Group 4: Instructor training and qualifications

Each professional instructor or check airman used in LOFT training course should complete an FAA approved training course in the appropriate aircraft type. Instructors used in such courses need not be type-rated. If an instructor or check airman who is presently not line-qualified is used as a LOFT instructor, he or she should remain current in line-operational procedures by observing operating procedures from the jump seat on three typical line segments pr 90 days on the appropriate aircraft type. ("Line qualification" means completion as a flight crew member of at least three typical line segments per 90 days on the appropriate aircraft type.) The training should include the requirement of four hours of LOFT training, in lieu of actual aircraft training or line operating experience

Infectious agents in atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases through oxidative stress

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that vascular oxidative stress is a critical feature of atherosclerotic process, potentially triggered by several infectious agents that are considered as risk co-factors for the atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). C. pneumoniae has been shown to upregulate multiple enzymatic systems capable of producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as NADPH oxidase (NOX) and cyclooxygenase in vascular endothelial cells, NOX and cytochrome c oxidase in macrophages as well as nitric oxide synthase and lipoxygenase in platelets contributing to both early and late stages of atherosclerosis. P. gingivalis seems to be markedly involved in the atherosclerotic process as compared to A. actinomycetemcomitans contributing to LDL oxidation and foam cell formation. Particularly interesting is the evidence describing the NLRP3 inflammasome activation as a new molecular mechanism underlying P. gingivalis-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. Amongst viral agents, immunodeficiency virus-1 and hepatitis C virus seem to have a major role in promoting ROS production, contributing, hence, to the early stages of atherosclerosis including endothelial dysfunction and LDL oxidation. In conclusion, oxidative mechanisms activated by several infectious agents during the atherosclerotic process underlying CVDs are very complex and not well-known, remaining, thus, an attractive target for future research

Sensitivity Analysis of Streeter-Phelps Models

Sensitivity theory is applied in this paper to a class of generalized Streeter-Phelps models in order to predict the variations induced in BOD by the variations of some parameters characterizing the river system. The paper shows how simple and elegant this technique is, and at the same time proves that many relatively complex phenomena can be explained by Streeter-Phelps models

Optimal Allocation of Artificial In-Stream Aeration

This paper presents some simple properties of the problem of optimal allocation and design of a system of mechanical surface aerators. These properties are proved to be valid for an extremely wide class of river quality models and it is shown how they can be usefully employed to simplify the problem and to improve the efficiency of some dynamic programming algorithms. Finally a method is suggested for dealing with the allocation problem in a river basin composed of a main stream and its tributaries

Image Correlation-Based Identification of Fracture Parameters for Structural Adhesives

We consider the identification problem of a cohesive model using kinematic full-field data obtained via digital image correlation during the fracture test of an adhesive joint. A criterion is presented for selecting measurements that exhibit optimal features for identification purposes. The proposed selection scheme is constructed using the sensitivity information and its performances are evaluated at varying noise-to-signal ratio

Optimal Sequencing in the Implementation of Wastewater Treatment Plants

If a set of wastewater treatment plants is to be installed in a river basin within a given time period, an interesting optimization problem is to select the best sequence in which the plants should be built. Two sequencing problems of this kind are discussed in this paper, and branch and bound algorithms are proposed for solving them. The validity of some simplifying assumptions and the effectiveness of the methods from a computational point of view are shown by analyzing the case of the Rhine river in The Federal Republic of Germany

A Min-Max Approach to Reservoir Management

Analysis concerned with problems of the rational use of natural resources almost invariably deals with uncertainties with regard to the future behavior of the system In question and with multiple objectives reflecting conflicting goals of the users of the resources. Uncertainty means that the information available is not sufficient to unambiguously predict the future of the system, and the multiplicity of the objectives, on the other hand, calls for establishing rational trade-offs among them. The rationality of the trade-offs is quite often of subjective nature and cannot be formally incorporated into mathematical models supporting the analysis, and the information with regard to the future may vary with time. Then the challenge to the analyst is to elaborate a mathematical and computer implemented system that can be used to perform the analysis recognizing both the above aspects of real world problems. These were the issues addressed during the summer study "Real-Time Forecast versus Real-Time Management of Hydrosystems," organized by the Resources and Environment Area of IIASA in 1981. The general line of research was the elaboration of new approaches to analyzing reservoir regulation problems and to estimating the value of the information reducing the uncertainties. Computationally, the research was based on the hydrosystem of Lake Como, Northern Italy. This paper describes the application of an innovative approach to problems of reservoir management. This approach, which focuses on a risk-adverse regulation of a hydrosystem, takes into account both major aspects of this type of problem: uncertainty with regard to inflows of water into the system, and also multiple objectives which are faced by the manager. The theoretical basis of the approach has been described in another paper of this series of publications. This paper is more application-oriented, and contains also computational results for the regulation problem of Lake Como in Northern Italy

Total Hemi-overgrowth in Pigmentary Mosaicism of the (Hypomelanosis of) Ito Type: Eight Case Reports.

Pigmentary mosaicism of the (hypomelanosis of) Ito type is an umbrella term, which includes phenotypes characterized by mosaic hypopigmentation in the form of streaks, whorls, patchy, or more bizarre skin configurations (running along the lines of Blaschko): these cutaneous patterns can manifest as an isolated skin disorder (pigmentary mosaicism of the Ito type) or as a complex malformation syndrome in association with extracutaneous anomalies (most often of the musculoskeletal and/or nervous systems) (hypomelanosis of Ito). Affected individuals are anecdotally reported to have also partial or total body hemi-overgrowth (HOG), which often causes moderate to severe complications.We studied the occurrence and features of HOG in the 114 children and adults with mosaic pigmentary disorders of the Ito type diagnosed and followed up (from 2 to 22 years; average follow-up 16 years) at our Institutions.Eight patients (5 M, 3 F; aged 4 to 25 years; median age 16 years) out of the 114 analyzed (7%) fulfilled the criteria for unilateral HOG, with differences in diameter ranging from 0.4 to 4.0 cm (upper limbs) and 1.0 to 9.0 cm (lower limbs). Moreover, among these 8 patients, 5/8 filled in the 75th to 90th percentile for height; 6/8 had associated kyphoscoliosis; and 5/8 showed cognitive delays. No tumour complications were recorded. Overall, 6/8 HOG patients presented with additional (extracutaneous) syndromic manifestations, apart from the HOG (ie, with a clinical phenotype of hypomelanosis of Ito).The present study, which includes children and adults with the longest follow-up so far recorded, confirms the association between pigmentary mosaicism of the Ito type and HOG lowering previous estimates (7% vs 16%) for HOG in the context of mosaic hypopigmentation. A careful examination, looking at subtle to moderate asymmetries and associated complications within the spectrum of these mosaic pigmentary disorders, is recommended

Uncertainty and Multiple Objectives in Storage Control Problems (A Min-Max Approach)

Analysis concerned with problems of the rational use of natural resources almost invariably deals with uncertainties with regard to the future behavior of the system in question and with multiple objectives reflecting conflicting goals of the users of the resources. Uncertainty means that the information available is not sufficient to unambiguously predict the future of the system, and the multiplicity of the objectives, on the other hand, calls for establishing rational trade-offs among them. The rationality of the trade-offs is quite often of subjective nature and can not be formally incorporated into mathematical models supporting the analysis, and the information with regard to the future may vary with time. Then the challenge to the analyst is to elaborate a mathematical and computer implemented system that can be used to perform the analysis recognizing both the above aspects of real world problems. These were the issues addressed during the summer study "Real- Time Forecast versus Real-Time Management of Hydrosystems", organized by the Resources and Environment Area of IIASA in 1981. The general line of research was the elaboration of new approaches to analyzing reservoir regulation problems and to estimating the value of the information reducing the uncertainties. Computationally, the research was based on the hydrosystem of Lake Como, Northern Italy. This paper starts a short series of IIASA publications based upon the results obtained during the study. It describes the theoretical background for the new max-min approach to analyzing multiobjective problems with uncertainties and outlines briefly some applications of the approach to water reservoir regulation problems

Stable Taxation Schemes in Regional Environmental Management

Economists have frequently proposed the use of taxes to internalize externalities, the unit tax on a particular activity being equal to the marginal social damage it generates. This paper introduces such a taxation scheme, comprising a set of rules which, given a set of polluters, their profits and costs, and a Central Authority for environmental control, generates a set of taxes to be levied on the waste emissions. Different attributes of the taxation schemes are then presented, the most important of which (stability) refers to the possibility of overall cooperation between all the polluters. The paper concludes by examining the implications of the existence of stable taxation schemes and of the imposition of constraints either on the emissions or on the percentage of load removed