Months In Length Research Articles

Providing standardized neonatal education in Northern Ghana

Neonatal mortality remains high in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, many nurses are assigned to care for small and sick newborns with little or no specialized training. This article described the three-phase training provided to nurses/midwives in Northern Ghana. The Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN) developed the training based on the “train the trainer” to provide a standardized neonatal curriculum and associated bedside preceptorship. The training program was two months in length. The training was started at the teaching hospital and included two district hospitals.

Graph Machine Learning for Improved Imputation of Missing Tropospheric Ozone Data.

Gaps in the measurement series of atmospheric pollutants can impede the reliable assessment of their impacts and trends. We propose a new method for missing data imputation of the air pollutant tropospheric ozone by using the graph machine learning algorithm "correct and smooth". This algorithm uses auxiliary data that characterize the measurement location and, in addition, ozone observations at neighboring sites to improve the imputations of simple statistical and machine learning models. We apply our method to data from 278 stations of the year 2011 of the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt - UBA) monitoring network. The preliminary version of these data exhibits three gap patterns: shorter gaps in the range of hours, longer gaps of up to several months in length, and gaps occurring at multiple stations at once. For short gaps of up to 5 h, linear interpolation is most accurate. Longer gaps at single stations are most effectively imputed by a random forest in connection with the correct and smooth. For longer gaps at multiple stations, the correct and smooth algorithm improved the random forest despite a lack of data in the neighborhood of the missing values. We therefore suggest a hybrid of linear interpolation and graph machine learning for the imputation of tropospheric ozone time series.

Is integrating video into tech-based patient education effective for improving medication adherence? – A review

Abstract Patient education is a crucial part of the efforts to improve the level of medication adherence. Successful diabetes self-management will be achieved if health practitioners (doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and other health-related professionals) provide education to their patients. One of the multimedia platforms that are now popular in patient education and health promotion is video. This study primarily aimed to review published research examining integration of video-based digital interventions into tech-based patient education methods to promote medication adherence in diabetic patients. All of the articles presented in this review were collected from the PubMed, Science Direct, and Sage Publication databases. This review compared study samples, intervention characteristics (length of intervention and learning media), and adherence outcomes, as well as additional outcomes across the studies. Of the 304 articles reviewed, seven studies that met the criteria were found and included in the review. Overall, 57.14% of the integrated video-based interventions demonstrated improved medication adherence and 42.86% demonstrated improvement in other related health outcomes. The interventions were 7 weeks to 6 months in length and were in the form of storytelling with videos, smartphone apps, educational programs, or web-based education. It can be concluded that video-based digital interventions aimed to improve medication adherence in diabetic patients are promising. For optimum outcomes, this study highly suggests that a combination of video (synchronous and asynchronous) and a good patient education program is an ideal form of intervention for patients with type 2 diabetes. Regarding the education platform, the intervention could be humanoid robots, storytelling, mobile health (mHealth) apps, websites, robot-enhanced diabetes care, and other related tech-based programs or even conventional models.

Role of Rucaparib in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer: Clinical Perspectives and Considerations.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and has strong genetic associations. This is important for the development of therapeutics for the condition, as metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is resistant to standard androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and has a relatively poor prognosis. We conducted a literature review on rucaparib, a poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that is currently indicated for the treatment of patients with mCRPC who harbor mutations in BRCA1/2 (homologous recombination repair [HRR] genes) and who have already tried androgen receptor-axis-targeted therapies (ARAT) and a taxane chemotherapy. We describe rucaparib's FDA approval, which was based on the results of the single-arm, open-label, Phase II TRITON2 clinical trial, which found an objective response rate (ORR) of 43.5%, a duration of response (DOR) of over six months in length and an acceptable safety profile. Rucaparib's dosage and clinical considerations for use were also discussed. We also compared rucaparib's use and safety profile with Olaparib, niraparib and talazoparib, three other PARP inhibitors tested for the treatment of mCRPC. Overall, initial results show that the safety profile of all four drugs in mCRPC was relatively similar, and further testing is currently indicated for all four. Differences in their metabolism, however, also warrant further research. The clinical validity of rucaparib will be tested by the follow-up TRITON3 clinical trial, which is comparing the effect of rucaparib compared to standard therapies for mCRPC harboring BRCA1/2 or ATM mutations. Other than TRITON3, other clinical trials are testing rucaparib's ability against other cancers (prostate or otherwise) with HRR mutations, and also the efficacy of combination therapies involving rucaparib. Finally, more research is needed to elucidate rucaparib's effect on HRR mutations other than BRCA1/2. Advancements in understanding the genetic landscape of mCRPC will also assist in understanding rucaparib's full therapeutic potential.

Apert Syndrome Type III Hand: Prevalence and Outcomes.

The Upton type III hand, which represents the most severe hand type among Apert syndrome patients, has been considered the least prevalent hand type. The objective of this study is to address type III Apert hand prevalence and describe treatment strategies that will result in a 5 digit hand. The authors retrospectively reviewed 15 years of Apert syndrome hand practice at our hospital. Demographic (patient sex and age at the time of the operation), surgical (eg, techniques used for webspace release, osteotomy, and various aspects of soft-tissue reconstruction), and outcome (perioperative and long-term complication and need for revision operation) data was verified through medical records, clinical photographs, radiographic images, and interviews with patients' families. Patients who had incomplete medical records and/or postoperative follow up <6 months in length were excluded from this study. A total of 93 Apert patients [50 male (56.1%) and 43 female (43.9%)] were treated at our hospital from 2007 to 2021. Stratification of Apert hand severity using Upton's classification system identified 34 patients with type I hands (36.4%), 19 patients with type II hands (20.6%), and 40 patients with type III hands (43%). Of the 40 patients with type III hands a 5 digit hand was achieved for 35 patients (87%), with an average of 3.37 operations per patient. The Upton type III hand is the most prevalent hand type among Apert syndrome patients. Following a three stage protocol, a surgical team can consistently achieve a 5 digit hand for the majority of Apert syndrome patients with type III hands.

A pragmatic randomized trial evaluating pre-operative aqueous antiseptic skin solutions in open fractures (Aqueous-PREP): statistical analysis plan

BackgroundApproximately 1 in 10 patients with a surgically treated open fracture will develop a surgical site infection. The Aqueous-PREP trial will investigate the effect of 10% povidone-iodine versus 4% chlorhexidine in aqueous antiseptic solutions in reducing infections after open fracture surgery. The study protocol was published in April 2020.Methods and designThe Aqueous-PREP trial is a pragmatic, multicenter, open-label, randomized multiple period cluster crossover trial. Each participating cluster is randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to provide 1 of the 2 study interventions on all eligible patients during a study period. The intervention periods are 2 months in length. After completing a 2-month period, the participating cluster crosses over to the alternative intervention. We plan to enroll a minimum of 1540 patients at 14 sites.ResultsThe primary outcome is surgical site infection guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network reporting criteria (2017). All participants’ surgical site infection surveillance period will end 30 days after definitive fracture management surgery for superficial infections and 90 days after definitive fracture management surgery for deep incisional or organ/space infections [1]. The secondary outcome is an unplanned fracture-related reoperation within 12 months of the fracture.ConclusionThis manuscript serves as the formal statistical analysis plan (version 1.0) for the Aqueous-PREP trial. The statistical analysis plan was completed on February 28, 2022.

Healing Efficacy After Surgery and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Extremely Rare Maxillary Giant Cell Tumor

Giant cell tumors are rare benign borderline tumors, and maxillary localization is extremely rare. Because of the few clinical cases, healing behavior is very different, although the primary is the surgery. We present a 72-year-old man in which, on the occasion of difficulty left nasal breathing with four months of length, in January 2021 an operation was carried out on a left maxillary sinus. Histological diagnosis is a giant cell tumor (GCT) of the maxillary sinus.The patient is targeted for post-operative radiotherapy (RT).

Difficult Conversations in Palliative Care: Innovations in Learning.

Accelerated nursing students have a short time frame in which to assimilate knowledge as postbaccalaureate nursing programs are approximately 16 months in length. Research has demonstrated limited innovative evidence-based teaching strategies when developing palliative care curricula in accelerated nursing programs. The authors addressed this gap by using student-centered learning activities and simulation within the context of an end-of-life course. This novel approach allowed students the opportunity to practice important therapeutic communication skills while enhancing their knowledge of palliative nursing care.

A stringent upper limit of 20 pptv for methane on Mars and constraints on its dispersion outside Gale crater

Context. Reports on the detection of methane in the Martian atmosphere have motivated numerous studies aiming to confirm or explain its presence on a planet where it might imply a biogenic or more likely a geophysical origin. Aims. Our intent is to complement and improve on the previously reported detection attempts by the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) on board the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). This latter study reported the results of a campaign that was a few months in length, and was significantly hindered by a dusty period that impaired detection performances. Methods. We unveil 640 solar occultation measurements gathering 1.44 Martian years worth of data produced by the ACS. Results. No methane was detected. Probing the clear northern summer season allowed us to reach 1σ upper limits of around 10 pptv (20 pptv at 2σ), with an annual mean of the smallest upper limits of 20 pptv. Upper limits are controlled by the amount of dust in the atmosphere, which impairs detection performance around the equator and during the southern spring and summer seasons. Observations performed near Gale crater yielded 1σ upper limits of up to four times less than the background values measured by the Curiosity rover during the corresponding seasons. Conclusions. Reconciliation of the absence of methane in the TGO spectra with the positive detections by Curiosity is even more difficult in light of this annual survey performed by ACS. Stronger constraints are placed on the physical and chemical mechanism capable of explaining why the mean of the best overall upper limits of ACS is ten times below the smallest methane abundances measured by Curiosity.

Morphological characteristics of autopodium arteries of reindeer' thoracic limb

In the far north, reindeer breeding is a popular direction in the development of agriculture, so veterinarians often treat limb diseases in reindeer. The aim of the study was to research the clinical and morphological characteristics and also development of arterial vessels of the distal links of the thoracic limb. 18 reindeer carcasses of different age groups from the northern mountain-taiga zone of Yakutia were studied. The area of the metacarpus includes four arterial highways: III on the palmar and one on the dorsal surface. Palmar metacarpal arteries: palmar branch (superficially under the skin and common fascia); palmar superficial II metacarpal artery (deeper along the medial edge of the interosseous muscle); palmar deep III metacarpal artery (deep trunk). The arterial highway of the finger of the hand begins from the superficial palmar branch and divides in the distal III of the metacarpus into III vessels: the common palmar finger II, III and IV arteries. The common palmar finger III artery is divided into II annular branches: the axial proper III and IV palmar finger arteries. The arteries of the lateral II and V fingers start from the common palmar finger II and IV arteries. The distal III of the metacarpus includes the superficial and deep palmar arterial arches. The superficial palmar branch and the palmar superficial II metacarpal artery form the superficial palmar arterial arch. The palmar deep III metacarpal artery, the metacarpal feeding artery, and the perforating distal metacarpal artery form a deep arc. The main arteries of the hand grow unevenly. In the postnatal period, the length and diameter of the arteries increased by 1.5-2.2 times (hand arteries – 1.7-2), to 12 months in length 87.1% and diameter of the arteries 89,3% regarding adults (hand arteries represent 89.3% and 85.3%). By the age of 3.5 years, the vessels become the longest, the diameter and wall thickness continue to grow slightly. The growth rates of the length and diameter of the metacarpal arteries during postnatal ontogenesis are similar to age-related changes in the autopodium vessels. Topographic visualization of arterial structures is used for effective therapeutic and diagnostic manipulations, surgical operations of the thoracic limb in reindeer.

Analysis of risk scores and duration of hospital stay in prognosis of STEMI patients after pPCI

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Advances in the immediate management of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have led to a dramatic decline in mortality and reduction in hospital length of stay (LOS). We analysed the prognostic value of selected risk models in STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and to identify additional parameters to strengthen risk scores in categorizing patients for safe early discharge and to identify parameters prolonging hospital stay. Purpose To assess parameters and risk scores to categorize patients for safe early discharge following STEMI and to assess the composite of death, MI, unstable angina (UA), stroke, unplanned hospitalization at the end of 30 days, 6 months and at 1year follow up. Methods The study included 222 patients, who were diagnosed as STEMI, treated with successful pPCI. The risk scores like TIMI score, GRACE score, ZWOLLE score, CADILLAC score were calculated for all patients from the baseline clinical data collected on admission. Routine blood investigations along with Brain natri-uretic peptide (BNP) were done for all patients. The entire cohort was divided into three groups on the basis of length of stay: ≤3 days (n = 150), 4–5 days (n = 47), and &amp;gt;5 days (n = 25). All-cause mortality and major cardiovascular events (MACEs) were assessed up to 1 year. Results The mean age group (yrs) of the study population was 53.92 ± 12.9. Patients in LOS &amp;lt;3 days had a mean age (yrs) of 52.41 ± 11.74, patients in LOS 4-5 days group had 54.19 ±13.59 and patient with LOS &amp;gt;5 days had 62.52 ± 15.32. The most important parameters that predicted hospital stay in our study are BNP levels OR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.002-1.004, P &amp;lt; 0.001, GRACE score OR: 1.02 ,95% CI: 1.01-1.03, P &amp;lt; 0.001, TIMI score OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.18-1.55, P = 0.007, ZWOLLE score OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.16-1.37, P &amp;lt; 0.001, CADILLAC score OR: 1.24, 95% CI; 1.15-1.3: P &amp;lt; 0.001. 32 (14.4%) patients expired in the study population. 36% patients of LOS &amp;gt;5 days expired in 1year follow up with maximum mortality in the first 6 months. 56% of the patients in LOS &amp;gt; 5 days had an adverse cardiac event in 1 year follow up. Patients in LOS &amp;gt;5 days had increased event rates in 30 days,6 months and in 1 year follow up. Patients with LOS 4-5 days (30%) had increased event rates than patients in LOS &amp;lt; 3 days (19%).Unadjusted Kaplan Meir survival curves for 1 year mortality among hospital survivors showed a significant increase in mortality at 6 months in length of stay&amp;gt; 5 days group. (P value &amp;lt; 0.001). CONCLUSION Long hospital stay after PCI among patients with STEMI was associated with increased long-term all-cause mortality. Addition of BNP to this risk scores can better predict the course of hospital stay and adverse clinical outcomes in follow up. Long hospital stay may be used as a marker to identify patients at higher risk for long-term mortality. Abstract Figure. Kaplan meir survival curve

Testing the use of single- and multi-mission satellite altimetry for the calibration of hydraulic models

Satellite altimetry is increasingly considered as a valuable source of information in many hydrological and hydraulic applications. However, the accuracy of different sensors adopted for monitoring the water level from satellite and the limited temporal resolution that characterizes each sensor (i.e. revisit time most of time varying from 10 to 35 days; 369 days in case of CryoSat mission) still hamper their common use. Recently introduced multi-mission (MM) densified time series might represent a possible alternative to ensure higher spatial and temporal coverage. Though, a comparison of the potential of different altimetry products, including MM series, for hydrodynamic model calibration is still missing. This study attempts to fill this gap investigating how available altimetry series perform over a stretch of the Po River (nearly 140 km across Northern Italy) in calibrating a quasi-2D model built with detailed topographic information. Specifically, objectives are manifold: i) to provide a comparison of satellite altimetry products available to the research community and commonly used in hydraulic modelling (Envisat, Envisat extended mission, ERS-2, TOPEX/Poseidon, SARAL/AltiKa, Jason-2, Jason-3, Sentinel 3A, Sentinel 3B and CryoSat); ii) to evaluate the performance of MM satellite series in calibrating a hydraulic model relative to single-mission series; and iii) to investigate the importance of the number of observations (series length) for each mission.Results of the model calibration depict a general improvement of satellite performance over time, moving from the oldest to more recent missions, with the exception of Envisat extended series. In general, Jason-2, Sentinel 3A and Sentinel 3B outperform other series both in terms of calibration error and number of measurements required to achieve a reliable calibration. MM series provide errors larger than those obtained from original single-mission time series considered with their overall length, but they provide more reliable calibrations than altimetric time series with low sampling rate (i.e., Envisat, Envisat extended, and SARAL/AltiKa) or those that cover very short periods (e.g. altimetry series limited to 20–40 months in length). The analysis offers additional insights into the possible use of altimetry series in hydrodynamic applications, providing a comparison of different original products and showing the potential, as well as limitations, offered by MM series.

Attachment impacts cortisol awakening response in chronically depressed individuals

BackgroundEarly life experiences shape individual attachment, creating a template for regulating emotions in interpersonal situations, likely to persist across the lifespan. Research has shown that individual attachment creates vulnerability for depression, and also impacts the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Still, the relationship between attachment and the HPA axis in depressed individuals is unclear. Cortisol awakening response (CAR) has been recently investigated as a possibly useful physiological marker related to attachment insecurity and depression risk. However, research exploring the relationship between the CAR and attachment in individuals with chronic depression in either the presence or the absence of comorbid anxiety is lacking. The purpose of the current study was to fill this gap, by comparing the CAR in individuals with chronic depression with/without comorbid anxieties and controls. In addition, we also wanted to explore the relationship between attachment and the CAR in this group and to explore their predictive role for later depression severity. MethodsIndividuals experiencing a current depressive episode at least six months in length (cMDD; n = 63) and healthy controls (HC; n = 57) were enrolled in the study (total n = 120). Participants completed a structured clinical diagnostic interview (SCID-I) as well as measures of depression severity (Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) and attachment dimensions (Experiences in Close Relationships scale; ECR) at baseline. In addition, participants provided salivary samples at four time points (i.e. 0 (S1), 30, 45 and 60 min) following awakening on two consecutive days. S1 cortisol, the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) and increase (AUCi) were calculated based on the average values across both days. The HC and cMDD groups were compared on all measures. The CAR for individuals with cMDD alone (n = 14) and individuals with cMDD with two or more comorbid anxiety disorders (cMDD ≥ 2Anx; n = 30) were also compared. A subset of participants (n = 59) agreed to return for follow up one year later. Participants returning for follow up repeated the BDI-II and ECR. No salivary samples were collected at follow-up. ResultsThe cMDD group had significantly lower S1 cortisol and AUCg compared to the HC group (both p ≤ 0.02). cMDD and cMDD ≥ 2Anx groups did not differ in their CAR. Regression analyses revealed that depression severity and the attachment interaction term was associated with lower S1 and AUCg cortisol (p < 0.01). Greater attachment avoidance was positively associated with S1 cortisol (p = 0.02), while mean awakening time on sample days was negatively associated with S1 cortisol. We also found a significant interaction between the attachment dimensions such that at low levels of attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance had a positive relationship with S1 cortisol and AUCg. The opposite relationship existed when attachment anxiety was high. Higher baseline BDI-II score and higher baseline attachment anxiety were predictive of higher scores on the BDI-II one-year later (both p < 0.05). ConclusionsThe current findings bring evidence that depression severity is associated with blunting of the CAR irrespective of the comorbid status with anxiety disorders. In addition, attachment avoidance may protect against the CAR blunting in individuals with low attachment anxiety. However, individuals with high attachment anxiety and avoidance might have additional CAR blunting. Attachment anxiety might be a good predictor of future depression severity.

Systematic Review of Digital Interventions for Pediatric Asthma Management

Pediatric patients with asthma take only approximately half of their prescribed medication. Digital interventions to improve adherence for youth with asthma exist and have the potential to improve accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and customizability. To systematically review published research examining digital interventions to promote adherence to the treatment of pediatric asthma. A systematic search of the PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and reference review databases was conducted. Articles were included if adherence was an outcome in a randomized controlled trial of a digital intervention for children with asthma. We compared samples, intervention characteristics, adherence measurement and outcomes, as well as additional health outcomes across studies. Of the 264 articles reviewed, 15 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Overall, 87% of the digital interventions demonstrated improved adherence and 53% demonstrated improved health outcomes. All the promising interventions included a behavioral component and most were 3 to 6 months in length, delivered through a digital stand-alone medium (eg, automated personalized texts, mobile health apps, and website), and assessed adherence to controller medication. Overall, digital interventions aimed at improving adherence are promising and also improve health outcomes in addition to medication adherence. Although future studies using evidence-based adherence assessment and multifactorial design should be conducted, the current literature suggests that both digital stand-alone interventions and interventions combining digital technology with support from a health care team member result in improved adherence and asthma outcomes. Recommendations for digital interventions for pediatric patients with asthma with adherence concerns are provided.

Trauma Management Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD in an active duty sample: Design and methodology of a randomized clinical trial

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from military service is a common, yet often chronic condition. Treatment outcome often is attenuated by programs that are (a) lengthy in nature and (b) constricted in their target outcomes. These limitations leave much of the emotional and behavioral impairment that accompanies PTSD unaddressed and/or unassessed. Typical PTSD treatment programs are 3–4 months in length, which is challenging for the pace of the nation's military. In this investigation, we will compare two treatments, Trauma Management Therapy (TMT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE), both redesigned to address the needs of active duty personnel (300 participants at 3 military installations). Specifically, we will compare the TMT Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP; 3 weeks) to PE's compressed (2 week) format. Both interventions will be compared to a standard course of PE (12 weeks). In addition to PTSD symptomatology, outcome measurement includes other aspects of psychopathology as well as changes in social, occupational, and familial impairment. Potential negative outcomes of massed treatment, such as increased suicidal ideation or increased alcohol use, will be assessed, as will genetic predictors of PTSD subtype and treatment outcome. This study will inform the delivery of care for military-related PTSD and particularly the use of intensive or compressed treatments for active duty personnel.

Reducing the Energy and Steam Consumption of SAGD Through Cyclic Solvent Co-Injection

The amount of oil that is contained in the Canadian oil sands represent the third largest oil accumulation in the world. Approximately half of the daily oil production from the oil sands comes from mining processes and the other half is produced mostly using steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). This method is effective at reducing the viscosity of the oil. However, the generation of steam requires a significant amount of energy. Thus, there is an ongoing effort to reduce the energy needed to produce oil from the oil sands. In this article the intermittent injection of a solvent, along with steam, is investigated as a means of reducing the amount of energy required to extract oil from the Canadian oil sands. A simulation-based study examined the effect of the type of solvent, the cycles’ duration, the solvent concentration and the number of cycles. The simulations covered a time span of 10 years during which several different solvents (methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, and CO2) were injected under varying injection schedules. The solvents that were investigated are compounds that are likely to be readily available at a heavy oil production site. The solvent injection periods ranged from six to 24 months in length. The results reveal that SAGD combined with intermittent injection of hexane resulted in the most significant improvement to the cumulative oil production and in the cumulative energy-oil ratio (cEOR). Compared to SAGD without solvent injection, the cumulative oil production was increased by 45% and the cEOR was reduced by 23%. It was also seen that the performance of the proposed process is highly dependent on the resulting physical properties of the solvent-bitumen mixture. Finally, a simplified economic analysis also identified SAGD with intermittent hexane injection as the scheme that resulted in the highest net present value. Compared to SAGD without solvent injection, the intermittent injection of hexane led to an 85% increase in the net present value.

First search for long-duration transient gravitational waves after glitches in the Vela and Crab pulsars

Gravitational waves (GWs) can offer a novel window into the structure and dynamics of neutron stars. Here we present the first search for long-duration quasi-monochromatic GW transients triggered by pulsar glitches. We focus on two glitches observed in radio timing of the Vela pulsar (PSR J0835-4510) on 12 December 2016 and the Crab pulsar (PSR J0534+2200) on 27 March 2017, during the Advanced LIGO second observing run (O2). We assume the GW frequency lies within a narrow band around twice the spin frequency as known from radio observatons. Using the fully-coherent transient-enabled F-statistic method to search for transients of up to four months in length. We find no credible GW candidates for either target, and through simulated signal injections we set 90% upper limits on (constant) GW strain as a function of transient duration. For the larger Vela glitch, we come close to beating an indirect upper limit for when the total energy liberated in the glitch would be emitted as GWs, thus demonstrating that similar post-glitch searches at improved detector sensitivity can soon yield physical constraints on glitch models.

The effect of person-organization fit and hardiness on turnover intention among graduate trainee of a private palm oil enterprise in Indonesia

Turnover is a critical issue for companies because of its negative impact on companies, such as recruitment costs, training costs, low productivity, and operational disruption. Turnover intention has been acknowledged as the best predictor of actual turnover, hence, the importance of studying turnover intention. Most of the private palm oil enterprises in Indonesia offer trainee programs as their recruitment strategy for operational employees. Training programs are designed to help recruited fresh graduate to adapt to the company's culture and their job role. Training programs are mostly 3-6 months in length, and adapts semi-military concepts. Most of the trainees are reported to experience difficulty in following the semi-military training and adapting to the company's culture due to misfit and incapability to handle stressful situation. This study aims to measure and analyze the effect of person-organization fit and hardiness on graduate trainee's turnover intention in one of Indonesia’s Private Palm Oil Enterprises. This research uses quantitative approach with multiple linear regression analysis method. The sample size of this study is 103 graduate trainees who were taking part in the orientation training program within the enterprise. The result of study indicates there is a negative influence of person-organization fit and hardiness together on turnover intention with an effective contribution of 62.4%.

Including cover crops during fallow periods for increasing ecosystem services: Is it possible in croplands of Southern South America?

Abstract The integration of cover crops (CC) into annual crop rotations improves the provision of multiple ecosystem services in time and represents an alternative paradigm to achieve sustainability goals. In spite of the benefits that several authors have exposed, CC are seldom included in rotations because their water consumption could affect cash crops development. We evaluated the possibility of including CC in the agricultural area of Rio de la Plata grasslands and identified its optimal duration depending on both environmental conditions and crop rotations. Fallow areas were located based on NDVI time series derived from MODIS satellite images and the influence of CC on the subsequent cash crop was evaluated based on modeled changes in soil water contents at the sowing date of the cash crop. Our land use classifications revealed that single crop rotations, mostly summer crops with winter fallow periods, occupy a large proportion (89%) of the agricultural portion of the Rio de la Plata grasslands studied. In most of the region, sowing CC of 3 to 5 months of length during fallow periods had little impact on soil water contents at the sowing date of the following cash crop. As expected, the optimal CC duration in the different sub-regions increased with the average rainfall occurred during the fallow period. The possibility of sowing CC without affecting cash crops yields opens the opportunity for intensifying crop sequences in the region, oriented to mitigate environmental concerns raised by monocultures and agricultural simplification.

Evaluation of American Board of Orthodontics certification protocols in postgraduate orthodontic programs in the United States and Canada.

The objective of this study was to identify the board certification protocols that hospital and university-based postgraduate orthodontic programs have in place to prepare residents for the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) certification examination. An electronic survey was sent to the program directors of each of the 72 postgraduate orthodontic programs in the United States and Canada. The survey consistedof 49 questions about demographics, resident case assignment protocols, and ABO examination preparation methods. The response rate was 81%. Most programs were 30 to 36months in length (72.7%). Many residents had a case load of 51 to 75 during their first year (50.9%), with an average maximum case load of 70 to 109. There was a positive correlation with both the number of cases that first-year residents start and the length of the program (Spearman correlation coefficient=0.379; P<0.01) when compared with maximum case load. Approximately 72% of the programs do not offer a written mock board examination; however, 72% reported offering a clinical mock board examination. ABO cases are identified within the first 6months of most programs. About 88% of respondents believe that residents take advantage of the banking system, and that over the past 5years ABO Initial Certification Examination applications have increased. Most program directors (89.1%) believe that their program length is sufficient for board preparation. Subjects tested in the written examination are integrated into the didactic curriculum and strengthened with ongoing literature reviews, with a passing rate over 90%. Clinical examination preparation varies, with most programsrequiring a mock board examination for graduation. Total participation in both the Initial Certification Examination and banking has increased since 2010; better follow-up protocols are needed to track residents after graduation.