1,751 research outputs found
Pharmaceuticals active compounds in the aquatic environment: a review
Pharmaceutical active substances utilised to treat human and animal diseases can launch into the environment through effluents from wastewater treatment plants and direct disposal of pharmaceutical compounds. Some of these compounds arrive in the environment as a parent compound or as active/inactive metabolites. Owing to their pharmacological action, their conceptions in the environment are significant, and thus this chapter reviews the understanding of the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the environment
Cartilage degeneration in the human patellae and its relationship to the mineralisation of the underlying bone
Introduction: Tricksters, humour and activism
This special issue, entitled ‘The Trickster Activist in Global Humour and Comedy’, investigates the relevance of the concept of the trickster for explaining activist expressions that emanate from comedians, or that appear in comedy and humour more generally. Comedy has traditionally been viewed as an aesthetic or entertainment medium. It has often been charged with encouraging stereotype and the affirmation of mainstream audience beliefs. Despite this, we argue, there have been moments in recent history where comedians have given their performances an increased level of social and political consciousness that resonates with the public at large, or with sections of the public. Comedians, we argue, are able to reach this level of social commentary due to their potential to become tricksters. Paradoxically, the mythical trickster is a liminal entity, one that is adept at destruction as well as creation, or at conservativism as well radicalism. The articles in this issue explore the complexity of the trickster concept, showing some of the polysemy involved in the social activism enabled by comedy and humour
International chicken trade and increased risk for introducing or reintroducing highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) to uninfected countries.
Every year billions of chickens are shipped thousands of miles around the globe in order to meet the ever increasing demands for this cheap and nutritious protein source. Unfortunately, transporting chickens internationally can also increase the chance for introducing zoonotic viruses, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) to new countries. Our study used a retrospective analysis of poultry trading data from 2003 through 2011 to assess the risk of H5N1 poultry infection in an importing country. We found that the risk of infection in an importing country increased by a factor of 1.3 (95% CI: 1.1-1.5) for every 10-fold increase in live chickens imported from countries experiencing at least one H5N1 poultry case during that year. These results suggest that the risk in a particular country can be significantly reduced if imports from countries experiencing an outbreak are decreased during the year of infection or if biosecurity measures such as screening, vaccination, and infection control practices are increased. These findings show that limiting trade of live chickens or increasing infection control practices during contagious periods may be an important step in reducing the spread of H5N1 and other emerging avian influenza viruses
Statistical mechanics of glass transition in lattice molecule models
Lattice molecule models are proposed in order to study statistical mechanics
of glass transition in finite dimensions. Molecules in the models are
represented by hard Wang tiles and their density is controlled by a chemical
potential. An infinite series of irregular ground states are constructed
theoretically. By defining a glass order parameter as a collection of the
overlap with each ground state, a thermodynamic transition to a glass phase is
found in a stratified Wang tiles model on a cubic lattice.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure
The potential role of SLE-key test in identifying patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Results from a prospective, real-world experience
Fluid/solid transition in a hard-core system
We prove that a system of particles in the plane, interacting only with a
certain hard-core constraint, undergoes a fluid/solid phase transition
First Order Phase Transition of a Long Polymer Chain
We consider a model consisting of a self-avoiding polygon occupying a
variable density of the sites of a square lattice. A fixed energy is associated
with each -bend of the polygon. We use a grand canonical ensemble,
introducing parameters and to control average density and average
(total) energy of the polygon, and show by Monte Carlo simulation that the
model has a first order, nematic phase transition across a curve in the
- plane.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Phase transition in a static granular system
We find that a column of glass beads exhibits a well-defined transition
between two phases that differ in their resistance to shear. Pulses of
fluidization are used to prepare static states with well-defined particle
volume fractions in the range 0.57-0.63. The resistance to shear is
determined by slowly inserting a rod into the column of beads. The transition
occurs at for a range of speeds of the rod.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. The paper is significantly extended, including
new dat
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