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This article presents an overview of the European Community policy initiatives in telecommunications and broadcasting. The authors conclude that Community policy has not yet fully addressed the convergence of media that is at the heart of the information society. The article identifies a number of issues that need to be addressed: the removal of unnecessary regulatory barriers, universal and public service, line of business restrictions and pluralism of the media. The information society will require a policy framework that encompasses all media and aims to be free from inconsistencies between policies in different media sectors. Since the convergence of media will ultimately affect all aspects of life, the framework should not be limited to the economic dimension alone, but must take into account the whole spectrum of societal and cultural values.

Every year farmers must harvest their crops. This process marks the end of the growing season and carries social significance in communities, but it also creates challenges for producers trying to deliver fresh, high-quality produce to market. Good postharvest practices establish appropriate cold chains that maintain the correct temperatures, humidity, and respiration rates while also ensuring the safety, sanitation, and quality of the fruits. These postharvest practices differ, depending on the size and economic situation of an operation. This 18-page fact sheet provides postharvest storage, packaging, and handling recommendations for small farm specialty crop producers. Written by Jonathan Adam Watson, Danielle Treadwell, Steven A. Sargent, Jeffrey K. Brecht, and William Pelletier, and published by the Horticultural Sciences Department, October 2015. HS1270/HS1270: Postharvest Storage, Packaging and Handling of Specialty Crops: A Guide for Florida Small Farm Producers (ufl.edu)

Neck of femur fractures (NOFFs) are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in our community. Minimally displaced intracapsular fractures are treated with internal fixation by a two-hole dynamic hip screw (DHS) or three partially threaded cancellous screws. Data to support the superiority of one are limited. This prospective randomized controlled trial compares outcomes with these two fixation methods.We prospectively recruited patients over 50 years, with an acute fracture subcapital NOFF, who walked and lived independently, and were cognitively intact. They were randomized into DHS or cancellous screw groups and followed up for 2 years (overall 75.9%). Outcomes of mortality, revision, loss of fixation, avascular necrosis, surgical complications, WOMAC, Harris hip score and SF-12 were measured.We recruited 62 patients (31 DHS, 29 cancellous screws, 2 failed consent). Six deaths (19.3%) were seen in each group. A total of 3.2% of DHS (1 out of 31) and 10.3% (3 out of 29) of cancellous screw patients required re-operation (P = 0.272). There was no statistical significant difference in patient satisfaction, quality of life (QoL), radiological union or osteonecrosis. There are trends towards better functional scores and QoL in cancellous screws, particularly at 1 year (P = 0.0061), but with a higher re-operation rate. There was a combined mortality and transition to institutional care of 40.0% (24 out of 60) at 2 years.This study found no difference in outcomes between DHS and cancellous screws in the treatment of subcapital NOFFs in a fit, independent population, but we found a high level of physical decline in previously fit, independently ambulating patients. A large, multicentre trial will be required to differentiate between these two fixation methods.

Direct writing using a femtosecond laser provides an accurate, repeatable and efficient means of creating nanoscale lines for electronic applications circumventing the standard fabrication methods that require expensive masks and numerous processing steps. Femtosecond laser writing makes these nanoscale lines by using a phase zone plate to focus the laser pulse onto a silicon substrate in a chemical vapor deposition chamber flowing silane. The silane is decomposed onto the narrow heated area of the substrate as the laser scans across leaving behind a thin line of silicon deposition. This manufacturing technique utilizes a high precision optical metrology system and a high precision motion control system to make this nanomanufacturing possible. It has been shown to successfully make as many as 100 silicon lines on the order of a few hundred nanometers in width. The size and crystal structure of these lines are characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).

This comprehensive historical study analyzes and explains how international societies function. After examining the ancient state systems, the author looks in more detail at our worldwide contemporary society, which grew out of them. The book argues that relations between states are not normally anarchic, but organized international or supernational societies regulated by elaborate rules and practices, which derive substantially from experience. Our present international society, for all its individuality, is only the latest in the series. Current interest in international order and hegemonial authority, and the renewed concern with history in political science, make this a timely book. This book should be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and academics interested in history and international relations.

Sustained replication of simple visitor counts over a long period can provide useful evidence on changes in human impact in mountain areas. Such counts, carried out on the Cairn Gorm plateau over the period 1943–88, are helpful for assessing conservation problems due to human impact, which increased greatly after a road and chair lifts gave easy access in 1960–61. Numbers there after the developments far exceeded numbers before, and numbers on other plateaux without nearby roads or lifts. Numbers rose greatly from 1962 to a peak in 1974, and since then have fluctuated, though still much higher than in the 1960s. Few went in winds too strong for the lifts to work, and in rain or fog, even though the lifts worked. People preferred paths and smooth ground, and avoided bouldery ground.

Five popular footpaths which grew wider from the 1960s to the early to mid‐1980s were re‐measured in July 1990. Two did not widen further during 1986–90, but two continued to widen. The fifth path had not changed significantly in overall width since 1982, but had slightly less bare ground than formerly. The two paths which stopped widening are at lower and more sheltered locations, whereas the other three are high and exposed to an extreme climate, where plant growth is very slow. Changes in the five paths are discussed in relation to human use of the area. A substantial and/or prolonged decline in visitor numbers may be required if all five paths are to stop widening.

Volumes of soil eroded by water from arable fields were estimated visually from photographs. The estimates agreed broadly with detailed measurements made independently, based on measuring lengths, depths and widths of rills and gullies. These methods for estimating amounts of soil eroded are alternatives to expensive plot experiments.

Summary Ground dominated by Cladonia lichens of the sub-genus Cladina was found locally on pinewood floors on sandy or gravelly soils in north-eastern Scotland. Most sites are under mature or old planted Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, but some in younger plantations and a few in native pinewood. Nearly all are in areas of fairly dry climate, and all are in open situations with exposure to light and wind. The vegetation, prior to 1990 not a well recognized feature of Scottish pinewoods, is distinguished in this paper as a separate community, the Cladonia ciliata — Pinus sylvestris Community. It is part of the class Vaccinio-Piceetea and resembles the lichen-rich coniferous forests in the circumpolar boreal zone, but in Scotland occurs at the extreme climatic limit of this type of vegetation. Many stands are vulnerable to trampling and land-use change, and some have little protection against such environmental vicissitudes.

Sleep slow-wave activity (SWA) is thought to reflect sleep need, increasing in proportion to the previous time awake and decreasing during sleep, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Recent studies have shown that procedures presumably leading to local plastic changes in the cerebral cortex can lead to local changes in SWA during subsequent sleep. To further investigate the connection between cortical plasticity and sleep SWA, in this study we used a paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocol, in which median nerve stimuli were followed at different intervals (25 or 10 ms) by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses to the contralateral cortical hand area. As expected, such a protocol led to a sustained increase (long-term potentiation-like) or decrease (long-term depression-like) of cortical excitability as measured by motor evoked potentials. By using a TMS-compatible high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) system, we also found that, in individual subjects, TMS-evoked cortical responses over sensorimotor cortex changed with different interstimulus intervals. Moreover, during subsequent sleep, SWA increased locally in subjects whose TMS-evoked cortical responses had increased after PAS, and decreased in subjects whose cortical responses had decreased. Changes in TMS-evoked cortical EEG response and change in sleep SWA were localized to similar cortical regions and were positively correlated. Together, these results suggest that changes in cortical excitability in opposite directions lead to corresponding changes in local sleep regulation, as reflected by SWA, providing evidence for a tight relationship between cortical plasticity and sleep intensity.

One aspect of international relations which interested Martin Wight particularly was the functioning of what are called systems of states. That has also been an area of my especial interest since the late 50s. It was the focus of the discussions of the British Committee on the Theory of International Politics. The committee was organized in the late fifties to bring, together people from different disciplines, practitioners as well as scholars. Herbert Butterfield and Martin were the founders and guiding spirits of the early years of the committee, and I was one of the original members. It was a collective enterprise: members submitted papers which left as questions those points on which the author did not feel certain of the answers. Martin told me that the most stimulating and interesting work he did during the 60s was writing papers for the committee and taking part in its discussions.

High-density EEG during sleep represents a powerful new tool to reveal potential abnormalities in rhythm-generating mechanisms while avoiding confounding factors associated with waking activities. As a first step in this direction, the authors employed high-density EEG to explore whether sleep rhythms differ between schizophrenia subjects, healthy individuals, and a psychiatric control group with a history of depression.Healthy comparison subjects (N=17), medicated schizophrenia patients (N=18), and subjects with a history of depression (N=15) were recruited. Subjects were recorded during the first sleep episode of the night with a 256-electrode high-density EEG. Recordings were analyzed for changes in EEG power spectra, power topography, and sleep-specific cortical oscillations.The authors found that the schizophrenia group had a significant reduction in centroparietal EEG power, from 13.75 to 15.00 Hz, in relation to both the comparison and depression groups. No significant difference in EEG power between the comparison and depression groups was identified. The authors also found a decrease in sleep spindle number, amplitude, duration, and integrated spindle activity in schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, integrated spindle activity had an effect size corresponding to 93.0% or 90.2% separation of the schizophrenia from the comparison or depression group.Sleep spindles are generated by the thalamic reticular nucleus in conjunction with specific thalamic nuclei and are modulated by corticothalamic and thalamocortical connections. The deficit in sleep spindles in schizophrenia subjects may reflect dysfunction in thalamic-reticular and thalamocortical mechanisms and could represent a biological marker of illness.

purpose To report a case of poliosis arising from treatment with topical medications. design Interventional case report. methods A 37-year-old man was treated for fungal endophthalmitis arising from Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis with penetrating keratoplasty, lensectomy and vitrectomy together with systemic and prolonged topical medications. results Recovery was complicated by retinal detachment, elevated intraocular pressure and bullous keratopathy. Unilateral poliosis developed eight months following keratoplasty and has persisted over 21/2 years. conclusions Topical medications are implicated in causing the poliosis.