Secondhand aerosol exposure during mechanical ventilation with and without expiratory filters: An in-vitro study

Background: Concerns have been expressed about risk of exposure to exhaled aerosols to ICU personnel. AIM: To quantify amount of aerosol collected at the exhaust outlet of mechanical ventilators operated with and without filters in the expiratory limb. Methods: Two categories of ventilators were tested: (1) Ventilators without Proprietary Filters: Servo-i (Maquet) and Galileo (Hamilton) and (2) Ventilator with proprietary filters: PB 840 (Covidien). Each ventilator was attached to a simple test lung and operated with VT 500 ml, RR 20 bpm, PIF 50 L/min, PEEP 5 cmH2O. Four separate doses of albuterol (2.5 mg/3mL) were administered via jet nebuliser (eValueMed, Tri-anim) placed at the “Y”. In Experiment A, a filter (Respirgard 303) was placed at the exhaust port. In Experiment B, two filters were attached to the ventilators without proprietary filters: (1) at the end of expiratory limb and (2) at the exhaust outlet. Drug was eluted from filters and measured using spectrophotometry. Results: Drug deposited at the exhaust port without expiratory filtering was \u3e160 fold higher than with expiratory filtering. The collecting filter used in this study was less efficient than the proprietary filter designed for use with the ventilator. Regardless of type of filter used, placement of filter in the expiratory limb reduced secondhand aerosol exposure significantly. Conclusion: Risk of secondhand exposure to exhaled aerosol can account for \u3e45% of nominal dose as well as droplet nuclei produced by patients. Using expiratory filters decreases risk of exposure to aerosol released to the atmosphere during mechanical ventilation

Effects of R&D implementation on the performance of publicly funded research in Sultan Qaboos University

Models of R&D account for technical, technological and administrative factors of R&D implementation but underestimate the influence of behavioural and political factors such as power and conflict. They assume that R&D organisation is “well-insulated” from partisan, emotions, political reactions and contextual factors and that decision makers are rational and decisions are taken to best fit the content of R&D programme. The present study explores the effects of rational and irrational factors in the R&D implementation process on the performance of publicly funded research projects in universities. It uses realist and qualitative exploratory semi-structured interviews with 22 active researchers in Sultan Qaboos University provides “depth and detail” of the complexities of R&D implementation effects on its performance. The study discovers 18 measures of success of academic research and 30 effects of R&D implementation of the performance of publicly funded research.The study concludes that the iterative, non-linear and processual nature of R&D implementation is a continuous dynamic system. R&D success builds up the capacity for future success whilst failures decrease the chances of future successes. The integrated effects of implementation (IEI) influence R&D performance through technical and administrative capability of the R&D organisation as well as through behaviours of organisation members. These include leaders’ behaviours, conflict and political skills within individuals. Both success dynamism and IEI suggest contextualism implementation of R&D.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

New Material of the Earliest Hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad

Anthropolog

Understanding employee resourcing in construction organizations

In recent years the literature on employee resourcing has consistently advocated the importance of adopting a holistic, strategic approach to employee deployment decision making rather than adopting a reactive needs-based approach. This is particularly problematic in construction where the multi-project environment leads to constantly changing resource requirements and to changing demands over a project's life cycle. This can lead to inappropriate decisions, which fail to meet the longer-term needs of both construction organizations and their employees. A structured and comprehensive understanding of the current project team deployment practices within large construction organizations was developed. Project deployment practices were examined within seven case study contracting firms. The emergent themes that shaped the decision-making processes were grouped into five broad clusters comprising human resource planning, performance/career management, team deployment, employee involvement and training and development. The research confirms that a reactive and ad hoc approach to the function prevails within the firms investigated. This suggests a weak relationship between the deployment process and human resource planning, team deployment, performance management, employee involvement and training and development activities. It is suggested that strategic HR-business partnering could engender more transparent and productive relationships in this crucial area

Effect of arsenic-phosphorus interaction on arsenic-induced oxidative stress in chickpea plants

Arsenic-induced oxidative stress in chickpea was investigated under glasshouse conditions in response to application of arsenic and phosphorus. Three levels of arsenic (0, 30 and 60 mg kg−1) and four levels of P (50, 100, 200, and 400 mg kg−1) were applied to soil-grown plants. Increasing levels of both arsenic and P significantly increased arsenic concentrations in the plants. Shoot growth was reduced with increased arsenic supply regardless of applied P levels. Applied arsenic induced oxidative stress in the plants, and the concentrations of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation were increased. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and concentrations of non-enzymatic antioxidants decreased in these plants, but activities of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were significantly increased under arsenic phytotoxicity. Increased supply of P decreased activities of CAT and APX, and decreased concentrations of non-enzymatic antioxidants, but the high-P plants had lowered lipid peroxidation. It can be concluded that P increased uptake of arsenic from the soil, probably by making it more available, but although plant growth was inhibited by arsenic the P may have partially protected the membranes from arsenic-induced oxidative stress

Forecasting exchange rate volatility: GARCH models versus implied volatility forecasts

This study investigates whether different specifications of univariate GARCH models can usefully forecast volatility in the foreign exchange market. The study compares in-sample forecasts from symmetric and asymmetric GARCH models with the implied volatility derived from currency options for four dollar parities. The data set covers the period 2002 to 2012. We divide the data into two periods one for the period 2002 to 2007 which is characterised by low volatility and the other for the period 2008 to 2012 characterised by high volatility. The results of this paper reveal that the implied volatility forecasts significantly outperforms the three GARCH models in both low and high volatility periods. The results strongly suggest that the foreign exchange market efficiently prices in future volatility

Sexual dimorphism in Dryopithecus africanus

Among the numerous specimens presently classified within Dryopithecus africanus only one can be identified as a male of this species. Poor sampling is not the reason for the unequal numbers of male and female specimens. Rather, the males have been classified elsewhere, specifically within Dryopithecus nyanzae and “ Kenyapithecus africanus. ” The specimens to be transferred from these two taxa are proved to be males of D. africanus. The newly transferred males are compared with the females to show the cranial dimorphism of the species.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41596/1/10329_2005_Article_BF01793659.pd

A Multivariate Analysis of United States and Global Real Estate Investment Trusts

Using daily data for the period February 2006 to July 2013 we examine the return and volatility linkages between the two main United States REIT sub-sectors and global linkages between the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions using the BEKK-GARCH and the DCC-GARCH models. We find that there is no evidence of any volatility spillovers between the US sub-sectors. By contrast, we find evidence of volatility spillovers between the Asia Pacific and the Americas, the Asia Pacific and Europe but no spillovers between the United States and Europe. Our results suggest that the REIT market is becoming increasingly globalized and that investors need to consider time varying volatility and correlations across different regions of the world when forming their optimal portfolio-allocations