respectively. Semantic mappings between global and local ontology are built in a mapping ontology. Semantic heterogeneity among the data sources is resolved by TBox reasoning, and there is no need to migrate data from data sources to ontology instances. Domain-specific markup language is used as the uniform format for query results to facilitate data exchange in the domain. The architecture and key components for implementing the method are presented. To further illustrate the method, the paper gives a case study to show how to integrate data semantically in material sciences.


Reversible phosphorylation of amino acid side chains in proteins is a frequently used mechanism in cellular signal transduction and alterations of such phosphorylation patterns are very common in cardiovascular diseases. They reflect changes in the activities of the protein kinases and phosphatases involving signaling pathways. Phosphorylation of serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues has been extensively investigated in vertebrates, whereas reversible histidine phosphorylation, a well-known regulatory signal in lower organisms, has been largely neglected as it has been generally assumed that histidine phosphorylation is of minor importance in vertebrates. More recently, it has become evident that the nucleoside diphosphate kinase isoform B (NDPK-B), an ubiquitously expressed enzyme involved in nucleotide metabolism, and a highly specific phosphohistidine phosphatase (PHP) form a regulatory histidine protein kinase/phosphatase system in mammals. At least three well defined substrates of NDPK-B are known: The β-subunit of heterotrimeric G-proteins (Gβ), the intermediate conductance potassium channel SK4 and the Ca2+ conducting TRP channel family member, TRPV5. In each of these proteins the phosphorylation of a specific histidine residue regulates cellular signal transduction or channel activity. This article will therefore summarize our current knowledge on protein histidine phosphorylation and highlight its relevance for cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology.


Digital multimedia watermarking t e c h n o l o g y was suggested in the last decade to embed copyright information in digital objects such images, audio and video. However, the increasing use of relational database systems in many real-life applications created an ever increasing need for watermarking database systems. As a result, watermarking relational database systems is now merging as a research area that deals with the legal issue of copyright protection of database systems. In this study, we proposed an efficient database-watermarking algorithm based on inserting binary image watermarks in nonnumeric multi-word attributes of selected database tuples. The algorithm is robust as it resists attempts to remove or degrade the embedded watermark and it is blind as it does not require the original database in order to extract the embedded watermark. Experimental results demonstrated blindness and the robustness of the algorithm against common database attacks


In this study, we propose a research model examining how self-efficacy affects consumer trust in web vendors, and how self-efficacy and consumer trust influence online consumers' intentions to purchase from a certain web vendor. In particular, we separate the concept of self-efficacy into two types, general self-efficacy and domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., online transaction self-efficacy), and we examine whether they play different roles as antecedents of trust in the realm of B2C e-commerce. The results show that online transaction self-efficacy plays an important role in consumer's trust building while general self-efficacy does not. Online transaction self-efficacy is also an important determinant of perceived risk and a consumer's intention to purchase. Although general self-efficacy does not play the same role as online self-efficacy, it is a key determinant of domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., online transaction self-efficacy). This study provides a focused picture of trust-building and reinforcement of purchase intention in e-commerce, from the separated angle of self-efficacy. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-577-3.ch002


This work addresses a versatile modeling of complex photonic integrated circuits (PICs) including optical and electrical sub-elements. We introduce a new family of electrical elements, together with a novel electronic-photonic co-design, that complements current capabilities of photonic circuit simulators. This is illustrated with the modeling of complex electric circuits contained in photonic devices. Simulations of the interaction between electrical and optical parts allow the analysis of unwanted effects such as reflections due to impedance mismatching, as well as the optimization of the PIC as a whole. We illustrate the functionalities of our approach through application examples. As a use case, we present a model of the electrical driver for a monolithically-integrated InP transmitter developed in frame of the European research project MIRTHE and the analysis of the driver and the EA-Modulator interplay.


This paper assesses the effect of social security privatization on the government budget, economic efficiency, national savings, and the distribution of resources across generations. It is shown that the benefits of privatization most often touted by privatization advocates can be achieved by simply altering taxes and social security pensions and leaving the basic structure of social security unchanged. In the conclusion, two simple arguments are given for why privatization might be a good idea nonetheless.


The title of this book suggests a rather simple practical account, but in fact it is full of information of interest to the specialist. The chapter on diagnosis is good, and the author recognizes the existence of renal glycosuria. He believes that the diabetic condition should be as well controlled as possible in order to prevent the disease from becoming worse, and he makes a good case for this ideal, though he admits that it cannot always be achieved. He agrees that some patients feel better when not strictly " sugar free " and that.they should be permitted to show some glycosuria, but he does not mention that many of these patients have a low threshold for sugar, continuing to pass it even though the blood sugar under the influence of insulin has decreased to less than 130-80 mg. per 100 ml. or less, and naturally feel better when the blood sugar is between 80 and 180 mg. per 100 ml. The rules for ar'ranging the diet seem rather -formidable, since they involve a calculation based on the weight, age, and activities of the patient, and the estimation of the real glucose value of the diet and the amount of fat, so as to maintain the Woodyat formula. The arrangements for the exchanges of one kind of carbohydrate for any other of equal content also seem clumsy. The use of the 5-g. values originally introduced by Leyton has never been adopted in the U.S.A., although it makes the variation of the diet so much simpler. The chapter on insulin and its modifications is of great interest. The original amorphous insulin, which unfortunately is called by many names-standard, regular, ordinary, or soluble insulin-seems to be rarely used. Most often prescribed is the slow-acting, milky, protamine zinc insulin, though the slowacting soluble globin insulin is also used. The account of the action of mixtures of equal quantities of ordinary and protamine zinc insulin is very good. The author does not think that a mixture of equal quantities of ordinary and protamine zinc insulin differs in its action from protamine insulin alone, since the amount of free protamine is too great. However, mixtures of two parts of ordinary to one of protamine zinc insulin, or of three ordinary to one of protamine zinc, are of use, especially for patients difficult to control by one dose of protamine zinc. He agrees with Woodyat that about 10% of diabetics are "labile " or difficult to control, because they behave differently from day to day although the conditions of diet, food, and exercise are not altered. These patients are best given four doses of ordinary insulin a day, but by administering protamine zinc or globin insulin instead or ordinary insulin before the eVening meal the number can be reduced to three. He does not reter to Hagedorn's protamine insulin without zinc. which is of real value in this type of case. The account of insulin rseactions is good, and he mentions the failure of patients to recognize hypoglycaemia. This is one of the most serious problems at the present time, but the author has no suggestions for making these patients reliable again. His account of the treatment of acute infection and diabetic coma and other complications is well done. It is surprising that he does not discuss the oscillometer, which is so useful in determining whether a local amputation of a toe can be done or whether the operation must be above the knee. The book is well written, but the arrangement of the diets makes it less useful to practitioners in Britain than it would otherwise be. GEORGF GRAHAM.


Mediation is an increasingly important part of legal practice with the institutionalisation of alternative or appropriate dispute resolution in our legal system. Mediation has been embraced by courts and may be part of pre-action requirements in some jurisdictions. How lawyers can best contribute to mediation has been discussed in the literature and is informed by ethical requirements. This article provides insights into the role of lawyers in mediation using interviews with sixteen mediators at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal of Victoria. It explores collaborative approaches that lawyers can adopt within the spectrum of roles that lawyers may take when representing a client in mediation developed by Olivia Rundle


Only four cases of obstructive jaundice secondary to varying renal problems have been recorded. 1 A fifth case, due to perinephric and periureteral abscess, is reported here. Report of a Case .—A 79-year-old woman had been admitted eight months previously with contusion of the abdominal wall. Roentgenographic studies fortuitously included an intravenous pyelogram interpreted normal. Readmission in July 1973 was for right upper quadrant and shoulder pain of several weeks' duration. Her urine had been dark and the stools light. There was no prior history of icterus despite food intolerances. Temperature was 38.9° C; heart rate, 120 beats per minute. The patient was grossly icteric, and the total bilirubin level was 10.1 mg/dl. The SGOT, SGPT, alkaline phosphatase, and WBC values were elevated. There was tenderness in the right upper quadrant. Upper gastrointestinal series showed "air-bubble-like densities" in the right upper quadrant, interpreted as probable subdiaphragmatic or hepatic abscess. The


When non-Newtonian fluids are mixed in a stirred tank at low Reynolds numbers caverns can be formed around the impeller. If the fluid contains a yield stress the cavern has a fixed boundary where no flow occurs outside of it. When the fluid does not contain a yield stress a pseudo-cavern is formed, the cavern boundary is not fixed since flow can occur outside of it, but the majority of the flow is present in a region around the impeller. Mixing and cavern formation of a variety of non-Newtonian fluids are studied using experimental techniques and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Cavern data extracted from both methods are compared with mechanistic cavern prediction models. An adapted planar laser induced fluorescence technique showed that mixing inside of a shear thinning Herschel-Bulkley fluid is very slow. Positron emission particle tracking obtained flow patterns and cavern sizes of three rheologically complex opaque fluids. CFD was able to predict the data obtained from both experimental techniques fairly well at low Reynolds numbers. A toroidal cavern model provided the best fit for single phase fluids but for the opaque fluids all models drastically over predicted the cavern size, with the cylindrical model only predicting cavern heights at high Reynolds numbers.


The crustal structure in the interior of Greenland is largely unknown because of its remote location below the up to 3.4‐km‐thick ice sheet. We present a model of the crustal velocity structure in central‐eastern Greenland based on simultaneous inversion of P and S receiver functions for data acquired at 23 broadband stations between the coast and the center of the ice sheet. The area is believed to mainly include Precambrian basement and includes a part covered by Tertiary volcanic rocks and some sedimentary basins. Our results show a westward deepening Moho from less than 20 km at the coast to 50 km below central Greenland. Crustal S wave velocities are generally 3.75 km/s through the whole crust which may be relatively small for Precambrian areas, and Vp/Vs is generally around 1.73, although slightly higher in central Greenland. In the coastal area we observe anomalously low velocities at the top of the crust. In the volcanic area south of Scoresbysund Fjord this layer has very high Vp/Vs (>2), which indicates a high mafic content and the presence of water‐filled cracks in the basaltic material. In the north, outside the volcanic area, Vp/Vs is normal and the low‐velocity layer probably is instead related to the presence of sedimentary basins. At stations in the center of our study area we find low Vs and high Vp/Vs in the lower crust. Based on the Moho topography, our results do not support Airy type isostasy as explanation of the high topography in eastern Greenland.


Competitive interactions between species are fundamental to understanding species assemblages, community dynamics, and ecological processes. Anthropogenic landscape change, particularly resulting from urbanization, can alter interspecific interactions; however, different forms of urbanization are predicted to have contrasting effects on competitive interactions. We developed contact networks between bobcats and pumas to evaluate (1) the potential for interspecific interactions between wild felids and (2) how space-use metrics might change along the urban gradient, including low-density exurban development, wildland–urban interface, and wildland habitat, at both the population and individual level. We used an extensive telemetry data set for bobcats and pumas across multiple study areas to evaluate four space-use metrics: space-use overlap (used to define potential interactions among animals) and three additional contact network metrics, including degree (the number of potentially interacting animals), in-strength (sum of space-use overlap for animals), and equivalent social connectivity (ESC; considering both space-use extent and the amount of space-use overlap). Space-use extent was an important predictor of potential social interactions as measured by space-use metrics. Bobcats appeared to have a greater opportunity to interact with female pumas based on space-use overlap, degree, and in-strength, which demonstrates that relative scale of space-use extent among animals could be important for understanding interactions; ESC, however, was greater between bobcats and male pumas, likely due to the larger space-use extent by male compared to female pumas and the positive relationship between space-use extent and ESC. In addition, pumas and male bobcats exhibited a greater opportunity to interact, based on space-use overlap, degree, and in-strength, and demonstrated higher ESC compared to female bobcats. Counter to our predictions, felids associated with urbanized grids or with greater amounts of urbanization in their extent of space use did not appear to exhibit greater values of space-use metrics compared to animals with less exposure to urbanization; these results appear consistent with previous research evaluating population characteristics of felids across broad scales in our study areas. Greater ESC for male pumas and male bobcats suggests that males could be particularly important for facilitating connectivity of some ecological processes, such as the transmission of disease, through interspecific contact networks.


Contraceptive social marketing (CSM) programs use commercial marketing techniques mass media and existing commercial networks to distribute promote and sell products. These programs now sell condoms pills and other contraceptives at subsidized prices through retail stores in 13 countries. A well-managed publicized and adapted program can usually reach 5-15% of all reproductive age couples; but programs in Bangladesh Colombia and Egypt reach 30% of current family planning users. The other major CSM programs having sold products for 6-16 years are in India Sri Lanka Jamaica Thailand El Salvador Nepal and Mexico. Programs were begun in the 1970s in Ghana Indonesia Kenya and Tunisia but did not continue. The Caribbean (Barbados St. Vincent and St. Lucia) Hondurus and Guatemala began sales in 1984-1985; new programs are about to begin in Costa Rica Nigeria and Peru and are planned for the Dominican Republic Ghana India Indonesia Kenya Mexico Pakistan and Panama. This article examines CSM program achievements by looking at such program elements as: 1) potential customers 2) products 3) prices 4) market research 5) distribution and 6) promotion and by discussing program management in terms of its 2 goals 1) making contraceptives more widely available and 2) recovering some program costs. The author emphasizes the lessons that have been learned about each program element and provides many examples of program successes and failures. A discussion of the marketing of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) demonstrates how social marketing techniques may be used to sell other products. The article provides cost analysis for programs in Sri Lanka Bangladesh and Egypt as well as ranking the 10 programs in terms of 1) sales 2) couple years of protection (CYP) 3) coverage estimates and 4) cost per CYP. A discussion follows of the most successful programs.


The mystic poetry has its peculiar canons of evaluation. The mystic poets throughout universe have applied different standards to evaluate the depth of the love of a true seeker. Though their mapping process might have some difference but the locus standi has remained uniform. They all agreed that a true Sufi won't have the ascendency to the title, till it couldn't climb the seventh stage of communion (Fina- fillah). When they ascend the stage of Finafillah, their accomplishment as a true Sufi is celebrated. Sassui is also one of such character of the mystic school of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. She is highly esteemed character, which has undergone all the standards obligatory for a true seeker. Shah Abdul latif Bhittai portrayed her mission in five different aspects to fully acquaint world that how a pious instinct endeavors and bear hardships to ascend the true place where spiritual comfort and soothe is obtained by immersing his or her physical entity with communion to the lord. This is the sum of their endeavors to attain their lord. Sassui- the noble character of Shah Abdul latif Bhittai is such an immaculate character to be read, she guises herself in different aspects of Dessi, Mazoori, Abri, Kohyari and Hussani to vindicate that attainment of lord is never an easy game for a true seeker, its silts soul, crunches body and dither all. This all helps one to ascend the pyre of love to attain their true love, which is to the Sufi school of thought is no one else but true lord. No matter it may have number of metaphorical semblances but He is the one, eternal and omnipotent.


Home of the Real Lit[erature] Book Club - a collaboration between the UW Tacoma Library and UW Tacoma Center for Equity and Inclusion


The wireless sensor network (WSN) has been extensively used to monitor and control the natural ecosystem on a large scale like air quality, natural life, etc. Low battery power,low storage, and limited processing ability are the most critical areas of concern in WSN. To reduce energy utilization, the sensor nodes in WSN work in a cyclic process between active and sleep mode. A certain number of nodes are chosen active and they are responsible for sensing as well as data transmission and rest of the nodes are gone to sleep. In order to lengthen the lifetime of network, in this paper we proposed a level wise periodic tree construction algorithm that uses a specific set of nodes to participate in tree construction, instead of all the nodes, to minimize the energy consumption. In this proposed approach, the main idea is to put the nodes, which are currently active and have already spent a significant amount of energy, to sleep mode, while giving chances to the leaf nodes, which has comparatively spent less energy, to become an active node and maintain connectivity. The performance of the proposed protocol is evaluated using the Castalia simulator. The simulation results show that the proposed level-wise periodic tree construction approach increases the durability of the network in conjunction with the non-level approach.


The number of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) is increasing every year and
walking has been found to be the most exciting and important prospect to these
patients to improve their quality of life. Many individuals with incomplete SCI
have the potential to walk and everyone of them wants to try. Unfortunately up to
now, there is less than one third of patients could walk again after SCI. Residual
function, the orthotic support, energy expenditure, patient motivation and control
technique are some of the factors that influence the walking outcome of spinal cord
injured people. In this thesis, a series of studies are carried out to investigate the
possibility of enhancing the performance of the functional electrical stimulation
(PES) assisted paraplegic walking with wheel walker through the development and
implementation of intelligent control technique and spring brake orthosis (SBO)
with full utilization of the voluntary upper body effort. The main aim of this thesis
is to enable individuals with complete paraplegia to walk again with maximum
performance and the simplest approach as possible.
Firstly, before simulation of the system can be made, it is important to select the
right model to represent the actual plant. In this thesis, the development of a
humanoid and wheel walker models are carried out using MSC.visualNastran4D
(vN4D) software and this is integrated with Matlab Simulink® for simulation. The
newly developed quadriceps and hamstrings muscle models from the series of
experiments are used to represent subject muscles after comparison and validation
with other two well-known muscle models are performed.
Several experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of stimulation frequency
and pulse-width in intermittent stimulation with isometric measurement from
paraplegic subjects. The results from this work can serve as a guidance to determine
the optimum stimulation parameters such as frequency and pulse-width to reduce
muscle fatigue during PES application. The ability test is introduced to determine
the maximum leg force that can be applied to the specific paraplegic subject during
FES functional task with minimum chance of spasm and leg injury.
Investigations are carried out on the control techniques implemented for FES
walking with wheel walker. PID control and fuzzy logic control (FLC) are used to
regulate the electrical stimulation required by the quadriceps and hamstrings
muscles in order to perform the FES walking manoeuvre according to predefined
walking trajectory. The body weight transfer is introduced to increase the efficiency
of FES walking performance. The effectiveness of body weight transfer and control
strategy to enhance the performance of FES walking and reduce stimulation pulses
required is examined.
Investigations are carried out on the effectiveness of spring brake orthosis (SBO)
for FES assisted paraplegic walking with wheel walker. A new concept in hybrid
orthotics provides solutions to the problems that affect current 'hybrid orthosis,
including knee and hip flexion without relying on the withdrawal reflex or a
powered actuator and foot-ground clearance without extra upper body effort. The
use of SBO can also eliminate electrical stimulation pulses required by the
hamstrings muscle for the same FES walking system.
Further improvement of the FES walking system is achieved by introducing finite
state control (FSC) to control the switching time between springs, brakes and
electrical stimulation during FES assisted walking with wheel walker with the
combInation of FLC to regulate the electrical stimulation required for the knee
extension. The results show that FSC can be used to accurately control the
switching time and improve the system robustness and stability.


Segmentation and recognition of handwritten numeral strings is a very interesting and challenging problem in pattern recognition. It also has a lot of important applications such as: postal code recognition, bank check processing; tax form reading, etc. In this thesis, a new system for the segmentation and recognition of unconstrained handwritten numeral strings is proposed. The system uses a combination of foreground and background features for the segmentation of touching numerals in strings. The method introduces new algorithms for the traversal of top and bottom foreground and background skeletons, and top and bottom contours of numerals. Then; it tries to locate all feature points on these skeletons and contours and alternatively match feature points from top to bottom (or bottom to top) of the images to build all possible candidate segmentation paths (so-called segmentation hypotheses). A novel genetic representation scheme is utilized in order to represent the space of all possible segmentation hypotheses. In order to improve searching and evolution of segmentation hypotheses and facilitate finding the ones with the highest confidence values of segmentation and recognition, this genetic framework utilizes contextual knowledge extracted from string images. A novel evaluation scheme based on segmentation and recognition scores is introduced in order to improve the evaluation of segmentation hypotheses and to enhance the outlier resistance of the system. In order to improve stability and plasticity of our system in the learning and recognition of numerals, a new algorithm for clustering of handwritten digits based on their shapes is proposed. Also, in order to improve the searching power of our system and its convergence, a new evolutionary algorithm based on genetic particle swarm optimization (GBPSO) is proposed. Numerous experiments using images from well known databases of handwritten numeral strings such as CENPARMI, NIST NSTRING SD19, and our newly created databases of Farsi/Arabic numerals have been conducted in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Experiments have shown that proper use of contextual knowledge in segmentation; evaluation and search greatly improves the overall performance of the system. This system shows superior results compared with those reported in the literature.


This article considers the idea of a curriculum of dominance in relation to the colonial logics that have, and continue to, shape the lived experiences and knowledges of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals living in Ontario, Canada. In thinking about the present absence of certain Aboriginal narratives in relation to the 'fort' of Canadian history, the authors contemplate the ways in which the circumscribed logics of colonialism limit how we understand historical knowledge of Aboriginal groups not only as curriculum scholars but also as teachers and students who work in and have been educated in colonial public and Catholic schooling systems. Utilizing narrative assemblage as a research and writing methodology we partake in a dialectic wherein we confront the contours of colonial frontier logics. By braiding in our lived experiences, we seek to understand how curricular materials facilitate the silencing of certain Aboriginal narratives like residential schooling, the ways in which filmic representations can serve to re-write and redress lost memories, how one can learn from those who were subject to the violence of colonialism and how, as educators, we can address the violence and historical exclusion in our teacher education programs. Through this process, we suggest that although the continued discursive violence of colonial logics shape popular understandings of Aboriginal experiences in the Canadian nation-state, as socially justice orientated teachers we must continue to challenge the re-inscriptions of a curriculum of dominance within our future classrooms.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Introduction: Notch, IL-1 and leptin are known pro-angiogenic factors linked to breast cancer (BC) development, aggressiveness and poor prognosis. We have recently reported leptin as an inducer of IL-1 and Notch in BC cells. Furthermore, we have unveiled a novel signaling crosstalk between these factors: NILCO (Notch, IL-1, leptin crosstalk outcome). Our data show NILCO impacts on VEGF/VEGFR2 levels in BC cells. Objective: In this investigation, we aim to elucidate differences in NILCO relationships to the pathogenesis of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) as compared to ER positive BC. We hypothesize that the expression of NILCO components correlates to TNBC etiology. Methods: Expression levels of Notch 1, 4, Jagged 1, DLL4, VEGF/VEGFR2 (FLK-1), Ob, Ob-R and IL-1R tI were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in tissue microarrays (n=75/duplicate from Pantomics, Inc.) BC samples included normal/hyperplastic specimens (n=3), fibroadenomas (n=2), invasive ductal carcinomas (n=62; 13 were TNBC: ER-, PR- and HER2/neu-), ductal carcinomas in situ (n=2) and Paget's disease (n=1). IHC evaluations were conducted by two independent observers using semi-quantitative analysis of staining [HSCORE = ∑pi (i + 1), where "i'" is the intensity of staining with a value of 1, 2 or 3 (weak, moderate or strong, respectively) and 'pi' is the percentage of stained cells for each intensity]. The following cell lines: TNBC (MDA-MB231 and HCC1806) and ER+ (T47D and MCF-7) were treated with increasing doses of human leptin; leptin peptide receptor antagonist, LPrA2 and a γ-secretase inhibitor (DAPT: Notch pathway inhibitor). After treatments, NILCO and targets were determined by western blot (WB) and ELISA. Results: Data from BC tissue array showed NILCO components were present in the majority of samples. However, lower expression of Notch1, leptin and IL-1R tI was found in non-malignant tissues. In general, TNBC overexpressed Notch1/leptin as compared to ER positive BC. ELISA and WB analysis of cell lysates revealed that leptin increased NILCO component/activation and targets in a dose-dependent manner. Both DAPT and LPrA2 reduced leptin's effects on NILCO. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that NILCO may play an important role in BC pathogenesis. [This work was supported in part by NIH/NCI1SC1CA138658-03; NIH/ARRA/3SC1CA138658-02S1 and the Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar Award (to RRGP); CREDO (MSCR) 2R25RR017694-06A1 to L.S.C; the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) MBRS RISE Program (NIH/NIGMS 506 GM08248) to T.Z.M; Blacksone Academy, NIH/NIDDK Step-up HS Research Program: Short-Term Education Program for Underrepresented Persons to K.W. and facilities and support services at Morehouse School of Medicine (NIH RR03034 and 1C06 RR18386)].

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 80. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-80


Abstract. Almost three decades of bottom pressure recorder (BPR) measurements at the
Drake Passage, and 31 years of hourly tide gauge data from the Vernadsky
Research Base on the Antarctic Peninsula, have been used to investigate the temporal and
spatial variations in this region of the three main long-period tides Mf, Mm
and Mt (in order of decreasing amplitude, with periods of a fortnight, a
month and one-third of a month, respectively). The amplitudes of Mf and Mt, and
the phase lags for all three constituents, vary over the nodal cycle (18.61 years)
in essentially the same way as in the equilibrium tide, so confirming
the validity of Doodson's "nodal factors" for these constituents. The
amplitude of Mm is found to be essentially constant, and so inconsistent at
the 3σ level from the ±13 % (or ∼±0.15 mbar)
anticipated variation over the nodal cycle, which can probably be
explained by energetic non-tidal variability in the records at monthly
timescales and longer. The north–south differences in amplitude for all three
constituents are consistent with those in a modern ocean tide model (FES2014),
as are those in phase lag for Mf and Mt, while the phase
difference for Mm is smaller than in the model. BPR measurements are shown to
be considerably superior to coastal tide gauge data in such studies, due to
the larger proportion of non-tidal variability in the latter. However,
correction of the tide gauge records for non-tidal variability results in the
uncertainties in nodal parameters being reduced by a factor of 2 (for Mf at
least) to a magnitude comparable (approximately twice) to those obtained from
the BPR data.


For the past 10 years, the crime–terror nexus has been used as an analytical model to understand the relationship between organised crime and terrorism in many of the world's (post) conflict and developing countries. Yet, aside from tangent and anecdotal evidence, little academic research has tried to understand how the nexus operates from within Western democracies and the implications that such internal relationships have on its social and economic security. Evidence related to these linkages in the European Union are immense; however, scholarly literature has shied away from these associations and turned their focus primarily on the nexus in more unstable regions, particularly in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia. This article– based on a study funded by the European Parliament in 2013– provides a qualitative analysis of the crime-terror nexus as it functions in Europe (including its border regions) to determine the operational structure of the nexus as well as where and how linkages between organised crime and terrorism interact. Indeed, organised criminal and terrorist groups have found niches of cooperation and 'marriages of convenience' in the EU's social and political landscape to operate in an efficient and effective manner. Evidence suggests that, although the nexus model provides a sound assessment of these relationships, the proclivities of the region (a relatively stable socio-economic and political environment) keep the relationship between organised crime and terrorism on one end of the spectrum, focusing on alliances, appropriation of tactics, and integration. Moreover, the EU's relationship to its regional borders and the operational incentives for organised crime and terrorism in these areas, provide ample opportunities for a convergence of organised crime and terrorist financing.


Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive devastative disorder of neurons characterized by a muscle rigidity, tremors, bradykinesia etc. In present scenario, it is affecting more than 1% population above 50 years of age and hence is an important concern in society. Advancement in research field in recent decades has led to upsurge the use of animals for evaluation of new drugs. Objective: In contemplation of upward trend in use of animals, PASS (prediction of activity spectra of substances), a web tool, provides an informative prediction data for different pharmacological activity of compounds without using the animals which justifies the 3R's ethics (Reduction, Replacement, and refinement) to be followed for in vivo evaluation. Methods: For prediction of pharmacological activities of anti-parkinson compounds, canonical smiles of phytochemicals were obtained from Pubmed and used in the software for prediction of relevant pharmacological activity so that phytochemicals, showing best results can be further explored for in vivo evaluation against PD. Using PASS online software, biological activity spectra for nine different activities related to Parkinson's disease for selected phytochemicals was predicted and compared with marketed compounds. Result: Out of selected phytochemicals, scopolamine and atropine have shown highest antiparkinsonian activities. Piperine was also found to have antiparkinsonian activity. Elaeocarpine, harmine and oxyresveratrol have found to have comparable activity for this condition. Conclusion: This article describes the utility of PASS to justify the 3R's concept which is to be followed for the further in vivo exploration of compounds.


We investigate whether three types of post hoc model explanations--feature attribution, concept activation, and training point ranking--are effective for detecting a model's reliance on spurious signals in the training data. Specifically, we consider the scenario where the spurious signal to be detected is unknown, at test-time, to the user of the explanation method. We design an empirical methodology that uses semi-synthetic datasets along with pre-specified spurious artifacts to obtain models that verifiably rely on these spurious training signals. We then provide a suite of metrics that assess an explanation method's reliability for spurious signal detection under various conditions. We find that the post hoc explanation methods tested are ineffective when the spurious artifact is unknown at test-time especially for non-visible artifacts like a background blur. Further, we find that feature attribution methods are susceptible to erroneously indicating dependence on spurious signals even when the model being explained does not rely on spurious artifacts. This finding casts doubt on the utility of these approaches, in the hands of a practitioner, for detecting a model's reliance on spurious signals.


INTRODUCTION
Thyroid nodules not detected in palpation but diagnosed following a radiological procedure or during surgery are called thyroid incidentalomas. We designed this study to investigate the prevalence of sonographic thyroid incidentaloma in Isfahan, Iran, for the first time.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
By a multistage cluster sampling method, 2523 adults were selected randomly. From this group, 2045 had normal thyroid examination. 234 out of the 2045 were selected randomly for thyroid sonography. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) and antithyroid antibodies were measured.

RESULTS
The prevalence of thyroid incidentaloma was 13.2% [Confidence interval (CI) 95% = 8-18]. The average age of subjects with and without incidentaloma was 46.1 (12.4) and 38.4 (12.1), respectively (P = 0.002). It was more prevalent in females than in males (19% vs. 10%) [Odds ratio (OR) = 2.59, CI 95% = 1.17-5.76, P value (P) = 0.01]. Median UIC in the incidentaloma group (14 microg/dl) was significantly lower than in the group of subjects without nodules (20 microg/dl) (OR = 0.9, CI 95% = 0.91-0.99, P = 0.02). There was no difference in the levels of TSH and antithyroid antibodies between the two groups (P > 0.05). Mean diameter of nodules was 8.14 (3.43) mm.

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of thyroid incidentaloma was 13.2% in Isfahan. It was higher in females than males and increased with age.


Despite years of gender equality research and initiatives, women are still highly underrepresented in top management positions. In Denmark, the number of female top managers is particularly low, despite Denmark's public image of being a country of equal opportunities. In several European countries, quota systems are proven to have a positive effect in increasing the representation of women in politics, as well as on corporate boards, but they are met with resistance from both men and women in Denmark, especially among Danish business leaders. Through empirical analysis of interviews with 45 Danish top managers, this paper investigates such resistance. Although the initial focus of the research agenda for the interviews was not quotas per se, but identity, gender and leadership more generally, the resistance towards – and even fear of – quotas was repeatedly brought up by interviewees, thereby unsettling the conversation. Based on this disturbance, we theorise gender quotas in organisations along a ghostly methodology as something uncanny. The analysis shows how the mere idea of quotas haunts the managers, who, in return, try to hunt down the quota ghost, as it apparently poses a threat to the current understanding of meritocracy. The fear of quotas seems to be what holds back the realisation of sustained gender equality. We argue that this fear is irrational and illogical and therefore suggest an approach of appeasement. Listening to the whispers of the ghost, we outline new presentunderstandings of merit. We hope that even if this paper does not bring legitimacy to quotas in the way that has happened in politics (in some countries), it will at least bring legitimacy to the discussion.


The aim was to study whether machine learning can be applied in analysing microstructure of food from microscopy images and whether the state of macromolecules, protein and starch, can be related to sensory mouthfeel. Addition of gluten and transglutaminase modified the microstructure and mouthfeel of five oat bread samples. Light microscopy, instrumental texture profile analysis and descriptive sensory analysis were used to analyse the test breads. Digital image analysis was used to obtain numerical data on starch and protein phases in the breads. Degree of starch gelatinization and protein network properties were extracted from microscopy images by expert ratings. Many of the bread sensory properties could be predicted using instrumental texture and image analysis features. Machine learning of degree of starch gelatinization and protein network structure properties from expert classified microscope images was studied. Color histograms and co-occurrence matrix statistics were suitable preprocessing techniques for the images. In both starch gelatinization and protein network structure classification, the prediction error of an induced model tree was lower than the standard deviation between independent predictions given by experts.


With the trend towards higher performance in cellular networks, traffic control methods that assign available channel to cells dynamically provide more benefits than the conventional fixed assignment in generating better capacity and lesser forced termination. Previous studies of dynamic methods are based mainly on event driven simulation. A theoretical model for a cellular mobile communication system is presented in the paper. The comparison techniques are illustrated by examining a channel borrowing scheme. The characteristics obtained from the dynamic model and from event driven simulation are in agreement.<<ETX>>


This article discusses the design and analysis of mixture experiments with R and illustrates the use of the recent package mixexp. This package provides functions for creating mixture designs composed of extreme vertices and edge and face centroids in constrained mixture regions where components are subject to upper, lower and linear constraints. These designs cannot be created by other R packages. mixexp also provides functions for graphical display of models fit to data from mixture experiments that cannot be created with other R packages.


A switching-channel bilateral control with energy monitor (EM) is newly proposed to realize haptic communication through a wireless network. The varying delay in the communication line and the situation of duplex operation are considered. In such a system, human operators on two sides of the master-slave robots system feel the hardness of the remote environment placed on the contralateral side. The EM approach is presented to judge the role of the robot (manipulated by an operator or contacting an environment), which provides a beacon for the switching algorithm. The position tracking of the system is improved by switching off the channel of force control in the human manipulated robot. The problem of position drift in traditional methods is overcome. Disturbance observer is applied to simplify the design of the bilateral control law, and to guarantee the efficient force switching. Because of improved position tracking and satisfactory force fidelity, the proposed approach achieves more vivid haptic transmission. By experiments, the validity is verified.


There are problems of resource allocation and integrating technology with building when utilizing solar energy in a high-rise residential building. In this paper, a new 34-storey residential building with solar energy design is taken for example to probe new ways for solar collectors, energy saving and distribution system. A new system is designed to solve the following problems: inadequate roof area for collecting solar energy, energy loss by long-distance heat transporting, and defacing building appearance by setting solar energy facilities on building surface. And to archive the aim of suitably using solar energy, the integration of solar energy facilities with building facade is also discussed.


The elevation of blood lipid concentrations in response to the consumption of low-fat high-carbohydrate diets is known as carbohydrate-induced hypertriacylglycerolaemia (HPTG). An understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction between carbohydrates and plasma lipids may help determine whether carbohydrate-induced HPTG would increase cardiovascular risk. There is growing evidence to suggest that the sugar component of the diet may be largely responsible, rather than the total carbohydrate. In most studies designed to investigate the mechanisms of carbohydrate-induced HPTG, the amounts and types of sugars and starches used in the diets are not specified. Findings have been mixed and inconsistent. It is proposed that the elucidation of mechanisms from current studies could have been confounded by the different ways in which sugars are metabolized in the body. At present, there are few studies that have evaluated the independent effects of dietary sugars. Interest has been focused on de novo lipogenesis (DNL), as it has recently been found to be positively correlated with increases in fasting TAG levels produced on high-carbohydrate diets, indicating that DNL may contribute to carbohydrate-induced HPTG. DNL has been found to be determined by starch:sugar in a high-carbohydrate diet and affected by different types of sugars. The presence of DNL in adipose tissue is supported by emerging gene-expression studies in human subjects. In the wake of rising intakes of sugars, further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms associated with different sugars, so that appropriate therapeutic strategies can be adopted.


We report a case of congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), a intractable ulcer of the oral mucosa, and fever of unknown origin. A 4-month-old girl was referred to our clinic on May•¡, 1999 because of an ulcer of the lower gingiva and the oral floor, accompanied by a high fever. The present episode of ulcer and high fever began 1 month before presentation. The patient was malnourished as an infant, and physical findings were essentially normal. There was an ulcer, measuring 3 X 3 cm on the lower gingiva and the oral floor. We treated the ulcerative lesion, and she was admitted to the Department of pediatrics to improve physical status. Clinical examination did not reveal the cause. CT and MRI scans of the head showed no abnormal findings. While we were perplexed about the diagnosis, CIPA was suggested when the patient showed painless behavior at venipuncture, biting her finger. CIPA was diagnosed by the sweating test, biopsy of nerve and skin, and mutations in the TRKA/NGF receptor gene. The ulcer of the gingiva and oral floor rapidly improved in response to exercise restraint of an arm. Afterward, ulcers of inferior lingual surface and buccal mucosa appeared with teeth eruption, but the ulcers improved after milling the teeth.


In this paper, a novel method to quantify the incubation of damage on piezoelectric crystal is presented. An intrinsic length scale parameter obtained from nonlocal field theory is used as a novel measure for quantification of damage precursor. Features such as amplitude decay, attenuation, frequency shifts and higher harmonics of guided waves are commonly-used damage features. Quantification of the precursors to damage by considering the mentioned features in a single framework is a difficult proposition. Therefore, a nonlocal field theory is formulated and a nonlocal damage index is proposed. The underlying idea of the paper is that inception of the damage at the micro scale manifests the evolution of damage at the macro scale. In this paper, we proposed a nonlocal field theory, which can efficiently quantify the inception of damage on piezoelectric crystals. The strength of the method is demonstrated by employing the surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and longitudinal bulk waves in Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) single crystal. A control damage was introduced and its manifestation was expressed using the intrinsic dominant length scale. The SAWs were excited and detected using interdigital transducers (IDT) for healthy and damage state. The acoustic imaging of microscale damage in piezoelectric crystal was conducted using scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). The intrinsic damage state was then quantified by overlaying changes in time of flight (TOF) and frequency shift on the angular dispersion relationship.


In this paper we consider the problem of LookUp Table (LUT) based FPGA technology mapping for power minimization in combinational circuits. The problem has been previously proven to be NP-complete and here we present an efficient Genetic Algorithm solution for it. Considering that the connection switches possess large resistance and capacitance in LUT based FPGA, the fitness of the chromosome is selected based on its ability to reduce the transition probability on "visible" edges of mapped logic circuits by hiding the paths with high transition activity in the "invisible" edges. Meanwhile, the number of LUT is also kept small.


Gastropod locomotion typically involves the deposition of a mucus trail. This trail can be energetically costly, and its producer could defray this cost if the trail were to perform some post-deposition function. Here we report laboratory experiments aimed at assessing the potential role in nutrition of the mucus trail of the common intertidal periwinkle Littorina littorea (L.). Mucus trails bound more microalgal cells from suspension than did a glass substratum, microalgal densities increasing with period of exposure to the suspension up to ∼5-8 h. After this time adhesion was less (but still greater than to glass). Amphora coffeaeformis (pennate diatom) adhered in greater densities than did Tetraselmis suecica (flagellate prasinophyte). Mucus trails containing microalgae of both species (∼ 50 to 100 cells mm -2 ; approximatly the conditions on-shore) induced a greater degree of trail-following than did bare trails. Individuals followed conspecific trails longer than they did their own trails. Winkles moved significantly slower on bare mucus trails (mean = 0.35 mm s -1 ) than on glass (0.68 mm s -1 ), though the addition of microalgae to mucus increased the speed of the winkles, A. coffeaeformis significantly so. Feeding rate (rate of radular rasping) was also significantly increased on trails containing A. coffeaeformis (mean = 17.8 bites min - 1 ) and T. suecica (12.9 bites min -1 ) in comparison to control trails (4.3 bites min -1 ), where a form of searching behaviour occurred. Microalgae embedded in mucus were seen to enter the mouth. Only 3 out of 40 periwinkles showed any radular activity on glass. Following the passage of a winkle, the density of A. coffeaeformis was reduced by ∼38% and that of T. suecica by 43%. Winkles can clearly exploit food (microalgae) in conspecific mucus trails and in doing so modify their trail-following and feeding behaviour. Thus trail-following seems inextricably linked to nutrition. Since much of the intertidal is likely to be covered with a layer of mucus - or its degradation products - those experiments on trail-following that used 'clean' substrata were not representative of the field. Distribution patterns of both L. littorea and benthic microalgae might be shaped by the ability of mucus trails to bind microalgae and by their subsequent exploitation by the grazer.


So-called polarimetric methods are based on measurements of the intensity of light emerging from a modulator composed of a "sandwich" of investigated crystal placed between polarizer and analyzer. The polarimetric technique is known for its high accuracy in determining absolute values of electro-optic coefficients; however, the method is considered unable to find their signs. In this paper, we propose an examination of changes in the modulated signal phase that result from a controlled shift through the transmission characteristic of the modulator. We show that analysis of the changes allows one to obtain the sign of the coefficients. The sensitivity of the method is examined in measurements of quadratic electro-optic coefficients. It is found that the technique may be easily applied to crystals for which relatively low values of the coefficients, i.e., of the order of magnitude 10−20  m2/V2, are observed. Configurations where the light beam is sent along the optical axis and perpendicularly to the axis in a uniaxial crystal are considered. Examples of measurements of the quadratic electro-optic coefficients g1111−g1122 in KDP and ne3g3333−no3g1133 in DKDP are presented.


Analytical methods and numerical experiments are used to study salinization of groundwater in response to sea level rise. The system that is studied involves a saturated porous medium with an inclined upper surface. The upper surface is progressively inundated during sea level rise to simulate transgression, the landward migration of the shoreline. Four "modes" of seawater intrusion are distinguished: (1) horizontal intrusion for slow transgression and a relatively high‐permeability (sand/silt) substrate, (2) vertical intrusion by seawater fingering for fast transgression and a sand/silt substrate, (3) vertical intrusion by diffusion for fast transgression and a low‐permeability (clay) substrate, (4) vertical intrusion by combined diffusion and low‐salinity fingering for fast transgression and a clay layer at the seafloor overlying an aquifer. These four modes are characterized by the development of very distinctive transition zones between the fresh and salt groundwater domains. An analytical expression is derived for the critical transgression rate which separates horizontal (mode 1) from dominantly vertical (modes 2–4) intrusion. For modes 3 and 4, salinization significantly lags behind sea level rise. The results are consistent with observations of fossil fresh/brackish groundwater beneath many continental shelves and shallow seas.


This thesis presents a multiscale framework for the construction of affine invariant pattern recognition and registration methods. The idea in the introduced approach is to extend the given pattern to a set of affine covariant versions, each carrying slightly different information, and then to apply known affine invariants to each of them separately. The key part of the framework is the construction of the affine covariant set, and this is done by combining several scaled representations of the original pattern. The advantages compared to previous approaches include the possibility of many variations and the inclusion of spatial information on the patterns in the features. The application of the multiscale framework is demonstrated by constructing several new affine invariant methods using different preprocessing techniques, combination schemes, and final recognition and registration approaches. The techniques introduced are briefly described from the perspective of the multiscale framework, and further treatment and properties are presented in the corresponding original publications. The theoretical discussion is supported by several experiments where the new methods are compared to existing approaches. In this thesis the patterns are assumed to be gray scale images, since this is the main application where affine relations arise. Nevertheless, multiscale methods can also be applied to other kinds of patterns where an affine relation is present. An additional application of one multiscale based technique in convexity measurements is introduced. The method, called multiscale autoconvolution, can be used to build a convexity measure which is a descriptor of object shape. The proposed measure has two special features compared to existing approaches. It can be applied directly to gray scale images approximating binary objects, and it can be easily modified to produce a number of measures. The new measure is shown to be straightforward to evaluate for a given shape, and it performs well in the applications, as demonstrated by the experiments in the original paper.


Introduction: In the recent years, plants containing flavonoids have gained much more interest in research area, as they are found to be specific ligands for benzodiazepine receptors. Material and Methods: In our investigation, we evaluated the neuropharmacological profile of petroleum, chloroform and ethanolic extracts of aerial part of Lippia nodiflora Linn. With experimental models using test such as potentiation of diazepam-induced sleeping time, locomotor activity, motor coordination, exploratory behavior pattern, elevated plus maze and maximal electroshock convulsions. Diazepam at doses of 5, 4, and 1 mg/kg served as standard. Results: Results showed that the ethanolic extract of L. nodifl ora at both doses (250 and 500 mg/kg p.o.) and its chloroform extract at a higher dose of 500 mg/kg produced central inhibitory (sedative) effects, anticonvulsant effect and anxiolytic effect in mice. Values were statistically significant (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) when compared to the control group. The petroleum ether extract of plant at both dose levels (250 and 500 mg/kg p.o.) did not produce any central effects. Conclusion: In conclusion, we can say that the ethanolic and chloroform extracts showed the central inhibitory activity due to the presence of fl avonoids and this fact was also supported by the finding that the petroleum ether extract did not show any central effect and flavonoids were not found in it.


Poorly soluble drugs are increasingly formulated into supersaturating drug delivery systems which may precipitate during oral delivery. The link between in vitro drug concentration profiles and oral bioavailability is under intense investigation. The objective of the present work was to develop closed-form analytical solutions that relate in vitro concentration profiles to the amount of drug absorbed using several alternate assumptions and only six parameters. Three parameters define the key features of the in vitro drug concentration-time profile. An additional three parameters focus on physiological parameters. Absorption models were developed based on alternate assumptions; the drug concentration in the intestinal fluid: (1) peaks at the same time and concentration as in vitro, (2) peaks at the same time as in vitro, or (3) reaches the same peak concentration as in vitro. The three assumptions provide very different calculated values of bioavailability. Using Case 2 assumptions, bioavailability enhancement was found to be less than proportional to in silico examples of dissolution enhancement. Case 3 assumptions lead to bioavailability enhancements that are more than proportional to dissolution enhancements. Using Case 1 predicts drug absorption amounts that fall in between Case 2 and 3. The equations developed based on the alternate assumptions can be used to quickly evaluate the potential improvement in bioavailability due to intentional alteration of the in vitro drug concentration vs. time curve by reformulation. These equations may be useful in making decisions as to whether reformulation is expected to provide sufficient bioavailability enhancement to justify the effort.


Recycled aggregates, such as the ones used in making the sub-base and base layers of roads and the ones used as replacement of natural aggregates in concrete production, may give an important contribution towards decreasing the negative consequences that production and dumping of construction and demolition waste nowadays impose on the environment. Within the research work being carried on at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Lisbon, the results of an experimental research project are presented in this article. Its main purpose was to demonstrate the technical sustainability of multiple recycling of coarse stone aggregates originally obtained from the demolition of existing concrete elements to make new concrete with no further consumption of any coarse natural aggregates. The results, in terms of compression strength and workability, show that concrete produced after multiple recycling of aggregates has approximately the same characteristics as the one obtained after only one cycle, thus proving that the process can be reproduced with no further


This article explores the underlying motives for ensuring the political inclusion of marginalised groups. More specifically, it analyses whether laws guaranteeing representation are designed differently for women and minorities and, if so, whether these differences correspond to normative arguments for group representation. We use a novel research strategy by comparing quota designs in all countries that have adopted quotas for both groups. Theoretically, we reconceptualise the relevant distinction between quota types by focusing on whether a special constituency is created or not. We identify substantial differences in quota design between the two groups. Minorities tend to be guaranteed representation through the creation of special constituencies, whereas gender quotas more commonly imply integration into pre-existing constituencies. The analysis largely supports those who argue that quotas for minorities aim to increase the autonomy of the group in question while gender quotas are adopted with the intention to integrate women into the political system.


ABSTRACT English-medium instruction (EMI) is considered to be one of the main instruments to internationalize universities all over the world. Due to its recent implementation, research on linguistic outcomes is on the increase, whereas non-linguistic outcomes have been neglected. In fact, research on motivation in traditional English as a foreign language contexts is abundant but it is remarkably scant in EMI settings, that is, studies focused on motivation when English is used to teach content are much less habitual than when English is taught as a foreign language (language subject). To fill this gap, this article focuses on the relationship between EMI, motivation and possible selves, and how they are mediated by variables such as gender and students' L1. Thus, this study elicits aspects overlooked by motivational self-system research such as students' motivation towards English as an L3 in an EMI context, as in previous studies English (L2) was taught as a foreign language. The participants in this study were 189 students enrolled in EMI courses at a Spanish university. The results indicated that students' ideal L2 self, their attitudes to EMI and family influence were the best predictors of their intended learning effort. The gender variable and the participants' L1 exerted no significant influence.


PURPOSE
The incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) infection, once the most common cause of periorbital cellulitis, declined dramatically after the introduction of HIB vaccine in 1990. The aim of the current study was to determine the predisposing factors and agents in the pathogenesis of periorbital cellulitis in hospitalized children in the post-HIB vaccination era.

METHODS
Children with clinical findings of periorbital inflammation who were hospitalized in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Israel in 2000-2001 were observed prospectively. Special attention was directed to the predisposing medical condition in each case.

RESULTS
One hundred sixty-three patients had a final discharge diagnosis of periorbital cellulitis. Mean age was 34 months (median = 24 months). The predisposing conditions were conjunctivitis (42.9%), infected wound or trauma (20.9%), insect bites (9.8%), sinusitis (8%), dacryostenosis (4.9%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteremia (0.6%). Children with conjunctivitis and sinusitis had the most severe inflammatory signs. None of the cultures was positive for HIB, although only 71% of the children had complete immunization.

CONCLUSION
The epidemiology of periorbital cellulitis in children has changed in the post-HIB vaccine era. The most common predisposing medical conditions are conjunctivitis or an infected wound in the vicinity of the eye. Bacteremia is rarely a source of the disease. These findings have important clinical implications in terms of choice of treatment.


Our research is within the subfield of modeling trust and reputation in multi-agent systems for online communities. Specifically, in an online community involving users and entities, users provide opinions (ratings) to entities. For each user, we are interested in addressing two problems: (1) how to accurately model the reputation of entities by aggregating opinions from all the users (advisors); and (2) how to cope with the dishonesty of an advisor in providing opinions as well as her subjectivity difference with the user.


Solar energy is used for a wide range of applications such as electricity production, desalination, cooling, heating, etc. Solar-based technologies are widely spread and increasingly studied in the industry. This theoretical and experimental study focuses on solar ponds as a desiccant and low-grade energy source. A thermal model has been developed for a salinity gradient solar pond (SGSP) with a non-convective zone split into 10 sub-zones. A solar pond was constructed and used as a case study for the validation of the predictive model capabilities. The dimensional characteristics of the pond, as well as the solar radiation intensity and ambient temperature data obtained from the meteorological data, were used to produce the solar pond ' s zone thermal behaviour data. With regards to the thermal behaviour measurements obtained from the solar pond, the predicted data were found to be higher. There is a significant difference between the real-world and meteorological data obtained, the difference between the predicted and real-world pond temperature data was also attributed to the fact that the actual absorbed solar radiation was reduced due to wall shading effect, turbidity and insufficient duration of operation of the pond. In the following year, the stored heat from the previous summer would be expected to improve thermal storage values obtained partially.


This work aims at a critical reflection on social control as a legal-institutional achievement and its legitimacy conditions, pointing out strategies for information democratization in the local health system. The text was developed according to three thematic units: the first discusses social participation as a legal-institutional achievement; the second analyzes the essential conditions for legitimacy and the third presents information as a fundamental element for management and social control as an unfinished process that is still under construction.


A Multiprocessor is a system with at least two processing units sharing access to memory. The principle goal of utilizing a multiprocessor is to process the undertakings all the while and support the system's performance. An Interconnection Network interfaces the various handling units and enormously impacts the exhibition of the whole framework. Interconnection Networks, also known as Multi-stage Interconnection Networks, are node-to-node links in which each node may be a single processor or a group of processors. These links transfer information from one processor to the next or from the processor to the memory, allowing the task to be isolated and measured equally. Hypercube systems are a kind of system geography used to interconnect various processors with memory modules and precisely course the information. Hypercube systems comprise of 2n nodes. Any Hypercube can be thought of as a graph with nodes and edges, where a node represents a processing unit and an edge represents a connection between the processors to transmit. Degree, Speed, Node coverage, Connectivity, Diameter, Reliability, Packet loss, Network cost, and so on are some of the different system scales that can be used to measure the performance of Interconnection Networks. A portion of the variations of Hypercube Interconnection Networks include Hypercube Network, Folded Hypercube Network, Multiple Reduced Hypercube Network, Multiply Twisted Cube, Recursive Circulant, Exchanged Crossed Cube Network, Half Hypercube Network, and so forth. This work assesses the performing capability of different variations of Hypercube Interconnection Networks. A group of properties is recognized and a weight metric is structured utilizing the distinguished properties to assess the performance exhibition. Utilizing this weight metric, the performance of considered variations of Hypercube Interconnection Networks is evaluated and summed up to recognize the effective variant. A compact survey of a portion of the variations of Hypercube systems, geographies, execution measurements, and assessment of the presentation are examined in this paper. Degree and Diameter are considered to ascertain the Network cost. On the off chance that Network Cost is considered as the measurement to assess the exhibition, Multiple Reduced Hypercube stands ideal with its lower cost. Notwithstanding it, on the off chance that we think about some other properties/ scales/metrics to assess the performance, any variant other than MRH may show considerably more ideal execution. The considered properties probably won't be ideally adequate to assess the effective performance of Hypercube variations in all respects. On the off chance that a sensibly decent number of properties are utilized to assess the presentation, a proficient variation of Hypercube Interconnection Network can be distinguished for a wide scope of uses. This is the inspiration to do this research work.


Magnesium doped GaN epitaxial layers were grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrate. Energy levels of these acceptors were investigated by systematic photoluminescence measurements in the temperature range of 12–300 K. Magnesium concentration was varied from <1×1019 to higher than 5×1019 cm−3. Photoluminescence measurements were made on the as-grown and annealed samples. We have observed various transitions related to donor to acceptor and their phonon replicas, conduction band to acceptors, and free excitons. Their dependence on temperature, concentration of the magnesium impurity and annealing conditions was discussed. In our study, two important observations were made. First, very deep level luminescence was not observed even in the highly magnesium doped as-grown samples. Second, free exciton transitions including valence band splittings were observed for the first time in the Mg-doped materials, demonstrating the high quality of the samples.


Background : Nutritional practice is the dietary intake, eating pattern or usual nutrient intake of an individual.Information is one of the most prominent social revolutions that have led to a boom of social media in recent time. Media is the collective communication outlets or tools that are used to store and deliver information or data. Objective : The study examined the influence of media information on nutritional practices of the residents of Somolu Local Government Area, (LGA) Lagos State Methods : The study adopted descriptive survey design. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 371 residents of Somolu LGA. A structured, validated and pre-tested questionnaire tagged influence of media information on nutritional practices (IMINPS) was administered to elicit information: on the demographic characteristics, sources of nutrition information, frequency of social media usage; and the extent to which media information influence nutritional practices. Data were coded and analyzed using SPSS version 20 and the data subsequently expressed as frequencies means and percentage. Mean of 2.50±was used as a criterion for accepting or rejecting of the study questions Results : The study revealed that family (3.06), television (3.06), phone (3.08), ipad (3.09), food labels (3.11) video clips (3.10), radio jingles(3.24) and Internet (3.19)were the major sources of nutrition information (NI) while prints (2.79), face book (2.95), whatsApp (3.25), twitter (2.89), radio (2.66) and television (3.03) were the frequently used social media devices. However, the study was not able to ascertain the influence of media information on nutritional practices because only 6 variables out of the11had mean rating of > 2.50. Conclusion : Media information did not influence nutrition practices as the utilization and sourcing of information did not translate to nutrition practices. It is recommended that science base and relevant internet sites should be patronized to inform and encourage nutrition practices and impact on quality of life. Keywords : Nutritional practices


`Takotsubo cardiomyopathy` or `stress-induced cardiomyopathy` is a newly described clinical entity that`s characterized by transient left ventricular apical ballooning and left ventricular apical dyskinesis in the absence of any angiographic feature of significant coronary artery disease. The cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is unclear, but catecholamines probably play a role in the genesis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. We report here on two cases of takotsubo cardiomyopathy that occurred during ICU care.


Efforts to understand our anatomy and physiology can involve four often overlapping phases. We study what occurs, then how , then ask why , and then seek clinical applications . In that regard, in 1960 views, bone's effector cells (osteoblasts and osteoclasts) worked chiefly to maintain homeostasis under the control of nonmechanical agents, and that physiology had little to do with anatomy, biomechanics, tissue-level things, muscle, and other clinical applications. But it seems later-discovered tissue-level mechanisms and functions (including biomechanical ones, plus muscle) are the true key players in bone physiology, and homeostasis ranks below the mechanical functions. Adding that information to earlier views led to the Utah paradigm of skeletal physiology that combines varied anatomical, clinical, pathological, and basic science evidence and ideas. While it explains in a general way how strong muscles make strong bones and chronically weak muscles make weak ones, and while many anatomists know about the physiology that fact depends on, poor interdisciplinary communication left people in many other specialties unaware of it and its applications. Those applications concern 1.) healing of fractures, osteotomies, and arthrodeses; 2.) criteria that distinguish mechanically competent from incom- petent bones; 3.) design criteria that should let load-bearing implants endure; 4.) how to increase bone strength during growth, and how to maintain it afterwards on earth and in microgravity situations in space; 5.) how and why healthy women only lose bone next to marrow during menopause; 6.) why normal bone functions can cause osteopenias; 7.) why whole-bone strength and bone health are different matters; 8.) why falls can cause metaphyseal and diaphyseal fractures of the radius in children, but mainly metaphyseal fractures of that bone in aged adults; 9.) which methods could best evaluate whole-bone strength, "osteopenias" and "osteoporoses"; 10.) and why most "osteoporoses" should not have bone-genetic causes and some could have extraosse- ous genetic causes. Clinical specialties that currently require this information include orthopae-dics, endocrinology, radiology, rheumatology, pediatrics, neurology, nutrition, dentistry, and physical, space and sports medicine. Basic science specialties include absorptiometry, anatomy, anthropology, biochemistry, biomechanics, biophysics, genetics, histology, pathology, pharmacol- ogy, and cell and molecular biology. This article reviews our present general understanding of this new bone physiology and some of its clinical applications and implications. It must leave to other times, places, and people the resolution of questions about that new physiology, and to understand the many devils that should lie in its details. (Thompson D'Arcy, 1917). Anat Rec 262: 398–419, 2001. The Utah paradigm suggests the mechanical effects would dominate most biochemical-endocrinologic ones.


Substantial part of the eye disease manifestations constitute general or systemic diseases. Accordingly, the dosage systemic therapy of these diseases can affect the condition of the eye. Changes of the vision and the appropriate advice ophthalmologist can help the gastroenterologist in the diagnosis and adequate treatment of the patient. The article discusses the possible changes in the organ of vision in diseases of the digestive system and a number of infectious diseases, as well as changes occurring under the influence of drug therapy of these diseases.


Banded vegetation is a characteristic feature of semi-arid environments. It occurs on gentle slopes, with alternating stripes of vegetation and bare ground running parallel to the contours. A number of mathematical models have been proposed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these patterns, and how they might be affected by changes in environmental conditions. One of the most widely used models is due to Rietkerk and co-workers, and is based on a water redistribution hypothesis, with the key feedback being that the rate of rainwater infiltration into the soil is an increasing function of plant biomass. Here, for the first time, we present a detailed study of the existence and stability of pattern solutions of the Rietkerk model on slopes, using the software package wavetrain (www.ma.hw.ac.uk/wavetrain). Specifically, we calculate the region of the rainfall–migration speed parameter plane in which patterns exist, and the sub-region in which these patterns are stable as solutions of the model partial differential equations. We then perform a detailed simulation-based study of the way in which patterns evolve when the rainfall parameter is slowly varied. This reveals complex behaviour, with sudden jumps in pattern wavelength, and hysteresis; we show that these jumps occur when the contours of constant pattern wavelength leave the parameter region giving stable patterns. Finally, we extend our results to the case in which a diffusion term for surface water is added to the model equations. The parameter regions for pattern existence and stability are relatively insensitive to small or moderate levels of surface water diffusion, but larger diffusion coefficients significantly change the subdivision into stable and unstable patterns.