Thermal Shock Effects on Larvae of Caddis Fly Brachycentrus americanus

Wild-collected Brachycentrus americanus larvae were subjected to thermal shocks of 30-minute and 60-minute duration in June, September, and December of 1976. Temperatures at collection were 14.7 , 10.4 , and 1.2 C, respectively. The TL50\u27s for both 30-minute and 60-minute shock durations ranged from 33.3 C to 34.0 C for each month, except for a 30-minute exposure in September, which had a TL 50 of 34.6 C. Larvae from a December exposure were held for 16 days to observe postexposure behavior. Feeding was reduced 50 percent among specimens exposed to temperatures 1.2 C below the 30-minute TL 50 and 3.6 C below the 60-minute TL50

EXPLORING STRATEGIC IS PLANNING IN A NETWORK

For three decades of research and practice, Strategic Information Systems Planning and Business Network Strategy Planning live apart together. The view of evaluating SISP effectiveness has matured and the evaluation models are validated and well studied. Networks have been increasing and every large organization is involved in several alliances. But still an important change has been left unattended, that is the introduction of information strategy in networks. Still, many organizations continue to use planning as a way to support their decision-making internally without co-operating with their business partners. The evaluation studies of SISP are mainly quantitative and qualitative studies are rare. This study used the internal dimensions and criteria as basis for conducting a qualitative evaluation of SISP in two case studies in professional organizations, one single organization case and one inter organizational case. The results of the first case confirm that the validated criteria provide a good basis for overall evaluation of SISP internally. In addition to the internal theory based evaluation, also an inter-organizational exploration was done to explore the differences and the new evaluation criteria needed. The result is a conceptual interview framework to be tested in practice. An earlier full version of this paper was accepted and presented at ECIS 2007 in Sankt Gallen, Switzerland

Outcomes of AO/OTA C-type fractures of the distal humerus after open reduction and internal fixation with locking plate constructs in patients at least 65 years old

Background Modern treatment options of distal humerus fractures of active elderly patients are osteosynthesis and total elbow arthroplasty. The evidence of outcomes of ORIF after AO/OTA C-type fractures mostly predates the adoption of locking plates. We evaluated the results of open reduction and internal fixation of these fractures treated exclusively with anatomic locking plates. Methods A retrospective cohort of 39 patients aged 65 years or above with ORIF for AO/OTA C-type distal humerus fracture using locking plates was analysed. 23 provided follow-up data and 14 attended a follow-up visit. Primary outcome was the Oxford Elbow Score. Secondary outcomes were Mayo Elbow Performance Score, quickDASH, satisfaction, range of motion, complications and revision surgeries. Results Mean Oxford Elbow Score pain was 83 (SD 17), Oxford Elbow Score function 83 (17) and Oxford Elbow Score social-psychological 79 (20). Mean total Oxford Elbow Score was 81 (15). Among the 14 patients who attended a follow-up visit, Mayo Elbow Performance Score was 85 (17), qDASH 19 (16), active arc of motion 119 (19) degrees. Mayo Elbow Performance Score and arc of motion were worse than on the healthy side. One patient had a serious deep infection. Eleven patients had at least one revision surgery, of which 6 were implant removals and 2 subsequent total elbow arthroplasties. Conclusions Distal AO/OTA C-type distal humerus fractures in older adults can be treated reliably and with good outcomes with ORIF using modern locking plates. The mean qDASH scores are similar to population normal values, but when compared to the healthy arm, single-arm outcomes indicated somewhat impaired function. About 1 in 4 patients had at least one revision surgery.Peer reviewe

Psyykenlääkkeiden off label -käytön yhteys somaattisiin ja psykiatrisiin oireisiin

Tiivistelmä. Psyykenlääkkeiden off label -käyttö eli käyttö ilman virallista käyttöaihetta on jatkuvassa kasvussa. Tässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan kolmen eri psyykenlääkeryhmän käytön vaikutuksia BMI:hin ja elämänlaatuun, erikseen mahdollisilla off label -käyttäjillä ja indikaation mukaan käyttävillä. Aineistona käytettiin Pohjois-Suomen syntymäkohorttia 1966. Tietoja on kerätty 31- ja 46-vuotisseurannoissa, jolloin tutkittavat ovat täyttäneet 15D-kyselylomakkeen, jonka tulosten avulla voidaan arvioida elämänlaatua. Myöskin BMI:tä ja sen muutosta on arvioitu seurannoissa saatujen tuloksien avulla. Lääketiedot saatiin KELA:n lääkeostotiedoista vuosille 1997–2016, joita tutkimuksessa käytetään tutkittavan osallistumisvuoteen asti (2012–2014). Diagnoosit perustuivat tutkittavan omaan ilmoitukseen lääkärin asettamasta psykoosidiagnoosista tai muusta mielenterveyden ongelmasta. Tätä tietoa käytimme arvioimaan tutkittavan mahdollista off label -käyttöä. BMI:tä tutkittaessa havaittiin, että psykoosilääkkeillä oli off label -käytössä huomattava painoa nostava vaikutus: sekä BMI 46-vuotisseurannassa, että BMI:n muutos seurantojen välillä oli muuta väestöä suurempi. Masennuslääke- ja bentsodiatsepiini-johdosten ryhmissä vastaavaa ei havaittu. Elämänlaatuun puolestaan näyttää tulosten valossa vaikuttavan sekä diagnoosi että lääkitys kaikissa kolmessa lääkeryhmässä

Spring phenology shows genetic variation among and within populations in seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the Scottish Highlands

Background: Genetic differentiation in phenotypic traits is often observed among forest tree populations, but less is known about patterns of adaptive variation within populations. Such variation is expected to enhance the survival likelihood of extant populations under climate change. Aims: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) occurs over a spatially and temporally heterogeneous landscape in Scotland. Our goal was to examine whether populations had differentiated genetically in timing of bud flush in response to spatial heterogeneity and whether variation was also maintained within populations. Methods: Two common-garden studies, involving maternal families of seedlings from 21 native pinewoods, were established and variation in the trait was measured at the beginning of the second growing season. Results: Populations showed genetic differences in the trait correlated with the length of growing season at their site of origin, but the majority of variation was observed within populations. Populations also differed in their levels of variation in the trait; a pattern that may be influenced by spatial variation in the extent of temporal climate variability. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that populations have adapted to their home environments and that they also have substantial ability to adapt in situ to changes in growing season length

Finding cactus roots in polynomial time

A cactus is a connected graph in which each edge belongs to at most one cycle. A graph H is a cactus root of a graph G if H is a cactus and G can be obtained from H by adding an edge between any two vertices in H that are of distance 2 in H. We show that it is possible to test in O(n4)O(n4) time whether an n-vertex graph G has a cactus root

Understanding the evolution of native pinewoods in Scotland will benefit their future management and conservation

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a foundation species in Scottish highland forests and a national icon. Due to heavy exploitation, the current native pinewood coverage represents a small fraction of the postglacial maximum. To reverse this decline, various schemes have been initiated to promote planting of new and expansion of old pinewoods. This includes the designation of seed zones for control of the remaining genetic resources. The zoning was based mainly on biochemical similarity among pinewoods but, by definition, neutral molecular markers do not reflect local phenotypic adaptation. Environmental variation within Scotland is substantial and it is not yet clear to what extent this has shaped patterns of adaptive differentiation among Scottish populations. Systematic, rangewide common-environment trials can provide insights into the evolution of the native pinewoods, indicating how environment has influenced phenotypic variation and how variation is maintained. Careful design of such experiments can also provide data on the history and connectivity among populations, by molecular marker analysis. Together, phenotypic and molecular datasets from such trials can provide a robust basis for refining seed transfer guidelines for Scots pine in Scotland and should form the scientific basis for conservation action on this nationally important habitat

Glomerular sclerosis in kidneys with congenital nephrotic syndrome (NPHS1)

Congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type (NPHS1) is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations in the NPHS1 gene encoding a major podocyte slit-diaphragm protein, nephrin. Patients with NPHS1 have severe nephrotic syndrome from birth and develop renal fibrosis in early childhood. In this work, we studied the development of glomerular sclerosis in kidneys removed from 4- to 44-month-old NPHS1 patients. The pathological lesions and expression of glomerular cell markers were studied in nephrectomized NPHS1 and control kidneys using light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. An analysis of 1528 glomeruli from 20 patients revealed progressive mesangial sclerosis and capillary obliteration. Although few inflammatory cells were detected in the mesangial area, paraglomerular inflammation and fibrosis was common. The podocytes showed severe ultrastructural changes and hypertrophy with the upregulation of cyclins A and D1. Podocyte proliferation, however, was rare. Apoptosis was hardly detected and the expression of antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 and proapoptotic p53 were comparable to controls. Moderate amounts of podocytes were secreted into the urine of NPHS1 patients. Shrinkage of the glomerular tuft was common, whereas occlusion of tubular opening or protrusion of the glomerular tuft into subepithelial space or through the Bowman's capsule were not detected. The results indicate that, in NPHS1 kidneys, the damaged podocytes induce progressive mesangial expansion and capillary obliteration. Podocyte depletion, glomerular tuft adhesion, and misdirected filtration, however, seem to play a minor role in the nephron destruction