A Policy to Make Best Use of Resources in Plastic Surgery and Related Specialties (PDF 178 KB)

The purpose of this policy is to introduce a transparent approach to making best use of resources in plastic surgery and related specialties. It was finalised after a formal Public Consultation that included distribution of the Consultation Document to a range of organisations and individuals, meetings with Board representatives as requested and press releases in local and regional media outlets. All responses to the Consultation were considered carefully in developing this final policy. åÊ åÊ

Phylogeny of subtribe Gentianinae (Gentianaceae): biogeographic inferences despite limitations in temporal calibration points

The subtribe Gentianinae comprises ca. 425 species, most of them within the well-studied genus Gentiana and mainly distributed over the Eurasian continent. Phylogenetic relationships between Gentiana and its closest relatives, the climbing gentians (Crawfurdia, Tripterospermum) and the new genus Metagentiana, remain unclear. All three genera were recently found to be polyphyletic, possibly because of poor sampling of Tripterospermum and Crawfurdia. Highest diversity of Gentianinae occurs in the western Himalaya, but the absence of uncontroversial fossil evidence limits our understanding of its biogeography. In the present study, we generated ITS and atpB-rbcL sequences for 19 species of Tripterospermum, 9 of Crawfurdia and 11 of Metagentiana, together representing about 60 percent of the species diversity of these genera. Our results show that only Metagentiana is polyphyletic and divided into three monophyletic entities. No unambiguous synapomorphies were associated with the three Metagentiana entities. Different combinations of three approximate calibration points were used to generate three divergence time estimation scenarios. Although dating hypotheses were mostly inconsistent, they concurred in associating radiation of Gentiana to an orogenic phase of the Himalaya between 15 and 10 million years ago. Our study illustrates the conceptual difficulties in addressing the time frame of diversification in a group lacking sufficient fossil number and quality.

Calibration of a Structured Light-Based Stereo Catadioptric Sensor

Catadioptric sensors are combinations of mirrors and lenses made in order to obtain a wide field of view. In this paper we propose a new sensor that has omnidirectional viewing ability and it also provides depth information about the nearby surrounding. The sensor is based on a conventional camera coupled with a laser emitter and two hyperbolic mirrors. Mathematical formulation and precise specifications of the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the sensor are discussed. Our approach overcomes limitations of the existing omni-directional sensors and eventually leads to reduced costs of production

Plastic and evolutionary responses of cell size and number to larval malnutrition in Drosophila melanogaster.

Both development and evolution under chronic malnutrition lead to reduced adult size in Drosophila. We studied the contribution of changes in size vs. number of epidermal cells to plastic and evolutionary reduction of wing size in response to poor larval food. We used flies from six populations selected for tolerance to larval malnutrition and from six unselected control populations, raised either under standard conditions or under larval malnutrition. In the control populations, phenotypic plasticity of wing size was mediated by both cell size and cell number. In contrast, evolutionary change in wing size, which was only observed as a correlated response expressed on standard food, was mediated entirely by reduction in cell number. Plasticity of cell number had been lost in the selected populations, and cell number did not differ between the sexes despite males having smaller wings. Results of this and other experimental evolution studies are consistent with the hypothesis that alleles which increase body size through prolonged growth affect wing size mostly via cell number, whereas alleles which increase size through higher growth rate do so via cell size.

Use of Two-Part Regression Calibration Model to Correct for Measurement Error in Episodically Consumed Foods in a Single-Replicate Study Design: EPIC Case Study.

In epidemiologic studies, measurement error in dietary variables often attenuates association between dietary intake and disease occurrence. To adjust for the attenuation caused by error in dietary intake, regression calibration is commonly used. To apply regression calibration, unbiased reference measurements are required. Short-term reference measurements for foods that are not consumed daily contain excess zeroes that pose challenges in the calibration model. We adapted two-part regression calibration model, initially developed for multiple replicates of reference measurements per individual to a single-replicate setting. We showed how to handle excess zero reference measurements by two-step modeling approach, how to explore heteroscedasticity in the consumed amount with variance-mean graph, how to explore nonlinearity with the generalized additive modeling (GAM) and the empirical logit approaches, and how to select covariates in the calibration model. The performance of two-part calibration model was compared with the one-part counterpart. We used vegetable intake and mortality data from European Prospective Investigation on Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. In the EPIC, reference measurements were taken with 24-hour recalls. For each of the three vegetable subgroups assessed separately, correcting for error with an appropriately specified two-part calibration model resulted in about three fold increase in the strength of association with all-cause mortality, as measured by the log hazard ratio. Further found is that the standard way of including covariates in the calibration model can lead to over fitting the two-part calibration model. Moreover, the extent of adjusting for error is influenced by the number and forms of covariates in the calibration model. For episodically consumed foods, we advise researchers to pay special attention to response distribution, nonlinearity, and covariate inclusion in specifying the calibration model.

Predictive accuracy and usefulness of calibration of the ESC SCORE in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the individual level should rely on the assessment of absolute risk using population-specific risk tables. OBJECTIVE: To compare the predictive accuracy of the original and the calibrated SCORE functions regarding 10-year cardiovascular risk in Switzerland. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, population-based study (5773 participants aged 35-74 years). METHODS: The SCORE equation for low-risk countries was calibrated based on the Swiss CVD mortality rates and on the CVD risk factor levels from the study sample. The predicted number of CVD deaths after a 10-year period was computed from the original and the calibrated equations and from the observed cardiovascular mortality for 2003. RESULTS: According to the original and calibrated functions, 16.3 and 15.8% of men and 8.2 and 8.9% of women, respectively, had a 10-year CVD risk > or =5%. Concordance correlation coefficient between the two functions was 0.951 for men and 0.948 for women, both P<0.001. Both risk functions adequately predicted the 10-year cumulative number of CVD deaths: in men, 71 (original) and 74 (calibrated) deaths for 73 deaths when using the CVD mortality rates; in women, 44 (original), 45 (calibrated) and 45 (CVD mortality rates), respectively. Compared to the original function, the calibrated function classified more women and fewer men at high-risk. Moreover, the calibrated function gave better risk estimates among participants aged over 65 years. CONCLUSION: The original SCORE function adequately predicts CVD death in Switzerland, particularly for individuals aged less than 65 years. The calibrated function provides more reliable estimates for older individuals.

New Early to Middle Triassic U-Pb ages from South China: Calibration with ammonoid biochronozones and implications for the timing of the Triassic biotic recovery

New zircon U-Pb ages are proposed for late Early and Middle Triassic volcanic ash layers from the Luolou and Baifeng formations (northwestern Guangxi, South China). These ages are based on analyses of single, thermally annealed and chemically abraded zircons. Calibration with ammonoid ages indicate a 250.6 +/- 0.5 Ma age for the early Spathian Tirolites/Columbites beds, a 248.1 +/- 0.4 Ma age for the late Spathian Neopopanoceras haugi Zone, a 246.9 +/- 0.4 Ma age for the early middle Anisian Acrochordiceras hyatti Zone, and a 244.6 +/- 0.5 Ma age for the late middle Anisian Balatonites shoshonensis Zone. The new dates and previously published U-Pb ages indicate a duration of ca. 3 my for the Spathian, and minimal durations of 4.5 +/- 0.6 my for the Early Triassic and of 6.6+0.7/-0.9 my for the Anisian. The new Spathian dates are in a better agreement with a 252.6 +/- 0.2 Ma age than with a 251.4 +/- 0.3 Ma age for the Permian-Triassic boundary. These dates also highlight the extremely uneven duration of the four Early Triassic substages (Griesbachian, Dienerian, Smithian, and Spathian), of which the Spathian exceeds half of the duration of the entire Early Triassic. The simplistic assumption of equal duration of the four Early Triassic subdivisions is no longer tenable for the reconstruction of recovery patterns following the end Permian mass extinction. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Functional calibration procedure for 3D knee joint angle description using inertial sensors.

Measurement of three-dimensional (3D) knee joint angle outside a laboratory is of benefit in clinical examination and therapeutic treatment comparison. Although several motion capture devices exist, there is a need for an ambulatory system that could be used in routine practice. Up-to-date, inertial measurement units (IMUs) have proven to be suitable for unconstrained measurement of knee joint differential orientation. Nevertheless, this differential orientation should be converted into three reliable and clinically interpretable angles. Thus, the aim of this study was to propose a new calibration procedure adapted for the joint coordinate system (JCS), which required only IMUs data. The repeatability of the calibration procedure, as well as the errors in the measurement of 3D knee angle during gait in comparison to a reference system were assessed on eight healthy subjects. The new procedure relying on active and passive movements reported a high repeatability of the mean values (offset<1 degrees) and angular patterns (SD<0.3 degrees and CMC>0.9). In comparison to the reference system, this functional procedure showed high precision (SD<2 degrees and CC>0.75) and moderate accuracy (between 4.0 degrees and 8.1 degrees) for the three knee angle. The combination of the inertial-based system with the functional calibration procedure proposed here resulted in a promising tool for the measurement of 3D knee joint angle. Moreover, this method could be adapted to measure other complex joint, such as ankle or elbow.

Report Recycled Content Plastic Bag and Soy Inks, Iowa Department of Transportation, 2003

Report to Margaret Thompson, Chief Clerk, about Recycled Content Plastic Bag and Soy Inks.

Report Recycled Content Plastic Bag and Soy Inks, Iowa Department of Transportation, 2002

Report to Margaret Thompson, Chief Clerk, about Recycled Content Plastic Bag and Soy Inks.

Recycled Content Plastic Bag and Soy Inks Report, 2004

Report to Margaret Thompson, Chief Clerk, about Recycled Content Plastic Bag and Soy Inks.

Calibration and Validation of SWAT for the Upper Maquoketa River Watershed, June 2005

A validation study has been performed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model with data collected for the Upper Maquoketa River Watershed (UMRW), which drains over 16,000 ha in northeast Iowa. This validation assessment builds on a previous study with nested modeling for the UMRW that required both the Agricultural Policy EXtender (APEX) model and SWAT. In the nested modeling approach, edge-offield flows and pollutant load estimates were generated for manure application fields with APEX and were then subsequently routed to the watershed outlet in SWAT, along with flows and pollutant loadings estimated for the rest of the watershed routed to the watershed outlet. In the current study, the entire UMRW cropland area was simulated in SWAT, which required translating the APEX subareas into SWAT hydrologic response units (HRUs). Calibration and validation of the SWAT output was performed by comparing predicted flow and NO3-N loadings with corresponding in-stream measurements at the watershed outlet from 1999 to 2001. Annual stream flows measured at the watershed outlet were greatly under-predicted when precipitation data collected within the watershed during the 1999-2001 period were used to drive SWAT. Selection of alternative climate data resulted in greatly improved average annual stream predictions, and also relatively strong r2 values of 0.73 and 0.72 for the predicted average monthly flows and NO3-N loads, respectively. The impact of alternative precipitation data shows that as average annual precipitation increases 19%, the relative change in average annual streamflow is about 55%. In summary, the results of this study show that SWAT can replicate measured trends for this watershed and that climate inputs are very important for validating SWAT and other water quality models.