Corrections to updated analyses of the results from the Island Closure Feasibility Study for the Dassen/Robben Island pair given in Appendix A of MARAM/IWS/DEC14/Peng/B12

DAFF have recently advised of detection of errors in the data agreed to be used to provide results from the island closure feasibility study to be presented to the Panel, as listed in document MARAM/IWS/DEC14/Peng/C1. This involves the recruit survey biomass series advised; the errors are corrected in a revised Table provided in MARAM/IWS/DEC14/Peng/C4. These errors affect only the results for method (iv) for Dassen and Robben Islands which were reported in Appendix A of MARAM/IWS/DEC14/Peng/B12. These analyses have consequently been repeated with the corrected data

Spin heat accumulation and its relaxation in spin valves

We study the concept of spin heat accumulation in excited spin valves, more precisely the effective electron temperature that may become spin dependent, both in linear response and far from equilibrium. A temperature or voltage gradient create non-equilibrium energy distributions of the two spin ensembles in the normal metal spacer, which approach Fermi-Dirac functions through energy relaxation mediated by electron-electron and electron-phonon coupling. Both mechanisms also exchange energy between the spin subsystems. This inter-spin energy exchange may strongly affect thermoelectric properties spin valves, leading, e.g., to violations of the Wiedemann-Franz law.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, close to published versio

Polygynous Muslim Marriages in South Africa: Their Potential Impact on the Incidence of HIV/AIDS

This article examines whether there is any relationship between the institution of polygynous marriages in Islam and the incidence or spread of the disease. It is suggested that, while polygyny may be a contributing factor, it is not the institution of marriage per se that relates to the disease (although the prospect of greater infection intra marriage must be present in polygynous marriages, if the husband is the infecting party), but the conduct of the parties to the marriage relationship, whatever its nature.The focus and thrust lies with the institution of polygyny in Islam, the South African response to polygyny, the (potential) impact of polygyny on the incidence of AIDS, and the contribution that both an informed approach to HIV and an enlightened approach to the application of Islamic values could or would have on the limitation of the disease's spread   

Updated analyses of the results from the Island Closure Feasibility Study for the Dassen/Robben and St Croix/Bird Island pairs given revised data and responses to matters raised in documents

Repetition of earlier analyses of the data from the island closure feasibility study, given some corrected and extended data series, makes little change to results for Robben and Dassen Islands, except that the estimated power of foraging–related response variables to achieve statistically significant results decreases appreciably. However for St Croix Island, the inference of a negative impact of fishing is strengthened. The rationales offered in MARAM/IWS/DEC14/Peng/A3 for using closure instead of catch as a covariate in the analysis, and for restricting data to the years from 2008 onwards, are questioned. Comparisons conducted by applying the MARAM/IWS/DEC14/Peng/B4 approach, which uses annual means of response variables, indicate that the use of closure rather than catch as the covariate generally results in poorer precision and fewer statistically significant estimates of the fishing effect parameter λ. Furthermore when catch is used as the covariate, appreciably better precision for estimates of λ is generally achieved by including all years in the analyses, rather than by restricting them to the period from 2008 onwards. Importantly comparative estimates of λ from the Peng/B4 approach are shown to achieve better precision generally than those from the more complex and data-intensive Peng/A3 approach, thus negating the assertions in Peng/A1 and Peng/A2 that estimates from the former are compromised by their dependence on response variable means alone. The failure of Peng/A3 to report the variance estimates needed for input to the power analysis required for the feasibility study is noted. Furthermore Peng/A3 offers no specification of the simulation studies necessary to carry out a power analysis for the estimators which it proposes, so that it has failed to address this key first step in this overall closure study process. Peng/A3 has prodived some strongish evidence that closures may benefit penguins, but for the Eastern Cape colonies only. However it has failed to address the primary aim of the feasibility study itself to ascertain for how long an experimental closures programme would need to continue for reliable determination of the impact of fishing in the near vicinity of island colonies on penguin reproductive success. Use of the Peng/B4 approach indicates that this period is appreciably lengthened if data for analyses are to be restricted to the years from 2008 onwards only, and particularly so if closure replaces catch as a covariate

Hen egg white bovine colostrum supplement reduces symptoms of mild/moderate COVID-19: a randomized control trial

Aim: The ability of a hen egg white bovine colostrum supplement to prevent severe COVID-19 was tested in a double-blind randomized control study. Methods: Adults with mild/moderate COVID-19, risk factors for severe disease, and within 5 days of symptom onset were assigned to the intervention (n = 77) or placebo (n = 79) arms. Symptoms were documented until day 42 post-enrollment and viral clearance was assessed at 11-13 days post-symptom onset. Results: One participant developed severe COVID-19. The severe-type symptom score was lower in the active arm at 11-13 days post-symptom onset (p = 0.049). Chest pain, fever/chills, joint pain/malaise, and sore throat were significantly less frequent in the active arm. No differences in viral clearance were observed. Conclusion: The intervention reduced symptoms of mild/moderate COVID-19

Thermoelectric Effects in Magnetic Nanostructures

We model and evaluate the Peltier and Seebeck effects in magnetic multilayer nanostructures by a finite-element theory of thermoelectric properties. We present analytical expressions for the thermopower and the current-induced temperature changes due to Peltier cooling/heating. The thermopower of a magnetic element is in general spin-polarized, leading to spin-heat coupling effects. Thermoelectric effects in spin valves depend on the relative alignment of the magnetization directions and are sensitive to spin-flip scattering as well as inelastic collisions in the normal metal spacer.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Publishe

Pulmonary nodules associated with JAK inhibitor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may receive Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors to achieve optimal control of their disease. We report a case of a patient who received a selective JAK1 inhibitor and subsequently developed multiple pulmonary nodules with cavitation. Biopsies confirmed the presence of cryptococcosis and the patient responded well to anti-fungal therapy.http://www.ajtccm.org.za/index.php/SARJam2022Internal Medicin