Numerical study of a nonlinear heat equation for plasma physics

This paper is devoted to the numerical approximation of a nonlinear temperature balance equation, which describes the heat evolution of a magnetically confined plasma in the edge region of a tokamak. The nonlinearity implies some numerical difficulties, in particular long time behavior, when solved with standard methods. An efficient numerical scheme is presented in this paper, based on a combination of a directional splitting scheme and the IMEX scheme introduced in [Filbet and Jin

Archaeological Sites, Cultural Heritage, and Sustainable Development in the Republic of Kazakhstan

This paper addresses the problem of protecting and preserving archaeological sites from the Bronze Age through the Medieval Period (ca. 2500 BC–1500 CE) as part of sustainable development that includes such economic and social benefits as (1) promoting national status; (2) integrating archaeological sites into the Silk Route narrative; (3) developing tourism related to historic and cultural heritage; and (4) creating a citizenry that values its cultural and historic resources in the face of rapid economic development and changing natural and cultural landscapes. Two UNESCO World Heritage sites will be discussed briefly: Otrar and the surrounding oasis, a medieval complex of sites along the Great Silk Route, and Tamgaly, a petroglyph and archaeological reserve. These two UNESCO World Heritage archaeological sites or preserves will be contrasted with the Talgar Iron Age sites (400 BC–100 CE) situated in a rapidly changing landscape due to economic development and infrastructure (pipelines, railways, roads, and housing) about 12–15 km east of the major city of Almaty. The goal of this article is to discuss the complexity of the entangled sectors of cultural and historic preservation, economic development, tourism, and global transnational heritage within the framework of sustainability

The paradox of being a woman teacher

In this article I follow genealogical lines of analysis in an attempt to map the different discourses and practices that interweave women’s position in education today. I have theorised education as a nexus of created paradoxical spaces, where the female self has attempted to surpass closed boundaries and to question the dichotomy of the feminised private and/or the masculine public. I have also considered the importance of time restrictions upon women’s lives and have paid attention to the multifarious ways these lives are highly structured by specific space/time regulations. The genealogical cartography I have drawn, depicts various positions, where the female self has created parodic unities and temporary coalitions. Finally in tracing exit points that education has offered women, I have considered some of the implications of feminist theories for the subversion of the various dilemmas and dichotomies the female subject has lived through

Effcient numerical methods for strongly anisotropic elliptic equations

In this paper, we study an effcient numerical scheme for a strongly anisotropic elliptic problem which arises in the modeling of ionospheric plasma dynamics. A small parameter \varepsilon induces the anisotropy of the problem, which leads to severe numerical diffculties for 0 < \varepsilo

Traffic-related air pollution and obesity formation in children: a longitudinal, multilevel analysis.

BackgroundBiologically plausible mechanisms link traffic-related air pollution to metabolic disorders and potentially to obesity. Here we sought to determine whether traffic density and traffic-related air pollution were positively associated with growth in body mass index (BMI = kg/m2) in children aged 5-11 years.MethodsParticipants were drawn from a prospective cohort of children who lived in 13 communities across Southern California (N = 4550). Children were enrolled while attending kindergarten and first grade and followed for 4&nbsp;years, with height and weight measured annually. Dispersion models were used to estimate exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Multilevel models were used to estimate and test traffic density and traffic pollution related to BMI growth. Data were collected between 2002-2010 and analyzed in 2011-12.ResultsTraffic pollution was positively associated with growth in BMI and was robust to adjustment for many confounders. The effect size in the adjusted model indicated about a 13.6% increase in annual BMI growth when comparing the lowest to the highest tenth percentile of air pollution exposure, which resulted in an increase of nearly 0.4 BMI units on attained BMI at age 10. Traffic density also had a positive association with BMI growth, but this effect was less robust in multivariate models.ConclusionsTraffic pollution was positively associated with growth in BMI in children aged 5-11 years. Traffic pollution may be controlled via emission restrictions; changes in land use that promote jobs-housing balance and use of public transit and hence reduce vehicle miles traveled; promotion of zero emissions vehicles; transit and car-sharing programs; or by limiting high pollution traffic, such as diesel trucks, from residential areas or places where children play outdoors, such as schools and parks. These measures may have beneficial effects in terms of reduced obesity formation in children

Evaluation of candidemia prevalence and treatment cost comparison in a community-based hospital

Title: Evaluation of candidemia prevalence and treatment cost comparison in a community-based hospital Purpose: Candidemia is among the most common causes of nosocomial bloodstream infections in U.S. patients. It has been associated with high mortality rates and increased costs of care and duration of hospitalizations. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of candidemia in patients with risk factors as per the 2009 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines, to assess the appropriateness of therapy in patients with candidemia, and to compare the cost of fluconazole versus micafungin at initiation of therapy in our institution. Methods: This is a single-centered, retrospective chart review of all inpatients with a diagnosis of candidemia, treated with either fluconazole or micafungin, from January 2010 to December 2014, and approved by our health care system’s Institutional Review Board. A laboratory department generated blood culture report will be used to identify candidemia patients. All patients under the age of 18 will be excluded from this study. Patient electronic medical records will be reviewed to evaluate the following based on 2009 IDSA guidelines: risk factors, illness severity, strain of Candida isolate (albicans versus non-albicans), appropriate use of fluconazole versus micafungin upon initiation of therapy, and appropriate duration of therapy. An overall cost comparison of fluconazole versus micafungin will be conducted. Cost of appropriate treatment versus inappropriate treatment used at start of therapy will be compared. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The prevalence of candidemia in our facility was predominately attributed to the use of implantable prosthetic devices, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and central venous catheters. On average, moderate to severely ill patients had a higher prevalence of candidemia. The most prevalent isolates were Candida albicans and parapsilosis. Of the 36.4% of patients that were inappropriately treated, one patient received antifungal therapy for 123 days and thus skewed our cost analysis. When assessing antifungal therapy, fluconazole and micafungin were inappropriately prescribed and dosed based on IDSA guidelines, at 40% and 20%; and at 25% and 2.5% respectively. The average length of treatment was 15 days. Conclusions: The results of this study will be presented at our Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee. We will be conducting an educational campaign with our healthcare providers in order to reinforce appropriate prescribing criteria for candidemia based on IDSA guidelines

Ultrastructural Characterization of Noradrenergic Axons and Beta-Adrenergic Receptors in the Lateral Nucleus of the Amygdala

Norepinephrine (NE) is thought to play a key role in fear and anxiety, but its role in amygdala-dependent Pavlovian fear conditioning, a major model for understanding the neural basis of fear, is poorly understood. The lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a critical brain region for fear learning and regulating the effects of stress on memory. To understand better the cellular mechanisms of NE and its adrenergic receptors in the LA, we used antibodies directed against dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DβH), the synthetic enzyme for NE, or against two different isoforms of the beta-adrenergic receptors (βARs), one that predominately recognizes neurons (βAR 248) and the other astrocytes (βAR 404), to characterize the microenvironments of DβH and βAR. By electron microscopy, most DβH terminals did not make synapses, but when they did, they formed both asymmetric and symmetric synapses. By light microscopy, βARs were present in both neurons and astrocytes. Confocal microscopy revealed that both excitatory and inhibitory neurons express βAR248. By electron microscopy, βAR 248 was present in neuronal cell bodies, dendritic shafts and spines, and some axon terminals and astrocytes. When in dendrites and spines, βAR 248 was frequently concentrated along plasma membranes and at post-synaptic densities of asymmetric (excitatory) synapses. βAR 404 was expressed predominately in astrocytic cell bodies and processes. These astrocytic processes were frequently interposed between unlabeled terminals or ensheathed asymmetric synapses. Our findings provide a morphological basis for understanding ways in which NE may modulate transmission by acting via synaptic or non-synaptic mechanisms in the LA