Earlier studies have revealed age-dependent differences in perception by dynamic touch. In the present study, we examined whether the capacity to learn deteriorates with aging. Adopting an ecological approach to learning, the authors examined the process of attunement--that is, the changes in what informational variable is exploited. Young and elderly adults were trained to perceive the lengths...

Abstract In the 1940’s, a reinforced concrete (RC) railway bridge located in central Johannesburg was constructed using Witwatersrand Quartzite, at time, unknown to be an alkali-silica reactive aggregate. The currently displays signs of distress form severe map-cracking. This study presents preliminary results series tests that have been conducted characterise severity alkali silica reaction (A...

The 2014 Indian general election marked a single party – the Bharatiya Janata Party, winning a majority of seats in Lok Sabha, the first time since the 1984 election. The Congress, the other main national party, suffered its worst ever defeat. This election was termed by some as a 'critical election' signalling the advent of a new phase of a ‘BJP dominated’ party system in India. In this paper,...

The 2014 Indian general election marked a single party – the Bharatiya Janata Party, winning a majority of seats in Lok Sabha, the first time since the 1984 election. The Congress, the other main national party, suffered its worst ever defeat. This election was termed by some as a 'critical election' signalling the advent of a new phase of a ‘BJP dominated’ party system in India. In this paper,...

When depth of flow past a river bridge exceeds opening under the bridge, the flow under the bridge becomes pressurized. The water is directed downward and under the bridge deck, causing increase in velocity and shear stress on the bed thereby increasing bed scour. This is termed as Pressure Flow Scour. The present study investigates the phenomenon of pressure flow scour resulting from a submerg...

Coastal concrete bridges will suffer from deterioration of RC structural performance and resistance attenuation because of the chloride penetration and other environment factors. This article discusses current different chloride diffusion models and puts forward the revised model of chloride diffusion in concrete bridge by considering the complex action of load influence and chloride-binding ca...

The evidence for using pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapies such as prostacyclin derivatives, endothelin receptor antagonists and type-5 phosphodiesterase inhibitors in pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is modest and conflicting [1, 2]. Indeed, despite several reports of clinical deterioration and life-threatening pulmonary oedema in PVOD patients receiving PAH therapies, we ha...

We present the case of a 41-year old patient suffering from end-stage pulmonary hypertension secondary to veno-occlusive disease who underwent implantation of a veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenator as a bridge to lung transplantation (LTx) due to significant deterioration of myocardial pump and liver function. After 33 days on support, lungs with extended donor criteria were offered...

Creativity serves not only an aesthetic function but also psychological self-repair for the creative artist. The authors examine the failure of Sylvia Plath's efforts to control her suicidal violence and to bridge her isolation from others via the shared affective experience of poetry. At first, she used traditional forms and mediated images, but when she abandoned them for a more personal expr...