Corrigendum: Solar cycles or random processes? Evaluating solar variability in Holocene climate records

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.The article to which this is the corrigendum is in ORE at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/21766A coding error in the Monte Carlo procedure for the determination of critical values in running correlation analysis (presented in Supplementary Data S8) has been brought to the attention of the authors.[...

Simultaneous determination of wave speed and arrival time of reflected waves using the pressure-velocity loop

This is the post print version of the article. The official published version can be found at the link below.In a previous paper we demonstrated that the linear portion of the pressure–velocity loop (PU-loop) corresponding to early systole could be used to calculate the local wave speed. In this paper we extend this work to show that determination of the time at which the PU-loop first deviates from linearity provides a convenient way to determine the arrival time of reflected waves (Tr). We also present a new technique using the PU-loop that allows for the determination of wave speed and Tr simultaneously. We measured pressure and flow in elastic tubes of different diameters, where a strong reflection site existed at known distances away form the measurement site. We also measured pressure and flow in the ascending aorta of 11 anaesthetised dogs where a strong reflection site was produced through total arterial occlusion at four different sites. Wave speed was determined from the initial slope of the PU-loop and Tr was determined using a new algorithm that detects the sampling point at which the initial linear part of the PU-loop deviates from linearity. The results of the new technique for detecting Tr were comparable to those determined using the foot-to-foot and wave intensity analysis methods. In elastic tubes Tr detected using the new algorithm was almost identical to that detected using wave intensity analysis and foot-to-foot methods with a maximum difference of 2%. Tr detected using the PU-loop in vivo highly correlated with that detected using wave intensity analysis (r 2 = 0.83, P < 0.001). We conclude that the new technique described in this paper offers a convenient and objective method for detecting Tr, and allows for the dynamic determination of wave speed and Tr, simultaneously

A comparison of laboratory analysis methods for total phenolic content of cider

Total phenolic content is widely accepted as a key measure of quality for cider. Apple juice and cider, made from six apple varieties including dessert and cider apples, were analysed for total phenolics using three different methods: (a) the Folin-Ciocalteu method, (b) the Somers method (a spectrophotometric method developed specifically for wine), and (c) ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) as a benchmark test. Of these approaches, the Somers method had the strongest correlation with UPLC with an R2 value of 0.99, whilst the Folin-Ciocalteu correlated with UPLC with an R2 value of 0.89. The Folin-Ciocalteu method also had a strong positive correlation with the Somers approach with an R2 value of 0.91. Correlations between methods were strongest for apple varieties that were naturally high in phenolic content. These results highlight the potential of the Somers method to rapidly, inexpensively, and accurately report the total phenolic content of apple juice and ciders made from dessert and cider apple varieties

Clinical and molecular genetic features of pulmonary hypertension in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia

BACKGROUND: Most patients with familial primary pulmonary hypertension have defects in the gene for bone morphogenetic protein receptor II (BMPR2), a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of receptors. Because patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia may have lung disease that is indistinguishable from primary pulmonary hypertension, we investigated the genetic basis of lung disease in these patients. METHODS: We evaluated members of five kindreds plus one individual patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and identified 10 cases of pulmonary hypertension. In the two largest families, we used microsatellite markers to test for linkage to genes encoding TGF-beta-receptor proteins, including endoglin and activin-receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1), and BMPR2. In subjects with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and pulmonary hypertension, we also scanned ALK1 and BMPR2 for mutations. RESULTS: We identified suggestive linkage of pulmonary hypertension with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia on chromosome 12q13, a region that includes ALK1. We identified amino acid changes in activin-receptor-like kinase 1 that were inherited in subjects who had a disorder with clinical and histologic features indistinguishable from those of primary pulmonary hypertension. Immunohistochemical analysis in four subjects and one control showed pulmonary vascular endothelial expression of activin-receptor-like kinase 1 in normal and diseased pulmonary arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary hypertension in association with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia can involve mutations in ALK1. These mutations are associated with diverse effects, including the vascular dilatation characteristic of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and the occlusion of small pulmonary arteries that is typical of primary pulmonary hypertension

Elucidating the aetiology of human Campylobacter coli infections

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Abdominal surgical site infections: incidence and risk factors at an Iranian teaching hospital

BACKGROUND: Abdominal surgical site infections are among the most common complications of inpatient admissions and have serious consequences for outcomes and costs. Different risk factors may be involved, including age, sex, nutrition and immunity, prophylactic antibiotics, operation type and duration, type of shaving, and secondary infections. This study aimed to determine the risk factors affecting abdominal surgical site infections and their incidence at Imam Khomeini, a major referral teaching hospital in Iran. METHODS: Patients (n = 802) who had undergone abdominal surgery were studied and the relationships among variables were analyzed by Student's t and Chi-square tests. The subjects were followed for 30 days and by a 20-item questionnaire. Data were collected through pre- and post-operative examinations and telephone follow-ups. RESULTS: Of the 802 patients, 139 suffered from SSI (17.4%). In 40.8% of the cases, the wound was dirty infected. The average age for the patients was 46.7 years. The operations were elective in 75.7% of the cases and 24.7% were urgent. The average duration of the operation was 2.24 hours, the average duration of pre-operative hospital stay 4.31 days and the average length of (pre- and post-operation) hospital stay 11.2 days. Three quarters of the cases were shaved 12 hours before the operation. The increased operation time, increased bed stay, electivity of the operation, septicity of the wound, type of incision, the administration of prophylactic antibiotic, type of operation, background disease, and the increased time lapse between shaving and operation all significantly associated with SSI with a p-value less than 0.001. CONCLUSION: In view of the high rate of SSI reported here (17.4% compared with the 14% quoted in literature), this study suggests that by reducing the average operation time to less than 2 hours, the average preoperative stay to 4 days and the overall stay to less than 11 days, and approximating the timing of shaving to the operation and substituting cefazolin for cefaluthin when prophylactic antibiotic is to be administered, the SSI may be reduced to a more acceptable level

Violent video games and morality: a meta-ethical approach

This paper considers what it is about violent video games that leads one reasonably minded person to declare "That is immoral" while another denies it. Three interpretations of video game content a re discussed: reductionist, narrow, and broad. It is argued that a broad interpretation is required for a moral objection to be justified. It is further argued that understanding the meaning of moral utterances – like "x is immoral" – is important to an understanding of why there is a lack of moral consensus when it comes to the content of violent video games. Constructive ecumenical expressivism is presented as a means of explaining what it is that we are doing when we make moral pronouncements and why, when it comes to video game content, differing moral attitudes abound. Constructive ecumenical expressivism is also presented as a means of illuminating what would be required for moral consensus to be achieved

Comparative mapping of expressed sequence tags containing microsatellites in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

BACKGROUND: Comparative genomics, through the integration of genetic maps from species of interest with whole genome sequences of other species, will facilitate the identification of genes affecting phenotypes of interest. The development of microsatellite markers from expressed sequence tags will serve to increase marker densities on current salmonid genetic maps and initiate in silico comparative maps with species whose genomes have been fully sequenced. RESULTS: Eighty-nine polymorphic microsatellite markers were generated for rainbow trout of which at least 74 amplify in other salmonids. Fifty-five have been associated with functional annotation and 30 were mapped on existing genetic maps. Homologous sequences were identified for 20 of the EST containing microsatellites to identify comparative assignments within the tetraodon, mouse, and/or human genomes. CONCLUSION: The addition of microsatellite markers constructed from expressed sequence tag data will facilitate the development of high-density genetic maps for rainbow trout and comparative maps with other salmonids and better studied species