Methods for the Comparison of Timing Behavior Applied to the Pink Salmon Fisheries of Prince William Sound, Alaska

Harvest control in salmonid fisheries was examined as a problem in the formulation of regulations which restrict time and area of fishing. An ability to rigorously define and compare the form of the progression of migration across time and between harvest areas was judged fundamental to objective harvest decisions. Identification and evaluation of statistical methods appropriate to the comparison of empirical migratory time densities was performed. The development of the measure of central tendency (mean date) of the time density as the consistent, unbiased estimator of migratory behavior was given. Practical evidence demonstrated that the mean date was highly resistant to factors which contribute variability to the basic expression of migratory behavior. Brood year cycle and locality were treated as fixed effects in statistical analyses applied to the timing statistics of catch and spawning escapement. Fixed effects analysis of variance models were examined to analyze differences in mean dates of migration. Multiple comparison analysis, Scheffe\u27s a priori method, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were employed to objectively define the performance of the fishery and the escapement in time and space. Highly significant differences were shown to exist between timings of odd and even populations. For each cycle year for both catch and escapement the management districts were shown to be highly distinct with respect to timing behavior. Linear combinations of districts also demonstrated distinctive timing behavior. In all cases, the subset of districts explained a large percentage of total sound-wide variation in the mean dates of migration for both cycle years and data categories. Migratory timing as a quantitative description of migratory behavior was rigorously compared across years and harvest areas. Results of the analysis of even and odd cycles were consistent with the genetic distinctness between these two populations, and with the hypothesis of the genetic heritability of migratory timing. Several statistical models were shown to be extremely robust for determining differences in migratory behavior when the measures of central tendency of the time densities were employed as modeled variables. It was concluded that this system of analysis will serve as a design standard for the comparison of migratory behavior and will be applicable to the needs of harvest control for any migratory organism

Electricity Storage for Intermittent Renewable Sources

With sufficient electricity storage capacity, any power production profile may be mapped onto any desired supply profile. We present a framework to determine the required storage power as a function of time for any power production profile, supply profile, and targeted system efficiency, given the loss characteristics of the storage system. We apply the framework to the electrochemical storage of intermittent renewable power, employing a simplifying linear response approximation that permits the entire efficiency behavior of the system to be described by a single scalar figure of merit—the discharge power capacity. We consider three exemplary grid supply scenarios: constant, grid-minus-baseload, and square wave; and two different production scenarios: wind with a capacity factor 32.5%, and solar photovoltaic (PV) with a capacity factor of 14%. For each of these six combinations of scenarios, the storage energy and discharge power capacity requirements are found for a range of system efficiencies. Significantly diminishing efficiency returns are found on increasing the discharge power capacity. Solid-electrode batteries are shown to have two orders of magnitude too little energy to power ratio to be well suited to the storage of intermittent renewable power.Engineering and Applied Science

Application Of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure In The Delivery Room: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.

This study evaluated whether the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in the delivery room alters the need for mechanical ventilation and surfactant during the first 5 days of life and modifies the incidence of respiratory morbidity and mortality during the hospital stay. The study was a multicenter randomized clinical trial conducted in five public university hospitals in Brazil, from June 2008 to December 2009. Participants were 197 infants with birth weight of 1000-1500 g and without major birth defects. They were treated according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics (APP). Infants not intubated or extubated less than 15 min after birth were randomized for two treatments, routine or CPAP, and were followed until hospital discharge. The routine (n=99) and CPAP (n=98) infants studied presented no statistically significant differences regarding birth characteristics, complications during the prenatal period, the need for mechanical ventilation during the first 5 days of life (19.2 vs 23.4%, P=0.50), use of surfactant (18.2 vs 17.3% P=0.92), or respiratory morbidity and mortality until discharge. The CPAP group required a greater number of doses of surfactant (1.5 vs 1.0, P=0.02). When CPAP was applied to the routine group, it was installed within a median time of 30 min. We found that CPAP applied less than 15 min after birth was not able to reduce the need for ventilator support and was associated with a higher number of doses of surfactant when compared to CPAP applied as clinically indicated within a median time of 30 min.47259-6

Poor birth weight recovery among low birth weight/preterm infants following hospital discharge in Kampala, Uganda

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Healthy infants typically regain their birth weight by 21 days of age; however, failure to do so may be due to medical, nutritional or environmental factors. Globally, the incidence of low birth weight deliveries is high, but few studies have assessed the postnatal weight changes in this category of infants, especially in Africa. The aim was to determine what proportion of LBW infants had not regained their birth weight by 21 days of age after discharge from the Special Care Unit of Mulago hospital, Kampala.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross sectional study was conducted assessing weight recovery of 235 LBW infants attending the Kangaroo Clinic in the Special Care Unit of Mulago Hospital between January and April 2010. Infants aged 21 days with a documented birth weight and whose mothers gave consent to participate were included in the study. Baseline information was collected on demographic characteristics, history on pregnancy, delivery and postnatal outcome through interviews. Pertinent infant information like gestation age, diagnosis and management was obtained from the medical records and summarized in the case report forms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 235 LBW infants, 113 (48.1%) had not regained their birth weight by 21 days. Duration of hospitalization for more than 7 days (AOR: 4.2; 95% CI: 2.3 - 7.6; p value < 0.001) and initiation of the first feed after 48 hours (AOR: 1.9; 95% CI 1.1 - 3.4 p value 0.034) were independently associated with failure to regain birth weight. Maternal factors and the infant's physical examination findings were not significantly associated with failure to regain birth weight by 21 days of age.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Failure to regain birth weight among LBW infants by 21 days of age is a common problem in Mulago Hospital occurring in almost half of the neonates attending the Kangaroo clinic. Currently, the burden of morbidity in this group of high-risk infants is undetected and unaddressed in many developing countries. Measures for consideration to improve care of these infants would include; discharge after regaining birth weight and use of total parenteral nutrition. However, due to the pressure of space, keeping the baby and mother is not feasible at the moment hence the need for a strong community system to boost care of the infant. Close networking with support groups within the child's environment could help alleviate this problem.</p

Controlling hydrogen evolution on iron electrodes

Aiming to develop a cost effective means to store large amounts of electric energy, NiFe batteries were produced and tested under galvanostatic conditions at room temperature. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to develop predictive equations that establish a link between hydrogen evolution and electrode manufacturing conditions, over a wide range of electrode/electrolyte systems. Basically, the intent was to investigate the incidence of lithium hydroxide and potassium sulphide as electrolyte additives on cell performance. With this in mind, in-house built Fe/FeS based electrodes were cycled against commercially available nickel electrodes on a three electrode cell configuration. A 3 × 4 full factorial experimental design was proposed to investigate the combined effect of the aforementioned electrolyte additives on cell performance. As a consequence, data from 144 cells were finally used in conducting the analysis and finding the form of the predictive equations. Our findings suggest that at the level of confidence alpha = 0.05, the presence of relatively large amounts of the soluble bisulphide would enhance the performance of the battery by reducing electrolyte decomposition

OPA1 mutations induce mitochondrial DNA instability and optic atrophy ‘plus’ phenotypes

Mutations in OPA1, a dynamin-related GTPase involved in mitochondrial fusion, cristae organization and control of apoptosis, have been linked to non-syndromic optic neuropathy transmitted as an autosomal-dominant trait (DOA). We here report on eight patients from six independent families showing that mutations in the OPA1 gene can also be responsible for a syndromic form of DOA associated with sensorineural deafness, ataxia, axonal sensory-motor polyneuropathy, chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia and mitochondrial myopathy with cytochrome c oxidase negative and Ragged Red Fibres. Most remarkably, we demonstrate that these patients all harboured multiple deletions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in their skeletal muscle, thus revealing an unrecognized role of the OPA1 protein in mtDNA stability. The five OPA1 mutations associated with these DOA ‘plus’ phenotypes were all mis-sense point mutations affecting highly conserved amino acid positions and the nuclear genes previously known to induce mtDNA multiple deletions such as POLG1, PEO1 (Twinkle) and SLC25A4 (ANT1) were ruled out. Our results show that certain OPA1 mutations exert a dominant negative effect responsible for multi-systemic disease, closely related to classical mitochondrial cytopathies, by a mechanism involving mtDNA instability

OPA1 Isoforms in the Hierarchical Organization of Mitochondrial Functions

OPA1 is a GTPase that controls mitochondrial fusion, cristae integrity, and mtDNA maintenance. In humans, eight isoforms are expressed as combinations of long and short forms, but it is unclear whether OPA1 functions are associated with specific isoforms and/or domains. To address this, we expressed each of the eight isoforms or different constructs of isoform 1 in Opa1−/− MEFs. We observed that any isoform could restore cristae structure, mtDNA abundance, and energetic efficiency independently of mitochondrial network morphology. Long forms supported mitochondrial fusion; short forms were better able to restore energetic efficiency. The complete rescue of mitochondrial network morphology required a balance of long and short forms of at least two isoforms, as shown by combinatorial isoform silencing and co-expression experiments. Thus, multiple OPA1 isoforms are required for mitochondrial dynamics, while any single isoform can support all other functions. These findings will be useful in designing gene therapies for patients with OPA1 haploinsufficiency

Factors Associated with Height Catch-Up and Catch-Down Growth Among Schoolchildren

In developed countries, children with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or born preterm (PT) tend to achieve catch-up growth. There is little information about height catch-up in developing countries and about height catch-down in both developed and developing countries. We studied the effect of IUGR and PT birth on height catch-up and catch-down growth of children from two cohorts of liveborn singletons. Data from 1,463 children was collected at birth and at school age in Ribeirão Preto (RP), a more developed city, and in São Luís (SL), a less developed city. A change in z-score between schoolchild height z-score and birth length z-score≥0.67 was considered catch-up; a change in z-score≤−0.67 indicated catch-down growth. The explanatory variables were: appropriate weight for gestational age/PT birth in four categories: term children without IUGR (normal), IUGR only (term with IUGR), PT only (preterm without IUGR) and preterm with IUGR; infant's sex; maternal parity, age, schooling and marital status; occupation of family head; family income and neonatal ponderal index (PI). The risk ratio for catch-up and catch-down was estimated by multinomial logistic regression for each city. In RP, preterms without IUGR (RR = 4.13) and thin children (PI<10th percentile, RR = 14.39) had a higher risk of catch-down; catch-up was higher among terms with IUGR (RR = 5.53), preterms with IUGR (RR = 5.36) and children born to primiparous mothers (RR = 1.83). In SL, catch-down was higher among preterms without IUGR (RR = 5.19), girls (RR = 1.52) and children from low-income families (RR = 2.74); the lowest risk of catch-down (RR = 0.27) and the highest risk of catch-up (RR = 3.77) were observed among terms with IUGR. In both cities, terms with IUGR presented height catch-up growth whereas preterms with IUGR only had height catch-up growth in the more affluent setting. Preterms without IUGR presented height catch-down growth, suggesting that a better socioeconomic situation facilitates height catch-up and prevents height catch-down growth