Features of stratospheric aerosol lidar observations at Mauna Loa, 1974 - 1985

Lidar observations of the stratospheric aerosol over Mauna Loa were begun in the fall of 1974 and have continued to the present. An analysis of these observations has yielded interesting features of the stratospheric aerosol profile that change according to perturbed (from volcanic activity) and quiescent conditions. In the Mauna Loa lidar record there are two major perturbations that are contrasted, Fuego and El Chichon. The variations in relative aerosol cloud thickness, altitude of the maximum concentration and nonsymmetry are compared for the quiescent and perturbed time periods. Also, a climatology of annual average aerosol profiles is descrbied. A brief description will be given of procedures used to validate the lidar optical thickness information

Prosecutorial Misconduct in Closing Argument

Prosecutorial misconduct in closing argument is increasing in frequency and appears to be perniciously resistant to eradication. Because of its potentially disastrous effects2 upon a criminal trial, it demands the attention of prosecutors and the defense bar alike

A critical appraisal of “Impact of intensive upper limb rehabilitation on quality of life: a randomized trial in children with unilateral cerebral palsy”

This article examines the strengths and weaknesses of the study, “Impact of intensive upper limb rehabilitation on quality of life: a randomized trial in children with unilateral cerebral palsy”. Furthermore, the clinical implications of the study are also discussed

Investigation of error detection capabilities of phantom, EPID and MLC log file based IMRT QA methods

A patient specific quality assurance (QA) should detect errors that originate anywhere in the treatment planning process. However, the increasing complexity of treatment plans has increased the need for improvements in the accuracy of the patient specific pretreatment verification process. This has led to the utilization of higher resolution QA methods such as the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) as well as MLC log files and it is important to know the types of errors that can be detected with these methods. In this study, we will compare the ability of three QA methods (Delta 4 ®, MU-EPID, Dynalog QA) to detect specific errors. Multileaf collimator (MLC) errors, gantry angle, and dose errors were introduced into five volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for a total of 30 plans containing errors. The original plans (without errors) were measured five times with each method to set a threshold for detectability using two standard deviations from the mean and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) derived limits. Gamma passing percentages as well as percentage error of planning target volume (PTV) were used for passing determination. When applying the standard 95% pass rate at 3%/3 mm gamma analysis errors were detected at a rate of 47, 70, and 27% for the Delta 4 , MU-EPID and Dynalog QA respectively. When using thresholds set at 2 standard deviations from our base line measurements errors were detected at a rate of 60, 30, and 47% for the Delta 4 , MU-EPID and Dynalog QA respectively. When using ROC derived thresholds errors were detected at a rate of 60, 27, and 47% for the Delta 4 , MU-EPID and Dynalog QA respectively. When using dose to the PTV and the Dynalog method 11 of the 15 small MLC errors were detected while none were caught using gamma analysis. A combination of the EPID and Dynalog QA methods (scaling Dynalog doses using EPID images) matches the detection capabilities of the Delta 4 by adding additional comparison metrics. These additional metrics are vital in relating the QA measurement to the dose received by the patient which is ultimately what is being confirmed

Impact of a leptin single nucleotide polymorphism and zilpaterol hydrochloride on growth and carcass characteristics in finishing steers

A total of 4,178 steers (mean initial BW = 403.9 ± 16.04 kg) were used to test the interactive effects, if any, of leptin R25C genotypes (CC, CT, or TT) and zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) feeding duration on growth performance and carcass traits. Steers were blocked by arrival at the feed yard, genotyped for the leptin SNP, allotted to genotype-specific pens (90 steers/pen), and assigned randomly within genotype and block to 0 or 21 d of dietary ZH. All pens within a block were slaughtered on the same day (132.1 ± 10.9 d on feed). Final BW of steers fed ZH was 6.0 kg heavier (P = 0.008), and ZH-fed steers had greater (P = 0.003) ADG than steers not fed ZH. Feeding ZH decreased DMI in steers with increased frequency of the T allele (9.67, 9.53, and 9.28 kg/d for CC, CT, and TT, respectively), but DMI increased with the frequency of the T allele (9.68, 9.90, and 10.1 kg for CC, CT, and TT, respectively) when ZH was not fed (leptin genotype × ZH, P = 0.011). At the conclusion of the study, ultrasonic fat was greatest for TT steers (11.4 ± 0.28 mm) and least (P = 0.003) for CC steers (11.0 ± 0.25 mm). Regardless of ZH-feeding duration, TT steers produced a greater (P = 0.006) percentage of USDA yield grade (YG) 4 or higher carcasses (5.4 vs. 2.7%) and a lesser (P = 0.006) percentage of YG 1 carcasses (17.7 vs. 26.8%) than CC steers. In addition, ZH-fed steers produced a greater (P \u3c 0.001) percentage of USDA YG 1 carcasses (25.9 vs. 16.2%) and a lesser (P \u3c 0.001) percentage of YG 4 or higher carcasses (1.6 vs. 6.0%) than steers fed the control diet. Marbling scores and the percentage of carcasses grading USDA Choice and Prime were greater in TT than CC steers when fed diets devoid of ZH, but both marbling and quality grades did not differ among leptin genotypes when fed ZH for 21 d (leptin genotype × ZH, P ≤ 0.03). The amount of HCW gain tended to be less (P = 0.095) for steers of the TT genotype (12.7 kg) than either CC (16.3 kg) or CT (17.0 kg) genotypes. Results indicated that leptin R25C genotype impacted most traits associated with fatness whereas feeding ZH for 21 d affected HCW and ADG positively but impacted feed intake, marbling, and USDA quality grades negatively