A randomized trial of brief intervention strategies in patients with alcohol-related facial trauma as a result of interpersonal violence

Facial trauma is associated with male gender, low socioeconomic status, alcohol misuse, and violence. Brief intervention (BI) for alcohol is effective at reducing consumption in patients presenting with facial trauma. Singlesession control of violence for angry impulsive drinkers(SS-COVAID) is a new intervention that attempts to address alcohol-related violence. This study assessed the effect of SS-COVAID and BI on drinking and aggression in facial trauma patients. Male facial trauma patients who sustained their injuries as a result of interpersonal violence while drinking and who had Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores of ≥8 were randomized to either BI or SS-COVAID. Patients were followed up at six and 12 months, and drinking and aggression outcomes were analyzed. One hundred ninety-nine patients entered the trial, and 187 were included in the analysis. Of these, 165 (89%) considered themselves to be victims, 92 (51%) had sustained a previous alcohol-related injury, and 28 (15%) had previous convictions for violence. Both interventions resulted in a significant decrease in negative drinking outcomes over 12 months of follow-up (p<0.001). Neither intervention had a significant effect on aggression scores, nor was there a significant difference between interventions in terms of either outcome. Both SS-COVAID and BI had a significant effect on drinking variables in this patient cohort. No effect on aggressionwas seen despite the fact that SS-COVAID specifically addresses the relationship between alcohol and violence. One reason for this may be that the facial trauma patients in this study considered themselves to be victims rather than aggressors. Another possibility is that, while BI may successfully address lifestyle factors such as hazardous or harmful drinking, it may not be effective in modifying personality traits such as aggression

Eradication of two incursions of the Red Imported Fire Ant in Queensland, Australia

Of the five known incursions of the highly invasive Red Imported Fire Ant in Australia, two are regarded to have been eradicated. As treatment efforts continue, and the programme evolves and new tools become available, eradication is still considered to be feasible for the remaining Red Imported Fire Ant populations with long-term commitment and support

Collaborative Parcels Logistics via the Carrier’s Carrier Operating Model

Parcel logistics in urban areas are characterized by many carriers undertaking similar activity patterns at the same times of day. Using substantial carrier manifest datasets, this paper demonstrates advantages from rival carriers collaborating using a “carrier’s carrier” operating model for their last-mile parcel logistics operations. Under these circumstances, a single carrier undertakes all the deliveries within a defined area on behalf of the carriers instead of them working independently. Modelling the daily delivery activity of five parcel carriers working over a 3.7 km2 area of central London, comprising around 3000 items being delivered to around 900 delivery locations, and consolidating their activity through a single carrier suggested that time, distance and associated vehicle emissions savings of around 60% could be achieved over the current business-as-usual operation. This equated to a reduction in the number of delivery vans and drivers needed from 33 to 13, with annual savings of 39,425 h, 176,324 km driven, 52,721 kg CO2 and 56.4 kg NOx. Reliance on vans and associated vehicle emissions could be reduced further by using cargo cycles alongside vans for the last-mile delivery, with estimated annual emissions savings increasing to 72,572 kg CO2 and 77.7 kg NOx. The results indicated that consolidation of items for delivery in this way would be especially beneficial to business-to-consumer (B2C) carriers whose parcel profiles comprise relatively small and light items. One of the key barriers to the wider take up of such services by individual carriers is the loss of individual brand identity that can result from operating through a carrier’s carrier

OxyCAP UK: Oxyfuel Combustion - academic Programme for the UK

The OxyCAP-UK (Oxyfuel Combustion - Academic Programme for the UK) programme was a £2 M collaboration involving researchers from seven UK universities, supported by E.On and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The programme, which ran from November 2009 to July 2014, has successfully completed a broad range of activities related to development of oxyfuel power plants. This paper provides an overview of key findings arising from the programme. It covers development of UK research pilot test facilities for oxyfuel applications; 2-D and 3-D flame imaging systems for monitoring, analysis and diagnostics; fuel characterisation of biomass and coal for oxyfuel combustion applications; ash transformation/deposition in oxyfuel combustion systems; materials and corrosion in oxyfuel combustion systems; and development of advanced simulation based on CFD modelling

Nondisjunction and transmission ratio distortion ofChromosome 2 in a (2.8) Robertsonian translocation mouse strain

Aneuploidy results from nondisjunction of chromosomes in meiosis and is the leading cause of developmental disabilities and mental retardation in humans. Therefore, understanding aspects of chromosome segregation in a genetic model is of value. Mice heterozygous for a (2.8) Robertsonian translocation were intercrossed with chromosomally normal mice and Chromosome 2 was genotyped for number and parental origin in 836 individuals at 8.5 dpc. The frequency of nondisjunction of this Robertsonian chromosome is 1.58%. Trisomy of Chromosome 2 with two maternally derived chromosomes is the most developmentally successful aneuploid karyotype at 8.5 dpc. Trisomy of Chromosome 2 with two paternally derived chromosomes is developmentally delayed and less frequent than the converse. Individuals with maternal or paternal uniparental disomy of Chromosome 2 were not detected at 8.5 dpc. Nondisjunction events were distributed randomly across litters, i.e., no evidence for clustering was found. Transmission ratio distortion is frequently observed in Robertsonian chromosomes and a bias against the transmission of the (2.8) Chromosome was detected. Interestingly, this was observed for female and male transmitting parents

Το λογισμικό SpatialAnalyzer & εφαρμογές του σε προβλήματα βιομηχανικής γεωδαισίας

This paper reports a first study exploring genomic prediction for adaptation of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] to drought-stress (D-ET) and nonstress (W-ET) environment types. The objective was to evaluate the impact of both modeling genotype × environment interaction (G×E) and accounting for heterogeneous variances of marker effects on genomic prediction of parental breeding values for grain yield within and across environment types (ETs). For this aim, different genetic covariance structures and different weights for individual markers were investigated in best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP)-based prediction models. The BLUP models used a kinship matrix combining pedigree and genomic information, termed K-BLUP. The dataset comprised testcross yield performances under D-ET and W-ET as well as pedigree and genomic data. In general, modeling G×E increased predictive ability and reduced empirical bias of genomic predictions for broad adaptation across both ETs vs. models that ignored G×E by fitting a main genetic effect only. Genomic predictions for specific adaptation to D-ET or W-ET were also improved by K-BLUP models that explicitly accommodated G×E and used data from both ETs relative to prediction models that used data from the targeted ET exclusively or models that used all the data but assumed no G×E. Allowing for heterogeneous marker variances through weighted K-BLUP produced clear increments (43–72%) in predictive ability of genomic prediction for grain yield in all adaptation scenarios. We conclude that G×E as well as locus-specific genetic variances should be accommodated in genomic prediction models to improve adaptability of sorghum to variable environmental conditions

Comparison of deep-ocean finescale shear at two sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Author Posting. © The Author, 2005. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 53 (2006): 207-225, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2005.08.021.Four drifting floats were used to measure the magnitude of the vertical derivative of horizontal velocity in waters above the rough bathymetry of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. This derivative is typically the dominant component of the velocity gradient (the shear). Two floats were at the site of the Brazil Basin Tracer Release Experiment (BBTRE) in the South Atlantic, and two were near the site of the Guiana Abyssal Gyre Experiment (GAGE) in the North Atlantic. Floats operated for one year except for one BBTRE float which operated for 100 days. Shear was measured over a vertical span of 9.5 m using drag elements that caused the floats to rotate slowly in response to shear. For each float, the first, second and fourth moments of shear were elevated above levels associated with the Garrett-Munk model internal-wave spectrum. Three of the four floats were tracked as they moved over mountainous terrain, allowing shear intensity to be measured as a function of height above the bottom. A deep BBTRE float showed enhancement of rms shear near the bottom. Floats at both areas provided measurements at 2000 m above the bottom, with differing results: The GAGE site had a lower fourth moment of shear (diapycnal diffusivity proxy) than the BBTRE site. However, application of normalization factors accounting for differences between the sites in bottom roughness, latitude-dependent internal-wave dynamics, and tidal current speeds brings the results into agreement.This work was funded by the National Science Foundation under grants OCE9416014 and OCE9906685

Extraction and high-throughput sequencing of oak heartwood DNA: Assessing the feasibility of genome-wide DNA methylation profiling.

Tree ring features are affected by environmental factors and therefore are the basis for dendrochronological studies to reconstruct past environmental conditions. Oak wood often provides the data for these studies because of the durability of oak heartwood and hence the availability of samples spanning long time periods of the distant past. Wood formation is regulated in part by epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation. Studies of the methylation state of DNA preserved in oak heartwood thus could identify epigenetic tree ring features informing on past environmental conditions. In this study, we aimed to establish protocols for the extraction of DNA, the high-throughput sequencing of whole-genome DNA libraries (WGS) and the profiling of DNA methylation by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) for oak (Quercus robur) heartwood drill cores taken from the trunks of living standing trees spanning the AD 1776-2014 time period. Heartwood contains little DNA, and large amounts of phenolic compounds known to hinder the preparation of high-throughput sequencing libraries. Whole-genome and DNA methylome library preparation and sequencing consistently failed for oak heartwood samples more than 100 and 50 years of age, respectively. DNA fragmentation increased with sample age and was exacerbated by the additional bisulfite treatment step during methylome library preparation. Relative coverage of the non-repetitive portion of the oak genome was sparse. These results suggest that quantitative methylome studies of oak hardwood will likely be limited to relatively recent samples and will require a high sequencing depth to achieve sufficient genome coverage