Temporal changes in European eel, Anguilla anguilla, stocks in a small catchment after installation of fish passes

International audienceChanges in the abundance of European eel, Anguilla anguilla L., in the River Fre'mur, France, were examined over an 8-year period. Natural connectivity of the river was disturbed by three high dams that inhibited eel upstream migration and reduced recruitment by elvers and yellow eels. After eel passes were installed, fish became more abundant upstream (mean density 0.5 eel m)2). Moreover, except in the more upstream areas, no decline in eel numbers and biomass was found, in contrast to the general decline of eel throughout its distribution range. It was concluded that eel passes are important to conserve and/or to recover eel stocks

Physical activity to improve cognition in older adults: can physical activity programs enriched with cognitive challenges enhance the effects? A systematic review and meta-analysis

: EPHPP quality rating scores (DOCX 38 kb

CSA C873 Building Energy Estimation Methodology - A simplified monthly calculation for quick building optimization

CSA C873 Building Energy Estimation Methodology (BEEM) is a new series of (10) standards that is intended to simplify building energy calculations. The standard is based upon the German DIN Standard 18599 that has 8 years of proven track record and has been modified for the Canadian market. The BEEM method relies on steady state heat balance equations using monthly averages instead of dynamic equations used in hourly software. The method then relies on utilization factors to calculate the contribution of heat gain on heating loads and includes a simplified algorithm for lighting savings associ-ated with daylight strategies. The daylight algorithm is based on avail-able climate data and detailed daylight modelling. The method was validated through the modelling of seven building archetypes in 6 dif-ferent climate zones. Results from the BEEM modeling is compared to similar buildings modeled in CanQuest. Seven typical building ar-chetypes were modeled in 6 different Canadian climate zones. These archetypes are different than the ASHRAE 140 or the BESTEST models with more zones defined and different HVAC systems. The in-tent was to compare the method for typical simple Canadian commer-cial buildings. An average of 8.5% difference on the overall energy consumption was found. Acknowledging there is a difference between energy modeling software results, this difference needs to be put in perspective with differences between energy modeling software and difference from energy modelling to real building consumption. BEEM has the advantage of offering a direct feedback to the user al-lowing for a real time optimization process. The intent of this method is to provide a tool for simple buildings that usually don't get modeled. The BEEM method is not intended as a replacement for the more de-tailed energy modelling simulation that is typically performed for larger or more complex buildings. The planned release date for the standard is March 2014. The CSA C873 Building Energy Estimation Methodology task force is considering the development of a software tool to assist with the adoption of BEEM for simple projects. The Na-tional research Council – Canadian Codes Centre is considering the standard as a path for demonstrating compliance with the National Energy Code for Buildings in 2015

Informal caregivers of persons with dementia, their use of and needs for specific professional support: a survey of the national dementia programme

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper describes both the use of and needs for informal caregivers of people with dementia, based on a questionnaire survey organized within the National Dementia Programme in the Netherlands. The National Dementia Programme is a quality collaborative of the Dutch Alzheimer's Association, the Institute of Quality of Healthcare (CBO) and the Knowledge Centre on Ageing (Vilans), instigated by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, to improve integrated care for people with dementia and their informal caregivers. The support needs of informal caregivers are important to improve caregiver well-being and delaying institutionalization of the person with dementia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the period April 2006 - January 2007, the National Dementia Programme questionnaire was completed by 984 informal caregivers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the use of and needs for additional professional support by informal caregivers. Chi-square tests were used to assess the relationships between characteristics of the caregivers (spouses, sons/daughters, sons/daughters in-law) and support needs on one hand and to assess the relationship between the living situation of the person with dementia (living at home or living in a nursing home or home for the elderly) and support needs on the other hand.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Almost all informal caregivers (92.6%) received some professional support. However, two thirds (67.4%) indicated they had one or more needs for additional professional support. Informal caregivers often need additional professional advice about what to do when their relative is frightened, angry of confused. Spouses reported different needs than sons or daughters (in-law): spouses relatively often need emotional support and sons or daughters (in-law) more often need information and coordination of dementia care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Most of the informal caregivers report that they need additional information and advice, e.g. about how to cope with behavioral problems of their relative, about the progression of the illness trajectory, emotional support and coordination of dementia care. Future support programmes, e.g. in the field of case management, should address the specific needs of informal caregivers.</p

No Evidence That Gratitude Enhances Neural Performance Monitoring or Conflict-Driven Control

It has recently been suggested that gratitude can benefit self-regulation by reducing impulsivity during economic decision making. We tested if comparable benefits of gratitude are observed for neural performance monitoring and conflict-driven self-control. In a pre-post design, 61 participants were randomly assigned to either a gratitude or happiness condition, and then performed a pre-induction flanker task. Subsequently, participants recalled an autobiographical event where they had felt grateful or happy, followed by a post-induction flanker task. Despite closely following existing protocols, participants in the gratitude condition did not report elevated gratefulness compared to the happy group. In regard to self-control, we found no association between gratitude--operationalized by experimental condition or as a continuous predictor--and any control metric, including flanker interference, post-error adjustments, or neural monitoring (the error-related negativity, ERN). Thus, while gratitude might increase economic patience, such benefits may not generalize to conflict-driven control processes

Movement of the human foot in 100 pain free individuals aged 18–45 : implications for understanding normal foot function

Background: Understanding motion in the normal healthy foot is a prerequisite for understanding the effects of pathology and thereafter setting targets for interventions. Quality foot kinematic data from healthy feet will also assist the development of high quality and research based clinical models of foot biomechanics. To address gaps in the current literature we aimed to describe 3D foot kinematics using a 5 segment foot model in a population of 100 pain free individuals. Methods: Kinematics of the leg, calcaneus, midfoot, medial and lateral forefoot and hallux were measured in 100 self reported healthy and pain free individuals during walking. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise foot movements. Contributions from different foot segments to the total motion in each plane were also derived to explore functional roles of different parts of the foot. Results: Foot segments demonstrated greatest motion in the sagittal plane, but large ranges of movement in all planes. All foot segments demonstrated movement throughout gait, though least motion was observed between the midfoot and calcaneus. There was inconsistent evidence of movement coupling between joints. There were clear differences in motion data compared to foot segment models reported in the literature. Conclusions: The data reveal the foot is a multiarticular structure, movements are complex, show incomplete evidence of coupling, and vary person to person. The data provide a useful reference data set against which future experimental data can be compared and may provide the basis for conceptual models of foot function based on data rather than anecdotal observations

From community approaches to single-cell genomics: the discovery of ubiquitous hyperhalophilic Bacteroidetes generalists

The microbiota of multi-pond solar salterns around the world has been analyzed using a variety of culture-dependent and molecular techniques. However, studies addressing the dynamic nature of these systems are very scarce. Here we have characterized the temporal variation during 1 year of the microbiota of five ponds with increasing salinity (from 18% to >40%), by means of CARD-FISH and DGGE. Microbial community structure was statistically correlated with several environmental parameters, including ionic composition and meteorological factors, indicating that the microbial community was dynamic as specific phylotypes appeared only at certain times of the year. In addition to total salinity, microbial composition was strongly influenced by temperature and specific ionic composition. Remarkably, DGGE analyses unveiled the presence of most phylotypes previously detected in hypersaline systems using metagenomics and other molecular techniques, such as the very abundant Haloquadratum and Salinibacter representatives or the recently described low GC Actinobacteria and Nanohaloarchaeota. In addition, an uncultured group of Bacteroidetes was present along the whole range of salinity. Database searches indicated a previously unrecognized widespread distribution of this phylotype. Single-cell genome analysis of five members of this group suggested a set of metabolic characteristics that could provide competitive advantages in hypersaline environments, such as polymer degradation capabilities, the presence of retinal-binding light-activated proton pumps and arsenate reduction potential. In addition, the fairly high metagenomic fragment recruitment obtained for these single cells in both the intermediate and hypersaline ponds further confirm the DGGE data and point to the generalist lifestyle of this new Bacteroidetes group.This work was supported by the projects CGL2012-39627-C03-01 and 02 of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which were also co-financed with FEDER support from the European Union. TG group research is funded in part by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIO2012-37161), a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund grant (NPRP 5-298-3-086) and a grant from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC (grant agreement no. ERC-2012-StG-310325)

Development and application of a steady state code for supercritical carbon dioxide cycles

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2006.Leaf 63 blank.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 62).The supercritical CO2 power conversion system is of interest for advanced nuclear reactor applications because the same efficiencies are obtained as for the most developed of the closed gas-turbine cycles (helium-Brayton), but at lower temperatures and higher pressures. The original in-house code, named CYCLES, could potentially be used by others who are researching the S-CO2 cycle, but it has its shortcomings. In particular, CYCLES does not factor in the pressure drops due to pipes and plena. Also, for new users, it takes a significant amount of time to fully understand how to use the code. The objectives of this thesis were to modify CYCLES to ensure that pipe and plena effects were included, and to improve the readability and functionality of the code. Changes to CYCLES are included in the rewritten code, named CYCLES II, and are also documented in this thesis. Furthermore, documentation of the program input and output is given, along with a flow chart of the algorithm logic. Two applications of the code are provided to show the effect of the pipes and plena on cycle performance. In comparing the cycle efficiency with and without the effects of the pipes and plena, for a 300 MWe S-CO2 Brayton power conversion system, the results indicate that the net cycle efficiency drops from 49% to 45% when pipes and plena of reasonable dimensions are included in the calculations. The losses are dominated by the low pressure pipe and plena segments. However, the effects of the pipes and plena on cycle efficiency are not characteristic of the S-CO2 cycle only. All Brayton cycles have this same issue, and the effects are worse for the helium-Brayton cycle because it operates at lower pressures.by David M. Legault.S.B