Comparison of modern icing cloud instruments

Intercomparison tests with Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) were conducted. Cloud liquid water content (LWC) measurements were also taken with a Johnson and Williams (JW) hot-wire device and an icing rate device (Leigh IDS). Tests include varying cloud LWC (0.5 to 5 au gm), cloud median volume diameter (MVD) (15 to 26 microns), temperature (-29 to 20 C), and air speeds (50 to 285 mph). Comparisons were based upon evaluating probe estimates of cloud LWC and median volume diameter for given tunnel settings. Variations of plus or minus 10% and plus or minus 5% in LWC and MVD, respectively, were determined of spray clouds between test made at given tunnel settings (fixed LWC, MVD, and air speed) indicating cloud conditions were highly reproducible. Although LWC measurements from JW and Leigh devices were consistent with tunnel values, individual probe measurements either consistently over or underestimated tunnel values by factors ranging from about 0.2 to 2. Range amounted to a factor of 6 differences between LWC estimates of probes for given cloud conditions. For given cloud conditions, estimates of cloud MVD between probes were within plus or minus 3 microns and 93% of the test cases. Measurements overestimated tunnel values in the range between 10 to 20 microns. The need for improving currently used calibration procedures was indicated. Establishment of test facility (or facilities) such as an icing tunnel where instruments can be calibrated against known cloud standards would be a logical choice

Longitudinal cohort of HIV-negative transgender women of colour in New York City: protocol for the TURNNT ('Trying to Understand Relationships, Networks and Neighbourhoods among Transgender women of colour') study.

IntroductionIn the USA, transgender women are among the most vulnerable to HIV. In particular, transgender women of colour face high rates of infection and low uptake of important HIV prevention tools, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This paper describes the design, sampling methods, data collection and analyses of the TURNNT ('Trying to Understand Relationships, Networks and Neighbourhoods among Transgender women of colour') study. In collaboration with communities of transgender women of colour, TURNNT aims to explore the complex social and environmental (ie, neighbourhood) structures that affect HIV prevention and other aspects of health in order to identify avenues for intervention.Methods and analysesTURNNT is a prospective cohort study, which will recruit 300 transgender women of colour (150 Black/African American, 100 Latina and 50 Asian/Pacific Islander participants) in New York City. There will be three waves of data collection separated by 6 months. At each wave, participants will provide information on their relationships, social and sexual networks, and neighbourhoods. Global position system technology will be used to generate individual daily path areas in order to estimate neighbourhood-level exposures. Multivariate analyses will be conducted to assess cross-sectional and longitudinal, independent and synergistic associations of personal relationships (notably individual social capital), social and sexual networks, and neighbourhood factors (notably neighbourhood-level social cohesion) with PrEP uptake and discontinuation.Ethics and disseminationThe TURNNT protocol was approved by the Columbia University Institutional Review Board (reference no. AAAS8164). This study will provide novel insights into the relationship, network and neighbourhood factors that influence HIV prevention behaviours among transgender women of colour and facilitate exploration of this population's health and well-being more broadly. Through community-based dissemination events and consultation with policy makers, this foundational work will be used to guide the development and implementation of future interventions with and for transgender women of colour

Outcome with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone followed by early autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma on the ECOG-ACRIN E4A03 randomized clinical trial: long-term follow-up

In Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-ACRIN E4A03, on completion of four cycles of therapy, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients had the option of proceeding to autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant (ASCT) or continuing on their assigned therapy lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (Ld) or lenalidomide plus high-dose dexamethasone (LD). This landmark analysis compared the outcome of 431 patients surviving their first four cycles of therapy pursuing early ASCT to those continuing on their assigned therapy. Survival distributions were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with log-rank test. Ninety patients (21%) opted for early ASCT. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- an

The Dynamics of a Meandering River

We present a statistical model of a meandering river on an alluvial plane which is motivated by the physical non-linear dynamics of the river channel migration and by describing heterogeneity of the terrain by noise. We study the dynamics analytically and numerically. The motion of the river channel is unstable and we show that by inclusion of the formation of ox-bow lakes, the system may be stabilised. We then calculate the steady state and show that it is in agreement with simulations and measurements of field data.Comment: Revtex, 12 pages, 2 postscript figure

Sedimentation in an artificial lake -Lake Matahina, Bay of Plenty

Lake Matahina, an 8 km long hydroelectric storage reservoir, is a small (2.5 km2), 50 m deep, warm monomictic, gorge-type lake whose internal circulation is controlled by the inflowing Rangitaiki River which drains a greywacke and acid volcanic catchment. Three major proximal to distal subenvironments are defined for the lake on the basis of surficial sediment character and dominant depositional process: (a) fluvial-glassy, quartzofeld-spathic, and lithic gravel-sand mixtures deposited from contact and saltation loads in less than 3 m depth; (b) (pro-)deltaic-quartzofeldspathic and glassy sand-silt mixtures deposited from graded and uniform suspension loads in 3-20 m depth; and (c) basinal-diatomaceous, argillaceous, and glassy silt-clay mixtures deposited from uniform and pelagic suspension loads in 20-50 m depth. The delta face has been prograding into the lake at a rate of 35-40 m/year and vertical accretion rates in pro-delta areas are 15-20 cm/year. Basinal deposits are fed mainly from river plume dispersion involving overflows, interflows, and underflows, and by pelagic settling, and sedimentation rates behind the dam have averaged about 2 cm/year. Occasional fine sand layers in muds of basinal cores attest to density currents or underflows generated during river flooding flowing the length of the lake along a sublacustrine channel marking the position of the now submerged channel of the Rangitaiki River

The benefits and potential of pre-emptive weed biological control: Three case studies in Queensland, Australia

Invasive weed species can have significant impacts on agriculture, biodiversity and livelihoods. The cost and feasibility of managing these species using conventional means can be prohibitive depending on the size of the infestations or the habitats in which they invade. Under these conditions, biological control is seen as a viable, sustainable means to manage many weeds. However, biological control can take many years and at considerable cost to achieve the desired level of control, due to the numerous steps that are involved, including native range surveys and host-specificity testing of potential agents. Pre-emptive biological control targeting particularly high-risk species prior to their arrival in a country or emerging weeds can be cost-effective, especially if the respective biological control agents have been utilized in other countries. While pre-emptive biological control of arthropods has been investigated previously, there are few examples of pre-emptive biological control of weed species. The invasive weed species, Chromolaena odorata, Mikania micrantha and Coccinia grandis have all been or are currently targets of pre-emptive biological control in Australia. Research on the gall fly Cecidochares connexa was initiated prior to its host, C. odorata being detected in Australia. Cecidochares connexa was eventually released in Australia to control C. odorata, after initial research on the agent found it to be suitably host specific and effective against the target weed. Cecidochares connexa has also been released in numerous other countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, where it is providing very good control. Australia funded research on the rust Puccinia spegazzinii as part of a project involving Fiji and Papua New Guinea while the target weed, M. micrantha was a target for eradication in Queensland. The rust was later approved for release in Australia to control M. micrantha following additional host-specificity testing. However, research funded by Australia overseas suggests that the rust may not be able to suppress M. micrantha populations below current levels. Consequently, while P. spegazzinii has been released in numerous countries now, it has not yet been field released in Australia. Biological control research in Australia on C. grandis is relatively new as the weed is relatively minor and not yet declared a target for biological control. Consequently, no biological control agents have yet been released in the country. Pre-emptive biological control of C. odorata and M. micrantha has been particularly cost-effective, not just for Australia, but subsequently for numerous other countries where these weeds were well-established and problematic and the respective biological control agents were later released

National Prison Entrants’ Bloodborne Virus & Risk Behaviour Survey 2004, 2007, And 2010

Prisoner populations are characterised by engagement in a range of risk behaviours, most notably injecting drug use. Consequently they are at an increased risk of exposure to blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Previous Australian research has shown that hepatitis C is between thirty to forty times higher among prisoners compared with the general community. Therefore, surveillance of this population to detect the presence of blood-borne pathogens and identify trends in risk behaviours is important in planning effective prevention strategies. This is the third prison entrants’ survey to have been conducted; the first was undertaken in 2004 and the second in 2007. The 2010 survey was enhanced to test for three sexually transmissible infections (STI) - chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis

Designing economic evaluations alongside clinical trials in maternal health care: A guide for clinical trial design.

BACKGROUND: Economic evaluations are being conducted with increasing frequency in the maternity care setting, with more randomized controlled trials containing a health economic component. Key emerging criticisms of economic evaluation in maternity care are lack of robust data collection and measurement, inconsistencies in methodology, and lack of adherence to reporting guidelines. METHODS: This article provides a guide to the design of economic evaluations alongside clinical trials in maternal health. We include economic concepts and considerations for the maternity setting and provide examples from the UK and Australia. RESULTS: There are many important considerations for the design of economic evaluations alongside clinical trials. To be effective, researchers must select types of economic evaluation, which align with their study objectives; choose an appropriate evaluation perspective, time horizon, and discount rate; and identify accurate ways to measure and evaluate health outcomes and costs. DISCUSSION: This guide is written for noneconomists and can be used for designing economic evaluations to be conducted as a part of clinical trials. We seek to improve the quality, consistency, and transparency of economic evaluations in maternal health

Selecting and Implementing Patient-Reported Outcome and Experience Measures to Assess Health System Performance.

IMPORTANCE: Psychometrically robust patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) are critical to evaluating quality and performance across health services and systems. However, the adoption and implementation of PROMs and PREMs remain a challenge in many countries. The aim of this guide is to support instrument selection and implementation to measure health system performance. OBSERVATIONS: The guide is split into 3 step-by-step sections. Step 1: Knowing What to Measure discusses what PROMs and PREMs capture and how they differ from related instruments. Step 2: Choosing the Right Instrument describes the critical psychometric properties of validity, reliability, and responsiveness, and provides resources to support instrument selection and evaluation. Step 3: Mitigating Potential PROM and PREM Implementation Barriers outlines key barriers and supports for instrument implementation at system, service, and individual levels. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This guide aims to provide practical resources for the identification of psychometrically robust PROMs and PREMs, as well as support for their implementation to drive improvements across health systems globally

Learning health systems and evidence ecosystems: a perspective on the future of evidence-based medicine and evidence-based guideline development.

Despite forming the cornerstone of modern clinical practice for decades, implementation of evidence-based medicine at scale remains a crucial challenge for health systems. As a result, there has been a growing need for conceptual models to better contextualise and pragmatize the use of evidence-based medicine, particularly in tandem with patient-centred care. In this commentary, we highlight the emergence of the learning health system as one such model and analyse its potential role in pragmatizing both evidence-based medicine and patient-centred care. We apply the learning health system lens to contextualise the key activity of evidence-based guideline development and implementation, and highlight how current inefficiencies and bottlenecks in the evidence synthesis phase of evidence-based guideline development threaten downstream adherence. Lastly, we introduce the evidence ecosystem as a complementary model to learning health systems, and propose how innovative developments from the evidence ecosystem may be integrated with learning health systems to better enable health impact at speed and scale