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PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility of employing telemedicine consultations in the evaluation of recovered donor corneas for transplant suitability. METHODS: This study aims to establish and test the minimum imaging requirements for telemedical consultations of corneal tissue by remote eye bank medical directors. Digital images from the slit lamp, optical coherence tomography, and/or specular microscope were assembled into telemedical consults and emailed to 4 eye bank medical directors (MAT, JW, CSS, NKR). Surgeon feedback on the minimum image requirements for each corneal finding was collected. After establishing a standardized imaging and presentation protocol, test cases were presented to the medical directors to examine the validity of these remote consults. To establish a benchmark for the study’s parameters, one medical director (JW) examined each case in-person after his initial remote review. Examiners were masked to each other’s responses. RESULTS: Minimum image requirements for determination of corneal findings were defined and were specific to each anatomic layer of the cornea (epithelial, stromal, or endothelial). Using a defined set of digital images for a set of common corneal findings, the rate of agreement between remote evaluators, eye bank staff, and the in-person evaluator was 100% (11 out of 11 examples). For ambiguous test cases, all remote evaluators agreed on 80% of the cases (4 out of 5). CONCLUSIONS: Results from this pilot study suggest that telemedical review of corneal tissue using high quality digital images may be adequate for accurate identification of specific corneal findings commonly encountered by eye banks.

PURPOSE To compare tissue evaluation times and specular image quality before and after the implementation of rapid tissue warming at a single eye bank. METHODS This retrospective study compares the evaluation of 494 donor corneas. All corneas were stored in Optisol-GS. Group 1 contained 247 corneas evaluated immediately before implementation of a tissue incubator and tissue warming protocol. Group 2 contained 247 corneas evaluated immediately after implementation. Total evaluation times (including specular microscopy, optical coherence tomography for corneal thickness measurements, and 2 slit-lamp examinations) were calculated and compared. Representative specular images of donor corneas were rated and compared using a previously described scale by 2 masked readers. RESULTS Donor tissue characteristics were not significantly different between both groups (age, P = 0.87; sex, P = 0.93; endothelial cell densities, P = 0.47; and death-to-preservation times, P = 0.18). The mean total evaluation time for group 2 corneas was ∼3 hours, with 97% (201/208) of evaluations completed on the same day. In contrast, only 73% (164/225) of corneas from group 1 were completely evaluated in 1 day, and the mean evaluation time for those corneas was ∼4.25 hours (P < 0.01). Specular images of corneas from group 2 were rated 1 grade higher, on average, than those from group 1 (n = 247 in each group, P < 0.01). Furthermore, 71% of specular images from group 2 were categorized as "good" or "excellent" quality, whereas only 30% of corneas from group 1 received those ratings. CONCLUSIONS Rapid tissue warming cuts down on tissue evaluation time and reduces the time donor corneas are out of cold storage. Better specular images were obtained after implementation of the rapid warming protocol.

PURPOSE To determine whether warming donor corneas to near-physiological temperatures can safely shorten warming times while providing high-quality specular images during tissue evaluation. METHODS Mated corneas were warmed at room temperature (RT) or at 35°C for 4 hours upon removal from cold storage. Specular images and endothelial cell densities were acquired and rated every hour. Additional mated corneas were subjected to 2 rounds of 4-hour incubation at either RT or 35°C. Endothelial cell loss (ECL) was quantified 14 days after the initial incubation using Calcein-acetoxymethyl (Calcein-AM) and FIJI trainable segmentation. Cultures inoculated with common ocular pathogens were subjected to 2 warming cycles at RT for 4 hours or 35°C for 2 hours. Colony counts were taken over the course of 2 weeks after inoculation. RESULTS Specular image quality ratings were consistently higher for corneas warmed at 35°C compared with those at RT. Image quality ratings for corneas warmed at 35°C for 1.5 hours were higher than corneas warmed at RT for 4 hours (P = 0.04). No differences in ECL were observed between the 2 warming conditions (RT = 13.1% ± 7.6% ECL, 35°C = 13.9% ± 6% ECL, P = 0.75). There was no difference in colony counts for pathogens tested between the 2 warming conditions. CONCLUSIONS Warming donor corneas to near-physiological temperatures for a short time can increase specular image quality while reducing the time tissues are unrefrigerated at eye banks. This method allows for more efficient specular imaging without inducing additional ECL or increasing pathogen growth.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to respond to calls for higher education institutions to address sustainability within the curriculum. Institutions that aim to graduate citizens with prescribed attributes relevant to sustainability may need to develop teaching and learning support‐programmes appropriate to the varied nature of students' worldviews.Design/methodology/approachThe research described here used the NEP (Revised New Ecological Paradigm) and statistical cluster‐analysis to explore if individuals within cohorts of students could reasonably be clustered into subgroups with identified sustainability attributes relevant to the design of learner‐support programmes.FindingsAll seven programme cohorts in one institution's annual intake clustered into three subgroups with identifiable attributes.Practical implicationsThe results are discussed in relation to how post‐compulsory education institutions can define the sustainability characteristics of their students and to the pedagogic literature that addresses diversity in student groups.Originality/valueThe approach may help higher education institutions better understand the needs of individual students within large groups and to develop appropriate support programmes for students with similar attributes and needs.

En lagändring trädde i kraft i plan- och bygglagen den 1 januari 2015 för att förenkla och effektivisera detaljplaneprocessen. Lagändringen innefattade en ny roll för lantmäterimyndigheten i planprocessen samt nya regler för exploateringsavtal. Studiens syfte var att beskriva hur samverkan mellan kommun, lantmäterimyndighet och exploatör fungerar gällande exploateringsavtal samt hur lagändringen i plan- och bygglagen angående exploateringsavtal påverkat dessa parter. För att besvara studiens frågeställningar sändes en webbenkät till Sveriges alla kommuner för att erhålla en överskådlig bild av lagändringens påverkan över landet. Det genomfördes även semistrukturerade telefonintervjuer i fem kommuner med antagna riktlinjer för exploateringsavtal. Exploateringsingenjörer, lantmäterichefer och exploatörer intervjuades för att erhålla olika perspektiv på samverkan och hur lagändringen påverkat dessa parter. Studiens resultat visade att förhandlingen mellan kommun och exploatör gällande exploateringsavtal har påbörjats tidigare i processen efter lagändringen i plan- och bygglagen. Kommunen måste även efter lagändringen betala ersättning när de tar mark i anspråk för allmän plats. Lantmäterimyndighetens mer aktiva roll har bidragit till att oklarheter och brister kan korrigeras i exploateringsavtalen. Emellertid har det gått för kort tid för att helt kunna avgöra vad lantmäterimyndighetens roll bidragit till i exploateringsavtalen. Exploatörerna har fått större möjligheter att påverka exploateringsavtalen. Samarbetet mellan kommun, lantmäterimyndighet och exploatör har blivit tydligare och till viss del förbättrats, men i det stora hela är uppfattningen att samarbetet är oförändrat. På sikt finns det möjlighet till en förbättring. On January 1st 2015 an amendment passed in the Planning and Building Act in order to simplify and rationalize the detailed development plan process. The amendment includes a new part for cadastral authority in the plan process and new rules for development agreement. The municipalities should adopt guidelines for these agreements. The aim of this study was to describe how the collaboration between municipality, cadastral authority and developer works when it comes to development agreement and how the amendment in the Planning and Building Act concerning the development agreement has affected these participants. To answer the thesis a web survey was sent to all municipalities in Sweden to get an overview of how the amendment has influenced the country. Semi-structured telephone interviews were also performed in five municipalities that have adopted guidelines for the development agreements. The interviews were performed with land development engineers, cadastral supervisors and developers to receive their perspective of the collaboration and how the amendment has affected them. The results of the study have shown that negotiations have started earlier between municipalities and developers after the amendment in the Planning and Building Act passed. The municipalities also need to pay compensation when they take land for public places after the amendment. The cadastral authority’s more active part has contributed to assure that ambiguities and shortcomings might be solved in the development agreement. However, it is still too early to tell what the cadastral authorities part has contributed in the development agreements. The developer has got a major opportunity to influence the development agreements. The collaboration between municipalities, cadastral authorities and developers has become clearer and improved but overall it is unchanged. There are opportunities for improvement in the long term.

Higher education institutions are interested in the impact that they and concurrent life experiences may have on students’ sustainability attitudes, but they lack formal processes to monitor changes. We used the NEP to monitor changes in students’ ecological worldviews. We were interested in what variation there would be in a multidisciplinary group, if the NEP could detect changes in students’ ecological worldviews over a limited time period, and to learn more about the NEP and its use. We conclude that the NEP is a valuable research instrument for this study and that monitoring students’ attitudes is a worthwhile precursor to debating the issues institutionally.

A survey was developed to benchmark the affective sustainability characteristics of an incoming cohort of students in a Polytechnic in New Zealand, with the intention to monitor changes in these attributes as the students experience higher education over subsequent years. The survey contained a number of research instruments as we were interested in exploring how best to record these attributes. This article reports on the comparative efficacy of four of these instruments in describing the affective characteristics of the students. All the instruments depended on respondents’ self‐reporting in the absence of researchers or interviewers. The results do encourage us to have some confidence that students’ sustainability characteristics may be researched using a variety of survey‐based research instruments, and particular confidence in ongoing use of the Revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale.

This study assessed the impact of morning fasting periods on strip-grazed beef heifers with afternoon herbage allocation, evaluating evening eating, rumination, and idling time, bite rate, ADG, change in BCS, and estimating daily herbage DMI. Treatments were afternoon herbage allocation (1430 h) with or without morning fasting (9 h). A behavioral and a performance experiment were simultaneously conducted. In the behavioral experiment, 8 heifers strip-grazed Lolium multiflorum Lam. pastures in a crossover design. Behavior was recorded every 2 min from 0630 to 1830 h. During the evening (1430 to1830 h), bite rate was measured in each grazing bout. In the performance experiment, 58 heifers were randomized across treatments and strip-grazed over 14 wk in a complete randomized design. Every 2 wk the heifers were weighed, BCS was evaluated, and DMI was estimated. Behavior and DMI were tested by ANOVA. Performance was analyzed as repeated measurements in time. Fasting tended (P = 0.10) to increase (20 min) the evening eating and reduce (P = 0.09) idling times (16 min), and rumination time was 0 min for both treatments. Bite rate increased (P = 0.01) for fasting compared with nonfasting (54 vs. 62 bites per min). Treatment did not affect ADG (0.66 kg/d; P = 0.88), change in BCS (0.0135; P = 0.77) and DMI (4.43 kg; P = 0.19). Morning fasting generates longer and more intense evening grazing bouts, increasing the DMI of higher nutritive herbage, making cattle perform equally in shorter grazing sessions.

It is common practice to use Cox-Snell residuals to check for overall goodness of tin survival models. We evaluate the presumed relation of unit exponentially dis-tributed residuals for a good model t and evaluate under some violations of themodel. This is done graphically with the usual graphs of Cox-Snell residual andformally using Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness of t test. It is observed that residu-als from a correctly tted model follow unit exponential distribution. However, theCox-Snell residuals do not seem to be sensitive to the violations of the model.

Det finns få studier kring hur organisationer gör när de sätter sina priser på tjänster, därför är det aktuellt med en studie kring just detta. Samtidigt finns det alltjämt ett växande intresse och en ökad uppmärksamhet kring olika och nya hälsotrender med olika dieter och träningsformer, där allt fler väljer att bli medlemmar vid olika gymanläggningar. Därför har denna uppsats följande problemformuleringar: Vad karaktäriserar strategier och prissättningsprocesser hos lokala gym? Vilka prismodeller tillämpas och hur bidrar de till att realisera strategi och mål? Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur lokala gym går till väga när de sätter sina priser, hur priserna i sin tur påverkar verksamheten och hur de bidrar till att realisera sina strategier. Detta genom att i denna uppsats använda oss av semistrukturerade intervjuer för att undersöka och jämföra två gym i Visby. Ett gym med ett klassiskt koncept, i det här fallet Gym1, jämförs med ett fitnesscenter, Form Visborg, som har ett modernt koncept som följer de nya trenderna med stor variation av träning och utbud. För att svara på frågeställningarna används prismodell-equalizer, som är ett verktyg för att se vad i ett erbjudande företag tar betalt för. För att få förståelse för strategier används teorier som Porter och Mintzberg tagit fram, bland annat basstrategierna; differentiering, kostnadsledarskap och fokusering. För att sätta priser kan prissättningsmål och prissättningspolicys användas samtidigt som företagets varumärke och rykte kan påverka vilket pris ett tjänsteföretag sätter. I analysen har det bland annat framkommit att det finns möjlighet för de båda gymmen att ändra sin prisformel för sina årskort, från att ta en fast avgift till en lägre fast avgift plus anpassa avgiften efter hur mycket kunden tränar. Detta för att gymmen då får möjlighet till att locka priskänsliga kunder samtidigt som de säkerställer en viss intäkt. Slutsatserna vi dragit är att det mindre gymmet inte har utarbetade strategier och mål på samma sätt som det större gymmet. Vi kan även se att det som ingår i deras olika prismodeller varierar. Variationerna gäller mellan olika träningskort hos respektive gym men det finns också skillnader gymmen emellan. Vi har även kommit fram till att det finns möjlighet till att vidareutveckla prismodell-equalizern där ett reglage går från fasta steg till en glidande skala. There are few studies on how organizations do when they set their prices for services, so it is up to date with a study of just that. Meanwhile, there is still a growing interest and increased attention to different and new health trends with different diets and exercises, where more and more choose to become members at different gym facilities. Therefore this paper asks the following questions: What characterizes strategies and pricing processes at the local gyms? Which pricing model applies and how do they contribute to the realization of the strategy and goals? The purpose of this paper is to examine how local gyms go about setting prices, how prices affect the business and how they help to realize their strategies. This, in this paper makes use of semi-structured interviews to examine and compare the two gyms in Visby. A gym with a more classic concept, in this case Gym1, compared with a fitness center, Form Visborg, which has a modern concept that follows the new trends with great variety of training and selection. To answer our questions we used pricing model equalizer, which is a tool to see what in an offer companies charge for. To get an understanding of strategies we used theories Porter and Mintzberg developed, including base strategies; differentiation, cost leadership and focus. To set prices may pricing goals and pricing policies be used while the company's brand and reputation can influence what price the service companies set. The analysis has revealed that there is an opportunity for the two gyms to change their price formula for their season tickets, from taking a fixed rate to a lower fixed fee plus customize fee based on how much the customer training. This is to gyms as an opportunity to attract price-sensitive customers while ensuring certain revenue. The conclusions we have drawn is that the smaller gym have not developed strategies and goals in the same way as the larger gym. We can also see that what’s included in their various pricing models vary. The variation applies between their different training cards of the respective gym but there are also differences between the gyms. We have also come to the conclusion that there is an opportunity to further develop price model equalizer in which a slider goes from solid steps to a sliding scale.

In this study, a contribution has been made to distribution areas for Sicyos angulatusL. as A7 Trabzon: Yomra, A8 Trabzon Araklı, Of and Çaykara in addition to the A8 Artvin: Borçka have been determined previously. Detailed Morphological measurements were presented. Also, key of genus of Cucurbitaceaehas been ordered and given in English.

In this paper, we explore from an experimental point of view the possibilities and limitations of the new HYCGE learning algorithm for hybrid automata. As an example of a practical application, we study the algorithm’s performance on learning the behaviour of the action potential in excitable cells, specifically the Hodgkin-Huxley model of a squid giant axon, the Luo-Rudy model of a guinea pig ventricular cell, and the Entcheva model of a neonatal rat ventricular cell. The validity and accuracy of the algorithm is also visualized through graphical means. I denna uppsats undersöker vi från en experimentell synvinkel möjligheter och begränsningar i den nya inlärningsalgoritmen HYCGE för hybridautomater. Som ett exempel på en praktisk tillämpning, studerar vi algoritmens förmåga att lära sig aktionspotentialens beteende i retbara celler, specifikt Hodgkin-Huxleymodellen av en bläckfisks jätteaxon, Luo-Rudymodellen av en ventrikulärcell i marsvin, och Entchevas modell av en ventrikulär cell i nyfödd råtta .Giltigheten och noggrannheten hos algoritmen visualiseras även genom grafiskamedel.

A 4-year field trial was carried out on a Typic Natraqualf to modify the surface run-off, to change the soil water regime and improve forage productivity. Water was retained by earth banks which were built along contour lines. The area was grazed by cattle at a density of six animal units per hectare during five or six occupation periods per year. To study the effect of cattle trampling, 1 ha within the water retention area was excluded from grazing. It was found that surface accumulation of water led to higher soil water contents and prevented salt ascension by capillarity from the water table (Electrical Conductivity of A 1 horizon, 1.4 dS·m −1 against 3.4 dS·m −1 in the control area). Soil salinization in the control area was associated with soil water evaporative losses and the water table depth, when it was less than 1.5 m deep. Soil alkalinity (pH and SAR) showed variations closely related to salinity. The already impaired soil physical properties were not significantly affected by livestock trampling in the water retention area. A dramatic change in plant community composition was observed. Most halophitic species disappeared and the area was covered by hydrophilous grasses. This determined a 4-fold increase in higher quality forage. Run-off water retention proved to be a promising way to change temporarily the status of the soil and to cause a large change in grassland characteristics and productivity.

The timing of grazing bouts (GB) determines how cattle allot time to meet their nutritional needs. Net photosynthesis and evapotranspirational losses increase herbage nonstructural carbohydrate and DM concentrations, which may lead to longer and more intense GB at dusk. Hence, linking the grazing pattern, plant phenology, and herbage allocation time emerges as an option to manipulate the GB and nutrient intake. The objectives of this work were to analyze grazing behavior and performance of beef heifers when herbage allocation was at 0700 each morning (MHA) or at 1500 each afternoon (AHA). Two pairs of experiments were conducted during the winter and spring examining behavior and performance. Measurements were grazing, rumination, and idling times during daylight hours, and their patterns, as well as bite rate, ADG, change in BCS, and daily herbage DMI. In the behavioral experiments, 8 heifers strip-grazed annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). The grazing, rumination, and idling times as well as bite rate were measured and also analyzed per time of day. In the performance experiments, 48 beef heifers strip-grazed annual ryegrass in 2 groups according to treatments. Daily DMI, ADG, and changes in BCS were analyzed. The AHA increased daily idling time (P0.01) and decreased grazing time (P0.01). The AHA concentrated grazing time in the evening, when bite rate was greater (P0.01). The daylight rumination time varied by time of day (P0.01), but total daylight rumination time did not differ (P = 0.11). With AHA, rumination time and idling time were concentrated in the morning and afternoon. In the performance experiment during the winter, there was a treatment x week effect (P0.01) for ADG and change in BCS. Beginning in wk 4, heifers in AHA gained 150 g of BW and 0.0145 points of BCS more than those in MHA (P0.05) per day. In the spring, AHA increased ADG by 549 g and 0.0145 points of BCS more than those in MHA (P0.05) per day during the entire 6 wk. The herbage DMI (kg/d) did not differ in winter (AHA, 5.0 vs. MHA, 4.5) or spring (AHA, 5.6 vs. MHA, 5.0). These results suggest that timing of herbage allocation alters grazing, rumination, and idling patterns; AHA leads to longer and more intense GB when herbage has greater quality, which improves cattle performance.

The aim of this research was to assess the effects of total and partial clearing and alternate grazing on succession changes of a Silvopastoral System. The experimental area is located in the State of Buenos Aires, Argentina (34º 52' LS; 58º 08' LW). At the initial time the vegetation tree appeared to be predominantly Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.), which represented 90 p. 100 of cover. The native vegetation mainly composed by rescue grass (Bromus catharticus Vahl.) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), represented 4,5 p. 100 of the basal cover. During ten years, from 1985 till 1994, data were collected to describe differences between cleared and woodland areas. The treatments were subjected to a continous and noncontinous horse grazing (with distubance and resting events). Our results suggest that partial clearing and alternate grazing does not alter tree density. Furthermore, this treatment may result in a greater (p < 0.05) forage cover (23 p. 100), species diversity (2.5) and a higher nutritive value and forage biomass production (2,020 kg of dry matter/ha-1)., El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar los efectos causados por prácticas de desmonte total y parcial y un manejo pastoral programado, sobre la esrtuctura y el funcionamiento de un Sistema Silvopastoral de cubierta arbórea naturalizada. La experiencia se realizó en un establecimiento de cría de caballos ubicado en Berazategui, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sobre una vegetación compuesta por comunidades donde la acacia negra (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) era la especie dominante del subsistema arbóreo (90 p. 100 de cobertura), y gramíneas como Bromus catharticus y Lolium multiflorum cubrían el 4,5 p. 100 del suelo, se aplicaron tratamientos de tala rasa en franjas. Esas superficies fueron sometidas durante diez años consecutivos a pastoreos controlados, variando los momentos de ocupación con la estación climática y la velocidad de cremiento de las plantas forrajeras. Este manejo produjo diferenticas significativas (p < 0,05) respecto al tradicional pastoreo continuo. Así, el desmonte parcial controló la densidad arbórea, y aumentó la cobertura herbácea total y la diversidad específica (2,5). Además, incrementó la disponibilidad de materia seca (2.020 kg/ha-1) y el valor nutritivo de la biomasa, al aumentar las gramíneas (23 p. 100) y leguminosas (5 p. 100) forrajeras.