Shopping centre managers often use special event entertainment to create emotionally-based experiences for their patrons and, in turn, to entice them to engage
in positive behaviours (e.g. longer duration of stay, more spending, willingness to spread positive word-of-mouth to others and repatronage intention). Special event
entertainment refers to the range of special events convened by a shopping centre on a seasonal, temporary and intermittent basis. Moreover, special event entertainment
is also typically offered free of charge to consumers. Due to these unique characteristics, the consumption experience of special event entertainment is deemed as low (enduring) involvement in nature. Popular examples of special event
entertainment include school holiday events, fashion events, celebrity appearances, and market days.

Despite the common use of special event entertainment by shopping centre managers, little research in experiential consumption literature has paid attention to consumers' experiences with special event entertainment convened by shopping centres. Consequently, we have scant knowledge of what factors are important in explaining consumers' experiences with these entertainment events staged by
shopping centres. The acquirement of this knowledge can facilitate shopping centre managers in planning, communicating and executing their marketing strategies of
special events and, in turn, in fostering shoppers' approach behaviours. For this reason, this research program attempts to fill this knowledge gap relating to
consumers' experiences with special event entertainment in the existing experiential consumption literature. In particular, this research program seeks to determine: i) the
key factors that are important in explaining shoppers' experiences with special event entertainment; and ii) the relationships between these key factors in explaining
shoppers' experiences with special event entertainment.

The first stage of this research program involved a review of experiential consumption literature, especially, in the domains of shopping centre consumption and event consumption. This research stage aimed to identify possible factors that are meaningful in illuminating consumers' experiences with special event entertainment,
and to develop a preliminary model that illustrates the relationships between these factors. The second stage involved a qualitative study, which was conducted to
explore the relevance of and the relationships between the theoretical factors identified from the first stage. The third and final stage comprised mall intercept
survey with shopping centre patrons during the occurrence of special events at shopping centres. This stage sought to collect real-time, empirical data to test the validity and reliability of the theoretical factors and the conceptual model hypothesised in stage one.

This research program makes several contributions. It provides an extension to experiential consumption literature that has somewhat neglected consumers'
experiences with low (enduring) involvement, seasonal and intermittent special events convened by retail institutions such as shopping centres. It identifies a set of
cognitive, emotional, behavioural and personal factors that are meaningful in explaining shoppers' experiences with the special events convened by shopping centres. In terms of marketing practice, this study employs a 'real-time', as opposed to a retrospective, data collection approach when measuring shoppers' experiences with the special events convened by shopping centres. Studies on experiential
consumption in the event literature have predominantly relied on a retrospective data collection approach, which often ask attendees or participants to recall and record
their experiences in mail survey. This research program seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice by developing a theoretical model that aims to help
retail operators (e.g. shopping centre managers) to understand the strategic roles of special events, especially in creating entertaining and enjoyable experiences for patrons and stimulating approach behaviours (e.g. increased duration of stay andspending).


Background Imbalanced nutritional supply and demand in the tumor microenvironment often leads to hypoxia. The subtle interaction between hypoxia and immune cell behavior plays an important role in tumor occurrence and development. However, the functional relationship between hypoxia and the tumor microenvironment remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of hypoxia on the intestinal tumor microenvironment. Method We extracted the names of hypoxia-related genes from the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) database and screened them for those associated with colorectal cancer prognosis, with the final list including ALDOB, GPC1, ALDOC, and SLC2A3. Using the sum of the expression levels of these four genes, provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, and the expression coefficients, we developed a hypoxia risk score model. Using the median risk score value, we divided the patients in the two databases into high- and low-risk groups. GSEA was used to compare the enrichment differences between the two groups. We used the CIBERSORT computational method to analyze immune cell infiltration. Finally, the correlation between these five genes and hypoxia was analyzed. Result The prognosis of the two groups differed significantly, with a higher survival rate in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group. We found that the different risk groups were enriched by immune-related and inflammatory pathways. We identified activated M0 macrophages in TCGA and GEO databases and found that CCL2/4/5, and CSF1 contributed toward the increased infiltration rate of this immune cell type. Finally, we observed a positive correlation between the five candidate genes' expression and the risk of hypoxia, with significant differences in the level of expression of each of these genes between patient risk groups. Conclusion Overall, our data suggest that hypoxia is associated with the prognosis and rate of immune cell infiltration in patients with colorectal cancer. This finding may improve immunotherapy for colorectal cancer.


Abstract In 1991, Joseph C. Rost published Leadership for the 21st Century (Praeger) in which he presented a definition of leadership that focused on the influence relationship among leaders and followers rather than on the traits of the leader or the functions of leadership. Rost's model is useful for academic reference leaders who usually head a group of professionals who are involved in a variety of responsibilities that require them to be leaders. This article applies Rost's theories to academic reference leadership and explores a model that will provide for better job satisfaction for librarians and improved services to library users.


Glutathione transferase zeta1 (GSTZ1) catalyzes glutathione (GSH)-dependent dechlorination of dichloroacetate (DCA), an investigational drug with therapeutic potential in metabolic disorders and cancer. GSTZ1 is expressed in both hepatic cytosol and mitochondria. Here, we examined the ontogeny and characterized the properties of human mitochondrial GSTZ1. GSTZ1 expression and activity with DCA were determined in 103 human hepatic mitochondrial samples prepared from livers of donors aged 1 day to 84 years. DNA from each sample was genotyped for three common GSTZ1 functional single nucleotide polymorphisms. Expression of mitochondrial GSTZ1 protein increased in an age-dependent manner to a plateau after age 21 years. Activity with DCA correlated with expression, after taking into account the somewhat higher activity of samples that were homo- or heterozygous for GSTZ1A. In samples from livers with the GSTZ1C variant, apparent enzyme kinetic constants for DCA and GSH were similar for mitochondria and cytosol after correcting for the loss of GSH observed in mitochondrial incubations. In the presence of 38 mM chloride, mitochondrial GSTZ1 exhibited shorter half-lives of inactivation compared with the cytosolic enzyme (P = 0.017). GSTZ1 protein isolated from mitochondria was shown by mass spectrometry to be identical to cytosolic GSTZ1 protein in the covered primary protein sequence. In summary, we report age-related development in the expression and activity of human hepatic mitochondrial GSTZ1 does not have the same pattern as that reported for cytosolic GSTZ1. Some properties of cytosolic and mitochondrial GSTZ1 differed, but these were not related to differences in amino acid sequence or post-translationally modified residues.


There are increasing interests in converting solid waste or lignocellulosic biomass into gaseous fuels and using reciprocating internal combustion engine to generate electricity. A widely used technique is gasification. Gasification is a process where the solid fuel and air are introduced to a partial oxidation environment, and generate combustible gaseous called synthesis gas or syngas. Converting solid waste into gaseous fuel can reduce landfill and create income for process owners. However it can be very challenging to use syngas on a gaseous fueled spark ignited engine, such as a natural gas (NG) engine. NG engines are typically developed with pipeline quality natural gas (PQNG). NG engines can operate at lean burn spark ignited (LBSI), or stoichiometric with EGR spark ignited (SESI) conditions. This work discusses the LBSI engine condition.NG engines can perform very differently when fueled with nonstandard gaseous fuels such as syngas without appropriate tuning. It is necessary to evaluate engine performance in terms of combustion duration, relative knock propensity and NOx emissions for such applications. Due to constraints in time and resources it is often not feasible to test such fuel blends in the laboratory. An analytical method is needed to predict engine performance in a timely manner. This study investigated the possibility of using syngas on a spark ignited engine developed with PQNG. Engine performance was predicted using in house developed models and PQNG as the reference fuel. Laminar flame speed (LFS), adiabatic flame temperature (AFT) and Autoignition interval (AI) are used to predict combustion duration, engine out NOx and engine knock propensity relative to NG at the target Lambda values.Single cylinder research engine data obtained under lean burn conditions fueled with PQNG was selected as the baseline. LFS, AFT and AI of syngas were computed at reference conditions. Lambda of operation was predicted for syngas to provide the same burn rate as NG at the reference Lambda value for NG. Analysis shows that, using syngas at the selected Lambda, the engine can have less engine out NOx emissions and less knock propensity relative to NG at the same speed and load. Modifications to fuel system components may be required to avoid engine derate.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


ADSORPTION OF ZINC AND LEAD FROM CERAMIC WASTEWATER USING CLAY. Ceramic industry generates glaze wastewater and clay waste. Glaze wastewater contains heavy metal from ceramic painting process which can potentially cause severe pollution problem. Glaze wastewater from PT.X typically contains Cd (0.013 mg/L); Cu (0.033 mg/L); Pb (1.20 mg/L); and Zn (7.00 mg/L). Clay waste used as adsorbent to reduce heavy metal amount in glaze wastewater. The present study investigates in bench scale and uses batch adsorption method to determine effective adsorbent amount and contact time in removing heavy metals in glaze wastewater in order to fulfill the discharge requirement based on regulation of Minister of Environment No.16/2008concerning effluent water standard for ceramic industries. The results showed that the effective adsorbent amount and contact time respectively are 5 g/L and 15 minutes with pH 8 and stirring speed of 150 rpm. Concentration of heavy metal adsorbed are 0.614 mg/L and 2.07 mg/L for lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) with removal efficiency up to 61.0% for Pb and 9.8% for Zn.From this study clay waste could be potentially used as an adsorbent to reduce heavy metal amount in glaze wastewater.


An approach to learning concerns the dynamic way in which individuals relate to and organise a learning task, and is influenced by prior experiences and perceptions of the requirements of the learning context (Ramsden, 1987). The concept of learning approaches came from Marton and Saljo (1979) based on their seminal work on 30 graduate students at the University of Gotenburg in Sweden. The students were interviewed after completing a reading task and questions were asked about the text as well as about the way in which they completed the task. The responses to the questions suggested a variety of differences in the way the students acquired and processed the information. While some students focussed on the intention of the authors and tried to identify the principle ideas (content), others tried to memorise as much as possible and often recalled the examples (signs) cited by the authors rather than the main ideas. The former was seen as a product of deep-level processing and the students had adopted a holistic approach to their activity whereas the latter was a result of surface-level processing and the students had an atomistic approach to the task.


Abstract This paper introduces this special issue on plasma diagnostics for magnetic fusion research. Its primary purpose is to relate the measurements of plasma parameters to the physics challenges to be faced on operating and planned devices and also to identify the diagnostic techniques that are used to make these measurements. The specific physics involved in the application of the techniques will be addressed in subsequent chapters. This chapter is biased toward measurements for tokamaks because of their proximity to the burning plasma frontier, and to setting the scene for the development work associated with ITER. Hence, there is some emphasis on measurements for alpha-physics studies and the need for plasma measurements as input to actuators to control the plasma, both to optimize the device performance and to protect the surrounding material. The very different approach to the engineering of diagnostics for a burning plasma is considered, emphasizing the needs for new calibration ideas, reliability and hardness against, and compatibility with, radiation. New ideas take a long time to be converted into "workhorse" sophisticated diagnostics so that investment in new developments is essential for ITER, particularly for the measurement of alpha particles.


This study deals with the role of insulin in the regulation of the intestinal glycoprotein fucosylation process during postnatal development in the rat. Circulating insulin level was found to increase at weaning time in parallel with α-1,2-fucosyltransferase activity and with the appearance of α-1,2-fucoproteins in brush-border membranes. Insulin treatment of young suckling rats induced a precocious increase in fucosyltransferase activity and in the biosynthesis of its substrate (GDP-fucose), but the sensitivity to insulin disappeared after weaning. The insulin level was lower in 22-day-old rats that received prolonged nursing (on a high-fat diet) compared with age-matched normally weaned rats (on a high-carbohydrate diet), whereas the appearance of α-1,2-fucoproteins and the increase in activity of α-1,2-fucosyltransferase were delayed, as was the decrease in the degradation of GDP-fucose. In 22-day-old animals that received prolonged nursing and insulin treatment, the α-1,2-fucosyltransferase activity reached a level close to that observed in age-matched weaned rats, and several α-1,2-fucoproteins appeared in brush-border membranes with a molecular mass similar to that found in weaned rats. These results suggest that changes in insulin levels at weaning time (as caused, in the present case, by dietary modifications) may be responsible for the regulation of the glycoprotein fucosylation process, essentially by increasing fucosyltransferase activity.


Diverse mechanisms in the contemporary world are concealing differences between Africa and the West. At the same time, Western Christian denominations believe in the distinctiveness of the churches they have planted. Perhaps in Africa only genuinely indigenous churches have 'true' doctrines, because only they guide their church lives in the light of local contexts and avoid a distorting adherence to Western modes of theology. Biblical criticism, and rejection of a holistic framework to make space for the 'secular', has weakened the cultural-linguistic dynamic that could contribute to doctrinal formation by Western churches. Such weakness helps secularists to apportion blame to churches for various contemporary maladies. A re-appropriation of holism could take the church back to a pre-modern position, thus creating a space in which cultural context could once again be central in doctrinal formation. Doctrines established in living contexts promote inter-church dialogue and change. The cultural-linguistic dynamic calls for African churches to use their own languages in order to form doctrine which has value for indigenous contexts.


Si/Ge nanostructures have attracted much attention since they are compatible with current microelectronics technology. The geometry and composition variations can be used to tune their electronic properties. Here, we introduce a 3D Si/Ge superlattice, metalattice, made of more volumetric meta-atoms and thinner metabonds between them. Its size varies from a few tens to hundreds of nanometers and can be taken as a mesoscale physics platform. We intend to bring a metallic character to such an alloy metalattice. This requires that the quantum confinement and chemical composition act in a complementary way. The tight-binding method is employed and it is confirmed that a 3D uniform density of states across the whole metalattice is possible. Search for the preferred electronic structure now transforms to the problem of finding the appropriate geometry.


Purpose Medical learners look to role models to better understand the values, attitudes, behaviors, and ethics of the medical profession. This study examined issues related to physicians serving as role models for diverse medical learners. Method Between September and November 2000, in-depth semi-structured 30-minute interviews were conducted with 29 highly regarded role models, as judged by medical house officers at two large teaching hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland. Interview transcripts were independently coded and compared for agreement. Content analysis identified several major categories of themes that were examined and conceptually organized. Results The informants identified issues that relate to role modeling for diverse medical learners. Subcategories under the domain of similarity facilitates role modeling included learners prefer role models similar to them, role modeling is easier when the learner resembles the teacher, and minority physicians may be better role models for minority learners. Under the domain role modeling when physician–teachers and learners are different were the subcategories extra effort may be necessary, success promotes and inspires confidence, and role modeling across diversity is an achievable objective that should be pursued. The final domain, approaches to differences between physician–teachers and learners, encompassed embrace diversity, act as a consultant and refer when necessary, and minimize and disregard all differences. Conclusions The results of this study should draw attention to these issues and may serve as a stimulus for teaching physicians to consider a broader range of options for successful interactions with medical learners who are different from them.


The classical Hennessy-Milner theorem says that two states of an image-finite
transition system are bisimilar if and only if they satisfy the same formulas
in a certain modal logic. In this paper we study this type of result in a
general context, moving from transition systems to coalgebras and from
bisimilarity to coinductive predicates. We formulate when a logic fully
characterises a coinductive predicate on coalgebras, by providing suitable
notions of adequacy and expressivity, and give sufficient conditions on the
semantics. The approach is illustrated with logics characterising similarity,
divergence and a behavioural metric on automata.


Full Disk Encryption (FDE) has become a widely used security feature. Although FDE can provide confidentiality, it generally does not provide cryptographic data integrity protection. We introduce an algorithm-agnostic solution that provides both data integrity and confidentiality protection at the disk sector layer. Our open-source solution is intended for drives without any special hardware extensions and is based on per-sector metadata fields implemented in software. Our implementation has been included in the Linux kernel since the version 4.12.


To achieve higher performance of pulsed plasma thruster (PPT), laboratory model of breech-fed type, which has high energy transfer efficiency, has been designed and built. In addition, in order to understand key factors to increase performance, effects of electrode geometries, electrode's width and gap, on impulse bit, specific impulse, thrust efficiency were investigated. As a result, it was clarified that the electrode geometry strongly affected on not only impulse bit, specific impulse, and thrust efficiency but also discharge waveform which affects impulse bit, capacitor temperature and its lifetime. 27 % of thrust efficiency, which was highest in this study, was achieved with 50 J of input energy.


Metacognition can be defined as knowledge and cognition about the cognitive phenomenon, referring to thoughts and knowledge that individuals have about their own thoughts and cognitive processes. Two of its basic elements are: the metacognitive knowledge, which involves consciousness about processes and competencies that are necessary for accomplishing certain tasks; and metacognitive monitoring, which includes judging the effectiveness of strategies and establishing new ones. As such, metacognition plays an important role in the daily life of the elderly, influencing social functions, quality of life and self-efficacy. Prior to this project, a scale to evaluate metacognitive skills was developed, focused on metacognitive knowledge and cognitive monitoring, called the Metacognition Scale-Senior (EMETA-S). Additional studies were needed to demonstrated the validity and improve the EMETA-S. The aim of the studies presented here was to improve the first version of this instrument by means of new analyses of validity based on the internal structure, scale precision and relation with other variables such as gender, schooling and age. The temporal stability of the reformulated scale was also investigated. The model found in the Exploratory Factor Analysis was tested by means of a Factorial Confirmatory Analysis, to verify the adjustment to the theoretical model. In addition, a validity analysis based was conducted on the relationship with an external variable (Mini Mental State Examination) Finally, the initial norms for a scale of schooling and age were elaborated. The EMETA-S was constituted of a single factor of 34 items and presented internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha of 0.92. There was a statistically significant difference in scores related to: schooling and age. The correlation between EMETA-S and MEEM was r = 0.43, considered good for instruments measuring related constructs. The results demonstrated that the EMETA-S can be considered a promising tool in the evaluation of the elderly.


The aim of this paper is to verify whether school resource factors have an impact on the quality of education. This latter is measured with the help of a unique database on student scores in international skills tests. The general difficulties inherent in this type of study are the possibility of endogeneity bias and measurement errors. After estimation bias correction, we show that improvement in the quality of educational systems does not necessarily require an increase in school resources. When an alternative indicator of the performance of educational systems is used, our results are confirmed. Consequently, one should remain cautious about recommending purely financial measures to improve quality of education.


The Implementation of the Indonesian government policy on regional autonomy that was effectively commenced since 1 January 2001, is considered as a very democratic policy and fulfilling aspects of real decentralization. Decentralization itself aims to improve the welfare and public services, development of democracy life, justice, equity, and the maintenance of harmonious relations between the central and regional as well as between regional and regional. Regional Revenue (PAD) are all local revenues derived from the native of economic resources. General Allocation Fund (DAU) is fund that sourced from the state budget allocated to bring equity finance capabilities among regions to fund the needs of the region in the implementation of decentralization .This research aimed to 1) determine the amount of PAD and DAU in each District / City Eks Karisedanan Kedu, 2) to find out whether PAD will impact towards the Regional Expenditure Budget (APBD) of District/City Eks Karisedanan Kedu, 3) to find out whether the DAU will impact the Regional Expenditure Budget of District/City Eks Karisedanan Kedu. The observed variables in this research are PAD, DAU and APBD Year 2001-2011. The data that have been obtained is secondary data, then the data is analyzed by using multiple linear regression analysis methods and F examination. The results of the research are: From those six Regional Level II Eks Karisedanan Kedu, there are four areas namely Magelang City, Purworejo District, Temanggung District and Wonosobo District have Regional Expenditure Budget that is highly supported by its each PAD. It can be seen from the amount of the regression coefficients and the role of PAD in sequentially as follows; b1 the amount for Wonosobo District is 7,114; b1 for Magelang City is 6.697; b1 for Temanggung District is 4,621; b1 for Purworejo District is 4.532. Infact, the role of PAD towards Regional Expenditure Budget for Magelang District and Kebumen District is negative; The dominant role of the DAU towards Regional Expenditure Budget is located in Magelang District, Kebumen District, then followed by Purworejo District, Temanggung District and Wonosobo District. It can be seen from the amount of the coefficients as follows; b2 the amount for Magelang District and Kebumen District is 1,562; b2 for Purworejo District is 1,012 ; b2 for Temanggung District is 0.944; b2 for Wonosobo District is 0.904;Based on the R Square for each Local Government District / City Eks Karisedanan Kedu as follows; Magelang City = 0.824; Magelang District = 0.966; Purworejo District = 0.974; Kebumen District = 0.966; Temanggung District = 0.990 and Wonosobo District = 0.985. Based on the figures above, it can be concluded that the average for each District Local Government / City Ex Residency Kedu, has Regional Expenditure Budget that is financed by more than 96 % of PAD and DAU, while the remaining is less than 3.5 % came from other income . Unless Regional Expenditure Budget of Magelang City which is 82.4%, is financed by PAD and DAU, while the remaining is 17.6 % came from.other.income.Keywords : budget , revenue and DAU.


A BiCMOS dynamic full adder circuit for VLSI implementation of high-speed parallel multipliers using Wallace tree reduction architecture is presented. With the BiCMOS dynamic full adder circuit, an 8 × 8 multiplier designed based on a 2μm BiCMOS technology shows a six times improvement in speed as compared to the CMOS static circuit. The speed advantage of using BiCMOS dynamic full adder circuits is even greater in 16 × 16 and 32 × 32 multipliers as a result of the BiCMOS large driving capability for realising the complex Wallace tree reduction architecture.


1. Tactile stimuli to the paw consisting of a stick making contact or an air puff aimed at the dorsum were used to study the phasic influence of locomotor activity on the reflex pattern elicited in extensor and flexor muscles and on the induced compensatory movements in intact cats. The resulting movements and reflex pattern are called "stumbling corrective reactions." 2. The basic reflex pattern and movements of the stumbling corrective reaction are: a) if the stimulus occurs during the swing phase, a short-latency activation of the flexor muscles, which induces an additional flexion of the limb lifting the paw over the obstacle; b) if the stimulus occurs during the support phase, an inhibition followed by an excitation of the extensor muscles, which neither increase nor decrease the extension. However, the stimulus evokes an increased flexor activity in the succeeding swing phase, which induces a brisker flexion. 3. Tactile stimuli to the proximal part of the limb or to the belly in front of the knee evoked the same type of phase-dependent compensatory reactions. Such reactions would presumably be beneficial for the animal to avoid high obstacles that impede movement. 4. A nonnoxious electrical stimulus (typically 2 mA; 1 ms) applied to the dorsum of the paw was used to study systematically the reflex pattern of the stumbling corrective reaction. Two pathways were defined to the knee flexor (semitendinosus). One early burst was evoked at about 10 ms and one later at about 25 ms after the stimulus. Short inhibitory pathways and longer excitatory pathways (20-50 ms) projected to the extensor nuclei. A short-latency (10 ms) excitatory pathway to the ankle extensor (lateral gastrocnemius) was also activated. 5. A painful electrical stimulus applied to the dorsum of the paw evoked large flexor responses during the whole step cycle. During the support phase the locomotion was disrupted as the supporting limb was withdrawn. 6. The results demonstrate that intact cats are able to compensate rapidly for unpredicted perturbations and that the reflex pattern and the induced corrective movements are adapted to the locomotor activity so that functionally meaningful movements are evoked in each phase of the step cycle. 7. The evoked reflexes and their modulation are consistent with those previously found in chronic spinal cats during walking and in paralyzed spinal cats performing "fictive locomotion." It is suggested that the same spinal pathways are used, and that they are controlled by the spinal "locomotor generator."


The importance of sleep has been described in proverbs such as "the early bird catches the worm". However, there are few scientific reports on the effects of early rising. Therefore, early risers (Group E) and late risers (Group L) were compared and the number and ratio of leukocytes, body temperature, glucose and its associated hormones were studied. Furthermore, each group was divided into two groups by the duration of sleep and the following four groups were compared: early risers with short sleep (Group E-S); early risers with long sleep (Group E-L); late risers with short sleep (Group L-S); and late risers with long sleep (Group L-L). Then, compared with Group L, Group E showed lower numbers and ratio of granulocytes and a higher ratio of lymphocytes showing parasympathetic nerve dominance. Group E showed higher levels of glucose and its related hormones than Group L, indicating sympathetic nerve dominance. Compared with Groups E-S and L-S, Groups E-L and L-L showed lower glucose and cortisol levels, respectively. These results indicated that early rising might affect leukocyte subsets, and adequate duration of sleep could decrease levels of glucose via modification of the autonomic nervous system.


Ochre, consequence of acid mine drainage, is iron oxides-rich soil pigments that can be found in the water drainage from historic base metal and coal mines. The anaerobic strains of Geobacter sulfurreducens and Shewanella denitrificans were used for the microbial reduction of iron from samples of ochre collected from Skelton Beck (Saltburn Orange River, NZ 66738 21588) in Northeast England. The aim of the research was to determine the ability of the two anaerobic bacteria to reduce the iron present in ochre and to determine the rate of the reduction process. The physico-chemical changes in the ochre sample after the microbial reduction process were observed by the production of zero-valent iron which was later confirmed by the detection of elemental Fe in XRD spectrum. The XRF results revealed that 69.16% and 84.82% of iron oxide can be reduced using G. sulfurreducens and S. denitrificans respectively after 8 days of incubation. These results could provide the basis for the development of a biohydrometallurgical process for the production of elemental iron from ochre sediments.


Abstract The aim of this study was the efficient removal of dark cement crusts from selenite (mineral gypsum) surfaces using lasers. The conservation challenge is to remove a hard, insoluble, and often significantly thick encrustation without affecting the particularly sensitive mineral substrate gypsum, which is susceptible to chemical transformation. Preliminary studies were focused on the determination of removal thresholds for the cement bulk and the establishment of efficient laser cleaning operative parameters. Concurrently, analytical investigations were focused on the irradiated surfaces in order to ensure that the recommended laser operating parameters would safeguard the surface, colour, and composition of gypsum. Analytical techniques (Raman spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis) were used to verify that no discolouration or chemical alteration occurred to the fragile gypsum substrate due to the dehydration of pristine gypsum (to hemihydrate and anhydrous calcium sulphate). The results of this study as well as its application are presented and discussed with emphasis on the surface integrity of the exposed fragile selenite substrates.


This study investigated the relationship between theory of mind, endorsement of the looking-glass self and aspects of self-concept through a questionnaire measure within a classroom setting. Participants were adolescents from six schools across England (N= 184), with a mean age of 12.06.

Endorsement of the looking-glass self was examined; half of the sample supported the model but it was found to relate to poor leadership skills and low popularity. The study also examined whether endorsement of the looking-glass self and better theory of mind were related to self-other agreement, the results suggested that this was the case for the former, with the necessity of further research, but no relationship was found for the latter.

The consequences of self-other congruence were explored: incongruence equated to greater aggression and less favourability among classmates. Last, the relationship between theory of mind and current/ideal-self discrepancy was examined; a significant relationship was found but could be explained by co-varying effects of verbal ability. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.


Cloud Computing give users access to large pools of resources on demand with a utility price model and thereby introduce the ability for developers to affect operational cost of an application. However, this ability is yet to be fully exploited. The overall goal was to investigate how developers can reduce the operational cost of an application deployed in a Cloud Computing environment. As part of the investigation an explorative approach was used to find the considerations developers need to make when developing in such an environment. The choice of provider, price-model variations, scalability, and the programmatic control of application resources were found to be key areas. The thesis presents different strategies that could potentially reduce operational cost of an application. Some providers use a pay-per-resource-block price model, in which the customer pays for the right to use a given amount of a resource within a given amount of time. This price model is a strong incentive to utilize the entire allocated block of computational resources and experiments were executed to find if the improved utilization will reduce the operational cost when performing asynchronous background tasks. The first experiments used the common design guidelines provided by some Cloud Computing providers to establish a baseline result. The second experiment attempted to improve the utilization by breaking with the guidelines, and the third experiment employed a custom scaling engine developed by the writers, in an attempt to further improve the utilization. The results show an increase in the computational resource block utilization and a reduction in the operational cost from the baseline in both experiment two and three. The effort of creating a production ready scaling engine for utilization of computational resource blocks was proved to be extensive and it was suggested that such mechanisms should be implemented in Cloud Computing platforms.


The phase composition of (1-x)BaO·xSrO·0.7TiO2·0.3Nb2O5 (BSTN) composite ceramics was analyzed by XRD, and the effect of Sr/Ba ratio on the dielectric properties of BSTN was investigated by impedance analyzer. The results showed that any sample with different x value contained two phases-the perovskite phase and the tungsten bronze phase. The dielectric constants of BSTN basically decreased while the tanδ increased with the increase in x value. Both dielectric constant and tanδ decreased with the applied frequency increased for the same x value. There were two Curie points for BSTN composite ceramics. The first one belonging to the perovskite phase decreased with the increase in x value, but the second one belonging to the tungsten bronze phase kept almost constant at about 300°C.


Abstract The Alsatian aquifer is the largest aquifer in Western Europe and supplies groundwater for almost all households in Alsace, without any treatment in most areas. The main objective of this paper is to compare the willingness-to-pay of households living in polluted areas with those having access to preserved quality. Results are presented of a contingent-valuation study of the Alsatian aquifer. On the basis of a representative sample of households, directly interviewed on 10 different sites, the determinants of the preservation value of groundwater quality are estimated using two different methods of payment (referendum and open-ended method) and two versions of a questionnaire differing by the reliability of the proposed preservation programme. It was found that households living in polluted areas have a greater willingness-to-pay for a hypothetical programme of preservation compared to the other households. Also, in contrast with previous studies on groundwater, it was found that neither the reliability of the programme nor knowledge of the water bill significantly affected the mean willingness-to-pay.1998 Academic Press Limited


We study the classical problem of prediction with expert advice in the adversarial setting with a geometric stopping time. In 1965, Cover gave the optimal algorithm for the case of 2 experts. In this paper, we design the optimal algorithm, adversary and regret for the case of 3 experts. Further, we show that the optimal algorithm for $2$ and $3$ experts is a probability matching algorithm (analogous to Thompson sampling) against a particular randomized adversary. Remarkably, our proof shows that the probability matching algorithm is not only optimal against this particular randomized adversary, but also minimax optimal.
Our analysis develops upper and lower bounds simultaneously, analogous to the primal-dual method. Our analysis of the optimal adversary goes through delicate asymptotics of the random walk of a particle between multiple walls. We use the connection we develop to random walks to derive an improved algorithm and regret bound for the case of $4$ experts, and, provide a general framework for designing the optimal algorithm and adversary for an arbitrary number of experts.


Background/ Objectives: Physically disabled workers have a higher employment rate than any other handicapped people. However, there is a lack of research over the usage of ICT equipment to help physically disabled workers. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship of the ICT equipment on the physically disabled workers on their present satisfaction on work and life. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This study analyzed 5,515 disabled workers from the Ministry of Health and Welfare Panel Survey data in 2014. A t-test on SPSS 2.0 was used to determine any significance between the satisfaction of work and life. The effect size was determined using a regression analysis. Findings: The results showed significant difference between the usage of ICT equipment and non-usage of the equipment on the satisfaction of current life, work, and stress on disabled workers. Through the use of ICT equipment, their work satisfaction positively affected their life satisfaction. These findings revealed that the ICT machine is an important tool of everyday life for the people with disabled external body features, and also serves as an important tool for those with functional limitations due to the disability. Application/Improvements: A limitation of this study was that the panel data could not differentiate between the period of using the ICT tool and the ability to apply ICT to lives of the disabled, and did not reflect an influence factor on the physically disabled and the sensory impaired. In addition, a conclusion was presented based on the study's implications.


PURPOSE
Establish an experimental model of metastatic melanoma primary culture cells from fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB).

METHODS
Two metastatic melanoma primary culture cells from (FNAB) have been developed from patients who had been submitted to excision of metastatic lesions and they were identified by immunohistochemical analyses using S-100 and MB-45 melanoma markers.

RESULTS
The culture diagnostic was confirmed by immunohistochemical. The technique of FNAB offers the advantage of providing a sequential analysis of the same tumor nodules throughout treatment, and is a minimally invasive procedure with almost no associated morbidity.

CONCLUSION
The establishment of metastatic melanoma primary culture from FNAB samples showed a viable technique.


We investigated the morphological characteristics of the cross-sectional shape of Si-core nanowires (NWs) as a function of oxidation time. In the case of as-grown Si NWs, the Si cores were hexagons with a 3-fold symmetry, not a 6-fold symmetry, and this shape was transformed into a triangular shape with rounded edges after thermal oxidation. Structural changes in the cross-section of the Si-core NWs were related to the surface free energy. Moreover, the morphological change in the oxide shell during the oxidation treatment suggested that the stress relaxation process is closely related to the structural evolution of the Si core. The change in defect states generated in Si/SiO2 core/shell NWs during structural evolution was investigated by low-temperature photoluminescence and optical pump–THz probe spectroscopy measurements. In particular, surface defect states formed in the interfacial region between the Si core and the oxide shell were reduced during the oxidation process. Appropriate control of the surface state affected carrier scattering: the relaxation time of photogenerated carriers was significantly increased due to the reduction in surface defects.


Introduction : ADHD is very common and becoming an increasing burden for public outpatient departments. Ongoing management of children with ADHD is usually provided by paediatricians, however many of these children are medically stable and could be safely managed by their GP.  A GP-led model would facilitate holistic family care and release capacity for specialists to see more complex children. Whilst GPs believe they have a role managing children with stable ADHD, they have not historically done so due to lack of training.  Children's Health Queensland (CHQ) will address this gap in training by using the ECHO model (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). Change implemented : ECHO is a collaborative model of tele-mentoring and case-based learning, which empowers providers to work at the top of their scope of practice.  It is a hub and spoke model, in which an expert multidisciplinary hub team mentors clinicians at community spoke sites.  GPs master complexity through case-based learning, and become part of an online community of practice. ECHO exponentially increases access to specialty-level care in underserved areas by providing GPs with knowledge and support required to manage complex patients.  By moving knowledge, rather than moving patients, a GP-led model of care is delivered, and patients receive the right care, at the right place and right time. ECHO originated in New Mexico, and has been used to train providers in over 20 countries, for more than 50 conditions.  This is the first paediatric application of the ECHO model in Australasia. Target population and stakeholders : Stakeholders include patients, families, paediatricians, hospital executives and GPs. Children being served are those with diagnosed ADHD, aged 6-18, medically stable and with no significant comorbidities. Timeline : Each GP participates in a weekly videoconference-based 'teleECHO clinic', lasting 90 mins, for 10 weeks.  They may return to teleECHO clinics at any time in the future to seek advice on challenging patients with ADHD. Over 18 months, CHQ aims to train 60 GPs. Highlights : First paediatric ECHO implementation in Australasia. Participation of GPs from throughout Queensland. Evaluation shows ECHO training increases GP self-efficacy in managing children with ADHD Sustainability and transferability : An initial grant enabled the project team to undergo training in New Mexico, set up infrastructure, and employ expert panelists and support staff for 18 months.  Following this initial investment, ongoing costs are dramatically reduced.  ECHO-trained GPs become local 'experts' within their practices and go on to mentor colleagues and registrars.  Cost-effectiveness will be evaluated in 2018, but early results indicate future low ongoing costs can be offset by savings.  The ECHO model can be replicated for other common, complex conditions. Conclusions : CHQ has successfully launched Project ECHO to train GPs to manage children with ADHD.  Participating GPs have enjoyed being part of an online community of practice and have demonstrated increased self-efficacy at the completion of training.


Osteoid osteomas and osteoblastomas have similar histologic characteristics, although their clinical course in the spine may be significantly different. At the authors' institution, spinal osteoblastomas constituted 46% (30/65) of all osteoblastomas treated. Sixteen of the lesions occurred in the lumbar spine (53%), eight in the thoracic spine, and six in the cervical spine. In all regions of the spine, the posterior elements and pedicles were more frequently involved than the vertebral body. Twenty patients had pain or other symptoms for more than 12 months before diagnosis. Six of eight patients had thoracic lesions that demonstrated neurologic involvement. Twelve patients presented with painful scoliosis. Fourteen patients had lesions with well-circumscribed margins confined within the vertebral structure (Enneking Stage 2), and 16 had ill-defined margins with soft-tissue extension (Enneking Stage 3). Well-defined lesions were treated with curettage, with excellent results in 12 of 14 patients. The more extensive lesions were treated by intralesional excision (15/16) and adjuvant radiation therapy (9/16).


Veterans returning home after deployment and active military personnel have been members of a highly vulnerable population for whom trauma, suicide, domestic issues, substance abuse, crime, and homelessness have been complicating factors. Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has gained in popularity as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental illnesses Veterans experience. It has drawn attention from federal agencies, but the literature pertaining to the best and most effective techniques and practices is unclear or nonexistent. We conducted this study to (a) analyze licensed equine-assisted mental health therapists' (LMHT) observations regarding the relative efficacy of EAP in mitigating or eliminating PTSD symptoms in Veterans, and (b) help LMHTs adopt and implement a set of best practices with respect to EAP for U.S. Veterans who suffer from PTSD. We hoped the answers to both of those inquiries would improve understanding and practices associated with using EAP as a treatment for PTSD. The 31 LMHTs who participated reported that EAP worked best for PTSD (as a stand-alone therapy) when compared to 10 other mental health disorders. They did not think EAP worked as well for clients whose diagnosis included schizophrenia. Typically, sessions consisted of one client (although the size of the treatment group did not impact EAP's effectiveness). The sessions typically ran from one to two hours. We recommend the establishment of a clearing house that provides information on the relative effectiveness of different practices, and that other researchers examine the long-term effects of preferred treatments on Veterans.


Objective To assess risk factors of acute kidney injury in congenital cardiac disease following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass in children. Methods A 50% postoperative creatinine increase was regarded as the criterion of acute kidney injury. 124 children aged 3 years or little undergoing cardiac surgery were divided into three groups: (1) negative AKI (-); (2) AKI (+) with an increase in postoperative creatinine from 150% to 200%; and (3) AKI (++) with an increase in postoperative creatinine by more than 200%. Demographics, and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were evaluated for associations with AKI using univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results Several variables, including mortality, preoperative albumin and creatinine levels, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, and postoperative creatinine levels, were significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that three risk factors, age (OR, 0.962; 95% CI, 0.925 to 1.000; P = 0.046), intraoperative red blood cell transfusion (OR, 1.003; 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.005; P = 0.030), and cardiopulmonary bypass duration (OR, 1.024; 95% CI, 1.016 to 1.032; P = 0.000) were independently associated with AKI after cardiac surgery. Conclusions This study showed that younger age, incremental intraoperative red blood cell transfusion, and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass duration were independently associated with acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery. The type of congenital cardiac disease should be included in the analysis of acute kidney injury.


Little is known regarding the health care needs of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) deployed veterans seeking care outside of Veterans Affairs facilities. Responding to this gap, we conducted a mixed methods study of postdeployment health among veterans and members of their social networks in six community-based primary care clinics. A total of 347 patients completed a survey dealing with deployment to Iraq/Afghanistan (whether their own or that of a family member, friend, or coworker), and subsequent psychosocial and health problems. A subset of 52 participants responded to an open-ended question requesting additional information about experiences during and postdeployment. Content analysis of these responses revealed five overarching themes: connectedness, perceptions of conflict, consequences of deployment, health and treatment concerns, and respect and concern for service members/veterans. These data point to significant deployment-related disruptions in the well-being of service members and those in their broader social networks, with implications for defining service needs in community health settings.


Objective To compare the insulin infusion management of critically ill patients by nurses using either a common standard (ie, human completion of insulin infusion protocol steps) or smart agent (SA) system that integrates the electronic health record and infusion pump and automates insulin dose selection. Design A within subjects design where participants completed 12 simulation scenarios, in 4 blocks of 3 scenarios each. Each block was performed with either the manual standard or the SA system. The initial starting condition was randomised to manual standard or SA and alternated thereafter. Setting A simulation-based human factors evaluation conducted at a large academic medical centre. Subjects Twenty critical care nurses. Interventions A systems engineering intervention, the SA, for insulin infusion management. Measurements The primary study outcomes were error rates and task completion times. Secondary study outcomes were perceived workload, trust in automation and system usability, all measured with previously validated scales. Main results The SA system produced significantly fewer dose errors compared with manual calculation (17% (n=20) vs 0, p<0.001). Participants were significantly faster, completing the protocol using the SA system (p<0.001). Overall ratings of workload for the SA system were significantly lower than with the manual system (p<0.001). For trust ratings, there was a significant interaction between time (first or second exposure) and the system used, such that after their second exposure to the two systems, participants had significantly more trust in the SA system. Participants rated the usability of the SA system significantly higher than the manual system (p<0.001). Conclusions A systems engineering approach jointly optimised safety, efficiency and workload considerations.


A number of economic models have been designed to evaluate and analyse the Islamic banking system. However, less attention has been paid to macro model-building in an Islamic framework even though most of the Keynesian, Classical, and Neo-classical economic systems are compatible with the tenets of Islamic economics. In this paper an interest-free economic system is formulated in terms of the familiar Neo-classical macroeconomics models. Even though the rules of conduct for Muslims in an Islamic economic system are different from those in the non-Islamic economic systems, it is shown that the Islamic economic system does exhibit properties that are consistent, reasonable, and familiar. For example, under some reasonable simplifying assumptions, the model shows that savings and investment do not necessarily have to fall because of the institution of an Islamic economic system, as some economists suggest. These depend on the rate of return on mudarabah investment, just as they depend on the rate of return on investment (profits) in a credit-based economic system. These could be higher, lower, or remain the same relative to their levels in a credit-based economy under different conditions. The model also shows the impact of fiscal and monetary policies on the rate of inflation, the rate of return on mudarabah, and therefore on the investment demand. The model shows that, in general, an economic system based on Islamic principles is viable; it also provides unique solutions for income, employment, and prices.


In order to verify the fitting degree of whole vehicle simulation modeling and practical vibration, the transportation truck subsystem simulation models are established and the whole vehicle virtual model is assembled with ADAMS software based on multi-body dynamics theory and virtual prototyping. The documents of rural road are created in the MATLAB with harmonic superposition principle according to the description of pavements in different grades in the national standard. Through loading road documents, the obtained vibration spectrums are compared with the measured spectrums. The RMS(Root of Mean Square) of the virtual test inosculates basically with the RMS of practical running-in test in each test point by analyzing. It shows that the simulation experimental results have enough reliability and the established virtual prototyping can be used as a basis for structural design of vibration simulation system.


Background Death largely occurs in old age and there are large variations in the proportion of hospital deaths by Local Authorities (LAs) in England. In the period between 2007 and 2009 deaths occurring in hospital ranged between 43% and 75% with about 12% of LAs having less than 50% hospital deaths. Funnel plots are powerful tools that can be adapted for use in showing and understanding the variations in hospital deaths in English LAs. Aim To explore variations in proportion of hospital deaths in LAs by age of population. Methods Age specific mortality data relating to place of death were extracted from ONS mortality files for years 2007–2009. Hospital deaths as a proportion of all deaths in LAs were calculated and funnel plots were used to study variations by population size and by age. Results The proportions of LA deaths in hospital are overdispersed, with more LAs lying outside the control limits of the funnel plot than would be expected if the size of a LA were the only factor predicting hospital death. Factors such as social deprivation, demographics and local End of Life (EOL) care service configuration contribute to the overdispersion for example, some LAs provide specialist palliative care services within hospitals while others provide this service elsewhere. EOL care in less well organised LAs may result in people near the EOL being unnecessarily admitted to die in hospital. Conclusions Place to place comparison of hospital deaths reveals stack differences which must be understood to ensure equality of care.


On its surface, Japan's health system appears to be one of the world's best. The country provides universal access to health care and scores well on most public health metrics. For example, the Japanese have the longest life expectancy and among the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, and they lose significantly fewer potential life years to disease than do the citizens of almost any other country. And Japan consistently spends less on health care than most other developed countries do.

However, Japan's health system – like those in many other countries – is under severe stress. An increasing number of patients are finding it difficult to obtain the right care at the right time and place. The quality of care delivered varies markedly. Many of the cost-control measures the system has implemented have damaged its cost-effectiveness. The system's funding mechanisms are insufficient to meet rising costs, and given the current economic situation, the country has few good options for meeting the funding gap. As a result, the sustainability of Japan's health system is now in question, and decisive action is necessary.


This essay locates the recent wave of deportation raids carried out since 2005 by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in their historical context as a racialized system of social control The deportation terror imposed on immigrant communities by these raids is a crucial technology of the state. In the current historical moment, the word terror has been almost entirely defined by the homeland security state as a threat to the nation. A historical and comparative perspective on the experience of terror at the hands of this and other state formations now becomes particularly crucial. The central comparison in this essay links the deportations of the early cold war period, 1945–1960, with the current moment, characterized by the detention and deportation of foreign-born people, predominantly men, from the Middle East, North and East Africa, South and Southeast Asia after 9/11, and the immigration raids that have constituted a direct governmental response to the immigrant rights mobilizations of 2006–07. In both periods the mass deportations of primarily Mexican laborers accompany constitutionally questionable detention and deportation of the foreign born for reasons defined by the state as "political." Many political deportations target community leaders who represent foreign-born workers. These deportations render workers more vulnerable to exploitative work conditions and unconstitutional practices. In turn, the large sweeps focusing on immigrant workers have often been retribution for political organizing. The notion that these larger sweeps are market driven, rather than political, functions to define and divide foreign-born communities. The deportation of particular foreign-born individuals for reasons of their ideology during the early cold war, or in the case of the "Special Registration" Program implemented in 2002, their birth place or religion, is a component of a racial regime governing entrance and exit. Operative since the creation of the Border Patrol in 1924 and the resulting criminalization of border crossing, this racial regime includes the deportation of foreign-born workers and their families as well as, in some cases, citizens who are members of racialized communities.


Several routes to mixed-metal Bi-Ti species have been investigated. The inertness of bismuth alkoxides Bi(OR) 3 (R = Et, iPr) toward their titanium analogs could be overcome by controlled microhydrolysis of Bi alkoxides. The first mixed-metal species based on bismuth, BiTi 2 O(OiPr) 9 , has thus been isolated and structurally characterized. Coatings of Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 have been deposited on silicon wafers by using the gels derived from Ti and Bi 2-methoxyethoxides solutions.


The affirmation of neoliberalism on a global scale has led to significant transformations on how society is governed, with the innovative penetration of an economic rationality in every sphere of society. Such a rationality is anchored to the centrality of the homo œconomicus as a "form of life" extending itself well beyond the strictly economic space. It subsumes the public sphere and the political dimension through the pervasiveness of its governance. Although the commons have been in many respects indicated as the testing field for those political practices that aims to represent an alternative to the logic of the market and the state, the commons are not however completely unrelated to the dangers of being captured by neoliberal enterprise and subjectivation. This article intends to discuss whether the commons could represent a valid starting point for thinking about a new emancipatory dimension of politics as "politics of ourselves".


Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a poor prognosis cancer with an aggressive growth profile that is often diagnosed at late stage and that has few curative or therapeutic options. PDAC growth has been linked to alterations in the pancreas microbiome, which could include the presence of the fungus Malassezia. We used RNA-sequencing to compare 14 matched tumor and normal (tumor adjacent) pancreatic cancer samples and found Malassezia RNA in both the PDAC and normal tissues. Although the presence of Malassezia was not correlated with tumor growth, a set of immune- and inflammatory-related genes were up-regulated in the PDAC compared to the normal samples, suggesting that they are involved in tumor progression. Gene set enrichment analysis suggests that activation of the complement cascade pathway and inflammation could be involved in pro PDAC growth.


The fundamental objective of this work is to estimate the Relative Viable Fecundity as the number of phylosomes born alive during hatching of the spawn, per longitude of the cephalothorax per female, of Panulirus interruptus in Baja California, Mexico, under laboratory conditions, with goals for its application on the culturing of the specie. The zones of origin of the spawning females were: Bahia Todos Santos, Punta Baja and Isla de Cedros, Baja California, Mexico. From the females between 62.0–97.2 Lc (mm), an average of 224,402 live phylosomes were obtained up to 3 days after hatching. The Relative Viable Fecundity resulted between 900.1–6,922.8 phylosomes/Lc (mm), with a mean of 2 795 phylosomes/Lc (mm). The relationship between the cephalothorax length (mm) and the number of phylosomes resulted: Phylosomes = 0.0083 Lc (mm)3.9046; r2 = 0.615. The Relative Viable Fecundity estimated for this work resulted greater than that currently reported in the literature for Jasus edwardsii.


Alluding to the Theatrum Catoptricum described by Athanasius Kircher in Ars Magna Lucis at Umbrae (1646), this article aims to present glass and mirrors, not as mere objects or materials, but as perceptual and spatial devices, defining a technology of immersion. Imbued with a dazzling energy, mirrors and glass appear to defy both spatial logic and the logic of the eye, triggering new ways of observing, channelling and manipulating light, thus redefining the role played by the immaterial in the production and experience of space. With their framing, amplifying, multiplying or distorting qualities, mirrors and glass also entail a shift of emphasis away from materiality as a merely tectonic or expressive medium, towards matter as an activator and catalyst of effects and experiences.
Unravelling the magical force and transformative quality of glass and mirrors requires an inquisitive journey, spanning different disciplines as well as historical, socio-cultural and technological contexts. Reflecting the myriad effects and affects of mirrors and glass, a kaleidoscopic range of examples will establish multidirectional dialogues. Although from different eras, the selected works, each one a 'catoptric theatre,' will provide the opportunity, not only to reimagine spatial relationships and boundaries, but also to decode the essence of atmospheric staging, suggesting a material pre-history to contemporary concerns for atmosphere and its production. From the enchanting effects of the Baroque Gallery of (fragmented) Mirrors at Villa Palagonia in Bagheria, via Sir John Soane's unprecedented use of tinted glass and mirrors in his House-Museum in London, to the twentieth century light modulating machines of László Moholy-Nagy, Adolf Luther's kaleidoscopic assemblages, and twentieth-century architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's belief in the performative nature of glass, the reader will discover multiplicities of meanings and ambiguities of reflections, exploring their atmospheric potentiality.


ABSTRACT.
 We studied herbivory by the desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida) on Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) in the Mojave Desert to determine whether N. lepida fed selectively based on leaf nitrogen content. We measured leaf nitrogen content and the location and amount of herbivory by woodrats on Y. brevifolia trees in southwestern Utah, USA. Neotoma lepida removed the outer tips of leaves (⅓ to ⅔ of total leaf length) but left leaf bases, which had lower nitrogen content, uneaten. Herbivory by N. lepida also was concentrated on rosettes that were oriented south, and these had significantly higher nitrogen content than rosettes that were oriented north. Finally, N. lepida fed more on trees that had higher mean leaf nitrogen contents. Thus, N. lepida selectively foraged among leaf parts, among rosettes of leaves, and among trees of Y. brevifolia, and disproportionate foraging was correlated with nitrogen content of leaves.


OBJECTIVE
Resection and disconnection surgeries for epilepsy in the pediatric demographic (patients ≤ 18 years of age) are two separate, definitive intervention options in medically refractory cases. Questions remain regarding the role of surgery when seizures persist after an initial incomplete surgery. The aim of this study was to review the contemporary literature and summarize the metadata on the outcomes of repeat surgery in this specific demographic.

METHODS
Searches of seven electronic databases from inception to July 2022 were conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened using prespecified criteria. Metadata from the articles were abstracted and pooled by random-effects meta-analysis of proportions.

RESULTS
Eleven studies describing 12 cohorts satisfied all criteria, reporting outcomes of 170 pediatric patients with epilepsy who underwent repeat resection or disconnection surgery. Of these patients, 55% were male, and across all studies, median ages at initial and repeat surgeries were 7.2 and 9.4 years, respectively. The median follow-up duration after repeat surgery was 47.7 months. The most commonly reported etiology for epilepsy was cortical dysplasia. Overall, the estimated incidence of complete seizure freedom (Engel class I) following repeat surgery was 48% (95% CI 40%-56%, p value for heterogeneity = 0.93), and the estimated incidence of postoperative complications following repeat surgery was 25% (95% CI 12%-39%, p = 0.04). There were six cohorts each that described outcomes for repeat resection and repeat disconnection surgeries. There was no statistical difference between these two subgroups with respect to estimated incidence of complete seizure freedom (p value for interaction = 0.92), but postoperative complications were statistically more common following repeat resection (p ≤ 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
For both resection and disconnection surgeries, repeat epilepsy surgery in children is likely to confer complete seizure freedom in approximately half of the patients who experience unsuccessful initial incomplete epilepsy surgery. More data are needed to elucidate the impact on efficacy based on surgical approach selection. Judicious discussion and planning between the patient, family, and a multidisciplinary team of epilepsy specialists is recommended to optimize expectations and outcomes in this setting.


The Malaysian Psoriasis Registry, established in 1998, is the first skin disease clinical registry in Malaysia. It aims to provide useful data on various aspects of psoriasis. Following an extensive revision of the registry form in 2007, a total of 509 psoriasis patients from 10 government dermatologic centres were reviewed in a three month pilot study. The onset of psoriasis was during the second to fourth decade of life in the majority of patients. There was no sexual and ethnic predilection. A positive family history was present in 21.2%, and more common in patients with younger disease onset. The main aggravating factors of psoriasis were stress, sunlight and infection. Plaque psoriasis was the commonest clinical type (80.9%). Joint disease was present in 17.3% of patients, among which mono-/oligoarticular type being the commonest. Nail changes occurred in 68%. More psoriasis patients were overweight and obese compared to the normal population. The mean Dermatologic Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was 8.08 +/- 6.29, and changes during subsequent follow-up may reflect therapeutic effectiveness. This study enabled evaluation of the revised registry form and helped in identifying shortcomings in the implementation of the registry.


The situation on several German real estate markets today is characterised by high vacancy rates, more intensive competition and increasingly exchangeable offers. Especially on office space markets the situation is still tense and market participants anticipate the high vacancy rates to remain a long-term problem due to the stagnating job market. Against this background it is today more important than ever for project developers to excite public attention, to identify target group oriented positioning characteristics of the object and to create an individual customeris benefit. In this context real estate branding gains in importance as can attach a unique and customer oriented image and brand to the object. Whether a customer buys a consumer good or buys/leases office space, it is always a bundle of attributes that come along with a certain product. As consumer goods industry generally focuses on emotional attributes when marketing their products, real estate industry solely concentrates on hard facts. This hidden potential has not yet been tapped successfully but bares several opportunities for real estate developers and investors. The aim of this paper is to make a contribution to the field of real estate marketing by providing a guideline for the strategic creation of real estate brands. Therefore, the functions of a brand from a useris perspective, postulated by the classical marketing theory, are being defined and the transferability of these functions to real estate is being analysed. Taking the previously elaborated findings into account, we determine the circumstances under which a corporate or real estate brand should be created from a developeris perspective. Finally, we present a strategic approach towards building a real estate brand and its retention in the corporation.


In information systems, most research on knowledge management assumes that knowledge has positive implications for organizations. However, knowledge is a double-edged sword: while too little might result in expensive mistakes, too much might result in unwanted accountability. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the lack of attention paid to the unintended consequences of managing organizational knowledge and thereby to broaden the scope of IS-based knowledge management research. To this end, this paper analyzes the IS literature on knowledge management. Using a framework developed by Deetz (1996), research articles published between 1990 and 2000 in six IS journals are classified into one of four scientific discourses. These discourses are the normative, the interpretive, the critical, and the dialogic. For each of these discourses, we identify the research focus, the metaphors of knowledge, the theoretical foundations, and the implications apparent in the articles representing it. The metaphors of knowledge that emerge from this analysis are knowledge as object, asset, mind, commodity, and discipline. Furthermore, we present a paper that is exemplary of each discourse. Our objective with this analysis is to raise IS researchers' awareness of the potential and the implications of the different discourses in the study of knowledge and knowledge management.


Purpose There is a lack of scholarly reports on pediatric emergency department (PED) exposure to hyperbilirubinemia. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of hyperbilirubinemia in patients presenting to a PED over a three-year period. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study, completed at an urban quaternary academic PED. Patients were included if they presented to the PED from 2010 to 2012, were 0 to 18 years in age, and had an elevated serum bilirubin for age. A chart review was completed to determine the incidence of hyperbilirubinemia, etiology, diagnostic work up and prognosis. The data set was stratified into four age ranges. Results We identified 1,534 visits where a patient was found to have hyperbilirubinemia (0.8% of all visits). In 47.7% of patients hyperbilirubinemia was determined to have arisen from an identifiable pathologic etiology (0.38% of all visits). First-time diagnosis of pathologic hyperbilirubinemia occurred in 14% of hyperbilirubinemia visits (0.11% of all visits). There were varying etiologies of hyperbilirubinemia across age groups but a male predominance in all (55.0%). 15 patients went on to have a liver transplant and 20 patients died. First-time pathologic hyperbilirubinemia patients had a mortality rate of 0.95% for their initial hospitalization. Conclusion Hyperbilirubinemia was not a common presentation to the PED and a minority of cases were pathologic in etiology. The etiologies of hyperbilirubinemia varied across each of our study age groups. A new discovery of pathologic hyperbilirubinemia and progression to liver transplant or death during the initial presentation was extremely rare.


INTRODUCTION
The number of people with dementia (PwD) dying in long-term care (LTC) settings is expected to increase. However, effective care strategies to promote a good death for PwD remain unclear. This study aimed to explore nurses' perceptions of a good death for PwD in LTC settings for older adults.

METHODS
Interviews were conducted with 19 nurses providing end-of-life care in LTC settings for older adults in Japan. The transcribed texts were analysed using inductive content analysis.

RESULTS
We identified two themes: (1) ambiguity and (2) preparedness. Participants perceived that there was ambiguity regarding a good death for PwD and emphasised the need for preparedness of those around PwD for a good death. Five categories represented preparedness: (a) reaffirming the original personality before dementia; (b) respecting that PwD change; (c) interpreting and fulfilling obscure desires, feelings, and sensations; (d) providing care consistent with an agreed-upon natural death process; and (e) maintaining relationships.

CONCLUSION
Long-term care nurses should encourage families and multidisciplinary team members, including the nurses themselves, to prepare for a good death of the PwD. Future research should focus on healthcare professionals' perspectives on advance care planning in the early stages of dementia, as well as the perceptions of PwD, their family members and other healthcare professionals regarding the natural death process.


THERE has been some controversy regarding the proper management of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) since 1950. 1 During this period, the treatment of choice has made a complete cycle. Initially, splenectomy was the only modality of treatment which produced a reasonable percentage of lasting remissions. Because of low remission rates in the 50% to 60% range, and because of the rather high mortality and morbidity of the procedure, the medical profession wished to find a more effective method of treatment. The discovery of the therapeutic benefits of corticosteroids in autoimmune disorders provided a possible solution. For several years steroids enjoyed popularity as the treatment of choice, and splenectomy was reserved only for those patients in whom long-term medical management failed. Unfortunately, prolonged remission rates with steroids were no higher than 35% to 50%. 2 In addition, the undesirable complications of long-term steroid therapy, namely, acne, osteoporosis, peptic ulceration, moon


Purpose Physicians must quickly evaluate stroke patients to determine if they're eligible for time-sensitive treatment and prompt diagnosis and treatment of cerebral stroke patients are essential to their recovery. With the increasing demand for such management of stroke, telemedicine's role of coordinating timely the efforts of a stroke team became important. We developed "i-Stroke" system in Japan to access rapidly diagnostic images and clinical information. Methods This system was made on the basis of transferring patient data, images and movie (Angio and/or Operating room) between hospital systems and participating medical staffs in and out of the hospital, through their standard, currently utilized mobile devices (iPhone, Andorid). The system is able to transfer clinical data, CT, MR, echo, angiographic and intraoperative images and expert opinion in real time. It provides also tools for management of diagnostic and treatment information, even such as simple calculation of appropriate drug dosage, modified Rankin Scale and perfusion diffusion mismatch. Results A pilot application of the system in our hospital showed adequate performance and proper information transfer, resulting in proper diagnosis and management of all stroke patients. The i-Stroke system was introduced at our institution in August 2010, for communication with our affiliated hospitals and over 100 "i-stroke" call were initiated until the end of February 2012. Conclusions The "i-stroke" system proved to be efficient for appropriate standard management in most time demanding treatments of stroke. It is our belief that adoption of this software with handheld terminals will make it possible to help and save the lives of more patients who suffer cerebral stroke. Competing interests H Takao: FUJIFILM Co. Ltd. Y Murayama: FUJIFILM Co. Ltd. T Ishibashi: None. I Yuki: None. K Karagiozov: None. T Abe: None.Abstract O-034 Figure 1Abstract O-034 Figure 2


The anti-arrhythmic properties of the cx-adrenoceptor blocking drug indoramin were compared with the effect of disopyramide and placebo in a randomised, single-blind, cross-over study. Two doses of indoramin were tested, 25 mg and 50 mg and the dose of disopyramide was 150 mg. All treatments were administered three times daily. Forty patients with benign ventricular arrhythmia were studied. 3 Assessment was by 24 h ambulatory electrocardiography at entry and at the end of each 2 week treatment period. Indoramin was found to have a significant anti-arrhythmic effect compared with placebo, but only at the higher dose tested. The anti-arrhythmic effect was less than that achieved with disopyramide. The mechanism for this anti-arrhythmic effect is unknown but these results suggest that a-adrenoceptor blockade may merit further attention as an anti-arrhythmic treatment.


Atmospheric blocking is known to be related to locally developed abnormal climate of the Korean Peninsula, such as heat and cold waves. However, little attention has been devoted to the effects of blocking on the fine dust concentration over Korea. In this study, we analyze the connection between the monthly frequency of blocking occurrence and high particulate matter smaller than 10 μm in diameter (PM10) concentration events in Korea. Our analyses are limited to winter (DJF) and spring (MAM) when both the blocking and high PM10 events tend to take place most frequently. During winter, significant and positive correlations are found in the North Pacific, while significantly negative values are seen over Ural-Siberia. A high PM10 concentration tends to be accompanied by negative (positive) pressure anomalies over Siberia (North Pacific). However, while examining atmospheric fields associated with the high PM10 events, we find that the high PM10 events show two different types of atmospheric fields depending on the strength of wind speed over Korea. When the local wind speed over Korea is weaker than normal, the connection with the North Pacific blocking is strengthened, whereas, the connection with the Ural-Siberia blocking is enhanced when the wind speed is stronger than normal. However, to increase the occurrence of the high PM10 events, both types feature a strong meridional pressure gradient caused by a high pressure system forming over Siberia. This is accompanied by a strong upper tropospheric zonal wind from China and Mongolia to Korea.


Background Overuse of antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is a growing threat to human health worldwide. Previous work suggests a link between antimicrobial use in poultry and human AMR extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (E coli) urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, few US-based studies exist, and none have comprehensively assessed both foodborne and environmental pathways using advanced molecular and spatial epidemiologic methods in a quasi-experimental design. Recently, California enacted Senate Bill 27 (SB27), which changed previous policy to require a veterinarian's prescription for the use of antibiotic drugs, and which banned antibiotic use for disease prevention in livestock. This provided an opportunity to evaluate whether SB27 will result in a reduction in antimicrobial-resistant infections in humans. Objective We describe in detail the methods implemented to achieve the overarching objective of this study to evaluate the impact of SB27 on downstream antibiotic resistance rates in human UTIs. Methods A summary of the overall approach and the partnerships between Columbia University, George Washington University (GWU), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) Research and Evaluation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sanger Institute at Stanford University, Sutter Health Center for Health Systems Research, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford is presented. The collection, quality control testing, and shipment of retail meat and clinical samples are described. Retail meat (chicken, beef, turkey, and pork) was purchased from stores throughout Southern California from 2017 to 2021. After processing at KPSC, it was shipped to GWU for testing. From 2016 to 2021, after clinical specimens were processed for routine clinical purposes and immediately before discarding, those with isolated colonies of E coli, Campylobacter, and Salmonella from KPSC members were collected and processed to be shipped for testing at GWU. Detailed methods of the isolation and testing as well as the whole-genome sequencing of the meat and clinical samples at GWU are described. KPSC electronic health record data were used to track UTI cases and AMR patterns among the cultured specimens. Similarly, Sutter Health electronic health record data were used to track UTI cases in its Northern California patient population. Results From 2017 to 2021, overall, 12,616 retail meat samples were purchased from 472 unique stores across Southern California. In addition, 31,643 positive clinical cultures were collected from KPSC members during the same study period. Conclusions Here, we presented data collection methods for the study, which was conducted to evaluate the impact of SB27 on downstream antibiotic resistance rates in human UTI. To date, it is one of the largest studies of its kind to be conducted. The data collected during this study will be used as the foundation for future analyses specific to the various objectives of this large body of work. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/45109


Since financial markets react to news very quickly it is necessary to react even quicker in order to make money. Normal text data has very high dimensionality and reducing the number of features needed to classify a document reduces the time needed to do so. This thesis looks at a way to reduce the feature space by use of Conditional Random Fields. To do this, a new data set is made using mandatory stock messages released to the Oslo Stock Exchange. The messages are combined with financial data on all trades completed in a three-year period. A Conditional Random Field is trained on the textual data and used to extract important features. The features are then used to train a Support Vector Machine classifier and a Random Forest classifier. Both are evaluated against using all features and using randomly selected features. The thesis find that reducing the number of features results in a 4 percentage point reduction in accuracy and a 81,25 reduction in run time. We conclude that it is possible to reduce the feature space without significant reduction in accuracy. We also conclude that using this method is not good enough for making a significant profit on the financial market. This is consistent with earlier work on feature reduction.


Obesity accounts for a substantial and growing burden of global disease, leading to high morbidity and mortality in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy as heat and has been proposed as a therapeutic target to combat obesity. The unique thermogenic capacity of BAT is primarily conferred by uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) , which dissipates energy by uncoupling the proton motive force from ATP generation. To identify novel transcriptional regulators of Ucp1, we performed an unbiased CRISPR/Cas9-based chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (enChIP) and identified H2A.Z as a novel trans-acting factor recruited to the promoter and enhancer of Ucp1 by β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) stimulation. H2A.Z is an essential and evolutionary conserved histone variant of the canonical histone H2A. Knockdown of H2A.Z in brown adipocytes led to lower β3-AR-induced Ucp1 level and impeded the expression of other known thermogenic genes (e.g., Cidea, Pgc1a) , leading to impaired cellular thermogenesis. Mechanistically, by profiling the genome-wide distribution of H2A.Z via ChIP-seq, we observed H2A.Z was enriched at promoter and enhancer of Ucp1 upon β3-AR stimulation, which is consistent with the enChIP result. Intriguingly, we found that the average occupancy of H2A.Z in the promoter and enhancer regions of other β3-AR-upregulated genes (e.g., Zfp516, Vdr, Pck1, Gys2) was also higher than that in non-stimulated condition, indicating a global regulatory role of H2A.Z in the thermogenic program in response to β3-AR stimulation. Additionally, in the enhancer regions of β3-AR-induced genes, we also detected an increased level of H2A.Z acetylation, which is a mark of active chromatin and confers an open chromatin conformation. Taken together, these findings reveal the essential role of H2A.Z-mediated chromatin organization in BAT thermogenic function.

 Y.Zhang: None. R.Zheng: None. C.Wang: None. J.Darcy: None. K.Chen: None. Y.Tseng: Consultant; Cellarity.

 National Institutes of Health (R01DK102898)


Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has revolutionized surgical management of patients with empyema. Thoracoscopic management of empyema includes VATS debridement and decortication. VATS debridement has been employed by many centres as the primary treatment option for early-stage empyema.
Objective: To evaluate the outcome of VATS over open thoracotomy.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of Thoracic Surgery of Combined Military Hospital Dhaka from 01 January 2017 to 30 May 2018 among 30 patients (20 patients underwent VATS and 10 patients underwent open decortication/OD). The results were viewed with respect to baseline characteristics, preoperative management, operative and postoperative course.
Results: Operative time and median in-hospital length of stay were shorter for the VATS group: 128 vs 140 minutes (p < .001), and 14 vs 11 days (p .03), respectively. The median postoperative length of stay was 12 days for the VATS group vs15 days for the OD group (p < .001). Complications after Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery is less like prolonged air leakage, infection and atelectasis.
Conclusions: VATS decortications for empyema thoracis, complex effusion, haemothorax yields better results than open decortications. Patients treated with VATS have less postoperative complications. VATS debridement and decortication is safe and effective treatment in the management of empyema thoracis.
JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 18, No 1 (June) 2022: 19-22


Abstract. Mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet is the main source
of uncertainty in projections of future sea-level rise, with important
implications for coastal regions worldwide. Central to ongoing and future
changes is the marine ice sheet instability: once a critical threshold, or
tipping point, is crossed, ice internal dynamics can drive a self-sustaining
retreat committing a glacier to irreversible, rapid and substantial ice
loss. This process might have already been triggered in the Amundsen Sea
region, where Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers dominate the current mass
loss from Antarctica, but modelling and observational techniques have not
been able to establish this rigorously, leading to divergent views on the
future mass loss of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Here, we aim at closing
this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic investigation of the stability
regime of Pine Island Glacier. To this end we show that early warning
indicators in model simulations robustly detect the onset of the marine ice
sheet instability. We are thereby able to identify three distinct tipping
points in response to increases in ocean-induced melt. The third and final
event, triggered by an ocean warming of approximately 1.2 ∘C from
the steady-state model configuration, leads to a retreat of the entire
glacier that could initiate a collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.


Access to Web Services via Web front-ends provides all the advantages related to browser-based thin clients and is therefore a common setting. However, providing end-to-end security between Web browsers and Web Services is currently not feasible due to the inadequate support for Web Service Security in Web browsers. Moreover, the current SOAP APIs offered by the major browsers are incompatible with one another making the task of providing a uniform solution to address this problem difficult. This paper describes a method by which the Web Service communication between a Web browser and a Web Service is protected end-to-end using Web Service Security thereby providing a means to overcome this limitation.