A Comparison of Skyline Harvesting Costs for Alternative Commercial Thinning Prescriptions

Harvesting production and costs were examined for three alternative silvicultural prescriptions at two sites in the Coast Range of Oregon. Thirty-three-year-old Douglas fir stands were commercially thinned to residual densities of 247,148, and 74 trees per hectare (tph) [100,60, and 30 trees per acre (tpa), respectively]. Detailed time studies were conducted on manual felling and uphill skyline yarding with small yarders. Separate regression equations were developed to predict delay-free felling cycle time and delay-free yarding cycle time. The 74 tph [30 tpa] treatment had the highest production rate and was the least costly to harvest. Total harvesting costs of the other two treatments averaged from 6.0% (148 tph [60 tpa]) to 12.3% (247 tph [100 tpa]) more than the 74 tph [30 tpa] treatment

Multimodal interfaces with voice and gesture input

The modalities of speech and gesture have different strengths and weaknesses, but combined they create synergy where each modality corrects the weaknesses of the other. We believe that a multimodal system such a one interwining speech and gesture must start from a different foundation than ones which are based solely on pen input. In order to provide a basis for the design of a speech and gesture system, we have examined the research in other disciplines such as anthropology and linguistics. The result of this investigation was a taxonomy that gave us material for the incorporation of gestures whose meanings are largely transparent to the users. This study describes the taxonomy and gives examples of applications to pen input systems

Establishing a multistakeholder research agenda: lessons learned from a James Lind Alliance Partnership

OBJECTIVE: The James Lind Alliance (JLA) offers a method for better aligning health and care agenda's with the needs of patients, carers and clinicians by bringing them together in a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP). In this paper, we draw attention to crucial lessons learnt when establishing such a shared research agenda. KEY ARGUMENTS: Having specific strategies and plans in place for maximising dialogic processes in a PSP can help facilitate and maintain trust, innovation and equal inclusion. CONCLUSION: Eight lessons learnt have been formulated, based on our observations and reflections on the JLA PSP and our expertise on patient participation and participatory research

Full characterization of vibrational coherence in a porphyrin chromophore by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

In this work we present experimental and calculated two-dimensional electronic spectra for a 5,15-bisalkynyl porphyrin chromophore. The lowest energy electronic Qy transition couples mainly to a single 380 cm–1 vibrational mode. The two-dimensional electronic spectra reveal diagonal and cross peaks which oscillate as a function of population time. We analyze both the amplitude and phase distribution of this main vibronic transition as a function of excitation and detection frequencies. Even though Feynman diagrams provide a good indication of where the amplitude of the oscillating components are located in the excitation-detection plane, other factors also affect this distribution. Specifically, the oscillation corresponding to each Feynman diagram is expected to have a phase that is a function of excitation and detection frequencies. Therefore, the overall phase of the experimentally observed oscillation will reflect this phase dependence. Another consequence is that the overall oscillation amplitude can show interference patterns resulting from overlapping contributions from neighboring Feynman diagrams. These observations are consistently reproduced through simulations based on third order perturbation theory coupled to a spectral density described by a Brownian oscillator model

Meaningful public engagement in the context of open science: reflections from early and mid-career academics

How is public engagement perceived to contribute to open science? This commentary highlights common reflections on this question from interviews with 12 public engagement fellows in Utrecht University’s Open Science Programme in the Netherlands. We identify four reasons why public engagement is an essential enabler of open science. Interaction between academics and society can: (1) better align science with the needs of society; (2) secure a relationship of trust between science and society; (3) increase the quality and impact of science; and (4) support the impact of open access and FAIR data practices (data which meet principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability). To be successful and sustainable, such public engagement requires support in skills training and a form of institutionalisation in a university-wide system, but, most of all, the fellows express the importance of a formal and informal recognition and rewards system. Our findings suggest that in order to make public engagement an integral part of open science, universities should invest in institutional support, create awareness, and stimulate dialogue among staff members on how to ‘do’ good public engagement

Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy of Chlorophyll a: Solvent Dependent Spectral Evolution

The interaction of the monomeric chlorophyll Q-band electronic transition with solvents of differing physical-chemical properties is investigated through two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES). Chlorophyll constitutes the key chromophore molecule in light harvesting complexes. It is well-known that the surrounding protein in the light harvesting complex fine-tunes chlorophyll electronic transitions to optimize energy transfer. Therefore, an understanding of the influence of the environment on the monomeric chlorophyll electronic transitions is important. The Q-band 2DES is inhomogeneous at early times, particularly in hydrogen bonding polar solvents, but also in nonpolar solvents like cyclohexane. Interestingly this inhomogeneity persists for long times, even up to the nanosecond time scale in some solvents. The reshaping of the 2DES occurs over multiple time scales and was assigned mainly to spectral diffusion. At early times the reshaping is Gaussian-like, hinting at a strong solvent reorganization effect. The temporal evolution of the 2DES response was analyzed in terms of a Brownian oscillator model. The spectral densities underpinning the Brownian oscillator fitting were recovered for the different solvents. The absorption spectra and Stokes shift were also properly described by this model. The extent and nature of inhomogeneous broadening was a strong function of solvent, being larger in H-bonding and viscous media and smaller in nonpolar solvents. The fastest spectral reshaping components were assigned to solvent dynamics, modified by interactions with the solute

Dissection of the pre-germinal center B-cell maturation pathway in common variable immunodeficiency based on standardized flow cytometric EuroFlow tools

Copyright © 2021 del Pino-Molina, López-Granados, Lecrevisse, Torres Canizales, Pérez-Andrés, Blanco, Wentink, Bonroy, Nechvatalova, Milota, Kienzler, Philippé, Sousa, van der Burg, Kalina, van Dongen and Orfao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Introduction: Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) is characterized by defective antibody production and hypogammaglobulinemia. Flow cytometry immunophenotyping of blood lymphocytes has become of great relevance for the diagnosis and classification of CVID, due to an impaired differentiation of mature post-germinal-center (GC) class-switched memory B-cells (MBC) and severely decreased plasmablast/plasma cell (Pb) counts. Here, we investigated in detail the pre-GC B-cell maturation compartment in blood of CVID patients. Methods: In this collaborative multicentric study the EuroFlow PID 8-color Pre-GC B-cell tube, standardized sample preparation procedures (SOPs) and innovative data analysis tools, were used to characterize the maturation profile of pre-GC B-cells in 100 CVID patients, vs 62 age-matched healthy donors (HD). Results: The Pre-GC B-cell tube allowed identification within pre-GC B-cells of three subsets of maturation associated immature B-cells and three subpopulations of mature naïve B-lymphocytes. CVID patients showed overall reduced median absolute counts (vs HD) of the two more advanced stages of maturation of both CD5+ CD38+/++ CD21het CD24++ (2.7 vs 5.6 cells/µl, p=0.0004) and CD5+ CD38het CD21+ CD24+ (6.5 vs 17 cells/µl, p1 (CD38, CD5, CD19, CD21, CD24, and/or smIgM) phenotypic marker (57/88 patients; 65%) for a total of 3 distinct CVID patient profiles (group 1: 42/88 patients, 48%; group 2: 8/88, 9%; and group 3: 7/88, 8%) and ii) CVID patients with a clearly altered pre-GC B cell maturation pathway in blood (group 4: 31/88 cases, 35%). Conclusion: Our results show that maturation of pre-GC B-cells in blood of CVID is systematically altered with up to four distinctly altered maturation profiles. Further studies, are necessary to better understand the impact of such alterations on the post-GC defects and the clinical heterogeneity of CVID.The coordination and innovation processes of this study were supported by the EuroFlow Consortium (Chairmen: MB and AO). LP-M was supported by FIS PI16/01605 and JTC by FIS PI13/02296 (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain). The work was partially supported by grant PI20/01712-FEDER (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain) and a grant from Fundación Mutua Madrileña (MMA, Madrid, Spain).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Managing granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease in common variable immunodeficiency disorders : e-GLILDnet International Clinicians Survey

Background Granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease (GLILD) is a rare, potentially severe pulmonary complication of common variable immunodeficiency disorders (CVID). Informative clinical trials and consensus on management are lacking. Aims The European GLILD network (e-GLILDnet) aims to describe how GLILD is currently managed in clinical practice and to determine the main uncertainties and unmet needs regarding diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Methods The e-GLILDnet collaborators developed and conducted an online survey facilitated by the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) between February-April 2020. Results were analyzed using SPSS. Results One hundred and sixty-one responses from adult and pediatric pulmonologists and immunologists from 47 countries were analyzed. Respondents treated a median of 27 (interquartile range, IQR 82-maximum 500) CVID patients, of which a median of 5 (IQR 8-max 200) had GLILD. Most respondents experienced difficulties in establishing the diagnosis of GLILD and only 31 (19%) had access to a standardized protocol. There was little uniformity in diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. Fewer than 40% of respondents saw a definite need for biopsy in all cases or performed bronchoalveolar lavage for diagnostics. Sixty-six percent used glucocorticosteroids for remission-induction and 47% for maintenance therapy; azathioprine, rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil were the most frequently prescribed steroid-sparing agents. Pulmonary function tests were the preferred modality for monitoring patients during follow-up. Conclusions These data demonstrate an urgent need for clinical studies to provide more evidence for an international consensus regarding management of GLILD. These studies will need to address optimal procedures for definite diagnosis and a better understanding of the pathogenesis of GLILD in order to provide individualized treatment options. Non-availability of well-established standardized protocols risks endangering patients

Finding the balance between person-centred and treatment-centred discussions in advance care planning-a qualitative analysis of conversations within the MUTUAL (Multidisciplinary Timely Undertaken Advance Care Planning conversations) intervention using a narrative analysis

INTRODUCTION: Advance care planning (ACP) aims to create conditions for more person-centred care. We aimed to explore variations in person-centred care discussions and treatment-centred care discussions within ACP conversations in the Multidisciplinary Timely Undertaken Advance Care Planning (MUTUAL) intervention and how person-centred care discussions could be encouraged. The MUTUAL intervention consists of the following: (i) timely patient selection, (ii) the patient and healthcare professionals preparing for the conversation, (iii) a scripted ACP conversation in a multidisciplinary setting and (iv) documentation. METHODS: We conducted a narrative analysis of ACP conversations. A narrative summary template was created and used to analyse 18 audio-recordings. RESULTS: We noticed variations in person-centred and treatment-centred focus within the ACP conversations. We identified three important strategies that facilitated person-centred care discussions within ACP conversations. First, healthcare professionals' acceptance that ACP is an individual process. We believe it is important that healthcare professionals recognise and accept where the patient is in his or her individual ACP process; not making decisions right away can also be part of a decisional process. Secondly, exploring the underlying motivation for treatment wishes can give insights into patient's wishes, values and needs. Lastly, healthcare professionals who demonstrated an adaptive, curious and engaged attitude throughout the ACP process achieved more person-centred ACP conversations. This coincided with elaborating on the patient's emotions, fears and worries. CONCLUSION: Person-centred and treatment-centred focus varied within the ACP conversations in the MUTUAL intervention. Certain strategies by healthcare professionals facilitated a more person-centred focus