The Direct Benefits of Road Improvements to Commercial Vehicle Operators – A Review.

This paper reviews the existing theoretical and empirical literature on the direct benefits to commercial vehicle operators of road improvements. The exercise resulted from a need to estimate operating cost and time savings generated by the Humber Bridge. Although there is significant inter- and intrasectional variation, transport and distribution costs average 10-12% of total costs. In assessing the value of time savings, it is argued that several normally serious problems in business travel time analyses are irrelevant for lorry dirvers, whose work is travel. The crucial issues are the usability (and additivity) of time savings and nature of constraints on utilization of time savings, while a set of firms' operating characteristics determines the extent of such utilization

Logahedra: A new weakly relational domain

Weakly relational numeric domains express restricted classes of linear inequalities that strike a balance between what can be described and what can be efficiently computed. Popular weakly relational domains such as bounded differences and octagons have found application in model checking and abstract interpretation. This paper introduces logahedra, which are more expressiveness than octagons, but less expressive than arbitrary systems of two variable per inequality constraints. Logahedra allow coefficients of inequalities to be powers of two whilst retaining many of the desirable algorithmic properties of octagons

Double tungstate lasers: From bulk toward on-chip integrated waveguide devices

It has been recognized that the monoclinic double tungstates $KY{(WO_4)}_2$, $KGd{(WO_4)}_2$, and $KLu{(WO_4)}_2$ possess a high potential as rare-earth-ion-doped solid-state laser materials, partly due to the high absorption and emission cross sections of rare-earth ions when doped into these materials. Besides, their high refractive indexes make these materials potentially suitable for applications that require optical gain and high power in integrated optics, with rather high integration density. We review the recent advances in the field of bulk lasers in these materials and present our work toward the demonstration of waveguide lasers and their integration with other optical structures on a chip

Against book enclosures: moving towards more diverse, humane and accessible book publishing

Matthew Gandy's Commentary in Area (2023) criticised the decision of the national funder UKRI to mandate that all books resulting from the research that it funds must be published open access (OA) from 2024. This raises many issues of importance to geographers. We argue that scholars in the discipline need to fight for affordable and ethically produced OA books, not ‘legacy’ modes of publishing. In particular, books produced by scholar-led OA presses will not harm the reputation of departments or individual scholars, and they also have the potential to reduce significant financial barriers to accessing books across the globe. A more powerful critique must be to challenge the continued ‘enclosure’ of books, and the denial of OA by academic publishers and university presses

Inhibition of proton-transfer steps in transhydrogenase by transition metal ions

AbstractTranshydrogenase couples proton translocation across a bacterial or mitochondrial membrane to the redox reaction between NAD(H) and NADP(H). Purified intact transhydrogenase from Escherichia coli was prepared, and its His tag removed. The forward and reverse transhydrogenation reactions catalysed by the enzyme were inhibited by certain metal ions but a “cyclic reaction” was stimulated. Of metal ions tested they were effective in the order Pb2+>Cu2+>Zn2+=Cd2+>Ni2+>Co2+. The results suggest that the metal ions affect transhydrogenase by binding to a site in the proton-transfer pathway. Attenuated total-reflectance Fourier-transform infrared difference spectroscopy indicated the involvement of His and Asp/Glu residues in the Zn2+-binding site(s). A mutant in which βHis91 in the membrane-spanning domain of transhydrogenase was replaced by Lys had enzyme activities resembling those of wild-type enzyme treated with Zn2+. Effects of the metal ion on the mutant were much diminished but still evident. Signals in Zn2+-induced FTIR difference spectra of the βHis91Lys mutant were also attributable to changes in His and Asp/Glu residues but were much smaller than those in wild-type spectra. The results support the view that βHis91 and nearby Asp or Glu residues participate in the proton-transfer pathway of transhydrogenase

Suboptimal blood pressure control in chronic kidney disease stage 3: baseline data from a cohort study in primary care

Background: poorly controlled hypertension is independently associated with mortality, cardiovascular risk and disease progression in chronic kidney disease (CKD). In the UK, CKD stage 3 is principally managed in primary care, including blood pressure (BP) management. Controlling BP is key to improving outcomes in CKD. This study aimed to investigate associations of BP control in people with CKD stage 3.Methods: 1,741 patients with CKD 3 recruited from 32 general practices for the Renal Risk in Derby Study underwent medical history, clinical assessment and biochemistry testing. BP control was assessed by three standards: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative (KDOQI) and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines. Descriptive statistics were used to compare characteristics of people achieving and not achieving BP control. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with BP control.Results: the prevalence of hypertension was 88%. Among people with hypertension, 829/1426 (58.1%) achieved NICE BP targets, 512/1426 (35.9%) KDOQI targets and 859/1426 (60.2%) KDIGO targets. Smaller proportions of people with diabetes and/or albuminuria achieved hypertension targets. 615/1426 (43.1%) were only taking one antihypertensive agent. On multivariable analysis, BP control (NICE and KDIGO) was negatively associated with age (NICE odds ratio (OR) 0.27; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.17-0.43) 70–79 compared to &lt;60), diabetes (OR 0.32; 95% CI 0.25-0.43)), and albuminuria (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.42-0.74)). For the KDOQI target, there was also association with males (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.60-0.96)) but not diabetes (target not diabetes specific). Older people were less likely to achieve systolic targets (NICE target OR 0.17 (95% CI 0.09,0.32) p?&lt;?0.001) and more likely to achieve diastolic targets (OR 2.35 (95% CI 1.11,4.96) p?&lt;?0.001) for people &gt;80 compared to?&lt;?60).Conclusions: suboptimal BP control was common in CKD patients with hypertension in this study, particularly those at highest risk of adverse outcomes due to diabetes and or albuminuria. This study suggests there is scope for improving BP control in people with CKD by using more antihypertensive agents in combination while considering issues of adherence and potential side effects.<br/

A research and evaluation capacity building model in Western Australia

Evaluation of public health programs, services and policies is increasingly required to demonstrate effectiveness. Funding constraints necessitate that existing programs, services and policies be evaluated and their findings disseminated. Evidence-informed practice and policy is also desirable to maximise investments in public health. Partnerships between public health researchers, service providers and policymakers can help address evaluation knowledge and skills gaps. The Western Australian Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Applied Research and Evaluation Network (SiREN) aims to build research and evaluation capacity in the sexual health and blood-borne virus sector in Western Australia (WA). Partners’ perspectives of the SiREN model after 2 years were explored. Qualitative written responses from service providers, policymakers and researchers about the SiREN model were analysed thematically. Service providers reported that participation in SiREN prompted them to consider evaluation earlier in the planning process and increased their appreciation of the value of evaluation. Policymakers noted benefits of the model in generating local evidence and highlighting local issues of importance for consideration at a national level. Researchers identified challenges communicating the services available through SiREN and the time investment needed to develop effective collaborative partnerships. Stronger engagement between public health researchers, service providers and policymakers through collaborative partnerships has the potential to improve evidence generation and evidence translation. These outcomes require long-term funding and commitment from all partners to develop and maintain partnerships. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation can ensure the partnership remains responsive to the needs of key stakeholders. The findings are applicable to many sectors

Hand transplantation: can we balance the risks and benefits?

Asking ‘can we balance the risks and benefits?’ implies that a quantification of both risk and benefit in hand transplantation (here the terms hand transplant and hand transplantation refer to allotransplantation of the human hand or hand and part or all of the upper limb or limbs) is possible. Despite all we have learned in recent years about hand transplantation, much remains unknown. Even if reliable methods for quantification of risk and benefit were available, fundamental issues relating to effective communication across the gulf of lived experience between the (presumably) handed surgeon and the handless patient remain. Inherent complexities mean some consider hand transplantation an unsolved problem, but we believe the medical and technical considerations fall within the ambit of a competent multidisciplinary team, and that psychosocial and ethical challenges are open to management through robust frameworks for assessment and decision making, underpinned by an extended period of assessment and dialogue, with candid acknowledgement where uncertainty remains. This respects the patient’s autonomy while addressing the need for a prolonged period of informing consent

Lyapunov exponents for products of complex Gaussian random matrices

The exact value of the Lyapunov exponents for the random matrix product $P_N = A_N A_{N-1}...A_1$ with each $A_i = \Sigma^{1/2} G_i^{\rm c}$, where $\Sigma$ is a fixed $d \times d$ positive definite matrix and $G_i^{\rm c}$ a $d \times d$ complex Gaussian matrix with entries standard complex normals, are calculated. Also obtained is an exact expression for the sum of the Lyapunov exponents in both the complex and real cases, and the Lyapunov exponents for diffusing complex matrices.Comment: 15 page

Asymptotic Expansions for Stationary Distributions of Perturbed Semi-Markov Processes

New algorithms for computing of asymptotic expansions for stationary distributions of nonlinearly perturbed semi-Markov processes are presented. The algorithms are based on special techniques of sequential phase space reduction, which can be applied to processes with asymptotically coupled and uncoupled finite phase spaces.Comment: 83 page