The Wurawina Supergroup, Late Cambrian to Early Devonian, Tasmania

The term "Wurawina Supergroup" is proposed for the conformable sequence in western Tasmania consisting of the Denison Group, the Gordon Group and the Eldon Group or the Tiger Range Group and their correlates. The Supergroup rests on early Late Cambrian or older rocks and is folded, and then intruded by Late Devonian andEarly Carboniferous granites. It is Late Cambrian at the base and Early Devonian at the top

Career information and counselling services in academic libraries in selected universities in Nigeria: Understanding prospects and allied imminent challenges.

Career services have become essential aspect of societal growth. Students in tertiary institutions are supposed to be equipped with the right information and counsel regarding their career. Libraries have been saddled with the responsibility of providing career-based [information and counselling] services in their parent institutions to facilitate a well-structured career decision making process and be part of student’s career development framework. It is not clear if academic libraries in Nigeria provide such services. This paper therefore highlights students’ demand for and the availability of career services, mediums through which career services are provided, the prospect after establishment of the services and possible constraints facing librarians in providing the services. Findings showed that students infrequently seek for career services probably due to the inadequacy and services are offered unofficially and informally. The prospects are overwhelming positive although imminent challenges pose a threat. Useful recommendations were provided

Military Contingencies in Megacities and Sub-Megacities

Urbanization is one of the most important mega-trends of the 21st century. Consequently, the possibility of U.S. military involvement in a megacity or sub-megacity is an eventuality that cannot be ignored. After elucidating the nature of urbanization and developing a typology in terms of smart, fragile, and feral cities, we give consideration to the kinds of contingencies that the U.S. military, especially the Army, needs to think about and prepare for. Understanding the city as a complex system or organism is critical and provides the basis for changes in intelligence, recruitment, training, equipment, operations, and tactics. One of the key takeaways is the need to understand the urban environment and the need to work with (instead of against) the flows and rhythms of a city. Without such an approach, the results of military involvement in such a formidable environment would likely be disastrous; with it, the prospects for success would at least be enhanced.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1416/thumbnail.jp

Electroencephalogram of Healthy Horses During Inhaled Anesthesia.

BackgroundPrevious study of the diagnostic validity of electroencephalography (EEG) to detect abnormalities in equine cerebral cortical function relied on the administration of various drugs for sedation, induction, and maintenance of general anesthesia but used identical criteria to interpret recordings.ObjectivesTo determine the effects of 2 inhalation anesthetics on the EEG of healthy horses.AnimalsSix healthy horses.MethodsProspective study. After the sole administration of one of either isoflurane or halothane at 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 times the minimum alveolar concentration, EEG was recorded during controlled ventilation, spontaneous ventilation, and nerve stimulation.ResultsBurst suppression was observed with isoflurane, along with EEG events that resembled epileptiform discharges. Halothane results were variable between horses, with epileptiform-like discharges and bursts of theta, alpha, and beta recorded intermittently. One horse died and 2 were euthanized as the result of anesthesia-related complications.Conclusions and clinical importanceThe results of this study indicate that the effects of halothane and isoflurane on EEG activity in the normal horse can be quite variable, even when used in the absence of other drugs. It is recommended that equine EEG be performed without the use of these inhalation anesthetics and that general anesthesia be induced and maintained by other contemporary means

An algorithm for diagnosing IgE-mediated food allergy in study participants who do not undergo food challenge.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy diagnosis in clinical studies can be challenging. Oral food challenges (OFC) are time-consuming, carry some risk and may, therefore, not be acceptable to all study participants. OBJECTIVE: To design and evaluate an algorithm for detecting IgE-mediated food allergy in clinical study participants who do not undergo OFC. METHODS: An algorithm for trial participants in the Barrier Enhancement for Eczema Prevention (BEEP) study who were unwilling or unable to attend OFC was developed. BEEP is a pragmatic, multi-centre, randomized-controlled trial of daily emollient for the first year of life for primary prevention of eczema and food allergy in high-risk infants (ISRCTN21528841). We built on the European iFAAM consensus guidance to develop a novel food allergy diagnosis algorithm using available information on previous allergenic food ingestion, food reaction(s) and sensitization status. This was implemented by a panel of food allergy experts blind to treatment allocation and OFC outcome. We then evaluated the algorithm's performance in both BEEP and Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study participants who did undergo OFC. RESULTS: In 31/69 (45%) BEEP and 44/55 (80%) EAT study control group participants who had an OFC the panel felt confident enough to categorize children as "probable food allergy" or "probable no food allergy". Algorithm-derived panel decisions showed high sensitivity 94% (95%CI 68, 100) BEEP; 90% (95%CI 72, 97) EAT and moderate specificity 67% (95%CI 39, 87) BEEP; 67% (95%CI 39, 87) EAT. Sensitivity and specificity were similar when all BEEP and EAT participants with OFC outcome were included. CONCLUSION: We describe a new algorithm with high sensitivity for IgE-mediated food allergy in clinical study participants who do not undergo OFC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This may be a useful tool for excluding food allergy in future clinical studies where OFC is not conducted

The ecology of seamounts: structure, function, and human impacts.

In this review of seamount ecology, we address a number of key scientific issues concerning the structure and function of benthic communities, human impacts, and seamount management and conservation. We consider whether community composition and diversity differ between seamounts and continental slopes, how important dispersal capabilities are in seamount connectivity, what environmental factors drive species composition and diversity, whether seamounts are centers of enhanced biological productivity, and whether they have unique trophic architecture. We discuss how vulnerable seamount communities are to fishing and mining, and how we can balance exploitation of resources and conservation of habitat. Despite considerable advances in recent years, there remain many questions about seamount ecosystems that need closer integration of molecular, oceanographic, and ecological research

A Computational Comparison of Optimization Methods for the Golomb Ruler Problem

The Golomb ruler problem is defined as follows: Given a positive integer n, locate n marks on a ruler such that the distance between any two distinct pair of marks are different from each other and the total length of the ruler is minimized. The Golomb ruler problem has applications in information theory, astronomy and communications, and it can be seen as a challenge for combinatorial optimization algorithms. Although constructing high quality rulers is well-studied, proving optimality is a far more challenging task. In this paper, we provide a computational comparison of different optimization paradigms, each using a different model (linear integer, constraint programming and quadratic integer) to certify that a given Golomb ruler is optimal. We propose several enhancements to improve the computational performance of each method by exploring bound tightening, valid inequalities, cutting planes and branching strategies. We conclude that a certain quadratic integer programming model solved through a Benders decomposition and strengthened by two types of valid inequalities performs the best in terms of solution time for small-sized Golomb ruler problem instances. On the other hand, a constraint programming model improved by range reduction and a particular branching strategy could have more potential to solve larger size instances due to its promising parallelization features

Before the whistle blows: developing new paradigms in tuberculosis screening to maximise benefit and minimise harm [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

We summarise recent emerging evidence around tuberculosis (TB) transmission and its role in tuberculosis epidemiology, and in novel TB screening and diagnostic tests that will likely become available in low-resource settings in the near future. Little consideration has been paid to how these novel new tests will be implemented, nor what the consequences for individuals, communities and health systems will be. In particular, because of low specificity and consequent false-positive diagnoses, and the low percentage of people who “screen positive” that will go onto develop active pulmonary disease, there is significant potential for inappropriate initiation of TB treatment, as well as stigmatisation, loss of livelihoods and in some setting institutionalisation, with uncertain benefit for individual health or community transmission. We use analogy to prompt consideration of how and where new TB screening tests could be implemented in TB screening programmes in low-resource settings. Acceptance and confidence in TB screening programmes depends on well-functioning public health programmes that use screening algorithms that minimise harms and balance population benefits with autonomy and respect for individuals. Before new TB screening tests and algorithms are introduced, more evidence for their effectiveness, costs, benefits and harms under real-world conditions are required

THE CONTRIBUTION OF HIP STRENGTH TO HIP ADDUCTION DURING RUNNING IS INFLUENCED BY STEP RATE, ANKLE DORSIFLEXION AND INJURY STATUS

Peak hip adduction angle is frequently associated with running related injuries. The purpose of this study was to identify how clinical assessment measures interact to determine the presence of high or low peak hip adduction angles during running. A mixed sex sample of runners (n=125) comprising both injured and healthy controls were assessed for hip abduction strength and range of movement of the hip and ankle. Each runner then ran on a treadmill whilst 3D kinematic data was recorded, with peak hip adduction angles isolated from the data. All interest variables were analysed using a classification and regression tree procedure. This produced a model which was able to classify runners with either high or low peak hip adduction angles with an accuracy of 83.2%. The contribution of hip abductor strength to peak hip adduction angles was influenced by step rate, ankle dorsiflexion range of movement and injury status. This adds to our understanding of the relationship between hip strength and peak hip adduction