The Effects of Energy Price Increases on Dutch Horticulture

This paper elaborates on the effects of a rise in energy costs for Dutch glasshouse horticultural producers. The effects on production, bilateral trade and consumption in 25 European countries plus Morocco, Turkey and the Rest of the World, are estimated using a version of the HORTUS partial equilibrium supply and demand model. This model includes 11 sorts of fruit and vegetables, and two categories of ornamental plants and flowers. As energy, especially natural gas, is a major intermediate input in Dutch glasshouse horticulture, it has potentially large impacts on producers and trade. The results indicate that a 10 percent increase in energy prices could cause significant shifts in production and trade flows, as well as some changes in consumption patterns. The effects are larger for more export oriented products, and dependent on the nature of competition on foreign as well as domestic markets.energy costs, glasshouse vegetables and flowers, model of international trade, Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, F15, F17, Q17,

GEO debris and interplanetary dust: fluxes and charging behavior

In September 1996, a dust/debris detector: GORID was launched into the geostationary (GEO) region as a piggyback instrument on the Russian Express-2 telecommunications spacecraft. The instrument began its normal operation in April 1997 and ended its mission in July 2002. The goal of this work was to use GORID's particle data to identify and separate the space debris to interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) in GEO, to more finely determine the instrument's measurement characteristics and to derive impact fluxes. While the physical characteristics of the GORID impacts alone are insufficient for a reliable distinction between debris and interplanetary dust, the temporal behavior of the impacts are strong enough indicators to separate the populations based on clustering. Non-cluster events are predominantly interplanetary, while cluster events are debris. The GORID mean flux distributions (at mass thresholds which are impact speed dependent) for IDPs, corrected for dead time, are 1.35x10^{-4} m^{-2} s^{-1} using a mean detection rate: 0.54 d^{-1}, and for space debris are 6.1x10^{-4} m^{-2} s^{-1} using a mean detection rate: 2.5 d^{-1}. Beta-meteoroids were not detected. Clusters could be a closely-packed debris cloud or a particle breaking up due to electrostatic fragmentation after high charging.Comment: * Comments: 6 pages, 4 postscript figures, in Dust in Planetary Systems 2005, Krueger, H. and Graps, A. eds., ESA Publications, SP in press (2006). For high resolution version, see: http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/dustgroup/~graps/dips2005/GrapsetalDIPS2005.pd

Synthesis of small-molecule HGF-Met inhibitors for use in preventing cell motility

Glycosaminoglycans are becoming more and more focused upon as a research topic due to the broad use they have in aiding wound healing and preventing cell motility through competitive inhibition of the HGF-Met pathway. This pathway is extremely important in various cellular processes including cancer development, metastasis, tissue regeneration, damage and cell motility. This project aimed to synthesise a series of easily prepared (3 step) mono, di-, tri- and tetra-sulfated glycomimetic compounds for their use in preventing HGF-induced cell motility in cancers, prevention of Met activation and for their beneficial actions in assisting wound healing. Glycosaminoglycans are becoming more and more focused upon as a research topic due to the broad use they have in aiding wound healing and preventing cell motility through competitive inhibition of the HGF-Met pathway. This pathway is extremely important in various cellular processes including cancer development, metastasis, tissue regeneration, damage and cell motility. This project aimed to synthesise a series of easily prepared (3 step) mono, di-, tri- and tetra-sulfated glycomimetic compounds for their use in preventing HGF-induced cell motility in cancers, prevention of Met activation and for their beneficial actions in assisting wound healing. Overall, several of the sulfated glycomimetic compounds synthesised in this project show promising activity in inhibiting the HGF/Met pathway, although more work is required to further optimise the SAR and assure effective inhibition

Health care provision for refugees in Germany – one-year evaluation of an outpatient clinic in an urban emergency accommodation

Background: In 2015, Germany recorded the highest rates of refugees since the early 1990s. Access to medical care is a legally regulated fundamental element of aid for refugees. In practice, there are several hurdles such as language barriers and legal regulations. In response to the massively increased need, special outpatient services for refugees were started in several German cities. In Cologne, an outpatient clinic (OPD) was established in the largest emergency accommodation centre for refugees supported by the Cologne municipality and operated by the German Red Cross and physicians from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. This study reports experiences of the first year of the OPD regarding structure, processes and utilization. Methods: Employing mixed methods, between May and December 2015 cross sectional pseudonymized data from patients’ contacts were collected, coded in the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) and evaluated. Infrastructure, equipment, process organisation and function of the OPD were assessed during five participatory observations and triangulated with results of a self-administered questionnaire for staff and four qualitative interviews with key informants. Results: During the observation period a total of 2205 persons (67% male) stayed in the emergency accommodation and 984 patient contacts (51% male) were registered, mainly by young persons from Western Balkan countries and Syria. Medical treatment was sought primarily for acute respiratory-, loco-motor-system- and skin symptoms followed by chronic physical diseases. Headache, back and neck pain and acute respiratory infection were the most frequent diagnoses. Questionnaires and interviews among staff revealed language barriers and psycho-trauma as the most frequently reported challenges. Equipment and staffing was adequate, but patient documentation was not systematic, leading to loss of information. Conclusion: To facilitate refugees’ appropriate access to health care, the OPD was seen as functional for this refugee accommodation centre. Need was recognised for standardized, data protective documentation and a health passport for clients for medical information. Psychological support for refugees needs expansion taking legal circumstances and coverage of costs into consideration. To improve patient communication employees working with refugees should be offered an introduction to culturally sensitive understanding of health and illness

Geologic Mapping of the Zal, Hi'iaka, and Shamshu Regions of Io

We have produced regional geologic maps of the Zal, Hi'iaka, and Shamshu regions of Io s antijovian hemisphere based on Galileo mission data. Here we discuss the geologic features, summarize the map units and structures that are present, discuss the nature of volcanic activity, and give an analysis of the volcanic, tectonic, and gradational processes that affect the regions in order to better understand Io s geologic evolution. Zal Region: The Zal region (25-45degN, 65-85degW) consists of Zal Patera (120 km wide x 197 km long), two major mountains (north and south Zal Montes) which border Zal Patera to the west and south [1], and an unnamed patera ("Patera A") west of south Zal Montes. The Zal region includes at least two hotspots detected by Galileo: one along the western scarp of the Zal Patera volcano and one at the "Patera A" volcano. The floor of Zal Patera has been partly resurfaced by dark lava flows since Voyager imaging; portions of the patera floor appear unchanged during the Galileo mission. Mountains exhibit stages of degradation. The western bounding scarp of Zal Patera appears to be a fissure source vent for multiple silicate lava flows. The Zal Montes and Patera complex appears to be an example of volcano-tectonic interactions [1, 2]. Several of the flow units emanate from the fissure at the western scarp [2]. Hi'iaka Region: The Hi'iaka region (approx.12degS-5degN, 75-87degW) consists of Hi'iaka Patera, a large (60 km wide x 95 km long) patera, north and south Hi iaka Montes which border Hi'iaka Patera to the west and south and are L-shaped mirror-images of each other, west Hi'iaka Montes, a small isolated peak, and an unnamed patera ("Patera B") located south of north Hi'iaka Montes. The region includes one hotspot at Hi'iaka Patera. The floor of the patera exhibits flow deposits of differing ages. The eastern scarp of Hi'iaka Patera may be a fissure source vent for the patera floor materials. The Hi iaka Montes and Patera complex appears to be an example of volcano-tectonic interactions [1, 2]. Shamshu Region: The Shamshu region (approx.15degS-5degS, 55-77degW) consists of Shamshu Patera, three mountain units (west, north, and south Shamshu Mons), and a small unnamed patera ("Patera C") southwest of Shamshu Mons

Executive function deficits in preschool children with ADHD and DBD

Background: Impairments in executive functions (EF) are consistently associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to a lesser extent, with disruptive behavior disorder (DBD), that is, oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, in school-aged children. Recently, larger numbers of children with these disorders are diagnosed earlier in development, yet knowledge about impairments in clinically diagnosed preschool children and the role of comorbidity is limited. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine EF in clinically referred preschool children with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD, DBD and ADHD + DBD. Method: Participants were 202 children aged 3.5–5.5 years, 61 with ADHD only, 33 with DBD only, 52 with comorbid ADHD + DBD and 56 typically developing children. Five EF tasks were administered. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the two-factor model (inhibition and working memory) fit the data better than a one-factor model in this clinical sample. Preschoolers with ADHD displayed inhibition deficits, also after controlling for IQ. Likewise, preschoolers with DBD displayed impaired inhibition, but when IQ was controlled differences were carried mostly by the effect on the task where motivational demands were high (i.e. when tangible rewards were used). This pattern was also found in the interaction between ADHD and DBD; impaired inhibition in the comorbid group, however, was more severe than in the DBD group. Regarding working memory, few group differences were found. Conclusions: Clinically diagnosed preschool children with ADHD showed robust inhibition deficits, whereas preschool children with DBD showed impaired inhibition especially where motivational incentives were prominent. Severity of inhibition impairment in the comorbid group was similar to the ADHD group