Vibrational spectroscopic study of the minerals cavansite and pentagonite Ca(V4+O)Si4O10.4H2O

The bright blue minerals cavansite and pentagonite, a calcium vanadium silicate Ca(V4+O)Si4O10.4H2O, have been studied by UV–Visible, Raman and infrared spectroscopy. Cavansite shows an open porous structure with very small micron sized holes. Strong UV–Visible absorption bands are observed at around 403, 614 and 789 nm for cavansite and pentagonite. The Raman spectrum of cavansite is dominated by an intense band at 981 cm -1 and pentagonite by a band at 971 cm-1 attributed to the stretching vibrations of (SiO3)n units. Cavansite is characterised by two intense bands at 574 and 672 cm-1 whereas pentagonite by a single band at 651 cm-1. The Raman spectrum of cavansite in the hydroxyl stretching region shows bands at 3504, 3546, 3577, 3604 and 3654 cm-1 whereas pentagonite is a single band at 3532 cm_1. These bands are attributed to water coordinated to calcium and vanadium. XPS studies show that bond energy of oxygen in oxides is 530 eV, and in hydroxides -531.5 eV and for water -533.5 eV. XPS studies show a strong peak at 531.5 eV for cavansite, indicating some OH units in the structure of cavansite.

A randomised trial of a psychosocial intervention for cancer patients integrated into routine care: The PROMPT study (promoting optimal outcomes in mood through tailored psychosocial therapies)

Background Despite evidence that up to 35% of patients with cancer experience significant distress, access to effective psychosocial care is limited by lack of systematic approaches to assessment, a paucity of psychosocial services, and patient reluctance to accept treatment either because of perceived stigma or difficulties with access to specialist psycho-oncology services due to isolation or disease burden. This paper presents an overview of a randomised study to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief tailored psychosocial Intervention delivered by health professionals in cancer care who undergo focused training and participate in clinical supervision. Methods/design Health professionals from the disciplines of nursing, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetics, physiotherapy or radiation therapy will participate in training to deliver the psychosocial Intervention focusing on core concepts of supportive-expressive, cognitive and dignity-conserving care. Health professional training will consist of completion of a self-directed manual and participation in a skills development session. Participating health professionals will be supported through structured clinical supervision whilst delivering the Intervention. In the stepped wedge design each of the 5 participating clinical sites will be allocated in random order from Control condition to Training then delivery of the Intervention. A total of 600 patients will be recruited across all sites. Based on level of distress or risk factors eligible patients will receive up to 4 sessions, each of up to 30 minutes in length, delivered face-to-face or by telephone. Participants will be assessed at baseline and 10-week follow-up. Patient outcome measures include anxiety and depression, quality of life, unmet psychological and supportive care needs. Health professional measures include psychological morbidity, stress and burnout. Process evaluation will be conducted to assess perceptions of participation in the study and the factors that may promote translation of learning into practice. Discussion This study will provide important information about the effectiveness of a brief tailored psychological Intervention for patients with cancer and the potential to prevent development of significant distress in patients considered at risk. It will yield data about the feasibility of this model of care in routine clinical practice and identify enablers and barriers to its systematic implementation in cancer settings.

Raman spectroscopic study of the mineral xonotlite Ca 6Si 6O 17(OH) 2-A component of plaster boards

The mineral xonotlite Ca 6Si 6O 17(OH) 2 is a crystalline calcium silicate hydrate which is widely used in plaster boards and in many industrial applications. The structure of xonotlite is best described as having a dreierdoppelketten silicate structure, and describes the repeating silicate trimer which forms the silicate chains, and doppel indicating that two chains combine. Raman bands at 1042 and 1070 cm -1 are assigned to the SiO stretching vibrations of linked units of Si 4O 11 units. Raman bands at 961 and 980 cm -1 serve to identify Si 3O 10 units. The broad Raman band at 862 cm -1 is attributed to hydroxyl deformation modes. Intense Raman bands at 593 and 695 cm -1 are assigned to OSiO bending vibrations. Intense Raman bands at 3578, 3611, 3627 and 3665 cm -1 are assigned to OH stretching vibrations of the OH units in xonotlite. Infrared spectra are in harmony with the Raman spectra. Raman spectroscopy with complimentary infrared spectroscopy enables the characterisation of the building material xonotlite.

Isolation and functional characterisation of banana phytoene synthase genes as potential cisgenes

Carotenoids occur in all photosynthetic organisms where they protect photosystems from auto-oxidation, participate in photosynthetic energy-transfer and are secondary metabolites. Of the more than 600 known plant carotenoids, few can be converted into vitamin A by humans and so these pro-vitamin A carotenoids (pVAC) are important in human nutrition. Phytoene synthase (PSY) is a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of pVACs and plays a central role in regulating pVAC accumulation in the edible portion of crop plants. Bananas are a major commercial crop and serve as a staple crop for more than 30 million people. There is natural variation in fruit pVAC content across different banana cultivars, but this is not well understood. Therefore, we isolated PSY genes from banana cultivars with relatively high (cv. Asupina) and low (cv. Cavendish) pVAC content. We provide evidence that PSY in banana is encoded by two paralogs (PSY1 and PSY2), each with a similar gene structure to homologous genes in other monocots. Further, we demonstrate that PSY2 is more highly expressed in fruit pulp compared to leaf. Functional analysis of PSY1 and PSY2 in rice callus and E. coli demonstrate that both genes encode functional enzymes, and that Asupina PSYs have approximately twice the enzymatic activity of the corresponding Cavendish PSYs. These results suggest that differences in PSY enzyme activity contribute significantly to the differences in Asupina and Cavendish fruit pVAC content. Importantly, Asupina PSY genes could potentially be used to generate new cisgenic or intragenic banana cultivars with enhanced pVAC content.

Evidence for carbonate platform failure during rapid sea-level rise; ca 14 000 year old bioclastic flow deposits in the Lesser Antilles

Bioclastic flow deposits offshore from the Soufrie`re Hills volcano on Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles were deposited by the largest volume sediment flows near this active volcano in the last 26 kyr. The volume of these deposits exceeds that of the largest historic volcanic dome collapse in the world, which occurred on Montserrat in 2003. These flows were most probably generated by a large submarine slope failure of the carbonate shelf comprising the south west flank of Antigua or the east flank of Redonda; adjacent islands that are not volcanically active. The bioclastic flow deposits are relatively coarse-grained and either ungraded or poorly graded, and were deposited by non cohesive debris flow and high density turbidity currents. The bioclastic deposit often comprises multiple sub-units that cannot be correlated between core sites; some located just 2 km apart. Multiple sub-units in the bioclastic deposit result from either flow reflection, stacking of multiple debris flow lobes, and/or multi-stage collapse of the initial landslide. This study provides unusually precise constraints on the age of this mass flow event that occurred at ca 14 ka. Few large submarine landslides have been well dated, but the slope failures that have been dated are commonly associated with periods of rapid sea-level change.

Coping with aggressive driving : driver accounts of how they manage themselves and others to reduce conflict on the road

Dealing with the aggression of other drivers on the road is an important skill given that driving is a common activity for adults in highly motorised countries. Even though incidents of extreme aggression on the road (such as assault) are reportedly rare, milder forms, some of them dangerous (such as tailgating or deliberately following too closely) are apparently common, and may be increasing. At the very least, this is likely to render the driving environment more stressful, and at worst elevates the risk of crashing by increasing both the level of risky driving behaviours and the likelihood of responses that escalate the situation. Thus the need for drivers to manage incidents of conflict is likely to become increasingly important. However, little research examines how drivers manage their own or others’ aggressive driving behaviour. Recently greater attention has been paid to driver cognitions, especially the attributions that drivers make about other drivers, that then might influence their own driving responses, particularly aggressive or risky ones. The study reported below was the first in a larger exploration of aggressive driving that focussed on driver cognitions, emotions and underlying motivations for aggressive behaviours on the road. Qualitative, in-depth interviews of drivers (n = 30, aged 18-49 years) were subjected to thematic analysis to investigate driver experiences with aggressive driving. Two main themes were identified from these accounts: driver management of self; and driver attempts to influence or manage other drivers. This paper describes the subthemes falling under the management of self main theme. These subthemes were labelled ‘being magnanimous’, ‘chilling out’, ‘slowing down’, and ‘apology/acknowledgment’. ‘Being magnanimous’ referred to situations where the respondent perceived him/herself to be a recipient of another’s aggressive driving and made a deliberate choice not to respond. However, a characteristic of this sub-theme was that this choice was underpinned by the adoption of morally superior stance, or sense of magnanimity. ‘Chilling out’ was a more general response to both the milder aggressive behaviours of other drivers and the general frustrations of driving. ‘Slowing down’ referred to reducing one’s speed in response to the perceived aggressive driving, often tailgating, of another. This subtheme appeared to consist of two separate underlying motivations. One of these was a genuine concern for one’s own safety while the other was more aimed at “getting back” at the other driver. ‘Apology’ referred to how drivers modified their more negative reactions and responses when another driver made gestures that acknowledged their having made a mistake, indicated an apology, or acknowledged the recipient driver. These sub-themes are discussed in relation to their implications for understanding aggressive driving and intervening to reduce it.

The utility of serum CA-125 in predicting extra-uterine disease in apparent early stage endometrial cancer

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical value of pre-operative serum CA125 in predicting the presence of extra-uterine disease in patients with apparent early stage endometrial cancer. Methods: Between October 6, 2005 and June 17, 2010, 760 patients were enrolled in an international, multicentre, prospective randomized trial (LACE) comparing laparotomy with laparoscopy in the management of endometrial cancer apparently confined to the uterus. This study is based on data from 657 patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma who had a pre-operative serum CA125 value, and was undertaken to correlate pre-operative serum CA125 with final stage. Results: Using a pre-operative CA-125 cutpoint of 30U/ml was associated with the smallest misclassification error (14.5%) using a multiple cross-validation method. Median pre-operative serum CA-125 was 14U/ml, and using a cutpoint of 30U/ml, 14.9% of patients had elevated CA-125 levels. Of 98 patients with elevated CA-125 level, 36 (36.7%) had evidence of extra-uterine disease. Of the 116 patients (17.7%) with evidence of extra-uterine disease, 31.0% had elevated CA-125 level. In univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, only pre-operative CA-125 level was found to be associated with extra-uterine spread of disease. Utilising a cutpoint of 30U/ml achieved a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 31.0%, 88.5%, 36.7% and 85.7% respectively. Overall, 326/657 (49.6%) of patients had full surgical staging involving lymph node dissection. When analysis was limited to patients that had undergone full surgical staging, the outcomes remained essentially unchanged. Conclusions: Elevated CA-125 above 30U/ml in patients with apparent early stage disease is associated with a sensitivity of 31.0% and specificity of 88.5% in detecting extra-uterine disease. Pre-operative identification of this risk factor may assist to triage patients to tertiary centres and comprehensive surgical staging.

Rate of torque and electromyographic development during anticipated eccentric contraction is lower in previously strained hamstrings

Background: Hamstring strain injuries are prevalent in sport and re-injury rates have been high for many years. Whilst much focus has centred on the impact of previous hamstring strain injury on maximal eccentric strength, high rates of torque development is also of interest, given the important role of the hamstrings during the terminal swing phase of running. The impact of prior strain injury on myoelectrical activity of the hamstrings during tasks requiring high rates of torque development has received little attention. Purpose: To determine if recreational athletes with a history of unilateral hamstring strain injury, who have returned to training and competition, will exhibit lower levels of myoelectrical activity during eccentric contraction, rate of torque development and impulse 30, 50 and 100ms after the onset of myoelectrical activity or torque development in the previously injured limb compared to the uninjured limb. Study design: Case-control study Methods: Twenty-six recreational athletes were recruited. Of these, 13 athletes had a history of unilateral hamstring strain injury (all confined to biceps femoris long head) and 13 had no history of hamstring strain injury. Following familiarisation, all athletes undertook isokinetic dynamometry testing and surface electromyography assessment of the biceps femoris long head and medial hamstrings during eccentric contractions at -60 and -1800.s-1. Results: In the injured limb of the injured group, compared to the contralateral uninjured limb rate of torque development and impulse was lower during -600.s-1 eccentric contractions at 50 (RTD, injured limb = 312.27 ± 191.78Nm.s-1 vs. uninjured limb = 518.54 ± 172.81Nm.s-1, p=0.008; IMP, injured limb = 0.73 ± 0.30 Nm.s vs. uninjured limb = 0.97 ± 0.23 Nm.s, p=0.005) and 100ms (RTD, injured limb = 280.03 ± 131.42Nm.s-1 vs. uninjured limb = 460.54.54 ± 152.94Nm.s-1,p=0.001; IMP, injured limb = 2.15 ± 0.89 Nm.s vs. uninjured limb = 3.07 ± 0.63 Nm.s, p<0.001) after the onset of contraction. Biceps femoris long head muscle activation was lower at 100ms at both contraction speeds (-600.s-1, normalised iEMG activity (x1000), injured limb = 26.25 ± 10.11 vs. uninjured limb 33.57 ± 8.29, p=0.009; -1800.s-1, normalised iEMG activity (x1000), injured limb = 31.16 ± 10.01 vs. uninjured limb 39.64 ± 8.36, p=0.009). Medial hamstring activation did not differ between limbs in the injured group. Comparisons in the uninjured group showed no significant between limbs difference for any variables. Conclusion: Previously injured hamstrings displayed lower rate of torque development and impulse during slow maximal eccentric contraction compared to the contralateral uninjured limb. Lower myoelectrical activity was confined to the biceps femoris long head. Regardless of whether these deficits are the cause of or the result of injury, these findings could have important implications for hamstring strain injury and re-injury. Particularly, given the importance of high levels of muscle activity to bring about specific muscular adaptations, lower levels of myoelectrical activity may limit the adaptive response to rehabilitation interventions and suggest greater attention be given to neural function of the knee flexors following hamstring strain injury.

Do voluntary activation deficits contribute to eccentric weakness following intermittent running?

Hamstring strain injuries (HSI) are the predominant non-contact injury in many sports. Eccentric hamstring muscle weakness following intermittent running has been implicated within the aetiology of HSI. This weakness following intermittent running is often greater eccentrically than concentrically, however the cause of this unique, contraction mode specific phenomenon is unknown. PURPOSE: To determine if this preferential eccentric decline in strength is caused by declines in voluntary hamstring muscle activation. METHODS: Fifteen recreationally active males completed 18 × 20m overground sprints. Maximal strength (concentric and eccentric knee flexor and concentric knee extensor) was determined isokinetically at the velocities of ±1800.s-1 and ±600.s- while hamstring muscle activation was assessed using surface electromyography, before and 15 minutes after the running protocol. RESULTS: Overground intermittent running caused greater eccentric (27.2 Nm; 95% CI = 11.2 to 43.3; p=0.0001) than concentric knee flexor weakness (9.3 Nm; 95% CI = -6.7 to 25.3; P=0.6361). Following the overground running, voluntary activation levels of the lateral hamstrings showed a significant decline (0.08%; 95% CI = 0.045 to 0.120; P<0.0001). In comparison, medial hamstring activation showed an increased level of activation following intermittent running (0.12%; 95% CI = 0.049 to 0.030; P = 0.0102). CONCLUSION: Eccentric hamstring strength is decreased significantly following intermittent overground running. Voluntary activation deficits in the biceps femoris muscle are responsible for some portion of this weakness. The implications of this finding are significant because the biceps femoris muscle is the most frequently strained of all the hamstring muscles and because fatigue appears to play an important part in injury occurrence.

Impact of previous hamstring strain injury on rate of torque and EMG development during eccentric contraction.

Background: Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are prevalent in sport and re-injury rates have been high for many years. Whilst much focus has centred on the impact of previous hamstring strain injury on maximal eccentric strength, high rates of torque development is also of interest, given the important role of the hamstrings during the terminal swing phase of gait. The impact of prior strain injury on neuromuscular function of the hamstrings during tasks requiring high rates of torque development has received little attention. The purpose of this study is to determine if recreational athletes with a history of unilateral hamstring strain injury, who have returned to training and competition, will exhibit lower levels of eccentric muscle activation, rate of torque development and impulse 30, 50 and 100ms after the onset of electromyographical or torque development in the previously injured limb compared to the uninjured limb. Methods: Twenty-six recreational athletes were recruited. Of these, 13 athletes had a history of unilateral hamstring strain injury (all confined to biceps femoris long head) and 13 had no history of hamstring strain injury. Following familiarisation, all athletes undertook isokinetic dynamometry testing and surface electromyography assessment of the biceps femoris long head and medial hamstrings during eccentric contractions at -60 and -1800.s-1. Results: In the injured limb of the injured group, compared to the contralateral uninjured limb rate of torque development and impulse was lower during -600.s-1 eccentric contractions at 50 (RTD, p=0.008; IMP, p=0.005) and 100ms (RTD, p=0.001; IMP p<0.001) after the onset of contraction. There was also a non-significant trend for rate of torque development during -1800.s-1 to be lower 100ms after onset of contraction (p=0.064). Biceps femoris long head muscle activation was lower at 100ms at both contraction speeds (-600.s-1, p=0.009; -1800.s-1, p=0.009). Medial hamstring activation did not differ between limbs in the injured group. Comparisons in the uninjured group showed no significant between limbs difference for any variables. Conclusion: Previously injured hamstrings displayed lower rate of torque development and impulse during eccentric contraction. Lower muscle activation was confined to the biceps femoris long head. Regardless of whether these deficits are the cause of or the result of injury, these findings have important implications for hamstring strain injury and re-injury and suggest greater attention be given to neural function of the knee flexors.

Adapting wheat sowing dates to projected climate change in the Australian subtropics: analysis of crop water use and yield

Projected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) and air temperature associated with future climate change are expected to affect crop development, crop yield, and, consequently, global food supplies. They are also likely to change agricultural production practices, especially those related to agricultural water management and sowing date. The magnitude of these changes and their implications to local production systems are mostly unknown. The objectives of this study were to: (i) simulate the effect of projected climate change on spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Lang) yield and water use for the subtropical environment of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia; and (ii) investigate the impact of changing sowing date, as an adaptation strategy to future climate change scenarios, on wheat yield and water use. The multimodel climate projections from the IPCC Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) for the period 2030–2070 were used in this study. Climate scenarios included combinations of four changes in air temperature (08C, 18C, 28C, and 38C), three [CO2] levels (380 ppm, 500 ppm, and 600 ppm), and three changes in rainfall (–30%, 0%, and +20%), which were superimposed on observed station data. Crop management scenarios included a combination of six sowing dates (1 May, 10 May, 20 May, 1 June, 10 June, and 20 June) and three irrigation regimes (no irrigation (NI), deficit irrigation (DI), and full irrigation (FI)). Simulations were performed with the model DSSAT4.5, using 50 years of daily weather data.Wefound that: (1) grain yield and water-use efficiency (yield/evapotranspiration) increased linearly with [CO2]; (2) increases in [CO2] had minimal impact on evapotranspiration; (3) yield increased with increasing temperature for the irrigated scenarios (DI and FI), but decreased for the NI scenario; (4) yield increased with earlier sowing dates; and (5) changes in rainfall had a small impact on yield for DI and FI, but a high impact for the NI scenario.

Partial melt processing and electrical properties of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-o superconducting thick films on (100) MgO substrates

Superconducting thick films of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy (Bi-2212) on single-crystalline (100) MgO substrates have been prepared using a doctor-blade technique and a partial-melt process. It is found that the phase composition and the amount of Ag addition to the paste affect the structure and superconducting properties of the partially melted thick films. The optimum heat treatment schedule for obtaining high Jc has been determined for each paste. The heat treatment ensures attainment of high purity for the crystalline Bi-2212 phase and high orientation of Bi-2212 crystals, in which the c-axis is perpendicular to the substrate. The highest Tc, obtained by resistivity measurement, is 92.2 K. The best value for Jct (transport) of these thick films, measured at 77 K in self-field, is 8 × 10 3 Acm -2.

Reaction products between Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-oxide thick films and alumina substrates

The structure and composition of reaction products between Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-oxide (BSCCO) thick films and alumina substrates have been characterized using a combination of electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). Sr and Ca are found to be the most reactive cations with alumina. Sr4Al6O12SO4 is formed between the alumina substrates and BSCCO thick films prepared from paste with composition close to Bi-2212 (and Bi-2212 + 10 wt.% Ag). For paste with composition close to Bi(Pb)-2223 + 20 wt.% Ag, a new phase with f.c.c. structure, lattice parameter about a = 24.5 A and approximate composition Al3Sr2CaBi2CuOx has been identified in the interface region. Understanding and control of these reactions is essential for growth of high quality BSCCO thick films on alumina. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.

Microstructural investigation of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-oxide thick films on alumina substrates

The microstructure of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-oxide (BSCCO) thick films on alumina substrates has been characterized using a combination of X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy of sections across the film/substrate interface and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. A reaction layer formed between the BSCCO films and the alumina substrates. This chemical interaction is largely responsible for off-stoichiometry of the films and is more significant after partial melting of the films. A new phase with fee structure, lattice parameter a = 2.45 nm and approximate composition Al3Sr2CaBi2CuOx has been identified as reaction product between BSCCO and Al2O3.