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Construction contract general condition clauses have a major influence on the likelihood and degree of project success. This paper is about comparison between FIDIC and PPA Conditions of Contract. To achieve the objective of the study a desk study has been conducted to identify the similarity and differences of the clauses in FIDIC (1999) and PPA-ICB (2011) conditions of contracts and due to different limitations the study focuses on few of the clauses. Consequently, interview questionnaires are prepared and distributed to Consultants, Contractors, Lawyers, concerned government bodies and individual professionals. Accordingly, from the feedback of the respondent, this paper uses qualitative method of analysis, frequency method, and I come up with my conclusions. The major findings and recommendations of the study are (1) Most of my respondents agreed that FIDIC provisions are the one which clearly indicate the rights, obligations, and remedial rights of each contracting parties.(2) our local conditions of contract are in some way adapted from FIDIC conditions of contract in such a way to keep government , public interests and also to substantiate control of the government financed projects.(3) Our condition of contract has to be upgraded with certain time, because it has some short coming and gap with FIDIC Condition of contract. Finally, I emphasis that because of the limitations faced during the study the conclusion given on this paper are not binding and it is used for educational purpose only. Hence I recommend further detailed study has to be conducted on the topic to clearly conduct holistic conclusions that all could explore a positive output.

Construction contract general condition clauses have a major influence on the likelihood and degree of project success. This paper is about comparison between FIDIC and PPA Conditions of Contract. To achieve the objective of the study a desk study has been conducted to identify the similarity and differences of the clauses in FIDIC (1999) and PPA-ICB (2011) conditions of contracts and due to different limitations the study focuses on few of the clauses. Consequently, interview questionnaires are prepared and distributed to Consultants, Contractors, Lawyers, concerned government bodies and individual professionals. Accordingly, from the feedback of the respondent, this paper uses qualitative method of analysis, frequency method, and I come up with my conclusions. The major findings and recommendations of the study are (1) Most of my respondents agreed that FIDIC provisions are the one which clearly indicate the rights, obligations, and remedial rights of each contracting parties.(2) our local conditions of contract are in some way adapted from FIDIC conditions of contract in such a way to keep government , public interests and also to substantiate control of the government financed projects.(3) Our condition of contract has to be upgraded with certain time, because it has some short coming and gap with FIDIC Condition of contract. Finally, I emphasis that because of the limitations faced during the study the conclusion given on this paper are not binding and it is used for educational purpose only. Hence I recommend further detailed study has to be conducted on the topic to clearly conduct holistic conclusions that all could explore a positive output.

Introduction: Built environment features have been related to behavior modification and might stimulate cognitive activity with a potential impact on cognitive health in later life. This study investigated cross-sectional associations between features of land use and cognitive impairment and dementia, and also explored urban and rural differences in these associations. Methods: Postcodes of the 7,505 community-based participants (aged ≥65 years) in the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study II (collected in 2008-2011) were linked to environmental data from government statistics. Multilevel logistic regression investigated associations between cognitive impairment (defined as Mini-Mental State Examination score ≤25) and dementia (Geriatric Mental Status and Automatic Geriatric Examination for Computer-Assisted Taxonomy organicity level ≥3) and land use features, including natural environment availability and land use mix, fitting interaction terms with three rural/urban categories. Data were analyzed in 2015. Results: Associations between features of land use and cognitive impairment were not linear. After adjusting for individual-level factors and area deprivation, living in areas with high land use mix was associated with a nearly 30% decreased odds of cognitive impairment (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.58, 0.89). This was similar, yet non-significant, for dementia (OR=0.70, 95% CI=0.46, 1.06). In conurbations, living in areas with high natural environment availability was associated with 30% reduced odds of cognitive impairment (OR=0.70, 95% CI=0.50, 0.97). Conclusions: Non-linear associations between features of land use and cognitive impairment were confirmed in this new cohort of older people in England. Both lack of and overload of environmental stimulation may be detrimental to cognition in later life.

BACKGROUND: Reducing breast cancer incidence and achieving equity in breast cancer outcomes remains a priority for public health practitioners, health care providers, policy makers, and health advocates. Monitoring breast cancer survival can help evaluate the effectiveness of health services, quantify inequities in outcomes between states or population subgroups, and inform efforts to improve the effectiveness of cancer management and treatment. METHODS: We analyzed breast cancer survival using individual patient records from 37 statewide registries that participated in the CONCORD-2 study, covering approximately 80% of the US population. Females were diagnosed between 2001 and 2009 and were followed through December 31, 2009. Age-standardized net survival at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years after diagnosis was estimated by state, race (white, black), stage at diagnosis, and calendar period (2001-2003 and 2004-2009). RESULTS: Overall, 5-year breast cancer net survival was very high (88.2%). Survival remained remarkably high from 2001 through 2009. Between 2001 and 2003, survival was 89.1% for white females and 76.9% for black females. Between 2004 and 2009, survival was 89.6% for white females and 78.4% for black females. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer survival was more than 10 percentage points lower for black females than for white females, and this difference persisted over time. Reducing racial disparities in survival remains a challenge that requires broad, coordinated efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. Monitoring trends in breast cancer survival can highlight populations in need of improved cancer management and treatment. Cancer 2017;123:5100-18. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

This article contributes to the debate on the local governance turn' by considering a recent immigration context: the Italian case. We analyse integration policies and governance processes in three regions: Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna. The aim is to shed new light on the multi-level governance relations that shape immigrant integration policies, taking into account the interdependencies of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of multi-level governance. The analysis points out the emergence of different multi-level governance arrangements and highlights the relevance of institutional and organisational factors in accounting for local differentiation. General traditions and established public-non-governmental organisation relations in the social policy field, the internal organisation of the regional administration (specialised staff versus general bureaucratic apparatus), and the role of ideology appear to make a difference. The implications of this analysis for multi-level governance scholarship are discussed, emphasising the need for a middle-range theory approach. Points for practitioners Multi-level governance is considered by policy scholars as a promising approach to make sense of increasingly complex policymaking processes, implying the interaction between different levels of government and between public and non-public actors. By considering the politically sensitive immigrant integration issue, this article attempts to point out how multi-level governance relations concretely take shape at the regional level in Italy, and which factors account for regional differentiation. Our study suggests that contextual and organisational factors are particularly relevant, that is, social policy traditions, the regions' internal organisation and the individual civil servants' attitudes. Nevertheless, politics should also be carefully taken into account.

The extreme genetic diversity of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi has been proposed to be associated with the clinical outcomes of the disease it provokes: Chagas disease (CD). To address this question, we analysed the similarities and differences in the CD pathophysiogenesis caused by different parasite strains. Using syngeneic mice infected acutely or chronically with 6 distant parasite strains, we integrated simultaneously 66 parameters: parasite tropism (7 parameters), organ and immune responses (local and systemic; 57 parameters), and clinical presentations of CD (2 parameters). While the parasite genetic background consistently impacts most of these parameters, they remain highly variable, as observed in patients, impeding reliable one-dimensional association with phases, strains, and damage. However, multi-dimensional statistics overcame this extreme intra-group variability for each individual parameter and revealed some pathophysiological patterns that accurately allow defining (i) the infection phase, (ii) the infecting parasite strains, and (iii) organ damage type and intensity. Our results demonstrated a greater variability of clinical outcomes and host responses to T. cruzi infection than previously thought, while our multi- parametric analysis defined common pathophysiological patterns linked to clinical outcome of CD, conserved among the genetically diverse infecting strains ; This work was supported by "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación" (SAF2013-42850-R); "Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias" (PI12/00289); "Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales" (RICET 2010RD12/0018/0004); European Union (HEALTH-FE-2008-22303, ChagasEpiNet); "Universidad Autónoma de Madrid" and "Comunidad de Madrid" (CC08-UAM/SAL-4440/08); AECID Cooperation with Argentine (A/025417/09 and A/031735/10), Comunidad de Madrid (S-2010/BMD-2332) and "Fundación Ramón Areces"

Ecological succession is a complex processes involving changes in the structure of plant community and it is an important factor determining the structure of arboreal ants assemblages, but little is known about the effects of succession on ant assemblages in regions of Tropical Dry Forests (TDFs), such as the Brazilian Caatinga. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ecological succession on the richness and species composition of arboreal ants in fragments of Caatinga, testing the following hypothesis: i) the richness of arboreal ants increases along a gradient of forest succession, in response to tree richness and/or density; ii) species composition of arboreal ants differs among stages of forest succession due to differences in vegetation structure in theses stages. This study was conducted in 15 plots distributed in three areas with different stages of secondary succession (early, intermediate and late). Tree density and richness were used as surrogate of vegetation structure. Ants were sampled using the technique of beating the foliage and baited pitfall traps, where five trees were sampled per plot, totaling 75 individual trees sampled. We sampled 37 species of ants, distributed in 16 genera and five subfamilies. Ant richness differed among stages of succession and seasons, with higher number of species in the late succession and rainy period, also increasing with tree richness and density. Besides, there was a distinct composition of ant species among stages of succession and seasons. Results obtained in this study reinforce the importance of using ants as environmental bioindicators, since the sensitivity to environmental variations of this group enables us to differentiate early and late successional stages of forest succession in Caatinga environment.

Fashion not only forms an important part of everyday consumption decisions, but also plays an important role in all daily events such as, the clothing we wear, how we think and also what we eat and where we eat. In realism, fashion is an outcome of a dynamic culture and common shifts in the tastes and style of individuals. The center of the debate appears to be that branded fashion accessories involvement is likely to be associated with differences in sensitivity to one's social surroundings (Auty & Elliott, 1998). The question is: "Whether involvement in fashion accessories with its strong brand image and sensory components, has similar capabilities to be seen as a significant possession creating a fulfilling life, because of the happiness, success, and central position it may occupy in the lives of some?" Branded fashion accessories are increasingly becoming popular among India's youth population. However, less attention has been given to understand the reasons behind this changing consumer behaviour in India. Thus, this study aims to understand the role of branded fashion accessories in self-image enhancement of India's youth. For this purpose, semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted using college students who wear and who do not wear branded fashion accessories. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the data revealed that "social belongingness," "sense of completeness," "self-confidence," and "style and price" are the important factors that play a vital role in affecting youth's self-image. These findings may encourage retailers to focus their product and sales strategies on consumers' positive emotions and promote their products among non-consumers by explaining how these products can benefit them.

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation with Gliricidia fodder salt on intake, nutrient digestibility, and feeding behavior of lambs. Twenty-five Santa Inês crossbred male sheep at approximately 180 days of age, with an average live weight of 25 kg, were confined in individual 1-m2 stalls and distributed in a randomized complete design with five treatments and five replications. Treatments consisted of 0 (1,000 g/kg?1 NaCl), 930, 950, 970, and 990 g/kg?1 inclusion of Gliricidia hay (70, 50, 30, and 10 g/kg?1 NaCl in the formulation of the fodder salt, respectively). The animals were fed ground Tifton-85 (Cynodon spp.) hay, ground fodder salt and or mineral salt, and water ad libitum, at 07h00 and 17h00. Intakes of dry matter, mineral matter, organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, and neutral detergent fiber were influenced (P<0.05) by supplementation with Gliricidia fodder salt. Crude protein intake increased linearly (P<0.01), while mineral-salt intake decreased linearly (P<0.01) as the levels of Gliricidia hay in the fodder salt were increased. There was no difference (P>0.05) in nutrient digestibility due to supplementation. Rumination time and number of cuds ruminated per day decreased (P<0.05), whereas rumination chews per cud increased (P<0.05). Feed and rumination efficiencies (g DM and NDF h?1) increased (P<0.01) with supplementation, and so did the rumination efficiency (P<0.01) expressed in g DM and NDF cud?1. Supplementation with Gliricidia fodder salt increases nutrient intake and positively changes the feeding behavior of lambs.

This article contributes to the debate on the 'local governance turn' by considering a recent immigration context: the Italian case. We analyse integration policies and governance processes in three regions: Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna. The aim is to shed new light on the multi-level governance relations that shape immigrant integration policies, taking into account the interdependencies of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of multi-level governance. The analysis points out the emergence of different multi-level governance arrangements and highlights the relevance of institutional and organisational factors in accounting for local differentiation. General traditions and established public–non-governmental organisation relations in the social policy field, the internal organisation of the regional administration (specialised staff versus general bureaucratic apparatus), and the role of ideology appear to make a difference. The implications of this analysis for multi-level governance scholarship are discussed, emphasising the need for a middle-range theory approach. Points for practitioners Multi-level governance is considered by policy scholars as a promising approach to make sense of increasingly complex policymaking processes, implying the interaction between different levels of government and between public and non-public actors. By considering the politically sensitive immigrant integration issue, this article attempts to point out how multi-level governance relations concretely take shape at the regional level in Italy, and which factors account for regional differentiation. Our study suggests that contextual and organisational factors are particularly relevant, that is, social policy traditions, the regions' internal organisation and the individual civil servants' attitudes. Nevertheless, politics should also be carefully taken into account.

In the gnostic literature of Iran and in the Islamic Gnosis, gnosis has been interpreted as an effort to save the individual by accessing to the real unity. The unity, mystical journey (conduct) and the relation of God with creature are considered as three main axes under the theme of unity or the gnostic unity until before the pantheistic gnosis of Ibn Arabi, the concept's explanation and the definition of unity in terminological and lexical terms, expression of unity concept in the non-Islamic gnosis, explanation of unity concept in the Iranian-Islamic gnosis until the period of Ibn Arabi, expression of the way of mystical journey, explanation of mystics' attitude on the subject of mystic unity based on the belief of Gnostics of Khorasan school, expression of God's relation with creature in the Iranian and Ibn Arabi's gnosis are considered as the most fundamental under considering instances of this research work; in addition, a brief explanation on pantheism of Ibn Arabi is also under consideration. The theoretical pillars of exalted unity from the perspective of Ibn Arabi, are existence, entity and manifestation; Ibn Arabi, contrary to his preceding Gnostics doesn't consider the creatures mirageor hallucination. This view is somewhat different from the views of mystics of Khorasan, and Gnosis of Khorasan, the differences that have led to two ways of Conduct (Mystical journey) in gnosis. The scope of this research begins from the third century AD and continues by the end of the seventh century that is the rise of theoretical gnosis based on the Ibn Arabi's pantheistic opinions.

Resumen: En este artículo se aborda la religiosidadpresente en las representaciones sociales, como unelemento que puede estructurar una discriminaciónimplícita bajo el uso de estereotipos sexuales y deargumentos hegemónicos que sostienen la diferencianegativa radical. A partir de entrevistas a sietetrabajadoras sociales, se analizó el lugar de lo religiosoen su desempeño profesional para conocer su concepciónsobre el deber – ser de la familia hoy. Un cierto tipode religiosidad hace parte de un discurso organizadorde la vida privada que trasciende a lo público, pues sesupone que evita el desorden, el conflicto y la desviaciónde lo normativo, que prevalece sobre los derechosindividuales. Urge reflexionar sobre las implicaciones deestos argumentos y transformar la mirada a la diversidadsexual no sólo al tomar decisiones profesionales sino alhacer una intervención social incluyente y responsable.Palabras claves: familia, religiosidad, diversidad sexual,homoparentalidad, intervención social"What Will God Say?" Religiosity and Prejudice inRepresentations of Sexual Diversity inSocial Workers in CaliAbstract: The presence of religiosity in socialrepresentations is analyzed here as a possible tool forimplicit discrimination, based on the use of sexualstereotypes and hegemonic arguments to sustainnegative, radical difference. Seven interviews to socialworkers were analyzed to identify religiosity patternson their work performances, and also their conceptionon the oughts of the modern family. A certain kind ofreligiosity, though part of the organization of private life,transcends to public life in that it has a role in professionalperformance, supposedly to avoid messiness, crisis andnormative deviations, prevailing over individual humanrights. The traditional view on sexual diversity must bechallenged, to improve professional performance andresponsible, socially inclusive interventions.Keywords: family, religiosity, sexual diversity,homoparenting, social intervention

The article presents key concepts, issues and empirical results from a social scientific examination of preliminary technologisation trends in the security sector. This examination largely takes the form of a critique which deals with the ambivalence, unintended effects and paradoxes of such processes. The causes and dynamics behind the preliminary technologisation of security arise not least from a reflection on the intrinsic vulnerability of liberal societies. Globally networked structures are addressed as a security problem. This recursive loop, that technologisation itself evokes sui generis uncertainties, also applies to security technology. The article systematically explores how security and insecurity are interwoven. It combines different technosociological perspectives as well as empirically examining significant dimensions and typical patterns of technological ambivalence. (1) Its starting point is the view of normative theory that technology always involves the materialization of expectations which give rise to specific follow-up actions and effects. (2) In a praxeological view the interesting fact is that security technology, despite such normative effects, still remains more or less open to context-specific adaptation. Differences in use, unintended and counterproductive effects are to be expected. (3) The concept of hybrid actors is drawn upon in considering the potential for new technology to profoundly transform security bodies and practices. (4) Based on the premise that technology provides a constitutive framework which lends stability, durability and specific formats to social processes and social forms in the first place, individual lines of thought can be conflated with the question of what power political and sociopolitical significance is to be found in the technologisation of security.

Abstract
Background: This study draws upon the use of Information Systems in support of achieving sustainability, known as Green IS. Furthermore, this study builds on the premise that Green IS offers the opportunity for organizations to act proactively in terms of environmental preservation as well as to mitigate the effects of global climate change and other environmental problems.
Aim: In particular, this study aims to assess the extent of awareness among managers regarding the use and the acceptance of Green IS in Slovenian enterprises.
Method: Using empirical data based on a large-scale survey among senior managers within Slovenian enterprises this study utilized several statistical methods (such as t-test, analysis of variance and multiple linear regression) to analyse the research questions.
Results: In general, findings seem to suggest that institutional mechanisms might be a plausible explanation for differences regarding the attitude towards Green IS adoption. For instance, enterprises with at least one implemented sustainability related certificate expressed higher levels of willingness to use Green IS in order to facilitate the achievement of sustainable development. Moreover, the results of the regression analysis revealed that both Institutional Mimetic pressure and Internal Environment Impact has positive impact on Green IS adoption.
Conclusion: The main conclusion is that the internal environmental impact is considered the most influential factor of the attitude towards Green IS adoption. The culture or individual perception of managers and employees play an important role in the Green IS adoption. Indeed, enterprises that have no intention of improving their environmental performance, but adopt Green IS by the means of seeking legitimacy among external stakeholders, cannot provide a sustainable improvement in environmental management.

Construction waste management (CWM) has received worldwide attention for some time. As a result, a plethora of research, investigating a wide array of CWM issues such as their profiles, practices, and performance, has been reported in individual economies around the globe. However, a cross-jurisdictional comparison of these issues is limitedly presented in the literature despite its importance to benchmarking performance and identifying best CWM practices in the context of globalization whereby knowledge sharing has already transcended traditional country boundaries. The aim of this ex post facto research is to compare CWM profiles, practices, and performance in Australia, Europe (Europe refers to EU-27 member countries in the European Union, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania.), Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom at a national-level, with a view to facilitating CWM knowledge sharing internationally. It does so by triangulating empirical data collected from various national statistical yearbooks with research papers and professional reports on CWM in these economies. It is found that in producing one million (US) dollars' work, construction contributes a volume of solid waste ranging from 28 to 121 tons among countries. Conscientious CWM practices can make a significant difference in reducing, reusing, or recycling construction waste, as evident in the large variation in the CWM performance. While it might be oversimplified to conclude that the best practices in one country can be applied in another, the research provides insightful references into sharing CWM knowledge across boundaries. ; published_or_final_version