Hour of birth as a prognostic factor for perinatal death.

The analysis of the 220,540 births and 2152 perinatal deaths recorded in Switzerland between 1979 and 1981 showed a variation of perinatal mortality rates (PMR) according to the hour of birth. The PMR for babies born between 4 pm and 2 am was 12 per 1000, contrasting with a figure of 8.4 per 1000 for babies born between 2 am and 4 pm. This pattern, which was fairly constant throughout the week, was characterised by a slow and steady increase from the very early morning, reaching a maximum in the late evening. There was also an hour-to-hour variation in the proportion of babies born weighing less than 2500 g, with a maximum in the evening and a less pronounced peak in the morning: the mortality rates by birthweight were raised only in the evening. Since the availability of hospital staff and equipment also follows a circadian rhythm, the variation in PMR may be related to a circadian rhythm of quality of care or possibly to chronobiological or selection factors.

Apparent digestibility of nutrients, energy, and amino acid of nontoxic and detoxified physic nut cakes for Nile tilapia

Abstract:The objective of this work was to evaluate the apparent digestibility coefficients of nutrients, energy, and amino acids of nontoxic and detoxified physic nut cakes treated with solvent plus posterior extrusion, for Nile tilapia. The apparent digestibility coefficients of crude protein and gross energy were higher for detoxified than for nontoxic physic nut cake. However, the apparent digestibility coefficient of ether extract of the nontoxic physic nut cake was higher than that of the detoxified one. The apparent digestibility coefficient of amino acids of both feed ingredients was superior to 80%, except for glycine, for the nontoxic psychic nut cake, and for threonine, for the detoxified one. Nontoxic and detoxified physic nut cakes show apparent digestibility coefficient values equivalent to those of the other evaluated oilseeds and potential for inclusion in Nile tilapia diets.

Comparison of central macular thickness (CMT) measurement between time domain and spectral domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) and reproducibility of SD OCT in active neovascular AMD

Purpose: To evaluate the reproducibility of Cirrus-SD OCT measurements and to compare central macular thickness (CMT) measurements between TD-Stratus and SD-Cirrus OCT in patients with active exudative AMD. Methods: Consecutive case series of patients with active exudative AMD seen in the Medical Retina Department. Patients underwent 1 scan with Stratus (macular thickness map protocol) and 5 scans with Cirrus (Macular Cube protocol) at the same visit by the same experienced examiner. To be included, patients best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) had to be >20/200 while all scans had to be of sufficient quality, well-centered and at least one Cirrus scan with CMT >300 microns. The repeatability of the SD Cirrus was estimated by using all 5 CMT measurements and the mean of the Cirrus measurements was compared with the CMT obtained by TD Stratus. Results: Cirrus OCT demonstrated high intraobserver repeatability at the central foveal region (ICC 96%). The mean of the CMT measurements was 321microns for Stratus and 387 microns for Cirrus. The average difference was 65m (SD=30). The coefficient of concordance between Stratus and Cirrus CMT measurements was rho=0,749 with a high precision and a moderate accuracy. The equation of the line of regression between Stratus and meanCirrus is given by the following: M_stratus = 0,848 x m_cirrus - 4,496 (1).Conclusions: The Cirrus macular cube protocol allows reproducible CMT measurements in patients with active exudative AMD. In cases of upgrading from TD to SD use and vice versa, there is the possibility to predict the measurements by using the equation (1). These real life data and conclusions can help in improving our clinical management of patients with neovascular AMD.

Thermogenesis in obese women: effect of fructose vs. glucose added to a meal.

To assess the effect of a fructose meal on resting energy expenditure (EE), indirect calorimetry was used in 23 women (10 lean and 13 obese) for 30 min before and 6 h after the ingestion of a mixed meal containing 20% protein, 33% fat, and either 75 g glucose or 75 g fructose as carbohydrate source (47%). Expressed as a percentage of the energy content of the meal, the thermogenic response to the fructose meal was significantly greater (10.2 +/- 0.5%) than that of the glucose meal (8.4 +/- 0.4%, P less than 0.01). This difference was still apparent when the lean and obese women were considered separately. The mean respiratory quotient during the 6-h postprandial period was significantly greater (P less than 0.01) for the fructose (0.85 +/- 0.01) than for the glucose meal (0.83 +/- 0.01) in the combined subjects. In addition, cumulative carbohydrate oxidation was significantly greater after the fructose than after the glucose meal (51.1 +/- 2.3 vs. 40.9 +/- 2.0 g/6 h, respectively, P less than 0.01). Only small changes were observed in postprandial plasma levels of glucose and insulin after the fructose meal, but the plasma levels of lactate increased more with fructose than with the glucose meal. These results suggest that there might be some advantages (higher thermogenesis and carbohydrate oxidations) in using fructose as part of the carbohydrate source in diet of people with obesity and/or insulin resistance.

Impact of duration of untreated psychosis on pre-treatment, baseline, and outcome characteristics in an epidemiological first-episode psychosis cohort.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the impact of duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) on baseline and 18-month follow-up characteristics controlling for relevant confounders in an epidemiological first-episode psychosis (FEP) cohort. METHOD: The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) in Australia admitted 786 FEP patients from January 1998 to December 2000. Data were collected from medical files using a standardized questionnaire. Data from 636 patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Median DUP was 8.7 weeks. Longer DUP was associated with worse premorbid functioning (p<0.001), higher rate of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (p<0.001), and younger age at onset of psychosis (p=0.004). Longer DUP was not associated with baseline variables but with a lower rate of remission of positive symptoms (p<0.001) and employment/occupation (p<0.001), a higher rate of persistent substance use (p=0.015), worse illness severity (p<0.001) and global functioning (p<0.001) at follow-up after controlling for relevant confounders, explaining approximately 5% of variance of remission of positive symptoms (p<0.001) in the total sample and 3% in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders excluding bipolar I disorder (p=0.002). Outcome was significantly worse when DUP exceeded 1-3 months. CONCLUSION: Avoiding pitfalls of non-epidemiological studies, DUP appears to be a modest independent predictor of prognosis in the medium-term. Results support the need for assertive early detection strategies.

Empirical Tests of Asset Pricing Models in Finnish Stock Market

Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on selvittää mitkä riskitekijät vaikuttavat osakkeiden tuottoihin. Arvopapereina käytetään kuutta portfoliota, jotka ovat jaoteltu markkina-arvon mukaan. Aikaperiodi on vuoden 1987 alusta vuoden 2004 loppuun. Malleina käytetään pääomamarkkinoiden hinnoittelumallia, arbitraasihinnoitteluteoriaa sekä kulutuspohjaista pääomamarkkinoiden hinnoittelumallia. Riskifaktoreina kahteen ensimmäiseen malliin käytetään markkinariskiä sekä makrotaloudellisia riskitekijöitä. Kulutuspohjaiseen pääomamarkkinoiden hinnoinoittelumallissa keskitytään estimoimaan kuluttajien riskitottumuksia sekä diskonttaustekijää, jolla kuluttaja arvostavat tulevaisuuden kulutusta. Tämä työ esittelee momenttiteorian, jolla pystymme estimoimaan lineaarisia sekä epälineaarisia yhtälöitä. Käytämme tätä menetelmää testaamissamme malleissa. Yhteenvetona tuloksista voidaan sanoa, että markkinabeeta onedelleen tärkein riskitekijä, mutta löydämme myös tukea makrotaloudellisille riskitekijöille. Kulutuspohjainen mallimme toimii melko hyvin antaen teoreettisesti hyväksyttäviä arvoja.

Problems of allometric scaling analysis: examples from mammalian reproductive biology.

Biological scaling analyses employing the widely used bivariate allometric model are beset by at least four interacting problems: (1) choice of an appropriate best-fit line with due attention to the influence of outliers; (2) objective recognition of divergent subsets in the data (allometric grades); (3) potential restrictions on statistical independence resulting from phylogenetic inertia; and (4) the need for extreme caution in inferring causation from correlation. A new non-parametric line-fitting technique has been developed that eliminates requirements for normality of distribution, greatly reduces the influence of outliers and permits objective recognition of grade shifts in substantial datasets. This technique is applied in scaling analyses of mammalian gestation periods and of neonatal body mass in primates. These analyses feed into a re-examination, conducted with partial correlation analysis, of the maternal energy hypothesis relating to mammalian brain evolution, which suggests links between body size and brain size in neonates and adults, gestation period and basal metabolic rate. Much has been made of the potential problem of phylogenetic inertia as a confounding factor in scaling analyses. However, this problem may be less severe than suspected earlier because nested analyses of variance conducted on residual variation (rather than on raw values) reveals that there is considerable variance at low taxonomic levels. In fact, limited divergence in body size between closely related species is one of the prime examples of phylogenetic inertia. One common approach to eliminating perceived problems of phylogenetic inertia in allometric analyses has been calculation of 'independent contrast values'. It is demonstrated that the reasoning behind this approach is flawed in several ways. Calculation of contrast values for closely related species of similar body size is, in fact, highly questionable, particularly when there are major deviations from the best-fit line for the scaling relationship under scrutiny.

Low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation over left dorsal premotor cortex improves the dynamic control of visuospatially cued actions.

Left rostral dorsal premotor cortex (rPMd) and supramarginal gyrus (SMG) have been implicated in the dynamic control of actions. In 12 right-handed healthy individuals, we applied 30 min of low-frequency (1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over left rPMd to investigate the involvement of left rPMd and SMG in the rapid adjustment of actions guided by visuospatial cues. After rTMS, subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while making spatially congruent button presses with the right or left index finger in response to a left- or right-sided target. Subjects were asked to covertly prepare motor responses as indicated by a directional cue presented 1 s before the target. On 20% of trials, the cue was invalid, requiring subjects to readjust their motor plan according to the target location. Compared with sham rTMS, real rTMS increased the number of correct responses in invalidly cued trials. After real rTMS, task-related activity of the stimulated left rPMd showed increased task-related coupling with activity in ipsilateral SMG and the adjacent anterior intraparietal area (AIP). Individuals who showed a stronger increase in left-hemispheric premotor-parietal connectivity also made fewer errors on invalidly cued trials after rTMS. The results suggest that rTMS over left rPMd improved the ability to dynamically adjust visuospatial response mapping by strengthening left-hemispheric connectivity between rPMd and the SMG-AIP region. These results support the notion that left rPMd and SMG-AIP contribute toward dynamic control of actions and demonstrate that low-frequency rTMS can enhance functional coupling between task-relevant brain regions and improve some aspects of motor performance.

Principal components analysis for quality evaluation of cooled banana 'Nanicão' in different packing

This work aims determinate the evaluation of the quality of 'Nanicão' banana, submitted to two conditions of storage temperature and three different kinds of package, using the technique of the Analysis of Principal Components (ACP), as a basis for an Analysis of Variance. The fruits used were 'Nanicão' bananas, at ripening degree 3, that is, more green than yellow. The packages tested were: "Torito" wood boxes, load capacity: 18 kg; "½ box" wood boxes, load capacity: 13 kg; and cardboard boxes, load capacity: 18 kg. The temperatures assessed were: room temperature (control); and (13±1ºC), with humidity controlled to 90±2,5%. Fruits were discarded when a sensory analysis determined they had become unfit for consumption. Peel coloration, percentages of imperfection, fresh mass, total acidity, pH, total soluble solids and percentages of sucrose were assessed. A completely randomized design with a 2-factorial treatment structure (packing X temperature) was used. The obtained data were analyzed through a multivariate analysis known as Principal Components Analysis, using S-plus 4.2. The conclusion was that the best packages to preserve the fruit were the ½ box ones, which proves that it is necessary to reduce the number of fruits per package to allow better ventilation and decreases mechanical injuries and ensure quality for more time.

Numerical and ExperimentalModelling of Gas Flow and Heat Transfer in the Air Gap of An Electric Machine

This work deals with the cooling of high-speed electric machines, such as motors and generators, through an air gap. It consists of numerical and experimental modelling of gas flow and heat transfer in an annular channel. Velocity and temperature profiles are modelled in the air gap of a high-speed testmachine. Local and mean heat transfer coefficients and total friction coefficients are attained for a smooth rotor-stator combination at a large velocity range. The aim is to solve the heat transfer numerically and experimentally. The FINFLO software, developed at Helsinki University of Technology, has been used in the flow solution, and the commercial IGG and Field view programs for the grid generation and post processing. The annular channel is discretized as a sector mesh. Calculation is performed with constant mass flow rate on six rotational speeds. The effect of turbulence is calculated using three turbulence models. The friction coefficient and velocity factor are attained via total friction power. The first part of experimental section consists of finding the proper sensors and calibrating them in a straight pipe. After preliminary tests, a RdF-sensor is glued on the walls of stator and rotor surfaces. Telemetry is needed to be able to measure the heat transfer coefficients at the rotor. The mean heat transfer coefficients are measured in a test machine on four cooling air mass flow rates at a wide Couette Reynolds number range. The calculated values concerning the friction and heat transfer coefficients are compared with measured and semi-empirical data. Heat is transferred from the hotter stator and rotor surfaces to the coolerair flow in the air gap, not from the rotor to the stator via the air gap, althought the stator temperature is lower than the rotor temperature. The calculatedfriction coefficients fits well with the semi-empirical equations and precedingmeasurements. On constant mass flow rate the rotor heat transfer coefficient attains a saturation point at a higher rotational speed, while the heat transfer coefficient of the stator grows uniformly. The magnitudes of the heat transfer coefficients are almost constant with different turbulence models. The calibrationof sensors in a straight pipe is only an advisory step in the selection process. Telemetry is tested in the pipe conditions and compared to the same measurements with a plain sensor. The magnitudes of the measured data and the data from the semi-empirical equation are higher for the heat transfer coefficients than thenumerical data considered on the velocity range. Friction and heat transfer coefficients are presented in a large velocity range in the report. The goals are reached acceptably using numerical and experimental research. The next challenge is to achieve results for grooved stator-rotor combinations. The work contains also results for an air gap with a grooved stator with 36 slots. The velocity field by the numerical method does not match in every respect the estimated flow mode. The absence of secondary Taylor vortices is evident when using time averagednumerical simulation.

Zn and K influence in fruit sizes of Valencia orange

In orange commercial farms, Zn deficiencies symptoms and small fruits were observed in Corrientes, Argentine. During four years (1995 to 1998), Valencia orange (Citrus sinensis Osb.) on Rough lemon (C. jambhiri Lush.) rootstock, implanted in 1974 in sandy soil, where six treatments were tested. Treatments varied from 1 to 3 Kg KCl.tree-1.year-1 (applied in April and December) with and without Zineb 80, 0,35%. year-1, 20 L. tree-1 (13,3 g Zn.tree-1 applied in December). The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications, with a single tree and borders in the experimental plot. Foliar sample were taken every year in Autumn and Summer, foliar concentrations of Zn and K were determined by atomic spectrum absorption. Harvested fruits were classified into small, medium and big. Analysis of Variance, Tukey test and Pearson correlations between production and foliar concentrations were performed. Higher fertilization levels of K with Zn increased medium and big fruits production (Kg and percentage). Foliar concentrations of K and Zn were positively correlated with big and medium fruit production and negatively correlated with small one. Chemical names used: Ethilenbis-ditiocarbamate of Zn (Zineb).

Prediction of rabbit meat and bone weight using measurements and sample cuts

Regression equations predicting dissectable muscle weight in rabbits from external measurements were presented. Bone weight and weight of muscle groups were also carcass predicted. Predictive capacity of external measurements, retail cuts and muscle groups on total muscle, percent muscle, total bone and muscle to bone ratio were studied separately. Measurements on dissected retail cuts should be included in ordcr to obtain good equations for prediction of percent muscle in the carcass. Equations for predicting the muscle to bone ratio using external mcasurcments and data from the dissection of one hind leg were suggested. The equations had generally high coefficients of determination. The coefficient of determination for prediction of dissectable muscle was 0.91, and for percent muscle in the carcass 0.79.

Personality and job stress: a comparison of direct effects on parenting

The impact of personality and job characteristics on parental rearing styles was compared in 353 employees. Hypotheses concerning the relationships between personality and job variables were formulated in accordance with findings in past research and the Belsky’s model (1984). Structural equation nested models showed that Aggression-hostility, Sociability and job Demand were predictive of Rejection and Emotional Warmth parenting styles, providing support for some of the hypothesized relationships. The findings suggest a well-balanced association of personality variables with both parenting styles: Aggression-Hostility was positively related to Rejection and negatively to Emotional Warmth, whereas Sociability was positively related to Emotional Warmth and negatively related to Rejection. Personality dimensions explained a higher amount of variance in observed parenting styles. However, a model that considered both, personality and job dimensions as antecedent variables of parenting was the best representation of observed data, as both systems play a role in the prediction of parenting behavior.

Analysis of vineyard differential management zones and relation to vine development, grape maturity and quality

The objective of research was to analyse the potential of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maps from satellite images, yield maps and grapevine fertility and load variables to delineate zones with different wine grape properties for selective harvesting. Two vineyard blocks located in NE Spain (Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) were analysed. The NDVI was computed from a Quickbird-2 multi-spectral image at veraison (July 2005). Yield data was acquired by means of a yield monitor during September 2005. Other variables, such as the number of buds, number of shoots, number of wine grape clusters and weight of 100 berries were sampled in a 10 rows × 5 vines pattern and used as input variables, in combination with the NDVI, to define the clusters as alternative to yield maps. Two days prior to the harvesting, grape samples were taken. The analysed variables were probable alcoholic degree, pH of the juice, total acidity, total phenolics, colour, anthocyanins and tannins. The input variables, alone or in combination, were clustered (2 and 3 Clusters) by using the ISODATA algorithm, and an analysis of variance and a multiple rang test were performed. The results show that the zones derived from the NDVI maps are more effective to differentiate grape maturity and quality variables than the zones derived from the yield maps. The inclusion of other grapevine fertility and load variables did not improve the results.

Equivalent roughness of gravel-bed rivers

The relation between the equivalent roughness and different grain size percentiles of the sediment in gravel-bed rivers was determined under the hypothesis that the vertical distribution of the flow velocity follows a logarithmic law. A set of 954 data points was selected from rivers with gravel size sediment or larger, with a non-sinuous alignment and free of vegetation or obstacles. According to the results, the ks roughness is equivalent to approximately 2.4D90, 2.8D84, and 6.1D50. No correlation was detected between the sediment sorting and the sediment mobility index on one hand, and, on the other, the coefficient of proportionality of each grain size percentile.