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Both South Korea and the U.S. should act to ratify the free trade agreement after the demonstrations in South Korea that were sparked by beef imports from the United States dies down. The U.S. should realize that South Korea is a trusted ally and South Korea should also realize the simple truth that their good relationship with the U.S. gives them insurance given their location in a dangerous region.

On 7 September, 1999, an earthquake (5.8 mbUSGS)took place about 20 km from the centre of Athens, until then a seismically quiet region ofeastern Greece. Considerable damage ranging from rock falls to the collapse of reinforcedconcrete structures was reported in the city and surrounding area. No surface break which couldbe directly attributed to rupture on the fault plane was mapped. We use the relativeamplitude method and forward modelling of broadband Pseismogramsrecorded at long range to produce a two-dimensional model of the source. We conclude that the earthquake tookplace on a south-west dipping normal fault at a depth of 10 km. This implies that the depthof the seismogenic zone in the area is comparable to other more active regions of Greece.The rupture speed (2.1 km/s) and stress drop (0.54 MPa) are low and are typical of earthquakesin a tectonic environment dominated by high rates of extension. The estimated seismicmoment is 6.014 × 1017N m. We have investigated reported rupture directivity and thepossibility of a circular rupture is also examined. Extrapolation of the fault plane to the freesurface suggests that the earthquake took place on a structure associated with the Fili fault.

BACKGROUND: Age related cataract remains the major cause of blindness throughout the world. In many countries, the majority of cataract surgery continues to be done by the intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) method. The results of a large randomised controlled trial of multiflex open loop anterior chamber intraocular lenses (ACIOL) were reported from a busy eye hospital in Nepal. METHODS: There was a randomised controlled trial of 2000 people with bilateral cataract reducing vision to less than 6/36. Interventions were ICCE with an ACIOL compared with ICCE with aphakic spectacles (+11 dioptres). Participants were followed at discharge, 6 weeks, 1 year, and 11/2-5 years after surgery. Visual acuity and clinical outcome were measured. A poor outcome was defined as vision <6/60. RESULTS: Visual outcome was comparable in the two groups. More of the control group experienced functional blindness due to loss of aphakic spectacles at 1 year. The majority of cases of poor outcome occurred in the first year after surgery. There was no indication of any lens related problems after 1 year. CONCLUSION: Multiflex open loop anterior chamber lenses are safe for up to 1 year of follow up when used by experienced surgeons, and the available evidence of 2-5 years of follow up suggests that the complication rate is reasonably low. An ACIOL at the time of cataract surgery offers benefits over routine ICCE surgery with aphakic spectacle correction as it avoids the problem of replacing lost and broken spectacles.

Sedimentological and faunal records from the transitional period marking the onset of widespread northern hemisphere glaciation have been investigated at Ocean Drilling Program Site 984. The late Pliocene interglacial sediments of the northeast Atlantic are carbonate rich and show evidence of vigorous bottom water circulation at intermediate water depths. Contrasting this, the late Pliocene glacial sediments are characterised by carbonate dissolution and slower bottom current velocities. Weak or “leaky” Norwegian Sea overflows, undersaturated with respect to carbonate, influenced this region during the late Pliocene glacials. The early Pleistocene pattern of intermediate water circulation appears to have changed radically in the northeast Atlantic. At this time, interglacial carbonate values and inferred bottom current velocities are low. This suggests slow-flowing, undersaturated Norwegian Sea water bathing the site. The overflow increased during the early Pleistocene interglacials as the exchange between the Atlantic and Norwegian-Greenland Seas improved. The most significant feature of the early Pleistocene glacials is the increase in inferred bottom current velocity. These changes reflect a switch in deep North Atlantic convection to shallower depths during glacial periods, possibly in a manner similar to the increasing contribution of glacial intermediate water to the North Atlantic during the late Pleistocene glacials. Our results suggest that the late Pleistocene climate variability of the North Atlantic is a pervasive feature of the late Pliocene–early Pleistocene record.

Presents information on a study which aimed to explore the benthic foraminiferal assemblage responses along a depth transect in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Materials and methods; Discussion; Conclusions.

This paper describes the development of a linear theoretical model of a tilting vehicle to study the interaction between the tilt system and the passive ride of the vehicle on straight track. Predictions made with the model show transmission of significant roll activity through the tilt system at the suspension frequencies for certain combinations of speed and conicity.The predictions are compared with results from a series of tests on a tilting vehicle. The principal interactions between tilt and ride demonstrated by the model compare qualitatively with the test results. Quantitatively, there is scope for improvement because deficiencies in linear modelling which exist for all vehicles are compounded by the complexity of the mechanical design of a tilting train.The method can be extended to predict system response at curve entry and has considerable potential as a tool for the designer of tilting trains.

Aim To determine whether fetal and infant growth, as assessed by weight at birth and weight at 1 year, are related to intraocular pressure. Methods 717 men and women born in Hertfordshire between 1920 and 1930, for whom records of birth weight and weight at 1 year were available, were examined. Visual fields were assessed using the Takagi central 25 degree 75 point static threshold screening program. Tonometry was performed using the Perkin's tonometer. The disc was assessed by direct ophthalmoscopy through dilated pupils. Results A significant inverse relation was found between systolic blood pressure and birth weight. However, no association was found between birth weight or weight at 1 year and intraocular pressure, cup/disc ratio, or visual field defects. Conclusions There was no evidence to support fetal or infant growth as being important factors for the subsequent development of raised intraocular pressure.