Patterns Of Arrangements Research Articles

Unlocking the tapestry of conservation: Navigating ecological resettlement policies in Nepal

Conservation initiatives involve a complex interplay of various ecological, socio-political, and economic factors. Ecological resettlement (ER), implemented within the context of nature conservation policies, stands as one of the most contested issues worldwide. This study aims to navigate the domain of ER policy in conservation through discursive institutionalism and a policy arrangement approach. Focusing on Nepal's conservation policy pathways over the last seven decades, we critically analyze policy ideas and narratives, trends, patterns of policy development, institutional arrangements, driving factors, and responses to contemporary ER policies. Methods involved a systematic literature review (n = 271), a comprehensive review of policy documents and project reports (n > 150), and expert interviews (n = 20). Over the past 50 years, >7600 households in Nepal have been displaced in the name of ER and are still persisting despite the rhetoric of participatory conservation. With changes in political regimes, conservation policy has shifted from a hunting-focused approach to landscape-level and transboundary conservation. Initially influenced by internal factors such as economic and political governance, conservation policies were later shaped by international conservation discourse. Also, the operational sphere of such policy ideas and narratives ˗ including actors, resources, discourses, and rules ˗ along with trends, priorities, institutional arrangements, and driving factors of ER policies, has changed over time. Further, the exclusion of deprived communities and the capture of conservation benefits by elites have undermined conservation values. This research stresses the importance of a judicious balance between people's welfare and nature's integrity, emphasizing community-based natural resource management models accredited to a conservation standard. We further urge the revision of displacement-oriented conservation policies to secure the rights of Indigenous people and traditional landholders, thereby ensuring conservation and sustainable development at both national and global levels.

On Water Arrangements in Right- and Left-Handed DNA Structures.

DNA requires hydration to maintain its structural integrity. Crystallographic analyses have enabled patterns of water arrangements to be visualized. We survey these water motifs in this review, focusing on left- and right-handed duplex and quadruplex DNAs, together with the i-motif. Common patterns of linear spines of water organization in grooves have been identified and are widely prevalent in right-handed duplexes and quadruplexes. By contrast, a left-handed quadruplex has a distinctive wheel of hydration populating the almost completely circular single groove in this structure.

Open fracture clustering: Integrating subsurface and outcrop analogues, Asmari Formation, SW Iran

Fracture networks play a significant role in controlling fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs. Here we have utilized a modern and rigorous technique known as normalized correlation count (NCC) to investigate the 1D spatial arrangement and size distribution of conductive opening-mode fractures in the Asmari Formation, a naturally fractured carbonate reservoir in the Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt. To overcome subsurface sampling limitations, here we integrate data from a subsurface fault-related fold called the Gachsaran anticline, and from adjacent outcrops. The Oligo-Miocene Asmari Formation is composed of three units with different lithology, thickness, and stratal geometry. Subsurface and outcrop data from the Asmari Formation have different patterns of spatial arrangements. While the fractures from outcrop anticlines show indistinguishable from random arrangements, the subsurface scanlines from the Gachsaran anticline have various clustering patterns, from self-organized regularly-spaced fracture clustering in the backlimb to externally-imposed clustering in the forelimb. The NW-SE striking fracture set in outcrops and subsurface show clustering. Aperture-size data for all fracture sets are best-fit by log-normal distributions, but sampling biases against the smallest apertures may obscure a power-law aperture-size distribution. Forcing the power-law fit to aperture-size distribution indicates steeper slopes in the backlimb and gentler slopes in the forelimb, which reflect lower and higher strain, respectively. This is consistent with higher tendency of clustering in the forelimb of the anticline which correlates with higher productivity index. Our results demonstrate the ability of NCC to identify hierarchical fracture clusters as well as to distinguish between self-organized and extrinsic organization. The results of quantitative analysis of fracture clustering and patterns in the Asmari Formation provides valuable insights that can aid in the refinement of Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) models and help make informed decisions regarding fractured reservoir development and production.

Separate Spheres: The Gender Division of Labor in the Financial Elite

Abstract In recent decades, the financial elite have seen their economic resources grow significantly, while the income and wealth of other households have stagnated. The financial elite includes couples who are super-rich (top one percent), rich (the 90th–99th percentile), and upper-middle class (the 80th–89th percentile). Gendered work–family arrangements in top economic groups may contribute to inequality—particularly to wealth accumulation among the elite—but relatively little is known about how these couples divide paid and unpaid work or the extent to which their arrangements differ from other couples. In this study, we uncover novel work and family patterns and trends in the most economically powerful families in the United States. We use the Survey of Consumer Finances (1989–2019) to compare the household division of labor across income and wealth groups and over time, with a focus on financial elites. We find stark contrasts between super-rich couples and other couples in the division of labor. Specifically, super-rich couples are much more likely than all other couples, including rich and upper-middle class couples, to have a traditional male breadwinner–female homemaker/caregiver arrangement. Importantly, the striking patterns of traditional arrangements in the top one percent have not changed in 30 years and, as we uncover, appear to be driven by a couple’s wealth rather than income. These findings suggest that work–family arrangements may be an integral component of economic and gender inequality.

Abstract A015: Dynamics and lipid interactions of the RAS-RBD-CRD protein complex

Abstract The high-resolution structure of the RAS G-domain complexed to the RBD and CRD domains of RAF provides critical insights into the assembly and conformation of the RAS-RAF signaling complex[1]. The influence and impact of the membrane on both the RAS and RAF proteins is a factor that we are just beginning to understand and appreciate. Molecular simulation is an ideal methodology to further study the complicated relationship between the membrane and associated proteins. Our recent work, using MuMMI[2] (Multiscale Machine-learned Modeling Infrastructure), investigated the different lipid compositions around KRAS4b and the interplay between the protein behavior and these membrane environments[3]. MuMMI uses machine learning to couple adjacent simulation scales and can be effectively scaled across some of the world’s largest high performance computing systems. The MuMMI multi-resolution framework has been expanded to include the RAF RBD-CRD domains. Here we present the overall simulation results from this latest MuMMI campaign. Tens of thousands of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations were completed, sampled from a variety of protein/lipid composition configurations. The orientations of the RAS-RBD-CRD complex on the membrane occupies distinct configurational states. Furthermore, the spatial patterns of lipid arrangements around these different protein states are also unique to each state. Interactions of the CRD with the membrane indicate the enrichment of very specific lipids in precise locations act to stabilize the complex. The extent, and size of the lipid ‘fingerprint’ imposed on the membrane by the RAS-RBD-CRD protein complex is significantly larger than observed for just the RAS protein on its own. We do not observe any statistically significant defined protein-protein orientations within the simulation ensemble. These observations indicate that spatial co-localize the RAS-RBD-CRD proteins in the same vicinity may be assisted by specific membrane environments. [1] Tran, Timothy H., et al. "KRAS interaction with RAF1 RAS-binding domain and cysteine-rich domain provides insights into RAS-mediated RAF activation." Nature communications 12.1 (2021): 1-16. [2] Di Natale, Francesco, et al. "A massively parallel infrastructure for adaptive multiscale simulations: modeling RAS initiation pathway for cancer." Proceedings of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis. 2019. [3] Ingólfsson, Helgi I., et al. "Machine learning–driven multiscale modeling reveals lipid-dependent dynamics of RAS signaling proteins." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119.1 (2022): e2113297119. Citation Format: Felice C. Lightstone, Timothy S. Carpenter. Dynamics and lipid interactions of the RAS-RBD-CRD protein complex [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Targeting RAS; 2023 Mar 5-8; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2023;21(5_Suppl):Abstract nr A015.

From excavating bones to reconstruct funerary practices: Contextualizing skeletal evidence for the post-funerary treatment of the dead at the Pre- and Protopalatial Petras cemetery (2900–1700 BCE), Siteia, Crete

This paper explores the character of the Petras human bone deposits in order to identify and reconstruct the original burial conditions and subsequently understand the social processes that resulted in the formation of a variable burial record. The Petras cemetery, located on the northeast coast of Crete, consists of 24 excavated House Tombs. The site was in use from Early Minoan IB (2900–2650 BCE) until Middle Minoan IIB (1850–1700 BCE), providing an excellent opportunity for the study of Prepalatial and Protopalatial mortuary practices. Drawing on existing research in social bioarchaeology, this study implements an integrated bioarchaeological approach involving the analysis of funerary taphonomy such as aspects of bone preservation, anatomical articulation and the position of skeletal remains. This way the given paper aims to reconstruct the funerary practices and their embedded meaning. Results suggest that all members of the community, were secondarily manipulated, while fully or partially decomposed, often inside the original burial location. A few intact primary burials present an exception which may attest to an ancestral population. The skeletal remains, even the ones placed inside funerary vessels, were reduced and re-arranged in commingled piles of bones in order to create room for new burials. Beyond practical considerations, the latter acts were also part of a ritual program, as the deposition of complete vases to fragmentary remains infer. Moreover, the Petras House Tombs attest to diachronic variability in group size, patterns of use and spatial arrangements of the human remains. Yet, these distinct choices were part of a single narrative which stressed the importance of a collective past, as the constant choice of the burial locale, the successive building upon old tombs and the commingled, unindividuated masses of bones indicate.

Power Consumption and Effectiveness of Azimuth Stern-Drive (ASD) Tug While Assisting at Ship’s Bow

The purpose of this article is to present a methodical approach to increasing the efficiency of a tug with an azimuth stern drive (ASD). The difficulties in the bow-to-bow (as a reverse tractor) operations of an azimuth stern-drive tug, while pulling at the assisted (towed) ship’s bow, are investigated through a parametric study. The authors’ original generic analytical model of a tug in a steady state is utilised. Various design and operation options are also compared, which cover the escort speed, hawser angle, and relative location of the towing point, among others. The latter also means a shift to stern-to-bow operation. The thruster power required and the remaining surplus for executing new alignment (steering) orders are assessed. The study is, thus, aimed at energy savings for the whole operation and, consequently, at long-term harbour-tug-fleet energy effectiveness. The basic output of the present research is the comparison of the behavioural and control patterns of various tug arrangements at a ship’s bow. The results of the study show a slight advantage for a midship winch tug working through her stern for bow operation (stern-to-bow) over the reverse tractor acting bow-to-bow. Comparing various tug designs or operation options is difficult due to complicated tug dynamics and statics patterns under the hawser action. Both relative and absolute towing forces have to be considered (a high relative force may result in a low absolute force, much less than ordered by the pilot), with some geometrical and safety constraints additionally. The practical implementation of the conducted research should cover the guidance and training rendered to tug masters in the scope of the operational limitations of a particular tug and towards the design or acquisition of the tug that is best-suited for a particular harbour operation.

Ordering of Oxygen Vacancies and Related Ferroelectric Properties in HfO_{2-δ}.

Using density functional theory combined with an evolutionary algorithm, we investigate ferroelectricity in substoichiometric HfO_{2-δ} with fixed composition δ=0.25. We find that oxygen vacancies tend to cluster in the form of two-dimensional extended defects, revealing several patterns of local relative arrangements within an energy range of 100meV per Hf atom. Two lowest-energy patterns result in polar monoclinic structures with different transformation properties. The lowest one elastically transforms to the ferroelectric orthorhombic structure via a shear deformation, overcoming an energy barrier, which is more than twice lower than in the stoichiometric hafnia. The second-lowest structure transforms at smaller volumes to a nonpolar tetragonal one. We discuss the experimentally observed wake-up effect, fatigue, and imprint in HfO_{2}-based ferroelectrics in terms of different local ordering of oxygen-vacancy extended defects, which favor specific crystallographic phases.

Spatial Patterns of Light-Harvesting Antenna Complex Arrangements Tune the Transfer-to-Trap Efficiency of Excitons in Purple Bacteria.

In photosynthesis, the efficiency with which a photogenerated exciton reaches the reaction center is dictated by chromophore energies and the arrangement of chromophores in the supercomplex. Here, we explore the interplay between the arrangement of light-harvesting antennae and the efficiency of exciton transport in purple bacterial photosynthesis. Using a Miller-Abrahams-based exciton hopping model, we compare different arrangements of light-harvesting proteins on the intracytoplasmic membrane. We find that arrangements with aggregated LH1s have a higher efficiency than arrangements with randomly distributed LH1s in a wide range of physiological light fluences. This effect is robust to the introduction of defects on the intracytoplasmic membrane. Our result explains the absence of species with aggregated LH1 arrangements in low-light niches and the large increase seen in the expression of LH1 dimer complexes in high fluences. We suggest that the effect seen in our study is an adaptive strategy toward solar light fluence across different purple bacterial species.

Remittance arrangements within India and Covid-19: Kerala’s Migrant Construction workers from West Bengal

This article highlights emerging patterns of domestic remittance arrangements among migrant construction workers from West Bengal in Kerala that have now become defunct because of COVID-19. Earlier field surveys and in-depth interviews showed how Bengali migrant construction workers, relying on networks of friendship and trust, were learning to remit through formal channels, in contrast with many micro-studies showing the dominant role of informal channels in domestic remittances. High wage rates in Kerala enabled such migrant construction workers to send significant amounts, used for productive activities besides household expenses. However, there were significant changes in arrangements, before COVID-19 enforced a dramatic suspension of remittances, raising important questions about future possibilities.

The bat meat chain and perceptions of the risk of contracting Ebola in the Mount Cameroon region

BackgroundLocal people’s interaction with bats render them vulnerable to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). This paper examines perceptions of risk involved in the hunting, handling, processing and consumption of bat meat in the Mount Cameroon region of Southwest Cameroon. It focuses on the myriad cultural beliefs, gendered patterns of activity and institutional arrangements in which the bat meat production chain is embedded.MethodsWe conducted 30 ethnographic interviews with a sample of purposively selected men and women involved in the bat meat trade. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim and inductive analysis was performed on the data.FindingsThe findings suggests that more urban men than villagers and hunters consume bat meat. Different practices and behaviours expose the mostly uneducated, young, single men and women to the risk of Ebola infection depending on their differential level of intervention in the human-bat interaction and value chain linking hunters, sellers and customers. The killing of bats with the mouth during hunting expose hunters (young men) while the preparation of bat carcasses for consumption also put women, (mostly young and unmarried) at risk.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the complexity and nuances of gender, poverty and Ebola outcomes predispose some marginal groups to the risk of infection with zoonotic diseases. There is the need to improve public health intervention and health education among the rural masses in the Mount Cameroon region.

3D Multiple Input Multiple Output Large-Scale Antenna Systems

The channel could be evaluated by utilizing several estimation algorithms. The various patterns of pilot arrangements for the channel appreciation are a huge problem in channel appreciation techniques since all the processes depends on it; this paper discusses improvements in channel selection. The Least Square and Least Square Mean methods are common, simple ways to begin to estimate a channel; however, they are less efficient than more complex approaches. Due to the boost in demand with high data rates in communications, developers continue to invent new methods and mechanisms to adjust the capacity and the accuracy of the communication network. One of the primary troubles in wireless communication is the communication channel, which is affected by nonlinear and random noise sources, which decrease the quality of the service on the network; in this case, the channel must be equalized to increase performance with minimal error. In this paper, a Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output was designed and simulated in order to estimate the channel and the performance of the network through using Least Square and Least Square Mean.

Barrows in action. Late Neolithic and Middle Bronze Age Barrow Landscapes in the Upper Dniester Basin, Ukraine

Abstract The aim of this article is to view the spatial distribution of Upper Dniester Basin’s (Western Ukraine) barrows and to interpret their location principles. These monuments were often situated on the flattened summits of watershed ridges or hills. It appeared also that some of them were located on upper parts of gentle slopes of not more than 8° of inclination. Mounds appear within linear and group-linear arrangements and were rarely observed as clusters, while more specific adjustments to their location were dependant on local terrain morphology. Barrow alignments run along the elevated ridges, while clustered groups were situated in places where erosive indentations or denudation cavities prevented barrows from stretching in a linear pattern. It can be noted that during the spatial development of barrow alignments, more attention was paid to the intervisibility between the mounds, than to their visibility from other places in the landscape. The potential of observing at least one of the following groups of tumuli from every embankment indicates the direction of movement within the framework of the barrow landscape, perhaps augmented in the past by the presence of paths or “roads”. Examples of analogous or similar, in a certain sense even universal, practices in shaping barrow landscapes were documented also from various parts of Eurasia. Therefore, it is argued these traits were shared by all “barrow societies” and their origins can be traced to the steppe zone. Specific and repeatable patterns of barrow arrangements are a manifestation of certain knowledge and skills, transmitted over generations and immortalized in the landscape that symbolized the incorporation of territory by “barrow societies”. Characteristic mound alignments became a cultural code or institution, as it were – an instrument of familiarising previously unknown landscapes, facilitating movement and simultaneously expressing continuity of kin-lineages.

Etiopathogenesis of Primary Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction: What We Know and What We Need to Know.

To provide a systematic review of the literature on the etiopathogenesis of primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO). The authors performed a PubMed search of all articles published in English with specific reference to etiopathogenesis of PANDO or associations of PANDO. Data captured include demographics, study techniques, hypothesis, presumed or confirmed interpretations with regards to pathogenesis, mechanisms, or pathways. Specific emphasis was laid on addressing the lacunae and potential directions for future research. Numerous factors are believed to contribute to the etiopathogenesis of PANDO. The basic pathogenesis involves inflammation, vascular congestion, mucosal edema, fibrosis, obstruction, and stasis. Bony nasolacrimal duct diameter does not appear to play a significant role. There is no convincing data to substantiate nose as the site of disease origin and nasal factors appear to be comorbidities. Hormonal mechanisms are more evidence-based but can only partly explain the pathogenesis. Vascular theories are based on the behavior of perilacrimal cavernous bodies, their autonomic control, and additional structural changes in the helical patterns of connective tissue fiber arrangements. Repeated vascular malfunction leading to structural epithelial and subepithelial changes currently appears to be the most evidence-based and accepted theory. Tear proteomics holds a promise in decoding the etiopathogenesis of PANDO, at least in part. The etiopathogenesis of PANDO appears to be multifactorial. Hormonal microenvironments, vascular factors, and tear proteomics are promising candidates for further work. There is a need for focused work by Clinician-Scientists and the answers can have far reaching clinical implications.

Function determinants of TET proteins: the arrangements of sequence motifs with specific codes.

The ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins play a crucial role in promoting locus-specific reversal of DNA methylation, a type of chromatin modification. Considerable evidences have demonstrated that the sequence motifs with specific codes are important to determine the functions of domains and active sites. Here, we surveyed major studies and reviews regarding the multiple functions of the TET proteins and established the patterns of the motif arrangements that determine the functions of TET proteins. First, we summarized the functional sequence basis of TET proteins and identified the new functional motifs based on the phylogenetic relationship. Next, we described the sequence characteristics of the functional motifs in detail and provided an overview of the relationship between the sequence motifs and the functions of TET proteins, including known functions and potential functions. Finally, we highlighted that sequence motifs with diverse post-translational modifications perform unique functions, and different selection pressures lead to different arrangements of sequence motifs, resulting in different paralogs and isoforms.

A Review on Pull out Test on Exterior Beam-Column joint

Conventional concrete loses its tensile resistance after the formation of multiple cracks. However, fibrous concrete can sustain a portion of its resistance following cracking to resist more loading. Use of the headed bar can offer a potential solution for these problems and may also ease fabrication, construction, and concrete placement. There have been many catastrophic failures reported in the past earthquakes, with Turkey and Taiwan earthquakes occurred in 1999, which have been attributed to beam–column joint failures. To achieve this performance level, special steel reinforcement details are required in the beam–column joint region of reinforced concrete framed structures. The experimental work carried out on four different arrangements of reinforcement of beam column joints. The aim of the research is to investigate the pull-out behavior such as strength, failure mode, and crack patterns of different arrangements of reinforcement in exterior beam column junctions. The transverse reinforcement of a joint reduces stresses by improving the confinement of concrete. All joints were tested by using reversed cyclic loading. In the first arrangement, the beam bars are extended in the column for distance Ld + (10xDia) from the inner face of column. This research studies the experimental behavior of full-scale beam-column space (three-dimensional) joints under displacement-controlled cyclic loading. Eleven joint specimens, included a traditionally reinforced one (without adequate shear reinforcement), a reference one with sufficient shear reinforcement according to ACI 318, and nine specimens retrofitted by ferrocement layers, were experimentally tested to evaluate a retrofit technique for strengthening shear deficient beam column joints.

Transmissible ST3-IncHI2 Plasmids Are Predominant Carriers of Diverse Complex IS26-Class 1 Integron Arrangements in Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella.

Diverse mobile genetic elements (MGEs) including plasmids, insertion sequences, and integrons play an important role in the occurrence and spread of multidrug resistance (MDR) in bacteria. It was found in previous studies that IS26 and class 1 integrons integrated on plasmids to speed the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes in Salmonella. It is aimed to figure out the patterns of specific genetic arrangements between IS26 and class 1 integrons located in plasmids in MDR Salmonella in this study. A total of 74 plasmid-harboring Salmonella isolates were screened for the presence of IS26 by PCR amplification, and 39 were IS26-positive. Among them, 37 isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The thirty-seven antibiotic-resistant isolates were further involved in PCR detection of class 1 integrons and variable regions, and all were positive for class 1 integrons. Six IS26-class 1 integron arrangements with IS26 inserted into the upstream or downstream of class 1 integrons were characterized. Eight combinations of these IS26-class 1 integron arrangements were identified among 31 antibiotic-resistant isolates. Multidrug-resistance plasmids of the IncHI2 incompatibility group were dominant, which all belonged to ST3 by plasmid double locus sequence typing. These 21 IncHI2-positive isolates harbored six complex IS26-class 1 integron arrangement patterns. Conjugation assays and Southern blot hybridizations confirmed that conjugative multidrug-resistance IncHI2 plasmids harbored the different complex IS26-class 1 integron arrangements. The conjugation frequency of IncHI2 plasmids transferring alone was 10−5-10−6, reflecting that different complex IS26-class 1 integron arrangement patterns didn't significantly affect conjugation frequency (P > 0.05). These data suggested that class 1 integrons represent the hot spot for IS26 insertion, forming diverse MDR loci. And ST3-IncHI2 was the major plasmid lineage contributing to the horizontal transfer of composite IS26-class 1 integron MDR elements in Salmonella.

Archetypical Patterns of Skin Manifestations in Neurocutaneous Disorders

AbstractThe distribution of the cutaneous manifestations in neurocutaneous disorders is not casual; rather, it reflects predetermined patterns of skin arrangements, due to the action of the underlying genes, proteins, and/or metabolic pathways on the skin texture and appendages. These patterns of distribution are pathognomonic for each neurocutaneous disorder and can occur either in specific areas of the body (e.g., the forehead, the face, the trunk, the nails, one limb or one of more segments of the body) or following specific lines (e.g., lines of Blaschko) or taking peculiar shapes (e.g., leaf-like, ovoid, whorled, “S” or “V” shaped). These patterns of abnormal skin often mirror similar phenomena in extra-cutaneous organs/tissues, principally in the central nervous system but also in the eye, bone, heart/vessels, lung, kidney, and gut. A classification system, including several patterns of cutaneous arrangements (archetypical patterns) was proposed by the German dermatologist Rudolf Happle in 1993 and later expanded until 2014: this classification, originally meant to broadly explain (genetic and nongenetic) mosaic skin disorders and phenomena, was later expanded to explain the patterns of distribution of skin manifestations in some autosomal dominant skin disorders (genodermatoses). Currently, we recognize: (1) six archetypical patterns, including type 1 “along the lines of Blaschko” in (a) narrow or (b) large bands, type 2 “checkerboard” pattern, type 3 “phylloid” pattern, type 4 “patchy pattern without midline separation,” type 5 “lateralization” pattern, and type 6 “sash-like” pattern; (2) three less well-defined (so far unclassifiable) archetypical patterns, including (a) a diffuse hypopigmentation of the trunk versus smaller areas of normal skin on a unilateral aspect of the thorax and a segmental hyperpigmentation involving both arms and the trunk, (b) an “atypical” pattern along the Blaschko's lines, (c) the “mesotropic facial pattern,” and (iii) segmental manifestations of monogenic disorders, including (type 1) segmental areas of skin affected with the typical manifestations of a disease associated to otherwise unaffected skin and (type 2) segmental areas of skin affected with a very pronounced degree of the typical skin manifestations of a disease. In this article we review the existing literature on the early history of Blaschko's lines, the presentation of the (well-defined and unclassified) archetypical patterns and the segmental manifestations of monogenic disorders tailoring these concepts to neurocutaneous disorders.

CLASSIFICATION OF HALLER VESSEL ARRANGEMENTS IN ACUTE AND CHRONIC CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY IMAGED WITH EN FACE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

To compare the prevailing patterns of Haller vessel arrangements at the posterior pole between healthy eyes and those with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) using en face optical coherence tomography. Eyes of normal subjects and patients with acute or chronic CSC underwent optical coherence tomography imaging (RTVue 100; Optovue Inc, Fremont, CA). En face sections at the level of the Haller layer were classified by two masked graders into five mutually exclusive morphologic categories (temporal herringbone, branched from below, laterally diagonal, double arcuate, and reticular). The relative prevalence of each Haller vessel arrangement pattern was determined for each phenotype. Numbers of eyes examined were as follows: 154 eyes of 77 normal subjects; 41 eyes of 31 patients with acute CSC; and 39 eyes of 33 patients with chronic CSC. The mean age of participants was 44.4 ± 14.6 years for healthy subjects (M:F = 37:40), 48.5 ± 8.2 years (M:F = 24:7) for acute CSC, and 65.3 ± 13.1 years (M:F = 28:5) for chronic CSC. The relative prevalence of each Haller vessel arrangement pattern differed by phenotype. The temporal herringbone pattern was most prevalent in healthy eyes (49.2%), whereas a reticular pattern was most prevalent in eyes with acute and/or chronic CSC (combined, 48.8%). A significant difference was observed in the prevalence of respective Haller vessel arrangement patterns between eyes of normal subjects and those of patients with either acute or chronic CSC. Although further study is needed to determine the mechanistic factors underlying these differences, and the hemodynamic implications, our data suggest that en face optical coherence tomography may find a formal role in choroidal disease classification.

Elderly care in changing societies: Concurrences in divergent care regimes – a comparison of Germany, Sweden and Italy

European countries are facing social changes that are challenging their long-term care (LTC) systems in different ways. The ageing population and the decrease of care potential in families have led to different paths of modification to traditional care regime organization. This article compares the LTC policies of Sweden, Germany and Italy, three countries that have traditionally been regarded as representatives of distinct regime types in care regime typologies. The interrelation between policy reforms, changing state support, patterns of care arrangements and the commodification of care work is compared between the three countries. The analysis aims to reveal the basic dimensions of (changing) LTC policies and their effects in these countries; trends of convergence and divergence between the three regimes; and the main characteristics of the changed care regimes. Despite a trend to convergence characterized by a redefined involvement of and a complex mixture of state, market and family resulting in an increased precarization of care labour, the countries analysed still represent different care models. In particular, the amount of state support, the emphasis on family care versus professional services, and the role of different state levels in the governing system and reform paths are the key elements that mark the organization of national LTC.