A summary of the BARREL campaigns: Technique for studying electron precipitation.

BARREL observed electron precipitation over wide range of energy and timescalesPrecipitating electron distribution is determined using spectroscopy for 19 January 2013 eventBARREL timing data has accuracy within sampling interval of 0.05 s

Interactions between livestock guarding dogs and wildlife in the Carpathian Mountains, Romania

Livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) are often suggested as a tool to help facilitate human-wildlife coexistence because they are considered effective at preventing livestock losses and reducing persecution of large carnivores. As LGDs have been observed chasing and killing wildlife, they could be perceived as predators or competitors in the environment, yet little is known about how the use of LGDs affects co-occurring wildlife. This research aimed to understand the ecological effects of using LGDs by 1) determining the wildlife species chased, killed, and/or consumed by LGDs, 2) quantifying LGD roaming behaviours by breed, sex, age, and reproductive status, and 3) quantifying spatial and temporal responses of wildlife to LGD presence. A detailed overview of the potential and currently reported ecological effects of using LGDs was gathered via a literature review. Then, in 2021, LGD-wildlife interactions were investigated in the Carpathian Mountains, Romania. Thirteen sites were visited where shepherds were interviewed, 129 scats collected, and a total of twelve sheep and 40 LGDs GPS-tracked for an average of three weeks. Camera traps were deployed across 315 km2 covering both pasture and forest. Wildlife remains in the scats were identified via traditional methods including microscopic hair analysis. Roaming behaviours were investigated from the GPS data by calculating pairwise distances between each sheep and LGD and the overlap in their daily home ranges, which were estimated using the Local Convex Hull (LoCoH) method. Habitat use by grey wolves, brown bears, red foxes, red deer, and wild boars was investigated from the camera trap data via detection rates, single- and two-species occupancy models, and activity patterns estimated by a nonparametric kernel density approach. There were 56 records in the literature widely reporting, mostly anecdotally, LGDs interacting with wildlife. Similarly, all thirteen shepherds reported that their LGDs chased wildlife and seven reported that their LGDs had injured or killed wildlife. However, there were low occurrences of wildlife in LGD scats with only 9% containing wild vertebrate remains (mostly wild boar in scats collected at one site on one day). Some roaming occurred with LGDs being found up to 4 km away from sheep, but LGDs predominantly remained in close proximity to livestock. On average, LGDs were within 200 m of the sheep during the day and within 100 m at night whilst sheep were enclosed in the sheepfold. Differences in distances between LGDs and sheep, and overlap in daily home ranges, were not predicted by LGD breed, sex, age, or reproductive status. Only red deer showed potential spatial and temporal avoidance of LGDs with lower detection rates, lower occupancy, and a reduction in daytime activity in areas of more frequent LGD use. Grey wolves were potentially attracted to areas used by LGDs. However, it was not possible to disentangle the effects of LGDs alone and the effects of LGDs, sheep, and shepherds combined. This is the first large-scale study assessing multiple elements of LGD behaviours and wildlife responses. Overall, there was little empirical evidence to suggest that LGDs have substantial detrimental effects on co-occurring wildlife in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. These results help to establish that LGDs, both purebreds and mixed-breeds, are a suitable candidate tool for reducing the need for lethal control of wild predators and possibly helping to facilitate human-wildlife coexistence

Enhanced recovery protocols for major upper gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic surgery

BACKGROUND: 'Fast-track surgery' or 'enhanced recovery protocol' or 'fast-track rehabilitation', incorporating one or more elements of preoperative education, pain relief, early mobilisation, enteral nutrition and growth factors, may improve health-related quality of life and reduce length of hospital stay and costs. The role of enhanced recovery protocols in major upper gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic surgery is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of enhanced recovery protocols compared with standard care (or usual practice) in major upper gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic surgery. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; Cochrane Library; 2015, Issue 3), MEDLINE, EMBASE and Science Citation Index Expanded until March 2015 to identify randomised trials. We also searched the references of included trials to identify further trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) performed in people undergoing major upper gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic surgery, irrespective of language, blinding or publication status for inclusion in the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently identified trials and independently extracted data. We calculated the risk ratio (RR), mean difference (MD), or standardised mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using both fixed-effect and random-effects models using Review Manager 5, based on available case analysis. MAIN RESULTS: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria for the review, and nine studies provided information on one or more outcomes for the review. A total of 1014 participants were randomly assigned to the enhanced recovery protocol (499 participants) or standard care (515 participants) in the nine RCTs. Most of the trials included low anaesthetic risk participants with high performance status undergoing different upper gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic surgeries. Eight trials incorporated more than one element of the enhanced recovery protocol. All of the trials were at high risk of bias. The overall quality of evidence was low or very low.None of the trials reported long-term mortality, medium-term health-related quality of life(three months to one year), time to return to normal activity, or time to return to work. The difference between the enhanced recovery protocol and standard care were imprecise for short-term mortality (enhanced recovery protocol: 4/425 (adjusted proportion = 0.6%); standard care: 1/443 (0.2%); seven trials; 868 participants; RR 2.79; 95% CI 0.44 to 17.73; very low quality evidence), proportion of people with serious adverse events (enhanced recovery protocol: 4/157 (adjusted proportion = 0.6%); standard care: 0/184 (0.0%); two trials; 341 participants; RR 5.57; 95% CI 0.68 to 45.89; very low quality evidence), number of serious adverse events (enhanced recovery protocol: 34/421 (8 per 100 participants); standard care: 46/438 (11 per 100 participants); seven trials; 859 participants; rate ratio 0.72; 95% CI 0.45 to 1.13; very low quality evidence), health-related quality of life (four trials; 373 participants; SMD 0.29; 95% CI -0.04 to 0.62; very low quality evidence) and hospital readmissions (enhanced recovery protocol: 14/355 (adjusted proportion = 3.3%); standard care: 9/378 (2.4%); seven trials; 733 participants; RR 1.4; 95% CI 0.69 to 2.87; very low quality evidence). The enhanced recovery protocol group had a lower proportion of people with mild adverse events (enhanced recovery protocol: 31/254 (adjusted proportion = 10.9%); standard care: 51/271 (18.8%); four trials; 525 participants; RR 0.58; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.85; low quality evidence), fewer number of mild adverse events (enhanced recovery protocol: 69/499 (13 per 100 participants); standard care: 128/515 (25 per 100 participants); nine trials; 1014 participants; rate ratio 0.52; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.70; low quality evidence), shorter length of hospital stay (nine trials; 1014 participants; MD -2.19 days; 95% CI -2.53 to -1.85; low quality evidence) and lower costs (four trials; 282 participants; MD USD -6300; 95% CI -8400 to -4200; low quality evidence) than standard care group. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Based on low quality evidence, enhanced recovery protocols may reduce length of hospital stay and costs (primarily because of reduction in hospital stay) in people undergoing major upper gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatic surgeries. However, the validity of the results is uncertain because of the risk of bias in the trials and the way the outcomes were measured. Future RCTs should be conducted with low risk of bias, and measure clinically important outcomes for including the three months to one year period

The origin of [C II] 157 μm emission in a five-component interstellar medium : the case of NGC 3184 and NGC 628

With its relatively low ionization potential, C+ can be found throughout the interstellar medium (ISM) and provides one of the main cooling channels of the ISM via the [C II] 157 mu m emission. While the strength of the [C II] line correlates with the star formation rate, the contributions of the various gas phases to the [C II] emission on galactic scales are not well established. In this study we establish an empirical multi-component model of the ISM, including dense H II regions, dense photon dissociation regions (PDRs), the warm ionized medium (WIM), low density and G(0). surfaces of molecular clouds (SfMCs), and the cold neutral medium (CNM). We test our model on ten luminous regions within the two nearby galaxies NGC 3184 and NGC 628. on angular scales of 500-600 pc. Both galaxies are part of the Herschel. key program. KINGFISH,. and are complemented by a large set of ancillary ground-and space-based data. The five modeled phases together reproduce the observed [C II] emission quite well, overpredicting the total flux slightly (about 45%) averaged over all regions. We find that dense PDRs are the dominating component, contributing 68% of the [C II] flux on average, followed by the WIM and the SfMCs, with mean contributions of about half of the contribution from dense PDRs, each. CNM and dense H II regions are only minor contributors with less than 5% each. These estimates are averaged over the selected regions, but the relative contributions of the various phases to the [C II] flux vary significantly between these regions

Symptoms and lung function decline in a middle-aged cohort of males and females in Australia

BACKGROUND: The European Community Respiratory Health Survey is a major international study designed to assess lung health in adults. This Australian follow-up investigated changes in symptoms between sexes and the roles of asthma, smoking, age, sex, height, and change in body mass index (ΔBMI) on lung function decline (LFD), which is a major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: LFD was measured as the rate of decline over time in FEV1 (mL/year) (ΔFEV1) and FVC (ΔFVC) between 1993 and 2013. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate associations between risk factors and LFD, separately for males and females. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess sex differences and changes in respiratory symptoms over time. RESULTS: In Melbourne, 318 subjects (53.8% females) participated. The prevalence of most respiratory symptoms had either remained relatively stable over 20 years or decreased (significantly so for wheeze). The exception was shortness of breath after activity, which had increased. Among the 262 subjects who completed spirometry, current smoking declined from 20.2% to 7.3%. Overall mean (± standard deviation) FEV1 declined by 23.1 (±17.1) and FVC by 22.9 (±20.2) mL/year. Predictors of ΔFEV1 in males were age, maternal smoking, and baseline FEV1; and in females they were age, ΔBMI, baseline FEV1, and pack-years in current smokers. Decline in FVC was predicted by baseline FVC, age, and ΔBMI in both sexes; however, baseline FVC predicted steeper decline in females than males. CONCLUSION: Most respiratory symptoms remained stable or decreased over time in both sexes. Age, baseline lung function, and change in BMI were associated with the rate of decline in both sexes. However, obesity and personal smoking appear to put females at higher risk of LFD than males. Health promotion campaigns should particularly target females to prevent COPD

Heat and fluid flow in a scraped-surface heat exchanger containing a fluid with temperature-dependent viscosity

Scraped-surface heat exchangers (SSHEs) are extensively used in a wide variety of industrial settings where the continuous processing of fluids and fluid-like materials is involved. The steady non-isothermal flow of a Newtonian fluid with temperature-dependent viscosity in a narrow-gap SSHE when a constant temperature difference is imposed across the gap between the rotor and the stator is investigated. The mathematical model is formulated and the exact analytical solutions for the heat and fluid flow of a fluid with a general dependence of viscosity on temperature for a general blade shape are obtained. These solutions are then presented for the specific case of an exponential dependence of viscosity on temperature. Asymptotic methods are employed to investigate the behaviour of the solutions in several special limiting geometries and in the limits of weak and strong thermoviscosity. In particular, in the limit of strong thermoviscosity (i.e., strong heating or cooling and/or strong dependence of viscosity on temperature) the transverse and axial velocities become uniform in the bulk of the flow with boundary layers forming either just below the blade and just below the stationary upper wall or just above the blade and just above the moving lower wall. Results are presented for the most realistic case of a linear blade which illustrate the effect of varying the thermoviscosity of the fluid and the geometry of the SSHE on the flow

Edible crabs “Go West”: migrations and incubation cycle of Cancer pagurus revealed by electronic tags

Crustaceans are key components of marine ecosystems which, like other exploited marine taxa, show seasonable patterns of distribution and activity, with consequences for their availability to capture by targeted fisheries. Despite concerns over the sustainability of crab fisheries worldwide, difficulties in observing crabs’ behaviour over their annual cycles, and the timings and durations of reproduction, remain poorly understood. From the release of 128 mature female edible crabs tagged with electronic data storage tags (DSTs), we demonstrate predominantly westward migration in the English Channel. Eastern Channel crabs migrated further than western Channel crabs, while crabs released outside the Channel showed little or no migration. Individual migrations were punctuated by a 7-month hiatus, when crabs remained stationary, coincident with the main period of crab spawning and egg incubation. Incubation commenced earlier in the west, from late October onwards, and brooding locations, determined using tidal geolocation, occurred throughout the species range. With an overall return rate of 34%, our results demonstrate that previous reluctance to tag crabs with relatively high-cost DSTs for fear of loss following moulting is unfounded, and that DSTs can generate precise information with regards life-history metrics that would be unachievable using other conventional means

Diseñar un manual de procedimientos de créditos y cobranzas para reducir la morosidad en la empresa darcell servicios integrados S.R.L. en la ciudad de Jaén en el periodo 2020

This research work was prepared at the company called Darcell Servicios Integrados S.R.L. which is located at Calle San Martín No. 1811, in the town of Jaén, Cajamarca. This company is dedicated to providing services: microcredits and loans by agreement with public sector institutions, professional accounting and administration services, and other related activities. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze whether designing a loan and collection procedures manual will reduce delinquency in the company Darcell Servicios Integrados S.R.L., in the city of Jaén, in the period 2020; and it was elaborated by means of the quantitative method, type of applied investigation, of descriptive scope, non-experimental design; and it was developed using the quantitative method, type of applied research, descriptive scope, non-experimental design. The reason why the credit and collections procedures manual was designed, because although the company has forms and criteria for evaluating credits, these were not reflected in a credit procedures manual and even more so the form of Collection of overdue loans was not working perfectly as the delinquency and delinquency rate in the loan installment increased. In conclusion, it was obtained that a manual of credit and collection procedures is of great importance for the company since it allowed a good evaluation process to the client, resulting in a decrease in overdue loans and therefore a gradual decrease in delinquency.El presente trabajo de investigación se elaboró a la empresa denominada Darcell Servicios Integrados S.R.L. que se encuentra ubicada en la calle San Martín N° 1811, en la localidad de Jaén, Cajamarca. Esta empresa se dedica a la realización de servicios: microcréditos y créditos por convenio con instituciones del sector público, servicios profesionales de contabilidad y administración, y otras actividades conexas. Esta tesis tiene como objetivo principal analizar si diseñar un manual de procedimientos de créditos y cobranzas va permitir reducir la morosidad en la empresa Darcell Servicios Integrados S.R.L., en la ciudad de Jaén, en el periodo 2020; y se elaboró mediante el método cuantitativo, tipo de investigación aplicada, de alcance descriptivo, diseño no experimental; y se elaboró mediante el método cuantitativo, tipo de investigación aplicada, de alcance descriptivo, diseño no experimental. El motivo por el cual se diseñó el manual de procedimientos de créditos y cobranzas, porque si bien es cierto la empresa tiene formas y criterios de evaluación de créditos, estas no se encontraban plasmadas en un manual de procedimientos de créditos y aún más la forma de cobranza de créditos vencidos no estaba funcionando a la perfección ya que el índice de morosidad y atraso en la cuota crediticia se incrementa. En conclusión, se obtuvo que un manual de procedimientos de créditos y cobranzas es de mucha importancia para la empresa ya que permitió un buen proceso de evaluación al cliente, dando como resultado disminución de créditos vencidos y por ende la disminución gradual de morosidad

Use of microbiology tests in the era of increasing AMR rates- a multicentre hospital cohort study

Background: Effective use of microbiology test results may positively influence patient outcomes and limit the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, studies indicate that their potential is not fully utilized. We investigated microbiology test ordering practices and the use of test results for antibiotic decision-making in hospitals. Methods: A multicentre cohort study was conducted during five months in 2014 in Medical departments across three hospitals in Western Norway. Patients treated with antibiotics for sepsis, urinary tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections, lower respiratory tract infections or acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included in the analysis. Primary outcome measures were degree of microbiology test ordering, compliance with microbiology testing recommendations in the national antibiotic guideline and proportion of microbiology test results used to inform antibiotic treatment. Data was obtained from electronic- and paper medical records and charts and laboratory information systems. Results: Of the 1731 patient admissions during the study period, mean compliance with microbiology testing recommendations in the antibiotic guideline was 89%, ranging from 81% in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to 95% in patients with sepsis. Substantial additional testing was performed beyond the recommendations with 298/606 (49%) of patients with lower respiratory tract infections having urine cultures and 42/194 (22%) of patients with urinary tract infections having respiratory tests. Microbiology test results from one of the hospitals showed that 18% (120/672) of patient admissions had applicable test results, but only half of them were used for therapy guidance, i.e. in total, 9% (63/672) of patient admissions had test results informing prescription of antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: This study showed that despite a large number of microbiology test orders, only a limited number of tests informed antibiotic treatment. To ensure that microbiology tests are used optimally, there is a need to review the utility of existing microbiology tests, test ordering practices and use of test results through a more targeted and overarching approach