Marine exploration

Less than 50 years ago knowledge of the geology of the UK continental shelf (UKCS) was extremely limited. The BGS marine geoscience programme began about 40 years ago in response to the development of the UK oil and gas industry. The BGS was funded by the then Department of Energy to carry out a national mapping programme based on geophysical data, seabed samples and boreholes. By the 1990s, geological maps at a scale of 1:250 000 were published for the shelf regions showing seabed sediments, Quaternary geology and bedrock. The deeper water areas to the north and west continue to be explored with support from the oil industry. A series of regional reports, the offshore equivalent of the BGS regional guides, were published and reports for the Atlantic Margin will be published in 2010. MAREMAP is a new multidisciplinary environmental mapping programme designed to underpin the new marine industries and environmental issues

Prevalence of Peyronie's Disease-Like Symptoms in Men Presenting With Dupuytren Contractures.

IntroductionPeyronie's disease (PD) and Dupuytren contractures (DC) are often comorbid and are believed to have a similar underlying pathophysiologic mechanism.AimTo investigate the prevalence of PD-like symptoms (PDLS) in men with DC.MethodsFrom October 2013 to December 2016, men who were seen and evaluated for DC were offered the opportunity to participate in an anonymous survey. The survey assessed several basic demographic and sexual health factors and included items from the International Index of Erectile Function and the Erection Hardness Scale. Men who reported PDLS were asked a series of questions derived from the Peyronie's Disease Questionnaire and for their opinions on theoretical treatment modalities for sexual problems and penile deformity.Main outcome measurePrevalence of PDLS in men with DC.ResultsOne hundred forty men with DC were invited to participate; 85 surveys were returned (response rate = 61%). Twenty-two respondents (26%, 95% confidence interval = 17-35) reported PDLS. Approximately one fourth of all respondents had an Erection Hardness Scale score lower than 3. The most common specific PDLS concerns were penile curvature (91%), length loss (55%), narrowing (36%), and hinging (32%). In men with PDLS, 73% felt at least a little bothered by the symptoms when attempting sexual activity and 40% reported having sex less frequently because of the symptoms. Just 27% of men with PDLS had ever used a treatment for a sexual concern. In terms of treatments for penile deformities, 64% of men with PDLS expressed an interest in treatment administered in the form of an in-office procedure; 41% were potentially amenable to a surgical procedure.ConclusionThe prevalence of PDLS in men with DC is similar to the prevalence of DC in men diagnosed with PD. A substantial number of these men have distress and would consider standard-of-care treatments for PD. Shindel AW, Sweet G, Thieu W, et al. Prevalence of Peyronie's Disease-Like Symptoms in Men Presenting With Dupuytren Contractures. Sex Med 2017;5:e135-e141

Aircraft selection modeling: a multi-step heuristic to enumerate airlift alternatives

We consider the use of the new C-130J-30 aircraft for long distance (strategic) cargo movement. Currently, only large aircraft, the C-5 and the C-17, are identified as strategic airlift assets by the United States Air Force. Our mathematical model identifies all logical airframe combinations to perform a cargo movement given a set of constraints. Using previously developed routing algorithms and fuel metrics, we evaluated the combinations and calculated the potential savings had the most fuel efficient combination been selected. Analyzing 1 month of historic data for four long distance routes, our proposed model suggests that savings could have been more than one million dollars

Mojave Desert - Shaded Relief

Produced for the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program under the United States Department of Defense Legacy Program in cooperation with the Department of the Interior. Cartography and image processing by: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory Department of Geography and Earth Resources College of Natural Resources Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322–5240 Cartographic preparation and printing by U.S. Geological Survey, 1998. Shaded Relief derived from U.S\u3e Geological Survey (USGS) National Elevation Database. Solar elevation 25°, azimuth 315°, exaggeration 5x, ambient light 0.5 Land ownership compiled from 1:100,000-scale Bureau of Land Management Surface Management Status maps. Populated places produced from USGS Geographic Names Information System. Roads and water bodies produced from USGS 1:100,000-scale Digital Line Graph data. Project boundary based on the Mojave Desert Section delineated by Robert G. Bailey, 1995, with a 50 kilometer buffer

Mojave Desert - Satellite Image Map

Produced for the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program under the United States Department of Defense Legacy Program in cooperation with the Department of the Interior. Cartography and image processing by: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory Department of Geography and Earth Resources College of Natural Resources Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322–5240 Cartographic preparation and printing by U.S. Geological Survey, 1998. Image map produced from 15 Landsat Thematic Mapper images recorded from 1991–1993, provided by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the Multi–Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium Activities. Bands 7, 4, 2. Simulated natural color composite. Land ownership compiled from 1:100,000-scale Bureau of Land Management Surface Management Status maps. Populated places produced from USGS Geographic Names Information System. Roads produced from USGS 1:100,000-scale Digital Line Graph data. Project boundary based on the Mojave Desert Section delineated by Robert G. Bailey, 1995, with a 50 kilometer buffer

Mojave Desert - Land Ownership and Administration

Produced for the Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program under the United States Department of Defense Legacy Program in cooperation with the Department of the Interior. Cartography and image processing by: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory Department of Geography and Earth Resources College of Natural Resources Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322–5240 Cartographic preparation and printing by U.S. Geological Survey, 1998. Land ownership compiled from 1:100,000-scale Bureau of Land Management Surface Management Status maps. Populated places produced from USGS Geographic Names Information System. Roads and water bodies produced from USGS 1:100,000-scale Digital Line Graph data. Project boundary based on the Mojave Desert Section delineated by Robert G. Bailey, 1995, with a 50 kilometer buffe

A cadaveric study of the anterolateral ligament: re-introducing the lateral capsular ligament.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify and characterize the anatomical properties of the anterolateral capsule, with the aim of establishing a more accurate anatomical description of the anterolateral ligament (ALL). Furthermore, microscopic analysis of the tissue was performed to determine whether the ALL can morphologically be classified as ligamentous tissue, as well as reveal any potential functional characteristics. METHODS: Three different modalities were used to validate the existence of the ALL: magnetic resonance imagining (MRI), anatomical dissection, and histological analysis. Ten fresh-frozen cadaveric knee specimens underwent MRI, followed by anatomical dissection which allowed comparison of MRI to gross anatomy. Nine additional fresh-frozen cadaveric knees (19 total) were dissected for a further anatomical description. Four specimens underwent H&E staining to look at morphological characteristics, and one specimen was analysed using immunohistochemistry to locate peripheral nervous innervation. RESULTS: The ALL was found in all ten knees undergoing MRI and all nineteen knees undergoing anatomical dissection, with MRI being able to predict its corresponding anatomical dissection. The ALL was found to have bone-to-bone attachment points from the lateral femoral epicondyle to the lateral tibia, in addition to a prominent meniscal attachment. Histological sectioning showed ALL morphology to be characteristic of ligamentous tissue, having dense, regularly organized collagenous bundles. Immunohistochemistry revealed a large network of peripheral nervous innervation, indicating a potential proprioceptive role. CONCLUSION: From this study, the ALL is an independent structure in the anterolateral compartment of the knee and may serve a proprioceptive role in knee mechanics

Do the DOJ Vertical Restraints Guidelines Provide Guidance?

Vertical restraints come in a glittering menu of exceptional variety, including resale price maintenance (RPM), tying, exclusive dealing, requirements contracts, best efforts clauses, full-line forcing, airtight and nonairtight exclusive territories, customer restrictions, areas of primary responsibility, profit-passover provisions, restrictions on locations of outlets, and dual distribution. Firms sometimes combine vertical restraints into packages. The great variety of individual and combined vertical restraints complicates the discovery of market effects. Indeed, identifying what restraint(s) a given firm is using at any particular time can be difficult