Obesity: the elephant in the corner

To date, our approach to obesity has largely been based on a simple individualistic prescription to balance energy intake against energy expenditure. This approach works for some of the people, some of the time, but is clearly not working at population level. Recognising the importance of the obesogenic environment was a crucial step forward in understanding the causes of, and potential solutions to, the emerging obesity epidemic. However, our current “environmental” responses to obesity amount to little more than marginal changes, and ignore the fact that the obesogenic environment is itself the product of the way we have chosen to organise our society. The only realistic prospect of reversing the growth in obesity lies in a decision to adopt a different set of societal priorities

Initial operation of a solar heating and cooling system in a full-scale solar building test facility

The Solar Building Test Facility (SBTF) was constructed to advance the technology for heating and cooling of office buildings with solar energy. Its purposes are to (1) test system components which include high-performing collectors, (2) test the performance of a complete solar heating and cooling system, (3) investigate component interactions, and (4) investigate durability, maintenance and reliability of components. The SBTF consists of a 50,000 square foot office building modified to accept solar heated water for operation of an absorption air conditioner and for the baseboard heating system. A 12,666 square foot solar collector field with a 30,000 gallon storage tank provides the solar heated water. A description of the system and the collectors selected is printed along with the objectives, test approach, expected system performance, and some preliminary results

Acceptance Criteria for Critical Software Based on Testability Estimates and Test Results

Testability is defined as the probability that a program will fail a test, conditional on the program containing some fault. In this paper, we show that statements about the testability of a program can be more simply described in terms of assumptions on the probability distribution of the failure intensity of the program. We can thus state general acceptance conditions in clear mathematical terms using Bayesian inference. We develop two scenarios, one for software for which the reliability requirements are that the software must be completely fault-free, and another for requirements stated as an upper bound on the acceptable failure probability

Persistent colonization with Tannerella forsythensis and loss of attachment in adolescents

Colonization with Tannerella forsythensis may characterize the conversion of periodontally healthy sites into diseased sites. This three-year study describes the prevalence of T forsythensis and its relationship to clinical loss of attachment (LOA) in a group of adolescents considered at risk of developing early chronic periodontitis. Adolescents with (LOA+) and without (LOA-) loss of attachment were examined at baseline and 1.5 and 3 yrs subsequently. On each occasion, attachment loss was measured on selected teeth, and the presence of T. forsythensis in their subgingival plaque samples was determined by PCR. T. forsythensis prevalence in LOA+ subjects at baseline (64%) increased to 82% and 86% on subsequent examinations. In contrast, prevalence of T. forsythensis in LOA- subjects was always significantly lower (25%, 36%, and 32%, respectively). The odds of loss of attachment were 8.16 times greater in subjects infected with T. forsythensis at each examination. These results suggest that T. forsythensis is strongly associated with loss of attachment in this adolescent population

Employability of Norfolk Cooperative Distributive Education Students

To determine the employability of cooperative Distributive Education students, a community survey was conducted to determine the following factors: 1. the types of businesses willing to hire cooperative distributive education students; 2. the number of distributive education students presently employed by a Norfolk business that are enrolled in another school division\u27s distributive education program; 3. the number of businesses aware of the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit program; 4. the number of businesses using distributive education students in order to receive the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit