3,085 research outputs found
Recent Developments in Land Use & Environmental Law
This section highlights recent developments in federal and state environmental and land use case law. The section also summarizes Florida Legislation from the 2001 Legislative session. Readers may also research these topics online at the official website of the Florida Legislature, www.leg.state.fl.us, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection\u27s website, www.dep.state.fl.us, and the Florida Department of Community Affairs\u27 website, www.dca.state.fl.us
2002 Recommended Web Sites For National and Florida Parks
Many fond memories are created during vacations. This section provides readers with a brief review of websites for national and Florida parks which will hopefully facilitate memorable journeys. The Journal\u27s annual website review attempts to assist the legal practitioner in taking advantage of the free resources available on the internet when researching environmental and land use issues. Past reviews include Endangered Species and Ocean and Coastal law
The Supernova Remnant W44: confirmations and challenges for cosmic-ray acceleration
The middle-aged supernova remnant (SNR) W44 has recently attracted attention
because of its relevance regarding the origin of Galactic cosmic-rays. The
gamma-ray missions AGILE and Fermi have established, for the first time for a
SNR, the spectral continuum below 200 MeV which can be attributed to neutral
pion emission. Confirming the hadronic origin of the gamma-ray emission near
100 MeV is then of the greatest importance. Our paper is focused on a global
re-assessment of all available data and models of particle acceleration in W44,
with the goal of determining on a firm ground the hadronic and leptonic
contributions to the overall spectrum. We also present new gamma-ray and CO
NANTEN2 data on W44, and compare them with recently published AGILE and Fermi
data. Our analysis strengthens previous studies and observations of the W44
complex environment and provides new information for a more detailed modeling.
In particular, we determine that the average gas density of the regions
emitting 100 MeV - 10 GeV gamma-rays is relatively high (n= 250 - 300 cm^-3).
The hadronic interpretation of the gamma-ray spectrum of W44 is viable, and
supported by strong evidence. It implies a relatively large value for the
average magnetic field (B > 10^2 microG) in the SNR surroundings, sign of field
amplification by shock-driven turbulence. Our new analysis establishes that the
spectral index of the proton energy distribution function is p1 = 2.2 +/- 0.1
at low energies and p2 = 3.2 +/- 0.1 at high energies. We critically discuss
hadronic versus leptonic-only models of emission taking into account
simultaneously radio and gamma-ray data. We find that the leptonic models are
disfavored by the combination of radio and gamma-ray data. Having determined
the hadronic nature of the gamma-ray emission on firm ground, a number of
theoretical challenges remains to be addressed.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, accepted by A&
Temporary interruption of baricitinib: characterization of interruptions and effect on clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Background
In clinical practice, temporary interruption of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy is common for various reasons including side effects, non-compliance, or necessity for surgery. To characterize temporary interruptions of baricitinib and placebo-matched tablets in phase 3 studies of patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and describe their impact on efficacy and safety.
Methods
During 4 baricitinib phase 3 studies, investigators documented timing, reason, and duration of investigator-initiated temporary interruptions of study drug. In 2 studies, patients recorded RA symptoms in daily diaries for 12 weeks. Post hoc analyses investigated changes in symptom scores during interruptions and resumption of treatment. Interruptions were evaluated for reoccurrence of adverse events or laboratory abnormalities after retreatment.
Results
Across the placebo-controlled studies, interruptions occurred in larger proportions of baricitinib- (2 mg, 18%; 4 mg, 18%) vs placebo-treated (9%) patients in only one study (bDMARD-inadequate responder patients, RA-BEACON). In the active comparator-controlled studies, the lowest rates of interruption were in the baricitinib monotherapy arm (9%) of RA-BEGIN (vs methotrexate monotherapy or combination therapy), and proportions were similar for baricitinib (10%) and adalimumab (9%) in RA-BEAM. Adverse events were the most common reason for interruption, but their reoccurrence after drug restart was infrequent. Most interruptions lasted ≤ 2 weeks. Daily diaries indicated modest symptom increases during interruption with return to pre-interruption levels or better after resumption. Interruptions had no impact on long-term efficacy outcomes.
Conclusions
Consistent with its pharmacologic properties, brief interruptions of baricitinib during phase 3 studies were associated with minor increases in RA symptoms that resolved following retreatment. This analysis provides useful information for clinicians, as temporary interruption of antirheumatic therapy is common in the care of patients with RA
Correction to: Temporary interruption of baricitinib: characterization of interruptions and effect on clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Background
In clinical practice, temporary interruption of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy is common for various reasons including side effects, non-compliance, or necessity for surgery. To characterize temporary interruptions of baricitinib and placebo-matched tablets in phase 3 studies of patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and describe their impact on efficacy and safety.
Methods
During 4 baricitinib phase 3 studies, investigators documented timing, reason, and duration of investigator-initiated temporary interruptions of study drug. In 2 studies, patients recorded RA symptoms in daily diaries for 12 weeks. Post hoc analyses investigated changes in symptom scores during interruptions and resumption of treatment. Interruptions were evaluated for reoccurrence of adverse events or laboratory abnormalities after retreatment.
Results
Across the placebo-controlled studies, interruptions occurred in larger proportions of baricitinib- (2 mg, 18%; 4 mg, 18%) vs placebo-treated (9%) patients in only one study (bDMARD-inadequate responder patients, RA-BEACON). In the active comparator-controlled studies, the lowest rates of interruption were in the baricitinib monotherapy arm (9%) of RA-BEGIN (vs methotrexate monotherapy or combination therapy), and proportions were similar for baricitinib (10%) and adalimumab (9%) in RA-BEAM. Adverse events were the most common reason for interruption, but their reoccurrence after drug restart was infrequent. Most interruptions lasted ≤ 2 weeks. Daily diaries indicated modest symptom increases during interruption with return to pre-interruption levels or better after resumption. Interruptions had no impact on long-term efficacy outcomes.
Conclusions
Consistent with its pharmacologic properties, brief interruptions of baricitinib during phase 3 studies were associated with minor increases in RA symptoms that resolved following retreatment. This analysis provides useful information for clinicians, as temporary interruption of antirheumatic therapy is common in the care of patients with RA
Online communication and dating relationships: Effects of decreasing online communication on feelings of closeness and relationship satisfaction
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of online communication on feelings of closeness and relationship satisfaction using an experimental design and to test whether these effects varied based on participants’ attitudes about online communication. Individuals in dating relationships were randomly assigned to two 48-hr conditions: communication as usual or refraining from online communication. Participants who reported that online communication was important for their dating relationships reported lower satisfaction and closeness after decreasing their online communication; there were no between-group differences among participants who reported relatively low importance. Thus, it appears that online communication has a positive effect on relationship satisfaction and feelings of closeness, but only for those who consider online communication to be important
Structural Properties of Planar Graphs of Urban Street Patterns
Recent theoretical and empirical studies have focused on the structural
properties of complex relational networks in social, biological and
technological systems. Here we study the basic properties of twenty
1-square-mile samples of street patterns of different world cities. Samples are
represented by spatial (planar) graphs, i.e. valued graphs defined by metric
rather than topologic distance and where street intersections are turned into
nodes and streets into edges. We study the distribution of nodes in the
2-dimensional plane. We then evaluate the local properties of the graphs by
measuring the meshedness coefficient and counting short cycles (of three, four
and five edges), and the global properties by measuring global efficiency and
cost. As normalization graphs, we consider both minimal spanning trees (MST)
and greedy triangulations (GT) induced by the same spatial distribution of
nodes. The results indicate that most of the cities have evolved into networks
as efficienct as GT, although their cost is closer to the one of a tree. An
analysis based on relative efficiency and cost is able to characterize
different classes of cities.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 3 table
Imaging of SNR IC443 and W44 with the Sardinia Radio Telescope at 1.5 GHz and 7 GHz
Observations of supernova remnants (SNRs) are a powerful tool for
investigating the later stages of stellar evolution, the properties of the
ambient interstellar medium, and the physics of particle acceleration and
shocks. For a fraction of SNRs, multi-wavelength coverage from radio to ultra
high-energies has been provided, constraining their contributions to the
production of Galactic cosmic rays. Although radio emission is the most common
identifier of SNRs and a prime probe for refining models, high-resolution
images at frequencies above 5 GHz are surprisingly lacking, even for bright and
well-known SNRs such as IC443 and W44. In the frameworks of the Astronomical
Validation and Early Science Program with the 64-m single-dish Sardinia Radio
Telescope, we provided, for the first time, single-dish deep imaging at 7 GHz
of the IC443 and W44 complexes coupled with spatially-resolved spectra in the
1.5-7 GHz frequency range. Our images were obtained through on-the-fly mapping
techniques, providing antenna beam oversampling and resulting in accurate
continuum flux density measurements. The integrated flux densities associated
with IC443 are S_1.5GHz = 134 +/- 4 Jy and S_7GHz = 67 +/- 3 Jy. For W44, we
measured total flux densities of S_1.5GHz = 214 +/- 6 Jy and S_7GHz = 94 +/- 4
Jy. Spectral index maps provide evidence of a wide physical parameter scatter
among different SNR regions: a flat spectrum is observed from the brightest SNR
regions at the shock, while steeper spectral indices (up to 0.7) are observed
in fainter cooling regions, disentangling in this way different populations and
spectra of radio/gamma-ray-emitting electrons in these SNRs.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication to MNRAS on 18 May 201
A silent gigantic solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura: case report
Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura is a rare mesenchymal tumor, representing less than 5% of all neoplasms associated with the pleura. A 57-year-old man had general malaise without chest symptoms for 1 month. A chest roentgenogram and computed tomography showed a giant mass in the left thorax. Although the tumor compressed the descending aorta and other mediastinal structures strongly, thereby shifting them to the right side, the patient had no symptoms except malaise. The tumor was successfully resected via two separate thoracotomies. The tumor was measured (20 cm × 19 cm × 15 cm) and weighed (2150 g). The tumor was histologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed as benign. Although SFT is benign, a long follow-up period is essential as even patients with complete resection are at risk of recurrence many years after surgery
Wisdom of groups promotes cooperation in evolutionary social dilemmas
Whether or not to change strategy depends not only on the personal success of
each individual, but also on the success of others. Using this as motivation,
we study the evolution of cooperation in games that describe social dilemmas,
where the propensity to adopt a different strategy depends both on individual
fitness as well as on the strategies of neighbors. Regardless of whether the
evolutionary process is governed by pairwise or group interactions, we show
that plugging into the "wisdom of groups" strongly promotes cooperative
behavior. The more the wider knowledge is taken into account the more the
evolution of defectors is impaired. We explain this by revealing a dynamically
decelerated invasion process, by means of which interfaces separating different
domains remain smooth and defectors therefore become unable to efficiently
invade cooperators. This in turn invigorates spatial reciprocity and
establishes decentralized decision making as very beneficial for resolving
social dilemmas.Comment: 8 two-column pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in Scientific
Report
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