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Today, more than ever, ‘Spaceship Earth’ is an apt metaphor as we chart the boundaries for a safe planet1. Social scientists both analyse why society courts disaster by approaching or even overstepping these boundaries and try to design suitable policies to avoid these perils. Because the threats of transgressing planetary boundaries are global, long-run, uncertain and interconnected, they must be
This work evaluates the performance and emissions of the series hybrid vehicle concept powered by a gasoline partially premixed internal combustion engine. To do so, experimental data was collected from a Volvo VED-D4 Euro 6 four-cylinder compression ignition engine running under gasoline partially premixed combustion. Two series hybrid vehicle models were developed in GT-Power®, which were fed wi
Abstract in Undetermined This paper deals with limitations on control system performance due to load disturbances, measurement noise, actuator saturation and system dynamics. Simple problems which capture the essence of the problem are formulated and solved. The results make it possible to quickly explore a design problem for preliminary assessment before attempting to do massive computations. TheThis paper deals with limitations on control system performance due to load disturbances, measurement noise, actuator saturation and system dynamics. Simple problems which capture the essence of the problem are formulated and solved. The results make it possible to quickly explore a design problem for preliminary assessment before attempting to do massive computations. They are also useful ingredi
One aspect of tombs and burials in the BA Aegean in general that has not received much notice is that of color (hue and shine). Were certain hues more predominant than others? Was this significant? Was the presence (or absence) of shine of importance? Following a discussion of ‘what is color?’, the study and results of the colors of the finds from Late Bronze Age tombs at three sites in the Greek
The linear quadratic optimal control problem under quadratic constraints is an optimization problem over a generally non-convex set. Yakubovich [8] and Megretski [4] have studied this problem, and they show how it may be translated into a two-stage, convex optimization problem. In this paper we study the linear quadratic control problem under quadratic constraints for generalized first-order syste
Using satellite remote sensing data for observing vegetation seasonality is an important approach to estimate phenology and carbon uptake of land vegetation. The successful launch of Sentinel-2B in 2017 initiated full operation of the Sentinel-2 twin satellites, and they now provide 10 - 60 m spatial resolution satellite data at 5 days temporal resolution worldwide, releasing approximately 3.2 TB
OBJECTIVE: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large multicenter cohort of children and young adults with Marfan syndrome participating in the Pediatric Heart Network Marfan Trial.STUDY DESIGN: The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scales were administered to 321 subjects with Marfan syndrome (5-25 years). PedsQL scores were compared with healthy popul
Few data exist regarding predictors of rapid aortic root dilation and referral for aortic surgery in Marfan syndrome (MFS). To identify independent predictors of the rate of aortic root (AoR) dilation and referral for aortic surgery, we investigated the data from the Pediatric Heart Network randomized trial of atenolol versus losartan in young patients with MFS. Data were analyzed from the echocar
OBJECTIVE: Determine prevalence and associations with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in preterm infants.STUDY DESIGN: Prospective institutional echocardiographic PH screening at 36 to 38 weeks' corrected gestational age (GA) for infants born <32 weeks' GA who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD; group BPD), and infants without BPD who had a birth weight (BW) <750 g, or clinical suspicion for PH (grou
OBJECTIVE: Trans-catheter (TC) pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) has become common practice for patients with right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO) and/or pulmonic insufficiency (PI). Our aim was to compare PVR and right ventricular (RV) function of patients who received TC vs surgical PVR.DESIGN: Retrospective review of echocardiograms obtained at three time points: before, immediat
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Elevated levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and decreased levels of amino acid precursors of nitric oxide (NO) have been associated with PH, but have not been studied in infants with PH secondary to BPD.OBJECTIVE: The aim of thi
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital cardiac abnormality, occurring in 1% to 2% of the general population. Adults with degenerative aortic valve (AV) disease have been shown to have an elliptical shaped AV annulus. The goal of this study was to investigate the shape of the aortic annulus in children with BAV, coarctation of the aorta (CoA) with or without BAV, and normal contr
AIMS: Aortic stiffness and diastolic function are abnormal in adults with bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs). The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between aortic stiffness and left ventricular (LV) diastolic impairment in children with well-functioning BAV and no associated congenital heart disease.METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a retrospective review of echocardiograms in children wi
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common problem in the neonatal intensive care unit and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to identify a quantitative echocardiographic marker of septal curvature that can be used to accurately identify PH in NICU infants with concern for PH.METHODS: Echocardiograms of infants who were prematurely born and i
BACKGROUND: As the survival of children with cardiac disease increases, chronic complications of deep venous thrombosis from cardiac catheterization, particularly post-thrombotic syndrome, may be important to monitor for and treat, if needed. We aimed to determine the prevalence of this syndrome in children who underwent cardiac catheterization.PROCEDURE: We conducted a cross-sectional study of ch
BACKGROUND: Aortic-root dissection is the leading cause of death in Marfan's syndrome. Studies suggest that with regard to slowing aortic-root enlargement, losartan may be more effective than beta-blockers, the current standard therapy in most centers.METHODS: We conducted a randomized trial comparing losartan with atenolol in children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome. The primary outcome w
BACKGROUND: Restrictive lung disease is a complication in childhood cancer survivors who received lung-toxic chemotherapy and/or thoracic radiation. Left ventricular dysfunction is documented in these survivors, but less is known about right ventricular (RV) function. Quantitative echocardiography may help detect subclinical RV dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess RV function quantitat
