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Terms modified by Entire Selected AbstractsRescuer Fatigue: Standard versus Continuous Chest-Compression Cardiopulmonary ResuscitationACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2006Joseph W. Heidenreich MD Abstract Objectives Continuous chest-compression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCC-CPR) has been advocated as an alternative to standard CPR (STD-CPR). Studies have shown that CCC-CPR delivers substantially more chest compressions per minute and is easier to remember and perform than STD-CPR. One concern regarding CCC-CPR is that the rescuer may fatigue and be unable to maintain adequate compression rate or depth throughout an average emergency medical services response time. The specific aim of this study was to compare the effects of fatigue on the performance of CCC-CPR and STD-CPR on a manikin model. Methods This was a prospective, randomized crossover study involving 53 medical students performing CCC-CPR and STD-CPR on a manikin model. Students were randomized to their initial CPR group and then performed the other type of CPR after a period of at least two days. Students were evaluated on their performance of 9 minutes of CPR for each method. The primary endpoint was the number of adequate chest compressions (at least 38 mm of compression depth) delivered per minute during each of the 9 minutes. The secondary endpoints were total compressions, compression rate, and the number of breaks taken for rest. The students' performance was evaluated on the basis of Skillreporter Resusci Anne (Laerdal, Wappingers Falls, NY) recordings. Primary and secondary endpoints were analyzed by using the generalized linear mixed model for counting data. Results In the first 2 minutes, participants delivered significantly more adequate compressions per minute with CCC-CPR than STD-CPR, (47 vs. 32, p = 0.004 in the 1st minute and 39 vs. 29, p = 0.04 in the 2nd minute). For minutes 3 through 9, the differences in number of adequate compressions between groups were not significant. Evaluating the 9 minutes of CPR as a whole, there were significantly more adequate compressions in CCC-CPR vs. STD-CPR (p = 0.0003). Although the number of adequate compressions per minute declined over time in both groups, the rate of decline was significantly greater in CCC-CPR compared with STD-CPR (p = 0.0003). The mean number of total compressions delivered in the first minute was significantly greater with CCC-CPR than STD-CPR (105 per minute vs. 58 per minute, p < 0.001) and did not change over 9 minutes in either group. There were no differences in compression rates or number of breaks between groups. Conclusions CCC-CPR resulted in more adequate compressions per minute than STD-CPR for the first 2 minutes of CPR. However, the difference diminished after 3 minutes, presumably as a result of greater rescuer fatigue with CCC-CPR. Overall, CCC-CPR resulted in more total compressions per minute than STD-CPR during the entire 9 minutes of resuscitation. [source] Cognitive performance of male adolescents is lower than controls across psychiatric disorders: a population-based studyACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2004M. Weiser Objective:, Psychiatric patients, as well as humans or experimental animals with brain lesions, often concurrently manifest behavioral deviations and subtle cognitive impairments. This study tested the hypothesis that as a group, adolescents suffering from psychiatric disorders score worse on cognitive tests compared with controls. Method:, As part of the assessment for eligibility to serve in the military, the entire, unselected population of 16,17-year old male Israelis undergo cognitive testing and screening for psychopathology by the Draft Board. We retrieved the cognitive test scores of 19 075 adolescents who were assigned any psychiatric diagnosis, and compared them with the scores of 243 507 adolescents without psychiatric diagnoses. Results:, Mean test scores of cases were significantly poorer then controls for all diagnostic groups, except for eating disorders. Effect sizes ranged from 0.3 to 1.6. Conclusion:, As group, adolescent males with psychiatric disorders manifest at least subtle impairments in cognitive functioning. [source] Inferring historical introduction pathways with mitochondrial DNA: the case of introduced Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) into New ZealandDIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 5 2007Steve E. Corin ABSTRACT The threat imposed by invasive species and difficulties associated with control and management places more impetus on trying to prevent their introduction. The identification of introduction pathways is a vital component towards this goal. In this study, we use a genetic marker-based approach to retrospectively investigate the pathway of origin of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) into New Zealand. We intensively sample the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b, from the entire known range of Argentine ants in New Zealand. No genetic variation was found in New Zealand. In order to identify likely introduction pathways, we use two alternative genetic analyses and suggest that a tcs approach that collapses identical haplotypes and calculates the probability of parsimony is superior to standard phylogenetic tree-building algorithms. A minimum spanning network allowed relationships to be examined among sequences collated from previous international studies. The cytochrome b sequence, when compared to a global database, matched that from an Australian population. That Australia is the potential source of Argentine ants is in agreement with the New Zealand interception record, as goods from Australia have the highest number of interception records of Argentine ants. Our approach can easily be duplicated for other organisms and the methodology can be more widely applied to help aid further efforts to identify the routes of transmission for other invasive species and allow us to efficiently direct our biosecurity monitoring effort. [source] Dysthymia in male adolescents is associated with increased risk of later hospitalization for psychotic disorders: a historical-prospective cohort studyEARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2008Mark Weiser Abstract Aim: Retrospective studies indicate that patients with psychotic disorders and schizophrenia often suffer from depressive symptoms before the onset of psychosis. In a historical-prospective design, we studied the association between dysthymia in adolescence and later hospitalization for psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. Methods: The Israeli Draft Board screens the entire, unselected population of 16,17 years old male adolescents for psychiatric disorders. These adolescents were followed for hospitalization for psychotic disorders and schizophrenia using the Israeli National Psychiatric Hospitalization Case Registry. Of 275 705 male adolescents screened, 1267 (0.5%) were hospitalized for psychotic disorders (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-10 20.0,29.9), and 757 (0.3%) were hospitalized for schizophrenia (ICD-10 20.0,20.9) over the next 1,10 years. Results: Of 275 705 male adolescents screened, 513 (0.2%) were diagnosed as suffering from dysthymia by the Draft Board. Of these adolescents, 10/513 (2.0%) were later hospitalized for psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia, HR = 3.967, 95%CI (confidence intervals): 2.129,7.390), and 4/513 (0.8%) were later hospitalized for schizophrenia (HR = 2.664, 95%CI: 0.997,7.116). Conclusions: In this population-based cohort of male adolescents, dysthymia was associated with increased risk for future psychotic disorders. Dysthymia in some adolescents might be a prodromal symptom, while in others it might be a risk factor for later psychosis. Clinicians assessing dysthymic adolescents should be aware that these symptoms might be part of the prodrome. [source] Testing a model for predicting the timing and location of shallow landslide initiation in soil-mantled landscapesEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 9 2003M. Casadei Abstract The growing availability of digital topographic data and the increased reliability of precipitation forecasts invite modelling efforts to predict the timing and location of shallow landslides in hilly and mountainous areas in order to reduce risk to an ever-expanding human population. Here, we exploit a rare data set to develop and test such a model. In a 1·7 km2 catchment a near-annual aerial photographic coverage records just three single storm events over a 45 year period that produced multiple landslides. Such data enable us to test model performance by running the entire rainfall time series and determine whether just those three storms are correctly detected. To do this, we link a dynamic and spatially distributed shallow subsurface runoff model (similar to TOPMODEL) to an in,nite slope model to predict the spatial distribution of shallow landsliding. The spatial distribution of soil depth, a strong control on local landsliding, is predicted from a process-based model. Because of its common availability, daily rainfall data were used to drive the model. Topographic data were derived from digitized 1 : 24 000 US Geological Survey contour maps. Analysis of the landslides shows that 97 occurred in 1955, 37 in 1982 and ,ve in 1998, although the heaviest rainfall was in 1982. Furthermore, intensity,duration analysis of available daily and hourly rainfall from the closest raingauges does not discriminate those three storms from others that did not generate failures. We explore the question of whether a mechanistic modelling approach is better able to identify landslide-producing storms. Landslide and soil production parameters were ,xed from studies elsewhere. Four hydrologic parameters characterizing the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil and underlying bedrock and its decline with depth were ,rst calibrated on the 1955 landslide record. Success was characterized as the most number of actual landslides predicted with the least amount of total area predicted to be unstable. Because landslide area was consistently overpredicted, a threshold catchment area of predicted slope instability was used to de,ne whether a rainstorm was a signi,cant landslide producer. Many combinations of the four hydrological parameters performed equally well for the 1955 event, but only one combination successfully identi,ed the 1982 storm as the only landslide-producing storm during the period 1980,86. Application of this parameter combination to the entire 45 year record successfully identi,ed the three events, but also predicted that two other landslide-producing events should have occurred. This performance is signi,cantly better than the empirical intensity,duration threshold approach, but requires considerable calibration effort. Overprediction of instability, both for storms that produced landslides and for non-producing storms, appears to arise from at least four causes: (1) coarse rainfall data time scale and inability to document short rainfall bursts and predict pressure wave response; (2) absence of local rainfall data; (3) legacy effect of previous landslides; and (4) inaccurate topographic and soil property data. Greater resolution of spatial and rainfall data, as well as topographic data, coupled with systematic documentation of landslides to create time series to test models, should lead to signi,cant improvements in shallow landslides forecasting. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Phenology determines seasonal variation in ectoparasite loads in a natural insect populationECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2010CHRISTOPHER HASSALL 1. The extent to which individuals are parasitised is a function of exposure to parasites and the immune response, which in ectotherms may be associated with temperature. 2. We test the hypothesis that seasonal variation in ectoparasite burden is driven by temperature using an extensive mark-release-recapture study of adult Coenagrion puella (L.) (Zygoptera) as a model system. Mite counts were taken both at capture and on a subset of subsequent recaptures over two entire, consecutive breeding seasons. 3. Emergence date was the most significant factor in determining individual differences in mite burden, and mean counts for individuals emerging on the same days showed strong unimodal relationships with time of season. Subsequent recounting of mites on a subset of individuals showed that patterns of loss of mites were similar between seasons. 4. While temperature did not significantly affect mite burdens within seasons and ectoparasite prevalence was very similar across the two seasons, intensity of infection and rate of mite gain in unparasitised individuals were significantly higher in the cooler season. 5. We demonstrate that, while temperature may modulate the invertebrate immune response, this modulation does not manifest in variations in mite burdens in natural populations. [source] DNA adduct kinetics in reproductive tissues of DNA repair proficient and deficient male mice after oral exposure to benzo(a)pyreneENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 2 2010Nicole Verhofstad Abstract Benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P) can induce somatic mutations, whereas its potential to induce germ cell mutations is unclear. There is circumstantial evidence that paternal exposure to B[a]P can result in germ cell mutations. Since DNA adducts are thought to be a prerequisite for B[a]P induced mutations, we studied DNA adduct kinetics by 32P-postlabeling in sperm, testes and lung tissues of male mice after a single exposure to B[a]P (13 mg/kg bw, by gavage). To investigate DNA adduct formation at different stages of spermatogenesis, mice were sacrificed at Day 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 32, and 42 after exposure. In addition, DNA repair deficient (Xpc,/,) mice were used to study the contribution of nucleotide excision repair in DNA damage removal. DNA adducts were detectable with highest levels in lung followed by sperm and testis. Maximum adduct levels in the lung and testis were observed at Day 1 after exposure, while adduct levels in sperm reached maximum levels at ,1 week after exposure. Lung tissue and testis of Xpc,/, mice contained significantly higher DNA adduct levels compared to wild type (Wt) mice over the entire 42 day observation period (P < 0.05). Differences in adduct half-life between Xpc,/, and Wt mice were only observed in testis. In sperm, DNA adduct levels were significantly higher in Xpc,/, mice than in Wt mice only at Day 42 after exposure (P = 0.01). These results indicate that spermatogonia and testes are susceptible for the induction of DNA damage and rely on nucleotide excision repair for maintaining their genetic integrity. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Sulfate-reducing bacteria in marine sediment (Aarhus Bay, Denmark): abundance and diversity related to geochemical zonationENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Julie Leloup Summary In order to better understand the main factors that influence the distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), their population size and their metabolic activity in high- and low-sulfate zones, we studied the SRB diversity in 3- to 5-m-deep sediment cores, which comprised the entire sulfate reduction zone and the upper methanogenic zone. By combining EMA (ethidium monoazide that can only enter damaged/dead cells and may also bind to free DNA) treatment with real-time PCR, we determined the distributions of total intact bacteria (16S rDNA genes) and intact SRB (dsrAB gene), their relative population sizes, and the proportion of dead cells or free DNA with depth. The abundance of SRB corresponded in average to 13% of the total bacterial community in the sulfate zone, 22% in the sulfate,methane transition zone and 8% in the methane zone. Compared with the total bacterial community, there were relatively less dead/damaged cells and free DNA present than among the SRB and this fraction did not change systematically with depth. By DGGE analysis, based on the amplification of the dsrA gene (400 bp), we found that the richness of SRB did not change with depth through the geochemical zones; but the clustering was related to the chemical zonation. A full-length clone library of the dsrAB gene (1900 bp) was constructed from four different depths (20, 110, 280 and 500 cm), and showed that the dsrAB genes in the near-surface sediment (20 cm) was mainly composed of sequences close to the Desulfobacteraceae, including marine complete and incomplete oxidizers such as Desulfosarcina, Desulfobacterium and Desulfococcus. The three other libraries were predominantly composed of Gram-positive SRB. [source] Inverse relationship between seizure expression and extrasynaptic NMDAR function following chronic NMDAR inhibitionEPILEPSIA, Issue 2010Suzanne B. Bausch Summary We showed previously that electrographic seizures involving dentate granule cells in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures were dramatically reduced following chronic treatment with the NR2B-selective antagonist, Ro25,6981, but were increased following chronic treatment with the high-affinity competitive antagonist, D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (D-APV). To begin to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the differential effects of N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists on seizures, electrophysiologic experiments were conducted in dentate granule cells in hippocampal slice cultures treated for the entire 17,21 day culture period with vehicle, Ro25,6981 or D-APV. Initial experiments revealed a lack of an association between miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) measures and seizures suggesting that shifts in mEPSC were unlikely to account for the differential effects of D-APV and Ro25,6981 on seizures. However, the amplitude of tonic NMDAR-mediated currents was reduced in cultures treated chronically with D-APV and dramatically enhanced in cultures treated chronically with Ro25,6981. Because tonic NMDAR currents are mediated primarily by extrasynaptic NMDAR, these data show an inverse relationship between changes in extrasynaptic NMDAR function and alterations in seizure expression. [source] Sugar Balls: Synthesis and Supramolecular Assembly of [60]Fullerene GlycoconjugatesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 16 2007Haruhito Kato Abstract The synthesis and characterization of fully deprotected C60 glycoconjugates 4 and 17 is reported. Bis(,- D -mannopyranosyl)malonamide 4 was obtained by using nucleophilic cyclopropanation chemistry, which in general is a very versatile method for fullerene functionalization. Fullerene sugar 17 contains two dendritic ,- D -mannopyranosides that are connected through two adjacent imino bridges to the all-carbon framework. In this adduct-type of C60, which represents a 1,9-dihydro-1a-aza-1(2)a-homo(C60 - Ih)[5,6]fullerene derivative, the entire 60-,-electron system of the fullerene core is retained. This architecture allows the basic cleavage of the acetyl protection groups of precursor adduct 16 without destruction of the core structure of the fullerene sugar. Dendritic glycoconjugate 17 containing six deprotected sugar building blocks is very soluble in water. The amphiphilic nature of 17 with its cone-shaped structure forces the formation of small supramolecular aggregates in aqueous solutions to shield the hydrophobic fullerene units from the water subphase. DOSY NMR spectroscopy and TEM investigation reveal micellar sugar balls with an extremely narrow size distribution of around 4 nm.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007) [source] The one-level functional equation of multi-rate loss systemsEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 2 2003Harro L. Hartmann Motivated by the discrete multi-rate Kaufmann,Roberts recurrence relations, we derive a functional equation (FE), which covers nonintegral states. This FE implies a unique effective step parameter d, which defines an equivalent one-level recurrence depth, or bit-rate, at each state under progress. This state-dependent depth results from the equality requirement of the multi-rate and the one-level model in the moment-generating function transform domain. By this method it is possible to model d by a few moments of the original multi-rate statistic. In this case we obtain an explicit FE solution covering the entire (global) state space. Next we verify that the resulting state probability density incorporates iteratively enumerated discrete state probabilities, including the state-dependent depth. With a system capacity C the iterations then need time complexities between O(C) and O(C2). In contrast to this each FE state, is performed at a time complexity O(1). By the efficient coverage of the whole state space, fast optimizations of multi-rate networks and multi-resource systems can be improved. Copyright © 2003 AEI. [source] Hydrothermal Growth: Polymer-Templated Hydrothermal Growth of Vertically Aligned Single-Crystal ZnO Nanorods and Morphological Transformations Using Structural Polarity (Adv. Funct.ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 18 2010Mater. Abstract Position-configurable, vertical, single-crystalline ZnO nanorod arrays are fabricated via a polymer-templated hydrothermal growth method at a low temperature of 93 °C. A sol-gel processed dense c -oriented ZnO seed layer film is employed to grow nanorods along the c -axis direction [0001] regardless of any substrate crystal mismatches. Here, one-beam laser-interference lithography is utilized to fabricate nanoscale holes over an entire 2-in. wafer during the preparation of the polymer template. As such, vertically aligned ZnO nanorods can be grown from the seed layer exposed at the bottom of each hole. Furthermore, morphological transformations of the ZnO nanorods into pencil-like, needle-like, tubular, tree-like, and spherical shapes are obtained by controlling the growth conditions and utilizing the structural polarity of the ZnO nanorods. [source] Polymer-Templated Hydrothermal Growth of Vertically Aligned Single-Crystal ZnO Nanorods and Morphological Transformations Using Structural PolarityADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 18 2010Ki Seok Kim Abstract Position-configurable, vertical, single-crystalline ZnO nanorod arrays are fabricated via a polymer-templated hydrothermal growth method at a low temperature of 93 °C. A sol-gel processed dense c -oriented ZnO seed layer film is employed to grow nanorods along the c -axis direction [0001] regardless of any substrate crystal mismatches. Here, one-beam laser-interference lithography is utilized to fabricate nanoscale holes over an entire 2-in. wafer during the preparation of the polymer template. As such, vertically aligned ZnO nanorods can be grown from the seed layer exposed at the bottom of each hole. Furthermore, morphological transformations of the ZnO nanorods into pencil-like, needle-like, tubular, tree-like, and spherical shapes are obtained by controlling the growth conditions and utilizing the structural polarity of the ZnO nanorods. [source] Option Expensing and Managerial Equity IncentivesFINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 3 2009Yi Feng We examine the impact of mandatory option expensing on managerial equity incentives. Though effective only after June 15, 2005, there is evidence that U.S. firms begin preparing for option expensing as early as 2002 by making changes to their equity incentive plans. We find that (1) CEO option incentives exhibit a sharp reversal during the period 1993-2005, with the median CEO option incentives increasing 25% a year before 2002 but declining 17% a year after 2001; (2) the reduction in option incentives after 2001 is larger for firms that use excessive levels of equity incentives prior to 2002; (3) firms make similar reductions to options granted to CEOs, other top executives and lower-level employees; (4) CEO stock incentives increase throughout the entire 13-year period, rising at an even greater rate after 2001; and (5) the increase in stock incentives after 2001 is far from offsetting the corresponding decrease in option incentives. These findings are robust to controls for firm and CEO characteristics and for concurrent regulatory, business and market events such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the option backdating scandal, and the 2000 stock market crash. We also provide a theoretical explanation for the documented changes in option incentives. [source] Alitretinoin in the treatment of hand eczemaFUTURE PRESCRIBER, Issue 2 2008Dr John English Consultant Dermatologist Hand eczema is an umbrella term for dermatoses of different clinical sub-types involving the hands. It varies in severity from mild changes affecting a few fingers to a severe blistering, itchy eruption involving the entire hand.1 Hand eczema has a major impact on earnings and quality of life, often resulting in repeated con-sultations, unemployment, time off work and interference with leisure activities.2,3 Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The impact of groundwater,surface water interactions on the water balance of a mesoscale lowland river catchment in northeastern GermanyHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 2 2007Stefan Krause Abstract The glacially formed northeastern German lowlands are characterized by extensive floodplains, often interrupted by relatively steep moraine hills. The hydrological cycle of this area is governed by the tight interaction of surface water dynamics and the corresponding directly connected shallow groundwater aquifer. Runoff generation processes, as well as the extent and spatial distribution of the interaction between surface water and groundwater, are controlled by floodplain topography and by surface water dynamics. A modelling approach based on extensive experimental analyses is presented that describes the specific water balance of lowland areas, including the interactions of groundwater and surface water, as well as reflecting the important role of time-variable shallow groundwater stages for runoff generation in floodplains. In the first part, experimental investigations of floodplain hydrological characteristics lead to a qualitative understanding of the water balance processes and to the development of a conceptual model of the water balance and groundwater dynamics of the study area. Thereby model requirements which allow for an adequate simulation of the floodplain hydrology, considering also interactions between groundwater and surface water have been characterized. Based on these analyses, the Integrated Modelling of Water Balance and Nutrient Dynamics (IWAN) approach has been developed. This consists of coupling the surface runoff generation and soil water routines of the deterministic, spatially distributed hydrological model WASIM-ETH-I with the three-dimensional finite-difference-based numerical groundwater model MODFLOW and Processing MODFLOW. The model was applied successfully to a mesoscale subcatchment of the Havel River in northeast Germany. It was calibrated for two small catchments (1·4 and 25 km2), where the importance of the interaction processes between groundwater and surface waters and the sensitivity of several controlling parameters could be quantified. Validation results are satisfying for different years for the entire 198 km2 catchment. The model approach was further successfully tested for specific events. The experimental area is a typical example of a floodplain-dominated landscape. It was demonstrated that the lateral flow processes and the interactions between groundwater and surface water have a major importance for the water balance and periodically superimposed on the vertical runoff generation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Exploring the predictability of the ,Short Rains' at the coast of East AfricaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2004Stefan Hastenrath Abstract The boreal autumn ,Short Rains' at the coast of East Africa are deficient when there is weak development of a zonal circulation cell along the Indian Ocean equator, an anomalously low sea-surface temperature in the western portion of the basin, and in the high phase of the southern oscillation. Such large-scale circulation departures and their precursors are described by compact indices. September values of these indices for the period 1958,96 are used to explore the predictability of an index (RON) of October,November rainfall at the coast of East Africa. Regressions with cross-validation over the entire 1958,96 period are evaluated for the early (1958,77) and late (1978,96) halves of the record. In complementary experiments, the entire record is separated into 1958,77 as a training period and 1978,96 as a verification period. In all experiments, correlation of calculated versus observed rainfall is high for the early record and low for the late half of the record, a behaviour not noted in cross-validation over the entire 39 year time span. The 11-year sliding correlations of the indicated circulation indices with RON all reveal a drastic deterioration of relationships from the early to the late half of the record, although the equatorial zonal circulation cell appears to remain strong throughout. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Sea-level pressure variability in the Po Plain (1765,2000) from homogenized daily secular recordsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Maurizio Maugeri Abstract A homogenized 236 year daily regional sea-level pressure (SLP) record is constructed for the Po Plain (north Italy) by means of six station records: Bologna, Genoa, Lugano, Milan, Padua and Turin. Station records are subjected to a first homogenization in order to reduce all observations to sea level and to 0°C and to correct the bias introduced by calculating daily means using different sets of observation hours. A second homogenization is performed by means of comparison with other Italian and European series. After homogenization, the root-mean square error of the yearly station records is evaluated within 0.2 hPa after 1880, whereas for the periods 1834,1880 and 1765,1833 it is estimated as between 0.2 and 0.3 hPa and as around 0.4 hPa respectively. Trend analysis is applied to the annual and seasonal regional records and concerns both SLP and its day-to-day variability. The results show that neither the SLP nor its day-to-day variability have an evident trend when considering the entire 1765,2000 period. However, if the series is divided roughly in two parts, then significant trends can be highlighted. The annual and seasonal regional SLP records are also compared with corresponding regional temperature series. The results show that, especially in spring and in summer, temperature and SLP are in good agreement. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Safety and efficacy of ezetimibe monotherapy in 1624 primary hypercholesterolaemic patients for up to 2 yearsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 9 2008C. A. Dujovne Summary Aims:, This report examined the safety and efficacy of treatment for up to 2 years with the cholesterol absorption inhibitor, ezetimibe (EZE). Methods:, Two identical, randomised, double-blind trials (starting with 827 and 892 patients), evaluated the efficacy and safety of EZE 10 mg/day vs. placebo for 12 weeks in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) 3.3,5.1 mmol/l]. Upon completion of these base studies, patients were offered a 2-year, open-label extension study. Adverse event (AE) reports for EZE monotherapy-treated patients were summarised for 3-month intervals to allow for comparison with the placebo group of the 3-month base studies. The primary end-point for this analysis was the evaluation of the long-term safety and tolerability of EZE 10 mg monotherapy dosed daily for up to 24 months. Results:, The incidences of new AEs, treatment-related (TR) AEs, serious AEs (SAEs), TRSAEs and discontinuations as a result of AEs during any 3-month interval were comparable with the respective observations in the placebo group of the base studies. The incidences of AEs, TRAEs, SAEs, TRSAEs and discontinuations as a result of AEs decreased in almost every interval compared with earlier intervals throughout the 2-year study. In addition, the incidences of , 3-fold consecutive elevations of liver transaminases (0.7%) or , 10-fold increases in creatine phosphokinase (0.4%) for the entire 2-year treatment period were comparable with those of the placebo group (0.7% and 0.2% respectively). LDL-C reductions of ,18% were maintained throughout the study. Conclusions:, Compared with placebo, treatment with EZE for up to 2 years in 1624 patients showed no evidence of increased incidence of AEs with increased treatment duration, while showing sustained effects on LDL-C reduction. [source] The generalizability of the Buss,Perry Aggression QuestionnaireINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2007József Gerevich Abstract Aggressive and hostile behaviours and anger constitute an important problem across cultures. The Buss,Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), a self-rating scale was published in 1992, and has quickly become the gold-standard for the measurement of aggression. The AQ scale has been validated extensively, but the validation focused on various narrowly selected populations, typically, on samples of college students. Individuals, however, who are at risk of displaying aggressive and hostile behaviours may come from a more general population. Therefore, it is important to investigate the scale's properties in such a population. The objective of this study was to examine the factorial structure and the psychometric properties of the AQ scale in a nationally representative sample of the Hungarian adult population. A representative sample of 1200 subjects was selected by a two-step procedure. The dimensionality and factorial composition of the AQ scale was investigated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Since spurious associations and increased factorial complexity can occur when the analysis fails to consider the inherently categorical nature of the item level data, this study, in contrast to most previous studies, estimated the correlation matrices subjected to factor analysis using the polychoric correlations. The resulting factors were validated via sociodemographic characteristics and psychopathological scales obtained from the respondents. The results showed that based on the distribution of factor loadings and factor correlations, in the entire nationally representative sample of 1200 adult subjects, from the original factor structure three of the four factors (Physical and Verbal Aggression and Hostility) showed a good replication whereas the fourth factor (Anger) replicated moderately well. Replication further improved when the sample was restricted in age, i.e. the analysis focused on a sample representing the younger age group, comparable to that used in the original Buss,Perry study. Similar to the Buss,Perry study, and other investigations of the AQ scale, younger age and male gender were robustly related to physical aggression. In addition, level of verbal aggression was different between the two genders (with higher severity in males) whereas hostility and anger were essentially the same in both genders. In conclusion, the current study based on a representantive sample of adult population lends support to the use of the AQ scale in the general population. The authors suggest to exclude from the AQ the two inverse items because of the low reliability of these items with regard to their hypothesized constructs. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Alternative approach to low-noise amplifier design for ultra-wideband applicationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2007Qiang Li Abstract Conventional ultra-wideband low-noise amplifiers require a flat gain over the entire 3.1,10.6 GHz bandwidth, which severely restraints the trade-off spaces in low noise amplifier design. This article proposes a relaxed gain-flatness requirement based on system level investigations. Considering the wireless transceiver front-end with antenna and propagation channel, the unflat-gain low-noise amplifier with an incremental gain characteristic does not degrade the performance of overall system. As an alternative to its flat-gain counterpart, the proposed unflat gain requirement tolerates gain ripple as large as 10 dB, which greatly eases the design challenges to low-noise amplifier for ultra-wideband wireless receivers. Two low-noise amplifier examples are given to demonstrate the feasibility and design flexibility under the proposed gain-flatness requirement. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2007. [source] Application of harmonic radar technology to monitor tree snail dispersalINVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Kevin T. Hall Abstract. Planned conservation efforts for tree snails of the endangered genus Achatinella, endemic to the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i, will include translocations among the remaining wild and captive-bred populations. In order to establish optimal levels of artificial migration among neighboring groups of snails within fragmented populations, efforts to determine natural dispersal rates through direct observation were initiated. Capture,mark,recapture (CMR) efforts have proved inadequate for obtaining the requisite dispersal estimates, due to low recapture probabilities. In addition, snail dispersal beyond the boundaries of a finite CMR study site was indistinguishable from mortality. In the preliminary study reported here, both the low recapture probability and dispersal detection problems of past CMR efforts were addressed by using harmonic radar tracking. This approach yielded rough dispersal estimates that were unattainable using CMR alone by providing 100% recapture rates even beyond the normal survey area boundaries. Extensive snail movements within clusters of connected trees were frequently observed after tracking for merely a few hours, although movements between unconnected trees were rare and recorded only after monthly survey intervals. Just 11 out of 40 tracked snails made between-tree movements (average distance of 4.94±1.52 m) during the entire 7-month study, and provided the only data utilizable for inferring gene flow in and out of subpopulations. Meteorological data loggers were deployed when tracking began to look for an association between such snail movement and weather fluctuations. The resultant data indicate that increases in both wind gusts and humidity facilitate dispersal (R2=0.77, p-value <0.001), and that passive wind dispersal alone may be responsible for many snail movements (R2=0.59, p-value=0.0014). Despite having provided coarse estimates of short-term dispersal and corresponding wind influences, the limitations of the radar method can be substantial. [source] Spatial patterns of benthic diversity: is there a latitudinal gradient along the Norwegian continental shelf?JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Karie. Summary 1We examined data on soft-sediment macrobenthos (organisms retained on a 1-mm sieve) from a transect of c. 1960 km along the Norwegian continental shelf (56,71°N), covering a range of water depths (65,434 m) and varying sediment properties. 2A total of 809 species was recorded from 101 sites. Of these, 36% were restricted to one or two sites, and 29% were represented by one or two individuals. No species spanned the entire transect. Polychaetes were the dominant taxonomic group, followed by crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms. 3Alpha diversity (sample species richness) was highly variable (35,148 species) but showed no evidence of a relationship to latitude or other environmental variables. 4Beta diversity was measured as Whittaker's ,W, the number of shared species, complementarity (biotic distinctness) and Bray,Curtis similarity, and there was no evidence of a latitudinal trend on the shelf. Beta diversity increased with the level of environmental variability, and was highest in the southern-central area, followed by the most northern area. Change in environmental variables had a stronger effect on beta diversity than spatial distance between sites. 5Gamma diversity was computed by pooling samples over large areas. There was no convincing evidence of a latitudinal cline in gamma diversity, but gamma diversity increased with the level of environmental heterogeneity. Mean alpha diversity and gamma diversity were not significantly correlated. Whereas mean complementarity and mean Bray,Curtis similarity were related to gamma diversity, ,W was not. [source] Patterns in diversity of anurans along an elevational gradient in the Western Ghats, South IndiaJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2007Rohit Naniwadekar Abstract Aim, To examine patterns in anuran species richness along an elevation gradient and identify factors that govern anuran species richness on a tropical elevational gradient. Location, Sampling for anurans was carried out in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in the southern Western Ghats, India. Methods, Night-time sampling for anuran species richness was carried out from 20 November 2004 to 20 April 2005, during the north-east monsoon and dry seasons, using transects (50 × 2 m) and visual encounter surveys along the streams. The entire gradient was classified into thirteen 100-m elevation zones. Sampling at the alpha (single drainage basin) level was carried out in the Chinnapul River drainage basin (40,1260 m a.s.l.) and at the gamma (landscape) level in four drainage basins. Additionally, published records were used to arrive at an empirical species richness (S) for the entire landscape. Mid-Domain Null software was used to test for the possible influence of geometric constraints on anuran species at both the alpha and gamma levels. The influence of area under each elevation zone on empirical S was tested. The pattern in anuran species richness along the elevational gradient was investigated using: (1) species boundaries in each elevation zone and their habitat correlates, (2) abiotic factors as predictor variables, (3) mean snout vent lengths of anurans, and (4) correlation between the matrices of distance in the elevation zones based on microhabitat parameters and species composition. Cluster analysis on species presence,absence in the elevation zones was used to categorize the entire gradient into high, middle and low elevations. In these three elevation categories, pattern in composition of species was examined for endemism in Western Ghats,Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, uniqueness to an elevation zone, adaptations of adults and modes of breeding. Results, Species richness at the alpha level increased linearly with elevation, while at the gamma level there were three peaks. Maximum species richness was observed at the highest elevation (1200 m) at both the alpha and the gamma levels. The observed patterns differed significantly from mid-domain null predictions. The multi-modal pattern in species richness was a consequence of overlapping species range boundaries. Soil temperature was the best single measure in explaining the majority of variation in species richness at the alpha level (r2 = 0.846, P < 0.01). However, soil moisture was the best predictor when both the alpha and the gamma sites were pooled (r2 = 0.774, P < 0.01). Anuran body size decreased with an increase in elevation. The highest proportions of endemic and unique species were found at high elevations (> 700 m). The proportion of arboreal anurans increased from low to high elevation. Anurans exhibiting direct development were predominantly found at high elevations. Main conclusions, Geometric constraints did not influence anuran species richness along the elevational gradient. Overlapping range boundaries influenced species richness at the gamma level. Abiotic factors such as soil temperature and moisture influenced anuran species richness in the mountain range. The ,Massenerhebung effect' could be responsible for range restriction and endemism of anurans, differences in guilds and mode of reproduction. These findings highlight the importance of cloud forests for endemic anurans. [source] Testing the efficacy of plaque removal of a prototype brush head for a powered toothbrushJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 8 2000G. I. McCracken Abstract Background/aims: The principal aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of a powered toothbrush (PTB) prototype (B) brush head in removing dental plaque to the relative efficacy of a marketed model (A). Method: A 12-week, 2-group, 2-treatment, double-blind trial of 2, two-brush heads (with the same power unit) recruited 62 volunteers (18,25 years) who were non-clinical university students. After a screening visit, 31 subjects were allocated to each of groups A and B at baseline with stratification according to gender and plaque index. After 48 h of plaque growth, subjects underwent a timed and supervised brushing episode with the allocated PTB (visit 1). Subjects then used the PTBs at home for 12 days before being recalled (visit 2) and asked again to abstain from all oral hygiene measures for 48 h. Supervised brushing was repeated (visit 3) before the subjects were dismissed for a further 10-week, unsupervised period of home use of the PTBs. The sequence of visits (2 and 3) was then repeated at visits 4 and 5. Results: The sole outcome variable was plaque which was scored at all visits using the modified Quigley & Hein Index (PI) at full mouth (FM), interproximal (IP) and smooth surfaces (S). At visits 1, 3 and 5, the PI was recorded both before and after supervised brushing. There were no significant differences in PI between the brushing groups at baseline, visit 1, visit 2 or visit 5 (2 sided t -test). At visit 3, the prototype achieved significantly lower PIs than the marketed PTB brush head for IP (and FM) surfaces, this difference was most apparent on posterior tooth surfaces. For within -group changes, PIs at visit 2 were significantly lower than those at baseline (paired t -test), an observation which may be attributable to the improved cleaning and ,novelty effect' of a PTB. The PIs at visit 5 were significantly higher than the baseline values (paired t test) and this may be accountable to an element of Hawthorne effect and/or, a fall off in compliance over the entire 12 weeks. Conclusion: We conclude that this in vivo model is appropriate for testing the efficacy of PTB prototypes but only over a 2-week period, as the inter-group differences were not maintained over the full 12 weeks of the trial. [source] Experimental validation of CFD simulations of a lab-scale fluidized-bed reactor with and without side-gas injectionAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2010Jian Min Abstract Fluidized-bed reactors are widely used in the biofuel industry for combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification processes. In this work, a lab-scale fluidized-bed reactor without and with side-gas injection and filled with 500,600 ,m glass beads is simulated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Fluent 6.3, and the results are compared to experimental data obtained using pressure measurements and 3D X-ray computed tomography. An initial grid-dependence CFD study is carried out using 2D simulations, and it is shown that a 4-mm grid resolution is sufficient to capture the time- and spatial-averaged local gas holdup in the lab-scale reactor. Full 3D simulations are then compared with the experimental data on 2D vertical slices through the fluidized bed. Both the experiments and CFD simulations without side-gas injection show that in the cross section of the fluidized bed there are two large off-center symmetric regions in which the gas holdup is larger than in the center of the fluidized bed. The 3D simulations using the Syamlal-O'Brien and Gidaspow drag models predict well the local gas holdup variation throughout the entire fluidized bed when compared to the experimental data. In comparison, simulations with the Wen-Yu drag model generally over predict the local gas holdup. The agreement between experiments and simulations with side-gas injection is generally good, where the side-gas injection simulates the immediate volatilization of biomass. However, the effect of the side-gas injection extends further into the fluidized bed in the experiments as compared to the simulations. Overall the simulations under predict the gas dispersion rate above the side-gas injector. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] Shortening of Median Door-to-Balloon Time in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Singapore by Simple and Inexpensive Operational Measures: Clinical Practice Improvement ProgramJOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008CHI-HANG LEE M.B.B.S., F.A.C.C. Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the standard reperfusion strategy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in our center. We aimed to shorten the median door-to-balloon time from over 100 minutes to 90 minutes or less. Methods: We have been using three strategies since March 2007 to shorten the door-to-balloon time: (1) the intervention team is now activated by emergency department physicians (where previously it had been activated by coronary care unit); (2) all members of the intervention team have converted from using pagers to using cell phones; and (3) as soon as the intervention team is activated, patients are transferred immediately to the cardiac catheterization laboratory (where previously they had waited in the emergency department for the intervention team to arrive). An in-house physician and a nurse would stay with the patients before arrival of the intervention team. Results: During 12 months, 285 nontransfer patients (analyzed, n = 270) underwent primary PCI. The shortest monthly median door-to-balloon time was 59 minutes; the longest monthly median door-to-balloon time was 111 minutes. The overall median door-to-balloon time for the entire 12 months was 72 minutes. On a per-month basis, the median door-to-balloon time was 90 minutes or less in 10 of 12 months. On a per-patient basis, the median door-to-balloon time was 90 minutes or less in 182 patients (67.4%). There was 1 case (0.4%) of inappropriate activation by the emergency department. While waiting for the intervention team to convene, 1 patient (0.4%) deteriorated and had to be resuscitated in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Conclusions: Improved health care delivery can be achieved by changing simple and inexpensive operational processes. [source] Novel variants related to TT virus distributed widely in China,JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 1 2002Kangxian Luo Abstract TTV is a DNA virus with high genetic heterogeneity. To investigate the novel isolates of the virus, blood samples were collected from subjects who lived in various parts of China and suffered from hepatitis or were asymptomatic carriers. Nested PCR was carried out to amplify a 3.2-kb fragment using primers deduced from the prototype TTV (TA278). The ten entire 3.2-kb nt sequences were aligned with isolate TA278, SANBAN, TUS01, and SENV retrieved from GenBank, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed by Neighbor-Joining method. The analysis indicated that five novel variants of the present study have not been described before, and all TTV-related isolates could be classified into three groups. The isolate TCHN-A, B and TUS01 were included in a group, and the remaining novel isolates together with SANBAN and TA278 clustered into another group, while SEN virus formed a distinct group. The genetic distances of the five novel variants were 0.5507,0.8476 to TA278, 0.4635,0.7877 to SANBAN, 0.6064,0.7834 to TUS01 and 0.6936,0.8236 to SENV. Of these novel variants, the ORF1 consisted of 426,772 aa and ORF2 of 141,156 aa. The nt identities of ORF1 and ORF2 between those variants and TA278, SANBAN, and TUS01 were 46.1,60.8 and 48.7,63.6%, and those of aa sequences were only 27.1,52.4 and 28.9,45.5%, respectively. The first 65 aa of ORF1 were rich in arginine and most conserved with homology of 56.5,70.0%. There was a hypervariable region from aa 286 to 403 with merely 17.7,27.0% of identity. Despite a low aa identity between TA278 and the variants, they have similar hydrophilicity profiles of ORF1. There were 2,10 N-glycosylation motifs found in these variants. In conclusion, despite the high divergence, sequences of all these isolates shared common genome organisation, ORF structure, hydrophilicity patterns, and some potential motifs with TTV prototype. It is suggested that various TTV and TTV-related isolates belong to a very large and complex family, which remains to be studied. J. Med. Virol. 67:118,126, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Notification of patients with acute flaccid paralysis since certification of Australia as polio-freeJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 8 2004K Whitfield Objective: Surveillance of patients presenting with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended method for the detection of incident cases of poliovirus infection. Australia was certified free of circulating poliovirus in 2000 but is required to continue AFP surveillance until global certification. Although Australia reached the WHO nominated surveillance target in 2000 and 2001, it was not reached in 2002. Notification rates between states have been variable. We aim to investigate the difference in notification rates by state to determine whether different rates reflect different patterns of disease or different approaches to reporting. Methods: Notification rates were reviewed by state for the years 1997,2002. The completeness of case ascertainment was reviewed from published studies. Key informants described differences in AFP reporting in states with consistent differences in notification rates. Results: Australia achieved 75% of the WHO surveillance target for AFP cases between 1997 and 1999 and 98% between 2000 and 2002. After 2000, Queensland achieved 150% of its target while Victoria achieved less than 50%. New South Wales reached its target over the entire 6 years but other states and territories were not as consistent. Although the formal process for AFP reporting is uniform throughout Australia, many differences in approach were identified between Victoria and Queensland. Conclusion: Maintaining AFP surveillance at the required WHO standard will be more likely in Australia if the populous states are able to notify cases at the same rate as Queensland (since 2000) and New South Wales (in general). [source] Parents, infants and health care: Utilization of health services in the first 12 months of lifeJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 4 2003SR Goldfeld Objective: To describe patterns of health-service use in the first 12 months of life. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 173 first-born infants and their families living in two middle socio-economic urban areas of Melbourne were enrolled consecutively when presenting for their initial maternal and child health nurse (MCHN) visit (at approximately 4 weeks of age). Families kept a daily ,health diary' for the entire 12-month period, recording use of all health services for their infant, and reasons for the contact. Results: There was an 87% completion rate of diaries. The mean number of visits to any health service, including medical, hospitals, MCHN services, pharmacists, allied health services and naturopaths, was 35.7 (95% CI 34.7,36.6) during the 12 months. Of these, 31% (mean 10.9 visits) were visits to a general practitioner (GP) and 41.5% (mean 14.3 visits) were visits to the MCHN. Infants' visits to the MCHN were far more frequent in the first 6 months of life compared with the second 6 months (10.3 vs 3.6, P < 0.001). Rates of GP use were constant over the same periods (5.3 vs 5.7, P = 0.8). Conclusions: In a universal health-care system, this high rate of health-service use equates to approximately one visit to a health service every 2 weeks in the first year of life. The majority of these visits appeared unrelated to illness. This previously undocumented data has implications for future integrated service delivery, health-professional training and policy development for this age group. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||