Light Rail Transit Surface Operations: Technical Appendix, Trip Reports

This appendix to the report, Light Rail Transit: Surface Operations, contains unedited trip reports prepared in 1977 covering visits in 1976 to cities in Sweden, Holland, Switzerland and west Germany by Dr. E. s. Diamant; to Holland, Belgium, Italy, Yugoslavia and West Germany by Dr. v. R. Vuchic; and to cities in North America. by Messieurs H. Carve, R. Sauve and G. Fox, to carry out investigations and gain understanding of the fundamental design and operation practices of light rail transportation systems. These trip reports are published at this time to supplement the report Light Rail Transit: Surface Operations

Optical and mechanical design of the extreme AO coronagraphic instrument MagAO-X

Here we review the current optical mechanical design of MagAO-X. The project is post-PDR and has finished the design phase. The design presented here is the baseline to which all the optics and mechanics have been fabricated. The optical/mechanical performance of this novel extreme AO design will be presented here for the first time. Some highlights of the design are: 1) a floating, but height stabilized, optical table; 2) a Woofer tweeter (2040 actuator BMC MEMS DM) design where the Woofer can be the current f/16 MagAO ASM or, more likely, fed by the facility f/11 static secondary to an ALPAO DM97 woofer; 3) 22 very compact optical mounts that have a novel locking clamp for additional thermal and vibrational stability; 4) A series of four pairs of super-polished off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors with a relatively wide FOV by matched OAP clocking; 5) an advanced very broadband (0.5-1.7micron) ADC design; 6) A Pyramid (PWFS), and post-coronagraphic LOWFS NCP wavefront sensor; 7) a vAPP coronagraph for starlight suppression. Currently all the OAPs have just been delivered, and all the rest of the optics are in the lab. Most of the major mechanical parts are in the lab or instrument, and alignment of the optics has occurred for some of the optics (like the PWFS) and most of the mounts. First light should be in 2019A.Comment: 10 pages, proc. SPIE 10703, Adaptive Optics IV, Austin TX, June 201

Heavy metal content of vegetables irrigated with mixtures of wastewater and sewage sludge in Zimbabwe: Implications for human health

There is growing public concern in Zimbabwe over the illegal cultivation of vegetables on soils amended with sewage sludge or irrigated with admixtures of sewage and sewage sludge. Excessive accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils may not only result in environmental contamination, but lead to elevated heavy metal uptake by crops, which may affect food quality and safety. The work reported here studied heavy metal concentrations in crops irrigated with sewage sludge and sewage/sewage sludge admixtures at Firle Municipal Farm in Harare. The crops analysed in this study are heavily contaminated with the four regulated elements Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. This contamination is at its highest in two of the staple dietary crops maize and tsunga. Tsunga leaves contained 3.68 mg kg-1 Cd, over 18 times the permissible level by the EU standards (0.2 mg kg-1); Cu concentrations were 111 mg kg-1, 5 times the EU Standard (20 mg kg-1); concentrations of Pb were 6.77 mg kg-1, over 22 times the permissible levels allowed by both EU standards and UK guidelines (0.3 mg kg-1); Zn concentrations were 221 mg kg-1, over 4 times the guideline value (50 mg kg-1). The other plants (beans, maize, peppers and sugarcane) also contained concentrations of heavy metals above the permissible levels. Furthermore the concentrations observed in this study were higher than those reported by other workers who have examined vegetation from other contaminated sites. This study highlights the potential risks involved in the cultivation and consumption of vegetables on plots irrigated with sewage sludge, a practice which may place at risk the health of the urban population who consume these vegetables

Loss of AP-2delta reduces retinal ganglion cell numbers and axonal projections to the superior colliculus

Background: AP-2 delta is the most divergent member of the Activating Protein-2 (TFAP2) family of transcription factors. AP-2 delta is restricted to specific regions of the CNS, including a subset of ganglion cells in the retina. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the only output neurons of the retina, are responsible for transmitting the visual signal to the brain. Results: AP-2 delta knockout results in loss of Brn3c (Pou4f3) expression in AP-2 delta -positive RGCs. While AP-2 delta-/- mice have morphologically normal retinas at birth, there is a significant reduction in retinal ganglion cell numbers by P21, after eye opening. Chromatin immunoprecipitation indicates that Brn3c is a target of AP-2 delta in the retina. Using fluorochrome-conjugated cholera toxin subunit B to trace ganglion cell axons from the eye to the major visual pathways in the brain, we found 87 % and 32 % decreases in ipsilateral and contralateral projections, respectively, to the superior colliculus in AP-2 delta-/- mice. In agreement with anatomical data, visually evoked responses recorded from the brain confirmed that retinal outputs to the brain are compromised. Conclusions: AP-2 delta is important for the maintenance of ganglion cell numbers in the retina. Loss of AP-2 delta alters retinal axonal projections to visual centers of the brain, with ipsilaterial projections to the superior colliculus being the most dramatically affected. Our results have important implications for integration of the visual signal at the superior colliculus

An argument for the use of Aristotelian method in bioethics

The main claim of this paper is that the method outlined and used in Aristotle's Ethics is an appropriate and credible one to use in bioethics. Here “appropriate” means that the method is capable of establishing claims and developing concepts in bioethics and “credible” that the method has some plausibility, it is not open to obvious and immediate objection. It begins by suggesting why this claim matters and then gives a brief outline of Aristotle's method. The main argument is made in three stages. First, it is argued that Aristotelian method is credible because it compares favourably with alternatives. In this section it is shown that Aristotelian method is not vulnerable to criticisms that are made both of methods that give a primary place to moral theory (such as utilitarianism) and those that eschew moral theory (such as casuistry and social science approaches). As such, it compares favourably with these other approaches that are vulnerable to at least some of these criticisms. Second, the appropriateness of Aristotelian method is indicated through outlining how it would deal with a particular case. Finally, it is argued that the success of Aristotle's philosophy is suggestive of both the credibility and appropriateness of his method.</p

Light Rail Transit Surface Options

Current interest in Light Rail Transit (LRT) is anchored in its functional and economic capabilities which derive from operations at surface street level. European cities have shown that light rail can be successfully co-located with growing automobile traffic. There are no unique forms and approaches to LRT surface operations. European experts have come up with a range of design concepts of varying cost and differing impacts on adjoining vehicular and pedestrian movements. This report reviews and illustrates the applications of many of the more successfully used design and operational concepts. Topics include design concepts using man-made or vegetation barriers to separate traffic and means to delineate and separate movements with contrasting pavement textures and curbs. Considerable coverage is given to use of modern signalized traffic control and traffic management techniques. This report also deals with an essential element of LRT surface operations, self-service or barrier-free fare collection

The Registry and Follow-Up of Complex Pediatric Therapies Program of Western Canada: A Mechanism for Service, Audit, and Research after Life-Saving Therapies for Young Children

Newly emerging health technologies are being developed to care for children with complex cardiac defects. Neurodevelopmental and childhood school-related outcomes are of great interest to parents of children receiving this care, care providers, and healthcare administrators. Since the 1970s, neonatal follow-up clinics have provided service, audit, and research for preterm infants as care for these at-risk children evolved. We have chosen to present for this issue the mechanism for longitudinal follow-up of survivors that we have developed for western Canada patterned after neonatal follow-up. Our program provides registration for young children receiving complex cardiac surgery, heart transplantation, ventricular assist device support, and extracorporeal life support among others. The program includes multidisciplinary assessments with appropriate neurodevelopmental intervention, active quality improvement evaluations, and outcomes research. Through this mechanism, consistently high (96%) follow-up over two years is maintained

Selectivities of Potassium-Calcium and Potassium-Lead Exchange in Two Tropical Soils

Measurement of cation selectivity in soils provides important information about the affinity and binding strength of a particular cation on soil surfaces. Gaines-Thomas (KGT) selectivity coefficients were determined for a variety of K/Ca and K/Pb ratios on an Oxisol and Ultisol soil from Puerto Rico. The calculated KGT values indicated a preference for K+ over Ca2+ or Pb2+. The selectivity for Pb2+ was significantly greater than that for Ca2+ due to Pb2+\u27s larger hydrated charge density relative to that of Ca2+. The patterns of selectivity were independent of metal type. The selectivity of the Oxisol for Ca2+ or Pb2+ exhibited no trend and changed little with changes in divalent metal surface coverage. The Ultisol displayed a decrease in selectivity for Ca2+ and Pb2+ with increasing surface coverage of these ions. This was attributed to the presence of smectite in the Ultisol, which was able to partially collapse when K+ saturated. Some of the Pb sorption in the soils was due to chemisorption. The Oxisol chemisorbed 3000 mg Pb kg-1 while that value for the Ultisol was ≈1900 mg kg-1. The differences were due to the greater quantities of Fe/Al oxides and organic matter in the Oxisol relative to the Ultisol. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) spectroscopy detected discrete Pb-C phase in both soils. The C was from organic matter. Under experimental conditions, any Pb-carbonate phase would not have been stable. It was possible Pb was associated with organic sulfhydral groups. The selectivity exhibited by soil systems for various nutrient and heavy metals is important in elucidating how available these metals will be for plant/animal uptake as well as their mobility and stability in the soil environment