Implications of uncertainties on European DEMO design

During the pre-conceptual design phase of fusion devices such as the European demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO), systems codes provide a fast evaluation of optimal design points and highlight high impact areas. However, determining or evaluating a design point at such an early stage comes with uncertainties in many of the design parameters. These uncertainties are both associated with the physics as well as the engineering basis of the European DEMO design. The work applies an uncertainty quantification analysis to the 2017 pulsed European DEMO design using the PROCESS systems code. It assumes that DEMO will be built as suggested by the baseline and explores what implications the currently known physics and engineering uncertainties have on the expected performance parameters (net electric output and pulse length), while optimising the fusion gain Q. A more detailed single parameter analysis clearly identifies high impact parameters. This confirms previous investigations as well as revealing new areas that warrant deeper investigation in particular in the technology area

Chemo- and Thermosensory Responsiveness of Grueneberg Ganglion Neurons Relies on Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate Signaling Elements

Neurons of the Grueneberg ganglion (GG) in the anterior nasal region of mouse pups respond to cool temperatures and to a small set of odorants. While the thermosensory reactivity appears to be mediated by elements of a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) cascade, the molecular mechanisms underlying the odor-induced responses are unclear. Since odor-responsive GG cells are endowed with elements of a cGMP pathway, specifically the transmembrane guanylyl cyclase subtype GC-G and the cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel CNGA3, the possibility was explored whether these cGMP signaling elements may also be involved in chemosensory GG responses. Experiments with transgenic mice deficient for GC-G or CNGA3 revealed that GG responsiveness to given odorants was significantly diminished in these knockout animals. These findings suggest that a cGMP cascade may be important for both olfactory and thermosensory signaling in the GG. However, in contrast to the thermosensory reactivity, which did not decline over time, the chemosensory response underwent adaptation upon extended stimulation, suggesting that the two transduction processes only partially overlap. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Implementing Autism Screening for Latino Children in Primary Care: Perspectives from Parents and Providers

While Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities are being diagnosed at increasing rates, there is strong evidence of disparities in rates of identification and utilization of services by Latino children as compared to non-Latino children. Attempts to reduce these disparities include culturally-informed early screening for ASD risk. In preparation for initiation of a screening program in a primary care setting serving primarily Latino children, focus groups and interviews were conducted with Latino parents (N=31), medical staff (N=15), health care providers (N=4) to better understand the barriers and facilitators to engagement around developmental concerns that contribute to the low identification and service use for Latino children with autism. Using a thematic analysis approach, focus group and interview data revealed themes organized around three issues impacting engagement of Latino parents in screening for ASD: 1) information exchange, 2) culture, and 3) structure. In particular, parents and providers, felt that it was important to connect on the importance of developmental issues, address health literacy, acknowledge differences in language, beliefs, and values, and address structural barriers, like length of patient/provider interaction. Information obtained through this qualitative study informed the intervention, Supported Screening, to facilitate screening and referral for ASD at primary care sites that serve predominantly Latino families

Social Preferences, Skill Segregation and Wage Dynamics

We study the earning structure and the equilibrium asignment of workers to firms in a model in which workers have social preferences, and skills are perfectly substitutable in production. Firms offer long-term contracts, and we allow for frictions in the labour market in the form of mobility costs. The model delivers specific predictions about the nature of worker flows, about the characteristic of workplace skill segregation, and about wage dispersion both within and cross firms. We shows that long-term contracts in the resence of social preferences associate within-firm wage dispersion with novel "internal labour market" features such as gradual promotions, productivity-unrelated wage increases, and downward wage flexibility. These three dynamic features lead to productivity-unrelated wage volatily within firms.Publicad