Although many recent systems have been built to support Information Capture and Retrieval (ICR), these have not generally been successful. This paper presents studies that evaluate two different ...hypotheses for this failure, firstly that systems fail to address user needs and secondly that they provide only rudimentary support for ICR. Having first presented a taxonomy of different systems built to support ICR, we then describe a study that attempts to identify user needs for ICR. On the basis of that study we carried out two user-oriented evaluations. In the first, we carried out a task-based evaluation of a state-of-the-art ICR system, finding that it failed to provide users with abstract ways to view meetings data, and did not present users with information categories that they considered to be important. In a second study, we introduce a new method for comparative evaluation of different techniques for accessing meetings data. The second study showed that simple interface techniques that extracted key information from meetings were effective in allowing users to extract gist from meetings data. We conclude with a discussion of outstanding issues and future directions for ICR research.
Bluetongue virus (BTV) is transmitted by Culicoides biting midges and causes bluetongue (BT), a clinical disease observed primarily in sheep. BT has a detrimental effect on subsistence farmers in ...India, where hyperendemic outbreaks impact on smallholdings in the southern states of the country. In this study, we establish a reliable method for testing the toxic effects of deltamethrin on Culicoides and then compare deltamethrin with traditional control methods used by farmers in India.
Effects of deltamethrin were initially tested using a colonised strain of Culicoides nubeculosus Meigen and a modified World Health Organisation exposure assay. This method was then applied to field populations of Culicoides spp. in India. The field population of C. oxystoma in India had a greater LC
(0.012 ± 0.009%) for deltamethrin than laboratory-reared C.nubeculosus (0.0013 ± 0.0002%). Exposure of C. nubeculosus to deltamethrin at higher ambient temperatures resulted in greater rates of knockdown but a lower mortality rate at 24 h post-exposure. Behavioural assays with C. nubeculosus in WHO tubes provided evidence for contact irritancy and spatial repellence caused by deltamethrin. The field experiments in India, however, provided no evidence for repellent or toxic effects of deltamethrin. Traditional methods such as the application of neem oil and burning of neem leaves also provided no protection.
Our study demonstrates that field-collected Culicoides in India are less susceptible to deltamethrin exposure than laboratory-bred C. nubeculosus and traditional methods of insect control do not provide protection to sheep. These low levels of susceptibility to deltamethrin have not been recorded before in field populations of Culicoides and suggest resistance to synthetic pyrethrioids. Alternative insect control methods, in addition to vaccination, may be needed to protect Indian livestock from BTV transmission.
Background During the initial COVID-19 outbreak up to 28.4 million elective operations were cancelled worldwide, in part owing to concerns that it would be unsustainable to maintain elective surgery ...capacity because of COVID-19-related surgeon absence. Although many hospitals are now recovering, surgical teams need strategies to prepare for future outbreaks. This study aimed to develop a framework to predict elective surgery capacity during future COVID-19 outbreaks. Methods An international cross-sectional study determined real-world COVID-19-related absence rates among surgeons. COVID-19-related absences included sickness, self-isolation, shielding, and caring for family. To estimate elective surgical capacity during future outbreaks, an expert elicitation study was undertaken with senior surgeons to determine the minimum surgical staff required to provide surgical services while maintaining a range of elective surgery volumes (0, 25, 50 or 75 per cent). Results Based on data from 364 hospitals across 65 countries, the COVID-19-related absence rate during the initial 6 weeks of the outbreak ranged from 20.5 to 24.7 per cent (mean average fortnightly). In weeks 7–12, this decreased to 9.2–13.8 per cent. At all times during the COVID-19 outbreak there was predicted to be sufficient surgical staff available to maintain at least 75 per cent of regular elective surgical volume. Overall, there was predicted capacity for surgeon redeployment to support the wider hospital response to COVID-19. Conclusion This framework will inform elective surgical service planning during future COVID-19 outbreaks. In most settings, surgeon absence is unlikely to be the factor limiting elective surgery capacity.
Abstract
Background
In recent years an increasing number of patients with cerebral metastasis (CM) have been referred to the neuro-oncology multidisciplinary team (NMDT). Our aim was to obtain a ...national picture of CM referrals to assess referral volume and quality and factors affecting NMDT decision making.
Methods
A prospective multicenter cohort study including all adult patients referred to NMDT with 1 or more CM was conducted. Data were collected in neurosurgical units from November 2017 to February 2018. Demographics, primary disease, KPS, imaging, and treatment recommendation were entered into an online database.
Results
A total of 1048 patients were analyzed from 24 neurosurgical units. Median age was 65 years (range, 21-93 years) with a median number of 3 referrals (range, 1-17 referrals) per NMDT. The most common primary malignancies were lung (36.5%, n = 383), breast (18.4%, n = 193), and melanoma (12.0%, n = 126). A total of 51.6% (n = 541) of the referrals were for a solitary metastasis and resulted in specialist intervention being offered in 67.5% (n = 365) of cases. A total of 38.2% (n = 186) of patients being referred with multiple CMs were offered specialist treatment. NMDT decision making was associated with number of CMs, age, KPS, primary disease status, and extent of extracranial disease (univariate logistic regression, P < .001) as well as sentinel location and tumor histology (P < .05). A delay in reaching an NMDT decision was identified in 18.6% (n = 195) of cases.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates a changing landscape of metastasis management in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including a trend away from adjuvant whole-brain radiotherapy and specialist intervention being offered to a significant proportion of patients with multiple CMs. Poor quality or incomplete referrals cause delay in NMDT decision making.
Banana production in Eastern Africa is threatened by the presence of a new devastating bacterial disease caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum (formerly Xanthomonas campestris pv. ...musacearum). The disease has been identified in Uganda, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. Disease symptoms include wilting and yellowing of leaves, excretion of a yel-lowish bacterial ooze, premature ripening of the bunch, rotting of fruit and internal yellow discoloration of the vascular bundles. Plants are infected either by insects through the inflorescence or by soil-borne bacterial inoculum through the lower parts of the plant. Short- and long-distance transmission of the disease mainly occurs via contaminated tools and insects, though other organisms such as birds may also be involved. Although no banana cultivar with resistance to the disease has been identified as yet, it appears that certain cultivars have mechanisms to 'escape' the disease. Management and control of the disease involve methods that reduce the inoculum's density and spread of the pathogen. Removal of the male bud (de-budding) has proven to be very effective in preventing the disease incidence since the male bud appears to be the primary infection site. The economic impact of banana Xanthomonas wilt is not fully understood but its impact on food security in the region is very significant. While germplasm screening for the disease is ongoing, efforts to genetically engineer resistance in some banana cultivars are also making good progress. This paper presents a review of the disease and management strategies that have been successful in curtailing its spread.
Fifty-one sediment samples from a shallow (<15 m) bay of Curaçao, Spaanse Water, were clustered based on their components and grain size. Three main biofacies, in geographically distinct areas of the ...bay, are recognized. One, the Halimeda Faciés, dominated by the remains of the calcareous alga Halimeda (70), is related to coarse sediments (coarse and fine sand) and frames the coastal, shallow areas of the bay. Another, the Ostracod Faciés, shows a high ostracod (46), echinoid spine (11) and foraminifer (17) content, and is related to fine sediments, which cover the central basin, the eastern part and the channel of the bay. The third, Gastropod-Halimeda Faciés, is restricted to the western part of the bay and characterized by a poor microfauna and a relatively high percentage of gastropods (20). It comprises coarse sediments with a relative scarcity of the finest material and with common dark, coated grains. The Gastropod-Halimeda Faciés is shown to be a "relict" of the rich Halimeda Faciés. Its distribution coincides with an area of intense boating activity. Benthic foraminifera are widely distributed and make up 4-30 of the skeletal components. The assemblages are often related to the recognized facies. Increased abundances of the large, algal symbiont-bearing species as well as Elphidium poeyanum and E.discoidale are associated with the Halimeda Faciés, while Ammonia tepida, Nonion grateloupii, Reussella simplex and small, thin-shelled miliolids dominate the foraminiferal assemblage of the Ostracod Facies. The distribution pattern of foraminiferal assemblages appears to be related primarily to the nature of substrate (grain size) and light penetration (depth). The highest abundance (50) of Ammonia tepida is found in mangrove areas, where samples contain vegetable matter.
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