Comparison of Smoking, Drinking, and Marijuana Use between Students Present or Absent on the Day of a School-Based Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Bovet, Pascal; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Faeh, David; Warren, Wick

2006-01-01

The aim of this population-based survey was to compare the prevalence of selected risk behaviors between students present or absent on the day of a school-based survey. The study population was a representative sample of all students of secondary schools in the Seychelles (Indian Ocean). Students absent on the day of the survey were traced and…

New representative of the Director-General of the IAEA to the United Nations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The document gives information about Mr. Kwaku Aning (Ghana) who was nominated as the Representative of the Director-General of the IAEA to the United Nations and as Director of its Office at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, as of 1 February 2000

Brief communication: Improved simulation of the present-day Greenland firn layer (1960-2016)

Science.gov (United States)

Ligtenberg, Stefan R. M.; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; Noël, Brice P. Y.; van den Broeke, Michiel R.

2018-05-01

By providing pore space for storage or refreezing of meltwater, the Greenland ice sheet firn layer strongly modulates runoff. Correctly representing the firn layer is therefore crucial for Greenland (surface) mass balance studies. Here, we present a simulation of the Greenland firn layer with the firn model IMAU-FDM forced by the latest output of the regional climate model RACMO2, version 2.3p2. In the percolation zone, much improved agreement is found with firn density and temperature observations. A full simulation of Greenland firn at high temporal (10 days) and spatial (11 km) resolution is available for the period 1960-2016.

Home iv antibiotic therapy through a medical day care unit

OpenAIRE

Gourdeau, Marie; Deschênes, Louise; Caron, Martine; Desmarais, Marc

1993-01-01

An out-patient parenteral antibiotic therapy program provided through a medical day care unit was evaluated in a tertiary care hospital. From July 11, 1988 to December 31, 1990, 122 patients were treated either on site at the unit or at home with self-administered intravenous antibiotics. In all, 142 courses of parenteral antibiotics (mostly cephalosporins and clindamycin) were given for a total of 124 infections, mostly bone and soft tissue infections (67 of 124, 54%). The duration of out-pa...

Applicability of Pulse Pressure Variation during Unstable Hemodynamic Events in the Intensive Care Unit: A Five-Day Prospective Multicenter Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bertrand Delannoy

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Pulse pressure variation can predict fluid responsiveness in strict applicability conditions. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical applicability of pulse pressure variation during episodes of patient hemodynamic instability in the intensive care unit. We conducted a five-day, seven-center prospective study that included patients presenting with an unstable hemodynamic event. The six predefined inclusion criteria for pulse pressure variation applicability were as follows: mechanical ventilation, tidal volume >7 mL/kg, sinus rhythm, no spontaneous breath, heart rate/respiratory rate ratio >3.6, absence of right ventricular dysfunction, or severe valvulopathy. Seventy-three patients presented at least one unstable hemodynamic event, with a total of 163 unstable hemodynamic events. The six predefined criteria for the applicability of pulse pressure variation were completely present in only 7% of these. This data indicates that PPV should only be used alongside a strong understanding of the relevant physiology and applicability criteria. Although these exclusion criteria appear to be profound, they likely represent an absolute contraindication of use for only a minority of critical care patients.

Utilisation and outcomes following the introduction of an interventional radiology day unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makris, G.C.; Shaida, N.; Pyneeandee, R.; Shaw, A.; See, T.C.

2016-01-01

Aim: To assess the utilisation of an interventional radiology day unit (RDU), the rates of on-time discharges, the financial performance of the unit, and finally, the patient satisfaction rates. Materials and methods: Data regarding the unit utilisation, discharge times, and complications were retrospectively collected for the first 2 years of operation of the unit (1 April 2013 to 1 January 2015). In addition, monitoring the activity going through the RDU and applying a contribution margin to the freed-up beds measured the financial performance. The data were provided by the finance department of the hospital. Satisfaction survey questionnaires were sent randomly by post to 100 patients who had been previously admitted to the RDU. Results: During the study period, 3019 patients were admitted to the RDU, comprising 1426 during the first year and 1513 during the second. On average, 5.6 patients were discharged from the RDU on every working day during the first year and 7.1 patients during the second (21% increase in the discharge rate). Given the 8-hour working time configuration of the unit, a realistic 80% utilisation rate of the RDU's seven beds could free a total of 1400 inpatient bed days over a full year. The cost of delivering these episodes of care was reduced by approximately 50%. From the financial data, it was estimated that the RDU managed to achieve a total of £393,000 in savings for the Trust for the financial year 2013–2014. The return rate of the patient satisfaction survey was 40%. All patients were satisfied with their overall RDU experience. Conclusion: The RDU has brought significant benefits for patients and the Trust without compromises in safety or quality. - Highlights: • Radiology Day units can improve workflow through improved efficiency. • RDUs can decrease the treatment-related costs mainly by reducing the need for unnecessary overnight hospitalisation. • They appear to be welcome by the patients with excellent feedback so far. �

Units of measurement past, present and future international system of units

CERN Document Server

Gupta, S V

2010-01-01

It is for the first time that the subject of quantities and their respective units is dealt this much in detail a glimpse of units of measurements of base quantities of length, time, mass and volume is given for ancient India three and four dimensional systems of measurement units are critically examined establishment of the fact that only four base units are needed to describe a system of units the basics to arrive at the unit of a derived quantity are explained basic, derived and dimensionless quantities including quantity calculus are introduced life history of scientists concerned with measurements units are presented to be inspiring to working metrologists and students. The International System of Units including, Metre Convention Treaty and its various organs including International National of Weights and Measure are described. The realisation of base units is given in detail. Classes of derived units within the SI, units permitted for time to come, units outside SI but used in special fields of measur...

NCR-days 2004; research for managing rivers: present and future issues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Makaske, B.; Os, van A.G.

2005-01-01

These proceedings are the product of the NCR days 2004, held 46 November 2004 in Wageningen.The NCR days are a yearly conference at which mainly young scientists present their ongoing research on a wide variety of fluvial subjects. The 46 contributions (oral presentations and posters) to the

76 FR 13168 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-10

... average unit costs of residential energy in a Federal Register notice entitled, ``Energy Conservation... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Representative Average Unit Costs of Energy AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency...

Economic Objects: How Policy Discourse in the United Kingdom Represents International Students

Science.gov (United States)

Lomer, Sylvie

2014-01-01

Despite the significant and increasing presence of international students in the United Kingdom, on a national level there has been a lack of formal policy towards international students. Instead, in policy discourse, international students are represented in economic terms to the exclusion of other dimensions of experience and action. This…

Perceived quality in Day Surgery Units Proposal of an enquiry postoperative questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Palumbo, Piergaspare; Perotti, Bruno; Amatucci, Chiara; Pangrazi, Maria Pia; Leuzzi, Barbara; Vietri, Francesco; Illuminati, Giulio

2016-01-01

Assessing patient satisfaction could be particularly useful in Day Surgery Units, as it helps maintaining and increasing medical care demand. Moreover, it provides feedback that turns out useful for improving quality in departments, and for assessing competence and skill of the whole staff. Background and aim - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality perceived in a day surgery unit through a questionnaire, covering the 10 main aspects of the care pathway. The results of a questionnaire filled by patients undergoing Day Surgery between January 2007 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients undergoing surgery between 2007 and 2009 filled up the questionnaire at the time of the discharge, whereas those operated on between 2009 and 2012 filled up the same questionnaire 30 days after discharge. The results were good in terms of number of returned questionnaires, underlining its comprehensibility and suitability to be filled out. The questionnaires' scores were good in both groups, although quality perceived by the group that completed it in 30 days after surgery were lightly better than the other group's. The advantages of the questionnaire consisted of an overall improvement of the quality of care, whereas limitations consisted of the difficulty in setting up the questionnaire accurately, interpreting patients' answers correctly, and dispensing the questionnaire in a timely fashion, in order to evaluate the quality perceived by the patients without any bias related to delay, pain and anxiety. Day Surgery, Nursing, Questionnaire, Quality.

Analysis of present day and future OH and methane lifetime in the ACCMIP simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Voulgarakis

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Results from simulations performed for the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Modeling Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP are analysed to examine how OH and methane lifetime may change from present day to the future, under different climate and emissions scenarios. Present day (2000 mean tropospheric chemical lifetime derived from the ACCMIP multi-model mean is 9.8 ± 1.6 yr (9.3 ± 0.9 yr when only including selected models, lower than a recent observationally-based estimate, but with a similar range to previous multi-model estimates. Future model projections are based on the four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs, and the results also exhibit a large range. Decreases in global methane lifetime of 4.5 ± 9.1% are simulated for the scenario with lowest radiative forcing by 2100 (RCP 2.6, while increases of 8.5 ± 10.4% are simulated for the scenario with highest radiative forcing (RCP 8.5. In this scenario, the key driver of the evolution of OH and methane lifetime is methane itself, since its concentration more than doubles by 2100 and it consumes much of the OH that exists in the troposphere. Stratospheric ozone recovery, which drives tropospheric OH decreases through photolysis modifications, also plays a partial role. In the other scenarios, where methane changes are less drastic, the interplay between various competing drivers leads to smaller and more diverse OH and methane lifetime responses, which are difficult to attribute. For all scenarios, regional OH changes are even more variable, with the most robust feature being the large decreases over the remote oceans in RCP8.5. Through a regression analysis, we suggest that differences in emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds and in the simulation of photolysis rates may be the main factors causing the differences in simulated present day OH and methane lifetime. Diversity in predicted changes between present day and future OH was found to be associated more strongly with

3D instantaneous dynamics modeling of present-day Aegean subduction

Science.gov (United States)

Glerum, Anne; Spakman, Wim; van Hinsbergen, Douwe; Pranger, Casper

2017-04-01

we also intend to experiment with a dynamic free surface. In short, the forcing in our models comprises lateral pressure gradients, mantle buoyancy and forcing related to the prescribed plate motions. Based on the above initial and boundary conditions, we obtain model predictions of the regional flow field. Focusing on the crust, these represent predictions of the GPS velocity field that we can compare to the actual GPS field (e.g. compilation of Kreemer et al., 2014). Our preliminary models provide a good overall fit to the direction and magnitude of the GPS velocities. Subsequent models will include constructed variations in subduction morphology, slab segmentation, fault zone geometry and boundary conditions, for which a wide range of hypotheses can be found in the literature (e.g. Biryol et al., 2011). Changes in the resulting model predictions either improve or lessen our fit to the GPS velocity field and help determine the controls of mantle dynamics on present-day tectonic deformation in the Aegean region. This enables us to characterize the general sensitivity of surface observables to plate motions, mantle flow and slab dynamics and to further quantify the coupling of crust and mantle dynamics.

Did European temperatures in 1540 exceed present-day records?

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Rene; Vogel, Martha M.; Luterbacher, Jürg; Pfister, Christian; Seneviratne, Sonia I.

2017-04-01

There is strong evidence that the year 1540 was exceptionally dry and warm in Central Europe. Here we infer 1540 summer temperatures from the number of dry days (NDDs) in spring (March-May) and summer (June-August) in 1540 derived from historical documentary evidence published elsewhere, and compare our estimates with present-day temperatures. We translate the NDD values into temperature distributions using a linear relationship between modeled temperature and NDD from a 3000 year pre-industrial control simulation with the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Our results show medium confidence that summer mean temperatures (T JJA) and maximum temperatures (TXx) in Central Europe in 1540 were warmer than the respective present-day mean summer temperatures (assessed between 1966-2015). The model-based reconstruction suggests further that with a probability of 40%-70%, the highest daily temperatures in 1540 were even warmer than in 2003, while there is at most a 20% probability that the 1540 mean summer temperature was warmer than that of 2003 in Central Europe. As with other state-of-the-art analyses, the uncertainty of the reconstructed 1540 summer weather in this study is considerable, for instance as extrapolation is required because 1540-like events are not captured by the employed Earth system model (ESM), and neither by other ESMs. However, in addition to paleoclimatological approaches we introduce here an independent methodology to estimate 1540 temperatures, and contribute consequently to a reduced overall uncertainty in the analysis of this event. The characterization of such events and the related climate system functioning is particularly relevant in the context of global warming and the corresponding increase of extreme heat wave magnitude and occurrence frequency. Orth, R., M.M. Vogel, J. Luterbacher, C. Pfister, and S.I. Seneviratne, (2016): Did European temperatures in 1540 exceed present-day records? Env. Res. Lett., 11, 114021, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/11/114021

Italian Present-day Stress Indicators: IPSI Database

Science.gov (United States)

Mariucci, M. T.; Montone, P.

2017-12-01

In Italy, since the 90s of the last century, researches concerning the contemporary stress field have been developing at Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) with local and regional scale studies. Throughout the years many data have been analysed and collected: now they are organized and available for an easy end-use online. IPSI (Italian Present-day Stress Indicators) database, is the first geo-referenced repository of information on the crustal present-day stress field maintained at INGV through a web application database and website development by Gabriele Tarabusi. Data consist of horizontal stress orientations analysed and compiled in a standardized format and quality-ranked for reliability and comparability on a global scale with other database. Our first database release includes 855 data records updated to December 2015. Here we present an updated version that will be released in 2018, after new earthquake data entry up to December 2017. The IPSI web site (http://ipsi.rm.ingv.it/) allows accessing data on a standard map viewer and choose which data (category and/or quality) to plot easily. The main information of each single element (type, quality, orientation) can be viewed simply going over the related symbol, all the information appear by clicking the element. At the same time, simple basic information on the different data type, tectonic regime assignment, quality ranking method are available with pop-up windows. Data records can be downloaded in some common formats, moreover it is possible to download a file directly usable with SHINE, a web based application to interpolate stress orientations (http://shine.rm.ingv.it). IPSI is mainly conceived for those interested in studying the characters of Italian peninsula and surroundings although Italian data are part of the World Stress Map (http://www.world-stress-map.org/) as evidenced by many links that redirect to this database for more details on standard practices in this field.

Day-Ahead Coordination of Vehicle-to-Grid Operation and Wind Power in Security Constraints Unit Commitment (SCUC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Javad Abdollahi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper security constraints unit commitment (SCUC in the presence of wind power resources and electrical vehicles to grid is presented. SCUC operation prepare an optimal time table for generation unit commitment in order to maximize security, minimize operation cost and satisfy the constraints of networks and units in a period of time, as one of the most important research interest in power systems. Today, the relationship between power network and energy storage systems is interested for many researchers and network operators. Using Electrical Vehicles (PEVs and wind power for energy production is one of the newest proposed methods for replacing fossil fuels.One of the effective strategies for analyzing of the effects of Vehicle 2 Grid (V2G and wind power in optimal operation of generation is running of SCUC for power systems that are equipped with V2G and wind power resources. In this paper, game theory method is employed for deterministic solution of day-ahead unit commitment with considering security constraints in the simultaneous presence of V2G and wind power units. This problem for two scenarios of grid-controlled mode and consumer-controlled mode in three different days with light, medium and heavy load profiles is analyzed. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the presence of V2G and wind power for decreasing of generation cost and improving operation indices of power systems.

Mitogenomes from The 1000 Genome Project reveal new Near Eastern features in present-day Tuscans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Gómez-Carballa

Full Text Available Genetic analyses have recently been carried out on present-day Tuscans (Central Italy in order to investigate their presumable recent Near East ancestry in connection with the long-standing debate on the origins of the Etruscan civilization. We retrieved mitogenomes and genome-wide SNP data from 110 Tuscans analyzed within the context of The 1000 Genome Project. For phylogeographic and evolutionary analysis we made use of a large worldwide database of entire mitogenomes (>26,000 and partial control region sequences (>180,000.Different analyses reveal the presence of typical Near East haplotypes in Tuscans representing isolated members of various mtDNA phylogenetic branches. As a whole, the Near East component in Tuscan mitogenomes can be estimated at about 8%; a proportion that is comparable to previous estimates but significantly lower than admixture estimates obtained from autosomal SNP data (21%. Phylogeographic and evolutionary inter-population comparisons indicate that the main signal of Near Eastern Tuscan mitogenomes comes from Iran.Mitogenomes of recent Near East origin in present-day Tuscans do not show local or regional variation. This points to a demographic scenario that is compatible with a recent arrival of Near Easterners to this region in Italy with no founder events or bottlenecks.

A 10-day vacancy period after cleaning and disinfection has no effect on the bacterial load in pig nursery units.

Science.gov (United States)

Luyckx, K; Millet, S; Van Weyenberg, S; Herman, L; Heyndrickx, M; Dewulf, J; De Reu, K

2016-10-19

Biosecurity measures such as cleaning, disinfection and a vacancy period between production cycles on pig farms are essential to prevent disease outbreaks. No studies have tested the effect of a longer vacancy period on bacterial load in nursery units. The present study evaluated the effect of a 10-day vacancy period in pig nursery units on total aerobic flora, Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli, faecal coliforms and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Three vacancy periods of 10 days were monitored, each time applied in 3 units. The microbiological load was measured before disinfection and at 1, 4, 7 and 10 days after disinfection. No significant decrease or increase in E. coli, faecal coliforms, MRSA and Enterococcus spp. was noticed. Total aerobic flora counts were the lowest on day 4 after disinfection (i.e. 4.07 log CFU/625 cm 2 ) (P disinfection, drinking nipples were still mostly contaminated with total aerobic flora (i.e. 5.32 log CFU/625 cm 2 ) and Enterococcus spp. (i.e. 95 % of the samples were positive) (P disinfection with no extra biosecurity measures has no impact on the environmental load of total aerobic flora, E. coli, faecal coliforms, MRSA and Enterococcus spp..

Vaginal Cuff Dehiscence Presenting with Free Air 60 Days after Robotic-Assisted Hysterectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Munger

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The vast majority of patients presenting with pneumoperitoneum have visceral organ perforation and require urgent diagnostic laparoscopy. Nonsurgical causes are relatively rare and may be attributed to multiple etiologies. Case Presentation. Here we describe the case of a 38-year-old Caucasian female who presented to the emergency department with three days of cramping, epigastric abdominal pain. Her physical exam was notable for tenderness to palpation in the epigastric area and abdominal and chest X-rays showed free air under the diaphragm. Free air around the porta hepatis was verified on CT scan. Approximately 90% of pneumoperitoneum cases are due to perforation of visceral organs and therefore require operative management. An urgent exploratory laparoscopy revealed no clear source of free air, but postoperatively the patient developed a large volume of watery discharge from her vagina. Subsequent workup revealed a 1 cm vaginal cuff dehiscence which was later repaired with no postoperative complications. Conclusion. Although the majority of patients with pneumoperitoneum require urgent exploratory laparoscopy, a careful diagnostic workup may reveal sources of free air that are not related to hollow viscous perforation. Vaginal cuff dehiscence represents a rare yet nonurgent source of pneumoperitoneum. This differential should be considered in light of the possible intra- and postoperative complications of surgery.

Radiology and radiation protection. Present-day problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrieu, L.

1978-01-01

With the development of nuclear energy the present-day problems of radioprotection are studied in the light of new radiobiological knowledge. The following points are analysed in turn: radioprotection norms, the notion of acceptable risk; influence of dose rate and fractionation; the low-dose problem; relative biological effectiveness (RBE) and quality factor (Q.F.); the biological problem of long-term effects. The genetic risk due to accepted radioprotection norms is estimated. The part played by radioprotection organisations is underlined, with emphasis on the fact that radioactivity is the most strictly and effectively regulated of all industrial inconveniences. It is pointed out that medical irradiation is not subject to the legislations and regulations listed [fr

Defense.gov Special Report: Memorial Day 2012

Science.gov (United States)

information so we can address your issue or question. United States Department of Defense United States Veterans Past, Present on Memorial Day Obama: Memorial Day Honors the Fallen 'Flags In' Tradition Honors Blog: Everyone Can Find A Way to Honor our Service Members Over the past few years, I have been blessed

Interactions between science and technology and present-day philosophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

The authors plead for a revival of the symbiosis between science and technology and philosophy. Their contributions to the assessment of the consequences in science and technology as a task of philosophy as well as to the effects of science and technology on present-day philosophy want to give new impulses to this revival. (DG) [de

Pulmonary interstitial emphysema presenting in a woman on the intensive care unit: case report and review of literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovaisa Tomas

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Pulmonary interstitial emphysema is a life-threatening form of ventilator-induced lung injury. We present one of the few reported adult cases of pulmonary interstitial emphysema in a woman with respiratory failure admitted to our intensive care unit. Case presentation An 87-year-old Caucasian woman with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia was admitted to our intensive care unit requiring invasive ventilation. The combination of a poor oxygenation index and bilateral alveolar/interstitial infiltrates on a chest radiograph fulfilled the criteria for adult respiratory distress syndrome; the cause was thought to be a combination of the direct pneumonic pulmonary injury and extrapulmonary severe sepsis. By day seven, the fraction of inspired oxygen, peak airway and positive end expiratory pressures weaned sufficiently to allow an uncomplicated percutaneous tracheostomy. On day 10, problems with ventilation necessitated recruitment maneuvers with a Mapleson C circuit, after which dramatic surgical emphysema was noted. An upper airway bronchoscopy showed no obvious tracheal wall injury, and computed tomography of her chest showed extensive surgical emphysema, perivascular emphysema and peribronchial emphysema, which were consistent with a diagnosis of pulmonary interstitial emphysema. Over the following days, despite protective ventilatory strategies and intercostal tube thoracostomy, lung compliance along with oxygenation deteriorated and our patient died on day 14. Conclusion The development of pulmonary interstitial emphysema is a rare but real risk when caring for patients with worsening lung compliance on the intensive care unit. Improved awareness of the condition, early protective ventilation strategies and timely treatment of any of the lethal complications will hopefully result in improved survival from the condition in adults.

Uncovering the Genetic History of the Present Day Greenlandic Population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moltke, Ida; Fumagalli, Matteo; Korneliussen, Thorfinn S

2015-01-01

Because of past limitations in samples and genotyping technologies, important questions about the history of the present-day Greenlandic population remain unanswered. In an effort to answer these questions and in general investigate the genetic history of the Greenlandic population, we analyzed...

40 CFR 426.122 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Incandescent Lamp Envelope Manufacturing Subcategory § 426.122 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the...): (a) Any manufacturing plant which produces incandescent lamp envelopes shall meet the following... any 1 day Average of daily values for 30 consecutive days shall not exceed— Metric units (g/kkg of...

Statistical Downscaling of Rainfall for Romania From six European GCMs for Present Day and Future Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Huebener, H.; Cubasch, U.

2007-12-01

Circulation Weather Types calculated from ERA40 SLP fields are correlated to rainfall for selected Romanian stations in the lower Danube catchment. The western, central, and eastern parts of the area show differing correlations between rainfall and CWTs in the observations. For all all regions and most CWTs, precipitation amount per rain day is larger in summer while occurrence frequency of rain days per CWT is larger in winter. Rain amount and frequency show high positive (negative) correlation with cyclonic (anti-cyclonic) days. In the western region rain amounts are highest for SE CWT, associated with synoptic disturbances originating from the central Mediterranean. In the central and eastern region N to E CWTs provide the highest rain amounts, associated with low pressure over the black sea and the eastern Mediterranean. SW to NW CWTs are negatively correlated with rain in the eastern part of the area due to diffluence south of the Carpathians. In the scope of the EU-Project ENSEMBLES, CWTs are also calculated using six European GCMs (BCC, NERSC, Norway; CNRM-CM3, CNRM, France; EGMAM, FU-Berlin, Germany; ECHAM5/MPI-OM1, MPI-M, Germany; HadGEM1, Hadley-Centre, UK; IPSL-CM4, Institute Pierre Simone Laplace, France). Comparison of the occurrence frequency of CWTs for present-day simulations to the ERA40 results shows a positive bias of W CWT in Romania, associated with a too strong northern polar low in all models. Additionally an overestimation of cyclonic and an underestimation of anti-cyclonic days is found in the models. This feature is consistent with a general tendency of GCMs to underestimate blocking situations. The annual cycle of CWTs for Romania is displayed in the different models in varying quality: while ECHAM5/MPI-OM shows an annual cycle close to observations, some of the other models are not suited to represent the annual cycle correctly. All models show an increase of anti-cyclonic days combined with a decrease of cyclonic days for the SRES A1B

Ancient cosmological tachyons in the present-day world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molski, M.

1993-01-01

The geodesic equation for space-like objects moving along a circular trajectory in the expanding universe is considered. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that ancient cosmological tachyons may exist in the present-day world and may play an important role in (i) the internal structure of hadrons conceived as nonlocal objects called strings, (ii) the T-symmetry violation observed in the weak K-decays, (iii) the multidimensional unified field theories of Kaluza-Klein type, and in (iv) the classical models of charged particles which combine ordinary electromagnetism with a self-interacting version of Newtonian gravity. 18 refs

Disruption generated secondary runaway electrons in present day tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pankratov, I.M.; Jaspers, R.

2000-01-01

An analysis of the runaway electron secondary generation during disruptions in present day tokamaks (JET, JT-60U, TEXTOR) was made. It was shown that even for tokamaks with the plasma current I approx 100 kA the secondary generation may dominate the runaway production during disruptions. In the same time in tokamaks with I approx 1 MA the runaway electron secondary generation during disruptions may be suppressed

[The neurobiology of sleep: Cajal and present-day neuroscience].

Science.gov (United States)

Velayos-Jorge, J L; Hernández-Roca, J J; Moleres-Echevarría, F J

We briefly describe the most significant findings obtained recently concerning the sleep-waking cycle in comparison to the studies conducted by Cajal on the same subject. This paper includes a short biographical sketch of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, with special emphasis on his importance within the framework of neuroscience. Cajal represents the decisive turning point in neurobiological studies, with the discovery of the synapse and his law of dynamic polarization. We conduct a short survey of the current knowledge about the phases of sleep and oneiric phenomena, based on their anatomo-physiological foundations. We present a summary of the history of the subject and analyze the contributions made by Cajal to this field, i.e. his study of the associative cortices, which are essential in memory processes and related to the mechanisms governing the sleep-waking cycle. For Cajal the fine anatomy of the thalamus must be considered in relation to the specificity of its connections an idea that is still completely valid today. He did not observe any projections of the thalamic reticular nucleus towards the cerebral cortex, a fact that has been corroborated using modern-day techniques. He spoke of the involvement of neuroglia in the attentional and sleep processes, which is so, although not quite in the way Cajal thought. He considered the production of dreams to be based on intimate neural mechanisms, which is still so. He also studied other brain structures related with the regulation of the sleep waking cycle, although avoiding any specific mention of the mechanisms controlling such a cycle. Furthermore, he conducted self-observation studies with a high degree of insight. Cajal studied the phenomena of attention and sleep in an objective manner and contributed a number of significant interpretations, some of which are now somewhat outdated while others are still wholly valid today.

Between Anzac Day and Waitangi Day

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Czerwińska Anna

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the historical background and significance of the two most important national holidays in New Zealand: Waitangi Day and Anzac Day. Waitangi Day is celebrated on the 6th February and it commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between British representatives and a number of Māori chiefs in 1840. Following the signing of the treaty New Zealand became effectively a British colony. Anzac Day is celebrated on 25th April, i.e., on the anniversary of the landing of soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey in 1915, during World War One. There are three major differences between these two holidays: the process of those days becoming national holidays, the level of contestation, and the changing messages they have carried. The present study analyzes the national discourse around Anzac Day and Waitangi Day in New Zealand, and attempts to reveal how the official New Zealand government rhetoric about national unity becomes deconstructed. The following analysis is based on a selection of online articles from the New Zealand Herald and Stuff published in Auckland and Wellington, respectively. Both cities are populated by multi-ethnic groups, with Auckland featuring the largest Māori population.

Global Warming Impacts on Heating and Cooling Degree-Days in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Petri, Y.; Caldeira, K.

2014-12-01

Anthropogenic climate change is expected to significantly alter residential air conditioning and space heating requirements, which account for 41% of U.S. household energy expenditures. The degree-day method can be used for reliable estimation of weather related building energy consumption and costs, as well as outdoor climatic thermal comfort. Here, we use U.S. Climate Normals developed by NOAA based on weather station observations along with Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) multi-model ensemble simulations. We add the projected change in heating and cooling degree-days based on the climate models to the estimates based on the NOAA U.S. Climate Normals to project future heating and cooling degree-days. We find locations with the lowest and highest combined index of cooling (CDDs) and heating degree-days (HDDs) for the historical period (1981 - 2010) and future period (2080 - 2099) under the Representation Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) climate change scenario. Our results indicate that in both time frames and among the lower 48 states, coastal areas in the West and South California will have the smallest degree-day sum (CDD + HDD), and hence from a climatic perspective become the best candidates for residential real estate. The Rocky Mountains region in Wyoming, in addition to northern Minnesota and North Dakota, will have the greatest CDD + HDD. While global warming is projected to reduce the median heating and cooling demand (- 5%) at the end of the century, CDD + HDD will decrease in the North, with an opposite effect in the South. This work could be helpful in deciding where to live in the United States based on present and future thermal comfort, and could also provide a basis for estimates of changes in heating and cooling energy demand.

Alligator Rivers Analogue project. Geochemical modelling of present-day groundwaters. Final Report - Volume 12

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sverjensky, D A [The John Hopkins Univ, Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Baltimore (United States)

1993-12-31

The main purpose of this report is to summarize geochemical modeling studies of the present-day Koongarra groundwaters. Information on the present-day geochemistry and geochemical processes at Koongarra forms a basis for a present-day analogue for nuclear waste migration. The present-day analogue is built on studies of the mineralogy and petrology of the Koongarra deposit, and chemical analyses of present-day groundwaters from the deposit. The overall approach taken in the present study has been to carry out a series of aqueous speciation and state of saturation calculations, including chemical mass transfer calculations, to address the possible control over the chemistry of the present-day for the groundwaters at Koongarra. The most important implication of the present study for the migration of radionuclides is the strong role played by the water-rock interactions, both above and below the water table, influencing the overall chemical evolution of the groundwaters. Thus, the results show that the chemical evolution of waters is strongly controlled by the initial availability of CO{sub 2} and the mineral assemblage encountered, which together determine the major element evolution of the waters by controlling the pH. The relative rates of evolution of the pH and the oxidation state of the groundwaters are also critical to the mobility of uranium. The shallow Koongarra waters are sufficiently oxidising that they can dissolve and transport uranium even under acidic conditions. Under the more reducing condition of the deep groundwaters, is the pH level that permits uranium transport as carbonate complexes. However, if the oxidation state decreases to much lower levels, it would be expected that uranium become immobile. All the speciation and state of saturation calculations carried out in the present study are available from the author, on request 22 refs., 7 tabs., 18 figs.

Alligator Rivers Analogue project. Geochemical modelling of present-day groundwaters. Final Report - Volume 12

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sverjensky, D. A. [The John Hopkins Univ, Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Baltimore (United States)

1992-12-31

The main purpose of this report is to summarize geochemical modeling studies of the present-day Koongarra groundwaters. Information on the present-day geochemistry and geochemical processes at Koongarra forms a basis for a present-day analogue for nuclear waste migration. The present-day analogue is built on studies of the mineralogy and petrology of the Koongarra deposit, and chemical analyses of present-day groundwaters from the deposit. The overall approach taken in the present study has been to carry out a series of aqueous speciation and state of saturation calculations, including chemical mass transfer calculations, to address the possible control over the chemistry of the present-day for the groundwaters at Koongarra. The most important implication of the present study for the migration of radionuclides is the strong role played by the water-rock interactions, both above and below the water table, influencing the overall chemical evolution of the groundwaters. Thus, the results show that the chemical evolution of waters is strongly controlled by the initial availability of CO{sub 2} and the mineral assemblage encountered, which together determine the major element evolution of the waters by controlling the pH. The relative rates of evolution of the pH and the oxidation state of the groundwaters are also critical to the mobility of uranium. The shallow Koongarra waters are sufficiently oxidising that they can dissolve and transport uranium even under acidic conditions. Under the more reducing condition of the deep groundwaters, is the pH level that permits uranium transport as carbonate complexes. However, if the oxidation state decreases to much lower levels, it would be expected that uranium become immobile. All the speciation and state of saturation calculations carried out in the present study are available from the author, on request 22 refs., 7 tabs., 18 figs.

Inverse relationship between present-day tropical precipitation and its sensitivity to greenhouse warming

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Yoo-Geun; Kug, Jong-Seong; Choi, Jun-Young; Jin, Fei-Fei; Watanabe, Masahiro

2018-01-01

Future changes in rainfall have serious impacts on human adaptation to climate change, but quantification of these changes is subject to large uncertainties in climate model projections. To narrow these uncertainties, significant efforts have been made to understand the intermodel differences in future rainfall changes. Here, we show a strong inverse relationship between present-day precipitation and its future change to possibly calibrate future precipitation change by removing the present-day bias in climate models. The results of the models with less tropical (40° S-40° N) present-day precipitation are closely linked to the dryness over the equatorial central-eastern Pacific, and project weaker regional precipitation increase due to the anthropogenic greenhouse forcing1-6 with stronger zonal Walker circulation. This induces Indo-western Pacific warming through Bjerknes feedback, which reduces relative humidity by the enhanced atmospheric boundary-layer mixing in the future projection. This increases the air-sea humidity difference to enhance tropical evaporation and the resultant precipitation. Our estimation of the sensitivity of the tropical precipitation per 1 K warming, after removing a common bias in the present-day simulation, is about 50% greater than the original future multi-model projection.

CinéGlobe presents: "One Day on Earth"

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

The CinéGlobe International Film Festival is proud to announce that it will be hosting the Swiss edition of the Global Screening of “One Day on Earth”, the first film to be shot and then screened in every country in the world.   Founded in 2008, “One Day on Earth's” first media creation event occurred on 10.10.10. The collaboration was the first ever simultaneous filming event occuring in every country of the world. It created a unique geo-tagged video archive as well as a unique feature film. “One Day on Earth” showcases the amazing diversity, conflict, tragedy, and triumph that occurs in one day on our planet.  This Earth Day, April 22nd, CinéGlobe and CERN invite the public to a free global screening event of the first One Day on Earth Motion Picture. This unique film, created from over 3000 hours of footage, was shot by the One Day on Earth community in every country of the world on October...

Present-day sea level rise: a synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cazenave, A.; Llovel, W.; Lombard, A.

2008-01-01

Measuring sea level change and understanding its causes have improved considerably in the recent years, essentially because new in situ and remote sensing data sets have become available. Here we report on the current knowledge of present-day sea level change. We briefly present observational results on sea level change from satellite altimetry since 1993 and tide gauges for the past century. We next discuss recent progress made in quantifying the processes causing sea level change on time scales ranging from years to decades, i.e., thermal expansion, land ice mass loss and land water storage change. For the 1993-2003 decade, the sum of climate-related contributions agree well (within the error bars) with the altimetry-based sea level, half of the observed rate of rise being due to ocean thermal expansion, land ice plus land waters explaining the other half. Since about 2003, thermal expansion increase has stopped, whereas the sea level continues to rise, although at a reduced rate compared to the previous decade (2.5 mm/yr versus 3.1 mm/yr). Recent increases in glacier melting and ice mass loss from the ice sheets appear able to account alone for the rise in sea level reported over the last five years. (authors)

Communication dated 8 August 2005 received from the Resident Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom to the Agency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-08-08

The Director General has received a communication from the Resident Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, dated 8 August 2005, attaching the text of a letter dated 5 August 2005 sent by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and the High Representative of the European Union, to the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The letter transmits proposals for a Framework for a Long-Term Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and France, Germany and the United Kingdom, with the Support of the High Representative of the European Union. The communication from the Permanent Missions and, as requested therein, the text of the letter and its enclosure, are herewith attached for the information of all Member States.

Communication dated 8 August 2005 received from the Resident Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom to the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The Director General has received a communication from the Resident Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, dated 8 August 2005, attaching the text of a letter dated 5 August 2005 sent by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and the High Representative of the European Union, to the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The letter transmits proposals for a Framework for a Long-Term Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and France, Germany and the United Kingdom, with the Support of the High Representative of the European Union. The communication from the Permanent Missions and, as requested therein, the text of the letter and its enclosure, are herewith attached for the information of all Member States

Combining GRACE and Altimetry to solve for present day mass changes and GIA

Science.gov (United States)

Rietbroek, R.; Lück, C.; Uebbing, B.; Kusche, J.; King, M. A.

2017-12-01

Past and present day sea level rise is closely linked to geoid and surface deformation changes from the ongoing glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Sea level, as detected by radar altimetry, senses the radial deformation of the ocean floor as mantle material slowly flows back to the locations of the former glacial domes. This manifests itself as a net subsidence when averaged over the entire ocean, but can regionally be seen as an uplift for locations close to the former ice sheets. Furthermore, mass driven sea level as derived from GRACE, is even more sensitive to GIA induced mass redistribution in the solid Earth. Consequently, errors in GIA corrections, most notably errors in mantle viscosity and ice histories, have a different leverage on regional sea level estimates from GRACE and altimetry. In this study, we discuss the abilities of a GRACE-altimetry combination to co-estimate GIA corrections together with present day contributors to sea level, rather than simply prescribing a GIA correction from a model. The data is combined in a joint inversion scheme which makes use of spatial patterns to parameterize present day loading effects and GIA. We show that the GRACE-altimetry combination requires constraints, but generally steers the Antarctic GIA signal towards a weaker present day signal in Antarctica compared to a ICE5-G(VM2) derived model. Furthermore, in light of the aging GRACE mission, we show sensitivity studies of how well one could estimate GIA corrections when using other low earth orbiters such as SWARM or CHAMP. Finally, we show whether the Antarctic GNSS station network may be useful in separating GIA from present day mass signals in this type of inversion schemes.

Present-day potentialities of radiodiagnosis of stomach cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portnoj, L.M.; Simavonyan, K.V.; Turovskij, B.M.; Kaluzhskij, A.A.

1986-01-01

Present-day potentialities of radiodiagnosis of stomach cancer were studied using the results of clinicoradiological examination of 209 patients, mainly with endophytic and small forms of stomach cancer and 28 with stomach polypus. It was shown that to achieve the most complete and objective estimation of tumor changes in the stomach a combination of X-ray methods including routine examination with barium suspension and double contrast should be used. One of the most promising trends in radiodiagnosis of stomach cancer is fluorographic mass screening for stomach cancer in persons at high risk with subsequent selective endoscopic examination ( according to indications ). Double contrast remains the major and most informative part of standardized technique of gastrofluorographic examination

DayCent-Chem Simulations of Ecological and Biogeochemical Processes of Eight Mountain Ecosystems in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Hartman, Melannie D.; Baron, Jill S.; Clow, David W.; Creed, Irena F.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Ewing, Holly A.; Haines, Bruce D.; Knoepp, Jennifer; Lajtha, Kate; Ojima, Dennis S.; Parton, William J.; Renfro, Jim; Robinson, R. Bruce; Van Miegroet, Helga; Weathers, Kathleen C.; Williams, Mark W.

2009-01-01

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) cause complex responses in ecosystems, from fertilization to forest ecosystem decline, freshwater eutrophication to acidification, loss of soil base cations, and alterations of disturbance regimes. DayCent-Chem, an ecosystem simulation model that combines ecosystem nutrient cycling and plant dynamics with aqueous geochemical equilibrium calculations, was developed to address ecosystem responses to combined atmospheric N and S deposition. It is unique among geochemically-based models in its dynamic biological cycling of N and its daily timestep for investigating ecosystem and surface water chemical response to episodic events. The model was applied to eight mountainous watersheds in the United States. The sites represent a gradient of N deposition across locales, from relatively pristine to N-saturated, and a variety of ecosystem types and climates. Overall, the model performed best in predicting stream chemistry for snowmelt-dominated sites. It was more difficult to predict daily stream chemistry for watersheds with deep soils, high amounts of atmospheric deposition, and a large degree of spatial heterogeneity. DayCent-Chem did well in representing plant and soil carbon and nitrogen pools and fluxes. Modeled stream nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations compared well with measurements at all sites, with few exceptions. Simulated daily stream sulfate (SO42-) concentrations compared well to measured values for sites where SO42- deposition has been low and where SO42- adsorption/desorption reactions did not seem to be important. The concentrations of base cations and silica in streams are highly dependent on the geochemistry and weathering rates of minerals in each catchment, yet these were rarely, if ever, known. Thus, DayCent-Chem could not accurately predict weathering products for some catchments. Additionally, few data were available for exchangeable soil cations or the magnitude of base cation

Communication dated 4 March from the Governor for the Russian Federation and the Resident Representatives of China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America concerning UN Security Council resolution 1803 (2008)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Director General has received a letter dated 4 March 2008 from the Governor for the Russian Federation and the Resident Representatives of China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, attaching the text of a statement agreed by the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, with the support of the High Representative of the European Union and read by the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the adoption on 3 March 2008 of United Nations Security Council resolution 1803 (2008). The letter and, as requested therein, the attached text, are herewith circulated for the information of Member States

Modelling economic losses of historic and present-day high-impact winter storms in Switzerland

Science.gov (United States)

Welker, Christoph; Martius, Olivia; Stucki, Peter; Bresch, David; Dierer, Silke; Brönnimann, Stefan

2015-04-01

Windstorms can cause significant financial damage and they rank among the most hazardous meteorological hazards in Switzerland. Risk associated with windstorms involves the combination of hazardous weather conditions, such as high wind gust speeds, and socio-economic factors, such as the distribution of assets as well as their susceptibilities to damage. A sophisticated risk assessment is important in a wide range of areas and has benefits for e.g. the insurance industry. However, a sophisticated risk assessment needs a large sample of storm events for which high-resolution, quantitative meteorological and/or loss data are available. Latter is typically an aggravating factor. For present-day windstorms in Switzerland, the data basis is generally sufficient to describe the meteorological development and wind forces as well as the associated impacts. In contrast, historic windstorms are usually described by graphical depictions of the event and/or by weather and loss reports. The information on historic weather events is overall sparse and the available historic weather and loss reports mostly do not provide quantitative information. It has primarily been the field of activity of environmental historians to study historic weather extremes and their impacts. Furthermore, the scarce availability of atmospheric datasets reaching back sufficiently in time has so far limited the analysis of historic weather events. The Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) ensemble dataset, a global atmospheric reanalysis currently spanning 1871 to 2012, offers potentially a very valuable resource for the analysis of historic weather events. However, the 2°×2° latitude-longitude grid of the 20CR is too coarse to realistically represent the complex orography of Switzerland, which has considerable ramifications for the representation of smaller-scale features of the surface wind field influenced by the local orography. Using the 20CR as a starting point, this study illustrates a method to

Improving the efficiency of a chemotherapy day unit: Applying a business approach to oncology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Lent, W.A.M.; Goedbloed, N.; van Harten, Willem H.

2009-01-01

Aim: To improve the efficiency of a hospital-based chemotherapy day unit (CDU). - Methods: The CDU was benchmarked with two other CDUs to identify their attainable performance levels for efficiency, and causes for differences. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis using a business approach, called lean

Taxonomic classification of world map units in crop producing areas of Argentina and Brazil with representative US soil series and major land resource areas in which they occur

Science.gov (United States)

Huckle, H. F. (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The most probable current U.S. taxonomic classification of the soils estimated to dominate world soil map units (WSM)) in selected crop producing states of Argentina and Brazil are presented. Representative U.S. soil series the units are given. The map units occurring in each state are listed with areal extent and major U.S. land resource areas in which similar soils most probably occur. Soil series sampled in LARS Technical Report 111579 and major land resource areas in which they occur with corresponding similar WSM units at the taxonomic subgroup levels are given.

Integration testing through reusing representative unit test cases for high-confidence medical software.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Youngsul; Choi, Yunja; Lee, Woo Jin

2013-06-01

As medical software is getting larger-sized, complex, and connected with other devices, finding faults in integrated software modules gets more difficult and time consuming. Existing integration testing typically takes a black-box approach, which treats the target software as a black box and selects test cases without considering internal behavior of each software module. Though it could be cost-effective, this black-box approach cannot thoroughly test interaction behavior among integrated modules and might leave critical faults undetected, which should not happen in safety-critical systems such as medical software. This work anticipates that information on internal behavior is necessary even for integration testing to define thorough test cases for critical software and proposes a new integration testing method by reusing test cases used for unit testing. The goal is to provide a cost-effective method to detect subtle interaction faults at the integration testing phase by reusing the knowledge obtained from unit testing phase. The suggested approach notes that the test cases for the unit testing include knowledge on internal behavior of each unit and extracts test cases for the integration testing from the test cases for the unit testing for a given test criteria. The extracted representative test cases are connected with functions under test using the state domain and a single test sequence to cover the test cases is produced. By means of reusing unit test cases, the tester has effective test cases to examine diverse execution paths and find interaction faults without analyzing complex modules. The produced test sequence can have test coverage as high as the unit testing coverage and its length is close to the length of optimal test sequences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 6 to 10 Day Probabilistic Precipitation Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 6 to 10 day probabilistic precipitation outlooks for the United States. The 6-10 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 8 to 14 Day Probabilistic Precipitation Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 8 to 14 day probabilistic precipitation outlooks for the United States. The 8-14 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 6 to 10 Day Probabilistic Temperature Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 6 to 10 day probabilistic temperature outlooks for the United States. The 6-10 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 8 to 14 Day Probabilistic Temperature Outlook for the Contiguous United States and Alaska

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issues 8 to 14 day probabilistic temperature outlooks for the United States. The 8-14 day Outlook gives the confidence that a...

6 November 2013 - Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office and Other international organizations in Geneva Ambassador J. Balmaceda Serigos signing the guest book with Adviser for Latin America J. Salicio Diez; visiting the ATLAS experimental cavern with Spokesperson D. Charlton (Spouse, Son and First Secretary present).

CERN Multimedia

Anna Pantelia

2013-01-01

6 November 2013 - Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office and Other international organizations in Geneva Ambassador J. Balmaceda Serigos signing the guest book with Adviser for Latin America J. Salicio Diez; visiting the ATLAS experimental cavern with Spokesperson D. Charlton (Spouse, Son and First Secretary present).

49 CFR 24.208 - Aliens not lawfully present in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Aliens not lawfully present in the United States... Requirements § 24.208 Aliens not lawfully present in the United States. (a) Each person seeking relocation... of an individual, that he or she is either a citizen or national of the United States, or an alien...

PRAGMATIC FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNICATION CODE FAILURE IN PRESENT-DAY DISCOURSE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pochtar Elena Ivanovna

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The article considers the issue of communicative regulations within the discourse frames as viewed through the fact of existing interconnection between speech arrangement modes and speech functional destinations; it analyzes the basic maxims of the P. Grice's Cooperation principle, initially formulated from the speaker's viewpoint, and finds out its relevance for the listeners, thus providing identity of speech behavior principles as shared by both participants in the communication process. Comparing each of the cooperative maxims with the communicative parameters of the present-day discourse the author discovers in it frequent violations of the Cooperation principles suggested by P. Grice and concludes that this system of speech relation fails in cases of discourse realizing an effective function. The article observes that the traditional communicative code is being pressed out as the basic regulator of conversation and goes through some pragmatic changes resulting in communication code failure in present day discourse, some other means of securing the perlocutionary effect in affective discourse are introduced by the author, the politeness principle and the principle of style in particular. Considering the basic mechanisms of these aestheticethical principles in application to the discourse of advertising the author finds proofs to them being functionally adequate and communicatively effective.

The National School Lunch Program: Ideas, proposals, policies, and politics shaping students' experiences with school lunch in the United States, 1946 - present

OpenAIRE

Gosliner, Wendi Anne

2013-01-01

AbstractThe National School Lunch Program:Ideas, proposals, policies, and politics shaping students' experiences with school lunch in the United States, 1946 - presentBy Wendi Anne GoslinerDoctor of Public HealthUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor Ann Keller, ChairOn an average school day in 2012, The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) supported the provision of lunch meals to almost 2/3 of school-age youth in the United States. Recent spikes in childhood obesity rates and the emerg...

Present-day crustal deformation and strain transfer in northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuhang; Liu, Mian; Wang, Qingliang; Cui, Duxin

2018-04-01

The three-dimensional present-day crustal deformation and strain partitioning in northeastern Tibetan Plateau are analyzed using available GPS and precise leveling data. We used the multi-scale wavelet method to analyze strain rates, and the elastic block model to estimate slip rates on the major faults and internal strain within each block. Our results show that shear strain is strongly localized along major strike-slip faults, as expected in the tectonic extrusion model. However, extrusion ends and transfers to crustal contraction near the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The strain transfer is abrupt along the Haiyuan Fault and diffusive along the East Kunlun Fault. Crustal contraction is spatially correlated with active uplifting. The present-day strain is concentrated along major fault zones; however, within many terranes bounded by these faults, intra-block strain is detectable. Terranes having high intra-block strain rates also show strong seismicity. On average the Ordos and Sichuan blocks show no intra-block strain, but localized strain on the southwestern corner of the Ordos block indicates tectonic encroachment.

75 FR 27574 - United States Park Police; 60-Day Notice of Intention To Request Clearance of Collection of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service United States Park Police; 60-Day Notice of... States Park Police, National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... Keeping Requirements, the United States Park Police (USPP) invites public comments on an extension of a...

Sexual orientation and future parenthood in a 2011-2013 nationally representative United States sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Riskind, Rachel G; Tornello, Samantha L

2017-09-01

Previous researchers have found evidence for differences in parenting goals between lesbian and gay people and their heterosexual peers. However, no previous research has quantified the parenting goals of bisexual people or evaluated parenting goals as a function of sexual partner gender. In addition, political and social climates for sexual minority people had improved rapidly since the last representative data on lesbian and gay peoples' plans for parenthood were collected. We analyzed data from 3,941 childless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual participants from the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG; United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2014), a nationally representative sample of United States residents aged 15 to 44 years. We found that statistically significant, within-gender sexual orientation differences in parenting plans persist, despite social and legal changes. Consistent with hypotheses, bisexual men's parenting desires and intentions were similar to those of their heterosexual male peers and different from those of their gay male peers, while bisexual women's reports were more mixed. Also consistent with hypotheses, the gender of the most recent sexual partner was a strong predictor of parenting goals. We discuss implications for mental and reproductive health-care providers, attorneys, social workers, and others who interact with sexual minority adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Reaalsuse re/presenteerimise strateegiad etenduskunstides / Strategies to Re-(Present Reality in the Performing Arts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anneli Saro

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Contemporary theatre, and performing arts in general, no longer seems to be interested in the representation of illusion and reality. There seems to be an increasing emphasis on free play or/and an immediate presentation of reality. And, thus, the mainstream is moving towards the aesthetics of performance art and happenings, where recurrence is shunned and improvisation is emphasized on one hand, while the boundary between performance and reality is obscured on the other. This means that representative theatre, where performers and objects signify someone/something other, is retreating to give way to presentative theatre, where the performers and objects primarily signify themselves.  In the light of the aforementioned, this paper attempts to answer the following questions: how has the presentation of reality in theatre changed over the last forty years, how does presentative theatre differ from representative theatre and does presentative theatre arrive at a deeper/more objective understanding of reality or merely create yet another illusion? In order to answer these questions, the complicated relationship between art and reality as well as issues intrinsic to realist theatre are analysed. The author attempts to prove that it is difficult to find anything fundamentally new in 21st century theatre practice. A lot of the currently fashionable strategies are further developments of older waves, such as realism, or experiments placed in a new temporal and cultural context.  Considering the physical relationship between performing arts and reality, the third section of the paper analyses three strategies of (re-presenting reality: 1. Presenting the elements of reality on stage: performances of documentary material in as authentic a manner as possible, i.e. the self-presentations of so-called regular people or actors, etc. 2. Giving reality an artistic framework: audience tours through the city led by guide(s/performer(s or audio guides. 3

76 FR 66845 - United Nations Day, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-27

... become ever more intertwined, the leadership, staff, and member states of the United Nations continue to... a time of dramatic political transformation, the United Nations can embrace democratic movements and...

Stroke Mortality, Clinical Presentation and Day of Arrival: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily C. O'Brien

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Recent studies report that acute stroke patients who present to the hospital on weekends have higher rates of 28-day mortality than similar patients who arrive during the week. However, how this association is related to clinical presentation and stroke type has not been systematically investigated. Methods and Results. We examined the association between day of arrival and 28-day mortality in 929 validated stroke events in the ARIC cohort from 1987–2004. Weekend arrival was defined as any arrival time from midnight Friday until midnight Sunday. Mortality was defined as all-cause fatal events from the day of arrival through the 28th day of followup. The presence or absence of thirteen stroke signs and symptoms were obtained through medical record review for each event. Binomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR; 95% CI for the association between weekend arrival and 28-day mortality for all stroke events and for stroke subtypes. The overall risk of 28-day mortality was 9.6% for weekday strokes and 10.1% for weekend strokes. In models controlling for patient demographics, clinical risk factors, and event year, weekend arrival was not associated with 28-day mortality (0.87; 0.51, 1.50. When stratified by stroke type, weekend arrival was not associated with increased odds of mortality for ischemic (1.17, 0.62, 2.23 or hemorrhagic (0.37; 0.11, 1.26 stroke patients. Conclusions. Presence or absence of thirteen signs and symptoms was similar for weekday patients and weekend patients when stratified by stroke type. Weekend arrival was not associated with 28-day all-cause mortality or differences in symptom presentation for strokes in this cohort.

Objectively Measured School Day Physical Activity Among Elementary Students in the United States and Finland.

Science.gov (United States)

Yli-Piipari, Sami; Kulmala, Janne Santeri; Jaakkola, Timo; Hakonen, Harto; Fish, Joseph Cole; Tammelin, Tuija

2016-04-01

Schools are in a unique position to ensure that all students meet the current physical activity (PA) recommendations. This study aimed to examine 1st to 3rd grade elementary students' accelerometer measured school day PA in the United States (U.S.) and Finland. The sample consisted of 200 students (107 girls, 93 boys; ages 6 to 8) and their school day PA was monitored with hip-worn ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers across a 5-day school week and the thresholds 100 and 2296 count per minute were used to separate sedentary time, light PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). On an average school day, students were engaged in MVPA for 20.0 min in the U.S. and 24.1 min in Finland. Students' school-day MVPA was 9 to 16 minutes higher during physical education (PE) days compared with non-PE days (U.S: 25.8 vs. 16.6 min/day; Finland: 36.3 vs. 20.1 min/day). Girls had less MVPA and more sedentary time compared with boys in both samples. This study highlights both the role of PE and other school day physical activities in meeting PA guidelines. Policy measures are needed to change the structure of the school day and enhance PA to ensure that students meet the PA recommendations.

Uncovering the genetic history of the present-day greenlandic population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moltke, Ida; Fumagalli, Matteo; Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand

2015-01-01

Because of past limitations in samples and genotyping technologies, important questions about the history of the present-day Greenlandic population remain unanswered. In an effort to answer these questions and in general investigate the genetic history of the Greenlandic population, we analyzed...... between the Norse Vikings who lived in Greenland for a limited period ∼600-1,000 years ago and the Inuit, we found no evidence supporting this hypothesis. Similarly, we found no evidence supporting a previously hypothesized admixture event between the Inuit in East Greenland and the Dorset people, who...

Optimal day-ahead wind-thermal unit commitment considering statistical and predicted features of wind speeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Yanan; Dong, Jizhe; Ding, Lijuan

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A day–ahead wind–thermal unit commitment model is presented. • Wind speed transfer matrix is formed to depict the sequential wind features. • Spinning reserve setting considering wind power accuracy and variation is proposed. • Verified study is performed to check the correctness of the program. - Abstract: The increasing penetration of intermittent wind power affects the secure operation of power systems and leads to a requirement of robust and economic generation scheduling. This paper presents an optimal day–ahead wind–thermal generation scheduling method that considers the statistical and predicted features of wind speeds. In this method, the statistical analysis of historical wind data, which represents the local wind regime, is first implemented. Then, according to the statistical results and the predicted wind power, the spinning reserve requirements for the scheduling period are calculated. Based on the calculated spinning reserve requirements, the wind–thermal generation scheduling is finally conducted. To validate the program, a verified study is performed on a test system. Then, numerical studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method are conducted.

6 JUne 2016 - Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland Ambassador A. Korka signing the guest book with CERN Director-General F. Gianotti.

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Her Excellency Ms Anna Korka Ambassador Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland; Also present: Deputy Permanent Representative I. Tsaousis, Member State Liaison Officer E. Tsesmelis, Director for International Relations C. Warakaulle and Head of Member State Relations P. Wells.

75 FR 65561 - United Nations Day, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-26

... A Proclamation Sixty-five years ago, 51 nations came together in the aftermath of one of history's... all peoples. The United Nations has made great advances since it first developed out of ruin and... of nations. The United Nations' humanitarian assistance lifts up countless lives, supporting nations...

Representing adaptive and adaptable Units of Learning. How to model personalized eLearning in IMS Learning Design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgos, Daniel; Tattersall, Colin; Koper, Rob

2006-01-01

Burgos, D., Tattersall, C., & Koper, E. J. R. (2007). Representing adaptive and adaptable Units of Learning. How to model personalized eLearning in IMS Learning Design. In B. Fernández Manjon, J. M. Sanchez Perez, J. A. Gómez Pulido, M. A. Vega Rodriguez & J. Bravo (Eds.), Computers and Education:

78 FR 64385 - United Nations Day, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-28

... A Proclamation In 1945, after two world wars that showed the horrific lethality of modern conflict.... We celebrate the organization's challenging and often unheralded work of forging a world in which... children and grandchildren from the ravages of war, the members of the United Nations committed ``to unite...

Present-day Horizontal Mobility in the Serbian Part of the Pannonian Basin; Inferences from the Geometric Analysis of Deformations

Science.gov (United States)

Sušić, Zoran; Toljić, Marinko; Bulatović, Vladimir; Ninkov, Toša; Stojadinović, Uroš

2016-10-01

In tectonically complex environments, such as the Pannonian Basin surrounded by the Alps-Dinarides and Carpathians orogens, monitoring of recent deformations represents very challenging matter. Efficient quantification of active continental deformations demands the use of a multidisciplinary approach, including neotectonic, seismotectonic and geodetic methods. The present-day tectonic mobility in the Pannonian Basin is predominantly controlled by the northward movement of the Adria micro-plate, which has produced compressional stresses that were party accommodated by the Alps-Dinarides thrust belt and partly transferred towards its hinterland. Influence of thus induced stresses on the recent strain field, deformations and tectonic mobility in the southern segment of the Pannonian Basin has been investigated using GPS measurements of the horizontal mobility in the Vojvodina area (northern Serbia).

Impacts of global warming on residential heating and cooling degree-days in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Petri, Yana; Caldeira, Ken

2015-08-04

Climate change is expected to decrease heating demand and increase cooling demand for buildings and affect outdoor thermal comfort. Here, we project changes in residential heating degree-days (HDD) and cooling degree-days (CDD) for the historical (1981-2010) and future (2080-2099) periods in the United States using median results from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) simulations under the Representation Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. We project future HDD and CDD values by adding CMIP5 projected changes to values based on historical observations of US climate. The sum HDD + CDD is an indicator of locations that are thermally comfortable, with low heating and cooling demand. By the end of the century, station median HDD + CDD will be reduced in the contiguous US, decreasing in the North and increasing in the South. Under the unmitigated RCP8.5 scenario, by the end of this century, in terms of HDD and CDD values considered separately, future New York, NY, is anticipated to become more like present Oklahoma City, OK; Denver, CO, becomes more like Raleigh, NC, and Seattle, WA, becomes more like San Jose, CA. These results serve as an indicator of projected climate change and can help inform decision-making.

Impacts of global warming on residential heating and cooling degree-days in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Petri, Yana; Caldeira, Ken

2015-01-01

Climate change is expected to decrease heating demand and increase cooling demand for buildings and affect outdoor thermal comfort. Here, we project changes in residential heating degree-days (HDD) and cooling degree-days (CDD) for the historical (1981–2010) and future (2080–2099) periods in the United States using median results from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) simulations under the Representation Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. We project future HDD and CDD values by adding CMIP5 projected changes to values based on historical observations of US climate. The sum HDD + CDD is an indicator of locations that are thermally comfortable, with low heating and cooling demand. By the end of the century, station median HDD + CDD will be reduced in the contiguous US, decreasing in the North and increasing in the South. Under the unmitigated RCP8.5 scenario, by the end of this century, in terms of HDD and CDD values considered separately, future New York, NY, is anticipated to become more like present Oklahoma City, OK; Denver, CO, becomes more like Raleigh, NC, and Seattle, WA, becomes more like San Jose, CA. These results serve as an indicator of projected climate change and can help inform decision-making. PMID:26238673

Day surgery: Results after restructuration of a university public general surgery unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaucher, S; Cappiello, F; Bouam, S; Damardji, I; Aissat, A; Boutron, I; Béthoux, J P

2013-06-01

Nowadays, in France, development of the ambulatory surgery has stalled. This is probably related to the fact that ambulatory surgery is restricted by the law to the "day surgery" in 12 hours, and only 17 procedures are referenced for this surgery. Thus, conventional hospitalization remained the rule after surgery. In January 2010, our university general surgery unit was restructured. It evolved from a conventional unit to a predominantly ambulatory unit. Otherwise, our unit adjoins a hotel, even inside our institution, which accommodates patients, patient visitors and tourists. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the postoperative accommodation modalities between two groups of patients. The first group consisted of patients admitted before January 2010, at the time of conventional activity, whereas the second group consisted of patients admitted after January 2010 in a restructured unit. Inclusion of patients admitted from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009 (conventional hospitalization period) and from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 (ambulatory management period), scheduled for one single surgical procedure excluding emergency. A total of 360 patients were retained: 229 for the conventional period and 131 for the ambulatory period, with a median age of 55 (range 15-87). No statistically significant difference was noted between the two groups as concerned median age, gender or ASA status. The number of postoperative nights varied significantly between the two groups with a mean of 3.8 nights (median three nights, range 0-32) for the conventional period versus 0.4 nights (median 0 night, range 0-10) for the ambulatory period (Plegal period of 12 hours to 24 hours in order to expand the list of the referenced procedures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Present and future responses of growing degree days for Crete Island in Greece

Science.gov (United States)

Paparrizos, Spyridon; Matzarakis, Andreas

2017-02-01

Climate affects practically all the physiological processes that determine plant life (IPCC, 2014). A major challenge and objective of the agricultural science is to predict the occurrences of specific physical or biological events. For this reason, flower phenology has been widely used to study the flowering in plant species of economic interest, and in this concept, temperature and heat units have been widely accepted as the most important factors affecting processes leading to flowering. The determination of heat requirements in the first developing phases of plants has been expressed as Growing Degree Days (GDD). Determination of GDD is useful for achieving a better understanding of the flowering season development in several plant species, and for forecasting when flowering will occur (Paparrizos and Matzarakis, 2017). Temperature and GDD represent two important spatially-dynamic climatic variables, as they both play vital roles in influencing forest development by directly affecting plant functions such as evapotranspiration, photosynthesis and plant transpiration. Understanding the spatial distribution of GDD is crucial to the practice of sustainable agricultural and forest management, as GDD relates to the integration of growth and provides precise point estimates (Hasan et al., 2007; Matzarakis et al., 2007). The aim of the current study was to estimate and map through downscaling spatial interpolation and multi-linear regression techniques, the future variation of GDD for the periods 2021-2050 and 2071-2100, under the A1B and B1 IPCC emission scenarios in relation with the reference periods for Crete Island in Greece. Future temperature data were obtained, validated and analysed from the ENSEMBLES European project. A combination of dynamical and statistical approach was conducted in order to downscale and perform the spatial interpolation of GDD through ArcGIS 10.2.1. The results indicated that in the future, GDD will be increased and the existing

Representing adaptive and adaptable Units of Learning. How to model personalized eLearning in IMS Learning Design

OpenAIRE

Burgos, Daniel; Tattersall, Colin; Koper, Rob

2006-01-01

Burgos, D., Tattersall, C., & Koper, E. J. R. (2007). Representing adaptive and adaptable Units of Learning. How to model personalized eLearning in IMS Learning Design. In B. Fernández Manjon, J. M. Sanchez Perez, J. A. Gómez Pulido, M. A. Vega Rodriguez & J. Bravo (Eds.), Computers and Education: E-learning - from theory to practice. Germany: Kluwer.

4 July 2016 - S. Dalil Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva signing the Guest Book with Director-General F. Gianotti. P. Fassnacht present throughout.

CERN Multimedia

Brice, Maximilien

2016-01-01

Her Excellency Dr Suraya Dalil Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Proceedings of the Areva Technical Days. Session 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This document presents the proceedings of the Areva technical days, presented during the session 5 the 9 and 10 december 2004, at Istanbul. It deals with the operations of the transmission and distribution division. With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, Areva offers customers technological solutions for nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution (the Group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets). It provides five topics: a general presentation of Areva, the strategic stakes for transmission and distribution by world-zone, economic and strategic stakes of business unit products, business unit systems and business unit automation. (A.L.B.)

Proceedings of the Areva Technical Days. Session 5

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This document presents the proceedings of the Areva technical days, presented during the session 5 the 9 and 10 december 2004, at Istanbul. It deals with the operations of the transmission and distribution division. With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in over 100, Areva offers customers technological solutions for nuclear power generation and electricity transmission and distribution (the Group also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive markets). It provides five topics: a general presentation of Areva, the strategic stakes for transmission and distribution by world-zone, economic and strategic stakes of business unit products, business unit systems and business unit automation. (A.L.B.)

40 CFR 60.4112 - Changing Hg designated representative and alternate Hg designated representative; changes in...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Changing Hg designated representative and alternate Hg designated representative; changes in owners and operators. 60.4112 Section 60.4112... Generating Units Hg Designated Representative for Hg Budget Sources § 60.4112 Changing Hg designated...

A pragmatic implementation of a 6-day physiotherapy service in a mixed inpatient rehabilitation unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Caruana, Erin L; Kuys, Suzanne S; Clarke, Jane; Bauer, Sandra G

2017-08-01

This study determined the impact of a pragmatic 6-day physiotherapy service on length of stay, functional independence, gait and balance in people undergoing inpatient rehabilitation, compared to a 5-day service. A prospective cohort study with historical comparison was undertaken in a mixed inpatient rehabilitation unit. Intervention period participants (2011) meeting inclusion criteria were eligible for a 6-day physiotherapy service. All other participants, including the historical cohort (2010) received usual care (5-day physiotherapy). Length of stay, functional independence, gait and balance performance were measured. A total of 536 individuals participated in this study; 270 in 2011 (60% received 6-day physiotherapy) and 266 in 2010. Participants in 2011 showed a trend for reduced length of stay (1.7 days, 95%CI -0.53 to 3.92) compared to 2010. Other measures showed no significant differences between cohorts. In 2011, those receiving 6-day physiotherapy were more dependent, but showed significantly improved functional independence and balance compared to those receiving 5-day physiotherapy (p physiotherapy service in a "real-world" rehabilitation setting demonstrated a trend towards reduced length of stay, and improved functional gains. This service could lead to cost-savings for hospitals and improved patient flow. Implications for Rehabilitation "Real-world" implementation of a 6-day physiotherapy service in rehabilitation shows a trend for reducing length of stay. This reduction in length of stay may lead to cost-savings for the hospital system, and improve patient flow into rehabilitation. Patients receiving 6-day physiotherapy made significant gains in balance and functional independence compared to patients receiving 5-day physiotherapy services in the rehabilitation setting.

National Lexicography Units: Past, Present, Future

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mariëtta Alberts, Research Unit for Languages and Literature in SA Context,. Northwest ..... NLUs were also assisted with the marketing of the units and the obtaining .... each dictionary project, and developing an editorial style guide for each dic- .... The DSAE edited the South African Concise Oxford Dictionary that was.

Pediatric martial arts injuries presenting to Emergency Departments, United States 1990-2003.

Science.gov (United States)

Yard, Ellen E; Knox, Christy L; Smith, Gary A; Comstock, R Dawn

2007-08-01

Although an estimated 6.5 million United States (US) children aged 6-17 practiced a martial art in 2004, there have been no nationally representative studies comparing pediatric injuries among the three most popular disciplines, karate, taekwondo, and judo. Describe pediatric martial arts injuries presenting to a representative sample of US Emergency Departments (EDs) from 1990 to 2003. We reviewed all martial arts injuries captured by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC), National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). An estimated 128,400 children injuries from 1990 to 2003. Injured tended to be male (73.0%) and had a mean age of 12.1 years. Most injuries were attributed to karate (79.5%). The most common mechanism of injury was being kicked (25.6%), followed by falling (20.6%) and kicking (18.0%). The majority of injuries occurred to the lower leg/foot/ankle (30.1%) and hand/wrist (24.5%). The most common injury diagnoses were sprains/strains (29.3%), contusions/abrasions (27.8%), and fractures (24.6%). Participants in judo sustained significantly higher proportions of shoulder/upper arm injuries than karate (IPR=4.31, 95% CI: 2.84-6.55) or taekwondo (IPR=9.75, 95% CI: 3.53-26.91) participants. There were also higher proportions of neck injuries sustained by judo participants compared to karate (IPR=4.73, 95% CI: 1.91-11.70) or taekwondo (IPR=4.17, 95% CI: 1.02-17.06) participants. Pediatric martial arts injuries differ by discipline. Understanding these injury patterns can assist with the development of discipline-specific preventive interventions.

Maternal outcomes of term breech presentation delivery: impact of successful external cephalic version in a nationwide sample of delivery admissions in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiniger, Carolyn F; Lyell, Deirdre J; Tsen, Lawrence C; Butwick, Alexander J; Shachar, BatZion; Callaghan, William M; Creanga, Andreea A; Bateman, Brian T

2016-07-08

We aimed to define the frequency and predictors of successful external cephalic version in a nationally-representative cohort of women with breech presentations and to compare maternal outcomes associated with successful external cephalic version versus persistent breech presentation. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a United States healthcare utilization database, we identified delivery admissions between 1998 and 2011 for women who had successful external cephalic version or persistent breech presentation (including unsuccessful or no external cephalic version attempt) at term. Multivariable logistic regression identified patient and hospital-level factors associated with successful external cephalic version. Maternal outcomes were compared between women who had successful external cephalic version versus persistent breech. Our study cohort comprised 1,079,576 delivery admissions with breech presentation; 56,409 (5.2 %) women underwent successful external cephalic version and 1,023,167 (94.8 %) women had persistent breech presentation at the time of delivery. The rate of cesarean delivery was lower among women who had successful external cephalic version compared to those with persistent breech (20.2 % vs. 94.9 %; p external cephalic version were also less likely to experience several measures of significant maternal morbidity including endometritis (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 0.36, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 0.24-0.52), sepsis (aOR = 0.35, 95 % CI 0.24-0.51) and length of stay > 7 days (aOR = 0.53, 95 % CI 0.40-0.70), but had a higher risk of chorioamnionitis (aOR = 1.83, 95 % CI 1.54-2.17). Overall a low proportion of women with breech presentation undergo successful external cephalic version, and it is associated with significant reduction in the frequency of cesarean delivery and a number of measures of maternal morbidity. Increased external cephalic version use may be an important approach to mitigate the high rate of

AREVA Technical Days (ATD) session 1: Energy outlook and presentation of the Areva Group; AREVA Technical Days (ATD) session 1: enjeux energetiques et presentation du groupe AREVA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-07-01

These technical days organized by the Areva Group aims to explain the group activities in a technological and economic point of view, to provide an outlook of worldwide energy trends and challenges and to present each of their businesses in a synthetic manner. This first session deals with energy challenges and nuclear, public acceptance of nuclear power, mining activities, chemistry activities, enrichment activities, fuel assembly, reactors and services activities, nuclear measurements activities, reprocessing and recycling activities, logistics activities and connectors activities. (A.L.B.)

Telos: The Revival of an Aristotelian Concept in Present Day Ethics

OpenAIRE

HAUSKELLER, MICHAEL

2005-01-01

Genetic engineering is often looked upon with disfavour on the grounds that it involves ‘tampering with nature’. Most philosophers do not take this notion seriously. However, some do. Those who do tend to understand nature in an Aristotelian sense, as the essence or form which is the final end or telos for the sake of which individual organisms live, and which also explains why they are as they are. But is this really a tenable idea? In order to secure its usage in present day ethics, I will ...

Power and religion: Geertz position of present-day Bali

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ni Wayan Radita Novi Puspitasari

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the changes of religious - political power relations from the mid of 1950’s to present-day Bali. Anthropologist Geertz stated that Balinese Hinduism is a “superstition”, “rhetoric” and “state cult” that had been applied in the Negara as a theatre state. Within the conception of Hinduism by referring to the relation between the Divine God -Tri Murti and Tri Hita Karana, the Balinese society is believed in the relation between Gods, the people and its environment. Although in the post-colonial era, Balinese people are maintaining the power existence of the local kingdoms, mainly the system of warna. Through the accumulation of charisma, Geertz provided a concept that Negara was basically a state created by honor and ceremony. Thus, the democratic governmental system of Indonesia hardly reach the political arena within the Balinese society. As a result, through the self-awareness and the notion on equality, the Sudra could establish their role as an influential Balinese personage.

31 july 2014 - H. WU Ambassador Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations

CERN Multimedia

Egli, Laurent

2014-01-01

His Excellency Mr Hailong WU Ambassador Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland visiting the ATLAS cavern with ATLAS Spokesperson D. Charlton and the LHC tunnel at Point 1 with Technology Department, Vacuum, Surfaces and Coatings Group P. Cruikshank.

Variability and trends in dry day frequency and dry event length in the southwestern United States

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Gregory J.; Legates, David R.; Lins, Harry F.

2010-01-01

Daily precipitation from 22 National Weather Service first-order weather stations in the southwestern United States for water years 1951 through 2006 are used to examine variability and trends in the frequency of dry days and dry event length. Dry events with minimum thresholds of 10 and 20 consecutive days of precipitation with less than 2.54 mm are analyzed. For water years and cool seasons (October through March), most sites indicate negative trends in dry event length (i.e., dry event durations are becoming shorter). For the warm season (April through September), most sites also indicate negative trends; however, more sites indicate positive trends in dry event length for the warm season than for water years or cool seasons. The larger number of sites indicating positive trends in dry event length during the warm season is due to a series of dry warm seasons near the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. Overall, a large portion of the variability in dry event length is attributable to variability of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, especially for water years and cool seasons. Our results are consistent with analyses of trends in discharge for sites in the southwestern United States, an increased frequency in El Niño events, and positive trends in precipitation in the southwestern United States.

Cernavoda - Unit 2. A strategic project for Romania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saroudis, J.I.; Chirica, T.; Villabruna, G.

1999-01-01

The paper presents some key aspects of the Romanian nuclear program, focusing on Cernavoda NPP Unit No. 2 and the partnership with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) and ANSALDO Italy for completion of this project. A brief historical presentation of the Romanian nuclear program is included. The success of Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 represents an important element in finalizing Unit 2 in an advanced state of equipment installation and more than 40 % complete. Also, the national infrastructure, including the legal framework and new Electricity Law represents a positive element for Project completion. The Romanian Nuclear Regulatory Body represents the guarantee for the safe operation of CANDU reactors in Romania.(author)

3 CFR 8353 - Proclamation 8353 of March 24, 2009. Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy, 2009 8353 Proclamation 8353... National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy, 2009By the President of the United States of... Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.” I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day...

Stratocumulus transitions in present-day and future climate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Dussen, J.J.

2015-01-01

Clouds have a strong net cooling effect on our planet, as they reflect a large part of the incident solar radiation. To be able to make accurate forecasts of the global climate, cloudiness should therefore be correctly represented by climate models. Currently, however there are large differences in

A Rare Manifestation of Tuberculosis Presenting in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Osman Bhatty

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A 64-year-old Bangladeshi female presented to her primary care physician with a tender right breast lump that had been present for 4-5 days along with subjective fevers and malaise. Initial biopsy revealed granulomas, but Ziehl-Neelsen and Gram stain were negative for TB so antibiotics were prescribed for abscess until culture came positive for tuberculosis. She was started on triple therapy for extrapulmonary tuberculosis, an exceedingly rare presentation that requires high clinical suspicion in the Western world.

Developing a performance data suite to facilitate lean improvement in a chemotherapy day unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Lingaratnam, Senthil; Murray, Danielle; Carle, Amber; Kirsa, Sue W; Paterson, Rebecca; Rischin, Danny

2013-07-01

A multidisciplinary team from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, developed a performance data suite to support a service improvement project based on lean manufacturing principles in its 19-chair chemotherapy day unit (CDU) and cytosuite chemotherapy production facility. The aims of the project were to reduce patient wait time and improve equity of access to the CDU. A project team consisting of a pharmacist and CDU nurse supported the management team for 10 months in engaging staff and customers to identify waste in processes, analyze root causes, eliminate non-value-adding steps, reduce variation, and level workloads to improve quality and flow. Process mapping, staff and patient tracking and opinion surveys, medical record audits, and interrogation of electronic treatment records were undertaken. This project delivered a 38% reduction in median wait time on the day (from 32 to 20 minutes; P product manufactured within 10 minutes of appointment times by 29% (from 47% to 76%; P lean improvement methodology provided a robust framework for improved understanding and management of complex system constraints within a CDU, resulting in improved access to treatment and reduced waiting times on the day.

Lessons Learned and Present Day Challenges of Addressing 20th Century Radiation Legacies of Russia and the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KRISTOFZSKI, J.G.

2000-01-01

The decommissioning of nuclear submarines, disposal of highly-enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, and processing of high-level radioactive wastes represent the most challenging issues facing the cleanup of 20th century radiation legacy wastes and facilities. The US and Russia are the two primary countries dealing with these challenges, because most of the world's fissile inventory is being processed and stored at multiple industrial sites and nuclear weapons production facilities in these countries

Optimal operation and forecasting policy for pump storage plants in day-ahead markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muche, Thomas

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We investigate unit commitment deploying stochastic and deterministic approaches. • We consider day-ahead markets, its forecast and weekly price based unit commitment. • Stochastic and deterministic unit commitment are identical for the first planning day. • Unit commitment and bidding policy can be based on the deterministic approach. • Robust forecasting models should be estimated based on the whole planning horizon. - Abstract: Pump storage plants are an important electricity storage technology at present. Investments in this technology are expected to increase. The necessary investment valuation often includes expected cash flows from future price-based unit commitment policies. A price-based unit commitment policy has to consider market price uncertainty and the information revealing nature of electricity markets. For this environment stochastic programming models are suggested to derive the optimal unit commitment policy. For the considered day-ahead price electricity market stochastic and deterministic unit commitment policies are comparable suggesting an application of easier implementable deterministic models. In order to identify suitable unit commitment and forecasting policies, deterministic unit commitment models are applied to actual day-ahead electricity prices of a whole year. As a result, a robust forecasting model should consider the unit commitment planning period. This robust forecasting models result in expected cash flows similar to realized ones allowing a reliable investment valuation

Reservoir release patterns for hydropower operations at the Aspinall Unit on the Gunnison River, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, S.C.L.; Sedlacek, J.

1995-05-01

This report presents the development of reservoir release patterns for the Aspinall Unit, which includes Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs on the Gunnison River in Colorado. Release patterns were assessed for two hydropower operational scenarios--seasonally adjusted steady flows and seasonally adjusted high fluctuating flows--and three representative hydrologic years--moderate (1987), dry (1989), and wet (1983). The release patterns for the operational scenarios were developed with the aid of monthly, daily, and hourly reservoir operational models, which simulate the linked operation of the three Aspinall Unit reservoirs. Also presented are reservoir fluctuations and downstream water surface elevations corresponding to the reservoir release patterns. Both of the hydropower operational scenarios evaluated are based on the ecological research flows proposed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the Aspinall Unit. The first operational scenario allows only seasonally adjusted steady flows (no hourly fluctuations at any dam within one day), whereas the second scenario permits high fluctuating flows from Blue Mesa and Morrow Point Reservoirs during certain times of the year. Crystal Reservoir would release a steady flow within each day under both operational scenarios

Present day design challenges exemplified by the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickson, P.W. Jr.; Anderson, C.A. Jr.

1976-01-01

The present day design challenges faced by the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant engineer result from two causes. The first cause is aspiration to achieve a design that will operate at conditions which are desirable for future LMFBRs in order for them to achieve low power costs and good breeding. The second cause is the licensing impact. Although licensing the CRBRP won't eliminate future licensing effort, many licensing questions will have been resolved and precedents set for the future LMFBR industry

Abstracts from the Fourteenth Rambam Research Day, December 7, 2017

OpenAIRE

Shraga Blazer (Editor); Ehud Klein (Editor)

2018-01-01

This Supplement of Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal presents the abstracts from the Fourteenth Annual Rambam Research Day. These abstracts represent the newest basic and clinical research coming out of Rambam Health Care Campus—research that is the oxygen for education and development of tomorrow’s generation of physicians. Hence, the research presented on Rambam Research Day is the foundation for understanding patient needs and improving treatment modalities. Bringing research from the benc...

Lessons learned and present day challenges of addressing 20th century radiation legacies of Russia and the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rengel, M.T.; Kristofzski, J.G.; Schubert, A.L.

2002-01-01

Decommissioning of nuclear submarines, disposal of highly enriched uranium and defense plutonium as well as processing of high-level wastes are among the most challenging issues of addressing radiation legacy of the 20th century. USA and Russia are the two primary countries that have to deal with the challenge and where most of the fissile materials to be processed are concentrated, nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste are stored, and multiple industrial sites and nuclear weapons production facilities are located. In the US, CH2M HILL is managing two of the most important nuclear projects being conducted by the US Department of Energy at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site and at the DOE Hanford Site (177 underground tanks at this site contain 60 percent of the United States' high-level radioactive wastes). Within the framework of the Russian Federal special program 'Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Materials Management, Utilization and Disposal for 1996-2005' works were carried out on the Karachai lake covering with soil, highly active radwaste vitrification and fractionation at the 'Mayak' combine. Currently there is a discussion of launching joint Russian-American initiatives including comparative studies of environmental and public health impacts from high-level waste vitrification and plutonium stabilization processes in Russia and high-level waste removal from tanks in the USA and of continuing comprehensive research with the RADSITE project (USA, European Union, Japan, China and India) using coordinated approaches in 2000-2003. This paper presents comparative studies, technical approaches, and regulatory strategies to address the challenges of managing and closing highly enriched uranium, plutonium, and high level waste sites. (author)

Do patients discharged from advanced practice physiotherapy-led clinics re-present to specialist medical services?

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Angela T; Gavaghan, Belinda; O'Leary, Shaun; McBride, Liza-Jane; Raymer, Maree

2017-05-15

Objective The aim of the present study was to determine the rates of re-referral to specialist out-patient clinics for patients previously managed and discharged from an advanced practice physiotherapy-led service in three metropolitan hospitals. Methods A retrospective audit was undertaken of 462 patient cases with non-urgent musculoskeletal conditions discharged between 1 April 2014 and 30 March 2015 from three metropolitan hospitals. These patients had been discharged from the physiotherapy-led service without requiring specialist medical review. Rates and patterns of re-referral to specialist orthopaedic, neurosurgical, chronic pain, or rheumatology services within 12 months of discharge were investigated. Results Forty-six of the 462 patients (10.0%) who were managed by the physiotherapy-led service were re-referred to specialist medical orthopaedic, neurosurgical, chronic pain or rheumatology departments within 12 months of discharge. Only 22 of these patients (4.8%) were re-referred for the same condition as managed previously and discharged. Conclusions Ninety-five per cent of patients with non-urgent musculoskeletal conditions managed by an advanced practice physiotherapy-led service at three metropolitan hospitals did not re-present to access public specialist medical services for the same condition within 12 months of discharge. This is the first time that re-presentation rates have been reported for patients managed in advanced practice physiotherapy services and the findings support the effectiveness of these models of care in managing demand for speciality out-patient services. What is known about the topic? Advanced practice physiotherapy-led services have been implemented to address the needs of patients referred with non-urgent musculoskeletal conditions to hospital specialist out-patient services. Although this model is widely used in Australia, there has been very little information about whether patients managed in these services subsequently re-present

Role of structural inheritance on present-day deformation in intraplate domains

Science.gov (United States)

Tarayoun, A.; Mazzotti, S.; Gueydan, F.

2017-12-01

Understanding the role of structural inheritance on present day surface deformation is a key element for better characterizing the dynamism of intraplate earthquakes. Current deformation and seismicity are poorly understood phenomenon in intra-continental domains. A commonly used hypothesis, based on observations, suggests that intraplate deformation is related to the reactivation of large tectonic paleo-structures, which can act as locally weakened domains. The objective of our study is to quantify the impact of these weakened areas on present-day strain localizations and rates. We combine GPS observations and numerical modeling to analyze the role of structural inheritance on strain rates, with specific observations along the St. Lawrence Valley of eastern Canada. We processed 143 GPS stations from five different networks, in particular one dense campaign network situated along a recognized major normal faults system of the Iapetus paleo-rift, in order to accurately determine the GPS velocities and strain rates. Results of strain rates show magnitude varying from 1.5x10-10 to 6.8x10-9 yr-1 in the St Lawrence valley. Weakened area strain rates are up to one order of magnitude higher than surrounding areas. We compare strain rates inferred from GPS and the new postglacial rebound model. We found that GPS signal is one order of magnitude higher in the weakened zone, which is likely due to structural inheritance. The numerical modeling investigates the steady-state deformation of the continental lithosphere with presence of a weak area. Our new approach integrates ductile structural inheritance using a weakening coefficient that decreases the lithosphere strength at different depths. This allows studying crustal strain rates mainly as a function of rheological contrast and geometry of the weakened domains. Comparison between model predictions and observed GPS strain rates will allow us to investigate the respective role of crustal and mantle tectonic inheritance.

Shallow transient liquid water environments on present-day mars, and their implications for life

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Eriita G.

2018-05-01

The identification and characterisation of subsurface liquid water environments on Mars are of high scientific interest. Such environments have the potential to support microbial life, and, more broadly, to develop our understanding of the habitability of planets and moons beyond Earth. Given our current state of knowledge of life on Earth, three pre-requisites are necessary for an environment to be considered 'habitable' and therefore capable of supporting terrestrial-like life: energy, biogenic elements, and liquid water with a sufficiently high water activity. The surface of Mars today is predominately cold and dry, and any liquid water exposed to the atmosphere will vaporise or freeze on timescales of hours to days. These conditions have likely persisted for much of the last 10 million years, and perhaps longer. Despite this, briny liquid water flows (Recurrent Slope Linea) have been observed in a number of locations in the present-day. This review examines evidence from the Phoenix Lander (2008) and the Mars Science Laboratory (2012-current), to assess the occurrence of habitable conditions in the shallow Martian regolith. It will be argued that shallow, transient, liquid water brines are potentially habitable by microbial life, are likely a widespread occurrence on Mars, and that future exploration aimed at finding present-day habitable conditions and potential biology should 'follow the salt'.

His Excellency Mr Ian de Jong, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2003-01-01

Visit of His Excellency Mr Ian de Jong, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva, June 2003. From left to right: Dr Albert Ijspeert, Deputy Leader, Magnet and electrical systems Group, Accelerator Technology Division; Mr Maarten Wilbers, Legal Service; Prof. Cecilia Jarlskog, Adviser to the Director-General for Member State Relations; Mr Jan van der Boon, Director of Administration; His Excellency Mr Ian de Jong, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva; Prof. Frank Linde, NIKHEF; Dr Lucie Linssen Experimental Physics Division, Technical Assistance Group and Mr C. J. van Riel, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Netherlands, Dutch Delegate to Council and Finance Committee.

From Commodity to Donation: Breast Milk Banking in the United States, 1910 to the Present

OpenAIRE

Gerstein Pineau, Marisa

2011-01-01

This article presents a brief history of breast milk banking in the United States from 1910 to the present. The article discusses the the shift in both the ideology and commodification of breast milk banking in the United States.

Present Day Philosophies of Education

Science.gov (United States)

Ediger, Marlow

2006-01-01

Presently, there are competing philosophies of education which need comparison. Two philosophies will be compared which are at opposite ends of the continuum. They are distinctly different. And yet, both schools of thought have their disciples. Each of the two will be discussed in terms of its essential features and then there will be selected…

77 FR 65459 - United Nations Day, 2012

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-29

... when the global community acts collectively. Dedicated to assuring ``the equal rights of men and women... better part of a century, we have seen what is possible when a strong and united international community...

Surface ozone in China: present-day distribution and long-term changes

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, X.; Lin, W.; Xu, W.

2017-12-01

Reliable knowledge of spatio-temporal variations of surface ozone is highly needed to assess the impacts of ozone on human health, ecosystem and climate. Although regional distributions and trends of surface ozone in European and North American countries have been well characterized, little is known about the variability of surface ozone in many other countries, including China, where emissions of ozone precursors have been changing rapidly in recent decades. Here we present the first comprehensive description of present-day (2013-2017) distribution and long-term changes of surface ozone in mainland China. Recent ozone measurements from China's air quality monitoring network (AQMN) are analyzed to show present-day distributions of a few ozone exposure metrics for urban environment. Long-term measurements of ozone at six background sites, a rural site and an urban are used to study the trends of ozone in background, rural and urban air, respectively. The average levels of ozone at the AQMN sites (mainly urban) are close to those found at many European and North American sites. However, ozone at most of the sites shows very large diurnal and seasonal variations so that ozone nonattainment can occur in many cities, particularly those in the North China Plain (NCP), the south of Northeast China (NEC), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), the Pearl River Delta (PRD), and the Sichuan Basin-Chongqing region (SCB). In all these regions, particularly in the NCP, the maximum daily 8-h average (MDA8) ozone concentration can significantly exceed the national limit (75 ppb). High annual sum of ozone means over 35 ppb (SOMO35) exist mainly in the NCP, NEC and YRD, with regional averages over 4000 ppb·d. Surface ozone has significantly increased at Waliguan (a baseline site in western China) and Shangdianzi (a background site in the NCP), and decreased in winter and spring at Longfengshan (a background site in Northeast China). No clear trend can be derived from long-term measurements

Acrolein and asthma attack prevalence in a representative sample of the United States adult population 2000-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

deCastro, B Rey

2014-01-01

Acrolein is an air toxic and highly potent respiratory irritant. There is little epidemiology available, but US EPA estimates that outdoor acrolein is responsible for about 75 percent of non-cancer respiratory health effects attributable to air toxics in the United States, based on the Agency's 2005 NATA (National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment) and acrolein's comparatively potent inhalation reference concentration of 0.02 µg/m3. Assess the association between estimated outdoor acrolein exposure and asthma attack reported by a representative cross-sectional sample of the adult United States population. NATA 2005 chronic outdoor acrolein exposure estimates at the census tract were linked with residences oif adults (≥18 years old) in the NHIS (National Health Interview Survey) 2000-2009 (n = 271,348 subjects). A sample-weighted logistic regression model characterized the association between the prevalence of reporting at least one asthma attack in the 12 months prior to survey interview and quintiles of exposure to outdoor acrolein, controlling for potential confounders. In the highest quintile of outdoor acrolein exposure (0.05-0.46 µg/m3), there was a marginally significant increase in the asthma attack pOR (prevalence-odds ratio [95% CI]  = 1.08 [0.98∶1.19]) relative to the lowest quintile. The highest quintile was also associated with a marginally significant increase in prevalence-odds (1.13 [0.98∶1.29]) in a model limited to never smokers (n = 153,820). Chronic exposure to outdoor acrolein of 0.05-0.46 µg/m3 appears to increase the prevalence-odds of having at least one asthma attack in the previous year by 8 percent in a representative cross-sectional sample of the adult United States population.

Acrolein and asthma attack prevalence in a representative sample of the United States adult population 2000-2009.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B Rey deCastro

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Acrolein is an air toxic and highly potent respiratory irritant. There is little epidemiology available, but US EPA estimates that outdoor acrolein is responsible for about 75 percent of non-cancer respiratory health effects attributable to air toxics in the United States, based on the Agency's 2005 NATA (National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment and acrolein's comparatively potent inhalation reference concentration of 0.02 µg/m3. OBJECTIVES: Assess the association between estimated outdoor acrolein exposure and asthma attack reported by a representative cross-sectional sample of the adult United States population. METHODS: NATA 2005 chronic outdoor acrolein exposure estimates at the census tract were linked with residences oif adults (≥18 years old in the NHIS (National Health Interview Survey 2000-2009 (n = 271,348 subjects. A sample-weighted logistic regression model characterized the association between the prevalence of reporting at least one asthma attack in the 12 months prior to survey interview and quintiles of exposure to outdoor acrolein, controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: In the highest quintile of outdoor acrolein exposure (0.05-0.46 µg/m3, there was a marginally significant increase in the asthma attack pOR (prevalence-odds ratio [95% CI]  = 1.08 [0.98∶1.19] relative to the lowest quintile. The highest quintile was also associated with a marginally significant increase in prevalence-odds (1.13 [0.98∶1.29] in a model limited to never smokers (n = 153,820. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic exposure to outdoor acrolein of 0.05-0.46 µg/m3 appears to increase the prevalence-odds of having at least one asthma attack in the previous year by 8 percent in a representative cross-sectional sample of the adult United States population.

Maternal depression in the United States: nationally representative rates and risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertel, Karen A; Rich-Edwards, Janet W; Koenen, Karestan C

2011-11-01

To examine the public health burden of major depressive disorder (MDD) among mothers: its prevalence and sociodemographic patterns; associated functioning, comorbidities, and adversities; and racial/ethnic disparities. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 8916 mothers in the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative survey of the civilian U.S. population in 2001?2002. Past-year MDD was assessed with a structured interview protocol. Ten percent of mothers experienced depression in the past year. White and Native American women, those with low education or income, and those not married had high rates of depression. Depression was not strongly patterned by number of or age of children. Depressed mothers experienced more adversities (poverty, separation or divorce, unemployment, financial difficulties) and had worse functioning. Half of depressed mothers received services for their depression. Black and Hispanic depressed mothers were more likely to experience multiple adversities and less likely to receive services than white depressed mothers. Maternal depression is a major public health problem in the United States, with an estimated 1 in 10 children experiencing a depressed mother in any given year. Professionals who work with mothers and children should be aware of its prevalence and its detrimental effects.

The Carnegie Unit: Past, Present, and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Elena; White, Taylor

2015-01-01

For more than a century, the Carnegie Unit has been the central organizing feature of American education. Translated into the "credit hour" in higher education (roughly, one hour of class time per week in a 14-16 week semester), this time-based unit is embedded in nearly every aspect of the system, from faculty-workload and…

Data structures and apparatuses for representing knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Hohimer, Ryan E; Thomson, Judi R; Harvey, William J; Paulson, Patrick R; Whiting, Mark A; Tratz, Stephen C; Chappell, Alan R; Butner, Robert S

2014-02-18

Data structures and apparatuses to represent knowledge are disclosed. The processes can comprise labeling elements in a knowledge signature according to concepts in an ontology and populating the elements with confidence values. The data structures can comprise knowledge signatures stored on computer-readable media. The knowledge signatures comprise a matrix structure having elements labeled according to concepts in an ontology, wherein the value of the element represents a confidence that the concept is present in an information space. The apparatus can comprise a knowledge representation unit having at least one ontology stored on a computer-readable medium, at least one data-receiving device, and a processor configured to generate knowledge signatures by comparing datasets obtained by the data-receiving devices to the ontologies.

Re-assessing Present Day Global Mass Transport and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment From a Data Driven Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, X.; Jiang, Y.; Simonsen, S.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Ligtenberg, S.; Kuipers Munneke, P.; van der Wal, W.; Vermeersen, B. L. A.

2017-12-01

Determining present-day mass transport (PDMT) is complicated by the fact that most observations contain signals from both present day ice melting and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). Despite decades of progress in geodynamic modeling and new observations, significant uncertainties remain in both. The key to separate present-day ice mass change and signals from GIA is to include data of different physical characteristics. We designed an approach to separate PDMT and GIA signatures by estimating them simultaneously using globally distributed interdisciplinary data with distinct physical information and a dynamically constructed a priori GIA model. We conducted a high-resolution global reappraisal of present-day ice mass balance with focus on Earth's polar regions and its contribution to global sea-level rise using a combination of ICESat, GRACE gravity, surface geodetic velocity data, and an ocean bottom pressure model. Adding ice altimetry supplies critically needed dual data types over the interiors of ice covered regions to enhance separation of PDMT and GIA signatures, and achieve half an order of magnitude expected higher accuracies for GIA and consequently ice mass balance estimates. The global data based approach can adequately address issues of PDMT and GIA induced geocenter motion and long-wavelength signatures important for large areas such as Antarctica and global mean sea level. In conjunction with the dense altimetry data, we solved for PDMT coefficients up to degree and order 180 by using a higher-resolution GRACE data set, and a high-resolution a priori PDMT model that includes detailed geographic boundaries. The high-resolution approach solves the problem of multiple resolutions in various data types, greatly reduces aliased errors from a low-degree truncation, and at the same time, enhances separation of signatures from adjacent regions such as Greenland and Canadian Arctic territories.

Toward an Assessment of the Global Inventory of Present-Day Mercury Releases to Freshwater Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Kocman

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Aquatic ecosystems are an essential component of the biogeochemical cycle of mercury (Hg, as inorganic Hg can be converted to toxic methylmercury (MeHg in these environments and reemissions of elemental Hg rival anthropogenic Hg releases on a global scale. Quantification of effluent Hg releases to aquatic systems globally has focused on discharges to the global oceans, rather than contributions to freshwater systems that affect local exposures and risks associated with MeHg. Here we produce a first-estimate of sector-specific, spatially resolved global aquatic Hg discharges to freshwater systems. We compare our release estimates to atmospheric sources that have been quantified elsewhere. By analyzing available quantitative and qualitative information, we estimate that present-day global Hg releases to freshwater environments (rivers and lakes associated with anthropogenic activities have a lower bound of ~1000 Mg· a−1. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM represents the single largest source, followed by disposal of mercury-containing products and domestic waste water, metal production, and releases from industrial installations such as chlor-alkali plants and oil refineries. In addition to these direct anthropogenic inputs, diffuse inputs from land management activities and remobilization of Hg previously accumulated in terrestrial ecosystems are likely comparable in magnitude. Aquatic discharges of Hg are greatly understudied and further constraining associated data gaps is crucial for reducing the uncertainties in the global biogeochemical Hg budget.

40 CFR 72.22 - Alternate designated representative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... designated representative is selected shall include a procedure for the owners and operators of the source and affected units at the source to authorize the alternate designated representative to act in lieu...) In the event of a conflict, any action taken by the designated representative shall take precedence...

Cluster of Candida parapsilosis primary bloodstream infection in a neonatal intensive care unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmem Lúcia P. da Silva

Full Text Available Candida parapsilosis is an increasingly important bloodstream pathogen in neonatal intensive care units (NICU. We investigated a cluster of bloodstream infections in a NICU to determine whether nosocomial transmission occurred. During a 3-day period, 3 premature infants hospitalized in the same unit presented with sepsis caused by C. parapsilosis. Electrophoretic karyotype of the organisms was performed by using pulsed field gel electrophoresis in a countour-clamped homogeneous electric field system. The isolate from 1 newborn could not be typed, and the isolates from the remaining 2 infants had identical patterns. All 3 cases are described. We conclude that nosocomial transmission of C. parapsilosis occurred and that neonates under intensive care may represent a risk group for this pathogen.

Cluster of Candida parapsilosis primary bloodstream infection in a neonatal intensive care unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silva Carmem Lúcia P. da

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Candida parapsilosis is an increasingly important bloodstream pathogen in neonatal intensive care units (NICU. We investigated a cluster of bloodstream infections in a NICU to determine whether nosocomial transmission occurred. During a 3-day period, 3 premature infants hospitalized in the same unit presented with sepsis caused by C. parapsilosis. Electrophoretic karyotype of the organisms was performed by using pulsed field gel electrophoresis in a countour-clamped homogeneous electric field system. The isolate from 1 newborn could not be typed, and the isolates from the remaining 2 infants had identical patterns. All 3 cases are described. We conclude that nosocomial transmission of C. parapsilosis occurred and that neonates under intensive care may represent a risk group for this pathogen.

Defense.gov Special Report: V-E Day - 70th Anniversary

Science.gov (United States)

are strong united we will win WWII United Nations4 United We Win WWII United We can't win without them Historic Aircraft to Conduct V-E Day Flyover America will remember the millions who helped make possible 70th Anniversary in France Arsenal of Democracy Flyover Media Day V-E Day Veterans Profiles Charles

4 September 2015 - Signature of the guest book by Ambassador Oh Joon, Seventy-first President, United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York with Director for Administration and General infrastructure S. Lettow.

CERN Multimedia

Gadmer, Jean-Claude Robert

2015-01-01

4 September 2015 - Signature of the guest book by Ambassador Oh Joon, Seventy-first President, United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York with Director for Administration and General infrastructure S. Lettow. Also present: Head of IT Department F. Hemmer with E. Bjorgo and F. Pisano visiting the UNITAR’s operational satellite applications programme on CERN site in building 597. The delegation is accompanied throughout by Adviser to the Director-General, in charge of Relations with International Organisations M. Bona.

Present-day stress magnitude at depth from leak-off tests in Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Mariucci, M. T.; Montone, P.; Pierdominici, S.

2012-04-01

We present new results from the analysis of leak-off tests, performed in deep oil wells in Italy, to characterize the present-day stress magnitude and regime in the crust. In the last years we have collected a large number of data (more than 500) from different stress indicators, mainly borehole breakouts, earthquake focal mechanisms and fault data, which provided information on the present-day stress orientations. In some areas the tectonic regime has been inferred either from fault plane solutions of M≥4 earthquakes or from stress inversions of smaller earthquakes. Where seismicity lacks, the regime is not well constrained and little or no information on the magnitude of the crustal stresses is available. In order to improve our knowledge in stress regime and its magnitude in Italy, in this work we use the leak-off test technique. Each test is performed at the bottom of an open hole by sealing off a section and then slowly pressurizing with a fluid until hydraulic tensile fractures develop. The minimum horizontal stress is inferred by leak-off pressure record, the vertical stress is computed by rock density data and the maximum horizontal stress is estimated applying a specific formula from the literature. Thanks to ENI S.p.A. (Italian oil company), that kindly provided new well data, we have been able to perform a critical review of our preliminary calculations and to enhance our previous results concerning stress magnitudes. Totally, we have analyzed 192 leak-off tests at depth between 200 and 5400m (average 1800m). In particular, wells are located along the Italian peninsula and in Sicily: most of them are in the Po Plain and along the Apenninic foredeep; few are in southern Apenninic belt and a few tens are in Sicily. After an accurate selection of the most robust results, we better characterize the Italian stress regime at depth.

Present day situation and perspectives of the nuclear sector in the USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

With the restart-up of Browns Ferry NPP on May 22, 2007, the US nuclear park comprises now 104 reactors in operation: 35 BWR-type and 69 PWR-type. NPPs are present in only 31 states and mainly in the eastern half of the country. Nuclear energy represents 20% of the US energy mix (coal: 50%, gas: 19%, hydro-power: 6%, petroleum: 3% and other renewable energies: 2%). The highest average availability rate in power generation is reached by nuclear energy (89.9%). The nuclear power generation reached 787.2 TWh in 2006, i.e. the second best result after the 2004 record (788.5 TWh). This document presents also some nuclear safety and radioprotection indicators (number of unplanned outages, failures, injury frequency rate), the programme of licenses extension, the permissions for power increase, the demands for design certification, for early site permit, and for combined construction permit and operating license. The regulation may be different from one state to the other and sometimes not favorable to a re-launch of nuclear energy. The situation of each state in this domain is presented in appendix. (J.S.)

Present-day radiodiagnosis of craniopharyngiomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konovalov, A.N.; Ozerova, V.I.; Kovnienko, V.K.; Krasnova, T.S.; Shten'o, Yu.

1983-01-01

A total of 108 patients with craniopharyngiomas were examined with the help of computerized tomography, craniography, angiography; in some cases the liquor system of the brain was studied. The data obtained were intercorrelated permitting one to single out main X-ray signs of craniopharyngiomas of the endosupracellUlar, intraventricular and stalk types. At present CT is a method of patients' examiration pepmitting one to reveal with utmost precision the size and structure of tumors, their correlation with cerebral structures. CT makes it possible to follow-up patients with craniopharyngiomas over time in the early and late postoperative periods

Days of Radiation Protection 2001. Conference Proceedings of the 24th Days of Radiation Protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohunice NPP

2001-11-01

Already the 24 th annual international conference 'Days of Protection from Radiation' was taking place in Jan Sverma Hotel in Demaenova dolina on 26-29 November 2001. More than 180 participants from the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic participated in the meetings of experts on protection from radiation. Representative of IAEA Division for Protection from Radiation and the representatives of several European companies securing the project, advisory and supplier's activities in dosimetry of ionising radiation also participated in the conference. The participants discussed in 7 expert panels the issue of protection from radiation in the legislative field, in the nuclear facilities operation and in medicine. The expert part of the other panels concerned the issues of ionising radiation impact on the environment and working environment, natural radio-nuclides, including radon and biologic impacts of radiation. One separate panel was dedicated to device techniques and methods of dosimetry of ionising radiation. More than 45 expert lectures and more than 40 poster presentations were presented at the conference during 3 days. The exhibition and presentation of measuring technique products and devices and of materials used in the area of radiation protection and nuclear medicine was prepared during the course of the conference. Participation in the conference showed that a great interest in problems of protection from radiation persists. This was proved by rich lecturing activity and wide discussions on the floor and during the poster presentations. Participants were satisfied since the organisers of the event prepared a worthy event with the rich expert themes at a good organisational and social level in a beautiful environment of Low Tatras

Orthopaedics in day surgery

African Journals Online (AJOL)

processing of day cases is separate, more efficient and cases of ... anaesthetists, patient records, costing of procedures, drugs to be ... Methods: Patients treated at two day surgical units study with the aid of careful record, as to the selection, ... treatment only. .... Trauma, especially road traffic .... children with cerebral palsy.

Acrolein and Asthma Attack Prevalence in a Representative Sample of the United States Adult Population 2000 – 2009

Science.gov (United States)

deCastro, B. Rey

2014-01-01

Background Acrolein is an air toxic and highly potent respiratory irritant. There is little epidemiology available, but US EPA estimates that outdoor acrolein is responsible for about 75 percent of non-cancer respiratory health effects attributable to air toxics in the United States, based on the Agency's 2005 NATA (National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment) and acrolein's comparatively potent inhalation reference concentration of 0.02 µg/m3. Objectives Assess the association between estimated outdoor acrolein exposure and asthma attack reported by a representative cross-sectional sample of the adult United States population. Methods NATA 2005 chronic outdoor acrolein exposure estimates at the census tract were linked with residences oif adults (≥18 years old) in the NHIS (National Health Interview Survey) 2000 – 2009 (n = 271,348 subjects). A sample-weighted logistic regression model characterized the association between the prevalence of reporting at least one asthma attack in the 12 months prior to survey interview and quintiles of exposure to outdoor acrolein, controlling for potential confounders. Results In the highest quintile of outdoor acrolein exposure (0.05 – 0.46 µg/m3), there was a marginally significant increase in the asthma attack pOR (prevalence-odds ratio [95% CI]  = 1.08 [0.98∶1.19]) relative to the lowest quintile. The highest quintile was also associated with a marginally significant increase in prevalence-odds (1.13 [0.98∶1.29]) in a model limited to never smokers (n = 153,820). Conclusions Chronic exposure to outdoor acrolein of 0.05 – 0.46 µg/m3 appears to increase the prevalence-odds of having at least one asthma attack in the previous year by 8 percent in a representative cross-sectional sample of the adult United States population. PMID:24816802

Electronic inventions and discoveries electronics from its earliest beginnings to the present day

CERN Document Server

Dummer, G W A

1983-01-01

Electronic Inventions and Discoveries: Electronics from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Present Day provides a summary of the development of the whole field of electronics. Organized into 13 chapters, the book covers and reviews the history of electronics as a whole and its aspects. The opening chapter covers the beginnings of electronics, while the next chapter discusses the development of components, transistors, and integrated circuits. The third chapter tackles the expansion of electronics and its effects on industry. The succeeding chapters discuss the history of the aspects of electronics

Innovation and energy. ECRIN day

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

ECRIN is an association jointly created by the French atomic energy commission (CEA) and the French national center of scientific research (CNRS). It gathers experts from the research and industry worlds, representatives of institutions and decision making peoples in order to work on important topics like energy. This document gathers the working documents and transparencies presented at the ECRIN day on energy and innovation: opening talk of C. Birraux (head of the parliamentary office of evaluation of scientific and technological choices); the energy of seas (offshore wind power, wave energy, tide currents energy, thermal energy of seas, osmotic energy, tidal energy); synthetic fuels (stakes, possible options, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, GTL, CTL, BTL, production with CO 2 recycling); capture and geological sequestration of CO 2 : a general overview (stakes, solutions, capture and sequestration, transport, geologic disposal, present day situation and perspectives); geothermal energy: new prospects (enhanced geothermal systems, hot-dry-rocks and hot fractured rocks, advances, cost, advantages and drawbacks); heat pumps and valorization of low temperature heat sources (space heating, district heating networks, heat pumps, artificial geothermal energy, low temperature water transport, thermal potentiality); heat and coldness storage and transport (use of intermittent energy sources, cogeneration, optimisation of processes, recovery of heat losses, CO 2 capture, present-day situation, problems to be solved, integration of systems and processes); plastic photovoltaic solar cells (market, stakes, potentialities of organic materials for photovoltaic conversion, state-of-the-art, research in Europe and France, perspectives); conclusion of the Ecrin day (challenges, diversification of energy sources, energy efficiency, abatement of CO 2 emissions, role of ECRIN). (J.S.)

Methodology of Day-To-Day Ship Costs Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milojka Počuča

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a methodology of assessing the day-to-day fixed costs of maritime cargo ships. The authoress refersthe reader to factors that affect the amount affixed daily costsand the day-to-day voyage costs of ships. In the last chapter thepaper presents an estimation of the average daily fixed costsand day-to-day voyage costs of ships per type and size for theyear 2003. Besides particular explanations, the reader is refe"ed to data bases that authentically impart data on the structureof maritime fleets and their technical characteristics, aswell as databases on prices and costs in maritime transport.

Processes, data structures, and apparatuses for representing knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Hohimer, Ryan E [West Richland, WA; Thomson, Judi R [Guelph, CA; Harvey, William J [Richland, WA; Paulson, Patrick R [Pasco, WA; Whiting, Mark A [Richland, WA; Tratz, Stephen C [Richland, WA; Chappell, Alan R [Seattle, WA; Butner, R Scott [Richland, WA

2011-09-20

Processes, data structures, and apparatuses to represent knowledge are disclosed. The processes can comprise labeling elements in a knowledge signature according to concepts in an ontology and populating the elements with confidence values. The data structures can comprise knowledge signatures stored on computer-readable media. The knowledge signatures comprise a matrix structure having elements labeled according to concepts in an ontology, wherein the value of the element represents a confidence that the concept is present in an information space. The apparatus can comprise a knowledge representation unit having at least one ontology stored on a computer-readable medium, at least one data-receiving device, and a processor configured to generate knowledge signatures by comparing datasets obtained by the data-receiving devices to the ontologies.

Modelling the economic losses of historic and present-day high-impact winter storms in Switzerland

Science.gov (United States)

Welker, Christoph; Stucki, Peter; Bresch, David; Dierer, Silke; Martius, Olivia; Brönnimann, Stefan

2014-05-01

Severe winter storms such as "Vivian" in February 1990 and "Lothar" in December 1999 are among the most destructive meteorological hazards in Switzerland. Disaster severity resulting from such windstorms is attributable, on the one hand, to hazardous weather conditions such as high wind gust speeds; and on the other hand to socio-economic factors such as population density, distribution of values at risk, and damage susceptibility. For present-day winter storms, the data basis is generally good to describe the meteorological development and wind forces as well as the associated socio-economic impacts. In contrast, the information on historic windstorms is overall sparse and the available historic weather and loss reports mostly do not provide quantitative information. This study illustrates a promising technique to simulate the economic impacts of both historic and present winter storms in Switzerland since end of the 19th century. Our approach makes use of the novel Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) spanning 1871-present. The 2-degree spatial resolution of the global 20CR dataset is relatively coarse. Thus, the complex orography of Switzerland is not realistically represented, which has considerable ramifications for the representation of wind systems that are strongly influenced by the local orography, such as Föhn winds. Therefore, a dynamical downscaling of the 20CR to 3 km resolution using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was performed, for in total 40 high-impact winter storms in Switzerland since 1871. Based on the downscaled wind gust speeds and the climada loss model, the estimated economic losses were calculated at municipality level for current economic and social conditions. With this approach, we find an answer to the question what would be the economic losses of e.g. a hazardous Föhn storm - which occurred in northern Switzerland in February 1925 - today, i.e. under current socio-economic conditions. Encouragingly, the pattern of

40 CFR 60.4111 - Alternate Hg designated representative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alternate Hg designated representative... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Designated Representative for Hg Budget Sources § 60.4111 Alternate Hg designated representative. (a) A certificate of representation under § 60.4113...

The present-day scope of practice and services of the traditional healer in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Louw

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background The scope of practice of the traditional healer in South Africa is not guided or circumscribed by any statutory mandate at present. The traditional healer’s practice and services are currently based on and driven by the supernatural and the afterlife, lacking not only a scientific foundation, but also legal constraint. Aims This study aimed to determine and describe the present-day scope of practice and services of the South African traditional healer. Methods This is an exploratory and descriptive study that makes use of an historical approach by means of investigation and a literature review. The emphasis is on using current documentation like articles, books and newspapers as primary sources to reflect on the scope of practice and services of the South African traditional healer. The findings are offered in narrative form. Results There is no established curriculum and practice culture to serve as an evaluation and descriptive criteria for the present-day traditional healer’s scope of practice. Conclusion The South African traditional healer’s practice and rights are unwritten and legally unregulated, especially when viewed against in comparison with the current practice customs, traditions and rights of the South African statutorily regulated healthcare practitioners.

Firework injuries presenting to a national burn's unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, D; Lee, W; Rea, S; Donnell, M O; Eadie, P A

2004-09-01

The sale to the general public of fireworks is illegal in Ireland. However, many fireworks are readily available on the black market from illegal traders. The number of firework injuries presenting to our unit during the three week run-up to Hallowe'en October 2001 was recorded. In addition, each patient was contacted to determine how the fireworks were obtained, the average amount of money spent, and the level of adult supervision present at the time of injury. A total of 19 patients presented, 18 from the local catchment area, with a mean age of 16 yrs (range 5-46 yrs). Thirteen patients required admission. Sixteen patients sustained hand injuries including burns, and three sustained burns to other body areas. The amount of money spent varied between adults and children, the average amount among the paediatric group was Euro 2-4, but Euro 45 in the adult group. None were willing to identify the local source of their fireworks, but most fireworks originated in Northern Ireland. This small review highlights an ongoing problem in Ireland; fireworks are illegal, yet they are easily and cheaply available without quality or safety controls. Our public awareness campaign has failed to reach its target audience, and the illegal traders who sell these often inferior products are seldom charged. Children and adults will continue to sustain serious injuries as a result.

7 February 2012 - Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between Suranaree University of Technology represented by Rector P. Suebka and the ALICE Collaboration represented by Collaboration Spokesperson P. Giubellino; Adviser E. Tsesmelis is present.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2012-01-01

7 February 2012 - Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between Suranaree University of Technology represented by Rector P. Suebka and the ALICE Collaboration represented by Collaboration Spokesperson P. Giubellino; Adviser E. Tsesmelis is present.

Visit of His Excellency Mr Juan Martabit, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2005-01-01

Secretary-General; Mrs Juan Martabit. 0502017_07.jpg His Excellency Mr Juan Martabit, Ambassador,Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland visiting the ATLAS building site. From left to right: Prof. Giora Mikenberg, ATLAS Collaboration; Mr Maximilian Metzger, Secretary-General and His Excellency Mr Juan Martabit. 0502017_08.jpg His Excellency Mr Juan Martabit, Ambassador,Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland visiting the ATLAS cavern. From left to right: From left to right: Prof. Giora Mikenberg, ATLAS Collaboration; Mr Maximilian Metzger, Secretary-General; His Excellency Mr Juan Martabit and Mrs Juan Martabit.

Present state of electric power business in United States and Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Kenichi

2011-01-01

This article reported present state of nuclear power and electric power business in United States and Europe after Fukushima Daiichi Accident. As for the trend of demand and supply of electric power and policy, the accident forced Germany possibly to proceed with phase-out of nuclear power, but France and United States to sustain nuclear power with no great change of energy policy at this moment. As for the trend of electric power market, there was not state in United States with liberalized retail market of electric power after rolling blackouts occurred in California State in the early 2000s. In Germany proceeding with renewable energy introduction, renewable electricity fed into the grid was paid for by the network operators at fixed tariffs and the costs passed on to electricity consumers were increasing. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in United States forced the state to introduction of renewable energy to some ratio, and Feed-in Tariff (FIT) introduced in EU in 1990s lead to introduction of a large amount of renewable electricity targeted in 2020. Huge amount of wind power introduction brought about several problems to solve such that excess electric power above domestic demand had bad effects on grids in neighboring region. Enforcement of power transmission lines was also needed with increase of maximum electric power as well as introduction of a large amount of renewable electricity. (T. Tanaka)

About choosing the power unit of NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alekseev, P.N.; Mordashev, V.M.; Proshkin, A.A.; Stukalov, V.A.; Subbotin, S.A.; Tsibul'skij, V.F.; Chernilin, Yu.F.

2008-01-01

The present-day domestic nuclear power industry faces the necessity to make both process and economy related decisions. The mentioned decisions should cover all the aspects of the nuclear power complex. In particular, as of now, no substantiation of the present-day and the future requirements for the power unit of the WWER and fast reactor NPPs is available. The choice of the unit power of an NPP should involve consideration of all factors and should not be boiled down to the efforts to ensure the minimization of the investment and the operation constituents of the electric power generation costs. The aim of the present paper was to ensure elaboration of the recommendations to substantiate the optimal unit power of NPP power units based on the analysis of various factors to design, to construct and to operate an NPP (investment, time of construction, the unscheduled shutdown losses, the unification, the fabrication quality, the accident damage, etc.), and the electrical network potentialities and the regional electric power demands [ru

Radiative forcing by aerosols as derived from the AeroCom present-day and pre-industrial simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Schulz

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Nine different global models with detailed aerosol modules have independently produced instantaneous direct radiative forcing due to anthropogenic aerosols. The anthropogenic impact is derived from the difference of two model simulations with prescribed aerosol emissions, one for present-day and one for pre-industrial conditions. The difference in the solar energy budget at the top of the atmosphere (ToA yields a new harmonized estimate for the aerosol direct radiative forcing (RF under all-sky conditions. On a global annual basis RF is −0.22 Wm−2, ranging from +0.04 to −0.41 Wm−2, with a standard deviation of ±0.16 Wm−2. Anthropogenic nitrate and dust are not included in this estimate. No model shows a significant positive all-sky RF. The corresponding clear-sky RF is −0.68 Wm−2. The cloud-sky RF was derived based on all-sky and clear-sky RF and modelled cloud cover. It was significantly different from zero and ranged between −0.16 and +0.34 Wm−2. A sensitivity analysis shows that the total aerosol RF is influenced by considerable diversity in simulated residence times, mass extinction coefficients and most importantly forcing efficiencies (forcing per unit optical depth. The clear-sky forcing efficiency (forcing per unit optical depth has diversity comparable to that for the all-sky/ clear-sky forcing ratio. While the diversity in clear-sky forcing efficiency is impacted by factors such as aerosol absorption, size, and surface albedo, we can show that the all-sky/clear-sky forcing ratio is important because all-sky forcing estimates require proper representation of cloud fields and the correct relative altitude placement between absorbing aerosol and clouds. The analysis of the sulphate RF shows that long sulphate residence times are compensated by low mass extinction coefficients and vice versa. This is explained by more sulphate particle humidity growth and thus higher extinction in those models where short-lived sulphate

Anthropogenic contributions to mercury levels in present-day Arctic animals-A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietz, Rune, E-mail: rdi@dmu.dk [National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Arctic Environment, Aarhus University, Roskilde (Denmark); Outridge, Peter M. [Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa (Canada); Hobson, Keith A. [Environment Canada, Saskatoon (Canada)

2009-12-01

Background: Because of concern about the recently increasing levels of biological Hg in some areas of the Arctic, we examined the literature concerning the long-term changes of Hg in humans and selected Arctic marine mammals and birds of prey since pre-industrial times (i.e. before 1800 A.D.), to determine the anthropogenic contribution to present-day Hg concentrations and the historical timing of any changes. Methods: Mercury data from published articles were extracted on historical and pre-industrial concentrations as percentages of the recent maximum, as well as the man-made contribution was calculated and depicted in a uniform manner to provide an overview of the development over time. Results and discussion: Trends of [Hg] in hard tissues such as teeth, hair and feathers consistently showed that there had been an order-of-magnitude increase of [Hg] in Arctic marine foodweb-based animals that began in the mid- to late-19th Century and accelerated in the 20th Century. The median man-made contribution to present-day Hg concentrations was 92.4% ranging from 74.2 to 94.4%. Confidence in our data was increased by accompanying data in some studies on stable isotopes ({delta}{sup 13}C, {delta}{sup 15}N), which allowed us to normalize where necessary for changes in animal trophic position and feeding location over time, and by careful attention to the possibility of sample chemical diagenesis (Hg contamination or loss) which can alter the Hg content of ancient hard tissues. Conclusions: Wildlife hard tissue matrices provide consistent information with respect to the steep onset of Hg exposure of Arctic wildlife beginning in the latter half of the 19th Century. Today the man-made contribution was found to be above 92%. Stable isotope analyses provide important information to normalize for possible changes in diet over time, and are highly relevant to include when interpreting temporal trends, baseline concentrations as well as man-made anthropogenic contribution of Hg.

3 CFR 8418 - Proclamation 8418 of September 16, 2009. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... as “Constitution Week.” NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America... beacon of hope for Americans and those who seek new lives in the United States. Every day, we welcome new....BARACK OBAMA ...

Ultrasonography of gallbladder in surgical patients with a prolonged stay (> 14 days) in the intensive care unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sustic, A.; Miletic, D.; Cicvaric, T.

2005-01-01

Background. The aim of this study was to establish the incidence of abnormal ultrasonographic (US) findings of gallbladder (GB) in surgical patients with the prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to correlate these findings with the severity of illness. Methods. In the prospective study fifty-seven (57) adult surgical patients (male 66%; age 49±18 yr.) with the prolonged stay in ICU (>14 days) were analyzed. In all patients the US examination was performed on the 15th day of their stay in ICU. The presence of the following US findings was analyzed: GB wall thickening (?4 mm), biliary sludge, GB hydrops, striated GB wall and pericholecystitic fluid. The severity of illness was also evaluated on the 15th day of the stay in ICU using Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II). Results. At least one abnormal US finding was found in 36 (63%), patients with GB wall thickening in 32 (56%), biliary sludge in 23 (40%), pericholecystitic fluid in 9 (16%), hydrops of GB in 7 (12%), and striated GB wall in 4 (7%) cases, respectively. Two to five US findings were found in 20 (35%) patients, three to five in 12 (21%), four to five in 10 (18%), while all five US findings were present in 4 (7%) cases. The patients with one and more US findings had significantly higher SAPS II than the patients who presented regular US findings of the GB (36±9 vs. 28±7; p < 0.01). The patients with two and more US findings had higher SAPS II than those with one or none US criteria (40±8 vs. 29±6; p < 0.001), while the patients with three and more had higher SAPS II than those with two, one or none (41±8 vs. 31±9; p < 0.001). The patients with four or five US findings had higher SAPS II than those with three or less (42±11 vs. 31±6; p < 0.001) while the patients with all five had higher SAPS II than all others (45±10 vs. 32±9; p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation between the number of US findings and SAPS II was present (r 0.57; p < 0.001). Conclusions. More than

Present-day radiotherapy: analysis of the sate of the art and outlook in the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dar'yalova, S.P.; Bojko, A.V.; Chernichenko, A.V.; Kiceleva, E.S.; Kvasov, V.A.

1995-01-01

Analyzes the development of radiotherapy as exemplified by experience gained by P.A.Herzen Oncological Research Dulines the priority of radiotherapy for the nearest future. It is, firet and foremost, chemoradiotherapy making use of both, intravenous polychemotherapy and intra-and paratumoral injection of drugs: intraoperative exposure to electron beam of different energies using gaseous hypoxia; laser exposure together with combined radiotherapy for the treatment of tracheobronchial, esofophageal, rectal, and genital cancers. Validates and presents the results of nontraditional protocols of downs fractionation and radiomodifier use. Formulates the ideology of present-day radiotherapy. 21 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs

His Excellency Mr Juraj Podhorsky Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Ordan, Julien Marius

2017-01-01

His Excellency Mr Juraj Podhorsky Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Communication dated 25 June 2008 received from the Resident Representative of the United Kingdom to the Agency concerning a letter and offer of 12 June 2008 delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Director General has received a communication dated 25 June 2008 from the Resident Representative of the United Kingdom, on behalf of the Resident Representatives of China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the Secretary General and High Representative of the European Union, attaching the text of a letter and offer of 12 June 2008 delivered to the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by Mr. Javier Solana, together with a summary of remarks made by Mr. Solana on 14 June 2008. The communication and, as requested therein, its attachments, are herewith circulated for information

Complex neural codes in rat prelimbic cortex are stable across days on a spatial decision task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathaniel J. Powell

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The rodent prelimbic cortex has been shown to play an important role in cognitive processing, and has been implicated in encoding many different parameters relevant to solving decision-making tasks. However, it is not known how the prelimbic cortex represents all these disparate variables, and if they are simultaneously represented when the task requires it. In order to investigate this question, we trained rats to run the Multiple-T Left Right Alternate (MT-LRA task and recorded multi-unit ensembles from their prelimbic regions. Significant populations of cells in the prelimbic cortex represented the strategy controlling reward receipt on a given lap, whether the animal chose to go right or left on a given lap, and whether the animal made a correct decision or an error on a given lap. These populations overlapped in the cells recorded, with several cells demonstrating differential firing to all three variables. The spatial and strategic firing patterns of individual prelimbic cells were highly conserved across several days of running this task, indicating that each cell encoded the same information across days.

33. Days of Radiation Protection. Presentations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-11-01

The publication has been set up as presentations of the conference dealing with health protection during work with ionizing radiation for different activities which involve the handling of ionizing radiation sources. The main conference topics are focused on the current problems in radiation protection and radioecology. On the web-page totally 103 presentations or posters are published. The Conference consists of the following sections: (I) Effects of ionizing radiation (radiology, health effects, risk factors); (II) General aspects of radiation protection (recommendations and legislative in radiation protection); (III): Dosimetry and metrology of ionizing radiation (metrology, instrumentation, use of computational methods); (IV) Radiation protection in nuclear power industry (working environment in the nuclear industry, the impact on the environment, nuclear power shutdown management); (V) Emergency management (emergencies, accidents, waste); (VI) Radiation load and protection in diagnostics, nuclear medicine and radiation oncology (burden on patients, staff, size of population exposure from medical sources of ionizing radiation, security, and quality control, optimization); (VII) Natural sources of radiation in workplaces and the environment (radon and other radionuclides, the risk estimation, optimization); (VIII) Education (new trends in education of radiation experts, medical physicists and stake-holders).

Day-Ahead Coordination of Vehicle-to-Grid Operation and Wind Power in Security Constraints Unit Commitment (SCUC)

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Javad Abdollahi; Majid Moazzami

2015-01-01

In this paper security constraints unit commitment (SCUC) in the presence of wind power resources and electrical vehicles to grid is presented. SCUC operation prepare an optimal time table for generation unit commitment in order to maximize security, minimize operation cost and satisfy the constraints of networks and units in a period of time, as one of the most important research interest in power systems. Today, the relationship between power network and energy storage systems is interested...

AREVA Technical Days (ATD) session 1: Energy outlook and presentation of the Areva Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

These technical days organized by the Areva Group aims to explain the group activities in a technological and economic point of view, to provide an outlook of worldwide energy trends and challenges and to present each of their businesses in a synthetic manner. This first session deals with energy challenges and nuclear, public acceptance of nuclear power, mining activities, chemistry activities, enrichment activities, fuel assembly, reactors and services activities, nuclear measurements activities, reprocessing and recycling activities, logistics activities and connectors activities. (A.L.B.)

78 FR 18455 - Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-27

... celebrates Greek Independence Day to strengthen the bonds between the birthplace of democracy and the world's... National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy. I call upon the people of the United States to...

Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day ozone distribution and trends relevant to human health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoë L. Fleming

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This study quantifies the present-day global and regional distributions (2010–2014 and trends (2000–2014 for five ozone metrics relevant for short-term and long-term human exposure. These metrics, calculated by the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report, are: 4th highest daily maximum 8-hour ozone (4MDA8; number of days with MDA8 > 70 ppb (NDGT70, SOMO35 (annual Sum of Ozone Means Over 35 ppb and two seasonally averaged metrics (3MMDA1; AVGMDA8. These metrics were explored at ozone monitoring sites worldwide, which were classified as urban or non-urban based on population and nighttime lights data. Present-day distributions of 4MDA8 and NDGT70, determined predominantly by peak values, are similar with highest levels in western North America, southern Europe and East Asia. For the other three metrics, distributions are similar with North–South gradients more prominent across Europe and Japan. Between 2000 and 2014, significant negative trends in 4MDA8 and NDGT70 occur at most US and some European sites. In contrast, significant positive trends are found at many sites in South Korea and Hong Kong, with mixed trends across Japan. The other three metrics have similar, negative trends for many non-urban North American and some European and Japanese sites, and positive trends across much of East Asia. Globally, metrics at many sites exhibit non-significant trends. At 59% of all sites there is a common direction and significance in the trend across all five metrics, whilst 4MDA8 and NDGT70 have a common trend at ~80% of all sites. Sensitivity analysis shows AVGMDA8 trends differ with averaging period (warm season or annual. Trends are unchanged at many sites when a 1995–2014 period is used; although fewer sites exhibit non-significant trends. Over the longer period 1970–2014, most Japanese sites exhibit positive 4MDA8/SOMO35 trends. Insufficient data exist to characterize ozone trends for the rest of Asia and other world regions.

Stability and attraction domains of traffic equilibria in a day-to-day dynamical system formulation.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bie, Jing; Lo, Hong K.

2010-01-01

We formulate the traffic assignment problem from a dynamical system approach. All exogenous factors are considered to be constant over time and user equilibrium is being pursued through a day-to-day adjustment process. The traffic dynamics is represented by a recurrence function, which governs the

Derivation of Nationally Consistent Indices Representing Urban Intensity Within and Across Nine Metropolitan Areas of the Conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Cuffney, Thomas F.; Falcone, James A.

2009-01-01

Two nationally consistent multimetric indices of urban intensity were developed to support studies of the effects of urbanization on streams in nine metropolitan areas of the conterminous United States: Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Boston, Massachusetts; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Milwaukee-Green Bay, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Salt Lake City, Utah. These studies were conducted as a part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. These urban intensity indices were used to define gradients of urbanization and to interpret biological, physical, and chemical changes along these gradients. Ninety census, land-cover, and infrastructure variables obtained from nationally available databases were evaluated. Only variables that exhibited a strong and consistent linear relation with 2000 population density were considered for use in the indices. Housing-unit density (HUDEN), percentage of basin area in developed land (P_NLCD1_2), and road density (ROADDEN) were selected as the best representatives of census, land-cover, and infrastructure variables. The metropolitan area national urban intensity index (MA-NUII) was scaled to represent urban intensity within each metropolitan area and ranged from 0 (little or no urban) to 100 (maximum urban) for sites within each metropolitan area. The national urban intensity index (NUII) was scaled to represent urban intensity across all nine metropolitan areas and ranged from 0 to 100 for all sites. The rates at which HUDEN, P_NLCD1_2, and ROADDEN changed with changes in population density varied among metropolitan areas. Therefore, these variables were adjusted to obtain a more uniform rate of response across metropolitan areas in the derivation of the NUII. The NUII indicated that maximum levels of urban intensity occurred in the West and Midwest rather than in the East primarily because small inner-city streams in eastern metropolitan areas are

THE IMPRINT OF EXOPLANET FORMATION HISTORY ON OBSERVABLE PRESENT-DAY SPECTRA OF HOT JUPITERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mordasini, C.; Van Boekel, R.; Mollière, P.; Henning, Th. [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Benneke, Björn, E-mail: christoph.mordasini@space.unibe.ch, E-mail: boekel@mpia.de, E-mail: molliere@mpia.de, E-mail: henning@mpia.de, E-mail: bbenneke@caltech.edu [Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2016-11-20

The composition of a planet’s atmosphere is determined by its formation, evolution, and present-day insolation. A planet’s spectrum therefore may hold clues on its origins. We present a “chain” of models, linking the formation of a planet to its observable present-day spectrum. The chain links include (1) the planet’s formation and migration, (2) its long-term thermodynamic evolution, (3) a variety of disk chemistry models, (4) a non-gray atmospheric model, and (5) a radiometric model to obtain simulated spectroscopic observations with James Webb Space Telescope and ARIEL. In our standard chemistry model the inner disk is depleted in refractory carbon as in the Solar System and in white dwarfs polluted by extrasolar planetesimals. Our main findings are: (1) envelope enrichment by planetesimal impacts during formation dominates the final planetary atmospheric composition of hot Jupiters. We investigate two, under this finding, prototypical formation pathways: a formation inside or outside the water iceline, called “dry” and “wet” planets, respectively. (2) Both the “dry” and “wet” planets are oxygen-rich (C/O < 1) due to the oxygen-rich nature of the solid building blocks. The “dry” planet’s C/O ratio is <0.2 for standard carbon depletion, while the “wet” planet has typical C/O values between 0.1 and 0.5 depending mainly on the clathrate formation efficiency. Only non-standard disk chemistries without carbon depletion lead to carbon-rich C/O ratios >1 for the “dry” planet. (3) While we consistently find C/O ratios <1, they still vary significantly. To link a formation history to a specific C/O, a better understanding of the disk chemistry is thus needed.

Contributions of a Strengthened Early Holocene Monsoon and Sediment Loading to Present-Day Subsidence of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta

Science.gov (United States)

Karpytchev, M.; Ballu, V.; Krien, Y.; Becker, M.; Goodbred, S.; Spada, G.; Calmant, S.; Shum, C. K.; Khan, Z.

2018-02-01

The contribution of subsidence to relative sea level rise in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta (GBD) is largely unknown and may considerably enhance exposure of the Bengal Basin populations to sea level rise and storm surges. This paper focuses on estimating the present-day subsidence induced by Holocene sediment in the Bengal Basin and by oceanic loading due to eustatic sea level rise over the past 18 kyr. Using a viscoelastic Earth model and sediment deposition history based on in situ measurements, results suggest that massive sediment influx initiated in the early Holocene under a strengthened South Asian monsoon may have contributed significantly to the present-day subsidence of the GBD. We estimate that the Holocene loading generates up to 1.6 mm/yr of the present-day subsidence along the GBD coast, depending on the rheological model of the Earth. This rate is close to the twentieth century global mean sea level rise (1.1-1.7 mm/yr). Thus, past climate change, by way of enhanced sedimentation, is impacting vulnerability of the GBD populations.

Karst mapping in the United States: Past, present and future

Science.gov (United States)

Weary, David J.; Doctor, Daniel H.

2015-01-01

The earliest known comprehensive karst map of the entire USA was published by Stringfield and LeGrand (1969), based on compilations of William E. Davies of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Various versions of essentially the same map have been published since. The USGS recently published new digital maps and databases depicting the extent of known karst, potential karst, and pseudokarst areas of the United States of America including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Weary and Doctor, 2014). These maps are based primarily on the extent of potentially karstic soluble rock types, and rocks with physical properties conducive to the formation of pseudokarst features. These data were compiled and refined from multiple sources at various spatial resolutions, mostly as digital data supplied by state geological surveys. The database includes polygons delineating areas with potential for karst and that are tagged with attributes intended to facilitate classification of karst regions. Approximately 18% of the surface of the fifty United States is underlain by significantly soluble bedrock. In the eastern United States the extent of outcrop of soluble rocks provides a good first-approximation of the distribution of karst and potential karst areas. In the arid western states, the extent of soluble rock outcrop tends to overestimate the extent of regions that might be considered as karst under current climatic conditions, but the new dataset encompasses those regions nonetheless. This database will be revised as needed, and the present map will be updated as new information is incorporated.

78 FR 21811 - National Equal Pay Day, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-11

..., 2013 National Equal Pay Day, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Over... of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9, 2013, as National Equal Pay Day. I call upon all... Vol. 78 Thursday, No. 70 April 11, 2013 Part V The President Proclamation 8955--National Equal Pay...

National Lexicography Units: Past, Present, Future Nasionale leksikografiese eenhede: Verlede, hede, toekoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariëtta Alberts

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the national dictionary offices of the previous bilingual dispensation, the eleven official national dictionary offices in the present multilingual dispensation, and the future prospects of these offices. It discusses the past dispensation in terms of the need and reasons for the establishment of national dictionary offices, i.e. national lexicography units (NLUs. Attention is given to the prescripts of the National Lexicography Units Bill (1996 for the establishment of NLUs, as well as the transfer of these units from the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology to the Pan South African Language Board. The restructuring of dictionary units that existed prior to the multilingual dispensation is considered, together with the establishment of new dictionary units for the official African languages. The present situation is dealt with by describing the status quo at the NLUs in terms of housing, administration, funding, management, training, computerisation, cooperation, production and the like. The article concludes with some questions and reservations about the future of the NLUs, followed by a number of apposite recommendations.Hierdie artikel handel oor die nasionale woordeboekkantore tydens die voormalige tweetalige bedeling, die huidige meertalige bedeling waarin kantore vir die elf amptelike nasionale woordeboeke funksioneer, en die toekoms van hierdie kantore. Aspekte van die vorige bedeling word bespreek ten opsigte van die behoefte aan en redes vir die stigting van nasionale woordeboekkantore oftewel nasionale leksikografiese eenhede (NLEe. Die soeklig val op voorskrifte van die wetsontwerp oor nasionale leksikografiese eenhede (1996 vir die stigting van sodanige eenhede, sowel as op hul oordrag van die Departement van Kuns, Kultuur, Wetenskap en Tegnologie na die Pan-Suid-Afrikaanse Taalraad. Verder fokus die artikel op die herstrukturering van daardie woordeboekeenhede wat voor die meertalige bedeling

Improving the efficiency of a chemotherapy day unit: applying a business approach to oncology.

Science.gov (United States)

van Lent, Wineke A M; Goedbloed, N; van Harten, W H

2009-03-01

To improve the efficiency of a hospital-based chemotherapy day unit (CDU). The CDU was benchmarked with two other CDUs to identify their attainable performance levels for efficiency, and causes for differences. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis using a business approach, called lean thinking, was performed. An integrated set of interventions was implemented, among them a new planning system. The results were evaluated using pre- and post-measurements. We observed 24% growth of treatments and bed utilisation, a 12% increase of staff member productivity and an 81% reduction of overtime. The used method improved process design and led to increased efficiency and a more timely delivery of care. Thus, the business approaches, which were adapted for healthcare, were successfully applied. The method may serve as an example for other oncology settings with problems concerning waiting times, patient flow or lack of beds.

17th September 2010 - Signature of a joint declaration by CERN represented by Director-General R. Heuer and the Brazilian Centre for Physics Research (CBPF) represented by R. Shellard, witnessed by the Ambassador to the United Nations Office M. N. Farani Azevêdo, signing the guest book.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2010-01-01

17th September 2010 - Signature of a joint declaration by CERN represented by Director-General R. Heuer and the Brazilian Centre for Physics Research (CBPF) represented by R. Shellard, witnessed by the Ambassador to the United Nations Office M. N. Farani Azevêdo, signing the guest book.

Environmental geology in the United States: Present practice and future training needs

Science.gov (United States)

Lundgren, Lawrence

Environmental geology as practiced in the United States confronts issues in three large areas: Threats to human society from geologic phenomena (geologic hazards); impacts of human activities on natural systems (environmental impact), and natural-resource management. This paper illustrates present U.S. practice in environmental geology by sampling the work of 7 of the 50 state geological surveys and of the United States Geological Survey as well. Study of the work of these agencies provides a basis for identifying avenues for the training of those who will deal with environmental issues in the future. This training must deal not only with the subdisciplines of geology but with education to cope with the ethical, interdisciplinary, and public-communication aspects of the work of the environmental geologist.

Simulation of the present-day climate with the climate model INMCM5

Science.gov (United States)

Volodin, E. M.; Mortikov, E. V.; Kostrykin, S. V.; Galin, V. Ya.; Lykossov, V. N.; Gritsun, A. S.; Diansky, N. A.; Gusev, A. V.; Iakovlev, N. G.

2017-12-01

In this paper we present the fifth generation of the INMCM climate model that is being developed at the Institute of Numerical Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INMCM5). The most important changes with respect to the previous version (INMCM4) were made in the atmospheric component of the model. Its vertical resolution was increased to resolve the upper stratosphere and the lower mesosphere. A more sophisticated parameterization of condensation and cloudiness formation was introduced as well. An aerosol module was incorporated into the model. The upgraded oceanic component has a modified dynamical core optimized for better implementation on parallel computers and has two times higher resolution in both horizontal directions. Analysis of the present-day climatology of the INMCM5 (based on the data of historical run for 1979-2005) shows moderate improvements in reproduction of basic circulation characteristics with respect to the previous version. Biases in the near-surface temperature and precipitation are slightly reduced compared with INMCM4 as well as biases in oceanic temperature, salinity and sea surface height. The most notable improvement over INMCM4 is the capability of the new model to reproduce the equatorial stratospheric quasi-biannual oscillation and statistics of sudden stratospheric warmings.

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes and Related Instruments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1976-06-14

On 1 June 1976 the Director General received a letter dated the same day from the Resident Representative of the United States of America to the Agency in which he communicated the text of the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes which was signed by President Ford and General Secretary Brezhnev on 28 May 1976. The Resident Representative asked that the texts of the Treaty, the Protocol and the Agreed Statement be brought to the attention of all Members of the Agency in view of the relationship of this Treaty to the work of the Agency. On the same day the Director General received a letter in similar terms from the Resident Representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Taking into account the common request made by the Resident Representatives of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics the texts of the Treaty, the Protocol and the Agreed Statement are reproduced in this document.

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes and Related Instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

On 1 June 1976 the Director General received a letter dated the same day from the Resident Representative of the United States of America to the Agency in which he communicated the text of the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful Purposes which was signed by President Ford and General Secretary Brezhnev on 28 May 1976. The Resident Representative asked that the texts of the Treaty, the Protocol and the Agreed Statement be brought to the attention of all Members of the Agency in view of the relationship of this Treaty to the work of the Agency. On the same day the Director General received a letter in similar terms from the Resident Representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Taking into account the common request made by the Resident Representatives of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics the texts of the Treaty, the Protocol and the Agreed Statement are reproduced in this document.

TRANSFER PRICING–A PRESENT-DAY ISSUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena CHIȚIMUȘ

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Within the fiscal inspection procedures and financial control undertaken by the Romanian fiscal authorities, a special place and an everyday more increasing share is occupied by the transactions between Romanian companies with affiliated entities. The principle that should stay at the foundation of these transactions is that every agreement of purchase or sale between affiliates should be made at the market price. This paper aims to present methodological aspects regarding transfer pricing and to underline the evolution and the expectations related to this subject in Romania.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: the present-day radial metallicity distribution of the Galactic disc probed by pre-main-sequence clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Spina, L.; Randich, S.; Magrini, L.; Jeffries, R. D.; Friel, E. D.; Sacco, G. G.; Pancino, E.; Bonito, R.; Bravi, L.; Franciosini, E.; Klutsch, A.; Montes, D.; Gilmore, G.; Vallenari, A.; Bensby, T.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Koposov, S. E.; Korn, A. J.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Smiljanic, R.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Donati, P.; Frasca, A.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lewis, J.; Lind, K.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2017-05-01

Context. The radial metallicity distribution in the Galactic thin disc represents a crucial constraint for modelling disc formation and evolution. Open star clusters allow us to derive both the radial metallicity distribution and its evolution over time. Aims: In this paper we perform the first investigation of the present-day radial metallicity distribution based on [Fe/H] determinations in late type members of pre-main-sequence clusters. Because of their youth, these clusters are therefore essential for tracing the current interstellar medium metallicity. Methods: We used the products of the Gaia-ESO Survey analysis of 12 young regions (age ages is not easily explained by the models. Our results reveal a complex interplay of several processes (e.g. star formation activity, initial mass function, supernova yields, gas flows) that controlled the recent evolution of the Milky Way. Based on observations made with the ESO/VLT, at Paranal Observatory, under program 188.B-3002 (The Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey).Full Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/601/A70

On the representativeness of behavior observation samples in classrooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiger, Jeffrey H; Miller, Sarah J; Mevers, Joanna Lomas; Mintz, Joslyn Cynkus; Scheithauer, Mindy C; Alvarez, Jessica

2013-01-01

School consultants who rely on direct observation typically conduct observational samples (e.g., 1 30-min observation per day) with the hopes that the sample is representative of performance during the remainder of the day, but the representativeness of these samples is unclear. In the current study, we recorded the problem behavior of 3 referred students for 4 consecutive school days between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. using duration recording in consecutive 10-min sessions. We then culled 10-min, 20-min, 30-min, and 60-min observations from the complete record and compared these observations to the true daily mean to assess their accuracy (i.e., how well individual observations represented the daily occurrence of target behaviors). The results indicated that when behavior occurred with low variability, the majority of brief observations were representative of the overall levels; however, when behavior occurred with greater variability, even 60-min observations did not accurately capture the true levels of behavior. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

His Excellency Mr Ali Naci Koru Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2017-01-01

His Excellency Mr Ali Naci Koru Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland

Simulation of Net Infiltration for Present-Day and Potential Future Climates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. Levitt

2004-11-09

The purpose of this model report is to document the infiltration model used to estimate upper-bound, mean, and lower-bound spatially-distributed average annual net infiltration rates for present-day and potential future climates at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Net infiltration is the component of infiltrated precipitation, snowmelt, or surface water run-on that has percolated below the zone of evapotranspiration as defined by the depth of the effective root zone. The estimates of net infiltration are primarily used for defining the upper boundary condition for the site-scale three-dimensional unsaturated zone (UZ) model. The UZ flow model is one of several process models abstracted by the total system performance assessment (TSPA) model used to evaluate performance of the repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The net-infiltration model is important for assessing repository-system performance because output from this model provides the upper boundary condition for the UZ flow model used to generate flow fields; water percolating downward from the UZ will be the principal means by which radionuclides are potentially released to the saturated zone (SZ). The SZ is the principal pathway to the biosphere where the reasonably maximally exposed individual (RMEI) is exposed to radionuclides.

Simulation of Net Infiltration for Present-Day and Potential Future Climates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levitt, D.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this model report is to document the infiltration model used to estimate upper-bound, mean, and lower-bound spatially-distributed average annual net infiltration rates for present-day and potential future climates at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Net infiltration is the component of infiltrated precipitation, snowmelt, or surface water run-on that has percolated below the zone of evapotranspiration as defined by the depth of the effective root zone. The estimates of net infiltration are primarily used for defining the upper boundary condition for the site-scale three-dimensional unsaturated zone (UZ) model. The UZ flow model is one of several process models abstracted by the total system performance assessment (TSPA) model used to evaluate performance of the repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The net-infiltration model is important for assessing repository-system performance because output from this model provides the upper boundary condition for the UZ flow model used to generate flow fields; water percolating downward from the UZ will be the principal means by which radionuclides are potentially released to the saturated zone (SZ). The SZ is the principal pathway to the biosphere where the reasonably maximally exposed individual (RMEI) is exposed to radionuclides

Network-constrained AC unit commitment under uncertainty: A Benders' decomposition approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nasri, Amin; Kazempour, Seyyedjalal; Conejo, Antonio J.

2015-01-01

. The proposed model is formulated as a two-stage stochastic programming problem, whose first-stage refers to the day-ahead market, and whose second-stage represents real-time operation. The proposed Benders’ approach allows decomposing the original problem, which is mixed-integer nonlinear and generally...... intractable, into a mixed-integer linear master problem and a set of nonlinear, but continuous subproblems, one per scenario. In addition, to temporally decompose the proposed ac unit commitment problem, a heuristic technique is used to relax the inter-temporal ramping constraints of the generating units...

Fossil Flora of the John Day Basin, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Knowlton, Frank Hall

1902-01-01

expedition into this region made under the auspices of the University of California. When these plants were submitted to me for study, it was thought possible to present their description, together with a revision of our knowledge of the previously known forms, within a space sufficiently small to permit the publication of the matter as an appendix to a paper on the general geology of the area, then in preparation by Dr. Merriam. But it soon became apparent that this could not be adequately done within the space available, and a short preliminary report was prepared for and published by Dr. Merriam. The results of a complete restudy of all available fossil plant material from the John Day Basin are now presented. I wish to record my great indebtedness to Dr. Merriam, who not only accompanied me at a considerable personal sacrifice on a trip through the region in 1901, but placed unreservedly at my disposal all material bearing in any way on the problem then in the paleontological museum of the University of California. To Dr. Arthur Hollick I am indebted for the loan of all material from the John Day region belonging to Columbia University, and now deposited in the New York Botanical Garden at Bronx Park. This material, together with the rich collections belonging to the United States National Museum, represents practically all now known to have come from the John Day Basin.

Epidemiology of Snow Skiing- Versus Snowboarding-Related Concussions Presenting to the Emergency Department in the United States from 2010 to 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Gil, Joseph A; DeFroda, Steven F; Kriz, Peter; Owens, Brett D

2017-09-01

To examine the trend of concussions in skiers and snowboarders from 2010 to 2014; and to quantify and compare the incidence of concussions injuries in skiers and snowboarders who presented to emergency departments in the United States in 2014. Cross-sectional study of concussions in skiers and snowboarders who were evaluated in emergency departments in the United States. Incidence of concussions. The trend of the annual incidence of concussions for skiers and snowboarders remained stable from 2010 to 2014. An estimated total of 5388 skiing-related concussions and 5558 snowboarding-related concussions presented to emergency departments in the United States between January 1st, 2014, and December 31st, 2014. This represented an incidence of 16.9 concussions per 1 000 000 person-years for skiers and 17.4 concussions per 1 000 000 person-years for snowboarders. The incidence of concussions in the pediatric and young adult population of skiers was significantly higher than the incidence in the adult population. Similarly, the incidence of concussions in the pediatric and young adult population of snowboarders was significantly higher than the incidence in the adult population. The incidence of concussions was significantly higher in males compared with females in both skiing and snowboarding. The incidence of concussions from 2010 to 2014 plateaued in both skiers and snowboarders. Pediatric and young adult skiers and snowboarders had significantly higher incidences of concussion than the adult population. In contrast to the higher incidence of concussions in females in several sports including ice hockey, soccer, and basketball, the incidence of concussions was higher in males compared with females in both skiing and snowboarding.

Sports-related genitourinary injuries presenting to United States emergency departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagga, Herman S; Fisher, Patrick B; Tasian, Gregory E; Blaschko, Sarah D; McCulloch, Charles E; McAninch, Jack W; Breyer, Benjamin N

2015-01-01

To describe epidemiologic features of sports-related genitourinary (GU) injuries and determine patient cohorts and particular sporting activities associated with increased GU injury risk. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a data set validated to provide a probability sample of injury-related US emergency department (ED) presentations, was analyzed to characterize GU injuries between 2002 and 2010. A total of 13,851 observations were analyzed to derive national estimates. Between 2002 and 2010, an estimated 137,525 individuals (95% confidence interval, 104,490-170,620) presented to US EDs with GU injuries sustained during sporting activities. Nearly three-quarters of injuries occurred in the pediatric population. The most common product involved was a bicycle, representing approximately one-third of injuries in both adult and pediatric populations. Injuries related to team sports such as football, baseball or softball, basketball, and soccer were also common, particularly among boys where they represented a combined third of all injuries. Eighty-nine percent of all patients were evaluated and treated in the ED without inpatient admission. The large majority of injuries involved the external genitalia (60%), and significant injuries of paired GU organs (kidneys and testicles) requiring inpatient admission were rare (8.5%). Sports-related GU injuries are most commonly sustained during the use of a bicycle. However, there are other associated activities with identifiable high-risk cohorts, products, and situations. Consumers, practitioners, and injury-prevention experts can use our epidemiologic data to prioritize and develop strategies aimed at the prevention and limitation of such injuries, particularly when counseling at-risk cohorts, such as those with solitary kidneys or testicles. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Degradation of benzodiazepines after 120 days of EMS deployment.

Science.gov (United States)

McMullan, Jason T; Jones, Elizabeth; Barnhart, Bruce; Denninghoff, Kurt; Spaite, Daniel; Zaleski, Erin; Silbergleit, Robert

2014-01-01

EMS treatment of status epilepticus improves outcomes, but the benzodiazepine best suited for EMS use is unclear, given potential high environmental temperature exposures. To describe the degradation of diazepam, lorazepam, and midazolam as a function of temperature exposure and time over 120 days of storage on active EMS units. Study boxes containing vials of diazepam, lorazepam, and midazolam were distributed to 4 active EMS units in each of 2 EMS systems in the southwestern United States during May-August 2011. The boxes logged temperature every minute and were stored in EMS units per local agency policy. Two vials of each drug were removed from each box at 30-day intervals and underwent high-performance liquid chromatography to determine drug concentration. Concentration was analyzed as mean (and 95%CI) percent of initial labeled concentration as a function of time and mean kinetic temperature (MKT). 192 samples were collected (2 samples of each drug from each of 4 units per city at 4 time-points). After 120 days, the mean relative concentration (95%CI) of diazepam was 97.0% (95.7-98.2%) and of midazolam was 99.0% (97.7-100.2%). Lorazepam experienced modest degradation by 60 days (95.6% [91.6-99.5%]) and substantial degradation at 90 days (90.3% [85.2-95.4%]) and 120 days (86.5% [80.7-92.3%]). Mean MKT was 31.6°C (95%CI 27.1-36.1). Increasing MKT was associated with greater degradation of lorazepam, but not midazolam or diazepam. Midazolam and diazepam experienced minimal degradation throughout 120 days of EMS deployment in high-heat environments. Lorazepam experienced significant degradation over 120 days and appeared especially sensitive to higher MKT exposure.

His Excellency Mr Zbigniew Czech, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Ordan, Julien Marius

2018-01-01

Visit of His Excellency Mr Zbigniew Czech, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Present status of Tomari No.3 unit construction and efforts for preventing global warming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouchi, Tamotsu; Sakai, Ichiro; Makino, Takeshi

2009-01-01

Hokkaido Electric Power Company, Inc. (HEPCO) supplies electricity to almost all area of Hokkaido. Its service area accounts for about one-fifth of Japan's area, on the other hand, the population of the service area only accounts for 4.4% of the nation. This means Hokkaido's nature is precious, and one of HEPCO's missions is to protect such environment, with providing stable electricity. Therefore, nuclear power, which does not emit greenhouse effect gas for generation, is becoming more important. HEPCO's operating nuclear power stations are Tomari No.1 unit and No.2 unit. Their generation capacity is 579 MW respectively. Now, No.3 unit is under construction. Its generation capacity is 912 MW and it will be operational in December 2009. In Hokkaido, about one fourth of electricity is now produced by nuclear power, however, after Tomari No.3 is completed, more than 40% of electricity will be produced by nuclear. So, Tomari No.3 unit will contribute stable supply of electricity in the first half of 21st century and prevent global warming in Hokkaido. This paper describes the present status of Tomari No.3 unit construction with major specifications and our efforts to prevent global warming. (author)

Present status of Tomari No.3 unit construction and efforts for preventing global warming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouchi, Tamotsu

2008-01-01

Hokkaido Electric Power Company, Inc. (HEPCO) supplies electricity to almost all area of Hokkaido. Its service area accounts for about one-fifth of Japan's area, on the other hand, the population of the service area only accounts for 4.4% of the nation. This means Hokkaido's nature is precious, and one of HEPCO's missions is to protect such environment, with providing stable electricity. Therefore, nuclear power, which does not emit greenhouse effect gas for generation, is becoming more important. HEPCO's operating nuclear power stations are Tomari No.1 unit and No.2 unit. Their generation capacity is 579 MW respectively. Now, No.3 unit is under construction. Its generation capacity is 912 MW and it will be operational in December 2009. In Hokkaido, about one fourth of electricity is now produced by nuclear power, however, after Tomari No.3 is completed, about 40% of electricity will be produced by nuclear. So, Tomari No.3 unit will contribute stable supply of electricity in the first half of 21st century and prevent global warming in Hokkaido. This paper describes the present status of Tomari No.3 unit construction with major specifications and our efforts to prevent global warming. (author)

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1989-present, Evaporation

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Evaporation data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1977-present, Temperature

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Temperature data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1980-present, Position

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Position data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

Antimicrobial consumption, costs and resistance patterns: a two year prospective study in a Romanian intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Axente, Carmen; Licker, Monica; Moldovan, Roxana; Hogea, Elena; Muntean, Delia; Horhat, Florin; Bedreag, Ovidiu; Sandesc, Dorel; Papurica, Marius; Dugaesescu, Dorina; Voicu, Mirela; Baditoiu, Luminita

2017-05-22

Due to the vulnerable nature of its patients, the wide use of invasive devices and broad-spectrum antimicrobials used, the intensive care unit (ICU) is often called the epicentre of infections. In the present study, we quantified the burden of hospital acquired pathology in a Romanian university hospital ICU, represented by antimicrobial agents consumption, costs and local resistance patterns, in order to identify multimodal interventional strategies. Between 1 st January 2012 and 31 st December 2013, a prospective study was conducted in the largest ICU of Western Romania. The study group was divided into four sub-samples: patients who only received prophylactic antibiotherapy, those with community-acquired infections, patients who developed hospital acquired infections and patients with community acquired infections complicated by hospital-acquired infections. The statistical analysis was performed using the EpiInfo version 3.5.4 and SPSS version 20. A total of 1596 subjects were enrolled in the study and the recorded consumption of antimicrobial agents was 1172.40 DDD/ 1000 patient-days. The presence of hospital acquired infections doubled the length of stay (6.70 days for patients with community-acquired infections versus 16.06/14.08 days for those with hospital-acquired infections), the number of antimicrobial treatment days (5.47 in sub-sample II versus 11.18/12.13 in sub-samples III/IV) and they increased by 4 times compared to uninfected patients. The perioperative prophylactic antibiotic treatment had an average length duration of 2.78 while the empirical antimicrobial therapy was 3.96 days in sample II and 4.75/4.85 days for the patients with hospital-acquired infections. The incidence density of resistant strains was 8.27/1000 patient-days for methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 7.88 for extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and 4.68/1000 patient-days for multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Some of the most

Re-presenting Scandinavian Modernism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skou, Niels Peter

Med Gellerupparken ved Århus som eksempel undersøges den rolle æstetiske repræsentationer (visuelle og sproglige) har for betydningsdannelsen omkring arkitektur. I paperet trækkes en linje fra Le Corbusiers skrifter om æstetik og modernismens projekt om 'æstetisk opdragelse' af publikum til den...

Potential contribution of currently operating nuclear-fueled electric-generating units to reducing US oil consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koppe, R.H.; Olson, E.A.J.; Van Howe, K.R.

1980-01-01

This study examines the prospect for performance improvement in the 62 light water reactors in operation in the US as of the end of last year and which are deemed to have current commercial design features. These units represent a total net capacity of 49,481 MW(e). In the last two years (1978 to 1979), total capacity factor losses for these units was 36.5%. This study finds that in the short-term, capacity factor improvement of about 16% could be achieved, for example, in response to a short-term energy crisis. In the long-term a gain of perhaps 18% could be achieved. Such gains would represent a decrease in equivalent oil consumption of approximately 350,000 barrels a day. In addition, this study evaluated potential increases in the operating power level of these units, and concluded that a short term power level increase of about 2500 MW(e) could be achieved, in addition to a long term increase of about 1700 MW(e). This total short term power level increase would be equivalent to 138,000 barrels of oil per day

Understanding human trafficking in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, T K; Walker, Robert; Hunt, Gretchen

2009-01-01

The topic of modern-day slavery or human trafficking has received increased media and national attention. However, to date there has been limited research on the nature and scope of human trafficking in the United States. This article describes and synthesizes nine reports that assess the U.S. service organizations' legal representative knowledge of, and experience with, human trafficking cases, as well as information from actual cases and media reports. This article has five main goals: (a) to define what human trafficking is, and is not; (b) to describe factors identified as contributing to vulnerability to being trafficked and keeping a person entrapped in the situation; (c) to examine how the crime of human trafficking differs from other kinds of crimes in the United States; (d) to explore how human trafficking victims are identified; and, (e) to provide recommendations to better address human trafficking in the United States.

40 CFR 60.4114 - Objections concerning Hg designated representative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Objections concerning Hg designated... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Designated Representative for Hg Budget Sources § 60.4114 Objections concerning Hg designated representative. (a) Once a complete certificate of...

The Metropolitan Area of the Municipality of Bucharest. Present-Day Features Relating to Some Environmental Issues in an International Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

INES GRIGORESCU

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The development of metropolitan areas represents the main characteristic of today’s urban evolution trends. The first initiatives to delimitate and define metropolitan areas have been in the United States since 1910. In Europe, this concept was adopted at the beginning of the1990s when the United States had already had 250 metropolitan areas. Romania adopted the concept of metropolitan area in the late 1990s, namely in 1997 when a study on the Directions, Ways, and Intensities of Development in the Municipality of Bucharest and its Metropolitan Zone. Environmental protection politics appeared. This made public a point of view about the Bucharest metropolitan area, which was legally defined by Law no. 351 of July 6th 2001 regarding the National Territory Management Plan, Section IV – Settlements. But many other limits of this area were also taken into account. The uncontrolled evolution of the Bucharest Metropolitan Area as well as of many other European capital cities can be stopped or stabilized by developing green belts or green areas.

Time evolution of primordial magnetic fields and present day extragalactic magnetism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saveliev, Andrey

2014-05-01

The topic of the present thesis is the time evolution of Primordial Magnetic Fields which have been generated in the Early Universe. Assuming this so-called Cosmological Scenario of magnetogenesis to be true, it is shown in the following that this would account for the present day Extragalactic Magnetic Fields. This is particularly important in light of recent gamma ray observations which are used to derive a lower limit for the corresponding magnetic field strength, even though also an alternative approach, claiming instead that these observations are due to interactions with the Intergalactic Medium, is possible and will be tested here with Monte Carlo simulations. In order to describe the aforementioned evolution of Primordial Magnetic Fields, a set of general Master Equations for the spectral magnetic, kinetic and helical components of the system are derived and then solved numerically for the Early Universe. This semianalytical method allows it to perform a full quantitative study for the time development of the power spectra, in particular by fully taking into account the backreaction of the turbulent medium onto the magnetic fields. Applying the formalism to non-helical Primordial Magnetic Fields created on some characteristic length measure, it is shown that on large scales L their spectrum 5 builds up a slope which behaves as B∝L -(5)/(2) and governs the evolution of the coherence (or integral) scale. In addition, the claim of equipartition between the magnetic and the kinetic energy is found to be true. Extending the analysis to helical magnetic fields, it is observed that the time evolution changes dramatically, hence confirming quantitatively that an Inverse Cascade, i.e. an efficient transport of energy from small to large scales, as predicted in previous works, indeed does take place.

Changing Groundwater and Lake Storage in the Americas from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Present Day

Science.gov (United States)

Callaghan, K. L.; Wickert, A. D.; Michael, L.; Fan, Y.; Miguez-Macho, G.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Austermann, J.; Ng, G. H. C.

2017-12-01

Groundwater accounts for 1.69% of the globe's water storage - nearly the same amount (1.74%) that is stored in ice caps and glaciers. The volume of water stored in this reservoir has changed over glacial-interglacial cycles as climate warms and cools, sea level rises and falls, ice sheets advance and retreat, surface topography isostatically adjusts, and patterns of moisture transport reorganize. During the last deglaciation, over the past 21000 years, all of these factors contributed to profound hydrologic change in the Americas. In North America, deglaciation generated proglacial lakes and wetlands along the isostatically-depressed margin of the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet, along with extensive pluvial lakes in the desert southwest. In South America, changing patterns of atmospheric circulation caused regional and time-varying wetting and drying that led to fluctuations in water table levels. Understanding how groundwater levels change in response to these factors can aid our understanding of the effects of modern climate change on groundwater resources. Using a model that incorporates temporally evolving climate, topography (driven by glacial isostatic adjustment), ice extent, sea level, and spatially varying soil properties, we present our estimates of changes in total groundwater storage in the Americas over the past 21000 years. We estimate depth to water table at 500-year intervals and at a 30-arcsecond resolution. This allows a comparative assessment of changing groundwater storage volumes through time. The model has already been applied to the present day and has proven successful in estimating modern groundwater depths at a broad scale (Fan et al., 2013). We also assess changing groundwater-fed lakes, and compare model-estimated lake sizes and locations to paleorecords of these lakes. Our data- and model-integrated look back at the terminal Pleistocene provides an estimate of groundwater variability under extreme climate change. Preliminary results

40 CFR 60.4110 - Authorization and Responsibilities of Hg designated representative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Hg designated representative. 60.4110 Section 60.4110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Designated Representative for Hg Budget Sources § 60.4110 Authorization and Responsibilities of Hg designated representative...

Assessment of present day geomorphological dynamics to decipher landscape evolution around the Paleolithic sites of Melka Kunture, Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Maerker, Michael; Schillaci, Calogero; Melis, Rita; Mussi, Margherita

2014-05-01

The area of Melka Kunture (central Ethiopia) is one of the most important clusters of Paleolithic sites in Eastern Africa. The archaeological record spans from c. 1.7 Ma onwards, with a number of stratified occurrences of Oldowan, Acheulean, Middle Stone Age and Late Stone Age industries, together with faunal remains and human fossils. However, the archaeological sites are endangered by flooding and soil erosion. The main excavation area lies close to the convergence of the Awash river with the Atabella river, one of the main tributaries of the upper Awash catchment. In the semi-arid Ethiopian highlands, gully networks develop especially in the vicinity of the active and inactive river meanders. Various erosion processes are linked to specific driving factors such as the rainfall regime, the land use/cover changes and vertic soils with a specific hydrological behaviour. It was documented in the field and by previous research that the origin of most of the man made erosion channels is due to animal pathways and car tracks. However, paleolandscape features increase the general erosion risk. Former wetland areas and deposition zones are particularly affected by soil erosion processes. Hence, the spatial distribution and characteristics of present day geomorphic processes also reveal information on the paleolandscape. In order to assess landscape evolution and present day geomorphologic dynamics, we mapped the geomorphology describing in detail the present-day slope processes at a 10.000 scale. We performed a detailed terrain analysis based on high resolution DEMs such as SRTM-X with 25m resolution and ALOS/PRISM with 10m resolution to characterize the main erosion processes and surface runoff dynamics. The latter ones are simulated using a Soil Conservation Service Curve Number method. Landuse was delineated for a larger area using ASTER 25m multispectral data. Finally, using calibrated topographic indices and a simple hydrological model we were able to detect and

Communication of 19 June 1997 received from the resident representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the International Atomic Energy Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

The document reproduces the text of a letter dated 19 June 1997 received by the Director General of the IAEA from the Resident Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, referring to the Revised Supplementary Agreement Concerning the Provision of Technical Assistance by the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on behalf of the Government of Hong Kong done at Vienna on 4 February 1983

His Excellency Mr Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Ordan, Julien Marius

2018-01-01

Visit of His Excellency Mr Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Long-term adherence to a 5 day antibiotic course guideline for treatment of intensive care unit (ICU)-associated Gram-negative infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Edgeworth, Jonathan D; Chis Ster, Irina; Wyncoll, Duncan; Shankar-Hari, Manu; McKenzie, Catherine A

2014-06-01

To determine long-term adherence to a 5 day antibiotic course guideline for treating intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) infections. Descriptive analysis of patient-level data on all GNB-active antibiotics prescribed from day 3 and all GNB identified in clinical samples in 5350 patients admitted to a 30 bed general ICU between 2002 and 2009. Four thousand five hundred and eleven of 5350 (84%) patients were treated with one or more antibiotics active against GNB commenced from day 3. Gentamicin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic (92.2 days of therapy/1000 patient-days). Only 6% of courses spanned >6 days of therapy and 89% of antibiotic therapy days were with a single antibiotic active against GNB. There was no significant difference between gentamicin and meropenem in the number of first courses in which a resistant GNB was identified in blood cultures [11/1177 (0.9%) versus 5/351 (1.4%); P = 0.43] or respiratory tract specimens [59/951 (6.2%) versus 17/246 (6.9%); P = 0.68] at the time of starting therapy. This study demonstrates long-term adherence to a 5 day course antibiotic guideline for treatment of ICU-associated GNB infections. This guideline is a potential antibiotic-sparing alternative to currently recommended dual empirical courses extending to ≥7 days. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Proceedings of the PAGIS Information day

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadelli, N.; Cottone, G.

1990-01-01

The Commission of the European Community supported and coordinated from 1982 to 1988 a study, PAGIS Project, on the Performance Assessment of Geological Systems for radioactive waste. This study evaluated the radiological impact to man for selected real sites in four geological formations: clay, granite, salt and sub-marine sediments. The PAGIS Information Day was organized in Madrid in order to present the main findings and results of the project and discuss them with numerous personalities the political, scientific, industrial and ecological fields, as well as, representatives from the IAEA and the NEA/OECD and from the information media. The present proceedings of that Information Day are edited by the CEC in English, French, German and Spanish. It includes all contributions of the invited speakers, a synopsis of the general discussion conducted by the Chairman with the assistance of invited personalities and the final conclusions. The detailed outcomes of the studies carried out as part of the PAGIS project were published in a set of five volumes: a summary (EUR 11775-EN), Clay (EUR 11776-EN), granite (EUR 11777-FR), Salt (EUR 11778-EN) and the sub-seabed (EUR 11779-EN)

27 October 2014 - H.E. Mr Ney Samol Ambassador Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Brice, Maximilien

2014-01-01

His Excellency Mr Ney Samol Ambassador Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva signing the Guest Book with Deputy Head of International Relations E. Tsesmelis

Evaluating Fire Risk in the Northeastern United States in the Past, Present, and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, D.; Bradley, R. S.

2017-12-01

One poorly understood consequence of climate change is its effects on extreme events such as wildfires. Robust associations between wildfire frequency and climatic variability have been shown to exist, indicating that future climate change may continue to have a significant effect on wildfire activity. The Northeastern United States (NEUS) has seen some of the most infamous and largest historic fires in North America, such as the Miramichi Fire of 1825 and the fires of 1947. Although return intervals for large fires in the NEUS are long (hundreds of years), wildfires have played a critical role in ecosystem development and forest structure in the region. Understanding and predicting fire occurrence and vulnerability in the NEUS, especially in a changing climate, is economically and culturally important yet remains difficult due to human impacts (i.e. fire suppression activities and human disturbance). Thus, an alternative method for investigating fire risk in the NEUS is needed. Here, we present a compilation of meteorological data collected from Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) from the NEUS throughout the 20th century through present day. We use these data to compute fifteen common "fire danger indices" employed in the USA and Canada to investigate changes in the region's fire risk over time, as well as the skill of each of these indices at predicting wildfire activity relative to the historical record of fires in the NEUS. We use dynamically-downscaled regional climate model output for the 21st century to project future wildfire activity based on the fire danger indices capable of capturing historical fire activity in the NEUS. These projections will aid in predicting how fire risk in the NEUS will evolve with anticipated climate change.

His Excellency Dr. Hans Brattskar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations Office, visiting CERN

CERN Multimedia

AUTHOR|(CDS)2099575

2016-01-01

Ambassador Hans Brattskar signing the guest book with Director for international relations Charlotte Warakaulle and Director-General Fabiola Gianotti; Deputy Permanent Representative and Minister Kjersti Sommerset and CERN Advisers Pippa Wells and Jens Vigen are also present.

On Day-to-Day Variability of Global Lightning Activity as Quantified from Background Schumann Resonance Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Mushtak, V. C.; Williams, E. R.

2011-12-01

final stage from the estimated positions and relative activities of the modeled "chimneys" using SR power spectra at the stations with the most reliable calibrations. Additional stabilization in the procedure has been achieved by exploiting the Le Come/Goltzman inversion algorithm that uses the empirically estimated statistical characteristics of the input parameters. When applied to electric and/or magnetic observations collected simultaneously in January 2009 from six ELF stations in Poland (Belsk), Japan (Moshiri), Hungary (Nagycenk), USA (Rhode Island), India (Shillong), and Antarctica (Syowa), the inversion procedure reveals a general repeatability of diurnal lightning scenarios with variations of "chimney" centroid locations by a few megameters, while the estimated regional activity has been found to vary from day to day by up to several tens of percent. A combined empirical-theoretical analysis of the collected data aimed at selecting the most reliably calibrated ELF stations is presently in progress. All the effort is being made to transform the relative lightning activity into absolute units by the time of this meeting. The authors are greatly thankful to all the experimentalists who generously provided their observations and related information for this study.

Present trends in nuclear energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, Ioan

2006-01-01

The paper presents the current trends of nuclear energy in Europe, the issue of radioactive waste management, the modern technical solutions for building new nuclear power plants and, also, the nuclear power long term prospects. The following trends and methods of reducing costs are addressed: - upgrading the availability of nuclear power units; since 1990 till now in Europe the availability factor has risen from 74 % to 84%; - extending the operation life of nuclear power plants from 30 - 40 years to 60 years; - stable reduction of the duration of annual planned outages necessary for maintenance and nuclear fuel re-loading; it is noteworthy the performance of Unit 2 Olkiluoto NPP, Finland, that was shutdown for annual outage and fuel re-loading for a 7 days only; - stable cuts of nuclear fuel cost by using advanced nuclear fuel and by increasing the fuel burnup; over the last years, nuclear fuel cost share in the operation costs has constantly decreased to values of about 0.5 USD cent/KWh e; - increase of the rated capacity of the existing in Europe nuclear power units, through upgrading programs that contribute to enhancing their efficiency. In the year 2002 Generation IV International Forum (GIF) finalized the technological strategy in the field, identifying the most promising nuclear power systems for which the research will continue. This strategy also identifies the main objectives that must by pursued within the research-development programs out of which one mentions the following: - identifying sustainable solution for generating electricity; - minimizing the radioactive waste and its management; - optimization of operation costs; - reducing the financial risk comparable to other energy solutions; - excellence in nuclear safety and reliability; - increasing resistance to proliferation; - ruling out the emergency solutions. Finally, the paper mentions the international engagement, representing a new approach in nuclear power, namely the transition to the use

Domestic Consequences of United States Population Change. Report Prepared by the Select Committee on Population, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-Fifth Congress, Second Session.

Science.gov (United States)

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Select Committee on Population.

The report, prepared by the Select Committee on Population of the United States House of Representatives, discusses the consequences of the changing age composition and geographical distribution of the population. The committee recommends that the government needs to anticipate these changes in order to develop a policy in response to the problems…

Communication dated 26 November 2004 received from the Permanent Representatives of France, Germany, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Kingdom concerning the agreement signed in Paris on 15 November 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The Director General has received a letter dated 26 November 2004 from the Permanent Representatives of France, Germany, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Kingdom, attaching the text of the agreement signed by the Governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the support of the High Representative of the European Union, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Paris on 15 November 2004. The letter and, as requested therein, the text of the agreement, is reproduced herewith for the information of Member States

L’unité intonative dans les textes oralisés // Intonation unit in read speech

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lea Tylečková

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Prosodic phrasing, i.e. division of speech into intonation units, represents a phenomenon which is central to language comprehension. Incorrect prosodic boundary markings may lead to serious misunderstandings and ambiguous interpretations of utterances. The present paper investigates prosodic competencies of Czech students of French in the domain of prosodic phrasing in French read speech. Two texts of different length are examined through a perceptual method to observe how Czech speakers of French (B1–B2 level of CEFR divide read speech into prosodic units compared to French native speakers.

Naturalistic Effects of Five Days of Bedtime Caffeine Use on Sleep, Next-Day Cognitive Performance, and Mood

Science.gov (United States)

Tiplady, Brian; Priestley, Caroline M.; Rogers, Peter J.

2014-01-01

Background: Disruptive effects of caffeine on sleep have previously been reported, although measures of next-day mood and performance have rarely been included. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of caffeine on sleep and associated next-day effects in a naturalistic field setting. Methods: Nineteen participants (daily caffeine intake 0–141 mg), assessed as good sleepers, took part in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 2-week crossover study to assess the effects of bedtime caffeine use (250 mg) on sleep and next-day cognitive performance and mood, which were assessed on a mobile phone in the morning and afternoon. Sleep was assessed objectively (actiwatch) and subjectively (sleep diary). Results: Caffeine's effects on sleep were largely restricted to the first day of administration, with actigraphically measured reduced sleep efficiency, increased activity score and fragmentation index, decreased self-rated sleep quality, and an increased occurrence of participants waking early; only decreased sleep efficiency remained over the week. Effects on next-day performance and mood were evident over the whole week, although despite disrupting sleep, accuracy on a working memory task was higher after caffeine than placebo administration. Conclusions: Caffeine disrupted sleep, although when assessing next-day performance, which may have been affected by the presence of residual caffeine, performance appeared better after caffeine compared to placebo, although this was most likely due to prevention of the effects of overnight withdrawal from caffeine rather than representing a net benefit. Furthermore, partial tolerance developed to the effects of caffeine on sleep. PMID:24868491

Estimates of Present and Future Flood Risk in the Conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Wing, O.; Bates, P. D.; Smith, A.; Sampson, C. C.; Johnson, K.; Fargione, J.; Morefield, P.

2017-12-01

Past attempts to estimate flood risk across the USA either have incomplete coverage, coarse resolution or use overly simplified models of the flooding process. In this paper, we use a new 30m resolution model of the entire conterminous US (CONUS) with realistic flood physics to produce estimates of flood hazard which match to within 90% accuracy the skill of local models built with detailed data. Socio-economic data of commensurate resolution are combined with these flood depths to estimate current and future flood risk. Future population and land-use projections from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are employed to indicate how flood risk might change through the 21st Century, while present-day estimates utilize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Structure Inventory and a USEPA map of population distribution. Our data show that the total CONUS population currently exposed to serious flooding is 2.6 to 3.1 times higher than previous estimates; with nearly 41 million Americans living within the so-called 1 in 100-year (1% annual probability) floodplain, compared to only 13 million according to FEMA flood maps. Moreover, socio-economic change alone leads to significant future increases in flood exposure and risk, even before climate change impacts are accounted for. The share of the population living on the 1 in 100-year floodplain is projected to increase from 13.3% in the present-day to 15.6 - 15.8% in 2050 and 16.4 - 16.8% in 2100. The area of developed land within this floodplain, currently at 150,000 km2, is likely to increase by 37 - 72% in 2100 based on the scenarios selected. 5.5 trillion worth of assets currently lie on the 1% floodplain; we project that by 2100 this number will exceed 10 trillion. With this detailed spatial information on present-day flood risk, federal and state agencies can take appropriate action to mitigate losses. Use of USEPA population and land-use projections mean that particular attention can be

His Excellency Mr Deepak Dhital Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2017-01-01

His Excellency Mr Deepak Dhital Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

75 FR 34307 - King Kamehameha Day, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-16

... Kamehameha Day, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Two hundred years ago, King Kamehameha the Great brought the Hawaiian Islands together under a unified government. His courage...'s concern for public safety.'' On this bicentennial King Kamehameha Day, we celebrate the history...

Prospective Associations between Religiousness/Spirituality and Depression and Mediating Effects of Forgiveness in a Nationally Representative Sample of United States Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Toussaint, Loren L; Marschall, Justin C; Williams, David R

2012-01-01

The present investigation examines the prospective associations of religiousness/spirituality with depression and the extent to which various dimensions of forgiveness act as mediating mechanisms of these associations. Data are from a nationally representative sample of United States adults who were first interviewed in 1998 and reinterviewed six months later. Measures of religiousness/spirituality, forgiveness, and various sociodemographics were collected. Depression was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview administered by trained interviewers. Results showed that religiousness/spirituality, forgiveness of oneself and others, and feeling forgiven by God were associated, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, with depressive status. After controlling for initial depressive status, only forgiveness of oneself and others remained statistically significant predictors of depression. Path analyses revealed that religiousness/spirituality conveyed protective effects, prospectively, on depression by way of an indirect path through forgiveness of others but not forgiveness of oneself. Hence, forgiveness of others acts as a mechanism of the salutary effect of religiousness/spirituality, but forgiveness of oneself is an independent predictor. Conclusions regarding the continued development of this type of research and for the treatment of clients with depression are offered.

Evaluation of predicted Medfly (Ceratitis capitata quarantine length in the United States utilizing degree-day and agent-based models [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Travis Collier

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Invasions by pest insects pose a significant threat to agriculture worldwide. In the case of Ceratitis capitata incursions on the US mainland, where it is not officially established, repeated detections are followed by quarantines and treatments to eliminate the invading population. However, it is difficult to accurately set quarantine duration because non-detection may not mean the pest is eliminated. Most programs extend quarantine lengths past the last fly detection by calculating the amount of time required for 3 generations to elapse under a thermal unit accumulation development model (“degree day”. A newer approach is to use an Agent-Based Simulation (ABS to explicitly simulate population demographics and elimination. Here, predicted quarantine lengths for 11 sites in the continental United States are evaluated using both approaches. Results indicate a strong seasonality in quarantine length, with longer predictions in the second half of the year compared with the first; this pattern is more extreme in degree day predictions compared with ABS. Geographically, quarantine lengths increased with latitude, though this was less pronounced under the ABS. Variation in quarantine lengths for particular times and places was dramatically larger for degree day than ABS, generally spiking in the middle of the year for degree day and peaking in second half of the year for ABS. Analysis of 34 C. capitata quarantines from 1975 to 2017 in California shows that, for all but two, quarantines were started in the second half of the year, when degree day quarantine lengths are longest and have the highest uncertainty. For a set of hypothetical outbreaks based on these historical quarantines, the ABS produced significantly shorter quarantines than degree day calculations. Overall, ABS quarantine lengths were more consistent than degree day predictions, avoided unrealistically long values, and captured effects of rare events such as cold snaps.

Yersinia enterocolitica septicaemia from transfusion of red cell concentrate stored for 16 days.

OpenAIRE

Jones, B L; Saw, M H; Hanson, M F; Mackie, M J; Scott, J; Murphy, W G

1993-01-01

Two cases of transfusion transmitted Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 3, serotype 09 infection occurred in south east Scotland within four months of each other. In one case, a 79 year old man died the day after receiving a unit of red cell concentrate that had been stored for 29 days after donation. In the second case a 78 year old man died three days after transfusion of a unit of red cell concentrate that had been collected 16 days before transfusion. The donors of both units had no symptoms...

Policy making opportunities in the United States Senate and House of Representatives: an examination of seniority and gridlock

Science.gov (United States)

McCurdy, K. M.

2017-12-01

A policy arc is traced by a series of election outcomes, and it is the remaining representatives from past elections with their ideological stances and their parliamentary experiences that is predictive of whether public policy positions are sustained, modulated, or abandoned by the legislature. Two unusual legislative elections, the 1974 and 1994 races for the United States House of Representatives, can provide additional understanding and evidence for the necessary and sufficient conditions for policy innovation. Contrasting the magnitude of the House and Senate majorities along with their respective seniority patterns in the subsequent twenty years from these transformative elections shows the differing conditions that produces policy innovation or gridlock. Legislative actions clearly operate on two temporal planes, with consequences for the election that is coming months hence as well as for governance that occurs over years or multiple decades. Elections have policy consequences that are moderated by formal institutional rules and informal norms of behavior. Members of a class of legislators plus their nearest election class neighbors can influence the shape and content of legislation for twenty years. These effects can be reinforced or mitigated by the results from several election outcomes. But the effects of the initial election, Et0 remain noticeable decades later. This pattern is particularly persistent when freshmen in the House of Representatives hold more than 20 percent of seats in the chamber. These traces of seniority are easily disrupted so their persistence is a signal that should not be ignored for policy entrepreneurs and those wishing to influence public policy. Gridlock should thus be seen as indicative of a facies change in public policy that reflects the changes in society being represented in the legislature, not as an end game in the shorter run election cycle. Legislative gridlock is a state in the public policy process that is ridiculed

Genetically enhanced T lymphocytes and the intensive care unit

Science.gov (United States)

Tat, Tiberiu; Li, Huming; Constantinescu, Catalin-Sorin; Onaciu, Anca; Chira, Sergiu; Osan, Ciprian; Pasca, Sergiu; Petrushev, Bobe; Moisoiu, Vlad; Micu, Wilhelm-Thomas; Berce, Cristian; Tranca, Sebastian; Dima, Delia; Berindan-Neagoe, Ioana; Shen, Jianliang; Tomuleasa, Ciprian; Qian, Liren

2018-01-01

Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells (CAR-T cells) and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) are important protocols in lymphocyte engineering. CAR-T cells have emerged as a new modality for cancer immunotherapy due to their potential efficacy against hematological malignancies. These genetically modified receptors contain an antigen-binding moiety, a hinge region, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular costimulatory domain resulting in lymphocyte T cell activation subsequent to antigen binding. In present-day medicine, four generations of CAR-T cells are described depending on the intracellular signaling domain number of T cell receptors. DLI represents a form of adoptive therapy used after hematopoietic stem cell transplant for its anti-tumor and anti-infectious properties. This article covers the current status of CAR-T cells and DLI research in the intensive care unit (ICU) patient, including the efficacy, toxicity, side effects and treatment. PMID:29662667

Mass-gathering Medicine: Risks and Patient Presentations at a 2-Day Electronic Dance Music Event.

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, Adam; Turris, Sheila A

2015-06-01

Music festivals, including electronic dance music events (EDMEs), increasingly are common in Canada and internationally. Part of a US $4.5 billion industry annually, the target audience is youth and young adults aged 15-25 years. Little is known about the impact of these events on local emergency departments (EDs). Drawing on prospective data over a 2-day EDME, the authors of this study employed mixed methods to describe the case mix and prospectively compared patient presentation rate (PPR) and ambulance transfer rate (ATR) between a first aid (FA) only and a higher level of care (HLC) model. There were 20,301 ticketed attendees. Seventy patient encounters were recorded over two days. The average age was 19.1 years. Roughly 69% were female (n=48/70). Forty-six percent of those seen in the main medical area were under the age of 19 years (n=32/70). The average length of stay in the main medical area was 70.8 minutes. The overall PPR was 4.09 per 1,000 attendees. The ATR with FA only would have been 1.98; ATR with HLC model was 0.52. The presence of an on-site HLC team had a significant positive effect on avoiding ambulance transfers. Twenty-nine ambulance transfers and ED visits were avoided by the presence of an on-site HLC medical team. Reduction of impact to the public health care system was substantial. Electronic dance music events have predictable risks and patient presentations, and appropriate on-site health care resources may reduce significantly the impact on the prehospital and emergency health resources in the host community.

78 FR 31809 - National Maritime Day, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-24

... Vol. 78 Friday, No. 101 May 24, 2013 Part VI The President Proclamation 8985--National Maritime... Maritime Day, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Through every chapter of... economic growth by shipping our products all around the world. On National Maritime Day, we honor the...

Meteorite Unit Models for Structural Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Parul; Carlozzi, Alexander A.; Karajeh, Zaid S.; Bryson, Kathryn L.

2017-10-01

To assess the threat posed by an asteroid entering Earth’s atmosphere, one must predict if, when, and how it fragments during entry. A comprehensive understanding of the asteroid material properties is needed to achieve this objective. At present, the meteorite material found on earth are the only objects from an entering asteroid that can be used as representative material and be tested inside a laboratory. Due to complex composition, it is challenging and expensive to obtain reliable material properties by means of laboratory test for a family of meteorites. In order to circumvent this challenge, meteorite unit models are developed to determine the effective material properties including Young’s modulus, compressive and tensile strengths and Poisson’s ratio, that in turn would help deduce the properties of asteroids. The meteorite unit model is a representative volume that accounts for diverse minerals, porosity, cracks and matrix composition.The Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio in the meteorite units are calculated by performing several hundreds of Monte Carlo simulations by randomly distributing the various phases inside these units. Once these values are obtained, cracks are introduced in these units. The size, orientation and distribution of cracks are derived by CT-scans and visual scans of various meteorites. Subsequently, simulations are performed to attain stress-strain relations, strength and effective modulus values in the presence of these cracks. The meteorite unit models are presented for H, L and LL ordinary chondrites, as well as for terrestrial basalt. In the case of the latter, data from the simulations is compared with experimental data to validate the methodology. These meteorite unit models will be subsequently used in fragmentation modeling of full scale asteroids.

Present day crustal deformation of the Italian peninsula observed by permanent GPS stations

Science.gov (United States)

Devoti, Roberto; Esposito, Alessandra; Galvani, Alessandro; Pietrantonio, Grazia; Pisani, Anna Rita; Riguzzi, Federica; Sepe, Vincenzo

2010-05-01

Italian penisula is a crucial area in the Mediterranean region to understand the active deformation processes along Nubia-Eurasia plate boundary. We present the velocity and strain rate fields of the Italian area derived from continuous GPS observations of more than 300 sites in the time span 1998-2009. The GPS networks were installed and managed by different institutions and for different purposes; altogether they cover the whole country with a mean inter-site distance of about 50 km and provide a valuable source of data to map the present day kinematics of the region. The data processing is performed by BERNESE software ver. 5.0, adopting a distributed session approach, with more than 10 clusters, sharing common stations, each of them consisting of about 40 stations. Daily loosely constrained solutions are routinely produced for each cluster and then combined into a network daily loose solution. Subsequently daily solutions are transformed on the chosen reference frame and the constrained time series are fitted using the complete covariance matrix, simultaneously estimating site velocities together with annual signals and sporadic offsets at epochs of instrumental changes. In this work we provide an updated detailed picture of the horizontal and vertical kinematics (velocity maps) and deformation pattern (strain rate maps) of the Italian area. The results show several crustal domains characterized by different velocity rates and styles of deformation.

Representing Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Representing Development presents the different social representations that have formed the idea of development in Western thinking over the past three centuries. Offering an acute perspective on the current state of developmental science and providing constructive insights into future pathways, ...

The origin of ICM enrichment in the outskirts of present-day galaxy clusters from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Biffi, V.; Planelles, S.; Borgani, S.; Rasia, E.; Murante, G.; Fabjan, D.; Gaspari, M.

2018-05-01

The uniformity of the intracluster medium (ICM) enrichment level in the outskirts of nearby galaxy clusters suggests that chemical elements were deposited and widely spread into the intergalactic medium before the cluster formation. This observational evidence is supported by numerical findings from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, as presented in Biffi et al., including the effect of thermal feedback from active galactic nuclei. Here, we further investigate this picture, by tracing back in time the spatial origin and metallicity evolution of the gas residing at z = 0 in the outskirts of simulated galaxy clusters. In these regions, we find a large distribution of iron abundances, including a component of highly enriched gas, already present at z = 2. At z > 1, the gas in the present-day outskirts was distributed over tens of virial radii from the main cluster and had been already enriched within high-redshift haloes. At z = 2, about 40 {per cent} of the most Fe-rich gas at z = 0 was not residing in any halo more massive than 10^{11} h^{-1} M_{⊙} in the region and yet its average iron abundance was already 0.4, w.r.t. the solar value by Anders & Grevesse. This confirms that the in situ enrichment of the ICM in the outskirts of present-day clusters does not play a significant role, and its uniform metal abundance is rather the consequence of the accretion of both low-metallicity and pre-enriched (at z > 2) gas, from the diffuse component and through merging substructures. These findings do not depend on the mass of the cluster nor on its core properties.

Hybrid Real-time Zero-day Malware Analysis and Reporting System

OpenAIRE

Ratinder Kaur; Maninder Singh

2016-01-01

To understand completely the malicious intents of a zero-day malware there is really no automated way. There is no single best approach for malware analysis so it demands to combine existing static, dynamic and manual malware analysis techniques in a single unit. In this paper a hybrid real-time analysis and reporting system is presented. The proposed system integrates various malware analysis tools and utilities in a component-based architecture. The system automatica...

Climatic responses to the shortwave and longwave direct radiative effects of sea salt aerosol in present day and the last glacial maximum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yue, Xu [Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Climate Change Research Center (CCRC), Beijing (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Nansen-Zhu International Research Center, Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Beijing (China); Harvard University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA (United States); Liao, Hong [Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), P.O. Box 9804, Beijing (China)

2012-12-15

We examine the climatic responses to the shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) direct radiative effects (RE) of sea salt aerosol in present day and the last glacial maximum (LGM) using a general circulation model with online simulation of sea salt cycle. The 30-year control simulation predicts a present-day annual emission of sea salt of 4,253 Tg and a global burden of 8.1 Tg for the particles with dry radii smaller than 10 {mu}m. Predicted annual and global mean SW and LW REs of sea salt are, respectively, -1.06 and +0.14 W m{sup -2} at the top of atmosphere (TOA), and -1.10 and +0.54 W m{sup -2} at the surface. The LW warming of sea salt is found to decrease with altitude, which leads to a stronger net sea salt cooling in the upper troposphere. The changes in global mean air temperature by the present-day sea salt are simulated to be -0.55, -0.63, -0.86, and -0.91 K at the surface, 850, 500a, and 200 hPa, respectively. The emission of sea salt at the LGM is estimated to be 4,075 Tg year{sup -1}. Relative to present day, the LGM sea salt emission is higher by about 18% over the tropical and subtropical oceans, and is lower by about 35% in the mid- and high-latitudes in both hemispheres because of the expansion of sea ice. As a result of the weakened LGM water cycle, the LGM annual and global mean burden of sea salt is predicted to be higher by 4% as compared to the present-day value. Compared with the climatic effect of sea salt in present day, the sea-salt-induced reductions in surface air temperature at the LGM have similar magnitude in the tropics but are weakened by about 0.18 and 0.14 K in the high latitudes of the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, respectively. We also perform a sensitivity study to explore the upper limit of the climatic effect of the LGM sea salt. We assume an across-the-board 30% increase in the glacial wind speed and consider sea salt emissions over sea ice, so that the model can reproduce the ratio of sea salt deposition between the LGM and

78 FR 53231 - Women's Equality Day, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-28

... Vol. 78 Wednesday, No. 167 August 28, 2013 Part IV The President Proclamation 9003--Women's Equality Day, 2013 Proclamation 9004--50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom #0... 9003 of August 23, 2013 Women's Equality Day, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A...

Nationwide Estimates of 30-Day Readmission in Patients With Ischemic Stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Vahidy, Farhaan S; Donnelly, John P; McCullough, Louise D; Tyson, Jon E; Miller, Charles C; Boehme, Amelia K; Savitz, Sean I; Albright, Karen C

2017-05-01

Readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge for ischemic stroke is an important quality of care metric. We aimed to provide nationwide estimates of 30-day readmission in the United States, describe important reasons for readmission, and sought to explore factors associated with 30-day readmission, particularly the association with recanalization therapy. We conducted a weighted analysis of the 2013 Nationwide Readmission Database to represent all US hospitalizations. Adult patients with acute ischemic stroke including those who received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator and intra-arterial therapy were identified using International Classification of Diseases -Ninth Revision codes. Readmissions were defined as any readmission during the 30-day post-index hospitalization discharge period for the eligible patient population. Proportions and 95% confidence intervals for overall 30-day readmissions and for unplanned and potentially preventable readmissions are reported. Survey design logistic regression models were fit for determining crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence interval for association between recanalization therapy and 30-day readmission. Of the 319 317 patients with acute ischemic stroke, 12.1% (95% confidence interval, 11.9-12.3) were readmitted. Of these, 89.6% were unplanned and 12.9% were potentially preventable. More than 20% of all readmissions were attributable to acute cerebrovascular disease. Readmitted patients were older and had a higher comorbidity burden. After controlling for age, sex, insurance status, and comorbidities, patients who underwent recanalization therapy had significantly lower odds of 30-day readmission (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.89). Up to 12% of patients with ischemic stroke get readmitted within 30 days post-discharge period, and recanalization therapy is associated with 11% to 23% lower odds of 30-day readmission. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Present-day central African forest is a legacy of the 19th century human history.

Science.gov (United States)

Morin-Rivat, Julie; Fayolle, Adeline; Favier, Charly; Bremond, Laurent; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie; Bayol, Nicolas; Lejeune, Philippe; Beeckman, Hans; Doucet, Jean-Louis

2017-01-17

The populations of light-demanding trees that dominate the canopy of central African forests are now aging. Here, we show that the lack of regeneration of these populations began ca. 165 ya (around 1850) after major anthropogenic disturbances ceased. Since 1885, less itinerancy and disturbance in the forest has occurred because the colonial administrations concentrated people and villages along the primary communication axes. Local populations formerly gardened the forest by creating scattered openings, which were sufficiently large for the establishment of light-demanding trees. Currently, common logging operations do not create suitable openings for the regeneration of these species, whereas deforestation degrades landscapes. Using an interdisciplinary approach, which included paleoecological, archaeological, historical, and dendrological data, we highlight the long-term history of human activities across central African forests and assess the contribution of these activities to present-day forest structure and composition. The conclusions of this sobering analysis present challenges to current silvicultural practices and to those of the future.

Tektite 2 habitability research program: Day-to-day life in the habitat

Science.gov (United States)

Nowlis, D. P.

1972-01-01

Because it is widely agreed that the field of environmental psychology is quite young, it was determined that a sample of recorded observations from a representative mission should be included in the report on Tektite to give the professional reader a better feeling of normal day-to-day life in the isolated habitat. Names of the crew members have been replaced with numbers and some off-color words have been replaced by more acceptable slang; some remarks have been omitted that might lead to easy identification of the subjects. Otherwise, the following pages are exactly as transcribed during the late afternoons and the evenings of the mission.

Human reponses to historical eruptions of Etna (Sicily) from 1600 to present and their implications for present-day disaster planning

Science.gov (United States)

Sangster, H.; Chester, D. K.; Duncan, A. M.

2012-04-01

Mount Etna in northeastern Sicily (Italy) rises to over 3000 m, covers an area of ca.1750 km2 and is the most active volcano in Europe. Observations of Etna by literate observers stretch back to the classical era and one of the earliest references to an eruption of Etna was by Pindar in his Pythian Odes, to the event of ca. 474-479 B.C. The history of its activity has been reconstructed by scholars up to the present day and records of eruptions are reasonably complete from the early fifteenth century, reliable from 1669, and document the threats and destruction to human settlements and livelihoods. Effusive and explosive activity has occurred continually throughout the historical period and eruptions of Mount Etna have presented numerous eruption styles, from persistent central crater activity, to periodic flank eruptions. From 1600 to 1669 the activity of Etna was characterised by a high volumetric output of lava with a mean eruption rate of 1.19 m3s-1, this was followed by a pause from flank eruptions and the re-establishment of significant activity from the middle of the eighteenth century. After 1750 the output of lava by flank eruptions was lower than in the previous century, with the mean eruption rate falling to 0.18 m3s-1. This paper summarises: the characteristics of the eruptions that occurred between the period of 1600 to present; the particularities of the societal responses over time and the role of the authorities; and, the important lessons this history holds for the management of present-day civil defence planning in the region. People responded to the eruptions at three levels: as members of a family and extended family; as members of a community and, as citizens of the State. The State, however, was a minor player in responding to these eruptions until the early nineteenth century as the State then became more involved in each successive eruption as the responses moved to a more industrial nature rather than pre-industrial. Today emergencies are

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1989-present, Wind Stress

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Wind Stress data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

Antarctica Day: An International Celebration

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, A.; Hambrook Berkman, J.; Berkman, P. A.

2013-12-01

involving the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators; and public lectures and online videos (including a notable submission from Polar Educators International). Antarctica Day was initiated as a legacy of the 2009 Antarctic Treaty Summit (www.atsumit50.aq), which was convened at the Smithsonian Institution with 40 sponsoring institutions from around the world as part of the International Polar Year. Antarctic Day involved participants from 14 nations in 2010. 28 nations in 2011, and 26 nations in 2012 with representatives from all 7 continents. Antarctica Day 2013 will have recently taken place before the AGU Fall Meeting 2013, and we will present updates at that time. Our aim is to continue expanding Antarctica Day as a globally-accessible platform to share, interpret and cherish the values associated with Antarctica for the benefit of present and future generations. We look forward to the discussion and sharing that this session will provide.

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 2000-present, Longwave Radiation

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Incoming Longwave Radiation data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

Predictors associated with unplanned hospital readmission of medical and surgical intensive care unit survivors within 30 days of discharge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohnuma, Tetsu; Shinjo, Daisuke; Brookhart, Alan M; Fushimi, Kiyohide

2018-01-01

Reducing the 30-day unplanned hospital readmission rate is a goal for physicians and policymakers in order to improve quality of care. However, data on the readmission rate of critically ill patients in Japan and knowledge of the predictors associated with readmission are lacking. We investigated predictors associated with 30-day rehospitalization for medical and surgical adult patients separately. Patient data from 502 acute care hospitals with intensive care unit (ICU) facilities in Japan were retrospectively extracted from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database between April 2012 and February 2014. Factors associated with unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge among medical and surgical ICU survivors were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Of 486,651 ICU survivors, we identified 5583 unplanned hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge following 147,423 medical hospitalizations (3.8% readmitted) and 11,142 unplanned readmissions after 339,228 surgical hospitalizations (3.3% readmitted). The majority of unplanned hospital readmissions, 60.9% of medical and 63.1% of surgical case readmissions, occurred within 15 days of discharge. For both medical and surgical patients, the Charlson comorbidity index score; category of primary diagnosis during the index admission (respiratory, gastrointestinal, and metabolic and renal); hospital length of stay; discharge to skilled nursing facilities; and having received a packed red blood cell transfusion, low-dose steroids, or renal replacement therapy were significantly associated with higher unplanned hospital readmission rates. From patient data extracted from a large Japanese national database, the 30-day unplanned hospital readmission rate after ICU stay was 3.4%. Further studies are required to improve readmission prediction models and to develop targeted interventions for high-risk patients.

PWR design for low doses in the United Kingdom: The present and the future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zodiates, A.M.; Willcock, A. [PWR Project Group, Knutsford, England (United Kingdom)

1995-03-01

The Pressurizer Water Reactor (PWR) design chosen for adoption by Nuclear Electric plc was based on the Westinghouse Standard Nuclear Unit Power Plant System (SNUPPS). This design was developed to meet the United Kingdom (UK) requirements and those improvements are embodied in the Sizewell B plant. Nuclear Electric plc is now looking to the design of the future PWRs to be built in the UK. These PWRs will be based as replicas of the Sizewell B design, but attention will be given to reducing operator doses further. This paper details the approach in operator protection improvements incorporated at Sizewall B, presents the estimated annual collective dose, and identifies the approach being adopted to reduce further operator doses in future plants.

75 FR 69327 - Veterans Day, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-10

..., to protect the freedoms that have blessed America. Whether Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard... day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United...

H.E. Mr Ichiro Fujisaki Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Japan to the Office of the United Nations and the other international organisations in Geneva signs the Glaxbox.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2007-01-01

H.E. Mr Ichiro Fujisaki Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Japan to the Office of the United Nations and the other international organisations in Geneva signs the Glaxbox.

Neanderthal and Denisova tooth protein variants in present-day humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clément Zanolli

Full Text Available Environment parameters, diet and genetic factors interact to shape tooth morphostructure. In the human lineage, archaic and modern hominins show differences in dental traits, including enamel thickness, but variability also exists among living populations. Several polymorphisms, in particular in the non-collagenous extracellular matrix proteins of the tooth hard tissues, like enamelin, are involved in dental structure variation and defects and may be associated with dental disorders or susceptibility to caries. To gain insights into the relationships between tooth protein polymorphisms and dental structural morphology and defects, we searched for non-synonymous polymorphisms in tooth proteins from Neanderthal and Denisova hominins. The objective was to identify archaic-specific missense variants that may explain the dental morphostructural variability between extinct and modern humans, and to explore their putative impact on present-day dental phenotypes. Thirteen non-collagenous extracellular matrix proteins specific to hard dental tissues have been selected, searched in the publicly available sequence databases of Neanderthal and Denisova individuals and compared with modern human genome data. A total of 16 non-synonymous polymorphisms were identified in 6 proteins (ameloblastin, amelotin, cementum protein 1, dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein 1, enamelin and matrix Gla protein. Most of them are encoded by dentin and enamel genes located on chromosome 4, previously reported to show signs of archaic introgression within Africa. Among the variants shared with modern humans, two are ancestral (common with apes and one is the derived enamelin major variant, T648I (rs7671281, associated with a thinner enamel and specific to the Homo lineage. All the others are specific to Neanderthals and Denisova, and are found at a very low frequency in modern Africans or East and South Asians, suggesting that they may be related to particular dental traits or

Post World War II orcharding creates present day DDT-problems in The Sørfjord (Western Norway)--a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruus, Anders; Green, Norman W; Maage, Amund; Amundsen, Carl Einar; Schøyen, Merete; Skei, Jens

2010-10-01

The Sørfjord has a long history of agriculture and industry, and environmental monitoring has been conducted for decades, comprising analyses of contaminants in mussel, fish and sediments. DDT was used as an insecticide in orchards surrounding the fjord between World War II and 1970. Since the early 1990 s, elevated concentrations of DDT were found in mussels and fish. Unexpectedly, DDT-concentrations increased towards present day, despite the discontinuation of use. The highest concentrations in mussels (in 2006) corresponded to about two orders of magnitude higher than background. Analyses of sediment core sections also indicated increased input towards present day. Shifts in climatic parameters, as well as increased amounts of soil dissolved organic carbon following a decline in atmospheric sulphate deposition may have contributed to this phenomenon. We warrant the need for increased knowledge of the effects of alterations in variables acting regionally and globally on the disposition of contaminants in ecosystems. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Day-to-day reliability of gait characteristics in rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raffalt, Peter Christian; Nielsen, Louise R; Madsen, Stefan

2018-01-01

day-to-day reliability of the gait pattern parameters observed in rats during treadmill walking. The results of the present study may serve as a reference material that can help future intervention studies on rat gait characteristics both with respect to the selection of outcome measures...

A multi-period, multi-regional generation expansion planning model incorporating unit commitment constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koltsaklis, Nikolaos E.; Georgiadis, Michael C.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A short-term structured investment planning model has been developed. • Unit commitment problem is incorporated into the long-term planning horizon. • Inherent intermittency of renewables is modelled in a comprehensive way. • The impact of CO_2 emission pricing in long-term investment decisions is quantified. • The evolution of system’s marginal price is evaluated for all the planning horizon. - Abstract: This work presents a generic mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model that integrates the unit commitment problem (UCP), i.e., daily energy planning with the long-term generation expansion planning (GEP) framework. Typical daily constraints at an hourly level such as start-up and shut-down related decisions (start-up type, minimum up and down time, synchronization, soak and desynchronization time constraints), ramping limits, system reserve requirements are combined with representative yearly constraints such as power capacity additions, power generation bounds of each unit, peak reserve requirements, and energy policy issues (renewables penetration limits, CO_2 emissions cap and pricing). For modelling purposes, a representative day (24 h) of each month over a number of years has been employed in order to determine the optimal capacity additions, electricity market clearing prices, and daily operational planning of the studied power system. The model has been tested on an illustrative case study of the Greek power system. Our approach aims to provide useful insight into strategic and challenging decisions to be determined by investors and/or policy makers at a national and/or regional level by providing the optimal energy roadmap under real operating and design constraints.

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1980-present, Dynamic Height

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Dynamic Height data (a measure of the elevation of the sea level, calculated by integrating the specific volume anomaly of the sea water...

Apollo 11 Commander Armstrong Presents President With Commemorative Plaque

Science.gov (United States)

1974-01-01

On June 4, 1974, 5 years after the successful Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, commander Neil Armstrong (right) presented a plaque to U.S. President Richard Milhous Nixon (left) on behalf of all people who had taken part in the space program. In making the presentation, Armstrong said 'Mr. President, you have proclaimed this week to be United States Space week in conjunction with the fifth anniversary of our first successful landing on the Moon. It is my privilege to represent my colleagues, the crewmen of projects Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab, and the men and women of NASA, and the hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the land who contributed so mightily to the success of our efforts in space in presenting this plaque which bears the names of each individual who has had the privilege of representing this country' in a space flight. The presentation was made at the California white house in San Clemente.

Representativeness of Tuberculosis Genotyping Surveillance in the United States, 2009-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Shak, Emma B; France, Anne Marie; Cowan, Lauren; Starks, Angela M; Grant, Juliana

2015-01-01

Genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates contributes to tuberculosis (TB) control through detection of possible outbreaks. However, 20% of U.S. cases do not have an isolate for testing, and 10% of cases with isolates do not have a genotype reported. TB outbreaks in populations with incomplete genotyping data might be missed by genotyping-based outbreak detection. Therefore, we assessed the representativeness of TB genotyping data by comparing characteristics of cases reported during January 1, 2009-December 31, 2010, that had a genotype result with those cases that did not. Of 22,476 cases, 14,922 (66%) had a genotype result. Cases without genotype results were more likely to be patients <19 years of age, with unknown HIV status, of female sex, U.S.-born, and with no recent history of homelessness or substance abuse. Although cases with a genotype result are largely representative of all reported U.S. TB cases, outbreak detection methods that rely solely on genotyping data may underestimate TB transmission among certain groups.

On-Demand Interactive Simulation-Centered Training for Small Unit Tactics

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Munro, Allen

2003-01-01

Training on small unit infantry tactics in both the context of present-day infantry operations and in Objective Force Warrior contexts may benefit from the use of interactive graphics with behavioral...

Past Experiences, Present Beliefs, Future Practices: Using Narratives to Re(present) Leadership Educator Identity

Science.gov (United States)

Priest, Kerry L.; Seemiller, Corey

2018-01-01

In an effort to better understand leadership educator preparation, this qualitative study explores leadership educators' identity constructions, or (re)presentations of experiences, beliefs, and practices that contribute to one's professional identity. We used three narrative approaches (storytelling, symbolic interactionism, and anticipatory…

13 May 2016 - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva V. Sadiqov signing the guest book with Head of Associate Member and Non-Member State Relations E. Tsesmelis and Adviser C. Schäfer. Permanent Mission First Secretary H. Huseynov is also present.

CERN Multimedia

Brice, Maximilien

2016-01-01

His Excellency Mr Vaqif Sadiqov Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Representing AIDS in Comics.

Science.gov (United States)

Czerwiec, M K

2018-02-01

Matthew P. McAllister wrote: "Comic books can and have contributed positively to the discourse about AIDS: images that encourage true education, understanding and compassion can help cope with a biomedical condition which has more than a biomedical relevance" [1]. With this in mind, I combined a 23-narrator oral history and my personal memoir about an inpatient Chicago AIDS hospital unit in my book, Taking Turns: Stories from HIV/AIDS Care Unit 371. In doing so, I built upon the existing rich history of HIV/AIDS in comics, which this article will briefly describe. Although not a comprehensive review of the intersection of AIDS and comics, the book is a tour through influences that proved useful to me. In addition, in making my book, I faced a distinct ethical issue with regard to representing patient experiences with HIV/AIDS, and I describe here how I addressed it. © 2018 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

A spring-mass-damper system dynamics-based driver-vehicle integrated model for representing heterogeneous traffic

Science.gov (United States)

Munigety, Caleb Ronald

2018-04-01

The traditional traffic microscopic simulation models consider driver and vehicle as a single unit to represent the movements of drivers in a traffic stream. Due to this very fact, the traditional car-following models have the driver behavior related parameters, but ignore the vehicle related aspects. This approach is appropriate for homogeneous traffic conditions where car is the major vehicle type. However, in heterogeneous traffic conditions where multiple vehicle types are present, it becomes important to incorporate the vehicle related parameters exclusively to account for the varying dynamic and static characteristics. Thus, this paper presents a driver-vehicle integrated model hinged on the principles involved in physics-based spring-mass-damper mechanical system. While the spring constant represents the driver’s aggressiveness, the damping constant and the mass component take care of the stability and size/weight related aspects, respectively. The proposed model when tested, behaved pragmatically in representing the vehicle-type dependent longitudinal movements of vehicles.

De-hospitalization of the pediatric day surgery by means of a freestanding surgery center: pilot study in the lazio region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mangia Giovanni

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Day surgery should take place in appropriate organizational settings. In the presence of high volumes, the organizational models of the Lazio Region are represented by either Day Surgery Units within continuous-cycle hospitals or day-cycle Day Surgery Centers. This pilot study presents the regional volumes provided in 2010 and the additional volumes that could be provided based on the best performance criterion with a view to suggesting the setting up of a regional Freestanding Center of Pediatric Day Surgery. Methods This is an observational retrospective study. The activity volumes have been assessed by means of a DRG (Diagnosis Related Group-specific indicator that measures the ratio of outpatients to the total number of treated patients (freestanding indicator, FI. The included DRGs had an FI exceeding the 3rd quartile present in at least a health-care facility and a volume exceeding 0.5% of the total patients of the pediatric surgery and urology facilities of the Lazio Region. The relevant data have been provided by the Public Health Agency and relate to 2010. The best performance FI has been used to calculate the theoretical volume of transferability of the remaining facilities into freestanding surgery centers. Patients under six months of age and DRGs common to other disciplines have been excluded. The Chi Square test has been used to compare the FI of the health-care facilities and the FI of the places of origin of the patients. Results The DRG provided in 2010 amounted to a total of 5768 belonging to 121 types of procedures. The application of the criteria of inclusion have led to the selection of seven final DRG categories of minor surgery amounting to 3522 cases. Out of this total number, there were 2828 outpatients and 694 inpatients. The recourse of the best performance determines a potential transfer of 497 cases. The total outpatient volume is 57%. The Chi Square test has pointed to a statistically significant

A Day in the Life of an Industrial Hearing Conservationist: A Template for Successful Career Education and Outreach Presentations

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Beth A.

1997-01-01

Whether in a classroom setting or at a local community meeting, opportunities for providing descriptive and positive information about our professions to an audience unfamiliar with acoustics, noise control or hearing conservation often call for alternatives to technical demonstrations that illustrate principles of acoustics or noise control. More importantly, successful outreach presentations must convey images of our day-to-day activities and the challenges we address, many of which are non-technical. One successful approach to career outreach presentations makes use of a collection of photo slides featuring the speaker, his colleagues, customers and workplaces to vividly illustrate the specific job tasks, people and environment of the speaker's job or career. Against this fluid and multi-dimensional visual backdrop, an accompanying script addresses the main theme. A comprehensive photo slide collection may be established gradually, often by making use of and adding to technical and personal slides already in the speaker's possession. Slide collections are portable, easily and quickly reconfigured for back-to-back or spontaneous engagements, and they are well suited to speaking opportunities where technical presentations or demonstrations are not practical or appropriate. A carefully chosen sequence of photo slides minimizes the need for speaker's notes, as each photo itself provides a visual prompt. Although photo slide presentations are appropriate to a variety of outreach and professional settings, the specific illustrative and explanatory material presented here illustrates their application in career education outreach activities, using industrial hearing conservation as an example.

Probability-Weighted LMP and RCP for Day-Ahead Energy Markets using Stochastic Security-Constrained Unit Commitment: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ela, E.; O' Malley, M.

2012-06-01

Variable renewable generation resources are increasing their penetration on electric power grids. These resources have weather-driven fuel sources that vary on different time scales and are difficult to predict in advance. These characteristics create challenges for system operators managing the load balance on different timescales. Research is looking into new operational techniques and strategies that show great promise on facilitating greater integration of variable resources. Stochastic Security-Constrained Unit Commitment models are one strategy that has been discussed in literature and shows great benefit. However, it is rarely used outside the research community due to its computational limits and difficulties integrating with electricity markets. This paper discusses how it can be integrated into day-ahead energy markets and especially on what pricing schemes should be used to ensure an efficient and fair market.

14 November 2016 - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary H. M. Cima, Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva signing the guest book with CERN Director-General F. Gianotti, Director for International Relations C. Warakaulle; Adviser J. Salicio Diez and V. Perez-Reale, CERN HR Department, are also present.

CERN Multimedia

Brice, Maximilien

2016-01-01

His Excellency Mr Héctor Marcelo Cima Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Program and presentations of the 33th Actinide Days

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-04-01

The 'Journees des Actinides' (JDA) is an annual conference which provides a forum for discussions on all aspects related to the chemical and physical properties of the actinides. At the 2003 meeting, mainly the following properties were discussed of actinides and a number of actinide compounds and complexes: crystal structure, crystal-phase transformations and transformation temperatures; electrical properties including superconductivity and superconducting transition temperatures; magnetic properties; specific heat and other thermodynamic properties; electronic structure, especially in condensed matter; chemical and physico-chemical properties. The relevant experimental techniques were also dealt with, such as neutron diffraction; X-ray diffraction, in particular using synchrotron radiation; photoemission techniques, electron microscopy and spectroscopy, etc. Altogether 96 contributions were presented, of which 42 were oral presentations and 54 poster presentations. A program of the meeting and texts of both type of presentations were published in electronic form in the PDF format. All contributions were inputted to INIS; the full text of the program and the presentations has been incorporated into the INIS collection of non-conventional literature on CD-ROM. (A.K.)

Continuity and Admixture in the Last Five Millennia of Levantine History from Ancient Canaanite and Present-Day Lebanese Genome Sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Haber, Marc; Doumet-Serhal, Claude; Scheib, Christiana; Xue, Yali; Danecek, Petr; Mezzavilla, Massimo; Youhanna, Sonia; Martiniano, Rui; Prado-Martinez, Javier; Szpak, Michał; Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth; Schutkowski, Holger; Mikulski, Richard; Zalloua, Pierre; Kivisild, Toomas; Tyler-Smith, Chris

2017-08-03

The Canaanites inhabited the Levant region during the Bronze Age and established a culture that became influential in the Near East and beyond. However, the Canaanites, unlike most other ancient Near Easterners of this period, left few surviving textual records and thus their origin and relationship to ancient and present-day populations remain unclear. In this study, we sequenced five whole genomes from ∼3,700-year-old individuals from the city of Sidon, a major Canaanite city-state on the Eastern Mediterranean coast. We also sequenced the genomes of 99 individuals from present-day Lebanon to catalog modern Levantine genetic diversity. We find that a Bronze Age Canaanite-related ancestry was widespread in the region, shared among urban populations inhabiting the coast (Sidon) and inland populations (Jordan) who likely lived in farming societies or were pastoral nomads. This Canaanite-related ancestry derived from mixture between local Neolithic populations and eastern migrants genetically related to Chalcolithic Iranians. We estimate, using linkage-disequilibrium decay patterns, that admixture occurred 6,600-3,550 years ago, coinciding with recorded massive population movements in Mesopotamia during the mid-Holocene. We show that present-day Lebanese derive most of their ancestry from a Canaanite-related population, which therefore implies substantial genetic continuity in the Levant since at least the Bronze Age. In addition, we find Eurasian ancestry in the Lebanese not present in Bronze Age or earlier Levantines. We estimate that this Eurasian ancestry arrived in the Levant around 3,750-2,170 years ago during a period of successive conquests by distant populations. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of conducting a screening assessment of nutritional status of hospitalized patients. Presentation of main goals and objectives of the global health project "NutritionDay".

Science.gov (United States)

Jeznach-Steinhagen, Anna; Ostrowska, Joanna; Czerwonogrodzka-Senczyna, Aneta

2016-01-01

European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) commenced in 2004 a global health project named "NutritionDay" aiming to promote awareness of proper nutritional status of hospitalized patients and to draw attention to the need for early detection of malnutrition among patients. Under the Polish law--pursunat to the regulation of the Minister of Health dated September 15, 2011 (amendment as of 27.12.2013)--a nutritional status of each patient should be assessed at the time of a hospital admission. of this study was to analyze the fulfilment of the mandatory questionnaire assessment of nutritional status at selected wards of one of Warsaw's clinical hospitals. The study included an analysis of medical records of patients hospitalized within 6 months (n = 26375). The correct fulfilment of screening questionnaire assessing nutritional status (NRS 2002 survey) and the information about patients' body weight as well as the results assessment of nutritional status were subject to the analysis. NRS 2002 questionnaire was present in only 67,14% medical records of patients, however 49.24% of them were unfilled. The obtained results confirming low degree of NRS 2002 questionnaires' fulfilment in one of the Warsaw clinical hospitals draws attention to the need for education of hospital personnel in the field of significance of screening of nutritional assessment and its regulations. The "NutritionDay" project is an interesting form to attract attention of the aforementioned problem and its global extent additionally encourage medical units to participate in the project.

Model United Nations comes to CERN

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2012-01-01

From 20 to 22 January pupils from international schools in Switzerland, France and Turkey came to CERN for three days of "UN-type" conferences.   The MUN organisers, who are all pupils at the Lycée international in Ferney-Voltaire, worked tirelessly for weeks to make the event a real success. The members of the MUN/MFNU association at the Lycée international in Ferney-Voltaire spent several months preparing for their first "Model United Nations" (MUN),  a simulation of a UN session at which young "diplomats" take on the role of delegates representing different nations to discuss a given topic. And as their chosen topic was science, it was only natural that they should hold the event at CERN. For three days, from 20 to 22 January, no fewer than 340 pupils from 12 international schools* in Switzerland, France and Turkey came together to deliberate, consult and debate on the importance of scientific progress fo...

Decommissioning in the United States - Past, present and future - 16318

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devgun, Jas S.

2009-01-01

gearing up for the design and licensing of new reactors. Lessons from the past are useful in the development of such designs so that along with the other factors, the designs are optimized for eventual decommissioning as well. This paper provides an overview of the past reactor decommissioning, lessons learned from the past experience, and status of the current decommissioning activities and issues. It also presents some long term projections for the future of decommissioning in the United States. (authors)

Invasive treatment of NSTEMI patients in German Chest Pain Units - Evidence for a treatment paradox.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Frank P; Schmitt, Claus; Hochadel, Matthias; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Darius, Harald; Maier, Lars S; Schmitt, Claus; Heusch, Gerd; Voigtländer, Thomas; Mudra, Harald; Gori, Tommaso; Senges, Jochen; Münzel, Thomas

2018-03-15

Patients with non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) represent the largest fraction of patients with acute coronary syndrome in German Chest Pain units. Recent evidence on early vs. selective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is ambiguous with respect to effects on mortality, myocardial infarction (MI) and recurrent angina. With the present study we sought to investigate the prognostic impact of PCI and its timing in German Chest Pain Unit (CPU) NSTEMI patients. Data from 1549 patients whose leading diagnosis was NSTEMI were retrieved from the German CPU registry for the interval between 3/2010 and 3/2014. Follow-up was available at median of 167days after discharge. The patients were grouped into a higher (Group A) and lower risk group (Group B) according to GRACE score and additional criteria on admission. Group A had higher Killip classes, higher BNP levels, reduced EF and significant more triple vessel disease (pGerman Chest Pain Units. This treatment paradox may worsen prognosis in patients who could derive the largest benefit from early revascularization. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Representing time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca Poncellini

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The analysis of natural phenomena applied to architectural planning and design is facing the most fascinating and elusive of the four dimensions through which man attempts to define life within the universe: time. We all know what time is, said St. Augustine, but nobody knows how to describe it. Within architectural projects and representations, time rarely appears in explicit form. This paper presents the results of a research conducted by students of NABA and of the Polytechnic of Milan with the purpose of representing time considered as a key element within architectural projects. Student investigated new approaches and methodologies to represent time using the two-dimensional support of a sheet of paper.

Invasive potential of cattle fever ticks in the southern United States

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Abstract' Background For >100 years cattle production in the southern United States has been threatened by cattle fever. It is caused by an invasive parasite-vector complex that includes the protozoan hemoparasites Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, which are transmitted among domestic cattle via Rhipicephalus tick vectors of the subgenus Boophilus. In 1906 an eradication effort was started and by 1943 Boophilus ticks had been confined to a narrow tick eradication quarantine area (TEQA) along the Texas-Mexico border. However, a dramatic increase in tick infestations in areas outside the TEQA over the last decade suggests these tick vectors may be poised to re-invade the southern United States. We investigated historical and potential future distributions of climatic habitats of cattle fever ticks to assess the potential for a range expansion. Methods We built robust spatial predictions of habitat suitability for the vector species Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and R. (B.) annulatus across the southern United States for three time periods: 1906, present day (2012), and 2050. We used analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) to identify persistent tick occurrences and analysis of bias in the climate proximate to these occurrences to identify key environmental parameters associated with the ecology of both species. We then used ecological niche modeling algorithms GARP and Maxent to construct models that related known occurrences of ticks in the TEQA during 2001–2011 with geospatial data layers that summarized important climate parameters at all three time periods. Results We identified persistent tick infestations and specific climate parameters that appear to be drivers of ecological niches of the two tick species. Spatial models projected onto climate data representative of climate in 1906 reproduced historical pre-eradication tick distributions. Present-day predictions, although constrained to areas near the TEQA, extrapolated well onto climate projections for

Abstracts of the works presented to the meeting day: UPPA/firms on materials; Resumes des travaux presentes a la journee de rencontres UPPA/entreprises sur les materiaux

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

This document provides the abstracts of the papers presented at the conference 'UPPA/firms meeting day on materials', held April 5, 2001 in Pau (France). The main topics presented were: 1)fabrication of new materials (1 paper) (polymers, resins, materials for electrodes) 2)analysis and characterization of materials (8 papers) (ESCA, FTIR, UV-Visible, Raman, electro-osmometry, near-field microscopy) 3)treatment of materials (1 paper) (cold plasmas) 4)behavior of materials (1 paper) (vitreous membranes for chemical sensors). The applications of these materials are: the petroleum industry, the petrochemistry, the air and water cleansing, the electric powered vehicles or hybrid electric powered vehicles. (O.M.)

Global Ozone Distribution relevant to Human Health: Metrics and present day levels from the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR)

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Z. L.; Doherty, R. M.; von Schneidemesser, E.; Cooper, O. R.; Malley, C.; Colette, A.; Xu, X.; Pinto, J. P.; Simpson, D.; Schultz, M. G.; Hamad, S.; Moola, R.; Solberg, S.; Feng, Z.

2017-12-01

Using stations from the TOAR surface ozone database, this study quantifies present-day global and regional distributions of five ozone metrics relevant for both short-term and long-term human exposure. These metrics were explored at ozone monitoring sites globally, and re-classified for this project as urban or non-urban using population densities and night-time lights. National surface ozone limit values are usually related to an annual number of exceedances of daily maximum 8-hour running mean (MDA8), with many countries not even having any ozone limit values. A discussion and comparison of exceedances in the different ozone metrics, their locations and the seasonality of exceedances provides clues as to the regions that potentially have more serious ozone health implications. Present day ozone levels (2010-2014) have been compared globally and show definite geographical differences (see Figure showing the annual 4th highest MDA8 for present day ozone for all non-urban stations). Higher ozone levels are seen in western compared to eastern US, and between southern and northern Europe, and generally higher levels in east Asia. The metrics reflective of peak concentrations show highest values in western North America, southern Europe and East Asia. A number of the metrics show similar distributions of North-South gradients, most prominent across Europe and Japan. The interquartile range of the regional ozone metrics was largest in East Asia, higher for urban stations in Asia but higher for non-urban stations in Europe and North America. With over 3000 monitoring stations included in this analysis and despite the higher densities of monitoring stations in Europe, north America and East Asia, this study provides the most comprehensive global picture to date of surface ozone levels in terms of health-relevant metrics.

H. B. Robinson Plant, Unit 2. Annual operating report for 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

The unit achieved a good performance record through the year, experiencing only short duration shutdowns or power reductions. Information is presented concerning operations, maintenance, shutdowns, and occupational radiation exposures. In November there was a scheduled refueling lasting 40 days. After a start-up physics test program, the unit achieved 100 percent power on December 22, 1976

76 FR 65099 - Blind Americans Equality Day, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-20

... Americans Equality Day, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Generations of... inspiring as champions of sport. On Blind Americans Equality Day, we celebrate the achievements of blind and... interacted with the program's vendors. Though we have made progress in the march to equality for the blind...

Her Excellency Ms Monique T.G. van Daalen Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2017-01-01

Her Excellency Ms Monique T.G. van Daalen Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Pro-colonial or Postcolonial? Appropriation of Japanese Colonial Heritage in Present-day Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihisa Amae

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Since the end of World War II, the Kuomintang (KMT (Guomindang government has erased all traces of Japanese rule from public space, deeming them “poisonous” to the people in Taiwan. This frenzy, often termed “de-Japanization” or qu Ribenhua in Chinese, included the destruction and alteration of Japanese structures. Yet, with democratization in the 1990s, the Japanese past has been revisited, and many Japa-nese structures have been reconstructed and preserved. This paper examines the social phenomenon of preserving Japanese heritage in present-day Taiwan. It mainly investigates religious/ spiritual architecture, such as Shinto shrines and martial arts halls (Butokuden, war monuments and Japanese statues and busts. A close investigation of these monuments finds that many of them are not restored and preserved in their original form but in a deformed/ transformed one. This finding leads the paper to conclude that the phenomenon is a postcolonial endeavour, rather than being “pro-colonial”, and that the preservation of Japanese heritage contributes to the construction and consolidation of a Taiwan-centric historiography in which Taiwan is imagined as multicultural and hybrid.

Present-Day Mars' Seismicity Predicted From 3-D Thermal Evolution Models of Interior Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Plesa, A.-C.; Knapmeyer, M.; Golombek, M. P.; Breuer, D.; Grott, M.; Kawamura, T.; Lognonné, P.; Tosi, N.; Weber, R. C.

2018-03-01

The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission, to be launched in 2018, will perform a comprehensive geophysical investigation of Mars in situ. The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure package aims to detect global and regional seismic events and in turn offer constraints on core size, crustal thickness, and core, mantle, and crustal composition. In this study, we estimate the present-day amount and distribution of seismicity using 3-D numerical thermal evolution models of Mars, taking into account contributions from convective stresses as well as from stresses associated with cooling and planetary contraction. Defining the seismogenic lithosphere by an isotherm and assuming two end-member cases of 573 K and the 1073 K, we determine the seismogenic lithosphere thickness. Assuming a seismic efficiency between 0.025 and 1, this thickness is used to estimate the total annual seismic moment budget, and our models show values between 5.7 × 1016 and 3.9 × 1019 Nm.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

This podcast highlights National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, to increase awareness of the disproportionate impact of HIV on the Hispanic or Latino population in the United States and dependent territories. The podcast reminds Hispanics or Latinos that they have the power to take control of their health and protect themselves against HIV.

Geodetic constraints on present-day motion of the Arabian Plate: Implications for Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifting

Science.gov (United States)

Arrajehi, Abdullah; McClusky, Simon; Reilinger, Robert; Daoud, Mohamed; Alchalbi, Abdulmutaleb; Ergintav, Semih; Gomez, Francisco; Sholan, Jamal; Bou-Rabee, Firyal; Ogubazghi, Ghebrebrhan; Haileab, Biniam; Fisseha, Shimelles; Asfaw, Laike; Mahmoud, Salah; Rayan, Ali; Bendik, Rebecca; Kogan, Lewis

2010-06-01

Five years of continuously recording GPS observations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia together with new continuous and survey-mode GPS observations broadly distributed across the Arabian Peninsula provide the basis for substantially improved estimates of present-day motion and internal deformation of the Arabian plate. We derive the following relative, geodetic Euler vectors (latitude (°N), longitude (°E), rate (°/Myr, counterclockwise)) for Arabia-Nubia (31.7 ± 0.2, 24.6 ± 0.3, 0.37 ± 0.01), Arabia-Somalia (22.0 ± 0.5, 26.2 ± 0.5, 0.40 ± 0.01), Arabia-India (18.0 ± 3.8, 87.6 ± 3.3, 0.07 ± 0.01), Arabia-Sinai (35.7 ± 0.8, 17.1 ± 5.0, 0.15 ± 0.04), and Arabia-Eurasia (27.5 ± 0.1, 17.6 ± 0.3, 0.404 ± 0.004). We use these Euler vectors to estimate present-day stability of the Arabian plate, the rate and direction of extension across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and slip rates along the southern Dead Sea fault south of the Lebanon restraining bend (4.5-4.7 ± 0.2 mm/yr, left lateral; 0.8-1.1 ± 0.3 mm/yr extension) and the Owens fracture zone (3.2-2.5 ± 0.5 mm/yr, right lateral, increasing from north to south; 1-2 mm/yr extension). On a broad scale, the Arabian plate has no resolvable internal deformation (weighted root mean square of residual motions for Arabia equals 0.6 mm/yr), although there is marginally significant evidence for N-S shortening in the Palmyride Mountains, Syria at ≤ 1.5 mm/yr. We show that present-day Arabia plate motion with respect to Eurasia is consistent within uncertainties (i.e., ±10%) with plate tectonic estimates since the early Miocene when Arabia separated from Nubia. We estimate the time of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifting from present-day Arabia motion, plate tectonic evidence for a 70% increase in Arabia-Nubia relative motion at 13 Ma, and the width of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and find that rifting initiated roughly simultaneously (±2.2 Myr) along the strike of the Red Sea from the Gulf of Suez to the Afar

STS-95 Day 09 Highlights

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

On this ninth day of the STS-95 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Curtis L. Brown, Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialists Scott E. Parazynski, Stephen K. Robinson, and Pedro Duque, and Payload Specialists Chiaki Mukai and John H. Glenn, spend a good part of their day checking out important spacecraft systems for entry and landing. The commander and pilot begin the flight control system checkout by powering up one auxiliary power unit and evaluating the performance of aerodynamic surfaces and flight controls. The flight crew conducts a reaction control system hot fire, followed by a test of the communications system.

The Dynamics of the Balinese Literature in the Present Day Bali

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Ketut Ardhana

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Balinese literature has a significant role in the context of how the Balinese have preserved their own cultural tradition up to now. Even though the Majapahit Kingdom in the fourteenth century strongly influenced the Balinese tradition in the past, but itseems that the Balinese recently also look back at their cultural tradition prior to the period of the Majapahit influence. There are some crucial issues in relation to the above explanation: firstly,there have been widely debated on the issue around the originof the Balinese tradition. On the one hand scholars argue thatthe origin of Balinese tradition is not started from the East Java period, but it was earlier than that it had been started prior to the period of the Majapahit such as the Middle Java period inthe 8th to 9th century or, even, in the West Java Hindu tradition that also played a major role. However, others have not convinced with this argument; Secondly; due to globalization process, theBalinese perceive that the only way to anticipate the impacts of globalization is just to revitalize the local Balinese cultures by seeking at the Balinese literatures as the local sources like the babad, paswara, and awig-awig; Thirdly; to counter the negative impacts of globalization, the Balinese use their local cultural heritage so that they can maintain their cultural tradition that not based on Balinese tradition, but also the Javanese tradition. Itis important to discuss such issue since the influences of pre and post Majapahit cultural traditions have indeed influenced thecultural identity of the Balinese. On top of this, to understand the concept of multiculturalism in the present day Bali, one needs to trace back the dynamic of interplay amongst arrays of cultural traditions that have affected the origin of multicultural society there.

A prospective cohort study of the morbidity associated with operative vaginal deliveries performed by day and at night.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Katherine; Ramphul, Meenakshi; Dunney, Clare; Farren, Maria; McSweeney, Aoife; McNamara, Karen; Murphy, Deirdre J

2014-10-29

To evaluate maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with operative vaginal deliveries (OVDs) performed by day and at night. Prospective cohort study. Urban maternity unit in Ireland with off-site consultant staff at night. All nulliparous women requiring an OVD with a term singleton fetus in a cephalic presentation from February to November 2013. Delivery outcomes were compared for women who delivered by day (08:00-19:59) or at night (20:00-07:59). The main outcomes included postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), anal sphincter tear and neonatal unit admission. Procedural factors included operator grade, sequential use of instruments and caesarean section. Of the 597 women who required an OVD, 296 (50%) delivered at night. Choice of instrument, place of delivery, sequential use of instruments and caesarean section did not differ significantly in relation to time of birth. Mid-grade operators performed less OVDs by day than at night, OR 0.60 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.83), and a consultant supervisor was more frequently present by day, OR 2.26 (95% CI 1.05 to 4.83). Shoulder dystocia occurred more commonly by day, OR 2.57 (95% CI 1.05 to 6.28). The incidence of PPH, anal sphincter tears, neonatal unit admission, fetal acidosis and neonatal trauma was similar by day and at night. The mean decision to delivery intervals were 12.0 and 12.6 min, respectively. There was no evidence of an association between time of OVD and adverse perinatal outcomes despite off-site consultant obstetric support at night. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Dermatology in the Intensive Care Unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uwe Wollina

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The intensive care unit (ICU represents a special environment for patients. We analyzed patients in the ICU/ high care unit (HCU with respect to dermatology counselling and skin problems.Setting: Academic Teaching Hospital over a 10 month period.Methods: The total number of patients of the ICU was 1,208 with a mean stay of 4.1 days. In the HCU the mean stay was 16 days. Diagnosis leading to admission were analyzed. All files of dermatological counselling were evaluated in detail.Results: Fifty-five patients with dermatologic problems were identified: 19 women and 26 males. The age ranged from 22 to 90 years of life (mean ± standard deviation: 67.2 ± 17.4 years. The total number of consultations were 85. The range of repeated dermatological consultation ranged from two to ten. The major reasons were skin and soft tissue infections, adverse drug reactions, chronic wounds including pressure sores and skin irritation or dermatitis. Pre-existing skin conditions may complicate the treatment and care during ICU/HCU stay.Conclusion: A tight collaboration between of the medical staff of ICU/HCU and dermatology department will ensure a rapid diagnosis and treatment of various skin conditions in the ICU, without increasing the costs significantly. Interdisciplinary education of nursing staff contributes to improved skin care in the ICU/HCU and helps to prevent acute skin failure.

Implementing a 6-day physiotherapy service in rehabilitation: exploring staff perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Caruana, Erin L; Kuys, Suzanne S; Clarke, Jane; Brauer, Sandra G

2017-11-20

Objective Australian weekend rehabilitation therapy provision is increasing. Staff engagement optimises service delivery. The present mixed-methods process evaluation explored staff perceptions regarding implementation of a 6-day physiotherapy service in a private rehabilitation unit. Methods All multidisciplinary staff working in the rehabilitation unit were surveyed regarding barriers, facilitators and perceptions of the effect of a 6-day physiotherapy service on length of stay (LOS) and patient goal attainment at three time points: before and after implementation, as well as after modification of a 6-day physiotherapy service. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Fifty-one staff (50%) responded. Before implementation, all staff identified barriers, the most common being staffing (62%) and patient selection (29%). After implementation, only 30% of staff identified barriers, which differed to those identified before implementation, and included staff rostering and experience (20%), timing of therapy (10%) and increasing the allocation of patients (5%). Over time, staff perceptions changed from being unsure to being positive about the effect of the 6-day service on LOS and patient goal attainment. Conclusion Staff perceived a large number of barriers before implementation of a 6-day rehabilitation service, but these did not eventuate following implementation. Staff perceived improved LOS and patient goal attainment after implementation of a 6-day rehabilitation service incorporating staff feedback. What is known about this topic? Rehabilitation weekend services improve patient quality of life and functional independence while reducing LOS. What does this study add? Staff feedback during implementation and modification of new services is important to address potential barriers and ensure staff satisfaction and support. What are the implications for practitioners? Staff engagement and open communication are important to

78 FR 76719 - Bill of Rights Day, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-18

... questions of citizenship and human rights, driving progress in the American mind. We learned that our Nation... anniversary of the Bill of Rights, let us reach for a day when we all may enjoy the basic truths of liberty... of Rights Day, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation When America's...

A Method to Represent Heterogeneous Materials for Rapid Prototyping: The Matryoshka Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Shuangyan; Frank, Matthew C; Anderson, Donald D; Brown, Thomas D

The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for representing heterogeneous materials using nested STL shells, based, in particular, on the density distributions of human bones. Nested STL shells, called Matryoshka models, are described, based on their namesake Russian nesting dolls. In this approach, polygonal models, such as STL shells, are "stacked" inside one another to represent different material regions. The Matryoshka model addresses the challenge of representing different densities and different types of bone when reverse engineering from medical images. The Matryoshka model is generated via an iterative process of thresholding the Hounsfield Unit (HU) data using computed tomography (CT), thereby delineating regions of progressively increasing bone density. These nested shells can represent regions starting with the medullary (bone marrow) canal, up through and including the outer surface of the bone. The Matryoshka approach introduced can be used to generate accurate models of heterogeneous materials in an automated fashion, avoiding the challenge of hand-creating an assembly model for input to multi-material additive or subtractive manufacturing. This paper presents a new method for describing heterogeneous materials: in this case, the density distribution in a human bone. The authors show how the Matryoshka model can be used to plan harvesting locations for creating custom rapid allograft bone implants from donor bone. An implementation of a proposed harvesting method is demonstrated, followed by a case study using subtractive rapid prototyping to harvest a bone implant from a human tibia surrogate.

'EU divertor celebration day'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merola, M.

2002-01-01

The meeting 'EU divertor celebration day' organized on 16 January 2002 at Plansee AG, Reutte, Austria was held on the occasion of the completion of manufacturing activities of a complete set of near full-scale prototypes of divertor components including the vertical target, the dome liner and the cassette body. About 30 participants attended the meeting including Dr. Robert Aymar, ITER Director, representatives from EFDA, CEA, ENEA, IPP and others

Color associations for days and letters across different languages

Science.gov (United States)

Rouw, Romke; Case, Laura; Gosavi, Radhika; Ramachandran, Vilayanur

2014-01-01

While colors are commonplace in everyday metaphors, relatively little is known about implicit color associations to linguistic or semantic concepts in a general population. In this study, we test color associations for ordered linguistic concepts (letters and days). The culture and language specificity of these effects was examined in a large group (457) of Dutch-speaking participants, 92 English-speaking participants, and 49 Hindi-speaking participants. Non-random distributions of color choices were revealed; consistencies were found across the three language groups in color preferences for both days and letters. Interestingly, while the Hindi-speaking participants were presented with letter stimuli matched on phonology, their pattern of letter-to-color preferences still showed similarities with Dutch- and English-speaking participants. Furthermore, we found that that the color preferences corresponded between participants indicating to have conscious color experiences with letters or days (putative synesthetes) and participants who do not (non-synesthetes). We also explored possible mechanisms underlying the color preferences. There were a few specific associations, including red for “A,” red for “Monday,” and white for “Sunday.” We also explored more general mechanisms, such as overall color preferences as shown by Simner et al. (2005). While certainly not all variation can be explained or predicted, the results show that regularities are present in color-to-letter or color-to-day preferences in both putative synesthetes and non-synesthetes across languages. Both letter-to-color and day-to-color preferences were influenced by multiple factors. The findings support a notion of abstract concepts (such as days and letters) that are not represented in isolation, but are connected to perceptual representational systems. Interestingly, at least some of these connections to color representations are shared across different language/cultural groups. PMID

Color associations for days and letters across different languages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romke eRouw

2014-05-01

Full Text Available While colors are commonplace in everyday metaphors, relatively little is known about implicit color associations to linguistic or semantic concepts in a general population. In this study, we test color associations for ordered linguistic concepts (letters and days. The culture and language specificity of these effects was examined in a large group (457 of Dutch-speaking participants, 92 English-speaking participants, and 49 Hindi-speaking participants. Non-random distributions of color choices were revealed; consistencies were found across the three language groups in color preferences for both days and letters. Interestingly, while the Hindi-speaking participants were presented with letter stimuli matched on phonology, their pattern of letter-to-color preferences still showed similarities with Dutch- and English-speaking participants. Furthermore, we found that that the color preferences corresponded between participants indicating to have conscious color experiences with letters or days (putative synesthetes and participants who do not (non-synesthetes. We also explored possible mechanisms underlying the color preferences. There were a few specific associations, including red for A, red for Monday, and white for Sunday. We also explored more general mechanisms, such as overall color preferences shown by Simner et al (2005. While certainly not all variation can be explained or predicted, the results show that regularities are present in color-to-letter or color-to-day preferences in both putative synesthetes and non-synesthetes across languages. Both letter-to-color and day-to-color preferences were influenced by multiple factors. The findings support a notion of abstract concepts (such as days and letters that are not represented in isolation, but are connected to perceptual representational systems. Interestingly, at least some of these connections to color representations are shared across different language/cultural groups.

Day care laparoscopic surgery in gynaecology at a dedicated unit in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

0.14 % ) and one complication ( 0.07% ), a bladder injury was encountered. Conclusions: Daycare surgery is a continually evolving speciality being competently performed by several units by various disciplines world over , including Kenya.

[Fire worship on Soratte: form prehistory to present days].

Science.gov (United States)

Falchetti, Mario; Ottini, Laura

2013-01-01

Fire has always been involved in human thoughts, believes and actions. For many psychological reasons fire has been considered as living power: red as the human blood, warm as the human body, clearly shines in the night. Fire worship is very common, especially in regions where terrestrial fire is believed to be the image of the heavenly fire. Fire worship has represented the base for symbolic systems involved in the cultural-anthropological evolution of populations settled close to mount Soratte. Fire cults in this region have originated in independent and long-time separated contexts, according to available knowledge. Hirpi Sorani, ancient inhabitants of mount Soratte territory, celebrated Sorano Apollo by a famous fire walking ceremony, with a likely cathartic and apotropaic meaning, as reported by ancient Roman writers. The victory of Christianity over paganism caused the decline of these religious practices. The beginning of the XIX century witnessed the establishment ofa new kind of devotion to the Virgin Mary at the mount Soratte. Today, this religious piety-linked identity has weakened due to changes in lifestyles,from an agricultural to one based on outside home employment, and has been largely shifted on cultural and anthropological bases. In conclusion, fire worship at mount Soratte has evolved because of external influences and local inhabitants have reacted by asserting their own identity.

Antenatal Bartter syndrome presenting with vomiting and constipation mimicking subacute intestinal obstruction in a 20-day-old neonate.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelgadir, Ibtihal Siddiq; Elgharbawy, Fawzia; Salameh, Khalil Mohamad; Juma, Baha Eldin

2017-11-14

Antenatal Bartter syndrome is a rare condition that can present with different clinical features. These features include early onset maternal polyhydramnios, failure to thrive, prematurity and nephrocalcinosis.We are presenting this 20-day-old girl who had an antenatal history of polyhydramnios. She developed persistent non-bilious vomiting that was associated with constipation soon after birth. She presented with failure to thrive and features suggestive of intestinal obstruction. On the initial evaluation, she was noted to have hypokalaemic, hyponatraemic metabolic alkalosis. The initial work-up was done to exclude surgical and renal causes of her presentation, and the diagnosis was confirmed by gene analysis to be type III-classic Bartter syndrome. She was closely monitored for her growth and development with the appropriate salt replacement therapy. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

32 CFR 705.14 - Embarkation of media representatives.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Embarkation of media representatives. 705.14 Section 705.14 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY UNITED STATES... to avoid any interpretation of such review as “censorship” or interference with freedom of the press...

Experimental Investigation of Double Effect Evaporative Cooling Unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Abd Mohammad Saleh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This work presents the experimental investigation of double effect evaporative cooling unit with approximate capacity 7 kW. The unit consisted of two stages, the sensible heat exchanger and the cooling tower composing the external indirect regenerative evaporative cooling stage where a direct evaporative cooler represent the second stage. Testing results showed a maximum capacity and lowest supplied air temperature when the water flow rate in heat exchanger was 0.1 L/s. The experiment recorded the unit daily readings at two airflow rates (0.425 m3/s, 0.48 m3/s. The reading shows that unit inlet DBT is effect positively on unit wet bulb effectiveness and unit COP at constant humidity ratio. The air extraction ratio effected positively on the unit wet bulb effectiveness within a certain limit where maximum COP recorded 11.4 when the extraction ratio equal to 40%.

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1997-present, Evaporation Minus Precipitation

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Evaporation Minus Precipitation data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 2000-present, Net Longwave Radiation

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Net Longwave Radiation data from the TAO/TRITON (Pacific Ocean, https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/ ), RAMA (Indian Ocean,...

Marketing norm perception among medical representatives in Indian pharmaceutical industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagashekhara, Molugulu; Agil, Syed Omar Syed; Ramasamy, Ravindran

2012-03-01

Study of marketing norm perception among medical representatives is an under-portrayed component that deserves further perusal in the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this study is to find out the perception of marketing norms among medical representatives. The research design is quantitative and cross sectional study with medical representatives as unit of analysis. Data is collected from medical representatives (n=300) using a simple random and cluster sampling using a structured questionnaire. Results indicate that there is no difference in the perception of marketing norms among male and female medical representatives. But there is a difference in opinion among domestic and multinational company's medical representatives. Educational back ground of medical representatives also shows the difference in opinion among medical representatives. Degree holders and multinational company medical representatives have high perception of marketing norms compare to their counterparts. The researchers strongly believe that mandatory training on marketing norms is beneficial in decision making process during the dilemmas in the sales field.

Living Day by Day

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, Rachel L.; Khoury, Cynthia El; Field, Emily R. S.; Mokhbat, Jacques

2016-01-01

We examined the meaning of living with HIV/AIDS among women in Lebanon. Ten women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA) described their experiences via semistructured in-depth interviews. They navigated a process of HIV diagnosis acceptance that incorporated six overlapping elements: receiving the news, accessing care, starting treatment, navigating disclosure decisions, negotiating stigma, and maintaining stability. Through these elements, we provide a framework for understanding three major themes that were constructed during data analysis: Stand by my side: Decisions of disclosure; Being “sick” and feeling “normal”: Interacting with self, others, and society; and Living day by day: focusing on the present. We contribute to the existing literature by providing a theoretical framework for understanding the process of diagnosis and sero-status acceptance among WLWHA. This was the first study of its kind to examine the meaning of living with HIV/AIDS among women in a Middle Eastern country. PMID:28462340

Living Day by Day

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel L. Kaplan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available We examined the meaning of living with HIV/AIDS among women in Lebanon. Ten women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA described their experiences via semistructured in-depth interviews. They navigated a process of HIV diagnosis acceptance that incorporated six overlapping elements: receiving the news, accessing care, starting treatment, navigating disclosure decisions, negotiating stigma, and maintaining stability. Through these elements, we provide a framework for understanding three major themes that were constructed during data analysis: Stand by my side: Decisions of disclosure; Being “sick” and feeling “normal”: Interacting with self, others, and society; and Living day by day: focusing on the present. We contribute to the existing literature by providing a theoretical framework for understanding the process of diagnosis and sero-status acceptance among WLWHA. This was the first study of its kind to examine the meaning of living with HIV/AIDS among women in a Middle Eastern country.

Paleo and present-day chemical weathering in lacustrine and riverine sediments in Northern Patagonia, Argentina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roman Ross, Gabriela [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). Centro Atomico Bariloche. Lab. de Analisis por Activacion Neutronica; Arribere, Maria A.; Guevara, Sergio Ribeiro [Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, XX (Argentina)

1996-07-01

Neutron activation analysis was used to study the abundance, distribution and fraction of REE (Rare Earth Elements) and diagnostic elements (Th, Co, Cr, Sc, Rb, Sr) in sediments from Mascardi lake and Upper Manso river. The local weathering patterns of this watershed show a strong influence of volcanic rocks with a selective mobilization of the more soluble elements. These patterns are very similar to those observed in a sedimentary lacustrine core from Mascardi lake. Paleolimnological record indicates a change in local fluxes of water and sediments, and an increase in organic matter content since the last full-glacial maximum. However, the chemical composition of the sedimentary inputs has not changed significantly during the last 14000 years. Our data support the hypothesis that present-day and Holocene chemical weathering have similar characteristics. All of the above conclusions are based on geochemical parameters only. (author)

Paleo and present-day chemical weathering in lacustrine and riverine sediments in Northern Patagonia, Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roman Ross, Gabriela

1996-01-01

Neutron activation analysis was used to study the abundance, distribution and fraction of REE (Rare Earth Elements) and diagnostic elements (Th, Co, Cr, Sc, Rb, Sr) in sediments from Mascardi lake and Upper Manso river. The local weathering patterns of this watershed show a strong influence of volcanic rocks with a selective mobilization of the more soluble elements. These patterns are very similar to those observed in a sedimentary lacustrine core from Mascardi lake. Paleolimnological record indicates a change in local fluxes of water and sediments, and an increase in organic matter content since the last full-glacial maximum. However, the chemical composition of the sedimentary inputs has not changed significantly during the last 14000 years. Our data support the hypothesis that present-day and Holocene chemical weathering have similar characteristics. All of the above conclusions are based on geochemical parameters only. (author)

Think-Tank: The Present and Future of University Adult Education Programs in Quebec. Proceedings = Journee d'etude: le present et l'avenior des programmes universitaires en andragogie au Quebec. Rapport (Montreal, Quebec, April 26, 1988).

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Pierre; Heft, Riva

These proceedings, presented in English and French, summarize a seminar on the present and future of adult education programs in Quebec. Six Quebec universities were represented. The conference was opened by Dr. Pierre Simon, who introduced the theme and rationale of the day-long workshop. Dr. Charles Bertrand welcomed the participants,…

Darfur Crisis of 2003: Analysis of the Darfur Conflict from the Times of First Clashes to the Present Day

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielová Veronika

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The present article discusses the conflict in the Darfur region that took place in 2003. Main aim consists inanalyzing of major Darfur conflict emphasizing historical events preceded it. The crucial question raised here is what were significant causalities that affected the emergence of terror? The paper deals with the origin and evolution of tension and violence in Darfur. It observes growth of violation throughout history from the precolonial period to the present day. Emphasis is placed on the root causes of the Darfur crisis of 2003, its participants and characteristic aspects of this war.

Clinical Presentation and Care of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in the China Ebola Treatment Unit, Liberia.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Xiaoping; Ren, Weizheng; Zhou, Feihu

2017-01-24

In order to evaluate the clinical characteristics of confirmed Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) patients admitted to the China Ebola Treatment Unit (China ETU) between January 2015 and March 2015, we retrospectively analyzed clinical symptoms, treatment, and epidemiologic features of 5 patients with confirmed EVD, and reviewed the relevant medical literature. Of these, 3 patients survived, and 2 died. The time interval from the onset of symptoms to the negative PCR test for Ebola virus in the 3 survivors was 14-18 days. All survivors reported direct contact with confirmed EVD patients up to 21 days prior to admission. All patients developed a fever, fatigue, and anorexia. Fever was generally the first symptom to develop, followed by a gastrointestinal phase characterized by vomiting/nausea (3 cases, 60%), diarrhea (3 cases), and abdominal pain (4 cases, 80%). Three patients (60%) reported joint pain, muscle pain, and conjunctival hemorrhage, respectively, and 2 patients (40%) developed a headache. We concluded that strict isolation and interruption of the route of transmission were required for suspected or confirmed EVD patients. The main treatment strategies were supportive care, maintenance of blood volume and electrolyte balance, and the prevention of complications.

Viva il GIS Day!

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Redazione Redazione

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Il GIS Day è sponsorizzato oltre che da ESRI, dalla National Geographic Society, dalla Association of American Geographers, dalla UCGIS (University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, dalla United States Geological Survey e dalla Library of Congress. Il tutto nasce nel corso della Geography Awareness Week, terza settimana di novembre che nel 1987 il Presidente degli Stati Uniti Ronald Reagan stabilì dovesse essere dedicata alla diffusione della cultura geografica.

Is the Four-Day School Week Detrimental to Student Success?

Science.gov (United States)

Tharp, Timothy W.; Matt, John; O'Reilly, Frances L.

2016-01-01

School districts across the United States are implementing four-day school weeks. This study looks at the relationship between student achievement in the four-day school week compared to student achievement in the five-day school week. This analysis focused on a common criteria referenced test given to all students over a period of seven years in…

Elections for staff representatives – Join, commit and vote!

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2015-01-01

The Staff Council is a statutory body representing collectively in the area of employment conditions all CERN staff members (MPE and MPA), as well as the pensioners, former Cernois. The Staff Council is the supreme representative body of the CERN staff and pensioners, which defines the main lines of the policy of the Staff Association. The Staff Council is composed of staff representatives (45 seats to represent staff members, and 5 for representing fellows and associate members), as well as delegates for pensioners (seven positions), designated by GAC-EPA. Every two years, the Council is renewed through elections. Concerning the 45 delegates representing staff members, all departments have a least two seats allocated, one in career paths AA to D and one in career paths E to H. This guarantees a fair distribution of seats among the various organizational units and career paths. The table below, shows the exact number of delegates per department and career paths. Staff members or fellows who want to participa...

United States panel presentations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beyea, J.

1990-01-01

Before I begin I have to make a disclaimer. That is that I am going to be talking about public perception because I think that is very important. But I do not want to give the impression that I think the public is wrong. I happen to agree with the public's perception of nuclear power, and I want to make that clear. I do not like the current generation of nuclear plants as I have made clear in many statements that I have made. On the other hand, in the long term, I feel that we have only two choices on the supply side, and that is nuclear power and solar electricity. And although I think solar electricity has the best chance, I am realistic enough to know that technologies do not always work the way I want. And so I think it is necessary to have at least some kind of nuclear option available. On the other hand, I do not think just any kind of nuclear technology will do. I want to talk to you about the conditions that I think you have to take into account when you try to design reactors that are publicly acceptable. I look at this as an insurance policy. Again, I do not want to be misquoted: I think nuclear power should be considered as an insurance policy, not as our first line of defense. Having made those disclaimers, what we need to do is set out a problem statement. The problem statement I set out is, 'How could one design and demonstrate a nuclear reactor that would regain public confidence in the United States, if one chose to do that?' By regaining confidence, I mean regaining sufficient confidence to site reactors at a number of locations. It is a pretty heavy task because the public cannot judge the technical issues. They have to judge the players by their characters and their histories, just as the way we calibrate anyone that knows things that we do not. I have three theses that I think are crucial. The first is that people do not believe in the claims of advocates, of any point of view, not just nuclear power, once the advocates have been proved wrong on

Empirical estimation of present-day Antarctic glacial isostatic adjustment and ice mass change

Science.gov (United States)

Gunter, B. C.; Didova, O.; Riva, R. E. M.; Ligtenberg, S. R. M.; Lenaerts, J. T. M.; King, M. A.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Urban, T.

2014-04-01

This study explores an approach that simultaneously estimates Antarctic mass balance and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) through the combination of satellite gravity and altimetry data sets. The results improve upon previous efforts by incorporating a firn densification model to account for firn compaction and surface processes as well as reprocessed data sets over a slightly longer period of time. A range of different Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity models were evaluated and a new Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) surface height trend map computed using an overlapping footprint approach. When the GIA models created from the combination approach were compared to in situ GPS ground station displacements, the vertical rates estimated showed consistently better agreement than recent conventional GIA models. The new empirically derived GIA rates suggest the presence of strong uplift in the Amundsen Sea sector in West Antarctica (WA) and the Philippi/Denman sectors, as well as subsidence in large parts of East Antarctica (EA). The total GIA-related mass change estimates for the entire Antarctic ice sheet ranged from 53 to 103 Gt yr-1, depending on the GRACE solution used, with an estimated uncertainty of ±40 Gt yr-1. Over the time frame February 2003-October 2009, the corresponding ice mass change showed an average value of -100 ± 44 Gt yr-1 (EA: 5 ± 38, WA: -105 ± 22), consistent with other recent estimates in the literature, with regional mass loss mostly concentrated in WA. The refined approach presented in this study shows the contribution that such data combinations can make towards improving estimates of present-day GIA and ice mass change, particularly with respect to determining more reliable uncertainties.

Tolerance of chufa (Cyperus esculentus) as a vegetation unit's representative of bioregenerative life support systems to elevated temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Shklavtsova, Ekaterina; Ushakova, Sofya; Shikhov, Valentin; Kudenko, Yurii

Plants inclusion in the photosynthesizing unit of bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) expects knowledge of both production characteristics of plants cultivated under optimal condi-tions and their tolerance to stress-factors' effect caused by contingency origination in a system. The work was aimed at investigation of chufa (Cyperus esculentus) tolerance to the effect of super optimal air temperature of 44 subject to PAR intensity and exposure duration. Chufa was grown in light culture conditions by hydroponics method on expanded clay aggregate. The Knop solution was used as nutrition medium. Up to 30 days the plants were cultivated at the intensity of 690 micromole*m-2*s*-1 and air temperature of 25. Heat shock was employed at the age of 30 days under the air temperature of 44 during 7, 20 and 44 hours at two different PAR intensities of 690 and 1150 micromole*m-2*s*-1. Chufa heat tolerance was estimated by intensity of external 2 gas exchange and by state of leaves' photosynthetic apparatus (PSA). Effect of disturbing temperature during 44 hours at PAR intensity of 690 micromole*m-2*s*-1 resulted in frozen-in damage of PSA-leaves' die-off. Chufa plants exposed to heat stress at PAR intensity of 690 micromole*m-2*s*-1 during both 7 and 20-hours demonstrated respiration dominance over photosynthesis; and 2 emission was observed by light. Functional activity of photosynthetic apparatus estimated with respect to parameters of pulse-amplitude-modulated chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystem 2 (PS 2) decreased on 40

Case of clinical Reye syndrome presenting characteristic CT changes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hino, Tamaki; Sai, Hoshun; Morikawa, Yuji; Mizuta, Ryuzo [Kyoto Second Red Cross Hospital (Japan); Okuno, Takehiko

1984-05-01

A 9-month-old male infant was admitted to our hospital on the second day of cold like syndrome because of high fever, convulsion, coma, and decerebrate rigidity. Serum GOT, GPT, LDH, and CPK were markedly elevated. Serum ammonia was slightly increased, and hypoglycemia was present. The cerebrospinal fluid showed no pleocytosis, normal sugar content, but increased protein. Thus we made a diagnosis of clinical Reye syndrome according to the criteria by Yamashita, et al. A CT on the day of admission showed symmetrical low-density areas in the posterior fossa and the regions of thalamus. Ringed enhancements were seen around the areas of low density in the thalamus on the twenty-second hospital day. We consider that these lesions may represent the infarction due to obstruction of the thalamoperforant arteries caused by cerebral edema in the early stage of the disease.

Efficacy and safety of sarolaner (Simparica™) against fleas on dogs presented as veterinary patients in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherni, Judith A; Mahabir, Sean P; Six, Robert H

2016-05-30

The efficacy and safety of a novel isoxazoline parasiticide, sarolaner (Simparica™), for the control of fleas on dogs was evaluated in a randomized, controlled clinical study conducted in 19 general veterinary practices throughout the United States. Four hundred and seventy nine (479) dogs from 293 households were enrolled. Each household was randomly assigned to treatment with either sarolaner oral tablets (Simparica™, Zoetis) at the proposed label dose or an approved comparator product at the label dose (spinosad, Comfortis(®), Elanco). Dogs were dosed by their owners at home on Day 0 and on approximately Days 30 and 60. Dogs were examined at the clinics for general health, flea and tick infestation, and clinical signs of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) at the initial visit and Days 14, 30, 60 and 90. Blood was collected for clinical pathology at screening and Day 90. Sarolaner was well-accepted by dogs with the majority of flavored chewable tablets (91.5%) accepted free choice, by hand or in food. Geometric mean live flea counts were reduced by >99% at the first time measured (14 days) after initiation of treatment and continued to reduce through the study. Treatment success (proportion of dogs with ≥90% reduction in fleas) for the sarolaner-treated dogs was superior to that for spinosad-treated dogs at Days 14 and 30 and non-inferior on Days 60 and 90 (P≤0.025) The rapid reduction in flea infestations resulted in a similar rapid resolution of the clinical signs associated with FAD. Sarolaner chewable tablets were well tolerated with no treatment related adverse reactions. Most of the clinical signs reported were consistent with allergies and dermatitis or sporadic occurrences of conditions commonly observed in the general dog population. A wide variety of concomitant medications, including many commercially available heartworm preventatives and other anthelmintic drugs, were administered to study dogs and all were well tolerated. Sarolaner administered

Public attitudes in relation to the risks presented by new technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cave, L.; Holmes, R.E.; Holmes, P.J.

1978-01-01

Studies on societal attitudes during the nineteenth century to risks introduced by new technologies indicate that the present day reluctance on the part of society to accept a level of risk, which on a national basis appears to be insignificant, in order to have the benefits of a new technology at a reasonable cost, may not be a new phenomenon. Conditions are postulated in which historical data on public attitudes to risk are valid, and the application of this approach is illustrated by a study of societal attitudes in the nineteenth century to the risks presented by the new technology of railway travel in the United Kingdom. It is concluded that the interpretation of relevant data from the abundant historical records available may provide a valuable insight into the reaction of society to present-day and future technological risks

27 June 2012 - Ambassador K. Pierce, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva visiting the LHC tunnel at Point 5 with Department Head P. Collier and CMS control room with Former Collaboration Spokesperson J. Virdee.

CERN Multimedia

Laurent Egli

2012-01-01

27 June 2012 - Ambassador K. Pierce, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva visiting the LHC tunnel at Point 5 with Department Head P. Collier and CMS control room with Former Collaboration Spokesperson J. Virdee.

Present-day sea level rise: a synthesis; Hausse actuelle du niveau de la mer: synthese

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cazenave, A.; Llovel, W. [Laboratoire d' Etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees, 31 - Toulouse (France); Lombard, A. [CNES, 31 - Toulouse (France)

2008-11-15

Measuring sea level change and understanding its causes have improved considerably in the recent years, essentially because new in situ and remote sensing data sets have become available. Here we report on the current knowledge of present-day sea level change. We briefly present observational results on sea level change from satellite altimetry since 1993 and tide gauges for the past century. We next discuss recent progress made in quantifying the processes causing sea level change on time scales ranging from years to decades, i.e., thermal expansion, land ice mass loss and land water storage change. For the 1993-2003 decade, the sum of climate-related contributions agree well (within the error bars) with the altimetry-based sea level, half of the observed rate of rise being due to ocean thermal expansion, land ice plus land waters explaining the other half. Since about 2003, thermal expansion increase has stopped, whereas the sea level continues to rise, although at a reduced rate compared to the previous decade (2.5 mm/yr versus 3.1 mm/yr). Recent increases in glacier melting and ice mass loss from the ice sheets appear able to account alone for the rise in sea level reported over the last five years. (authors)

3 CFR 8385 - Proclamation 8385 of May 22, 2009. Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2009

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Proclamation 8385 of May 22, 2009. Prayer for Peace..., 2009 Proc. 8385 Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2009By the President of the United States of America A... the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace...

Interpreting the Impact of the Four-Day School Week: An Examination of Performance before and after Switching to the Four-Day School Week

Science.gov (United States)

Gower, Matthew Lee

2017-01-01

As four-day school weeks continue to gain popularity among school districts across the United States, determining the potential impact associated with the unconventional school week has become increasingly important (Johnson, 2013). The four-day school week has been credited with producing a number of potential benefits and consequences, but there…

Age, sex, and racial differences in harsh physical punishment: results from a nationally representative United States sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Taillieu, Tamara L; Afifi, Tracie O; Mota, Natalie; Keyes, Katherine M; Sareen, Jitender

2014-12-01

The purpose of this research was to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment in childhood in a nationally representative sample of the United States. Data were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) collected in 2004 and 2005 (n=34,653). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine age, sex, and racial differences in the prevalence of harsh physical punishment. Results suggest that the prevalence of harsh physical punishment has been decreasing among more recently born age groups; however, there appear to be sex and racial differences in this trend over time. The magnitude of the decrease appears to be stronger for males than for females. By race, the decrease in harsh physical punishment over time is only apparent among Whites; Black participants demonstrate little change over time, and harsh physical punishment seems to be increasing over time among Hispanics. Prevention and intervention efforts that educate about the links of physical punishment to negative outcomes and alternative non-physical discipline strategies may be particularly useful in reducing the prevalence of harsh physical punishment over time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nuclear criticality safety: 3-day training course

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlesser, J.A.

1993-06-01

The open-quotes 3-Day Training Courseclose quotes is an intensive course in criticality safety consisting of lectures and laboratory sessions, including active student participation in actual critical experiments, a visit to a plutonium processing facility, and in-depth discussions on safety philosophy. The program is directed toward personnel who currently have criticality safety responsibilities in the capacity of supervisory staff and/or line management. This compilation of notes is presented as a source reference for the criticality safety course. It represents the contributions of many people, particularly Tom McLaughlin, the course's primary instructor. It should be noted that when chapters were extracted, an attempt was made to maintain footnotes and references as originally written. Photographs and illustrations are numbered sequentially

Glucocorticoid-induced myopathy in the intensive care unit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eddelien, Heidi Shil; Hoffmeyer, Henrik Westy; Lund, Eva Charlotte Løbner

2015-01-01

Glucocorticoids (GC) are used for intensive care unit (ICU) patients on several indications. We present a patient who was admitted to the ICU due to severe respiratory failure caused by bronchospasm requiring mechanical ventilation and treated with methylprednisolone 240 mg/day in addition...... to antibiotics and bronchiolytics. When the sedation was lifted on day 10, the patient was awake but quadriplegic. Blood samples revealed elevated muscle enzymes, electromyography showed myopathy, and a muscle biopsy was performed. Glucocorticoid-induced myopathy was suspected, GC treatment was tapered...

Radiochemistry days

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-09-01

This document provides the 44 papers (transparencies used during the presentations and posters) presented at the Radiochemistry Days, held September 3-4, 1998 in Nantes, France. The main studied topics were problematic questions concerning the nuclear fuel cycle and in particular the management, storage of radioactive wastes and the environmental impact. (O.M.)

Differential responses of calcifying and non-calcifying epibionts of a brown macroalga to present-day and future upwelling pCO2.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Saderne

Full Text Available Seaweeds are key species of the Baltic Sea benthic ecosystems. They are the substratum of numerous fouling epibionts like bryozoans and tubeworms. Several of these epibionts bear calcified structures and could be impacted by the high pCO2 events of the late summer upwellings in the Baltic nearshores. Those events are expected to increase in strength and duration with global change and ocean acidification. If calcifying epibionts are impacted by transient acidification as driven by upwelling events, their increasing prevalence could cause a shift of the fouling communities toward fleshy species. The aim of the present study was to test the sensitivity of selected seaweed macrofoulers to transient elevation of pCO2 in their natural microenvironment, i.e. the boundary layer covering the thallus surface of brown seaweeds. Fragments of the macroalga Fucus serratus bearing an epibiotic community composed of the calcifiers Spirorbis spirorbis (Annelida and Electra pilosa (Bryozoa and the non-calcifier Alcyonidium hirsutum (Bryozoa were maintained for 30 days under three pCO2 conditions: natural 460 ± 59 µatm, present-day upwelling1193 ± 166 µatm and future upwelling 3150 ± 446 µatm. Only the highest pCO2 caused a significant reduction of growth rates and settlement of S. spirorbis individuals. Additionally, S. spirorbis settled juveniles exhibited enhanced calcification of 40% during daylight hours compared to dark hours, possibly reflecting a day-night alternation of an acidification-modulating effect by algal photosynthesis as opposed to an acidification-enhancing effect of algal respiration. E. pilosa colonies showed significantly increased growth rates at intermediate pCO2 (1193 µatm but no response to higher pCO2. No effect of acidification on A. hirsutum colonies growth rates was observed. The results suggest a remarkable resistance of the algal macro-epibionts to levels of acidification occurring at present day upwellings in the Baltic

Effect of Jigsaw II, Reading-Writing-Presentation, and Computer Animations on the Teaching of "Light" Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Koç, Yasemin; Yildiz, Emre; Çaliklar, Seyma; Simsek, Ümit

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Jigsaw II technique, reading-writing-presentation method, and computer animation on students' academic achievements, epistemological beliefs, attitudes towards science lesson, and the retention of knowledge in the "Light" unit covered in the 7th grade. The sample of the study consists…

Hydrothermal self-scheduling problem in a day-ahead electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisanovic, Smajo; Dlakic, Muris; Hajro, Mensur

2008-01-01

This paper addresses the self-scheduling problem of determining the unit commitment status for power generation companies before submitting the hourly bids in a day-ahead market. The hydrothermal model is formulated as a deterministic optimization problem where expected profit is maximized using the 0/1 mixed-integer linear programming technique. This approach allows precise modelling of non-convex variable cost functions and non-linear start-up cost functions of thermal units, non-concave power-discharge characteristics of hydro units, ramp rate limits of thermal units and minimum up and down time constraints for both hydro and thermal units. Model incorporates long-term bilateral contracts with contracted power and price patterns, as well as forecasted market hourly prices for day-ahead auction. Solution is achieved using the homogeneous interior point method for linear programming as state of the art technique, with a branch and bound optimizer for integer programming. The effectiveness of the proposed model in optimizing the generation schedule is demonstrated through the case studies and their analysis. (author)

The breech presentation and the vertex presentation following an external version represent risk factors for neonatal hip instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersson, J E; Odén, A

2001-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and type of hip-joint instability and the frequency of hip dislocation requiring treatment in neonates who had been lying in the breech presentation and were delivered vaginally after an external version or by caesarean section, and to compare them with neonates who were naturally in the vertex presentation. Breech presentations without ongoing labour were subjected to an attempted external version and, in cases where this proved unsuccessful or where labour had started, to deliver by caesarean section. None of the breech presentations was vaginally delivered. The anterior-dynamic ultrasound method was used to assess the hip-joint status of the neonates. Out of 6,571 foetuses, 257 were in breech presentation after 36 wk of pregnancy. Sixty-two were vaginally delivered following an external version to vertex presentation and 195 were delivered by caesarean section, 75 of these following unsuccessful attempts to perform a version. Treatment for congenital hip-joint dislocation was performed on 0.2%. Out of the breech presentations, 1.0% of those delivered by caesarean section were treated, while in those with vaginal delivery following an external version the treatment frequency was 3.2%. No case of late diagnosed hip dislocation was recorded. Significant differences in frequency of hip-joint instability and treatment were found between (i) neonates delivered in breech presentation and those delivered with vertex presentation, (ii) infants delivered in vertex presentation, naturally or after successful version, and (iii) those delivered by caesarean section with or without attempted external version and those delivered with vortex presentation. Breech presentation predisposes to increased hip instability. The instability is present prior to delivery and is certainly not a primary result of delivery forces. Both breech and vertex presentations following an external or spontaneous version should be considered as risk

A Method to Represent Heterogeneous Materials for Rapid Prototyping: The Matryoshka Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Shuangyan; Frank, Matthew C.; Anderson, Donald D.; Brown, Thomas D.

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for representing heterogeneous materials using nested STL shells, based, in particular, on the density distributions of human bones. Design/methodology/approach Nested STL shells, called Matryoshka models, are described, based on their namesake Russian nesting dolls. In this approach, polygonal models, such as STL shells, are “stacked” inside one another to represent different material regions. The Matryoshka model addresses the challenge of representing different densities and different types of bone when reverse engineering from medical images. The Matryoshka model is generated via an iterative process of thresholding the Hounsfield Unit (HU) data using computed tomography (CT), thereby delineating regions of progressively increasing bone density. These nested shells can represent regions starting with the medullary (bone marrow) canal, up through and including the outer surface of the bone. Findings The Matryoshka approach introduced can be used to generate accurate models of heterogeneous materials in an automated fashion, avoiding the challenge of hand-creating an assembly model for input to multi-material additive or subtractive manufacturing. Originality/Value This paper presents a new method for describing heterogeneous materials: in this case, the density distribution in a human bone. The authors show how the Matryoshka model can be used to plan harvesting locations for creating custom rapid allograft bone implants from donor bone. An implementation of a proposed harvesting method is demonstrated, followed by a case study using subtractive rapid prototyping to harvest a bone implant from a human tibia surrogate. PMID:26120277

Sociodemographic Factors, Population Density, and Bicycling for Transportation in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Nehme, Eileen K; Pérez, Adriana; Ranjit, Nalini; Amick, Benjamin C; Kohl, Harold W

2016-01-01

Transportation bicycling is a behavior with demonstrated health benefits. Population-representative studies of transportation bicycling in United States are lacking. This study examined associations between sociodemographic factors, population density, and transportation bicycling and described transportation bicyclists by trip purposes, using a US-representative sample. This cross-sectional study used 2009 National Household Travel Survey datasets. Associations among study variables were assessed using weighted multivariable logistic regression. On a typical day in 2009, 1% of Americans older than 5 years of age reported a transportation bicycling trip. Transportation cycling was inversely associated with age and directly with being male, with being white, and with population density (≥ 10,000 vs transportation. Twenty-one percent of transportation bicyclists reported trips to work, whereas 67% reported trips to social or other activities. Transportation bicycling in the United States is associated with sociodemographic characteristics and population density. Bicycles are used for a variety of trip purposes, which has implications for transportation bicycling research based on commuter data and for developing interventions to promote this behavior.

Proceedings of the Conference on Industry and Day Care (Urban Research Corporation, Chicago, 1970).

Science.gov (United States)

Urban Research Corp., Chicago, IL.

This booklet of conference proceedings reflects the efforts of the Urban Research Corporation to continue conversation between industry and day care specialists. A group of 175 industry representatives, early childhood specialists, community agency representatives, and day care operators and franchisers convened to discuss their mutual concerns.…

Relation between Art Education and Democracy from Antique Greece to the Present Day

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali OZTÜRK

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Education is a set of activities that are done in order to ensure the development of knowledge, skills and abilities in human behaviours. Art emphasizes the connection between emotion and thought. Also it has an effective role in the process and development of learning. But art education is a specific process of aesthetic changes in individuals’ behaviours through their own experience. It is known that art and art education are based on very old times such as the humanity history and the reality of it’s been continuously argued from Platon up to date. Democracy which is the other concept of this research is a form of an administration whereas the art is a form of existence. While the artist exists by creating, the democracy tries to exist by will. When it’s looked from the art, certainly, the art does not have the power that brings the freedom and the truth on its own, however without art; this power cannot take a form, because the democracy cannot look at the human’s pains and beauties as sensitive as the art. Aim of this research is to discuss the relation of art education and democracy as a form of implementation and functionality from antique Greece to the present day. The method of the study is descriptive and references in literature are interpreted.

Present-day Opening of the Natron Rift: Tectonic and Magmatic Processes at Work

Science.gov (United States)

Calais, E.; Dalaison, M.; Saria, E.; Doubre, C.; Masson, F.

2017-12-01

The young Natron basin (system, is an important locale to study the initial stage of continental rifting. It was the locus of a rarely observed tectono-magmatic event in July 2007, with slow slip on an intra-basin normal fault followed by a 10 km-long dike intrusion underneath the Gelai shield volcano. Here we report on a series of GPS observations over a 20-site network spanning the basin, measured repeatedly since 2013. We observe a long wavelength ( 200 km wide) extension with a horizontal rate of about 2 mm/yr, consistent with recentlty published regional kinematic models, and a velocity gradient centered on the west-bounding fault of the Natron basin. Initial models show that the data is best fit by a normal fault dipping 60 degrees to the east and slipping at a rate of 6 mm/yr. Superimposed on this long wavelength extension, we observe a smaller scale ( 30 km wide) extensional signal in the middle of the basin, roughly coincident with the location of the Gelai volcano, which was the locale of the 2007 seismic-magmatic crisis. We investigate the relative importance of tectonic faulting, post-diking relaxation following the 2007 intrusion (as observed for instance in Afar or Iceland after similar events), and melt recharge of the intra-basin magmatic system in present-day extension across this young segment of the East African Rift.

Day Care: Other Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hjartarson, Freida; And Others

This collection of 5 bilingual papers on day care programs in foreign countries (China, the Soviet Union, and 3 Scandinavian countries) is part of a series of papers on various aspects of day care published by the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare. Each paper is presented in both English and French. Paper I considers day care services in…

Late Miocene to present-day exhumation and uplift of the Internal Zone of the Rif chain: Insights from low temperature thermochronometry and basin analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Romagny, A.; Ph. Münch; Cornée, J.-J.; Corsini, M.; Azdimousa, A.; Melinte-Dobrinescu, M. C.; Drinia, H.; Bonno, M.; Arnaud, N.; Monié, P.; Quillévéré, F.; Ben Moussa, A.

2014-07-01

Located on the margin of the west Alboran basin, the Gibraltar Arc (Betic-Rif mountain belt) displays post-Pliocene vertical movements evidenced by uplifted marine sedimentary basins and marine terraces. Quantification of vertical movements is an important clue to understand the origin of present-day relief generation in the Betic-Rif mountain chain together with the causes of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. In this paper, we present the results of a pluridisciplinary study combining an analysis of low temperature thermochronology and Pliocene basins evolution to constrain the exhumation history and surface uplift of internals units of the Rif belt (Northern Morocco). The mean (U-Th)/He apatite ages obtained from 11 samples are comprised between 14.1 and 17.8 Ma and display a wide dispersion, which could be explained by a great variability of apatite chemistries in the analyzed samples. No correlations between altitude and age have been found along altitudinal profile suggesting a rapid exhumation during this period. Thermal modeling using our (U-Th)/He apatite ages and geochronological data previously obtained in the same area (40Ar/39Ar and K/Ar data on biotite, zircon and apatite fission track) allow us to propose a cooling history. The rocks suffered a rapid cooling at 60-100 °C/Ma between 22.5 and 19 Ma, then cooled to temperatures around 40 °C between 19 and 18 Ma. They were re-heated at around 110 °C between 18 and 15 Ma then rapidly cooled and exhumed to reach the surface temperature at around 13 Ma. The re-heating could be related to a renewal in thrusting and burying of the inner zones. Between 15 and 13 Ma the cooling resumed at a rate of 50 °C/Ma indicating an exhumation rate of 0.8 mm/y considering an average 40 °C/km geothermal gradient. This exhumation may be linked to the extension in the Alboran Sea. Otherwise biostratigraphic and sedimentological analysis of Pliocene basins of the internal Rif provided informations on the more recent events

Innovation and energy. ECRIN day; Innovation et energie. Journee ECRIN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

ECRIN is an association jointly created by the French atomic energy commission (CEA) and the French national center of scientific research (CNRS). It gathers experts from the research and industry worlds, representatives of institutions and decision making peoples in order to work on important topics like energy. This document gathers the working documents and transparencies presented at the ECRIN day on energy and innovation: opening talk of C. Birraux (head of the parliamentary office of evaluation of scientific and technological choices); the energy of seas (offshore wind power, wave energy, tide currents energy, thermal energy of seas, osmotic energy, tidal energy); synthetic fuels (stakes, possible options, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, GTL, CTL, BTL, production with CO{sub 2} recycling); capture and geological sequestration of CO{sub 2}: a general overview (stakes, solutions, capture and sequestration, transport, geologic disposal, present day situation and perspectives); geothermal energy: new prospects (enhanced geothermal systems, hot-dry-rocks and hot fractured rocks, advances, cost, advantages and drawbacks); heat pumps and valorization of low temperature heat sources (space heating, district heating networks, heat pumps, artificial geothermal energy, low temperature water transport, thermal potentiality); heat and coldness storage and transport (use of intermittent energy sources, cogeneration, optimisation of processes, recovery of heat losses, CO{sub 2} capture, present-day situation, problems to be solved, integration of systems and processes); plastic photovoltaic solar cells (market, stakes, potentialities of organic materials for photovoltaic conversion, state-of-the-art, research in Europe and France, perspectives); conclusion of the Ecrin day (challenges, diversification of energy sources, energy efficiency, abatement of CO{sub 2} emissions, role of ECRIN). (J.S.)

Communication dated 14 July 2006 received from the Resident Representative of France to the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The Director General has received a communication dated 14 July 2006 from the Resident Representative of France, on behalf of the Resident Representatives of China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the Secretary-General and High Representative of the European Union attaching the text of the offer which was approved on 1 June 2006 at the ministerial meeting in Vienna and delivered to the Iranian authorities in Tehran on 6 June 2006 by Mr. Javier Solana. The communication and, as requested therein, the attached text, are herewith circulated for the information of Member States

77 FR 62135 - Columbus Day, 2012

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-12

... Columbus Day, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation As dawn broke over the... spirit that carried Christopher Columbus and his crew from a Spanish port to North America, and we... Americans have summoned the same spirit of discovery that drove Christopher Columbus when he cast off from...

A clade uniting the green algae Mesostigma viride and Chlorokybus atmophyticus represents the deepest branch of the Streptophyta in chloroplast genome-based phylogenies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Turmel Monique

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Viridiplantae comprise two major phyla: the Streptophyta, containing the charophycean green algae and all land plants, and the Chlorophyta, containing the remaining green algae. Despite recent progress in unravelling phylogenetic relationships among major green plant lineages, problematic nodes still remain in the green tree of life. One of the major issues concerns the scaly biflagellate Mesostigma viride, which is either regarded as representing the earliest divergence of the Streptophyta or a separate lineage that diverged before the Chlorophyta and Streptophyta. Phylogenies based on chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes support the latter view. Because some green plant lineages are not represented in these phylogenies, sparse taxon sampling has been suspected to yield misleading topologies. Here, we describe the complete chloroplast DNA (cpDNA sequence of the early-diverging charophycean alga Chlorokybus atmophyticus and present chloroplast genome-based phylogenies with an expanded taxon sampling. Results The 152,254 bp Chlorokybus cpDNA closely resembles its Mesostigma homologue at the gene content and gene order levels. Using various methods of phylogenetic inference, we analyzed amino acid and nucleotide data sets that were derived from 45 protein-coding genes common to the cpDNAs of 37 green algal/land plant taxa and eight non-green algae. Unexpectedly, all best trees recovered a robust clade uniting Chlorokybus and Mesostigma. In protein trees, this clade was sister to all streptophytes and chlorophytes and this placement received moderate support. In contrast, gene trees provided unequivocal support to the notion that the Mesostigma + Chlorokybus clade represents the earliest-diverging branch of the Streptophyta. Independent analyses of structural data (gene content and/or gene order and of subsets of amino acid data progressively enriched in slow-evolving sites led us to conclude that the latter topology

Recent activities of the Seismology Division Early Career Representative(s)

Science.gov (United States)

Agius, Matthew; Van Noten, Koen; Ermert, Laura; Mai, P. Martin; Krawczyk, CharLotte

2016-04-01

The European Geosciences Union is a bottom-up-organisation, in which its members are represented by their respective scientific divisions, committees and council. In recent years, EGU has embarked on a mission to reach out for its numerous 'younger' members by giving awards to outstanding young scientists and the setting up of Early Career Scientists (ECS) representatives. The division representative's role is to engage in discussions that concern students and early career scientists. Several meetings between all the division representatives are held throughout the year to discuss ideas and Union-wide issues. One important impact ECS representatives have had on EGU is the increased number of short courses and workshops run by ECS during the annual General Assembly. Another important contribution of ECS representatives was redefining 'Young Scientist' to 'Early Career Scientist', which avoids discrimination due to age. Since 2014, the Seismology Division has its own ECS representative. In an effort to more effectively reach out for young seismologists, a blog and a social media page dedicated to seismology have been set up online. With this dedicated blog, we'd like to give more depth to the average browsing experience by enabling young researchers to explore various seismology topics in one place while making the field more exciting and accessible to the broader community. These pages are used to promote the latest research especially of young seismologists and to share interesting seismo-news. Over the months the pages proved to be popular, with hundreds of views every week and an increased number of followers. An online survey was conducted to learn more about the activities and needs of early career seismologists. We present the results from this survey, and the work that has been carried out over the last two years, including detail of what has been achieved so far, and what we would like the ECS representation for Seismology to achieve. Young seismologists are

Representativeness of Tuberculosis Genotyping Surveillance in the United States, 2009–2010

Science.gov (United States)

Shak, Emma B.; Cowan, Lauren; Starks, Angela M.; Grant, Juliana

2015-01-01

Genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates contributes to tuberculosis (TB) control through detection of possible outbreaks. However, 20% of U.S. cases do not have an isolate for testing, and 10% of cases with isolates do not have a genotype reported. TB outbreaks in populations with incomplete genotyping data might be missed by genotyping-based outbreak detection. Therefore, we assessed the representativeness of TB genotyping data by comparing characteristics of cases reported during January 1, 2009–December 31, 2010, that had a genotype result with those cases that did not. Of 22,476 cases, 14,922 (66%) had a genotype result. Cases without genotype results were more likely to be patients <19 years of age, with unknown HIV status, of female sex, U.S.-born, and with no recent history of homelessness or substance abuse. Although cases with a genotype result are largely representative of all reported U.S. TB cases, outbreak detection methods that rely solely on genotyping data may underestimate TB transmission among certain groups. PMID:26556930

Communication dated 9 June 2008 received from the Resident Representatives of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to the Agency with regard to the Conference on Nuclear Fuel Supply: Challenges and Opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The Secretariat has received a communication dated 9 June 2008 from the Resident Representatives of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, attaching the full report of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom on the Conference on Nuclear Fuel Supply: Challenges and Opportunities, held in Berlin on 17-18 April 2008. As requested in that communication, the report is herewith circulated for the information of Member States

Evaluation of predicted Medfly (Ceratitis capitata quarantine length in the United States utilizing degree-day and agent-based models [version 2; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Travis Collier

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Invasions by pest insects pose a significant threat to agriculture worldwide. In the case of Ceratitis capitata incursions on the US mainland, where it is not officially established, repeated detections are followed by quarantines and treatments to eliminate the invading population. However, it is difficult to accurately set quarantine duration because non-detection may not mean the pest is eliminated. Most programs extend quarantine lengths past the last fly detection by calculating the amount of time required for 3 generations to elapse under a thermal unit accumulation development model (“degree day”. A newer approach is to use an Agent-Based Simulation (ABS to explicitly simulate population demographics and elimination. Here, predicted quarantine lengths for 11 sites in the continental United States are evaluated using both approaches. Results indicate a strong seasonality in quarantine length, with longer predictions in the second half of the year compared with the first; this pattern is more extreme in degree day predictions compared with ABS. Geographically, quarantine lengths increased with latitude, though this was less pronounced under the ABS. Variation in quarantine lengths for particular times and places was dramatically larger for degree day than ABS, generally spiking in the middle of the year for degree day and peaking in second half of the year for ABS. Analysis of 34 C. capitata quarantines from 1975 to 2017 in California shows that, for all but two, quarantines were started in the second half of the year, when degree day quarantine lengths are longest and have the highest uncertainty. For a set of hypothetical outbreaks based on these historical quarantines, the ABS produced significantly shorter quarantines than degree day calculations. Overall, ABS quarantine lengths were more consistent than degree day predictions, avoided unrealistically long values, and captured effects of rare events such as cold snaps.

NO TOBACCO DAY

CERN Multimedia

Medical Service

2002-01-01

The CERN Medical Service is joining in with the world no tobacco day, which takes place on 31 May 2002. We encourage you to take this opportunity to stop smoking for good. Nurses and Doctors will be present on that day to give out information on methods to stop smoking and to assist you in your efforts.

His Excellency Mr Alexandros Alexandris Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland and Officials from the East Macedonia and Thrace Region Greece

CERN Multimedia

Jean-Claude Gadmer

2013-01-01

His Excellency Mr Alexandros Alexandris Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland and Officials from the East Macedonia and Thrace Region Greece

His Excellency Mr Cristóbal González-Aller Jurado Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Ordan, Julien Marius

2017-01-01

His Excellency Mr Cristóbal González-Aller Jurado Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Holidays – the Mirror of Society. The Social and Cultural Contexts of Present-Day Holidays in the Slovak Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarína Popelková

2017-06-01

Full Text Available After 2010, the study of present-day holidays established itself as an original tool for the study of society in Slovak ethnology. In the first stage, the research team of the Institute of Ethnology SAS focused on the empirical research of the specific contexts of the term holiday in Slovakia and mapped the range of situations which are designated by people as holidays today. The term holiday means the interruption of the daily routine, a moment commemorated on a cyclical basis or a period accompanied by normative or ritual acts and with an ascribed symbolic meaning. Our research showed that apart from identification, ritual and spiritual functions which are important for individuals or communities, as commonly studied by ethnology, holidays also fulfil a number of practical functions at present. After the discovery of the manifold overlaps of this phenomenon with the on-going social processes, the focus of ethnology has shifted to society as such and on its reflection in the mirror of holidays. Through an analysis of empirical materials from the observation and ethnographic description of the events in the public space during holidays, the study of the holiday legislation, the activities of various institutions the production of printed and electronic media, business and advertising, which create the current content and the ways of celebrating holidays, it was possible to obtain a basis for a specific testimony about the present-day social processes in the Slovak Republic. In this context, this study is dedicated to the following relations: holidays and politics, holidays and economy, and holidays and citizens.

Ad libitum and restricted day and night sleep architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Korompeli, Anna St; Muurlink, Olav; Gavala, Alexandra; Myrianthefs, Pavlos; Fildissis, Georgios; Baltopoulos, Georgios

2016-01-01

This study represents a first controlled comparison of restricted versus unrestricted sleep in both day and night sleep categories. A repeated measures study of a homogenous group of young women without sleep disorders (n=14) found that stage 1, 2, 3 and REM sleep, as well as sleep latency were not statistically different between day ad libitum sleep (DAL) and day interrupted (DI) sleep categories, while night interrupted (NI) and ad libitum (NAL) sleep showed strikingly different architecture.

Standardizing the Presentation of Financial Data : Does XBRL’s Taxonomy Affect the Investment Performance of Nonprofessional Investors?

OpenAIRE

Henderson, Cassy; Huerta, Esperanza; Glandon, TerryAnn

2015-01-01

Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is mandated in the United States to make financial information easier to analyze and more useful for investors. When the technology is implemented as intended, it can standardize the information presented in the financial statements. The format is especially beneficial for nonprofessional investors, which represent approximately 41 million investors investing the United States stock exchange. In this study, we conduct an experiment comparing stand...

Historical trends and current state of heating and cooling degree days in Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Rosa, Mattia; Bianco, Vincenzo; Scarpa, Federico; Tagliafico, Luca A.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A comparison among methods for calculating heating degree-days (HDD) is provided. • ASHRAE method is used for analyze the historical trends of HDD and CDD in Italy. • The HDD historical profile for Rome is decomposed in its characterizing components. - Abstract: Degree days (DD) represent a versatile climatic indicator which is commonly used in the analysis of building energy performance, as e.g. (i) to perform energetic assessment of existent and new buildings, (ii) to analyze the territory energy consumption, (iii) to develop scenario analyses in terms of energy consumption forecasting, and so on. Different methods can be used for determining the DD values, depending on the available climatic data of each location. In the present paper, the simplified methods based on reduced climatic data set have been compared assuming the mean daily degree-hours method (MDDH) as reference. Hourly temperature profiles recorded by the meteorological station located at the University of Genoa have been used for these analyses. In the second part of the present work, the ASHRAE method has been selected to calculate heating (HDD) and cooling (CDD) degree days for several Italian cities. In particular, daily meteorological data of several Italian cities (covering the whole climatic conditions which occur in Italy) have been used to calculate heating and cooling degree days in the period 1978–2013, in order to analyze their trends in the last years. Finally, the historical profiles of Rome and Milan have been treated as time-series and analyzed in the frequency domain, performing a decomposition of the original data set into different characterizing components. This simplified approach permits to deeply analyze the historical profile of DD and represents a simple starting point method for future analyses with forecasting perspectives

Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Elyse; Wang, Teresa W; Husten, Corinne G; Corey, Catherine G; Apelberg, Benjamin J; Jamal, Ahmed; Homa, David M; King, Brian A

2017-11-10

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States (1). Despite declining cigarette smoking prevalence among U.S. adults, shifts in the tobacco product landscape have occurred in recent years (2,3). Previous estimates of tobacco product use among U.S. adults were obtained from the National Adult Tobacco Survey, which ended after the 2013-2014 cycle. This year, CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assessed the most recent national estimates of tobacco product use among adults aged ≥18 years using, for the first time, data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual, nationally representative, in-person survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. civilian population. The 2015 NHIS adult core questionnaire included 33,672 adults aged ≥18 years, reflecting a 55.2% response rate. Data were weighted to adjust for differences in selection probability and nonresponse, and to provide nationally representative estimates. In 2015, 20.1 % of U.S. adults currently (every day or some days) used any tobacco product, 17.6% used any combustible tobacco product, and 3.9% used ≥2 tobacco products. By product, 15.1% of adults used cigarettes; 3.5% used electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes); 3.4% used cigars, cigarillos, or filtered little cigars; 2.3% used smokeless tobacco; and 1.2% used regular pipes, water pipes, or hookahs.* Current use of any tobacco product was higher among males; persons aged product was 47.2% among adults with serious psychological distress compared with 19.2% among those without serious psychological distress. Proven population-level interventions that focus on the diversity of tobacco product use are important to reducing tobacco-related disease and death in the United States (1).

Solar Heliospheric and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE) Students - Student Representatives' Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Pahud, D. M.; Niembro, T.

2014-12-01

The SHINE workshop is an annual meeting of solar and heliospheric scientists which, in addition to aiming to improve understanding of solar disturbances and their propagation to, and effect, on the Earth (shinecon.org), is dedicated to actively supporting students. This dedication is substantiated in part through the National Science Foundation (NSF) providing funding for student attendance to the workshop, which enables student participation. Another example of SHINE's commitment to its student members is the incorporation of a Student Day prior to the workshop since 2003, entirely organized and run by two student representatives. While there are variations in format from year to year, Student Day consists of tutorials and research talks exclusively by student volunteers to an audience of only students. The day is intended to provide a low-stress environment for students to learn about the various topics addressed during the workshop, to ask questions freely, and to engage in scientific discussion with other students which hopefully is a catalyst for collaboration. As a result of positive experiences, over the past decade student attendance and participation in the workshop have increased. At the SHINE 2014 workshop, nearly a third of attendees were students. SHINE student visibility has increased over the years, with student posters being advertised at breakfast, inclusion of a student day summary by the student representatives during a plenary session, and continued support from the steering committee. Students are also promoting a broader impact of SHINE sciences via increased social media presence. From a student representative's perspective, SHINE has built and fostered a healthy student community and encourages students to engage in shaping the future of the field.

Wind Lidar Activities in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clifton, Andrew; Newman, Jennifer; St. Pe, Alexandra; Iungo, G. Valerio; Wharton, Sonia; Herges, Tommy; Filippelli, Matthew; Pontbriand, Philippe; Osler, Evan

2017-06-28

IEA Wind Task 32 seeks to identify and mitigate the barriers to the adoption of lidar for wind energy applications. This work is partly achieved by sharing experience across researchers and practitioners in the United States and worldwide. This presentation is a short summary of some wind lidar-related activities taking place in the country, and was presented by Andrew Clifton at the Task 32 meeting in December 2016 in his role as the U.S. Department of Energy-nominated country representative to the task.

Dentists' self-perceived role in offering tobacco cessation services: results from a nationally representative survey, United States, 2010-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Jannat-Khah, Deanna P; McNeely, Jennifer; Pereyra, Margaret R; Parish, Carrigan; Pollack, Harold A; Ostroff, Jamie; Metsch, Lisa; Shelley, Donna R

2014-11-06

Dental visits represent an opportunity to identify and help patients quit smoking, yet dental settings remain an untapped venue for treatment of tobacco dependence. The purpose of this analysis was to assess factors that may influence patterns of tobacco-use-related practice among a national sample of dental providers. We surveyed a representative sample of general dentists practicing in the United States (N = 1,802). Multivariable analysis was used to assess correlates of adherence to tobacco use treatment guidelines and to analyze factors that influence providers' willingness to offer tobacco cessation assistance if reimbursed for this service. More than 90% of dental providers reported that they routinely ask patients about tobacco use, 76% counsel patients, and 45% routinely offer cessation assistance, defined as referring patients for cessation counseling, providing a cessation prescription, or both. Results from multivariable analysis indicated that cessation assistance was associated with having a practice with 1 or more hygienists, having a chart system that includes a tobacco use question, having received training on treating tobacco dependence, and having positive attitudes toward treating tobacco use. Providers who did not offer assistance but who reported that they would change their practice patterns if sufficiently reimbursed were more likely to be in a group practice, treat patients insured through Medicaid, and have positive attitudes toward treating tobacco dependence. Findings indicate the potential benefit of increasing training opportunities and promoting system changes to increase involvement of dental providers in conducting tobacco use treatment. Reimbursement models should be tested to assess the effect on dental provider practice patterns.

Theory and Practice in Finnish Teacher Education: A Rhetorical Analysis of Changing Values from the 1960S to the Present Day

Science.gov (United States)

Säntti, Janne; Puustinen, Mikko; Salminen, Jari

2018-01-01

Our aim in this article is to examine the relationship between theory and practice in Finnish teacher education from the 1960s to the present. We identify four different periods to represent this relationship based on our analysis of national committee and evaluation reports. Theory and practice gradually converged, culminating in a research-based…

Present and Future of the United States-Bolivia Relations

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-11

Bolivariana para las Americas (Spanish for Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) ALC Acuerdo de Libre Comercio (Spanish for Free Trade Agreement) ATPA...Challenge Account) DEA Drug Enforcement Agency FELCN Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (Spanish for Special Force to Combat Drug...Organizacion de Estados Americanos (Spanish for Organization of American States) PNUD United Nations Program for Development) TCP Tratado de Comercio de

Consensus statement on anaesthesia for day care surgeries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satish Kulkarni

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The primary aim of day-care surgery units is to allow for early recovery of the patients so that they can return to their familiar 'home' environment; the management hence should be focused towards achieving these ends. The benefits could include a possible reduction in the risk of thromboembolism and hospital-acquired infections. Furthermore, day-care surgery is believed to reduce the average unit cost of treatment by up to 70% as compared to inpatient surgery. With more than 20% of the world's disease burden, India only has 6% of the world's hospital beds. Hence, there is an immense opportunity for expansion in day-care surgery in India to ensure faster and safer, cost-effective patient turnover. For this to happen, there is a need of change in the mindset of all concerned clinicians, surgeons, anaesthesiologists and even the patients. A group of nine senior consultants from various parts of India, a mix of private and government anaesthesiologists, assembled in Mumbai and deliberated and discussed on the various aspects of day-care surgery. They formulated a consensus statement, the first of its kind in the Indian scenario, which can act as a guidance and tool for day-care anaesthesia in India. The statements are derived from the available published evidence in peer-reviewed literature including guidelines of several bodies such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists, British Association of Day Surgery and International Association of Ambulatory Surgery. The authors also offer interpretive comments wherever such evidence is inadequate or contradictory.

Radiotherapy in skin cancer - present day aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gocheva, L.

2009-01-01

Skin carcinomas (SC) are the leading ones in the structure of oncological morbidity in both genders in Bulgaria, as well as in white populations in the world. Regardless of their high frequency, their treatment is successful and mortality due to SC has been reduced by 20 - 30% during the last decades. In Bulgaria SC in 2003 comprise 9.3% of all oncological diseases in men and women. According to their frequency they occupy the second phase after lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. The treatment of SC is realized applying various therapeutic approaches, distinguished as basic (radical) and alternative ones. The first include surgical treatment and radiotherapy (RT) (definitive or adjuvant) and the alternative ones - curettage and electro-coagulation, cryotherapy, local chemotherapy and immunotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, etc. When defining the therapeutic approach, the method affording the best chances of curing with acceptable cosmetic results should be selected. The present review is aimed at considering the contemporary aspects in RT of SC, including used radiotherapy methods and techniques, volumes, doses, fractionation, and achieved therapeutic effects. The indications for implementing definitive and adjuvant RT are given in detail. The applied radiotherapy methods - external beam RT and brachytherapy, are also discussed. The used planned radiotherapy volumes, doses, fractionation schemes, attained therapeutic effects and possible radiation reactions are considered as well. The curability of SC is high, exceeding 90% after adequate treatment. Regardless of the fact that RT has partially ceded its leading role in SC treatment, it still remains to be one of the basic and successful therapeutic approaches

A case of clinical Reye syndrome presenting characteristic CT changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hino, Tamaki; Sai, Hoshun; Morikawa, Yuji; Mizuta, Ryuzo; Okuno, Takehiko.

1984-01-01

A 9-month-old male infant was admitted to our hospital on the second day of cold like syndrome because of high fever, convulsion, coma, and decerebrate rigidity. Serum GOT, GPT, LDH, and CPK were markedly elevated. Serum ammonia was slightly increased, and hypoglycemia was present. The cerebrospinal fluid showed no pleocytosis, normal sugar content, but increased protein. Thus we made a diagnosis of clinical Reye syndrome according to the criteria by Yamashita, et al. A CT on the day of admission showed symmetrical low-density areas in the posterior fossa and the regions of thalamus. Ringed enhancements were seen around the areas of low density in the thalamus on the twenty-second hospital day. We consider that these lesions may represent the infarction due to obstruction of the thalamoperforant arteries caused by cerebral edema in the early stage of the disease. (author)

Annual State of Connecticut Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Research Day.

Science.gov (United States)

Seagle, Brandon-Luke L; Ballard, Jennifer; Kakar, Freshta; Panarelli, Erin; Samuelson, Robert; Shahabi, Shohreh

2015-01-01

To increase opportunities for Obstetrics and Gynecology(Ob/Gyn) residents to present their research, an Annual State of Connecticut Ob/Gyn Resident Research Day (RRD) was created. At the first annual RRD, 33 residents, representing five of six Connecticut Ob/Gyn residency programs, presented 39 poster and eight oral presentations. RRD evaluators rated the overall symposium and the quality of resident oral and poster presentations as either "excellent" or "above average." Residency program directors reported that the symposium was "very helpful" for evidencing resident scholarship as required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Surveyed residents reported that the symposium promoted their research and was a valuable investment of their time. An annual specialty-specific, statewide RRD was created, experienced good participation, and was well evaluated. The annual, statewide Ob/Gyn RRD may serve as a model for development of other specialty-specific, statewide RRD events.

Agent-Based Modeling of Day-Ahead Real Time Pricing in a Pool-Based Electricity Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sh. Yousefi

2011-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, an agent-based structure of the electricity retail market is presented based on which day-ahead (DA energy procurement for customers is modeled. Here, we focus on operation of only one Retail Energy Provider (REP agent who purchases energy from DA pool-based wholesale market and offers DA real time tariffs to a group of its customers. As a model of customer response to the offered real time prices, an hourly acceptance function is proposed in order to represent the hourly changes in the customer’s effective demand according to the prices. Here, Q-learning (QL approach is applied in day-ahead real time pricing for the customers enabling the REP agent to discover which price yields the most benefit through a trial-and-error search. Numerical studies are presented based on New England day-ahead market data which include comparing the results of RTP based on QL approach with that of genetic-based pricing.

Emergency Department (ED, ED Observation, Day Hospital, and Hospital Admissions for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Silva

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Use of alternative venues to manage uncomplicated vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC, such as a day hospital (DH or ED observation unit, for patients with sickle cell anemia, may significantly reduce admission rates, which may subsequently reduce 30-day readmission rates. Methods: In the context of a two-institution quality improvement project to implement best practices for management of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD VOC, we prospectively compared acute care encounters for utilization of 1 emergency department (ED; 2 ED observation unit; 3 DH, and 4 hospital admission, of two different patient cohorts with SCD presenting to our two study sites. Using a representative sample of patients from each institution, we also tabulated SCD patient visits or admissions to outside hospitals within 20 miles of the patients’ home institutions. Results: Over 30 months 427 patients (297 at Site 1 and 130 at Site 2 initiated 4,740 institutional visits, totaling 6,627 different acute care encounters, including combinations of encounters. The range of encounters varied from a low of 0 (203 of 500 patients [40.6%] at Site 1; 65 of 195 patients [33.3%] at Site 2, and a high of 152 (5/month acute care encounters for one patient at Site 2. Patients at Site 2 were more likely to be admitted to the hospital during the study period (88.4% vs. 74.4%, p=0.0011 and have an ED visit (96.9% vs. 85.5%, p=0.0002. DH was used more frequently at Site 1 (1.207 encounters for 297 patients at Site 1, vs. 199 encounters for 130 patients at Site 2, and ED observation was used at Site 1 only. Thirty-five percent of patients visited hospitals outside their home academic center. Conclusion: In this 30-month assessment of two sickle cell cohorts, healthcare utilization varied dramatically between individual patients. One cohort had more hospital admissions and ED encounters, while the other cohort had more day hospital encounters and used a sickle cell disease

Representing vision and blindness.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Patrick L; Cox, Alexander P; Jensen, Mark; Allen, Travis; Duncan, William; Diehl, Alexander D

2016-01-01

There have been relatively few attempts to represent vision or blindness ontologically. This is unsurprising as the related phenomena of sight and blindness are difficult to represent ontologically for a variety of reasons. Blindness has escaped ontological capture at least in part because: blindness or the employment of the term 'blindness' seems to vary from context to context, blindness can present in a myriad of types and degrees, and there is no precedent for representing complex phenomena such as blindness. We explore current attempts to represent vision or blindness, and show how these attempts fail at representing subtypes of blindness (viz., color blindness, flash blindness, and inattentional blindness). We examine the results found through a review of current attempts and identify where they have failed. By analyzing our test cases of different types of blindness along with the strengths and weaknesses of previous attempts, we have identified the general features of blindness and vision. We propose an ontological solution to represent vision and blindness, which capitalizes on resources afforded to one who utilizes the Basic Formal Ontology as an upper-level ontology. The solution we propose here involves specifying the trigger conditions of a disposition as well as the processes that realize that disposition. Once these are specified we can characterize vision as a function that is realized by certain (in this case) biological processes under a range of triggering conditions. When the range of conditions under which the processes can be realized are reduced beyond a certain threshold, we are able to say that blindness is present. We characterize vision as a function that is realized as a seeing process and blindness as a reduction in the conditions under which the sight function is realized. This solution is desirable because it leverages current features of a major upper-level ontology, accurately captures the phenomenon of blindness, and can be

Youth Versus Adult “Weightlifting” Injuries Presenting to United States Emergency Rooms: Accidental Versus Nonaccidental Injury Mechanisms

OpenAIRE

Myer, Gregory D.; Quatman, Carmen E.; Khoury, Jane; Wall, Eric J.; Hewett, Timothy E.

2009-01-01

Myer, GD, Quatman, CE, Khoury, J, Wall, EJ, and Hewett, TE. Youth versus adult “weightlifting” injuries presenting to united states emergency rooms: accidental versus nonaccidental injury mechanisms. J Strength Cond Res 23(7): 2054–2060, 2009—Resistance training has previously been purported to be unsafe and ineffective in children. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate resistance training-related injuries presenting to U.S. emergency rooms by age, type, and mechanism of injury. W...

Children's Understanding of Night and Day: A Research Report Presented at NCSS, 1984.

Science.gov (United States)

Frazee, Bruce M.

What advanced 4- and 5-year-old children know about night and day in relationship to the earth and sun was studied to test the hypothesis that two teaching activities would help children to understand the cause of the phenomenon. Participants were 21 middle to upper class boys and girls enrolled in a part-time early childhood enrichment program…

Trends in screen time on week and weekend days in a representative sample of Southern Brazil students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, Adair S; Silva, Kelly S; Barbosa Filho, Valter C; Bezerra, Jorge; de Oliveira, Elusa S A; Nahas, Markus V

2014-12-01

Economic and technological improvements can help increase screen time use among adolescents, but evidence in developing countries is scarce. The aim of this study was to examine changes in TV watching and computer/video game use patterns on week and weekend days after a decade (2001 and 2011), among students in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. A comparative analysis of two cross-sectional surveys that included 5 028 and 6 529 students in 2001 and 2011, respectively, aged 15-19 years. The screen time use indicators were self-reported. 95% Confidence intervals were used to compare the prevalence rates. All analyses were separated by gender. After a decade, there was a significant increase in computer/video game use. Inversely, a significant reduction in TV watching was observed, with a similar magnitude to the change in computer/video game use. The worst trends were identified on weekend days. The decrease in TV watching after a decade appears to be compensated by the increase in computer/video game use, both in boys and girls. Interventions are needed to reduce the negative impact of technological improvements in the lifestyles of young people, especially on weekend days. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

78 FR 62313 - General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-16

... the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2013, as General Pulaski Memorial Day. I...- eighth. (Presidential Sig.) [FR Doc. 2013-24502 Filed 10-15-13; 8:45 am] Billing code 3295-F4 ...

Teaching with Social Media: Disrupting Present Day Public Education

Science.gov (United States)

Meabon Bartow, Susan

2014-01-01

Because social technologies present illuminating educational, ethical, economic, and structural challenges to existing constructions of public education, they catalyze a fundamental examination of what public education should look like and be like in a democracy. Given their performances in other arenas, mobile and electronic technologies have the…

Green accounts & day high schools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1997-01-01

The arcticle presents the concept of green accounts and describes how it can be used in the daily work and the teaching at day high schools.......The arcticle presents the concept of green accounts and describes how it can be used in the daily work and the teaching at day high schools....

Delayed splenic rupture presenting 70 days following blunt abdominal trauma.

Science.gov (United States)

Resteghini, Nancy; Nielsen, Jonpaul; Hoimes, Matthew L; Karam, Adib R

2014-01-01

Delayed splenic rupture following conservative management of splenic injury is an extremely rare complication. We report a case of an adult patient who presented with delayed splenic rupture necessitating splenectomy, 2 months following blunt abdominal trauma. Imaging at the initial presentation demonstrated only minimal splenic contusion and the patient was discharge following 24 hours of observation. © 2014.

Delivery outcomes after day and night onset of labour.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanwar, Sandeep; Rabindran, Ranjit; Lindow, Stephen W

2015-11-01

To describe the outcome of night onset of labour as compared with the day onset of labour to investigate if labour that begins at night is more efficient. Retrospective review of labour and delivery data. A large United Kingdom maternity service. Over the period of 10 years, there were 30,022 deliveries, of which 19,842 were studied. A United Kingdom maternity department database was used to identify deliveries over a 10-year period, and the delivery outcomes were retrieved from these records. The 19,842 labours were divided into two categories: night onset (22.00-06.00 h) and day onset (10.00-18.00 h). Rates of operative intervention, augmentation, epidural usage and labour duration. A significant difference in delivery outcome was noted (P=0.004) with the night-onset labours having more normal deliveries (83.6% vs. 82.5%), fewer caesarean sections (8.7% vs. 10.1%), fewer labour augmentations with syntocinon (14.9% vs. 19.5%, Pnight-onset group and 2414 (30%) in the day-onset group (χ2=1.3, P=NS) Conclusions: Labours that start at night appear to be more efficient than labours that start during the day.

School-Based Mental Health Programs in the United States: Present Status and a Blueprint for the Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfeiffer, Steven I.; Reddy, Linda A.

1998-01-01

Provides overview of sociocultural and political factors in the United States that have influenced recent interest in school-based health and mental health programs. Describes four well-known programs and presents a new framework, the Tripartite Model of School-Based Mental Health Interventions, to stimulate thinking on future programs. Addresses…

Top-down freezing in a Fe-FeS core and Ganymede's present-day magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Rückriemen, Tina; Breuer, Doris; Spohn, Tilman

2018-06-01

Ganymede's core most likely possesses an active dynamo today, which produces a magnetic field at the surface of ∼ 719 nT. Thermochemical convection triggered by cooling of the core is a feasible power source for the dynamo. Experiments of different research groups indicate low pressure gradients of the melting temperatures for Fe-FeS core alloys at pressures prevailing in Ganymede's core ( < 10 GPa). This may entail that the core crystallizes from the top instead of from the bottom as is expected for Earth's core. Depending on the core sulfur concentration being more iron- or more sulfur-rich than the eutectic concentration either snowing iron crystals or a solid FeS layer can form at the top of the core. We investigate whether these two core crystallization scenarios are capable of explaining Ganymede's present magnetic activity. To do so, we set up a parametrized one-dimensional thermal evolution model. We explore a wide range of parameters by running a large set of Monte Carlo simulations. Both freezing scenarios can explain Ganymede's present-day magnetic field. Dynamos of iron snow models are rather young ( < 1 Gyr), whereas dynamos below the FeS layer can be both young and much older ( ∼ 3.8 Gyr). Successful models preferably contain less radiogenic heat sources in the mantle than the chondritic abundance and show a correlation between the reference viscosity in the mantle and the initial core sulfur concentration.

The Impact of Pecha Kucha Presentations in the Assessment of a Translation Studies Unit at the University of Western Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Colombi, Anna Gadd

2017-01-01

Results of a case study on the implementation of Pecha Kucha presentations undertaken at The University of Western Australia in 2015 are presented and discussed here. Pecha Kucha, a fast-paced presentation format consisting of 20 slides set to proceed automatically every 20 seconds, was used in the assessment of the unit "Translation…

Workshop presentations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanden, Per-Olof; Edland, Anne; Reiersen, Craig; Mullins, Peter; Ingemarsson, Karl-Fredrik; Bouchard, Andre; Watts, Germaine; Johnstone, John; Hollnagel, Erik; Ramberg, Patric; Reiman, Teemu

2009-01-01

An important part of the workshop was a series of invited presentations. The presentations were intended to both provide the participants with an understanding of various organisational approaches and activities as well as to stimulate the exchange of ideas during the small group discussion sessions. The presentation subjects ranged from current organisational regulations and licensee activities to new organisational research and the benefits of viewing organisations from a different perspective. There were more than a dozen invited presentations. The initial set of presentations gave the participants an overview of the background, structure, and aims of the workshop. This included a short presentation on the results from the regulatory responses to the pre-workshop survey. Representatives from four countries (Sweden, Canada, Finland, and the United Kingdom) expanded upon their survey responses with detailed presentations on both regulatory and licensee safety-related organisational activities in their countries. There were also presentations on new research concerning how to evaluate safety critical organisations and on a resilience engineering perspective to safety critical organisations. Below is the list of the presentations, the slides of which being available in Appendix 2: 1 - Workshop Welcome (Per-Olof Sanden); 2 - CSNI Working Group on Human and Organisational Factors (Craig Reiersen); 3 - Regulatory expectations on justification of suitability of licensee organisational structures, resources and competencies (Anne Edland); 4 - Justifying the suitability of licensee organisational structures, resources and competencies (Karl-Fredrik Ingemarsson); 5 - Nuclear Organisational Suitability in Canada (Andre Bouchard); 6 - Designing and Resourcing for Safety and Effectiveness (Germaine Watts); 7 - Organisational Suitability - What do you need and how do you know that you've got it? (Craig Reiersen); 8 - Suitability of Organisations - UK Regulator's View (Peter

H.E. Mr Ichiro Fujisaki Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Japan to the Office of the United Nations and the other international organisations in Geneva visit the LHCb Experiment at point 8.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2007-01-01

H.E. Mr Ichiro Fujisaki Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Japan to the Office of the United Nations and the other international organisations in Geneva visit the LHCb Experiment at point 8.

His Excellency Mr Maurizio Enrico Serra Ambassador Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva on the occasion of the Inauguration of the Industrial Exhibition Italy@ CERN

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2017-01-01

His Excellency Mr Maurizio Enrico Serra Ambassador Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva on the occasion of the Inauguration of the Industrial Exhibition Italy@ CERN

"A Day Without Immigrants"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heiskanen, Benita

2009-01-01

Abstract This article considers the debates surrounding the "Day Without Immigrants" protests organized in major U.S. cities on 1 May 2006, prompted by H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, from the multiple perspectives of scholars, pundits...... that the rhetoric used in these discourses pitted various class-based ethnoracial groups against each other not so much to tackle the proposed immigration bill but, rather, to comment on the ramifications of an increasingly multiracial United States. Udgivelsesdato: 01 December 2009...

NPP Cernavoda Unit 2 Financing Completion Works

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chirica, T.; Stefanescu, A.; Constantin, C.; Dobrin, M.

2002-01-01

NPP Cernavoda Unit 2 completion is the highest priority of the Romanian power sector strategy. The nuclear energy represents, through its technological features of adopted solution (a CANDU nuclear power plant) and also through technological and economical performance indicators, the best solution to fulfill the demands concerning the sustainable development and the electricity request. The guidelines of energy strategy regarding the nuclear sector development in Romania are framing in the general policy for energy system development at least costs and they are responding to requests concerning the environment and people protection. The paper presents the financing alternatives for Unit 2 completion works taking into consideration the financing market conditions. The paper presents the impact of the financing conditions on the project efficiency, as well as the facilities offered by the Romanian Government in order to support this project. (author)

40 CFR 60.4152 - Responsibilities of Hg authorized account representative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Responsibilities of Hg authorized... and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Tracking System § 60.4152 Responsibilities of Hg authorized account representative. Following the establishment of a Hg...

The Cyclicity of the Development of the Global Economic System amid Present-Day Globalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihail N. Dudin

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The relevance of this topic is associated with the diversity of causes behind crisis processes in economics and the individuality of each particular crisis. This necessitates classifying them in a detailed fashion. The present downturn is a manifestation of the cyclicity of the development of the global economic system amid present-day globalization and the established architecture of the institutional space. The formal (legislation, contractual rules, corporate norms, etc. and non-formal institutes (rules, customs, traditions, behavior as a whole, etc., undergoing changes in their structure and mechanisms, caused the emergence of financial innovations whose yield surpassed that of the real sector of the economy multifold. This facilitated the concentration of money in financial markets and transforming them into a thing-in-itself. The theory of economic cycles is one of the theories of economic dynamics which explain the movement of the national economy. While the theory of economic growth explores factors and conditions for growth as a long-term trend, the theory of cycles deals with causes behind fluctuations in economic activity through time. Results. In accordance with the aims of this study, the authors established that crises can have the following causes: objective, which are associated with the cyclical development of the system, modernization and restructuring needs, and the impact of external factors, and subjective, which reflect errors in management, shortcomings in the organization of production, and the imperfections of innovation and investment policy. A crisis can take its course manifestly and be easily detected or can be inconspicuous and take its course in a latent form. The most dangerous are crises that affect the system as a whole. In a situation of this kind, there forms a train of complex issues resolving which depends on the timeliness of detecting them and professionalism in managing the organization, municipal

The Association between Mental Health and Violence among a Nationally Representative Sample of College Students from the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Joseph A; Beaver, Kevin M; Barnes, J C

2015-01-01

Recent violent attacks on college campuses in the United States have sparked discussions regarding the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and the perpetration of violence among college students. While previous studies have examined the potential association between mental health problems and violent behavior, the overall pattern of findings flowing from this literature remain mixed and no previous studies have examined such associations among college students. The current study makes use of a nationally representative sample of 3,929 college students from the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to examine the prevalence of seven violent behaviors and 19 psychiatric disorder diagnoses tapping mood, anxiety, personality, and substance use disorders. Associations between individual and composite psychiatric disorder diagnoses and violent behaviors were also examined. Additional analyses were adjusted for the comorbidity of multiple psychiatric diagnoses. The results revealed that college students were less likely to have engaged in violent behavior relative to the non-student sample, but a substantial portion of college students had engaged in violent behavior. Age- and sex-standardized prevalence rates indicated that more than 21% of college students reported at least one violent act. In addition, more than 36% of college students had at least one diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Finally, the prevalence of one or more psychiatric disorders significantly increased the odds of violent behavior within the college student sample. These findings indicate that violence and psychiatric disorders are prevalent on college campuses in the United States, though perhaps less so than in the general population. In addition, college students who have diagnosable psychiatric disorders are significantly more likely to engage in various forms of violent behavior.

76 FR 30497 - Armed Forces Day, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-25

... are willing to sacrifice their lives for the security of our Nation and the freedoms of their fellow... its people. From our earliest days as a fledgling republic, the United States has relied on the... civil authorities and private citizens. I invite the Governors of the States, the Commonwealth of Puerto...

Colorado's Alternative School Calendar Program and the Four Day Week.

Science.gov (United States)

Brubacher, Roy G.; Stiverson, C. L.

Taking advantage of legislation permitting modified school calendars, the four-day work week has been implemented by 23 small, rural Colorado school districts representing 5,200 children. Thirteen districts implemented the four-day program in the 1980-81 school year. Ten additional districts applied as first year pilot programs in the 1981-82…

March to Armageddon: The United States and the nuclear arms race, 1939 to the present

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Powaski, R.

1987-01-01

This history of the events, forces, and factors that have brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust probes two basic questions: what factors perpetuate the nuclear arms race and why is it so difficult to end. Starting with the opening days of World War II, this study traces the escalating arms race up to the present and notes that, while nuclear arsenals continue to grow, nuclear arms treaties are on the verge of collapse.

History of United States Energy. A Basic Teaching Unit on Energy. Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

McDermott, Hugh, Ed.; Scharmann, Larry, Ed.

Intended as a supplement to the units "Oil: Fuel of the Past" and "Coal: Fuel of the Past, Hope of the Future," this 3-4 day unit contains three activities which briefly explain the chronological development of energy resources and the formation and development of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The…

Comparison of good days and sick days of school-age children with cancer reflected through their drawings.

Science.gov (United States)

Linder, Lauri A; Bratton, Heather; Nguyen, Anna; Parker, Kori; Phinney, Susanna

2017-10-01

Childhood cancer disrupts children's daily life experiences. Eliciting children's perspectives regarding their life experiences during cancer treatment can be challenging. The purpose of this study was to characterize elementary school-age children's "good days" and "sick days" through their drawings. This study used draw-and-tell interviews, a developmentally sensitive arts-based technique that supports children's recall and communication of information, facilitating a deeper understanding of children's personal interpretation and meaning of a given phenomenon of interest. Children were asked to draw pictures representing both a "good day" and a "sick day." Following completion of each drawing, research team members used a semi-structured interview guide to elicit children's explanations of their pictures. Content analysis techniques were used to descriptively characterize children's drawings followed by thematic analysis to identify commonalities. Participants were 27 children 6.33-12.83 years of age (mean 9.16 years; SD = 1.9) receiving treatment for cancer. "Good day" and "sick day" pictures were similar with regards to the presence of the child, the inclusion of other individuals, and the type of art medium used. Children's pictures characterized "good days" as being happy, outside in sunny weather, and engaged in activities. In contrast, "sick days" were characterized as feeling sad, lying down or reclining, and experiencing illness-related symptoms. Children's drawings illustrate their capacity to provide rich personal data related to their "good days" and "sick days." Incorporating arts-based strategies in the clinical setting may provide a child-centric strategy to understand the child's perspective and direct interventions.

Financial implications of the accident at Three Mile Island. Oversight hearings before the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives, Ninety-Seventh Congress, First Session on financial implications of the accident at Three Mile Island, hearings held in Washington, DC, May 4-5, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

Five panel presentations and a total of 21 witnesses testified at a two-day hearing May 4-5, 1981, in Washington, DC, on the financial consequences of the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident and the economic issues of the cleanup. The committee's goal was to listen to recommendations for government response and to determine the government's proper role and whether legislation is necessary to fulfill that role. Another issue under consideration was the restart of the undamaged unit one. The hearing record includes testimony of witnesses representing the nuclear power industry, environmental groups, and the financial and insurance industries and three appendices with additional materials

Pharmaceutical sales representatives and patient safety: a comparative prospective study of information quality in Canada, France and the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Mintzes, Barbara; Lexchin, Joel; Sutherland, Jason M; Beaulieu, Marie-Dominique; Wilkes, Michael S; Durrieu, Geneviève; Reynolds, Ellen

2013-10-01

The information provided by pharmaceutical sales representatives has been shown to influence prescribing. To enable safe prescribing, medicines information must include harm as well as benefits. Regulation supports this aim, but relative effectiveness of different approaches is not known. The United States (US) and France directly regulate drug promotion; Canada relies on industry self-regulation. France has the strictest information standards. This is a prospective cohort study in Montreal, Vancouver, Sacramento and Toulouse. We recruited random samples of primary care physicians from May 2009 to June 2010 to report on consecutive sales visits. The primary outcome measure was "minimally adequate safety information" (mention of at least one indication, serious adverse event, common adverse event, and contraindication, and no unqualified safety claims or unapproved indications). Two hundred and fifty-five physicians reported on 1,692 drug-specific promotions. "Minimally adequate safety information" did not differ: 1.7 % of promotions; range 0.9-3.0 % per site. Sales representatives provided some vs. no information on harm more often in Toulouse than in Montreal and Vancouver: 61 % vs. 34 %, OR = 4.0; 95 % CI 2.8-5.6, or Sacramento (39 %), OR = 2.4; 95 % CI 1.7-3.6. Serious adverse events were rarely mentioned (5-6 % of promotions in all four sites), although 45 % of promotions were for drugs with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "black box" warnings of serious risks. Nevertheless, physicians judged the quality of scientific information to be good or excellent in 901 (54 %) of promotions, and indicated readiness to prescribe 64 % of the time. "Minimally adequate safety information" did not differ in the US and Canadian sites, despite regulatory differences. In Toulouse, consistent with stricter standards, more harm information was provided. However, in all sites, physicians were rarely informed about serious adverse events, raising questions about

3 CFR 8458 - Proclamation 8458 of November 20, 2009. Thanksgiving Day, 2009

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also... every part of the world. While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique... twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United...

XXXIX Days of Radiation Protection. Proceedings of Presentations and Posters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-01-01

The publication has been set up as a proceedings of presented presentations and posters on the conference dealing with health protection during work with ionizing radiation for different activities which involve the handling of ionizing radiation sources. The main conference topics are focused on current problems in radiation protection and radioecology. In this proceedings totally 55 presentations and posters are included. The Conference consists of following sections: (I) Radiation protection, consequences of implementation of the EU2013/59 directive in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic); (II) Radiation protection in the application of ionizing radiation in medicine; (III) Dosimetry and metrology of external and internal irradiation; (IV) Natural sources of ionizing radiation, national radon programs; (V) Nuclear energy, the concept of decommissioning of nuclear power plants in terms of radiation protection; (VI) Use of standards of radiation protection in emergency management; (VII) Biological effects of radiation and estimation of irradiation risk.

76 FR 63807 - Leif Erikson Day, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-13

... Erikson Day, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation The first Europeans known to set foot on North America took to the ocean more than a millennium ago, facing fierce waters..., let us celebrate his life and legacy with the bold pursuit of America's next great innovation. To...

75 FR 3843 - Religious Freedom Day, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-22

... protect our freedom of religion, including the freedom to practice none at all. Many faiths are now..., declaring freedom of religion as the natural right of all humanity--not a privilege for any government to... Religious Freedom Day, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Long before our...

Prolonged Ileus in an Infant Presenting with Primary Congenital Hypothyroidism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Chua

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Congenital hypothyroidism (CH is the most common endocrine disorder affecting the newborn. Universal newborn screening (NBS has virtually eliminated the static encephalopathy and devastating neurodevelopmental syndrome known as cretinism. This report describes the presentation of an infant referred by the primary pediatrician to our hospital at 12 days of age for confirmatory testing after the NBS was consistent with CH. The infant had hypoglycemia secondary to lethargy and poor feeding and required transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit for worsening abdominal distension despite normalization of serum thyroid function tests following hormone replacement. In particular, the recalcitrant ileus and secondary bowel obstruction resulted in an additional diagnostic workup and lengthened hospital day. Our report highlights the acute gastrointestinal consequences of hypothyroidism despite evidence of effective treatment. We believe that the preclinical detection and immediate therapy for CH have lessened the prevalence of this presentation in general practice, and hence practitioners are less likely to be familiar with its natural history and management.

Day-to-day repeatability of the Pulse Time Index of Norm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Posokhov IN

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Igor N Posokhov,1 Aleksandra O Konradi,2 Eugeny V Shlyakhto,2 Oleg V Mamontov,2 Artemy V Orlov,3 Anatoly N Rogoza4 1Hemodynamic Laboratory Ltd, Nizhniy Novgorod, 2Almazov Federal Heart, Blood and Endocrinology Centre, Saint Petersburg, 3Department 65 Competitive System Analysis, National Research Nuclear University, Moscow, 4Cardiology Research Center, Moscow, Russia Abstract: The pulse wave velocity (PWV threshold for hypertensive target organ damage is presently set at 10 meters per second. New 24-hour monitors (eg, BPLab® and Vasotens® provide several PWV measurements over a period of 24–72 hours. A new parameter, ie, the Pulse Time Index of Norm (PTIN, can be calculated from these data. The PTIN is defined as the percentage of a 24-hour period during which the PWV does not exceed 10 meters per second. The aim of the present study was to test the new PTIN for clinical feasibility using day-to-day repeatability analysis. Oscillometrically generated waveform files (n=85, which were previously used for research studies, were reanalyzed using the new 2013 version software of the Vasotens technology program, which enables calculation of PTIN. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.98 and Cronbach's alpha was 0.97, indicating that the PTIN has excellent day-to-day repeatability and internal consistency. The present results show adequate repeatability, and PTIN assessment using the Vasotens technology appears to be feasible. Keywords: pulse wave velocity, ambulatory, 24-hour, monitoring, Pulse Time Index of Norm, arterial stiffness

THE STRUCTURE OF HAPPINESS REPRESENTATION FOR RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Yu. Zhdanova

2017-01-01

characteristics was carried out using segmental content analysis. The K. Muller’s technique of sign analyzing was used for nonverbal characteristics. Statistical analysis of the data was based on the use of the coefficient of φ-angular Fisher transform, correlation coefficient φ, and cluster analysis.Results and scientific novelty. Three multimodal clusters were selected, the structure of each included verbal and non-verbal characteristics of the oral narrative of happiness, individual characteristics (gender, age, and personality traits (extraversion-introversion. It is shown that these clusters are invariant and are manifested in the representation of the state of happiness, regardless of belonging to culture. The variability in the oral narrative of happiness is manifested in the differences in the frequency of access to the categories represented in the clusters identified, as well as in minor changes in the structure of clusters due to age. In particular, the Russian students more often appealed to the categories describing values of family and family well-being, as well as they used the non-verbal units showing aspiration to deduction of emotional state. The American students were more inclined to the choice of the verbal units connected with achievements in activity, and non-verbal categories (peripheral gestures indicating importance of the relations with other people. The verbal and non-verbal units, reflecting interaction with a social context, have been equally presented in the sample of the Russian and American respondents’ representations.Practical significance. The materials of the present publication can be taken into account when choosing methods of work in the framework of positive psychotherapy, as well as in developing training programs aimed at raising the level of subjective well-being, happiness and satisfaction with life. The obtained results are the basis for the development of practical recommendations for improving the effectiveness of

Clinical and economic outcomes among hospitalized patients with acute coronary syndrome: an analysis of a national representative Medicare population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen SY

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Shih-Yin Chen,1 Concetta Crivera,2 Michael Stokes,1 Luke Boulanger,1 Jeffrey Schein2 1United BioSource Corporation, Lexington, MA, USA; 2Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Raritan, NJ, USA Objective: To evaluate the clinical and economic burden of acute coronary syndrome (ACS, a common cardiovascular illness, in the Medicare population. Methods: Data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey were analyzed. Patients with incident hospitalization for ACS without similar events during the 6 months prior were included. Outcomes evaluated included inpatient mortality, 30-day mortality and readmission, subsequent hospitalization events, and total direct health care costs. Sample population weights were applied, accounting for multistage sampling design to obtain nationally representative estimates for the US Medicare population. Results: Between March 1, 2002 and December 31, 2006, we identified 795 incident ACS patients (mean age 76 years; 49% male representing 2,542,211 Medicare beneficiaries. The inpatient mortality rate was 9.71% and the 30-day mortality ranged from 10.96% to 13.93%. The 30-day readmission rate for surviving patients was 18.56% for all causes and 17.90% for cardiovascular disease (CVD-related diagnoses. The incidence of death since admission was 309 cases per 1000 person–years. Among patients discharged alive, the incidence was 197 for death, 847 for CVD-related admission, and 906 for all-cause admission. During the year when the ACS event occurred, mean annual total direct health care costs per person were US$50,458, with more than half attributable to inpatient hospitalization ($27,609. Conclusion: In this national representative Medicare population, we found a substantial clinical and economic burden for ACS. These findings suggest a continuing unmet medical need for more effective management of patients with ACS. The continuous burden underscores the importance of development of new interventions and/or strategies to

Female college students' negative feelings toward their fathers : Comparison of present feelings with recollections of their junior high school days

OpenAIRE

石丸, 綾子; Ishimaru, Ayako

2013-01-01

An adolescent daughter’s relationship with her father is strained owing to her negative feelings, such as opposition, defiant attitude, and hatred, toward father. However, further details regarding these feelings and how they evolve during a daughter’s growing years have not been examined yet. In this study, a questionnaire survey was administered to female college students, asking about their negative feelings toward their fathers in the present and during their junior high school days. The ...

The Impact of Pecha Kucha Presentations in the Assessment of a Translation Studies Unit at The University of Western Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Gadd Colombi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Results of a case study on the implementation of Pecha Kucha presentations undertaken at The University of Western Australia in 2015 are presented and discussed here. Pecha Kucha, a fast-paced presentation format consisting of 20 slides set to proceed automatically every 20 seconds, was used in the assessment of the unit “Translation Localisation” for two reasons: it is a time-effective method to assess a large number of students in a short time, and it has the potential to teach students whilst also assessing them, thus killing two birds with one stone. Recent studies show that the Pecha Kucha style can improve presenting skills and English speaking skills in general. This has particular relevance when teaching large numbers of international students, such as in “Translation Localisation”, where 84% of students spoke English as their second language. The paper ultimately shows how the use of Pecha Kucha presentations in the assessment of a unit carries important pedagogical implications for students of English for Academic Purposes.

From Poule de Luxe to Geisha: Source Languages behind the Present-Day English Synonyms of Prostitute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bożena Duda

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at drawing a picture, as complete as possible, of an anthropocentric reality hidden in the synonyms of prostitute which have been incorporated into the English lexico-semantic system from other languages since the beginning of the 19th century. The body of Present-day English synonyms of prostitute to be analysed includes horizontal, geisha, shawl and poule de luxe. Apart from providing the source languages from which English borrowed the afore-mentioned synonyms of prostitute, an attempt will be made at discovering the plausible cultural and sociological justification for the lexical borrowings to have taken place. In order to make the onomasiological picture of the sense ‘prostitute’ as complete as it can be within the limits of this paper, a mention will be made of the lexical heritage within the range of the synonyms of prostitute which were incorporated into the English language in the course of Middle English, Early Modern English and Late Modern English.

Comparing early twentieth century and present-day atmospheric pollution in SW France: A story of lichens.

Science.gov (United States)

Agnan, Y; Séjalon-Delmas, N; Probst, A

2013-01-01

Lichens have long been known to be good indicators of air quality and atmospheric deposition. Xanthoria parietina was selected to investigate past (sourced from a herbarium) and present-day trace metal pollution in four sites from South-West France (close to Albi). Enrichment factors, relationships between elements and hierarchical classification indicated that the atmosphere was mainly impacted by coal combustion (as shown by As, Pb or Cd contamination) during the early twentieth century, whereas more recently, another mixture of pollutants (e.g. Sb, Sn, Pb and Cu) from local factories and car traffic has emerged. The Rare Earth Elements (REE) and other lithogenic elements indicated a higher dust content in the atmosphere in the early twentieth century and a specific lithological local signature. In addition to long-range atmospheric transport, local urban emissions had a strong impact on trace element contamination registered in lichens, particularly for contemporary data. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ocean Bottom Deformation Due To Present-Day Mass Redistribution and Its Impact on Sea Level Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Frederikse, Thomas; Riva, Riccardo E. M.; King, Matt A.

2017-12-01

Present-day mass redistribution increases the total ocean mass and, on average, causes the ocean bottom to subside elastically. Therefore, barystatic sea level rise is larger than the resulting global mean geocentric sea level rise, observed by satellite altimetry and GPS-corrected tide gauges. We use realistic estimates of mass redistribution from ice mass loss and land water storage to quantify the resulting ocean bottom deformation and its effect on global and regional ocean volume change estimates. Over 1993-2014, the resulting globally averaged geocentric sea level change is 8% smaller than the barystatic contribution. Over the altimetry domain, the difference is about 5%, and due to this effect, barystatic sea level rise will be underestimated by more than 0.1 mm/yr over 1993-2014. Regional differences are often larger: up to 1 mm/yr over the Arctic Ocean and 0.4 mm/yr in the South Pacific. Ocean bottom deformation should be considered when regional sea level changes are observed in a geocentric reference frame.

Day Care Legal Handbook: Legal Aspects of Organizing and Operating Day Care Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Aikman, William F.

This guide for providers of day care services presents information on business regulations and other legal considerations affecting for-profit and not-for-profit day care programs. Three basic topics covered are: (1) choosing the type of organization (sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation), (2) forming the organization, and (3) operating…

77 FR 29529 - Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2012

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-18

... Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation... time, this new system will give our Nation's police officers and first responders a dedicated... obligation to give their loved ones the support they deserve. During Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police...

Postoperative infections after major heart surgery and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia: a one-day European prevalence study (ESGNI-008).

Science.gov (United States)

Bouza, E; Hortal, J; Muñoz, P; Pascau, J; Pérez, M J; Hiesmayr, M

2006-11-01

Few data have been published on the prevalence of postoperative infection in patients undergoing major heart surgery (MHS). The degree of compliance with standard measures used to prevent them is unknown. This study assessed the prevalence of infections, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), in patients undergoing MHS in 42 institutions from 13 European countries. On the study day, there were 321 postoperative MHS patients, of whom 164 (51%) were mechanically ventilated. The overall prevalence of infection was 26.8%. Lower respiratory tract infections represented 57% of all the infections present on the study day. Other infections included intravenous-catheter-related bloodstream infections (2.8%), surgical site infections (2.2%), urinary tract infections (0.9%) and postoperative mediastinitis (0.9%). Of the mechanically ventilated patients, 55 (33.5%) were not being nursed in a semi-recumbent position, 36 (22%) had heat-moisture exchangers with no antibacterial filters, and intracuff pressure was not monitored in 78 patients (47.6%). Only 13 patients (8%) were given continuous subglottic suctioning, 64 patients (39%) did not receive postural oscillation, and gastric overdistension was not actively prevented in 23 patients (14%). In conclusion, these data from intensive care units across Europe provide information on postoperative infections in an important subset of the patient population, and stress the need for active interventions to prevent VAP in patients undergoing MHS.

Incidence of constipation in an intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra, Tatiana Lopes de Souza; Mendonça, Simone Sotero; Marshall, Norma Guimarães

2013-01-01

To evaluate the incidence of constipation in critical patients on enteral nutrition in a hospital intensive care unit and to correlate this incidence with the variables found for critical patients. The present investigation was a retrospective analytical study conducted in the intensive care unit of Hospital Regional da Asa Norte (DF) via the analysis of medical records of patients admitted during the period from January to December 2011. Data on the incidence of constipation and enteral nutritional support, gastrointestinal changes, stool frequency, ventilatory support, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. The initial sample consisted of 127 patients admitted to the unit during the period from January to December 2011. Eighty-four patients were excluded, and the final sample consisted of 43 patients. The incidence of constipation, defined as no bowel movement during the first 4 days of hospitalization, was 72% (n=31). The patients were divided into a control group and a constipated group. The group of constipated patients reached the caloric target, on average, at 6.5 days, and the control group reached the caloric target in 5.6 days (p=0.51). Constipation was not associated with the length of hospital stay, suspension of nutritional support, or outcome of hospitalization. There was an association between evacuation during hospitalization and a longer duration of hospitalization for a subgroup of patients who did not evacuate during the entire period (p=0.009). The incidence of constipation in the unit studied was 72%. Only the absence of evacuation during hospitalization was associated with longer hospital stays. Constipation was not associated with the length of hospital stay, suspension of nutritional support, or outcome of hospitalization.

[Prospective assessment of children with pervasive developmental disorder after 2 years of day-hospital treatment].

Science.gov (United States)

Poinso, F; Dubois, B; Chatel, C; Viellard, M; Bastard-Rosset, D; Girardot, A-M; Grandgeorge, P; De Martino, S; Sokolowsky, M; Salle-Collemiche, X; Da Fonseca, D

2013-01-01

The treatment of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) has not been systematically assessed in French day-care units. In this prospective study, 11 children with a diagnosis of PDD were followed up for 2years in a day-care unit in the Marseille university hospital. The treatment they received is based on an initial assessment by the "Centre Ressources Autisme" (CRA PACA) and further included a continued observation of the child and an assessment of the child's abilities and needs. This treatment used various therapeutic approaches 10h weekly and also included parental counseling and coordinated work with schools. Treatment in our day-care unit can be categorized as eclectic, non-intensive therapy. It is based on methods such as TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children), Floor Time Play, speech and language therapy, developmental therapy, and psychotherapy. International studies on intensive behavioral therapies suggest that this treatment is superior to non-behavioral and/or non-intensive treatment. They suggest its efficiency is due both to the nature of the treatment (behavioral) and to its intensity (more than 25h a week). In this study, the CRA diagnosed children using the ADI and ADOS. The 11 children (mean age, 3years 5months) were tested twice, with the Vineland and CARS scales. The first assessment was on admission to the day hospital and the second was 2years later. The results showed developmental progress with a mean increase of 13.5 months at the Vineland Scale, and a decrease of the autism severity score on the CARS. The treatment presented here proves to be efficient; if compared to similar results in international studies, we obtained better results than their eclectic intensive or non-intensive treatment comparison group. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

26 August 2016 - K. Singye Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva signing the CERN Guest book with Adviser P. Fassnacht

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2016-01-01

His Excellency Mr Kinga Singye Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva Friday 26 August 2016

The present-day level of long-living artificial radionuclides content in mosses, lichens and needles of Siberia areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strakhovenko, V.D.; Sukhorukov, F.V.; Shcherbov, B.L.

2005-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to estimate the present-day level of long-living artificial radionuclides activity in lichen-moss cover and needles in the Siberia region. During the expeditionary activities (1995-2004) the Lichen cover mosses and needles were sampled in the Ust'-Ordinsky and Aginsky Buryatsky autonomous regions, Altai area, Republic of Altai, Novosibirsk Region, the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous region. The identical species of lichen, mosses. needles were collected from Siberia (lichens - Cladonia, Evernia, Usnea, Parmeli; mosses - Polytrichum, Hylocomium, Pleurozium, Sphagnum; needles - Pinaceae). It was collected 6 and more lichen species from each of 18 sample sites, more than 3 Moss species from 7 sample sites, and in place of coniferous trees joint growth (a pine, a cedar, a fir, a fur-tree and a larch). The needles were selected from all trees and thus were divided into one-year-old and many-year old. The samples were analyzed in the Laboratory of Trace Elements Geochemistry and Ecogeochemistry of the UIGGM, Novosibirsk, using special sample preparation and analysis techniques. The content of 137 Cs were determined by gamma-spectrometry (analyst Stepin A.S.), 90 Sr by beta-radiometry with a radiochemical sample preparation (analyst Makeover I.V.). The data reported are evidence that a present-day level of radioactive contamination in moss-lichen cover and needles of Siberia areas corresponds to this of global background, expect for northern area of Siberia (YNAD) for which hyperactivity are determined for the each of three components. Radiocesium concentration in one-year old needles reflects a level of atmospheric intake only for accidents, for other cases the condition of current needles reflects basically radionuclide level established as the result of dynamic balance between root intake and annual biogenic abscission of needles. (author)

Morphological indicators of growth stages in carbonates platform evolution: comparison between present-day and Miocene platforms of Northern Borneo, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierson, B.; Menier, D.; Ting, K. K.; Chalabi, A.

2012-04-01

Satellite images of present-day reefs and carbonate platforms of the Celebes Sea, east of Sabah, Malaysia, exhibit large-scale features indicative of the recent evolution of the platforms. These include: (1) multiple, sub-parallel reef rims at the windward margin, suggestive of back-stepping of the platform margin; (2) contraction of the platform, possibly as a result of recent sea level fluctuations; (3) colonization of the internal lagoons by polygonal reef structures and (4) fragmentation of the platforms and creation of deep channels separating platforms that used to be part of a single entity. These features are analogue to what has been observed on seismic attribute maps of Miocene carbonate platforms of Sarawak. An analysis of several growth stages of a large Miocene platform, referred to as the Megaplatform, shows that the platform evolves in function of syn-depositional tectonic movements and sea level fluctuations that result in back-stepping of the margin, illustrated by multiple reef rims, contraction of the platform, the development of polygonal structures currently interpreted as karstic in origin and fragmentation of the megaplatform in 3 sub-entities separated by deep channels that precedes the final demise of the whole platform. Comparing similar features on present-day to platforms and Miocene platforms leads to a better understanding of the growth history of Miocene platforms and to a refined predictability of reservoir and non-reservoir facies distribution.

Liver Hematoma Presented as Midgut Volvulus Due To Medical Error: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karimi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction The use of an umbilical catheterization is a usual practice in neonatal units. The insertion of the catheter has potential complications. Case Presentation Here, we report on our observation of a seven-day-old female newborn admitted for an abdominal distention and vomiting bile. Initially, diagnosis was midgut volvulus, for which an operation was performed. During the surgery, no intestinal malrotation, mesenteric defect or atresia was observed. Postoperative diagnosis was abdominal wall hematoma and rand ligament and ileus, as well as, sub-capsular liver hematoma. The patient had been hospitalized at birth at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. With the appearance of icterus on the first day of life, at the NICU tried to insert the umbilical catheter that had been filed. Conclusions The complication found in the patient was the result of an aggressive act (the umbilical catheter insertion. This intervention should not be carried out unless there are clear indications, and if so, it should be done with much care.

Resolution pattern of jaundice among children presenting with severe malaria in rural South-West Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Osonuga, O A; Osonuga, A; Osonuga, A A; Osonuga, I O

2012-07-01

To compare the pattern of jaundice resolution among children with severe malaria treated with quinine and artemether. Thirty two children who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study from two hospitals with intensive care facilities. They were divided into two groups; 'Q' and 'A', receiving quinine and artemether, respectively. Jaundice was assessed by clinical examination. Sixteen out of 32 children recruited (representing 50%) presented with jaundice on the day of recruitment. The mean age was (7.00°C2.56) years. On day 3, four patients in 'A' and six patients in 'Q' had jaundice. By day 7, no child had jaundice. The study has shown that both drugs resolve jaundice although artemether relatively resolves it faster by the third day.

Postoperative Calcium Management in Same-Day Discharge Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Kurt L; Hinson, Andrew M; Lawson, Bradley R; Middleton, Derek; Bodenner, Donald L; Stack, Brendan C

2016-05-01

To describe a safe and effective postoperative prophylactic calcium regimen for same-day discharge thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Case series with chart review. Tertiary referral academic institution. In total, 162 adult patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, completion thyroidectomy, unilateral parathyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy with bilateral neck exploration, or revision parathyroidectomy were identified preoperatively to be candidates for same-day discharge. All patients in this study were successfully discharged the same day on our standard prophylactic calcium regimen. Less than 1% (1/162) of patients re-presented to the hospital within 30 days of surgery, and that patient was successfully discharged from the emergency department after negative workup for hypocalcemia. There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative calcium levels in the total/completion thyroidectomy groups (9.3 vs 9.2 mg/dL, respectively; P = .14). The average postoperative calcium level in the parathyroid group was well within normal limits (9.5 mg/dL), and the difference in postoperative calcium levels between revision and primary parathyroidectomy cases was not significantly different (P = .34). The reported calcium regimen demonstrates a safe, effective, and objective means of postoperative calcium management in outpatient thyroid and parathyroid surgery in appropriately selected patients. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

Presentation and antimicrobial treatment of acute orofacial infections in general dental practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, M A; Meechan, C; MacFarlane, T W; Lamey, P J; Kay, E

1989-01-21

Information on the presentation of orofacial infections and the use of antimicrobial agents in general dental practice in the United Kingdom was obtained using a postal questionnaire. Six hundred dentists were randomly selected and a total of 340 replies were received, giving a response rate of 57%. The dental practitioners estimated that acute infection was present in only a minority (approximately 5%) of patients. A total of seven different antibiotics were prescribed, in a variety of regimens, for the treatment of bacterial infection. However, the majority of dentists (46-62%) preferred a 5-day course of penicillin (250 mg, qid) for bacterial conditions other than acute ulcerative gingivitis, for which most practitioners (89%) prescribed 3 days of metronidazole (200 mg, tid). Nystatin was the most frequently selected anticandidal agent and topical acyclovir the most popular therapy for Herpes simplex infection.

A Three-Stage Birandom Program for Unit Commitment with Wind Power Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Na Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The integration of large-scale wind power adds a significant uncertainty to power system planning and operating. The wind forecast error is decreased with the forecast horizon, particularly when it is from one day to several hours ahead. Integrating intraday unit commitment (UC adjustment process based on updated ultra-short term wind forecast information is one way to improve the dispatching results. A novel three-stage UC decision method, in which the day-ahead UC decisions are determined in the first stage, the intraday UC adjustment decisions of subfast start units are determined in the second stage, and the UC decisions of fast-start units and dispatching decisions are determined in the third stage is presented. Accordingly, a three-stage birandom UC model is presented, in which the intraday hours-ahead forecasted wind power is formulated as a birandom variable, and the intraday UC adjustment event is formulated as a birandom event. The equilibrium chance constraint is employed to ensure the reliability requirement. A birandom simulation based hybrid genetic algorithm is designed to solve the proposed model. Some computational results indicate that the proposed model provides UC decisions with lower expected total costs.

White supremacism and Islamic astronomy in history of astronomy texts from the eighteenth century to the present day

Science.gov (United States)

Lockard, Joe

2018-04-01

This paper reviews manifestations of racism in European and American histories of Arab and Persian astronomy from the eighteenth century to the present day. Its first section discusses representation of Islamic astronomy from Adam Smith to late Victorian writers, particularly tracing ideas of Arab unoriginality and scientific incapacity. The second section first relates the appearance of scientific racism in the early twentieth-century historiography of astronomy, then how the rise of scientifically and linguistically competent scholarship in the latter twentieth century provided much-improved information on Islamic achievements in astronomy. The paper’s conclusion underlines the importance of avoiding ethnic supremacism and integrating research on Islamic astronomy into teaching and publishing on the history of astronomy.

Doctors’ Orders: Specialists’ Day to Day Work and their jurisdictional Claims in Dutch Hospitals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.J. Kruijthof

2005-01-01

textabstractThis study analyses the nature and organisation of specialists' day to day work in general hospitals in the Netherlands and the claims for jurisdiction specialists make in their work. It is of interest because it presents a picture of specialist work from within. Most

Finisher hog production in the Southeastern United States: Ancillary measurements derived from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Robarge, W. P.; Lee, S.; Walker, J. T.

2010-12-01

Measurements of emissions of gases and fine particulate matter from swine animal feeding operations (AFOs) in the southeastern US have typically been confined to relatively short periods (days to several weeks) and have generally focused on waste lagoons. Access to swine animal housing units and other ancillary information has been limited. The National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) provided a unique opportunity to characterize emissions from swine housing units for an extended period of time (~ 2 years), and allowed access to ancillary measurements regarding nutrient flows (feed amounts and composition), manure dynamics, animal inventories, water usage and farm management. Presented here is a summary of the observations made for a NAEMS finisher site (NC3B) selected as being representative of swine production in the southeastern US. Finisher hogs are raised in rotations (~ 140 days) with a target market weight of 123 kg/hog. Among the population during a rotation (700-800 hogs/barn) the actual growth rate varies with a series of “grade-outs” of market-weight hogs starting ~ 110 days from initial load-in. Derivation of the standing live-weight in the barns during a rotation therefore requires use of a growth model and summation over several different “populations” of hogs within a single barn. Up to 5 different feed formulations are fed during a rotation with %N content ranging from (3.4 to 2.2% N; total feed consumed 181,000 kg/barn). Across 4 complete rotations, N consumed was ~50 g N per hog/day. Of this amount, we estimate ~ 60% is excreted as fecal matter and urine. The TAN (NH3 + NH4+) content of the shallow pits is consistently higher (1880 ±390 mg TAN/L) than that found in the anaerobic lagoon (800 ±70 mg TAN/L), except immediately after recharge following pit-pull (pH of the two liquids was similar). The presence of a recalcitrant layer of sludge in the shallow pits (liquid height = 20 cm; sludge depth = 5-10 cm; TAN = 2500 mg N/L; total

Patients Presenting to the Emergency Unit with Gynaecological Lower Abdominal Pain, with and without Pathological Clinical Findings - Service Utilisation, Pain History, Implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Siedentopf, F; Wowro, E; Möckel, M; Kentenich, H; David, M

2016-09-01

Introduction: Few studies have evaluated the utilisation of emergency gynaecological services, although lower abdominal pain (LAP) is one of the most common symptoms prompting emergency presentation. Although such pain may be caused by potentially life-threatening gynaecological diseases, very often no clinical cause is found. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of emergency presentations in order to enable quicker identification of real emergencies in routine clinical practice. Materials and Methods: Standardised, so-called first aid cards of 1066 consecutive patients with LAP presenting acutely to one emergency unit were analysed in this retrospective, cross-sectional study. Results: Over one third of cases did not constitute actual medical emergencies on objective criteria, with investigations yielding "no pathological findings". Parameters were identified that more often lead to hospital admission, e.g. palpation of a mass/resistance or at least one pathological ultrasound finding. In addition, it was found that symptoms of longer duration (average 8 days), and not only acute LAP, were also often experienced by patients as emergencies. Conclusion: A diagnosis of "no pathological findings", which was common in our study, suggests a subjective experience of an emergency from the patient's point of view, although the possibility of unrecognised pathology has to be borne in mind. Apart from functional disorders, the origins of symptoms may include psychosomatic causes and psychosocial problems, which cannot be further defined in the emergency care setting. Also, the phenomenon of increased utilisation of emergency services parallel to the assumed opening hours of routine outpatient care facilities must be seen in a critical light.

Day-to-day and within-day variation in urinary iodine excretion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Lone Banke; Ovesen, L.; Christiansen, E.

1999-01-01

Objective: To examine the day-to-day and within-day variation in urinary iodine excretion and the day-to-day variation in iodine intake. Design: Collection of consecutive 24-h urine samples and casual urine samples over 24 h. Setting: The study population consisted of highly motivated subjects fr...

Look at potential options for the fast reactor fuel cycle in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burch, W.D.

1984-01-01

This paper reviews the status and plans for the fast reactor fuel cycle in the United States, presents some options that are under consideration, and describes how these options are being evaluated at the present time. The United States will undertake some far-reaching examinations of the entire breeder program strategy in the coming year, and the outcome of these reviews cannot be predicted today. In other papers at this conference you have heard various perspectives from both government and industry representatives. The proposed studies to examine the associated fuel cycle strategies as they relate to the overall emerging breeder strategy are described. The present status of and recent developments in the fuel cycle R and D programs will also be summarized and updated in order to present an overall picture of the United States situation

Examining 30-day COPD readmissions through the emergency department

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rezaee ME

2017-12-01

ED were associated with readmission (c-statistic =0.936. Seventeen-point-eight percent of patients with COPD presented to the ED and were discharged home; 56% presented with a complaint other than breathing difficulty; and 16% of those readmitted for breathing difficulty had a length of stay <48 hours.Conclusion: Intensive outpatient monitoring, evaluation, and follow-up after discharge are needed to help prevent re-presentation to the ED, as practically all patients with COPD who re-present to the ED within 30 days are readmitted to the hospital and for a variety of clinical complaints. Among those patients with COPD who present with breathing difficulty, improved decision support algorithms and alternative management strategies are needed to identify and intervene on the subgroup of patients who require <48-hour length of stay. Keywords: COPD, readmission, emergency department, dyspnea, length of stay, observation study, epidemiology, hospital admission

Like a virgin (mother): analysis of data from a longitudinal, US population representative sample survey

OpenAIRE

Herring, Amy H; Attard, Samantha M; Gordon-Larsen, Penny; Joyner, William H; Halpern, Carolyn T

2013-01-01

Objective To estimate the incidence of self report of pregnancy without sexual intercourse (virgin pregnancy) and factors related to such reporting, in a population representative group of US adolescents and young adults. Design Longitudinal, population representative sample survey. Setting Nationally representative, multiethnic National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, United States. Participants 7870 women enrolled at wave I (1995) and completing the most recent wave of data collect...

19 May 2015 - M. Ciobanu Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva on the occasion of the inauguration of the industrial event Romania@CERN

CERN Multimedia

Egli, Laurent

2015-01-01

Mrs Maria Ciobanu Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva on the occasion of the inauguration of the industrial event Romania@CERN

Cost comparison of dry-type and conventional cooling systems for representative nuclear generating plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossie, J.P.; Cecil, E.A.; Young, R.O.

1974-01-01

Results are presented of studies comparing the use of dry-type cooling towers with conventional cooling methods for representative pressurized-water-reactor nuclear power plants. The studies were based on the hypothetical use of dry-type cooling towers for three nuclear power plants now under construction which were designed and are being built to use conventional cooling methods. One of the plants is located in the northeastern United States, one in the Southeast and one in the West. The report also presents the results of comparisons based on a hypothetical plant at a typical eastern United States site. The three electric utilities which participated in these studies have furnished actual construction cost information for the conventional cooling systems being constructed, and the authors have made construction estimates for economically optimum dry cooling systems which might have been built in place of the conventional cooling systems being constructed. The report compares the physical and operating characteristics of dry-type and conventional cooling systems as well as the relative economics of the different cooling methods. The effect of dry cooling on the bus-bar cost of power has been computed for the three selected plants and for the typical eastern plant

Day to day variability in fat oxidation and the effect after only 1 day of change in diet composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Støa, Eva Maria; Nyhus, Lill-Katrin; Børresen, Sandra Claveau; Nygaard, Caroline; Hovet, Åse Marie; Bratland-Sanda, Solfrid; Helgerud, Jan; Støren, Øyvind

2016-04-01

Indirect calorimetry is a common and noninvasive method to estimate rate of fat oxidation (FatOx) during exercise, and test-retest reliability should be considered when interpreting results. Diet also has an impact on FatOx. The aim of the present study was to investigate day to day variations in FatOx during moderate exercise given the same diet and 2 different isoenergetic diets. Nine healthy, moderately-trained females participated in the study. They performed 1 maximal oxygen uptake test and 4 FatOx tests. Habitual diets were recorded and repeated to assess day to day variability in FatOx. FatOx was also measured after 1 day of fat-rich (26.8% carbohydrates (CHO), 23.2% protein, 47.1% fat) and 1 day of CHO-rich diet (62.6% CHO, 20.1% protein, 12.4% fat). The reliability test revealed no differences in FatOx, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, heart rate, blood lactate concentration, or blood glucose between the 2 habitual diet days. FatOx decreased after the CHO-rich diet compared with the habitual day 2 (from 0.42 ± 0.15 to 0.29 ± 0.13 g·min(-1), p diet and the 2 habitual diet days. FatOx was 31% lower (from 0.42 ± 0.14 to 0.29 ± 0.13 g·min(-1), p diet compared with the fat-rich diet. Using RER data to measure FatOx is a reliable method as long as the diet is strictly controlled. However, even a 1-day change in macronutrient composition will likely affect the FatOx results.

The Enduring Grand Strategy of the United States Represented as a Mirror Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-04

Diplomatic Values: Promoting Democracy and Human Rights .............. 18 Information: Promote Freedom of speech at home and abroad...the American people. President Ronald Reagan articulated these ideals in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly: " Freedom is not the sole...every other year.48 Information: Promote Freedom of speech at home and abroad49 President Harry S. Truman in an address to Congress, asserted the

Heating and cooling building energy demand evaluation; a simplified model and a modified degree days approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Rosa, Mattia; Bianco, Vincenzo; Scarpa, Federico; Tagliafico, Luca A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A dynamic model to estimate the energy performance of buildings is presented. • The model is validated against leading software packages, TRNSYS and Energy Plus. • Modified degree days are introduced to account for solar irradiation effects. - Abstract: Degree days represent a versatile climatic indicator which is commonly used in building energy performance analysis. In this context, the present paper proposes a simple dynamic model to simulate heating/cooling energy consumption in buildings. The model consists of several transient energy balance equations for external walls and internal air according to a lumped-capacitance approach and it has been implemented utilizing the Matlab/Simulink® platform. Results are validated by comparison to the outcomes of leading software packages, TRNSYS and Energy Plus. By using the above mentioned model, energy consumption for heating/cooling is analyzed in different locations, showing that for low degree days the inertia effect assumes a paramount importance, affecting the common linear behavior of the building consumption against the standard degree days, especially for cooling energy demand. Cooling energy demand at low cooling degree days (CDDs) is deeply analyzed, highlighting that in this situation other factors, such as solar irradiation, have an important role. To take into account these effects, a correction to CDD is proposed, demonstrating that by considering all the contributions the linear relationship between energy consumption and degree days is maintained

Molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii in central intensive care unit in Kosova teaching hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lul Raka

Full Text Available Infections caused by bacteria of genus Acinetobacter pose a significant health care challenge worldwide. Information on molecular epidemiological investigation of outbreaks caused by Acinetobacter species in Kosova is lacking. The present investigation was carried out to enlight molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacterbaumannii in the Central Intensive Care Unit (CICU of a University hospital in Kosova using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE. During March - July 2006, A. baumannii was isolated from 30 patients, of whom 22 were infected and 8 were colonised. Twenty patients had ventilator-associated pneumonia, one patient had meningitis, and two had coinfection with bloodstream infection and surgical site infection. The most common diagnoses upon admission to the ICU were politrauma and cerebral hemorrhage. Bacterial isolates were most frequently recovered from endotracheal aspirate (86.7%. First isolation occurred, on average, on day 8 following admission (range 1-26 days. Genotype analysis of A. baumannii isolates identified nine distinct PFGE patterns, with predominance of PFGE clone E represented by isolates from 9 patients. Eight strains were resistant to carbapenems. The genetic relatedness of Acinetobacter baumannii was high, indicating cross-transmission within the ICU setting. These results emphasize the need for measures to prevent nosocomial transmission of A. baumannii in ICU.

Evaluation of human body irradiation caused by radionuclides deposited in the filtration unit of gas mask

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerny, R.; Otahal, P.; Johnova, K.; Thinova, L.; Kluson, J.

2017-01-01

Radioactive aerosol particles represent a serious risk for people facing the consequences of nuclear accident of any kind. The first responders to emergency situation need to be protected by personal protective equipment which includes radiation protection suit supplemented with gas mask. The purpose of this work is to estimate the dose to the organs of responder s body as a result of radionuclide deposition in the filtration unit of the gas mask. The problem was analyzed using Monte Carlo simulations. The dose absorbed by different organs for five representative radionuclides and the dose distribution over the responder s body are presented in this paper. Based on presented MC simulations, we suggest a method of evaluating the irradiation of the responder by the radionuclides deposited in the filtration unit of the gas mask. (authors)

The influence of pre-Slavic ethnic groups on the hydronymy of present-day Slovakia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaromír Krško

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we focus on the influence of pre-Slavic ethnic groups on the hydronymy of present-day Slovakia. The migration of entire ethnic groups – especially after the dissolution of the Roman Empire – led to contact between native and incoming people. Ethnic contact also affected languages of these ethnic groups, as mutual influencing and borrowing of vocabulary occurred. Incoming ethnic groups had to find their way around in the new surroundings as well as identify and distinguish important landmarks, mainly hills, mountains and streams. We can approach the issue of pre-Slavic hydronyms from two points of view: one, by analyzing the names preserved from the time period before the arrival of Slavs in the territory of Slovakia, and two, by analyzing the names whose origin some authors consider to be pre-Slavic. The oldest name of a river from the Slovak region comes from the time period before the arrival of the Slavs. It was recorded by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in years 166–180 AD as Granoua. It is a record of the river Hron at which Roman legions fought against the Germanic tribes of the Marcomanni and Quadi. Several historians and linguists believe that besides the rivers Dunaj, Morava and Tisa, other names of big rivers date from before the arrival of Slavs in the central Europe. In the paper, we analyse the names Dunaj, Morava, Váh, Hron, Tisa, Nitra and Hornád.

Chosen aspects of flowering of Ranunculaceae representatives in Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bożena Denisow

2016-04-01

Lublin Upland. Some Ranunculaceae representatives are dichogamous. This feature is commonly thought as the factor preventing selfpollination and inbreeding depression. For example, Helleborus foetidus and Anemone sylvestris are known to be protogynous, while many of the Aconitum representatives are protandrous. There may be evident difference in duration of each floral sexual phases, like in protandrous Aconitum carmichaelii (the length of male phase vs. female phase = 7.6 vs. 1.9 days, on average or the time spent in stigma and pollen presentation can be similar, like in protogynous Adonis vernalis (7.5 and 8.4 days on average, respectively. Disparities in flowering period, diurnal dynamics of blooming and sexual phases were found to be the adaptations to different insect foraging patterns.

Representing uncertainty on model analysis plots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trevor I. Smith

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Model analysis provides a mechanism for representing student learning as measured by standard multiple-choice surveys. The model plot contains information regarding both how likely students in a particular class are to choose the correct answer and how likely they are to choose an answer consistent with a well-documented conceptual model. Unfortunately, Bao’s original presentation of the model plot did not include a way to represent uncertainty in these measurements. I present details of a method to add error bars to model plots by expanding the work of Sommer and Lindell. I also provide a template for generating model plots with error bars.

Depression and Suicidality among Bisexual Youth: A Nationally Representative Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Taliaferro, Lindsay A.; Gloppen, Kari M.; Muehlenkamp, Jennifer J.; Eisenberg, Marla E.

2018-01-01

To address gaps in the literature on bisexual youth, we used the first nationally representative sample of high school students from the United States to determine profiles of behaviors related to depressive symptoms, a suicide attempt, and a medically-serious attempt. We examined the data from 922 bisexual students in grades 9-12 who completed…

Should euthanasia be legal? An international survey of neonatal intensive care units staff.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cuttini, M.; Casotto, V.; Kaminski, M.; Beaufort, I.D. de; Berbik, I.; Hansen, G.; Kollee, L.A.A.; Kucinskas, A.; Lenoir, S.; Levin, A.V.; Orzalesi, M.; Persson, J.; Rebagliato, M.; Reid, M.; Saracci, R.

2004-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To present the views of a representative sample of neonatal doctors and nurses in 10 European countries on the moral acceptability of active euthanasia and its legal regulation. DESIGN: A total of 142 neonatal intensive care units were recruited by census (in the Netherlands, Sweden,

World Food Day Curriculum, Grades K-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Zander, Janet

Hunger and malnutrition lead to the deaths of 13-18 million people a year; 75 percent of these victims are children. World Food Day was created to focus attention on the world's food and farm problems and to encourage the world's people to become directly involved in the solution of these problems. It is sponsored jointly by the United Nations…

Stromal and Hematopoietic Progenitors from C57/BI/6N Murine Bone Marrow After 30-Day "BION-M1" Spaceflight.

Science.gov (United States)

Markina, Elena; Andreeva, Elena; Andrianova, Irina; Sotnezova, Elena; Buravkova, Ludmila

2018-05-02

Elucidation of the spaceflight (SF) effects on the adult stem and progenitor cells is an important goal in space biology and medicine. A unique opportunity for this was provided by project "BION-M1". The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 30-day SF on biosatellite, 7-day recovery (SFR), and subsequent ground control (GC) experiment on the mononuclear cells (MNCs) from C57/BI/6N murine tibia bone marrow. Also, hematopoietic and stromal precursor functions were characterized ex vivo. There was no significant difference in the total MNC number between experimental groups. After SF, immunophenotyping revealed an increase of large-sized CD45 + MNCs corresponded to committed hematopoietic progenitors. The total hematopoietic colony-forming unit (CFU) number decreased after SF and did not restore after 7 day of recovery due to predominant reduction of bi- and multipotent CFUs and primitive burst-forming units in favor of unipotent CFUs. Functional activity of stromal precursors in vitro was only slightly altered. SF cells displayed the enhanced expression of alkaline phosphatase. The data of the GC experiment demonstrated the preservation of the functional activity of progenitor cells from mice bone marrow. The activation of erythropoiesis in expense of burst-forming units of erythrocytes elevation was detected. After 7 days of recovery, the number of colony-forming units of fibroblast (CFUs-f) was similar to the vivarium control, while the proliferative activity of bone marrow stromal precursors decreased. The present study demonstrated that certain hematopoietic progenitors are susceptible to SF factors, while the stromal precursors displayed a certain degree of resistance. These data indicate mild and reversible alterations of bone marrow progenitors after SF.

Present and projected future mean radiant temperature for three European cities

Science.gov (United States)

Thorsson, Sofia; Rayner, David; Lindberg, Fredrik; Monteiro, Ana; Katzschner, Lutz; Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun; Campe, Sabrina; Katzschner, Antje; Konarska, Janina; Onomura, Shiho; Velho, Sara; Holmer, Björn

2017-09-01

Present-day and projected future changes in mean radiant temperature, T mrt in one northern, one mid-, and one southern European city (represented by Gothenburg, Frankfurt, and Porto), are presented, and the concept of hot spots is adopted. Air temperature, T a , increased in all cities by 2100, but changes in solar radiation due to changes in cloudiness counterbalanced or exacerbated the effects on T mrt. The number of days with high T mrt in Gothenburg was relatively unchanged at the end of the century (+1 day), whereas it more than doubled in Frankfurt and tripled in Porto. The use of street trees to reduce daytime radiant heat load was analyzed using hot spots to identify where trees could be most beneficial. Hot spots, although varying in intensity and frequency, were generally confined to near sunlit southeast-southwest facing walls, in northeast corner of courtyards, and in open spaces in all three cities. By adding trees in these spaces, the radiant heat load can be reduced, especially in spaces with no or few trees. A set of design principles for reducing the radiant heat load is outlined based on these findings and existing literature.

75 FR 75615 - Helsinki Human Rights Day, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-03

... Helsinki Human Rights Day, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This year... states with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms within states. With the signing of the Act... occasion also spurred courageous human rights activists in Eastern Europe to form citizens' groups to press...

A wall-free climate unit for acoustic levitators.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlegel, M C; Wenzel, K-J; Sarfraz, A; Panne, U; Emmerling, F

2012-05-01

Acoustic levitation represents the physical background of trapping a sample in a standing acoustic wave with no contact to the wave generating device. For the last three decades, sample holders based on this effect have been commonly used for contact free handling of samples coupled with a number of analytical techniques. In this study, a wall-free climate unit is presented, which allows the control of the environmental conditions of suspended samples. The insulation is based on a continuous cold/hot gas flow around the sample and thus does not require any additional isolation material. This provides a direct access to the levitated sample and circumvents any influence of the climate unit material to the running analyses.

40 CFR 418.32 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... solution product: Effluent characteristics Effluent limitations (mg/l) Maximum for any 1 day Average of...) 0.61 0.33 Note: Metric units: Kilogram/1,000 kg of product; English units: Pound/1,000 lb of product....18 0.59 Organic nitrogen (as N) 1.48 0.80 Note: Metric units: Kilogram/1,000 kg of product; English...

[Neonatal adrenal hematoma: various modes of presentation].

Science.gov (United States)

Fadil, F-Z; Lehlimi, M; Chemsi, M; Habzi, A; Benomar, S

2014-09-01

Neonatal adrenal hematoma is a rare condition, most frequently caused by trauma. We report three cases of adrenal hematoma admitted to the Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the A. Harouchi Children's Hospital, the Ibn Rushd University Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco, over a 2-year period from January 2011 to December 2012. The average age of these patients was 5 days. The clinical presentations were diverse; the most common manifestations were intense jaundice in one case, acute adrenal insufficiency in one case, and severe anemia in the other case. Abdominal ultrasonography was used to confirm the diagnosis and monitor adrenal hemorrhage in all the patients. Analysis of clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonography data showed a favorable prognosis in all the patients. Based on these observations, we discuss the risk factors, clinical presentations, progression and management of neonatal adrenal hemorrhage. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier SAS.

Evaluation of preindustrial to present-day black carbon and its albedo forcing from ACCMIP

Science.gov (United States)

LEE, Y.; Lamarque, J.; Flanner, M. G.; Jiao, C.; Shindell, D. T.; Berntsen, T.; Bisiaux, M. M.; Cao, J.; Collins, B.; Curran, M. A.; Edwards, R.; Faluvegi, G.; Ghan, S. J.; Horowitz, L. W.; McConnell, J. R.; Myhre, G.; Nagashima, T.; Naik, V.; Rumbold, S.; Skeie, R.; Sudo, K.; Takemura, T.; Thevenon, F.

2012-12-01

As part of the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP), we evaluate the historical black carbon (BC) aerosols simulated by 8 ACCMIP models against observations including 12 ice core records, long-term surface mass concentrations and recent Arctic BC snowpack measurements. We also estimate BC albedo forcing by performing additional simulations using offline models with prescribed meteorology from 1996-2000. We evaluated the vertical profile of BC snow concentrations from these offline simulations using the recent BC snowpack measurements. Despite using the same BC emissions, the global BC burden differs by approximately a factor of 3 among models due to differences in aerosol removal parameterizations and simulated meteorology: 34 Gg to 103 Gg in 1850 and 82 Gg to 315 Gg in 2000. However, the global BC burden from preindustrial to present-day increases by 2.5-3 times with little variation among models, roughly matching the 2.5-fold increase in total BC emissions during the same period. We find a large divergence among models at both Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH) high latitude regions for BC burden and at SH high latitude regions for deposition fluxes. The ACCMIP simulations match the observed BC surface mass concentrations well in Europe and North America except at Jungfraujoch and Ispra. However, the models fail to predict the Arctic BC seasonality due to severe underestimations during winter and spring. The simulated vertically resolved BC snow concentrations are, on average, within a factor of 2-3 of the BC snowpack measurements except for Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. For the ice core evaluation, models tend to capture both the observed temporal trends and the magnitudes well at Greenland sites. However, models fail to predict the decreasing trend of BC depositions/concentrations from the 1950s to the 1970s in most Tibetan Plateau ice cores and the overall temporal trends in the Alps ice core. The

Six problems with the 6-day Curie and a solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adi Paterson; Michael Druce; Elizabeth Killen

2015-01-01

In this review the major shortfalls of the unit of sale for the Mo-99 supply chain - the 6-day Curie - are identified and discussed. These include its status as an inconsistent, out-dated, non-SI unit, and its use causing propagation of inefficient logistics within the Mo-99 supply chain. An alternative Mo-99 unit of sale is proposed: Becquerels time-stamped at the Port of Despatch. Adoption of the new unit is proposed as a catalyst in the move away from the current economically unsustainable, Mo-99 supply chain in favour of simplicity, self-regulation, transparency, efficiency, and full-cost recovery in line with High-Level Group for the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes recommendations. (author)

Present-day Problems and Methods of Optimization in Mechatronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarnowski Wojciech

2017-06-01

Full Text Available It is justified that design is an inverse problem, and the optimization is a paradigm. Classes of design problems are proposed and typical obstacles are recognized. Peculiarities of the mechatronic designing are specified as a proof of a particle importance of optimization in the mechatronic design. Two main obstacles of optimization are discussed: a complexity of mathematical models and an uncertainty of the value system, in concrete case. Then a set of non-standard approaches and methods are presented and discussed, illustrated by examples: a fuzzy description, a constraint-based iterative optimization, AHP ranking method and a few MADM functions in Matlab.

9 JUne 2016 - Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva Ambassador P. Stachańczyk signing the guest book with CERN Director for International Relations C. Warakaulle.

CERN Multimedia

Bennett, Sophia Elizabeth

2016-01-01

His Excellency Mr Piotr Stachańczyk Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva

Implementing Outcome Measures Within an Enhanced Palliative Care Day Care Model.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kilonzo, Isae

2015-04-23

Specialist palliative care day care (SPDC) units provide an array of services to patients and their families and can increase continuity of care between inpatient and homecare settings. A multidisciplinary teamwork approach is emphasized, and different models of day care exist. Depending on the emphasis of care, the models can be social, medical, therapeutic, or mixed. We describe our experience of introducing an enhanced therapeutic specialist day care model and using both patient- and carer-rated tools to monitor patient outcomes.

3 CFR 8437 - Proclamation 8437 of October 9, 2009. Columbus Day, 2009

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Proclamation 8437 of October 9, 2009. Columbus Day... Proc. 8437 Columbus Day, 2009By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation More than... Mexico, explorers of Italian descent have directly influenced the growth of North America. Their...

Comparatives of Expressive Activities of Junior High School Students with Different Types of Representative Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geydebrekht N.A.

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The article presents data from a study of drawings of children of primary school age to identify the сcomparative diagnostic parameters that allow to define the leading representative system in the child. 164 drawings of 51 persons under test of the two grades of primary school were analyzed. The observation and modified in relation to primary school age version of the method «Representational systems bias test» (Lewis A., Puselik R., 2012 were used as elements of the diagnostic unit. Based on these results it is concluded that the drawings of children of primary school age with different types of representative systems have differences, sufficient to justify their diagnostic informative value. The results of the study make comparative profiles of children of primary school age with different types of representational systems to facilitate the diagnostic part of the work with children's drawings.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2014-10-08

This podcast highlights National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, to increase awareness of the disproportionate impact of HIV on the Hispanic or Latino population in the United States and dependent territories. The podcast reminds Hispanics or Latinos that they have the power to take control of their health and protect themselves against HIV.  Created: 10/8/2014 by Office of Health Equity, Office of the Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.   Date Released: 10/14/2014.

Forecasting Day-Ahead Electricity Prices : Utilizing Hourly Prices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E. Raviv (Eran); K.E. Bouwman (Kees); D.J.C. van Dijk (Dick)

2013-01-01

textabstractThe daily average price of electricity represents the price of electricity to be delivered over the full next day and serves as a key reference price in the electricity market. It is an aggregate that equals the average of hourly prices for delivery during each of the 24 individual

The Beginning of Civilization in Sumer: The Advent of Written Communication. A Unit of Study for Grades 5-8.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrish, Joan

This document is a unit for introducing students to the achievements and historical significance of the Sumerian civilization, located in Mesopotamia, "the land between the rivers," in present day Iraq, and reaching back in time to approximately 3500 BC. Divided into 5 sections, the unit's first three sections concentrate on historical…

A Hard Day's Night? The United States and the Global War on Terrorism

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Johnson, Thomas H; Russell, James A

2005-01-01

...) -- a threat noted for its commitment, determination, innovation, and lethality. The United States is struggling to configure its instruments of national power to address a threat that has thus far proven unresponsive to these national instruments...

3 CFR 8441 - Proclamation 8441 of October 19, 2009. United Nations Day, 2009

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Proclamation The United Nations was created 64 years ago by men and women from every corner of the world. These... foundations of democracy, human rights, and development; and to establish conditions in which people can live...

76 FR 25531 - National Day of Prayer, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-05

... National Day of Prayer, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Throughout our history, Americans have turned to prayer for strength, inspiration, and solidarity. Prayer has played an... face it alone.'' Dr. King said, in that moment of prayer, he was filled with a sense of comfort and...

A Case Study on Teaching the Topic "Experimental Unit" and How It Is Presented in Advanced Placement Statistics Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Perrett, Jamis J.

2012-01-01

This article demonstrates how textbooks differ in their description of the term "experimental unit". Advanced Placement Statistics teachers and students are often limited in their statistical knowledge by the information presented in their classroom textbook. Definitions and descriptions differ among textbooks as well as among different…

Researching Disturbed, Disturbing Art: Using Typography to Re/Present Educational Research

Science.gov (United States)

Loveless, Douglas J.; Bhattacharya, Kakali; Griffith, Bryant

2012-01-01

This paper argues that typography can be an affective re/presentational strategy when used as a medium within the research framework of arts-based inquiry. Grounded in a larger comparative case study exploring the experiences of two elementary teachers in south Texas, the purpose of this paper is to (1) situate typography within the field of…

A descriptive study of women presenting to an obstetric triage unit with no prenatal care.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Erin; Morris, Margaret; Heaman, Maureen

2014-03-01

To describe women presenting to an obstetric triage unit with no prenatal care (PNC), to identify gaps in care, and to compare care provided to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. We reviewed the charts of women who gave birth at Women's Hospital in Winnipeg and were discharged between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2011, and identified those whose charts were coded with ICD-10 code Z35.3 (inadequate PNC) or who had fewer than 2 PNC visits. Three hundred eighty-two charts were identified, and sociodemographic characteristics, PNC history, investigations, and pregnancy outcomes were recorded. The care provided was compared with WHO guidelines. One hundred nine women presented to the obstetric triage unit with no PNC; 96 (88.1%) were in the third trimester. Only 39 women (35.8%) received subsequent PNC, with care falling short of WHO standards. Gaps in PNC included missing time-sensitive screening tests, mid-stream urine culture, and Chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. The mean maternal age was 26.1 years, and 93 women (85.3%) were multigravidas. More than one half of the women (51.4%) were involved with Child and Family Services, 64.2% smoked, 33.0% drank alcohol, and 32.1% used illicit drugs during pregnancy. Two thirds of the women (66.2%) lived in inner-city Winnipeg. Only 63.0% of neonates showed growth appropriate for gestational age. Two pregnancies ended in stillbirth; there was one neonatal death, and over one third of the births were preterm. Most women who present with no PNC do so late in pregnancy, proceed to deliver with little or no additional PNC, and have high rates of adverse outcomes. Thus, efforts to improve PNC must focus on facilitating earlier entry into care. This would also improve compliance with WHO guidelines for continuing care. Treatment protocols could improve gaps in obtaining urine culture and in Chlamydia and gonorrhea testing.

Amino Acid Molecular Units: Building Primary and Secondary Protein Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aparecido R. Silva

2008-05-01

Full Text Available In order to guarantee the learning quality and suitable knowledge  use  about structural biology, it is fundamental to  exist, since the beginning of  students’ formation, the possibility of clear visualization of biomolecule structures. Nevertheless, the didactic books can only bring  schematic  drawings; even more elaborated figures and graphic computation  do not permit the necessary interaction.  The representation of three-dimensional molecular structures with ludic models, built with representative units, have supplied to the students and teachers a successfully experience to  visualize such structures and correlate them to the real molecules.  The design and applicability of the representative units were discussed with researchers and teachers before mould implementation.  In this stage  it  will be presented the  developed  kit  containing the  representative  plastic parts of the main amino acids.  The kit can demonstrate the interaction among the amino acids  functional groups  (represented by colors, shapes,  sizes and  the peptidic bonds between them  facilitating the assembly and visuali zation of the primary and secondary protein structure.  The models were designed for  Ca,  amino,  carboxyl groups  and  hydrogen. The  lateral chains have  well defined models that represent their geometrical shape.  The completed kit set  will be presented in this meeting (patent requested.  In the last phase of the project will be realized  an effective evaluation  of the kit  as a facilitative didactic tool of the teaching/learning process in the Structural Molecular Biology area.

Hygiene of Toys in Day Care Centers: a Care With Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evelise Pires Cogo Simão

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: to investigate how the hygiene of the toys used in day care centers and the possible tendencies in the processes are done. Method: descriptive, cross-sectional study, having as a unit of observation 51 day care centers. The object of investigation was the toy hygiene procedure, in which the information on the variables was obtained by interview and recorded in an online questionnaire. Results: It was observed that water and soap was the most used method of hygiene (72.5% and the periodicity of cleaning was 2 times a month or more in 50% of the units interviewed, and six nurseries declared no Such procedure. Conclusion: there was no standardized procedures in the toy hygiene technique used in the sample of nurseries studied. Although most institutions demonstrate intent to carry out the toy hygiene procedure, it is necessary to equip practitioners to deal with this issue. Descriptors: Day Care Centers; Fomites; Disinfection; Play Sets and Toys; Nursing.

The development and validation of the Male Genital Self-Image Scale: results from a nationally representative probability sample of men in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbenick, Debby; Schick, Vanessa; Reece, Michael; Sanders, Stephanie A; Fortenberry, J Dennis

2013-06-01

Numerous factors may affect men's sexual experiences, including their health status, past trauma or abuse, medication use, relationships, mood, anxiety, and body image. Little research has assessed the influence of men's genital self-image on their sexual function or behaviors and none has done so in a nationally representative sample. The purpose of this study was to, in a nationally representative probability sample of men ages 18 to 60, assess the reliability and validity of the Male Genital Self-Image Scale (MGSIS), and to examine the relationship between scores on the MGSIS and men's scores on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). The MGSIS was developed in two stages. Phase One involved a review of the literature and an analysis of cross-sectional survey data. Phase Two involved an administration of the scale items to a nationally representative sample of men in the United States ages 18 to 60. Measures include demographic items, the IIEF, and the MGSIS. Overall, most men felt positively about their genitals. However, 24.6% of men expressed some discomfort letting a healthcare provider examine their genitals and about 20% reported dissatisfaction with their genital size. The MGSIS was found to be reliable and valid, with the MGSIS-5 (consisting of five items) being the best fit to the data. The MGSIS was found to be a reliable and valid measure. In addition, men's scores on the MGSIS-5 were found to be positively related to men's scores on the IIEF. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Tackling causes and costs of ED presentation for American football injuries: a population-level study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smart, Blair J; Haring, R Sterling; Asemota, Anthony O; Scott, John W; Canner, Joseph K; Nejim, Besma J; George, Benjamin P; Alsulaim, Hatim; Kirsch, Thomas D; Schneider, Eric B

2016-07-01

American tackle football is the most popular high-energy impact sport in the United States, with approximately 9 million participants competing annually. Previous epidemiologic studies of football-related injuries have generally focused on specific geographic areas or pediatric age groups. Our study sought to examine patient characteristics and outcomes, including hospital charges, among athletes presenting for emergency department (ED) treatment of football-related injury across all age groups in a large nationally representative data set. Patients presenting for ED treatment of injuries sustained playing American tackle football (identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code E007.0) from 2010 to 2011 were studied in the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Patient-specific injuries were identified using the primary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code and categorized by type and anatomical region. Standard descriptive methods examined patient demographics, diagnosis categories, and ED and inpatient outcomes and charges. During the study period 397363 football players presented for ED treatment, 95.8% of whom were male. Sprains/strains (25.6%), limb fractures (20.7%), and head injuries (including traumatic brain injury; 17.5%) represented the most presenting injuries. Overall, 97.9% of patients underwent routine ED discharge with 1.1% admitted directly and fewer than 11 patients in the 2-year study period dying prior to discharge. The proportion of admitted patients who required surgical interventions was 15.7%, of which 89.9% were orthopedic, 4.7% neurologic, and 2.6% abdominal. Among individuals admitted to inpatient care, mean hospital length of stay was 2.4days (95% confidence interval, 2.2-2.6) and 95.6% underwent routine discharge home. The mean total charge for all patients was $1941 (95% confidence interval, $1890-$1992) with substantial

Police Response to Children Present at Domestic Violence Incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Swerin, Danielle D; Bostaph, Lisa Growette; King, Laura L; Gillespie, Lane Kirkland

2018-01-01

Police response to domestic violence (DV) has continued to change and expand over the past several decades. Although DV was originally considered a private matter, it now represents one of the most common calls for service received by police agencies. While police response to DV incidents has improved substantially, intervention when children are present remains an undeveloped area of research and practice. The present study examined 345 police reports from an agency in the Northwestern United States to explore police response to DV incidents when children are present. Regression analyses indicated that child presence was a statistically significant predictor of victim-directed intervention, victim-directed follow-up, and arrest although in differing directions. While child presence increased the odds of victim-directed intervention and victim-directed follow-up, it decreased the odds of arrest. Findings further indicated that the frequency of police interaction with children present at DV incidents was minimal. Based on these findings, recommendations for policy and practice are discussed.

Model parameters for representative wetland plant functional groups

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Amber S.; Kiniry, James R.; Mushet, David M.; Smith, Loren M.; McMurry, Scott T.; Attebury, Kelly; Lang, Megan; McCarty, Gregory W.; Shaffer, Jill A.; Effland, William R.; Johnson, Mari-Vaughn V.

2017-01-01

Wetlands provide a wide variety of ecosystem services including water quality remediation, biodiversity refugia, groundwater recharge, and floodwater storage. Realistic estimation of ecosystem service benefits associated with wetlands requires reasonable simulation of the hydrology of each site and realistic simulation of the upland and wetland plant growth cycles. Objectives of this study were to quantify leaf area index (LAI), light extinction coefficient (k), and plant nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) concentrations in natural stands of representative plant species for some major plant functional groups in the United States. Functional groups in this study were based on these parameters and plant growth types to enable process-based modeling. We collected data at four locations representing some of the main wetland regions of the United States. At each site, we collected on-the-ground measurements of fraction of light intercepted, LAI, and dry matter within the 2013–2015 growing seasons. Maximum LAI and k variables showed noticeable variations among sites and years, while overall averages and functional group averages give useful estimates for multisite simulation modeling. Variation within each species gives an indication of what can be expected in such natural ecosystems. For P and K, the concentrations from highest to lowest were spikerush (Eleocharis macrostachya), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), smartweed (Polygonum spp.), cattail (Typha spp.), and hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus). Spikerush had the highest N concentration, followed by smartweed, bulrush, reed canary grass, and then cattail. These parameters will be useful for the actual wetland species measured and for the wetland plant functional groups they represent. These parameters and the associated process-based models offer promise as valuable tools for evaluating environmental benefits of wetlands and for evaluating impacts of various agronomic practices in

Millennium Pipeline Presentation : a new northeast passage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolnik, J.

1997-01-01

Routes of the proposed Millennium Pipeline project were presented. The pipeline is to originate at the Empress gas field in Alberta and link up to eastern markets in the United States. One of the key advantages of the pipeline is that it will have the lowest proposed rates from Empress to Chicago and through links via affiliates to New York and other eastern markets. It will include 380 miles of new 36-inch pipeline and have a capacity of 650 million cubic feet per day. In many instances it will follow existing rights-of-way. The pipeline is expected to be in service for the 1999 winter heating season. The project sponsors are Columbia Gas Transmission, CMS Energy, MCN Energy, and Westcoast Energy. 6 figs

Structural Variation in the Bacterial Community Associated with Airborne Particulate Matter in Beijing, China, during Hazy and Nonhazy Days.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Dong; Zhang, Tao; Su, Jing; Zhao, Li-Li; Wang, Hao; Fang, Xiao-Mei; Zhang, Yu-Qin; Liu, Hong-Yu; Yu, Li-Yan

2018-05-01

The structural variation of the bacterial community associated with particulate matter (PM) was assessed in an urban area of Beijing during hazy and nonhazy days. Sampling for different PM fractions (PM 2.5 [airborne bacterial community in these samples was analyzed using the Illumina MiSeq platform with bacterium-specific primers targeting the 16S rRNA gene. A total of 1,707,072 reads belonging to 6,009 operational taxonomic units were observed. The airborne bacterial community composition was significantly affected by PM fractions ( R = 0.157, P airborne bacterial community composition. Only six genera increased across PM 10 samples ( Dokdonella , Caenimonas , Geminicoccus , and Sphingopyxis ) and PM 2.5 samples ( Cellulomonas and Rhizobacter ), while a large number of taxa significantly increased in total suspended particulate samples, such as Paracoccus , Kocuria , and Sphingomonas Network analysis indicated that Paracoccus , Rubellimicrobium , Kocuria , and Arthrobacter were the key genera in the airborne PM samples. Overall, the findings presented here suggest that diverse airborne bacterial communities are associated with PM and provide further understanding of bacterial community structure in the atmosphere during hazy and nonhazy days. IMPORTANCE The results presented here represent an analysis of the airborne bacterial community associated with particulate matter (PM) and advance our understanding of the structural variation of these communities. We observed a shift in bacterial community composition with PM fractions but no significant difference with haze levels. This may be because the bacterial differences are obscured by high bacterial diversity in the atmosphere. However, we also observed that a few genera (such as Methylobacillus , Tumebacillus , and Desulfurispora ) increased significantly on heavy-haze days. In addition, Paracoccus , Rubellimicrobium , Kocuria , and Arthrobacter were the key genera in the airborne PM samples. Accurate and real

BP and Mobil present a united front in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, Kim.

1997-01-01

BP and Mobil announced the pooling of their European refining, marketing and lubricants businesses in February last year in an unprecedented step to cut costs and improve their competitive position in what is becoming an increasingly cut-throat market. Like their competitors, the two companies had been battling to contented with the continuing surplus refining capacity throughout Europe as well as significantly reduced profit margins on gasoline and other products sold at the pumps. This was particularly the case in the United Kingdom which is still reeling from the effects of the petrol pump price war waged over the past year and in France, too, where the hypermarkets are fiercely battling to retain their market share. (author)

Late presentation and management of South Asian breast cancer patients in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Sreekumar Sundara; Lim, Jennifer N W; Haq, Anwar

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to bridge the knowledge gap and improve our understanding of the late presentation and management of breast cancer among South Asian women of non-oriental origin (SA) living in the United Kingdom. Retrospective review of the breast cancer waiting list data-base held at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS trust was undertaken to identify SA women diagnosed with breast cancer from January 2000 to August 2007. We identified 41 (2.5%) SA women among 1,630 patients diagnosed with breast cancer during this period and 36 were included (median age=53.5 years, range=32-84). Only 19% (n=7) were screen detected and 81% (n=29) presented thorough symptomatic breast clinic. In the latter, 66% (n=19) were in the screening age group and 45% (n=13) presented beyond 8 weeks (late presentation). In our cohort, 91% (n=29) patients had advanced disease (TNM stage 2 and 3) resulting in a high mastectomy rate of 61% (n=22). 19% (n=7) died as a direct result of cancer and the remaining 78% (n=28) remains disease free following treatment thus far. The delay in presentation and poor national breast screening programme uptake among the SA women resulted in advanced disease at diagnosis. There is need for increasing the breast cancer awareness as well as encouraging breast screening among SA women in the UK.

Health Correlates of Insomnia Symptoms and Comorbid Mental Disorders in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adolescents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blank, M.; Zhang, J.H.; Lamers, F.; Taylor, A.D.; Hickie, I.B.; Merikangas, K.R.

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and health correlates of insomnia symptoms and their association with comorbid mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States. Design: National representative cross-sectional study. Setting: Population-based

Does routinely collected patient-reported outcome data represent the actual case-mix of elective coronary revascularization patients?

Science.gov (United States)

Oinasmaa, Salla; Heiskanen, Jari; Hartikainen, Juha; Hippeläinen, Mikko; Miettinen, Heikki; Martikainen, Janne; Roine, Risto P; Tolppanen, Anna-Maija

2018-04-01

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are valuable for effectiveness evaluation, but it is unknown whether the patient views obtained represent the actual case mix. We studied the representativeness of the responses obtained to a routinely administered health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire in a cardiology unit. Elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG; n = 404) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; n = 738) patients operated during June 2012 to August 2014 in the Heart Center, Kuopio University Hospital. The characteristics of the patients with a baseline (n = 260 and 290 for CABG and PCI, respectively) or both baseline and follow-up HRQoL measurements (n = 203 and 189 for CABG and PCI, respectively) were compared with those who did not respond (n = 144 and 448 for CABG and PCI). Baseline questionnaires were less likely obtained from older CABG patients (odds ratio 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.28-0.91) and those with more severe disease (0.20, 0.05-0.79). Among PCI patients, women (0.64, 0.45-0.91), smokers (0.74, 0.53-1.04), and those with more severe disease (0.26, 0.13-0.52) or more hospital days were underrepresented. Routinely collected PROs in cardiac patients may be biased towards younger and healthier patients. This needs to be recognized when evaluating the representativeness of such data. The routine collection of these data should be adequately resourced.

HLA Class I and Class II Alleles and Haplotypes Confirm the Berber Origin of the Present Day Tunisian Population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelhafidh Hajjej

Full Text Available In view of its distinct geographical location and relatively small area, Tunisia witnessed the presence of many civilizations and ethnic groups throughout history, thereby questioning the origin of present-day Tunisian population. We investigated HLA class I and class II gene profiles in Tunisians, and compared this profile with those of Mediterranean and Sub-Sahara African populations. A total of 376 unrelated Tunisian individuals of both genders were genotyped for HLA class I (A, B and class II (DRB1, DQB1, using reverse dot-blot hybridization (PCR-SSO method. Statistical analysis was performed using Arlequin software. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by DISPAN software, and correspondence analysis was carried out by VISTA software. One hundred fifty-three HLA alleles were identified in the studied sample, which comprised 41, 50, 40 and 22 alleles at HLA-A,-B,-DRB1 and -DQB1 loci, respectively. The most frequent alleles were HLA-A*02:01 (16.76%, HLA-B*44:02/03 (17.82%, HLA-DRB1*07:01 (19.02%, and HLA-DQB1*03:01 (17.95%. Four-locus haplotype analysis identified HLA-A*02:01-B*50:01-DRB1*07:01-DQB1*02:02 (2.2% as the common haplotype in Tunisians. Compared to other nearby populations, Tunisians appear to be genetically related to Western Mediterranean population, in particular North Africans and Berbers. In conclusion, HLA genotype results indicate that Tunisians are related to present-day North Africans, Berbers and to Iberians, but not to Eastern Arabs (Palestinians, Jordanians and Lebanese. This suggests that the genetic contribution of Arab invasion of 7th-11th century A.D. had little impact of the North African gene pool.

Important themes in research on and education of young children in day care centres: Finnish viewpoints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maritta Hännikäinen

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to outline important themes, according to Finnish early childhood education researchers, that need to be addressed in researching and educating children under three years of age in Finland. To achieve this aim, the article divides into two parts. First, we present and discuss the results of a small-scale survey, conducted in Finland, on the views of key informants in the early childhood education units of Finnish universities. Second, the views presented in the survey are used as a starting point to introduce two ongoing qualitative case studies on the everyday life of toddlers in Finnish day care centres. In line with the survey findings, these case studies emphasize in particular the importance of the relational, social nature of children, the educational community, and the sensitivity of the adult for children’s wellbeing in day care groups.

Thirty-day readmission after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Science.gov (United States)

Bjerkreim, Anna Therese; Khanevski, Andrej Netland; Glad, Solveig Bergliot; Thomassen, Lars; Naess, Halvor; Logallo, Nicola

2018-03-01

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most severe form of stroke, but data on readmission after ICH are sparse. We aimed to determine frequency, causes, and predictors of 30-day readmission after ICH. This retrospective cohort study includes all spontaneous ICH survivors admitted to the stroke unit at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen in Norway from July 2007 to December 2013. Patients were followed by review of electronic medical charts, and the first unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge was used as final outcome. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of 30-day readmission. We identified 226 patients with spontaneous ICH, 70 (31.0%) of whom died before discharge or were discharged to palliative care. Of the remaining 156 ICH survivors, 28 (18.0%) were readmitted within 30 days. Median time to readmission was 12 days (IQR 4.5 - 18.5). Most patients were readmitted due to infections ( N  = 13). None of the patients were readmitted with recurrent stroke. Pneumonia and enteral feeding during the index hospitalization were associated with readmission for infections (both p  readmission (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02 - 1.11, p  =   .006). Almost one in five of our spontaneous ICH survivors was readmitted within 30 days, and most readmissions were caused by infections.

Attitude and Perception of Young Audience towards Patriotism in Independence Day TV Commercials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fazlina Jaafar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Quantitatively, this study intends to identify the attitude and perception of young audiences in Malaysia towards Independence day TV commercials from Petronas, and Maxis Berhad in celebrating the Independence Day. Firstly, respondents were exposed to three TV commercials with the same theme and purpose – to represent the spirit of patriotism. Later, these respondents were given a set of questionnaire to be filled. Data were collected using Purposive Sampling and analyzed with statistical analysis (SPSS using Descriptive analysis represented by using the value of percentages, X, and SD. Findings of this study revealed that respondents have negative attitudes towards independence day, but positive attitudes towards the patriotism showed in all TV commercials. They also showed positive perception on independence day television commercials, as high number of respondents have agreed that the concept, theme and art direction of television commercial about love and live in unity without racism will be the style of benchmark for the future style of direction towards producing television commercial for Independence Day and are considered vital to instill patriotism towards the nation.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of statistically optimal unit cells of polydisperse particulate composites from microtomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, H.; Brandyberry, M.; Tudor, A.; Matous, K.

2009-01-01

In this paper, we present a systematic approach for characterization and reconstruction of statistically optimal representative unit cells of polydisperse particulate composites. Microtomography is used to gather rich three-dimensional data of a packed glass bead system. First-, second-, and third-order probability functions are used to characterize the morphology of the material, and the parallel augmented simulated annealing algorithm is employed for reconstruction of the statistically equivalent medium. Both the fully resolved probability spectrum and the geometrically exact particle shapes are considered in this study, rendering the optimization problem multidimensional with a highly complex objective function. A ten-phase particulate composite composed of packed glass beads in a cylindrical specimen is investigated, and a unit cell is reconstructed on massively parallel computers. Further, rigorous error analysis of the statistical descriptors (probability functions) is presented and a detailed comparison between statistics of the voxel-derived pack and the representative cell is made.

In vitro function of random donor platelets stored for 7 days in composol platelet additive solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gupta Ashish

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Platelets are routinely isolated from whole blood and stored in plasma for 5 days. The present study was done to assess the in vitro function of random donor platelets stored for 7 days in composol platelet additive solution at 22°C. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 30 blood donors of both sex in State Blood Bank, CSM Medical University, Lucknow. Random donor platelets were prepared by platelet rich plasma method. Whole blood (350 ml was collected in anticoagulant Citrate Phosphate Dextrose Adenine triple blood bags. Random donor platelets were stored for 7 days at 22°C in platelet incubators and agitators, with and without additive solution. Results: Platelet swirling was present in all the units at 22°C on day 7, with no evidence of bacterial contamination. Comparison of the mean values of platelet count, platelet factor 3, lactate dehydrogenase, pH, glucose and platelet aggregation showed no significant difference in additive solution, whereas platelet factor 3, glucose and platelet aggregation showed significant difference (P < 0.001 on day 7 without additive solution at 22°C. Conclusion: Our study infers that platelet viability and aggregation were best maintained within normal levels on day 7 of storage in platelet additive solution at 22°C. Thus, we may conclude that in vitro storage of random donor platelets with an extended shelf life of 7 days using platelet additive solution may be advocated to improve the inventory of platelets.

X-rays, radiometers and skin unit dose. The development of measuring methods and measuring units for X radiation in medical physics from the beginning until the international standardization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glessmer-Junike, Simone

2015-01-01

international standardization began. This fourth stage continues arguably to the present day, since by now not only units, but also standards for both measurement of these units and quality assurance, are developed in international cooperation. This study presents how present-day knowledge of fundamental physical laws, of potential measurement errors and of shortcomings of methods contribute to a better understanding of the historical process of the development portrayed here. When applying scientific discoveries to medicine and technology, this historical knowledge is an essential prerequisite for successful communication in a globalized world, which depends on international standards for manufacturing and application of measurement devices.

Put Power into Your Presentations: Using Presentation Software Effectively

Science.gov (United States)

Safransky, Robert J.; Burmeister, Marsha L.

2009-01-01

Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and OpenOffice Impress are relatively common tools in the classroom and in the boardroom these days. What makes presentation software so popular? As the Chinese proverb declares, a picture is worth a thousand words. People like visual presentations. Presentation software can make even a dull subject come to…

Data Sorting Using Graphics Processing Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. J. Mišić