We conducted a systematic review of the medical, nursing, forensic, and social science literature describing events and processes associated with what happens after a traumatic death in the socio-cultural context of largely Western and high-income societies. These include death notification, why survivors choose to view or not view the body, forensic practices affecting viewing the body, alternatives to viewing, and social and cultural practices following the death. We also describe how elements of these processes may act to increase or lessen some of the negative cognitive and emotional consequences for both survivors and providers. The information presented is applicable to those who may be faced with traumatic deaths, including those who work in medicine, nursing, and law enforcement, as well as first responders, forensic investigators, funeral directors, and the families of the deceased.

This paper presents a motion planning method for a simple wheeled robot in two cases: (i) where translational and rotational speeds are arbitrary, and (ii) where the robot is constrained to move forwards at unit speed. The motions are generated by formulating a constrained optimal control problem on the Special Euclidean group SE(2). An application of Pontryagin's maximum principle for arbitrary speeds yields an optimal Hamiltonian which is completely integrable in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions. In the unit speed case, the rotational velocity is described in terms of elliptic integrals, and the expression for the position is reduced to quadratures. Reachable sets are defined in the arbitrary speed case, and a numerical plot of the time-limited reachable sets is presented for the unit speed case. The resulting analytical functions for the position and orientation of the robot can be parametrically optimised to match prescribed target states within the reachable sets. The method is shown to be easily adapted to obstacle avoidance for static obstacles in a known environment.

Small bodies of 100–500 m diameter can cause significant damage on impact with the Earth. Such objects are difficult to detect and track because they are intrinsically faint over most of their orbit. We failed to detect one such lost and potentially hazardous minor planet, 1998 OX4, during two observing sessions in 2001, January. The positions searched were those calculated by Milani et al. (2000) with their Virtual Impactors method. Using some simple assumptions we estimate the probability that we failed to detect 1998 OX4 due to it being obscured by objects in the field of our observations is <2 × 10−7. If the assumptions in the Virtual Impactor model are valid we conclude that an impact with 1998 OX4 is unlikely in 2014, January. Furthermore, given the relatively large area we searched it is also unlikely that this minor planet will have a very close encounter with Earth in 2014.

Both males and females of Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) showed three distinct modes of aggressive behavior: (1) a wing-waving display, (2) charging headlong into another fly, and (3) "pawing" with the prothoracic legs. The flies were aggressive toward their own and the opposite sex. The aggressive patterns were similar to those of R. suavis (Loew) and R. completa Cresson.

The background and planned research activities are outlined for a new UK research consortium focused on Decommissioning, Immobilisation And Management Of Nuclear-wastes for Disposal (DIAMOND). This consortium is the first integrated trans-disciplinary and multi-institution academic research network in the UK, focused on nuclear waste management.

Various experiments have definitely demonstrated that one-micron accuracy (0.″06) on the definition of stellar images on CdC plates cannot be claimed, as it was speculated back in 1999. More realistically, a 2-3 micron accuracy is achievable, getting worse toward the survey magnitude limit, with an average magnitude error of 0.3. The level of astrometric accuracy corresponds to a 0.″2 - 0.″3 error in position at Epoch 1900, which, once used as first Epoch for proper motion determination in combination with modern epoch observations, can produce errors at the level of 2-5 mas/yr, thereby allowing to detect stellar motions larger than 0.″01/yr, which at a distance of 500 pc from the Sun correspond to ~25-60 km/s tangential velocity. Therefore, the AC/CdC heritage collection can be regarded as a highly valuable first-epoch material, e.g., for the realization of a Tycho-2 extension to fainter magnitudes (~15 photographic), especially in selected areas where radial velocity data are available, for the exploration of stellar kinematics beyond our solar neighborhood.

We compared conventional and alternative systems for the establishment of apple trees on a replicated, whole-orchard scale. The alternative system consisted of a K-31 fescue sod rotation followed by planting of trees directly into sod that had been kitted with herbicide. The conventional system consisted of a standard corn rotation, accompanied by application of fertilizer and nematicide. Orchard floor management in the three years following tree planting was based on the use of both pre-and post-emergence herbicides in the conventional system and only contact herbicide in the alternative system. The study documented tree growth, pest incidence, and nitrate mobility in the two systems. The alternative system compared favorably with the conventional system for the growth and establishment of four apple cultivars. Many advantages accompanied the killed sod system, including less subsurface leaching ofnitrate-N and lower costs (largely from decreased herbicide use). The alternative system provided an economical alternative to the problem of soil organic matter depletion in conventional orchard soils without requiring increased use of commercial fertilizers. Grower concerns regarding increased potential for vole damage and poor initial tree growth were unsubstantiated.

The linear polarization of the Crab pulsar as a function of pulse phase was observed by the High Speed Photometer on the Hubble Space Telescope in March, 1993. Observations were obtained in a bandpass centered on 2770 A using a 0.25 ms sample time, corresponding to a time resolution of 0.0075 in pulse phase. The UV polarization of the pulsar [Fig. 1] is strikingly similar to that observed in the visible (cf. Smith et al. 1988). The same values of polarization and the same swing of position angle occur through the main and secondary pulses. The polarization pulse profile must be essentially wavelength independent at frequencies above the infrared.

We have sought correlations between the fraction of null pulses with other pulsar parameters for an ensemble of 72 pulsars using survival analysis methods. The strongest correlation was found between the null fraction and pulse period. Correlations were also found between other parameters that typically have strong dependencies on pulse period, and this tends to indicate that the null fraction increases with age as was first suggested by Ritchings (1976). However, no explicit correlation was found between pulsar characteristic age and null fraction. A significant anti-correlation was found between the angle subtended by the magnetic and rotation axes and the null fraction.

Many of the pulsars presented here were found to null. In particular, all pulse profile classes in the scheme devised by Rankin (1983a) have members that null. Differences in the mean age of these pulsar classes are not very pronounced, and the influence of class on pulse nulling statistics is probably less than that suggested by Rankin (1986), but cannot entirely be ruled out. Also, there is considerable variation in the fraction of null pulses from pulsars within each class, but generally class St pulsars null the least. Of special note is the fact that two pulsars PSR 0833-45 and PSR 1556-44 apparently do not null. The upper limit for PSR 0833–45 is quite low; no nulls were detected in observations of over 120,000 pulses.

The similarity of the nulling parameters of pulsars observed at two frequencies near 400 MHz and 843 MHz suggests that the pulsar emission mechanism is wide band over this frequency range.

We have studied the individual pulses from PSR 1055–52, a pulsar which has a strong interpulse. Their properties, and those of the average pulse profile are consistent with an emission geometry in which the magnetic and rotation axes are nearly perpendicular. That is, we are observing both magnetic poles of this pulsar. A correlation between the emission from the two magnetic poles was found wherein a strong interpulse is followed by a strong main pulse. Also, the main pulse appears to undergo mode changes that are primarily characterized by a change in the peak flux density of component I.

We have studied the radio pulsar emission beam assuming a) a magnetic dipole field geometry and b) that the beam geometry is defined by the field lines that are not contained within the light cylinder. In general, the beam is compressed in the meridional direction. When the magnetic and rotation axes are aligned the beam is circular and as, the angle between these axes increases, the ratio of meridional to longitudinal dimension decreases monotonically to the minimum value 0.62 when the axes are orthogonal. This beam shape is thus consistent with that inferred from the study of circular polarization in average pulse profiles by Radhakrishnan and Rankin. Evidence for meridional compression is also found in the extensive observational study of Lyne and Manchester (1988).The beam evolution was determined using this data set, the beamwidth being found proportional to P–1/2, where P is the pulsar period. This relation implies that the more rapidly rotating pulsars should have larger beams, and this should aid in their detection. The more numerous, slower pulsars should have somewhat smaller beams than previously determined. This implies that the pulsar birthrate is probably close to the highest current estimates (1 in 25yr).