"After Me,The Deluge": Uncertainty and Water Policy in Israel

Israel's water system is characterized by a very high degree of uncertainty, emanating from the semi-arid climatic position, and the dynamic population growth.The agricultural sector dominates water policy making, thereby giving preference to the sector that consumes roughly 70% of the available resources. Water for agriculture is priced too low, resulting in its inefficient use. This paper seeks to explain water policy making in Israel, as an attempt to cope with uncertainty. We show that the pattern has been to shift the burden of uncertainty from present consumers to future consumers. This pattern is explained by the following factors: the high vulnerability of Israel's water system, due to uncertainty in both supply and demand; the inclination of elected policy makers to give preference to short-term objectives over long-term objectives; the acceptance of uncertainty as a constraint rather than a policy variable; and the acceptance of a given level of agricultural activity as a permanent constraint.     

Insulin and C-peptide (proinsulin) packaging: A quantitative immunocytochemical approach

C-peptide and insulin antigenic sites in rat pancreatic β cells were both labeled by the protein A and immunogold techniques. Gold bead density in the secretory granules was correlated with granule size distribution. Our results demonstrate that the distribution patterns of antigenic sites for C-peptide (which also represents proinsulin sites) and insulin are similar when granule size distribution is correlated to the density of antigenic sites. It was found that the ratio of C-peptide to insulin in granules is independent of granule size. Examination of frequency histograms by a Kolmogorov-Smirnov analysis excluded the possibility that the antigenic sites of C-peptide and insulin are distributed in the same manner. Mean gold bead density for insulin antigen (97 ± 24) was slightly higher than C-peptide density (64 ± 18). The efficiency of labeling was found to be very low; less than 0.1% of the theoretically estimated antigenic sites were labeled.     

Characterizing error propagation in quantum circuits: the Isotropic Index

This paper presents a novel index in order to characterize error propagation in quantum circuits by separating the resultant mixed error state in two components: an isotropic component that quantifies the lack of information, and a disalignment component that represents the shift between the current state and the original pure quantum state. The Isotropic Triangle, a graphical representation that fits naturally with the proposed index, is also introduced. Finally, some examples with the analysis of well-known quantum algorithms degradation are given.     

Telecommunications,cities and technological opportunism

The advent of telecommunications and the emergence of the information age have given rise to great expectations regarding urban change. The paper examines the assumptions underlying the claims for change and distinguishes between processes which may alter the structure of the city and those which change the functions of cities. In the former, it examines the assumptions underlying the decentralization-concentration hypotheses, suggesting that there is no deterministic effect of telecommunications, and that the structure of cities is largely affected by the persistent need for physical transport. Telecommunications can be used by agents to exercise greater flexibility in location decisions. At the global scale, the emergence of the world cities is facilitated by telecommunications, but only few cities are likely to gain this status. The effects of telecommunications on urban form and function are mostly the result of opportunities seized by individual agents and not by deterministic or naive policy approaches.     

Silane-functionalized Al2O3-modified polyurethane powder coatings: Nonisothermal degradation kinetics and mechanistic insights

This work reports on nonisothermal degradation kinetics of polyurethane (PU)-based powder coatings containing 1, 3, and 5%wt% vinyltrimethoxysilane functionalized Al₂O₃ (V-Al₂O₃) nanoparticles. Thermogravimetric analysis of PU/V-Al₂O₃ powder coatings with different V-Al₂O₃ contents has been performed at different heating rates. Variation of activation energy (E_a) of PU/V-Al₂O₃ powder coatings was modeled as a function of partial mass loss by using Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, Ozawa–Wall–Flynn and modified Coats–Redfern isoconversional approaches. The results revealed hindered decomposition process of PU/V-Al₂O₃ nanocomposite powder coatings, featured by an increase in activation energy of degradation from ∼158 for blank PU to 225, 183, and 229 kJ/mol for nanocomposites filled with 1, 3, and 5 wt% of V-Al₂O₃, respectively. Likewise, pre-exponential factor values increased for samples containing V-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles compared to that of blank sample. Sestak–Berggren kinetic model appropriately captured thermal degradation behavior of PU/V-Al₂O₃ nanocomposites than that of nth order decomposition kinetic reaction models.     

Assessment of insulin resistance by a <Superscript>13</Superscript>C glucose breath test: a new tool for early diagnosis and follow-up of high-risk patients

Background/Aims

Insulin resistance (IR) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Current methods for insulin resistance detection are cumbersome, or not sensitive enough for early detection and follow-up. The BreathID^® system can continuously analyse breath samples in real-time at the point-of-care. Here we determined the efficacy of the BreathID^® using the ¹³C-Glucose breath test (GBT) for evaluation of insulin resistance.

Methods

Twenty healthy volunteers were orally administered 75 mg of ¹³C-glucose 1-¹³C. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed immediately; followed by serum glucose and insulin level determinations using GBT. GBT and OGTT were repeated following exercise, which alters insulin resistance levels.

Results

Within-subject correlations of GBT parameters with serum glucose and serum insulin levels were high. Before and after exercise, between-subjects correlations were high between the relative insulin levels and the % dose recoveries at 90 min (PDR 90), and the cumulative PDRs at 60 min (CPDR 60). Pairwise correlations were identified between pre-exercise Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) IR at 90 min and PDR 90; HOMA B (for beta cell function) 120 and CPDR 30; HOMA IR 60 and peak time post-exercise; and HOMA B 150 with PDR 150.

Conclusions

The non-invasive real-time BreathID^® GBT reliably assesses changes in liver glucose metabolism, and the degree of insulin resistance. It may serve as a non-invasive tool for early diagnosis and follow up of patients in high-risk groups.

     

Estimation of the mean caliper: A new simple approach

Morphometric measurements are commonly carried out on structures the shape of which approximates that of a sphere. We calculated some stereological data of eosinophil granules by using digitized planimetry, performed on transmission electronmicrographs. By using a new approach for mean caliper (D) estimation and extrapolating an approximate granule axial ratio, we were able to calculate the granule density size. We deduced from a numerical analysis for various sphere sizes distributions from which an underestimation of not more than 4% may be contributed to D in most cases, assuming that the diameter coefficient of variation is less than 35%. The methodology we propose for mean ellipsoid caliper estimation seems to be useful in cases in which the disector method is not suitable.