Respuesta aguda de presión arterial, frecuencia cardiaca y percepción del esfuerzo en hipertensos

Objetivo: Medir y comparar el comportamiento agudo de la presión arterial (TA), la frecuencia cardiaca (FC) y la percepción subjetiva del esfuerzo físico (PSE) durante un circuito de pesas de resistencia variable (CRV) versus ejercicio aeróbico submáximo en cicloergómetro (EA) en hipertensos estados I y II.Métodos: Se evaluaron 21 individuos (8 hombres y 13 mujeres) hipertensos controlados de estados I y II (15 activos y 6 sedentarios, 56±5.9 años). Todos recibieron inducción sobre calentamiento, manejo de escala de PSE, técnica respiratoria y uso de máquinas de pesas durante el ejercicio. Con intervalos de una semana se sometieron a una sesión de CRV en seis estaciones al 50% de 1RM, y a una sesión de EA a intensidades de 70%-80% de la FCmax, en intervalos de una semana. Durante ambas sesiones se realizaron mediciones de FC, PA y PSE.Resultados: Se aplicó una Prueba t pareada para comparar las respuestas a ambos tipos de ejercicio. Se encontró un incremento menor de la FC (p<0.001), PA sistólica (p<0.005) y PSE (p<0.005) durante el CRV. La elevación de la PA diastólica fue mayor con las pesas, pero no significativa (P=0.139). Los sedentarios mostraron incrementos mayores. Entre cada estación de pesas el comportamiento de las variables fue similar (P>0.05).Conclusión: El estudio evidenció que la respuesta cardiovascular aguda y la PSE de hipertensos durante un CRV fueron similares a las observadas con EA. Se observó que la respuesta presora al circuito de pesas fue menor en pacientes con entrenamiento aeróbico previo.

Prevalencia de patologías osteomusculares del miembro superior y su relación con factores ocupacionales en trabajadores de una empresa de flores. Bogotá 2015

Antecedentes: Las patologías osteomusculares del miembro superior son una importante causa de morbilidad laboral a nivel mundial y en nuestro país, particularmente en el sector de la floricultura. Del desarrollo de estos desórdenes se derivan importantes costos derivados del ausentismo laboral, incapacidades y secuelas. Objetivo: determinar la prevalencia de patología osteomuscular de miembro superior con calificación de origen de enfermedad laboral, en los trabajadores con diagnóstico de patología musculo esquelética de miembro superior y su relación con algunos factores ocupacionales y demográficos. Metodología: Estudio de corte transversal en el que se revisaron datos secundarios procedentes de una base de datos del servicio de salud ocupacional entre enero y mayo de 2015, correspondiente a 465 operarios (no administrativos) a término indefinido de una empresa floricultora de Bogotá, incluyendo únicamente aquellos trabajadores con patologías osteomusculares de miembro superior, que contaban con la clasificación en el diagnóstico ya sea como enfermedad laboral o enfermedad común y mayores de edad. Se excluyeron 19 trabajadores, quienes habían sido reubicados en nuevos sitios de trabajo y no se contó con la información para determinar su actividad antes de realizar el cambio. Se evaluaron las siguientes variables: sexo, edad, antigüedad y el cargo desempeñados por los operarios. La relación entre variables se realizó con la prueba de chi2 de Pearson. Se midió la magnitud de la asociación por medio de OR con sus respectivos intervalos de confianza del 95%. Resultados: Se incluyó a 373 operarios a término fijo, con una media de edad de 39 años (DE=5.55) y una media de antigüedad en el cargo de 6 años (DE=1.15). El 82.84% correspondió al sexo femenino. La prevalencia de enfermedad laboral osteomuscular de miembro superior fue del 54,4%. En el análisis de relación entre la calificación de la enfermedad, y demás variables (sexo, antigüedad en el cargo, edad, actividad desempeñada, localización de la lesión); se encontró que: estar entre los 40 a 49 años (OR= 1,7; IC-95%:1,12 – 2,79), diagnóstico de síndrome de manguito (OR= 4.45; IC-95%: 2.48 – 8.23) y el síndrome de túnel de carpo (OR= 4.22; IC-95%: 2.45 – 7.41) se asociaron a enfermedad laboral. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de enfermedad laboral de patología osteomuscular de miembro superior en los operarios de un cultivo de flores de la Sabana de Bogotá es del (54,4%). Se encontró una mayor asociación con el síndrome del manguito rotador y enfermedad laboral. No se encontró asociación entre la enfermedad laboral y la actividad desempeñada, el tiempo de exposición, ni con el sexo del trabajador.

High performance blocking filters for the region 1µm to 20µm

A set of filters based on the sequence of semiconductor edges is described which offers continuity of short-wave infrared blocking. The rejection throughout the stop region is greater than 103 for each filter and the transmission better than 70% through one octave with a square cutoff. The cutoff points are located at intervals of about two-thirds of an octave. Filters at 2.6 ,µm, 5.5 µm, and 12 µm which use a low-passing multilayer in combination with a semiconductor absorption edge are described in detail. The design of multilayers for optimum performance is discussed by analogy with the synthesis of electric circuit filters.

Calibrating flood inundation models: methods for assessing model performance

Satellite observed data for flood events have been used to calibrate and validate flood inundation models, providing valuable information on the spatial extent of the flood. Improvements in the resolution of this satellite imagery have enabled indirect remote sensing of water levels by using an underlying LiDAR DEM to extract the water surface elevation at the flood margin. Further to comparison of the spatial extent, this now allows for direct comparison between modelled and observed water surface elevations. Using a 12.5m ERS-1 image of a flood event in 2006 on the River Dee, North Wales, UK, both of these data types are extracted and each assessed for their value in the calibration of flood inundation models. A LiDAR guided snake algorithm is used to extract an outline of the flood from the satellite image. From the extracted outline a binary grid of wet / dry cells is created at the same resolution as the model, using this the spatial extent of the modelled and observed flood can be compared using a measure of fit between the two binary patterns of flooding. Water heights are extracted using points at intervals of approximately 100m along the extracted outline, and the students T-test is used to compare modelled and observed water surface elevations. A LISFLOOD-FP model of the catchment is set up using LiDAR topographic data resampled to the 12.5m resolution of the satellite image, and calibration of the friction parameter in the model is undertaken using each of the two approaches. Comparison between the two approaches highlights the sensitivity of the spatial measure of fit to uncertainty in the observed data and the potential drawbacks of using the spatial extent when parts of the flood are contained by the topography.

Some factors affecting reproductive success in crossbred dairy cows on smallholder farms in coastal north-east Tanzania

A 2-year longitudinal survey was carried out to investigate factors affecting reproduction in crossbred cows on smallholder farms in and around an urban centre. Sixty farms were visited at approximately 2-week intervals and details of reproductive traits and body condition score (BCS) were collected. Fifteen farms were within the town (U), 23 farms were approximately 5 km from town (SU), and 22 farms approximately 10 km from town (PU). Sources of variation in reproductive traits were investigated using a general linear model (GLM) by a stepwise forward selection and backward elimination approach to judge important independent variables. Factors considered for the first step of formulation of the model included location (PU, SU and U), type of insemination, calving season, BCS at calving, at 3 months postpartum and at 6 months postpartum, calving year, herd size category, source of labour (hired and family labour), calf rearing method (bucket and partial suckling) and parity number of the cow. The effects of the independent variables identified were then investigated using a non-parametric survival technique. The number of days to first oestrus was increased on the U site (p = 0.045) and when family labour was used (p = 0.02). The non-parametric test confirmed the effect of site (p = 0.059), but effect of labour was not significant. The number of days from calving to conception was reduced by hiring labour (p = 0.003) and using natural service (p = 0.028). The non-parametric test confirmed the effects of type of insemination (p = 0.0001) while also identifying extended calving intervals on U and SU sites (p = 0.014). Labour source was again non-significant. Calving interval was prolonged on U and SU sites (p = 0.021), by the use of AI (p = 0.031) and by the use of family labour (p = 0.001). The non-parametric test confirmed the effect of site (p = 0.008) and insemination type (p > 0.0001) but not of labour source. It was concluded that under favourable conditions (PU site, hired labour and natural service) calving intervals of around 440 days could be achieved.

Risk factors for tick attachment to smallholder dairy cattle in Tanzania

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tanga and Iringa regions of Tanzania, and a longitudinal study in Tanga, to investigate tick-control methods and other factors influencing tick attachment to the cattle of smallholder dairy farms. Most farmers reported applying acaricides at intervals of 1-2 weeks, most used acaricides that require on-farm dilution and most farmers incorrectly diluted the acaricides. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Boophilus spp. ticks were those most-frequently encountered on the cattle, but few cattle carried ticks of any species (only 13 and 4.6% of tick counts of the cattle yielded adult R. appendiculatus and Boophilus spp., respectively). Animals were more likely to carry one or more adult Boophilus spp. ticks if they also carried one or more R. appendiculatus adults (OR = 14.4, CI = 9.2, 22.5). The use of pour-on acaricides was associated with lower odds that animals carried a R. appendiculatus tick (OR = 0.29, CI = 0. 18, 0.49) but higher odds that they carried a Boophilus spp. tick (OR = 2.48, CI = 1.55, 3.97). Animals > 4 months old and those with a recent history of grazing had higher odds of carrying either a R. appendiculatus (ORs = 3.41 and 2.58, CIs = 2.34, 4.98 and 1.80, 3.71), or a Boophilus spp. tick (ORs = 5.70 and 2.18, CIs = 2.34, 4.98 and 1.49. 3.25), but zero-grazing management did not prevent ticks attaching to cattle even when combined with high-frequency acaricide treatments. The odds that animals carried ticks varied amongst the agro-ecological zones (AEZs) and administrative districts where the farms were situated-but there was still considerable residual variation in tick infestation at the farm level. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Revisiting proportion estimators

Proportion estimators are quite frequently used in many application areas. The conventional proportion estimator (number of events divided by sample size) encounters a number of problems when the data are sparse as will be demonstrated in various settings. The problem of estimating its variance when sample sizes become small is rarely addressed in a satisfying framework. Specifically, we have in mind applications like the weighted risk difference in multicenter trials or stratifying risk ratio estimators (to adjust for potential confounders) in epidemiological studies. It is suggested to estimate p using the parametric family (see PDF for character) and p(1 - p) using (see PDF for character), where (see PDF for character). We investigate the estimation problem of choosing c 0 from various perspectives including minimizing the average mean squared error of (see PDF for character), average bias and average mean squared error of (see PDF for character). The optimal value of c for minimizing the average mean squared error of (see PDF for character) is found to be independent of n and equals c = 1. The optimal value of c for minimizing the average mean squared error of (see PDF for character) is found to be dependent of n with limiting value c = 0.833. This might justifiy to use a near-optimal value of c = 1 in practice which also turns out to be beneficial when constructing confidence intervals of the form (see PDF for character).

Phyloclimatic modeling: Combining phylogenetics and bioclimatic modeling

We investigate the impact of past climates on plant diversification by tracking the "footprint" of climate change on a phylogenetic tree. Diversity within the cosmopolitan carnivorous plant genus Drosera (Droseraceae) is focused within Mediterranean climate regions. We explore whether this diversity is temporally linked to Mediterranean-type climatic shifts of the mid-Miocene and whether climate preferences are conservative over phylogenetic timescales. Phyloclimatic modeling combines environmental niche (bioclimatic) modeling with phylogenetics in order to study evolutionary patterns in relation to climate change. We present the largest and most complete such example to date using Drosera. The bioclimatic models of extant species demonstrate clear phylogenetic patterns; this is particularly evident for the tuberous sundews from southwestern Australia (subgenus Ergaleium). We employ a method for establishing confidence intervals of node ages on a phylogeny using replicates from a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis. This chronogram shows that many clades, including subgenus Ergaleium and section Bryastrum, diversified during the establishment of the Mediterranean-type climate. Ancestral reconstructions of bioclimatic models demonstrate a pattern of preference for this climate type within these groups. Ancestral bioclimatic models are projected into palaeo-climate reconstructions for the time periods indicated by the chronogram. We present two such examples that each generate plausible estimates of ancestral lineage distribution, which are similar to their current distributions. This is the first study to attempt bioclimatic projections on evolutionary time scales. The sundews appear to have diversified in response to local climate development. Some groups are specialized for Mediterranean climates, others show wide-ranging generalism. This demonstrates that Phyloclimatic modeling could be repeated for other plant groups and is fundamental to the understanding of evolutionary responses to climate change.

Wildfire responses to abrupt climate change in North America

It is widely accepted, based on data from the last few decades and on model simulations, that anthropogenic climate change will cause increased fire activity. However, less attention has been paid to the relationship between abrupt climate changes and heightened fire activity in the paleorecord. We use 35 charcoal and pollen records to assess how fire regimes in North America changed during the last glacial–interglacial transition (15 to 10 ka), a time of large and rapid climate changes. We also test the hypothesis that a comet impact initiated continental-scale wildfires at 12.9 ka; the data do not support this idea, nor are continent-wide fires indicated at any time during deglaciation. There are, however, clear links between large climate changes and fire activity. Biomass burning gradually increased from the glacial period to the beginning of the Younger Dryas. Although there are changes in biomass burning during the Younger Dryas, there is no systematic trend. There is a further increase in biomass burning after the Younger Dryas. Intervals of rapid climate change at 13.9, 13.2, and 11.7 ka are marked by large increases in fire activity. The timing of changes in fire is not coincident with changes in human population density or the timing of the extinction of the megafauna. Although these factors could have contributed to fire-regime changes at individual sites or at specific times, the charcoal data indicate an important role for climate, and particularly rapid climate change, in determining broad-scale levels of fire activity.

Fire regimes during the last glacial

Sedimentary charcoal records document changes in fire regime. We have identified 67 sites (30 sites with better than millennial resolution) which have records for some part of the Last Glacial to analyse changes in global fire regimes. Fire was consistently lower during the glacial than during the Eemian and Holocene. Within the glacial, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 is characterised globally by more fire than MIS 2. The signal for MIS 4 is less clear: there is more fire in the Northern Hemisphere and less fire in the Southern Hemisphere than during MIS 2 and 3. The records, most particularly records from the northern extratropics, show millennial-scale variability in fire regimes corresponding to the rapid climate changes associated with Dansgaard–Oeschger (D-O) cycles. Most of the D-O cycles during the Last Glacial and all of the Heinrich stadials are apparent in the composite global record of fire regime: fire increases during D-O warming events and decreases during intervals of rapid cooling. Our analyses show that fire regimes show a lagged response to rapid climate changes of ca 100–200 years in the case of D-O warming events, ca 0–100 years in the case of D-O cooling events and ca 200 years in the case of Heinrich Stadials. The Strong climatic variability experienced during the glacial resulted in important changes in fire regimes even though the base level of biomass burning was less than today.

Extended cusp-like regions and their dependence on the Polar orbit, seasonal variations, and interplanetary conditions

Extended cusp-like regions (ECRs) are surveyed, as observed by the Magnetospheric Ion Composition Sensor (MICS) of the Charge and Mass Magnetospheric Ion Composition Experiment (CAMMICE) instrument aboard Polar between 1996 and 1999. The first of these ECR events was observed on 29 May 1996, an event widely discussed in the literature and initially thought to be caused by tail lobe reconnection due to the coinciding prolonged interval of strong northward IMF. ECRs are characterized here by intense fluxes of magnetosheath-like ions in the energy-per-charge range of _1 to 10 keV e_1. We investigate the concurrence of ECRs with intervals of prolonged (lasting longer than 1 and 3 hours) orientations of the IMF vector and high solar wind dynamic pressure (PSW). Also investigated is the opposite concurrence, i.e., of the IMF and high PSW with ECRs. (Note that these surveys are asking distinctly different questions.) The former survey indicates that ECRs have no overall preference for any orientation of the IMF. However, the latter survey reveals that during northward IMF, particularly when accompanied by high PSW, ECRs are more likely. We also test for orbital and seasonal effects revealing that Polar has to be in a particular region to observe ECRs and that they occur more frequently around late spring. These results indicate that ECRs have three distinct causes and so can relate to extended intervals in (1) the cusp on open field lines, (2) the magnetosheath, and (3) the magnetopause indentation at the cusp, with the latter allowing magnetosheath plasma to approach close to the Earth without entering the magnetosphere.

Terrestrial biosphere changes over the last 120 kyr and their impact on ocean δ 13C

A new global synthesis and biomization of long (>40 kyr) pollen-data records is presented, and used with simulations from the HadCM3 and FAMOUS climate models to analyse the dynamics of the global terrestrial biosphere and carbon storage over the last glacial–interglacial cycle. Global modelled (BIOME4) biome distributions over time generally agree well with those inferred from pollen data. The two climate models show good agreement in global net primary productivity (NPP). NPP is strongly influenced by atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations through CO2 fertilization. The combined effects of modelled changes in vegetation and (via a simple model) soil carbon result in a global terrestrial carbon storage at the Last Glacial Maximum that is 210–470 Pg C less than in pre-industrial time. Without the contribution from exposed glacial continental shelves the reduction would be larger, 330–960 Pg C. Other intervals of low terrestrial carbon storage include stadial intervals at 108 and 85 ka BP, and between 60 and 65 ka BP during Marine Isotope Stage 4. Terrestrial carbon storage, determined by the balance of global NPP and decomposition, influences the stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of seawater because terrestrial organic carbon is depleted in 13C. Using a simple carbon-isotope mass balance equation we find agreement in trends between modelled ocean δ13C based on modelled land carbon storage, and palaeo-archives of ocean δ13C, confirming that terrestrial carbon storage variations may be important drivers of ocean δ13C changes.

Links between tropical Pacific seasonal, interannual and orbital variability during the Holocene

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the leading mode of interannual climate variability. However, it is unclear how ENSO has responded to external forcing, particularly orbitally induced changes in the amplitude of the seasonal cycle during the Holocene. Here we present a reconstruction of seasonal and interannual surface conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean from a network of high-resolution coral and mollusc records that span discrete intervals of the Holocene. We identify several intervals of reduced variance in the 2 to 7 yr ENSO band that are not in phase with orbital changes in equatorial insolation, with a notable 64% reduction between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago. We compare the reconstructed ENSO variance and seasonal cycle with that simulated by nine climate models that include orbital forcing, and find that the models do not capture the timing or amplitude of ENSO variability, nor the mid-Holocene increase in seasonality seen in the observations; moreover, a simulated inverse relationship between the amplitude of the seasonal cycle and ENSO-related variance in sea surface temperatures is not found in our reconstructions. We conclude that the tropical Pacific climate is highly variable and subject to millennial scale quiescent periods. These periods harbour no simple link to orbital forcing, and are not adequately simulated by the current generation of models.

Motion Cues Analysis for Parkinson Gait Recognition

Background: Previous assessment methods for PG recognition used sensor mechanisms for PG that may cause discomfort. In order to avoid stress of applying wearable sensors, computer vision (CV) based diagnostic systems for PG recognition have been proposed. Main constraints in these methods are the laboratory setup procedures: Novel colored dresses for the patients were specifically designed to segment the test body from a specific colored background. Objective: To develop an image processing tool for home-assessment of Parkinson Gait(PG) by analyzing motion cues extracted during the gait cycles. Methods: The system is based on the idea that a normal body attains equilibrium during the gait by aligning the body posture with the axis of gravity. Due to the rigidity in muscular tone, persons with PD fail to align their bodies with the axis of gravity. The leaned posture of PD patients appears to fall forward. Whereas a normal posture exhibits a constant erect posture throughout the gait. Patients with PD walk with shortened stride angle (less than 15 degrees on average) with high variability in the stride frequency. Whereas a normal gait exhibits a constant stride frequency with an average stride angle of 45 degrees. In order to analyze PG, levodopa-responsive patients and normal controls were videotaped with several gait cycles. First, the test body is segmented in each frame of the gait video based on the pixel contrast from the background to form a silhouette. Next, the center of gravity of this silhouette is calculated. This silhouette is further skeletonized from the video frames to extract the motion cues. Two motion cues were stride frequency based on the cyclic leg motion and the lean frequency based on the angle between the leaned torso tangent and the axis of gravity. The differences in the peaks in stride and lean frequencies between PG and normal gait are calculated using Cosine Similarity measurements. Results: High cosine dissimilarity was observed in the stride and lean frequencies between PG and normal gait. High variations are found in the stride intervals of PG whereas constant stride intervals are found in the normal gait. Conclusions: We propose an algorithm as a source to eliminate laboratory constraints and discomfort during PG analysis. Installing this tool in a home computer with a webcam allows assessment of gait in the home environment.

Avaliação do emprego de microeletrocautério na cirurgia da otite média secretora

Este estudo apresenta os resultados de tratamento em 83 pacientes com Idade entre 2–10 anos, que apresentaram otite média secretora com efusão, bilateral ou unilateral, acompanhada ou não de hipertrofia de adenóides e cornetos, no Hospital Universitário São Francisco de Paula da Universidade Católica de Pelotas – UCPel, no período de julho de 1997 a julho de 1999. Os pacientes foram submetidos a timpanocentese com uso do Microcautério por Rádio-freqüência (modelo Lavinsky – HCPA), uni ou bilateralmente. Na avaliação periódica de 15 dias, um mês e três meses, observamos dois pontos principais: a) a cura dos pacientes (que apresentaram membrana e caixa timpânica normais); b) a relação com a literatura em trabalhos semelhantes com uso do Laser CO2. Relatamos também a incidência em percentuais, com identificação das alterações de imagem da membrana timpânica nestes três períodos cronológicos, e na distribuição conforme cor, sexo e idade, uni/bilateralidade e simultaneidade na presença das duas afecções relatadas. Na avaliação final, percebemos 80,5% de cura da patologia. Na comparação com a literatura existente sobre o uso de Laser CO2, os nossos resultados mostraram-se homogêneos. O tempo de oclusão da membrana timpânica foi de 2,73 meses (desvio – padrão = 1,39 meses), normalizando a secreção da caixa timpânica.