Inferences in Log-Rate Models

Log-Rate models are used in analyzing rates of individuals who are exposed to a risk of having a certain characteristic. The explanatory variables could be categorical or in a continuous scale. In finding a Log-Rate Model, parameters are estimated and goodness-of-fit are studied to carefully extract the best model to fit our data. Here we revisit three aspects of Log-Rate Models using the data set give at the end of the paper. The three aspects are parameter estimation, goodness-of-fit of the model, and marginal effect of the factors

Experimente über die Wirkung von UV-B auf pelagische Fischembryonen in einem Sonnenscheinsimulator

One of the supposed effects of the observed ozone depletion is the increase of solar UV-B irradiation at the seasurface. This will cause an impact on certain compartments of marine ecosystems. Especially, sensitive developmental stages of pelagic fish embryos might be affected. Embryos of dab (Limanda limanda) and plaice (Pleuronectes plalessa) were experimentally exposed 10 different amounts of UVB irradiation in a sunshine simulator. This programmable device allows the dosage of realistic solar irradiation in quality and guantity. Experiments were carried out in March 1995 and February 1996. Either artificially inserninated and reared emhryos of dab and plaice or embryos caught in the German Bight were exposed to simulated solar irradiation. The 1995 experiments served to identify the effective irradiation dosages. For the 1996 experiments irradiation applied was much lower, being dose to realistic valucs expected over the North Sea as a consequence of ozone depletion. The following end points were studied: 1. Mortality, 2. sublethal morphological effects (malformations), 3. DNA damage, 4. changes in buoyancy of embryos measured as changes in osmolarity of the perivitelline fluid. Conditions for the simulation of daylight were a c1oudless sky with a solar zenith distance of 34 % (air mass 1.2). The adopted ozone depletion was 40 % corresponding to 180 DU (Dobson Units) instead of 300 DU. In the 1995 experiments time and dosage dependent influenccs on mortality and buoyancy of embryos of dab and plaice were found. Even in those embryos which were protected from the UV-B spectral range a loss of buoyancy was registered after 12 hours in the simulator. No diffcrences in DNA integrity as determined by DNA unwinding of exposed and control embryos were found. Also with lower amounts of irradiation in the 1996 experiments dosage dependent acute mortality, malformations, and impact on the buoyancy of the emhryos was registered. Sublethal effects occurred as well in embryos protected against UV-B in the exposure chambers, but were not found in the dark controls. The impact of low dosages of UV-B on the buoyancy of pelagic fish embryos might indicate an important ecological threat and deserves further studies

Malignant Keratitis Caused by a Highly-Resistant Strain of Fusarium Tonkinense from the Fusarium Solani Complex

Fusarium spp. are moulds ubiquitously distributed in nature and only occasionally pathogenic for humans. Species of the Fusarium solani complex are the predominant keratitis inducing pathogens, because they are endowed with proper virulence factors. These fungi can adhere to the cornea creating a biofilm and, with the help of enzymes and cytotoxins, penetrate the cornea. Whereas an intact cornea is hardly able to be invaded by Fusarium spp. in spite of appropriate virulence factors, these opportunistic fungi may profit from predisposing conditions, for example mechanical injuries. This can lead to a progressive course of corneal infection and may finally affect the whole eye up to the need for enucleation. Here, we present and discuss the clinical, microbiological and histopathological aspects of a particular case due to Fusarium tonkinense of the Fusarium solani complex with severe consequences in a patient without any obvious predisposing factors. A broad portfolio of antifungal agents was applied, both topically and systemically as well as two penetrating keratoplasties were performed. The exact determination of the etiologic agent of the fungal infection proved likewise to be very challenging

Management of acoustic metadata for bioacoustics

Recent expansion in the capabilities of passive acoustic monitoring of sound-producing animals is providing expansive data sets in many locations. These long-termdata sets will allowthe investigation of questions related to the ecology of sound-producing animals on time scales ranging fromdiel and seasonal to inter-annual and decadal. Analyses of these data often span multiple analysts from various research groups over several years of effort and, as a consequence, have begun to generate large amounts of scattered acoustic metadata. It has therefore become imperative to standardize the types of metadata being generated. A critical aspect of being able to learn from such large and varied acoustic data sets is providing consistent and transparent access that can enable the integration of various analysis efforts. This is juxtaposed with the need to include new information for specific research questions that evolve over time. Hence, a method is proposed for organizing acoustic metadata that addresses many of the problems associated with the retention of metadata from large passive acoustic data sets. A structure was developed for organizing acoustic metadata in a consistent manner, specifying required and optional terms to describe acoustic information derived from a recording. A client-server database was created to implement this data representation as a networked data service that can be accessed from several programming languages. Support for data import froma wide variety of sources such as spreadsheets and databases is provided. The implementation was extended to access Internet-available data products, permitting access to a variety of environmental information types (e.g. sea surface temperature, sunrise/sunset, etc.) fromawide range of sources as if they were part of the data service. This metadata service is in use at several institutions and has been used to track and analyze millions of acoustic detections from marine mammals, fish, elephants, and anthropogenic sound sources.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The organisation and delivery of health improvement in general practice and primary care: a scoping study

Background This project examines the organisation and delivery of health improvement activities by and within general practice and the primary health-care team. The project was designed to examine who delivers these interventions, where they are located, what approaches are developed in practices, how individual practices and the primary health-care team organise such public health activities, and how these contribute to health improvement. Our focus was on health promotion and ill-health prevention activities. Aims The aim of this scoping exercise was to identify the current extent of knowledge about the health improvement activities in general practice and the wider primary health-care team. The key objectives were to provide an overview of the range and type of health improvement activities, identify gaps in knowledge and areas for further empirical research. Our specific research objectives were to map the range and type of health improvement activity undertaken by general practice staff and the primary health-care team based within general practice; to scope the literature on health improvement in general practice or undertaken by health-care staff based in general practice and identify gaps in the evidence base; to synthesise the literature and identify effective approaches to the delivery and organisation of health improvement interventions in a general practice setting; and to identify the priority areas for research as defined by those working in general practice. Methods We undertook a comprehensive search of the literature. We followed a staged selection process involving reviews of titles and abstracts. This resulted in the identification of 1140 papers for data extraction, with 658 of these papers selected for inclusion in the review, of which 347 were included in the evidence synthesis. We also undertook 45 individual and two group interviews with primary health-care staff. Findings Many of the research studies reviewed had some details about the type, process or location, or who provided the intervention. Generally, however, little attention is paid in the literature to examining the impact of the organisational context on the way services are delivered or how this affects the effectiveness of health improvement interventions in general practice. We found that the focus of attention is mainly on individual prevention approaches, with practices engaging in both primary and secondary prevention. The range of activities suggests that general practitioners do not take a population approach but focus on individual patients. However, it is clear that many general practitioners see health promotion as an integral part of practice, whether as individual approaches to primary or secondary health improvement or as a practice-based approach to improving the health of their patients. Our key conclusion is that there is currently insufficient good evidence to support many of the health improvement interventions undertaken in general practice and primary care more widely. Future Research Future research on health improvement in general practice and by the primary health-care team needs to move beyond clinical research to include delivery systems and be conducted in a primary care setting. More research needs to examine areas where there are chronic disease burdens – cancer, dementia and other disabilities of old age. Reviews should be commissioned that examine the whole prevention pathway for health problems that are managed within primary care drawing together research from general practice, pharmacy, community engagement, etc

"Der Balkan" in der Krone: Austria between "frontier Orientalism" and amnesiac nationalism

This article traces the “silent inscription” of (former) colonial relations in the European integration project to their re-inflection in an EU-sceptical medium. To do so, this contribution draws on a corpus of data comprising news-coverage, commentaries and readers’ letters published in Austria’s largest newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung, whose reach, influence and leanings are well-known. The analysis considers the Krone’s representations of, and discursive references to, “the Balkans” during the crises-littered period between 2009 and 2017. For analytical purposes this discussion focuses on a sub-sample of invocations of “the Balkans” in the Krone, which have appeared with growing frequency since 2015. Conceptually, the discourse-analytical notion of the topos, or argumentative structure, and anthropological literature on “identity grammars” inform the analysis. The discussion reveals continuities with Austria’s historically long-established representational regimes of South-Eastern Europe, and novel discursive features. A contemporary paternalism is shown to re-appropriate the nineteenth-century topos of Austria’s alleged “civilizing mission” and what André Gingrich (2005) has described as Central Europe’s “frontier Orientalism”. Further, preoccupations with “the Balkan-route” and its closure articulate a topos of external threats tied to recent migration flows. The article reflects on an “amnesiac nationalism”, and its post-imperial entanglements, that are currently re-shaping the European Union

Circulating Microbial Products and Acute Phase Proteins as Markers of Pathogenesis in Lymphatic Filarial Disease

Lymphatic filariasis can be associated with development of serious pathology in the form of lymphedema, hydrocele, and elephantiasis in a subset of infected patients. Dysregulated host inflammatory responses leading to systemic immune activation are thought to play a central role in filarial disease pathogenesis. We measured the plasma levels of microbial translocation markers, acute phase proteins, and inflammatory cytokines in individuals with chronic filarial pathology with (CP Ag+) or without (CP Ag−) active infection; with clinically asymptomatic infections (INF); and in those without infection (endemic normal [EN]). Comparisons between the two actively infected groups (CP Ag+ compared to INF) and those without active infection (CP Ag− compared to EN) were used preliminarily to identify markers of pathogenesis. Thereafter, we tested for group effects among all the four groups using linear models on the log transformed responses of the markers. Our data suggest that circulating levels of microbial translocation products (lipopolysaccharide and LPS-binding protein), acute phase proteins (haptoglobin and serum amyloid protein-A), and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-12, and TNF-α) are associated with pathogenesis of disease in lymphatic filarial infection and implicate an important role for circulating microbial products and acute phase proteins

Non-destructive detection of machining-induced white layers through grain size and crystallographic texture-sensitive methods

Detection of machining-induced white layers is currently a destructive inspection process with a form of cross-sectional microscopy required. This paper, therefore, reports on the development of a novel non-destructive inspection method for detecting white layers using grain size-sensitive and crystallographic texture-sensitive techniques. It is shown that x-ray diffraction can be used to detect white layers as thin as 5 μm in Ti-6Al-4 V through measurement of diffraction peak breadths and diffraction peak intensities, due to the influence of the sub 100 nm grain size and high lattice strain in the white layer, as well as the strong crystallographic texture in this titanium alloy. Compared to the existing optical microscopy inspection method, which can take days due to the number of steps involved, the x-ray diffraction peak breadth method offers non-destructive white layer detection in a matter of minutes at a resolution of 5 μm or less that competes directly with the optical method. Spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy, a laser-generated ultrasonic surface acoustic wave detection method, can also be used to identify anomalous surfaces, containing a white layer or swept grain material, due to its sensitivity to the crystallographic texture changes that arise in severely plastically deformed Ti-6Al-4V as in Titanium with 6 % Aluminium and 4% Vanadium

Forging networks and mixing ores: rethinking the social landscapes of iron metallurgy

This research explores the networks of technological knowledge that influenced changes in the iron production practices of western Uganda in the second half of the second millennium AD. Temporal and spatial variability in technological processes were observed within the research area, in terms of the style and construction of the furnaces, the use of a manganese-rich flux, and the configuration of tuyères. These shifts were considered in relation to the social dimensions of iron production, specifically the protection of technical knowledge. Informed by ethnographic data from the study area, variations were noted in the participation in, or exclusion from, iron production activity on the basis of gender and clan affiliation. This stands in contrast to ethno-historic accounts that speak of a strongly regulated production environment. This paper considers that an uncritical emphasis on conservatism provides an inadequate framework for addressing long-term change in iron production technologies. It suggests that constellations of knowledge in western Uganda fostered the potential for innovation and experimentation, resulting in dynamic technological practice. This paper urges a more nuanced discussion of how complex metallurgical technologies transform and move within cultural and physical landscapes, with ramifications for how we conceptualize the emergence and adoption of early technologies