Evaluating Long-Range Transportation Plans for Mainstreaming of Climate Adaptation Among Virginia MPOs

Despite the strides made towards addressing climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction strategies, it has become increasingly apparent that attempting to mitigate the crisis in such a manner alone is insufficient. This thesis joins a growing body of research on how our societies must adapt to a changing climate, contributing more evidence on common barriers to adaptation and how they might be overcome. Through an attempt to evaluate the progress made towards mainstreaming, or integrating, climate change concerns into five Virginia MPOs’ long-range transportation plans (LRTPs), this study provides support for prior hypotheses around the potential for MPOs to serve as central governing bodies in future regional adaptation planning efforts, and provides direction for future research on how best to expand upon this potential

The Mortgage Crisis: Government Intervention And Debtors Options

The real estate market crash was a major contributor in creating the dismal global economic situation. The paper reviews the options of the homeowners in debt and the government’s actions to stimulate the real estate market

Does Regular Surveillance Improve the Long-Term Survival of Arteriovenous Fistulas?

The rate of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) placement continues to rise and AVF failure is a major complication. The main cause of AVF failure is stenosis leading to thrombosis. Although the detection of early stenosis with preemptive correction prior to thrombosis seems to be a plausible option to prevent access failure, there is much debate, on the basis of studies of surveillance with arteriovenous grafts, as to whether early surveillance actually improves the longevity of AVFs. Evaluating the available information for surveillance, specifically the data for AVF stenosis and survival, is necessary to determine if surveillance is warranted. These trials have shown that vascular access flow (Qa) surveillance is beneficial in revealing subclinical stenosis. Preemptive angioplasty and surgical revision have shown to decrease thrombosis rates. However, at the present time, there is only limited data on whether preemptive treatment equates to improved long-term AVF survival

Variations in Dimensions and Shape of Thoracic Cage with Aging: An Anatomical Review

The thoracic cage variations in dimensions and proportions are influenced by age, sex and race. The objective of the present review was to describe the age related changes occurring in thoracic wall and its influence on the pattern of respiration in infants, adult and elderly. We had systematically reviewed, compared and analysed many original and review articles related to aging changes in chest wall images and with the aid of radiological findings recorded in a span of four years. We have concluded that alterations in the geometric dimensions of thoracic wall, change in the pattern and mechanism of respiration are influenced not only due to change in the inclination of the rib, curvature of the vertebral column even the position of the sternum plays a pivotal role. Awareness of basic anatomical changes in thoracic wall and respiratory physiology with aging would help clinicians in better understanding, interpretation and to differentiate between normal aging and chest wall deformation.Key words: Thoracic wall; Respiration; Ribs; Sternum; vertebral colum

The Effect of Projection on Derived Mass-Size and Linewidth-Size Relationships

Power law mass-size and linewidth-size correlations, two of "Larson's laws," are often studied to assess the dynamical state of clumps within molecular clouds. Using the result of a hydrodynamic simulation of a molecular cloud, we investigate how geometric projection may affect the derived Larson relationships. We find that large scale structures in the column density map have similar masses and sizes to those in the 3D simulation (PPP). Smaller scale clumps in the column density map are measured to be more massive than the PPP clumps, due to the projection of all emitting gas along lines of sight. Further, due to projection effects, structures in a synthetic spectral observation (PPV) may not necessarily correlate with physical structures in the simulation. In considering the turbulent velocities only, the linewidth-size relationship in the PPV cube is appreciably different from that measured from the simulation. Including thermal pressure in the simulated linewidths imposes a minimum linewidth, which results in a better agreement in the slopes of the linewidth-size relationships, though there are still discrepancies in the offsets, as well as considerable scatter. Employing commonly used assumptions in a virial analysis, we find similarities in the computed virial parameters of the structures in the PPV and PPP cubes. However, due to the discrepancies in the linewidth- and mass- size relationships in the PPP and PPV cubes, we caution that applying a virial analysis to observed clouds may be misleading due to geometric projection effects. We speculate that consideration of physical processes beyond kinetic and gravitational pressure would be required for accurately assessing whether complex clouds, such as those with highly filamentary structure, are bound.Comment: 25 pages, including 7 Figures; Accepted for publication in Ap

Tracing the evolution of the symmetry energy of hot nuclear fragments from the compound nucleus towards multifragmentation

The evolution of the symmetry energy coefficient of the binding energy of hot fragments with increasing excitation is explored in multifragmentation processes following heavy-ion collisions below the Fermi energy. In this work, high-resolution mass spectrometric data on isotopic distributions of projectile-like fragments from collisions of 25 MeV/nucleon 86Kr and 64Ni beams on heavy neutron-rich targets are systematically compared to calculations involving the Statistical Multifragmentation Model. The study reveals a gradual decrease of the symmetry energy coefficient from 25 MeV at the compound nucleus regime (E*/A < 2 MeV) towards 15 MeV in the bulk multifragmentation regime (E*/A > 4 MeV). The ensuing isotopic distributions of the hot fragments are found to be very wide and extend towards the neutron drip-line. These findings may have important implications to the composition and evolution of hot astrophysical environments, such as core-collapse supernova.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Foreclosures: A Non-Traditional Approach

Foreclosures are at a record high, causing families to be displaced, blighted neighborhoods and the reduction of home values. This paper examines a few unusual cases recently determined, whereby the Court exercises its equity powers to find a just result

Asymptomatic cardiac manifestations in CKD

Background: Chronic kidney disease is recognised as health concern globally with more than 40 percent of morbididty and mortality. CKD is one of the independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and its unfavourable health outcomes. The risk factors like smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes which are highly prevalent in CKD. The therapeutic interventions in CKD patients to reduce CVD events does not hold a desired effect and has bad prognosis in end stage renal disease. The initial evidence indicating a relationship between CKD and CVD is more apparent in patient with dialysis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the asymptomatic cardiac manifestations in 2-4 stages of CKD through non-invasive methods like ECG and Echocardiography.Methods: It is a cross sectional study investigated on 250 CKD patients receiving care in JSS hospital, Mysore. For the primary objective, correlational analysis were performed to evaluate the association of renalfunctional parameters like serum creatinine, urine albumin, eGFR with cardiac parameters through ECG and Echocardiographic changes.Results: ECG revealed LVH with pressure overload pattern in 36%. 25% patients had ST-T changes. Echocardiography revealed LVH and diastolic dysfunction as abnormalities. LVH has significant p value.Conclusions: CVD is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients of CKD who succumb to Cardio vascular deaths before reaching the end stage renal disease. Thus, focus of patient care in early CKD stages should be directed to prevention of cardiovascular complications through early ECG and Echocardiography

SYNTHESIS AND ANTIBACTERIAL SCREENING OF FEW NEW 5-MEMBERED HETEROCYCLIC SUGAR HYDRAZONES

Objective: The aim of this study is to synthesize, characterize, and screen some new 5-membered heterocyclic sugar hydrazones for their antibacterialactivities.Methods: A library of sugar hydrazones containing 2-benzofuryl, 2-thiophenyl, and 2-pyrrolyl motifs were synthesized. Structures of the newlysynthesized compounds were deduced based on spectral data and elemental analyses.Results: Antibacterial activity was screened against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Results were compared to gentamicin.Compound 6a exhibited most potent antibacterial activity against all the tested strains.Conclusion: 2-benzofuryl derivatives were observed to be good antibacterials.Keywords: Benzofuran, Thiophene, Pyrrole, Antibacterial, Sugar