A robust biomedical informatics infrastructure is essential for academic health centers engaged in translational research. There are no templates for what such an infrastructure encompasses or how it is funded. An informatics workgroup within the Clinical and Translational Science Awards network conducted an analysis to identify the scope, governance, and funding of this infrastructure. After we identified the essential components of an informatics infrastructure, we surveyed informatics leaders at network institutions about the governance and sustainability of the different components. Results from 42 survey respondents showed significant variations in governance and sustainability; however, some trends also emerged. Core informatics components such as electronic data capture systems, electronic health records data repositories, and related tools had mixed models of funding including, fee-for-service, extramural grants, and institutional support. Several key components such as regulatory systems (e.g., electronic Institutional Review Board [IRB] systems, grants, and contracts), security systems, data warehouses, and clinical trials management systems were overwhelmingly supported as institutional infrastructure. The findings highlighted in this report are worth noting for academic health centers and funding agencies involved in planning current and future informatics infrastructure, which provides the foundation for a robust, data-driven clinical and translational research program.

Group I xenoliths, orthopyroxene-rich and orthopyroxene-free, contain Cr-spinel and clinopyroxene ± phlogopite, and occur together with Group II clinopyroxenites ± Ti-spinel ± phlogopite in K-mafic pyroclastics southeast of Gees. The petrography and clinopyroxene chemistry of orthopyroxene-rich (opx-rich sub-group) Group I xenoliths is consistent with an ‘original’ harzburgitic mantle that has been transformed to lherzolite by the addition of endiopside. In harzburgites, orthopyroxenes are reacting to diopside + olivine + alkali-silicate melt, and, by inference, the orthopyroxene-free (opx-free subgroup) Group I, dunite-wehrlite series can be linked to the opx-rich sub-group via this reaction. Progressive enrichment of dunitic material in endiopside-diopside has resulted in the formation of wehrlite. Phlogopite is titaniferous and occurs as a trace mineral in opx-rich, Group I xenoliths, whereas substantial phlogopite vein-networks are confined to the opx-free sub-group (dunite-wehrlite series). Interstitial, alkali-felsic glass occurs are veins within, and as extensions of, the phlogopite networks. Clinopyroxenes in phlogopite-veined xenoliths are decreased in Mg/(Mg + FeTotal) (mg) and Cr and increased in Ti, Al and Ca, compared with clinopyroxenes in xenoliths which have trace phlogopite. It is proposed that harzburgitic and dunitic mantle has been infiltrated by a Ca- and alkalirich, hydrous silicate melt rather than an ephemeral carbonatite melt. Dunite has been transformed to phlogopite wehrlite by the invasion of a Ca-, Al-, Ti- and K-rich, hydrous silicate melt. Ca-activity was high initially in the melt and was reduced by clinopyroxene precipitation. This resulted in enhanced K-activity which led to phlogopite veining of clinopyroxene-rich mantle. Group II phlogopite clinopyroxenites contain Ti-spinel and salites that are distinct in their Ti, Al and Cr contents from endiopsides and diopsides in Group I xenoliths. It is unlikely that these Group II xenoliths represent the culmination of the infiltration processes that have transformed dunite to wehrlite, nor can they be related to the host melt. These xenoliths may have crystallised from Ca- and K-bearing, hydrous silicate melts in mantle channelways buffered by previously precipitated clinopyroxene and phlogopite. Gees lherzolites contain pyroxenes and spinel with distinctly lower Al contents than these same minerals in lherzolites described previously from other West Eifel localities, which may reflect a distinctive lithology and/or processes of modification for the Gees mantle.

It is an honour to me to offer in memory of Sir Leonard Woolley a note on two chance finds at Ur which have recently come to light.

The white marble half-statuette (15·2 cm. high, BM.132101) which is illustrated in Pls. XXV–XXVI was presented to the British Museum in 1956, having been originally found by a naval visitor to Ur, Able-Bodied Seaman J. B. Smith, who stated that he picked it up himself. According to his report, it was found in an area which is now known to consist of private houses to the N.E. of the building named by Sir Leonard Woolley “No. 3 Gay Street.” It shows a young woman in an attitude of worship, her hands tightly clasped together. The nose is damaged and the top of the head has been knocked away, but for the rest, the figure is in remarkable preservation. Particularly interesting are the eyes, separately made out of a whiter stone than the figure, and inserted in the eye-sockets; the eyeballs, which were also separately made, are lost. But what is even more striking is the remains of colour. The hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and upper border of garment at the neck were black, though little of it survives, while her rich multiple necklace was (indeed, still is) a dull red, even at the back, and her ear caps were of similar colour. This coloration would have well set off the white colour of her complexion.

Few studies have formally examined the relationship between meteorological factors and the incidence of child pneumonia in the tropics, despite the fact that most child pneumonia deaths occur there. We examined the association between four meteorological exposures (rainy days, sunshine, relative humidity, temperature) and the incidence of clinical pneumonia in young children in the Philippines using three time-series methods: correlation of seasonal patterns, distributed lag regression, and case-crossover. Lack of sunshine was most strongly associated with pneumonia in both lagged regression [overall relative risk over the following 60 days for a 1-h increase in sunshine per day was 0·67 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0·51–0·87)] and case-crossover analysis [odds ratio for a 1-h increase in mean daily sunshine 8–14 days earlier was 0·95 (95% CI 0·91–1·00)]. This association is well known in temperate settings but has not been noted previously in the tropics. Further research to assess causality is needed.

There is general international acceptance of the need to demonstrate that the environment is protected from ionising radiation. In some countries requirements and guidelines for the protection of non-human biota are already in place. As a consequence a number of models and approaches have been proposed for the estimation of the exposure of non-human biota to ionising radiation. The IAEA EMRAS programme's Biota Working Group has conducted the most comprehensive intercomparison of the predictions of these approaches to date. In this paper, we present an overview of the activities of the Biota Working Group concentrating on its conclusions and recommendations.

The speech of 6 mothers to their healthy infants was examined longitudinally during the neonatal period and at 4, 12, and 24 months in a semi-naturalistic setting. Features of speech analysed were: contour of fundamental frequency, repetitiveness, timing (durations of vocalizations and pauses), tempo and MLU. The neonatal period was characterized by elongated pauses. During the 4-month period the extent of pitch contouring and repetitiveness was greater than at earlier or later ages. By 24 months, the duration of vocalizations and length of MLU became markedly greater. The period of intense face-to-face interaction around the fourth month proved to involve more changes in certain prosodic features. Some of the possible functions of these changes during this phase are discussed.

It is shown that, if $f$ is a meromorphic function of order zero and $q\in\mathbb{C}$, then

\begin{equation}\label{abstid} m\bigg(r,\frac{f(qz)}{f(z)}\bigg)=o(T(r,f))\tag{\ddag}\end{equation}

for all $r$ on a set of logarithmic density $1$. The remainder of the paper consists of applications of identity \eqref{abstid} to the study of value distribution of zero-order meromorphic functions, and, in particular, zero-order meromorphic solutions of $q$-difference equations. The results obtained include $q$-shift analogues of the second main theorem of Nevanlinna theory, Picard's theorem, and Clunie and Mohon'ko lemmas.

A number of frameworks have been proposed to assess the protection of wildlife from ionising radiations. In this paper we compare the predictions of transfer parameters recommended by one of these frameworks (FASSET) with observed whole-body 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations in a range of mammal and invertebrate species sampled within the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Predicted activity concentrations are generally within the observed ranges and mean predictions for reference organisms are similar to, or circa one order of magnitude higher than, the observed means. However, some predictions are more than one order of magnitude lower than observed values. No data were available for animals to test predictions for the other radionuclides released by the Chernobyl accident. In a separate paper the outputs of this assessment will be used to estimate doses to reference organisms and compare these to observed radiation induced effects reported within the Chernobyl zone.

Several studies have indicated that additional genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, other than the class II genes HLA-DQB1 and -DRB1 (the IDDM1 locus), may contribute to susceptibility and resistance to type 1 diabetes. The relative magnitude of these non-DR/DQ effects is uncertain and their map location is unknown owing to the extraordinary linkage disequilibrium that extends over the 3.5 Mb of the MHC. The homozygous parent test has been proposed as a method for detection of additional risk factors conditional on HLA-DQB1 and -DRB1. However, this method is inefficient since it uses only parents homozygous for the primary disease locus, the DQB1-DRB1 haplotype. To overcome this limitation, Conditional ETDT was used in the present report to test for association conditional on the DQB1-DRB1 haplotype, thereby allowing all parents to be included in the analysis. First, we confirm in UK and Sardinian type 1 diabetic families that allelic variation at HLA-DRB1 has a very significant effect on the association of DQB1 and vice versa. The Conditional ETDT was then applied to the HLA TNF (tumour necrosis factor) region and microsatellite marker D6S273 region, both of which have been reported to contribute to IDDM1 independent of the HLA-DQB1-DRB1 genes. We found no evidence for a major role for either of these two regions in IDDM1.

Computer simulations open new avenues in investigations of complex material systems and phenomena. The methodology, development and applications of molecular dynamics simulations are discussed and the wealth of microscopic information revealed via simulations of interphase-interfaces, liquid metals, metallic glasses and small aggregates are demonstrated.