Luteinizing hormone concentrations in healthy horses and horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking over an 8-hour period.

BackgroundTrigeminal-mediated headshaking results from a low threshold for firing of the trigeminal nerve. A seasonal component has been implicated in onset of clinical signs, which occur during the spring and summer months. Geldings are overrepresented in the affected population and hormonal differences as compared to a healthy control population of geldings might contribute to headshaking.Objective/hypothesisTo assess concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) over an 8-hour period in gelded healthy controls and horses affected with headshaking. Our hypothesis was that geldings with seasonal headshaking would have higher concentrations of LH over an 8-hour period compared to control horses during the summer when affected horses manifested headshaking.AnimalsTwelve geldings (6 controls and 6 affected).MethodsProspective controlled trial. Blood samples were drawn every 15 minutes over an 8-hour time period during summer from all horses to measure circulating LH concentrations by using a radioimmunoassay for equine LH. All affected horses were actively affected by headshaking at the time of sample collection.ResultsNo statistically significant differences in LH concentrations were found throughout the study period in headshakers as compared to control horses. Time had no significant effect, but a slight decrease in LH concentrations was observed for all horses. The main limitation of the study was the low number of horses.Conclusions and clinical importanceHorses affected with headshaking did not have significant differences in circulating LH during the late summer as compared to control horses

Acceptance of Automated Road Transport Systems (ARTS): an adaptation of the UTAUT model

As research into innovative forms of automated transportation systems gains momentum, it is important that we develop an understanding of the factors that will impact the adoption of these systems. In an effort to address this issue, the European project CityMobil2 is collecting data around large-scale demonstrations of Automated Road Transport Systems (ARTS) in a number of cities across Europe. For these systems to be successful, user acceptance is vital. The current study used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to investigate the factors which might influence acceptance of ARTS vehicles, which were operational in two locations in Europe. The results indicate that the UTAUT constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence were all useful predictors of behavioural intentions to use ARTS, with performance expectancy having the strongest impact. However, it would appear that other factors are also needed in order for the model to strongly predict behavioural intentions in an automated transport context. Based on these findings, a number of implications for developers and ideas for future research are suggested

Temperature Dependence of Exciton Diffusion in Conjugated Polymers

The temperature dependence of the exciton dynamics in a conjugated polymer is studied using time-resolved spectroscopy. Photoluminescence decays were measured in heterostructured samples containing a sharp polymer-fullerene interface, which acts as an exciton quenching wall. Using a 1D diffusion model, the exciton diffusion length and diffusion coefficient were extracted in the temperature range of 4-293 K. The exciton dynamics reveal two temperature regimes: in the range of 4-150 K, the exciton diffusion length (coefficient) of ~3 nm (~1.5 × 10-4 cm2/s) is nearly temperature independent. Increasing the temperature up to 293 K leads to a gradual growth up to 4.5 nm (~3.2 × 10-4 cm2/s). This demonstrates that exciton diffusion in conjugated polymers is governed by two processes: an initial downhill migration toward lower energy states in the inhomogenously broadened density of states, followed by temperature activated hopping. The latter process is switched off below 150 K.

Bacterial and fungal communities are differentially modified by melatonin in agricultural soils under abiotic stress

An extensive body of evidence from the last decade has indicated that melatonin enhances plant resistance to a range of biotic and abiotic stressors. This has led to an interest in the application of melatonin in agriculture to reduce negative physiological effects from environmental stresses that affect yield and crop quality. However, there are no reports regarding the effects of melatonin on soil microbial communities under abiotic stress, despite the importance of microbes for plant root health and function. Three agricultural soils associated with different land usage histories (pasture, canola or wheat) were placed under abiotic stress by cadmium (100 or 280 mg kg−1 soil) or salt (4 or 7 g kg−1 soil) and treated with melatonin (0.2 and 4 mg kg−1 soil). Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) was used to generate Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) for microbial community analysis in each soil. Significant differences in richness (α diversity) and community structures (β diversity) were observed between bacterial and fungal assemblages across all three soils, demonstrating the effect of melatonin on soil microbial communities under abiotic stress. The analysis also indicated that the microbial response to melatonin is governed by the type of soil and history. The effects of melatonin on soil microbes need to be regarded in potential future agricultural applications

Accounting students' IT applicaton skills over a 10-year period

This paper reports on the changing nature of a range of information technology (IT) application skills that students declare on entering an accounting degree over the period from 1996 to 2006. Accounting educators need to be aware of the IT skills students bring with them to university because of the implications this has for learning and teaching within the discipline and the importance of both general and specific IT skills within the practice and craft of accounting. Additionally, IT skills constitute a significant element within the portfolio of employability skills that are increasingly demanded by employers and emphasized within the overall Higher Education (HE) agenda. The analysis of students' reported IT application skills on entry to university, across a range of the most relevant areas of IT use in accounting, suggest that their skills have continued to improve over time. However, there are significant differential patterns of change through the years and within cohorts. The paper addresses the generalizability of these findings and discusses the implications of these factors for accounting educators, including the importance of recognising the differences that are potentially masked by the general increase in skills; the need for further research into the changing nature, and implications, of the gender gap in entrants' IT application skills; and the low levels of entrants' spreadsheet and database skills that are a cause for concern

Medication-Wide Association Studies

Undiscovered side effects of drugs can have a profound effect on the health of the nation, and electronic health-care databases offer opportunities to speed up the discovery of these side effects. We applied a “medication-wide association study” approach that combined multivariate analysis with exploratory visualization to study four health outcomes of interest in an administrative claims database of 46 million patients and a clinical database of 11 million patients. The technique had good predictive value, but there was no threshold high enough to eliminate false-positive findings. The visualization not only highlighted the class effects that strengthened the review of specific products but also underscored the challenges in confounding. These findings suggest that observational databases are useful for identifying potential associations that warrant further consideration but are unlikely to provide definitive evidence of causal effects

Comparing families of dynamic causal models

Mathematical models of scientific data can be formally compared using Bayesian model evidence. Previous applications in the biological sciences have mainly focussed on model selection in which one first selects the model with the highest evidence and then makes inferences based on the parameters of that model. This “best model” approach is very useful but can become brittle if there are a large number of models to compare, and if different subjects use different models. To overcome this shortcoming we propose the combination of two further approaches: (i) family level inference and (ii) Bayesian model averaging within families. Family level inference removes uncertainty about aspects of model structure other than the characteristic of interest. For example: What are the inputs to the system? Is processing serial or parallel? Is it linear or nonlinear? Is it mediated by a single, crucial connection? We apply Bayesian model averaging within families to provide inferences about parameters that are independent of further assumptions about model structure. We illustrate the methods using Dynamic Causal Models of brain imaging data

Antiplatelet treatment compared with anticoagulation treatment for cervical artery dissection (CADISS): a randomised trial

Background: Extracranial carotid and vertebral artery dissection is an important cause of stroke, especially in young people. In some observational studies it has been associated with a high risk of recurrent stroke. Both antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulant drugs are used to reduce risk of stroke but whether one treatment strategy is more effective than the other is unknown. We compared their efficacy in the Cervical Artery Dissection in Stroke Study (CADISS), with the additional aim of establishing the true risk of recurrent stroke. Methods: We did this randomised trial at hospitals with specialised stroke or neurology services (39 in the UK and seven in Australia). We included patients with extracranial carotid and vertebral dissection with onset of symptoms within the past 7 days. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by an automated telephone randomisation service to receive antiplatelet drugs or anticoagulant drugs (specific treatment decided by the local clinician) for 3 months. Patients and clinicians were not masked to allocation, but investigators assessing endpoints were. The primary endpoint was ipsilateral stroke or death in the intention-to-treat population. The trial was registered with EUDract (2006-002827-18) and ISRN (CTN44555237). Findings: We enrolled 250 participants (118 carotid, 132 vertebral). Mean time to randomisation was 3·65 days (SD 1·91). The major presenting symptoms were stroke or transient ischaemic attack (n=224) and local symptoms (headache, neck pain, or Horner's syndrome; n=26). 126 participants were assigned to antiplatelet treatment versus 124 to anticoagulant treatment. Overall, four (2%) of 250 patients had stroke recurrence (all ipsilateral). Stroke or death occurred in three (2%) of 126 patients versus one (1%) of 124 (odds ratio [OR] 0·335, 95% CI 0·006–4·233; p=0·63). There were no deaths, but one major bleeding (subarachnoid haemorrhage) in the anticoagulant group. Central review of imaging failed to confirm dissection in 52 patients. Preplanned per-protocol analysis excluding these patients showed stroke or death in three (3%) of 101 patients in the antiplatelet group versus one (1%) of 96 patients in the anticoagulant group (OR 0·346, 95% CI 0·006–4·390; p=0·66). Interpretation: We found no difference in efficacy of antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs at preventing stroke and death in patients with symptomatic carotid and vertebral artery dissection but stroke was rare in both groups, and much rarer than reported in some observational studies. Diagnosis of dissection was not confirmed after review in many cases, suggesting that radiographic criteria are not always correctly applied in routine clinical practice. Funding: Stroke Association.H.S. Markus ... T. Kleinig ... et al. (CADISS trial investigators