3,686 research outputs found

    DRASTIC—INSIGHTS:querying information in a plant gene expression database

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    DRASTIC––Database Resource for the Analysis of Signal Transduction In Cells (http://www.drastic.org.uk/) has been created as a first step towards a data-based approach for constructing signal transduction pathways. DRASTIC is a relational database of plant expressed sequence tags and genes up- or down-regulated in response to various pathogens, chemical exposure or other treatments such as drought, salt and low temperature. More than 17700 records have been obtained from 306 treatments affecting 73 plant species from 512 peer-reviewed publications with most emphasis being placed on data from Arabidopsis thaliana. DRASTIC has been developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute and the Abertay University and allows rapid identification of plant genes that are up- or down-regulated by multiple treatments and those that are regulated by a very limited (or perhaps a single) treatment. The INSIGHTS (INference of cell SIGnaling HypoTheseS) suite of web-based tools allows intelligent data mining and extraction of information from the DRASTIC database. Potential response pathways can be visualized and comparisons made between gene expression patterns in response to various treatments. The knowledge gained informs plant signalling pathways and systems biology investigations

    Clinical evaluation of the FloTrac/VigileoTM system and two established continuous cardiac output monitoring devices in patients undergoing cardiac surgery†‡

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    Background Assessment of cardiac output (CO) by the FloTrac/Vigileoℱ system may offer a less invasive means of determining the CO than either the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) or the PiCCOplusℱ system. The aim of this study was to compare CO measurements made using the FloTrac/Vigileoℱ system with upgraded software (FCO, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine CA, USA), the PiCCOplusℱ system (PCO, Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany) and continuous CO monitoring using a PAC (CCO; Vigilanceℱ monitoring, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine CA, USA) with intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution (ICO). The study was conducted in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Methods Thirty-one patients with preserved left ventricular function were enrolled. CCO, FCO, and PCO were recorded in the perioperative period at six predefined time points after achieving stable haemodynamic conditions; ICO was determined from the mean of three bolus injections. Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare CCO, FCO, and PCO with ICO. Results Bland-Altman analysis revealed a comparable mean bias and limits of agreement for all tested continuous CO monitoring devices using ICO as reference method. Agreement for all devices decreased in the postoperative period. Conclusion The performance of the FloTrac/Vigileoℱ system, the PiCCOplusℱ, and the Vigilanceℱ CCO monitoring for CO measurement were comparable when tested against intermittent thermodilution in patients undergoing elective cardiac surger

    Inter-similarity between coupled networks

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    Recent studies have shown that a system composed from several randomly interdependent networks is extremely vulnerable to random failure. However, real interdependent networks are usually not randomly interdependent, rather a pair of dependent nodes are coupled according to some regularity which we coin inter-similarity. For example, we study a system composed from an interdependent world wide port network and a world wide airport network and show that well connected ports tend to couple with well connected airports. We introduce two quantities for measuring the level of inter-similarity between networks (i) Inter degree-degree correlation (IDDC) (ii) Inter-clustering coefficient (ICC). We then show both by simulation models and by analyzing the port-airport system that as the networks become more inter-similar the system becomes significantly more robust to random failure.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

    Separating N2O production and consumption in intact agricultural soil cores at different moisture contents and depths

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    Agricultural soils are a major source of the potent greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance, N2O. To implement management practices that minimise microbial N2O production and maximise its consumption (i.e. complete denitrification) we must understand the interplay between simultaneously occurring biological and physical processes, especially how this changes with soil depth. Meaningfully disentangling these processes is challenging and typical N2O flux measurement techniques provide little insight into subsurface mechanisms. Additionally, denitrification studies are often conducted on sieved soil in altered O2 environments which relate poorly to in situ field conditions. Here, we use a novel dual headspace system with field-relevant O2 concentrations to incubate intact sandy clay loam textured agricultural topsoil (0-10 cm) and subsoil (50-60 cm) cores for 3-4 d at 50 and 70% water filled pore space (WFPS), respectively. 15N-N2O pool dilution and an SF6 tracer were used to determine the relative diffusivity (Ds/D0) and the net N2O emission and gross N2O emission and consumption rates. The relationship between calculated fluxes from the below- and above- soil core headspaces confirmed that the system performed well. We found no difference in Ds/D0 between soil depth fractions, which was probably because of the preservation of preferential flow pathways in intact cores. Both gross N2O emissions and uptake were not different with depth but were higher in the 50% WFPS, contrary to expectation. We attribute this to aerobic denitrification and simultaneously occurring denitrification and nitrification for the gross consumption and emission of N2O, respectively. Here, we developed a novel system that allows careful control of conditions and, with a headspace below and above a soil core, a more realistic reconstruction of in situ gas dynamics. We provide further evidence of substantial N2O consumption in drier soil and without net negative N2O emissions. The results from this study are important for the future application of the 15N-N2O pool dilution method and N budgeting and modelling, as required for improving management to minimise N2O losses

    Education and transfer of water competencies: An ecological dynamics approach

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    © The Author(s) 2020. To cope in various aquatic environments (i.e. swimming pools, lakes, rivers, oceans), learners require a wide repertoire of self-regulatory behaviours such as awareness of obstacles and water properties, floating and moving from point to point with different strokes, decision making, emotional control and breathing efficiently. By experiencing different learning situations in stable indoor pool environments, it is assumed that children strengthen aquatic competencies that should be transferable to functioning in open water environments, where prevalence of drowning is high. However, this fundamental assumption may be misleading. Here, we propose the application of a clear, related methodology and theoretical framework that could be useful to help physical education curriculum specialists (re)shape and (re)design appropriate aquatic learning situations to facilitate better transfer of learning. We discuss the need for more representativeness in a learning environment, proposing how the many different task and environmental constraints on aquatic actions may bound the emergence of functional, self-regulatory behaviours in learners. Ideas in ecological dynamics suggest that physical educators should design learning environments that offer a rich landscape of opportunities for action for learners. As illustration, three practice interventions are described for developing functional and transferrable skills in indoor aquatic environments. It is important that aquatic educators focus not just upon ‘learning to swim’, but particularly on relevant transferable skills and self-regulatory behaviours deemed necessary for functioning in dynamic, outdoor aquatic environments

    Education and transfer of water competencies: An ecological dynamics approach

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    © The Author(s) 2020. To cope in various aquatic environments (i.e. swimming pools, lakes, rivers, oceans), learners require a wide repertoire of self-regulatory behaviours such as awareness of obstacles and water properties, floating and moving from point to point with different strokes, decision making, emotional control and breathing efficiently. By experiencing different learning situations in stable indoor pool environments, it is assumed that children strengthen aquatic competencies that should be transferable to functioning in open water environments, where prevalence of drowning is high. However, this fundamental assumption may be misleading. Here, we propose the application of a clear, related methodology and theoretical framework that could be useful to help physical education curriculum specialists (re)shape and (re)design appropriate aquatic learning situations to facilitate better transfer of learning. We discuss the need for more representativeness in a learning environment, proposing how the many different task and environmental constraints on aquatic actions may bound the emergence of functional, self-regulatory behaviours in learners. Ideas in ecological dynamics suggest that physical educators should design learning environments that offer a rich landscape of opportunities for action for learners. As illustration, three practice interventions are described for developing functional and transferrable skills in indoor aquatic environments. It is important that aquatic educators focus not just upon ‘learning to swim’, but particularly on relevant transferable skills and self-regulatory behaviours deemed necessary for functioning in dynamic, outdoor aquatic environments

    Assessment of New Hub-and-spoke and Point-to-point Airline Network Configurations

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    This paper aims to provide new measures of airline network configuration with a view to analyse effectively the complexity of modern carriers' network design. It studies network configurations in the airline sector by taking into account both spatial and temporal dimensions. The spatial dimension is measured by using both the Gini index and the Freeman index, which originate from social science research. The temporal dimension is measured by the connectivity ratio, i.e. the share of indirect connections over the total number of connections. According to these indicators, the configuration of the largest full-service carriers and the largest low-cost carriers in Europe is investigated. The results show that the temporal dimension provides a clear distinction between full-service carriers and low-cost carriers; while the spatial dimension appears useful when identifying the peculiarities within groups

    Prevention and management of chronic disease in Aboriginal and Islander Community Controlled Health Services in Queensland: a quality improvement study assessing change in selected clinical performance indicators over time in a cohort of services

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    OBJECTIVE To evaluate clinical healthcare performance in Aboriginal Medical Services in Queensland and to consider future directions in supporting improvement through measurement, target setting and standards development. DESIGN Longitudinal study assessing baseline performance and improvements in service delivery, clinical care and selected outcomes against key performance indicators 2009-2010. SETTING 27 Aboriginal and Islander Community Controlled Health Services (AICCHSs) in Queensland, who are members of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC). PARTICIPANTS 22 AICCHS with medical clinics. INTERVENTION Implementation and use of an electronic clinical information system that integrates with electronic health records supported by the QAIHC quality improvement programme-the Close the Gap Collaborative. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of patients with current recording of key healthcare activities and the prevalence of risk factors and chronic disease. RESULTS Aggregated performance was high on a number of key risk factors and healthcare activities including assessment of tobacco use and management of hypertension but low for others. Performance between services showed greatest variation for care planning and health check activity. CONCLUSIONS Data collected by the QAIHC health information system highlight the risk factor workload facing the AICCHS in Queensland, demonstrating the need for ongoing support and workforce planning. Development of targets and weighting models is necessary to enable robust between-service comparisons of performance, which has implications for health reform initiatives in Australia. The limited information available suggests that although performance on key activities in the AICCHS sector has potential for improvement in some areas, it is nonetheless at a higher level than for mainstream providers. IMPLICATIONS The work demonstrates the role that the Community Controlled sector can play in closing the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes by leading the use of clinical data to record and assess the quality of services and health outcome.Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    How does virtual simulation impact on nursing students’ knowledge and self-efficacy for recognising and responding to deteriorating patients? A mixed methods study.

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    Background: Preparing undergraduate nursing students effectively for safe clinical practice continues to present significant challenges due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, global nursing shortages, greater competition for quality clinical placements, and no guarantee that nursing students will have exposure to a deteriorating patient during their clinical placements. This is a concern because early warning signs of clinical deterioration are often not detected by nurses in a timely manner, and recognition and response to deteriorating patients is recognised globally as a major safety challenge (Haddeland et al., 2018). Aim: To explore the impact of using interactive virtual simulation case studies with facilitated debriefing (Eppich and Cheng, 2015) on nursing students’ knowledge and self-efficacy for recognising and responding to early signs of clinical deterioration in patients. Design & Methods: Mixed methods study with quasi-experimental pre/post design and focus groups. A convenience sample (n=88) final year undergraduate nursing students with half the sample at each sites randomly allocated to a treatment or control group. The treatment group received a virtual simulation intervention, debriefing, and participated in a focus group. Results: The treatment group had statistically significant higher levels of clinical self-efficacy from pre to post survey scores (65.34 and 80.12) compared to the control group (62.59 and 70.73) and significantly increased levels of knowledge in recognizing and responding to the deteriorating patient scores from pre to post survey (11.30 to 13.1) in comparison to the control group (10.33 and 9.92). Conclusions: study findings demonstrated the positive impact of a the virtual simulation intervention on knowledge and confidence of undergraduate nursing students from geographically diverse areas
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