Assessments of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) strategies are rather scarce. When evaluations do occur, they usually cover only one aspect of a certain initiative or infrastructure, without taking into account all the other impacts it might have. Moreover, similar methods, such as the Cost-Benefit Analysis, are used in most situations. However, these techniques are only suited for very specif...

BACKGROUND Disease progression and heart failure development in Ebstein's Anomaly (EA) of the tricuspid valve is characterized by both right and left ventricular (LV) deterioration. The mechanisms underlying LV dysfunction and their role in heart failure development are incompletely understood. We hypothesized that LV dyssynchrony and impaired torsion and recoil mechanics induced by paradoxical...

One of the biggest obstacles to the widespread adoption of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on the High Plains of Texas is the high cost of initial installation. In some cases, SDI costs can be reduced if systems are designed using lower irrigation uniformity standards. The question becomes “what is the cost in terms of cotton lint yield of lowering the uniformity standards for SDI design?” A S...

AIMS Strain delay index (SDI) allows quantification of the wasted contraction or gain of myocardial contractility expected after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The present multicentre prospective study aimed to assess the accuracy of the SDI in predicting responses to CRT in real-life patients with wide and narrow (<130 ms) QRS complexes. METHODS AND RESULTS Implantation of a CRT de...

Transitional economies with large geographical areas (such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China) represent both a challenge and an opportunity for the creation of spatial data infrastructures (SDI). Setting up an SDI in transitional economies is critically dependent on the diffusion of geographical information systems technology in public and private institutions. We use Rogers’ diffusion of inn...

Role of urban planning and management at local level is becoming more and more crucial due to the dramatic increase in urban population and allied urban problems. However, absence of appropriate information and its limited sharing is one of the important factor affecting planners and decision makers’ ability to deal with urban problems. Effective quality of life can not be achieved without appr...

The membrane fouling index, widely used in the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane industry, is developed mainly to assess the fouling potential of particulate matter. However, the fouling potential by organic matter should also be accurately evaluated as the productivity loss by organic fouling is often more severe than particle fouling, despite its low concentration in feed water. This study was pe...

We have studied the evolution of sequences which include the RNA polymerase binding sites at the 5' and 3' termini of vesicular stomatitis virus mutants (Sdi-) resistant to defective-interfering particles. We observed a striking stepwise accumulation of stable base substitutions within the area of replication initiation at the 5'-terminal 54 nucleotides of Sdi- mutants isolated at intervals fro...

In spite of continuous organizational efforts and investments, computer abuse shows no sign of decline. According to social control theory (SCT), ‘‘organizational trust’’ can help prevent it by enhancing insiders’ involvement in computer abuse. The aim of our study was to develop a new integrative model for analyzing computer abuse through assessing the role of Self Defense Intention (SDI) and ...