Abnormalities of the ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide in patients with chronic heart failure

Introduction. The relation between minute ventilation (VE) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) can be characterised by the instantaneous ratio of ventilation to carbon dioxide production, the ventilatory equivalent for CO2 (VEqCO2). We hypothesised that the time taken to achieve the lowest VEqCO2 (time to VEqCO2 nadir) may be a prognostic marker in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods. Patients and healthy controls underwent a symptom-limited, cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a treadmill to volitional exhaustion. Results. 423 patients with CHF (mean age 63±12 years; 80% males) and 78 healthy controls (62% males; age 61±11 years) were recruited. Time to VEqCO2 nadir was shorter in patients than controls (327±204 s versus 514±187 s; P=0.0001). Univariable predictors of all-cause mortality included peak oxygen uptake (X 2 =53.0), VEqCO2 nadir (X 2 =47.9), and time to VEqCO2 nadir (X 2 =24.0). In an adjusted Cox multivariable proportional hazards model, peak oxygen uptake (X 2 =16.7) and VEqCO2 nadir (X 2 =17.9) were the most significant independent predictors of all-cause mortality. Conclusion. The time to VEqCO2 nadir was shorter in patients with CHF than in normal subjects and was a predictor of subsequent mortality. © 2012 Lee Ingle et al

Inter-relationships between innovation and market orientation in SMEs

Purpose – This study aims to explore the nature of the interactions between two strategies, innovation and market orientation. By examining the components of these constructs the paper seeks to identify key components of market orientation that are antecedent factors of the innovation performance of the firm. Design/methodology/approach – Correlation analysis was undertaken on data from a survey of 73 manufacturing firms in the Greater Western Sydney economic development zone in Australia. The data were supplemented by information obtained from the firm\u27s annual reports. Findings – Innovation was found to be positively correlated to market orientation (customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional co-ordination) and both of these constructs were found to be positively correlated to firm performance and the degree of change in the firm\u27s competitive environment. Research limitations/implications – Possible limitations are: the low survey response rate; the nature of the sampled population; and the spread of industries involved, which could limit the generalisability of the results. The next steps will be to conduct deeper analysis into the factors that make up the subscales of the two constructs and to determine how market orientation or its associated activities interact with the innovation process. Practical implications – In order to maximize a firm\u27s financial performance, organizations should increase both their market orientation and their innovation activities as these factors operate synergistically. Originality/value – This study is arguably the first to establish the finding that the degree of change in the competitive environment and the level of market orientation are linked, and the identification of the components of market orientation that are linked to firm innovation. These findings suggest that firm innovation and firm market orientation are strategic reactions to changes in the firm\u27s competitive environment

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David R. Low, Ross L. Chapman and Terry R. Sloan explore innovation and market orientation in Australian manufacturing SMEs

Activity Patterns and Habitat Use of Northern Bobwhite Females in 2 Grazing Systems

During spring and summer of 1985 and 1986, we investigated activity patterns and habitat use of female northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) on 2 sites in south Texas. One site had been subjected to a short duration grazing (SDG) system and the other to a continuous grazing (CG) system. Nineteen females were radio-tagged in 1985 and 28 in 1986. Rainfall was above average in 1985 and below average in 1986; as a result, herbaceous ground cover was more dense in 1985 than in 1986. Due to extensive fencing, 58% of the SDG cell was within 25 m of a mowed roadside, fencerow, or pipeline right-of-way; the same was true for 30% of the CG pasture. There were no differences (P \u3e 0.05) in distances moved between successive locations or in the breeding season home range sizes of females in the 2 systems. In 1985, females preferred zones within 25 m of mowed areas and avoided those ~50 m from such areas. In the SDG cell during 1986 only, females preferred recently grazed paddocks. The results suggest that the most important difference between the 2 grazing systems was the increased proportion of mowed areas in the SDG cell during the abnormally wet year. In the Texas Coastal Bend, landowners unable to adjust stocking rates during wet years should consider mowing to improve bobwhite habitat

Activity Patterns and Habitat Use of Northern Bobwhite Females in 2 Grazing Systems

During spring and summer of 1985 and 1986, we investigated activity patterns and habitat use of female northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) on 2 sites in south Texas. One site had been subjected to a short duration grazing (SDG) system and the other to a continuous grazing (CG) system. Nineteen females were radio-tagged in 1985 and 28 in 1986. Rainfall was above average in 1985 and below average in 1986; as a result, herbaceous ground cover was more dense in 1985 than in 1986. Due to extensive fencing, 58% of the SDG cell was within 25 m of a mowed roadside, fencerow, or pipeline right-of-way; the same was true for 30% of the CG pasture. There were no differences (P \u3e 0.05) in distances moved between successive locations or in the breeding season home range sizes of females in the 2 systems. In 1985, females preferred zones within 25 m of mowed areas and avoided those ~50 m from such areas. In the SDG cell during 1986 only, females preferred recently grazed paddocks. The results suggest that the most important difference between the 2 grazing systems was the increased proportion of mowed areas in the SDG cell during the abnormally wet year. In the Texas Coastal Bend, landowners unable to adjust stocking rates during wet years should consider mowing to improve bobwhite habitat

Simulation of Cosmic Ray neutrinos Interactions in Water

The program CORSIKA, usually used to simulate extensive cosmic ray air showers, has been adapted to a water medium in order to study the acoustic detection of ultra high energy neutrinos. Showers in water from incident protons and from neutrinos have been generated and their properties are described. The results obtained from CORSIKA are compared to those from other available simulation programs such as Geant4.Comment: Talk presented on behalf of the ACoRNE Collaboration at the ARENA Workshop 200

Force and energy dissipation variations in non-contact atomic force spectroscopy on composite carbon nanotube systems

UHV dynamic force and energy dissipation spectroscopy in non-contact atomic force microscopy were used to probe specific interactions with composite systems formed by encapsulating inorganic compounds inside single-walled carbon nanotubes. It is found that forces due to nano-scale van der Waals interaction can be made to decrease by combining an Ag core and a carbon nanotube shell in the Ag@SWNT system. This specific behaviour was attributed to a significantly different effective dielectric function compared to the individual constituents, evaluated using a simple core-shell optical model. Energy dissipation measurements showed that by filling dissipation increases, explained here by softening of C-C bonds resulting in a more deformable nanotube cage. Thus, filled and unfilled nanotubes can be discriminated based on force and dissipation measurements. These findings have two different implications for potential applications: tuning the effective optical properties and tuning the interaction force for molecular absorption by appropriately choosing the filling with respect to the nanotube.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure

Drought- Conditioning of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) Seedlings During Nursery Production Modifies Seedling Anatomy and Physiology

In the western US, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) regenerates primarily by root suckers after disturbances such as low to moderate severity fires. Planting aspen seedlings grown from seed may provide a mechanism to improve restoration success and genetic diversity on severely disturbed sites. However, few studies have examined the use of container-grown aspen seedlings for restoration purposes from both the outplanting and nursery production perspective. Thus, the purpose of this novel study was to examine how alterations in irrigation levels during nursery production across three seed sources would impact seedling performance attributes on harsh, dry outplanting sites. Irrigation treatments were based on three irrigation levels, determined gravimetrically: High = 90%, Medium = 80%, and Low = 70% of container capacity. The three seed sources represented a latitudinal gradient across the aspen range (New Mexico, Utah, and Alberta). Carbon isotope analysis indicated irrigation treatments were effective in creating higher levels of water stress for both the Low and Medium irrigation levels compared to seedlings under the High irrigation level. Seedlings subject to the Low irrigation level were found to induce greater height, higher photosynthetic rates, larger percentages of hydraulically active xylem, and faster xylem flow velocities compared to the High irrigation level. The lack of an interaction between irrigation treatments and seed source for nearly all response variables suggests that nursery conditioning via irrigation limitations may be effective for a range of aspen seed sources

The [Ne III]/[Ne II] line ratio in NGC 253

We present results of the mapping of the nucleus of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 and its immediate surroundings using the Infrared Spectrograph on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The map is centered on the nucleus of the galaxy and spans the inner 800 × 688 pc^2. We perform a brief investigation of the implications of these measurement on the properties of the star formation in this region using theories developed to explain the deficiency of massive stars in starbursts