EEG in fitness to drive evaluations in people with epilepsy - Considerable variations across Europe

PURPOSE: Epilepsy patients consider driving issues to be one of their most serious concerns. Ideally, decisions regarding fitness to drive should be based upon thorough evaluations by specialists in epilepsy care. In 2009, an EU directive was published aiming to harmonize evaluation practices within European countries, but, despite these recommendations, whether all epileptologists use the same criteria is unclear. We therefore conducted this study to investigate routine practices on how epileptologists at European epilepsy centers evaluate fitness to drive. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 63 contact persons identified through the European Epi-Care and the E-pilepsy network. The questionnaire addressed how fitness-to-drive evaluations were conducted, the involvement of different professionals, the use and interpretation of EEG, and opinions on existing regulations and guidelines. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 35 participants (56 % response rate). Results showed considerable variation regarding test routines and the emphasis placed on the occurrence and extent of epileptiform discharges revealed by EEG. 82 % of the responders agreed that there was a need for more research on how to better evaluate fitness-to-drive in people with epilepsy, and 89 % agreed that regulations on fitness to drive evaluations should be internationally coordinated. CONCLUSION: Our survey showed considerable variations among European epileptologists regarding use of EEG and how findings of EEG pathology should be assessed in fitness-to-drive evaluations. There is a clear need for more research on this issue and international guidelines on how such evaluations should be carried out would be of value

On producing and sharing knowledge across boundaries: experiences from the interfaces of an international development research network

The number of large research networks and programmes engaging in knowledge production for development has grown over the past years. One of these programmes devoted to generating knowledge about and for development is National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South, a cross-disciplinary, international development research network funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Producing relevant knowledge for development is a core goal of the programme and an important motivation for many of the participating researchers. Over the years, the researchers have made use of various spaces for exchange and instruments for co-production of knowledge by academic and non-academic development actors. In this article we explore the characteristics of co-producing and sharing knowledge in interfaces between development research, policy and NCCR North-South practice. We draw on empirical material of the NCCR North-South programme and its specific programme element of the Partnership Actions. Our goal is to make use of the concept of the interface to reflect critically about the pursued strategies and instruments applied in producing and sharing knowledge for development across boundaries

Efeito da umidade e do período de armazenamento hermético na contaminação natural por fungos e a produção de micotoxinas em grãos de aveia Effects of grain moisture and hermetic storage on fungi contamination and mycotoxin production in oats

Com o presente trabalho, objetivou-se avaliar a contaminação natural por fungos, produção de micotoxinas, composição em ácidos graxos e concentração de CO2 intergranular em grãos de aveia armazenados no sistema hermético por 12 meses. Grãos de aveia, da cultivar UPF 18 foram colhidos com 16% de umidade e realizado a secagem estacionária em protótipo silo-secador até as umidades de 15%, 12% e 9%. Para os tratamentos com 18% e 21% de umidade foi realizada a reidratação pela colocação dos grãos em atmosfera saturada por cinco dias. Determinou-se a composição centesimal aproximada, composição em ácidos graxos, contaminação natural por fungos, presença de micotoxinas e concentração de CO2 intergranular. Os resultados foram analisados pela análise de variância, comparação de médias pelo teste de Tukey e análise de regressão. Não foi detectada a presença das micotoxinas aflatoxina B1, B2, G1, G2, zearalenona e ocratoxina A. A quantidade de CO2 na atmosfera intergranular apresentou comportamento linear e foi proporcional à umidade dos grãos e tempos de armazenamento. O aumento do tempo de armazenamento e da umidade dos grãos intensificou a redução de ácidos graxos insaturados, com predominância de ação sobre linoléico e linolênico.<br>This research aimed to evaluate the natural contamination by fungi, production of mycotoxins, fatty acids composition and the intergranular CO2 concentration in oat grains stored in a hermetic system for 12 months. The oat grains were harvested with 16% of moisture, being dried until 15%, 12% and 9% of moisture. Oat grains with 18% and 21% of moisture were obtained by a rehidrated, setting the grains in a saturated atmosphere for 5 days. The proximate percent composition, fatty acids profile, natural fungi contamination, mycotoxin production and the CO2 concentration were evaluated. The results were analyzed by analysis of variance and comparisons of means by Tukey's test and regression analysis of datas. The production of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1e G2), zearalenone and ochratoxin A were not detected. The amount of CO2 in the intergranular atmosphere in the hermetic storage showed a linear behavior and was directly related to the moisture and storage time. The increasing of the storage time and grains moisture caused the reduction of unsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic and linolenic acids

Genetic analysis of fiber dimensions and their correlation with stem diameter and solid-wood properties in Norway spruce

Adverse genetic correlations between growth traits and solid-wood, as well as fiber traits are a concern in conifer breeding programs. To evaluate the impact of selection for growth and solid-wood properties on fiber dimensions, we investigated the inheritance and efficiency of early selection for different wood-fiber traits and their correlations with stem diameter, wood density, modulus of elasticity (MOE), and microfibril angle (MFA) in Norway spruce (Picea abies L). The study was based on two large open-pollinated progeny trials established in southern Sweden in 1990 with material from 524 families comprising 5618 trees. Two increment cores were sampled from each tree. Radial variations from pith to bark were determined for rings 3â\u80\u9315 with SilviScan for fiber widths in the radial (RFW) and tangential (TFW) direction, fiber wall thickness (FWT), and fiber coarseness (FC). Fiber length (FL) was determined for rings 8â\u80\u9311. Heritabilities based on rings 8â\u80\u9311 using joint-site data were moderate to high (0.24â\u80\u930.51) for all fiber-dimension traits. Heritabilities based on stem cross-sectional averages varied from 0.34 to 0.48 and reached a plateau at rings 6â\u80\u939. The â\u80\u9cage-ageâ\u80\u9d genetic correlations for RFW, TFW, FWT, and FC cross-sectional averages at a particular age with cross-sectional averages at ring 15 reached 0.9 at rings 4â\u80\u937. Our results indicated a moderate to high positive genetic correlation for density and MOE with FC and FWT, moderate and negative with RFW, and low with TFW and FL. Comparison of several selection scenarios indicated that the highest profitability is reached when diameter and MOE are considered jointly, in which case, the effect on any fiber dimension is negligible. Early selection was highly efficient from ring 5 for RFW and from rings 8â\u80\u9310 for TFW, FWT, and FC