The potential risk of communication media in conveying critical information in the aircraft maintenance organisation : A case study

Thank you to Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology and University of Aberdeen, Scotland for the strong support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Use of Open Communal Grazing Designs to Screen Options for Grazing Management

An open communal grazing design is described that enables a large number of grazing tactics to be concurrently evaluated in small plots under common grazing conditions. Pasture data indicated that the same level of utilisation occurred inside the experimental plots as in the surrounding field. However, differential grazing may occur where plots have divergent composition. The open communal design was economical using \u3c 5% of the land, livestock and fencing resources of alternative designs. The limitations of the open communal design as a research tool are also discussed

The Analysis of Results from Paired Paddock Comparisons

Paired-paddock comparisons are a common way of evaluating new grassland practices at a scale more relevant to farmers. They are also being used to replace or augment designed experiments and can be the only source of information available on a practice. However, it is often uncertain if the differences between paddocks are significant. Importantly, a current trend among funding organisations is to support paddock comparisons. The need for valid procedures to compare unreplicated treatments is increasingly urgent. It is suggested that a range of tools be used to infer statistical significance from using typical error values from related studies or subsampling, through to multivariate techniques to follow trends. Local ‘rules of thumb’ could be developed and data evaluated with calibrated models. A final judgement on treatment effects would need to be based upon the use of several criteria to achieve a ‘balance of probabilities’. Consideration of these problems suggests that paired-paddocks should only be used to evaluate contrasting treatments where large effects are expected and not small variations within a practice

Beam interactions in one-dimensional saturable waveguide arrays

The interaction between two parallel beams in one-dimensional discrete saturable systems has been investigated using lithium niobate nonlinear waveguide arrays. When the beams are separated by one channel and in-phase it is possible to observe soliton fusion at low power levels. This new result is confirmed numerically. By increasing the power, soliton-like propagation of weakly-coupled beams occurs. When the beams are out-of-phase the most interesting result is the existence of oscillations which resemble the recently discovered Tamm oscillations.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Radio-Continuum study of the Nearby Sculptor Group Galaxies. Part 1: NGC 300 at lambda = 20 cm

A series of new radio-continuum (lambda=20 cm) mosaic images focused on the NGC 300 galactic system were produced using archived observational data from the VLA and/or ATCA. These new images are both very sensitive (rms=60 microJy) and feature high angular resolution (<10"). The most prominent new feature is the galaxy's extended radio-continuum emission, which does not match its optical appearance. Using these newly created images a number of previously unidentified discrete sources have been discovered. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a joint deconvolution approach to imaging this complete data-set is inferior when compared to an immerge approach.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted to APSS, new version to correct the missing reference

Response of Invasive Longhorn Beetles (Coleoptera: Lamiinae) to Known Cerambycid Aggregation-Sex Pheromones in the Puna District of Hawaii Island

The Queensland longhorn borer (QLB; Acalolepta aesthetica [Olliff 1890]; Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Monochamini) and plumeria long- horn borer (PLB; Lagocheirus obsoletus [Thomson 1778] = Lagocheirus undatus [Voet 1778]; Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Acanthocini) are invasive longhorn beetle species that have become established on the island of Hawaii. Both QLB and PLB are polyphagous. Known hosts of QLB include cacao, citrus, kukui, and breadfruit in Hawaii, and QLB are known to attack live, healthy trees. Currently the beetle occurs in the Puna district of the island, but its range is expanding. PLB is a pest of plumeria and other ornamental plants throughout the state of Hawaii and elsewhere. As a first step towards developing a monitoring tool for these invasive beetles, we tested four known aggregation-sex pheromones of cerambycids in this subfamily—monochamol, fuscumol acetate, fuscumol, and geranylacetone—that have proven effective for attracting more than 30 lamiine species in different areas of the world. When tested in panel traps, these compounds individually and in a blend attracted 9 QLB total, which was not significantly different than the 5 QLB captured in solvent control traps. In contrast, traps baited with one of the tested compounds, fuscumol acetate, captured significantly more PLB than solvent blank control traps. We discuss future research directions for developing attractants using chemical ecology approaches to monitor QLB and PLB

Erythromycin for prokinesis: imprudent prescribing?

Problems with antibiotic resistant bacteria are increasing in the hospital and particularly in the intensive care unit. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumanii and extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Gram-negative bacilli constitute a therapeutic and infection control challenge. Early enteral feeding improves survival in patients in the intensive care unit. Prokinetic agents are routinely used in patients with inappropriate gastrointestinal motility. The use of erythromycin at sub-therapeutic doses as a prokinetic agent is a cause of concern for the following reasons: it can increase the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance and the likelihood of Clostridium difficile disease. The use of an antibiotic as a prokinetic agent does not constitute prudent antimicrobial prescribing and should be avoided. Alternative agents, whenever possible, should be used

Optical properties of highly n-doped germanium obtained by in situ doping and laser annealing

High n-type doping in germanium is essential for many electronic and optoelectronic applications especially for high performance Ohmic contacts, lasing and mid-infrared plasmonics. We report on the combination of in situ doping and excimer laser annealing to improve the activation of phosphorous in germanium. An activated n-doping concentration of 8.8  ×  1019 cm−3 has been achieved starting from an incorporated phosphorous concentration of 1.1  ×  1020 cm−3. Infrared reflectivity data fitted with a multi-layer Drude model indicate good uniformity over a 350 nm thick layer. Photoluminescence demonstrates clear bandgap narrowing and an increased ratio of direct to indirect bandgap emission confirming the high doping densities achieved

A pilot telephone intervention to increase uptake of breast cancer screening in socially deprived areas in Scotland (TELBRECS):study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND Breast cancer accounts for almost 30% of all cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women in Scotland. Screening is key to early detection. The Scottish Breast Screening Programme is a nationwide, free at point of delivery screening service, to which all women aged between 50 and 70 years are invited to attend every 3 years. Currently over three-quarters of invited women regularly attend screening. However, women from more deprived areas are much less likely to attend: for example in the 3 years from 2010-2012 only 63% of women in the most deprived area attended the East of Scotland Breast Screening programme versus 81% in the least deprived. Research has suggested that reminders (telephone or letter) and brief, personalised interventions addressing barriers to attendance may be helpful in increasing uptake in low-income women. METHODS/DESIGN We will employ a brief telephone reminder and support intervention, whose purpose is to elicit and address any mistaken beliefs women have about breast screening, with the aim that the perceived benefits of screening come to outweigh any perceived barriers for individuals. We will test whether this intervention, plus a simple anticipated regret manipulation, will lead to an increase in the uptake of breast cancer screening amongst low-income women who have failed to attend a first appointment, in a randomised controlled trial with 600 women. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of four treatment arms i.e. 1) Letter reminder (i.e. Treatment as usual: CONTROL); 2) Telephone reminder (TEL), 3) Telephone reminder plus telephone support (TEL-SUPP) and 4) Telephone reminder plus support plus AR (TEL-SUPP-AR). The primary outcome will be attendance at breast screening within 3 months of the reminder letter. DISCUSSION If this simple telephone support intervention (with or without AR intervention) leads to a significant increase in breast screening attendance, this would represent a rare example of a theoretically-driven, relatively simple psychological intervention that could result in earlier detection of breast cancer amongst an under-served group of lower socio-economic women. TRIAL REGISTRATION Current Controlled trials: ISRCTN06039270. Registered 16th January 2014