Chemical variability in clays and pottery from a traditional cooking pot production village: Testing assumptions in Pereruela

This paper explores analytically the contemporary pottery-making community of Pereruela (north-west Spain) that produces cooking pots from a mixture of red clay and kaolin. Analyses by different techniques (XRF, NAA, XRD, SEM and petrography) showed an extremely high variability for cooking ware pottery produced in a single production centre, by the same technology and using local clays. The main source of chemical variation is related to the use of different red clays and the presence of non-normally distributed inclusions of monazite. These two factors induce a high chemical variability, not only in the output of a single production centre, but even in the paste of a single pot, to an extent to which chemical compositions from one"workshop", or even one"pot", could be classified as having different provenances. The implications for the chemical characterization and for provenance studies of archaeological ceramics are addressed.

Laboratory Testing of Precast Paving Notch System, RB01-005, 2008

The Iowa State University (ISU) Bridge Engineering Center (BEC) performed full-scale laboratory testing of the proposed paving notch replacement system. The objective of the testing program was to verify the structural capacity of the proposed precast paving notch system and to investigate the feasibility of the proposed solution. This report describes the laboratory testing procedure and discusses its results

Review of Iowa Department of Human Services Drug Testing Process, December 2008

This report outlines the current drugs testing practices and using these practices for testing requirements.

P value and the theory of hypothesis testing: an explanation for new researchers.

In the 1920s, Ronald Fisher developed the theory behind the p value and Jerzy Neyman and Egon Pearson developed the theory of hypothesis testing. These distinct theories have provided researchers important quantitative tools to confirm or refute their hypotheses. The p value is the probability to obtain an effect equal to or more extreme than the one observed presuming the null hypothesis of no effect is true; it gives researchers a measure of the strength of evidence against the null hypothesis. As commonly used, investigators will select a threshold p value below which they will reject the null hypothesis. The theory of hypothesis testing allows researchers to reject a null hypothesis in favor of an alternative hypothesis of some effect. As commonly used, investigators choose Type I error (rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true) and Type II error (accepting the null hypothesis when it is false) levels and determine some critical region. If the test statistic falls into that critical region, the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis. Despite similarities between the two, the p value and the theory of hypothesis testing are different theories that often are misunderstood and confused, leading researchers to improper conclusions. Perhaps the most common misconception is to consider the p value as the probability that the null hypothesis is true rather than the probability of obtaining the difference observed, or one that is more extreme, considering the null is true. Another concern is the risk that an important proportion of statistically significant results are falsely significant. Researchers should have a minimum understanding of these two theories so that they are better able to plan, conduct, interpret, and report scientific experiments.

Association between protein feeding and reproductive efficiency in the dairy cow : specific emphasis on protein feeding in Finland

Selostus: Lypsylehmien valkuaisruokinnan ja hedelmällisyyden yhteys: kirjallisuustutkimus valkuaisruokinnan vaikutuksista Suomen olosuhteissa

Personalized care in neuro-oncology coming of age: why we need MGMT and 1p/19q testing for malignant glioma patients in clinical practice.

Histological subtyping and grading by malignancy are the cornerstones of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the central nervous system. They shall provide clinicians with guidance as to the course of disease to be expected and the choices of treatment to be made. Nonetheless, patients with histologically identical tumors may have very different outcomes, notably in patients with astrocytic and oligodendroglial gliomas of WHO grades II and III. In gliomas of adulthood, 3 molecular markers have undergone extensive studies in recent years: 1p/19q chromosomal codeletion, O(6)-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation, and mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 and 2. However, the assessment of these molecular markers has so far not been implemented in clinical routine because of the lack of therapeutic implications. In fact, these markers were considered to be prognostic irrespective of whether patients were receiving radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy, or both (1p/19q, IDH1/2), or of limited value because testing is too complex and no chemotherapy alternative to temozolomide was available (MGMT). In 2012, this situation has changed: long-term follow-up of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9402 and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer 26951 trials demonstrated an overall survival benefit from the addition to RT of chemotherapy with procarbazine/CCNU/vincristine confined to patients with anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors with (vs without) 1p/19q codeletion. Furthermore, in elderly glioblastoma patients, the NOA-08 and the Nordic trial of RT alone versus temozolomide alone demonstrated a profound impact of MGMT promoter methylation on outcome by therapy and thus established MGMT as a predictive biomarker in this patient population. These recent results call for the routine implementation of 1p/19q and MGMT testing at least in subpopulations of malignant glioma patients and represent an encouraging step toward the development of personalized therapeutic approaches in neuro-oncology.

Designing and testing of a sensor based on a magnetoresistive manganese perovskite thick film

In this paper we report on the growth of thick films of magnetoresistive La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 by using spray and screen printing techniques on various substrates (Al2O3 and ZrO2). The growth conditions are explored in order to optimize the microstructure of the films. The films display a room-temperature magnetoresistance of 0.0012%/Oe in the 1 kOe field region. A magnetic sensor is described and tested.

HIV testing in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: To obtain information about the prevalence of, reasons for, and adequacy of HIV testing in the general population in Switzerland in 1992. DESIGN: Telephone survey (n = 2800). RESULTS: Some 47% of the sample underwent one HIV test performed through blood donation (24%), voluntary testing (17%) or both (6%). Of the sample, 46% considered themselves well or very well informed about the HIV test. Patients reported unsystematic pre-test screening by doctors for the main HIV risks. People having been in situations of potential exposure to risk were more likely to have had the test than others. Overall, 85% of those HIV-tested had a relevant, generally risk-related reason for having it performed. CONCLUSIONS: HIV testing is widespread in Switzerland. Testing is mostly performed for relevant reasons. Pre-test counselling is poor and an opportunity for prevention is thus lost.

Stable carbon isotope Composition of c9,t11-conjugated linoleic acid in cow's milk as related to dietary fatty acids

This study explores the potential use of stable carbon isotope ratios (delta C-13) of single fatty acids (FA) as tracers for the transformation of FA from diet to milk, with focus on the metabolic origin of c9,t11-18:2. For this purpose, dairy cows were fed diets based exclusively on C-3 and C-4 plants. The FA in milk and feed were fractionated by silver-ion thin-layer chromatography and analyzed for their delta C-13 values. Mean delta C-13 values of FA from C-3 milk were lower compared to those from C-4 milk (-30.1aEuro degrees vs. -24.9aEuro degrees, respectively). In both groups the most negative delta C-13 values of all FA analyzed were measured for c9,t11-18:2 (C-3 milk = -37.0 +/- A 2.7aEuro degrees; C-4 milk -31.4 +/- A 1.4aEuro degrees). Compared to the dietary precursors 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, no significant C-13-depletion was measured in t11-18:1. This suggests that the delta C-13-change in c9,t11-18:2 did not originate from the microbial biohydrogenation in the rumen, but most probably from endogenous desaturation of t11-18:1. It appears that the natural delta C-13 differences in some dietary FA are at least partly preserved in milk FA. Therefore, carbon isotope analyses of individual FA could be useful for studying metabolic transformation processes in ruminants.

Looking for Validity or Testing It? The Perils of Stepwise Regression, Extreme-Scores Analysis, Heteroscedasticity, and Measurement Error

When researchers introduce a new test they have to demonstrate that it is valid, using unbiased designs and suitable statistical procedures. In this article we use Monte Carlo analyses to highlight how incorrect statistical procedures (i.e., stepwise regression, extreme scores analyses) or ignoring regression assumptions (e.g., heteroscedasticity) contribute to wrong validity estimates. Beyond these demonstrations, and as an example, we re-examined the results reported by Warwick, Nettelbeck, and Ward (2010) concerning the validity of the Ability Emotional Intelligence Measure (AEIM). Warwick et al. used the wrong statistical procedures to conclude that the AEIM was incrementally valid beyond intelligence and personality traits in predicting various outcomes. In our re-analysis, we found that the reliability-corrected multiple correlation of their measures with personality and intelligence was up to .69. Using robust statistical procedures and appropriate controls, we also found that the AEIM did not predict incremental variance in GPA, stress, loneliness, or well-being, demonstrating the importance for testing validity instead of looking for it.

Comparative study of the LC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS/MS for the multi-residue analysis of quinolones, penicillins and cephalosporins in cow milk, and validation according to the regulation 2002/657/EC

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an analytical method to simultaneously determine European Union-regulated beta-lactams (penicillins and cephalosporins) and quinolones in cow milk. The procedure involves a new solid phase extraction (SPE) to clean-up and pre-concentrate the three series of antibiotics before analysis by liquid chromatography¿tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography¿tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). LC-MS/MS and UPLC-MS/MS techniques were also compared. The method was validated according to the Directive 2002/657/EC and subsequently applied to 56 samples of raw cow milk supplied by the Laboratori Interprofessional Lleter de Catalunya (ALLIC) (Laboratori Interprofessional Lleter de Catalunya, Control Laboratory Interprofessional of Milk of Catalunya).

An overall statistic for testing symmetry in social interactions

The present work focuses the attention on the skew-symmetry index as a measure of social reciprocity. This index is based on the correspondence between the amount of behaviour that each individual addresses to its partners and what it receives from them in return. Although the skew-symmetry index enables researchers to describe social groups, statistical inferential tests are required. The main aim of the present study is to propose an overall statistical technique for testing symmetry in experimental conditions, calculating the skew-symmetry statistic (Φ) at group level. Sampling distributions for the skew- symmetry statistic have been estimated by means of a Monte Carlo simulation in order to allow researchers to make statistical decisions. Furthermore, this study will allow researchers to choose the optimal experimental conditions for carrying out their research, as the power of the statistical test has been estimated. This statistical test could be used in experimental social psychology studies in which researchers may control the group size and the number of interactions within dyads.