The effect of dust obscuration in RR Telescopii on optical and IR long-term photometry and FeII emission lines

Aims. Infrared and optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the symbiotic nova RR Tel are used to study the effects and properties of dust in symbiotic binaries containing a cool Mira component, as well as showing "obscuration events" of increased absorption, which are typical for such Miras. Methods. A set of photometric observations of the symbiotic nova RR Tel in different wavelength bands - visual from 1949 to 2002 and near-infrared (JHKL) from 1975 to 2002 - are presented. The variability due to the normal Mira pulsation was removed from the JHKL data, which were then compared with the American Association of Variable Star Observers' (AAVSO) visual light curve. The changes of the Fe II emission line fluxes during the 1996-2000 obscuration episode were studied in the optical spectra taken with the Anglo-Australian telescope. Results. We discuss the three periods during which the Mira component was heavily obscured by dust as observed in the different wavelength bands. A change in the correlations of J with other infrared magnitudes was observed with the colour becoming redder after JD 2 446 600. Generally, J-K was comparable, while K-L was larger than typical values for singleMiras. A distance estimate of 2.5 kpc, based on the IR data, is given. A larger flux decrease for the permitted than for the forbidden Fe II lines, during the obscuration episode studied, has been found. There is no evidence for other correlations with line properties, in particular with wavelength, which suggests obscuration due to separate optically thick clouds in the outer layers. Conclusions.

A long-term study (1949-2005) of experimental introductions to an island; freshwater amphipods (Crustacea) in the Isle of Man (British Isles)

Using data from field introduction experiments with Gammarus spp. conducted in the rivers of a small island, commencing in 1949, with resampling in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and finally in 2005, we aimed to examine the long-term interaction of the native freshwater amphipod Gammarus duebeni celticus with the introduced G. pulex. Using physico-chemical data from a 2005 island-wide survey, we also aimed to find what environmental factors could influence the distribution of the two species.

High dispersal potential has maintained long-term population stability in the North Atlantic copepod Calanus finmarchicus

The cool-water copepod Calanus finmarchicus is a key species in North Atlantic marine ecosystems since it represents an important food resource for the developmental stages of several fish of major economic value. Over the last 40 years, however, data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey have highlighted a 70 per cent reduction in C. finmarchicus biomass, coupled with a gradual northward shift in the species's distribution, which have both been linked with climate change. To determine the potential for C. finmarchicus to track changes in habitat availability and maintain stable effective population sizes, we have assessed levels of gene flow and dispersal in current populations, as well as using a coalescent approach together with palaeodistribution modelling to elucidate the historical population demography of the species over previous changes in Earth's climate. Our findings indicate high levels of dispersal and a constant effective population size over the period 359 000-566 000 BP and suggest that C. finmarchicus possesses the capacity to track changes in available habitat, a feature that may be of crucial importance to the species's ability to cope with the current period of global climate change.

Short, medium and long term load forecasting model and virtual load forecaster based on radial basis neural networks

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be easily applied to short-term load forecasting (STLF) models for electric power distribution applications. However, they are not typically used in medium and long term load forecasting (MLTLF) electric power models because of the difficulties associated with collecting and processing the necessary data. Virtual instrument (VI) techniques can be applied to electric power load forecasting but this is rarely reported in the literature. In this paper, we investigate the modelling and design of a VI for short, medium and long term load forecasting using ANNs. Three ANN models were built for STLF of electric power. These networks were trained using historical load data and also considering weather data which is known to have a significant affect of the use of electric power (such as wind speed, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity). In order to do this a V-shape temperature processing model is proposed. With regards MLTLF, a model was developed using radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN). Results indicate that the forecasting model based on the RBFNN has a high accuracy and stability. Finally, a virtual load forecaster which integrates the VI and the RBFNN is presented.

Micro-environmental change as a trigger for granite decay in offshore Irish lighthouses: implications for the long-term preservation of operational historic buildings.

Following automation of lighthouses around the coastline of Ireland, reports of accelerated deterioration of interior granite stonework have increased significantly with an associated deterioration in the historic structure and rise in related maintenance costs. Decay of granite stone- work primarily occurs through granular disintegration with the effective grusification of granite surfaces. A decay gradient exists within the towers whereby the condition of granite in the lower levels is much worse than elsewhere. The lower tower levels are also regions with highest rela- tive humidity values and greatest salt concentrations. Data indicate that post-automation decay may have been trig- gered by a change in micro-environmental conditions within the towers associated with increased episodes of condensation on stone surfaces. This in turn appears to have facilitated deposition and accumulation of hygro- scopic salts (e.g. NaCl) giving rise to widespread evidence of deliquescence in the lower tower levels. Evidence indicates that the main factors contributing to accelerated deterioration of interior granite stonework are changes in micro-environmental conditions, salt weathering, chemical weathering through the corrosive effect of strongly alkaline conditions on alumino-silicate minerals within the granite and finally, the mica-rich characteristics of the granite itself which increases its structural and chemical susceptibility to subaerial weathering processes by creating points of weakness within the granite. This case study demonstrates how seemingly minor changes in micro-environmental conditions can unintentionally trigger the rapid and extensive deterioration of a previously stable rock type and threaten the long-term future of nationally iconic opera- tional historic structures.

Wear paths produced by individual hip-replacement patients— A large-scale, long-term follow-up study

Wear particle accumulation is one of the main contributors to osteolysis and implant failure in hip replacements. Altered kinematics produce significant differences in wear rates of hip replacements in simulator studies due to varying degrees of multidirectional motion. Gait analysis data from 153 hip-replacement patients 10-years post-operation were used to model two- and three-dimensional wear paths for each patient. Wear paths were quantified in two dimensions using aspect ratios and in three dimensions using the surface areas of the wear paths, with wear-path surface area correlating poorly with aspect ratio. The average aspect ratio of the patients wear paths was 3.97 (standard deviation ¼ 1.38), ranging from 2.13 to 10.86. Sixty percent of patients displayed aspect ratios between 2.50 and 3.99. However, 13% of patients displayed wear paths with aspect ratios 45.5, which indicates reduced multidirectional motion. The majority of total hip replacement (THR) patients display gait kinematics which produce multidirectional wear paths, but a significant minority display more linear paths.

School Neighborhood Disadvantage as a Predictor of Long-Term Sick Leave Among Teachers: Prospective Cohort Study

This ongoing prospective study examined characteristics of school neighborhood and neighborhood of residence as predictors of sick leave among school teachers. School neighborhood income data for 226 lower-level comprehensive schools in 10 towns in Finland were derived from Statistics Finland and were linked to register-based data on 3,063 teachers with no long-term sick leave at study entry. Outcome was medically certified (> 9 days) sick leave spells during a mean follow-up of 4.3 years from data collection in 2000-2001. A multilevel, cross-classified Poisson regression model, adjusted for age, type of teaching job, length and type of job contract, school size, baseline health status, and income level of the teacher's residential area, showed a rate ratio of 1.30 (95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.63) for sick leave among female teachers working in schools located in low-income neighborhoods compared with those working in high-income neighborhoods. A low income level of the teacher's residential area was also independently associated with sick leave among female teachers (rate ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.18, 1.91). Exposure to both low-income school neighborhoods and low-income residential neighborhoods was associated with the greatest risk of sick leave (rate ratio = 1.71, 95% confidence interval: 1.27, 2.30). This study indicates that working and living in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with increased risk of sick leave among female teachers.

Simultaneous, long-term monitoring of valve and cardiac activity in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis exposed to copper

Valve and cardiac activity were simultaneously measured in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) in response to 10 d copper exposure. Valve movements, heart rates and heart-rate variability were obtained non-invasively using a Musselmonitor(R) (valve activity) and a modified version of the Computer-Aided Physiological Monitoring system (CAPMON; cardiac activity). After 2 d exposure of mussels (4 individuals per treatment group) to a range of dissolved copper concentrations (0 to 12.5 mu M as CuCl2) median valve positions (% open) and median heart rates (beats per minute) declined as a function of copper concentration. Heart-rate variability (coefficient of variation for interpulse durations) rose in a concentration-dependent manner. The 48 h EC50 values (concentrations of copper causing 50% change) for valve positions, heart rates and heart-rate variability were 2.1, 0.8, and 0.06 mu M, respectively. Valve activity was weakly correlated with both heart rate (r = 0.48 +/- 0.02) and heart-rate variability (r = 0.32 +/- 0.06) for control individuals (0 mu M Cu2+). This resulted from a number of short enclosure events that did not coincide with a change in cardiac activity. Exposure of mussels to increasing copper concentrations (greater than or equal to 0.8 mu M) progressively reduced the correlation between valve activity and heart rates (r = 0 for individuals dosed with greater than or equal to 6.3 mu M Cu2+), while correlations between valve activity and heart-rate variability were unaffected. The poor correlations resulted from periods of valve flapping that were not mimicked by similar fluctuations in heart rate or heart-rate variability. The data suggest that the copper-induced bradycardia observed in mussels is not a consequence of prolonged valve closure.

Long-term genomic instability in human lymphocytes induced by single-particle irradiation

Recent evidence suggests that genomic instability, which is an important step in carcinogenesis, may be important in the effectiveness of radiation as a carcinogen, particularly for high-LET radiations. Understanding the biological effects underpinning the risks associated with low doses of densely ionizing radiations is complicated in experimental systems by the Poisson distribution of particles that ran be delivered, In this study, we report an approach to determine the effect of the lowest possible cellular radiation dose of densely ionizing at particles, that of a single particle traversal. Using microbeam technology and an approach for immobilizing human T-lymphocytes, we have measured the effects of single alpha -particle traversals on the surviving progeny of cells. A significant increase in the proportion of aberrant cells is observed 12-13 population doublings after exposure, with a high level of chromatid-type aberrations, indicative of an instability phenotype, These data suggest that instability may be important in situations where even a single particle traverses human cells. (C) 2001 by Radiation Research Society.

Comparisons between different polychemotherapy regimens for early breast cancer: meta-analyses of long-term outcome among 100,000 women in 123 randomised trials

Background Moderate di?erences in e?cacy between adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for breast cancer are plausible, and could a? ect treatment choices. We sought any such di?erences.

Methods We undertook individual-patient-data meta-analyses of the randomised trials comparing: any taxane-plusanthracycline-based regimen versus the same, or more, non-taxane chemotherapy (n=44 000); one anthracyclinebased regimen versus another (n=7000) or versus cyclo phosphamide, methotrexate, and ?uorouracil (CMF; n=18 000); and polychemotherapy versus no chemotherapy (n=32 000). The scheduled dosages of these three drugs and of the anthracyclines doxorubicin (A) and epirubicin (E) were used to de? ne standard CMF, standard 4AC, and CAF and CEF. Log-rank breast cancer mortality rate ratios (RRs) are reported.

Findings In trials adding four separate cycles of a taxane to a ?xed anthracycline-based control regimen, extending treatment duration, breast cancer mortality was reduced (RR 0·86, SE 0·04, two-sided signi?cance [2p]=0·0005). In trials with four such extra cycles of a taxane counterbalanced in controls by extra cycles of other cytotoxic drugs, roughly doubling non-taxane dosage, there was no signi?cant di?erence (RR 0·94, SE 0·06, 2p=0·33). Trials with CMF-treated controls showed that standard 4AC and standard CMF were equivalent (RR 0·98, SE 0·05, 2p=0·67), but that anthracycline-based regimens with substantially higher cumulative dosage than standard 4AC (eg, CAF or CEF) were superior to standard CMF (RR 0·78, SE 0·06, 2p=0·0004). Trials versus no chemotherapy also suggested greater mortality reductions with CAF (RR 0·64, SE 0·09, 2p<0·0001) than with standard 4AC (RR 0·78, SE 0·09, 2p=0·01) or
standard CMF (RR 0·76, SE 0·05, 2p<0·0001). In all meta-analyses involving taxane-based or anthracycline-based regimens, proportional risk reductions were little a? ected by age, nodal status, tumour diameter or di?erentiation (moderate or poor; few were well di?erentiated), oestrogen receptor status, or tamoxifen use. Hence, largely independently of age (up to at least 70 years) or the tumour characteristics currently available to us for the patients selected to be in these trials, some taxane-plus-anthracycline-based or higher-cumulative-dosage anthracycline-based regimens (not requiring stem cells) reduced breast cancer mortality by, on average, about one-third. 10-year overall mortality di?erences paralleled breast cancer mortality di?erences, despite taxane, anthracycline, and other toxicities.

Interpretation 10-year gains from a one-third breast cancer mortality reduction depend on absolute risks without chemotherapy (which, for oestrogen-receptor-positive disease, are the risks remaining with appropriate endocrine therapy). Low absolute risk implies low absolute bene?t, but information was lacking about tumour gene expression markers or quantitative immunohistochemistry that might help to predict risk, chemosensitivity, or both.

The Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Pain Protocol in Long Term Care

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of (1) dissemination strategies to improve clinical practice behaviors (eg, frequency and documentation of pain assessments, use of pain medication) among health care team members, and (2) the implementation of the pain protocol in reducing pain in long term care (LTC) residents. Design: A controlled before-after design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the pain protocol, whereas qualitative interviews and focus groups were used to obtain additional context-driven data. Setting: Four LTC facilities in southern Ontario, Canada; 2 for the intervention group and 2 for the control group. Participants: Data were collected from 200 LTC residents; 99 for the intervention and 101 for the control group. Intervention: Implementation of a pain protocol using a multifaceted approach, including a site working group or Pain Team, pain education and skills training, and other quality improvement activities. Measurements: Resident pain was measured using 3 assessment tools: the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate, the Pain Assessment in the Communicatively Impaired Elderly, and the Present Pain Intensity Scale. Clinical practice behaviors were measured using a number of process indicators; for example, use of pain assessment tools, documentation about pain management, and use of pain medications. A semistructured interview guide was used to collect qualitative data via focus groups and interviews. Results: Pain increased significantly more for the control group than the intervention group over the 1-year intervention period. There were significantly more positive changes over the intervention period in the intervention group compared with the control group for the following indicators: the use of a standardized pain assessment tool and completed admission/initial pain assessment. Qualitative findings highlight the importance of reminding staff to think about pain as a priority in caring for residents and to be mindful of it during daily activities. Using onsite champions, in this case advanced practice nurses and a Pain Team, were key to successfully implementing the pain protocol. Conclusions: These study findings indicate that the implementation of a pain protocol intervention improved the way pain was managed and provided pain relief for LTC residents.

Quality end-of-life care in long-term care facilities:Service providers' perspective

The goal of this project was to provide guidance on what constitutes quality end-of-life care in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Seventy-nine direct care providers from six LTC facilities participated in 12 focus groups. The focus group discussions examined what made the difference between a "good" death and a "bad" death, and what changes in LTC would improve the care of dying residents. Analyses of the focus group data revealed six themes that contribute to quality end-of-life care in LTC facilities: responding to resident needs, creating a homelike environment, supports for families, providing quality care processes, recognizing death as a significant event, and having sufficient institutional resources. These findings challenge policy makers and providers to consider how to normalize life and death in LTC facilities.

The last word:Family members' descriptions of end-of-life care in long-term care facilities

A postal survey was used to collect data from family members of deceased residents of six long-term care (LTC) facilities in order to explore end-of-life (EOL) care using the Family Perception of Care Scale. This article reports on the results of thematic analysis of family member comments provided while completing the survey. Family comments fell into two themes: 1) appreciation for care and 2) concerns with care. The appreciation for care theme included the following subthemes: psychosocial support, family care, and spiritual care. The concerns with care theme included the subthemes: physical care, staffing levels, staff knowledge, physician availability, communication, and physical environment. This study identified the need for improvement in EOL care skills among LTC staff and attending physicians. As such, there is a need to implement continuing education to address these issues. © 2006 Centre for Bioethics, IRCM.

Nurses perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care residents with dementia

Providing palliative care for residents with dementia in long-term care (LTC) settings is problematic due to their declining verbal abilities and related challenges. The goal of this study was to explore nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for such residents. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were gathered from focus groups at three LTC facilities. Participants represented all levels of nursing staff. Concepts that emerged from the data were labelled, categorized, and coded in an iterative manner. Nurses appraise residents' general deterioration as a main factor in deciding that a resident is palliative. Nurses often employ creative strategies using limited resources to facilitate care, but are challenged by environmental restrictions and insufficient educational preparation. However, nurses said they do not wish for residents to be transferred to a hospice setting, as they .wish to grieve with residents and their family members. Nurses aim to facilitate a "good death" for residents with dementia, while trying to manage multiple demands and deal with environmental issues. Supportive and educational initiatives are needed for nursing staff and families of dying residents. © 2007 Centre for Bioethics, IRCM.

Nurses' perceptions of and satisfaction with the medication administration system in long-term-care homes

The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' perceptions of and level of satisfaction with the medication administration system in long-term care (LTC). The cross-sectional survey design included both quantitative and open-ended questions. Data were collected from licensed registered nurses (RNs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs) at 9 LTC residences in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Using independent sample f tests, the researchers found that RNs were significantly less satisfied than RPNs with their medication administration system, particularly with respect to safety issues. RNs identified a number of related barriers, including time constraints, poor packaging, insufficient drug information, prescription changes, lack of staff competency, and unwieldy medication carts. Implications for practice and policy are discussed, including recommendations for improving medication administration practices and for addressing the workload demands of LTC nurses. © McGill University School of Nursing.