Micro-financing potential in FYR Macedonia

This paper outlines a brief political and financial history of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as well as the potential for micro-finance to address some of the developmental issues that exist. This paper uses professional studies on micro-finance as well as governmental reports and personal accounts to paint a whole picture of the situation as well as micro-finance's role

A model of phonological processing, language, and reading for students with mild intellectual disability

Little is known about the relationships between phonological processing, language, and reading in children with intellectual disability (ID). We examined the structure of phonological processing in 294 school-age children with mild ID and the relationships between its components and expressive and receptive language and reading skills using structural equation modeling. Phonological processing consisted of two distinct but correlated latent abilities: phonological awareness and naming speed. Phonological awareness had strong relationships with expressive and receptive language and reading skills. Naming speed had moderate relationships with these variables. Results suggest that children with ID bring the same skills to the task of learning to read as children with typical development, highlighting the fact that phonologically based reading instruction should be considered a viable approach

Signal Mast Arm Fatigue Failure Investigation

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has discovered and documented failures in several cantilever mast arms in the recent years. The failures were primarily by fatigue at the weld of the arm to the base plate attached to the mast. With over 6000 mast arms in service in Missouri, the failures raised concerns with the existing mast arm inventory and future mast arm design. This report presents findings from an effort to determine the cause of unexpected cracking in Missouri mast arms. Three causes of premature failure were investigated: the stress ranges experienced at the weld detail were higher than anticipated, the number of cycles experienced at the weld detail were larger than anticipated and/or the weld quality was less than expected. The results show that the main culprit for the premature fatigue failure of mast arms in Missouri can be attributed to poor weld quality. The new fatigue-resistant weld detail, without quality welding techniques, does not improve the situation. The loads and cycles of loads experienced by the mast arms are not necessarily critical if the weld is of high quality. Recommendations for possible solutions for existing in-service mast arms and for new mast arms are presented. The recommendations range from insuring weld quality to dampers on the mast arms

Performance of Hamamatsu 64-anode photomultipliers for use with wavelength--shifting optical fibres

Hamamatsu R5900-00-M64 and R7600-00-M64 photomultiplier tubes will be used with wavelength--shifting optical fibres to read out scintillator strips in the MINOS near detector. We report on measurements of the gain, efficiency, linearity, crosstalk, and dark noise of 232 of these PMTs, of which 219 met MINOS requirements.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. Accepted by Nucl. Inst. Meth.

Fatigue Assessment of Traffic Signal Mast Arms based on Field Test Data under Natural Wind Gusts

In recent years, several states including Missouri, Wyoming, California, and Texas experienced fracture failures of traffic signal mast arms. Almost all the failures are associated with the propagation of defects or cracks. It is therefore imperative to evaluate existing mast arms using a simple yet accurate procedure. A statistical methodology is proposed to predict the fatigue life of signal mast arm structures on the basis of field-measured strain data. The annual occurrence of various stress levels is determined using the historical wind speed data in the vicinity of a mast arm structure and the strain readings of the structure under specific wind gusts. For each stress level, the crack initiation and propagation lives are estimated with the strain-life approach and the Paris crack-growth-rate model. They are combined to account for variable stresses by means of Miner\u27s rule and the root-mean-square model, respectively. The stress concentration factor around the arm-post connection is determined using a finite element model. The parameters in the life prediction models are determined with ASTM flat tension and compact tension tests. The proposed methodology was applied to a 12.8-m (42-ft) long octagonal mast arm and a 16.5-m (54-ft) long circular mast arm in Missouri. It is concluded that signal structures in perfect condition will not crack under natural wind gusts during their service life. However, the 16.5-m-long arm is likely to be vulnerable to tiny defects around the weld connection, but the 12.8-m-long arm is safe unless a visible crack exists

Productivity of Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Nesting on Natural and Artificial Structures in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, 1991-2001

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) declined throughout the Great Lakes basin during the 1950s to 1970s due to usage of organochlorine pesticides. Following the banning of DDT in 1972, artificial elevated nest structures were erected in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-central Ontario to aid in their recovery. As the population grew, large stumps of flooded trees, < 1 m above the surface of the water became important nesting sites, despite their propensity to flood in turbulent weather conditions. We compared the productivity of Ospreys among nest substrates and longevity of the nests in this area from 1991 to 2001. Of 260 individual nesting attempts made over the 11 years, 57% used man-made structures, primarily either quadrupod nesting platforms or utility poles. Of nests on natural substrates, stump nests accounted for 37% of total nesting attempts; elevated tree nests were relatively uncommon (6%). Productivity of stump nests was significantly greater than that of artificial or tree nests (1.48 versus 1.16 and 0.73 chicks produced per occupied nest, respectively). Nevertheless, survivorship of stump nests was less than that of platform nests after 3 years of age, as high water levels, storms or winter ice activity destroyed some of these low nests between breeding seasons. Ospreys were able to attain greater productivity in these stump nests than on man-made nesting substrates

In Vivo Airway Surface Liquid Cl− Analysis with Solid-State Electrodes

The pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF) airways disease remains controversial. Hypotheses that link mutations in CFTR and defects in ion transport to CF lung disease predict that alterations in airway surface liquid (ASL) isotonic volume, or ion composition, are critically important. ASL [Cl−] is pivotal in discriminating between these hypotheses, but there is no consensus on this value given the difficulty in measuring [Cl−] in the “thin” ASL (∼30 μm) in vivo. Consequently, a miniaturized solid-state electrode with a shallow depth of immersion was constructed to measure ASL [Cl−] in vivo. In initial experiments, the electrode measured [Cl−] in physiologic salt solutions, small volume (7.6 μl) test solutions, and in in vitro cell culture models, with ≥93% accuracy. Based on discrepancies in reported values and/or absence of data, ASL Cl− measurements were made in the following airway regions and species. First, ASL [Cl−] was measured in normal human nasal cavity and averaged 117.3 ± 11.2 mM (n = 6). Second, ASL [Cl−] measured in large airway (tracheobronchial) regions were as follows: rabbit trachea and bronchus = 114.3 ± 1.8 mM; (n = 6) and 126.9 ± 1.7 mM; (n = 3), respectively; mouse trachea = 112.8 ± 4.2 mM (n = 13); and monkey bronchus = 112.3 ± 10.9 mM (n = 3). Third, Cl− measurements were made in small (1–2 mm) diameter airways of the rabbit (108.3 ± 7.1 mM, n = 5) and monkey (128.5 ± 6.8 mM, n = 3). The measured [Cl−], in excess of 100 mM throughout all airway regions tested in multiple species, is consistent with the isotonic volume hypothesis to describe ASL physiology

The neural correlates of emotion regulation by implementation intentions

Several studies have investigated the neural basis of effortful emotion regulation (ER) but the neural basis of automatic ER has been less comprehensively explored. The present study investigated the neural basis of automatic ER supported by ‘implementation intentions’. 40 healthy participants underwent fMRI while viewing emotion-eliciting images and used either a previously-taught effortful ER strategy, in the form of a goal intention (e.g., try to take a detached perspective), or a more automatic ER strategy, in the form of an implementation intention (e.g., “If I see something disgusting, then I will think these are just pixels on the screen!”), to regulate their emotional response. Whereas goal intention ER strategies were associated with activation of brain areas previously reported to be involved in effortful ER (including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), ER strategies based on an implementation intention strategy were associated with activation of right inferior frontal gyrus and ventro-parietal cortex, which may reflect the attentional control processes automatically captured by the cue for action contained within the implementation intention. Goal intentions were also associated with less effective modulation of left amygdala, supporting the increased efficacy of ER under implementation intention instructions, which showed coupling of orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala. The findings support previous behavioural studies in suggesting that forming an implementation intention enables people to enact goal-directed responses with less effort and more efficiency

Utility of the new Movement Disorder Society clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease applied retrospectively in a large cohort study of recent onset cases

Objective: To examine the utility of the new Movement Disorder Society (MDS) diagnostic criteria in a large cohort of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods: Recently diagnosed (<3.5 years) PD cases fulfilling United Kingdom (UK) brain bank criteria in Tracking Parkinson's, a UK multicenter prospective natural history study were assessed by retrospective application of the MDS criteria. Results: In 2000 cases, 1835 (91.7%) met MDS criteria for PD, either clinically established (n = 1261, 63.1%) or clinically probable (n = 574, 28.7%), leaving 165 (8.3%) not fulfilling criteria. Clinically established cases were significantly more likely to have limb rest tremor (89.3%), a good l-dopa response (79.5%), and olfactory loss (71.1%), than clinically probable cases (60.6%, 44.4%, and 34.5% respectively), but differences between probable PD and ‘not PD’ cases were less evident. In cases not fulfilling criteria, the mean MDS UPDRS3 score (25.1, SD 13.2) was significantly higher than in probable PD (22.3, SD 12.7, p = 0.016) but not established PD (22.9, SD 12.0, p = 0.066). The l-dopa equivalent daily dose of 341 mg (SD 261) in non-PD cases was significantly higher than in probable PD (250 mg, SD 214, p < 0.001) and established PD (308 mg, SD 199, p = 0.025). After 30 months' follow-up, 89.5% of clinically established cases at baseline remained as PD (established/probable), and 86.9% of those categorized as clinically probable at baseline remained as PD (established/probable). Cases not fulfilling PD criteria had more severe parkinsonism, in particular relating to postural instability, gait problems, and cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Over 90% of cases clinically diagnosed as early PD fulfilled the MDS criteria for PD. Those not fulfilling criteria may have an atypical parkinsonian disorder or secondary parkinsonism that is not correctly identified by the UK Brain Bank criteria, but possibly by the new criteria