Closed-form Green's function representations in cylindrically stratified media for method of moments applications

Closed-form Green's function (CFGF) representations for cylindrically stratified media, which can be used as the kernel of an electric field integral equation, are developed. The developed CFGF representations can safely be used in a method of moments solution procedure, as they are valid for almost all possible source and field points that lie on the same radial distance from the axis of the cylinder (such as the air-dielectric and dielectric-dielectric interfaces) including the axial line (ρ = ρ′ and φ = φ′), which has not been available before. In the course of obtaining these expressions, the conventional spectral domain Green's function representations are rewritten in a different form so that i) we can attack the axial line problem and ii) the method can handle electrically large cylinders. Available acceleration techniques that exist in the literature are implemented to perform the summation over the cylindrical eigenmodes efficiently. Lastly, the resulting expressions are transformed to the spatial domain using the discrete complex image method with the help of the generalized pencil of function method, where a modified two-level approach is used. Numerical results are presented in the form of mutual coupling between two current modes to assess the accuracy of the final spatial domain CFGF representations. © 2009 IEEE

Concordance of LDL-C Estimating Equations with Direct Enzymatic Measurement in Diabetic and Prediabetic Subjects

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a well-established biomarker in the management of dyslipidemia. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the concordance of LDL-C-estimating equations with direct enzymatic measurement in diabetic and prediabetic populations. The data of 31,031 subjects included in the study were divided into prediabetic, diabetic, and control groups according to HbA1c values. LDL-C was measured by direct homogenous enzymatic assay and calculated by Martin-Hopkins, Martin-Hopkins extended, Friedewald, and Sampson equations. The concordance statistics between the direct measurements and estimations obtained by the equations were evaluated. All equations evaluated in the study had lower concordance with direct enzymatic measurement in diabetic and prediabetic groups compared to the non-diabetic group. Even so, the Martin-Hopkins extended approach demonstrated the highest concordance statistic in diabetic and prediabetic patients. Further, Martin-Hopkins extended was found to have the highest correlation with direct measurement compared with other equations. Over the 190 mg/dL LDL-C concentrations, the equation with the highest concordance was again Martin-Hopkins extended. In most scenarios, the Martin-Hopkins extended performed best in prediabetic and diabetic groups. Additionally, direct assay methods can be used at low values of the non-HDL-C/TG ratio (<2.4), as the performance of the equations in LDL-C estimation decreases as non-HDL-C/TG decreases

The role of the family in attributing meaning to living with HIV and its stigma in Turkey

Stigma attached to HIV/AIDS remains a global problem, with severe negative consequences for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Family support is fundamental for PLHIV’s psychological and physical well-being. HIV-related stigma is high in Turkey, where HIV/AIDS prevalence is low and the epidemic is not considered a priority. Based on qualitative data generated with HIV-positive women and men, this article explores the process of stigmatization, as experienced and perceived by PLHIV in Turkey, focusing on the institution of the family. Results indicated that enacted stigma from family members is lower than anticipated. While most participants’ narratives showed patterns of support rather than rejection from families, the strong expectations around the cultural value attributed to “the family” are found to be the main facilitators of internalized stigma. The article critically discusses the meaning and implications of family support, addressing the role of patriarchal values attributed to womanhood, manhood, and sexuality in Turkey

Deconstructing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender victim of sex trafficking: Harm, exceptionality and religion–sexuality tensions

Contrary to widespread belief, sex trafficking also targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) communities. Contemporary social and political constructions of victimhood lie at the heart of regulatory policies on sex trafficking. Led by the US Department of State, knowledge about LGBT victims of trafficking constitutes the newest frontier in the expansion of criminalization measures. These measures represent a crucial shift. From a burgeoning range of preemptive measures enacted to protect an amorphous class of ‘all potential victims’, now policies are heavily premised on the risk posed by traffickers to ‘victims of special interest’. These constructed identities, however, are at odds with established structures. Drawing on a range of literatures, the core task of this article is to confront some of the complexities and tensions surrounding constructions of LGBT trafficking victims. Specifically, the article argues that discourses of ‘exceptional vulnerability’ and the polarized notions of ‘innocence’ and ‘guilt’ inform hierarchies of victimhood. Based on these insights, the article argues for the need to move beyond monolithic understandings of victims, by reframing the politics of harm accordingly

Probing the limit of nuclear existence: Proton emission from 159Re

AbstractThe observation of the new nuclide 15975Re84 provides important insights into the evolution of single-particle structure and the mass surface in heavy nuclei beyond the proton drip line. This nuclide, 26 neutrons away from the nearest stable rhenium isotope, was synthesised in the reaction 106Cd(58Ni, p4n) and identified via its proton radioactivity using the ritu gas-filled separator and the great focal-plane spectrometer. Comparisons of the measured proton energy (Ep=1805±20 keV) and decay half-life (t1/2=21±4 μs) with values calculated using the WKB method indicate that the proton is emitted from an h11/2 state. The implications of these results for future experimental investigations into even more proton unbound nuclei using in-flight separation techniques are considered

The Power Laws of Violence against Women: Rescaling Research and Policies

BACKGROUND: Violence against Women -despite its perpetuation over centuries and its omnipresence at all social levels- entered into social consciousness and the general agenda of Social Sciences only recently, mainly thanks to feminist research, campaigns, and general social awareness. The present article analyzes in a secondary analysis of German prevalence data on Violence against Women, whether the frequency and severity of Violence against Women can be described with power laws. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Although the investigated distributions all resemble power-law distributions, a rigorous statistical analysis accepts this hypothesis at a significance level of 0.1 only for 1 of 5 cases of the tested frequency distributions and with some restrictions for the severity of physical violence. Lowering the significance level to 0.01 leads to the acceptance of the power-law hypothesis in 2 of the 5 tested frequency distributions and as well for the severity of domestic violence. The rejections might be mainly due to the noise in the data, with biases caused by self-reporting, errors through rounding, desirability response bias, and selection bias. CONCLUSION: Future victimological surveys should be designed explicitly to avoid these deficiencies in the data to be able to clearly answer the question whether Violence against Women follows a power-law pattern. This finding would not only have statistical implications for the processing and presentation of the data, but also groundbreaking consequences on the general understanding of Violence against Women and policy modeling, as the skewed nature of the underlying distributions makes evident that Violence against Women is a highly disparate and unequal social problem. This opens new questions for interdisciplinary research, regarding the interplay between environmental, experimental, and social factors on victimization

Neuroinflammation, Mast Cells, and Glia: Dangerous Liaisons

The perspective of neuroinflammation as an epiphenomenon following neuron damage is being replaced by the awareness of glia and their importance in neural functions and disorders. Systemic inflammation generates signals that communicate with the brain and leads to changes in metabolism and behavior, with microglia assuming a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Identification of potential peripheral-to-central cellular links is thus a critical step in designing effective therapeutics. Mast cells may fulfill such a role. These resident immune cells are found close to and within peripheral nerves and in brain parenchyma/meninges, where they exercise a key role in orchestrating the inflammatory process from initiation through chronic activation. Mast cells and glia engage in crosstalk that contributes to accelerate disease progression; such interactions become exaggerated with aging and increased cell sensitivity to stress. Emerging evidence for oligodendrocytes, independent of myelin and support of axonal integrity, points to their having strong immune functions, innate immune receptor expression, and production/response to chemokines and cytokines that modulate immune responses in the central nervous system while engaging in crosstalk with microglia and astrocytes. In this review, we summarize the findings related to our understanding of the biology and cellular signaling mechanisms of neuroinflammation, with emphasis on mast cell-glia interactions

The validation service of the hydrological SAF geostationary and polar satellite precipitation products

Abstract. The development phase (DP) of the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility for Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF) led to the design and implementation of several precipitation products, after 5 yr (2005–2010) of activity. Presently, five precipitation estimation algorithms based on data from passive microwave and infrared sensors, on board geostationary and sun-synchronous platforms, function in operational mode at the H-SAF hosting institute to provide near real-time precipitation products at different spatial and temporal resolutions. In order to evaluate the precipitation product accuracy, a validation activity has been established since the beginning of the project. A Precipitation Product Validation Group (PPVG) works in parallel with the development of the estimation algorithms with two aims: to provide the algorithm developers with indications to refine algorithms and products, and to evaluate the error structure to be associated with the operational products. In this paper, the framework of the PPVG is presented: (a) the characteristics of the ground reference data available to H-SAF (i.e. radar and rain gauge networks), (b) the agreed upon validation strategy settled among the eight European countries participating in the PPVG, and (c) the steps of the validation procedures. The quality of the reference data is discussed, and the efforts for its improvement are outlined, with special emphasis on the definition of a ground radar quality map and on the implementation of a suitable rain gauge interpolation algorithm. The work done during the H-SAF development phase has led the PPVG to converge into a common validation procedure among the members, taking advantage of the experience acquired by each one of them in the validation of H-SAF products. The methodology is presented here, indicating the main steps of the validation procedure (ground data quality control, spatial interpolation, up-scaling of radar data vs. satellite grid, statistical score evaluation, case study analysis). Finally, an overview of the results is presented, focusing on the monthly statistical indicators, referred to the satellite product performances over different seasons and areas