Argo real-time quality control intercomparison

The real-time quality control (RTQC) methods applied to Argo profiling float data by the United Kingdom (UK) Met Office, the United States (US) Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Centre, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Coriolis Centre are compared and contrasted. Data are taken from the period 2007 to 2011 inclusive and RTQC performance is assessed with respect to Argo delayed-mode quality control (DMQC). An intercomparison of RTQC techniques is performed using a common data set of profiles from 2010 and 2011. The RTQC systems are found to have similar power in identifying faulty Argo profiles but to vary widely in the number of good profiles incorrectly rejected. The efficacy of individual QC tests are inferred from the results of the intercomparison. Techniques to increase QC performance are discussed

Improvement in Peripheral Glucose Uptake After Gastric Bypass Surgery Is Observed Only After Substantial Weight Loss Has Occurred and Correlates with the Magnitude of Weight Lost

# 2009 The Author(s). This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Introduction Altered gut and pancreatic hormone secretion may bolster resolution of insulin resistance after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), but the independent effects of weight loss and hormonal secretion on peripheral glucose disposal are unknown. Methods Two groups of nondiabetic morbidly obese patients were studied: RYGB followed by standardized caloric restriction (RYGB, n=12) or caloric restriction alone (diet, n=10). Metabolic evaluations (euglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamp, meal tolerance test) were done at baseline and 14 days (both groups) and 6 months after RYGB

Vernix caseosa peritonitis – no longer rare or innocent: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Vernix Caseosa peritonitis is a rare post caesarean section complication with only 19 case reports in the literature to date. Vernix caseosa spilt at the time of caesarean section is thought to incite an inflammatory reaction, causing symptoms resembling an acute abdomen.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We discuss three Caucasian patients (aged 32 to 43 years) who presented in our health sector in Sydney with vernix caseosa peritonitis. Each had a protracted course with significant comorbidities requiring surgical and medical intervention. This contrasts with other reports suggesting that a rapid resolution can be expected.</p> <p>This cluster may be a consequence of the rising caesarean section rate, a heightened local awareness of the condition and possibly a result of leaving material in the paracolic gutters intraoperatively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our aim is to increase awareness among our obstetric and surgical colleagues of the characteristic clinical presentation and intra-operative findings of vernix caseosa peritonitis. We also point out that, in contrast to those presented here, not all patients require laparotomy.</p

Improved Constraints on Sterile Neutrino Mixing from Disappearance Searches in the MINOS, MINOS+, Daya Bay, and Bugey-3 Experiments.

Searches for electron antineutrino, muon neutrino, and muon antineutrino disappearance driven by sterile neutrino mixing have been carried out by the Daya Bay and MINOS+ collaborations. This Letter presents the combined results of these searches, along with exclusion results from the Bugey-3 reactor experiment, framed in a minimally extended four-neutrino scenario. Significantly improved constraints on the θ_{μe} mixing angle are derived that constitute the most constraining limits to date over five orders of magnitude in the mass-squared splitting Δm_{41}^{2}, excluding the 90%&nbsp;C.L. sterile-neutrino parameter space allowed by the LSND and MiniBooNE observations at 90%&nbsp;CL_{s} for Δm_{41}^{2}&lt;13  eV^{2}. Furthermore, the LSND and MiniBooNE 99%&nbsp;C.L. allowed regions are excluded at 99% CL_{s} for Δm_{41}^{2}&lt;1.6 eV^{2}

False negative results from using common PCR reagents

Background\ud The sensitivity of the PCR reaction makes it ideal for use when identifying potentially novel viral infections in human disease. Unfortunately, this same sensitivity also leaves this popular technique open to potential contamination with previously amplified PCR products, or "carry-over" contamination. PCR product carry-over contamination can be prevented with uracil-DNA-glycosylase (UNG), and it is for this reason that it is commonly included in many commercial PCR master-mixes. While testing the sensitivity of PCR assays to detect murine DNA contamination in human tissue samples, we inadvertently discovered that the use of this common PCR reagent may lead to the production of false-negative PCR results.\ud \ud Findings\ud We show here that contamination with minute quantities of UNG-digested PCR product or any negative control PCR reactions containing primer-dimers regardless of UNG presence can completely block amplification from as much as 60 ng of legitimate target DNA.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud These findings could potentially explain discrepant results from laboratories attempting to amplify MLV-related viruses including XMRV from human samples, as none of the published reports used internal-tube controls for amplification. The potential for false negative results needs to be considered and carefully controlled in PCR experiments, especially when the target copy number may be low - just as the potential for false positive results already is

Bone mineral density and fractures in older men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma

In 5,541 community dwelling men, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or asthma was associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) at the spine and total hip and an increased risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures independent of age, body mass index, and smoking. Men prescribed with corticosteroids had the lowest BMD. It is unclear whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is independently associated with BMD and fractures. In 5,541 men from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, history of COPD or asthma, current treatment with corticosteroids, BMD, bone loss after 4.5 years and fractures were ascertained. Seven hundred fourteen (13%) men reported COPD or asthma, of which 103 were prescribed an oral steroid and 177 an inhaled steroid. Independent of confounders, men prescribed corticosteroids for COPD or asthma had the lowest BMD and a 2-fold increased risk of vertebral osteoporosis compared to men with no history of COPD or asthma (OR 2.13, 95% CI (confidence interval) 1.15–3.93 oral steroids; OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.27–3.31 inhaled steroids). During follow-up, BMD increased at the spine, but there was no difference in bone loss at the hip. However, men with COPD or asthma had a 2.6- and 1.4-fold increased risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, respectively. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma was associated with lower BMD at the spine and hip and increased risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures independent of age, clinic site, BMI, and smoking. A history of COPD or asthma may be a useful clinical risk factor to identify patients with osteoporosis

Engineering challenges of intrafirm technology reuse

Companies derive additional value from technological investments by repeatedly applying them across different product lines in their portfolios. Technology reuse strategies have helped to increase efficiency in leveraging research and development investments, but the attempts to explain how to duplicate such results for technology reuse at the engineering level are missing. While there are synergetic effects to the reuse of technologies, there are also transaction costs that limit the benefits in practice. This paper presents a model, along with three examples, of technology reuse to help account for these transaction costs and mitigate the fallacy of perceiving technologies as reusable “off‐the‐shelf” elements