System and method for commissioning lighting using sound

A system and methods for automatically commissioning electrical fixtures using sound are disclosed. Electrical fixtures (140-149) detect sounds produced by a sound generator moved along a path (300) through installed fixtures according to a building plan (100). Each electrical fixture may be associated with a mapped fixture location in the building plan by correlating the detected sound with the location of the sound generator along the path

Pre- and Postnatal Maturation are Important for Fentanyl Exposure in Preterm and Term Newborns : A Pooled Population Pharmacokinetic Study

Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).Background and Objective Fentanyl is an opioid commonly used to prevent and treat severe pain in neonates; however, its use is off label and mostly based on bodyweight. Given the limited pharmacokinetic information across the entire neonatal age range, we characterized the pharmacokinetics of fentanyl across preterm and term neonates to individualize dosing. Methods We pooled data from two previous studies on 164 newborns with a median gestational age of 29.0 weeks (range 23.9-42.3), birthweight of 1055 g (range 390-4245), and postnatal age (PNA) of 1 day (range 0-68). In total, 673 plasma samples upon bolus dosing (69 patients; median dose 2.1 mu g/kg, median 2 boluses per patient) or continuous infusions (95 patients; median dose 1.1 mu g/kg/h for 30 h) with and without boluses were used for population pharmacokinetic modeling in NONMEM(R) 7.4. Results Clearance in neonates with birthweight of 2000 and 3000 g was 2.8- and 5.0-fold the clearance in a neonate with birthweight of 1000 g, respectively. Fentanyl clearance at PNA of 7, 14, and 21 days was 2.7-fold, 3.8-fold, and 4.6-fold the clearance at 1 day, respectively. Bodyweight-based dosing resulted in large differences in fentanyl concentrations. Depending on PNA and birthweight, fentanyl concentrations increased slowly after the start of therapy for both intermittent boluses and continuous infusion and reached a maximum concentration at 12-48 h. Conclusions As both prenatal and postnatal maturation are important for fentanyl exposure, we propose a birthweight- and PNA-based dosage regimen. To provide rapid analgesia in the first 24 h of treatment, additional loading doses need to be considered.Peer reviewe

Electronic and thermal sequential transport in metallic and superconducting two-junction arrays

The description of transport phenomena in devices consisting of arrays of tunnel junctions, and the experimental confirmation of these predictions is one of the great successes of mesoscopic physics. The aim of this paper is to give a self-consistent review of sequential transport processes in such devices, based on the so-called "orthodox" model. We calculate numerically the current-voltage (I-V) curves, the conductance versus bias voltage (G-V) curves, and the associated thermal transport in symmetric and asymmetric two-junction arrays such as Coulomb-blockade thermometers (CBTs), superconducting-insulator-normal-insulator-superconducting (SINIS) structures, and superconducting single-electron transistors (SETs). We investigate the behavior of these systems at the singularity-matching bias points, the dependence of microrefrigeration effects on the charging energy of the island, and the effect of a finite superconducting gap on Coulomb-blockade thermometry.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures; Berlin (ISBN: 978-3-642-12069-5

Dutch cooperation programmes to strengthen post-secondary education and training in Africa (1996-2013)

The Dutch government has been supporting higher education in developing countries through cooperation between Dutch higher education and training institutes and partner organizations in the developing countries since the late 1960s.Various programmes have been implemented but the aim in all of them has been to build and strengthen the education and training capacity of organizations/institutes.The map depicts Dutch cooperation programmes to strenghten post-secondary education and training in Africa (1996-2013).ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Kennisbasisthema: Ketens en Agrologistiek

Wageningen UR voert een meerjarig onderzoeksprogramma uit, getiteld Ketens en Agrologistiek. Deze projectbundel geeft informatie over projecten in dit thema en van elk project is een flyer opgenome

Maturation of Paracetamol Elimination Routes in Preterm Neonates Born Below 32 Weeks of Gestation

Purpose: Despite being off-label, intravenous paracetamol (PCM) is increasingly used to control mild-to-moderate pain in preterm neonates. Here we aim to quantify the maturation of paracetamol elimination pathways in preterm neonates born below 32 weeks of gestation. Methods: Datasets after single dose (rich data) or multiple doses (sparse data) of intravenous PCM dose (median (range)) 9 (3–25) mg/kg were pooled, containing 534 plasma and 44 urine samples of PCM and metabolites (PCM–glucuronide, PCM–sulfate, PCM–cysteine, and PCM–mercapturate) from 143 preterm neonates (gestational age 27.7 (24.0–31.9) weeks, birthweight 985 (462–1,925) g, postnatal age (PNA) 5 (0–30) days, current weight 1,012 (462–1,959) g. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using NONMEM® 7.4. Results: For a typical preterm neonate (birthweight 985 g; PNA 5 days), PCM clearance was 0.137 L/h, with glucuronidation, sulfation, oxidation and unchanged renal clearance accounting for 5.3%, 73.7%, 16.3% and 4.6%, respectively. Maturational changes in total PCM clearance and its elimination pathways were best described by birthweight and PNA. Between 500–1,500 g birthweight, total PCM clearance increases by 169%, with glucuronidation, sulfation and oxidation clearance increasing by 347%, 164% and 164%. From 1–30 days PNA for 985 g birthweight neonate, total PCM clearance increases by 167%, with clearance via glucuronidation and oxidation increasing by 551%, and sulfation by 69%. Conclusion: Birthweight and PNA are the most important predictors for maturational changes in paracetamol clearance and its glucuronidation, sulfation and oxidation. As a result, dosing based on bodyweight alone will not lead to consistent paracetamol concentrations among preterm neonates.</p

Scaling up Agroforestry to Achieve Food Security and Environmental Protection among Smallholder Farmers in Malawi

Malawi is a land-locked country in southern Africa. Three-fourths of Malawi’s 13 million people rely on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods. Increasing population, accelerating deforestation, poor soil and water management, and increasing poverty and land degradation directly impact the food security and human health of millions of Malawians. Cropping systems which combine cereal crops, agroforestry and small doses of inorganic fertilizers produce food-crop yields greater than inorganic fertilizers alone on degraded soils, as well as recuperating soil nutrients over a period of years. These agroforestry practices improve the livelihoods of farm families, lower risks associated with fertilizer price increases and drought and at the same time improve biodiversity and nutrient and water cycling in the agro-ecosystem. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has a long history of agroforestry research and development in Malawi dating back to the 1980s. In 2007-2011, ICRAF implemented the Malawi Agroforestry Food Security Project (AFSP) through financial support from Irish Aid. ICRAF’s task in AFSP was to build a strong partnership to reach 200,000 farming families in 11 districts. The purpose of AFSP was to combine tested agroforestry practices, effective partnership and informed policies to increase food security and income, and improve livelihood opportunities for rural communities in Malawi, through accelerated adoption of fertilizer trees, fruit trees, fodder trees and fuel-wood trees. To accomplish these purposes, ICRAF provided the farming communities with planting material (tree seeds and seedlings), and the knowledge of how to care for them and effectively combine them with food crops. The beneficiaries of the project saw increases in household food security and nutrition. However, difficulties were encountered in transporting tree seeds and seedlings across eleven districts in a timely fashion, and in managing the flow of reporting and disbursements of funding among such a large group of collaborators. Several solutions were implemented which improved performance in these areas, and which allowed the group to reach very near the targeted number of participants, and to plan for a second phase of the project.Le Malawi est un état enclavé dans le Sud de l’Afrique. Les trois-quarts des 13 millions de Malawites sont de petits exploitants agricoles qui vivent de leur production. L’accroissement de la population, l’accélération de la déforestation, la mauvaise gestion des sols et de l’eau, et l’essor de la pauvreté et de la dégradation des terres ont des conséquences directes sur la sécurité alimentaire et la santé de millions d’habitants du pays. Les systèmes de culture qui associent cultures céréalières, agroforesterie et faibles doses d’engrais non organiques produisent des rendements de cultures vivrières plus importants que ceux obtenus avec des engrais non organiques utilisés seuls sur des sols dégradés, et permettent de récupérer des nutriments du sol au bout d'une certaine période. Ces pratiques d’agroforesterie améliorent les moyens de subsistance des foyers agricoles, réduisent les risques associés à l’augmentation du prix des engrais et à la sécheresse, et améliorent la biodiversité et le cycle des nutriments et de l’eau dans l’écosystème agricole. L’ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre) travaille depuis les années 1980 sur la recherche et le développement en agroforesterie au Malawi. En 2007-2011, l’ICRAF a lancé au Malawi le projet « Agroforestry Food Security Project » (AFSP), financé par le programme Irish Aid et mis en place par le gouvernement irlandais pour soutenir les pays en développement. Dans le cadre de ce projet, l’ICRAF a eu pour mission d’établir un solide partenariat pour mettre en place l’agroforesterie dans 200 000 foyers agricoles répartis dans 11 districts. L’objectif de l’AFSP était d’associer des pratiques d’agroforesterie ayant fait leurs preuves, un partenariat efficace et des politiques éclairées afin d’améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et les revenus, ainsi que les moyens de subsistance des communautés rurales du Malawi, via l’utilisation de plus en plus massive d’arbres fertilisants, d’arbres fruitiers, d’arbres fourragers et d’arbres donnant du bois combustible. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, l’ICRAF a fourni aux communautés agricoles du matériel de plantation (graines et plants), et leur a expliqué comment s’en occuper et les associer efficacement aux cultures vivrières. Les bénéficiaires du projet ont pu constater une amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et de la nutrition dans leur foyer. Il a fallu toutefois faire face à certaines difficultés notamment assurer le transport en dû temps des graines et plants dans les onze districts, et gérer le flux de rapports d’information et d’allocations de fonds entre un tel nombre de collaborateurs. Plusieurs solutions ont été mises en œuvre afin d’améliorer les performances dans ces domaines, ce qui a permis au groupe d’atteindre pratiquement l’objectif du nombre de bénéficiaires fixé, et de planifier une seconde phase pour le projet.Malaui es un país rodeado de tierra en el sur de África. Tres cuartos de los 13 millones de pobladores de Malaui dependen de la agricultura a pequeña escala para ganarse el sustento. El aumento de la población, la aceleración de la deforestación, la mala gestión del suelo y el agua y el aumento de la pobreza y la degradación de la tierra afectan directamente a la seguridad alimentaria y la salud humana de millones de Malauitas. Los sistemas de cultivo que combinan cultivos de cereal, agrosilvicultura y pequeñas dosis de fertilizantes inorgánicos producen rendimientos de cultivos alimentarios mayores que los fertilizantes inorgánicos en solitario en suelos degradados, así como la recuperación de los nutrientes del suelo durante un periodo de años. Estas prácticas de agrosilvicultura mejoran las condiciones de subsistencia de las familias de granjeros, reducen los riesgos asociados con aumentos de precio de los fertilizantes y sequías y al mismo tiempo mejoran la biodiversidad y el desarrollo del ciclo de los nutrientes y del agua en el ecosistema agrario. El ICRAF (Word Agroforestry Centre) cuenta con un largo historial de investigación y desarrollo en agrosilvicultura en Malaui que se remonta hasta la década de 1980. En 2007-2011, el ICRAF implementó en Malawi el proyecto de “Agroforestry Food Security” (AFSP) mediante apoyo financiero de Irish Aid. La tarea del ICRAF en AFSP consistía en construir una fuerte sociedad para alcanzar las 200.000 familias dedicadas a la agricultura en 11 distritos. El objetivo de AFSP era combinar prácticas de agrosilvicultura probadas, una sociedad eficaz y políticas fundadas para aumentar la seguridad alimentaria y los ingresos, y mejorar las oportunidades de ganarse el sustento para las comunidades rurales en Malaui, mediante la adopción acelerada de árboles fertilizantes, árboles frutales, árboles forrajeros y árboles madereros para combustible. Para conseguir estos objetivos, el ICRAF proporcionó a las comunidades agrícolas material para plantar (semillas y plantones de árboles), y el conocimiento de cómo cuidarlos y combinarlos de forma eficaz con los cultivos alimentarios. Los beneficiarios del proyecto percibieron un aumento de la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición doméstica. Sin embargo, surgieron dificultades a la hora de transportar las semillas y plantones de los árboles a través de once distritos a tiempo, y de gestionar el flujo de informes y desembolsos de fondos entre un grupo tan grande de colaboradores. Se implementaron varias soluciones que mejoraron el rendimiento en estas áreas, y que permitieron al grupo alcanzar un número de participantes muy cercano al objetivo, y planificar una segunda fase del proyecto

A Berger type normal holonomy theorem for complex submanifolds

We prove a kind of Berger-Simons' Theorem for the normal holonomy group of a complex submanifold of the projective spac

Identification of DNA sequence variation in Campylobacter jejuni strains associated with the Guillain-Barre syndrome by high-throughput AFLP analysis.

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant cause of antecedent infection in post-infectious neuropathies such as the Guillain-Barre (GBS) and Miller Fisher syndromes (MFS). GBS and MFS are probably induced by molecular mimicry between human gangliosides and bacterial lipo-oligosaccharides (LOS). This study describes a new C. jejuni-specific high-throughput AFLP (htAFLP) approach for detection and identification of DNA polymorphism, in general, and of putative GBS/MFS-markers, in particular. RESULTS: We compared 6 different isolates of the "genome strain" NCTC 11168 obtained from different laboratories. HtAFLP analysis generated approximately 3000 markers per stain, 19 of which were polymorphic. The DNA polymorphisms could not be confirmed by PCR-RFLP analysis, suggesting a baseline level of 0.6% AFLP artefacts. Comparison of NCTC 11168 with 4 GBS-associated strains revealed 23 potentially GBS-specific markers, 17 of which were identified by DNA sequencing. A collection of 27 GBS/MFS-associated and 17 enteritis control strains was analyzed with PCR-RFLP tests based on 11 of these markers. We identified 3 markers, located in the LOS biosynthesis genes cj1136, cj1138 and cj1139c