In a World of Disposable Students: The Humanizing Elements of Border Pedagogy in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Reynaldo, III

2016-01-01

One of the many consequences of a neoliberal, high-stakes policy in No Child Left Behind has been that teachers and administrators have resorted to the systematic removal of vulnerable student groups, such as Latina/o English language learners. This process has dehumanized these students and commodified aspects of their identity, such as language,…

Malicious MXit? South African adolescents' use of mobile-based communication applications.

PubMed

Swanepoel, Tarah L; Thomas, Kevin Gf

2012-10-01

Across the globe, and particularly in the high-income countries of the developed world, adolescents are resorting in increasing numbers to the virtual world for peer interaction and socialisation (Subrahmanyam, Smahel and Greenfield 2006). This new and popular way of relating through virtual mediums such as the Internet has sparked public concern, and has been a focus of academic debate. Ongoing debate in psychology literature discusses the notion of compulsive usage of online communication platforms (commonly termed Internet addiction), particularly among adolescents (Kim et al. 2006, Fu et al. 2010, Israelashvili, Kim and Bukobza 2012).

Murine typhus in two travelers returning from Bali, Indonesia: an underdiagnosed disease.

PubMed

Takeshita, Nozomi; Imoto, Kazuya; Ando, Shuji; Yanagisawa, Kunio; Ohji, Goh; Kato, Yasuyuki; Sakata, Akiko; Hosokawa, Naoto; Kishimoto, Toshio

2010-01-01

Two Japanese travelers from Bali were diagnosed with murine typhus in Japan during the same period. Although one had only mild illness, the other experienced liver and kidney dysfunction. Murine typhus may be missed not only in endemic areas around the world, but also in travelers, especially those returning from marine resorts in these areas. © 2010 International Society of Travel Medicine.

Prevalence of Depression in Medical Students at the Lebanese University and Exploring its Correlation With Facebook Relevance: A Questionnaire Study.

PubMed

Naja, Wadih J; Kansoun, Alaa H; Haddad, Ramzi S

2016-05-31

The prevalence of major depression is particularly high in medical students, affecting around one-third of this population. Moreover, online social media, in particular Facebook, is becoming an intrinsic part in the life of a growing proportion of individuals worldwide. Our primary objective is to identify the prevalence of depression in medical students at the Lebanese University Faculty of Medicine, a unique state university in Lebanon, its correlation with the utilization of the interactive features of Facebook, and the way students may resort to these features. Students of the Lebanese University Faculty of Medicine were assessed for (1) depression and (2) Facebook activity. To screen for major depression, we used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. To test for Facebook activity, we developed the Facebook Resorting Questionnaire (FbRQ), which measures the degree to which students resort to Facebook. A total of 365 out of 480 students (76.0%) participated in the survey. A total of 25 students were excluded, hence 340 students were included in the final analysis. Current depression was reported in 117 students out of 340 (34.4%) and t tests showed female predominance. Moreover, PHQ-9 score multiple regression analysis showed that feeling depressed is explained 63.5% of the time by specific independent variables studied from the PHQ-9 and the FbRQ. Depression varied significantly among the different academic years (P<.001) and it peaked in the third-year students. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that depression and resorting to Facebook had a positive and significant relationship (P=.003) and the different FbRQ categories had significant differences in resorting-to-Facebook power. The like, add friend, and check-in features students used when resorting to Facebook were significantly associated with depression. This study showed that depression was highly prevalent among students of the Faculty of Medicine at the Lebanese University. Moreover, Facebook may be a promising, helpful, psychological tool for optimizing the management of depression. Our study brought to bear further questions that now prompt further observation and scrutiny to know more about the high rates of depression in this student population, more so in the part of the world studied, and to the growing role of social media.

Prevalence of Depression in Medical Students at the Lebanese University and Exploring its Correlation With Facebook Relevance: A Questionnaire Study

PubMed Central

Haddad, Ramzi S

2016-01-01

Background The prevalence of major depression is particularly high in medical students, affecting around one-third of this population. Moreover, online social media, in particular Facebook, is becoming an intrinsic part in the life of a growing proportion of individuals worldwide. Objective Our primary objective is to identify the prevalence of depression in medical students at the Lebanese University Faculty of Medicine, a unique state university in Lebanon, its correlation with the utilization of the interactive features of Facebook, and the way students may resort to these features. Methods Students of the Lebanese University Faculty of Medicine were assessed for (1) depression and (2) Facebook activity. To screen for major depression, we used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. To test for Facebook activity, we developed the Facebook Resorting Questionnaire (FbRQ), which measures the degree to which students resort to Facebook. Results A total of 365 out of 480 students (76.0%) participated in the survey. A total of 25 students were excluded, hence 340 students were included in the final analysis. Current depression was reported in 117 students out of 340 (34.4%) and t tests showed female predominance. Moreover, PHQ-9 score multiple regression analysis showed that feeling depressed is explained 63.5% of the time by specific independent variables studied from the PHQ-9 and the FbRQ. Depression varied significantly among the different academic years (P<.001) and it peaked in the third-year students. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that depression and resorting to Facebook had a positive and significant relationship (P=.003) and the different FbRQ categories had significant differences in resorting-to-Facebook power. The like, add friend, and check-in features students used when resorting to Facebook were significantly associated with depression. Conclusions This study showed that depression was highly prevalent among students of the Faculty of Medicine at the Lebanese University. Moreover, Facebook may be a promising, helpful, psychological tool for optimizing the management of depression. Our study brought to bear further questions that now prompt further observation and scrutiny to know more about the high rates of depression in this student population, more so in the part of the world studied, and to the growing role of social media. PMID:27246394

How can we study reasoning in the brain?

PubMed Central

Papo, David

2015-01-01

The brain did not develop a dedicated device for reasoning. This fact bears dramatic consequences. While for perceptuo-motor functions neural activity is shaped by the input's statistical properties, and processing is carried out at high speed in hardwired spatially segregated modules, in reasoning, neural activity is driven by internal dynamics and processing times, stages, and functional brain geometry are largely unconstrained a priori. Here, it is shown that the complex properties of spontaneous activity, which can be ignored in a short-lived event-related world, become prominent at the long time scales of certain forms of reasoning. It is argued that the neural correlates of reasoning should in fact be defined in terms of non-trivial generic properties of spontaneous brain activity, and that this implies resorting to concepts, analytical tools, and ways of designing experiments that are as yet non-standard in cognitive neuroscience. The implications in terms of models of brain activity, shape of the neural correlates, methods of data analysis, observability of the phenomenon, and experimental designs are discussed. PMID:25964755

How can we study reasoning in the brain?

PubMed

Papo, David

2015-01-01

The brain did not develop a dedicated device for reasoning. This fact bears dramatic consequences. While for perceptuo-motor functions neural activity is shaped by the input's statistical properties, and processing is carried out at high speed in hardwired spatially segregated modules, in reasoning, neural activity is driven by internal dynamics and processing times, stages, and functional brain geometry are largely unconstrained a priori. Here, it is shown that the complex properties of spontaneous activity, which can be ignored in a short-lived event-related world, become prominent at the long time scales of certain forms of reasoning. It is argued that the neural correlates of reasoning should in fact be defined in terms of non-trivial generic properties of spontaneous brain activity, and that this implies resorting to concepts, analytical tools, and ways of designing experiments that are as yet non-standard in cognitive neuroscience. The implications in terms of models of brain activity, shape of the neural correlates, methods of data analysis, observability of the phenomenon, and experimental designs are discussed.

Biogasification of sorghum in a novel anaerobic digester

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Srivastava, V.J.; Biljetina, R.; Isaacson, H.R.

1987-01-01

The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) conducted pilot-scale anaerobic digestion experiments with ensiled sorghum in a 160 ft/sup 3/ digester at the experimental test unit (ETU) facility at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in Florida. The study focused on improving bioconversion efficiencies and process stability by employing a novel reactor concept developed at IGT. Steady-state performance data were collected from the ETU as well as from a laboratory-scale conventional stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at loading rates of 0.25 and 0.50 lb organic matter/ft/sup 3/-day at mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures, respectively. This paper will describe the ETU facility, novel digestermore » design and operating techniques, and the results obtained during 12 months of stable and uninterrupted operation of the ETU and the CSTR which showed that methane yields anad rates from the ETU were 20% to 50% higher than those of the CSTR. 10 refs., 7 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Business Performance of Health Spa Tourism Providers in Relation to the Structure of Employees in the Republic of Croatia.

PubMed

Vrkljan, Sanela; Grazio, Simeon

2017-12-01

Health spa tourism services are provided in special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts, and include controlled use of natural healing factors and physical therapy under medical supervision in order to improve and preserve health. Health tourism is a service industry and therefore labor-intensive industry in which human resources are one of the key factors of business success. The aim of this study was to analyze business performance of special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia in relation to the structure of employees, specifically the number of physicians and total medical personnel, as well as the share of physicians and medical personnel in the total number of employees. The assumption was that those who employ more physicians and medical employees are more successful. The empirical research was conducted and the assumption was tested firstly by correlation analysis and afterwards by regression analysis. The total number of employees in the researched health resorts and special hospitals amounted to 2,863, of which the share of physicians specialists accounted for almost 7%, while the share of total medical staff was almost 53%. From the results of our research, it can be concluded that special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts, which employ more physicians and medical personnel, are achieving better financial business performance. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to provide guidance for further growth and development in the direction of basing the primary offer on medical-health offer, rather than on wellness offer, which is a strong trend in the world. These findings are important for planning the health and tourism policies in Croatia and similar countries.

[The natural therapeutic resources of Russia: the topical problems].

PubMed

Adilov, V B; Lvova, N V; Morozova, E Yu

Mineral water, therapeutic peloids, favorable landscape and climatic conditions make up the main basis for the creation and development of the health resort business. Mineral water and therapeutic peloids are mineral resources, their prospecting, discovery, exploration and stock assessment of the responsibility of the Geological Survey of the country while the exploration and practical exploitation of the natural medicinal resources is the prerogative of the users of subsurface resources. At present, there are over 1200 deposits of mineral waters as well as more than 260 sources of therapeutic peloids at the territory of the Russian Federation; the include almost all hydrochemical species and types known and exploited in the world's practice The overall picture of the distribution of the potential and developed deposits of mineral waters and therapeutic peloids of the territory of this country is highly non-uniform and depends on the extent of the economic development of different regions, their geographical and climatic conditions as well as the state and availability of the spa and health resort infrastructure. The natural therapeutic resources, territories suitable for the organization and realization of health promoting activities, setting up new spa and health resort facilities are highly vulnerable to any external impact. We possess the scientifically grounded and practice-proven methods for the search, prospecting, practical development, and medical utilization of various natural therapeutic resources as well as technologies for their conservation, restoration, and protection from damages and overexploitation. The rational use and development of the territories promising for the extension of health resort business imply the necessity of the systemic approach in a consistent stage by stage manner based of the reliable prognoses.

Environmental problems of resort towns of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody region during the anthropocene era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efimenko, Natalia; Chalaya, Elena; Povolotckaia, Nina; Artamonova, Mariya; Senik, Irina; Slepykh, Viktor

2017-04-01

There has been studied the influence of ecological factors on rehabilitation properties of the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) in the mountain resorts of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody Region (CMVR) according to the research methods [1] accepted in balneology. Taking into consideration the data of the long-term complex multiple-factor bioclimatic monitoring (PRIC FMBA, IFA RAS, SNP), it has been revealed: - the increase in frequency of inter-day variability of the integral index of weather pathogenicity (IIWP) in the range of 0,352,0). These signs are noted on the background of the continuing period of climate warming. At the present time the rehabilitation potential of ASL in the resorts of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody region is estimated within 2,08-2,68 points (max =3,0 points). Mountainous areas are more sensitive to anthropogenic impacts, changes of radiation mode and circulation modes. It was revealed that there are a number of phenomena and trends in ASL of the mountainous sites, which are negative markers of urbanization process and advent of Anthropocene era. Therefore, it is actual to form a new concept of sustainable development of mountainous resort towns with scientifically grounded territorial complex system of conservation based on the modern principles of resort town-planning that will contain some scientifically proven and legally defended criteria of environmental pressures, principles of environmentally protective gardening, regulation of transportation flows, ecologically reasonable methods of waste elimination. Finally, all the efforts must be directed to preserving natural medical resources and ensuring of their renewal. References: 1. Resort study of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody region / Under the general edition of MD, prof. V. V. Uyba. Scientific publication. - Pyatigorsk: PRIC FMBA. Volume 1. - 2009. - 335 p.; Volume 2. - 2011. - 368 p.

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Andrea Farmer, public relations manager for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex concessionaire Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, welcomes representatives of the news and social media to the complex' Rocket Garden for a ceremony honoring six-year-old Connor Johnson. During the ceremony, Connor will be presented with space mementos by NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Hawaiian Island Archipelago

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-06-24

The entire Hawaiian Island Archipelago (21.5N, 158.0W) is seen in this single view. The islands are a favorite international resort and tourist attraction drawing visitors from all over the world to enjoy the tropical climate, year round beaches and lush island flora. Being volcanic in origin, the islands' offer a rugged landscape and on the big island of Hawaii, there is still an occasional volcanic eruption of lava flows and steam vents.

Blast-Off on Mission: SPACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Part of NASA's mission is to inspire the next generation of explorers. NASA often reaches children - the inventors of tomorrow - through teachers, reporters, exhibit designers, and other third-party entities. Therefore, when Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative force behind the planning, design, and construction of Disney parks and resorts around the world, approached NASA with the desire to put realism into its Mission: SPACE project, the Agency was happy to offer its insight.

Analysis and Comparison of the Temperature and Snowfall Conditions for the Winters of 2014/15 and 2015/16 at Three Ski Resorts in British Columbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pidwirny, M. J.; Pedersen, S.

2016-12-01

Most ski resorts located close to the west coast of Canada experienced extremely poor weather conditions during the winter of 2014/15. During this year, a persistent area of high pressure created "the Blob" in the North Pacific Ocean, which influenced weather patterns on the west coast of North America producing very mild temperatures inland. Further, for many ski resorts winter precipitation that normally arrives in the form of snow, instead fell as rain on many occasions. In Western Canada, ski resorts saw an 18% decrease in skier visits in 2014/15 relative to the average of the previous 8 years. NOAA forecasts for the winter of 2015/16 suggested another mild winter because of a strong El Nino event. Despite this forecast, ski resorts in Western Canada experienced a very good ski season. This research examines the climate characteristics of the winters of 2014/15 and 2015/16 in detail for three ski resorts in British Columbia, Canada: Whistler-Blackcomb, Cypress Mountain, and Big White. The climatic characteristics of these 2 years were also compared to the winter of 2012/13, the most recent banner ski year in the last decade. Data for this study came from Snow-Forecast.com, a web-based company that creates tailor-made weather forecasts for ski resorts around the world using climate model output from NOAA. From Snow-Forecast.com, we mined archived hindcast data that was available at the daily level to analyze and compare mean air temperature and snowfall patterns from November 1 to March 31. Daily temperature data was plotted in a line graph for each year. To better clarify trends, we also graphed an 11-year running mean for the temperature data. Snowfall data was plotted in a cumulative line graph. The winter of 2014/15 was on average warmer by 3.9°C for Cypress, 5.4°C for Whistler, and 4.4°C for Big White than the winter of 2012/13. The winter of 2015/16 was on average 2.5°C, 3.6°C, and 3.6°C warmer than the winter of 2012/13, respectively. Snowfall accumulations decreased by about 79% for Cypress, 57% for Whistler, and 9% for Big White in 2014/15 when compared to 2012/13. In contrast, the winter of 2015/16 saw snowfall increases of 10% for Cypress, 35% for Whistler, and 97% for Big White relative to 2012/13. Together, the colder temperatures and higher snowfall produced better than expected ski conditions in 2015/16.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 32 crewmember

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-08-15

ISS032-E-023718 (11 Aug. 2012) --- The city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is featured in this night view photographed by an Expedition 32 crew member on the International Space Station. The city of Dubai is the largest metropolitan area in the emirate of Dubai, one of the member states of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is located along the southern Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula, and its signature city is known for high profile architectural and development projects. Among the most notable is the Palm Island Resort, a manmade peninsula and surrounding islands built from over 50 million cubic meters of sand. Two other island projects (out of frame), one similar to the Palm Island Resort and another crafted to look like a map of the world, are also visible in other space station imagery along the Dubai coastline. Orange sodium vapor lights trace out the major highways and surface street grid in and around the metropolitan area, while grey-white mercury vapor lamps fill in the commercial and residential areas. The lighted islands and peninsula of the Palm Island Resort are clearly visible along the coastline. An interesting spiral pattern of lights on the southeastern fringe of the urban area is a camel racetrack. Night time images like this are useful to climate modelers, urban planners, and geographers as they allow for simple definition of urban (densely lit) and rural (sparsely lit) areas.

Maritime Support for Ocean-Resources Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-01

situated) and every 1.8 miles (3 km) on the fast-spreading East Pacific rise . Also, a new source has been identified in the Gulf of Baja California. Crustal...Latin America, Africa and Madagascar, Western Pacific , and the South and South East Asia Mdinland possess about 46.5 percent of the world’s prospective...resorts for fishing, sailing, and diving; Industrial processing plants for hazardous operations such as LNG and chemicals , to remove the plants from

KSC-2012-1048

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1049

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Emergent Behavior of Coupled Barrier Island - Resort Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNamara, D. E.; Werner, B. T.

2004-12-01

Barrier islands are attractive sites for resorts. Natural barrier islands experience beach erosion and island overwash during storms, beach accretion and dune building during inter-storm periods, and migration up the continental shelf as sea level rises. Beach replenishment, artificial dune building, seawalls, jetties and groins have been somewhat effective in protecting resorts against erosion and overwash during storms, but it is unknown how the coupled system will respond to long-term sea level rise. We investigate coupled barrier island - resort systems using an agent-based model with three components: natural barrier islands divided into a series of alongshore cells; resorts controlled by markets for tourism and hotel purchases; and coupling via storm damage to resorts and resort protection by government agents. Modeled barrier islands change by beach erosion, island overwash and inlet cutting during storms, and beach accretion, tidal delta growth and dune and vegetation growth between storms. In the resort hotel market, developer agents build hotels and hotel owning agents purchase them using predictions of future revenue and property appreciation, with the goal of maximizing discounted utility. In the tourism market, hotel owning agents set room rental prices to maximize profit and tourist agents choose vacation destinations maximizing a utility based on beach width, price and word-of-mouth. Government agents build seawalls, groins and jetties, and widen the beach and build up dunes by adding sand to protect resorts from storms, enhance beach quality, and maximize resort revenue. Results indicate that barrier islands and resorts evolve in a coupled manner to resort size saturation, with resorts protected against small-to-intermediate-scale storms under fairly stable sea level. Under extended, rapidly rising sea level, protection measures enhance the effect of large storms, leading to emergent behavior in the form of limit cycles or barrier submergence, depending on the relative rates of resort recovery from storms and sea level rise. The model is applied to Ocean City, Maryland and neighboring undeveloped Assateague Island National Seashore. Supported by the National Science Foundation, Geology and Paleontology Program, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Field Expedient Armor Modifications to US Armored Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

Technology” (Fort Knox, KY: US Army Armor Center, 1983). 12 2Ian V. Hogg. Armour in Conflict, The Design and Tactics of Armoured Fighting...making their own whitewash. Lacking whitewash, they often resorted to commandeering white bed linen to drape over their vehicles. Both techniques proved...other Armoured Fighting Vehicles of World War II (New York: Exeter Books, 1983), 256. 19White, I. D., “Report on US vs. German Armor,” Exhibit 2, p. 6

34 CFR 303.510 - Payor of last resort.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Payor of last resort. 303.510 Section 303.510 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND... DISABILITIES Use of Funds and Payor of Last Resort Payor of Last Resort-General Provisions § 303.510 Payor of...

Artist Concept of Atlantis' new home

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A full scale external tank and twin solid rocket booster replicas will stand at the Atlantis exhibit entrance at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, preparing to launch guests deep into the 30-year history of the Space Shuttle Program. A groundbreaking ceremony for the future home of Atlantis was held Jan. 18. For more information on this and other exhibits at the visitor complex, go to http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Artist rendering courtesy of PGAV Destinations for Delaware North Parks & Resorts

KSC-2012-6384

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-12-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida sixth-grade students are welcomed to an interactive science demonstration by Kerri Lubeski, senior educator and coordinator of Brevard Space Week for Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts. Between Nov. 26 and Dec. 7, 2012, about 5,300 sixth-graders in Brevard County, Florida were bused to Kennedy's Visitor Complex for Brevard Space Week, an educational program designed to encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM careers. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

KSC-2012-1050

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies, speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-2995

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, CNN correspondent John Zarrella counted down for the ceremonial opening of the new "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. Smoke bellows near a full-scale set of space shuttle twin solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank at the entrance to the exhibit building. Looking on after pressing buttons to mark the opening the new exhibit, are, from the left, Charlie Bolden, NASA administrator, Bob Cabana, Kennedy director, Rick Abramson, Delaware North Parks and Resorts president, and Bill Moore, Delaware North Parks and Resorts chief operating officer. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Night earth observation taken by the Expedition 20 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-11

ISS020-E-039932 (11 Sept. 2009) --- City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates is featured in this night view photographed by an Expedition 20 crew member on the International Space Station. The city of Dubai is the largest metropolitan area in the emirate of Dubai, one of the member states of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is located along the southern Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula, and its signature city is known for high profile architectural and development projects. Among the most notable is the Palm Island Resort, a manmade peninsula and surrounding islands built from over 50 million cubic meters of sand. Two other island projects, one similar to the Palm Island Resort and another crafted to look like a map of the world, are also underway along the Dubai coastline. This night time photograph of the city of Dubai was taken at approximately 2:00 a.m. local time. Orange sodium vapor lights trace out the major highways and surface street grid in and around the metropolitan area, while grey-white mercury vapor lamps fill in the commercial and residential areas. The lighted islands and peninsula of the Palm Island Resort are clearly visible along the coastline. An interesting spiral pattern of lights on the southeastern fringe of the urban area is a camel racetrack. Night time images like these are useful to climate modelers, urban planners, and geographers as they allow for simple definition of urban (densely lit) and rural (sparely lit) areas.

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak at a Resort in Cozumel, Mexico

PubMed Central

Hampton, Lee M.; Garrison, Laurel; Kattan, Jessica; Brown, Ellen; Kozak-Muiznieks, Natalia A.; Lucas, Claressa; Fields, Barry; Fitzpatrick, Nicole; Sapian, Luis; Martin-Escobar, Teresa; Waterman, Stephen; Hicks, Lauri A.; Alpuche-Aranda, Celia; Lopez-Gatell, Hugo

2016-01-01

Background. A Legionnaires' disease (LD) outbreak at a resort on Cozumel Island in Mexico was investigated by a joint Mexico-United States team in 2010. This is the first reported LD outbreak in Mexico, where LD is not a reportable disease. Methods. Reports of LD among travelers were solicited from US health departments and the European Working Group for Legionella Infections. Records from the resort and Cozumel Island health facilities were searched for possible LD cases. In April 2010, the resort was searched for possible Legionella exposure sources. The temperature and total chlorine of the water at 38 sites in the resort were measured, and samples from those sites were tested for Legionella. Results. Nine travelers became ill with laboratory-confirmed LD within 2 weeks of staying at the resort between May 2008 and April 2010. The resort and its potable water system were the only common exposures. No possible LD cases were identified among resort workers. Legionellae were found to have extensively colonized the resort's potable water system. Legionellae matching a case isolate were found in the resort's potable water system. Conclusions. Medical providers should test for LD when treating community-acquired pneumonia that is severe or affecting patients who traveled in the 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms. When an LD outbreak is detected, the source should be identified and then aggressively remediated. Because LD can occur in tropical and temperate areas, all countries should consider making LD a reportable disease if they have not already done so. PMID:27704023

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak at a Resort in Cozumel, Mexico.

PubMed

Hampton, Lee M; Garrison, Laurel; Kattan, Jessica; Brown, Ellen; Kozak-Muiznieks, Natalia A; Lucas, Claressa; Fields, Barry; Fitzpatrick, Nicole; Sapian, Luis; Martin-Escobar, Teresa; Waterman, Stephen; Hicks, Lauri A; Alpuche-Aranda, Celia; Lopez-Gatell, Hugo

2016-09-01

Background.  A Legionnaires' disease (LD) outbreak at a resort on Cozumel Island in Mexico was investigated by a joint Mexico-United States team in 2010. This is the first reported LD outbreak in Mexico, where LD is not a reportable disease. Methods.  Reports of LD among travelers were solicited from US health departments and the European Working Group for Legionella Infections. Records from the resort and Cozumel Island health facilities were searched for possible LD cases. In April 2010, the resort was searched for possible Legionella exposure sources. The temperature and total chlorine of the water at 38 sites in the resort were measured, and samples from those sites were tested for Legionella . Results.  Nine travelers became ill with laboratory-confirmed LD within 2 weeks of staying at the resort between May 2008 and April 2010. The resort and its potable water system were the only common exposures. No possible LD cases were identified among resort workers. Legionellae were found to have extensively colonized the resort's potable water system. Legionellae matching a case isolate were found in the resort's potable water system. Conclusions.  Medical providers should test for LD when treating community-acquired pneumonia that is severe or affecting patients who traveled in the 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms. When an LD outbreak is detected, the source should be identified and then aggressively remediated. Because LD can occur in tropical and temperate areas, all countries should consider making LD a reportable disease if they have not already done so.

Biogasification of sorghum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.; Isaacson, H.R.

1987-01-01

The Institute of Gas Technology has been operating a 1200-gallon, anaerobic solids-concentrating digester at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This digester development work is part of a larger effort sponsored by the Gas Research Institute to provide an effective community waste treatment and energy recovery concept for smaller communities. As a result, an economically attractive, water hyacinth-based wastewater treatment system was developed that includes the digestion of water hyacinth and sludge to methane. A further extension of the community waste treatment concept is to include agricultural wastes in the energy recovery scheme. Therefore, duringmore » 1986 a test program was initiated to obtain data on the digestion of sorghum in the solids concentrating digester. Performance data was collected at both mesophilic and thermophilic operating conditions at total organic loading rates of 0.25 and 0.5 pounds per cubic foot of digester volume per day, respectively. Excellent methane yields were obtained during twelve months of stable and uninterrupted operation. This paper summarizes the performance data obtained on sorghum in this digester. 7 refs., 6 figs., 6 tabs.« less

Conversion of MSW (municipal solids waste) to methane in the SOLCON (solids-concentrating) digester

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.; Isaacson, H.R.

1988-01-01

The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) has been operating a 1200- gallon, anaerobic solids-concentrating (SOLCON) digester at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida since January of 1984. This digester development work is part of a larger effort, sponsored by the Gas Research Institute (GRI) Southern California Edison, that provides effective community waste treatment and disposal options while recovering a valuable methane resource from these wastes. Excellent conversions to methane have been obtained in the SOLCON digester during 4 years of uninterrupted operation. Data were collected on: (1) Wastes from experimental municipal wastewater treatment applications. Watermore » hyacinths were harvested from secondary wastewater treatment channels and combined with sludge from primary clarifiers to maximize potential methane recoveries in the digester. (2) Wastes from agricultural operations. Sorghum was selected as a candidate because it represents both a potential energy crop, as well as, a waste resource if only portions of the plant are converted after grain production. (3) Wastes from municipal waste collection.« less

2011 Laser Diagnostics in Combustion Gordon Research Conference, (August 14-19, 2011, Waterville Valley Resort, Waterville Valley, NH)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thomas Settersten

2011-08-19

The vast majority of the world's energy needs are met by combustion of fossil fuels. Optimum utilization of limited resources and control of emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases demand sustained improvement of combustion technology. This task can be satisfied only by detailed knowledge of the underlying physical and chemical processes. Non-intrusive laser diagnostics continuously contribute to our growing understanding of these complex and coupled multi-scale processes. The GRC on Laser Diagnostics in Combustion focuses on the most recent scientific advances and brings together scientists and engineers working at the leading edge of combustion research. Major tasks of the communitymore » are developing and applying methods for precise and accurate measurements of fluid motion and temperatures; chemical compositions; multi-phase phenomena appearing near walls, in spray and sooting combustion; improving sensitivities, precision, spatial resolution and tracking transients in their spatio-temporal development. The properties and behaviour of novel laser sources, detectors, optical systems that lead to new diagnostic capabilities are also part of the conference program.« less

Surface aerosol and rehabilitation properties of ground-level atmosphere in the mountains of the North Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reps, Valentina; Efimenko, Natalia; Povolotskaya, Nina; Abramtsova, Anna; Ischenko, Dmitriy; Senik, Irina; Slepikh, Victor

2017-04-01

The rehabilitative properties (RP) of ground-level atmosphere (GA) of Russian resorts are considered as natural healing resources and received state legal protection [1]. Due to global urbanization the chemical composition and particle size distribution of the surface aerosol are changing rapidly. However, the influence of surface aerosol on the RP of GA has been insufficiently studied. At the resort region of the North Caucasus complex monitoring (aerosol, trace gases NOx, CO, O3, CH4; periodically - heavy metals) is performed at two high levels (860 masl - a park zone of a large mountain resort, 2070 masl - alpine grassland, the net station). The results of the measurements are used in programs of bioclimatic, landscape and medical monitoring to specify the influence of aerosol on rehabilitation properties of the environment and human adaptative reserves. The aerosol particles of size range 500-1000 nm are used as a marker of the pathogenic effect of aerosol [2]. In the conditions of regional urbanization and complicated mountain atmospheric circulation the influence of aerosol on RP of GA and the variability of heart rhythm with the volunteers at different heights were investigated. At the height of 860 masl (urbanized resort) there have been noticed aerosol variations in the range of 0,04-0,35 particles/cm3 (slightly aerosol polluted), in mountain conditions - background pollution aerosol level. The difference of bioclimatic conditions at the specified high-rise levels has been referred to the category of contrasts. The natural aero ionization ∑(N+)+(N-) varied from 960 ion/cm3 to 1460 ion/cm3 in the resort park (860 m); from 1295 ion/cm3 to 4850 ion/cm3 on the Alpine meadow (2070 m); from 1128 ion/cm3 to 3420 ion/cm3 - on the tested site near the edge of the pinewood (1720 m). In the group of volunteers the trip from low-hill terrain zone (860 m) to the lower zone of highlands (2070 m) caused the activation of neuro and humoral regulation, vegetative and central parts of nervous system, psychoemotional status, normalization of frequency spectrum of brain activity and organism adaptation level. The researches are still being conducted. References: 1. The federal law "About Natural Medical Resources, Medical and Improving Areas and Resorts" from 23.02.1995 № 26-fl. 2. The technique of balneological assessment of forest-park landscapes of mountain territories for the purposes of climate-landscape therapy in case of resort treatment of the contingent subject to FMBA of Russia: Handbook for doctors//Registration number 82-15 from 17.12.2015 - Pyatigorsk:MHRF:FMBA of Russia, 2015. -26 p.

Atomic bomb: Ultimate faith of diplomacy. Research report, August 1992-April 1993

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frank, S.

1993-04-01

This paper examines the development and use of the atomic bombs as the means of achieving a grand strategy formulated by United States President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as early as 1943. This grand strategy consisted of two main goals. First, if necessary, the atomic bombs would be used to end World War II as soon as they were ready. Second, the existence of the atomic bombs would be used as a diplomatic hammer to shape the political landscape of the postwar world - a direct warning to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin not to attempt tomore » hegemonize Eastern Europe and the Far East. Was the grand strategy successfully accomplished. Could newly sworn President Harry Truman have employed diplomatic means to quickly and successfully end World War II without resorting to the use of the atomic bombs against Japan.« less

Algorithmic complexity of quantum capacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oskouei, Samad Khabbazi; Mancini, Stefano

2018-04-01

We analyze the notion of quantum capacity from the perspective of algorithmic (descriptive) complexity. To this end, we resort to the concept of semi-computability in order to describe quantum states and quantum channel maps. We introduce algorithmic entropies (like algorithmic quantum coherent information) and derive relevant properties for them. Then we show that quantum capacity based on semi-computable concept equals the entropy rate of algorithmic coherent information, which in turn equals the standard quantum capacity. Thanks to this, we finally prove that the quantum capacity, for a given semi-computable channel, is limit computable.

Manic Defences in Contemporary Society. The Psychocultural Approach.

PubMed

Rudan, Dusko; Jakovljevic, Miro; Marcinko, Darko

2016-12-01

The article discusses the impact of contemporary culture on the individual's personality. We used the "psychocultural" approach whose key feature is the amalgamation of theories and methods belonging to psychodynamic and psychosocial studies, as well as those used in the field of media and cultural studies. The idea of a potentially therapeutic effect of culture (therapy culture) can already been seen in Freud's and Lacan's texts, and it is often used in critical analyses of contemporary corporate culture, which is more or less developed in some parts of the world. In their criticisms, many contemporary authors emphasize that modern societies have a tendency towards the weakening of basic commitment, or lack thereof, to a social equivalent of Winnicott's concept of environmental provisions as an inalienable democratic right essential for human emotional and mental progress or emotional well-being. The article describes frequent resorting to the so-called manic defences that defensively distort, deny and obscure the awareness that a human being is not the omnipotent source of life, but instead depends on other human beings, and often tries to compensate for loss through various activities. The article describes excessive shopping as an activity that often serves as an attempt to find what was lost, i.e. to fill an emotional void. This solution (resorting to manic defences) is encouraged by contemporary culture, especially through promotional material (e.g. advertising). The main theses of this article are supported by quotations and data from world literature.

Ground-Based Calibration Of A Microwave Landing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiriazes, John J.; Scott, Marshall M., Jr.; Willis, Alfred D.; Erdogan, Temel; Reyes, Rolando

1996-01-01

System of microwave instrumentation and data-processing equipment developed to enable ground-based calibration of microwave scanning-beam landing system (MSBLS) at distances of about 500 to 1,000 ft from MSBLS transmitting antenna. Ensures accuracy of MSBLS near touchdown point, without having to resort to expense and complex logistics of aircraft-based testing. Modified versions prove useful in calibrating aircraft instrument landing systems.

A proposal for a worldwide definition of health resort medicine, balneology, medical hydrology and climatology.

PubMed

Gutenbrunner, Christoph; Bender, Tamas; Cantista, Pedro; Karagülle, Zeki

2010-09-01

Health Resort Medicine, Balneology, Medical Hydrology and Climatology are not fully recognised as independent medical specialties at a global international level. Analysing the reasons, we can identify both external (from outside the field) and internal (from inside the field) factors. External arguments include, e.g. the lack of scientific evidence, the fact that Balneotherapy and Climatotherapy is not used in all countries, and the fact that Health Resort Medicine, Balneology, Medical Hydrology and Climatology focus only on single methods and do not have a comprehensive concept. Implicit barriers are the lack of international accepted terms in the field, the restriction of being allowed to practice the activities only in specific settings, and the trend to use Balneotherapy mainly for wellness concepts. Especially the implicit barriers should be subject to intense discussions among scientists and specialists. This paper suggests one option to tackle the problem of implicit barriers by making a proposal for a structure and description of the medical field, and to provide some commonly acceptable descriptions of content and terminology. The medical area can be defined as "medicine in health resorts" (or "health resort medicine"). Health resort medicine includes "all medical activities originated and derived in health resorts based on scientific evidence aiming at health promotion, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation". Core elements of health resort interventions in health resorts are balneotherapy, hydrotherapy, and climatotherapy. Health resort medicine can be used for health promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. The use of natural mineral waters, gases and peloids in many countries is called balneotherapy, but other (equivalent) terms exist. Substances used for balneotherapy are medical mineral waters, medical peloids, and natural gases (bathing, drinking, inhalation, etc.). The use of plain water (tap water) for therapy is called hydrotherapy, and the use of climatic factors for therapy is called climatotherapy. Reflecting the effects of health resort medicine, it is important to take other environmental factors into account. These can be classified within the framework of the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health). Examples include receiving health care by specialised doctors, being well educated (ICF-domain: e355), having an environment supporting social contacts (family, peer groups) (cf. ICF-domains: d740, d760), facilities for recreation, cultural activities, leisure and sports (cf. ICF-domain: d920), access to a health-promoting atmosphere and an environment close to nature (cf. ICF-domain: e210). The scientific field dealing with health resort medicine is called health resort sciences. It includes the medical sciences, psychology, social sciences, technical sciences, chemistry, physics, geography, jurisprudence, etc. Finally, this paper proposes a systematic international discussion of descriptions in the field of Health Resort Medicine, Balneology, Medical Hydrology and Climatology, and discusses short descriptive terms with the goal of achieving internationally accepted distinct terms. This task should be done via a structured consensus process and is of major importance for the publication of scientific results as well as for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Winter Tourism and mountain wetland management and restoration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaucherand, S.; Mauz, I.

2012-04-01

The degradation and loss of wetlands is more rapid than that of other ecosystems (MEA 2005). In mountains area, wetlands are small and scattered and particularly sensitive to global change. The development of ski resorts can lead to the destruction or the deterioration of mountain wetlands because of hydrologic interferences, fill in, soil compression and erosion, etc. Since 2008, we have studied a high altitude wetland complex in the ski resort of Val Thorens. The aim of our study was to identify the impacts of mountain tourism development (winter and summer tourism) on wetland functioning and to produce an action plan designed to protect, rehabilitate and value the wetlands. We chose an approach based on multi-stakeholder participatory process at every stage, from information gathering to technical choices and monitoring. In this presentation, we show how such an approach can efficiently improve the consideration of wetlands in the development of a ski resort, but also the bottlenecks that need to be overcome. We will also discuss some of the ecological engineering techniques used to rehabilitate or restore high altitude degraded wetlands. Finally, this work has contributed to the creation in 2012 of a mountain wetland observatory coordinated by the conservatory of Haute-Savoie. The objective of this observatory is to estimate ecosystem services furnished by mountain wetlands and to find restoration strategies adapted to the local socio-economical context (mountain agriculture and mountain tourism).

Energy audit data for a resort island in the South China Sea.

PubMed

Basir Khan, M Reyasudin; Jidin, Razali; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh

2016-03-01

The data consists of actual generation-side auditing including the distribution of loads, seasonal load profiles, and types of loads as well as an analysis of local development planning of a resort island in the South China Sea. The data has been used to propose an optimal combination of hybrid renewable energy systems that able to mitigate the diesel fuel dependency on the island. The resort island selected is Tioman, as it represents the typical energy requirements of many resort islands in the South China Sea. The data presented are related to the research article "Optimal Combination of Solar, Wind, Micro-Hydro and Diesel Systems based on Actual Seasonal Load Profiles for a Resort Island in the South China Sea" [1].

Survey on the possibility of introducing new energy to regional development plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1988-03-01

This report covers nationwide large-scale resort plans and at the same time studies the possibility of introducing new energy systems, mainly cogeneration, and their effects. Japanese industrial structure is rapidly moving toward information and service areas, and the development of resorts has become very active. With the increase of resort demands, much is expected of resort development as a means of regional promotion. Special features of energy consumption in resort facilities are that annual demand is large, that energy consumption fluctuates greatly, and that energy supply cost is high. These features are especially conspicuous in smaller facilities. Most suited for resort lodging facilities is a co-generation system, especially a diesel engine system. This system is expected to conserve energy; but to promote this system, it is necessary to revise the preferential tax treatment and Fire Service Act to meet the actual circumstances, and to develop a highly reliable system that can be operated unattended. An economical system in view of overall costs is also essential.

[The topical problems of pediatric balneotherapy and the spa and health resort-based treatment of the children].

PubMed

Razumov, A N; Khan, M A

2016-01-01

This article is devoted to the topical problems of pediatric balneotherapy with special reference to the organization of the spa and health resort-based treatment of the children in the Russian Federation. The main issues discussed by the authors include the current state of health resort care for the children, the problem of statutory regulation of the activities of the children's spa and health resort facilities, the approaches to increasing the availability of the spa and health resort-based treatment for the children at the enhanced risk of the development of chronic diseases, disabilities, and tuberculosis. Also considered are the problems of the development of the regulatory framework for the medical rehabilitation of the children based at the spa and health resort facilities. The principal goals to be sought in climatotherapy, physiotherapy, balneotherapy, and pelotherapy in the pediatric context are outlined along with the further prospects for the development of the main areas of pediatric balneology.

Identification of relevant ICF categories for indication, intervention planning and evaluation of health resort programs: a Delphi exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morita, E.; Weigl, M.; Schuh, A.; Stucki, G.

2006-01-01

Health resort programs have a long tradition, mainly in European countries and Japan. They rely on local resources and the physical environment, physical medicine interventions and traditional medicine to optimise functioning and health. Arguably because of the long tradition, there is only a limited number of high-quality studies that examine the effectiveness of health resort programs. Specific challenges to the evaluation of health resort programs are to randomise the holistic approach with a varying number of specific interventions but also the reliance on the effect of the physical environment. Reference standards for the planning and reporting of health resort studies would be highly beneficial. With the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF), we now have such a standard that allows us to describe body functions and structures, activities and participation and interaction with environmental factors. A major challenge when applying the ICF in practice is its length. Therefore, the objective of this project was to identify the ICF categories most relevant for health resort programs. We conducted a consensus-building, three-round, e-mail survey using the Delphi technique. Based on the consensus of the experts, it was possible to come up with an ICF Core Set that can serve as reference standards for the indication, intervention planning and evaluation of health resort programs. This preliminary ICF Core Set should be tested in different regions and in subsets of health resort visitors with varying conditions.

Seaside Resorts in the Dominican Republic: A Typology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer-Arendt, Klaus J.; And Others

1992-01-01

Addresses the beachfront urbanization of the Dominican Republic's coastline resulting from domestic and international tourism. Explains that the distribution of beach resorts reflects both quality and quantity of natural resources, proximity of urban centers, and intensity of development efforts. Describes five discrete types of coastal resorts.…

Targeting Antibiotic Resistance

PubMed Central

Chellat, Mathieu F.; Raguž, Luka

2016-01-01

Abstract Finding strategies against the development of antibiotic resistance is a major global challenge for the life sciences community and for public health. The past decades have seen a dramatic worldwide increase in human‐pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to one or multiple antibiotics. More and more infections caused by resistant microorganisms fail to respond to conventional treatment, and in some cases, even last‐resort antibiotics have lost their power. In addition, industry pipelines for the development of novel antibiotics have run dry over the past decades. A recent world health day by the World Health Organization titled “Combat drug resistance: no action today means no cure tomorrow” triggered an increase in research activity, and several promising strategies have been developed to restore treatment options against infections by resistant bacterial pathogens. PMID:27000559

["Podmoskovie"--health resort institution of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation celebrates the 20th anniversary].

PubMed

Bondar', I V; Minaev, D Iu; Nasretdinov, I N; Petukhov, A E

2014-12-01

The article is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Federal government health resort institution of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation (FGI "Health resort "Podmoskovie" of the Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation). In this health resort were developed treatment programs for patients with abnormalities of the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems; methods of ultrasonic, laser and magnetic therapy, atmospheric hypoxic, herbal medicine, speleotherapy are employed. Widely used natural healing factors of Ruza district of the Moscow region such as climate therapy, treatment with mineral water group of X type of Smolensk from own wells and balneo-mudtherapy. Over the past 20 years 70 000 patients received an appropriate treatment in this health resort.

Energy audit data for a resort island in the South China Sea

PubMed Central

Basir Khan, M. Reyasudin; Jidin, Razali; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh

2015-01-01

The data consists of actual generation-side auditing including the distribution of loads, seasonal load profiles, and types of loads as well as an analysis of local development planning of a resort island in the South China Sea. The data has been used to propose an optimal combination of hybrid renewable energy systems that able to mitigate the diesel fuel dependency on the island. The resort island selected is Tioman, as it represents the typical energy requirements of many resort islands in the South China Sea. The data presented are related to the research article “Optimal Combination of Solar, Wind, Micro-Hydro and Diesel Systems based on Actual Seasonal Load Profiles for a Resort Island in the South China Sea” [1]. PMID:26900590

[Industrial waste as indicator of population size: possible utilization in mountain resort tourist stations?].

PubMed

Olive, F; Rey, S; Zmirou, D

1998-09-01

Epidemiological studies, conducted in touristic resorts, often face the difficulty of assessing the size of the referent population. Recently, some population size indicators, have been tested. Among them, the amount of municipal waste seems to be easy and readily accessible. The purpose of the study is to describe how this indicator can be used in touristic mountain resorts. Four touristic resorts were chosen in Isère departement (France): Alpe d'Huez, Deux Alpes, Chamrousse, plateau du Vercors. The evolution of municipal waste over several years was used to compute an individual output level for residents and for tourists. This waste indicator was compared with data on tourists reservations in hotels in the resorts. We found a good fit during touristic seasons in three resorts (Spearman test). For the last one (Chamrousse), the correlation rate was low. We think that the type of tourism is different in this resort with many non residents. This indicator is reliable but needs further validation by sample surveys across several sites and several types of lodging. We propose to estimate the size of the referent population, based on an individual output of 1 kg per person and per day for residents and 0.5 kg per person per day for tourists.

KSC-2012-1066

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The stylized shape of the new home for Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex incorporates hues of orange and gold to represent both the heat and the bright colors of re-entry. Special gray-colored tiling has been incorporated into the building's design to represent the space shuttle tiles that protected the orbiter from the heat of re-entry. A groundbreaking ceremony for the future home of Atlantis was held Jan. 18. For more information on this and other exhibits at the visitor complex, go to http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Artist rendering courtesy of PGAV Destinations for Delaware North Parks & Resorts

ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law 10: surrogacy.

PubMed

Shenfield, F; Pennings, G; Cohen, J; Devroey, P; de Wert, G; Tarlatzis, B

2005-10-01

This 10th statement of the Task Force on Ethics and Law considers ethical questions specific to varied surrogacy arrangements. Surrogacy is especially complex as the interests of the intended parents, the surrogate, and the future child may differ. It is concluded that surrogacy is an acceptable method of assisted reproductive technology of the last resort for specific medical indications, for which only reimbursement of reasonable expenses is allowed.

[The contribution of the Russian Research Centre of Medical Rehabilitation and Balneotherapeutics to the development of the health resort business in this country].

PubMed

Povazhnaia, E A; Bobrovnitskiĭ, I P

2013-01-01

The definition of the notion of health resort business is proposed in the context of the legislation pertinent to the natural therapeutic resources, health and recreational localities, spa and resort facilities currently in force in this country. The main landmark events in the history of the Russian Research Centre of Rehabilitative Medicine and Balneotherapeutics are highlighted, its role in the development of balneotherapeutic science and health resort business is described. The major achievements of the Centre in the investigations of therapeutic properties of natural physical factors (climate, mineral waters, peloids, etc.), their action on the human organism, the possibilities of their application for the treatment and prevention of various pathological conditions in and outside health resort facilities are presented. The contribution of the specialists of the Centre to the search for and discovery of new resort resources is emphasized. Community needs in balneotheraputic treatment are estimated, scientific basis for its organization, principles and normatives of health resort business are discussed along with the problems of sanitary control and protection. The activities of the Centre as an organizer of the unique system of rehabilitative and balneotherapeutic aid to the population are overviewed. Scientifically substantiated indications and contraindications for the spa and resort-based treatment of various diseases are proposed in conjunction with the methods for the application of physiotherapeutic factors. The tasks currently facing the Centre and prospects for its future research activities in the fields of rehabilitative medicine and balneotherapeutics are discussed.

78 FR 23135 - Safety Zone; Blue Water Resort & Casino West Coast Nationals; Parker, AZ

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-18

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Blue Water Resort & Casino West Coast Nationals; Parker, AZ AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS... Lake Moovalya region of the navigable waters of the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona for the Blue....). RPM Racing Enterprises is sponsoring the Blue Water Resort & Casino West Coast Nationals, which is...

[The development of treatment in the Birstonas health resort up to 1939 and the physicians of Birstonas in the 19th and first half of the 20th century].

PubMed

Kierzek, Andrzej; Kuciel-Lewandowska, Jadwiga; Paprocka-Borowicz, Malgorzata; Pozowski, Andrzej; Rejman, Przemysław

2013-01-01

First of all, the history and development of Birstonas, a health resort by the river Neman, near Vilnius, first mentioned in 1382, are recounted in detail. The value of this health resort was determined by a mild climate and salt springs. Information on Birstonas by Władysław Syrokomla (1823-1862), the Polish poet, and Zygmunt Gloger (1845-1910), the Polish ethnographer, archaeologist and historian are well known. The indications and contraindications in many diseases, and the effects of treatment in this health resort are described. Finally, the opportunities for recreation and the attractions in this charming health resort are presented. Attention was paid to the leading role of Poles in the development of this health resort now in Lithuania. The biographies of several physicians practicing in Birstonas: Jan Sokołowski, Aleksander T.W. Korewa, Anicety Renier, Stanisław K. Wikszemski, Benedykt Bilifiski, Erminio Andriolli, Roman Przybylski and Paweł A. Sawicki are presented. Their biographies, professional achievements and work in Birstonas are depicted in detail.

The conversion of community-derived wastes to methane in a high-rate digester. La conversion des dechets solides municipaux en methane dans un digesteur a rendement eleve

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.; Punwani, D.V.

1988-01-01

The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) has been operating a 4.5-m/sup 3/, anaerobic solids-concentrating digester at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, since January 1984. This digester development work is part of a larger effort that provides effective community waste treatment and disposal options while recovering a valuable methane resources from these wastes. Excellent conversions to methane have been obtained in the digester during 4 years of uninterrupted operation. Data were collected on wastes from experimental municipal wastewater treatment applications, that is, water hyacinths were harvested from secondary wastewater treatment channels and combined with sludgemore » from primary clarifiers to maximize potential methane recoveries in the digester; wastes from agricultural operations, that is, sorghum was selected as a candidate because it represents both a potential energy crop, as well as a waste resource if only portions of the plant are converted after grain production; and wastes from municipal waste collection. Municipal solids waste (MSW) from a commercial resource recovery center was selected. 3 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.« less

[Jan Pilecki (1821-1878) and achievements his Druskieninkai].

PubMed

Kierzek, Andrzej; Kuciel-Lewandowska, Jadwiga; Pozowski, Andrzej; Borowicz-Paprocka, Małgorzata

2012-01-01

The history of development of health resort Druskieniki basing on Adam Wrzosek, an eminent Polish historian of medicine pointed out. The beauty and advantages of this health resort is depicted widely. The living and professional achievements of Jan Pilecki (1821-1878), an eminent physician of health resort, his significance for development and of Druskieninkai are presented in more detail. The medical indications and contraindications in Druskieniki basing on his own experiences have been reported. Pilecki was a author of many medical publications in Polish medical magazines. His papers contained interested medical observations and description of social life and entertainments in this health resort.

Linear and nonlinear dynamic analysis of redundant load path bearingless rotor systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murthy, V. R.

1985-01-01

The bearingless rotorcraft offers reduced weight, less complexity and superior flying qualities. Almost all the current industrial structural dynamic programs of conventional rotors which consist of single load path rotor blades employ the transfer matrix method to determine natural vibration characteristics because this method is ideally suited for one dimensional chain like structures. This method is extended to multiple load path rotor blades without resorting to an equivalent single load path approximation. Unlike the conventional blades, it isk necessary to introduce the axial-degree-of-freedom into the solution process to account for the differential axial displacements in the different load paths. With the present extension, the current rotor dynamic programs can be modified with relative ease to account for the multiple load paths without resorting to the equivalent single load path modeling. The results obtained by the transfer matrix method are validated by comparing with the finite element solutions. A differential stiffness matrix due to blade rotation is derived to facilitate the finite element solutions.

Hydrology and water quality in two mountain basins of the northeastern US: Assessing baseline conditions and effects of ski area development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wemple, B.; Shanley, J.; Denner, J.; Ross, D.; Mills, K.

2007-01-01

Mountain regions throughout the world face intense development pressures associated with recreational and tourism uses. Despite these pressures, much of the research on bio-geophysical impacts of humans in mountain regions has focused on the effects of natural resource extraction. This paper describes findings from the first 3 years of a study examining high elevation watershed processes in a region undergoing alpine resort development. Our study is designed as a paired-watershed experiment. The Ranch Brook watershed (9.6 km2) is a relatively pristine, forested watershed and serves as the undeveloped 'control' basin. West Branch (11.7 km2) encompasses an existing alpine ski resort, with approximately 17% of the basin occupied by ski trails and impervious surfaces, and an additional 7% slated for clearing and development. Here, we report results for water years 2001-2003 of streamflow and water quality dynamics for these watersheds. Precipitation increases significantly with elevation in the watersheds, and winter precipitation represents 36-46% of annual precipitation. Artificial snowmaking from water within West Branch watershed currently augments annual precipitation by only 3-4%. Water yield in the developed basin exceeded that in the control by 18-36%. Suspended sediment yield was more than two and a half times greater and fluxes of all major solutes were higher in the developed basin. Our study is the first to document the effects of existing ski area development on hydrology and water quality in the northeastern US and will serve as an important baseline for evaluating the effects of planned resort expansion activities in this area.

Impact of Water Resorts Development along Laguna de Bay on Groundwater Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jago-on, K. A. B.; Reyes, Y. K.; Siringan, F. P.; Lloren, R. B.; Balangue, M. I. R. D.; Pena, M. A. Z.; Taniguchi, M.

2014-12-01

Rapid urbanization and land use changes in areas along Laguna de Bay, one of the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, have resulted in increased economic activities and demand for groundwater resources from households, commerce and industries. One significant activity that can affect groundwater is the development of the water resorts industry, which includes hot springs spas. This study aims to determine the impact of the proliferation of these water resorts in Calamba and Los Banos, urban areas located at the southern coast of the lake on the groundwater as a resource. Calamba, being the "Hot Spring Capital of the Philippines", presently has more than 300 resorts, while Los Banos has at least 38 resorts. Results from an initial survey of resorts show that the swimming pools are drained/ changed on an average of 2-3 times a week or even daily during peak periods of tourist arrivals. This indicates a large demand on the groundwater. Monitoring of actual groundwater extraction is a challenge however, as most of these resorts operate without water use permits. The unrestrained exploitation of groundwater has resulted to drying up of older wells and decrease in hot spring water temperature. It is necessary to strengthen implementation of laws and policies, and enhance partnerships among government, private sector groups, civil society and communities to promote groundwater sustainability.

1. OVERVIEW OF MAIN ENTRANCE TO RESORT WITH STATE HIGHWAY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. OVERVIEW OF MAIN ENTRANCE TO RESORT WITH STATE HIGHWAY 89 IN FOREGROUND; MAIN LODGE IS ON THE FAR LEFT (WEST); CORD CABIN IS BEHIND AND TO THE RIGHT OF PARKED VEHICLES. - Camp Richardson Resort, Cord Cabin, U.S. Highway 89, 3 miles west of State Highway 50 & 89, South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, CA

Seeking health under palm trees: Ayurveda in Kerala.

PubMed

Kannan, Srinivasan; Frenz, Margret

2017-12-22

Movement for healthcare, mostly termed 'medical tourism', has been a sector of enormous potential in South Asia over the past years attracting many international clients. Kerala, a state in southern India, advertises 'Kerala Ayurveda' as one of its particular attractions. The objective of this paper is to study and understand the public health view on movements for healthcare and/or wellness across borders with a particular focus on the quality of treatments offered and on issues of ethics that concern patients from across different countries, but also the providers of Ayurveda treatments. To gain insights into local perspectives, interviews were conducted with Ayurveda practitioners at Ayurveda resorts in Kerala, in particular in Kovalam and Varkala, both in Thiruvananthapuram district. The analysis of our interviews shows that - perhaps not surprisingly in a world characterised by global capitalism - marketing plays an important role in attracting clients to resorts. Market considerations led to a transformation of how Ayurveda is presented to potential customers. This in turn has undermined the significance of Ayurveda within the tourism industry of Kerala. Arguably, representatives of the state view this as an opportunity rather than considering the importance of further developing Ayurveda as a medical practice.

Snow management practices in French ski resorts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spandre, Pierre; Francois, Hugues; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle; Morin, Samuel

2016-04-01

Winter tourism plays a fundamental role in the economy of French mountain regions but also in other countries such as Austria, USA or Canada. Ski operators originally developed grooming methods to provide comfortable and safe skiing conditions. The interannual variability of snow conditions and the competition with international destinations and alternative tourism activities encouraged ski resorts to mitigate their dependency to weather conditions through snowmaking facilities. However some regions may not be able to produce machine made snow due to inadequate conditions and low altitude resorts are still negatively impacted by low snow seasons. In the meantime, even though the operations of high altitude resorts do not show any dependency to the snow conditions they invest in snowmaking facilities. Such developments of snowmaking facilities may be related to a confused and contradictory perception of climate change resulting in individualistic evolutions of snowmaking facilities, also depending on ski resorts main features such as their altitude and size. Concurrently with the expansion of snowmaking facilities, a large range of indicators have been used to discuss the vulnerability of ski resorts such as the so-called "100 days rule" which was widely used with specific thresholds (i.e. minimum snow depth, dates) and constraints (i.e. snowmaking capacity). The present study aims to provide a detailed description of snow management practices and major priorities in French ski resorts with respect to their characteristics. We set up a survey in autumn 2014, collecting data from 56 French ski operators. We identify the priorities of ski operators and describe their snowmaking and grooming practices and facilities. The operators also provided their perception of the ski resort vulnerability to snow and economic challenges which we could compare with the actual snow conditions and ski lift tickets sales during the period from 2001 to 2012.

Exploring the Constraint Profile of Winter Sports Resort Tourist Segments.

PubMed

Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios; Vassiliadis, Chris A; Bellou, Victoria; Andronikidis, Andreas

2015-09-01

Many studies have confirmed the importance of market segmentation both theoretically and empirically. Surprisingly though, no study has so far addressed the issue from the perspective of leisure constraints. Since different consumers face different barriers, we look at participation in leisure activities as an outcome of the negotiation process that winter sports resort tourists go through, to balance between related motives and constraints. This empirical study reports the findings on the applicability of constraining factors in segmenting the tourists who visit winter sports resorts. Utilizing data from 1,391 tourists of winter sports resorts in Greece, five segments were formed based on their constraint, demographic, and behavioral profile. Our findings indicate that such segmentation sheds light on factors that could potentially limit the full utilization of the market. To maximize utilization, we suggest customizing marketing to the profile of each distinct winter sports resort tourist segment that emerged.

Exploring the Constraint Profile of Winter Sports Resort Tourist Segments

PubMed Central

Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios; Vassiliadis, Chris A.; Bellou, Victoria; Andronikidis, Andreas

2014-01-01

Many studies have confirmed the importance of market segmentation both theoretically and empirically. Surprisingly though, no study has so far addressed the issue from the perspective of leisure constraints. Since different consumers face different barriers, we look at participation in leisure activities as an outcome of the negotiation process that winter sports resort tourists go through, to balance between related motives and constraints. This empirical study reports the findings on the applicability of constraining factors in segmenting the tourists who visit winter sports resorts. Utilizing data from 1,391 tourists of winter sports resorts in Greece, five segments were formed based on their constraint, demographic, and behavioral profile. Our findings indicate that such segmentation sheds light on factors that could potentially limit the full utilization of the market. To maximize utilization, we suggest customizing marketing to the profile of each distinct winter sports resort tourist segment that emerged. PMID:29708114

KSC-05PD-0210

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, the winners of the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin get together. Second from left is Daniel Stearns, from East Longmeadow, Mass. The others are the winning team from NASA Explorer School McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga. At left is Theo Maxie; at right are Daniel Jackson and Trenten Nash. The three-day conference drew attendees from around the world. It presented topics on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

A proposal for a worldwide definition of health resort medicine, balneology, medical hydrology and climatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutenbrunner, Christoph; Bender, Tamas; Cantista, Pedro; Karagülle, Zeki

2010-09-01

Health Resort Medicine, Balneology, Medical Hydrology and Climatology are not fully recognised as independent medical specialties at a global international level. Analysing the reasons, we can identify both external (from outside the field) and internal (from inside the field) factors. External arguments include, e.g. the lack of scientific evidence, the fact that Balneotherapy and Climatotherapy is not used in all countries, and the fact that Health Resort Medicine, Balneology, Medical Hydrology and Climatology focus only on single methods and do not have a comprehensive concept. Implicit barriers are the lack of international accepted terms in the field, the restriction of being allowed to practice the activities only in specific settings, and the trend to use Balneotherapy mainly for wellness concepts. Especially the implicit barriers should be subject to intense discussions among scientists and specialists. This paper suggests one option to tackle the problem of implicit barriers by making a proposal for a structure and description of the medical field, and to provide some commonly acceptable descriptions of content and terminology. The medical area can be defined as “medicine in health resorts” (or “health resort medicine”). Health resort medicine includes “all medical activities originated and derived in health resorts based on scientific evidence aiming at health promotion, prevention, therapy and rehabilitation”. Core elements of health resort interventions in health resorts are balneotherapy, hydrotherapy, and climatotherapy. Health resort medicine can be used for health promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. The use of natural mineral waters, gases and peloids in many countries is called balneotherapy, but other (equivalent) terms exist. Substances used for balneotherapy are medical mineral waters, medical peloids, and natural gases (bathing, drinking, inhalation, etc.). The use of plain water (tap water) for therapy is called hydrotherapy, and the use of climatic factors for therapy is called climatotherapy. Reflecting the effects of health resort medicine, it is important to take other environmental factors into account. These can be classified within the framework of the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health). Examples include receiving health care by specialised doctors, being well educated (ICF-domain: e355), having an environment supporting social contacts (family, peer groups) (cf. ICF-domains: d740, d760), facilities for recreation, cultural activities, leisure and sports (cf. ICF-domain: d920), access to a health-promoting atmosphere and an environment close to nature (cf. ICF-domain: e210). The scientific field dealing with health resort medicine is called health resort sciences. It includes the medical sciences, psychology, social sciences, technical sciences, chemistry, physics, geography, jurisprudence, etc. Finally, this paper proposes a systematic international discussion of descriptions in the field of Health Resort Medicine, Balneology, Medical Hydrology and Climatology, and discusses short descriptive terms with the goal of achieving internationally accepted distinct terms. This task should be done via a structured consensus process and is of major importance for the publication of scientific results as well as for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

78 FR 33703 - Safety Zone; Great Western Tube Float; Colorado River; Parker, AZ

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-05

... include all navigable waters of the Colorado River from La Paz County Park to the Blue Water Resort... width of the river from La Paz County Park to the Blue Water Resort & Casino. However, vessels may... includes the waters of the Colorado River between La Paz County Park to the Blue Water Resort & Casino and...

Quality of customer service: perceptions from guests in all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica

Treesearch

Joel L. Frater

2007-01-01

With data collected from guests in all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, West Indies, the purposes of this study were to: (1) delineate unique dimensions of customer service perceptions among guests and (2) report the finding of a study that measured guests' perceptions of the quality of customer service in all-inclusive resorts. The study asked the following research...

75 FR 1407 - Tribal Consultation on Proposed Revisions to 25 CFR Parts 81 & 82

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-11

... the date of January 14, 2010 for the meeting scheduled at the Pala Casino Resort and Spa in Pala... Pala Casino Resort and Spa in Pala, California. This notice changes the date to February 2, 2010, and.... * * * Pala Casino Resort and Spa, 11154 Hwy. 76, Pala, California 92059; Telephone: (877) 946-7252'' to read...

KSC-05PD-0195

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (center) talks to John Douglass, with the Aerospace Industries Association, at the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando. OKeefe is the keynote speaker kicking off the conference. Douglass is one of the panelists. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference are Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

KSC-05PD-0208

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA Administrator Sean OKeefe (center) talks to John Douglass, with the Aerospace Industries Association, at the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando. OKeefe is the keynote speaker kicking off the conference. Douglass is one of the panelists. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference include Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

[Hotels and sanatoria: the influence of tuberculosis on mass tourism architecture].

PubMed

Morales, Eduardo Jiménez; Díaz, Ingrid Carolina Vargas

2017-01-01

The aim of this article is to verify the influence of tuberculosis on mass tourism architecture. To achieve this, the paper analyses the typological evolution of the hotel since the middle of the nineteenth century, when the first sanatoria appeared in the alpine resorts. A study that creates links between the progress in architecture and the medical therapy advances. The goal is to highlight the hybridisation process between both architectural typologies. Although this overlapping is developed until the Second World War, the influence of its mixture is still present in contemporary mass tourism architecture.

Resources of dark skies in German climatic health resorts.

PubMed

Gabriel, Katharina M A; Kuechly, Helga U; Falchi, Fabio; Wosniok, Werner; Hölker, Franz

2017-01-01

Illumination of nocturnal environments is increasing steadily worldwide. While there are some benefits for mankind, light at night affects animals, plants, and human health by blurring the natural distinction between day and night. International regulations exist to protect the environment for the maintenance of human health but nocturnal darkness is not considered. In Germany, cities and communities labeled as Climatic Health Resorts provide for high standards in air quality. However, their degree of nocturnal darkness is unexplored so far. In our study, we examined the degree of nocturnal darkness in German Climatic Health Resorts by two datasets based on georeferenced remote sensing data. The majority of Climatic Health Resorts (93.1 %) are able to offer a relative respite (≥ 20 mag/arcsec 2 ) from a degraded nocturnal environment, while only 3.4 % are able to offer a dark, if by no means pristine, night environment (≥ 21 mag/arcsec 2 ). Climatic Health Resorts emit less light as well as are less affected by night sky brightness compared to the average of non-classified communities. In combination with daytime requirements, the resorts provide conditions for a more distinct day-and-night-cycle than non-classified communities.

[Neuropsychological modifications at high altitude: from Pamir to Karakorum].

PubMed

Nardi, Bernardo; Brandoni, Marco; Capecci, Ilaria; Castellani, Simona; Rupoli, Sara; Bellantuono, Cesario

2009-01-01

Neuropsychological modifications and acclimatization processes at over 8000 without auxiliary oxygen were investigated in two climbers, evaluating attentive abilities and matching their performances. During rest in base-camp (4800 m), at other three Resorts - Resort I (5800 m), Resort II (6400 m), Resort III (7200 m) -, and four months after the return at low altitude, were administered: Temporal Orientation Test (TOT), Trail Making Test (TMT), Animal Naming (AN), Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), Arithmetical Judgment Test (AJT), and Drawing Test (DT). Results. At TOT and at AJT, both the climbers demonstrated scores at higher normal levels (Eq = 4) in all the Resorts in which they were performed. They showed an impairment at AN test, especially at Resort III, showing sensitivity of animal naming to hypoxia. At the DT, human figures were reduced in their dimensions and details, as consequence of the tendency to self closure and introversion that occurs at higher altitudes. Neuropsychological functions concerning verbal fluency showed sensitivity to hypoxia, especially at higher altitudes. TMT demonstrated that attentive ability can be preserved if acclimatization is good. Sensitivity to hypoxia and acclimatization processes showed a significant subjective variability. The results of this study show that exposure to high altitude produces some significant neuropsychological changes.

The four faces of mass customization.

PubMed

Gilmore, J H; Pine, B J

1997-01-01

Virtually all executives today recognize the need to provide outstanding service to customers. Focusing on the customer, however, is both an imperative and a potential curse. In their desire to become customer driven, many companies have resorted to inventing new programs and procedures to meet every customer's request. But as customers and their needs grow increasingly diverse, such an approach has become a surefire way to add unnecessary cost and complexity to operations. Companies around the world have embraced mass customization in an attempt to avoid those pitfalls. Readily available information technology and flexible work processes permit them to customize goods or services for individual customers in high volumes at low cost. But many managers have discovered that mass customization itself can produce unnecessary cost and complexity. They are realizing that they did not examine thoroughly enough what kind of customization their customers would value before they plunged ahead. That is understandable. Until now, no framework has existed to help managers determine the type of customization they should pursue. James Gilmore and Joseph Pine provide managers with just such a framework. They have identified four distinct approaches to customization. When designing or redesigning a product, process, or business unit, managers should examine each approach for possible insights into how to serve their customers best. In some cases, a single approach will dominate the design. More often, however, managers will need a mix of some or all of the four approaches to serve their own particular set of customers.

Utah ski patrol: assessing training types and resources.

PubMed

Sagalyn, Emily B; McDevitt, Marion C; Ernst, Ryan

2014-12-01

Skiers and snowboarders incur a variety of injuries and medical emergencies each year at ski resorts. The ski patrol is primarily responsible for initial triage, assessment and stabilization of these problems. The purpose of this study was to subjectively evaluate the type of training, resources, and equipment available to local ski patrols within Utah. Ski patrol directors at ski resorts in Utah were asked to complete a voluntary computerized survey. Of the 14 ski areas in Utah, ski patrol directors representing 8 resorts responded. The majority of patrols in Utah use Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) as their primary education and certification source. Most programs also include site-specific training in addition to basic certification. All responding resorts had basic first responder equipment, including splinting devices, basic airway management, and hemorrhage control. Six of 8 responding resorts had affiliated clinics, and all had access to aeromedical transport. All of the responding ski patrol directors believed the current training level was adequate. Utah area ski patrollers frequently see trauma-related injuries and have the resources to assess and provide initial immobilization techniques. Many resorts have affiliated clinics with advanced providers, and all have access to aeromedical support to rapidly transfer patients to trauma centers. Medical directors may be of use for training as well as developing extended scope of practice protocols for advanced airway use or medication administration. Patrols may benefit from additional resort-specific training that addresses other frequently seen injuries or illnesses. Copyright © 2014 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transferability of MCR-1/2 Polymyxin Resistance: Complex Dissemination and Genetic Mechanism.

PubMed

Feng, Youjun

2018-03-09

Polymyxins, a group of cationic antimicrobial polypeptides, act as a last-resort defense against lethal infections by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Recent emergence and fast spread of mobilized colistin resistance determinant mcr-1 argue the renewed interest of colistin in clinical therapies, threatening global public health and agriculture production. This mini-review aims to present an updated overview of mcr-1, covering its global dissemination, the diversity of its hosts/plasmid reservoirs, the complexity in the genetic environment adjacent to mcr-1, the appearance of new mcr-like genes, and the molecular mechanisms for mobilized colistin resistance determinant 1/2 (MCR-1/2).

A simple formula for the effective complex conductivity of periodic fibrous composites with interfacial impedance and applications to biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisegna, Paolo; Caselli, Federica

2008-06-01

This paper presents a simple analytical expression for the effective complex conductivity of a periodic hexagonal arrangement of conductive circular cylinders embedded in a conductive matrix, with interfaces exhibiting a capacitive impedance. This composite material may be regarded as an idealized model of a biological tissue comprising tubular cells, such as skeletal muscle. The asymptotic homogenization method is adopted, and the corresponding local problem is solved by resorting to Weierstrass elliptic functions. The effectiveness of the present analytical result is proved by convergence analysis and comparison with finite-element solutions and existing models.

KSC-2012-1059

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Seated at right, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; and Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-6049

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Atlantis pauses during its 10-mile journey to the Kennedy Visitor Complex for a ceremony to commemorate the transfer. Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore spoke Kennedy employees and guests at the event. As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis is to be displayed at Kennedy's Visitor Complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition Photo credit: NASA/ Tony Gray

KSC-2012-1058

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies, speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Seated at right, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1060

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Seated at right, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1057

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Seated at right, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1056

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore speaks during a Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Seated at right, are Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

On the tumbling toast problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borghi, Riccardo

2012-09-01

A didactical revisitation of the so-called tumbling toast problem is presented here. The numerical solution of the related Newton's equations has been found in the space domain, without resorting to the complete time-based law of motion, with a considerable reduction of the mathematical complexity of the problem. This could allow the effect of the different physical mechanisms ruling the overall dynamics to be appreciated in a more transparent way, even by undergraduates. Moreover, the availability from the literature of experimental investigations carried out on tumbling toast allows us to propose different theoretical models of growing complexity in order to show the corresponding improvement of the agreement between theory and observation.

A local scale assessment of the climate change sensitivity of snow in Pyrenean ski resorts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesado, Cristina; Pons, Marc; Vilella, Marc; López-Moreno, Juan Ignacio

2016-04-01

The Pyrenees host one of the largest ski area in Europe after the Alps that encompasses the mountain area of the south of France, the north of Spain and the small country of Andorra. In this region, winter tourism is one of the main source of income and driving force of local development on these mountain communities. However, this activity was identified as one of the most vulnerable to a future climate change due to the projected decrease of natural snow and snowmaking capacity. However, within the same ski resorts different areas showed to have a very different vulnerability within the same resort based on the geographic features of the area and the technical management of the slopes. Different areas inside a same ski resort could have very different vulnerability to future climate change based on aspect, steepness or elevation. Furthermore, the technical management of ski resorts, such as snowmaking and grooming were identified to have a significant impact on the response of the snowpack in a warmer climate. In this line, two different ski resorts were deeply analyzed taken into account both local geographical features as well as the effect of the technical management of the runs. Principal Component Analysis was used to classify the main areas of the resort based on the geographic features (elevation, aspect and steepness) and identify the main representative areas with different local features. Snow energy and mass balance was simulated in the different representative areas using the Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) assuming different magnitudes of climate warming (increases of 2°C and 4°C in the mean winter temperature) both in natural conditions and assuming technical management of the slopes. Theses first results showed the different sensitivity and vulnerability to climate changes based on the local geography of the resort and the management of the ski runs, showing the importance to include these variables when analyzing the local vulnerability of a ski resort and the potential adaptation measures in each particular case.

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Volume 3. Preliminary Final Environmental Impact Statement Construction and Operation of Space Launch Complex 7

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-23

817) 824-5606. Reelfoot Lake Water Level believes that the proposed timber EIS No. 890197. Final, USA. UT, Tooele Management Plan. Implementation...2: Incidenial lake erit The potential need for an incidental take permit is discussed in Section 4.4.1, Regional Environment. Comment No. 3...and Crow Indian Tribes. Yellowstone, E02, Lake Catamount ResortAvailability Big Horn and Rosebud Counties, MT, Construction. Special Use Permit

KSC-2013-2986

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Rick Abramson, Delaware North Parks and Resorts president, speaks to guests during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-2985

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Rick Abramson, Delaware North Parks and Resorts president, speaks to guests during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-2974

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Rick Abramson, Delaware North Parks and Resorts president speaks to news media representatives during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Assessment of Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb levels in beach and dune sands from Havana resorts, Cuba.

PubMed

Díaz Rizo, Oscar; Buzón González, Fran; Arado López, Juana O

2015-11-15

Concentrations of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) in beach and dune sands from thirteen Havana (Cuba) resorts were estimated by X-ray fluorescence analysis. Determined mean metal contents (in mg·kg(-1)) in beach sand samples were 28±12 for Ni, 35±12 for Cu, 31±11 for Zn and 6.0±1.8 for Pb, while for dune sands were 30±15, 38±22, 37±15 and 6.8±2.9, respectively. Metal-to-iron normalization shows moderately severe and severe enrichment by Cu. The comparison with sediment quality guidelines shows that dune sands from various resorts must be considered as heavily polluted by Cu and Ni. Almost in every resort, the Ni and Cu contents exceed their corresponding TEL values and, in some resorts, the Ni PEL value. The comparison with a Havana topsoil study indicates the possible Ni and Cu natural origin. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heavy metal levels in dune sands from Matanzas urban resorts and Varadero beach (Cuba): Assessment of contamination and ecological risks.

PubMed

Díaz Rizo, Oscar; Buzón González, Fran; Arado López, Juana O; Denis Alpízar, Otoniel

2015-12-30

Concentrations of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) in dune sands from six urban and suburban Matanzas (Cuba) resorts and Varadero beach were estimated by X-ray fluorescence analysis. Ranges of metal contents in dune sands show a strong variation across the studied locations (in mg/kg(-1)): 20-2964 for Cr, 17-183 for Ni, 17-51 for Cu, 18-88 for Zn and 5-29 for Pb. The values of contamination factors and contamination degrees how that two of the studied Matanzas's resorts (Judio and Chirry) are strongly polluted. The comparison with Sediment Quality Guidelines shows that dune sands from Judio resort represent a serious risk for humans, due to polluted Cr and Ni levels, while sands from the rest of the studied resorts, including Varadero beach, do not represent any risk for public use. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The development of the system of medical rehabilitation based at the Russian health resort facilities: investment prospects].

PubMed

Povazhnaya, E L; Gusakova, E V; Moiseenko, S V

2018-05-21

The present work is devoted to the prospects for attracting investments for the maintenance and development of the medical rehabilitation practices based at the Russian health resort facilities. The article describes the prerequisites for the enhancement of the investment attractiveness of the development of the system of medical rehabilitation in the said institutions including the formulation and strengthening of the legal and regulatory framework, the capacity for the organization of the second and third stages of medical rehabilitation in the existing spa and health resort facilities, the attraction of the funds of compulsory medical insurance as an additional source of the financial support. The main legal documents regulating the organization and provision of medical rehabilitation based at the spa and health resort facilities are presented. The results of the implementation of the investment concept of the development of medical rehabilitation in the framework of the system of health resort treatment as exemplified by the experience of JSC «The group of companies «Medsi» are discussed. It is shown that the development of medical rehabilitation based at the spa and health resort facilities greatly contributes to the significant expansion of the potential customer base and promotes the further growth of business scale.

Plan competitions reveal entrepreneurial talent

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madison, Alison L.

2011-05-15

Monthly economic diversity column for Tri-City Herald business section. Excerpt below: There’s something to be said for gaining valuable real-world experience in a structured, nurturing environment. Take for instance learning to scuba dive in the comfort of my resort pool rather than immediately hanging out with sharks while I figure out little things like oxygen tanks and avoiding underwater panic attacks. Likewise, graduate students are getting some excellent, supportive real-world training through university business plan competitions. These competitions are places where smart minds, new technologies, months of preparation and coaching, and some healthy pre-presentation jitters collide to reveal not onlymore » solid new business ideas, but also some promising entrepreneurial talent. In fact, professionals from around our region descend upon college campuses every spring to judge these events, which help to bridge the gap between academics and the real technology and business-driven economy.« less

KSC-05PD-0209

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, being held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, the NASA Explorer School team from McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga., receives the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Standing with the awards are Trenten Nash, Theo Maxie and Daniel Jackson. Presenting the awards were John Karas (left), with Lockheed, and Adm. Craig Steidle (right), associate administrator, Office of Exploration Systems at NASA. The three- day conference drew attendees from around the world. It presented topics on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

[Therapeutic update in tuberous sclerosis complex: the role of mTOR pathway inhibitors].

PubMed

Ruiz-Falcó Rojas, M Luz

2012-05-21

Tuberous sclerosis complex is an autosomal dominant disease, with variable expressivity and multisystemic involvement, which is characterised by the growth of benign tumours called hamartomas. The organs that are most commonly affected are the brain, skin, kidneys, eyes, heart and lungs. Of all the children with this disease, 85% present neurological manifestations that, due to their severity, are the main cause of morbidity and mortality. The most significant neurological manifestations are epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders and mental retardation. It has been shown that in tuberous sclerosis complex the genes TSC1 and TSC2 alter the mTOR enzyme cascade, which sets off inhibition of this pathway. The possibility of resorting to treatments applied at the origin, thus inhibiting this pathway, is currently being evaluated.

Unplanned Complex Suicide-A Consideration of Multiple Methods.

PubMed

Ateriya, Navneet; Kanchan, Tanuj; Shekhawat, Raghvendra Singh; Setia, Puneet; Saraf, Ashish

2018-05-01

Detailed death investigations are mandatory to find out the exact cause and manner in non-natural deaths. In this reference, use of multiple methods in suicide poses a challenge for the investigators especially when the choice of methods to cause death is unplanned. There is an increased likelihood that doubts of homicide are raised in cases of unplanned complex suicides. A case of complex suicide is reported where the victim resorted to multiple methods to end his life, and what appeared to be an unplanned variant based on the death scene investigations. A meticulous crime scene examination, interviews of the victim's relatives and other witnesses, and a thorough autopsy are warranted to conclude on the cause and manner of death in all such cases. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Augmentative and alternative communication in daily clinical practice: strategies and tools for management of severe communication disorders.

PubMed

Frankoff, Denise J; Hatfield, Brooke

2011-01-01

Research indicates that augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) approaches can be used effectively by patients and their caregivers to improve communication skills. This article highlights strategies and tools for re-establishing communication competence by considering the complexity and diversity of communication interactions in an effort to maximize natural speech and language skills via a range of technologies that are implemented across the continuum of care rather than as a last resort.

KSC-2013-2972

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Bill Moore, Delaware North Parks and Resorts chief operating officer speaks to news media representatives during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-2976

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Andrea Farmer, Delaware North Parks and Resorts manager of Public Relations speaks to news media representatives during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2013-2977

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-28

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Bill Moore, Delaware North Parks and Resorts chief operating officer speaks to news media representatives during the opening of the 90,000-square-foot "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility. The new $100 million facility includes interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit formally opened to the public on June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Heroes and Legends Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-11

Rick Abramson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts, speaks to guests during the opening of the Heroes and Legends attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The new facility includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and looks back to the pioneering efforts of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. It sets the stage by providing the background and context for space exploration and the legendary men and women who pioneered the nation's journey into space.

The impacts of gaming expansion on economic growth: a theoretical reconsideration.

PubMed

Li, Guoqiang; Gu, Xinhua; Siu, Ricardo Chi Sen

2010-06-01

This paper employs a general equilibrium framework to analyze the effects on economic growth of global expansions in casino gaming, which exports gambling services largely to non-residents. Both domestic and foreign investments in the gaming sector bring in not only substantial revenues but also positive spillover effects on related sectors and even on the entire local economy. However, an over-expansion of commercial gambling may lead to deterioration in the terms of trade with an adverse impact on real income. If this situation persists, it would not be impossible for immiserizing growth to occur. As a highly profitable sector, casino gaming may enable its operators to diversify out of this risk if they invest retained profits in non-gaming sectors to cash in on the spillover effects it has created. The gaming-dominant economy can then be directed on a more balanced and sustainable growth path, and will become less susceptible to business cycles. Indeed, economic experiences in the world's major casino resorts are consistent basically with this argument for diversification. We believe that after the current global crisis fades away, economic growth and resulting surges in global demand for gambling services can provide further opportunities for the expansion of existing casino resorts and the development of new gaming markets.

Human thermal comfort antithesis in the context of the Mediterranean tourism potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nastos, Panagiotis T.; Zerefos, Christos S.; Kapsomenakis, Ioannis N.; Eleftheratos, Kostas; Polychroni, Iliana

2016-04-01

Weather and climate information are determinative factors in the decision of a touristic destination. The evaluation of the thermal, aesthetical and physical components of the climate is considered an issue of high importance in order to assess the climatic tourism potential. Mediterranean is an endowed region with respect to its temperate climate and impressive landscapes over the coastal environment and numerous islands. However, the harmony of the natural beauty is interrupted by extreme weather phenomena, such as heat and cold waves, heavy rains and stormy conditions. Thus, it is very important to know the seasonal behavior of the climate for touristic activities and recreation. Towards this objective we evaluated the antithesis in the human thermal perception as well as the sultriness, stormy, foggy, sunny and rainy days recorded in specific Greek touristic destinations against respective competitive Mediterranean resorts. Daily meteorological parameters, such as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, cloudiness and precipitation, were acquired from the most well-known touristic sites over the Mediterranean for the period 1970 to present. These variables were used on one hand to estimate the human thermal burden, by means of the thermal index of Physiologically Equivalent temperature (PET) and on the other hand to interpret the physical and aesthetic components of the tourism potential, by utilizing specific thresholds of the initial and derived variables in order to quantify in a simple and friendly way the environmental footprint on desired touristic destinations. The findings of this research shed light on the climate information for tourism in Greece against Mediterranean destinations. Greek resorts, especially in the Aegean Islands appear to be more ideal with respect to thermal comfort against resorts at the western and central Mediterranean, where the heat stress within the summer season seems to be an intolerable pressure on humans. This could be attributed to the beneficial impact of the Etesians winds established in the summer months over the Aegean Sea and the development of the sea breeze over the numerous island complexes. Further, the sunny days and clear skies at the Greek resorts along with the harmony of the landscape promote the best of the aesthetical facet of the climate.

Air and wet bulb temperature lapse rates and their impact on snowmaking in a Pyrenean ski resort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Moreno, Juan Ignacio; Navarro-Serrano, F.; Azorín-Molina, C.; Sánchez-Navarrete, P.; Alonso-González, E.; Rico, I.; Morán-Tejeda, E.; Buisan, S.; Revuelto, J.; Pons, M.; Vicente-Serrano, S. M.

2018-03-01

A set of 17 air temperature and relative humidity sensors were used to analyze the temporal variability of surface air temperature (Tair), wet bulb temperature (Twb), and daily snowmaking hours (SM, number of hours per day with Twb < - 2 °C), lapse rates, and the occurrence of thermal inversions at the Formigal ski resort (Spanish Pyrenees) from December to March during three consecutive ski seasons (2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015). The Tair and Twb lapse rates showed strong hourly and daily variability, with both exhibiting almost identical temporal fluctuations. The Twb exhibited average lapse rates that were slightly steeper (- 5.2 °C/km) than those observed for Tair (- 4.9 °C/km). The less steep lapse rates and most thermal inversions were observed in December. Days having less (more) steep Tair and Twb lapse rates were observed under low (high) wind speeds and high (low) relative humidity and air pressure. The temporal dynamics of the SM lapse rates was more complex, as this involved consideration of the average Tair in the ski resort, in addition to the driving factors of the spatio-temporal variability of Twb. Thus, on a number of cold (warm) days, snowmaking was feasible at all elevations at the ski resort, independently of the slopes of the lapse rates. The SM exhibited an average daily lapse rate of 8.2 h/km, with a progressive trend of increase from December to March. Weather types over the Iberian Peninsula tightly control the driving factors of the Tair, Twb, and SM lapse rates (wind speed, relative humidity, and Tair), so the slopes of the lapse rates and the frequency of inversions in relation to elevation for the three variables are very dependent on the occurrence of specific weather types. The less steep lapse rates occurred associated with advections from the southeast, although low lapse rates also occurred during advections from the east and south, and under anticyclonic conditions. The steepest Tair and Twb lapse rates were observed during north and northwest advections, while the steepest rates for SM were observed during days of cyclonic circulation and advections from the northeast.

KSC-2012-6364

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of space shuttle Atlantis in her new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The shuttle is wrapped in a protective plastic to protect it from dust and debris while being prepared for display. Atlantis was lifted 26 feet from the ground level and slowly tilted to exactly a 43.21 angle to its portside to allow optimum viewing of the vehicle with its payload bay doors open. Atlantis is being prepared for display in the new 90,000-square-foot facility under construction at the visitor complex which is managed by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-6365

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of space shuttle Atlantis in her new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The shuttle is wrapped in a protective plastic to protect it from dust and debris while being prepared for display. Atlantis was lifted 26 feet from the ground level and slowly tilted to exactly a 43.21 angle to its portside to allow optimum viewing of the vehicle with its payload bay doors open. Atlantis is being prepared for display in the new 90,000-square-foot facility under construction at the visitor complex which is managed by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-1061

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore speaks during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. Seated at right, are Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; and Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies. Partially blocked from view is STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1053

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, state and local dignitaries participate in a Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. The group includes KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1063

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, state and local dignitaries participate in a Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. From left, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-1054

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – During a ceremony in the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, state and local dignitaries break ground for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. From left, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1047

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, dignitaries wait to speak during the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. From left, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2012-1064

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-18

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – During a ceremony in the Shuttle Plaza area at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) in Florida, state and local dignitaries break ground for the future home of space shuttle Atlantis. From left, are KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore; Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Janet Petro; Lt. Governor of Florida Jennifer Carroll; Jeremy Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Delaware North Companies; and STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson. Delaware North Parks & Resorts, in partnership with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, broke ground for the 65,000 square-foot exhibit that will house Atlantis at the visitor complex. For more information, visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-6362

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of space shuttle Atlantis in her new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The shuttle is wrapped in a protective plastic to protect it from dust and debris while being prepared for display. Atlantis was lifted 26 feet from the ground level and slowly tilted to exactly a 43.21 angle to its portside to allow optimum viewing of the vehicle with its payload bay doors open. Atlantis is being prepared for display in the new 90,000-square-foot facility under construction at the visitor complex which is managed by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-6366

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Members of the media get an up close view of space shuttle Atlantis in her new home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The shuttle is wrapped in a protective plastic to protect it from dust and debris while being prepared for display. Atlantis was lifted 26 feet from the ground level and slowly tilted to exactly a 43.21 angle to its portside to allow optimum viewing of the vehicle with its payload bay doors open. Atlantis is being prepared for display in the new 90,000-square-foot facility under construction at the visitor complex which is managed by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Spatial Analysis of the Effects of the Anomalous Winter of 2014/15 on 157 Ski Resorts Located in Western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahbahani, K. M.; Pidwirny, M. J.

2017-12-01

The winter of 2014/2015 was one of the warmest in recent history for many locations in western North America. The cause of this climate irregularity was the development of extremely warm ocean surface waters (The Blob) over much of the eastern North Pacific Ocean. During this winter season, many ski resorts in western Canada and the United States either did not open or were forced to close their ski season early. Here, we examine climate data from 157 ski resorts to develop a picture of where the effected locations were in western North America. Using the climate database software ClimateBC and ClimateNA, high quality downscaled historical data was generated for the winter season (December, January, and February) for the variables mean temperature, snowfall, and rainfall. Values for winter of 2014/15 were statistically compared to the 30-year normal period from 1981-2010. Z-scores were calculated for 2014/15 relative to the selected 30-year normal period. These Z-score values were then mapped using ArcGIS. From the mean winter temperature map, it is apparent that abnormally warm temperatures influenced many ski resorts in California, Nevada, western Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, southern Idaho, and parts of southern British Columbia. The winter snowfall map shows anomalous below normal conditions only at two resorts in south-central British Columbia and a single above normal situation at one site in central Colorado. The winter rainfall map displays that many ski resorts in New Mexico, Arizona, southern Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, western Washington, and southwestern British Columbia experienced exceptional above normal winter season rainfalls. It is highly likely that the next Blob will be forecasted many months in advance of its occurrence. The results of this study have identified which ski resorts could be climatically influenced by such an event. This information may help reduce potential financial losses to ski resorts and their associated stakeholders when the next Blob shows up.

Carbon monoxide poisoning at motels, hotels, and resorts.

PubMed

Weaver, Lindell K; Deru, Kayla

2007-07-01

Each year, more than 200 people in the United States die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Poisoning has occurred at motels, hotels, and resorts. Congressional mandate requires smoke alarms in all guest rooms; however, smoke alarms do not detect CO. Data on patients poisoned at hotels, motels, and resorts were evaluated at a hyperbaric medicine service. In 2005, legal databases and online news databanks were searched to discover additional incidents. Only victims evaluated in hospitals or declared dead at the scene were included. Cases of intentional poisoning and poisoning from fires were excluded. Between 1989 and 2004, 68 incidents of CO poisoning occurring at hotels, motels, and resorts were identified, resulting in 772 accidentally poisoned: 711 guests, 41 employees or owners, and 20 rescue personnel. Of those poisoned, 27 died, 66 had confirmed sequelae, and 6 had sequelae resulting in a jury verdict. Lodging-operated, faulty room heating caused 45 incidents, pool/spa boilers 16, CO entrained from outdoors 5, and unreported sources caused 2 incidents. Public verdicts have averaged $4.8 million per incident (range, $1 million to $17.5 million). Poisoning occurred at hotels of all classes. Despite these incidents, most properties did not install CO alarms, and requirements for CO alarms at hotels, motels, and resorts are rare. Guests of motels, hotels, and resorts remain at risk for injury or death from CO poisoning. Measures to prevent CO poisoning of guests and employees of the lodging industry should be evaluated.

Developing a system of multi-evaluation of the impact of global climate change on human health in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granberg, I.; Golitsyn, G.; Istoshin, N.; Efimenko, N.; Alekhin, A.; Rogoza, A.; Povolotskaya, N.; Artamonova, M.; Maximenkov, L.; Pogarski, F.

2009-04-01

High people sensitivity to weather and space factors, particularly encumbered by various illnesses, was from time immemorial. Now, in terms of global climate change, accompanied by frequent and severe restructuring of atmospheric processes, thermal anomalies, droughts, environmental change through meteorological and heliogeophysical factors affect the human body particularly intense, causing adverse effects to health. There are currently beginning to develop methods for evaluating multifactor of the external environment and prevention of their negative influence on people. For those sensitive to such influences, with adverse weather in response to sudden changes in weather factors pathological of meteopathic reactions may arise. In doing so, even among healthy individuals it is up to 35-45% of meteosensitive. Meteopathic reactions lead to the appearance and progression of pathological disorders, and the associated increase in chronic diseases. In this connection the tasks solution related to assessing the impact of meteorological and climatic variations of different space-time scale on the health of the population of Russia becomes extremely important, especially for the people with cardiovascular disease. This is confirmed by as clinical observations, and the state of vital systems of meteosensitive people. Based on the results of comprehensive research of Pyatigorsk State Research Institute of Curortology (PSRIC), the A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP), and Hydrometeocenter of Russia in the region of Caucasian Mineral Waters (CMW) by scientists of IAP and PSRIC there was established a system of Operational Medical Weather Forecast (OMWF), which aims to have possibility on time to host events for the prevention of meteopathic reactions of people with high meteodependence. Also, we have introduced improved definition of Weather Pathogenicity Index (WPI) for medical weather forecast. As a basis of medical weather forecasts we use developed by the joint efforts of our two institutions (PSRIC and IAP) typification of biotropic weather conditions on the basis of climatograms analysis (synoptic-meteorological conditions, helio-geomagnetic activity) and monitoring the health of people with various illnesses in the process of health resort treatment for CMW low-altitude resorts. This classification in modified form is now being adapted to the megapolis conditions by the example of Moscow. In the originating methodology of multiple-factor estimation of the impact of global climate change on human health in Russia a complex study of the atmosphere condition (especially in the case of inversions, leading to a sharp escalation of air pollution) is included, with simultaneous control of weather biotropy degree at meteosensitivity patients during different types of weather: anticyclonic, cyclonic, and frontal, causing changes in blood pressure and other adverse reactions of the organism. In the course of the works there are studied meteopathic reactions in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD), including those with concomitant hypertension (CH) in connection with the combined influence of dynamic, meteorological, geophysical and environmental factors in the Moscow megalopolis and at the mountain cardiology resort of Kislovodsk. There are compared the results of resort treatment from the group of patients who had in obtaining information about the occurrence of pathogenic meteotropic weathers appointed preventive measures, designed for individual nosological forms, with a control group of patients, for which, regardless the type of weather, the standard complex of resort treatment had been set, without special measures for meteotropic reactions prevention. As a measure to improve meteo-prophylaxis of patients with cardiovascular diseases and improve the system of medical weather forecast for low-mountain resort a methodology of planned meteo-prophylaxis by directed using unique natural healing factors (natural aero-ionization, volatile phytoorganic substances, etc.) in the complex with a standard resort treatment has been developed and proposed to introduce. It was found that on days with high temperature, there is a higher level of air pollution in the territory of Moscow, that may be related to temperature inversions in the surface layer, the lack of movement of air masses (calm), which impede the scattering of chemicals air pollutants. The criteria for calculating the pathogenicity index of different types of weather depending on ozone and submicron aerosol concentration in the surface air in Moscow and Kislovodsk are specified. The results indicate a crucial theoretical and practical significance and prospects of organization of occurring everywhere monitoring of air, features of cross-border transfer of aerosol pollution of the atmosphere (for the concentration and physical and chemical characteristics of the aerosol and its distribution on the territory). The results of the work serve as the basis for a system of multi-evaluation of the impact of global climate change on human health in Russia, with the effective use of medical weather forecast that, in general, aimed at raising the health of Russian citizens within the National Project "Health". The investigation was fulfilled in the frames of Program of Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Basic Sciences - for Medicine" and RFBR grant No. 07-05-12069-ofi_a.

Investigations on socio economic indicators of French Alps ski industry from an explicit spatial modelling of managed snow on ski slopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spandre, Pierre; François, Hugues; Morin, Samuel; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle; Lafaysse, Matthieu

2017-04-01

Investigations of the capacity of ski resorts to anticipate, cope with and recover from the impact of natural snow scarcity through snow management (grooming, snowmaking) have been realized in most of the major regions in terms of international ski offer although not in the French Alps hitherto. The present work therefore introduces an innovative approach for the investigation of socio economic implications of changes in snow conditions for the French Alps ski resorts based on a panel of 129 resorts representing 96% of the total French Alps ski lifts infrastructures. We integrated detailed spatial representations of ski resorts (including priority areas for snowmaking equipment) along with physically based snowpack modelling (including the physical impact of grooming and snowmaking). The viability of ski resorts was further adressed thanks to a commonly used rule based on the snow season duration at the village and ski lifts average elevations along with the development of original viability indicators of snow conditions in the French Alps ski resorts based on the specific periods for the economic success of winter sports: Christmas and February school holidays. Such indicators were correlated to the number of ski lifts tickets sales over the 2001 - 2014 period and proved to be relevant to investigate and predict the evolutions of ski lifts tickets sales under the current ski market conditions in the French Alps. Our results outlined the contrast of snow conditions between French Alps ski resorts, even when accounting for snow management, particularly regarding the geographical location of resorts (Southern versus Northern Alps), the size and related elevation range of ski resorts. Our physically based approach also allowed to compute the water and energy requirements for the production of Machine Made snow since the start of the development of snowguns in the French Alps. Our computations proved to be strongly correlated to the observed amounts of water from the existing literature and confirmed that the increasing surface equipped with snowmaking facilities in the French Alps is the major factor for the increasing water and energy requirements since 1985. Such approach therefore provides objective information on the impact of snow conditions on the economic activity of winter sports in the French Alps under past and present conditions and may be considered as a relevant approach for further investigations, including the impact of climate change on the winter tourism in the French Alps.

KSC-2014-3131

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Lights flickered and balloons fell as former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, left, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of Delaware North Parks and Resorts at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, welcomed guests to the grand opening of the Great Balls of Fire exhibit at the visitor complex. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3136

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The grand opening of the new Great Balls of Fire exhibit was held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The grand opening featured remarks by former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer at Delaware North Parks and Resorts at the visitor complex. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3134

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A real asteroid is on display at the new Great Balls of Fire exhibit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The grand opening of the new attraction featured remarks by former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer at Delaware North Parks and Resorts at the visitor complex. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

[The past of Druskininkai (part I)].

PubMed

Kierzek, Andrzej; Kuciel-Lewandowska, Jadwiga; Pozowski, Andrzej; Paprocka-Borowicz, Małgorzata

2012-01-01

The development of hydrotherapy in the first half of the XIX century is presented in short. The geographical, climatic and epidemiological situation of Druskininkai, a health resort founded in 1837 has been mentioned. The natural substances: salt springs and therapeutic muds are described sufficiently. The development of the health resort in the XIX and the first half of XX century has been recounted. The physicians Ksawery Wolfgang (?-1864), Ludwik Zembrzycki, Izydor Nahumowicz (1800-1842), Anicety Renier (1804-1877), Kazimierz Choiski (1814-1882), Jan Pilecki (1821-1878), Józef Markiewicz (1834-1923), Walery Bujakowski (1857-1919) and the others and local rich gentry played an important role in the development of Druskieniki. The physician was undoubtedly the most esteemed person-age of this health resort. Russification of this health resort on the turn of the XIX century is also presented. The role of Marshal J6zef Pitsudski in this development is pointed out. The comparison of the medical indications and contraindications in Druskininkai in the middle of the XIX century and in the thirties of the XX century are presented in more detail. The scale of medical indications was wide. Druskieniki was an important health resort in pre-war Poland.

Comprehensive outreach, prevention education, and skin cancer screening for Utah ski resorts.

PubMed

Varedi, Amir; Secrest, Aaron M; Harding, Garrett; Maness, Lori; Branson, Donna; Smith, Kristi; Hull, Christopher M

2018-02-15

Outdoor recreation can lead to substantial sun exposure. Employees of outdoor recreation establishments with extended time outdoors have amplified cumulative exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and an increased risk of skin cancer. The "Sun Safe on the Slopes" program was created by Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and the Utah Cancer Action Network to address increased UV exposure and skin cancer risk with free skin cancer screenings, outreach, and prevention education to local ski resorts. Herein, we describe the processes and barriers to implementation of a ski resort skin screening and education program and our 5-year report of the experience and screening data. Nine free skin cancer screenings were held at Utah ski resorts between 2011 and 2016, resulting in the presumptive diagnosis of 38 skin cancers (9.6%) in 394 participants. Behavioral data collected from participants indicates suboptimal sun safety practices, including underuse of sunscreen and protective clothing. Ski resort employees who experience sun exposure during peak hours at high altitudes and UV reflection from the snow are at an increased risk of skin cancer. These data indicate a need for emphasis on sun safety education and screening and can serve as a model for future endeavors.

[Entertainment and social life in Druskienniki in the middle of the XIX century].

PubMed

Kierzek, Andrzej

2007-01-01

The geographical, climatic and epidemiological situation of Druskienniki, a health resort founded in 1837, has been mentioned at the beginning. The development of the health resort in the middle of the XIX century as well as a physician and chemist, Ignacy Fonberg's role (1801-1891), has been recounted. The physicians Ksawery Wolfgang (?-1864), Jan Pilecki (1821-1878) and Walery Bujakowski (1857-1919) and local rich gentry played an important role in the development of Druskienniki. The physician was the most esteemed personage of this health resort. The medical indications and contraindications in Druskienniki have been reported. Many diseases were treated in this health resort. The scale of medical indications was wide. The guests list in Druskienniki in 1845 is mentioned. The curative season persisted from May until October. "The letters from Druskieniki to friend" published in 1844-1845 in the magazine "Ondyna Druskienickich Zródeł" contained interested descriptions of social life and entertainments in this health resort. The balls, teas, theatrical spectacles, concerts and other attractions were analyzed widely. Theatrical spectacles with the participation of talented performers especially from Vilnius and Grodno were very attractive.

Biodiversity of seagrass bed in Balanan Resort - Baluran National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soedarti, T.; Hariyanto, S.; Wedayanti, A.; Rahmawati, A. D.; Safitri, D. P.; Alificia, R. I.; Suwono

2017-09-01

Seagrass beds are flowering plants that live on the seabed. Seagrass provides a habitat for diverse flora and fauna, spawning ground, nursery ground, raising ground, and feeding ground. Balanan Resort - Baluran National Park has many beaches, such as Kajang Beach, Si Banjir Beach, Kakapa Beach, and Serondo Beach. This study was aimed to determine species composition, seagrass dominated, and the diversity index of seagrass and substrate in Resort Balanan - Baluran National Park. This research was carried out in Kajang Beach, Sibanjir Beach, Kakapa Beach, and Sirondo Beach from August to September 2015 using belt transect method, each transect consists of 15 plots (19 transects = 285 plots) and using the frame of 1x1 m. This research found seven genera and ten species : Cymodoce (C rotundata and C. serrulata), Syringodium (S. isoelifolium), Thallassodendron (T. ciliatum), Enhalus (E. acoroides) , Halodule (H. univernis and H. pinifolia), Halophila (H. ovalis and H. decipiens), and Thalassia (T. hemprichii). The diversity index of seagrass bed was moderate [H'=1.90] in Balanan Resort. The substrate of seagrass bed was mud, gravel, sand, clay sand and rubble in Balanan Resort. The dominance index was near zero [C = 0.194], that means no dominant species.

Restaurant-based intervention to facilitate healthy eating choices and the identification of allergenic foods at a family-oriented resort and a campground.

PubMed

Tarro, Lucia; Aceves-Martins, Magaly; Tiñena, Yolanda; Parisi, Joan Lluís; Blasi, Xavier; Giralt, Montse; Llauradó, Elisabet; Solà, Rosa

2017-05-05

Restaurant-based interventions can be an enjoyable way to encourage healthier eating choices by all members of a family. Thus, the principal aims of this study were a) to promote healthy diets by increasing healthy food offerings and b) to increase the number of foods offered specifically as gluten-free and lactose-free and to inform patrons by including nutritional and allergen information that complies with Regulation 1169/2011 regarding the food served in restaurants, takeaways and snack bars. A restaurant-based intervention was implemented at 16 food establishments at 2 resorts (the Cambrils Park Resort and Camping Sangulí, Spain, from 2014 to 2015) based on the following 4 components: 1) providing nutritional and allergen analyses of the offered dishes, 2) increasing the number of healthy food choices, 3) identifying menu items associated with allergies and intolerance, and 4) training staff on healthy eating and allergens. Customer satisfaction regarding food aspects was assessed using surveys (10-point scale). Both resorts significantly increased their offerings of healthy dishes (28.6% to 44.7%; P = 0.003) and desserts with fruit (20% to 51.3%; P = 0.013), thus obtaining the Spanish Government's Mediterranean Diet certification. Additionally, both resorts obtained Catalan Celiac Association certification. Moreover, both resorts significantly increased their percentages of gluten-free dishes (2.1% to 50.5%; P < 0.001) and lactose-free dishes (5.5% to 37.5%; P < 0.001) after the intervention. Customer satisfaction increased (mean ± standard deviation) from 6.9 ± 1.6 to 8.5 ± 1.5 (P < 0.001). This restaurant-based intervention expanded the number of healthy and allergen-free foods offered in a family-oriented holiday resort environment to encourage healthy food choices, resulting in increased customer satisfaction.

[The prospects for the further development of the Belokurikha spa and health resort territory in the Altai Krai (region)].

PubMed

Dzhabarova, N K; Yakovenko, E S; Sidorina, N G; Kokhanenko, A A; Vorob'ev, V A; Zaitsev, A A; Kovalenko, T S; Zhilyakov, I V

2016-01-01

We undertook a balneological survey of the Belokurikha spa and health resort territory with the purpose of distinguishing and identifying the potential health-improvement areas most promising for the extension and optimization of the therapeutic, tourist and recreational activities. The assessment was focused on the characteristic of the landscape and climatic conditions of the territory, the possibilities for the development of the existing resources of mineral waters and therapeutic muds as well as for the discovery of the potential new ones. The recommendations are proposed to promote the development of different forms of tourism with special reference to its medical and health-improvement aspects. It is suggested that the territory of the «Belokurikha» resort», «Belokurikha-2» and «Belokurikha-3» health-improvement areas should be integrated into a single spa-and-health resort district of federal importance.

Expanding the Use of Continuous Sedation Until Death: Moving Beyond the Last Resort for the Terminally Ill.

PubMed

LiPuma, Samuel H; DeMarco, Joseph P

2015-01-01

As currently practiced, the use of continuous sedation until death (CSD) is controlled by clinicians in a way that may deny patients a key choice in controlling their dying process. Ethical guidelines from the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pain Medicine describe CSD as a "last resort," and a position statement from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine describe it as "an intervention reserved for extreme situations." Accordingly, patients must progress to unremitting pain and suffering and reach a last-resort stage before the option to pursue CSD is considered. Alternatively, we present and defend a new guideline in which decisionally capable, terminally ill patients who have a life expectancy of less than six months may request CSD before being subjected to the refractory suffering of a treatment of "last resort." Copyright 2015 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

KSC-2014-3126

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, left, joins Andrea Farmer, senior public relations manager with Delaware North Parks and Resorts at NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, for the grand opening of the Great Balls of Fire exhibit. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3127

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Therrin Protze, chief operating officer with Delaware North Parks and Resorts at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, welcomes guests to the grand opening of the Great Balls of Fire exhibit. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

Wetlands and ski resorts in the French Alps: main issues and innovative ideas for the preservation of wetlands in ski areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaucherand, S.; Evette, A.; François, H.; Paccard, P.; Perretier, C.; Wlerick, L.

2009-04-01

This presentation is a synthesis of a symposium held last October in Cemagref, Grenoble with contributions from scientists as well as lift operators, NGO's, and administrations. In the context of global change, ski resorts must rethink their development models. The diversification of the touristic offer is encouraged and the specificity of the mountain territory is at the heart of a sustainable development. In this context, the preservation of interesting and fragile habitats such as wetlands is topical. Wetlands have many recognized functions: flooding reduction, water remediation, fertilization, biodiversity conservation… In mountain areas, wetlands are small and scattered. They are of special interest in particular for their role in biodiversity conservation and for their cultural and recreational benefits. However, in ski areas, wetlands can interact with the ski activity. Indeed, wetlands can speed up snow melting in spring and they often occupy ledges, which are strategic positions for the establishment of ski resort's facilities. The development of ski resorts can lead to the destruction or the deterioration of wetlands because of hydrologic interferences, fill in, pollution, etc. However, a few judicious steps can be taken to reduce or suppress these negative effects. In the Alps, geographical and administrative tools have been developed to help the decisions of ski-resort's administrators. Meetings between lift-operators, administrators of protected areas scientists and NGO's have also proved efficient when done at an early stage of a project, as shown by the example of the ski-resort "Les Saisies".

Rationale, design, samples, and baseline sun protection in a randomized trial on a skin cancer prevention intervention in resort environments.

PubMed

Buller, David B; Andersen, Peter A; Walkosz, Barbara J; Scott, Michael D; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R

2016-01-01

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation during recreation is a risk factor for skin cancer. A trial evaluated an intervention to promote advanced sun protection (sunscreen pre-application/reapplication; protective hats and clothing; use of shade) during vacations. Adult visitors to hotels/resorts with outdoor recreation (i.e., vacationers) participated in a group-randomized pretest-posttest controlled quasi-experimental design in 2012-14. Hotels/resorts were pair-matched and randomly assigned to the intervention or untreated control group. Sun. protection (e.g., clothing, hats, shade and sunscreen) was measured in cross-sectional samples by observation and a face-to-face intercept survey during two-day visits. Initially, 41 hotel/resorts (11%) participated but 4 dropped out before posttest. Hotel/resorts were diverse (employees=30 to 900; latitude=24° 78' N to 50° 52' N; elevation=2ft. to 9726ft. above sea level), and had a variety of outdoor venues (beaches/pools, court/lawn games, golf courses, common areas, and chairlifts). At pretest, 4347 vacationers were observed and 3531 surveyed. More females were surveyed (61%) than observed (50%). Vacationers were mostly 35-60years old, highly educated (college education=68%) and non-Hispanic white (93%), with high-risk skin types (22%). Vacationers reported covering 60% of their skin with clothing. Also, 40% of vacationers used shade; 60% applied sunscreen; and 42% had been sunburned. The trial faced challenges recruiting resorts but result showed that the large, multi-state sample of vacationers were at high risk for solar UV exposure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KSC-04PD-2330

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Florida Today senior aerospace reporter Todd Halvorson is honored with a Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award for 2004 by the National Space Club Florida Committee at the Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral, Fla. Each year, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognizes area representatives of the news media and communications professions for excellence in their ability to communicate the space story along Floridas Space Coast and throughout the world. The award is named in honor of Harry Kolcum, the former managing editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology, who was Cape bureau chief from 1980 to 1993 prior to his death in 1994. Kolcum was a founding member of the National Space Club Florida Committee.

[Current strategy in PCI for CTO].

PubMed

Asakura, Yasushi

2011-02-01

Recently, CTO PCI has come into wide use all over the world and it has been standardized. The 1st step is an antegrade approach using single wire. The 2nd strategy would be parallel wire technique. And the next would be a retrograde approach. In this method, retrograde wiring with Corsair is done at first. If it is successful, externalization is established using 300 cm wire, and this system is able to provide strong back-up support. If it fails, reverse CART technique is the next step. IVUS guided wiring is a last resort. The 2nd wire is manipulated with IVUS guidance. Now, initial success rate is more than 90% with these methods.

Theoretical and experimental aspects of chaos control by time-delayed feedback.

PubMed

Just, Wolfram; Benner, Hartmut; Reibold, Ekkehard

2003-03-01

We review recent developments for the control of chaos by time-delayed feedback methods. While such methods are easily applied even in quite complex experimental context the theoretical analysis yields infinite-dimensional differential-difference systems which are hard to tackle. The essential ideas for a general theoretical approach are sketched and the results are compared to electronic circuits and to high power ferromagnetic resonance experiments. Our results show that the control performance can be understood on the basis of experimentally accessible quantities without resort to any model for the internal dynamics.

Willingness of patients with ankylosing spondylitis to pay for inpatient treatment is influenced by the treatment environment and expectations of improvement.

PubMed

Boonen, A; Severens, J L; van Tubergen, A; Landewé, R; Bonsel, G; van der Heijde, D; van der Linden, Sj

2005-11-01

To assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for treatment in a spa resort of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to assess if the experience of a spa influences the WTP. 120 patients participating in a randomised trial comparing 3 weeks' treatment in a spa resort in Austria or in the Netherlands with a control group completed a WTP questionnaire before and after spa treatment. Patients indicated on a payment card the maximal co-payment they wanted to contribute for three scenarios that included (a) two levels of improvement in pain and stiffness and (b) two treatment environments: a rehabilitation hospital and a spa resort. At baseline, patients wanted to contribute more for the same improvement after treatment in a spa resort compared with a rehabilitation hospital (p<0.003), and were prepared to pay more when expected effects were higher (p<0.001). No differences were found between men and women, pain, or income. After the trial none of the treatment groups showed a change in their WTP. The WTP of patients with AS for inpatient treatment is influenced by the treatment environment and the expected improvement. Experiencing treatment in a spa resort does not influence the co-payment.

KSC-2014-3130

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, left, presses the button on a simulated model of an asteroid to mark the grand opening of the new Great Balls of Fire exhibit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. To his right is Therrin Protze, chief operating officer with Delaware North Parks and Resorts at the visitor complex. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3137

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The grand opening of the new Great Balls of Fire exhibit was held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The grand opening featured remarks by former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer at Delaware North Parks and Resorts at the visitor complex. Informational displays about future NASA exploration missions are featured along the wall of the new exhibit. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3135

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Samples of Earth rocks and real meteorites are featured in an interactive display at the new Great Balls of Fire exhibit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The grand opening featured remarks by former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer at Delaware North Parks and Resorts at the visitor complex. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

Appalachia's Winter Secret: Downhill on the Mountains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Randy

1991-01-01

Describes ski-industry and winter-tourism growth in Appalachia. Sketches ski-resort developments in Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Describes economic threats to industry, its economic impact on Appalachian states and region, resorts' general qualities, and ski industry's promotional efforts. (TES)

Rationale, Design, Samples, and Baseline Sun Protection in a Randomized Trial on a Skin Cancer Prevention Intervention in Resort Environments

PubMed Central

Buller, David B.; Andersen, Peter A.; Walkosz, Barbara J.; Scott, Michael D.; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R.

2016-01-01

Introduction Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation during recreation is a risk factor for skin cancer. A trial evaluating an intervention to promote advanced sun protection (sunscreen pre-application/reapplication; protective hats and clothing; use of shade) during vacations. Materials and Methods Adult visitors to hotels/resorts with outdoor recreation (i.e., vacationers) participated in a group-randomized pretest-posttest controlled quasi-experimental design in 2012–14. Hotels/resorts were pair-matched and randomly assigned to the intervention or untreated control group. Sun protection (e.g., clothing, hats, shade and sunscreen) was measured in cross-sectional samples by observation and a face-to-face intercept survey during two-day visits. Results Initially, 41 hotel/resorts (11%) participated but 4 dropped out before posttest. Hotel/resorts were diverse (employees=30 to 900; latitude=24o 78′ N to 50o 52′ N; elevation=2 ft. to 9,726 ft. above sea level), and had a variety of outdoor venues (beaches/pools, court/lawn games, golf courses, common areas, and chairlifts). At pretest, 4,347 vacationers were observed and 3,531 surveyed. More females were surveyed (61%) than observed (50%). Vacationers were mostly 35–60 years old, highly educated (college education = 68%) and non-Hispanic white (93%), with high-risk skin types (22%). Vacationers reported covering 60% of their skin with clothing. Also, 40% of vacationers used shade; 60% applied sunscreen; and 42% had been sunburned. Conclusions The trial faced challenges recruiting resorts but result show that the large, multi-state sample of vacationers were at high risk for solar UV exposure. PMID:26593781

[The Shmakovka health resort: the history and the current status].

PubMed

Derkacheva, L N; Kosolapov, A B; Demeev, Ya A; Skachkov, O A; Galenko, E V

The authors distinguish three periods in the history of the «Shmakovka» health resort, viz. pre-revolutionary (from 1870 to 1917), Soviet (from 1917 to 1991) and modern (since 1992 up to the present time). The history of the discovery and the initial development of the mineral springs is highlighted, the foundation and evolution of the major facilities of the «Shmakovka» health resort in the years of socialist construction in the Soviet period is described. Information about the main areas of research carried out based at these facilities at different times is presented. Special attention is given to the various aspects of the sustainable development of the «Shmakovka» health resort in the context of the current tendencies toward activation of the import substitution activities with special reference to the organization of tourism in this country, strengthening of the material-technical base of the health centers, improvement of the quality of medical and health services, and further development of scientific research.

[Professor I.I. Grigoriev and its contribution to the national balneotherapeutic medicine (on the occasion of his 100th birthday anniversary)].

PubMed

Povazhnaya, E L

2015-01-01

This work is dedicated to the memory of the eminent Russian health resort expert professor Ivan Ivanovich Grigoriev (1915-2002), the founder of the scientific school of meteoprophylaxis who created the organizational and methodological basis for weather forecasting with the medical implications. Ivan Ivanovich Grigoriev has made a great contribution to the research designed to elucidate the influence of the weather factors on the human body. Moreover, he was a prominent organizer of the health resort business in this country paying especially much attention to the construction of spa and health resort facilities and their therapeutic zonation. He did a lot to substantiate the necessity of spa and health resort-based treatment for the country's population and to develop indications and contraindications for such therapy including the identification of the groups of adult subjects and children who are at an especially high risk of suffering from various diseases.

PROSNOW - Provision of a prediction system allowing for management and optimization of snow in Alpine ski resorts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morin, Samuel; Ghislain, Dubois

2017-04-01

Snow on the ground is a critical resource for mountain regions to sustain river flow, to provide freshwater input to ecosystems and to support winter tourism, in particular in ski resorts. The level of activity, employment, turnover and profit of hundreds of ski resorts in the European Alps primarily depends on meteorological conditions, in particular natural snowfall but also increasingly conditions favourable for snowmaking (production of machine made snow, also referred to as technical snow). Ski resorts highly depend on appropriate conditions for snowmaking (mainly the availability of cold water, as well as sub-freezing temperature with sufficiently low humidity conditions). However, beyond the time scale of weather forecasts (a few days), managers of ski resorts have to rely on various and scattered sources of information, hampering their ability to cope with highly variable meteorological conditions. Improved anticipation capabilities at all time scales, spanning from "weather forecast" (up to 5 days typically) to "climate prediction" at the seasonal scale (up to several months) holds significant potential to increase the resilience of socio-economic stakeholders and supports their real-time adaptation potential. To address this issue, the recently funded (2017-2020) H2020 PROSNOW project will build a demonstrator of a meteorological and climate prediction and snow management system from one week to several months ahead, specifically tailored to the needs of the ski industry. PROSNOW will apply state-of-the-art knowledge relevant to the predictability of atmospheric and snow conditions, and investigate and document the added value of such services. The project proposes an Alpine-wide system (including ski resorts located in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy). It will join and link providers of weather forecasts and climate predictions at the seasonal scale, research institutions specializing in snowpack modelling, a relevant ensemble of at least 8 representative resorts in the Alps, technical bodies representing ski resorts managers, and private technology companies. These companies are already providing services for snow management such as snow depth monitoring, snowmaking operations monitoring and planning using latest technologies. The added value of the demonstrator will be assessed for the ski industry, but also for additional stakeholders including local and regional tourism authorities, hydropower managers, and natural hazard forecasters and planners. This presentation will introduce the main goals and concepts of the PROSNOW project, in order to foster interactions with the specialized scientific communities relevant to this challenge.

KSC-2014-3128

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Therrin Protze, chief operating officer with Delaware North Parks and Resorts at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, welcomes guests to the grand opening of the Great Balls of Fire exhibit. To his left is former NASA astronaut Tom Jones. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3125

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-03

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, left, joins Andrea Farmer, senior public relations manager, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer, both with Delaware North Parks and Resorts at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, for the grand opening of the Great Balls of Fire exhibit. Great Balls of Fire shares the story of the origins of our solar system, asteroids and comets and their possible impacts and risks. The 1,500-square-foot exhibit, located in the East Gallery of the IMAX theatre at the visitor complex, features several interactive displays, real meteorites and replica asteroid models. The exhibit is a production of The Space Science Institute's National Center for Interactive Learning. It is a traveling exhibition that also receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

What Crested Butte Mountain Resort Feels the Ski Industry Is, In General, Looking for in College Graduates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jernigan, Rick

This paper describes general employment requirements for employment candidates in the skiing industry, as seen by Crested Butte Mountain Resort personnel. General educational requirements are primarily business skills, including: communications, computers, math, finance, accounting, economics, personnel administration, and psychology. Other…

78 FR 69363 - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, California, Heavenly Mountain Resort Epic Discovery Project

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-19

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, California, Heavenly Mountain Resort Epic Discovery Project AGENCY: Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Forest Service, USDA...: The Epic Discovery Project is intended to enhance summer activities in response to the USDA Forest...

A case study of the impacts of "all inclusive pricing" on resort recreation participation

Treesearch

Andy Holdnak; Heidi Jewett

1995-01-01

This is an investigation of the impacts on recreation participation observed at a large upstate New York resort as it converted to "all inclusive pricing." Findings indicate that both recreation participation and recreation revenue increased significantly after the implementation of the new pricing policy.

Higgs Boson: god particle or divine comedy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangacharyulu, Chary

2013-10-01

While particle physicists around the world rejoice the announcement of discovery of Higgs particle as a momentous event, it is also an opportune moment to assess the physicists' conception of nature. Particle theorists, in their ingenious efforts to unravel mysteries of the physical universe at a very fundamental level, resort to macroscopic many body theoretical methods of solid state physicists. Their efforts render the universe a superconductor of correlated quasi-particle pairs. Experimentalists, devoted to ascertain the elementary constituents and symmetries, depend heavily on numerical simulations based on those models and conform to theoretical slang in planning and interpretation of measurements . It is to the extent that the boundaries between theory/modeling and experiment are blurred. Is it possible that they are meandering in Dante's Inferno?

Direct manipulation of wave amplitude and phase through inverse design of isotropic media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Vial, B.; Horsley, S. A. R.; Philbin, T. G.; Hao, Y.

2017-07-01

In this article we propose a new design methodology allowing us to control both amplitude and phase of electromagnetic waves from a cylindrical incident wave. This results in isotropic materials and does not resort to transformation optics or its quasi-conformal approximations. Our method leads to two-dimensional isotropic, inhomogeneous material profiles of permittivity and permeability, to which a general class of scattering-free wave solutions arise. Our design is based on the separation of the complex wave solution into amplitude and phase. We give two types of examples to validate our methodology.

Air quality in the mountain climate-balneological resort Kislovodsk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalaya, Elena; Efimenko, Natalia; Povolotckaia, Nina; Senik, Irina; Slepykh, Victor

2016-04-01

There has been studied the quality of the surface atmosphere in the mountain climate-balneological resort Kislovodsk (MCBRK) to treat by means of climate and landscape (TCL) of the patients suffering from bronchial asthma (PBA) [1]. 60 children (31 boys and 29 girls at the age of 9-11 years) were examined in the course of 34 days of the resort treatment in MCBRK, PBA (ICD-10 G45,0) in a remission stage. There have been used the data of the long-term bioclimatic monitoring (BCM) that is carried out by PRIC FMBA, aerosol monitoring of IFA RAS, landscape monitoring of SNP in Kislovodsk Resort Park (KRP) as well as the data of medical monitoring, daily testing of meteopathic reactions (MPR), indicators dynamics of bronchial patency, cardiac rhythm, neurovascular reactivity, psychoemotional status of patients. TCL was carried out in the form of walks under the canopy of Betula pendula Roth., Salix f. pendula, acer platanoides globosum, Aesculus hippocastanum L., Phellodendron amurense, Tilia caucasica in KRP daily lasting from 1 till 2 hours. The results of a complex research showed that at TCL in KRP the favourable heat balance had 92% warm relations (TB<600BT/m2 - comfort and weak over comfort); the increased natural aero ionization (∑(N+)+(N-)=1350-1850 ion/cm3 at KUI<0,88); bacteriostatics natural trees 13-58%; the level of the weighed aerosol particles (the size of 500-20000 nanometers) from 1,2 to 3,6 particles/cm3 - (from pure to poorly polluted atmosphere); only 86% of the patients had cases with the increased and high transparency of the atmosphere (0,756-0,849). Under the influence of the course TCL 53(88%) patients had improved indicators of bronchial patency, 58(97%) had signs of increasing qualities of regulatory processes in the organism (vegetative regulation for 14%; neurohumoral regulation for 12%; psychoemotional regulation for 16%; the ability of the organism to adaptation for 17%); 38(63%) patients had vegetative index of Kerde that reached normal values, 20(34%) had significantly decreased level 2(3%). It remained without any changes. According to testing the deterioration of "if"and emergence of MPR (4,3 mpr/day) was followed incidentally at a distant forest fire (4 days) that was followed by a heat wave (Tmax>300C), aerosol growth till 6-12 particles/cm3 in the blocking anti-cyclone. Conclusion: the surface atmosphere in KRP is mainly at the level of background rural territories, it is perspective for usage in the medical and improving purposes. Episodes of slightly polluted surface atmosphere are connected with forest fires, autopollution during the periods of the blocking anti-cyclones. References 1. Resort study of Caucasian Mineral Vody region/Under the general edition of MD, prof. V.V. Uyba. Scientific publication. - Pyatigorsk: PRIC FMBA. Volume 1. - 2009. - 335p; Volume 2. - 2011. - 368p.

AB 9: California bill would end county mandate for last-resort care, including communicable diseases.

PubMed

1996-02-16

The California Assembly passed a bill to end the current requirement that counties provide general assistance and medical care as last resort care to persons who do not have access to Medi-Cal or private insurance. There is concern that all counties will close the facilities and reduce or eliminate last resort care, leaving people with no access to treatment when they become ill. The bill is now in the California State Senate. AIDS organizations are urging Californians to call their state senator and urge them to oppose the bill. More information is available by contacting AIDS Project Los Angeles, Life AIDS Lobby (916)444-0424, or ACT UP/Golden Gate.

[Environment capacity of eco-tourism resort].

PubMed

Sun, Y; Wang, R

2000-08-01

The results of quantitative analysis on the amount of tourist, service-environment capacity, eco-environment capacity, and their relations in Five-finger Mountain eco-tourism resort indicate that the amount of tourist in common situation and in its extreme was 1918 and 2301 visitor-hour per day, and the service-environment capacity and eco-environment capacity were 6000 and 2400 visitor-hour per day, respectively. The eco-environment capacity was smaller than its service-environment capacity, and would become the first limiting factor to the increase of tourist amount, which was mainly due to the ecological fragility of resort, the lower resistance of biological communities to the disturbance, and the slower speed of ecosystem restoration after its being destroyed.

75 FR 47616 - Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Confederated Tribes of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-06

... used for the development of a casino and related hotel, dining, and entertainment facilities. The... self-sufficiency, both with respect to its government operations and its members. The Final EIS... Cascade Locks for parking and other facilities related to the resort and casino development. The resort...

Explaining Antagonism to the Owners of Foxwoods Casino Resort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

d'Hauteserre, Anne-Marie

2010-01-01

Conflictual relations between the owners of Foxwoods Casino and Resort, who are American Indians, and the white residents of Ledyard and nearby Preston and North Stonington townships in southeastern Connecticut are long-standing. They have flared up on numerous occasions and especially since 1982 when the Mashantucket Pequots considered building a…

The Impact of Resort Development on an Hawaiian Island: Implications for Community Preservation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsuoka, Jon K.; Shera, Wes J.

1991-01-01

The impact of resort development on Lana'i island (Hawaii) was investigated through community and island assessments, surveys of households and high school students, and focus groups. Assessment results relate to economic impacts, community services, community satisfaction, quality of life, and social impacts. Recommendations are included for…

Hershey Helps Students Taste Their Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, John; Gipe, Charlie; Friedrich, Alan; Prekopa, Stephanie

2011-01-01

It takes one sweet company to make an industry collaboration work! Hershey Entertainment and Resorts is that company! The company is best known for its resort and entertainment entities. As background, it is important to understand the philanthropic history of the company, Milton Hershey, and the town he built on chocolate. Milton Hershey left…

Effect of an Intervention on Observed Sun Protection by Vacationers in a Randomized Controlled Trial at North American Resorts

PubMed Central

Buller, David B.; Andersen, Peter A.; Walkosz, Barbara J.; Scott, Michael D.; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R.

2017-01-01

During vacations, many individuals receive high-risk sun exposure that is associated with skin cancer. Vacationers in outdoor recreation venues (pretest n=4,347; posttest n=3,986) at warm-weather destination resorts in North America (n=41) were enrolled in a pair-matched, group-randomized pretest-posttest controlled quasi-experimental design in 2012-14. Print, audiovisual, and online messages based on Transportation Theory and Diffusion of Innovation Theory and promoting advanced sun protection (e.g., use of clothing, hats, shade and pre-application/reapplication of sunscreen and reliable cues to high UV) were delivered through resort channels. Vacationers' sun protection practices observed by trained research staff (i.e., body coverage and shade use analyzed individually and in combined scores) did not differ by experimental condition (p>0.05) or intervention implementation (p>0.05). However, recreation venue moderated intervention impact. The intervention improved sun protection at waterside recreation venues (z-score composite: intervention pre=-22.74, post=-15.77; control pre=-27.24, post=-23.24) but not non-waterside venues (z-score composite: intervention pre=20.43, post=20.53; control pre=22.94, post=18.03, p<0.01). An additional analysis showed that resorts with greater program implementation showed more improvements in sun protection by vacationers at waterside (z=score composite: high implementation pre=-25.45, post=-14.05; low implementation pre=-24.70, post=-21.40) compared to non-waterside (z-score composite: high implementation pre=14.51, post=19.98; low implementation pre=24.03, post=18.98, p<0.01) recreation venues. The intervention appeared effective with the vacationers in recreation venues with the highest-risk for sun exposure, waterside venues. However, it was not effective throughout all the resort venues, possibly because of the sun-seeking desires of vacationers, information overload at the resorts, and constraints on clothing styles and sun protection by recreation activity. PMID:28189810

Projections for Changes in Natural and Technical Snow Reliability of a Major Turkish Ski Resort by Using RegCM4.3.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozturk, Tugba; Cenk Demiroglu, O.; Tufan Turp, M.; Türkeş, Murat; Kurnaz, M. Levent

2014-05-01

Climate change has been and increasingly will be a major threat to the ski tourism industry whose survival is highly dependent on existence of snow cover of sufficient depth and duration. The common knowledge requires that in order for a ski resort to be viable, it has to perform operations for at least 100 days in seven out of ten winters. For this matter, it is now even more usual for the ski resorts to adapt to this issue by technical snowmaking. In this study, projected future changes for the period of 2010-2040, 2040-2070, and 2070-2100 in air temperature, relative humidity, and snow depth climatology and variability with respect to the control period of 1970-2000 were assessed for the domain of a major ski resort in Turkey. Regional Climate Model (RegCM4.3.5) of ICTP (International Centre for Theoretical Physics) was used for projections of future and present climate conditions. HadGEM2 global climate model of the Met Office Hadley Centre, MPI-ESM-MR of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, GFDL-ESM2M of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory were downscaled to 10 km for the resort and its surrounding region. Both the projections and the downscaling were realized according to the RCP4.5 and the RCP8.5 emission scenarios of the IPCC. The outputs on snow depth were used for a count of the changes on snow cover duration sufficient for skiing actitivies, signaling natural snow-reliability, whereas the outputs on air temperature and relative humidity were utilized for determination of wet-bulb temperatures. The latter measure was used to interpret the changes in the snowmaking capacity, in other words; technical snow-reliability, of the resort. This work was supported by the BU Reasearch Fund under the project number 7362. One of the authors (MLK) was partially supported by Mercator-IPC Fellowship Program.

Effect of an intervention on observed sun protection by vacationers in a randomized controlled trial at North American resorts.

PubMed

Buller, David B; Andersen, Peter A; Walkosz, Barbara J; Scott, Michael D; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R

2017-06-01

During vacations, many individuals receive high-risk sun exposure that is associated with skin cancer. Vacationers in outdoor recreation venues (pretest n=4347; posttest n=3986) at warm-weather destination resorts in North America (n=41) were enrolled in a pair-matched, group-randomized pretest-posttest controlled quasi-experimental design in 2012-14. Print, audiovisual, and online messages based on Transportation Theory and Diffusion of Innovation Theory and promoting advanced sun protection (e.g., use of clothing, hats, shade and pre-application/reapplication of sunscreen and reliable cues to high UV) were delivered through resort channels. Vacationers' sun protection practices observed by trained research staff (i.e., body coverage and shade use analyzed individually and in combined scores) did not differ by experimental condition (p>0.05) or intervention implementation (p>0.05). However, recreation venue moderated intervention impact. The intervention improved sun protection at waterside recreation venues (z-score composite: intervention pre=-22.74, post=-15.77; control pre=-27.24, post=-23.24) but not non-waterside venues (z-score composite: intervention pre=20.43, post=20.53; control pre=22.94, post=18.03, p<0.01). An additional analysis showed that resorts with greater program implementation showed more improvements in sun protection by vacationers at waterside (z=score composite: high implementation pre=-25.45, post=-14.05; low implementation pre=-24.70, post=-21.40) compared to non-waterside (z-score composite: high implementation pre=14.51, post=19.98; low implementation pre=24.03, post=18.98, p<0.01) recreation venues. The intervention appeared effective with the vacationers in recreation venues with the highest-risk for sun exposure, waterside venues. However, it was not effective throughout all the resort venues, possibly because of the sun-seeking desires of vacationers, information overload at the resorts, and constraints on clothing styles and sun protection by recreation activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[The development of the medical information system for the improvement of the quality of work of the Crimean spa and health resorts].

PubMed

Ezhov, V V; Grigor'ev, P E; Mizin, V I; Andriiashek, Iu I; Gol'dberg, D L; Olenchuk, A V

2016-01-01

The Crimea has the enormous potential for the health promotion activities. However, neither the profile of these activities nor the demand for the socio-medical services is clearly defined for the majority of the local spa and health resort facilities. The possibilities of modern information technology are not used in the full measure either. The objective of the present work was to elaborate the new medical information system and demonstrate its effectiveness. In addition, the article describes the main advantages of the system for the optimization of healthcare in the Crimean spa and health resort facilities. We reviewed and analyzed various literature publications, legal framework, standards, regulations, guidelines, and questionnaire survey data obtain at 50 spa and health resort facilities of the Crimea. The results of the assessment indicate the necessity of the systematic approach to the analysis of the quality of medical care and the process of its further development. Statistical and mathematical methods were used to elaborate the medical information system for the optimization of the activities of the Crimean spa and health resorts. The distinctive features of the proposed information system are modularity and the possibility of flexible adjustment to the conditions of individual settings, one-step data loading with the subsequent multiple application for the formulation of documents, automated filling of records in compliance with the medical standards, and taking into consideration the possible changes in or amendments to the form of the documents. The data obtained in the course of project implementation were used for the first time in the Republic of Crimea to design, substantiate, and recommend for the practical application the algorithm for the comprehensive estimation of the results of treatment of the patients based at the spa and health resort facilities with due regard for the specific regional conditions.

[The spa-and-health resort-based rehabilitation of the patients presenting with frequently recurring erosive and ulcerative lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum in the phase of subsiding exacerbation].

PubMed

Efimenko, N V; Kaĭsinova, A S

2014-01-01

To develop a new medical technology for the spa-and-health resort-based treatment of the patients presenting with frequently recurring erosive and ulcerative lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum in the phase of subsiding exacerbation. A total of 100 patients presenting with frequently recurring erosive and ulcerative lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum in the phase of subsiding exacerbation were available for the examination that included detailed investigations of the clinical picture, characteristics of the immune status, and psychological testing before and after a course of the spa-and-health resort-based treatment. The effectiveness of two therapeutic modalities was evaluated. One of them (control) prescribed to 50 patients consisted of standard antiulcer pharmacotherapy in combination with Essentuki Novaya drinking mineral water and carbon dioxide mineral baths, the other given to 50 patients included radon baths instead of carbon dioxide mineral baths. The combined application of drinking mineral waters, radon baths, and standard antiulcer pharmacotherapy produced the most conspicuous clinical effect in the framework of spa-and-health resort-based rehabilitation of the patients presenting with frequently recurring erosive and ulcerative lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum in the phase of subsiding exacerbation as confirmed by positive dynamics of their psychoemotional status in 97.7% of the cases, regression of pain syndrome (91.5%), and improvement of humoral and cellular immunity (94%). An important result of the spa-and-health resort-based rehabilitation is the intensification of the reparative processes in gastroduodenal mucosa responsible for the healing of ulcers and erosions in 94.7% of the patients. The spa-and-health resort-based rehabilitation is a pathogenetically sound and efficacious approach to the management of the patients presenting with frequently recurring erosive and ulcerative lesions in the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum in the phase of subsiding exacerbation.

When there are no good choices: illuminating the borderland between proportionate palliative sedation and palliative sedation to unconsciousness.

PubMed

Reid, Thomas T; Demme, Richard A; Quill, Timothy E

2011-01-01

Despite state-of-the-art palliative care, some patients will require proportionate palliative sedation as a last-resort option to relieve intolerable suffering at the end of life. In this practice, progressively increasing amounts of sedation are provided until the target suffering is sufficiently relieved. Uncertainty and debate arise when this practice approaches palliative sedation to unconsciousness (PSU), especially when unconsciousness is specifically intended or when the target symptoms are more existential than physical. We constructed a case series designed to highlight some of the common approaches and challenges associated with PSU and the more aggressive end of the spectrum of proportionate palliative sedation as retrospectively identified by palliative care consultants over the past 5 years from a busy inpatient palliative care service at a tertiary medical center in Rochester (NY, USA). Ten cases were identified as challenging by the palliative care attendings, of which four were selected for presentation for illustrative purposes because they touched on central issues including loss of capacity, the role of existential suffering, the complexity of clinical intention, the role of an institutional policy and use of anesthetics as sedative agents. Two other cases were selected focusing on responses to two special situations: a request for PSU that was rejected; and anticipatory planning for total sedation in the future. Although relatively rare, PSU and more aggressive end-of-the-spectrum proportionate palliative sedation represent responses to some of the most challenging cases faced by palliative care clinicians. These complex cases clearly require open communication and collaboration among caregivers, patients and family. Knowing how to identify these circumstances, and how to approach these interventions of last resort are critical skills for practitioners who take care of patients at the end of life.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Daniel LeBlanc, chief operating officer of Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts at KSC, makes the opening remarks to hundreds of guests and media representatives attending a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame as part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the induction of four Space Shuttle astronauts into the Hall of Fame including Daniel Brandenstein, Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Story Musgrave, and Sally Ride. Conceived by six of the Mercury Program astronauts, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The four new inductees join 48 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Daniel LeBlanc, chief operating officer of Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts at KSC, makes the opening remarks to hundreds of guests and media representatives attending a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame as part of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the induction of four Space Shuttle astronauts into the Hall of Fame including Daniel Brandenstein, Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Story Musgrave, and Sally Ride. Conceived by six of the Mercury Program astronauts, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The four new inductees join 48 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

Asynchronous State Estimation for Discrete-Time Switched Complex Networks With Communication Constraints.

PubMed

Zhang, Dan; Wang, Qing-Guo; Srinivasan, Dipti; Li, Hongyi; Yu, Li

2018-05-01

This paper is concerned with the asynchronous state estimation for a class of discrete-time switched complex networks with communication constraints. An asynchronous estimator is designed to overcome the difficulty that each node cannot access to the topology/coupling information. Also, the event-based communication, signal quantization, and the random packet dropout problems are studied due to the limited communication resource. With the help of switched system theory and by resorting to some stochastic system analysis method, a sufficient condition is proposed to guarantee the exponential stability of estimation error system in the mean-square sense and a prescribed performance level is also ensured. The characterization of the desired estimator gains is derived in terms of the solution to a convex optimization problem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed design approach is demonstrated by a simulation example.

The Limits of Surrogates' Moral Authority and Physician Professionalism: Can the Paradigm of Palliative Sedation Be Instructive?

PubMed

Berger, Jeffrey T

2017-01-01

With narrow exception, physicians' treatment of incapacitated patients requires the consent of health surrogates. Although the decision-making authority of surrogates is appropriately broad, their moral authority is not without limits. Discerning these bounds is particularly germane to ethically complex treatments and has important implications for the welfare of patients, for the professional integrity of clinicians, and, in fact, for the welfare of surrogates. Palliative sedation is one such complex treatment; as such, it provides a valuable model for analyzing the scope of surrogates' moral authority. Guidelines for palliative sedation that present it as a "last-resort" treatment for severe and intractable suffering yet require surrogate consent in order to offer it are ethically untenable, precisely because the moral limits of surrogate authority have not been considered. © 2017 The Hastings Center.

78 FR 19988 - Safety Zone; BWRC Spring Classic, Parker, AZ

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-03

... of the navigable waters of the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona for the Blue Water Resort and Casino... California Speedboat Club is sponsoring the Blue Water Resort and Casino Spring Classic, which is held on the... Headgate Dam and 0.5 miles north of the Blue Water Marina in Parker, Arizona. Before the effective period...

Prevalence of Sun Protection at Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Venues at Resorts in North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walkosz, Barbara J.; Scott, Michael D.; Buller, David B.; Andersen, Peter A.; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R.

2017-01-01

Background: Exposure to solar ultra violet radiation (UVR) is a primary risk factor for skin cancer. Vacationers often fail to protect themselves from harmful UVR. Purpose: The study assessed the sun protection practices of resort guests in various outdoor leisure and recreation venues during warm-weather seasons. Method: Forty-one North American…

78 FR 4164 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Point Molate Resort and Casino for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-18

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Point Molate Resort and Casino for the Guidiville Band of the Pomo Indians, Contra Costa County... Impact Statement (EIS) for the BIA Federal action of approving the fee-to- trust transfer and casino...

No Snow? No Problem! Ski Statutes Still Provide Legal Protection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckmaster, Melanie E.; Young, Sarah J.

2018-01-01

In August 2012, Barbara Fakhouri visited Ober Gatlinburg, a ski resort located in eastern Tennessee to vacation with her family. Ms. Fakhouri used a wheelchair to ambulate. Despite the absence of snow on the ground, the resort operated year-round with many amenities such as an amusement park, restaurant, lounge, and shopping center to captivate…

Trends in the market for privately owned seasonal recreational housing

Treesearch

Richard L. Ragatz

1980-01-01

The market for privately owned seasonal recreational properties, such as vacation homes, recreational lots, and resort condominiums has encountered many peaks and declines during the past 15 years. While demand for traditional types of recreational property has recently fallen off due to inflation and lack of financing, other alternatives such as resort timesharing are...

Regional trade market analysis: resort marketing approaches

Treesearch

David C. Bojanic; Rodney B. Warnick

1995-01-01

This paper examines the value of geographic segmentation for a regional ski resort in New England. Customers from different user groups were surveyed along with a list of inquiries and a purchased list, and grouped according to their area of origin. An ANOVA was performed to determine if there were differences in attitudes and trip behaviors between the segments. It...

Common sense and nuclear peace

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zacharias, J.R.; Gordon, M.; Davis, S.R.

The authors note that arms control, arms limitation, and arms reduction, though moving in the right direction, are not sufficient. Possible escalation of a small-scale war between nuclear superpowers or of an accident into a major conflagration is our greatest worry, they think, even though there is no justification for ever resorting to nuclear weaponry. We must find new ways to prevent and resolve conflict among nations other than military solutions. Further, the stakes are too high to leave the settling of international disputes in the hands of the world's military establishments, or even its anti-military establishments. To reduce andmore » then eliminate the risk of nuclear war will require a profound change in attitude, both here and in the Soviet Union. The authors feel we must both learn to bargain and barter about the things that really matter. We must realize that we cannot compete on both economic and military trufs simultaneously, because they require different attitudes and policies. Good treaties based on commonality of interest make good neighbors, and can lead to a less-belligerent world. 17 references.« less

International financial institutions and human rights: implications for public health.

PubMed

Stubbs, Thomas; Kentikelenis, Alexander

2017-01-01

Serving as lender of last resort to countries experiencing unsustainable levels of public debt, international financial institutions have attracted intense controversy over the past decades, exemplified most recently by the popular discontent expressed in Eurozone countries following several rounds of austerity measures. In exchange for access to financial assistance, borrowing countries must settle on a list of often painful policy reforms that are aimed at balancing the budget. This practice has afforded international financial institutions substantial policy influence on governments throughout the world and in a wide array of policy areas of direct bearing on human rights. This article reviews the consequences of policy reforms mandated by international financial institutions on the enjoyment of human rights, focusing on the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. It finds that these reforms undermine the enjoyment of health rights, labour rights, and civil and political rights, all of which have deleterious implications for public health. The evidence suggests that for human rights commitments to be met, a fundamental reorientation of international financial institutions' activities will be necessary.

Combining Relevance Vector Machines and exponential regression for bearing residual life estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Maio, Francesco; Tsui, Kwok Leung; Zio, Enrico

2012-08-01

In this paper we present a new procedure for estimating the bearing Residual Useful Life (RUL) by combining data-driven and model-based techniques. Respectively, we resort to (i) Relevance Vector Machines (RVMs) for selecting a low number of significant basis functions, called Relevant Vectors (RVs), and (ii) exponential regression to compute and continuously update residual life estimations. The combination of these techniques is developed with reference to partially degraded thrust ball bearings and tested on real world vibration-based degradation data. On the case study considered, the proposed procedure outperforms other model-based methods, with the added value of an adequate representation of the uncertainty associated to the estimates of the quantification of the credibility of the results by the Prognostic Horizon (PH) metric.

KSC-05PD-0198

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, film director James Cameron (right) talks to Daniel Stearns, a 13-year-old student from Longmeadow, Mass., who won the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Stearns shared first place with a team from McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga. The Georgia school participates in NASAs Explorer School program. Cameron is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Other keynote speakers at the three-day conference are Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

Environmental variables associated with vacationers' sun protection at warm weather resorts in North America.

PubMed

Andersen, Peter A; Buller, David B; Walkosz, Barbara J; Scott, Michael D; Beck, Larry; Liu, Xia; Abbott, Allison; Eye, Rachel

2016-04-01

Vacationing at sunny, warm weather locations is a risk factor for excessive solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure and skin cancer. This study examined the association of environmental variables related to UV levels with vacationers' sun protection. Vacationers at 41 summer resorts in 17 states and 1 Canadian Province were interviewed (n=3531) and observed (N=4347) during 2012 and 2013. Clothing coverage, sunglasses, and shade use were observed. Use of sunscreen and sunburns were self-reported. Environmental information was recorded by research staff or acquired from ground stations and the weather service. Temperature was positively associated with sun protection behaviors; however clothing coverage was negatively associated with temperature. Cloud cover was negatively associated with sun protection, with the exception of clothing coverage which was positively associated with it. Elevation showed a mixed pattern of associations with vacationer's sun protection. Latitude of a resort was negatively associated with most sun protection behaviors, such that sun protection increased at more southerly resorts. Similarly, the farther south a vacationer traveled to the resort, the less sun protection they employed. The UV index showed a weak, positive relationship with some sun protection behaviors even when controlling for temperature. Vacationers appeared aware that UV is higher at southern latitudes and may learn UV is intense when living in southern regions. However, many used temperature, an unreliable cue, to judge UV intensity and seemed to adjust clothing for warmth not UV protection. Efforts are needed to help individuals make more accurate sun safety decisions. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The South Stradbroke Island Resort: An Approach to Teaching Ecology at the Senior Secondary School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Anthony

2000-01-01

Describes an activity in which students gather information on a field trip to South Stradbroke Island in Australia and conduct a symposium on whether it would be suitable to build a resort on the island. Students role-play the viewpoints of various special interest groups that would be involved in the controversy. (Author/WRM)

Prevalence of Sun Protection at Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Venues at Resorts in North America.

PubMed

Walkosz, Barbara J; Scott, Michael D; Buller, David B; Andersen, Peter A; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R

2017-01-01

Exposure to solar ultra violet radiation (UVR) is a primary risk factor for skin cancer. Vacationers often fail to protect themselves from harmful UVR. The study assessed the sun protection practices of resort guests in various outdoor leisure and recreation venues during warm-weather seasons. 41 North American resorts were enrolled in a quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial. Adult guests were observed (n=4091) and surveyed (n=3694) in a cross sectional sample. Data collection was conducted in recreation and leisure venues with outdoors commons/reception areas acting as the comparison condition. The mean percent of vacationers at pools and beaches were more likely (p < 0.001) to wear sunscreen than in commons areas but less likely (p < 0.001) to wear cover-up clothing or use shade. In both samples, the combined sun protection scores were higher in commons areas compared to all venues except for outdoor dining (p < 0.001). Sun safety was suboptimal in all venues and was potentially mitigated by venue type. Approaches are needed to encourage vacationers to practice comprehensive sun protection and to work with resorts to construct built environments that facilitate rather than act as barriers to sun safety.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 10 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-04-01

ISS010-E-22273 (1 April 2005) --- Palm Island Resort, Dubai, United Arab Emirates is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 10 crewmember on the International Space Station. Palm Island is a resort under construction on reclaimed land silhouetted against the dark waters of Dubai’s Persian Gulf coast. Advertised as "being visible from the Moon," this man-made palm-shaped structure displays 17 huge fronds framed by a 12-kilometer protective barrier. When completed, the resort will sport 2000 villas, 40 luxury hotels, shopping centers, cinemas, and other facilities. An earlier handheld image from 2003 shows the outline of the palm nearing completion (link to http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-6/html/iss006e35516.html). Two years later, the palm appears in all its glory to passing space travelers. It has so far required over 50 million cubic meters of sand to raise it above the sea surface. Palm Island is the last of three major developments designed to transform the Dubai coastline into a major coastal metropolitan area and destination. When completed, the resort is expected to support a population of approximately 500,000 people.

Macroscopic behavior and fluctuation-dissipation response of stochastic ecohydrological systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porporato, A. M.

2017-12-01

The coupled dynamics of water, carbon and nutrient cycles in ecohydrological systems is forced by unpredictable and intermittent hydroclimatic fluctuations at different time scales. While modeling and long-term prediction of these complex interactions often requires a probabilistic approach, the resulting stochastic equations however are only solvable in special cases. To obtain information on the behavior of the system one typically has to resort to approximation methods. Here we discuss macroscopic equations for the averages and fluctuation-dissipation estimates for the general correlations between the forcing and the ecohydrological response for the soil moisture-plant biomass interaction and the problem of primary salinization and nitrogen retention in soils.

Controlled Synthesis of Polyions of Heavy Main-Group Elements in Ionic Liquids

PubMed Central

Groh, Matthias F.; Wolff, Alexander; Grasser, Matthias A.; Ruck, Michael

2016-01-01

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been proven to be valuable reaction media for the synthesis of inorganic materials among an abundance of other applications in different fields of chemistry. Up to now, the syntheses have remained mostly “black boxes”; and researchers have to resort to trial-and-error in order to establish a new synthetic route to a specific compound. This review comprises decisive reaction parameters and techniques for the directed synthesis of polyions of heavy main-group elements (fourth period and beyond) in ILs. Several families of compounds are presented ranging from polyhalides over carbonyl complexes and selenidostannates to homo and heteropolycations. PMID:27598123

Practical entanglement concentration of nonlocal polarization-spatial hyperentangled states with linear optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zi-Hang; Wu, Xiao-Yuan; Yu, Wen-Xuan; Alzahrani, Faris; Hobiny, Aatef; Deng, Fu-Guo

2017-05-01

We present some different hyperentanglement concentration protocols (hyper-ECPs) for nonlocal N-photon systems in partially polarization-spatial hyperentangled states with known parameters, resorting to linear optical elements only, including those for hyperentangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger-class states and the ones for hyperentangled cluster-class states. Our hyper-ECPs have some interesting features. First, they require only one copy of nonlocal N-photon systems and do not resort to ancillary photons. Second, they work with linear optical elements, neither Bell-state measurement nor two-qubit entangling gates. Third, they have the maximal success probability with only a round of entanglement concentration, not repeating the concentration process some times. Fourth, they resort to some polarizing beam splitters and wave plates, not unbalanced beam splitters, which make them more convenient in experiment.

Willow Leaves' Extracts Contain Anti-Tumor Agents Effective against Three Cell Types

PubMed Central

El-Shemy, Hany A.; Aboul-Enein, Ahmed M.; Aboul-Enein, Khalid Mostafa; Fujita, Kounosuke

2007-01-01

Many higher plants contain novel metabolites with antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral properties. However, in the developed world almost all clinically used chemotherapeutics have been produced by in vitro chemical synthesis. Exceptions, like taxol and vincristine, were structurally complex metabolites that were difficult to synthesize in vitro. Many non-natural, synthetic drugs cause severe side effects that were not acceptable except as treatments of last resort for terminal diseases such as cancer. The metabolites discovered in medicinal plants may avoid the side effect of synthetic drugs, because they must accumulate within living cells. The aim here was to test an aqueous extract from the young developing leaves of willow (Salix safsaf, Salicaceae) trees for activity against human carcinoma cells in vivo and in vitro. In vivo Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cells (EACC) were injected into the intraperitoneal cavity of mice. The willow extract was fed via stomach tube. The (EACC) derived tumor growth was reduced by the willow extract and death was delayed (for 35 days). In vitro the willow extract could kill the majority (75%–80%) of abnormal cells among primary cells harvested from seven patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 13 with AML (acute myeloid leukemia). DNA fragmentation patterns within treated cells inferred targeted cell death by apoptosis had occurred. The metabolites within the willow extract may act as tumor inhibitors that promote apoptosis, cause DNA damage, and affect cell membranes and/or denature proteins. PMID:17264881

Effects of an Alpine Ski Resort on Hydrology and Water Quality in the Northeastern U.S.: Preliminary Findings from a Field Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wemple, B.; Shanley, J.; Denner, J.

2002-12-01

High elevation, forested watersheds are particularly vulnerable to stresses from development. Steep slopes and thin soils rapidly transmit water, nutrients and sediment when disturbed by logging, road construction or other activities associated with development. The effects of forest harvesting practices on streamflow and water quality in high-elevation, forested watersheds have been well studied and provide relevant information about the susceptibility of these ecosystems to anthropogenic disturbance. Few studies have directly addressed the hydrologic or water quality effects of ski resort development on mountain streams, and these studies draw almost entirely from western U.S. examples. Ski resorts in the eastern U.S. face particular development pressures. Transient and unpredictable snow conditions generate extensive need for snowmaking. Competitive economic pressure has motivated plans for slope-side village development and summer recreation facilities at many eastern U.S. ski resorts. Here, we report preliminary findings of a recently initiated paired-watershed study to examine the effects of alpine ski area development on water quantity and quality. Our study area is located on the eastern slope of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont, and includes the basins of Ranch Brook (9.6 sq km) and West Branch (11.7 sq km). Ranch Brook is undeveloped, except for a network of cross-country ski trails and unsurfaced access roads, and serves as our control watershed. West Branch encompasses nearly an entire major ski resort, with an extensive network of alpine ski lifts and trails, day lodges, snowmaking facilities, and vacation homes. A major expansion of resort facilities and ski trails has recently received state approval. Our preliminary analysis indicates distinct differences in runoff and water quality between the two basins. Differences in basin hydrographs suggest that ski trails alter the timing and magnitude of runoff, particularly during spring snowmelt. Elevated concentrations of total suspended solids in West Branch streamwater suggest that exposed surfaces (trails, parking lots) may be important sources of sediment in the ski resort basin. Streamwater chemistry at West Branch also suggests contamination by deicing salts. Variability in summer low flows between the two basins indicates unexplained differences in precipitation capture or groundwater loss in the basins and must be resolved in future analysis. These findings provide important baseline information for ski area management in the eastern U.S., where field studies have been sparse. Our future plans include hydrologic modeling to assess the effects of current development and various future development scenarios on streamflow and water quality.

[The spa-health resort and touristic-recreational facilities of the region: the methodological aspects of their development].

PubMed

Kirilina, V M; Kolesnikova, N V; Kolesnikov, N G

2016-01-01

The correction and optimization of the motor activity of the patients are currently the main priorities of all rehabilitative and recreational activities based at the spa and health resort facilities. The forms of such activities include walking tours and excursion trips. In other words, the excursion potential is one of the very important attributes of the recreational recourses. Under the current conditions characterized by the rapid socio-economic changes, the studies concerning the structural and functional transformation of spa and health resorts, recreational and tourist facilities acquire special importance, both from the humanitarian and economic points of view. The results of these studies may greatly contribute to the organization and the further development of rehabilitative and recreational activities based at the spa and health resort facilities, recreational and tourist centers taking into consideration their evolution. The objective of the present article is to analyze the structure and functions of the recreation and tourist centres as well as the modes of their cooperation with the spa and health resort facilities. In other words, these structures and their functions are both the object and the subject of the present study. The methodology of the study is based on the logical analysis of the development of the recreational and tourist systems in the framework of the evolutionary approach. (1) the notions of «tourist destination» and «recreation» have been substantiated; (2) the results of the studies carried out at the Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Petrozavodsk State University have been used to elaborate the affiliate international Master Degree program «Project management in the tourism industry». The main emphasis in this program is placed on the necessity and methods of the improvement of recreational activities and more efficacious utilization of the climatic factors and the health resort infrastructure as well as personnel training for the sake of improvement of services to the visitors. The analysis of various aspects of recreation and tourism development has demonstrated that the services provided by the recreational and tourist systems in cooperation with the health resort infrastructure open up new employment opportunities and thus reduce the risk of social tension. The prospects for the continuation of investigations along these lines are associated with the extension of the recreational and touristic activities over the rural and countryside localities with special reference to the trans-border interactions as well as specific features of the tourist and recreational resources of the given regions and territories.

Crossing physical simulations of snow conditions and a geographic model of ski area to assess ski resorts vulnerability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

François, Hugues; Spandre, Pierre; Morin, Samuel; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle; Lafaysse, Matthieu; Lejeune, Yves

2016-04-01

In order to face climate change, meteorological variability and the recurrent lack of natural snow on the ground, ski resorts adaptation often rely on technical responses. Indeed, since the occurrence of episodes with insufficient snowfalls in the early 1990's, snowmaking has become an ordinary practice of snow management, comparable to grooming, and contributes to optimise the operation of ski resorts. It also participates to the growth of investments and is associated with significant operating costs, and thus represents a new source of vulnerability. The assessment of the actual effects of snowmaking and of snow management practices in general is a real concern for the future of the ski industry. The principal model use to simulate snow conditions in resorts, Ski Sim, has also been moving this way. Its developers introduced an artificial input of snow on ski area to complete natural snowfalls and considered different organisations of ski lifts (lower and upper zones). However the use of a degree-day model prevents them to consider the specific properties of artificial snow and the impact of grooming on the snowpack. A first proof of concept in the French Alps has shown the feasibility and the interest to cross the geographic model of ski areas and the output of the physically-based reanalysis of snow conditions SAFRAN - Crocus (François et al., CRST 2014). Since these initial developments, several ways have been explored to refine our model. A new model of ski areas has been developed. Our representation is now based on gravity derived from a DEM and ski lift localisation. A survey about snow management practices also allowed us to define criteria in order to model snowmaking areas given ski areas properties and tourism infrastructures localisation. We also suggest to revisit the assessment of ski resort viability based on the "one hundred days rule" based on natural snow depth only. Indeed, the impact of snow management must be considered so as to propose reliability indices that are both physically and socio-economically meaningful. Our contribution proposes to present these works in the context of a test resort in the French Alps and its snow conditions during the period 2000-2012. In order to show the impact of different management practices three configurations are considered: natural snowfalls, groomed natural snowfalls and managed snow (natural and artificial snowpack combined with grooming) and discuss the implications of the results in terms of the assessment of the climate vulnerability of ski resorts.

The influence of regional urbanization and abnormal weather conditions on the processes of human climatic adaptation on mountain resorts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artamonova, M.; Golitsyn, G.; Senik, I.; Safronov, A.; Babyakin, A.; Efimenko, N.; Povolotskaya, N.; Topuriya, D.; Chalaya, E.

2012-04-01

This work is a further development in the study of weather pathogenic index (WPI) and negative influence of urbanization processes on the state of people's health with adaptation disorder. This problem is socially significant. According to the data of the WHO, in the world there are from 20 to 45% of healthy people and from 40 to 80% of people with chronic diseases who suffer from the raised meteosensitivity. As a result of our researches of meteosensitivity of people during their short-duration on mountain resorts there were used negative adaptive reactions (NAR) under 26 routine tests, stress-reactions under L.H. Garkavi's hemogram, vegetative indices, tests of neuro-vascular reactivity, signs of imbalance of vegetative and neurohumoral regulation according to the data of biorhythm fractal analysis and sudden aggravations of diseases (SAD) as an indicator of negative climatic and urbanization influence. In 2010-2011 the Caucasian mountain resorts were having long periods of climatic anomalies, strengthening of anthropogenic emissions and forest fires when record-breaking high waves of NAR and SAD were noticed. There have also been specified indices ranks of weather pathogenicity from results of comparison of health characteristics with indicators of synoptico-dynamic processes according to Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF); air ionization N+, N-, N+/N- spectra of aerosol particles (the size from 500 to 20000 nanometers) and concentrations of chemically active gases (O3, NO, NO2, ), volatile phytoorganic substances in the surface atmosphere, bactericidal characteristics of vegetation by criterion χ2 (not above 0,05). It has allowed us to develop new physiological optimum borders, norm and pessimum, to classify emergency ecologo-weather situations, to develop a new techniques of their forecasting and prevention of meteopathic reactions with meteosensitive patients (Method of treatment and the early (emergency) and planned prevention meteopatic reactions in patients with coronary heart disease, hypertension stage I-II syndrome disadaptative using the transcranial mezo diencephalic modulation / L.I.Zherlitsina, N.V. Efimenko, N.P. Povolotskaya, I.I. Velikanov. the Patent for the invention No.2422128, RU (11) 2 422 128 (13) C1 from 6/27/2011; Bull.13). We have observed that such anthropogenic characteristics as accumulation of aerosol with the size of particles 500-5000 nanometers in the lower atmosphere in the quantity more than 60 particles/sm3 (getting to alveoli); decrease in quantity of negative ions (N-) lower than 200 ions/sm3, high coefficient of ions unipolarity (N+/N-) - more than 4-6; mass concentration of aerosol more than 150 mkg/m3 and other modules of the environment can act as limited markers for the forecast of dangerous NAR, SAD and taking of urgent radical preventive measures. These techniques of medical weather forecast and meteo prevention can be used in other mountain regions of the world. The studies were performed by support of the Program "Basic Sciences for Medicine" and RFBR project No.10-05-01014_a.

The impact of tourism and personal leisure transport on coastal environments: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davenport, John; Davenport, Julia L.

2006-03-01

Coastal tourism started in the 19th Century and has increased in non-linear fashion ever since, stimulated by a combination of developments in transport technology and rising prosperity. Initially, mainly national in character, the introduction of roll-on, roll-off ferries and inexpensive air transport caused an exponential 28-fold rise in international tourism between 1950 and the start of the 21st Century. This review considers the impact of tourism at two levels: (1) that created by the sheer numbers of tourists and their demands ('mass tourism and transport') and (2) that resulting from individual, often novel, forms of transport ('personal leisure transport'). Under (1), the consequences of the construction of coastal resorts and roads, marinas and jetties for habitat fragmentation and reduced biodiversity are described. Next, the effects of large cruise ships (now some 250 in number) are considered, particularly in relation to unregulated pollution and the delivery of substantial numbers of tourists to remote destinations. Thirdly, the literature related to disturbance caused by intertidal trampling by tourists on rocky/sandy shores is reviewed, followed by a section devoted to the unappreciated effects of beach 'cleaning' (i.e. removal of natural strandlines as well as litter) that is practiced throughout the world's sandy beach resorts. Finally, the potentially positive area of coastal ecotourism is considered, but evidence is assembled to highlight the problems associated with too high a demand. Under (2), the impact of a range of personal leisure transport modes is considered. These range from relatively innocuous pursuits (e.g. swimming, surfing, sailboarding and dinghy sailing), to an extremely popular sport (SCUBA diving) that is marketed for its environmentally-friendly nature, yet causes measurable deterioration in the world's coral ecosystems despite good management practices. The impact of motorboats is considered, particularly in the context of transmission of non-native species, while the highly polluting and disturbing technology of 'personal watercraft' is evaluated. Finally, the uncontrolled emergence of new 'extreme sports' (e.g. 'coasteering', kitesurfing) is identified as a future problem.

Moral agency, moral worth and the question of double standards in medical research in developing countries.

PubMed

Tangwa, G B

2001-11-01

International regulations governing medical research, healthcare and medical practice, are, obviously, meant to be guidelines and not detailed procedural rules of thumb that can be applied unreflectively without any danger of doing moral wrong. Moreover, such regulations are meant to apply internationally, and no set of straight-jacketed rules of thumb can conceivably apply to all societies and communities of the world, extremely diverse and differently situated as they are. The mark of a good international guideline or regulation, in my view, is that it should provide a clear principle of action that applies equally to all global communities and societies without seeking to foist the particular or momentary moral dilemmas, quandaries, obsessions and preoccupations of some on all. In this paper, I propose to argue that, because moral obligations are obligations only from the point of view of a particular moral agent, we should avoid making the peculiar problems of any particular moral agent(s) the obsessive concern of all moral agents, and that we need, in particular, to make appropriate distinctions between the ethics of developed world research in the developing world, collaborative or cooperative research between the developed and developing worlds, developed world research in the developed world and developing world research in the developing world. A consequence of looking at things this way is that, while it should be clear that there are ethical concerns, imperatives and obligations at all levels, different standards may and, in fact, cannot but be applied in different contexts at different levels, without resorting to the use of double standards, which can never be morally justified. Finally, I venture to propose a formula for a solemn pledge of moral integrity and noble intent, from the perspective of the agent, that is to say, the investigator, sponsor and funder of any research, to complement and balance the widely accepted informed consent requirement, from the perspective of the patient, the subject of any biomedical research.

KSC-2012-6057

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Atlantis pauses during its 10-mile journey to the Kennedy visitor complex for a ceremony to commemorate its transfer. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, seated left, and Kennedy Director Bob Cabana sign documents transferring title of Atlantis from the agency to Kennedy Space Center. Also participating in the ceremony, standing, from left, are Chris Ferguson, who commanded Atlantis' final mission, Karol Bobko, commander of Atlantis' first mission and Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore. As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis is to be displayed at Kennedy's Visitor Complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition Photo credit: NASA/ Tony Gray

KSC-2012-6059

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the space shuttle Atlantis pauses during its 10-mile journey to the Kennedy visitor complex for a ceremony to commemorate its transfer. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and Kennedy Director Bob Cabana hold the just-signed document transferring title of Atlantis from the agency to Kennedy Space Center. Participating in the ceremony, from left, are Chris Ferguson, who commanded Atlantis' final mission, Bolden, Cabana, Karol Bobko, commander of Atlantis' first mission, and Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore. As part of transition and retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, Atlantis is to be displayed at Kennedy's visitor complex beginning in the summer of 2013. Over the course of its 26-year career, Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles during 307 days in space over 33 missions. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/transition Photo credit: NASA/ Tony Gray

PREFACE: 3rd International Conference on Science & Engineering in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics 2015 (ScieTech 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaol, F. L.

2015-06-01

The 3rd International Conference on Science & Engineering in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics 2015 (ScieTech 2015), was held at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali on 31 January - 1 February 2015. The ScieTech 2015 conference is aimed to bring together researchers, engineers and scientists from around the world. ScieTech 2015 is placed on promoting interaction between the theoretical, experimental, and applied communities, so that a high level exchange is achieved in new and emerging areas within mathematics, chemistry and physics. As we already know that science and technology have brought tremendous benefits for human civilization. People are becoming healthier, wealthier, better educated, more peaceful, increasingly connected, and living longer. Of course, science and technology provide many answers to global challenges, but we will face more complex problems in the next decade due to increasing world population, limitation of energy, and climate change. Therefore, researchers should be more active in conducting research that enables collaboration between one and the others. Interdisciplinary cooperation is absolutely necessary in order to create a smart system for solving the global problems. We need a global and general long-term view of the future with long-range goals for solving complex problems in next decade. Therefore the conference was held to be a forum for researchers from different disciplines to start collaborating and conducting research that provides a solution to the global issues. The theme of ScieTech 2015 was ''The interdisciplinary Application between Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics to enhance the Quality of Life''. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all in the Technical Program Committee who have reviewed the papers and developed a very interesting conference program as well as the invited and plenary speakers. This year, we received 197 papers and after rigorous review, 59 papers were accepted. The participants came from 19 countries, and there were six paralell sessions and four keynote speakers. It is an honour to present this volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) and we deeply thank the authors for their enthusiastic and high-grade contributions. Finally, we would like to thank the conference chairmen, members of the steering committee, the organizing committee, the organizing secretariat and the financial support from the conference sponsors that allowed the success of ScieTech 2015.

Radon Levels Measured at a Touristic Thermal Spa Resort in Montagu (South Africa) and Associated Effective Doses.

PubMed

Botha, R; Newman, R T; Maleka, P P

2016-09-01

Radon activity concentrations (in water and in air) were measured at 13 selected locations at the Avalon Springs thermal spa resort in Montagu (Western Cape, South Africa) to estimate the associated effective dose received by employees and visitors. A RAD-7 detector (DURRIDGE), based on alpha spectrometry, and electret detectors (E-PERM®Radelec) were used for these radon measurements. The primary source of radon was natural thermal waters from the hot spring, which were pumped to various locations on the resort, and consequently a range of radon in-water analyses were performed. Radon in-water activity concentration as a function of time (short term and long term measurements) and spatial distributions (different bathing pools, etc.) were studied. The mean radon in-water activity concentrations were found to be 205 ± 6 Bq L (source), 112 ± 5 Bq L (outdoor pool) and 79 ± 4 Bq L (indoor pool). Radon in-air activity concentrations were found to range between 33 ± 4 Bq m (at the outside bar) to 523 ± 26 Bq m (building enclosing the hot spring's source). The most significant potential radiation exposure identified is that due to inhalation of air rich in radon and its progeny by the resort employees. The annual occupational effective dose due to the inhalation of radon progeny ranges from 0.16 ± 0.01 mSv to 0.40 ± 0.02 mSv. For the water samples collected, the Ra in-water activity concentrations from samples collected were below the lower detection limit (~0.7 Bq L) of the γ-ray detector system used. No significant radiological health risk can be associated with radon and progeny from the hot spring at the Avalon Springs resort.

Increasing Sun Protection in Winter Outdoor Recreation

PubMed Central

Walkosz, Barbara J.; Buller, David B.; Andersen, Peter A.; Scott, Michael D.; Dignan, Mark B.; Cutter, Gary R.; Maloy, Julie A.

2009-01-01

Background Unprotected and excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the primary risk factor for skin cancer. Design A pair-matched, group-randomized, pre-test/post-test, quasi-experimental design, with ski resorts as the unit of randomization, tested the effectiveness of Go Sun Smart, a multi-channel skin cancer prevention program. Independent samples of guests were taken at baseline (2001) and follow-up (2002); data were analyzed in 2006. Setting and Participants A total of 6516 adult guests at 26 ski resorts in the western U.S. and Canada were recruited, consented, and interviewed on chairlifts. This study was nested within an occupational intervention for ski resort workers. Intervention Ski resorts were pair-matched and randomized to receive Go Sun Smart, which consisted of print, electronic, visual, and interpersonal skin cancer prevention messages. Main Outcome Measures Sun-protection behaviors, sunburning, recall of sun-protection messages, and the association of message exposure to sun protection. Results The difference in recall of all sun-protection messages, messages on signs and posters, and the Go Sun Smart logo was significant between the intervention and control resorts. Reported use of sun-protection practices was higher by guests at intervention ski areas using more (a higher dose of) Go Sun Smart materials. Intervention-group guests who recalled a sun-safety message were more likely to practice sun safety than intervention-group guests who did not recall a message and control-group guests. Conclusions While the mere implementation of Go Sun Smart did not produce sun-safety improvements, Go Sun Smart appeared to be effective for guests who encountered and remembered it. Many factors can work against message exposure. Signage seemed to produce the greatest increase in exposure to sun-safety messages. PMID:18471586

Work Hard, Party Harder: Drug Use and Sexual Behaviour in Young British Casual Workers in Ibiza, Spain

PubMed Central

Kelly, Danielle; Hughes, Karen; Bellis, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Background: Every summer, young people flock to nightlife-focused holiday resorts around the world to find casual work. Despite being exposed to hedonistic environments, often for several months, little is known about their substance use, sexual activity and health service needs over this extended amount of time abroad. Methods: A short anonymous questionnaire examining alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviour and use of health services was administered to young British casual workers aged 16–35 in San Antonio, Ibiza (n = 171). Results: 97.7% of casual workers used alcohol in Ibiza, and the majority (85.3%) used drugs. Almost half (43.5%) of all participants used a drug in Ibiza that they had never used in the UK. Most casual workers arrived in Ibiza without a partner or spouse (86.5%). Of these, 86.9% had sex during their stay and 50.0% had unprotected sex; often while under the influence of alcohol. Only 14.3% of those having unprotected sex with a new partner sought a sexual health check-up in Ibiza, although 84.1% intended to do this on their return to the UK. Conclusion: Substance use and sexual risk taking is widespread among young British casual workers in Ibiza. Such international nightlife resorts represent key settings for substance-related health and social problems, and for the international spread of sexually transmitted infections. Addressing the health needs of casual workers and the environments that permit and promote their excessive behaviour requires collaboration between authorities in home and destination countries and the tourism industry. PMID:25264681

The evolution of antipsychotic switch and polypharmacy in natural practice--a longitudinal perspective.

PubMed

Tsutsumi, Chisa; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Takefumi; Watanabe, Koichiro; Takeuchi, Hiroyoshi; Nakajima, Shinichiro; Kimura, Yoshie; Tsutsumi, Yuichiro; Ishii, Koichi; Imasaka, Yasushi; Kapur, Shitij

2011-08-01

Most patients with schizophrenia first start with a single antipsychotic, and yet most finally end up 'switching' or using 'polypharmacy'. The objective of this study was to examine the evolution of antipsychotic switch and polypharmacy in the real-world from a longitudinal perspective. A systematic review of longitudinal antipsychotic prescriptions in 300 patients with schizophrenia (ICD-10) for up to 2 years after their first visit to one of the 4 participating psychiatric clinics in Tokyo, Japan between January, 2007 and June, 2008, was conducted. Reasons for prescription change were also examined. The evolution of switching and polypharmacy was studied, and prescribed doses were compared to suggested dose ranges by the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). 208 patients started their antipsychotic treatment with monotherapy. 34.1% of the patients gave up monotherapy with an initial antipsychotic to move to antipsychotic switch (27.4%) and/or polypharmacy (17.8%) within 2 years. The main reason for antipsychotic switch was 'ineffectiveness'; interestingly, this happened despite the fact that the monotherapy dose was below the recommended range in 47.4% of the antipsychotic switch. In a subgroup of 100 patients who started as antipsychotic-free, 2-year prevalence rates of switching and antipsychotic polypharmacy were 27.0% and 18.0%, respectively, and polypharmacy was resorted to after a median of 1 antipsychotic had been tried for 84 days (median). These findings raise a concern that physicians may perform an antipsychotic switch without exploring the entire dose range and resort to antipsychotic polypharmacy without trying an adequate number of antipsychotics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Work hard, party harder: drug use and sexual behaviour in young British casual workers in Ibiza, Spain.

PubMed

Kelly, Danielle; Hughes, Karen; Bellis, Mark A

2014-09-26

Every summer, young people flock to nightlife-focused holiday resorts around the world to find casual work. Despite being exposed to hedonistic environments, often for several months, little is known about their substance use, sexual activity and health service needs over this extended amount of time abroad. A short anonymous questionnaire examining alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviour and use of health services was administered to young British casual workers aged 16-35 in San Antonio, Ibiza (n = 171). 97.7% of casual workers used alcohol in Ibiza, and the majority (85.3%) used drugs. Almost half (43.5%) of all participants used a drug in Ibiza that they had never used in the UK. Most casual workers arrived in Ibiza without a partner or spouse (86.5%). Of these, 86.9% had sex during their stay and 50.0% had unprotected sex; often while under the influence of alcohol. Only 14.3% of those having unprotected sex with a new partner sought a sexual health check-up in Ibiza, although 84.1% intended to do this on their return to the UK. Substance use and sexual risk taking is widespread among young British casual workers in Ibiza. Such international nightlife resorts represent key settings for substance-related health and social problems, and for the international spread of sexually transmitted infections. Addressing the health needs of casual workers and the environments that permit and promote their excessive behaviour requires collaboration between authorities in home and destination countries and the tourism industry.

Data from renewable energy assessments for resort islands in the South China Sea.

PubMed

Basir Khan, M Reyasudin; Jidin, Razali; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh

2016-03-01

Renewable energy assessments for resort islands in the South China Sea were conducted that involves the collection and analysis of meteorological and topographic data. The meteorological data was used to assess the PV, wind and hydropower system potentials on the islands. Furthermore, the reconnaissance study for hydro-potentials were conducted through topographic maps in order to determine the potential sites suitable for development of run-of-river hydropower generation. The stream data was collected for 14 islands in the South China Sea with a total of 51 investigated sites. The data from this study are related to the research article "Optimal combination of solar, wind, micro-hydro and diesel systems based on actual seasonal load profiles for a resort island in the South China Sea" published in Energy (Khan et al., 2015) [1].

Data from renewable energy assessments for resort islands in the South China Sea

PubMed Central

Basir Khan, M. Reyasudin; Jidin, Razali; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh

2015-01-01

Renewable energy assessments for resort islands in the South China Sea were conducted that involves the collection and analysis of meteorological and topographic data. The meteorological data was used to assess the PV, wind and hydropower system potentials on the islands. Furthermore, the reconnaissance study for hydro-potentials were conducted through topographic maps in order to determine the potential sites suitable for development of run-of-river hydropower generation. The stream data was collected for 14 islands in the South China Sea with a total of 51 investigated sites. The data from this study are related to the research article “Optimal combination of solar, wind, micro-hydro and diesel systems based on actual seasonal load profiles for a resort island in the South China Sea” published in Energy (Khan et al., 2015) [1]. PMID:26779562

Classification and evaluation for forest sites on the Natchez Trace State Forest, State Resort Park, and Wildlife Management Area in West Tennessee

Treesearch

Glendon W. Smalley

1991-01-01

Presents comprehensive forest site classification system for the 45,084-acre Natchez Trace State Forest, State Resort park, and WIldlife Management Area in the highly dissected and predominantly hilly Upper Coastal Plain of west Tennessee. Twenty-five landtypes are identified. Each landtype is defined in terms of nine elements and evaluated on the baiss of...

Landscape Potential Analysis for Ecotourism Destination in the Resort Ii Salak Mountain, Halimun-Salak National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusumoarto, A.; Gunawan, A.; Nurazizah, G. R.

2017-10-01

The Resort II Salak Mountain has variety of landscape potential for created as ecotourism destination, especially the potential of the waterfall (curug) and sulphur crater (Kawah Ratu). The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the potential resources of the landscape to be created as ecotourism destination, Resort II Salak Mountain. This research was conducted through two phases: 1) identification of the attractions location that have potential resources for ecotourism destination, and 2) analysis of the level of potential resource of the landscape in each location using Analysis of Tourist Attraction Operational Destination (ATAOD). The study showed Resort II Salak Mountain has many ecotourism objects which have been used for ecotourism activities, such as hot spring baths, Curug Cigamea, Curug Ngumpet, Curug Seribu, Curug Pangeran, Curug Muara, Curug Cihurang, Kawah Ratu, camping ground, Curug Kondang and Curug Alami. The location of all waterfalls -curug, spread widely in the core zone for ecotourism. In the other hand, camping ground is located in the business zone, while Kawah Ratu is located in the natural forest, which is included in the buffer zone of Halimun-Salak National Park (HSNP). The result showed that the ecotourism objects with the highest potential value are Kawah Ratu, Curug Seribu, Curug Muara, Curug Kondang and Curug Ngumpet.

Prevalence of Sun Protection at Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Venues at Resorts in North America

PubMed Central

Walkosz, Barbara J.; Scott, Michael D.; Buller, David B.; Andersen, Peter A.; Beck, Larry; Cutter, Gary R.

2017-01-01

Background Exposure to solar ultra violet radiation (UVR) is a primary risk factor for skin cancer. Vacationers often fail to protect themselves from harmful UVR. Purpose The study assessed the sun protection practices of resort guests in various outdoor leisure and recreation venues during warm-weather seasons. Method 41 North American resorts were enrolled in a quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial. Adult guests were observed (n=4091) and surveyed (n=3694) in a cross sectional sample. Data collection was conducted in recreation and leisure venues with outdoors commons/reception areas acting as the comparison condition. Results The mean percent of vacationers at pools and beaches were more likely (p < 0.001) to wear sunscreen than in commons areas but less likely (p < 0.001) to wear cover-up clothing or use shade. In both samples, the combined sun protection scores were higher in commons areas compared to all venues except for outdoor dining (p < 0.001). Discussion Sun safety was suboptimal in all venues and was potentially mitigated by venue type. Translation to Health Education Practice Approaches are needed to encourage vacationers to practice comprehensive sun protection and to work with resorts to construct built environments that facilitate rather than act as barriers to sun safety. PMID:29147456

Dr Jekels' health resort in Bystra near Bielsko: the first treatment centre which adopted psychoanalysis in Poland.

PubMed

Dembińska, Edyta; Rutkowski, Krzysztof

2017-08-29

The paper sets out to present the history of a health resort and hydrotherapy centre in Bystra near Bielsko from 1898 to 1912. At that time Dr Ludwik Jekels, one of the Polish psychoanalysis forerunners, was the owner of the centre. Initially, Dr Jekels was very enthusiastic about climatic treatment and hydrotherapy, until 1905 when he got interested in psychoanalysis. Shortly afterwards he became its staunch supporter and adopted it as a curative procedure in his health resort. That was the first documented case of psychoanalysis use in Poland. This paper presents the development of the therapeutic centre in Bystra and the characteristic of typical patients receiving treatment there. It also briefly reports on medical histories of the conditions of patients who received psychoanalytic treatment. The paper also focuses on another significant area of Dr Jekels'contact with Sigmund Freud ranging from an accidental meeting in Vienna around 1898, through the summer of 1910 when Jekels looked after Freud's daughters in his spa, to 1912 which saw Jekels'receiving psychoanalytic treatment from Freud. It also presents a detailed analysis of hypotheses why Jekels decided to sell the health resort and move to Vienna. Finally, the significance of Jekels'currently underrated therapeutic work for the development of the Polish psychoanalysis is reiterated.

KSC-04PD-2329

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Florida Today senior aerospace reporter Todd Halvorson (right) is honored with a Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award for 2004 by the National Space Club Florida Committee at the Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral, Fla. He is joined by Committee Chairman Jerry Moyer (left) and Eddie Kolcum, wife of the late journalist for whom the award is named. Each year, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognizes area representatives of the news media and communications professions for excellence in their ability to communicate the space story along Floridas Space Coast and throughout the world. The award is named in honor of Harry Kolcum, the former managing editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology, who was Cape bureau chief from 1980 to 1993 prior to his death in 1994. Kolcum was a founding member of the National Space Club Florida Committee.

KSC-04PD-2328

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA public affairs specialist George Diller (right) is honored with a Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award for 2004 by the National Space Club Florida Committee at the Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral, Fla. He is joined by Committee Chairman Jerry Moyer (left) and Eddie Kolcum, wife of the late journalist for whom the award is named. Each year, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognizes area representatives of the news media and communications professions for excellence in their ability to communicate the space story along Floridas Space Coast and throughout the world. The award is named in honor of Harry Kolcum, the former managing editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology, who was Cape bureau chief from 1980 to 1993 prior to his death in 1994. Kolcum was a founding member of the National Space Club Florida Committee.

"Harvesting" and Use of Human (Embryonic) Stem Cells: An Islamic Evaluation.

PubMed

Bouzenita, Anke I

2017-03-01

This paper gives insight into the Islamic bioethical discussion on harvesting and using human embryonic (hESC) and adult stem cells. It describes some of the Islamic legal mechanisms involved in the bioethical discourse among Muslims. As the contemporary Islamic bioethical discourse is very diverse, the paper focuses on the critical discussion of related resolutions of the Saudi-based Islamic Fiqh Academy due to the esteem in which the IFA is held in the Islamic world and the pertinence of their rulings on this issue. This study discusses the different sources of human adult and embryonic stem cells and their use from an Islamic perspective, while questioning some directions the Islamic bioethical discourse has taken. The paper invites interested parties to deliberate the use of some of the legal means resorted to in the ongoing Islamic bioethical discourse.

KSC-05PD-0199

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the 1st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, held at Disneys Contemporary Resort in Orlando, film director James Cameron (right) talks to the winning students of the Space Exploration Video Festival award sponsored by Lockheed Martin. At left is Daniel Stearns, from East Longmeadow, Mass. The others are Daniel Jackson, Trenten Nash and Theo Maxie, from the NASA Explorer School McNair High School in Dekalb County, Ga.. Cameron is one of the keynote speakers at the conference. Topics being presented focus on new missions, technologies and infrastructure needed to turn the vision for space exploration into reality. Keynote speakers at the three-day conference include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Congressman Dave Weldon, film director James Cameron and NASAs senior Mars scientist James Garvin. The conference has drawn attendees from around the world.

Listeria endocarditis: current management and patient outcome--world literature review.

PubMed Central

Spyrou, N.; Anderson, M.; Foale, R.

1997-01-01

This is believed to be the 58th reported case of Listeria monocytogenes infective endocarditis. Published reports worldwide were reviewed as to treatment, outcome, and prognostic features. There is controversy over whether all patients with this condition should have surgery. Moreover the best antibiotic treatment is not known, which accounts for the heterogeneity of regimens used. Listeria endocarditis has a high mortality rate (37%). This was higher in men (41% v 32%) and in patients with valve prostheses (41% v 31%), though neither observation reached statistical significance. There was no significant difference in mortality between surgical and non-surgical treatment, but untreated listeria endocarditis proved universally fatal. From the data, treatment with ampicillin is recommended, with resort to surgery in cases where the infection cannot be eradicated or where haemodynamic compromise has occurred. PMID:9155624

Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus VC40, a Vancomycin- and Daptomycin-Resistant Strain, To Study the Genetics of Development of Resistance to Currently Applied Last-Resort Antibiotics

PubMed Central

Berscheid, Anne; Jansen, Andrea; Oedenkoven, Marion; Szekat, Christiane; Strittmatter, Axel; Gottschalk, Gerhard; Bierbaum, Gabriele

2012-01-01

The increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a problem of global importance. Here, we report the genome of S. aureus VC40, which is resistant to the last-resort antibiotics vancomycin and daptomycin. Its genome sequence will allow insights into the mechanisms that convey full resistance to these compounds. PMID:22461548

Implementing a Nation-Wide Mental Health Care Reform: An Analysis of Stakeholders' Priorities.

PubMed

Lorant, Vincent; Grard, Adeline; Nicaise, Pablo

2016-04-01

Belgium has recently reformed its mental health care delivery system with the goals to strengthen the community-based supply of care, care integration, and the social rehabilitation of users and to reduce the resort to hospitals. We assessed whether these different reform goals were endorsed by stakeholders. One-hundred and twenty-two stakeholders ranked, online, eighteen goals of the reform according to their priorities. Stakeholders supported the goals of social rehabilitation of users and community care but were reluctant to reduce the resort to hospitals. Stakeholders were averse to changes in treatment processes, particularly in relation to the reduction of the resort to hospitals and mechanisms for more care integration. Goals heterogeneity and discrepancies between stakeholders' perspectives and policy priorities are likely to produce an uneven implementation of the reform process and, hence, reduce its capacity to achieve the social rehabilitation of users.

Biogas from bio-waste-potential for an ecological waste and energy management in resort hotels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steinbach, D.; Schultheis, A.

1996-12-31

This paper gives an overview about waste management in holiday resorts. The objective is to determine the composition of waste and the specific waste quantities per guest. This data represents the basis for planning recycling measures and corresponding treatment facilities. The sorting analyses show the great potential of organic material suitable for biological treatment. Because of the characteristics (water content, structure) of these organic materials, composting is not as suitable as fermentation. Fermentation tests with hotel bio-waste turned out a much higher rate of biogas compared with communal bio-waste. Until now, biogas as a possibility of regenerative energy, has notmore » been taken into consideration for big hotels or holiday resorts. Using biogas as an additional source of energy and the fermentation products as fertilizer would be a further step to an ecologically beneficial tourism.« less

An adaptive DPCM algorithm for predicting contours in NTSC composite video signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, N. R.

An adaptive DPCM algorithm is proposed for encoding digitized National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) color video signals. This algorithm essentially predicts picture contours in the composite signal without resorting to component separation. The contour parameters (slope thresholds) are optimized using four 'typical' television frames that have been sampled at three times the color subcarrier frequency. Three variations of the basic predictor are simulated and compared quantitatively with three non-adaptive predictors of similar complexity. By incorporating a dual-word-length coder and buffer memory, high quality color pictures can be encoded at 4.0 bits/pel or 42.95 Mbit/s. The effect of channel error propagation is also investigated.

Complex dissemination of the diversified mcr-1-harbouring plasmids in Escherichia coli of different sequence types

PubMed Central

Lin, Jingxia; Wang, Xiuna; Deng, Xianbo; Feng, Youjun

2016-01-01

The emergence of the mobilized colistin resistance gene, representing a novel mechanism for bacterial drug resistance, challenges the last resort against the severe infections by Gram-negative bacteria with multi-drug resistances. Very recently, we showed the diversity in the mcr-1-carrying plasmid reservoirs from the gut microbiota. Here, we reported that a similar but more complex scenario is present in the healthy swine populations, Southern China, 2016. Amongst the 1026 pieces of Escherichia coli isolates from 3 different pig farms, 302 E. coli isolates were determined to be positive for the mcr-1 gene (30%, 302/1026). Multi-locus sequence typing assigned no less than 11 kinds of sequence types including one novel Sequence Type to these mcr-1-positive strains. PCR analyses combined with the direct DNA sequencing revealed unexpected complexity of the mcr-1-harbouring plasmids whose backbones are at least grouped into 6 types four of which are new. Transcriptional analyses showed that the mcr-1 promoter of different origins exhibits similar activity. It seems likely that complex dissemination of the diversified mcr-1-bearing plasmids occurs amongst the various ST E. coli inhabiting the healthy swine populations, in Southern China. PMID:27741523

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana, left, presents a space-program memento to six-year-old Connor Johnson in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana, left, presents a space patch and other mementos to six-year-old Connor Johnson at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Domestic violence against women: a qualitative study in a rural community.

PubMed

Kaur, Ravneet; Garg, Suneela

2010-04-01

Domestic violence is a major contributor to physical and mental ill health of women and is evident, to some degree, in every society in the world. The World Health Organization reports that globally 29% to 62% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Ending gender discrimination and all forms of violence against women requires an understanding of the prevailing culture of bias and violence. The present study was conducted in a rural area in India. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among married women in the age group of 18 to 35 years. Physical violence was a major cause of concern among these women. Some women had to suffer even during pregnancy. An alcoholic husband emerged as the main cause for domestic violence. Husbands' relatives instigating wife beating was also common. Majority of the women preferred to remain silent despite being victimized. The women feared to resort to law because of implications such as social isolation. To address this, all sectors including education, health, legal, and judicial must work in liaison. Gender inequality must be eliminated and equal participation of women in the decision-making and development processes must be ensured.

[The substantiation of the use of high-frequency intrapulmonary ventilation in the patients presenting with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the spa and health resort stage of rehabilitation].

PubMed

Zaripova, T N; Zhilyakova, L V; Bulanova, Z P

The importance of the development of the new methods for the rehabilitation of the patients presenting with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under conditions of the spa and health resort-based treatment arises from the high prevalence and the progressive character of this disease, poor quality of the patients' life, great economic losses due to the reduction of the working capacity of the patients, and the high cost of COPD treatment. The objective of the present study was to substantiate the advisability of inclusion of high-frequency intrapulmonary ventilation in the program of the therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment of the patients with COPD based at a spa and health resort facility. The analysis of the results of examination and rehabilitative treatment included 49 patients treated at the «Belokurikha» health resort (14 women and 35 men presenting with stage 1 and 2 COPD). The patients were divided into two groups. The main one included 23 patients while the group of comparison consisted of 26 patients. Those of the main group were given the treatment that included the mineral water baths, inhalations, exercise therapy for the training of skeletal muscles, manual massage, high-frequency intrapulmonary ventilation, intake of extract maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides) and the «Yantar antiox» (amber antiox) preparation. The patients of the comparison group received the same rehabilitative treatment but without high-frequency intrapulmonary ventilation. The effectiveness of the rehabilitative measures was comprehensively estimated from the dynamics of the clinical data, indices of the inflammatory activity, the results of spirography and 6 minute walking test. It has been shown that the introduction of high-frequency intrapulmonary ventilation into the spa and health resort-based rehabilitative program facilitates the elimination of clinical manifestation of the disease, promotes recovery of the external respiration function due to sputum recruiting and stimulation of mucociliary clearance that in turn decreases the activity of the inflammatory processes. Simultaneously, the thoracic mobility and physical efficiency of the patients increased. The overall result of the treatment was the enhanced quality of rehabilitation of the patients suffering COPD within 14-16 days of their stay at the health resort with excellent tolerability of the proposed therapeutic modality.

Vulnerability assessment of skiing-dependent businesses to the effects of climate change in Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynolds, David Michael

This qualitative study examines the potential positive and negative socio-economic impacts that may emerge from the long-term effects of climate change on skiing-dependent businesses in Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canada. My goal was to determine whether or not skiing-related tourism in the parks in the 2020s and 2050s is more or less socio-economically vulnerable to the effects of climate change on snow cover, temperatures and ski season length at ski resorts in the parks. My study explored the level of awareness and personal perceptions of 60 skiing-dependent business managers about how the impact of climate change on ski resorts may influence future socio-economics of ski tourism businesses. I employed a vulnerability assessment approach and adopted some elements of grounded theory. My primary data sources are interviews with managers and the outcome of the geographical factors index (GFI). Supporting methods include: an analysis and interpretation of climate model data and an interpretation of the economic analysis of skiing in the parks. The interview data were sorted and coded to establish concepts and findings by interview questions, while the GFI model rated and ranked 24 regional ski resorts in the Canadian Cordillera. The findings answered the research questions and helped me conclude what the future socio-economic vulnerability may be of skiing-dependent businesses in the parks. The interviews revealed that managers are not informed about climate change and they have not seen any urgency to consider the effects on business. The GFI revealed that the ski resorts in the parks ranked in the top ten of 24 ski resorts in the Cordillera based on 14 common geographical factors. The economic reports suggest skiing is the foundation of the winter economy in the parks and any impact on skiing would directly impact other skiing-dependent businesses. Research indicates that the effects of climate change may have less economic impact on skiing-dependent businesses in Banff and Jasper in the 2020s and 2050s compared with other ski resorts located in the Cordillera. Recommendations are provided to explore future research opportunities and for skiing-dependent businesses and government organizations.

Land degradation at the Stara Planina ski resort.

PubMed

Ristić, Ratko; Kašanin-Grubin, Milica; Radić, Boris; Nikić, Zoran; Vasiljević, Nevena

2012-03-01

The environmental impacts of ski resorts in the Balkan region are great and can lead to landscape degradation and loss of land functionality. In this study, we present an example of the negative effects of human activities at the Stara Planina ski resort in southeastern Serbia. The objective of this study is detailed analysis of the characteristics of environmental impacts at the Stara Planina. The management of the ski area and ski slope development caused severe degradation of topsoil and native vegetation. The morphological characteristics of the area, lithological properties of the exposed material and climate conditions resulted in various geomorphic impacts, including rills, deep gullies, solifluctions and debris from rock weathering. Significant changes in land usage altered hydrological conditions, resulting in more frequent torrential floods in the downstream sections of the Zubska River and increased the sediment yield. Environmental impacts were analyzed in the immediate and wider zones of the ski resort in accordance with the specific topography and visual exposure. The restoration and erosion control measures have stopped degradation processes and helped to rehabilitate the appearance and functions of the landscape. The results show the importance of considering lithological (the type and characteristics of minerals present) and hydrological (precipitation, water storage capacity of soil, runoff) factors under the conditions of significant changes in land usage. The results of this investigation can contribute to the improvement of planning processes and the implementation of development projects in ski areas.

A Randomized Trial of an Advanced Sun Safety Intervention for Vacationers at 41 North American Resorts.

PubMed

Andersen, Peter A; Buller, David B; Walkosz, Barbara J; Scott, Michael D; Beck, Larry; Liu, Xia; Abbott, Allison; Eye, Rachel; Cutter, Gary

2017-12-01

Taking vacations in sunny locations is associated with the development of skin cancer. This study tested a multi-component sun protection intervention based on diffusion of innovations theory and transportation theory designed to increase vacationers' comprehensive sun protection, i.e., use of clothing, hats, and shade, and use, pre-application, and reapplication of sunscreen. The trial enrolled 41 warm weather resorts in North America in a pair-matched group randomized pretest-posttest design and assessed samples of adult vacationers at resort outdoor recreation venues regarding sun protection at pretest (n = 3,531) and posttest (n = 3,226). While results showed no overall effect of the intervention on comprehensive sun protection across venues, the intervention produced statistically significant improvements in sun protection at waterside venues (pools and beaches). The intervention's overall effects may have been impeded by a lack of uniformly robust implementation, low interest in skin cancer prevention by guests, or shortcomings of the theories used to create prevention messages. The intervention may have worked best with guests in the highest-risk recreation venue, i.e., waterside recreation where they exposed the most skin. Alternative approaches that alter resort organizations, such as through changes in policy, environmental features, or occupational efforts might be more effective than targeting vacationers with behavior-change messages.

[The spa and health resort- based treatment of back pain syndrome in the adolescents presenting with juvenile idiopathic scoliosis].

PubMed

Kravtsova, E Yu; Murav'ev, S V; Kravtsov, Yu I

The relevance of the problem arises from the lack of substantiation for the inclusion of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tSDCS) in the comprehensive spa and health resort-based treatment of back pain syndrome in the adolescents presenting with juvenile idiopathic scoliosis. The objective of the present study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation for the comprehensive spa and health resort-based treatment of back pain syndrome in the adolescents presenting with juvenile idiopathic scoliosis. A total of 18 patients with scoliosis forming the study group 1 received the traditional comprehensive spa and health resort-based treatment. The course of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation was prescribed to 38 other patients (comprising group 2) in addition to the standard procedures. Another control group was comprised of 15 practically healthy adolescents having no signs of spinal deformations. The visual analog scale for pain, the McGill questionnaire, the scale for the assessment of the situational and personal uneasiness levels (Spilberger Ch.D., Khanin Yu.L.), and the Beck and Tsung depression scales were used, beside the routine clinical methods. Statistical data processing was carried out with the use of the Statistica 6.0 software package. In the group of patients treated with the use of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation, regression of pain syndrome was well apparent. In the boys with the severity of pain estimated at 2 points based on the visual analog scale who received the standard course of the spa and health resort-based treatment, the pain rank index and the index of the number of the selected descriptors decreased significantly but nonetheless remained higher than in the patients treated by means of tSDCS as a component of the combined therapy (p=0.039). Simultaneously, the significantly lower level of situational (Q1=25.00; Me=36.50; Q3=45.00; p=0.036) and personal (Q1=26.00; Me=36.50; Q3=44.00; p=0.07) anxiety was observed in the group of girls in comparison with the group of those given only the standard course of the spa and health resort-based treatment. In addition, the level of trait anxiety in the female patients treated with the use of tSDCS was lower than in the girls of the control group (Q1=46.00; Me=49.00; Q3=51.5; p=0.001). In the boys undergoing the course the of tSDCS treatment, the levels of trait anxiety (Q1=29.00 ; Me=37.00 ; Q3=42.00; p=0.021) and depression estimated from the Tsung scale (Q1=2.85; Me=3.00; Q3=3.60; p=0.014) and the cognitive-affective scale of Beck (Q1=0.50; Me=2.00; Q3=5.50; p=0.041) were significantly lower than in the boys of the control group. The level of depression based on the Tsung scale was significantly lower (p=0.020) in the boys and after the standard spa and health resort-based treatment (Q1=2.50; Me=2.90; Q3=3.60) was comparable with that in the boys of the control group (Q1=4.00; Me=4.60; Q3=4.80). The present study has demonstrated the expediency of inclusion of a course of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation in the programs of the combined spa and health resort-based treatment for the adolescents presenting with scoliosis.

Demand-supply dynamics in tourism systems: A spatio-temporal GIS analysis. The Alberta ski industry case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertazzon, Stefania

The present research focuses on the interaction of supply and demand of down-hill ski tourism in the province of Alberta. The main hypothesis is that the demand for skiing depends on the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the population living in the province and outside it. A second, consequent hypothesis is that the development of ski resorts (supply) is a response to the demand for skiing. From the latter derives the hypothesis of a dynamic interaction between supply (ski resorts) and demand (skiers). Such interaction occurs in space, within a range determined by physical distance and the means available to overcome it. The above hypotheses implicitly define interactions that take place in space and evolve over time. The hypotheses are tested by temporal, spatial, and spatio-temporal regression models, using the best available data and the latest commercially available software. The main purpose of this research is to explore analytical techniques to model spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal dynamics in the context of regional science. The completion of the present research has produced more significant contributions than was originally expected. Many of the unexpected contributions resulted from theoretical and applied needs arising from the application of spatial regression models. Spatial regression models are a new and largely under-applied technique. The models are fairly complex and a considerable amount of preparatory work is needed, prior to their specification and estimation. Most of this work is specific to the field of application. The originality of the solutions devised is increased by the lack of applications in the field of tourism. The scarcity of applications in other fields adds to their value for other applications. The estimation of spatio-temporal models has been only partially attained in the present research. This apparent limitation is due to the novelty and complexity of the analytical methods applied. This opens new directions for further work in the field of spatial analysis, in conjunction with the development of specific software.

Integration of snow management practices into a detailed snow pack model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spandre, Pierre; Morin, Samuel; Lafaysse, Matthieu; Lejeune, Yves; François, Hugues; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle

2016-04-01

The management of snow on ski slopes is a key socio-economic and environmental issue in mountain regions. Indeed the winter sports industry has become a very competitive global market although this economy remains particularly sensitive to weather and snow conditions. The understanding and implementation of snow management in detailed snowpack models is a major step towards a more realistic assessment of the evolution of snow conditions in ski resorts concerning past, present and future climate conditions. Here we describe in a detailed manner the integration of snow management processes (grooming, snowmaking) into the snowpack model Crocus (Spandre et al., Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., in press). The effect of the tiller is explicitly taken into account and its effects on snow properties (density, snow microstructure) are simulated in addition to the compaction induced by the weight of the grooming machine. The production of snow in Crocus is carried out with respect to specific rules and current meteorological conditions. Model configurations and results are described in detail through sensitivity tests of the model of all parameters related to snow management processes. In-situ observations were carried out in four resorts in the French Alps during the 2014-2015 winter season considering for each resort natural, groomed only and groomed plus snowmaking conditions. The model provides realistic simulations of the snowpack properties with respect to these observations. The main uncertainty pertains to the efficiency of the snowmaking process. The observed ratio between the mass of machine-made snow on ski slopes and the water mass used for production was found to be lower than was expected from the literature, in every resort. The model now referred to as "Crocus-Resort" has been proven to provide realistic simulations of snow conditions on ski slopes and may be used for further investigations. Spandre, P., S. Morin, M. Lafaysse, Y. Lejeune, H. François and E. George-Marcelpoil, Integration of snow management processes into a detailed snowpack model, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., in press.

Environmental variables associated with vacationers' sun protection at warm weather resorts in North America

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andersen, Peter A., E-mail: westone47@gmail.com; Buller, David B.; Walkosz, Barbara J.

Background: Vacationing at sunny, warm weather locations is a risk factor for excessive solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure and skin cancer. Objectives: This study examined the association of environmental variables related to UV levels with vacationers' sun protection. Methods: Vacationers at 41 summer resorts in 17 states and 1 Canadian Province were interviewed (n=3531) and observed (N=4347) during 2012 and 2013. Clothing coverage, sunglasses, and shade use were observed. Use of sunscreen and sunburns were self-reported. Environmental information was recorded by research staff or acquired from ground stations and the weather service. Results: Temperature was positively associated with sun protectionmore » behaviors; however clothing coverage was negatively associated with temperature. Cloud cover was negatively associated with sun protection, with the exception of clothing coverage which was positively associated with it. Elevation showed a mixed pattern of associations with vacationer's sun protection. Latitude of a resort was negatively associated with most sun protection behaviors, such that sun protection increased at more southerly resorts. Similarly, the farther south a vacationer traveled to the resort, the less sun protection they employed. The UV index showed a weak, positive relationship with some sun protection behaviors even when controlling for temperature. Conclusions: Vacationers appeared aware that UV is higher at southern latitudes and may learn UV is intense when living in southern regions. However, many used temperature, an unreliable cue, to judge UV intensity and seemed to adjust clothing for warmth not UV protection. Efforts are needed to help individuals make more accurate sun safety decisions. - Highlights: • Vacationers poorly monitor and protect against environmental ultraviolet radiation (UVR). • On cloudy days vacationers fail to protect against UVR. • Temperature is erroneously used by vacationers as a marker for UVR. • Clothing is used primarily by vacationers for warmth, not UVR protection. • The farther south a vacationer travels, the more likely they are to sunburn.« less

[The necessity of new approaches to the elaboration of the projects for the sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts around the therapeutic and health-promotion facilities, health resorts and their natural medical resources].

PubMed

Razumov, A N; Adilov, V B

2015-01-01

The international experience gained during the past two centuries indicates that the most efficient and rational way to ensure the protection of the territories occupied by the therapeutic and health-promotion facilities, spa centres, and health resorts together with their natural medical resources is to set up sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts or zones along the perimeter of these territories. Beginning from 2000, numerous changes and amendments have been annually introduced in the Russian legislation intended to ensure efficacious control over the rational exploitation of the territories of therapeutic and health-promotion value and their natural medical resources. These initiatives have negative effect on the activities of these organizations and the quality of the services they are expected to provide. Taken together these effects lead to the degradation of the spa and health resort business. Bearing in mind the current conditions for economic activities, it is proposed, in contrast to the former global approach, to envisage in the aforementioned projects the establishment of the sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts or zones and determine their borders based on the results of the assessment of their potential for the protection of therapeutic factors and other valuable resources. Equally important is the maximum reduction of the areas of the second and third zones taking into account their relevant objective characteristics. In certain cases, the protective district may coincide with the second zone. As far as the federal health resorts and large territories of special health-promotion value are concerned, some of them may have two or more sanitary (mountainous sanitary) protection districts. Both the owners and the users of these territories should be provided the necessary and sufficient possibilities for the rational nature use at the grounds and in the adjacent water areas suitable for the development of health resort business in the conditions guaranteed by the national legislation.

New directions in orphan and vulnerable children policy and research: A focus on supporting "suitable" institutions when placement is "necessary" for a child.

PubMed

Huynh, Hy V

2014-07-01

As the number of children without parental care continues to increase in resource-poor countries, it is important not to discount institutional care as an option before conclusively assessing whether these structures have systematic negative impacts on the millions of children for which they provide care. An almost universal emphasis and focus on deinstitutionalizing children in the face of the urgent necessity for large-scale measures to care for the global orphaned population puts millions of children at risk of deprivation, degradation, and early death. Deinstitutionalizing children in underresourced countries without alternate systems in place could leave many children behind. This article proposes an equal assessment of suitability and necessity of all alternative care options, without relegating institutions as a last resort. Institutional care should be considered as no less suitable in certain cases and for certain children than other options, especially when there is a serious need for such an option in some parts of the world. In addition, recent research challenges early conclusions, shows variability in international institutions, and also documents positive effects of interventions seeking to improve institutions. The Convention of the Rights of the Child and its implicit "last resort" language, as well as subsequent global policies that also use this language, do not create a constructive way of approaching alternative care solutions for any children without parental care. Instead, policymakers and practitioners should establish individualized care plans for all children without parental care, regulate their admission to institutions with periodic reviews of the necessity and appropriateness of their placement, and develop standards for "suitability" of institutions to improve conditions.

33 CFR 100.1102 - Annual Marine Events on the Colorado River, between Davis Dam (Bullhead City, Arizona) and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Regulated Area The entire water area of the Colorado River beginning at BlueWater Marina in Parker, AZ, and...°26′10″ N, 114°18′40″ W to 34°25′50″ N, 114°18′52″ W. 6. BlueWater Resort and Casino Spring Classic... area of the Colorado River in Parker, AZ. 7. BlueWater Resort and Casino Southwest Showdown Sponsor...

Line focus concentrating collector for Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Colorado (Engineering Materials)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1983-06-02

The present invention is a device which develops an accurate line focus concentrating collector by flexural bending of thin reflective materials. This method avoids the need for expensive tooling and support frame fabrication. The technical work conducted during this quarter included completion of designs for the prototype system for the Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Colorado. Evaluation of alternate tracking and drive systems and final design of the support system. These drawings accompany DOE/CS/15072--T4.

Palliative options of last resort: a comparison of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, terminal sedation, physician-assisted suicide, and voluntary active euthanasia.

PubMed

Quill, T E; Lo, B; Brock, D W

1997-12-17

Palliative care is generally agreed to be the standard of care for the dying, but there remain some patients for whom intolerable suffering persists. In the face of ethical and legal controversy about the acceptability of physician-assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking and terminal sedation have been proposed as ethically superior responses of last resort that do not require changes in professional standards or the law. The clinical and ethical differences and similarities between these 4 practices are critically compared in light of the doctrine of double effect, the active/passive distinction, patient voluntariness, proportionality between risks and benefits, and the physician's potential conflict of duties. Terminal sedation and voluntarily stopping eating and drinking would allow clinicians to remain responsive to a wide range of patient suffering, but they are ethically and clinically more complex and closer to physician-assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia than is ordinarily acknowledged. Safeguards are presented for any medical action that may hasten death, including determining that palliative care is ineffective, obtaining informed consent, ensuring diagnostic and prognostic clarity, obtaining an independent second opinion, and implementing reporting and monitoring processes. Explicit public policy about which of these practices are permissible would reassure the many patients who fear a bad death in their future and allow for a predictable response for the few whose suffering becomes intolerable in spite of optimal palliative care.

KSC-04PD-2331

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. NASA public affairs specialist George Diller (left) is honored with a Harry Kolcum Memorial News and Communications Award for 2004 by the National Space Club Florida Committee at the Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral, Fla. He is joined by Marcie Young, wife of the late chief of NASA news operations at Kennedy Space Center, Dick Young, with whom Diller worked for many years. Each year, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognizes area representatives of the news media and communications professions for excellence in their ability to communicate the space story along Floridas Space Coast and throughout the world. The award is named in honor of Harry Kolcum, the former managing editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology, who was Cape bureau chief from 1980 to 1993 prior to his death in 1994. Kolcum was a founding member of the National Space Club Florida Committee.

Hostile environmental intellectuals? Critiques and counter-critiques of science and technology in West Germany after 1945.

PubMed

Beyler, Richard H

2008-12-01

Paul Forman, in his work on physics in Weimar Germany, advanced the thesis that an irrationalist current within German intellectual history was then suddenly exacerbated in a context of defeat and political crisis. After World War II, Germany's situation was if any thing even more catastrophic; nevertheless, a comparable climate of irrationalism arose only in a limited way. The collapse of National Socialism was, in effect, sufficiently explicable on rational grounds to resort to a philosophical fatalism. F. G. Jünger, as a possible exception, put forward a theory of autonomous, demonic technology as an explanation; many cultural critics of the time, however, found these views unrealistic and favored an integration of technical and humanistic approaches. Moreover, even a new wave of (sometimes apocalyptic) literature of environmental crisis focused on specific scientifically analyses rather than a diffuse cultural pessimism.

The potential of anti-malarial compounds derived from African medicinal plants, part II: a pharmacological evaluation of non-alkaloids and non-terpenoids

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Malaria is currently a public health concern in many countries in the world due to various factors which are not yet under check. Drug discovery projects targeting malaria often resort to natural sources in the search for lead compounds. A survey of the literature has led to a summary of the major findings regarding plant-derived compounds from African flora, which have shown anti-malarial/antiplasmodial activities, tested by in vitro and in vivo assays. Considerations have been given to compounds with activities ranging from “very active” to “weakly active”, leading to >500 chemical structures, mainly alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins, phenolics, polyacetylenes, xanthones, quinones, steroids and lignans. However, only the compounds that showed anti-malarial activity, from “very active” to “moderately active”, are discussed in this review. PMID:24602358

Tensor Sparse Coding for Positive Definite Matrices.

PubMed

Sivalingam, Ravishankar; Boley, Daniel; Morellas, Vassilios; Papanikolopoulos, Nikos

2013-08-02

In recent years, there has been extensive research on sparse representation of vector-valued signals. In the matrix case, the data points are merely vectorized and treated as vectors thereafter (for e.g., image patches). However, this approach cannot be used for all matrices, as it may destroy the inherent structure of the data. Symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrices constitute one such class of signals, where their implicit structure of positive eigenvalues is lost upon vectorization. This paper proposes a novel sparse coding technique for positive definite matrices, which respects the structure of the Riemannian manifold and preserves the positivity of their eigenvalues, without resorting to vectorization. Synthetic and real-world computer vision experiments with region covariance descriptors demonstrate the need for and the applicability of the new sparse coding model. This work serves to bridge the gap between the sparse modeling paradigm and the space of positive definite matrices.

Tensor sparse coding for positive definite matrices.

PubMed

Sivalingam, Ravishankar; Boley, Daniel; Morellas, Vassilios; Papanikolopoulos, Nikolaos

2014-03-01

In recent years, there has been extensive research on sparse representation of vector-valued signals. In the matrix case, the data points are merely vectorized and treated as vectors thereafter (for example, image patches). However, this approach cannot be used for all matrices, as it may destroy the inherent structure of the data. Symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrices constitute one such class of signals, where their implicit structure of positive eigenvalues is lost upon vectorization. This paper proposes a novel sparse coding technique for positive definite matrices, which respects the structure of the Riemannian manifold and preserves the positivity of their eigenvalues, without resorting to vectorization. Synthetic and real-world computer vision experiments with region covariance descriptors demonstrate the need for and the applicability of the new sparse coding model. This work serves to bridge the gap between the sparse modeling paradigm and the space of positive definite matrices.

Sterilization as last resort in women with intellectual disabilities: protection or disservice?

PubMed

Insogna, Iris; Fiester, Autumn

2015-01-01

The legacy of the eugenics movement in the United States, including the involuntary sterilization of those deemed unfit to reproduce, has created a profound backlash against sterilization among certain populations. Particularly in treating women with intellectual disabilities, the field of obstetrics and gynecology has widely adopted an antisterilization stance. When treating women with intellectual disabilities, sterilization is generally considered a last resort. This essay revisits the issue of sterilization in women with intellectual disabilities, asking whether the field's stance of sterilization as a last resort is best viewed as a protection of this vulnerable population or one that actually does significant harm. We use a hypothetical but realistic patient case to examine the potential risks and benefits of sterilization. After reviewing the arguments against sterilization as a first-line treatment, we defend the controversial position that, in some cases, sterilization should be presented as an equally legitimate choice to reversible contraceptives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A highly selective and sensitive fluorescent chemosensor and its application for rapid on-site detection of Al3 +

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Xiao-li; Wang, Zhao-qing; Li, Chao-rui; Yang, Zheng-yin

2018-03-01

In this paper, a simple naphthalene-based derivative (HL) has been designed and synthesized as a Al3 +-selective fluorescent chemosensor based on the PET mechanism. HL exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity towards Al3 + over other commonly coexisting metal ions in ethanol with a detection limit of 2.72 nM. The 1:1 binding stoichiometry of the complex (HL-Al3 +) was determined from the Job's plot based on fluorescence titrations and the ESI-MS spectrum data. Moreover, the binding site of HL with Al3 + was assured by the 1H NMR titration experiment. The binding constant (Ka) of the complex (HL-Al3 +) was calculated to be 5.06 × 104 M- 1 according to the Benesi-Hildebrand equation. In addition, the recognizing process of HL towards Al3 + was chemically reversible by adding Na2EDTA. Importantly, HL could directly and rapidly detect aluminum ion through the filter paper without resorting to additional instrumental analysis.

Memory sparing, fast scattering formalism for rigorous diffraction modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iff, W.; Kämpfe, T.; Jourlin, Y.; Tishchenko, A. V.

2017-07-01

The basics and algorithmic steps of a novel scattering formalism suited for memory sparing and fast electromagnetic calculations are presented. The formalism, called ‘S-vector algorithm’ (by analogy with the known scattering-matrix algorithm), allows the calculation of the collective scattering spectra of individual layered micro-structured scattering objects. A rigorous method of linear complexity is applied to model the scattering at individual layers; here the generalized source method (GSM) resorting to Fourier harmonics as basis functions is used as one possible method of linear complexity. The concatenation of the individual scattering events can be achieved sequentially or in parallel, both having pros and cons. The present development will largely concentrate on a consecutive approach based on the multiple reflection series. The latter will be reformulated into an implicit formalism which will be associated with an iterative solver, resulting in improved convergence. The examples will first refer to 1D grating diffraction for the sake of simplicity and intelligibility, with a final 2D application example.

Complex Regulatory Networks Governing Production of the Glycopeptide A40926.

PubMed

Alduina, Rosa; Sosio, Margherita; Donadio, Stefano

2018-04-05

Glycopeptides (GPAs) are an important class of antibiotics, with vancomycin and teicoplanin being used in the last 40 years as drugs of last resort to treat infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . A few new GPAs have since reached the market. One of them is dalbavancin, a derivative of A40926 produced by the actinomycete Nonomuraea sp. ATCC 39727, recently classified as N. gerenzanensis . This review summarizes what we currently know on the multilevel regulatory processes governing production of the glycopeptide A40926 and the different approaches used to increase antibiotic yields. Some nutrients, e.g., valine, l-glutamine and maltodextrin, and some endogenous proteins, e.g., Dbv3, Dbv4 and RpoB R , have a positive role on A40926 biosynthesis, while other factors, e.g., phosphate, ammonium and Dbv23, have a negative effect. Overall, the results available so far point to a complex regulatory network controlling A40926 in the native producing strain.

[The effect of magnetotherapy on the immunobiochemical indices of subjects with diseases of the periodontal tissues and joints].

PubMed

Samoĭlovich, V A

1999-01-01

Kept under medical surveillance in a health resort setting were 52 patients with disorders of the parodontium and large joints. All patients were given a complex therapy involving dietotherapy, therapeutic exercise, hydrotherapy, mud-treatment. Those patients having parodontium diseases were also prescribed topical treatment (chloride-sodium mouth baths and mud applications to the gingiva area). The main group subjects were also exposed to VMF using the unit for low-frequency therapy "Gradient-1". Laboratory means were also made use of, as a complex of biochemical tests characterizing changes in lipid metabolism. The level of the natural bodily resistance was determined by nitroblue tetrazolium test (NBT-test). The condition of the parodontium was evaluated by the Loë-Silness index. Adaptive reactions were studied by the lymphocytes-to-segmented neutrophils ratio. Adoption of therapy involving physiobalneofactors in patients with afflictions of the parodontium tissues and large joints makes for development of favourable in prognostic respect adaptive reactions.

26th JANNAF Airbreathing Propulsion Subcommittee Meeting. Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fry, Ronald S. (Editor); Gannaway, Mary T. (Editor)

2002-01-01

This volume, the first of four volumes, is a collection of 28 unclassified/unlimited-distribution papers which were presented at the Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) 26th Airbreathing Propulsion Subcommittee (APS) was held jointly with the 38th Combustion Subcommittee (CS), 20th Propulsion Systems Hazards Subcommittee (PSHS), and 2nd Modeling and Simulation Subcommittee. The meeting was held 8-12 April 2002 at the Bayside Inn at The Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort and Eglin Air Force Base, Destin, Florida. Topics covered include: scramjet and ramjet R&D program overviews; tactical propulsion; space access; NASA GTX status; PDE technology; actively cooled engine structures; modeling and simulation of complex hydrocarbon fuels and unsteady processes; and component modeling and simulation.

Approaching the design of a failsafe turbine monitor with simple microcontroller blocks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zapolin, R.E.

1995-12-31

The proper approach to early instrumentation design for tasks like failsafe turbine monitoring permits meeting requirements without resorting to traditional complex special-purpose electronics. Instead a small network of basic microcontroller building blocks can split the effort with each block optimized for its portion of the overall system. This paper discusses approaching design by partitioning intricate system specifications to permit each block to be optimized to the safety level appropriate for its portion of the overall task while retaining and production and reliability advantages of having common simple modules. It illustrates that approach with a modular microcontroller-based speed monitor which metmore » user needs for the latest in power plant monitoring equipment.« less

Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World - Continuum Magazine |

Science.gov Websites

NREL Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World Energy systems integration optimizes electrical, thermal, fuel, and data technologies design and performance. An array of clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, and electric vehicle batteries, is

Bacteriostatics of volatile organic compounds of Crimean pine and environmental meteorological conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalaya, Elena; Slepykh, Victor; Efimenko, Natalia; Povolotckaia, Nina

2015-04-01

Sanitary and hygienic properties of air saturated with volatile organic compounds of plants (VOC) have a fundamental importance for the biosphere. In particular, they make such a feature as the freshness of the air. The energy contained in VOC and made by Earth vegetation can be compared with the energy of lightning discharges in the atmosphere during the year [1]. The influence of natural environment on the dynamics of VOC developed by plants is also of current interest and is, in particular, important for resort study because VOC produced by the vegetation of the resort regions can be seen as a self-contained resort resource [2]. Dynamics of VOC evolution by Crimean pine (Pinus Pallasiana D.Don.) that is the forest forming breed of the resort region Caucasus Mineral Waters (Russia) has been studied by a microbiological method [1]. Dynamics of bacteriostatics was qualified by the extent of oppression of the VOC test- culture (Staphylococcus aureus 209p) of the pine in % in comparison with control. The needles for the experience were selected at noon in the middle of the summer. At the time of the needle selection meteorological indicators were fixed. As the result of the researches we got an empirical equation of dynamics of VOC bacteriostatics of the Crimean pine under the influence of total solar radiation (kW/m2) and relative air humidity (%). The coefficient of the multiple correlation of the VOC bacteriostatics of the Crimean pine, total solar radiation and relative air humidity makes: R=0,83 at the importance of F=7,53>F0 05=3,49. The coefficient of the multiple determination is R2=0,69. The equation is: y = - 35,1020 + 1,7193x + 175,6638p- 0,0181x2 + 0,6054 (xp) - 191,1319p2, where Y - is bacteriostatics (%); x - is relative humidity (%); p - is total solar radiation (kW/m2). The fixed parameters of the equation are: air humidity - 90-30%; total solar radiation - 0.20-1.0 kW/m2; bacteriostatics - 0-61%. The obtained results can be used in the resort study while solving the questions of recreational landscape gardening and the organization of natural aerophytotherapy sessions. Reference: 1. Slepykh V.V. Phytoncide and ionizing properties of woody vegetation. Kislovodsk, 2009. 180 p. - ISBN 5-89421-005-4. 2. Bioclimatic characteristics and phytoncide properties of plant associations of Kislovodsk Resort Park: a manual for physicians. - Pyatigorsk: Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 2002. - 31 p.

‘A Matter of Conscience’: The Moral Authority of the World Medical Association and the Readmission of the South Africans, 1976–1994

PubMed Central

Mbali, Mandisa

2014-01-01

This article describes the role of transnational anti-apartheid activism in South Africa, Britain and the United States in generating international moral outrage over the readmission of the Medical Association of South Africa (MASA) to the World Medical Association (WMA), which had taken place in 1981 after it had withdrawn from that body in 1976. It discusses an example of a controversy where an international health organisation (IHO) lost moral authority as a result of being accused of white supremacy and a pro-American engagement in Cold War politics. At the time of its readmission to the WMA, the MASA was controversial because of its failure to strike off its membership roll one of the doctors implicated the death in detention of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko in 1977. It details how these activists viewed the American Medical Association as having campaigned for the MASA’s readmission. The WMA’s readmission of the MASA cost the former its relationships with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the British Medical Association – a dispute which continued until South Africa’s democratic transition of 1994. With its focus on transnational activism in relation to the WMA and the effects of activists’ allegations of racism on its internal politics, this article contributes to the literature on the history of IHOs. Ultimately, this controversy shows the deficiency of international medical professional associations as ethical arbitrators of last resort. PMID:24775432

'A matter of conscience': the moral authority of the World Medical Association and the readmission of the South Africans, 1976-1994.

PubMed

Mbali, Mandisa

2014-04-01

This article describes the role of transnational anti-apartheid activism in South Africa, Britain and the United States in generating international moral outrage over the readmission of the Medical Association of South Africa (MASA) to the World Medical Association (WMA), which had taken place in 1981 after it had withdrawn from that body in 1976. It discusses an example of a controversy where an international health organisation (IHO) lost moral authority as a result of being accused of white supremacy and a pro-American engagement in Cold War politics. At the time of its readmission to the WMA, the MASA was controversial because of its failure to strike off its membership roll one of the doctors implicated the death in detention of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko in 1977. It details how these activists viewed the American Medical Association as having campaigned for the MASA's readmission. The WMA's readmission of the MASA cost the former its relationships with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the British Medical Association - a dispute which continued until South Africa's democratic transition of 1994. With its focus on transnational activism in relation to the WMA and the effects of activists' allegations of racism on its internal politics, this article contributes to the literature on the history of IHOs. Ultimately, this controversy shows the deficiency of international medical professional associations as ethical arbitrators of last resort.

Disneyland resort's environmentality'' program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kohel, M.E.

Today at Disneyland Resort more than 12,000 Cast Members (employees) have pledged to think and act environmentally. The Environmental Affairs Department and the environmentality logo were established about 2-1/2 years ago to promote environmental awareness throughout the company. In 1993, a new campaign stressing recycling took place. Cast members were asked to pledge to recycle plastic containers. The goal was to raise their awareness of various grades of recyclable plastic. In turn, they received a T-shirt made from 50% recycled plastic (from The Walt Disney Company) and 50% virgin plastic.

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson gives a big thumbs up following a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden in which NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana presented him with mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. From left are Connor's brother Liam, Cabana and Connor. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson, right, discusses his interest in the space program with NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana during a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden. During the ceremony, Cabana will present Connor with mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana, left, discusses the future of the space program with six-year-old Connor Johnson during a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden. During the ceremony, Cabana will present Connor with mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson examines one of the space mementos presented to him by Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut, following a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson gives a big thumbs up following a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden during which NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana presented him with space mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. From left are Connor's brother Liam, Cabana and Connor. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson shows off space mementos presented to him by Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut, following a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden. From left are Connor's brother Liam, Cabana and Connor. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson, right, show his delight at being presented with space mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut, by NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

From hydrological regimes to water use regimes: influence of the type of habitat on drinking water demand dynamics in alpine tourist resorts.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calianno, Martin

2017-04-01

In the last decades, integrated water resources management studies produced integrated models that focus mainly on the assessment of water resources and water stress in the future. In some cases, socioeconomic development results to cause more impacts on the evolution of water systems than climate (Reynard et al., 2014). There is thus a need to develop demand-side approaches in the observation and modeling of human-influenced hydrological systems (Grouillet et al., 2015). We define the notion of water use cycle to differentiate water volumes that are withdrawn from the hydrological system and that circulate through anthropic hydro-systems along various steps: withdrawals, distribution, demands, consumption, restitution (Calianno et al., submitted). To address the spatial distribution and the temporal dynamics of the water use cycle, we define the concepts of water use basins and water use regimes (Calianno et al., submitted). The assessment of the temporal variability of water demands is important at thin time steps in touristic areas, where water resource regimes and water demands are highly variable. This is the case for are alpine ski resorts, where the high touristic season (winter) takes place during the low flow period in nival and glacio-nival basins. In this work, a monitoring of drinking water demands was undergone, at high temporal resolution, on different types of buildings in the ski resort of Megève (France). A dataset was created, from which a typology of water demand regimes was extracted. The analysis of these temporal signatures highlighted the factors influencing the volumes and the dynamics of drinking water demand. The main factors are the type of habitat (single family, collective, house, apartment blocks), the presence of a garden or an infrastructure linked to high standing chalets (pool, spa), the proportion of permanent and temporary habitat, the presence of snow in the ski resort. Also, temporalities linked to weekends and weekly tourism are observed. This typology of water demand regimes is at tool that can be developed to reproduce the temporal dynamics of water demands, when knowing the characteristics of habitat in a given region. References: Calianno M, Reynard E, Milano M (in prep). Water use cycle in tourist mountain territories: water demand basins and regimes. To be submitted to Water Resources Management. Calianno M, Reynard E, Milano M, Buchs A (submitted). Quantifier les usages de l'eau : concepts, terminologie et confusions. Submitted to VertigO. Grouillet B, Fabre J, Ruelland D, Dezetter A (2015) Historical reconstruction and 2050 projections of water demand under anthropogenic and climate changes in two contrasted mediterranean catchments. J Hydrol 522:684-696. Reynard E, Bonriposi M, Graefe O, Homewood C, Huss M, Kauzlaric M, Liniger H, Rey E, Rist S, Schädler B, Schneider F, Weingartner R (2014) Interdisciplinary assessment of complex regional water systems and their future evolution: how socioeconomic drivers can matter more than climate. WIREs Water 1(4):413-426.

Big tobacco "pull out all stops" for a landmark example: The Burswood Casino case.

PubMed

Laura, Bond; Julia, Stafford; Mike, Daube

2011-01-01

With the aid of internal tobacco industry documents, this paper provides a chronology of events documenting the role of the Philip Morris tobacco company in the 1993 litigation case against the Burswood International Resort Casino (BIRC). The paper also examines the implications of this case for the regulation of second hand smoke exposure. A systematic keyword search and analysis of internal tobacco industry documents was conducted using documents available on the World Wide Web through the Master Settlement Agreement. The industry documents provide comprehensive evidence that the Philip Morris tobacco company provided assistance to the BIRC in its defence against action by the Western Australian government. The Philip Morris tobacco company, along with others, sought to publicise and promote the outcome as a 'landmark example' to lobby against the implementation of indoor smoking bans. Philip Morris' investment in the BIRC defence demonstrated the industry's recognition of the potential significance of the case beyond Western Australia. Involvement in the BIRC case assisted the wider tobacco industry by helping to prolong smoking at casinos and other Australian hospitality venues. The findings contribute to our understanding of the history of tobacco industry strategies implemented in Western Australia and internationally to slow tobacco control progress, and the preparedness of the tobacco industry to exploit favourable developments originating anywhere in the world.

Forecasting Winter Storms in the Sierra: A Social Science Perspective in Keeping the Public Safe without Negatively Impacting the Local Tourism Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milne, R.; Wallmann, J.; Myrick, D. T.

2010-12-01

The National Weather Service Office in Reno is responsible for issuing Blizzard Warnings, Winter Storm Warnings, and Winter Weather Advisories for the Sierra, including the Lake Tahoe Basin and heavily traveled routes such as Interstate 80, Highway 395 and Highway 50. These forecast products prepare motorists for harsh travel conditions as well as those venturing into the backcountry, which are essential to the NWS mission of saving lives and property. During the winter season, millions of people from around the world visit the numerous world class ski resorts in the Sierra and the Lake Tahoe Basin, which is vital to the local economy. This situation creates a challenging decision for the forecasters to provide appropriate wording in winter statements to keep the public safe, without significantly impacting the local tourism-based economy. Numerous text and graphical products, including online weather briefings, are utilized by NWS Reno to highlight hazards in ensuring the public, businesses, and other government agencies are prepared for winter storms and take appropriate safety measures. The effectiveness of these product types will be explored, with past snowstorms used as examples to show how forecasters determine which type of text or graphical product is most appropriate to convey the hazardous weather threats.

Effects of mountain resort development - a case study in Vermont USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shanley, J.; Wemple, B.

2012-04-01

The mountainous landscape of northern New England, USA, faces intense development pressure from recreational and tourism use. In 2000 we began a paired-watershed study in northern Vermont to examine the effects of alpine resort development on stream flow and water quality. To our knowledge this is the only gaged watershed study at a mountain resort. The adjacent paired watersheds have similar topography, relief, geology and forest type, and differ primarily in land use. Ranch Brook watershed (9.6 km2) is the undeveloped, nearly 100% forested control basin. West Branch watershed (11.7 km2) is the developed basin, encompassing a pre-existing alpine ski resort and state highway, with approximately 17% of the basin occupied by ski trails and impervious surfaces. Measurements during 2000-2003 showed suspended sediment yield was >2.5 times greater and concentrations of nitrate and chloride were significantly elevated at West Branch. From 2004 through 2007 the resort expanded with more ski trails, roads, parking areas, and vacation home development and now has 24% cleared land, with storm sewers draining lower developed areas of the alpine watershed. For the 11-year period of study, water yield in the developed basin exceeded that in the control by an average of nearly 21%. The higher runoff at West Branch occurred primarily as result of higher sustained base flow, driven by a more prolonged snowmelt period, and greater runoff during small events. The annual flow differential had a strong positive correlation to maximum snow water equivalent, suggesting that differences in snow accumulation may explain the flow differential. We are investigating whether these differences are a direct consequence of management activities and resulting vegetation shifts and land clearing on snow capture. Several of the highest peak flows in both watersheds have occurred in the last 2 years of the 11-yr study. Our analysis is aimed at determining whether absolute peak flows have increased disproportionately at West Branch relative to the overall flow differential. As actual pre- and post-expansion flows differ markedly from design projections, our study also bears out the need for science-based management decisions.

[The effectiveness of the spa and health resort-based treatment with the application of Essentuki-type drinking mineral waters for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the patients presenting with type 2 diabetes mellitus].

PubMed

Efimenko, N V; Kaĭsinova, A S; Fedorova, T E; Botvineva, L A

2015-01-01

The objective of the present study was to estimate the effectiveness of the spa and health resort-based treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in 40 patients at the mean age of 48,8 ± 5.7 years suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus. All of them received combined therapy including the application of potable Essentuki-Novaya mineral water (20 patients) or Essentuki No 4 water (20 patients). This therapeutic modality resulted in positive dynamics of clinical symptoms of the disease, the functional liver tests, and parameters of intra-hepatic hemodynamics, lipid peroxidation homeostasis, and the hormonal status. It is concluded that the spa and health resort-based treatment with the application of local drinking Essentuki-type mineral waters for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the patients presenting with type 2 diabetes mellitus leads to the improvement of the main functions of the liver, stabilizes carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and prevents progression of the pathological process.

Cluster analysis of Pinus taiwanensis for its ex situ conservation in China.

PubMed

Gao, X; Shi, L; Wu, Z

2015-06-01

Pinus taiwanensis Hayata is one of the most famous sights in the Huangshan Scenic Resort, China, because of its strong adaptability and ability to survive; however, this endemic species is currently under threat in China. Relationships between different P. taiwanensis populations have been well-documented; however, few studies have been conducted on how to protect this rare pine. In the present study, we propose the ex situ conservation of this species using geographical information system (GIS) cluster and genetic diversity analyses. The GIS cluster method was conducted as a preliminary analysis for establishing a sampling site category based on climatic factors. Genetic diversity was analyzed using morphological and genetic traits. By combining geographical information with genetic data, we demonstrate that growing conditions, morphological traits, and the genetic make-up of the population in the Huangshan Scenic Resort were most similar to conditions on Tianmu Mountain. Therefore, we suggest that Tianmu Mountain is the best choice for the ex situ conservation of P. taiwanensis. Our results provide a molecular basis for the sustainable management, utilization, and conservation of this species in Huangshan Scenic Resort.

Determination of displacements and their derivatives from 3D fringe patterns via extended monogenic phasor method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Lamberti, Luciano

2018-05-01

For 1D signals, it is necessary to resort to a 2D abstract space because the concept of phase utilized in the retrieval of fringe pattern analysis information relies on the use of a vectorial function. Fourier and Hilbert transforms provide in-quadrature signals that lead to the very important basic concept of local phase. A 3D abstract space must hence be generated in order to analyze 2D signals. A 3D vector space in a Cartesian complex space is graphically represented by a Poincare sphere. In this study, the extension of the associated spaces is extended to 3D. A 4D hypersphere is defined for that purpose. The proposed approach is illustrated by determining the deformations of the heart left ventricle.

Generation of three-dimensional delaunay meshes from weakly structured and inconsistent data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garanzha, V. A.; Kudryavtseva, L. N.

2012-03-01

A method is proposed for the generation of three-dimensional tetrahedral meshes from incomplete, weakly structured, and inconsistent data describing a geometric model. The method is based on the construction of a piecewise smooth scalar function defining the body so that its boundary is the zero isosurface of the function. Such implicit description of three-dimensional domains can be defined analytically or can be constructed from a cloud of points, a set of cross sections, or a "soup" of individual vertices, edges, and faces. By applying Boolean operations over domains, simple primitives can be combined with reconstruction results to produce complex geometric models without resorting to specialized software. Sharp edges and conical vertices on the domain boundary are reproduced automatically without using special algorithms. Refs. 42. Figs. 25.

Colored Petri net modeling and simulation of signal transduction pathways.

PubMed

Lee, Dong-Yup; Zimmer, Ralf; Lee, Sang Yup; Park, Sunwon

2006-03-01

Presented herein is a methodology for quantitatively analyzing the complex signaling network by resorting to colored Petri nets (CPN). The mathematical as well as Petri net models for two basic reaction types were established, followed by the extension to a large signal transduction system stimulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in an application study. The CPN models based on the Petri net representation and the conservation and kinetic equations were used to examine the dynamic behavior of the EGF signaling pathway. The usefulness of Petri nets is demonstrated for the quantitative analysis of the signal transduction pathway. Moreover, the trade-offs between modeling capability and simulation efficiency of this pathway are explored, suggesting that the Petri net model can be invaluable in the initial stage of building a dynamic model.

Research on the effects of integrated resorts in Korea on gambling addiction

PubMed Central

Jin, Chan-Ho

2015-01-01

This research discusses the effects of the integrated resorts centered around casinos being implemented in Korea. It particularly focuses on the symptoms and most recent definitions of gambling addiction such as physiological or psychological dependence from excessive gambling. This paper suggests that there is a high prevalence rate of pathological gambling in Korea. It provides an argument for prevention, early detection, and lastly, active and voluntary treatment. Furthermore, the study addresses the physiological pathway of gambling addiction and the physiological factors of gambling addicts to suggest exercise rehabilitation that are currently limited to psychological treatments. PMID:26331132

Research on the effects of integrated resorts in Korea on gambling addiction.

PubMed

Jin, Chan-Ho

2015-08-01

This research discusses the effects of the integrated resorts centered around casinos being implemented in Korea. It particularly focuses on the symptoms and most recent definitions of gambling addiction such as physiological or psychological dependence from excessive gambling. This paper suggests that there is a high prevalence rate of pathological gambling in Korea. It provides an argument for prevention, early detection, and lastly, active and voluntary treatment. Furthermore, the study addresses the physiological pathway of gambling addiction and the physiological factors of gambling addicts to suggest exercise rehabilitation that are currently limited to psychological treatments.

[The toxic complications of hydrogen sulfide-based balneotherapy in the spa and health resort practice].

PubMed

Khodasevich, L S

2015-01-01

The present literature review was designed to consider the toxic complications of hydrogen sulfide-based balneotherapy encountered in the spa and health resort practice that should actually be regarded as hydrogen sulfide intoxication taking into consideration that their severity depends on the route through which the toxicant enters the body, its concentration in the therapeutic bath, and the overall duration of balneotherapy. Although such complications rarely occur in everyday practice, they may constitute a threat to the patient's health which implies the necessity of adequate measures for their prevention.

Health lessons learned from the recent earthquakes and Tsunami in Asia.

PubMed

de Ville de Goyet, Claudele

2007-01-01

The evaluations following the Tsunami that affected 12 countries (December 2004) and the earthquakes in Bam, Iran (2003), and in Pakistan (2005) offered valuable lessons for public health preparedness against all types of risks (natural, complex, or technological) in all countries (regardless their level of development). The lessons learned, needs assessments, effectiveness of external life-saving assistance, disease surveillance and control, as well as donations management, were reviewed. Although hundreds of surveys or studies were conducted, the needs assessments were partial and uncoordinated. The findings often were not shared by individual agencies. The evaluations in each of the three disasters point to some additional issues: 1. Foreign mobile hospitals rarely arrived in time for immediate trauma care. Existing international guidelines for the use of field hospitals often were ignored and must be updated and promoted. Local and neighboring facilities are best at providing immediate, life-saving care; 2. Occassionally, the risk of epidemics was grossly overestimated by the agencies and the mass media. Surveillance and improved routine control programs work without resorting to costly, improvised immunization campaigns of doubtless value. Improving or re-establishing water and sanitation must be the first priority; 3. Health donations were not always appropriate, nor did they follow the World Health Organization guidelines. The costly destruction of inappropriate donations was a recurrent problem; and 4. Medical volunteers from within the affected country were abounding, but did not benefit from the external logistical and material support. The international community should provide logistical and material support before sending expatriate teams that are unfamiliar with the area and its alth problems. Investing in the preparedness of the national health services and communities should become a priority for disaster-prone countries and those assisting them in their development.

'A world of difference': a qualitative study of medical students' views on professionalism and the 'good doctor'.

PubMed

Cuesta-Briand, Beatriz; Auret, Kirsten; Johnson, Paula; Playford, Denese

2014-04-12

The importance of professional behaviour has been emphasized in medical school curricula. However, the lack of consensus on what constitutes professionalism poses a challenge to medical educators, who often resort to a negative model of assessment based on the identification of unacceptable behaviour. This paper presents results from a study exploring medical students' views on professionalism, and reports on students' constructs of the 'good' and the 'professional' doctor. Data for this qualitative study were collected through focus groups conducted with medical students from one Western Australian university over a period of four years. Students were recruited through unit coordinators and invited to participate in a focus group. De-identified socio-demographic data were obtained through a brief questionnaire. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and subjected to inductive thematic analysis. A total of 49 medical students took part in 13 focus groups. Differences between students' understandings of the 'good' and 'professional' doctor were observed. Being competent, a good communicator and a good teacher were the main characteristics of the 'good' doctor. Professionalism was strongly associated with the adoption of a professional persona; following a code of practice and professional guidelines, and treating others with respect were also associated with the 'professional' doctor. Students felt more connected to the notion of the 'good' doctor, and perceived professionalism as an external and imposed construct. When both constructs were seen as acting in opposition, students tended to forgo professionalism in favour of becoming a 'good' doctor.Results suggest that the teaching of professionalism should incorporate more formal reflection on the complexities of medical practice, allowing students and educators to openly explore and articulate any perceived tensions between what is formally taught and what is being observed in clinical practice.

The Practical Obstacles of Data Transfer: Why researchers still love scp

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nam, Hai Ah; Hill, Jason J; Parete-Koon, Suzanne T

The importance of computing facilities is heralded every six months with the announcement of the new Top500 list, showcasing the world s fastest supercomputers. Unfortu- nately, with great computing capability does not come great long-term data storage capacity, which often means users must move their data to their local site archive, to remote sites where they may be doing future computation or anal- ysis, or back to their home institution, else face the dreaded data purge that most HPC centers employ to keep utiliza- tion of large parallel filesystems low to manage performance and capacity. At HPC centers, data transfermore » is crucial to the scientific workflow and will increase in importance as computing systems grow in size. The Energy Sciences Net- work (ESnet) recently launched its fifth generation network, a 100 Gbps high-performance, unclassified national network connecting more than 40 DOE research sites to support scientific research and collaboration. Despite the tenfold increase in bandwidth to DOE research sites amenable to multiple data transfer streams and high throughput, in prac- tice, researchers often under-utilize the network and resort to painfully-slow single stream transfer methods such as scp to avoid the complexity of using multiple stream tools such as GridFTP and bbcp, and contend with frustration from the lack of consistency of available tools between sites. In this study we survey and assess the data transfer methods pro- vided at several DOE supported computing facilities, includ- ing both leadership-computing facilities, connected through ESnet. We present observed transfer rates, suggested opti- mizations, and discuss the obstacles the tools must overcome to receive wide-spread adoption over scp.« less

Chaos, Complexity, and Earning Community: What Do They Mean for Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pouravood, Roland C.

1997-01-01

Ponders possible explanations for the connections among chaos, complexity, and a learning community. Challenges the Newtonian world model, suggests that the world operates in a complex, nonlinear, unpredictable pattern, and calls for a new science to understand this complexity. A true learning community values individual autonomy, risk taking,…

Resource scarcity drives lethal aggression among prehistoric hunter-gatherers in central California.

PubMed

Allen, Mark W; Bettinger, Robert Lawrence; Codding, Brian F; Jones, Terry L; Schwitalla, Al W

2016-10-25

The origin of human violence and warfare is controversial, and some scholars contend that intergroup conflict was rare until the emergence of sedentary foraging and complex sociopolitical organization, whereas others assert that violence was common and of considerable antiquity among small-scale societies. Here we consider two alternative explanations for the evolution of human violence: (i) individuals resort to violence when benefits outweigh potential costs, which is likely in resource poor environments, or (ii) participation in violence increases when there is coercion from leaders in complex societies leading to group level benefits. To test these hypotheses, we evaluate the relative importance of resource scarcity vs. sociopolitical complexity by evaluating spatial variation in three macro datasets from central California: (i) an extensive bioarchaeological record dating from 1,530 to 230 cal BP recording rates of blunt and sharp force skeletal trauma on thousands of burials, (ii) quantitative scores of sociopolitical complexity recorded ethnographically, and (iii) mean net primary productivity (NPP) from a remotely sensed global dataset. Results reveal that sharp force trauma, the most common form of violence in the record, is better predicted by resource scarcity than relative sociopolitical complexity. Blunt force cranial trauma shows no correlation with NPP or political complexity and may reflect a different form of close contact violence. This study provides no support for the position that violence originated with the development of more complex hunter-gatherer adaptations in the fairly recent past. Instead, findings show that individuals are prone to violence in times and places of resource scarcity.

Combining complex networks and data mining: Why and how

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanin, M.; Papo, D.; Sousa, P. A.; Menasalvas, E.; Nicchi, A.; Kubik, E.; Boccaletti, S.

2016-05-01

The increasing power of computer technology does not dispense with the need to extract meaningful information out of data sets of ever growing size, and indeed typically exacerbates the complexity of this task. To tackle this general problem, two methods have emerged, at chronologically different times, that are now commonly used in the scientific community: data mining and complex network theory. Not only do complex network analysis and data mining share the same general goal, that of extracting information from complex systems to ultimately create a new compact quantifiable representation, but they also often address similar problems too. In the face of that, a surprisingly low number of researchers turn out to resort to both methodologies. One may then be tempted to conclude that these two fields are either largely redundant or totally antithetic. The starting point of this review is that this state of affairs should be put down to contingent rather than conceptual differences, and that these two fields can in fact advantageously be used in a synergistic manner. An overview of both fields is first provided, some fundamental concepts of which are illustrated. A variety of contexts in which complex network theory and data mining have been used in a synergistic manner are then presented. Contexts in which the appropriate integration of complex network metrics can lead to improved classification rates with respect to classical data mining algorithms and, conversely, contexts in which data mining can be used to tackle important issues in complex network theory applications are illustrated. Finally, ways to achieve a tighter integration between complex networks and data mining, and open lines of research are discussed.

Tell Me What I Need to Know: What Mayors and Governors Want From Their Fusion Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

jurisdictions where daily risks and threats emerge from the complexities of an integrated world. Paradoxically, as will be outlined through this...environment for their jurisdictions where daily risks and threats emerge from the complexities of an integrated world. Paradoxically, as will be outlined...their jurisdictions where daily risks and threats emerge from the complexities of an integrated world. This setting, where the confluence of

Why Abortion is Illegal? Comparison of Legal and Illegal Abortion: A Critical Review.

PubMed

Huq, M E; Raihan, M J; Shirin, H; Chowdhury, S; Jahan, Y; Chowdhury, A S; Rahman, M M

2017-10-01

Abortion is the termination of pregnancy that occurs spontaneously or purposely. In the most developed world, abortion is legally allowed for women seeking safe termination of pregnancies. Particularly, when access to legal abortion is restricted, abortion is the resort to unsafe methods. The aim of this review is to necessitate safe abortion and to accentuate the consequences of illegal abortion in case of legal prohibition. We used Pubmed, MedLine and Scopus databases to review previous literatures of safe, unsafe, legal and illegal abortions. Research work and reports from organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank (WB) and United Nations (UN) were included. Snowball sampling was used to obtain relevant journals. Abortion is conventional whether it is safe, unsafe, legal or illegal. The intention of the antiabortion policy was to reduce the number of abortions globally. However, instead of decreasing rates, evidences show significant increase in abortions. When abortion is legal, the preconditions to be ensured are availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability for the safe abortion facilities. When abortion is illegal, risk reduction strategies are needed to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality. We can reduce abortion related morbidity and mortality, whether it is legal or illegal if we can ensure the appropriate access to health care, including abortion services, education on sexuality, access to contraceptives, post abortion care, and suitable interventions and liberalization of laws. The paper reviewed the Mexico City Policy and the US foreign aid strategies and highlighted the evidence based analysis for policy reform. The liberalized abortion law can save pregnant women from abortion related complications and death.

BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH TOURISM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA.

PubMed

Vrkljan, Sanela; Hendija, Zvjezdana

2016-03-01

Health tourism can be generally divided into medical, health spa and wellness tourism. Health spa tourism services are provided in special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts, and include under medical supervision controlled use of natural healing factors and physical therapy in order to improve and preserve health. There are 13 special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia. Most of them are financed through the state budget and lesser by sale on the market. More than half of their accommodation capacity is offered for sale on the market while the rest is under contract with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund. Domestic overnights are several times higher than foreign overnights. The aim of this study was to analyze business performance of special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts in Croatia in relation to the sources of financing and the structure of service users. The assumption was that those who are more market-oriented achieve better business performance. In proving these assumptions, an empirical research was conducted and the assumptions were tested. A positive correlation was proven in tested indicators of business performance of the analyzed service providers of health-spa tourism with a higher amount of overnight stays realized through sales on the market in relation to total overnight stays, with a greater share of foreign overnights in total of overnights and with a higher share of realized revenue on the market out of total revenue. The results of the research show that special hospitals for medical rehabilitation and health resorts that are more market-oriented are more successful in their business performance. These findings are important for planning the health and tourism policies in countries like Croatia.

Sexual behaviour of young people in international tourist resorts

PubMed Central

Bellis, M; Hughes, K; Thomson, R; Bennett, A

2004-01-01

Background/objectives: Increasingly, young people travel abroad to experience nightlife in international resorts. Although media coverage of such resorts suggests high levels of sexual activity, little empirical data are currently available. We have measured: 3 year trends in sexual behaviour of young people visiting Ibiza, levels of sexual risk taking, and their relation to substance use. Additionally, in 2002 we identified levels of homosexual sex and sexual interactions between UK residents and individuals from other countries. Methods: Data were collected from visitors to Ibiza between 2000 and 2002 just before they left the island. Information on sexual health was surveyed using a short anonymous questionnaire. Results: Over half of individuals (56.0%) visiting Ibiza had sex with at least one person, with 26.2% of males and 14.5% of females having sex with more than one individual. However, of those arriving without sexual partners (75.5%) just under half (47.5%) have sex in Ibiza and most of these (62.4%) always used condoms. Having any sex abroad was associated with using illicit drugs and having more sexual partners in the 6 months before visiting Ibiza. However, having unprotected sex or sex with more than one person was associated with smoking as well as having higher numbers of sexual partners before their visit. Overall, 8.6% of individuals had sex with a non-UK resident in Ibiza although such individuals were no more likely to have sex without condoms. Conclusions: Substantial numbers of individuals visiting international nightlife resorts have unprotected sex with people they meet while abroad. This poses an increasing threat to the sexual health of UK residents but as yet little attention has been paid to developing interventions that might reduce sexual risk taking among young people holidaying abroad. PMID:14755035

NREL Leads Energy Systems Integration - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov Websites

performance data to manage and optimize campus energy use. Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World 03 Integrated Solutions for a Complex Energy World Energy systems integration optimizes the design and efficient data centers in the world. Sustainability through Dynamic Energy Management Sustainability through

Moment expansion for ionospheric range error

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mallinckrodt, A.; Reich, R.; Parker, H.; Berbert, J.

1972-01-01

On a plane earth, the ionospheric or tropospheric range error depends only on the total refractivity content or zeroth moment of the refracting layer and the elevation angle. On a spherical earth, however, the dependence is more complex; so for more accurate results it has been necessary to resort to complex ray-tracing calculations. A simple, high-accuracy alternative to the ray-tracing calculation is presented. By appropriate expansion of the angular dependence in the ray-tracing integral in a power series in height, an expression is obtained for the range error in terms of a simple function of elevation angle, E, at the expansion height and of the mth moment of the refractivity, N, distribution about the expansion height. The rapidity of convergence is heavily dependent on the choice of expansion height. For expansion heights in the neighborhood of the centroid of the layer (300-490 km), the expansion to N = 2 (three terms) gives results accurate to about 0.4% at E = 10 deg. As an analytic tool, the expansion affords some insight on the influence of layer shape on range errors in special problems.

APINetworks Java. A Java approach to the efficient treatment of large-scale complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Caro, Camelia; Niño, Alfonso; Reyes, Sebastián; Castillo, Miriam

2016-10-01

We present a new version of the core structural package of our Application Programming Interface, APINetworks, for the treatment of complex networks in arbitrary computational environments. The new version is written in Java and presents several advantages over the previous C++ version: the portability of the Java code, the easiness of object-oriented design implementations, and the simplicity of memory management. In addition, some additional data structures are introduced for storing the sets of nodes and edges. Also, by resorting to the different garbage collectors currently available in the JVM the Java version is much more efficient than the C++ one with respect to memory management. In particular, the G1 collector is the most efficient one because of the parallel execution of G1 and the Java application. Using G1, APINetworks Java outperforms the C++ version and the well-known NetworkX and JGraphT packages in the building and BFS traversal of linear and complete networks. The better memory management of the present version allows for the modeling of much larger networks.

Distributed synchronization control of complex networks with communication constraints.

PubMed

Xu, Zhenhua; Zhang, Dan; Song, Hongbo

2016-11-01

This paper is concerned with the distributed synchronization control of complex networks with communication constraints. In this work, the controllers communicate with each other through the wireless network, acting as a controller network. Due to the constrained transmission power, techniques such as the packet size reduction and transmission rate reduction schemes are proposed which could help reduce communication load of the controller network. The packet dropout problem is also considered in the controller design since it is often encountered in networked control systems. We show that the closed-loop system can be modeled as a switched system with uncertainties and random variables. By resorting to the switched system approach and some stochastic system analysis method, a new sufficient condition is firstly proposed such that the exponential synchronization is guaranteed in the mean-square sense. The controller gains are determined by using the well-known cone complementarity linearization (CCL) algorithm. Finally, a simulation study is performed, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed design algorithm. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thimble microscope system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamal, Tahseen; Rubinstein, Jaden; Watkins, Rachel; Cen, Zijian; Kong, Gary; Lee, W. M.

2016-12-01

Wearable computing devices, e.g. Google Glass, Smart watch, embodies the new human design frontier, where technology interfaces seamlessly with human gestures. During examination of any subject in the field (clinic, surgery, agriculture, field survey, water collection), our sensory peripherals (touch and vision) often go hand-in-hand. The sensitivity and maneuverability of the human fingers are guided with tight distribution of biological nerve cells, which perform fine motor manipulation over a range of complex surfaces that is often out of sight. Our sight (or naked vision), on the other hand, is generally restricted to line of sight that is ill-suited to view around corner. Hence, conventional imaging methods are often resort to complex light guide designs (periscope, endoscopes etc) to navigate over obstructed surfaces. Using modular design strategies, we constructed a prototype miniature microscope system that is incorporated onto a wearable fixture (thimble). This unique platform allows users to maneuver around a sample and take high resolution microscopic images. In this paper, we provide an exposition of methods to achieve a thimble microscopy; microscope lens fabrication, thimble design, integration of miniature camera and liquid crystal display.

Active subspace: toward scalable low-rank learning.

PubMed

Liu, Guangcan; Yan, Shuicheng

2012-12-01

We address the scalability issues in low-rank matrix learning problems. Usually these problems resort to solving nuclear norm regularized optimization problems (NNROPs), which often suffer from high computational complexities if based on existing solvers, especially in large-scale settings. Based on the fact that the optimal solution matrix to an NNROP is often low rank, we revisit the classic mechanism of low-rank matrix factorization, based on which we present an active subspace algorithm for efficiently solving NNROPs by transforming large-scale NNROPs into small-scale problems. The transformation is achieved by factorizing the large solution matrix into the product of a small orthonormal matrix (active subspace) and another small matrix. Although such a transformation generally leads to nonconvex problems, we show that a suboptimal solution can be found by the augmented Lagrange alternating direction method. For the robust PCA (RPCA) (Candès, Li, Ma, & Wright, 2009 ) problem, a typical example of NNROPs, theoretical results verify the suboptimality of the solution produced by our algorithm. For the general NNROPs, we empirically show that our algorithm significantly reduces the computational complexity without loss of optimality.

Innovative remote monitoring of plant health for environmental applications: A joint effort between EPCOT{reg_sign} and the DOE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robitaille, H.; Capelle, G.; Di Benedetto, J.

1996-12-31

In September of 1994, the US Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management, Office of Science and Technology for (OST) and Epcot{reg_sign} in the WALT DISNEY WORLD{reg_sign} Resort (Epcot) signed an agreement to cooperate on the research, development, and public communication and display of environmental technologies. Although Epcot and OST have distinctive missions, certain areas of their respective research and development efforts are common, including the integration of remote sensors with robotics platforms, airborne surveys for environmental characterization and monitoring, and ground based measurements of vegetation stress. The first area of cooperative R&D pursued under the agreement is the evaluation ofmore » laser-induced fluorescence imaging (LIFI), a technology developed by OST and proven effective for uranium detection. This paper describes the efforts being conducted under the Epcot-OST agreement and presents initial results. An appendix describing LIFI technology is also included.« less

Modelling disease outbreaks in realistic urban social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eubank, Stephen; Guclu, Hasan; Anil Kumar, V. S.; Marathe, Madhav V.; Srinivasan, Aravind; Toroczkai, Zoltán; Wang, Nan

2004-05-01

Most mathematical models for the spread of disease use differential equations based on uniform mixing assumptions or ad hoc models for the contact process. Here we explore the use of dynamic bipartite graphs to model the physical contact patterns that result from movements of individuals between specific locations. The graphs are generated by large-scale individual-based urban traffic simulations built on actual census, land-use and population-mobility data. We find that the contact network among people is a strongly connected small-world-like graph with a well-defined scale for the degree distribution. However, the locations graph is scale-free, which allows highly efficient outbreak detection by placing sensors in the hubs of the locations network. Within this large-scale simulation framework, we then analyse the relative merits of several proposed mitigation strategies for smallpox spread. Our results suggest that outbreaks can be contained by a strategy of targeted vaccination combined with early detection without resorting to mass vaccination of a population.

Student Support for EIPBN 2012 Conference

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farrow, Reginald C

2013-01-29

The 56th International Conference on Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication (EIPBN), 2012, was held at the Hilton Waikoloa Resort in Waikoloa, Hawaii, May 29 - June 2, 2012. The EIPBN Conference is recognized as the foremost international meeting dedicated to lithographic science and technology and its application to micro and nanofabrication techniques. The conference brought together 483 engineers and scientists from industries and universities from all over the world to discuss recent progress and future trends. Among the emerging technologies that are within the scope of EIPBN is Nanofabrication for Energy Sources along with nanofabrication for themore » realization of low power integrated circuits. Every year, EIPBN provides financial support for students to attend the conference. The students gave oral and poster presentations of their research and many published peer reviewed articles in a special conference issue of the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B. The Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences partially supported 41 students from US universities with a $5,000.« less

Posttraumatic re-experiencing in older people: working through or covering up?

PubMed

Schreuder, J N

1996-01-01

Posttraumatic re-experiencing is a key symptom of earlier psychotraumatic experiences. It is important to establish whether we are dealing with nightmares or re-enactments. Posttraumatic nightmares are an expression of intrapsychic concerns and conflicts and, in and of themselves, need not impede exploratory psychotherapy. The nightmare entails both regression to the perceptual level of a small child and reactivation of early childhood anxieties. Before it is possible to work through the psychotraumatic experiences, it is necessary to contextualize the early childhood anxieties that are so closely related to the themes and anxieties of later life. If this is not possible, it will have to be decided to resort to therapy that rather covers up the experience and explores the current significance of the posttraumatic complaints. Posttraumatic re-enactments have an isolated position in the representational world and are accompanied by hyperarousal and intense vegetative symptoms, which is why they are considered an impediment to exploratory psychotherapy. Posttraumatic re-nactments require treatment of the symptoms before subsequent exploratory psychotherapy can be considered.

Prisons: the psychiatric institution of last resort?

PubMed

Huxter, M J

2013-10-01

The World Health Organization declared in 1948 that the enjoyment of the highest individual attainment of health for any person is a fundamental human right. Australia, the U.K. and the United States all legally ratified this declaration as becoming signatories to their founding treatise with the United Nations. Despite this, there are many conspicuous examples of inequities of public health as found within these nations. One of the more disparate and outrageous examples of inequities in public health has been an insidious trend towards criminalizing mental illness, and the largely unjust treatment of many mentally ill persons. This change has resulted in untold numbers of mentally ill persons being over-represented within the criminal justice system, experiencing higher morbidity, co-morbidity and mortality rates, and having difficulty in surviving in a society frequently dealing with their illness in a persecutory manner. Questions must be raised: that although over the passage of time medical science and technology has changed, but has western societies' attitudes to health equity kept pace? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson, left, is welcomed to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida by NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana for a ceremony in which he will present Connor with space mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Connor is accompanied by his parents Eric and Lauren and younger brother Liam, in the background. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson gives a big thumbs up following a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden during which NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana presented him with space mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Behind Connor are representatives of the news and social media who attended the event. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Ceremony Honoring Connor Johnson

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Six-year-old Connor Johnson gives a big thumbs up following a ceremony in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex' Rocket Garden during which NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Robert Cabana presented him with space mementos to inspire the youngster to continue the dream he has had since the age of three of becoming an astronaut. Behind Connor is Cabana, second from left, and representatives of news and social media who attended the event. Connor, of Denver, Colo., gained national attention for having the "right stuff" when he launched an online petition on the White House website in December 2013 to save NASA’s funding from budget cuts. One of the mementos, a piece of space history, was a bolt used to hold the International Space Station's Unity module in place in space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay on the STS-88 mission, the first station assembly mission and Cabana's fourth and final spaceflight. Connor and his family were the guests of Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire managing the visitor complex. During his visit, Connor had the opportunity to meet with astronauts, see space vehicles and witness the Robot Rocket Rally underway in the complex' Rocket Garden over the weekend. To learn more about the educational activities available daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Spectrofluorimetric study of the beta-cyclodextrin-ibuprofen complex and determination of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical preparations and serum.

PubMed

Hergert, L A; Escandar, G M

2003-06-13

The inclusion complexation of ibuprofen in beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) has been examined by means of spectrofluorimetry at both acid and alkaline pH. The results suggest that stable 1:1 complexes are formed in both media. The analysis of the pK(a) values for ibuprofen in both the absence and presence of beta-CD (4.12 and 4.66, respectively) suggests that in the inclusion complex the carboxylic group is located outside the cyclodextrin (CD) but interacting with it. Further structural characterization of the complex was carried out by means of am1 semiempiral calculations. Based on the obtained results, a spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of ibuprofen in the presence of beta-CD at 10 degrees C was developed in the range of 4.7-58 mug ml(-1). Better limits of detection (1.6 mug ml(-1)) and quantification (4.7 mug ml(-1)) were obtained in this latter case with respect to those obtained in the absence of beta-CD. The method was satisfactorily applied to the quantification of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical preparations. A novel spectrofluorimetric determination of ibuprofen in the presence of beta-CD was also developed for serum samples at concentration levels between 5 and 70 mug ml(-1). It uses second-order fluorescence excitation-emission matrices coupled to an algorithm based on self-weighted alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD), and avoids resorting to separative instrumental analyses.

ASTER View of Sharm El Sheik, Egypt

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-20

The Red Sea golf resort in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, where President Clinton met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, stands out against the desert landscape in this image acquired on August 25, 2000. This image of the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula shows an area about 30 by 40 kilometers (19 by 25 miles) in the visible and near infrared wavelength region. Vegetation appears in red. The blue areas in the water at the top and bottom of the image are coral reefs. The airport is visible just to the north of the golf resort. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02667

[ORGANIZATION OF THE QUALITY CONTROL OF PLACEMENT AND ACCOMMODATION OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDANTS AND GUESTS OF THE XXII OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES AND XI PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES OF 2014 IN THE RESORT CITY OF SOCHI].

PubMed

Gorskiĭ, A A; Gus'kov, A S; Pochtareva, E S; Klindukhov, V P; Nikolaevich, P N; Grechanaia, T V; Vechemyaia, E A; Biriukov, V A; Bozhko, I I; Kulichenko, A N; Taran, T V; Zaĭtsev, A A; Tushina, O V

2015-01-01

There is presented the analysis of activities of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights protection and Human Welfare to ensure adequate conditions of accommodation of the participants, attendants and guests of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in the Resort city of Sochi according to regulated requirements. There were detected ways of the strengthening the supervision for the quality of the accommodation during mass sports activities for the assurance of the rights for consumers.

Why resort to illegal abortion in Zambia? Findings of a community-based study in Western Province.

PubMed

Koster-Oyekan, W

1998-05-01

This article presents part of the findings of a community-based study on the causes and effects of unplanned pregnancies in four districts of Western Province, Zambia. The study broke the silence around abortion in Western Province and revealed that induced abortion poses a public health problem. Using innovative methodology of recording and analyzing histories of deaths from induced abortion, the abortion mortality ratio was calculated for the study districts. Findings reveal all extremely high induced abortion mortality ratio of 120 induced abortion-related deaths per 100,000 live births. More than half the deaths were of schoolgirls. Although abortion in Zambia is legal on medical and social grounds, most women in Western Province resort to illegal abortions because legal abortion services are inaccessible and unacceptable. The main reasons women resort to abortion is for fear of being expelled from school, their unwillingness to reveal a secret relationship, to protect the health of their previous baby and common knowledge that postpartum sexual taboos have been transgressed. An inventory was made of abortion methods, taboos and abortion-providers. The article describes how health staff were involved throughout the study, and shows how recommendations were made by involving all parties concerned.

Earth observations taken from orbiter Discovery during STS-85 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-08-11

STS085-716-061 (7 - 19 August 1997) --- The dark green forests of the Sierra Nevada Mts. occupy the left side of the picture. Reno lies between Lake Tahoe (center) and Pyramid Lake (top right). Lake Tahoe, is a clear, deep alpine lake (over 505 meters deep), surrounded by Montane forest, ski resorts and casinos. Although Tahoe is known as one of the clearest lakes in the world, water quality in the lake has been declining due to soil erosion from development. Since 1968, it has lost about 30 feet of clarity. A partnership was recently formed between environmentalists and resort owners to protect their common interest in keeping the lake as clear as possible. Over the last five years they have slowed the erosion and the growth of algae that it causes so that clarity is now "only" lost at a rate of roughly one foot per year. Pyramid Lake (on the upper right of the photo) is as different from Tahoe as a lake could be. The sagebrush desert around the lake and is owned by the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe who manage it as a fishery for an endangered sucker (fish), the cui-cui. The tribe has added modern fisheries' biology methods to their traditional management and chooses not to develop the lake as a recreation destination. Anaho Island, in the lower half of the lake, is a wildlife refuge managed for American White Pelicans which fly hundreds of miles each day to get from this safe breeding area to the shallow marshes where they feed. Directly above Lake Tahoe is Donner pass, near the site where the beleaguered Donner Party spent the winter of 1846 - 1847 trapped in the mountains. Several shallow ephemeral lakes can be seen in Lemmon Valley north of Reno's core urban area. These lakes would normally have dried up by August when this photo was taken, but are still wet because of the extremely wet winter and floods of January 1997.

Sociological aspects of sexual medicine: contraception, culture and the church.

PubMed

Potts, M

1977-02-01

Throughout the world, women who do not wish to be pregnant try to take action, at whatever cost, to prevent pregnancy from occurring. In Manila, the busiest and most loved church (Quiapo Church) is the scene where every Sunday morning, several hundred women buy local abortifacients from vendors stationed around the church. This scene in Manila 1976, however, could just as well be Bogota; Calcutta; Addis Ababa; or Bangkok. It could also have been Birmingham in the 1960's; Boston, Massachusettes, or; Wigan, Lancashire, in 1900. In 1937, the Birkett Committee which was then looking into the problem of abortion in England commented on the wide availability and use of traditional abortifacients. Prior to the 1967 Abortion Act, volunteers from the Abortion Law Reform Association visiting a number of shops and pharmacies in the Midlands on the pretext that their, or their girl friend's, periods were late were immediately offered a variety of drugs at inflated prices. They were also assured that the remedies were effective, working in 80% of the cases ("they should do, we sell a lot of them"). Pharmacological analysis revealed both harmless (eg, ferrous carbonate) and potentially dangerous compounds (eg, quinine sulphate). From 1870 to 1976, from the Philippines to Birmingham to New York State, desperate women have resorted to dangerous or ineffective remedies to bring on late periods; if these fail, surgical remedies (eg, injection of H20 into the cavity of the womb) were resorted to. Early abortion, or menstrual regulation can be justified on clinical; emotional and ethical grounds. A 1974 trial at 3 London teaching hospitals showed that such method was popular among women and usually took 3 to 5 minutes. The only problem is whether to offer the operation to women who suspect but cannot be proved to be pregnant. With the rapid development of various pregnancy tests however, such problem can be solved.

Dynamics of forest populations in the mountain resort region of the North Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalaya, Elena; Efimenko, Natalia; Slepykh, Olga; Slepykh, Viktor; Povolotskaya, Nina

2017-04-01

Prehistoric formula of forest species composition of the resort region Caucasian Mineralnye Vody (RR CMV) in the North Caucasus is 6Q3Cb1Fe [1]. According to it, undisturbed forests of the region consisted of the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and the durmast (Quercus cerris L.) by 60%, the European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) by 30% and the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) only by 10%. At present the formula of forest composition of the region is 5Fe3Cb2Q, according to it, the rate of oak-groves (the most valuable to resort landscape gardening) has reduced to 20%, and the ash-tree, though the rate of the hornbeam has not changed, increased up to 50%. Forest breeding populations in the RR CMV are referred to natural medical resources as they have high rehabilitation and climate-regulating properties, the change in forest breeding populations influences the conditions of the resort climate-landscape-therapy. The researches conducted in the perfect oak wood of vegetative origin in Beshtaugorsky Forestry Area (BFA) of the RR CMV have shown the reduction of the pedunculate oak in the tree-stand composition during 1984-2014 from 10 to 8 units in the composition: the European ash (1 unit) and the crataegus monogyna (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.), the checker tree (Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz), the common pear (Pyrus communis L.) have appeared [2]. The rate of the pedunculate oak decreased from 10 units to 9 in the perfect planting of the pedunculate oak of the artificial origin (Mashuk section of the forestry of BFA of the RR CMV) during 1986-2016. Among accompanying breeds there was the English field maple (Acer campestre L.), the Chinese elm in singular (Ulmus parvifolia Jacq.), the single-seed hawthorn. The reliable regrowth (4C3Fe3Ac+Q+Cm+Pc+Up) in number of 3,9 thousand pieces/hectare defines the perspective of complete replacement of the oak crop in the future on planting with dominance of the hornbeam and the involvement of the ash-tree and the English field maple. Succession of the oak replacement in natural stand of the vegetative origin can be explained with the soil fatigue under the oak forest inhibiting its own regrowth [2]. However, you can observe the same succession of the oak replacement by other native species in the artificial planting of the oak on the virgin meadow lands. Therefore, the exogenous factors proceeding against the background of global warming during the number of decades are the reason of the succession. The nature of this process demands further studying. References 1.Kazankin A.P. Ecological role of the mountain woods of the Caucasus. Novosibirsk: Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science publishing house, 2013. - 366 p. 2. Slepykh, V.V. Successions and bioclimate of oak groves in the resort region Caucasian MineralnyeVody / V.V.Slepykh, N.P.Povolotskaya// Resort medicine, № 3, 2015. - P. 18-27.

The rationality of resistance: alternatives for engagement in complex emergencies.

PubMed

Gilgan, M

2001-03-01

The different conceptualisations of conflict in the complex emergency literature have profound implications on the perception of the agency of different groups and the prospects for conflict management. While much recent analysis has focused on the rational political and economic functions of violence, relatively little analysis has focused on why the majority of people chose not to resort to violence. Using Foucault's analysis of power relations, a new framework for conflict analysis is proposed which includes non-violent resistance as well as violence as a means of domination. Non-violent resistance is explored as a rational, highly adaptable response to acts of domination. A comprehensive understanding of conflict must recognise local forms of resistance and identify the barriers and opportunities for the engagement of the international humanitarian community with these groups. This engagement can be used to foster capacities for the creation of legitimate, inclusive, non-violent political and economic processes in the attempt to provide alternatives for everyone in the conflict. If the purpose of the study of complex emergencies is to understand the nature of various conflicts and, based on that understanding, make recommendations for possible routes to conflict management, the analysis of local resistance and efforts to foster it must become a major aspect of the research agenda.

Toward in vivo diagnosis of skin cancer using multimode imaging dermoscopy: (II) molecular mapping of highly pigmented lesions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasefi, Fartash; MacKinnon, Nicholas; Farkas, Daniel L.

2014-03-01

We have developed a multimode imaging dermoscope that combines polarization and hyperspectral imaging with a computationally rapid analytical model. This approach employs specific spectral ranges of visible and near infrared wavelengths for mapping the distribution of specific skin bio-molecules. This corrects for the melanin-hemoglobin misestimation common to other systems, without resorting to complex and computationally intensive tissue optical models that are prone to inaccuracies due to over-modeling. Various human skin measurements including a melanocytic nevus, and venous occlusion conditions were investigated and compared with other ratiometric spectral imaging approaches. Access to the broad range of hyperspectral data in the visible and near-infrared range allows our algorithm to flexibly use different wavelength ranges for chromophore estimation while minimizing melanin-hemoglobin optical signature cross-talk.

Vietnamese women in struggle for national independence.

PubMed

1998-01-01

The 30-year struggle for independence in Viet Nam took a huge toll on women, but even in the hardest times, Vietnamese women received support from the world-wide women's movement. As the world prepares to enter the new millennium, it is important to determine what policies can be created to prevent war and guarantee peace. These policies must grow out of international agreement on basic principles such as respect for independence and sovereignty and must not resort to the embargoes and sanctions that have placed a disproportionate burden on women and children. Another challenge of the new millennium is to encourage implementation of national programs, policies, and measures to help women realize their rights while preserving traditional family values. Despite the heightened visibility of the international women's movement, women still suffer from widespread inequalities. In accordance with the goals of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the 8th Congress of Vietnamese Women in 1997 created a national plan for women that is a blueprint for the women's movement for the years 1997-2000. Among the goals are creating jobs for women, upgrading their standard of living, eliminating hunger, decreasing poverty, and ensuring that women have educational opportunities. Vietnamese women also seek to strengthen their relationship with other women in the international community, and the Vietnamese Women's Union has actively forwarded the objectives of the Federation of International Democratic Women.

The blue water footprint of the world's artificial reservoirs for hydroelectricity, irrigation, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogeboom, Rick J.; Knook, Luuk; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2018-03-01

For centuries, humans have resorted to building dams to gain control over freshwater available for human consumption. Although dams and their reservoirs have made many important contributions to human development, they receive negative attention as well, because of the large amounts of water they can consume through evaporation. We estimate the blue water footprint of the world's artificial reservoirs and attribute it to the purposes hydroelectricity generation, irrigation water supply, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation, based on their economic value. We estimate that economic benefits from 2235 reservoirs included in this study amount to 265 × 109 US a year, with residential and industrial water supply and hydroelectricity generation as major contributors. The water footprint associated with these benefits is the sum of the water footprint of dam construction (<1% contribution) and evaporation from the reservoir's surface area, and globally adds up to 66 × 109 m3 y-1. The largest share of this water footprint (57%) is located in non-water scarce basins and only 1% in year-round scarce basins. The primary purposes of a reservoir change with increasing water scarcity, from mainly hydroelectricity generation in non-scarce basins, to residential and industrial water supply, irrigation water supply and flood control in scarcer areas.

Reproducing American Sign Language sentences: cognitive scaffolding in working memory

PubMed Central

Supalla, Ted; Hauser, Peter C.; Bavelier, Daphne

2014-01-01

The American Sign Language Sentence Reproduction Test (ASL-SRT) requires the precise reproduction of a series of ASL sentences increasing in complexity and length. Error analyses of such tasks provides insight into working memory and scaffolding processes. Data was collected from three groups expected to differ in fluency: deaf children, deaf adults and hearing adults, all users of ASL. Quantitative (correct/incorrect recall) and qualitative error analyses were performed. Percent correct on the reproduction task supports its sensitivity to fluency as test performance clearly differed across the three groups studied. A linguistic analysis of errors further documented differing strategies and bias across groups. Subjects' recall projected the affordance and constraints of deep linguistic representations to differing degrees, with subjects resorting to alternate processing strategies when they failed to recall the sentence correctly. A qualitative error analysis allows us to capture generalizations about the relationship between error pattern and the cognitive scaffolding, which governs the sentence reproduction process. Highly fluent signers and less-fluent signers share common chokepoints on particular words in sentences. However, they diverge in heuristic strategy. Fluent signers, when they make an error, tend to preserve semantic details while altering morpho-syntactic domains. They produce syntactically correct sentences with equivalent meaning to the to-be-reproduced one, but these are not verbatim reproductions of the original sentence. In contrast, less-fluent signers tend to use a more linear strategy, preserving lexical status and word ordering while omitting local inflections, and occasionally resorting to visuo-motoric imitation. Thus, whereas fluent signers readily use top-down scaffolding in their working memory, less fluent signers fail to do so. Implications for current models of working memory across spoken and signed modalities are considered. PMID:25152744

"Everything the World Turns on": Inclusion and Exclusion in Linda Hogan's "Power"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Jesse

2013-01-01

In her novel "Power," Linda Hogan provides readers with a close look at how separatism and syncretism, or exclusion and inclusion, are complex ideologies that lead to complex decisions. A close look at the novel reveals that the tensions and sharp dichotomies between the traditional world of the Taiga elders and the European American world,…

Salton Sea, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-23

The Salton Sea in south California was created in 1905 when spring flooding on the Colorado River breached a canal. For 18 months the entire volume of the river rushed into the Salton Trough, creating a lake 32 km wide and 72 km long. In the 1950s, resorts sprang up along the shores. However, shrinking of the lake and increased salinity led to the abandonment of the resorts. The two images show the shrinking lake on May 31, 1984 (Landsat) and June 14, 2015 (ASTER). The images cover an area of 37.5 x 27 km, and are located at 33.2 degrees north, 115.7 degrees west. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19786

Complexity management theory: motivation for ideological rigidity and social conflict.

PubMed

Peterson, Jordan B; Flanders, Joseph L

2002-06-01

We are doomed to formulate conceptual structures that are much simpler than the complex phenomena they are attempting to account for. These simple conceptual structures shield us, pragmatically, from real-world complexity, but also fail, frequently, as some aspect of what we did not take into consideration makes itself manifest. The failure of our concepts dysregulates our emotions and generates anxiety, necessarily, as the unconstrained world is challenging and dangerous. Such dysregulation can turn us into rigid, totalitarian dogmatists, as we strive to maintain the structure of our no longer valid beliefs. Alternatively, we can face the underlying complexity of experience, voluntarily, gather new information, and recast and reconfigure the structures that underly our habitable worlds.

[Demographic growth and the dynamics of specialization in the Third World].

PubMed

Coussy, J

1983-01-01

All inquiries into the relationship between demographic growth and specialization in the 3rd World face a conflict found in the entire demographic-economic literature between 2 extreme positions that regard underdevelopment as caused either by the exploitation of developing by developed nations or as caused by overpopulation. This polarization of viewpoints appears to have deflected attention from more productive work and to have retarded empirical research. The object of the present study is to present a systematic and detailed critique of the opposing theoretical positions as a step in moving the debate into more productive areas. The section on the demographic explanation of the dynamics of specialization in developing countries considers its view of the comparative advantages and disadvantages created by demographic growth, including the impact of demographic growth on the availability of factors of production and on the structures of supply, demand, and exchange. The section discussing explanations of demographic-economic disequilibria in the 3rd World that are founded on the international division of labor describes the theory and its view of the division of labor in developing countries including such characteristics as the preponderance of the primary sector, the disproportionate attention to cash crops and relative neglect of subsistence crops, the importation of luxury goods, and the lack of local industrial production; the hypothesis that demographic growth and economic backwardness in developing countries both result from the international divisions of labor; the role of 3rd world demographic-economic disequilibrium in the continuation of the international division of labor; the possible advantages of demographic growth in stimulating supply, demand, and technological progress; and the increased probability of terminating the present international division of labor because of demographic pressure. The article ends with a general critique of the structures of the 2 theories. Despite their apparent simplicity, both extremes must resort to highly complicated formulations and selection of variables, consequently greatly reducing their own explanatory utility.

From a lifestyle revolution in a small village in Japan. Interview [with Chojiro Kunii].

PubMed

1990-10-01

In this interview, Chojiro Kunii, JOICFP chairman and president of the Japan Family Planning Organization (JFPA), addresses the status of family planning in Japan and the world, and explains how a people-oriented approach can make family planning effective - evident from the successful Integrated Family Planning, Nutrition and Parasite-Control Project (IP). According to Chojiro, poverty and social instability in Japan shortly after World War II forced many women to resort to illegal abortions. But beginning in the early 1950s, the government introduced family planning, and by the middle of the decade, population growth had ceased to be a problem. On the contrary, by the 1960s, worries centered around labor shortages and an aging population, which some blamed on family planning. Chojiro, however, defends family planning, since its focus in on maternal and child health. For family planning worldwide, one of the most pressing issues is adolescent sex, and Chojiro says that the JFPA has begun conducting research on the subject. As far as the approach towards family planning, Chojiro stresses the importance of a people-oriented, humanistic strategy. He says that the World Population Conference held in Bucharest, Romania is an example of an inhumane approach. Many of the speakers focuses only on reducing birth rates, and not on reducing infant mortality rates. Besides, a people oriented approach can be extremely effective, evident from the Integrated Family Planning, Nutrition and Parasite-Control Project. Chojiro first introduced the idea of combining family planning and parasite control in Japan; since then, JOICFP has helped other countries develop similar programs. Finally, Chojiro points out the need for international cooperation in promoting family planning.

Scales of Normality: Displays of Extreme Weight and Weight Loss in Blackpool 1920–1940

PubMed Central

Purce, Emma

2017-01-01

Abstract Developments in scientific and medical understanding of disability, as well as an influx of war-disabled veterans in 1914, led to transforming societal attitudes towards those with physical deformities. Thus, scholars suggest that the beginning of the twentieth century witnessed the sudden decline of freak shows as a popular form of entertainment. Whilst freak shows undeniably became less popular in metropolitan spaces such as London or Manchester, they thrived in seaside resorts; sites dedicated to the pursuit of leisure, pleasure and entertainment. This paper examines exhibitions of freakery at British seaside resorts from 1920 to 1940. Through examining the visual material and written reports associated with the displays of unusual bodies at the margins of British life, it argues that seaside freak shows remained centrally important forms of amusement in the twentieth century. Furthermore, it demonstrates how freak shows were constructed utilising public discourse relating to contemporary concepts of health, wellness and the ‘ideal’ or ‘average’ body. Focusing on Blackpool, the foremost health and pleasure resort of the period, this paper analyses exhibitions of extreme weight, to locate their role in the popular construction of ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ bodily size within contemporary British culture. PMID:29308054

a Study on Mental Representations for Realistic Visualization the Particular Case of Ski Trail Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balzarini, R.; Dalmasso, A.; Murat, M.

2015-08-01

This article presents preliminary results from a research project in progress that brings together geographers, cognitive scientists, historians and computer scientists. The project investigates the evolution of a particular territorial model: ski trails maps. Ski resorts, tourist and sporting innovations for mountain economies since the 1930s, have needed cartographic representations corresponding to new practices of the space.Painter artists have been involved in producing ski maps with painting techniques and panoramic views, which are by far the most common type of map, because they allow the resorts to look impressive to potential visitors. These techniques have evolved throughout the mutations of the ski resorts. Paper ski maps no longer meet the needs of a large part of the customers; the question now arises of their adaptation to digital media. In a computerized process perspective, the early stage of the project aims to identify the artist-representations, based on conceptual and technical rules, which are handled by users-skiers to perform a task (location, wayfinding, decision-making) and can be transferred to a computer system. This article presents the experimental phase that analyzes artist and user mental representations that are at stake during the making and the reading of a paper ski map. It particularly focuses on how the invention of the artist influences map reading.

A study on the disaster medical response during the Mauna Ocean Resort gymnasium collapse.

PubMed

Cha, Myeong-Il; Kim, Gi Woon; Kim, Chu Hyun; Choa, Minhong; Choi, Dai Hai; Kim, Inbyung; Wang, Soon Joo; Yoo, In Sool; Yoon, Han Deok; Lee, Kang Hyun; Cho, Suck Ju; Heo, Tag; Hong, Eun Seog

2016-09-01

To investigate and document the disaster medical response during the Gyeongju Mauna Ocean Resort gymnasium collapse on February 17, 2014. Official records of each institution were verified to select the study population. All the medical records and emergency medical service run sheets were reviewed by an emergency physician. Personal or telephonic interviews were conducted, without a separate questionnaire, if the institutions or agencies crucial to disaster response did not have official records or if information from different institutions was inconsistent. One hundred fifty-five accident victims treated at 12 hospitals, mostly for minor wounds, were included in this study. The collapse killed 10 people. Although the news of collapse was disseminated in 4 minutes, dispatch of 4 disaster medical assistance teams took at least 69 minutes to take the decision of dispatch. Four point five percent were treated at the accident site, 56.7% were transferred to 2 hospitals that were nearest to the collapse site, and 42.6% were transferred to hospitals that were poorly prepared to handle disaster victims. In the Gyeongju Mauna Ocean Resort gymnasium collapse, the initial triage and distribution of patients was inefficient and medical assistance arrived late. These problems had also been noted in prior mass casualty incidents.

Transforming KSC to be the World's Premier 21st Century Launch Complex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engler, Tom

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the work being done to transform the Kennedy Space Center into what is hoped to be the world's premier launch complex, capable of launching commercial and government satellites and manned spacecraft.

Characteristics of pattern formation and evolution in approximations of Physarum transport networks.

PubMed

Jones, Jeff

2010-01-01

Most studies of pattern formation place particular emphasis on its role in the development of complex multicellular body plans. In simpler organisms, however, pattern formation is intrinsic to growth and behavior. Inspired by one such organism, the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum, we present examples of complex emergent pattern formation and evolution formed by a population of simple particle-like agents. Using simple local behaviors based on chemotaxis, the mobile agent population spontaneously forms complex and dynamic transport networks. By adjusting simple model parameters, maps of characteristic patterning are obtained. Certain areas of the parameter mapping yield particularly complex long term behaviors, including the circular contraction of network lacunae and bifurcation of network paths to maintain network connectivity. We demonstrate the formation of irregular spots and labyrinthine and reticulated patterns by chemoattraction. Other Turing-like patterning schemes were obtained by using chemorepulsion behaviors, including the self-organization of regular periodic arrays of spots, and striped patterns. We show that complex pattern types can be produced without resorting to the hierarchical coupling of reaction-diffusion mechanisms. We also present network behaviors arising from simple pre-patterning cues, giving simple examples of how the emergent pattern formation processes evolve into networks with functional and quasi-physical properties including tensionlike effects, network minimization behavior, and repair to network damage. The results are interpreted in relation to classical theories of biological pattern formation in natural systems, and we suggest mechanisms by which emergent pattern formation processes may be used as a method for spatially represented unconventional computation.

[The psychological security in the framework of the system of factors responsible for the effectiveness of spa and health resort-based rehabilitation].

PubMed

Krasnyanskaya, T M; Tylets, V G

The present work was designed to address the problem of ensuring the psychological security in the framework of organization of the rehabilitative treatment based at the spa and health resort facilities. We undertook the questionnaire study for which 650 subjects were recruited among those attending spa and health resort facilities of the cities of Essentuki and Kislovodsk. The participants were asked to estimate the level of their personal security and the quality of the provided means for the rehabilitative treatment and general health improvement. It was found that as many as 43% of the respondents reported the moderate level of psychological security whereas about 30% of them estimated the level of their psychological security as low. Overall, the attitude toward the available means for health improvement and rehabilitation proved extremely variable. The factorial analysis has demonstrated the highly subjective opinions of the responders as regards the provided services categorized in terms of therapeutic (mineral water, preformed physical factors, peloid and dietary therapy), health improvement (herbal medicine, therapeutic physical training, therapy, bioclimatic therapy), and recreational (animation, excursion and touristic activities) factors. The value of these factors was perceived differently by the vacationers with different feelings of psychological security. Those reporting the high level of psychological security demonstrated the positive attitude toward all factors and circumstances available for the general improvement of the health status whereas the holidaymakers reporting the moderate level of personal psychological security exhibited the non-equivalent attitude toward the provided services; namely, they highly estimated the available therapeutic factors but either underestimated the value of the constituent components of the health improving and recreational factors or demonstrated the very selective attitude toward their assessment. Generally speaking, the feeling of personal psychological security in the participants of the study reflected their subjective approach to structuralization and differentiation of the factors underlying the effectiveness, final outcome, and psychological security of the spa and health resort-based rehabilitative treatment. The results of the present study give evidence of the paramount importance of personal psychological security as a most important factor contributing to the solution of problems facing the practice of the rehabilitation treatment based at the spa and health resort facilities. This work should be organized taking into consideration the necessity to ensure the feeling of personal security and psychological comfort in the holidaymakers as an indispensable prerequisite for the successful rehabilitative treatment of the vacationers and meeting the requirements of the holidaymakers.

Comfort model for automobile seat.

PubMed

da Silva, Lizandra da; Bortolotti, Silvana Ligia Vincenzi; Campos, Izabel Carolina Martins; Merino, Eugenio Andrés Díaz

2012-01-01

Comfort on automobile seats is lived daily by thousands of drivers. Epistemologically, comfort can be understood under the theory of complexity, since it emerges from a chain of interrelationships between man and several elements of the system. This interaction process can engender extreme comfort associated to the feeling of pleasure and wellbeing or, on the other hand, lead to discomfort, normally followed by pain. This article has for purpose the development of a theoretical model that favours the comfort feature on automobile seats through the identification of its facets and indicators. For such, a theoretical study is resorted to, allowing the mapping of elements that constitute the model. The results present a comfort model on automobile seats that contemplates the (physical, psychological, object, context and environment) facets. This model is expected to contribute with the automobile industry for the development of improvements of the ergonomic project of seats to increase the comfort noticed by the users.

Unusual regioversatility of acetyltransferase Eis, a cause of drug resistance in XDR-TB

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Wenjing; Biswas, Tapan; Porter, Vanessa R.

2011-09-06

The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) is a serious global threat. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are used as a last resort to treat XDR-TB. Resistance to the aminoglycoside kanamycin is a hallmark of XDR-TB. Here, we reveal the function and structure of the mycobacterial protein Eis responsible for resistance to kanamycin in a significant fraction of kanamycin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates. We demonstrate that Eis has an unprecedented ability to acetylate multiple amines of many aminoglycosides. Structural and mutagenesis studies of Eis indicate that its acetylation mechanism is enabled by a complex tripartite fold that includes two generalmore » control non-derepressible 5 (GCN5)-related N-acetyltransferase regions. An intricate negatively charged substrate-binding pocket of Eis is a potential target of new antitubercular drugs expected to overcome aminoglycoside resistance.« less

Towards terrain interaction prediction for bioinspired planetary exploration rovers.

PubMed

Yeomans, Brian; Saaj, Chakravathini M

2014-03-01

Deployment of a small legged vehicle to extend the reach of future planetary exploration missions is an attractive possibility but little is known about the behaviour of a walking rover on deformable planetary terrain. This paper applies ideas from the developing study of granular materials together with a detailed characterization of the sinkage process to propose and validate a combined model of terrain interaction based on an understanding of the physics and micro mechanics at the granular level. Whilst the model reflects the complexity of interactions expected from a walking rover, common themes emerge which enable the model to be streamlined to the extent that a simple mathematical representation is possible without resorting to numerical methods. Bespoke testing and analysis tools are described which reveal some unexpected conclusions and point the way towards intelligent control and foot geometry techniques to improve thrust generation.

Heuristic and optimal policy computations in the human brain during sequential decision-making.

PubMed

Korn, Christoph W; Bach, Dominik R

2018-01-23

Optimal decisions across extended time horizons require value calculations over multiple probabilistic future states. Humans may circumvent such complex computations by resorting to easy-to-compute heuristics that approximate optimal solutions. To probe the potential interplay between heuristic and optimal computations, we develop a novel sequential decision-making task, framed as virtual foraging in which participants have to avoid virtual starvation. Rewards depend only on final outcomes over five-trial blocks, necessitating planning over five sequential decisions and probabilistic outcomes. Here, we report model comparisons demonstrating that participants primarily rely on the best available heuristic but also use the normatively optimal policy. FMRI signals in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) relate to heuristic and optimal policies and associated choice uncertainties. Crucially, reaction times and dorsal MPFC activity scale with discrepancies between heuristic and optimal policies. Thus, sequential decision-making in humans may emerge from integration between heuristic and optimal policies, implemented by controllers in MPFC.

One-Dimensional Chirality: Strong Optical Activity in Epsilon-Near-Zero Metamaterials.

PubMed

Rizza, Carlo; Di Falco, Andrea; Scalora, Michael; Ciattoni, Alessandro

2015-07-31

We suggest that electromagnetic chirality, generally displayed by 3D or 2D complex chiral structures, can occur in 1D patterned composites whose components are achiral. This feature is highly unexpected in a 1D system which is geometrically achiral since its mirror image can always be superposed onto it by a 180 deg rotation. We analytically evaluate from first principles the bianisotropic response of multilayered metamaterials and we show that the chiral tensor is not vanishing if the system is geometrically one-dimensional chiral; i.e., its mirror image cannot be superposed onto it by using translations without resorting to rotations. As a signature of 1D chirality, we show that 1D chiral metamaterials support optical activity and we prove that this phenomenon undergoes a dramatic nonresonant enhancement in the epsilon-near-zero regime where the magnetoelectric coupling can become dominant in the constitutive relations.

A RESTful image gateway for multiple medical image repositories.

PubMed

Valente, Frederico; Viana-Ferreira, Carlos; Costa, Carlos; Oliveira, José Luis

2012-05-01

Mobile technologies are increasingly important components in telemedicine systems and are becoming powerful decision support tools. Universal access to data may already be achieved by resorting to the latest generation of tablet devices and smartphones. However, the protocols employed for communicating with image repositories are not suited to exchange data with mobile devices. In this paper, we present an extensible approach to solving the problem of querying and delivering data in a format that is suitable for the bandwidth and graphic capacities of mobile devices. We describe a three-tiered component-based gateway that acts as an intermediary between medical applications and a number of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS). The interface with the gateway is accomplished using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests following a Representational State Transfer (REST) methodology, which relieves developers from dealing with complex medical imaging protocols and allows the processing of data on the server side.

[Modern methods of balneotherapy of digestive pathology at the Caucasian Mineral Waters spa-and-resort complex].

PubMed

Kaĭsinova, A S; Efimenko, N V; Babiakin, A F; Grinzaĭd, Iu M; Osipov, Iu S

2010-01-01

Scientists of Pyatigorsky State Research Institute of Balneotherapeutics are actively engaged in developing new medical technologies for rehabilitative treatment of patients with a variety of pathological conditions based on the current knowledge about mechanisms of action of natural therapeutic factors. Most of these original methods are included in the State Inventory of novel medical technologies by the Federal Supervisory Health and Social Development Service. The proposed medical technologies based on the application of natural and man-made physical factors improved general effect of balneotherapy by 15-20% and accelerated recovery from the disease. Specifically, the length of post-treatment remission increased to 7-12 months and duration of temporary disability decreased 2.5-3 times. Sick list payouts and economic expenditures of the state and the patients for medicinal preparations were reduced 3-4-fold while the quality of life and clinical prognosis significantly improved.

Network analysis of online bidding activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, I.; Oh, E.; Kahng, B.

2006-07-01

With the advent of digital media, people are increasingly resorting to online channels for commercial transactions. The online auction is a prototypical example. In such online transactions, the pattern of bidding activity is more complex than traditional offline transactions; this is because the number of bidders participating in a given transaction is not bounded and the bidders can also easily respond to the bidding instantaneously. By using the recently developed network theory, we study the interaction patterns between bidders (items) who (that) are connected when they bid for the same item (if the item is bid by the same bidder). The resulting network is analyzed by using the hierarchical clustering algorithm, which is used for clustering analysis for expression data from DNA microarrays. A dendrogram is constructed for the item subcategories; this dendrogram is compared to a traditional classification scheme. The implication of the difference between the two is discussed.

The influence of institutionalization on the perception of autonomy and quality of life in old people.

PubMed

Cobo, Carmen María Sarabia

2014-12-01

To evaluate the influence exercised by institutionalization on the autonomy and perception of quality of life among the institutionalized elderly. The study is quasi-experimental (interrupted time series) and longitudinal. The sample is composed for 104 elderly people who went into a three nursing home in Santander, Spain. To assess the quality of life and dependence two scales were used: the Barthel Index and Lawton Index. There was an important relationship between autonomy and independence and their deterioration due to their institutionalisation, such as the physical and social aspects. It´s important to point out that the dependence of the elderly is a complex phenomenon, which admits many types of intervention, including the customary ones referring to more classic welfare actions which tend to supplant the absence of autonomy in everyday life by facilitating services and attention to make up for this need, without having to resort to institutionalization.

Predicting perceptual quality of images in realistic scenario using deep filter banks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Weixia; Yan, Jia; Hu, Shiyong; Ma, Yang; Deng, Dexiang

2018-03-01

Classical image perceptual quality assessment models usually resort to natural scene statistic methods, which are based on an assumption that certain reliable statistical regularities hold on undistorted images and will be corrupted by introduced distortions. However, these models usually fail to accurately predict degradation severity of images in realistic scenarios since complex, multiple, and interactive authentic distortions usually appear on them. We propose a quality prediction model based on convolutional neural network. Quality-aware features extracted from filter banks of multiple convolutional layers are aggregated into the image representation. Furthermore, an easy-to-implement and effective feature selection strategy is used to further refine the image representation and finally a linear support vector regression model is trained to map image representation into images' subjective perceptual quality scores. The experimental results on benchmark databases present the effectiveness and generalizability of the proposed model.

New Communitarianism Movements and Complex Utopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akdeniz, K. Gediz

Simulation is a rapidly growing field in social sciences. Simulation theories in social sciences are considered to critique social dynamics and societies which are mostly simulated by media, cinema, TV, internet, etc. Recently we (Akdeniz KG, Disorder in complex human system. In: Fritzsch H, Phua KK (eds) Singapore: proceedings of the conference in Honour of Murray Gell-Mann's 80th birthday quantum mechanics, elementary particles, quantum cosmology and complexity. World Scientific Publishing, Hackensack, pp 630-637, 2009) purposed a simulation theory as a critique theory to investigate disordered human behaviors. In this theory, "Disorder-Sensitive Human Behaviors (DSHB) Simulation Theory", chaotic awareness is also considered as a reality principle in simulation world to complete Baudrillard Simulation Theory (Baudrillard J, Simulacra and simulation. University of Michigan Press, Michigan, 1995). We call the emergence of this reality as zuhur which is different than simulacra. More recently we proposed the complex utopia (Akdeniz KG, From Simulacra to Zuhur in Complex Utopia. 11th International Conference of the Utopian Studies Society, Lublin, 2010; Akdeniz KG, The new identities of the physicist: cyborg-physicist and post-physicist. In: Proceedings of the conference of world international conference of technology and education, Beirut, 2010) to critique the complex societies and communities in simulation world. The challenging agents in the complex utopia are both simulacra and zuhur. In this paper we would like to review "What is the complex utopia?" And we shall critique some global events in framework of complex utopia with particular examples in socio-economic and political contexts.

Food for Thought: Cross-Classification and Category Organization in a Complex Real-World Domain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Brian H.; Murphy, Gregory L.

1999-01-01

Seven studies involving 256 undergraduates examined how people represent, access, and make inferences about the real-world category domain, foods. Results give a detailed picture of the use of cross-classification in a complex domain. (SLD)

Correction methods of medicinal properties of mineral waters in Pyatigorsk resort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reps, Valentina; Potapov, Evgeniy; Abramtsova, Anna; Kotova, Margarita

2016-04-01

Mineral Water (MW) of Pyatigorsk deposit (PD) is united in five genetic groups (operational stocks of 2809,8 m3/day): carbonic and hydrosulphuric, carbonic, carbonic chloride-hydrocarbonate sodium (salt and alkaline), radonic low carbonate, nitrogen-carbonic terms. A variety of MW types is explained by peculiarities of geological structure and hydrogeological conditions of PD. Here on the sites of the development of deep semi-ring splits there are overflows and a mixture of various complexes. Unloading of deep water strikes happens not only on the earth surface in the form of springs but also at the depth in its edging crumbling rocks of Palaeocene and quarternary deposits. As a result of mixture processes of water and its subsequent metamorphization, various types of mineral water of this deposit are formed. Pyatigorsk resort is in a special protected ecologo-resort region which mode allows to keep stability of structure and ecological purity of MW. Nevertheless, MW variability, compositional differences and MW mineralization determining the level of its biological effect demand studying of action mechanisms of both natural MW, and possibility of its modification for range expansion of rehabilitation action. There have been examined biological effects of the course drinking reception In experiment on 80 rats males of the Wistar line biological effects of the course drinking reception of two MW types: "Krasnoarmeyskaya new" (MW1) of sulphate-hydrocarbonate-chloride calcium-sodium structure with the raised contents of iron (3-5 mg/dm3), mineralization of 5,0-5,2 g/dm3, CO2 of 1,3-2,2 g/dm3, daily flow of 10-86 m3/day, temperature from 14 to 370C on the mouth of the well and spring №2 (MW2) low sulphate, low carbonate sulphate-hydrocarbonate-chloride calcium-sodium, mineralization of 5,0 g/l, CO2 of 0,7 g/dm3, H2 of S 0,01 g/dm3. There has been shown an ability of the drinking course MW1 to influence on endocrine and metabolic continium - cortisol level increased by 1,86 times at simultaneous decrease in ACTH in 47% in comparison with the control. The decrease in lipid peroxidation intensity in 21,7% due to the change of antioxidant system capacity (ASC) - level glutathione peroxidases (GPO) with 50% of animals higher than 7 ng/l, in control group 0,7 ng/l-6,9ng/l was also noted. Modification of MW1 by selenium nanoparticles in a dosage of 20 and 40 mkg/kg led to the increase of GPO level with 75% of animals. The preventive course of MW1 with oil extract from Tambukan mud before the reproduction of the sharp model of toxic liver involvement CCL4 promoted the decrease in blood serum of the level of damage markers of plasmatic membranes of an alaninaminotransferaza (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase for 9% and 19,6% respectively. So at simultaneous decrease in cholesterol level (for 13,5%) and triglycerides (for 57,1%) in comparison with the control (pathological model). Medical courses of drinking reception of MW1 and MW2 promoted the increase of stability of cellular membranes - ALT level was noted at 17-22% below control (pathological model). Conclusions: The course reception of natural and modified drinking mineral waters of Pyatigorsk resort increases nonspecific resistance of an organism to the action of toxic factors.

Measuring the Impact of the Home Health Nursing Shortage on Family Caregivers of Children Receiving Palliative Care.

PubMed

Weaver, Meaghann S; Wichman, Brittany; Bace, Sue; Schroeder, Denice; Vail, Catherine; Wichman, Chris; Macfadyen, Andrew

2018-06-01

The national nursing shortage translates into a gap in home nursing care available to children with complex, chronic medical conditions and their family caregivers receiving palliative care consultations. A total of 38 home health nursing surveys were completed by families receiving pediatric palliative care consultation services at a freestanding children's hospital in the Midwest. The gap in the average number of nursing hours allotted versus received was 40 h/wk per family, primarily during evening hours. Parents missed an average of 23 hours of employment per week to provide hands-on nursing care at home, ranking stress regarding personal employment due to nursing shortage at 6.2/10. Families invested an average of 10 h/mo searching for additional nursing coverage and often resorted to utilizing more than 6 different home nurse coverage personnel per month. Families reported multiple delays to hospital discharges (mean, 15 days per delay) due to inability to find home nursing coverage. Respiratory technology and lack of Medicaid coverage ( P < .02) correlated with the gap in home nursing access. This study examines how the pediatric home nursing shortage translates into a lived experience for families with children with complex medical conditions receiving palliative care.

Automatic differential analysis of NMR experiments in complex samples.

PubMed

Margueritte, Laure; Markov, Petar; Chiron, Lionel; Starck, Jean-Philippe; Vonthron-Sénécheau, Catherine; Bourjot, Mélanie; Delsuc, Marc-André

2018-06-01

Liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful tool for the analysis of complex mixtures of unknown molecules. This capacity has been used in many analytical approaches: metabolomics, identification of active compounds in natural extracts, and characterization of species, and such studies require the acquisition of many diverse NMR measurements on series of samples. Although acquisition can easily be performed automatically, the number of NMR experiments involved in these studies increases very rapidly, and this data avalanche requires to resort to automatic processing and analysis. We present here a program that allows the autonomous, unsupervised processing of a large corpus of 1D, 2D, and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy experiments from a series of samples acquired in different conditions. The program provides all the signal processing steps, as well as peak-picking and bucketing of 1D and 2D spectra, the program and its components are fully available. In an experiment mimicking the search of a bioactive species in a natural extract, we use it for the automatic detection of small amounts of artemisinin added to a series of plant extracts and for the generation of the spectral fingerprint of this molecule. This program called Plasmodesma is a novel tool that should be useful to decipher complex mixtures, particularly in the discovery of biologically active natural products from plants extracts but can also in drug discovery or metabolomics studies. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Creative Test Generators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vickers, F. D.

1973-01-01

A brief description of a test generating program which generates questions concerning the Fortran programming language in a random but guided fashion and without resorting to an item bank.'' (Author/AK)

Las Vegas

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-22

This image of Las Vegas, NV was acquired on August, 2000 and covers an area 42 km (25 miles) wide and 30 km (18 miles) long. The image displays three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region, with a spatial resolution of 15 m. McCarran International Airport to the south and Nellis Air Force Base to the NE are the two major airports visible. Golf courses appear as bright red areas of worms. The first settlement in Las Vegas (which is Spanish for The Meadows) was recorded back in the early 1850s when the Mormon church, headed by Brigham Young, sent a mission of 30 men to construct a fort and teach agriculture to the Indians. Las Vegas became a city in 1905 when the railroad announced this city was to be a major division point. Prior to legalized gambling in 1931, Las Vegas was developing as an agricultural area. Las Vegas' fame as a resort area became prominent after World War II. The image is located at 36.1 degrees north latitude and 115.1 degrees west longitude. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11096

[Current situation with abortion in Colombia: between illegality and reality].

PubMed

González Vélez, Ana Cristina

2005-01-01

This article discusses the illegality of abortion in Colombia, situating this country within the 0.4% of the world population where abortion is completely banned. Absolute criminalization of abortion turns it into a public health matter and produces social inequality. The Colombian legislation has always disregarded women as individuals and as persons in full possession of their legal rights. In contrast to a comprehensive conceptualization of sexual and reproductive rights, the various abortion bills merely refer either to "morally unacceptable" situations such as pregnancy resulting from rape or to therapeutic motives. Contradictions between illegality and reality give rise to a public discourse that features rejection of abortion practices, in keeping with the prevailing stance of the ecclesiastic hierarchy, while in practice, and at the private level, people resort to voluntary interruption of pregnancy under conditions of safety and confidentiality, at least for women from the higher socioeconomic strata. This situation not only causes social inequality but also reflects how laws lose meaning and create the collective impression of being useless or unnecessary, thus undermining the state's governing role.

Thermal tolerances of reef corals in the Gulf: a review of the potential for increasing coral survival and adaptation to climate change through assisted translocation.

PubMed

Coles, Steve L; Riegl, Bernhard M

2013-07-30

Corals in the Gulf withstand summer temperatures up to 10 °C higher than corals elsewhere and have recovered from extreme temperature events in 10 years or less. This heat-tolerance of Gulf corals has positive implications for the world's coral populations to adapt to increasing water temperatures. However, survival of Gulf corals has been severely tested by 35-37 °C temperatures five times in the last 15 years, each time causing extensive coral bleaching and mortality. Anticipated future temperature increases may therefore challenge survival of already highly stressed Gulf corals. Previously proposed translocation of Gulf corals to introduce temperature-adapted corals outside of the Gulf is assessed and determined to be problematical, and to be considered a tool of last resort. Coral culture and transplantation within the Gulf is feasible for helping maintain coral species populations and preserving genomes and adaptive capacities of Gulf corals that are endangered by future thermal stress events. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behavior improvement: a two-track program for the correction of employee problems.

PubMed

McConnell, C R

1993-03-01

In the best of all possible working worlds no one would ever have to be involuntarily terminated from employment. Whether a punitive discharge for a severe violation of a word rule, or a gentle dismissal for failure to meet job standards, termination is one of the most difficult tasks a supervisor ever has to perform. However, it is the effect on the employee that should dominate the supervisor's thoughts and actions, not the personal uneasiness with which the supervisor greets the task. It is because of the impact on the employee that the supervisor has a responsibility to do everything reasonably possible to ensure the employee's success before resorting to dismissal or discharge. Adopting this sort of caring attitude toward employees is not easy; most of our management role models of past years were raised on authoritarianism. As a result there is in many supervisors a tendency to simply weed out the troublesome employee and start again with someone new. However, any supervisor can fire, but it is the exceptional supervisor who can salvage an employee and turn a source of problems into an effective producer.

Fluid Mechanics in Sommerfeld's School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckert, Michael

2015-01-01

Sommerfeld's affiliation with fluid mechanics started when he began his career as an assistant of the mathematician Felix Klein at Göttingen. He always regarded fluid mechanics as a particular challenge. In 1904, he published a theory of hydrodynamic lubrication. Four years later, he conceived an approach for the analysis of flow instability (the Orr-Sommerfeld approach) as an attempt to account for the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The onset of turbulence also became a major challenge for some of his pupils, in particular Ludwig Hopf and Fritz Noether. Both contributed considerably to elaborate the Orr-Sommerfeld theory. Heisenberg's doctoral work was another attempt in this quest. When Sommerfeld published his lectures on theoretical physics during World War II, he dedicated one of the six volumes to the mechanics of continuous media. With chapters on boundary layer theory and turbulence, it exceeded the scope of contemporary theoretical physics—revealing Sommerfeld's persistent appreciation of fluid mechanics. He resorted to Prandtl's Göttingen school of fluid mechanics in order to stay abreast of the rapid development of these specialties.

A simple model clarifies the complicated relationships of complex networks

PubMed Central

Zheng, Bojin; Wu, Hongrun; Kuang, Li; Qin, Jun; Du, Wenhua; Wang, Jianmin; Li, Deyi

2014-01-01

Real-world networks such as the Internet and WWW have many common traits. Until now, hundreds of models were proposed to characterize these traits for understanding the networks. Because different models used very different mechanisms, it is widely believed that these traits origin from different causes. However, we find that a simple model based on optimisation can produce many traits, including scale-free, small-world, ultra small-world, Delta-distribution, compact, fractal, regular and random networks. Moreover, by revising the proposed model, the community-structure networks are generated. By this model and the revised versions, the complicated relationships of complex networks are illustrated. The model brings a new universal perspective to the understanding of complex networks and provide a universal method to model complex networks from the viewpoint of optimisation. PMID:25160506

Cultural Diffusion Was the Main Driving Mechanism of the Neolithic Transition in Southern Africa

PubMed Central

Jerardino, Antonieta; Fort, Joaquim; Isern, Neus; Rondelli, Bernardo

2014-01-01

It is well known that the Neolithic transition spread across Europe at a speed of about 1 km/yr. This result has been previously interpreted as a range expansion of the Neolithic driven mainly by demic diffusion (whereas cultural diffusion played a secondary role). However, a long-standing problem is whether this value (1 km/yr) and its interpretation (mainly demic diffusion) are characteristic only of Europe or universal (i.e. intrinsic features of Neolithic transitions all over the world). So far Neolithic spread rates outside Europe have been barely measured, and Neolithic spread rates substantially faster than 1 km/yr have not been previously reported. Here we show that the transition from hunting and gathering into herding in southern Africa spread at a rate of about 2.4 km/yr, i.e. about twice faster than the European Neolithic transition. Thus the value 1 km/yr is not a universal feature of Neolithic transitions in the world. Resorting to a recent demic-cultural wave-of-advance model, we also find that the main mechanism at work in the southern African Neolithic spread was cultural diffusion (whereas demic diffusion played a secondary role). This is in sharp contrast to the European Neolithic. Our results further suggest that Neolithic spread rates could be mainly driven by cultural diffusion in cases where the final state of this transition is herding/pastoralism (such as in southern Africa) rather than farming and stockbreeding (as in Europe). PMID:25517968

The culture of peace and peace education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Năstase, Adrian

1983-09-01

In the present world situation, there is an urgent need for new strategies of peace based on the common fundamental interest of mankind, rejecting the use of force, and aimed at creating a new world order. Recognising the close interrelationship between culture and peace, and the extension of international interdependencies in reducing economic disparities, emphasis must be given to developing positive attitudes to peace in the minds of all men: a qualitative change in thinking has to occur before international security can be ensured without resort to military alliances and nuclear deterrence. The dangers inherent in the arms race require that education for disarmament be an integral part of peace education. Likewise, the connections between peace and other international objectives such as development and human rights, need to be stressed. Peace education should lead not only to a greater awareness of problems but also to a sense of responsibility and an active involvement in efforts towards promoting equal rights, economic and social development, and mutual respect and understanding among nations. The power of informed public opinion, internationally, in influencing governments towards peace and disarmament should not be underestimated; therefore, greater attention in peace education needs to be given to identifying and overcoming the structural, conceptual and cultural obstacles to peace. What is being undertaken in Romania, especially amongst young people, by way of education and action for peace, reflects a coherent policy, comprises a powerful and effective educational whole, and is contributing towards the building up of an international `constituency' of peace and disarmament.

Vision and lack of vision in the ocean.

PubMed

Marshall, Justin

2017-06-05

As land-locked animals, when we visualise the ocean our mind's eye may see crashing waves or a vast blue expanse stretching to the horizon, a raft of torpedoing penguins, a glimpse of colourful coral reef fish from the shark-free safety of a sandy beach. Underwater, the crystal-clear, and in fact not at all silent, world of Jacques Cousteau, or more recently David Attenborough, is a wonderland that some cannot wait to witness first hand as divers, while others are content to see it on a screen. Spend a bit of time underwater, in the English Channel for example, and a few facts emerge. Most obviously, much of this underwater realm is visually very different to land and indeed to the cherry-picked clear waters of documentaries. It may be disappointingly murky and monochromatic. Perhaps surprisingly, therefore, on close inspection the diversity of eye designs and light sensing mechanisms that evolved in the ocean are more varied than on land, reflecting the greater range of light environments and lifestyles of the marine world. Particularly in the last ten years, the destructive influence we are having on the oceans has become visibly obvious, not just to fisheries biologists and ecologists, but to anyone returning to a favourite dive spot or reef resort. Climate change, as a result of burning fossil fuels, human greed and carelessness with plastic disposal, are rapidly degrading entire oceanic ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gastroenteritis outbreak caused by waterborne norovirus at a New Zealand ski resort.

PubMed

Hewitt, Joanne; Bell, Derek; Simmons, Greg C; Rivera-Aban, Malet; Wolf, Sandro; Greening, Gail E

2007-12-01

In July 2006, public health services investigated an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis among staff and visitors of a popular ski resort in southern New Zealand. The source of the outbreak was a drinking water supply contaminated by human sewage. The virological component of the investigation played a major role in confirming the source of the outbreak. Drinking water, source stream water, and 31 fecal specimens from gastroenteritis outbreak cases were analyzed for the presence of norovirus (NoV). Water samples were concentrated by ultrafiltration, and real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was used for rapid detection of NoV from both water and fecal samples. The implicated NoV strain was further characterized by DNA sequencing. NoV genogroup GI/5 was identified in water samples and linked case fecal specimens, providing clear evidence of the predominant pathogen and route of exposure. A retrospective cohort study demonstrated that staff who consumed drinking water from the resort supply were twice as likely to have gastroenteritis than those who did not. This is the first time that an outbreak of gastroenteritis in New Zealand has been conclusively linked to NoV detected in a community water supply. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of ultrafiltration combined with quantitative real-time RT-PCR and DNA sequencing for investigation of a waterborne NoV outbreak.

Upper limb training using Wii Sports Resort for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: a randomized, single-blind trial.

PubMed

Chiu, Hsiu-Ching; Ada, Louise; Lee, Hsin-Min

2014-10-01

To investigate whether Wii Sports Resort training is effective and if any benefits are maintained. Randomized, single-blind trial. Sixty-two hemiplegic children with cerebral palsy (6-13 years). Experimental group undertook six weeks of home-based Wii Sports Resort training plus usual therapy, while the control group received usual therapy. Outcomes were coordination, strength, hand function, and carers' perception of hand function, measured at baseline, six, and 12 weeks by a blinded assessor. There was a trend of mean difference (MD) for the experimental group to have more grip strength by six (MD 4.0 N, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.8 to 8.8, p = 0.10) and 12 (MD 4.1 N, 95% CI -2.1 to 10.3, p = 0.19) weeks, and to have a higher quantity of hand function according to carers' perception by six (MD 4.5 N, 95% CI -0.7 to 9.7, p = 0.09) and strengthened by 12 (MD 6.4, 95% CI 0.6 to 12.3, p = 0.03) weeks than the control group. There was no difference between groups in coordination and hand function by six or 12 weeks. Wii training did not improve coordination, strength, or hand function. Beyond the intervention, carers perceived that the children used their hands more. © The Author(s) 2014.

Waterborne Norovirus outbreak at a seaside resort likely originating from municipal water distribution system failure.

PubMed

Giammanco, G M; Bonura, F; Urone, N; Purpari, G; Cuccia, M; Pepe, A; Li Muli, S; Cappa, V; Saglimbene, C; Mandolfo, G; Marino, A; Guercio, A; Di Bartolo, I; De Grazia, S

2018-05-01

In May 2016 a Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreak involved a high school class visiting a seaside resort near Taormina (Mascali, Sicily). Twenty-four students and a teacher were affected and 17 of them showed symptoms on the second day of the journey, while the others got ill within the following 2 days. Symptoms included vomiting, diarrhoea and fever, and 12 students required hospitalisation. Stool samples tested positive for NoV genome by Real-Time polymerase chain reaction assay in all 25 symptomatic subjects. The GII.P2/GII.2 NoV genotype was linked to the outbreak by ORF1/ORF2 sequence analysis. The epidemiological features of the outbreak were consistent with food/waterborne followed by person-to-person and/or vomit transmission. Food consumed at a shared lunch on the first day of the trip was associated to illness and drinking un-bottled tap water was also considered as a risk factor. The analysis of water samples revealed the presence of bacterial indicators of faecal contamination in the water used in the resort as well as in other areas of the municipal water network, linking the NoV gastroenteritis outbreak to tap water pollution from sewage leakage. From a single water sample, an amplicon whose sequence corresponded to the capsid genotype recovered from patients could be obtained.

Inflatable artificial sphincter - series (image)

MedlinePlus

... sphincter dysfunction related to spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis. Most experts advise their patients to try medication and bladder retraining therapy first before resorting to this treatment. Alternatives to ...

The Semiotic Ecology and Linguistic Complexity of an Online Game World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorne, Steven L.; Fischer, Ingrid; Lu, Xiaofei

2012-01-01

Multiplayer online games form complex semiotic ecologies that include game-generated texts, player-to-player communication and collaboration, and associated websites that support in-game play. This article describes an exploratory study of the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) "World of Warcraft" ("WoW"), with specific…

A Digital Ecosystems Model of Assessment Feedback on Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Stephen; Andersson, Holger; Park, Julian; Maw, Stephen; Crook, Anne; Orsmond, Paul

2013-01-01

The term ecosystem has been used to describe complex interactions between living organisms and the physical world. The principles underlying ecosystems can also be applied to complex human interactions in the digital world. As internet technologies make an increasing contribution to teaching and learning practice in higher education, the…

Investigation of sudden death from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a foreign-born worker at a resort hotel.

PubMed

Grabau, John C; Hughes, Stephen E; Rodriguez, Edwin M; Sommer, Jamie N; Troy, Eleanor T

2004-01-01

A 60 year-old man born in Central America died suddenly in the hallway of his residence on the grounds of a resort hotel where he worked as a dishwasher. The dishwashing station was in a large, poorly ventilated area where a substantial number of food service workers (cooks, wait staff, bus persons, dishwashers, supervisors, etc.) shared air space with the index patient. Several social contacts of the patient reported that he had been coughing for many months before his death. The County Department Of Health conducted a contact investigation, which identified 171 individuals in need of follow-up. Thirty-six percent of those tested in the first round were tuberculin skin test-positive; a second round of testing yielded a 15% (8 of 52) conversion rate.

Cancun, Mexico

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-11-02

This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows Cancun, a resort city on the east side of Mexico Yucatan Peninsula. In 1970, the population was 120 people. The city began as a tourism project in 1974. Since then, it has undergone a comprehensive transformation from being a fisherman's island surrounded by virgin forest and undiscovered shores to being one of the two most well-known Mexican resorts, along with Acapulco. In 1990 the city had grown to 167,000 inhabitants, and by 2014 to 723,000 inhabitants. These two images show the area on March 28, 1985, acquired by Landsat; and May 14, 2014, acquired by ASTER. The images cover an area of 25 x 36 km, and are located at 21.1 degrees north, 86.8 degrees west. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20086

[The application of climatic therapy in the health resorts of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus: the current state-of-the-art and the prospects for the further development].

PubMed

Pestereva, N M; Khechumyan, A F; Udovenko, I L; Bekhterev, V N

2016-01-01

The present review summarizes the data published in the domestic and foreign literature concerning the history of climatic therapy, the current concepts of the mechanisms of action of the climatic and weather factors on the human body, the modern therapeutic modalities and technologies for health promotion. We consider not only the achievements but also the problems arising from insufficient knowledge of the impacts of current climate and extreme weather conditions on the state of human health and some disputable issues of the new methods and technologies of climatic therapy. the promising areas of further research and developments pertaining to climatic therapy as practiced under conditions of the Black Sea coast resorts.

Religious construction of a first episode of psychosis in urban Brazil.

PubMed

Redko, Cristina

2003-12-01

Religion plays an important role in the lives of people with psychosis. Based on fieldwork with 21 families living in poor neighborhoods of São Paulo, Brazil, this article examines how youth suffering a first episode of psychosis resort to religion for help (including, Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Candomblé, and Umbanda) and how this frames their experience of psychosis and that of their family members. For young people, the personal articulation of religious idioms and signifiers served to communicate, elaborate and transform their experience of psychosis. Family members resorted to religion as a source of healing, complementary to psychiatric treatment, as well as for personal relief and comfort. For youth, involvement with religion worked in both 'progressive' and 'regressive' ways, to improve and, at times, to diminish functioning and well-being.

Trade-offs between robustness and small-world effect in complex networks

PubMed Central

Peng, Guan-Sheng; Tan, Suo-Yi; Wu, Jun; Holme, Petter

2016-01-01

Robustness and small-world effect are two crucial structural features of complex networks and have attracted increasing attention. However, little is known about the relation between them. Here we demonstrate that, there is a conflicting relation between robustness and small-world effect for a given degree sequence. We suggest that the robustness-oriented optimization will weaken the small-world effect and vice versa. Then, we propose a multi-objective trade-off optimization model and develop a heuristic algorithm to obtain the optimal trade-off topology for robustness and small-world effect. We show that the optimal network topology exhibits a pronounced core-periphery structure and investigate the structural properties of the optimized networks in detail. PMID:27853301

On the break down of reality at superluminal velocities, Quantum entanglement and Singularities (Complex Universe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estakhr, Ahmad Reza

2017-09-01

In the real world nothing can move faster than the speed of light. But what convinces you that our world is all real? I realized that reality break down at superluminal velocities (By studying the physics of tachyonic neutrinos), Quantum entanglement and Singularities of Black Holes, I realized that infact our world is complex and has two parts, one part of the world is real (the part that nothing can move faster than the speed of light) but the other part of the world is imaginary. z = a + ib Einstein was wrong because he thought our world is completely real (Of course he was not alone in this belief almost all physicists believe that our world is completely real) Eventually his false interpretation of reality censored imaginary part of the universe. Einstein's Second Postulate of special theory of relativity was a misleading guide to the true nature of reality. He `expected' the true nature of reality will follow to his (false) postulate, But the true nature of reality is unlike what anyone ever `expected'!. Einstein twist facts to suit his theory of relativity instead of theories to suit facts!. This is a dramatic revisions to our conception of the theory of relativity, Reality is complex but We always perceive its real part.

‘A world of difference’: a qualitative study of medical students’ views on professionalism and the ‘good doctor’

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The importance of professional behaviour has been emphasized in medical school curricula. However, the lack of consensus on what constitutes professionalism poses a challenge to medical educators, who often resort to a negative model of assessment based on the identification of unacceptable behaviour. This paper presents results from a study exploring medical students’ views on professionalism, and reports on students’ constructs of the ‘good’ and the ‘professional’ doctor. Methods Data for this qualitative study were collected through focus groups conducted with medical students from one Western Australian university over a period of four years. Students were recruited through unit coordinators and invited to participate in a focus group. De-identified socio-demographic data were obtained through a brief questionnaire. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and subjected to inductive thematic analysis. Results A total of 49 medical students took part in 13 focus groups. Differences between students’ understandings of the ‘good’ and ‘professional’ doctor were observed. Being competent, a good communicator and a good teacher were the main characteristics of the ‘good’ doctor. Professionalism was strongly associated with the adoption of a professional persona; following a code of practice and professional guidelines, and treating others with respect were also associated with the ‘professional’ doctor. Conclusions Students felt more connected to the notion of the ‘good’ doctor, and perceived professionalism as an external and imposed construct. When both constructs were seen as acting in opposition, students tended to forgo professionalism in favour of becoming a ‘good’ doctor. Results suggest that the teaching of professionalism should incorporate more formal reflection on the complexities of medical practice, allowing students and educators to openly explore and articulate any perceived tensions between what is formally taught and what is being observed in clinical practice. PMID:24725303

Debating complexity in modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunt, Randall J.; Zheng, Chunmiao

1999-01-01

As scientists trying to understand the natural world, how should our effort be apportioned? We know that the natural world is characterized by complex and interrelated processes. Yet do we need to explicitly incorporate these intricacies to perform the tasks we are charged with? In this era of expanding computer power and development of sophisticated preprocessors and postprocessors, are bigger machines making better models? Put another way, do we understand the natural world better now with all these advancements in our simulation ability? Today the public's patience for long-term projects producing indeterminate results is wearing thin. This increases pressure on the investigator to use the appropriate technology efficiently. On the other hand, bringing scientific results into the legal arena opens up a new dimension to the issue: to the layperson, a tool that includes more of the complexity known to exist in the real world is expected to provide the more scientifically valid answer.

Developing Graduate Attributes in an Open Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Michael

2016-01-01

In an increasingly connected world where solving complex problems is not possible by solitary experts, educators and learners need opportunities to develop ways of thinking that allow them to engage with the dynamic and complex situations that arise in the world. The development of graduate attributes has been suggested as one way in which…

Park Forest Middle School STEM Education Fair 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Bill

2010-01-01

Innovations from the United States have often led the world to new discoveries and solutions to complex problems. However, there are alarming indications that the United States is falling behind other countries in the ability to apply science, technology, engineering, and math to complex problems facing our world. In order for the country to…

14 CFR 1203.404 - Handling of unprocessed data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Section 1203.404 Aeronautics and Space NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION SECURITY... resort to security classification to prevent premature release. However, if at any time during the... security classification. ...

14 CFR 1203.404 - Handling of unprocessed data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 1203.404 Aeronautics and Space NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION SECURITY... resort to security classification to prevent premature release. However, if at any time during the... security classification. ...

Traveling with Food Allergies

MedlinePlus

... to know Tips for Traveling with Food Allergies Restaurants and Travel All-Inclusive Resorts See All Resources ... risk of exposure to allergens on the flight. Restaurants and Travel Watch these webinars for expert advice ...

Tsunami hazard mitigation in tourism in the tropical and subtropical coastal areas: a case study in the Ryukyu Islands, southwest of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, T.

2006-12-01

Life and economy (including tourism) in tropical and subtropical coastal areas, such as Okinawa Prefecture (Ryukyu) are highly relying on the sea. The sea has both "gentle" side to give people healing and "dangerous" side to kill people. If we are going to utilise the sea for marine tourism such as constructing resort facilities on the oceanfront, we should know all of the sea, including the both sides of the sea: especially the nature of tsunamis. And also we islanders should issue accurate information about the sea towards outsiders, especially tourists visiting the island. We have already learned a lesson about this issue from the Sumatra tsunami in 2004. However, measures against the tsunami disaster by marine tourism industry are still inadequate in these areas. The goal of tsunami hazard mitigation for those engaged in tourism industry in tropical and subtropical coastal areas should be as follows. (1) Preparedness against tsunamis: "Be aware of the characteristics of tsunamis." "Prepare tsunamis when you feel an earthquake." "Prepare tsunamis when an earthquake takes place somewhere in the world." (2) Maintenance of an exact tsunami hazard map under quantitative analyses of the characteristics of tsunamis: "Flooding areas by tsunami attacks are dependent not only on altitude but also on amplification and inundation due to the seafloor topography near the coast and the onland topographic relief." "Tsunami damage happens repeatedly." (3) Maintenance of a tsunami disaster prevention manual and training after the manual: "Who should do what in case of tsunamis?" "How should the resort hotel employees lead the guests to the safe place?" Such a policy for disaster prevention is discussed in the class of the general education of "Ocean Sciences" in University of the Ryukyus (UR) and summer school for high school students. The students (most of them are from Okinawa Prefecture) consider, discuss and make reports about what to do in case of tsunamis as an islander. Especially, students of Department of Tourism Sciences (DTS) are keen on the discussion and make excellent reports/proposals. Here, the author would also like to introduce some of them in the presentation.

Combining snow depth and innovative skier flow measurements in order to improve snow grooming techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmagnola, Carlo Maria; Albrecht, Stéphane; Hargoaa, Olivier

2017-04-01

In the last decades, ski resort managers have massively improved their snow management practices, in order to adapt their strategies to the inter-annual variability in snow conditions and to the effects of climate change. New real-time informations, such as snow depth measurements carried out on the ski slopes by grooming machines during their daily operations, have become available, allowing high saving, efficiency and optimization gains (reducing for instance the groomer fuel consumption and operation time and the need for machine-made snow production). In order to take a step forward in improving the grooming techniques, it would be necessary to keep into account also the snow erosion by skiers, which depends mostly on the snow surface properties and on the skier attendance. Today, however, most ski resort managers have only a vague idea of the evolution of the skier flows on each slope during the winter season. In this context, we have developed a new sensor (named Skiflux) able to measure the skier attendance using an infrared beam crossing the slopes. Ten Skiflux sensors have been deployed during the 2016/17 winter season at Val Thorens ski area (French Alps), covering a whole sector of the resort. A dedicated software showing the number of skier passages in real time as been developed as well. Combining this new Skiflux dataset with the snow depth measurements from grooming machines (Snowsat System) and the snow and meteorological conditions measured in-situ (Liberty System from Technoalpin), we were able to create a "real-time skiability index" accounting for the quality of the surface snow and its evolution during the day. Moreover, this new framework allowed us to improve the preparation of ski slopes, suggesting new strategies for adapting the grooming working schedule to the snow quality and the skier attendance. In the near future, this work will benefit from the advances made within the H2020 PROSNOW project ("Provision of a prediction system allowing for management and optimization of snow in Alpine ski resorts"), which has been funded for the period 2017-2020.

Protecting Resort Cities from Discrimination Act of 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Mitchell, Harry E. [D-AZ-5

2009-10-06

House - 10/23/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

[Problems of work world and its impact on health. Current financial crisis].

PubMed

Tomasina, Fernando

2012-06-01

Health and work are complex processes. Besides, they are multiple considering the forms they take. These two processes are linked to each other and they are influenced by each other. According to this, it is possible to establish that work world is extremely complex and heterogeneous. In this world, "old" or traditional risks coexist with "modern risks", derived from the new models of work organization and the incorporation of new technologies. Unemployment, work relationships precariousness and work risks outsourcing are results of neoliberal strategies. Some negative results of health-sickness process derived from transformation in work world and current global economic crisis have been noticed in current work conditions. Finally, the need for reconstructing policies focusing on this situation derived from work world is suggested.

Investigating the Preservice Primary School, Mathematics and Science Teachers' STEM Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakirci, Hasan; Karisan, Dilek

2018-01-01

Today's life requires individuals to be prepared for complex world environment, to make complex decisions, and to have critical thinking skills related to everyday life issues at hand. STEM education is thought to be the glorious solution to thrive in a global knowledge driven world. Teachers are key elements for successful STEM education. Present…

49 CFR 24.404 - Replacement housing of last resort.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... housing. Agencies shall have broad latitude in implementing this subpart, but implementation shall be for... or lease to, or exchange with a displaced person. (vii) The removal of barriers for persons with...

39 CFR 777.27 - Last resort housing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Housing. The Postal Service has broad latitude in implementing this section, but implementation must be on... barriers to the handicapped. (8) Any other method determined by the Postal Service to be reasonable. (d...

NASA Spacecraft Images Texas Wildfire

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-05-15

The Livermore and Spring Ranch fires near the Davis Mountain Resort, Texas, burned 13,000 and 11,000 acres respectively. When NASA Terra spacecraft acquired this image on May 12, 2012, both fires had been contained.

Abortions: A National Dilemma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulsen, James A.

1973-01-01

Discusses general attitudes towards unwanted pregnancies and abortions, the methods that students have resorted to in order to abort themselves, and the mental state of college women, who become pregnant with children they don't want. (RK)

Bioclimatological rating of cities and resorts in South Africa according to the Climate Index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, S.

2000-10-01

The climatic conditions of 31 cities and resorts in South Africa have been examined with regard to the thermal perception of people. The evaluation of the thermal conditions is based on the human energy balance calculations, which have been specified for the detection of hot or cold discomfort of people walking outdoors in spite of adapted clothing. Hot days and cold days are defined depending on the extent and duration of thermal discomfort. Cities are rated according to the Climate Index (CI), which is defined in terms of the monthly frequency of hot or cold days. The most pleasant conditions in the annual average can be found along the coastal belt (Port St. Johns, Richards Bay, St. Lucia), the most unpleasant ones in the mediterranean region around Cape Town, the Karoo and the eastern lowveld.

[FEATURES OF THE ORGANIZATION OF SANITARY-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE DURING THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION AND HOSTING OF THE XXII OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES AND XI PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES IN THE RESORT CITY OF SOCHI IN 2014].

PubMed

Onishchenko, G G; Popova, A Iu; Kuzkin, B P; Guskova, A S; Ivanov, G E; Pakskina, N D; Klindukhov, V P; Nikolaevich, P N; Grechanaia, T V; Balaeva, M I; Biriukov, V A; Bozhko, I I; Tesheva, S Ch; Daragan, Iu G; Parkhomenko, V V; Rafeenko, G K; Kulichenko, A N; Manin, E A; Maletskaia, O V; Vasilenko, N F; Efremenko, D V; Orobeĭ, V G; Eldinova, V E; Pilikova, O M; Malaĭ, V I; Iunicheva, Iu V

2015-01-01

In the paper there are presented the basic principles of the organization of activities for the assurance ofthe sanitary- epidemiological welfare in the period ofpreparation and hosting of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in the Resort City of Sochi. There are considered features of the organization ofepidemiological surveillance in the pre-Olympic period, the period of the games and the state of the morbidity rate in the region after the Olympics. There are presented data on certain directions of the work of organs and institutions of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare on the disease control of the event.

Terrain Park Injuries

PubMed Central

Moffat, Craig; McIntosh, Scott; Bringhurst, Jade; Danenhauer, Karen; Gilmore, Nathan; Hopkins, Christy L.

2009-01-01

Background: This study examined demographics, injury pattern, and hospital outcome in patients injured in winter resort terrain parks. Methods: The study included patients ≥12 years of age who presented to a regional trauma center with an acute injury sustained at a winter resort. Emergency department (ED) research assistants collected patient injury and helmet use information using a prospectively designed questionnaire. ED and hospital data were obtained from trauma registry and hospital records. Results: Seventy-two patients were injured in a terrain park, and 263 patients were injured on non-terrain park slopes. Patients injured in terrain parks were more likely to be male [68/72 (94%) vs. 176/263 (67%), p<0.0001], younger in age [23 ± 7 vs. 36 ± 17, p<0.0001], live locally [47/72 (65%) vs. 124/263 (47%), p=0.006], use a snowboard [50/72 (69%) vs. 91/263 (35%), p<0.0001], hold a season pass [46/66 (70%) vs. 98/253 (39%), p<0.0001], and sustain an upper extremity injury [29/72 (40%) vs. 52/263 (20%), p<0.001] when compared to patients injured on non-terrain park slopes. There were no differences between the groups in terms of EMS transport to hospital, helmet use, admission rate, hospital length of stay, and patients requiring specialty consultation in the ED. Conclusions: Patients injured in terrain parks represent a unique demographic within winter resort patrons. Injury severity appears to be similar to those patients injured on non-terrain park slopes. PMID:20046245

Confronting the demand and supply of snow seasonal forecasts for ski resorts : the case of French Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubois, Ghislain

2017-04-01

Alpine ski resorts are highly dependent on snow, which availability is characterized by a both a high inter-annual variability and a gradual diminution due to climate change. Due to this dependency to climatic resources, the ski industry is increasingly affected by climate change: higher temperatures limit snow falls, increase melting and limit the possibilities of technical snow making. Therefore, since the seventies, managers drastically improved their practices, both to adapt to climate change and to this inter-annual variability of snow conditions. Through slope preparation and maintenance, snow stock management, artificial snow making, a typical resort can approximately keep the same season duration with 30% less snow. The ski industry became an activity of high technicity The EUPORIAS FP7 (www.euporias.eu) project developed between 2012 and 2016 a deep understanding of the supply and demand conditions for the provision of climate services disseminating seasonal forecasts. In particular, we developed a case study, which allowed conducting several activities for a better understanding of the demand and of the business model of future services applied to the ski industry. The investigations conducted in France inventoried the existing tools and databases, assessed the decision making process and data needs of ski operators, and provided evidences that some discernable skill of seasonal forecasts exist. This case study formed the basis of the recently funded PROSNOW H2020 project. We will present the main results of EUPORIAS project for the ski industry.

SUSTAINABILITY AND COMPLEX SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

The important question in sustainability is not whether the world is sustainable, but whether a humanly acceptable regime of the world is sustainable. World commission on environment and development defines sustainability as ‘development that meets the needs of the present withou...

Advantages of isotopic depletion of proteins for hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments monitored by mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Bou-Assaf, George M; Chamoun, Jean E; Emmett, Mark R; Fajer, Piotr G; Marshall, Alan G

2010-04-15

Solution-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) monitored by mass spectrometry is an excellent tool to study protein-protein interactions and conformational changes in biological systems, especially when traditional methods such as X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance are not feasible. Peak overlap among the dozens of proteolytic fragments (including those from autolysis of the protease) can be severe, due to high protein molecular weight(s) and the broad isotopic distributions due to multiple deuterations of many peptides. In addition, different subunits of a protein complex can yield isomeric proteolytic fragments. Here, we show that depletion of (13)C and/or (15)N for one or more protein subunits of a complex can greatly simplify the mass spectra, increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the depleted fragment ions, and remove ambiguity in assignment of the m/z values to the correct isomeric peptides. Specifically, it becomes possible to monitor the exchange progress for two isobaric fragments originating from two or more different subunits within the complex, without having to resort to tandem mass spectrometry techniques that can lead to deuterium scrambling in the gas phase. Finally, because the isotopic distribution for a small to medium-size peptide is essentially just the monoisotopic species ((12)C(c)(1)H(h)(14)N(n)(16)O(o)(32)S(s)), it is not necessary to deconvolve the natural abundance distribution for each partially deuterated peptide during HDX data reduction.

Peridynamics for failure and residual strength prediction of fiber-reinforced composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colavito, Kyle

Peridynamics is a reformulation of classical continuum mechanics that utilizes integral equations in place of partial differential equations to remove the difficulty in handling discontinuities, such as cracks or interfaces, within a body. Damage is included within the constitutive model; initiation and propagation can occur without resorting to special crack growth criteria necessary in other commonly utilized approaches. Predicting damage and residual strengths of composite materials involves capturing complex, distinct and progressive failure modes. The peridynamic laminate theory correctly predicts the load redistribution in general laminate layups in the presence of complex failure modes through the use of multiple interaction types. This study presents two approaches to obtain the critical peridynamic failure parameters necessary to capture the residual strength of a composite structure. The validity of both approaches is first demonstrated by considering the residual strength of isotropic materials. The peridynamic theory is used to predict the crack growth and final failure load in both a diagonally loaded square plate with a center crack, as well as a four-point shear specimen subjected to asymmetric loading. This study also establishes the validity of each approach by considering composite laminate specimens in which each failure mode is isolated. Finally, the failure loads and final failure modes are predicted in a laminate with various hole diameters subjected to tensile and compressive loads.

The role of interbasin groundwater transfers in geologically complex terranes, demonstrated by the Great Basin in the western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Stephen T.; Mayo, Alan L.

2014-06-01

In the Great Basin, USA, bedrock interbasin flow is conceptualized as the mechanism by which large groundwater fluxes flow through multiple basins and intervening mountains. Interbasin flow is propounded based on: (1) water budget imbalances, (2) potential differences between basins, (3) stable isotope evidence, and (4) modeling studies. However, water budgets are too imprecise to discern interbasin transfers and potential differences may exist with or without interbasin fluxes. Potentiometric maps are dependent on conceptual underpinnings, leading to possible false inferences regarding interbasin transfers. Isotopic evidence is prone to non-unique interpretation and may be confounded by the effects of climate change. Structural and stratigraphic considerations in a geologically complex region like the Great Basin should produce compartmentalization, where increasing aquifer size increases the odds of segmentation along a given flow path. Initial conceptual hypotheses should explain flow with local recharge and short flow paths. Where bedrock interbasin flow is suspected, it is most likely controlled by diversion of water into the damage zones of normal faults, where fault cores act as barriers. Large-scale bedrock interbasin flow where fluxes must transect multiple basins, ranges, and faults at high angles should be the conceptual model of last resort.

[Thoracic aspergillosis: indications for surgery for a multifaceted disease!].

PubMed

Massard, G

2004-04-01

We reviewed the different clinical forms of thoracic aspergillosis and detailed surgical options. Classical aspergiloma where a tuft of Aspergillus grows in a parenchymal cavity is the most well-known entity. Simple forms (little clinical expression, thin-walled cavity without impact on neighboring tIssue) can be distinguished from complex forms (poor general status, thickened cavity, sequellae). Surgery is the last resort for complex forms, but the procedure is benign for simple forms allowing interruption of the spontaneous evolution. Pleural aspergillosis is a common complication of the excision procedure, whether performed early or at mid-term. Thoracoplasty is often required due to the Volume of parenchyma removed. Surgery can be proposed for acute invasive aspergillosis in two situations: to prevent cataclysmic hemoptysis due to a paravascular lesion, or for resection of sequestered mycotic deposits which could lead to generalized reinfection. Semi-invasive aspergillosis is usually observed in areas of post-radiation fibrosis where the typical aspergillar excavation appears after the initial phase of invasion leading to lobular pneumonia. Thoracoplasty is often the only surgical option. Ulcerated aspergillar tracheobronchitis is observed after (heart)-lung transplantation and raises the risk of characteristic invasive aspergillosis. Finally rare observations of parietal aspergillosis have been treated by surgical resection in combination with systemic antifungal agents. Multidisciplinary consultation is required to establish the most appropriate approach.

Legal Aspects of Confrontation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannon, Thomas A.

1970-01-01

High school principals are obligated to protect the property and students entrusted to their care. As long as any action they take against student dissenters resorting to violence is non-malicious, they need not fear legal repercussions. (CK)

SECONDARY GENERAL MOTORS DIESEL ENGINE WITH CONNECTION TO REDUCTION GEAR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

SECONDARY GENERAL MOTORS DIESEL ENGINE WITH CONNECTION TO REDUCTION GEAR BELT DRIVE SYSTEM, LOOKING SOUTH. - Mad River Glen, Single Chair Ski Lift, 62 Mad River Glen Resort Road, Fayston, Washington County, VT

25 CFR 23.22 - Purpose of tribal government grants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... with the goal of strengthening Indian families and preventing parent-child separations; (3) Family... Indian child from the custody of his or her Indian parent or Indian custodian shall be a last resort...

Protecting Resort Cities from Discrimination Act of 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV

2009-07-29

Senate - 07/29/2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

How I Manage Heel Spur Syndrome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seder, Joseph I.

1987-01-01

This article discusses plantar fascitis and heel spurs, the two contributing causes of heel spur syndrome. Treatment methods, which include rest, anti-inflammatory medication, shoe padding, and, as a last resort, surgery are described. (Author/MT)

76 FR 65208 - Indian Gaming

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-20

... III Gaming on the Warm Springs Reservation (``2005 Compact'' or ``Kah-Nee-Ta compact''), approved on... Reservation from the Tribe's Kah-Nee-Ta Resort facility to a temporary facility on U.S. Highway 26 in the Warm...

Graph theoretical analysis of complex networks in the brain

PubMed Central

Stam, Cornelis J; Reijneveld, Jaap C

2007-01-01

Since the discovery of small-world and scale-free networks the study of complex systems from a network perspective has taken an enormous flight. In recent years many important properties of complex networks have been delineated. In particular, significant progress has been made in understanding the relationship between the structural properties of networks and the nature of dynamics taking place on these networks. For instance, the 'synchronizability' of complex networks of coupled oscillators can be determined by graph spectral analysis. These developments in the theory of complex networks have inspired new applications in the field of neuroscience. Graph analysis has been used in the study of models of neural networks, anatomical connectivity, and functional connectivity based upon fMRI, EEG and MEG. These studies suggest that the human brain can be modelled as a complex network, and may have a small-world structure both at the level of anatomical as well as functional connectivity. This small-world structure is hypothesized to reflect an optimal situation associated with rapid synchronization and information transfer, minimal wiring costs, as well as a balance between local processing and global integration. The topological structure of functional networks is probably restrained by genetic and anatomical factors, but can be modified during tasks. There is also increasing evidence that various types of brain disease such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, brain tumours and epilepsy may be associated with deviations of the functional network topology from the optimal small-world pattern. PMID:17908336

A Phenomenological Study of Urban Search and Rescue Members Who Responded to a Disaster

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerns, Terry L.

2012-01-01

The complicated world of disaster management requires urban search and rescue (US&R) members to be well trained to respond to complex, unpredictable, and difficult to manage disasters anywhere in the world on short notice. Disasters are becoming more complex and difficult to manage as was witnessed by the multi-faceted disaster in Japan in…

Review of the New World Tigava lace bug complex (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae), with the description of two new genera and two new species and a key to genera

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The lace bug (Tingidae) genera belonging to the New World Tigava complex are reviewed. The two new genera and new species Mexicotingis brailovskyi, from Mexico, and Paraceratotingis convergens, from Venezuela, are described. Diagnoses, descriptions, and digital color photographs of the new taxa, d...

Argument Complexity: Teaching Undergraduates to Make Better Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Matthew A.; West, Robert L.

2017-01-01

The task of turning undergrads into academics requires teaching them to reason about the world in a more complex way. We present the Argument Complexity Scale, a tool for analysing the complexity of argumentation, based on the Integrative Complexity and Conceptual Complexity Scales from, respectively, political psychology and personality theory.…

Pattern Formation and Complexity Emergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berezin, Alexander A.

2001-03-01

Success of nonlinear modelling of pattern formation and self-organization encourages speculations on informational and number theoretical foundations of complexity emergence. Pythagorean "unreasonable effectiveness of integers" in natural processes is perhaps extrapolatable even to universal emergence "out-of-nothing" (Leibniz, Wheeler). Because rational numbers (R = M/N) are everywhere dense on real axis, any digital string (hence any "book" from "Library of Babel" of J.L.Borges) is "recorded" infinitely many times in arbitrary many rationals. Furthermore, within any arbitrary small interval there are infinitely many Rs for which (either or both) integers (Ms and Ns) "carry" any given string of any given length. Because any iterational process (such as generation of fractal features of Mandelbrot Set) is arbitrary closely approximatable with rational numbers, the infinite pattern of integers expresses itself in generation of complexity of the world, as well as in emergence of the world itself. This "tunnelling" from Platonic World ("Platonia" of J.Barbour) to a real (physical) world is modern recast of Leibniz's motto ("for deriving all from nothing there suffices a single principle").

[Reflections in our 55th anniversary].

PubMed

Ryder, Elena

2015-03-01

Investigación Clínica has been published uninterruptedly for 55 years and for this reason, the University of Zulia has recognized the work of its editorial team with the imposition of the Order "Jesus Enrique Lossada". Despite some financial and structural problems we are optimistic because our journal has been included in new international indices and it is connected to the scientific world through the contributions from all continents; by the selfless collaboration of hundreds of domestic and foreign referees who respond with great professionalism; and through the visits to our website, from virtually around the world. Reviewing the SCImago statistical analysis, we found that among the Venezuelan medical journals, Investigación Clínica is first in cites per document (2 years) and second in the H index, and compares favorably with prestigious Latin-American journals. It is noteworthy that both in Venezuela and beyond our borders, the submission of topic reviews has increased in detriment of original papers or contributions. It seems that the lack of financial support to research institutes and universities, has led to a decline in experimental projects, at least in the medical field that occupies this journal, so researchers resort to reviews in their respective fields, as a compensation to maintain their productivity. This has caused that the Editorial Board has limited the reception of reviews to keep intact the percentage of published original contributions. Finally, we would like to think that there are no obstacles that can not be overcome to maintain our excellence in publishing Investigación Clínica.

Effort provides its own reward: endeavors reinforce subjective expectation and evaluation of task performance.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Zheng, Jiehui; Meng, Liang

2017-04-01

Although many studies have investigated the relationship between the amount of effort invested in a certain task and one's attitude towards the subsequent reward, whether exerted effort would impact one's expectation and evaluation of performance feedback itself still remains to be examined. In the present study, two types of calculation tasks that varied in the required effort were adopted, and we resorted to electroencephalography to probe the temporal dynamics of how exerted effort would affect one's anticipation and evaluation of performance feedback. In the high-effort condition, a more salient stimulus-preceding negativity was detected during the anticipation stage, which was accompanied with a more salient FRN/P300 complex (a more positive P300 and a less negative feedback-related negativity) in response to positive outcomes in the evaluation stage. These results suggested that when more effort was invested, an enhanced anticipatory attention would be paid toward one's task performance feedback and that positive outcomes would be subjectively valued to a greater extent.

Absorbers in the Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boisvert, Jean-Sébastien; Marchildon, Louis

2013-03-01

The transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, following the time-symmetric formulation of electrodynamics, uses retarded and advanced solutions of the Schrödinger equation and its complex conjugate to understand quantum phenomena by means of transactions. A transaction occurs between an emitter and a specific absorber when the emitter has received advanced waves from all possible absorbers. Advanced causation always raises the specter of paradoxes, and it must be addressed carefully. In particular, different devices involving contingent absorbers or various types of interaction-free measurements have been proposed as threatening the original version of the transactional interpretation. These proposals will be analyzed by examining in each case the configuration of absorbers and, in the special case of the so-called quantum liar experiment, by carefully following the development of retarded and advanced waves through the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We will show that there is no need to resort to the hierarchy of transactions that some have proposed, and will argue that the transactional interpretation is consistent with the block-universe picture of time.

Penalized Nonlinear Least Squares Estimation of Time-Varying Parameters in Ordinary Differential Equations

PubMed Central

Cao, Jiguo; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Wu, Hulin

2012-01-01

Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are widely used in biomedical research and other scientific areas to model complex dynamic systems. It is an important statistical problem to estimate parameters in ODEs from noisy observations. In this article we propose a method for estimating the time-varying coefficients in an ODE. Our method is a variation of the nonlinear least squares where penalized splines are used to model the functional parameters and the ODE solutions are approximated also using splines. We resort to the implicit function theorem to deal with the nonlinear least squares objective function that is only defined implicitly. The proposed penalized nonlinear least squares method is applied to estimate a HIV dynamic model from a real dataset. Monte Carlo simulations show that the new method can provide much more accurate estimates of functional parameters than the existing two-step local polynomial method which relies on estimation of the derivatives of the state function. Supplemental materials for the article are available online. PMID:23155351

Adolescent knowledge, values, and coping strategies: implications for health in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Balmer, D H; Gikundi, E; Billingsley, M C; Kihuho, F G; Kimani, M; Wang'ondu, J; Njoroge, H

1997-07-01

The purposes of this study were to investigate the experiences and knowledge of adolescents living in an urban center in Kenya and to understand how the decisions they make affect their physical and psychological health. A sample of 216 adolescents was drawn and they met weekly in small groups with trained facilitators for a period of 6 months. A research team monitored the developments of the groups and the topics they discussed. The findings were corroborated by the adolescents. It was found that adolescents were primarily concerned with developing a coherent and consistent set of personal values which would govern their behavior. Unfortunately, they could not always achieve those values and they resorted to dysfunctional coping strategies which were injurious to their health. The role of the adolescent in developing countries is complex and poorly defined. In a period of unprecedented change, an urgent and comprehensive review is necessary by all sections of society if the health of this group is to improve.

Characterization of the glaze and in-glaze pigments of the nineteenth-century relief tiles from the Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coutinho, M. L.; Veiga, J. P.; Alves, L. C.; Mirão, J.; Dias, L.; Lima, A. M.; Muralha, V. S.; Macedo, M. F.

2016-07-01

The glaze and in-glaze pigments of the historical nineteenth-century glazed tiles from the Pena National Palace (Sintra, Portugal) were characterized using a multi-analytical approach. Chemical composition and microstructural characterization were ascertained by µ-PIXE, µ-Raman, optical microscopy and VP-SEM-EDS. The manufacturing technique and colour palette in these tiles were found to be close to the ceramic pigments used in traditional majolica. The blue and purple colours derive from cobalt oxide and manganese oxide, respectively. A mixture of Pb-Sn-Sb yellow with cobalt oxide and iron oxide was used for green and dark yellow, respectively, while grey tonalities consist of a complex mixture of cobalt oxide, manganese oxide and Pb-Sn-Sb yellow in different proportions. Results obtained allowed the determination of the oxides and elements used in pigments as well as production techniques, resorting to traditional majolica manufacture, although the tiles were produced by the end of the nineteenth century.

Idioms of distress: alternatives in the expression of psychosocial distress: a case study from South India.

PubMed

Nichter, M

1981-12-01

This paper focuses attention on alternative modes of expressing distress and the need to analyze particular manifestations of distress in relation to personal and cultural meaning complexes as well as the availability and social implications of coexisting idioms of expression. To illustrate this point the case of South Kanarese Havik Brahmin women is presented. These women are described as having a weak social support network and limited opportunities to ventilate feelings and seek counsel outside the household. Alternative means of expressing psychosocial distress resorted to by Havik women are discussed in relation to associated Brahminic values, norms and stereotypes. Somatization is focused upon as an important idiom through which distress is communicated. Idioms of distress more peripheral to the personal or cultural behavioral repertoire of Havik women are considered as adaptive responses in circumstances where other modes of expression fail to communicate distress adequately or provide appropriate coping strategies. The importance of an 'idioms of distress' approach to psychiatric evaluation is noted.

Molecular Events for Promotion of Vancomycin Resistance in Vancomycin Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus

PubMed Central

Hu, Qiwen; Peng, Huagang; Rao, Xiancai

2016-01-01

Vancomycin has been used as the last resort in the clinical treatment of serious Staphylococcus aureus infections. Vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) was discovered almost two decades ago. Aside from the vancomycin-intermediate phenotype, VISA strains from the clinic or laboratory exhibited common characteristics, such as thickened cell walls, reduced autolysis, and attenuated virulence. However, the genetic mechanisms responsible for the reduced vancomycin susceptibility in VISA are varied. The comparative genomics of vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus (VSSA)/VISA pairs showed diverse genetic mutations in VISA; only a small number of these mutations have been experimentally verified. To connect the diversified genotypes and common phenotypes in VISA, we reviewed the genetic alterations in the relative determinants, including mutations in the vraTSR, graSR, walKR, stk1/stp1, rpoB, clpP, and cmk genes. Especially, we analyzed the mechanism through which diverse mutations mediate vancomycin resistance. We propose a unified model that integrates diverse gene functions and complex biochemical processes in VISA upon the action of vancomycin. PMID:27790199

Piloted simulation study of the effects of an automated trim system on flight characteristics of a light twin-engine airplane with one engine inoperative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, E. C.; Brown, P. W.; Yenni, K. R.

1986-01-01

A simulation study was conducted to investigate the piloting problems associated with failure of an engine on a generic light twin-engine airplane. A primary piloting problem for a light twin-engine airplane after an engine failure is maintaining precise control of the airplane in the presence of large steady control forces. To address this problem, a simulated automatic trim system which drives the trim tabs as an open-loop function of propeller slipstream measurements was developed. The simulated automatic trim system was found to greatly increase the controllability in asymmetric powered flight without having to resort to complex control laws or an irreversible control system. However, the trim-tab control rates needed to produce the dramatic increase in controllability may require special design consideration for automatic trim system failures. Limited measurements obtained in full-scale flight tests confirmed the fundamental validity of the proposed control law.

Spare-Part Surgery

PubMed Central

Peng, Yeong Pin; Lahiri, Amitabha

2013-01-01

The authors discuss the use of scavenged tissue for reconstruction of an injured limb, also referred to as “spare-part surgery.” It forms an important part of overall reconstructive strategy. Though some principles can be laid down, there is no “textbook” method for the surgeon to follow. Successful application of this strategy requires understanding of the concept, accurate judgment, and the ability to plan “on-the-spot,” as well as knowledge and skill to improvise composite flaps from nonsalvageable parts. Requirements for limb reconstruction vary from simple solutions such as tissue coverage, which include skin grafts or flaps to more complex planning as in functional reconstruction of the hand, where the functional importance of individual digits as well as the overall prehensile function of the hand needs to be addressed right from the time of primary surgery. The incorporation of the concept of spare-part surgery allows the surgeon to carry out primary reconstruction of the limb without resorting to harvest tissue from other regions of the body. PMID:24872768

Second Law of Thermodynamics Applied to Metabolic Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nigam, R.; Liang, S.

2003-01-01

We present a simple algorithm based on linear programming, that combines Kirchoff's flux and potential laws and applies them to metabolic networks to predict thermodynamically feasible reaction fluxes. These law's represent mass conservation and energy feasibility that are widely used in electrical circuit analysis. Formulating the Kirchoff's potential law around a reaction loop in terms of the null space of the stoichiometric matrix leads to a simple representation of the law of entropy that can be readily incorporated into the traditional flux balance analysis without resorting to non-linear optimization. Our technique is new as it can easily check the fluxes got by applying flux balance analysis for thermodynamic feasibility and modify them if they are infeasible so that they satisfy the law of entropy. We illustrate our method by applying it to the network dealing with the central metabolism of Escherichia coli. Due to its simplicity this algorithm will be useful in studying large scale complex metabolic networks in the cell of different organisms.

Marrying into the European family of nations: national disorder and upset gender roles in post-Communist Romanian film.

PubMed

Georgescu, Diana

2011-01-01

Drawing on recent Romanian films, this article explores the distinctive post-communist concerns with national relocation in the symbolic geography of Europe. The focus on tragic comedies, an increasingly popular genre in Eastern European cinematography, foregrounds the critical usage of irony to express skepticism about the inclusive nature of geopolitical projects such as the European Union by national communities situated at its periphery. While the tragic comedies examined here are successful in challenging official narratives of European belonging, they rely on highly gendered scripts that prove more resilient to ironic reworkings. The movies resort to gendered plots and family tropes, representing Romania’s efforts to receive European recognition as attempts to “marry into” the European Union. The larger thrust of this article is to open complex notions such as “Europe,” “nation,” and “gender,” which are notoriously prone to essentialization, to a deconstructive analysis as systems of differentiation.

Polarization-Sensitive Hyperspectral Imaging in vivo: A Multimode Dermoscope for Skin Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasefi, Fartash; MacKinnon, Nicholas; Saager, Rolf B.; Durkin, Anthony J.; Chave, Robert; Lindsley, Erik H.; Farkas, Daniel L.

2014-05-01

Attempts to understand the changes in the structure and physiology of human skin abnormalities by non-invasive optical imaging are aided by spectroscopic methods that quantify, at the molecular level, variations in tissue oxygenation and melanin distribution. However, current commercial and research systems to map hemoglobin and melanin do not correlate well with pathology for pigmented lesions or darker skin. We developed a multimode dermoscope that combines polarization and hyperspectral imaging with an efficient analytical model to map the distribution of specific skin bio-molecules. This corrects for the melanin-hemoglobin misestimation common to other systems, without resorting to complex and computationally intensive tissue optical models. For this system's proof of concept, human skin measurements on melanocytic nevus, vitiligo, and venous occlusion conditions were performed in volunteers. The resulting molecular distribution maps matched physiological and anatomical expectations, confirming a technologic approach that can be applied to next generation dermoscopes and having biological plausibility that is likely to appeal to dermatologists.

Neural basis of processing threatening voices in a crowded auditory world

PubMed Central

Mothes-Lasch, Martin; Becker, Michael P. I.; Miltner, Wolfgang H. R.

2016-01-01

In real world situations, we typically listen to voice prosody against a background crowded with auditory stimuli. Voices and background can both contain behaviorally relevant features and both can be selectively in the focus of attention. Adequate responses to threat-related voices under such conditions require that the brain unmixes reciprocally masked features depending on variable cognitive resources. It is unknown which brain systems instantiate the extraction of behaviorally relevant prosodic features under varying combinations of prosody valence, auditory background complexity and attentional focus. Here, we used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the effects of high background sound complexity and attentional focus on brain activation to angry and neutral prosody in humans. Results show that prosody effects in mid superior temporal cortex were gated by background complexity but not attention, while prosody effects in the amygdala and anterior superior temporal cortex were gated by attention but not background complexity, suggesting distinct emotional prosody processing limitations in different regions. Crucially, if attention was focused on the highly complex background, the differential processing of emotional prosody was prevented in all brain regions, suggesting that in a distracting, complex auditory world even threatening voices may go unnoticed. PMID:26884543

[The spa and resort-based health-promoting treatment of the vehicle drivers suffering from duodenal ulcer disease: the effectiveness and safety].

PubMed

El'garov, A A; Kalmykova, M A; El'garova, R M; Betuganova, L V; El'garov, M A

2015-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness and the safety of the spa and resort-based health-promoting treatment of the vehicle drivers (VD) presenting with duodenal ulcer disease. A total of 67 men suffering from duodenal ulcer disease (DUD) were allocated to two groups. The patients of group 1 (n = 35) were given the courses of balneotherapy that included bromine-iodine mineral baths with a temperature of 36-37 degrees C (8-9 procedures 10-15 min long each every second day) in combination with 8-9 peloid applications to the epigastric region (temperature 38-40 degrees C for 10-15 min every second day). The patients of group 2 (n = 32) were given the similar courses of therapy that included nitric thermal mineral baths with a temperature of 36-37 degrees C (8-9 procedures 10-15 min long each every second day) in combination with 8-9 peloid applications to the epigastric region (38-40 degrees C for 10-15 min every second day). The effectiveness and safety of these balenotherapeutic procedures for the treatment of duodenal ulcer disease in the subjects of the study and control (n = 47) groups were evaluated based on the results of the routine clinical and endoscopic examination, psychological and psychophysiological tests, and the comparative analysis of medical aid appeal-ability and disability cases during twelve months. Dynamics of clinical and instrumental characteristics (subjective, objective, clinical, endoscopic, psychophysiological) suggested the improvement of the health status in 88.6% and 84.4% of the drivers with duodenum ulcer in the two study groups respectively. Some of the patients comprising group 1 showed significant negative dynamics of the operative reaction system while the patients of group 2 demonstrated the marked improvement of the professionally significant functions and properties (PSF&P). The comparative analysis of medical aid appealability, disability cases, frequency of relapses and complications revealed the favorable clinical course of duodenal ulcer disease in both groups of patients who received the spa and resort-based health-promoting treatment. The spa and resort-based health-promoting treatment in the form of nitric thermal and bromine-iodine mineral baths in combination with peloid applications proved to be highly effective and safe for the vehicle drivers with duodenal ulcer disease, its two modalities (bromine-iodine an nitric-thermal baths) being almost similarly beneficial for the patients (88.6% and 84.4% respectively). At the same time, the former modality resulted in the well apparent deterioration of the driving qualityin certain subjects which suggests the necessity of psychophysiological testing for the evaluation of the performance of the operative reaction system. It is concluded that the spa and resort-based health-promoting treatment of the vehicle drivers suffering from duodenal ulcer disease should be considered as an indispensable component of the rational medical-psychological monitoring system providing a basis for the effective health and workability management.

Impact of climate change on the operation of ski slopes in South Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S.; Park, J. H.; Lee, D. K.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this study is to predict changes in the operation of ski slopes due to climate change and offer meaningful implications that the ski industry can refer to when preparing to address climate change. All 17 ski resorts in South Korea were selected as study sites. To determine the weather and managerial conditions for the operation of ski slopes, interviews with operators and a review of past weather and operational conditions were conducted. To project future changes in the season of operation for ski slopes, future weather data for the 2030s, 2060s, and 2090s from RCP scenarios were adapted to the conditions for the operation of ski slopes.The study found that the artificial snowmaking begins when the temperature reaches -2 °C, the slope is opened 9 days after artificial snowmaking starts, and the slope is closed when the temperature reaches 0 °C. By applying future weather data to these conditions, it is estimated that the ski season will decrease in the future as follows: from around 130 days at present to around 120 days based on RCP 2.0 and RCP 6.0, around 130 days based on RCP 4.5, and 90 days based on RCP 8.5 in the areas where the average temperature of the ski season is below -2 °C; from around 120 days at present to around 120 days based on RCP 2.0 and 4.5, around 100-days based on RCP 6.0, and 60 days based on RCP 8.5 in the areas where the average temperature of the ski season is below 0 °C; from around 90 days at present to around 80 days based on RCP 2.0, around 90 days based on RCP 4.5, around 50 days based on RCP 6.0, and 10 days based on RCP 8.5 in the areas where the average temperature of the ski season is above 0 °C. In addition, it is also estimated that in the 2090s, 16 of 17 ski resorts can survive based on RCP 2.6 and RCP 4.5, 13 ski resorts can survive based on RCP 6.0, and none of the resorts can survive based on RCP 8.5, according to the 100-days rule, which is the minimum required duration of the operation of ski resorts. The results of this study show that there will be major changes in the ski industry due to climate change. It is expected that operators, who already invested massive budgets into the development of ski slopes, will experience difficulties in management due to the deterioration of destinations and the loss of skiers due to climate change. Thus, managerial strategies that helps operators flexibly respond to climate change are required.

Using Virtual Worlds to Identify Multidimensional Student Engagement in High School Foreign Language Learning Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Laura Beth

2012-01-01

Virtual world environments have evolved from object-oriented, text-based online games to complex three-dimensional immersive social spaces where the lines between reality and computer-generated begin to blur. Educators use virtual worlds to create engaging three-dimensional learning spaces for students, but the impact of virtual worlds in…

77 FR 63734 - Security Zone; James River, Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, VA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-17

... attacks to human life, vessels, mariners and waterfront facilities at or near this event. C. Discussion of... on the human environment. This rule is categorically excluded, under figure 2-1, paragraph (34)(g...

Heart Transplantation

MedlinePlus

A heart transplant removes a damaged or diseased heart and replaces it with a healthy one. The healthy heart comes from a donor who has died. It is the last resort for people with heart failure when all other treatments have failed. The ...

NASA Satellite Tracks Underwater Volcanic Eruption in Canary Islands

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-11-02

In July 2011, volcanic tremors began on the Island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands; by September, many tourists evacuated the resort island, fearing a volcanic eruption. This image is from NASA Terra spacecraft.

New Zealand

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2013-04-16

... image is a natural color view from the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera. It is presented at a resolution of 550 meters per ... is Queenstown, the principal resort town of the island. The remote and spectacular Fiordland National Park, which occupies the far ...

[Human cloning in Muslim and Arab law].

PubMed

Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh, Sami A

2009-01-01

Cloning is a modern medical procedure that Muslim religious authorities treat en resorting to the general principles established by classical Muslim law based on the Koran and the Sunnah of Muhhamad as the messenger of God. In this regard, human beings are not capable of deciding what is or what is not lawful without resorting to divine norms. Cloning clashes with several principles. Firstly, the principle of the respect for life in relation to surpernumeraries, but Muslim authors are not in unanimous agreement on the determination of the moment at which life begins. Secondly, is the respect of progeny: cloning could only take place between a married couple. But even if these two principles are respected, cloning poses two major problems: the diversity of species expounded by the Koran and the Sunnah and a lack of interest. Which explains the quasi-unanimous opposition of Muslim writings regarding cloning.

[Role of the L-arginine-NO system in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in pregnant women].

PubMed

Vladymyrov, O A; Tofan, N I

2003-01-01

Investigations on using of index possibilities of L-arginin/NO system in evaluation of sanatorium-resort treatment effectiveness of pregnant with cardiovascular disorders were conducted. It was analyzed the dynamics of twenty four hour cycle rhythm of L-arginin and total nitrites and nitrates constance in saliva of 58 pregnant, 20 of which were suffering from metabolic cardiomyopathy, 23-from neurocirculatory dystonia and 15 were healthy pregnant. As the result of examination there were found out considerable changes of parameter values of biological rhythms: duration of rhythm, average twenty four hour cycle range of activity, amount of difference between max index per twenty hour cycle and average index per twenty hour cycle, period of max and min activity. Analysis of tendencies of twenty four hour cycles rhythms concerning dynamics of sanatorium-resort treatment will give possibility to define characteristic features of recovering values of this parameter.

Extraterrestrial Life as the Great Analogy, Two Centuries Ago and in Modern Astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Woodruff T.

Mainstream ideas on the existence of extraterrestrial life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries are examined, with a focus on William Herschel, one of the greatest astronomers of all time. Herschel viewed all of the planets and moons of our solar system as inhabited, and gave logical arguments that even the Sun, and by extension all of the stars, was a giant planet fit for habitation by intelligent beings. The importance for astrobiology both two centuries ago and now of the type of inductive reasoning called "analogy" is emphasized. Analogy is an imperfect tool, but given that we have only one known case of life and of a life-bearing planet, it is very difficult to make progress in astrobiology without resorting to analogy, in particular between known life and possible other life. We cannot overcome the "N = 1 Problem" without resorting to this "Great Analogy" to guide our research.

Environmental policy in the north-eastern sector of the Black sea coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosyan, Ruben; Godin, Evgenii; Kosyan, Alisa

2015-04-01

Active economic development of the Black Sea East coastal zone has started in the beginning of 20-th century. Those days the pebble taken from beaches was used for construction of buildings, rail and motor roads. Active consumption of pebble from the beaches and river banks had caused a sharp increase of sea shores abrasion and washout rate, number of landslides had also increased. Contemporary Caucasian shores of Black Sea are being developed under increasing man-caused load. Favorable natural conditions, their variety and uniqueness determine the exceptional role of these shores as very important recreational zone of Russian South. Waste urbanized areas, agricultural territories and National Parks are located in immediate neighborhood with the sea. Important industrial facilities and federal and international communi- cations, including major seaports are located in the shore zone. At present time major gas and oil transportation facilities are commissioned and being constructed in the area. Due to the change of geopolitical situation the Russian shoreline had significantly reduced in comparison with Soviet period, especially in most developed regions. Large resort complexes in Georgia, Crimea and Baltic area were lost. Russia had also lost many major seaports that, under conditions of structural change of economy and export growth, had caused the necessity of building new industrial facilities in the Black Sea coastal zone, and, consequently, had stimulated active human invasion into natural coastal processes. At the time being, a major part (three hundred nine kilometers) of Black Sea coast within Russian sector is subject to abrasion and landslide processes. Abrasion process and beaches wash-out, landslides cause destruction of industrial and transport facilities, living and public buildings, resort complexes and valuable agricultural areas. In this light, the challenge of estimation of effective methods of shores protection against wave-induced erosion becomes crucial. For a long period of time the coast protective activity was concentrated on elimination of localized zones of washout, without consideration of lithodynamic system in which the protected area is located, that led to disturbance of sediments flows, and, consequently, to acceleration of abrasion on the related parts of the shore. Main technical solutions regarding coast protection constructions for creation of artificial beaches, are borrowed from the experience of coast protection (construction of bunas, breakwaters and wave walls) at Caucasus and Crimean shores of the Black Sea. Application of bunas and breakwaters is formally divided by the steepness of the underwater slope equal to 0.03. However, this division did not and does not have any physical grounds and is not confirmed by materials of study of surf zone's hydro- and lithodynamics. Types of constructions and their composition in the coastal protective complexes were assigned subjectively. Because of general deficit of the sediments, the free beaches with big length were difficult to create. It was neces- sary to build the sediment retaining constructions like bunas, on the landslide sections - underwater breakwaters. Thus, the beaches in the coast protective complexes were having a primary role, and the constructions - secondary.

Navigating with Inner Knowing and Awakened Presence: An Approach to Leading in a Complex World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sell, Katharina C.

2017-01-01

What are our options if we have to let go of the idea of controllability in our ever more complex world? What tools do we have to navigate in a territory that we can't "manage" anymore, where the old instruments of command and control have lost their grip? What makes us "know" when intellectual knowing capitulates in the face…

Adverse impact of industrial animal agriculture on the health and welfare of farmed animals.

PubMed

D'Silva, Joyce

2006-03-01

Industrial animal agriculture is grounded in the concept of maximizing productivity and profit. Selective breeding for maximum productivity in one characteristic of the animal (e.g. milk yield in cows, or breast meat in broiler chickens) has resulted in genotypes and phenotypes that may predispose the animals to poor health and welfare. The conditions in which these individuals are kept may also frustrate many inherited behaviors that they are strongly motivated to perform. In order to curb the resulting harmful aberrant behaviors, such as feather-pecking in chickens, we sometimes resort to mutilating the animals. In many places chickens are routinely de-beaked by means of a hot metal guillotine. Compassion in World Farming (an international organization that promotes the humane treatment of farm animals) believes that it is unethical to treat sentient beings in such ways. We have a duty to respect farm animals' sentience by providing them with housing conditions that take their needs and wants into account, and by reverting to the use of dual-purpose, slower-growing breeds that have the potential for good welfare. Alternatives to current farming practices are available, and we owe it to the animals, and to our consciences, to pursue them.

Assessment of type II diabetes mellitus using irregularly sampled measurements with missing data.

PubMed

Barazandegan, Melissa; Ekram, Fatemeh; Kwok, Ezra; Gopaluni, Bhushan; Tulsyan, Aditya

2015-04-01

Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading diseases in the developed world. In order to better regulate blood glucose in a diabetic patient, improved modelling of insulin-glucose dynamics is a key factor in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. In the current work, the insulin-glucose dynamics in type II diabetes mellitus can be modelled by using a stochastic nonlinear state-space model. Estimating the parameters of such a model is difficult as only a few blood glucose and insulin measurements per day are available in a non-clinical setting. Therefore, developing a predictive model of the blood glucose of a person with type II diabetes mellitus is important when the glucose and insulin concentrations are only available at irregular intervals. To overcome these difficulties, we resort to online sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) estimation of states and parameters of the state-space model for type II diabetic patients under various levels of randomly missing clinical data. Our results show that this method is efficient in monitoring and estimating the dynamics of the peripheral glucose, insulin and incretins concentration when 10, 25 and 50% of the simulated clinical data were randomly removed.

Policy approaches to improve availability and affordability of medicines in Mexico - an example of a middle income country.

PubMed

Moye-Holz, Daniela; van Dijk, Jitse P; Reijneveld, Sijmen A; Hogerzeil, Hans V

2017-08-01

The World Health Organization recommends establishing and implementing a national pharmaceutical policy (NPP) to guarantee effective and equitable access to medicines. Mexico has implemented several policy approaches to regulate the pharmaceutical sector, but it has no formal NPP. This article describes the approach that the Mexican government has taken to improve availability and affordability of essential medicines. Descriptive policy analysis of public pharmaceutical policy proposals and health action plans on the basis of publicly available data and health progress reports, with a focus on availability and affordability of medicines. The government has implemented pooled procurement, price negotiations, and an information platform in the public sector to improve affordability and availability. The government mainly reports on the savings that these strategies have generated in the public expenditure but their full impact on availability and affordability has not been assessed. To increase availability and affordability of medicines in the public sector, the Mexican government has resorted on isolated strategies. In addition to efficient procurement, price negotiations and price information, other policy components and pricing interventions are needed. All these strategies should be included in a comprehensive NPP.

Geology and hydrogeology of the Florida Keys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halley, Robert B.; Vacher, H. L.; Shinn,

1997-01-01

This chapter discusses the geology and hydrogeology of the Florida Keys, and focuses on the islands formed of Pleistocene limestone. These islands, which are crossed when driving from Miami to Key West, are typically regarded as "the Florida Keys." The outstanding and fragile character of ecosystems on and around the Florida Keys has prompted State and Federal efforts to protect and preserve the remaining public portions of the region. The Florida Keys were largely ignored during the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, although the waters just offshore provided a major shipping thoroughfare to and from the New World. The Florida Keys are now recognized as one of the great recreational and environmental resources of the United States. The islands are outposts of a laid-back, tropical resort culture that has as its foundation warmth and clear water. A significant part of the attraction is fishing, diving, and boating around the area's coral reefs, which the islands protect. But the reefs were not always so highly valued. The Florida Keys that have protected the reefs for millennia, may now be the source of the agents that may accomplish what Agassiz thought was beyond man's power a century ago.

Chemical fingerprinting applied to the evaluation of marine oil pollution in the coasts of Canary Islands (Spain).

PubMed

Peña-Méndez, E M; Astorga-España, M S; García-Montelongo, F J

2001-01-01

Chemical fingerprinting approach to environmental assessment is illustrated in the evaluation of marine oil pollution in the coasts using two limpet species as bioindicator organisms, and based on profiles and concentrations of n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons in their tissues. Accidental and chronic releases of hydrocarbons can contaminate the marine environment of the Canary Islands not only because of their geographical situation but also because of the very dense tanker traffic around. This situation affects coastal areas, fishing activities, tourism resort, etc. Concentrations of n-alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and methyl-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in the soft tissues of the marine intertidal and subtidal limpets, Patella crenata and Patella ullysiponensis aspera, were evaluated. Limpet samples were collected at monthly intervals, at three locations on the southeast coast of Tenerife over a 3-year period (1991-93). Levels of hydrocarbons found in limpets are similar to concentrations found in unpolluted areas around the world. From application of principal component analysis, the interpretation of variable loading plots gives information on variable correlation and can be used to distinguish among potential sources of pollution and the ability of studied molluscs to be used as bioindicator organisms.

Las Vegas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This image of Las Vegas, NV was acquired on August, 2000 and covers an area 42 km (25 miles) wide and 30 km (18 miles) long. The image displays three bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region, with a spatial resolution of 15 m. McCarran International Airport to the south and Nellis Air Force Base to the NE are the two major airports visible. Golf courses appear as bright red areas of worms. The first settlement in Las Vegas (which is Spanish for The Meadows) was recorded back in the early 1850s when the Mormon church, headed by Brigham Young, sent a mission of 30 men to construct a fort and teach agriculture to the Indians. Las Vegas became a city in 1905 when the railroad announced this city was to be a major division point. Prior to legalized gambling in 1931, Las Vegas was developing as an agricultural area. Las Vegas' fame as a resort area became prominent after World War II. The image is located at 36.1 degrees north latitude and 115.1 degrees west longitude.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Honolulu and Waikiki

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Honolulu is one of the most exotic resort destinations in the United States. Honolulu is located on Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands. Just to the East of Honolulu is Waikiki Beach, with throngs of tourists and dozens of high-rise hotels. Overlooking Waikiki is Diamond Head, a volcanic crater formed from 70,000 to 500,000 years ago, long after Oahu's principle volcanoes-Ko'olau and Wai'anae-stopped erupting. North of Diamond Head are the eroded remains of Ko'olau. The clouds in the upper right hand corner of this image are an almost permanent feature of Oahu. Trade winds blowing from the northeast are stopped by the 3,000 foot (960 meter) high mountain range, where they rain out most of their moisture. As a result, the windward side of Oahu is usually cloudy, and the leeward side is relatively clear and dry. On the lefthand side of the image is Pearl Harbor, site of the Japanese air raid which drew America into World War II. The harbor still serves as a U.S. Navy base. The image was captured by the Landsat 7 satellite's Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) instrument on March 18, 2001. Image courtesy Landsat 7 Science Team

Engaging plant anatomy and local knowledge on the buriti palm ( Mauritia flexuosa L.f.: Arecaceae): the microscopic world meets the golden grass artisan's perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viana, Rebeca V. R.; Scatena, Vera L.; Eichemberg, Mayra T.; Sano, Paulo T.

2018-03-01

Considering that both Western Science and Local Knowledge Systems share a common ground—observations of the natural world—the dialogue between them should not only be possible, but fruitful. Local communities whose livelihoods depend on traditional uses of the local biodiversity not only develop knowledge about nature, making several uses of such knowledge, but, with that process, several inquiries about nature can be raised. Here we present our experience with the engagement of Western Science with golden grass artisan's knowledge about the buriti palm ( M. flexuosa). We applied 25 semi-directive interviews, combined with field diary and participative observation, in two quilombola communities from Jalapão region (Central-Brazil). One of the inquiries that emerged from the artisan's perspectives was about the differences between male and female buriti palms' fiber. We then engaged both local and scientific perspectives regarding this issue using plant anatomy as a dialogue instrument. Here we describe this experience and resort to Paulo Freire's ideas on dialogue to argue that, to integrate Western Science and Local Knowledge Systems in a collaborative and contextualized perspective, the research should be faced as a mutual learning practice.

The Path Toward Universal Health Coverage.

PubMed

Yassoub, Rami; Alameddine, Mohamad; Saleh, Shadi

2017-04-01

Lebanon is a middle-income country with a market-maximized healthcare system that provides limited social protection for its citizens. Estimates reveal that half of the population lacks sufficient health coverage and resorts to out-of-pocket payments. This study triangulated data from a comprehensive review of health packages of countries similar to Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health statistics, and services suggested by the World Health Organization for inclusion in a health benefits package (HBP). To determine the acceptability and viability of implementing the HBP, a stakeholder analysis was conducted to identify the knowledge, positions, and available resources for the package. The results revealed that the private health sector, having the most resources, is least in favor of implementing the package, whereas the political and civil society sectors support implementation. The main divergence in opinions among stakeholders was on the abolishment of out-of-pocket payments, mainly attributed to the potential abuse of the HBP's services by users. The study's findings encourage health decision makers to capitalize on the current political readiness by proposing the HBP for implementation in the path toward universal health coverage. This requires a consultative process, involving all stakeholders, in devising the strategy and implementation framework of a HBP.

World Society and Globalisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wittmann, Veronika

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate discourses on globalisation and world society and to disclose the commonalities and differences of both scientific debates. In particular, it draws attention to theoretical concepts of globalisation and world society. This is considered fruitful for comprehending the complex mechanisms of…

A Practical Measure for the Complexity of Evolving Seismicity Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goltz, C.

2005-12-01

Earthquakes are a "complex" phenomenon. There is, however, no clear definition of what complexity actually is. Yet, it is important to distinguish between what is merely complicated and what is complex in the sense that simple rules can give rise to very rich behaviour. Seismicity is certainly a complicated phenomenon (difficult to understand) but simple models such as cellular automata indicate that earthquakes are truly complex. From the observational point of view, there exists the problem of quantification of complexity in real world seismicity patterns. Such a measurement is desirable, not only for fundamental understanding but also for monitoring and possibly for forecasting. Maybe the most workable definitions of complexity exist in informatics, summarised under the topic of algorithmic complexity. Here, after introducing the concepts, I apply such a measure of complexity to temporally evolving real-world seismicity patterns. Finally, I discuss the usefulness of the approach and regard the results in view of the occurrence of large earthquakes.

Small Cofactors May Assist Protein Emergence from RNA World: Clues from RNA-Protein Complexes

PubMed Central

Shen, Liang; Ji, Hong-Fang

2011-01-01

It is now widely accepted that at an early stage in the evolution of life an RNA world arose, in which RNAs both served as the genetic material and catalyzed diverse biochemical reactions. Then, proteins have gradually replaced RNAs because of their superior catalytic properties in catalysis over time. Therefore, it is important to investigate how primitive functional proteins emerged from RNA world, which can shed light on the evolutionary pathway of life from RNA world to the modern world. In this work, we proposed that the emergence of most primitive functional proteins are assisted by the early primitive nucleotide cofactors, while only a minority are induced directly by RNAs based on the analysis of RNA-protein complexes. Furthermore, the present findings have significant implication for exploring the composition of primitive RNA, i.e., adenine base as principal building blocks. PMID:21789260

Comparison of 3 biodegradable polymer and durable polymer-based drug-eluting stents in all-comers (BIO-RESORT): rationale and study design of the randomized TWENTE III multicenter trial.

PubMed

Lam, Ming Kai; Sen, Hanim; Tandjung, Kenneth; van Houwelingen, K Gert; de Vries, Arie G; Danse, Peter W; Schotborgh, Carl E; Scholte, Martijn; Löwik, Marije M; Linssen, Gerard C M; Ijzerman, Maarten J; van der Palen, Job; Doggen, Carine J M; von Birgelen, Clemens

2014-04-01

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 2 novel drug-eluting stents (DES) with biodegradable polymer-based coatings versus a durable coating DES. BIO-RESORT is an investigator-initiated, prospective, patient-blinded, randomized multicenter trial in 3540 Dutch all-comers with various clinical syndromes, requiring percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with DES implantation. Randomization (stratified for diabetes mellitus) is being performed in a 1:1:1 ratio between ORSIRO sirolimus-eluting stent with circumferential biodegradable coating, SYNERGY everolimus-eluting stent with abluminal biodegradable coating, and RESOLUTE INTEGRITY zotarolimus-eluting stent with durable coating. The primary endpoint is the incidence of the composite endpoint target vessel failure at 1 year, consisting of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Power calculation assumes a target vessel failure rate of 8.5% with a 3.5% non-inferiority margin, giving the study a power of 85% (α level .025 adjusted for multiple testing). The impact of diabetes mellitus on post-PCI outcome will be evaluated. The first patient was enrolled on December 21, 2012. BIO-RESORT is a large, prospective, randomized, multicenter trial with three arms, comparing two DES with biodegradable coatings versus a reference DES with a durable coating in 3540 all-comers. The trial will provide novel insights into the clinical outcome of modern DES and will address the impact of known and so far undetected diabetes mellitus on post-PCI outcome. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The prediction of epidemics through mathematical modeling.

PubMed

Schaus, Catherine

2014-01-01

Mathematical models may be resorted to in an endeavor to predict the development of epidemics. The SIR model is one of the applications. Still too approximate, the use of statistics awaits more data in order to come closer to reality.

Consider the Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Laura Christion

1995-01-01

This article discusses the drawbacks of alumni merchandising, with alumni association directors voicing concerns about overloading alumni with solicitations and detracting from the associations' primary mission. It argues that if alumni associations must resort to merchandising, they should offer only high quality products. (MDM)

31 CFR 1021.330 - Exceptions to the reporting requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5331.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...-gaming businesses (such as shops, restaurants, entertainment, and hotels) at casino hotels and resorts... customer in payment for accommodations provided to that customer at Casino B's hotel. Casino C receives $15...

21 CFR 312.305 - Requirements for all expanded access uses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... contained in an existing IND if the sponsor of the existing IND grants a right of reference to the IND. (2... therapeutic options that would ordinarily be tried before resorting to the investigational drug or an...

21 CFR 312.305 - Requirements for all expanded access uses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... contained in an existing IND if the sponsor of the existing IND grants a right of reference to the IND. (2... therapeutic options that would ordinarily be tried before resorting to the investigational drug or an...

21 CFR 312.305 - Requirements for all expanded access uses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... contained in an existing IND if the sponsor of the existing IND grants a right of reference to the IND. (2... therapeutic options that would ordinarily be tried before resorting to the investigational drug or an...

21 CFR 312.305 - Requirements for all expanded access uses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... contained in an existing IND if the sponsor of the existing IND grants a right of reference to the IND. (2... therapeutic options that would ordinarily be tried before resorting to the investigational drug or an...

Music as the Representative of the World Picture, the Phenomenon of Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kossanova, Aigul Sh.; Yermanov, Zhanat R.; Bekenova, Aizhan S.; Julmukhamedova, Aizhan A.; Takezhanova, Roza Ph.; Zhussupova, Saule S.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to the study of music as a representative of the picture of the world nomadic culture. With a systemic organization, rich expressive means, music reflects the diversity of the world in its complex, subtle and profound manifestations being the artistic value, key world modeling element. Music can satisfy the aesthetic…

Complex networks generated by the Penna bit-string model: Emergence of small-world and assortative mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chunguang; Maini, Philip K.

2005-10-01

The Penna bit-string model successfully encompasses many phenomena of population evolution, including inheritance, mutation, evolution, and aging. If we consider social interactions among individuals in the Penna model, the population will form a complex network. In this paper, we first modify the Verhulst factor to control only the birth rate, and introduce activity-based preferential reproduction of offspring in the Penna model. The social interactions among individuals are generated by both inheritance and activity-based preferential increase. Then we study the properties of the complex network generated by the modified Penna model. We find that the resulting complex network has a small-world effect and the assortative mixing property.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: The Fractal Dimensions of Complex Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Long; Cai, XU

2009-08-01

It is shown that many real complex networks share distinctive features, such as the small-world effect and the heterogeneous property of connectivity of vertices, which are different from random networks and regular lattices. Although these features capture the important characteristics of complex networks, their applicability depends on the style of networks. To unravel the universal characteristics many complex networks have in common, we study the fractal dimensions of complex networks using the method introduced by Shanker. We find that the average 'density' (ρ(r)) of complex networks follows a better power-law function as a function of distance r with the exponent df, which is defined as the fractal dimension, in some real complex networks. Furthermore, we study the relation between df and the shortcuts Nadd in small-world networks and the size N in regular lattices. Our present work provides a new perspective to understand the dependence of the fractal dimension df on the complex network structure.

76 FR 11933 - 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-03

... address changing and complex global needs in education, health and HIV/AIDS, business and information... America sees the world and the world sees us. Today, one of President Kennedy's most enduring legacies can... on. In our increasingly interconnected world, the mission of the Peace Corps is more relevant today...

Transformational Play: Using Games to Position Person, Content, and Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barab, Sasha A.; Gresalfi, Melissa; Ingram-Goble, Adam

2010-01-01

Videogames are a powerful medium that curriculum designers can use to create narratively rich worlds for achieving educational goals. In these worlds, youth can become scientists, doctors, writers, and mathematicians who critically engage complex disciplinary content to transform a virtual world. Toward illuminating this potential, the authors…

Antipsychotic drugs a last resort for these 5 conditions (ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia and PTSD)

MedlinePlus

... Student Debt Special Report All Money More on Money Best & Worst Banks According to Consumer Reports Members ... about treating depression with antidepressant medication, see our FREE Best Buy Drugs report here . For more about ...

78 FR 14413 - Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel LILYANNA; Invitation for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-05

... LILYANNA is: Intended Commercial Use of Vessel: 2 Hour Sunset Sails, and 3 Hour Day Sails at Little Palm Island Resort. Geographic Region: Florida. The complete application is given in DOT docket MARAD-2013...

Small-world bias of correlation networks: From brain to climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hlinka, Jaroslav; Hartman, David; Jajcay, Nikola; Tomeček, David; Tintěra, Jaroslav; Paluš, Milan

2017-03-01

Complex systems are commonly characterized by the properties of their graph representation. Dynamical complex systems are then typically represented by a graph of temporal dependencies between time series of state variables of their subunits. It has been shown recently that graphs constructed in this way tend to have relatively clustered structure, potentially leading to spurious detection of small-world properties even in the case of systems with no or randomly distributed true interactions. However, the strength of this bias depends heavily on a range of parameters and its relevance for real-world data has not yet been established. In this work, we assess the relevance of the bias using two examples of multivariate time series recorded in natural complex systems. The first is the time series of local brain activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in resting healthy human subjects, and the second is the time series of average monthly surface air temperature coming from a large reanalysis of climatological data over the period 1948-2012. In both cases, the clustering in the thresholded correlation graph is substantially higher compared with a realization of a density-matched random graph, while the shortest paths are relatively short, showing thus distinguishing features of small-world structure. However, comparable or even stronger small-world properties were reproduced in correlation graphs of model processes with randomly scrambled interconnections. This suggests that the small-world properties of the correlation matrices of these real-world systems indeed do not reflect genuinely the properties of the underlying interaction structure, but rather result from the inherent properties of correlation matrix.

Small-world bias of correlation networks: From brain to climate.

PubMed

Hlinka, Jaroslav; Hartman, David; Jajcay, Nikola; Tomeček, David; Tintěra, Jaroslav; Paluš, Milan

2017-03-01

Complex systems are commonly characterized by the properties of their graph representation. Dynamical complex systems are then typically represented by a graph of temporal dependencies between time series of state variables of their subunits. It has been shown recently that graphs constructed in this way tend to have relatively clustered structure, potentially leading to spurious detection of small-world properties even in the case of systems with no or randomly distributed true interactions. However, the strength of this bias depends heavily on a range of parameters and its relevance for real-world data has not yet been established. In this work, we assess the relevance of the bias using two examples of multivariate time series recorded in natural complex systems. The first is the time series of local brain activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in resting healthy human subjects, and the second is the time series of average monthly surface air temperature coming from a large reanalysis of climatological data over the period 1948-2012. In both cases, the clustering in the thresholded correlation graph is substantially higher compared with a realization of a density-matched random graph, while the shortest paths are relatively short, showing thus distinguishing features of small-world structure. However, comparable or even stronger small-world properties were reproduced in correlation graphs of model processes with randomly scrambled interconnections. This suggests that the small-world properties of the correlation matrices of these real-world systems indeed do not reflect genuinely the properties of the underlying interaction structure, but rather result from the inherent properties of correlation matrix.

Creating Supportive Environments and Thriving in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous World.

PubMed

Pabico, Christine

2015-10-01

Nurse executives (NEs) are operating in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. NEs must create supportive environments that promote staff empowerment, resilience, and alignment, to ensure organizational success. In addition, NEs need to be transparent and create a culture of partnership with their staff. The ability of NEs to create and sustain this environment is vital in supporting teams to successfully navigate in today's healthcare environment.

The way to uncover community structure with core and diversity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Y. F.; Han, S. K.; Wang, X. D.

2018-07-01

Communities are ubiquitous in nature and society. Individuals that share common properties often self-organize to form communities. Avoiding the shortages of computation complexity, pre-given information and unstable results in different run, in this paper, we propose a simple and efficient method to deepen our understanding of the emergence and diversity of communities in complex systems. By introducing the rational random selection, our method reveals the hidden deterministic and normal diverse community states of community structure. To demonstrate this method, we test it with real-world systems. The results show that our method could not only detect community structure with high sensitivity and reliability, but also provide instructional information about the hidden deterministic community world and the real normal diverse community world by giving out the core-community, the real-community, the tide and the diversity. Thizs is of paramount importance in understanding, predicting, and controlling a variety of collective behaviors in complex systems.

Computational reacting gas dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lam, S. H.

1993-01-01

In the study of high speed flows at high altitudes, such as that encountered by re-entry spacecrafts, the interaction of chemical reactions and other non-equilibrium processes in the flow field with the gas dynamics is crucial. Generally speaking, problems of this level of complexity must resort to numerical methods for solutions, using sophisticated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. The difficulties introduced by reacting gas dynamics can be classified into three distinct headings: (1) the usually inadequate knowledge of the reaction rate coefficients in the non-equilibrium reaction system; (2) the vastly larger number of unknowns involved in the computation and the expected stiffness of the equations; and (3) the interpretation of the detailed reacting CFD numerical results. The research performed accepts the premise that reacting flows of practical interest in the future will in general be too complex or 'untractable' for traditional analytical developments. The power of modern computers must be exploited. However, instead of focusing solely on the construction of numerical solutions of full-model equations, attention is also directed to the 'derivation' of the simplified model from the given full-model. In other words, the present research aims to utilize computations to do tasks which have traditionally been done by skilled theoreticians: to reduce an originally complex full-model system into an approximate but otherwise equivalent simplified model system. The tacit assumption is that once the appropriate simplified model is derived, the interpretation of the detailed numerical reacting CFD numerical results will become much easier. The approach of the research is called computational singular perturbation (CSP).

COMPLEXITY IN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

The enormous complexity of ecosystems is generally obvious under even the most cursory examination. In the modern world, this complexity is further augmented by the linkage of ecosystems to economic and social systems through the human use of the environment for technological pu...

Connected Worlds: Connecting the public with complex environmental systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzzo, S. M.; Chen, R. S.; Downs, R. R.

2016-12-01

Among the most important concepts in environmental science learning is the structure and dynamics of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). But the fundamental epistemology for understanding CHANS requires systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, and complexity. Although the Next Generation Science Standards mandate connecting ideas across disciplines and systems, traditional approaches to education do not provide more than superficial understanding of this concept. Informal science learning institutions have a key role in bridging gaps between the reductive nature of classroom learning and contemporary data-driven science. The New York Hall of Science, in partnership with Design I/O and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network, has developed an approach to immerse visitors in complex human nature interactions and provide opportunities for those of all ages to elicit and notice environmental consequences of their actions. Connected Worlds is a nearly 1,000 m2 immersive, playful environment in which students learn about complexity and interconnectedness in ecosystems and how ecosystems might respond to human intervention. It engages students through direct interactions with fanciful flora and fauna within and among six biomes: desert, rainforest, grassland, mountain valley, reservoir, and wetlands, which are interconnected through stocks and flows of water. Through gestures and the manipulation of a dynamic water system, Connected Worlds enables students, teachers, and parents to experience how the ecosystems of planet Earth are connected and to observe relationships between the behavior of Earth's inhabitants and our shared world. It is also a cyberlearning platform to study how visitors notice and scaffold their understanding of complex environmental processes and the responses of these processes to human intervention, to help inform the improvement of education practices in complex environmental science.

Modifications of biological effects of drinking mineral waters in Pyatigorsk resort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reps, Valentina; Efimenko, Natalia; Abramtsova, Anna; Kozlova, Victoria; Sagradyan, Gayne; Tovbushenko, Tatiana; Kotova, Margarita

2017-04-01

A variety of types of drinking mineral waters (MW) of Pyatigorsk Deposit (PD) is explained by its structural style and hydrogeological conditions. In resort conditions the most widely used mineral waters are acidulated and carbonate chloride sodium hydrocarbonate MW. It has been shown earlier that natural MW have a high biological exposure potential on exchange processes both in norm and during pathological metabolic changes [1, 2]. We have studied some modification options of the composition of natural drinking mineral waters (MW) in Pyatigorsk resort to increase their rehabilitation potential. In the experiment on 110 male-rats of Wistar line there have been examined some biological effects of a course drinking intake (21 days) of natural MW from the spring that has sulphate-hydrocarbonate-chloride calcium-sodic composition with ferrum elevated level (3-5 mg/dm3), mineralization of 5,0-5,2 g/dm3, CO2 1,3-2,2 g/dm3, daily flow of 10-86 m3/day, temperature from 14 to 370C at the wellhead and MW modified by nanoparticles (NP) of Se (0,04 mg/kg, d - 35 nm) and Ag nanoparticles (0,001 mg/kg, d - 30 nm). One of the mechanisms of selenium influence on carbohydrate metabolism is the regulation of blood glucose level and its utilization by tissues. After the course by the studied MW type there has been noticed Ca-ATPase level reduction in liver against the background of insulin downregulation and glycemia elevation in blood serum of the rats [1]. There has been also observed glucagon retrogression in the blood of the labolatory animals after the treatment course by natural MW in 3 times (p<0,001) and after the course by MW in combination with Se nanoparticles in 1,5 times (p<0,01) in comparison with the control (fresh water). At the same time glucose level authentically increased only after the course by natural MW - 4,8 (4,6-5 ‰) mmol/l in comparison with the control - 4 (4 - 4,4 ‰) mmol/l. Insulin concentration did not change with the animals after the watering course by MW with Se nanoparticles whereas the course by MW with Ag nanoparticles was followed by insulin decreased secretion by 22% against the background of hypoglycemia. In the impact analysis of the course influence of mineral water in combination with Se and Ag nanoparticles there has been noticed an alteration of metabolic effects of native MW. We have observed the decrease in hormonal regulation level of metabolic processes and activation of cellicolous substrate ways of glucose utilization after the course by MW. The fortification of MW with Se nanoparticles restores the reduced activity of glycemia hormonal regulation. References 1. Efimenko, N.V. Action mechanisms of drinking mineral waters/ N.V. Efimenko, V.F. Reps// Resort medicine. - 2013. - №3. - P. 106-109. 2. Reps, V.F. Metabolic action mechanisms of the modified balneo-remedies/ V.F. Reps// Resort medicine. - 2013. - №4. - P. 18-21.

Meet Mai-Anh Ha | NREL

Science.gov Websites

find the best versions of the materials to guide experimentalists. "The world is complex," specifics," she says, "and then you can go from modeling into real-world applications." All to then choke me in my car," she says. Instead, she envisions a world filled with fuel cell cars

Medication and Reading Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphries, Laurie L.

1981-01-01

The clinical syndrome which relates most frequently to the reading-disabled child is the attention deficity disorder. The child psychiatrist will generally resort to medication only when behavioral management techniques have failed. The two most frequently used medications are Ritalin and Dexedrine, central nervous system stimulants. (JN)

CETA Pioneers in the North Country.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfeil, Mary Pat

1978-01-01

Describes the Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) prime sponsor for ten northern Wisconsin counties. Primary occupations available to program participants are in wood products, paper industry, tool and die manufacturing, welding, meat cutting, and resorts and recreation. (MF)

BUILDING 67 CENTER, ENGINEERING AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT TO THE RIGHT. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

BUILDING 67 CENTER, ENGINEERING AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT TO THE RIGHT. BUILDING 67 IS SURMISED TO HAVE BEEN A RAILROAD STATION DAYS WHEN SITE WAS A RESORT - National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Eastern Branch, 1 VA Center, Augusta, Kennebec County, ME

Walking the Trustee Tightrope.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rood, William S.

1993-01-01

A college governing board can become more directive without resorting to micromanagement. This requires a strategic plan providing focus and direction, a disciplined monitoring of the plan, a close working relationship between trustee committee chairs and administrative counterparts, and an atmosphere encouraging trustees to ask the right…

46 CFR 503.22 - Records available at the Office of the Secretary

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Section 503.22 Shipping FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS PUBLIC INFORMATION Records, Information and Materials Generally Available to the Public Without Resort to Freedom of... proceedings including, but not limited to, orders, notices, pertinent correspondence, transcripts, exhibits...

Translations on Environmental Quality No. 151

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-10-21

Resort Area Threatened by Increased Pollution (LA VANGUARDIA , 11 Sep 77) 40 WEST GERMANY Cost of Environmental Protection to Industry Discussed...THREATENED BY INCREASED POLLUTION Barcelona LA VANGUARDIA in Spanish 11 Sep ?? p 23 [.Text] Summer, as irregular as it was unsociable during times when

Anomaly Detection at Multiple Scales (ADAMS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-09

must resort to generating their own data that simulates insider attacks. The Schonlau dataset is the most widely used for academic study. It...measurements are estimated by well-known software plagiarism tools . 39 As explained above, there are many different techniques for code trans- formation

Analysis of user perception of hydrofoil service

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1983-06-01

This memorandum presents the findings from a survey of hydrofoil passengers in Southern Italy. This hydrofoil service links the ports of Palermo and Naples with a stop in Ustica, a resort island off the northern coast of Sicily. The vessel used in th...

School Security Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Tod

2010-01-01

Over the past decade electronic security technology has evolved from an exotic possibility into an essential safety consideration. Before resorting to high-tech security solutions, school officials should think carefully about the potential for unintended consequences. Technological fixes may be mismatched to the problems being addressed. They can…

Right-side-stretched multifractal spectra indicate small-worldness in networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oświȩcimka, Paweł; Livi, Lorenzo; Drożdż, Stanisław

2018-04-01

Complex network formalism allows to explain the behavior of systems composed by interacting units. Several prototypical network models have been proposed thus far. The small-world model has been introduced to mimic two important features observed in real-world systems: i) local clustering and ii) the possibility to move across a network by means of long-range links that significantly reduce the characteristic path length. A natural question would be whether there exist several ;types; of small-world architectures, giving rise to a continuum of models with properties (partially) shared with other models belonging to different network families. Here, we take advantage of the interplay between network theory and time series analysis and propose to investigate small-world signatures in complex networks by analyzing multifractal characteristics of time series generated from such networks. In particular, we suggest that the degree of right-sided asymmetry of multifractal spectra is linked with the degree of small-worldness present in networks. This claim is supported by numerical simulations performed on several parametric models, including prototypical small-world networks, scale-free, fractal and also real-world networks describing protein molecules. Our results also indicate that right-sided asymmetry emerges with the presence of the following topological properties: low edge density, low average shortest path, and high clustering coefficient.

Chemistry of Hot Spring Pool Waters in Calamba and Los Banos and Potential Effect on the Water Quality of Laguna De Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balangue, M. I. R. D.; Pena, M. A. Z.; Siringan, F. P.; Jago-on, K. A. B.; Lloren, R. B.; Taniguchi, M.

2014-12-01

Since the Spanish Period (1600s), natural hot spring waters have been harnessed for balneological purposes in the municipalities of Calamba and Los Banos, Laguna, south of Metro Manila. There are at more than a hundred hot spring resorts in Brgy. Pansol, Calamba and Tadlac, Los Banos. These two areas are found at the northern flanks of Mt. Makiling facing Laguna de Bay. This study aims to provide some insights on the physical and chemical characteristics of hot spring resorts and the possible impact on the lake water quality resulting from the disposal of used water. Initial ocular survey of the resorts showed that temperature of the pool water ranges from ambient (>300C) to as high as 500C with an average pool size of 80m3. Water samples were collected from a natural hot spring and pumped well in Los Banos and another pumped well in Pansol to determine the chemistry. The field pH ranges from 6.65 to 6.87 (Pansol springs). Cation analysis revealed that the thermal waters belonged to the Na-K-Cl-HCO3 type with some trace amount of heavy metals. Methods for waste water disposal are either by direct discharge down the drain of the pool or by discharge in the public road canal. Both methods will dump the waste water directly into Laguna de Bay. Taking in consideration the large volume of waste water used especially during the peak season, the effect on the lake water quality would be significant. It is therefore imperative for the environmental authorities in Laguna to regulate and monitor the chemistry of discharges from the pool to protect both the lake water as well as groundwater quality.

The thermal comfort and its changes in the 31 provincial capital cities of mainland China in the past 30 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Xiaoli; Li, Rui; Cubasch, Ulrich; Cao, Wenting

2018-04-01

The thermal comfort and its changes in the 31 provincial capital cities of mainland China in the past 30 years were comprehensively evaluated using the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) indicators. The PET and UTCI values were highly correlated with each other and presented similar thermal comfort pattern, although their sensitivities might differ slightly. The results showed that these cities covered, respectively, 4-8 and 6-8 thermal comfort classes of the PET and UTCI scale. On the whole, the annual cumulative number of pleasant days was more than 160 days/year. In terms of seasonal variations in thermal comfort conditions, the 31 provincial capital cities in mainland China can be classified into 5 types, which are, respectively, characterized by pleasant summer and severe cold winter (type-I); pleasant spring, autumn, winter, and severe hot summer (type-II); pleasant spring and autumn, slightly pleasant summer, and cold winter (type-III); pleasant spring and autumn, hot stress summer, and slightly cold winter (type-IV); and pleasant spring, summer, autumn, and cool winter (type-V). Type-II cities are rare winter resorts, while type-I cities are natural summer resorts. Type-V cities are the year round pleasant resorts. In the past three decades, the cities in mainland China had experienced increasing pleasant duration in late winter and early spring and intensifying heat stress in summer. The reduction in annual cumulative number of cold stress days in higher latitude/altitude cities outweighed the increase in duration of heat stress in subtropical cities. These may provide some references for urban planning and administration in mainland China.

Health resort medicine in non-musculoskeletal disorders: is there evidence of its effectiveness?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stier-Jarmer, Marita; Kus, Sandra; Frisch, Dieter; Sabariego, Carla; Schuh, Angela

2015-10-01

Health resort medicine (HRM; in German: Kurortmedizin) is a field of medicine with long-lasting tradition in several European countries. A number of systematic reviews have shown the effectiveness of HRM in musculoskeletal conditions. Reviews focusing on the effectiveness of HRM in non-musculoskeletal disorders are rare. This systematic review aims to provide an overview about all types of health resort treatments applied in non-musculoskeletal conditions, to summarize evidence for its effectiveness and to assess the quality of published studies. MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge and Embase were searched for articles published between January 2002 and December 2013. We used a broad search strategy in order to find studies investigating the effects of HRM in non-musculoskeletal disorders. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed quality using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (EPHPP-QAT). Forty-one studies (19 of them with control group) from eight countries examining the efficacy of various forms of spa treatment for 12 disease groups were included. The studies are markedly heterogeneous regarding study design, population and treatment. HRM treatment is associated with clinical improvement in diseases of the skin, respiratory, circulatory, digestive and nervous system among others. However, small samples, the lack of control groups and an insufficient follow-up often limit the generated evidence. The scientific literature of the last decade has shown that a number of non-musculoskeletal disorders are treated with different kinds of HRM. The challenge for the future will be to carry out thoroughly designed studies in larger patient populations to corroborate the impact of HRM treatment on non-musculoskeletal disorders.

[The environmental conditions of the Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody (Caucasian Mineral Waters) health resort region, methods for their monitoring and improvement].

PubMed

Evseeva, M M; Rud', N Iu; Pershin, I M

2012-01-01

This paper describes the unique environmental conditions of the Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody (Caucasian Mineral Waters) health resort region with special reference to its paramount importance for the national interests of Russia. It is emphasized, however, that the environmental conditions in the region under consideration are far from being satisfactory. In connection with this, the authors point out to the necessity of expanding areas of protective forest stands and prohibition of the implementation of new building projects in the frontal mountain sanitary zones; they draw special attention to the potential danger of degradation of mineral water springs under the influence of changes in the distribution of vertical hydraulic gradients in the upper part of the lithosphere leading to the deterioration of their composition and the contamination of ground and surface waters with municipal and domestic effluents. Special attention is given to the harm and impermissibility of illegal extraction of mineral waters from producing wells. An original method for water quality control and estimation of the optimal production rate is proposed. The authors hypothesize the possible causes behind the discontinuation of mud formation at the Tambukan deposits and substantiate the necessity of using the resource-saving technologies for processing raw materials and urgent measures to eliminate the factors responsible for desalination and pollution of this mineral mud lake. It is concluded that strict state control should be exercised in the region by means of the introduction of the multilevel automated information system for round-the-clock environmental monitoring. The authors believe that only joint efforts of scientists, legislative and executive authorities can preserve Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody health resort region for the future generations.

Gd complexes of macrocyclic diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) biphenyl-2,2'-bisamides as strong blood-pool magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents.

PubMed

Jung, Ki-Hye; Kim, Hee-Kyung; Lee, Gang Ho; Kang, Duk-Sik; Park, Ji-Ae; Kim, Kyeong Min; Chang, Yongmin; Kim, Tae-Jeong

2011-08-11

We report the synthesis of macrocyclic DTPA conjugates of 2,2'-diaminobiphenyl and their Gd complexes of the type [Gd(L)(H(2)O)]·xH(2)O (2a,b; L = 1a,b) for use as new MRI blood-pool contrast agents (MRI BPCAs). Pharmacokinetic inertness of 2 compares well with those of analogous Gd-DTPA MRI CAs currently in use. The present system also shows very high stability in human serum. The R(1) relaxivity reaches 10.9 mM(-1) s(-1), which is approximately 3 times as high as that of structurally related Gd-DOTA (R(1) = 3.7 mM(-1) s(-1)). The R(1) relaxivity in HSA goes up to 37.2 mM(-1) s(-1), which is almost twice as high as that of MS-325, a leading BPCA, demonstrating a strong blood pool effect. The in vivo MR images of mice obtained with 2b are coherent, showing strong signal enhancement in heart, abdominal aorta, and small vessels. Even the brain tumor is vividly enhanced for an extended period of time. The structural uniqueness of 2 is that it is neutral in charge and thus makes no resort to electrostatic interaction, supposedly one of the essential factors for the blood-pool effect.

Patients undergoing PCI from the femoral route by default radial operators are at high risk of vascular access-site complications.

PubMed

Rafie, Ihsan M; Uddin, Muez M; Ossei-Gerning, Nicholas; Anderson, Richard A; Kinnaird, Timothy D

2014-02-01

Radial artery (RA) access for PCI has a lower incidence of vascular access-site (VAS) complications than the femoral artery (FA) approach. However, even for default radial operators certain patients are intervened upon from the FA. We examined the demographics and incidence of VAS complications when default radial operators resort to the FA for PCI. The demographics and VAS complications were compared by access site retrospectively for all PCI cases performed by default radial operators (n=1,392). A modified ACUITY trial definition of major VAS complication was used. FA puncture occurred in 25.2% (351/1,392) of cases. Patients were more likely to be female, older and weigh less than patients undergoing PCI from the RA. The FA procedure was likely to be more complex with larger sheaths, more left main stem, graft and multivessel intervention, and there was a greater proportion of emergency cases. Despite increased case complexity, glycoprotein inhibitors were used less frequently in femoral cases (26.5% vs. 36.8%, p<0.001). A VAS complication occurred in 12.5% (44/351) of cases. The risk factors for access-site bleeding are disproportionately high in the population requiring FA puncture by default radial operators, and as a result such patients have a high rate of vascular access-site complications.

Biocellion: accelerating computer simulation of multicellular biological system models

PubMed Central

Kang, Seunghwa; Kahan, Simon; McDermott, Jason; Flann, Nicholas; Shmulevich, Ilya

2014-01-01

Motivation: Biological system behaviors are often the outcome of complex interactions among a large number of cells and their biotic and abiotic environment. Computational biologists attempt to understand, predict and manipulate biological system behavior through mathematical modeling and computer simulation. Discrete agent-based modeling (in combination with high-resolution grids to model the extracellular environment) is a popular approach for building biological system models. However, the computational complexity of this approach forces computational biologists to resort to coarser resolution approaches to simulate large biological systems. High-performance parallel computers have the potential to address the computing challenge, but writing efficient software for parallel computers is difficult and time-consuming. Results: We have developed Biocellion, a high-performance software framework, to solve this computing challenge using parallel computers. To support a wide range of multicellular biological system models, Biocellion asks users to provide their model specifics by filling the function body of pre-defined model routines. Using Biocellion, modelers without parallel computing expertise can efficiently exploit parallel computers with less effort than writing sequential programs from scratch. We simulate cell sorting, microbial patterning and a bacterial system in soil aggregate as case studies. Availability and implementation: Biocellion runs on x86 compatible systems with the 64 bit Linux operating system and is freely available for academic use. Visit http://biocellion.com for additional information. Contact: seunghwa.kang@pnnl.gov PMID:25064572

Letter from Gustavus. While Rome burns.

PubMed

Brown, W E

1994-01-01

The religious command to the ancient nomads in Israel to multiply and subdue the earth is still obeyed across the world. In India and China high fertility ensures the requisite work force for intensive agriculture and the care of the elderly. In pastoral societies wealth and social status depend on the number of livestock possessed, with the result of overgrazing, soil erosion, and desertification. Most ecosystem and biospheric deterioration stems from two causes: 1) the false notion inherited from ancient religious beliefs that human beings are exempt from natural constraints; and 2) the fallacious idea that science and technology will overcome the looming prospects of environmental catastrophe. The ill-fated examples of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, the devastation of the rich soils in the Mississippi Basin, and the destruction of California attest to the contrary. In addition, the existing nuclear arsenal as well as obsolescent nuclear power plants harbor a potential disaster. There is a desperate struggle to feed multiplying populations, which results in mining all the resources within the boundaries of nation states, or, once they become exhausted, taking the lands and resources of others. Unless the same rules are applied to the human species as are to scientific investigation, there will be no more preserved lands, seas, and ecosystems left. In Third World countries this phenomenon is already taking place on a large scale when parks and nature preserves must resort to armed wardens to protect the wildlife and habitat from encroachers scavenging for food and fuelwood. In the industrialized countries this desperation does not appear so manifestly yet because it is allayed by the rapacious extraction of the resources of poorer nations by multinationals.

Chronology of awareness about US National Park external threats.

PubMed

Shafer, Craig L

2012-12-01

The objective of this paper is to raise understanding of the history of protected area external threat awareness in the United States and at World Protected Area Congresses. The earliest concerns about external threats to US national parks began in the late nineteenth century: a potential railroad transgression of Yellowstone National Park in the 1880s. During the early and mid 1930s, George Wright and colleagues focused on outside boundary concerns like of hunting and trapping of furbearers, grazing, logging, disease and hybridization between species. In the 1960s, a worldwide recognition began about the role of outside habitat fragmentation/isolation on nature reserves and human generated stressors crossing their boundaries. The State of the Park Report 1980 added a plethora of threats: oil/gas and geothermal exploration and development, hydropower and reclamation projects, urban encroachment, roads, resorts, and recreational facilities. The early 1980s ushered in political interference with NPS threats abatement efforts as well as Congressional legislative initiatives to support the abatement challenges of the agency. By 1987, the Government Accounting Office issued its first report on National Park Service (NPS) progress in dealing with external threats. Climate change impacts on parks, especially in terms of animals adjusting their temperature and moisture requirements by latitude and altitude, surfaced in the technical literature by the mid-1980s. By 1992, the world parks community stressed the need to integrate protected areas into the surrounding landscape and human community. The importance of the matrix has gradually gained appreciation in the scientific community. This chronology represents one example of national park and protected areas' institutional history contributing to the breath of modern conservation science.

Chronology of Awareness About US National Park External Threats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafer, Craig L.

2012-12-01

The objective of this paper is to raise understanding of the history of protected area external threat awareness in the United States and at World Protected Area Congresses. The earliest concerns about external threats to US national parks began in the late nineteenth century: a potential railroad transgression of Yellowstone National Park in the 1880s. During the early and mid 1930s, George Wright and colleagues focused on outside boundary concerns like of hunting and trapping of furbearers, grazing, logging, disease and hybridization between species. In the 1960s, a worldwide recognition began about the role of outside habitat fragmentation/isolation on nature reserves and human generated stressors crossing their boundaries. The State of the Park Report 1980 added a plethora of threats: oil/gas and geothermal exploration and development, hydropower and reclamation projects, urban encroachment, roads, resorts, and recreational facilities. The early 1980s ushered in political interference with NPS threats abatement efforts as well as Congressional legislative initiatives to support the abatement challenges of the agency. By 1987, the Government Accounting Office issued its first report on National Park Service (NPS) progress in dealing with external threats. Climate change impacts on parks, especially in terms of animals adjusting their temperature and moisture requirements by latitude and altitude, surfaced in the technical literature by the mid-1980s. By 1992, the world parks community stressed the need to integrate protected areas into the surrounding landscape and human community. The importance of the matrix has gradually gained appreciation in the scientific community. This chronology represents one example of national park and protected areas' institutional history contributing to the breath of modern conservation science.

Jobs in Unexpected Places--A Pattern for the 80s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, Jack B.

1983-01-01

Opportunities now await the leisure service professional in several employment areas not traditionally occupied by people with training or experience in the recreation or leisure service profession. Areas include theme parks, auditorium and arena management, themed restaurants, shopping centers, and resort management. (CJ)

Sustainable Supply Chain Design by the P-Graph Framework

EPA Science Inventory

The present work proposes a computer-aided methodology for designing sustainable supply chains in terms of sustainability metrics by resorting to the P-graph framework. The methodology is an outcome of the collaboration between the Office of Research and Development (ORD) of the ...

78 FR 48043 - Safety Zone; AVI Resort and Casino Labor Day Fireworks Display; Colorado River

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-07

... the Local Notice to Mariners and local advertising by the event sponsor. If the Captain of the Port... need not be enforced for the full duration stated on this notice, he or she may use a Broadcast Notice...

Entrepreneurial Earth Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacy, Carol

1997-01-01

Presents an activity in which groups of students form land-use companies that work for a client who is seeking land suitable for an all-season resort. Involves students working together and drawing on their knowledge of contour lines, topography, land forms, climate, natural disasters, geology, and hydrology. (JRH)

75 FR 48405 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-10

... PHM Pulte Group Inc. Banking ETF. 300 XL XL Group Plc 350 HOT Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc... . Please include File Number SR-NYSEAmex-2010-73 on the subject line. Paper Comments Send paper comments in...

36 CFR 293.8 - Permanent structures and commercial services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Permanent structures and... AGRICULTURE WILDERNESS-PRIMITIVE AREAS § 293.8 Permanent structures and commercial services. Motels, summer homes, stores, resorts, organization camps, hunting and fishing lodges, electronic installations, and...

Pathological Demand Avoidance: Exploring the Behavioural Profile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Nions, Elizabeth; Viding, Essi; Greven, Corina U; Ronald, Angelica; Happé, Francesca

2014-01-01

"Pathological Demand Avoidance" is a term increasingly used by practitioners in the United Kingdom. It was coined to describe a profile of obsessive resistance to everyday demands and requests, with a tendency to resort to "socially manipulative" behaviour, including outrageous or embarrassing acts. Pathological demand…

Just War Theory Applied to US Policy in Pakistan and Yemen

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-12

cause, proper authority, right intention, last resort, probability of success, proportionality, discrimination . 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17...21 Discrimination ...theater of conflict opened up. Whether or not the United States made wise decisions in handicapping itself by limiting offensive operations to airstrikes

Constructive Alternatives to Punishment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reclaiming Children and Youth: Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Problems, 1997

1997-01-01

Provides examples of programs that teach children positive behavior skills for success in life rather than resorting to traditional punishment. Looks at the Positive Education Program, Boys Town, the Westerly School District, and the New Opportunities Program. Such programs help children learn appropriate skills that replace problem behaviors.…

76 FR 64124 - Implementation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-17

... Register notice (FRN) for public comment. The NRC's ADR Program is comprised of two entirely different sub... safety conscious work environment by facilitating timely and amicable resolution of discrimination concerns without resorting to prolonged litigation and unnecessary expenses. The second sub-program...

Litter assessment on 99 Cuban beaches: A baseline to identify sources of pollution and impacts for tourism and recreation.

PubMed

Botero, C M; Anfuso, G; Milanes, C; Cabrera, A; Casas, G; Pranzini, E; Williams, A T

2017-05-15

Litter presence was assessed on the entire Cuban coastline, and includes 99 beaches from all Cuban regions, during field work carried out in 2012 and 2015. A standard method verified in several countries was applied, which classified beaches for nine types of litter into four grades (A-excellent to D-poor). Almost half of the Cuban beaches obtained excellent cleanliness scores, although many needed to be better managed. In this baseline, the most common types of residue were general litter (8% grade D and 35% grades B/C) and potentially harmful litter (<68% with grade A). Resort beaches and those with international visitors showed the best litter management. Tourism Impacts seems to be related to visitor origin therefore choices to develop sustainable tourism in rural and village beaches (64%) appears low, if beach cleaning gross investment is focused on resort beaches (24%). Finally, this paper highlights geographical distribution and types of litter patterns. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.