Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Permits
Kinds of Permits Selected AbstractsThe impact of later trading hours for hotels on levels of impaired driver road crashes and driver breath alcohol levelsADDICTION, Issue 9 2006Tanya Chikritzhs ABSTRACT Aim To examine the impact of later trading hours for licensed hotels in Perth, Western Australia on levels of associated impaired driver road crashes and driver breath alcohol levels (BALs). Design Police data on the ,last place of drinking' for impaired drivers involved in road crashes and their corresponding BALs were examined to identify those associated with Perth hotels between 1 July 1990 and 30 June 1997. During this period, 43 (23%) of the 186 hotels meeting study criteria were granted an Extended Trading Permit for 1 a.m. closing (ETP hotels), while the rest continued to close at midnight (non-ETP hotels). Time-series analyses employing multiple linear regressions were applied to determine whether an association existed between the introduction of extended trading and (i) monthly levels of impaired driver road crashes associated with ETP hotels and (ii) driver BALs associated with ETP hotels. Trends associated with non-ETP hotels were included as controls and possible confounders were considered. Findings After controlling for the trend in crash rates associated with non-ETP hotels and the introduction of mobile police breath testing stations to Perth freeways, a significant increase in monthly crash rates for ETP hotels was found. This relationship was largely accounted for by higher volumes of high-alcohol content beer, wine and spirits purchased by ETP hotels. No relation was found between driver BALs and the introduction of ETPs. Conclusions Late trading was associated with increased levels of impaired driver road crashes and alcohol consumption, particularly high-risk alcoholic beverages. Greater numbers of patrons and characteristics specific to clientele of hotels which applied for late trading hours (i.e. younger age, greater propensity to drunk-drive, preference for high-risk beverages) were suggested as having contributed to this increase. [source] ALGONQUIN NOTIONS OF JURISDICTION: INSERTING INDIGENOUS VOICES INTO LEGAL SPACESGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2006Bettina Koschade ABSTRACT. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal notions of geography, nature and space sometimes compete, and these differences can create barriers to joint environmental problem-solving. This paper examines the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and Allies (AAFNA) and the strategies they used in juridical and legislative settings to make their voices heard. In the Tay River Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal (2000,2002), AAFNA attempted to introduced their knowledge of the environmental deterioration which would be caused by a Permit To Take Water issued to a multinational corporation by the Ontario Ministry of Environment. The paper is divided into two parts: first, it describes the concepts of Algonquin knowledge, jurisdiction and responsibility; second, it explores the strategies used to integrate their perspective into legal proceedings constructed by the Canadian government. This case reveals how some Algonquin people conceive of space and responsibility in deeply ecological, rather than narrowly juridical, terms. It establishes that their broad concepts of knowledge, land and jurisdiction are incompatible with existing Euro-Canadian divisions of legal responsibility and ecological knowledge, but at the same time can serve as the means by which they challenge the current structure of Aboriginal and Canadian relations. [source] Brazil Should Facilitate Research PermitsCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Alexandre Antonelli No abstract is available for this article. [source] Economic Growth and Biodiversity Loss in an Age of Tradable PermitsCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006JON ROSALES comercio de emisiones; límite y comercio; proceso ciencia-política; Protocolo de Kyoto Abstract:,Tradable permits are increasingly becoming part of environmental policy and conservation programs. The efficacy of tradable permit schemes in addressing the root cause of environmental decline,economic growth,will not be achieved unless the schemes cap economic activity based on ecological thresholds. Lessons can be learned from the largest tradable permit scheme to date, emissions trading now being implemented with the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol caps neither greenhouse gas emissions at a level that will achieve climate stability nor economic growth. If patterned after the Kyoto Protocol, cap-and-trade schemes for conservation will not ameliorate biodiversity loss either because they will not address economic growth. In response to these failures to cap economic growth, professional organizations concerned about biodiversity conservation should release position statements on economic growth and ecological thresholds. The statements can then be used by policy makers to infuse these positions into the local, national, and international environmental science-policy process when these schemes are being developed. Infusing language into the science-policy process that calls for capping economic activity based on ecological thresholds represents sound conservation science. Most importantly, position statements have a greater potential to ameliorate biodiversity loss if they are created and released than if this information remains within professional organizations because there is the potential for these ideas to be enacted into law and policy. Resumen:,Cada vez más, los permisos comerciables son parte de la política ambiental y de los programas de conservación. La eficacia de los esquemas de permisos comerciables para atender la causa principal de la declinación ambiental,crecimiento económico,será baja a menos que los esquemas limiten la actividad económica con base en umbrales ecológicos. Se pueden aprender lecciones del mayor esquema de permisos comerciables a la fecha, la comercialización de emisiones implementada con el Protocolo de Kyoto. El Protocolo de Kyoto no limita a las emisiones de gases a un nivel que logre la estabilidad climática ni al crecimiento económico. Si se sigue el modelo del Protocolo de Kyoto, los esquemas de límite y comercio tampoco reducirán las pérdidas de biodiversidad porque no considerarán al crecimiento económico. En respuesta a estas fallas para limitar el crecimiento económico, las organizaciones profesionales preocupadas por la conservación de la biodiversidad deberían emitir declaraciones sobre su posición respecto a umbrales ecológicos y de crecimiento económico. Las declaraciones luego pueden ser usadas por políticos para infundir estas posiciones en el proceso ciencia ambiental-política a nivel local, nacional e internacional cuando estos esquemas estén siendo desarrollados. La infusión de lenguaje que demanda la limitación de actividades de crecimiento económico con base en umbrales ecológicos es ciencia de la conservación sólida. Más notablemente, las declaraciones de posición tienen un mayor potencial para reducir las pérdidas de biodiversidad si son creadas y publicadas que si esta información permanece dentro de las organizaciones profesionales porque existe el potencial para que estas ideas se constituyan en leyes y políticas. [source] Tradeable Emissions Permits, Emissions Taxes and GrowthTHE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 4 2004Bertrand Crettez This paper uses a dynamic general equilibrium model with overlapping generations in order to analyse and to compare emissions taxes and tradeable emissions permits. Even in the context of a perfect environment, i.e. with perfect information, perfect competition,, it is shown that privately owned emissions permits have some disadvantages. An equilibrium with emissions permits would certainly be better than a laissez-faire equilibrium since it would entail a lower pollution level. However, it is far from clear that an economy with pollution permits would be preferable over an economy with emissions taxes. While in both cases pollution would be lower, growth would be higher in an economy with emissions taxes. This is because emissions permits divert saving from ,productive' resources and have a negative impact on capital accumulation. This happens whatever the way emissions taxes are redistributed. [source] Path-dependent climate policy: the history and future of emissions trading in EuropeENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2004Edwin Woerdman At the end of the 1990s, the EU was still sceptical towards emissions trading, but in 2003 it adopted a directive that enables such trading in the EU from 2005 onwards. Instead of presenting ad hoc explanations, we develop and apply the path dependence approach to clarify this remarkable attitude change. Sunk costs, switching costs and learning explain why politicians were initially tempted to add credit trading to existing, sub-optimal policy. Permit trading, however, is more efficient and effective. An institutional lock-in was bound to occur, but attitudes changed as a result of internal pressures, such as the pioneering role of the European Commission, and external ,shocks', such as the withdrawal of the US from the Kyoto Protocol. A full-scale institutional break-out towards efficiency is not guaranteed, though, because elements of credit trading can still enter the permit trading directive. The risk is that these elements become locked in, from which it may be difficult to escape. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Relation between metal concentration in water and metal content of marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis): Impact of physiology,ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 7 2008Stellio Casas Abstract The present study constitutes an in situ investigation of metal kinetics within soft tissue of mussels (Mytilus gallo-provincialis), which solves the problem of the decoupling of the effect of animal physiology and metal bioavailability in water. Field experiments were conducted to measure uptake and elimination kinetics for four metals (Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cu) in three Mediterranean sites with different contamination and nutritive levels. At each site, metal concentrations were monitored in soft tissues of mussels and in the surrounding waters. The experimental conditions were completely characterized: Lazaret Bay (located between Nice and Marseille, France) is a hot spot for Hg (6.3 ng/L) and Pb (163 ng/L) concentrations and is an oligotrophic, stable site; Bages Lagoon (located to the west of Montpellier, France) is particularly contaminated by Cd (1.5 ng/L) and Cu (1.5,g/L) and is a mesotrophic site where variability of trophic and physicochemical parameters is significant; and Port-Cros Island (located in the Hyeres National Park, France) is considered to be a reference site. Those kinetics permit us to decouple physiological, chemical, and environmental interactions. After normalizing mussel metal content for similar physiological conditions, application of the local weighted regression (LOWESS) statistical treatment shows a parallelism between the time trends of metal concentrations in the bivalve and metal concentrations in water. The results enabled us to obtain in situ kinetic parameters and realistic bioaccumulation factors. Their logarithmic values were 4.6 for Hg, 4.3 for Pb, 4.9 for Cd, and 3.9 for Cu. The importance of physiological processes such as spawning is discussed as a factor influencing the bioaccumulation factor. This information may be useful in refining monitoring tools for risk assessment and, more generally, in environmental management strategies. [source] Source of toxicity in storm water: Zinc from commonly used paintENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2004Lynn Adams Kszos Abstract A Department of Energy site in Paducah, Kentucky (USA), stores thousands of cylinders of depleted uranium hexa-fluoride. Breaches of the cylinders could result in the release of uranium and hydrogen fluoride. Beginning in 1996, a program was begun to paint the cylinders in order to prevent corrosion of the cylinders and the surfaces of the storage yards were converted to concrete. In 1998, storm water from the cylinder storage yards was found to be toxic to Ceriodaphnia, at concentrations exceeding limits in the site's discharge permit. A six-month study was conducted to identify the source of the toxicity in the storm water. Ceriodaphnia toxicity tests with the storm water resulted in 48-h median lethal concentrations (LC50) ranging from 12 to 94%; zinc concentrations in the storm water ranged from 0.08 to 0.54 mg/L. Acute toxicity tests with zinc and linear regression identified that zinc concentrations in the storm water were sufficient to account for the toxicity observed. By tracking the sources to the discharge point, newly painted cylinders were identified as the source of the zinc in the storm water. Rainwater collected directly from the painted cylinders contained up to 13 mg Zn/L. Laboratory and field tests showed that topcoating the cylinders would reduce the amount of zinc in the runoff from the cylinders. [source] Cross-Country Measures for Monitoring Epilepsy CareEPILEPSIA, Issue 5 2007Charles E. Begley Summary:,Purpose: The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Commission on Healthcare Policy in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO) examined the applicability and usefulness of various measures for monitoring epilepsy healthcare services and systems across countries. The goal is to provide planners and policymakers with tools to analyze the impact of healthcare services and systems and evaluate efforts to improve performance. Methods: Commission members conducted a systematic literature review and consulted with experts to assess the nature, strengths, and limitations of the treatment gap and resource availability measures that are currently used to assess the adequacy of epilepsy care. We also conducted a pilot study to determine the feasibility and applicability of using new measures to assess epilepsy care developed by the WHO including Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), responsiveness, and financial fairness. Results: The existing measures that are frequently used to assess the adequacy of epilepsy care focus on structural or process factors whose relationship to outcomes are indirect and may vary across regions. The WHO measures are conceptually superior because of their breadth and connection to articulated and agreed upon outcomes for health systems. However, the WHO measures require data that are not readily available in developing countries and most developed countries as well. Conclusion: The epilepsy field should consider adopting the WHO measures in country assessments of epilepsy burden and healthcare performance whenever data permit. Efforts should be made to develop the data elements to estimate the measures. [source] Installation age of limestone masonry determined from its viscous remagnetizationGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006Graham John Borradaile Many rocks passively acquire some time-dependent or "viscous" remanent magnetism (VRM) at ambient temperatures, without any extraordinary energetic intervention. This magnetization overprints existing remanent magnetization so that it is effectively a remagnetization subparallel to the contemporary geomagnetic field, averaging the geomagnetic field orientation. Certain limestone masonry remagnetizes viscously over an archaeologically useful interval (100 to 8000 Ka) so that the degree of remagnetization is monotonically (but not linearly) related to the construction age. The laboratory unblocking temperature (TUB) that removes the viscous magnetization is a simple monotonic measure of relative age. The longer a piece of masonry remained stabilized in a certain orientation, the greater is its viscous remagnetization and the higher is its TUB. Monuments of known age with a similar limestone source permit us to establish a calibration curve of T UB against historical ages. The resulting calibration curve may then be used to predict the ages of otherwise-undated masonry. Viscous remanent magnetism dating provides precision of <50a in medieval monuments in England and <150a precision for classical to Neolithic monuments in Cyprus; precision depends on the remagnetization rate of the limestone in question. Our calibration curves, for the Jurassic Oolitic Limestone of England and for the Lefkara-Pakhna Chalks of Cyprus, allowed us to investigate the authenticity of a medieval English synagogue in Lincoln, England, and of a medieval house in Cyprus. Multiple archaeologic VRMs show that masonry was recycled in historical times. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Climate variability and change in the Greater Alpine Region over the last two centuries based on multi-variable analysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 15 2009Michele Brunetti Abstract An extensive analysis of the HISTALP database is presented with the aim of giving a comprehensive picture of secular climate variability and change in the Greater Alpine Region (GAR, 4,19 E, 43,49 N). The HISTALP database encompasses 242 sites and concerns temperature, pressure, precipitation, cloudiness, sunshine duration, vapour pressure and relative humidity. The analyses are based on four regional mean records representing different GAR low-level areas and on an additional mean record representing high-level locations. The first goal of the paper is to give an overview of the seasonal and annual records for the different variables, aiming to highlight both variability on decadal time scale and long-term evolution. Then it focuses on trend and correlation analysis. Trends are presented both for the period of common data availability for all regional average series and for moving windows that permit studying the trends over a wide range of timescales. Correlations among the different variables are presented both for the regional average series and for their high-pass-filtered versions. The analyses, beside highlighting a warming that is about twice as large as the global trend, also show that the different variables have responded in different ways to this warming and that the mutual interactions linking the different variables are often present only at specific temporal scales and only in parts of the GAR and in defined seasons. In spite of this complex behaviour, which may also be due to some residual inhomogeneities still affecting the data, the analyses give evidence that the HISTALP database has an excellent internal consistency and show that the availability of a multi-variable database turns out to be very useful in order to evaluate the reliability of the reconstruction of each variable and to better understand the behaviour and the mutual interactions of the different variables. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Female Asylum-Seekers in the Netherlands: An Empirical StudyINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 3 2001Jos W. Van Wetten This article presents the findings from a study into the chances for refugee status, or a temporary residence permit, for three cohorts of male and female asylum-seekers to the Netherlands. The study investigated whether men and women with similar backgrounds in terms of country of origin, social and demographic characteristics have a similar likelihood of obtaining permission to stay in the Netherlands. The quantitative findings are corroborated with an in-depth qualitative study of refugees' files from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND), as well as with an experiment in which decision-making personnel were asked to judge hypothetical case studies of refugees in which gender as well as other gender-specific properties were systematically varied. We recommend that further in-depth studies be conducted to capture elements in the decision-making process that could not be investigated in our kind of large-scale study. [source] The potential for non-invasive study of mummies: validation of the use of computerized tomography by post factum dissection and histological examination of a 17th century female Korean mummyJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 4 2008Do-Seon Lim Abstract The socio-cultural antipathies of some descendants with regard to invasive examinations of age-old human remains make permission for dissection of Korean mummies of the Joseon Dynasty (1392,1910) difficult to obtain. Overcoming this obstacle necessitated the use of non-invasive techniques, such as multi-detector computerized tomography (MDCT) and endoscopic examination, enabling determination of the preservation status of internal organs of mummies without significantly damaging the mummies themselves. However, MDCT alone cannot clearly differentiate specific mummified organs. Therefore, in much the same way as diagnostic radiologists make their MDCT readings on living patients more reliable by means of comparison with accumulated post-factum data from autopsies or histological studies, examinations of mummies by invasive techniques should not be decried as mere destruction of age-old human remains. Rather, providing that due permission from descendants and/or other relevant authorities can be obtained, dissection and histological examination should be performed whenever opportunities arise. Therefore, in this study, we compared the radiological data acquired from a 17th century mummy with our dissection results for the same subject. As accumulation of this kind of data could be very crucial for correct interpretation of MDCT findings on Korean mummies, we will perform similar trials on other Korean mummies found in forthcoming days if conditions permit. [source] Nanostructure and micromechanical properties of reversibly crosslinked isotactic polypropylene/clay compositesJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010S. Bouhelal Abstract Recent developments concerning the methodology used to prepare composites of iPP and nanoclays are reported. Conventional (reactive melt mixing) and in situ preparations were performed, and the structural properties exhibited by the composites are discussed. Results suggest that the nanoclay could exhibit partial and, maybe, total exfoliation within the composites. Adhesion between the polymeric matrix and the nanoclay layers is similar to that obtained after grafting. The experimental procedure used and the analysis performed by means of the wide-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry techniques permit to describe, at nanoscale level, the contribution of the nanoclay to the polymer composite system. The microhardness values of the iPP,clay composites depend on the clay content and on the preparation method, and linearly correlate, according to the additivity law, with the degree of crystallinity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source] The Language of Exclusion in F. Solly Flood's "History of the Permit System in Gibraltar"1JOURNAL OF HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007JENNIFER BALLANTINE PERERA He had originally been sent to Gibraltar to prepare an Order on sanitary reform after the town had been struck by a minor cholera epidemic in 1860 although a far more severe outbreak was to strike in 1865. Overcrowding was isolated as a primary agent of contagion and perceived to be a major threat to the troops given that the military lived in very close proximity to civilians. The unchecked ingress of foreigners or aliens was therefore held by the authorities to represent a major threat to the wellbeing of the Garrison; once resident in the town these aliens added to the already overcrowded living conditions. Their entry therefore needed to be restricted. All these factors contributed to the drive for permit reform. Still, the territorial restrictions placed upon the Rock after conquest most certainly informed the urgent need for population management. The resources available on the Rock were limited yet the demands from inhabitants' on the military for civic provision continued to increase throughout the nineteenth century. Flood's document subsequently draws our attention to the tensions brought about by Gibraltar's dual status as Colony and Fortress, a major concern of Flood's being that military expediency was becoming seriously undermined by an ever expanding town inhabited by a resident civilian population that was increasingly alien in composition. His aim therefore was to take measures to ensure that the only permanent presence in Gibraltar was that of the Garrison. [source] Revisiting privatization in the context of poverty alleviation: the case of SudanJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2006Hulya Dagdeviren Privatization programmes in the developing world have often been assessed on the grounds of efficiency. In recent years a more critical literature with a focus on the distributional and poverty impact of privatization has emerged. This article contributes to that literature in two ways. First, it presents a broad framework of empirical analysis of the relationship between privatization and poverty. Second, it applies this framework to the case of Sudan in as much as the existing data and information permit. The results do not lend much support for the arguments that privatization contributes to the efforts of poverty alleviation through various channels such as efficiency, employment creation and revenue generation for government. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Animal urine as painting materials in African rock art revealed by cluster ToF-SIMS mass spectrometry imagingJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 8 2010Vincent Mazel Abstract The rock art site at the village of Songo in Mali is a very important Dogon ritual place where, since the end of the nineteenth century until today, takes place the ceremony of circumcision. During these ceremonies, paintings are performed on the walls of the shelter with mainly three colors: red, black and white. Ethnological literature mentions the use of animal urine of different species such as birds, lizards or snakes as a white pigment. Urine of these animals is mainly composed of uric acid or urate salts. In this article, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is used to compare uric acid, snake urine and a sample of a white pigment of a Dogon painting coming from the rock art site of Songo. ToF-SIMS measurements in both positive and negative ion modes on reference compounds and snake urine proved useful for the study of uric acid and urate salts. This method enables to identify unambiguously these compounds owing to the detection in negative ion mode of the ion corresponding to the deprotonated molecule ([M , H], at m/z 167.01) and its fragment ions. Moreover, the mass spectra obtained in positive ion mode permit to differentiate uric acid and urate salts on the basis of specific ions. Applying this method to the Dogon white pigments sample, we show that the sample is entirely composed of uric acid. This proves for the first time, that animal urine was used as a pigment by the Dogon. The presence of uric acid instead of urate salts as normally expected in animal urine could be explained by the preparation of the pigment for its application on the stone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A perspective on MALDI alternatives,total solvent-free analysis and electron transfer dissociation of highly charged ions by laserspray ionizationJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 5 2010Sarah Trimpin Abstract Progress in research is hindered by analytical limitations, especially in biological areas in which sensitivity and dynamic range are critical to success. Inherent difficulties of characterization associated with complexity arising from heterogeneity of various materials including topologies (isomeric composition) and insolubility also limit progress. For this reason, we are developing methods for total solvent-free analysis by mass spectrometry consisting of solvent-free ionization followed by solvent-free gas-phase separation. We also recently constructed a novel matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) source that provides a simple, practical and sensitive way of producing highly charged ions by laserspray ionization (LSI) or singly charged ions commonly observed with MALDI by choice of matrix or matrix preparation. This is the first ionization source with such freedom,an extremely powerful analytical ,switch'. Multiply charged LSI ions allow molecules exceeding the mass-to-charge range of the instrument to be observed and permit for the first time electron transfer dissociation fragment ion analysis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Thermal stability of vaccinesJOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2003Duane T. Brandau Abstract Worldwide vaccination programs against infectious diseases and toxins are estimated to save approximately 3 million lives yearly. Tragically, however, another 3 million individuals (primarily children) die of vaccine-preven diseases. A significant portion of this problem results from the thermal instability of many of the currently used vaccines. This review argues that modern methods of physical and chemical analysis permit for the first time characterization of the degradative pathways of thermally labile vaccines. A rigorous description of these pathways permit a more rational and systematic approach to the stabilization of vaccines. A direct result of the replacement of currently employed, primarily empirical, approaches to vaccine stabilization with a more molecular-based methodology should be the development of more universally available vaccinations against life-threatening diseases. This has the potential to have a dramatic impact on world health. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 92:218,231, 2003 [source] TEARING THE CITY DOWN: UNDERSTANDING DEMOLITION ACTIVITY IN GENTRIFYING NEIGHBORHOODSJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2006Rachel Weber We perform a logit analysis of address-level data for every privately initiated demolition permit issued in three Chicago community areas between 2000 and 2003. We find that smaller, older, frame buildings with less lot coverage had a greater probability of being demolished during this period. Political jurisdiction and socioeconomic factors, other than the change in Hispanic population, were less important than expected. Demolished structures were located in appreciating areas, further away from Tax Increment Financing districts. We speculate that this popular redevelopment tool has been used in areas with primarily commercial land uses on the periphery of residential neighborhoods and that rent gaps are reduced by the negative externalities associated with conflicting land uses. [source] Inhibition of hepatitis B virus by lentiviral vector delivered antisense RNA and hammerhead ribozymesJOURNAL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS, Issue 4 2005K. L. Nash Summary., Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current treatments are limited and may be ineffective. Nucleic acid-mediated targeting of viral mRNA is an attractive and specific approach for viral infection and lentiviral vectors provide a means to express antisense sequences or ribozymes stably in target cells permitting continuous production within that cell and its progeny. To demonstrate long-term gene expression by lentiviral vectors in hepatocytes and to introduce lentiviral vectors expressing anti-HBV genes to assess their effect against HBV, lentiviral vectors expressing a reporter gene were assessed for longevity of gene expression in hepatocytes in vitro. Hammerhead ribozymes and antisense sequences targeting the HBV encapsidation signal (,), X or surface antigen on mRNAs were cloned into lentiviral vectors and used to transduce HBV expressing hepatocytes where the effect on HBV mRNA level was assessed using ribonuclease protection. Gene expression in hepatocytes from integrated vectors continued for over 4 months without selection. Antisense RNA targeting HBs mRNA reduced this transcript, whilst antisense RNA to HBX mRNA was ineffective. Sense RNAs corresponding to , and HBX mRNA also reduced HBV mRNA levels. Ribozymes targeting HBs and HBX mRNA effectively reduced HBV mRNA levels compared with inactive constructs indicating their effect to be enzymatic rather than antisense. Lentiviral vectors can produce long-term gene expression in hepatocytes and thus permit prolonged expression of antiviral genes targeting the HBV encapsidation signal, surface and X mRNAs as treatments for chronic HBV infection. [source] Two-photon Raman-type self-induced transparency forfew-cycle laser pulsesLASER PHYSICS LETTERS, Issue 3 2005I. P. Prokopovich Abstract We show the both amplitude and spectrum dynamics of few-cycle laser pulses in two-photon Raman-type self-induced transparency in Ar+ ions, that permit to generate half-cycle laser pulses (FWHM) with more high amplitudes and photon energy as well as spectral widths. (© 2005 by Astro, Ltd. Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA) [source] Fretting behaviour of low-friction coatingsLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2005C. Langlade Abstract The choice of an appropriate low-friction coating for an industrial application is generally a difficult task. As many parameters are involved and are often unknown, selection criteria are hard to define. In order to elucidate the case of fretting conditions, a simulator has been used to reproduce the degradation mechanisms observed for real situations. Numerous experiments performed with this machine permit one to define endurance life criteria. The evolution of the life observed has been analysed as a function of the contact pressure and the film thickness. Using a Wöhler approach, endurance curves have been plotted that give useful information for selecting appropriate coatings. As other parameters may be of some interest, performance indices have been associated with them, and the results can be presented on a multi-axis (polar) diagram. [source] The impact of detergent chemistry on TBN retentionLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2000W. van Dam Abstract Historically, the characterisation of fresh and used diesel engine lubricants has been based on a limited number of analytical techniques. One of the most important methods of analysis has been total base number (TBN) measurement. Although TBN measurements are informative, easy, and quick, it can be misleading to base the judgement of an oil's performance solely on one criterion. This paper offers some observations from a field test, showing that some detergent types gave unacceptable performance even though the TBNs were at an acceptable level. It is hypothesised that some detergents do not effectively neutralise all acidic species present in the lubricant, thereby reserving their own base, while in fact the oil may no longer provide sufficient protection against bearing corrosion. This hypothesis is supported by bench and engine test data. It is recommended that, at a minimum, total acid number (TAN) measurements be included in any analysis, and where time and cost permit, wear metals content, oxidation, soot content, and viscosity should also be evaluated. [source] Transmission through and wave guidance on metal plates perforated by periodic arrays of through-holes of subwavelength coaxial cross-sectionMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 7 2007Vitaliy Lomakin Abstract Perfect electrically conducting (PEC) plates perforated by doubly periodic arrays of through-holes of subwavelength coaxial cross-section permit enhanced transmission of plane waves and support surface wave guidance. The transmission enhancement is attributed to coupling of free-space fields to TEM and TE11 modal fields in holes and occurs via two distinct mechanisms. The first couples incident fields to local resonances (cavity modes) supported by individual holes. The second couples scattered fields (diffraction modes) to global resonances (surface waves). The surface waves arise due to strong interactions between the holes and can have a large propagation wavenumber. The presented PEC model is adequate in the microwave and terahertz regimes and insights into related wave phenomena at optical frequencies.© 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 1554,1558, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22484 [source] A hybrid zone provides evidence for incipient ecological speciation in Heliconius butterfliesMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 21 2008CARLOS F. ARIAS Abstract In Heliconius butterflies, it has been proposed that speciation occurs through a combination of divergence in ecological habitat preferences and mimetic colour patterns. Here we test this hypothesis by investigating a parapatric form of the widespread species Heliconius erato. Mendelian (colour patterns) and molecular genetic data permit us to address hypotheses about introgression and genetic differentiation between different populations. Combined analysis of colour pattern, microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA showed that Heliconius erato venus and Heliconius erato chestertonii form a bimodal hybrid zone implying partial reproductive isolation. In a sample of 121 individuals collected in sympatry, 25% were hybrids representing a significant deficit of heterozygotes compared to the Hardy,Weinberg expectation. Seven microsatellite loci, analysed for a subset of these individuals, showed marked differentiation between the parental taxa, and unambiguously identified two genotypic clusters concordant with our phenotypic classification of individuals. Mitochondrial DNA analysis showed H. erato venus as a monophyletic group well differentiated from H. erato chestertonii, implying a lack of historical introgression between the populations. Heliconius erato chestertonii is therefore an incipient species that maintains its integrity despite high levels of hybridization. Moreover, H. erato chestertonii is found at higher altitudes than other races of H. erato and has a distinct colour pattern and mimetic relationship. Hence, there are now two examples of parapatric incipient species related to H. erato, H. himera and H. erato chestertonii, both of which are associated with higher altitudes, more arid habitats and distinct mimetic relationships. This implies that parapatric habitat adaptation is a likely cause of speciation in this group. [source] On the mechanism of loading the PCNA sliding clamp by RFCMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Isabelle Dionne Summary Sliding clamps play central roles in a broad range of DNA replication and repair processes. The clamps form circular molecules that must be opened and resealed around DNA by the clamp loader complex to fulfil their function. While most eukaryotes and many archea possess a homo-trimeric PCNA, the PCNA of Sulfolobus solfataricus is a heterotrimer. Here, we exploit the asymmetry of S. solfataricus PCNA to create a series of circularly permuted PCNA subunit fusions, thereby covalently closing defined interfaces within the heterotrimer. Using these concatamers, we investigate the requirements for loading the clamp onto DNA and reveal that a single defined interface within the heterotrimer is opened during the loading process. Subunit,specific interactions between S. solfataricus RFC clamp loader and PCNA permit us to superimpose our data upon the structure of yeast RFC,PCNA complex, thereby presenting a general model for PCNA loading by RFC in archaea and eukaryotes. [source] Optical turbulence vertical distribution with standard and high resolution at Mt GrahamMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010E. Masciadri ABSTRACT A characterization of the optical turbulence vertical distribution (C2N profiles) and all the main integrated astroclimatic parameters derived from the C2N and the wind speed profiles above the site of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) (Mt Graham, Arizona, USA) is presented. The statistics include measurements related to 43 nights done with a Generalized SCIDAR (GS) used in standard configuration with a vertical resolution ,H, 1 km on the whole 20 km and with the new technique (High Vertical Resolution GS) in the first kilometre. The latter achieves a resolution ,H, 20,30 m in this region of the atmosphere. Measurements done in different periods of the year permit us to provide a seasonal variation analysis of the C2N. A discretized distribution of C2N, useful for the Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (GLAO) simulations, is provided and a specific analysis for the LBT Laser Guide Star system ARGOS (running in GLAO configuration) case is done including the calculation of the ,grey zones' for J, H and K bands. Mt Graham is confirmed to be an excellent site with median values of the seeing without dome contribution ,= 0.72 arcsec, the isoplanatic angle ,0= 2.5 arcsec and the wavefront coherence time ,0= 4.8 ms. We find that the OT vertical distribution decreases in a much sharper way than what has been believed so far in the proximity of the ground above astronomical sites. We find that 50 per cent of the whole turbulence develops in the first 80 ± 15 m from the ground. We finally prove that the error in the normalization of the scintillation that has been recently demonstrated in the principle of the GS technique affects these measurements by an absolutely negligible quantity (0.04 arcsec). [source] Unified multipliers-free theory of dual-primal domain decomposition methodsNUMERICAL METHODS FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, Issue 3 2009Ismael Herrera Abstract The concept of dual-primal methods can be formulated in a manner that incorporates, as a subclass, the non preconditioned case. Using such a generalized concept, in this article without recourse to "Lagrange multipliers," we introduce an all-inclusive unified theory of nonoverlapping domain decomposition methods (DDMs). One-level methods, such as Schur-complement and one-level FETI, as well as two-level methods, such as Neumann-Neumann and preconditioned FETI, are incorporated in a unified manner. Different choices of the dual subspaces yield the different dual-primal preconditioners reported in the literature. In this unified theory, the procedures are carried out directly on the matrices, independently of the differential equations that originated them. This feature reduces considerably the code-development effort required for their implementation and permit, for example, transforming 2D codes into 3D codes easily. Another source of this simplification is the introduction of two projection-matrices, generalizations of the average and jump of a function, which possess superior computational properties. In particular, on the basis of numerical results reported there, we claim that our jump matrix is the optimal choice of the B operator of the FETI methods. A new formula for the Steklov-Poincaré operator, at the discrete level, is also introduced. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2009 [source] The testable implications of a capital-accumulating, price-taking, vertically integrated, non-renewable resource extracting model of the firm,OPTIMAL CONTROL APPLICATIONS AND METHODS, Issue 1 2010Michael R. Caputo Abstract An exhaustive set of refutable implications of a price-taking, capital-accumulating, vertically integrated Hotelling model is derived by way of intertemporal duality theory. The curvature properties of the model come in the form of a semidefinite matrix, and an upper bound to the rank of the matrix is established. The theorems, for the first time, permit one to determine if a given sample of data is fully consistent with the generalized Hotelling model, as well as the recovery of theoretically valid estimates of the shadow values of non-renewable resource and capital stocks. The testable implications of the model go beyond those of the archetypal Hotelling and adjustment cost models, and as such, display several properties not present in the prototype models. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||