Trails and Physical Activity: A Review

To provide a synthesis of research on trails and physical activity from the public health, leisure sciences, urban planning, and transportation literatures. Methods: A search of databases was conducted to identify studies published between 1980 and 2008. Results: 52 studies were identified. The majority were cross-sectional (92*%) and published after 1999 (11%). The evidence for the effects of trails on physical activity was mixed among 3 intervention and 5 correlational studies. Correlates of trail use were examined in 13 studies. Several demographic (eg, race, education, income) and environmental factors (eg, land-use mix and distance to trail) were related to trail use. Evidence from 31 descriptive studies identified several facilitators and barriers to trail use. Economic studies (n = 5) examining trails in terms of health or recreational outcomes found trails are cost-effective and produce significant economic benefits. Conclusion: There is a growing btidy of evidence demonstrating important factors that should be considered in promoting trail use, yet the evidence for positive effects of trails on physical activity is limited. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of trails on physical activity. In addition, trail studies that include children and youth, older adults, and racial and ethnic minorities are a research priority

1U Chassis Accepts PCIe or PXIe Cards

PCIe and PXIe are both open-standards for expansion and I/O cards, both enabling the end user of the system to configure the desired I/O to suit their needs. The problem is that the two cards are not space-compatible, requiring systems manufacturers to create two separate product to address both markets. This article discloses a means that allows for a flexible architecture that can accept either a PCIe bay or a PXIe bay, thus enabling both types of I/O, PCIe and PXIe, to be supported in a common-design, and in this example, a system that can be mounted in a standard 19” rack that consumes only 1U of rack space

Optimization of a novel, wide-field, high resolution optical microscopy system

Knowledge of the complex fiber structures of soft tissues can lead to greater understanding of basic structure-function relationships and potentially to improvements in tissue engineered constructs and micro-repair techniques. Imaging these structures in fresh, whole-tissue samples is difficult,mainly because current microscopes are designed for small-scale, narrow field imaging of thin, slide-mounted specimens. Several precision stage motaging systems like the CoolScopeTM whole slide scanner (Nikon, Inc.), Scanscope XT(Aperio, Inc.) are available but they are only capable of single mode imaging, are often time consuming and can be prohibitively expensive for a small research laboratory. The goal of this project was to develop a high speed, high resolution imaging system at low cost - capable of imaging thicker, fresh tissue samples as well as prepared slides using both, normal and polarized light

Herd specific risk factors for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections in suckling pigs at the age of weaning

BACKGROUND Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the etiologic agent of enzootic pneumonia mainly occurring in fattening pigs. It is assumed that horizontal transmission of the pathogen during nursery and growing phase starts with few suckling pigs vertically infected by the sow. The aim of the present study was the exploration of the herd prevalence of M. hyopneumoniae infections in suckling pigs followed by an investigation of various herd specific factors for their potential of influencing the occurrence of this pathogen at the age of weaning. RESULTS In this cross-sectional study, 125 breeding herds were examined by taking nasal swabs from 20 suckling pigs in each herd. In total, 3.9% (98/2500) of all nasal swabs were tested positive for M. hyopneumoniae by real-time PCR. Piglets tested positive originated from 46 different herds resulting in an overall herd prevalence of 36.8% (46/125) for M. hyopneumoniae infection in pigs at the age of weaning. While the herds were epidemiologically characterized, the risk for demonstration of M. hyopneumoniae was significantly increased, when the number of purchased gilts per year was more than 120 (OR: 5.8), and when the number of farrowing pens per compartment was higher than 16 (OR: 3.3). In herds with a planned and segregated production, where groups of sows entered previously emptied farrowing units, the risk for demonstration of M. hyopneumoniae in piglets was higher in herds with two or four weeks between batches than in herds with one or three weeks between batches (OR: 2.7). CONCLUSIONS In this cross-sectional study, several risk factors could be identified enhancing the probability of breeding herds to raise suckling pigs already infected with M. hyopneumoniae at the time of weaning. Interestingly, some factors (farrowing rhythm, gilt acclimatisation issues) were overlapping with those also influencing the seroprevalences among sows or the transmission of the pathogen between older age groups. Taking the multifactorial character of enzootic pneumonia into account, the results of this study substantiate that a comprehensive herd specific prevention programme is a prerequisite to reduce transmission of and disease caused by M. hyopneumoniae

SkyMapper Filter Set: Design and Fabrication of Large Scale Optical Filters

The SkyMapper Southern Sky Survey will be conducted from Siding Spring Observatory with u, v, g, r, i and z filters that comprise glued glass combination filters of dimension 309x309x15 mm. In this paper we discuss the rationale for our bandpasses and physical characteristics of the filter set. The u, v, g and z filters are entirely glass filters which provide highly uniform band passes across the complete filter aperture. The i filter uses glass with a short-wave pass coating, and the r filter is a complete dielectric filter. We describe the process by which the filters were constructed, including the processes used to obtain uniform dielectric coatings and optimized narrow band anti-reflection coatings, as well as the technique of gluing the large glass pieces together after coating using UV transparent epoxy cement. The measured passbands including extinction and CCD QE are presented.Comment: 9 pages, 2 tables, 7 figure

Sailing into a dilemma : an economic and legal analysis of an EU trading scheme for maritime emissions

On the basis of a joint economic and legal analysis, we evaluate the effects of a “regional” (European) emission trading scheme aiming at reducing emissions of international shipping. The focus lies on the question which share of emissions from maritime transport activities to and from the EU can and should be included in such a system. Our findings suggest that the attempt to implement an EU maritime ETS runs into a dilemma. It is not possible to design a system that achieves emission reductions in a cost efficient manner and is compatible with international law

Prevalence Distribution and Risk Factors for Schistosoma hematobium Infection among School Children in Blantyre, Malawi

Schistosoma hematobium infection is a parasitic infection endemic in Malawi. Schistosomiasis usually shows a focal distribution of infection and it is important to identify communities at high risk of infection and assess effectiveness of control programs. We conducted a survey in one district in Malawi to determine prevalence and factors associated with S. hematobium infection among primary school pupils. Using a questionnaire, information on history of passing bloody urine and known risk factors associated with infection was collected. Urine samples were collected and examined for S. hematobium eggs. One thousand one hundred and fifty (1,150) pupils were interviewed, and out of 1,139 pupils who submitted urine samples, 10.4% were infected. Our data showed that male gender, child's knowledge of an existing open water source (includes river, dam, springs, lake, etc.) in the area, history of urinary schistosomiasis in the past month, distance of less than 1 km from school to nearest open water source and age 8–10 years compared to those 14 years and older were independently associated with infection. These findings suggest that children attending schools in close proximity to open water sources are at increased risk of infection