Can models for forest attributes based on airborne laser scanning be generalized for different silvicultural management systems?

In Finland, interest in continuous cover forestry (CCF) has increased rapidly in recent years. During those years CCF has been examined from various viewpoints but not from the perspective of forest inventories. This holds especially true for applications based on remote sensing. Conversely, airborne laser scanning (ALS) data have been widely used to predict forest characteristics such as size distribution and vertical forest structure, which are closely related to the forest information needs of CCF. In this study we used the area-based approach to predict a set of stand attributes from ALS data (5 pulses per m2) in a CCF forest management experiment in Katajama & BULL;ki, eastern Finland. In addition to the CCF stands, the experiment included shelterwood stands and untreated stands. The predicted attributes included volume, biomass, basal area, number of stems, mean diameter, Lorey's height, dominant height, standing dead wood volume, parameters of the theoretical stem diameter distribution model, understory height and number of understory stems. Our main aim was to test whether the same model could be used across different management systems. The accuracy of the attributes predicted for the CCF stands was compared with the predictions for the other management systems in the same experiment. We also compared and discussed our results in relation to the even-aged stand attribute predictions that were conducted by using separate operational forest data collected from sites surrounding Katajama & BULL;ki. The results showed that forest data from the different management systems could be combined into a single model of a stand attribute, i.e., ALS metrics were found to be suitable for comparing different management systems in regard to differences in forest structure. The accuracy of the predicted attributes in the CCF plots was comparable to that of the other management alternatives in the experiment. The accuracy was also comparable to that of even-aged forests. The results of this study were promising; the stand attributes of CCF-managed forests could be predicted analogously to those of other management systems. This indicates that for the purposes of forest inventories there may not be a need to stratify forest lands by management system. It should be noted, however, that the study area was relatively small, that the forest stands were harvested in the 1980 s, and that the attributes may not have been completely exhaustive for CCF

Spatially-resolved electronic and vibronic properties of single diamondoid molecules

Diamondoids are a unique form of carbon nanostructure best described as hydrogen-terminated diamond molecules. Their diamond-cage structures and tetrahedral sp3 hybrid bonding create new possibilities for tuning electronic band gaps, optical properties, thermal transport, and mechanical strength at the nanoscale. The recently-discovered higher diamondoids (each containing more than three diamond cells) have thus generated much excitement in regards to their potential versatility as nanoscale devices. Despite this excitement, however, very little is known about the properties of isolated diamondoids on metal surfaces, a very relevant system for molecular electronics. Here we report the first molecular scale study of individual tetramantane diamondoids on Au(111) using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We find that both the diamondoid electronic structure and electron-vibrational coupling exhibit unique spatial distributions characterized by pronounced line nodes across the molecular surfaces. Ab-initio pseudopotential density functional calculations reveal that the observed dominant electronic and vibronic properties of diamondoids are determined by surface hydrogen terminations, a feature having important implications for designing diamondoid-based molecular devices.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures. to appear in Nature Material

Assessing the benefits and usefulness of Schwartz Centre Rounds in Second-Year Medical Students using Clinical Educator-Facilitated Group Work Session: not just “A Facilitated Moan”!

Background An experiential curriculum exposing medical students to the clinic early has many benefits but comes with the emotional stress this environment engenders. Schwartz rounds (SR) are an effective means to combat emotional stress and increasingly used in UK and USA hospitals. Recent studies show that the SR format may also provide benefits for medical students. This study aimed to investigate whether the guidance of SR in second year medical students provides the same benefits as to healthcare professionals. Methods SR assessment involved 83 second year MBChB students in facilitated groupwork sessions. Topics discussed were “change and resilience” and “duty of candour”. Students completed a Likert Scale questionnaire evaluating outcomes proffered by the Point of Care Foundation in collaboration with the Schwartz Foundation, with freeform feedback. Results There was an 86% completion rate with 25% providing written feedback. Participants were more likely to agree than disagree that SR were beneficial. SR effectiveness in enhancing students’ working relationship awareness and skills was strongly correlated with understanding the purpose of, and engagement with, the SR (P<0.001). Similarly, engagement with the SR was strongly correlated with self-reporting of enhanced patient-centredness (P < 0.001). Freeform feedback could be grouped into five themes that revolved around understanding of the SR and engagement with the process. Many positive comments regarded the SR as a forum not only to “learn experientially” but to so in a “safe environment”. Many negative comments stemmed from students not seeing any benefits of engagement with the SR, in that sharing experiences was “unbeneficial”, “empathy is inherent and not learnt”, or that sharing emotional problems is simply “moaning”. Conclusion SRs are an effective way of fostering empathy and understanding towards patients and colleagues. However, for the students to benefit fully from the SR it is necessary for them to engage and understand the process. Therefore, for the successful implementation of SR into pre-clinical medical education, it is important to help students realise that SR are not merely a “facilitated whinge”

The Effect of Treating Bacterial Vaginosis on Preterm Labor

Objective: Multiple studies suggest that bacterial vaginosis (BV) causes preterm labor; yet its routine treatment remains controversial. In order to help to elucidate this controversy, we performed a thorough review of studies with levels of evidence ranging from I to II–II. Methods: We searched for all of the studies from the years 1994 to 2001 via Medline’s database, including MD Consult and Ovid Mednet. Results: Several trials discovered a decrease in the incidence of preterm labor when BV was treated, but most of those trials were performed on women with a history of preterm labor. However, the majority of trials reviewed advise against treatment of a general low-risk obstetric population, as there was no significant decrease in preterm labor. Conclusions: Therefore, based on the above studies and the current guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), treating pregnant women in high-risk populations who are diagnosed with BV provides the clinician with an opportunity to possibly prevent preterm labor in this population. In nulliparous women without a history of preterm birth, treatment is recommended if other risk factors are present (e.g. gonorrhea or chlamydia). However, in the general low-risk populations, routine screening is not indicated

Soccer Attenuates the Asymmetry of Rectus Abdominis Muscle Observed in Non-Athletes

Purpose: To determine the volume and degree of asymmetry of the rectus abdominis muscle (RA) in professional soccer players. Methods: The volume of the RA was determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 15 professional male soccer players and 6 non-active male control subjects. Results: Soccer players had 26% greater RA volume than controls (P<0.05), due to hypertrophy of both the dominant (28% greater volume, P<0.05) and non-dominant (25% greater volume, P<0.01) sides, after adjusting for age, length of the RA muscle and body mass index (BMI) as covariates. Total volume of the dominant side was similar to the contralateral in soccer players (P = 0.42) and in controls (P = 0.75) (Dominant/non-dominant = 0.99, in both groups). Segmental analysis showed a progressive increase in the degree of side-to-side asymmetry from the first lumbar disc to the pubic symphysis in soccer players (r = 0.80, P<0.05) and in controls (r = 0.75, P<0.05). The slope of the relationship was lower in soccer players, although this trend was not statistically significant (P = 0.14). Conclusions: Professional soccer is associated with marked hypertrophy of the rectus abdominis muscle, which achieves a volume that is 26% greater than in non-active controls. Soccer induces the hypertrophy of the non-dominant side in proximal regions and the dominant side in regions closer to pubic symphysis, which attenuates the pattern of asymmetry of rectus abdominis observed in non-active population. It remains to be determined whether the hypertrophy of rectus abdominis in soccer players modifies the risk of injury

Coping style and quality of life in patients with epilepsy: a cross-sectional study

Having epilepsy has a large impact on one's well-being, but often seizure frequency and severity do not explain self-reported quality of life. We hypothesized that one's personal coping style is more important. In this study, 105 patients attending the outpatient neurological clinic at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands, with a diagnosis of partial epilepsy, aged 17–80 years, completed questionnaires. Demographic information, disease characteristics, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and coping styles were obtained by postal-validated HRQoL questionnaires: the EQ5D and RAND-36 and the Utrecht Coping List. A passive coping style explained 45% of the variance in the mental component of HRQoL and was more important than ‘objective’ seizure-related measures. Confounders such as employment, gender, and side-effects of treatment explained another 6%. Passive coping style also influenced the physical component of the HRQoL, but here seizure-related factors predominated. Overall, epilepsy patients showed a more avoiding coping style, and female patients a less active coping style and more reassuring thoughts, compared to the Dutch population. The personal coping style of patients appears to be more important than seizure-related measures in predicting mental aspects of quality of life. Coping style characteristics rather than disease characteristics should guide clinical decision-making in patients with epilepsy. Further studies should investigate the effect on HRQoL of behavioral interventions to improve coping

First-principles study of the effect of charge on the stability of a diamond nanocluster surface

Effects of net charge on the stability of the diamond nanocluster are investigated using the first-principles pseudopotential method with the local density approximation. We find that the charged nanocluster favors the diamond phase over the reconstruction into a fullerene-like structure. Occupying the dangling bond orbitals in the outermost surface, the excess charge can stabilize the bare diamond surface and destabilize the C-H bond on the hydrogenated surface. In combination with recent experimental results, our calculations suggest that negative charging could promote the nucleation and further growth of low-pressure diamond.open8

Assembly PCR synthesis of optimally designed, compact, multi-responsive promoters suited to gene therapy application

MRC-DTA studentship award British Pharmacological Society Integrative Awar

Explorative data analysis of MCL reveals gene expression networks implicated in survival and prognosis supported by explorative CGH analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable B cell lymphoma and accounts for 6% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. On the genetic level, MCL is characterized by the hallmark translocation t(11;14) that is present in most cases with few exceptions. Both gene expression and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) data vary considerably between patients with implications for their prognosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compare patients over and below the median of survival. Exploratory principal component analysis of gene expression data showed that the second principal component correlates well with patient survival. Explorative analysis of CGH data shows the same correlation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>On chromosome 7 and 9 specific genes and bands are delineated which improve prognosis prediction independent of the previously described proliferation signature. We identify a compact survival predictor of seven genes for MCL patients. After extensive re-annotation using GEPAT, we established protein networks correlating with prognosis. Well known genes (CDC2, CCND1) and further proliferation markers (WEE1, CDC25, aurora kinases, BUB1, PCNA, E2F1) form a tight interaction network, but also non-proliferative genes (SOCS1, TUBA1B CEBPB) are shown to be associated with prognosis. Furthermore we show that aggressive MCL implicates a gene network shift to higher expressed genes in late cell cycle states and refine the set of non-proliferative genes implicated with bad prognosis in MCL.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results from explorative data analysis of gene expression and CGH data are complementary to each other. Including further tests such as Wilcoxon rank test we point both to proliferative and non-proliferative gene networks implicated in inferior prognosis of MCL and identify suitable markers both in gene expression and CGH data.</p