Validity of the SS-QOL in Germany and in Survivors of Hemorrhagic or Ischemic Stroke

Objective: The Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL) is a recently developed measure to assess health-related quality of life in stroke patients. The objective of this study was to translate the American version of the SS-QOL and examine the validity of the German proxy version, in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke survivors. Methods: The translation was conducted according to published guidelines. The validation was performed in consecutive adult stroke survivors. Data were obtained 1 year after discharge. To examine the dimensionality of the SS-QOL, factor analyses were conducted. The validity was examined by the associations of the subscales with the Functional Independence Measure and Short Form 36. Results: The literal translation revealed no major changes between the American and the German versions of the SS-QOL. Three hundred seven stroke survivors were included in the study. Unlike the 1st validation study, most of the variance could be explained by 8 instead of 12 factors; therefore, the 8-factor solution was further examined. The validity of the SS-QOL total score and “observable” scales such as “activities” was shown. Conclusions. For the German proxy version of the SS-QOL, an 8-factor solution was found to be the most appropriate. The psychometric properties of these 8 subscales were good or excellent with respect to internal consistency. The validity of the total score was shown, but some subscales(energy, mood, and thinking) failed the hypothesized associations. Therefore, the SS-QOL needs to be further explored in other settings and populations

Segmental stabilizing exercises and low back pain: What is the evidence?

Study design: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of segmental stabilizing exercises for acute, subacute and chronic low back pain with regard to pain, recurrence of pain, disability and return to work. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PEDro and article reference lists were searched from 1988 onward. Randomized controlled trials with segmental stabilizing exercises for adult low back pain patients were included. Four comparisons were foreseen: (1) effectiveness of segmental stabilizing exercises versus treatment by general practitioner (GP); (2) effectiveness of segmental stabilizing exercises versus other physiotherapy treatment; (3) effectiveness of segmental stabilizing exercises combined with other physiotherapy treatment versus treatment by GP and (4) effectiveness of segmental stabilizing exercises combined with other physiotherapy treatment versus other physiotherapy treatment. Results: Seven trials were included. For acute low back pain, segmental stabilizing exercises are equally effective in reducing short-term disability and pain and more effective in reducing long-term recurrence of low back pain than treatment by GP. For chronic low back pain, segmental stabilizing exercises are, in the short and long term, more effective than GP treatment and may be as effective as other physiotherapy treatments in reducing disability and pain. There is limited evidence that segmental stabilizing exercises additional to other physiotherapy treatment are equally effective for pain and more effective concerning disability than other physiotherapy treatments alone. There is no evidence concerning subacute low back pain. Conclusion: For low back pain, segmental stabilizing exercises are more effective than treatment by GP but they are not more effective than other physiotherapy interventions

Farming and cropping systems in the West African Sudanian Savanna. WASCAL research area: Northern Ghana, Southwest Burkina Faso and Northern Benin

Ecological fragility combined with institutional weakness and political and economic instability make West Africa one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. The West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) tackles this vulnerability by investigating the interface of climate and rural socia-ecological systems, in order to propose ad hoc adaptation measures. In this context, the characterization of the livelihoods of rural communities is crucial since these constitute the units of evaluation and analysis of ongoing and forthcoming studies. Purposefully, this paper provides a joint description of these livelihoods. Divided in three sections, the first one focuses on the agroecological (biophysical) characteristics, detailing climatic, edaphological and hydrological qualities mainly; the second section, portrays the principal socioeconomic features: demography, culture, and organizational and economic institutions; and the third section, describes the main farming and cropping systems themselves, matching the first sections outcomes with managerial aspects, such as farming practices and regional variations, planting patterns, etc. The paper concludes with an overview on relevant features of the farming and cropping systems, recalling the main limiting factors and the local strategies used to overcome them

A Robust, Gravity-Insensitive, High-Temperature Condenser for Water Recovery

Regenerative life support systems are vital for NASA's future long-duration human space exploration missions. A Heat Melt Compactor (HMC) system is being developed by NASA to dry and compress trash generated during space missions. The resulting water vapor is recovered and separated from the process gas flow by a gravity-insensitive condenser. Creare is developing a high-temperature condenser for this application. The entire condenser is constructed from metals that have excellent resistance to chemical attack from contaminants and is suitable for high-temperature operation. The metal construction and design configuration also offer greatest flexibility for potential coating and regeneration processes to reduce biofilm growth and thus enhancing the reliability of the condenser. The proposed condenser builds on the gravity-insensitive phase separator technology Creare developed for aircraft and spacecraft applications. This paper will first discuss the design requirements for the condenser in an HMC system that will be demonstrated on the International Space Station (ISS). Then, it will present the overall design of the condenser and the preliminary thermal test results of a subscale condenser. Finally, this paper will discuss the predicted performance of the full-size condenser and the development plan to mature the technology and enhance its long-term reliability for a flight system

Development of a conceptual framework for integrated analysis and assessment of agricultural systems in SEAMLESS-IF

Production Economics,

Обзор детекторов гамма-излучения для контроля положения ствола горизонтальной скважины

Представлен обзор детекторов гамма-излучения и принципы их работы. Приведены основные характеристики счетчиков гамма-излучения. Отмечены основные достоинства и недостатки данных устройств. Выбран детектор для регистрации гамма-излучения в процессе горизонтального бурения нефтяных и газовых скважин

Torrefaction Processing for Human Solid Waste Management

This study involved a torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) processing approach that could be used to sterilize feces and produce a stable, odor-free solid product that can be stored or recycled, and also to simultaneously recover moisture. It was demonstrated that mild heating (200-250 C) in nitrogen or air was adequate for torrefaction of a fecal simulant and an analog of human solid waste (canine feces). The net result was a nearly undetectable odor (for the canine feces), complete recovery of moisture, some additional water production, a modest reduction of the dry solid mass, and the production of small amounts of gas and liquid. The liquid product is mainly water, with a small Total Organic Carbon content. The amount of solid vs gas plus liquid products can be controlled by adjusting the torrefaction conditions (final temperature, holding time), and the current work has shown that the benefits of torrefaction could be achieved in a low temperature range (< 250 C). These temperatures are compatible with the PTFE bag materials historically used by NASA for fecal waste containment and will reduce the energy consumption of the process. The solid product was a dry material that did not support bacterial growth and was hydrophobic relative to the starting material. In the case of canine feces, the solid product was a mechanically friable material that could be easily compacted to a significantly smaller volume (approx. 50%). The proposed Torrefaction Processing Unit (TPU) would be designed to be compatible with the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), now under development by NASA. A stand-alone TPU could be used to treat the canister from the UWMS, along with other types of wet solid wastes, with either conventional or microwave heating. Over time, a more complete integration of the TPU and the UWMS could be achieved, but will require design changes in both units

Methodological concepts for integrated assessment of agricultural and environmental policies in SEAMLESS-IF

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Methods for biogeochemical studies of sea ice: The state of the art, caveats, and recommendations

AbstractOver the past two decades, with recognition that the ocean’s sea-ice cover is neither insensitive to climate change nor a barrier to light and matter, research in sea-ice biogeochemistry has accelerated significantly, bringing together a multi-disciplinary community from a variety of fields. This disciplinary diversity has contributed a wide range of methodological techniques and approaches to sea-ice studies, complicating comparisons of the results and the development of conceptual and numerical models to describe the important biogeochemical processes occurring in sea ice. Almost all chemical elements, compounds, and biogeochemical processes relevant to Earth system science are measured in sea ice, with published methods available for determining biomass, pigments, net community production, primary production, bacterial activity, macronutrients, numerous natural and anthropogenic organic compounds, trace elements, reactive and inert gases, sulfur species, the carbon dioxide system parameters, stable isotopes, and water-ice-atmosphere fluxes of gases, liquids, and solids. For most of these measurements, multiple sampling and processing techniques are available, but to date there has been little intercomparison or intercalibration between methods. In addition, researchers collect different types of ancillary data and document their samples differently, further confounding comparisons between studies. These problems are compounded by the heterogeneity of sea ice, in which even adjacent cores can have dramatically different biogeochemical compositions. We recommend that, in future investigations, researchers design their programs based on nested sampling patterns, collect a core suite of ancillary measurements, and employ a standard approach for sample identification and documentation. In addition, intercalibration exercises are most critically needed for measurements of biomass, primary production, nutrients, dissolved and particulate organic matter (including exopolymers), the CO2 system, air-ice gas fluxes, and aerosol production. We also encourage the development of in situ probes robust enough for long-term deployment in sea ice, particularly for biological parameters, the CO2 system, and other gases.This manuscript is a product of SCOR working group 140 on Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at Sea-Ice Interfaces (BEPSII); we thank BEPSII chairs Jacqueline Stefels and Nadja Steiner and SCOR executive director Ed Urban for their practical and moral support of this endeavour. This manuscript was first conceived at an EU COST Action 735 workshop held in Amsterdam in April 2011; in addition to COST 735, we thank the other participants of the “methods” break-out group at that meeting, namely Gerhard Dieckmann, Christoph Garbe, and Claire Hughes. Our editors, Steve Ackley and Jody Deming, and our reviewers, Mats Granskog and two anonymous reviewers, provided invaluable advice that not only identified and helped fill in some gaps, but also suggested additional ways to make what is by nature a rather dry subject (methods) at least a bit more interesting and accessible. We also thank the librarians at the Institute of Ocean Sciences for their unflagging efforts to track down the more obscure references we required. Finally, and most importantly, we thank everyone who has braved the unknown and made the new measurements that have helped build sea-ice biogeochemistry into the robust and exciting field it has become.This is the final published article, originally published in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 3: 000038, doi: 10.12952/journal.elementa.00003

The Influence of High-Frequency Envelope Information on Low-Frequency Vowel Identification in Noise

Vowel identification in noise using consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) logatomes was used to investigate a possible interplay of speech information from different frequency regions. It was hypothesized that the periodicity conveyed by the temporal envelope of a high frequency stimulus can enhance the use of the information carried by auditory channels in the low-frequency region that share the same periodicity. It was further hypothesized that this acts as a strobe-like mechanism and would increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the voiced parts of the CVCs. In a first experiment, different high-frequency cues were provided to test this hypothesis, whereas a second experiment examined more closely the role of amplitude modulations and intact phase information within the high-frequency region (4–8 kHz). CVCs were either natural or vocoded speech (both limited to a low-pass cutoff-frequency of 2.5 kHz) and were presented in stationary 3-kHz low-pass filtered masking noise. The experimental results did not support the hypothesized use of periodicity information for aiding lowfrequency perception