Fuels treatment and wildfire effects on runoff from Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests

We applied an eco-hydrologic model (Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System [RHESSys]), constrained with spatially distributed field measurements, to assess the impacts of forest-fuel treatments and wildfire on hydrologic fluxes in two Sierra Nevada firesheds. Strategically placed fuels treatments were implemented during 2011–2012 in the upper American River in the central Sierra Nevada (43 km2) and in the upper Fresno River in the southern Sierra Nevada (24 km2). This study used the measured vegetation changes from mechanical treatments and modelled vegetation change from wildfire to determine impacts on the water balance. The well-constrained headwater model was transferred to larger catchments based on geologic and hydrologic similarities. Fuels treatments covered 18% of the American and 29% of the Lewis catchment. Averaged over the entire catchment, treatments in the wetter central Sierra Nevada resulted in a relatively light vegetation decrease (8%), leading to a 12% runoff increase, averaged over wet and dry years. Wildfire with and without forest treatments reduced vegetation by 38% and 50% and increased runoff by 55% and 67%, respectively. Treatments in the drier southern Sierra Nevada also reduced the spatially averaged vegetation by 8%, but the runoff response was limited to an increase of less than 3% compared with no treatment. Wildfire following treatments reduced vegetation by 40%, increasing runoff by 13%. Changes to catchment-scale water-balance simulations were more sensitive to canopy cover than to leaf area index, indicating that the pattern as well as amount of vegetation treatment is important to hydrologic response

Effects of Alcohol and Expectancy Upon Episodic Memory in Individuals Reporting Alcoholic Blackouts

In a within-subject placebo design, 10 heavy drinkers reporting alcoholic blackouts showed significant decrements in episodic memory when receiving alcohol but not on days when a placebo was given. Parallel deficits were observed on recall and recognition measures. On placebo days, self-ratings of intoxication were related to the degree of observed performance decrement. Memory deficits appear to be primarily pharmacologic rather than expectancy effects of drinking

A fundamental conflict of care: nurses' accounts of balancing sleep with taking vital signs observations at night.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore why adherence to vital signs observations scheduled by an Early Warning Score protocol reduces at night. BACKGROUND: Regular vital signs observations can reduce avoidable deterioration in hospital. Early Warning Score protocols set the frequency of these observations by the severity of a patient's condition. Vital signs observations are taken less frequently at night, even with an Early Warning Score in place, but no literature has explored why. DESIGN: A qualitative interpretative design informed this study. METHODS: Seventeen semi-structured interviews with nursing staff working on wards with varying levels of adherence to scheduled vital signs observations. A thematic analysis approach was used. RESULTS: At night, nursing teams found it difficult to balance the competing care goals of supporting sleep with taking vital signs observations. The night-time frequency of these observations was determined by clinical judgement, ward-level expectations of observation timing and the risk of disturbing other patients. Patients with COPD or dementia could be under-monitored while patients nearing the end of life could be over-monitored. CONCLUSION: In this study we found an Early Warning Score algorithm focused on deterioration prevention did not account for long-term management or palliative care trajectories. Nurses were therefore less inclined to wake such patients to take vital signs observations at night. However the perception of widespread exceptions and lack of evidence regarding optimum frequency risks delegitimising the Early Warning Score approach. This may pose a risk to patient safety, particularly patients with dementia or chronic conditions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses should document exceptions and discuss these with the wider team. Hospitals should monitor why vital signs observations are missed at night, identify which groups are under-monitored and provide guidance on prioritising competing expectations. Early Warning Score protocols should take account of different care trajectories. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A Knowledge Graph for Industry 4.0

One of the most crucial tasks for today’s knowledge workers is to get and retain a thorough overview on the latest state of the art. Especially in dynamic and evolving domains, the amount of relevant sources is constantly increasing, updating and overruling previous methods and approaches. For instance, the digital transformation of manufacturing systems, called Industry 4.0, currently faces an overwhelming amount of standardization efforts and reference initiatives, resulting in a sophisticated information environment. We propose a structured dataset in the form of a semantically annotated knowledge graph for Industry 4.0 related standards, norms and reference frameworks. The graph provides a Linked Data-conform collection of annotated, classified reference guidelines supporting newcomers and experts alike in understanding how to implement Industry 4.0 systems. We illustrate the suitability of the graph for various use cases, its already existing applications, present the maintenance process and evaluate its quality

Physical routes for the synthesis of kesterite

This paper provides an overview of the physical vapor technologies used to synthesize Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 thin films as absorber layers for photovoltaic applications. Through the years, CZT(S,Se) thin films have been fabricated using sequential stacking or co-sputtering of precursors as well as using sequential or co-evaporation of elemental sources, leading to high-efficient solar cells. In addition, pulsed laser deposition of composite targets and monograin growth by the molten salt method were developed as alternative methods for kesterite layers deposition. This review presents the growing increase of the kesterite-based solar cell efficiencies achieved over the recent years. A historical description of the main issues limiting this efficiency and of the experimental pathways designed to prevent or limit these issues is provided and discussed as well. Afinal section is dedicated to the description of promising process steps aiming at further improvements of solar cell efficiency, such as alkali doping and bandgap grading1. R Caballero and M León acknowledge financial support via the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities project (WINCOST, ENE2016-80788-C5-2-R) and thank H2020 EU Programme under the project INFINITE-CELL (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017-777968). 2. S Canulescu and J Schou acknowledge the support from Innovation Fund Denmark. 3. D-H Kim acknowledges financial support via the DGIST R&D Program of the Ministry of Science and ICT, KOREA (18-BD-05). 4.C. Malerba acknowledges the support from the Italian Ministry of Economic development in the framework of the Operating Agreement with ENEA for the Research on the Electric System. 5.A Redinger acknowledges financial support via the FNR Attract program, Project : SUNSPOT, Nr.11244141. 6. E Saucedo thanks H2020 EU Programme under the projects STARCELL (H2020-NMBP-03-2016-720907) and INFINITE-CELL (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017-777968), the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for the IGNITE project (ENE2017-87671-C3-1-R), and the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF, FEDER Programa Competitivitat de Catalunya 2007–2013). IREC belong to the SEMS (Solar Energy Materials and Systems) Consolidated Research Group of the ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’ (Ref. 2017 SGR 862). 7. Taltech acknowledges financial support via the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research funding project IUT19-28 and the European Union Regional Development Fund, Project TK141. 8. B Vermang has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant Agreement No 715027

Effect of Yb concentration on the resistivity and lifetime of CdTe:Ge:Yb codoped crystals

The resistivity and electron lifetime of CdTe:Ge:Yb crystals are reported, demonstrating that the effect of Yb concentration is crucial for accurate electrical compensation. It is also demonstrated that the codoping of CdTe with Ge as deep donor and with Yb as rare-earth element could be a promising way to obtain semiinsulating CdTe crystals with good transport properties. High resistivity 5 10 9 cm and lifetime 9 s were obtained, thus confirming the beneficial effect of rare-earth dopingThis work has been partly supported by the projects CAM SENSORCDT S-0505/MAT/0209, CAM FOTOFLEX S-0505/ENE-123, and EU FP6 PHOLOGIC 017158. E.S. also acknowledges the Spanish MEC for the fellowship FPU 2003-1388.Peer reviewe

Bridge Plating in the Setting of Radiocarpal Instability: Does Distal Fixation to the Second or Third Metacarpal Matter? A Cadaveric Study

BACKGROUND: Radiocarpal dislocations are rare but potentially devastating injuries. Poorer outcomes are associated with inadequate or lost reduction, such as ulnar translocation, but no consensus exists on the ideal fixation technique. Dorsal bridge plate fixation has been described for various settings in the treatment of complex distal radius fractures and can be fixed distally to the second or third metacarpal, but its application for radiocarpal dislocations has not been established. AIM: To determine whether distal fixation to the second or third metacarpal matters. METHODS: Using a cadaveric radiocarpal dislocation model, the effect of distal fixation was studied in two stages: (1) A pilot study that investigated the effect of distal fixation alone; and (2) a more refined study that investigated the effect of described techniques for distal and proximal fixation. Radiographs were measured in various parameters to determine the quality of the reduction achieved. RESULTS: The pilot study found that focusing on distal fixation alone without changing proximal fixation results in ulnar translocation and volar subluxation when fixing distally to the second metacarpal compared with the third. The second iteration demonstrated that anatomic alignment in coronal and sagittal planes could be achieved with each technique. CONCLUSION: In a cadaveric radiocarpal dislocation model, anatomic alignment can be maintained with bridge plate fixation to the second metacarpal or the third metacarpal if the described technique is followed. When considering dorsal bridge plate fixation for radiocarpal dislocations, the surgeon is encouraged to understand the nuances of different fixation techniques and how implant design features may influence proximal placement

Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: strengths and limitations of the evidence to inform policy and practice. A review and discussion paper based on evidence reviewed for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence safe staffing guideline development

A large and increasing number of studies have reported a relationship between low nurse staffing levels and adverse outcomes, including higher mortality rates. Despite the evidence being extensive in size, and having been sometimes described as “compelling” and “overwhelming”, there are limitations that existing studies have not yet been able to address. One result of these weaknesses can be observed in the guidelines on safe staffing in acute hospital wards issued by the influential body that sets standards for the National Health Service in England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which concluded there is insufficient good quality evidence available to fully inform practice. In this paper we explore this apparent contradiction. After summarising the evidence review that informed the NICE guideline on safe staffing and related evidence, we move on to discussing the complex challenges that arise when attempting to apply this evidence to practice. Among these, we introduce the concept of endogeneity, a form of bias in the estimation of causal effects. Although current evidence is broadly consistent with a cause and effect relationship, endogeneity means that estimates of the size of effect, essential for building an economic case, may be biased and in some cases qualitatively wrong. We expand on three limitations that are likely to lead to endogeneity in many previous studies: omitted variables, which refers to the absence of control for variables such as medical staffing and patient case mix; simultaneity, which occurs when the outcome can influence the level of staffing just as staffing influences outcome; and common-method variance, which may be present when both outcomes and staffing levels variables are derived from the same survey. Thus while current evidence is important and has influenced policy because it illustrates the potential risks and benefits associated with changes in nurse staffing, it may not provide operational solutions. We conclude by posing a series of questions about design and methods for future researchers who intend to further explore this complex relationship between nurse staffing levels and outcomes. These questions are intended to reflect on the potential added value of new research given what is already known, and to encourage those conducting research to take opportunities to produce research that fills gaps in the existing knowledge for practice. By doing this we hope that future studies can better quantify both the benefits and costs of changes in nurse staffing levels and, therefore, serve as a more useful tool for those delivering services. <br/

Selection by genetic merit in Cavia porcellus for reproduction by their selection index

El estudio se desarrolló en el “Centro de Producción de Genética Superior (CENPROGEN-SUP)” en el distrito de Valle de Condebamba, región Cajamarca, Perú, con el objetivo de seleccionar cuyes machos para reproducción en función a su índice de selección. Fueron utilizados 80 cuyes machos del ecotipo Cajamarca de la Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias Pecuarias (FICP puros y cruzados) de la Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, así como del Valle de Mangallana y del Valle de Cholocal. Los cuyes fueron alimentados con alfalfa, concentrado y agua a voluntad durante 56 días. Se evaluó el incremento de peso diario (IPD) y total (IPT), peso final (PF), longitud corporal (LC) y conversión alimenticia (CA). Los FICP cruzados tuvieron valores significativamente mejores para IPD, IPT, PF y LC (17.6±1.8 g, 979±98 g, 1328±134 g y 36.6±1.3 cm, respectivamente) (p&lt;0.05). Por otro lado, no hubo diferencias entre grupos para conversión alimenticia. Se encontró correlación alta y significativa entre PF con LC y consumo de alimento (p&lt;0.05), y correlación inversa entre el IPT y CA (p&lt;0.05). El máximo valor de índice de selección corresponde a los cuyes FICP cruzados (0.873), seguido por FICP puros (0.544), Valle de Mangallana (0.400) y Valle de Cholocal (0.346); asimismo, el 45% del primer cuartil corresponde a FICP cruzados. Se concluye que el mejor germoplasma con superioridad genética se encuentra en la población de cuyes FICP cruzados.The study was carried out in the "Centro de Producción de Genética Superior (CENPROGEN-SUP)" in Valle de Condebamba district, Cajamarca region, Peru, with the objective of selecting male guinea pigs for breeding based on their selection index. A total of 80 male guinea pigs of the Cajamarca ecotype of the Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias Pecuarias (pure and crossbred FICP) of the National University of Cajamarca, as well from the Valley of Mangallana and from the Valley of Cholocal. The guinea pigs were fed alfalfa, concentrate and water ad libitum for 56 days. The daily weight gain (IPD) and total weight gain (IPT), final weight (PF), body length (LC) and feed conversion (CA) were evaluated. The crossed FICP had significantly better values for IPD, IPT, PF and LC (17.6±1.8 g, 979±98 g, 1328±134 g and 36.6 ± 1.3 cm, respectively) (p&lt;0.05).) On the other hand, there were no differences between groups for feed conversion. A high and significant correlation was found (p&lt;0.05) between PF with LC and feed intake, and inverse correlation (p&lt;0.05) between IPT and CA. The maximum value of the selection index corresponds to crossbred FICP guinea pigs (0.873), followed by pure FICP (0.544), Valley of Mangallana (0.400) and Valley of Cholocal (0.346), and 45% of the first quartile corresponds to crossbred FICP. Best germplasm with genetic superiority was found in the crossbred FICP population