6 research outputs found
When the smoke clears: the road to recovery
No full textVideo about resources and assistance programs for disaster recovery after wildfires.This archived document is maintained by the State Library of Oregon as part of the Oregon Documents Depository Program. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Tyler Spiesschaert, Forest Officer; Sherry & Tim Booth; Debbie & Jeff Forkin; Rhonda Nyseth, Social Services Emergency Liaison; Stan Thomas, Deputy Director Oregon Emergency Management.Mode of access: Internet from the Oregon Government Publications Collection.In English
Reduction of wave overtopping and force impact at harbor quays due to very oblique waves
Get PDFPhysical model experiments were conducted in a wave tank at Flanders Hydraulics Research, Antwerp, Belgium, to characterize the wave overtopping and impact force on vertical quay walls and sloping sea dike (1:2.5) under very oblique wave attack (angle between 45° and 80°). This study was triggered by the scarce scientific literature on the overtopping and force reduction due to very oblique waves since large reduction is expected for both when compared with the perpendicular wave attack. The study aimed to compare the results from the experimental tests with formulas derived from previous experiments and applicable to a Belgian harbor generic case. The influence of storm return walls and crest berm width on top of the dikes has been analyzed in combination with the wave obliqueness. The results indicate significant reduction of the overtopping due to very oblique waves and new reduction coefficients were proposed. When compared with formulas from previous studies the proposed coefficients indicate the best fit for the overtopping reduction. Position of the storm return wall respect to the quay edge rather than its height was found to be more important for preventing wave induced overtopping. The force reduction is up to approximately 50% for the oblique waves with respect to the perpendicular wave impact and reduction coefficients were proposed for two different configurations a sea dike and vertical quay wall, respectively.Environmental Fluid Mechanic
The current status and future directions of myxoma virus, a master in immune evasion
Get PDFAbstract Myxoma virus (MYXV) gained importance throughout the twentieth century because of the use of the highly virulent Standard Laboratory Strain (SLS) by the Australian government in the attempt to control the feral Australian population of Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbit) and the subsequent illegal release of MYXV in Europe. In the European rabbit, MYXV causes a disease with an exceedingly high mortality rate, named myxomatosis, which is passively transmitted by biting arthropod vectors. MYXV still has a great impact on European rabbit populations around the world. In contrast, only a single cutaneous lesion, restricted to the point of inoculation, is seen in its natural long-term host, the South-American Sylvilagus brasiliensis and the North-American S. Bachmani. Apart from being detrimental for European rabbits, however, MYXV has also become of interest in human medicine in the last two decades for two reasons. Firstly, due to the strong immune suppressing effects of certain MYXV proteins, several secreted virus-encoded immunomodulators (e.g. Serp-1) are being developed to treat systemic inflammatory syndromes such as cardiovascular disease in humans. Secondly, due to the inherent ability of MYXV to infect a broad spectrum of human cancer cells, the live virus is also being developed as an oncolytic virotherapeutic to treat human cancer. In this review, an update will be given on the current status of MYXV in rabbits as well as its potential in human medicine in the twenty-first century. Table of contents Abstract 1. The virus 2. History 3. Pathogenesis and disease symptoms 4. Immunomodulatory proteins of MYXV 4.1. MYXV proteins with anti-apoptotic functions 4.1.1. Inhibition of pro-apoptotic molecules 4.1.2. Inhibition by protein-protein interactions by ankyrin repeat viral proteins 4.1.3. Inhibition of apoptosis by enhancing the degradation of cellular proteins 4.1.4. Inhibition of apoptosis by blocking host Protein Kinase R (PKR) 4.2. MYXV proteins interfering with leukocyte chemotaxis 4.3. MYXV serpins that inhibit cellular pro-inflammatory or pro-apoptotic proteases 4.4. MYXV proteins that interfere with leukocyte activation 4.5. MYXV proteins with sequence similarity to HIV proteins 4.6. MYXV proteins with unknown immune function 5. Vaccination strategies against myxomatosis 5.1. Current MYXV vaccines 5.2. Vaccination campaigns to protect European rabbits in the wild 6. Applications of myxoma virus for human medicine 6.1. MYXV proteins as therapeutics for allograft vasculopathy and atherosclerosis 6.2. Applications for MYXV as a live oncolytic virus to treat cancer 7. Discussion and Conclusions 8. List of Abbreviations References Author Details Authors' contributions Competing interests Figure Legends Acknowledgements</p
The monitoring of the rights of the child: a child rights-based approach
No full textPhDDue to the lacunae between legal obligations to human rights and the actual situation,
monitoring is an essential component of the international and national human rights system.
Monitoring illuminates the situation of human rights commitments and ensures the relevancy
of instruments. The thesis explores monitoring in relation to the rights of the child and
submits that a child rights-based approach is essential. Monitoring should not only consider
the status and nature of child rights, but a child rights-based approach should also guide
efforts so that they improve as well as reflect and respect children's rights.
The study defines monitoring and describes a child rights-based approach. As a subject of
legal investigation, the thesis then addresses several questions. How do international and
national monitoring efforts respect child rights? How have the supervision of international
conference agreements supported child rights? Furthermore, how do different countries
monitor? National activities are examined through case studies of two Commonwealth
countries: Canada and South Africa. Then, analysis is presented about how actors interpret
and execute monitoring and the significance of different approaches. Lastly, the rationale,
challenges and existing support of a child rights-based approach are discussed. In sum, a
child rights-based approach is not generally utilised and the implications of child rights upon
the monitoring process are not yet realised. Most monitors, whether international, regional
or domestic, inadequately consider the demands of child rights upon the process of
ascertaining the situation of children's rights. Proposed guidelines are appended to support
a child rights-based approach to monitoring
