Global trends in disability rehabilitation and their implications for leprosy programmes

[Excerpt] Globally, the disability rehabilitation scenario today is at an exciting stage. After many years of effort, the International Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability is in sight, a major step forward, and binding on governments to protect the rights of their disabled citizens. At the regional level, the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993–2002) is extended from 2003 to 2012, and the Biwako Millenium Framework promoted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) is being followed in the Asian region for programmes for people with disability. The period 2000–2009 was formally proclaimed the African Decade of Disabled Persons in June 2002. The African Decade seeks to replicate the practices of the Asian and Pacific Decade. The Arab Decade of Disabled People was launched in 2004. The Decade of Disabled Persons in the Americas was launched in 2006. All these international statements focus on rights and inclusion of people with disabilities. To gain a better understanding of the current scenario and their implications for leprosy rehabilitation programmes, a brief summary of the Biwako Millenium Framework of the Asian and Pacific Decade1 is given below

Thurston equivalence for rational maps with clusters

We investigate rational maps with period-one and period-two cluster cycles. Given the definition of a cluster, we show that, in the case where the degree is d and the cluster is fixed, the Thurston class of a rational map is fixed by the combinatorial rotation number ρ and the critical displacement δof the cluster cycle. The same result will also be proved in the case where the rational map is quadratic and has a period-two cluster cycle, and we will also show that the statement is no longer true in the higher-degree case

Constraining the distribution of dark matter at the Galactic centre using the high-resolution Event Horizon Telescope

We investigate constraints on the distribution of dark matter in the neighbourhood of the Galactic centre that may eventually be attained with the high-resolution Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). The shadow of a black hole in vacuum is used to generate a toy model describing how dark matter affects the size of the shadow of the supermassive black hole located at the Galactic centre. Observations by the EHT may constrain the properties of the dark matter distribution in a possible density spike around the black hole. Current uncertainties due to both the resolution of the telescope and the analysis of stellar orbits prevent one from discerning the effect of dark matter on the measured size of the shadow. The change in the size of the shadow induced by dark matter can be seen as an additional uncertainty in any test of general relativity that relies on using the angular size of the shadow to estimate the Schwarzschild radius of the black hole.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. v2: a few comments and references added, one figure replaced for clarity, results unchanged, matches version published in A&

Period three actions on lens spaces

We show that a free period three action on a lens space is standard, i.e. the quotient is homeomorphic to a lens space. This is an extension of the result for period three actions on the three-sphere, arXiv:math.GT/0204077, by the author and J. Hyam Rubinstein.Comment: 67 pages, 54 picture

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329529188_Comparative_Performance_Prediction_of_Historical_Thames_A_Rater_Class_Designs

The Thames A-Rater fleet is a unique class both in appearance and in its combination of historic and modern technologies. With high aspect ratio, carbon fibre rigs fitted onto wooden hulls, many of which have survived two World Wars, the class is a demonstration of the evolution of sailing technology. In more recent decades, various attempts have been made to expand the class with new composite boats. However, due to the strict rules issued by the class association, new hulls must be exact replicas of existing A-Raters, with a 1.5 inch tolerance. Furthermore, as only one linesplan exists in the public domain, the expansion of the fleet is extremely limited. Consequently, in order to ensure the conservation of some of these historic designs, the lines of several vessels were taken off and used to create accurate linesplan and 3D models. The comparative performance of the various crafts was then assessed through a Velocity Prediction Programme, focused on the specific environmental conditions of the vessels' main operating area, eventually ascertaining the hull with the best racing potential by design