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Animals are faced with a fundamental risk-reward trade-off when making decisions about foraging in the presence of predation, yet little is known about how social, reproductive and environmental factors mediate this trade-off. In the marine environment, anemonefishes provide a model system for investigating the determinants of risk–reward trade-offs, because they live in size- and sex-structured groups within protective sea anemones tentacles, yet feed predominantly in the water column where they are at risk of predation. Furthermore, exposure to changing tides means the availability of planktonic food covaries with their risk of predation. Therefore, we examined how tide, sex and status, and the presence of eggs influenced the time that Amphiprion mccullochi spent at different distances from their anemone, a proxy for foraging effort and predation risk. We found that individuals significantly adjusted their time spent far and close to the anemone depending on the tide, status and the presence of eggs, and that these adjustments can be explained in light of threat sensitive behaviour. This study illustrates the relative importance of environmental and social factors on intraspecific variation in foraging and antipredator behaviour and bolsters our understanding of the decision’s individuals make to balance the costs and benefits of foraging over temporal and spatial scales.

In heart failure (HF), exertional dyspnea is a common symptom, but validated field-based tests for its measurement are limited. The Dyspnea Challenge is a two-minute uphill treadmill walk designed to measure exertional dyspnea in cardiopulmonary disease.The purpose of this study was to establish the test-retest reliability of the Dyspnea Challenge in HF and to compare the exercise responses to a group with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).The study was an experimental, single-blind, randomized, multi-site project that recruited individuals with HF (New York Heart Association I-III) and COPD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease II-IV). Participants completed two visits. On the first visit, participants performed two six-minute walk tests (6MWT), followed by two to three Dyspnea Challenges to calculate treadmill speed and gradient. At Visit Two, participants performed two separate Dyspnea Challenges, with one including measures of pulmonary gas exchange and central hemodynamics.Twenty-one individuals with HF (10 female; 66±11years; ejection fraction:45.3 ± 6.1%; six-minute distance(6MWD) 520 ± 97 m), and 25 COPD (11 female; 68 ± 10 yr; forced expiratory volume in 1 s:47.6 ± 11.5%; 6MWD: 430 ± 101 m). Intraclass correlation coefficients demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability for HF (0.94, P.01) and COPD (0.95, P.01). While achieving similar end-exercise exertional dyspnea intensities (P=.60), the HF group walked at a higher average speed (4.2 ± 0.8 vs. 3.5 ± 0.8km·hThe Dyspnea Challenge is a reliable test-retest measure of exertional dyspnea in HF. Typical to their pathologies, HF seemed limited by an inadequate modulation of cardiac output, while ventilatory constraints hampered those with COPD.

Background Acute colitis is a serious cause of morbidity and death in horses. Recent studies have compared clinical features of coronavirus and salmonellosis, but no study has compared clinical features of enteric salmonellosis, coronavirus, and neorickettsiosis. Hypothesis/Objectives To identify risk factors for laminitis and nonsurvival to discharge in horses with enteric salmonellosis, coronavirus, or neorickettsiosis. Animals Eighty‐five horses hospitalized for acute colitis from 2011 to 2019. Methods Retrospective case series. Medical record review (2011‐2019) of adult (≥2 years) horses with colitis. Primary outcomes were laminitis and survival to discharge. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess association between variables and the development of laminitis. Stepwise Cox regression was performed to assess association between variables and survival. Results Seventeen of 85 (20%) horses developed laminitis during hospitalization. Neorickettsiosis cases (11/26, 42%) were more likely to develop laminitis than coronavirus (0/16, 0%) cases (odds ratio [OR] 24.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33‐451.74, P = .03). There was no significant difference in laminitis between salmonellosis and neorickettsiosis cases (OR 0.27; 95% CI: 0.07‐1.07, P = .06). Admission heart rate (OR 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02‐1.15, P = .01), total solids (OR 0.17; 95% CI: 0.06‐0.54, P = .003), band neutrophils (OR 1248.47; 95% CI: 6.62‐235 540, P = .008), and bicarbonate concentration (OR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.5‐0.92, P = .01) were predictive of development of laminitis during hospitalization. Sixty‐three of 85 (74%) horses survived to discharge: 16/16 (100%) coronavirus cases, 17/26 (65%) neorickettsiosis cases, 14/20 (70%) salmonellosis cases, and 16/23 (70%) unknown cases. Packed cell volume (hazard ratio [HR] 1.17; 95% CI: 1.09‐1.26, P

The Dyspnoea Challenge has been developed to facilitate the field-based measure of exertional dyspnoea(ED). To further validate the test, we aimed to; investigate the relationship between end-exercise ED, generated by a fixed-intensity Dyspnoea Challenge(DCThirty-two individuals (15 female) with COPD (GOLD II-IV) (age: 69.7 ± 9.4 yrs; FEVEnd-exercise ED measured during the DCThe Dyspnoea Challenge is correlated to different parameters of disease severity and produces a similar physiological and ED response to that of the 6MWT with the added benefit of being appropriate for longitudinal assessment of ED.

The Dyspnoea Challenge is a two-minute treadmill walk designed to measure exertional dyspnoea(ED). To efficiently individualise workload, we aimed to assess; 1) whether the Dyspnoea Challenge is responsive to 1% changes in treadmill gradient and 2) the minimum gradient variation necessary to generate a clinically meaningful change in ED (≥1 modified Borg scale).Thirty individuals with COPD(GOLD II-IV) (age: 69.2 ± 9.2 years; FEVHigher treadmill gradients generated stronger intensities of ED (3%:2.6 ± 1.8; 4%:2.8 ± 2.2; 5%:3.2 ± 2.2; 6%:3.4 ± 2.2; 7%:3.7 ± 1.8; 8%:4.0 ± 2.1units). Statistical changes were observed in ED(e.g.,3 vs. 5%: P = .03) and the MDP discomfort data(e.g.,4 vs. 6%: P = .04) at ≥ a 2% variation in treadmill gradient. Linear regression found a 4% variation in treadmill gradient corresponded to a rise in ED ≥ 1unit. Increases in ED intensity corresponded to heightened sensations of work/effort(P .01) and breathing frequency(P .01). There were no changes in emotional constructs(P = .27). While there was an increase in HR with increasing gradient(P .01), no differences were observed in end-exercise STo significantly change ED, the treadmill gradient must be manipulated by ≥ 2%, with a ≥ 4% change in gradient required to induce a clinically meaningful change in ED.

Lower survival has been reported in foals than adults with small intestinal strangulating obstruction (SISO), but age-dependent outcomes have not been examined directly. Hospital records were collected from five US academic referral hospitals. It was hypothesized that foals would exhibit lower survival than case-matched adults. Foal cases 6-months-of-age or younger, and adult cases between 2- and 20-years-of-age were collected. Data revealed 24 of 25 (96.0%) foals and 66 of 75 (88.0%) adults that were recovered from surgery for SISO survived to hospital discharge. Sixteen of the total 41 (39.0%) foals studied were euthanized intraoperatively, whereas 30 of 105 (28.6%) adults were euthanized intraoperatively. Common lesions in foals that were recovered from surgery were volvulus (n = 13) and intussusception (n = 5), whereas common lesions in adults were volvulus (n = 25) and strangulating lipoma (n = 23). This study was limited by incomplete medical records, relatively small sample size, and lack of long-term follow-up. Unexpectedly, short-term survival tended to be higher in foals than adults and may have been partly driven by case selection prior to referral or surgery or decision-making intraoperatively. More optimism toward surgical treatment of foals with SISO may be warranted.

This chapter examines the principles and practices of cash forecasting and the steps which a business needs to take to ensure short-term liquidity. The subject increases in importance as business, and the society in which it operates, becomes more complex, especially with the development of ‘plastic money’ and cashless transfers of funds. Cash budgeting can be viewed as an element in the construction of the working capital budget which, as with so many other aspects of the financial controller’s work, is an exercise which lends itself to the use of computerized financial models by which means there can be several iterations of the initial view, reflecting changed assumptions in each and every aspect of the budget. Most companies have income not immediately associated with their normal course of trade and this will include income from investments and rental income from property.

To the editor, In response to: Assessment of oxygenation after balloon pulmonary angioplasty for patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. We read with interest the study by Matsuoka et al. [1] reporting on the effects of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) on tissue oxygenation. Despite an improvement in haemodynamics following BPA, the authors conclude that oxygenation, exercise-induced desaturation (EID) and exertional dyspnoea (ED) did not improve. However, further examination of the results, while accounting for exercise intensity, suggests that oxygenation and EID may have improved post-BPA.

Welcome to all readers of this special section addressingchallenges and innovative design and implementation strate-gies for memory systems and storage.As is well-known, the continued scaling of silicon-basedmicroelectronics technology, as well as the emergence ofnew, non-silicon-based technologies, enable increasingsystem complexity and performance, paving the way forapplications that had been unthinkable a few years ago. Atthe same time, increasingly diverse Internet of Things (IoT)applications and Autonomous Intelligent Systems demandthat an ever-increasing amount of data be correctly and rap-idly stored and accessed, posing new challenges to memorysystems and storage elements.In this special section we address issues related to design,test, reliability, resilience and availability of memory systemsand storage.

Summary Three Standardbred foals, a colt approximately one month old and 2 fillies approximately 4.5 months old, from the same farm, presented to University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Centre over the course of 3 months for further evaluation due to acute onset of colic. All foals had a history of diarrhoea prior to presentation. On presentation, the foals had abdominal distension, dull demeanour and repeatedly lay down and rolled. Exploratory celiotomy revealed a segment of stenotic (lumen diameter 1–4 mm) small colon with marked distension of the colon proximal to the stenotic segment. Post mortem examination of the foals confirmed stenosis of the small colon with a segment of ulcerative colitis associated with the stenotic region. An aetiological agent was not identified.

Background Auscultation and ultrasonography are noninvasive techniques used to assess gastrointestinal motility in horses. Recently, noninvasive acoustic gastrointestinal surveillance (AGIS) biosensors evaluating intestinal motility have been validated in humans. Objectives To compare AGIS to auscultation and ultrasonography for detecting decreased motility after xylazine administration. Study design Randomised, blinded, controlled cross-over proof of principle study. Methods Six healthy horses were evaluated under fasted and nonfasted conditions and randomly assigned to receive treatment with 0.4 mg/kg xylazine or an equivalent volume of 0.9% NaCl intravenously. After a 48-h washout period, the process was repeated with the alternate treatment. Motility was assessed pre and posttreatment. Borborygmi were assessed in each abdominal quadrant and graded on a scale of 0-3, with 3 being continuous borborygmi. Duodenal, jejunal and caecal contractions were assessed ultrasonographically in consistent locations. Four AGIS biosensors were applied in standardised locations (duodenum, caecum, ventral midline, right dorsal colon). The biosensors measure acoustic signals and data were recorded in transport metric. Data were analysed using cross-classified multilevel random effects logistic regression including area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC ROC). Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were calculated for each modality. Results All three modalities detected a reduction in gastrointestinal motility following xylazine administration with AUC ROC being 0.85, 0.84 and 0.86 for auscultation, ultrasonography and AGIS respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for auscultation was 88, 71 and 75%; for ultrasonography was 67, 63 and 64%; and for AGIS was 69, 70 and 70%, respectively. Main limitations The study was performed in normal healthy horses and application of this device to clinical patients warrants further investigation. Conclusions In this proof of principle study, AGIS was able to discriminate between horses given xylazine from those given 0.9% NaCl with comparable accuracy as auscultation and ultrasonography. The Summary is available in Spanish - see Supporting Information.

Physeal fractures are common musculoskeletal injuries in foals and should be included as a differential diagnosis for the lame or nonweightbearing foal. Careful evaluation of the patient, including precise radiographic assessment, is paramount in determining the options for treatment. Prognosis mostly depends on the patient's age, weight, and fracture location and configuration.

Objective To determine serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations in the postoperative (PO) colic horse and its association with PO complications and infection. Study design Prospective case series. Animals Fifty-one horses after colic surgery. Methods Blood samples from horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy were analyzed for quantitative SAA and fibrinogen concentrations and for neutrophil count at days 0, 1, 2, and 4-6 and at hospital discharge. Results Complications developed in 35 (69%) horses and included PO colic (n = 13, 25%), PO reflux (n = 11, 22%), intravenous catheter (IVC) complications (n = 11, 22%), low-grade fever (n = 11, 22%); surgical site infection (SSI; n = 9, 18%), high-grade fever (n = 7, 14%), and diarrhea (n = 4, 8%). There was an association between day 2 SAA and PO colic (P = .004), diarrhea (P = .042), IVC complications (P = .008), and PO reflux (P = .008) as well as day 4-6 SAA and PO colic (P = .004) and diarrhea (P = .018). Discharge SAA concentration was associated with SSI (P = .001). Fibrinogen concentrations at days 4-6 and at discharge were associated with PO colic (P = .003), diarrhea (P = .004), IVC complications (P = .002), and PO reflux (P = .023). No differences were seen in SAA, fibrinogen, or neutrophils between horses with PO infection vs those with non-infection-associated complications. Conclusion Serum amyloid A was markedly increased in the PO period in all horses but did not differ between PO infection and noninfection complications. The amount of inflammation associated with PO colic and colic surgery was high and may have affected the predictive value of SAA for early PO infection. Clinical significance Although increases occurred earlier, measurement of SAA with a point-of-care analyzer may not be a more sensitive indicator of infection in the early PO colic horse than fibrinogen concentration. Serum amyloid A may help detect SSI in the late PO period.

For many decades the semiconductor industry has enjoyed the benefits of scaling. Every 2 years or so a new process node would arrive, bringing with it reduced area, along with improved performance and power. In recent years, we have seen and overcome many challenges to the scaling model, necessitating considerable efforts in VLSI circuits and technology. While we have largely maintained area scaling, obtaining even modest node-to-node improvements in performance and power has been difficult. New applications require much higher level compute than ever before which we are aiming to do via accelerators, programmable fabrics etc. These implementations respond very well with technology scaling. However, we are now approaching the biggest challenge yet. What happens when scaling slows to the point that it has, for practical purposes, stopped? How will we survive the post-scaling era? Our panel of experts, spanning VLSI technology, circuits, and business, looks at the difficulties ahead and potential ways forward.

Objective To evaluate short- and long-term outcome after medical and surgical management of horses with cecal impaction and to determine reasons for death or euthanasia. Study Design Retrospective case series. Animals Horses (n = 150). Methods Data collected from medical records (1991–2011) of horses with a diagnosis of cecal impaction, included signalment, history of recent disease/surgical procedure, admission data, management (medical, typhlotomy alone, jejunocolostomy), complications, and outcome. Short-term outcome (alive or dead at discharge) and long-term outcome (alive or dead at ≥1 year) were determined by telephone interview. Data were analyzed using a χ2 or Fisher's exact test. Level of significance was P

At its core, yield has a simple definition: the fraction of total chips that are good. Yield learning is not about increasing yield for its own sake. Yield learning is about reducing the cost of a good chip. This benefits everyone involved: the company that builds the wafers, the one that sells the chips, and eventually the end user of whatever product the chip goes into. Yield learning is what keeps Moore's law going.

Objective—To identify history, clinical signs, endoscopic findings, treatment, and outcome of mature (> 8 years old) nonracehorses with epiglottic abnormalities. Design—Retrospective case series. Animals—23 horses with an epiglottic abnormality. Procedures—Medical records of horses examined between 1990 and 2009 because of an epiglottic abnormality were reviewed to obtain information on signalment, history, clinical signs, clinical examination findings, upper airway endoscopic findings, diagnosis, surgical procedure, clinical management, postoperative care, and outcome. Results—Mean ± SD age was 16 ± 6 years (range, 9 to 30 years). Sixteen of the 23 (70%) horses had a primary complaint of a chronic cough. Thirteen (57%) horses had epiglottic entrapment, 7 (30%) had a subepiglottic granuloma, and 3 (13%) had a subepiglottic cyst. All 23 horses were treated surgically, with 1 (4%) requiring further surgical treatment. Follow-up examinations and conversations with owners indicated resolution of the primary complaint in 17 of the 23 (74%) horses, with 4 (24%) requiring prolonged medical treatment because of postoperative subepiglottic inflammation. Of the 6 horses without complete resolution, 4 (67%) had signs of recurrent airway obstruction and 2 (33%) developed persistent dorsal displacement of the soft palate following laryngotomy and subepiglottic membrane resection. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that coughing is a common complaint in mature nonracehorses with epiglottic abnormalities. Therefore, upper airway endoscopy is recommended in the evaluation of older horses with a cough. Surgical treatment can be beneficial in most horses, with some requiring further postoperative medical treatment.

Summary The aerobic microflora of freshly purchased Scotch haggis was dominated by organisms identified with Bacillus. Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus, yeasts and moulds were also detected in significant numbers. On storage at 5,30 or 37°C for 3 weeks, spoilage of the haggis was accompanied by a drop in pH and a tenfold increase in numbers of general contaminants and lactic acid bacteria.

The assessment of damage due to impacts in composite sandwich panels and the component life reductions associated with such damage is becoming increasingly important within the aerospace industry. This study analyses minimum gauge, non-metallic honeycomb wing panels subject to impact damage. In all instances the damage is caused by ‘soft body’ impactors travelling at elevated velocities to simulate bird strike and other soft debris. The damage formed during these impacts is shown to be large in plan area but shallow and primarily causes crushing of the core in a thin layer. Loading of the panels after impact has been performed to determine the reduction in load carrying capacity and associated failure mechanisms. Damage due to soft body impact is shown to be very different to the classical rigid body impact upon which current repair schemes are based. As a result in many applications the use of current repair schemes may be inappropriate. The viability of new repair techniques is discussed with particular attention to the prevention of failure mechanisms due to loading after impact.

Because of high stiffness and strength to weight ratios, composite sandwiches are being used increasingly, especially in aerospace applications. The main drawback of sandwich components is their relatively low resistance to impact damage and the extent to which their strength is reduced under compressive loading after impact. As part of a wider study aimed at increasing the impact resistance of sandwich panels, a continuum damage model is proposed. The model developed describes the compressive behaviour of honeycombs made from materials that are prone to elastic buckling. The material behaviour in compression is described by a combination of three distinct constitutive models, namely elastic, elastic continuum damage and an inelastic strain accumulation model. This has been interfaced with a commercial finite element package to model soft body impacts onto a minimum gauge honeycomb core sandwich. Results from analysis are compared to experimental data and the correlation is found to be very good.

Using methods based upon the PCR, we have analyzed sequences that encode the V domain of bovine Ig heavy chain. Pairwise comparison indicates that the heavy chain repertoire in cattle is dominated by a single VH gene family that is homologous to human VHII. The third complementarity-determining region (CDR3) is particularly variable and 60% of the sequences encode a CDR3 in excess of 21 amino acids. Southern blots, single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis, and sequencing of segments from the germline indicate that the dominant VHII gene family is of small size, comprising as few as 10 unique members, and carries a very low level of diversity in CDRs 1 and 2. Comparison of germline VH sequences with those gathered from adult bovine splenic cDNA demonstrates a pattern of nucleotide substitution that is consistent with diversification through somatic hypermutation.

To evaluate short- and long-term outcome after medical and surgical management of horses with cecal impaction and to determine reasons for death or euthanasia.Retrospective case series.Horses (n = 150).Data collected from medical records (1991-2011) of horses with a diagnosis of cecal impaction, included signalment, history of recent disease/surgical procedure, admission data, management (medical, typhlotomy alone, jejunocolostomy), complications, and outcome. Short-term outcome (alive or dead at discharge) and long-term outcome (alive or dead at ≥1 year) were determined by telephone interview. Data were analyzed using a χ(2) or Fisher's exact test. Level of significance was P .05.Of 150 horses hospitalized with a diagnosis of cecal impaction, 102 (68%) had a history of recent disease or a surgical procedure. Thirty-eight horses (25%) had cecal perforation at admission and 3 horses (2%) were euthanatized without treatment. Of 109 horses treated, 59 (54%) were managed medically and 50 (46%) surgically (typhlotomy [26]; jejunocolostomy [24]). The proportion of horses alive at hospital discharge was significantly lower for horses managed medically (61%) compared with surgically (82%; P = .02) but there was no difference between horses managed with typhlotomy alone (77%) or with jejunocolostomy (88%; P = .47). There were 57% of horses managed medically alive at 1 year. There was a similar proportion of horses alive at 1 year after typhlotomy alone (73%) and jejunocolostomy (70%; P = .86).Compared to the recent reports, the proportion of horses alive at hospital discharge was lower for both medically and surgically managed horses with cecal impaction. There was decreased survival for horses treated medically than those treated surgically; however, no significant difference was seen in survival between horses managed with typhlotomy alone versus jejunocolostomy.

A ventricular catheter guide for rapid and accurate percutaneous insertion of ventricular catheters into the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle is presented. It comprises a cylindrical platform with a removable guide tube that directs a surgical trajectory for passage of a narrow calibre twist drill and ventricular catheter, at right angles to all cranial contours within the frontal cranial quadrant. In clinical usage percutaneous ventriculostomy using the instrumentation and technique described can be completed within fifteen minutes with a single catheter passage through brain, and remain in situ for extended periods without evidence of infection on serial cerebrospinal fluid microbiological analysis.

In common practice ventricular catheterisation is dependent on accurate targeting of the lateral ventricles from external cranial landmarks. A ventricular catheter guide has been developed for rapid and accurate placement of ventricular catheters using a percutaneous technique and a narrow twist drill. Correct intraventricular placement is dependent on the width of the lateral ventricle and its distance from the midline, as well as depth from the cranial surface. In the present report data is presented obtained from coronal MRI studies describing the relationship between ventricular anatomy and cranial geometry. Within the frontal quadrant the centre of the frontal horn projection to the cranial surface where right angle intersection with the ventricle occurs is 3.28 cm (standard deviation, s.d. = 0.26) from the midline, at which point the mean depth from skin surface to the frontal horn is 5.97 cm (s.d. = 0.21). Optimal criteria for frontal ventriculostomy therefore comprises ventricular catheter passage at right angles to the scalp, approximately 3 cm from the midline to a depth of 6 cm from the skin where ventricular CSF should be encountered.

Using an inverse PCR technique with primers directed against constant region sequences, 18 V lambda regions have been isolated at random from bovine splenic cDNA for detailed analysis. On the basis of protein sequences in FR1 and their homologies to the human lambda chains NEWM and MCG, the bovine determinants can be separated into two families that have been designated V lambda 1 (94% of all clones isolated) and V lambda 2 (6% of all clones isolated). Scrutiny of the nucleotide sequences has allowed subdivision of the dominant family into V lambda 1a, V lambda 1b and V lambda 1c groupings, which represent 29, 65, and 6% of all V lambda 1 clones respectively. It appears that the size of CDR1 is V lambda group-specific--the region comprises 14 amino acids in V lambda 1a determinants and 13 residues in V lambda 1b and V lambda 1c,--whereas with a single exception, seven amino acids make up CDR2. The size of CDR3 is variable, ranging from 10 to 15 amino acids in length. Conservation of those nucleotide sequences that encode the signal peptide and FR3 has enabled us to amplify and characterize 14 V lambda 1 genes from kidney genomic DNA. Interestingly, half of the germline sequences were not represented in the data gathered from splenic cDNA, while the remaining genes could be identified as members of the V lambda 1a and V lambda 1b groups. The findings indicate that the V lambda 1 family dominates the expressed bovine light chain repertoire but that a large proportion of the germline segments from which this repertoire is derived may be nonfunctional.

This is a case report of extra-peritoneal rectal injury, secondary to a gunshot, that was managed non-operatively. A 57-year old male presented with a single gunshot to the right buttock and had blood per rectum. Extra-peritoneal rectal injuries were seen on proctoscopy and he had no genitourinary injury. He was managed successfully without rectal injury repair orfaecal stream diversion.

There have been no radically new forms of contraception since the pill was introduced 1960 and even this form of fertility regulation can be traced back to endocrine advances that were made in the 1920s. Whatever new forms of fertility control we introduce for the future, they should exploit the significant advances that have been made in our understanding of the reproductive system in recent years and be tailored to the needs of the 21st century. In this context, there is an urgent need to develop novel, safe, effective, dual-purpose contraceptive agents that combine the prevention of pregnancy with protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). To achieve this aim we have researched a class of a topical contraceptive agent that selectively and instantaneously immobilizes millions of spermatozoa, while suppressing the infectivity of pathogenic microbes, such as Chlamydia, in the ejaculate. This approach is based upon the ability of small molecular mass organic compounds to selectively and covalently adduct key proteins in spermatozoa and pathogenic organisms and disrupt their biological function. We have also successfully developed strategies for the preparation of latent formulations that would only become activated on contact with seminal plasma. The further development and refinement of these molecules should permit a radical rethink in the way that safe, effective topical protection is provided to control both fertility and the world-wide spread of STDs.

Examines the effect of the 1980 Right to Buy legislation on local authority housing departments′ service charges collection. Considers outline procedures of the statutory code, leases, estimates and consultation, direct works departments, fees, charging areas, insurances, auditing, and service charges held in trust. Concludes that local authority departments should be aware of their obligations to a growing percentage of their housing stock, since it has a duty of care.

Highlights important policy issues in respect of the proposed commonhold system, and how it may affect long leaseholders and landlords/freeholders. Discusses the College of Estate Management Report 1990, and parts I to IV of the Lord Chancellor′s Consultation Paper on commonhold. Sets out the method, and systems to form and control commonholds, and the mechanism to wind‐up commonholds where required.

At 32 and 22 nm, which manufacturing technology changes will be so revolutionary as to cause upheavals in the semiconductor supply chain and on design practices?

Explains the 1987 Report by the Law Commission on combined ownership of land and blocks of flats. Concludes that the Report addresses current (1993) unfair situations. Urges that there must be impetus to adopt the Report. Fears that the issue has been “placed on the back burner”.