The YOU CALL-WE CALL randomized clinical trial: Impact of a multimodal support intervention after a mild stroke

Background Comparison of a multimodal intervention WE CALL (study initiated phone support/information provision) versus a passive intervention YOU CALL (participant can contact a resource person) in individuals with first mild stroke. Methods and Results This study is a single-blinded randomized clinical trial. Primary outcome includes unplanned use of health services (participant diaries) for adverse events and quality of life (Euroquol-5D, Quality of Life Index). Secondary outcomes include planned use of health services (diaries), mood (Beck Depression Inventory II), and participation (Assessment of Life Habits [LIFE-H]). Blind assessments were done at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A mixed model approach for statistical analysis on an intention-to-treat basis was used where the group factor was intervention type and occasion factor time, with a significance level of 0.01. We enrolled 186 patients (WE=92; YOU=94) with a mean age of 62.5±12.5 years, and 42.5% were women. No significant differences were seen between groups at 6 months for any outcomes with both groups improving from baseline on all measures (effect sizes ranged from 0.25 to 0.7). The only significant change for both groups from 6 months to 1 year (n=139) was in the social domains of the LIFE-H (increment in score, 0.4/9±1.3 [95% confidence interval, 0.1–0.7]; effect size, 0.3). Qualitatively, the WE CALL intervention was perceived as reassuring, increased insight, and problem solving while decreasing anxiety. Only 6 of 94 (6.4%) YOU CALL participants availed themselves of the intervention. Conclusions Although the 2 groups improved equally over time, WE CALL intervention was perceived as helpful, whereas YOU CALL intervention was not used.

Australian icons: Authenticity marks and identity politics

This article evaluates the adoption and implementation of an Indigenous certification trademark system in Australia. Section II considers the use of copyright law, moral rights provisions and consumer protection laws to protect Indigenous cultural property in Australia. It suggests that there needs to be additional protection under trademark law - especially to deal with problems concerning communal ownership, material form and duration of protection. Section III evaluates the efficacy of the scheme for marks of authenticity established by the National Indigenous Arts Advocacy Association in November 1999. It contends that there were practical problems with the implementation of the scheme and symbolic concerns about the definition of authenticity applied under the regime. Section IV engages in a comparative analysis of other jurisdictions - such as New Zealand, Canada and the United States. It demonstrates that an Indigenous certification mark can be successful, given sufficient support and assistance. The article concludes that there needs to be a sui generis system to protect traditional knowledge at an international level.

Bricolage and firm performance: The moderating role of the environment

The behavioral theory of “entrepreneurial bricolage” attempts to understand what entrepreneurs do when faced with challenges and constraints. Most research about bricolage, defined as “making do by applying combinations of the resources at hand to new problems and opportunities” (Baker & Nelson 2005: 333), has been qualitative and inductive (Garud & Karnoe, 2003). Although this has created a small body of rich descriptions and interesting insights, little deductive theory has been developed and the relationship between bricolage and firm performance has not been systematically tested. In particular, prior research has suggested bricolage can have both beneficial and harmful effects. Ciborra’s (1996) study of Olivetti suggested that bricolage helped Olivetti to adapt, but simultaneously constrained firm effectiveness. Baker & Nelson (2005) suggested that bricolage may be harmful at very high levels, but more helpful if used judiciously. Other research suggests that firm environments may play an important role in shaping the outcomes of bricolage (Fisher, 2012). In this paper, we theorize and provide preliminary test of the bricolage-performance relationship and how it is affected by environmental dynamism.

Biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure in small groups of residents in Brisbane, Australia and Hanoi, Vietnam, and those travelling between the two cities

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been associated with adverse health outcomes. Concentrations of urinary PAH metabolites (OH-PAHs) provide an integrated measure of human exposure to PAHs but measurement of urinary OH-PAHs has not been done in Australia and rarely in Vietnam, where air pollution is of concern. In this study, we assessed exposure to PAHs in 16 participants living in Brisbane, Australia and Hanoi, Vietnam, with 4 participants travelling between the two cities during the monitoring period. A total of 312 first morning urine samples were collected over 10 weeks and were analysed for nine OH-PAHs. Concentrations of the urinary OH-PAHs were 2–10 times higher in participants from Hanoi than those from Brisbane. For example, the median concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene were 292 pg/mL in Hanoi, compared to 64 pg/mL in Brisbane. For participants travelling from Brisbane to Hanoi and back, differences in exposure to PAHs in these two cities resulted in corresponding changes of urinary OH-PAH concentrations, demonstrating that the more polluted environment in Hanoi was likely the source for higher PAH exposure there.

Mimicry of 21. 5 KDa myelin basic protein peptide by a Maedi Visna virus polymerase peptide does not contribute to the pathogenesis of encephalitis in sheep

Epitope mimicry is the theory that an infectious agent such as a virus causes pathological effects via mimicry of host proteins and thus elicits a cross-reactive immune response to host tissues. Weise and Carnegie (1988) found a region of sequence similarity between the pol gene of the Maedi Visna virus (MVV), which induces demyelinating encephalitis in sheep, and myelin basic protein (MBP), which is known to induce experimental allergic encephalitis (EAE) in laboratory animals. In this study, cross-reactions between sera raised in sheep against synthetic peptides of MVV (TGKIPWILLPGR) and 21.5 kDa MBP (SGKVPWLKRPGR) were demonstrated using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) immunoprobing. The antibody responses of MVV-infected sheep were investigated using ELISA against the peptides, and MBP protein, immunoprobing of the peptides on TPC plates and Western blotting against MBP. Slight significant reactions to the 21.5 kDa MBP peptide (P < 0.001) and to a lesser extent sheep MBP (P < 0.004) were detected in ELISA. The MBP peptide evoked stronger responses from more sera than the MVV peptide on immunoprobed TLC plates. On the Western blots, eight of the 23 sheep with Visna had serum reactivity to MBP. This slight reaction to MBP in MVV-infected sheep is of interest because of the immune responses to MBP evident in multiple sclerosis and EAE, but its relevance in Visna is limited since no correlation with disease severity was observed. The cell-mediated immune responses of MVV-infected sheep against similar peptides was assessed. The peptides did not stimulate proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes of MVV-infected sheep. Since the MVV peptide was not recognised by antibodies or T lymphocytes from MVV-infected and encephalic sheep, it was concluded that epitope mimicry of this 21.5 kDa MBP peptide by the similar MVV pol peptide was not contributing to the immunopathogenesis of Visna. The slight antibody response to MBP and the MBP peptide can be attributed to by-stander effects of the immunopathology of MVV-induced encephalitis.

Trace vapour detection at room temperature using Raman spectroscopy

A miniaturized flow-through system consisting of a gold coated silicon substrate based on enhanced Raman spectroscopy has been used to study the detection of vapour from model explosive compounds. The measurements show that the detectability of the vapour molecules at room temperature depends sensitively on the interaction between the molecule and the substrate. The results highlight the capability of a flow system combined with Raman spectroscopy for detecting low vapour pressure compounds with a limit of detection of 0.2 ppb as demonstrated by the detection of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a common polymer additive emitted from a commercial polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing at room temperature.

Experimental studies on the performance of rail joints with modified wheel/railhead contact

Rail joints are provided with a gap to account for thermal movement and to maintain electrical insulation for the control of signals and/or broken rail detection circuits. The gap in the rail joint is regarded as a source of significant problems for the rail industry since it leads to a very short rail service life compared with other track components due to the various, and difficult to predict, failure modes – thus increasing the risk for train operations. Many attempts to improve the life of rail joints have led to a large number of patents around the world; notable attempts include strengthening through larger-sized joint bars, an increased number of bolts and the use of high yield materials. Unfortunately, no design to date has shown the ability to prolong the life of the rail joints to values close to those for continuously welded rail (CWR). This paper reports the results of a fundamental study that has revealed that the wheel contact at the free edge of the railhead is a major problem since it generates a singularity in the contact pressure and railhead stresses. A design was therefore developed using an optimisation framework that prevents wheel contact at the railhead edge. Finite element modelling of the design has shown that the contact pressure and railhead stress singularities are eliminated, thus increasing the potential to work as effectively as a CWR that does not have a geometric gap. An experimental validation of the finite element results is presented through an innovative non-contact measurement of strains. Some practical issues related to grinding rails to the optimal design are also discussed.

Microporous bamboo biochar for lithium-sulfur batteries

Being simple, inexpensive, scalable and environmentally friendly, microporous biomass biochars have been attracting enthusiastic attention for application in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, porous bamboo biochar is activated via a KOH/annealing process that creates a microporous structure, boosts surface area and enhances electronic conductivity. The treated sample is used to encapsulate sulfur to prepare a microporous bamboo carbon-sulfur (BC-S) nanocomposite for use as the cathode for Li-S batteries for the first time. The BC-S nanocomposite with 50 wt.% sulfur content delivers a high initial capacity of 1,295 mA·h/g at a low discharge rate of 160 mA/g and high capacity retention of 550 mA·h/g after 150 cycles at a high discharge rate of 800 mA/g with excellent coulombic efficiency (⩾95%). This suggests that the BC-S nanocomposite could be a promising cathode material for Li-S batteries.

UWB channel measurement and data transfer analysis for multiuser Infostation applications

In this paper, the results of the time dispersion parameters obtained from a set of channel measurements conducted in various environments that are typical of multiuser Infostation application scenarios are presented. The measurement procedure takes into account the practical scenarios typical of the positions and movements of the users in the particular Infostation network. To provide one with the knowledge of how much data can be downloaded by users over a given time and mobile speed, data transfer analysis for multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) is presented. As expected, the rough estimate of simultaneous data transfer in a multiuser Infostation scenario indicates dependency of the percentage of download on the data size, number and speed of the users, and the elapse time.

Fate and transport of bensulfuron-methyl and imazosulfuron in paddy fields: Experiments and model simulation

Experiments were conducted to determine the fate of bensulfuron-methyl (BSM) and imazosulfuron (IMS) under paddy conditions. Initially, laboratory experiments were conducted and the photolysis half-lives of the two herbicides were found to be much shorter than their hydrolysis half-lives in aqueous solutions. In the aerobic water–soil system, dissipation followed first-order kinetics with water half-lives of 9.1 and 11.0 days and soil half-lives of 12.4 and 18.5 days (first phase) and 35.0 and 44.1 days (second phase) for bensulfuron-methyl and imazosulfuron, respectively. However, the anaerobic soil half-lives were only 12.7 and 9.8 days for BSM and IMS, respectively. The values of K d were determined to be 16.0 and 13.8 for BSM and IMS, respectively. Subsequent field measurements for the two herbicides revealed that dissipation of both herbicides in paddy water involved biphasic first-order kinetics, with the dissipation rates in the first phase being much faster than those in the second phase. The dissipation of bensulfuron-methyl and imazosulfuron in the paddy surface soil were also followed biphasic first-order kinetics. These results were then used as input parameters for the PCPF-1 model to simulate the fate and transport of BSM and IMS in the paddy environment (water and 1-cm surface soil layer). The measured and simulated values agreed well and the mass balance error during the simulation period was −1.2 and 2.8% of applied pesticide, respectively, for BSM and IMS.

Shock propagation in gas dynamics: explicit form of higher order compatibility conditions

With the use of tensor analysis and the method of singular surfaces, an infinite system of equations can be derived to study the propagation of curved shocks of arbitrary strength in gas dynamics. The first three of these have been explicitly given here. This system is further reduced to one involving scalars only. The choice of dependent variables in the infinite system is quite important, it leads to coefficients free from singularities for all values of the shock strength.

Unsteady free convection flow in the stagnation-point region of a rotating sphere

The unsteady free convection boundary-layer flow in the forward stagnation-point region of a sphere, which is rotating with time-dependent angular velocity in an ambient fluid, has been studied. Both constant wall temperature and constant hear flux conditions have been considered. The non-linear coupled parabolic partial differential equations governing the flow have been solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme. The skin friction and the heat transfer are enhanced by the buoyancy force. The effect of the buoyancy force is found to be more pronounced for smaller Prandtl numbers than for larger Prandtl numbers. For a given buoyancy force, the heat transfer increases with an increase in Prandtl number, but the skin friction decreases.

Implementation mechanism: Protection against harassment of women at workplace

Pakistan is widely known and appreciated in the world for its history, Islamic culture and norms. Since the creation of Pakistan, it inherited poverty in its roots. There are many reasons for poverty but one lies on the shoulder of women who are 50% of the total population of Pakistan. On the apex of it, women do not take part in the development of Pakistan because when they step out of their homes, they suffer a lot of problems. These problems are a hurdle in their active participation in development .Government has tried to create an environment for those women, who suffer different problems. Harassment of women at work place is one of those problems which discourage women in taking active part in economic and social development of society. Women Activists, from the last decade, were working for the protection of woman’s right at workplace and they succeeded in formulation of Harassment Act 2010. Since law is ineffective without its proper mechanism of implementation, steps should be taken for its proper implementation mechanism. This article aims to provide information about the provisions of law, related to the harassment of women at workplace with an attempt to explore the effectiveness of its implementation. The study was conducted in twin cities of Pakistan, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Interviews were conducted with the employees and employers of organizations, educational institutions, women activists, NGOs workers, lawyers, judges and some law enforcement officers. Group discussions were also held with teachers, students of Human rights and religious personalities. This report focuses on the implementation mechanism of new legislation in Pakistan. It also highlights some important facts related to its enforcement.

A fuzzy multistage evolutionary (FUME) clustering technique

n this paper, a multistage evolutionary scheme is proposed for clustering in a large data base, like speech data. This is achieved by clustering a small subset of the entire sample set in each stage and treating the cluster centroids so obtained as samples, together with another subset of samples not considered previously, as input data to the next stage. This is continued till the whole sample set is exhausted. The clustering is accomplished by constructing a fuzzy similarity matrix and using the fuzzy techniques proposed here. The technique is illustrated by an efficient scheme for voiced-unvoiced-silence classification of speech.