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To understand the relationship among easterly waves, tropical cyclones ( TCs), and the large-scale environment, a robust climatology of easterly waves for the tropical Western Hemisphere has been developed. The foundation for the climatology is a new easterly wave tracking algorithm that identifies westwards propagating disturbances over the tropical East Pacific, Atlantic, and Africa. To assess the issue of track dependencies and easterly wave representation, climatologies are prepared separately from the NCEP- NCAR, CFS-R, ERA-40, and ERA-Interim reanalyses. The source code for the easterly wave-tracking algorithm along with the easterly wave climatology for each atmospheric reanalysis is publicly available from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most frequent causes of healthcare-associated infections, and its rates are also increasing in the community. The management of CDI has become a major challenge, given growing rates of recurrences and failures with standard antibiotic therapy. Mounting evidence suggests that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may be effective; however, as there is a paucity of data with regard to repeat FMT for primary non-response to this treatment, this study examined the outcome of multiple FMTs for recurrent CDI. Case records were reviewed for 94 patients who underwent FMT via retention enema for recurrent or refractory CDI during the period 2008-2012. Demographic information, treatment data, and clinical resolution rates were examined for single FMT and cumulative resolution was assessed for multiple FMTs in the context of ongoing symptoms. The cumulative clinical resolution following four or more FMTs was 86 %. When antibiotic therapy was used between FMTs, the clinical resolution rate increased to 92 %. There were no reported adverse events and no patients who were cured with FMT had further episodes of CDI at 6-24 months follow-up. Multiple FMTs administered through enemas is an effective, safe, and simple therapy for the management of recurrent or refractory CDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotenoids, especially lutein and beta-carotene, offer benefits to human health in general and to eye health in particular. However, more data on the contribution of plant foods to carotenoid intake is of importance for developing strategies for promoting eye health in regions where cataract is highly prevalent such as in South India. The most frequently consumed 5 uncultivated and 5 commercially grown South Andhra Pradesh leafy vegetables were selected based on interviews with 100 local women. The lutein and beta-carotene contents of fresh and cooked samples were determined using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Lutein values ranged from 53 to 143 mug/g and 58 to 175 mug/g in fresh and cooked samples, respectively. beta-carotene contents were found to range from 45 to 119 mug/g in fresh samples and from 40 to 159 mug/g in cooked samples. No significant difference was observed between the carotenoid contents of wild and commercially grown species. According to their reported frequency of consumption, the 10 species considered in this study contribute 40% of the daily recommended intake of beta-carotene. This is the first report of lutein content in fresh samples of Celosia argentea L., Rumex vesicarius L., Digera muricata (L.) Mart., and Amaranthus cruentus L. as well as in cooked samples of all species included in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both current (N=77) and former (N=46) Redirection Through Education Program (RTE) students completed measures on self-esteem, social adjustment, symptomatology, and satisfaction with life domains. Current students responded during the first, eleventh, and twentieth weeks of the program (N=26). The results showed significant increases in self-esteem and social adjustment, and decreases in reported symptomatology for current students as they progressed through the program. Former RTE students demonstrated significantly higher levels of self-esteem, higher levels of functioning, and more satisfaction with life domains, as well as less symptomatology at follow-up, as compared to the total group of students upon entry to RTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Dopamine transporter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Belgian Malinois dogs," by L. Lit and colleagues is presented.

Lameness and hoof health affect dairy cows as an animal welfare issue, in decreased milk production, and in premature culling. Selection schemes for dairy cattle focus on sire contribution to milk production, with little consideration of the cow's physical structure or disease probability. On 3 commercial California dairies, 6 phenotypic binary hoof traits that contribute to lameness were recorded: white line disease, sole ulcer, other claw horn lesions, foot rot (interdigital phlegmon), foot warts (digital dermatitis), and other lesions. Monthly lactation records were collected from December 2006 to April 2009 with weekly observations of hoof lesions for lame and dry cows. In addition to hoof lesion information, data on cows (n = 5,043) included parentage, birth date, freshening date, lactation number, and date of lameness diagnosis. The prevalence of hoof lesions ranged from a low of 2.2% (foot rot) to a high of 17.1% (foot warts). The farm environment increased the odds ratio depending upon the lesion. Lameness was more common in early lactation and as lactation number increased. Using a threshold model, heritabilities and repeatabilities were estimated for each binary trait. The heritability for risk varied by lesion, with the higher estimates being 0.40 (95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.67) for digital dermatitis and 0.30 (95% confidence interval: 0.08-0.63) for sole ulcer. Including terms to account for cow productivity on either a 305-d mature-equivalent basis or a perlactation basis had minimal effect on the heritability estimates, suggesting that selection for hoof health is not correlated with response to selection for greater milk production and that improvement could be made for both traits. The genetic component lends support for further genetic studies to identify loci contributing to some of the lesion phenotypes such as foot warts or sole ulcers, 2 of the top 3 causes of lameness in dairy cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Addison's disease, also known as hypoadrenocorticism, has been reported in many individual dogs, although some breeds exhibit a greater incidence than the population as a whole. Addison's is presumed to be an autoimmune mediated hereditary defect but the mode of inheritance remains unclear. In particular, the heritability and mode of inheritance have not been defined for the Portuguese Water Dog although Addison's is known to be prevalent in the breed. Results: The analyses present clear evidence that establishes Addison's disease as an inherited disorder in the Portuguese Water Dog with an estimate of heritability of 0.49 (± 0.16); there were no differences in risk for disease across sexes (p > 0.49). Further, the complex segregation analysis provides suggestive evidence that Addison's disease in the Portuguese Water Dog is inherited under the control of a single, autosomal recessive locus. Conclusion: The high heritability and mode of inheritance of Addison's disease in the Portuguese Water Dog should enable the detection of segregating markers in a genome-wide scan and the identification of a locus linked to Addison's. Though the confirmation of Addison's disease as an autosomal recessive disorder must wait until the gene is identified, breeders of these dogs may wish to keep the present findings in mind as they plan their breeding programs to select against producing affected dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The standard exercise protocol for patients in a traditional cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) programme may not be adequate for preparing manual workers for a safe return to work, as these activities bear little resemblance to the physical movements and force exertion required in most industrial jobs. Aims To measure the energy expenditure as metabolic equivalents (METs) required for automotive technicians, to compare this MET level with that normally attained in traditional cardiac rehab programmes and to suggest cardiac rehab exercises for automotive technicians based on specificity of training. Methods Automotive technicians who volunteered to participate had their MET levels measured while they performed a defined series of work tasks in the service department of an automobile dealership. Their daily walking distance was also determined. Results Thirty-six of 95 eligible subjects participated; a response rate of 38%. Mean peak MET level was 7.1, less than the 8 METs target training goal often used in traditional cardiac rehab programmes. However, patients’ outcome MET levels in cardiac rehab are usually measured by a treadmill stress test, whereas the subjects reached 7.1 METs while performing work tasks. The subjects walked an average of 5 km during a normal workday. Conclusions Because MET level measurements are work specific, automotive technicians in a cardiac rehab programme should strive to reach and maintain a level of >7 METs while performing specific training exercises that mimic the work tasks they must do throughout the day. They can also benefit from traditional endurance training such as treadmill walking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Canadian Experiment for Soil Moisture in 2010 (CanEx-SM10) was carried out in Saskatchewan, Canada, from 31 May to 16 June, 2010. Its main objective was to contribute to Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission validation and the prelaunch assessment of the proposed Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) mission. During CanEx-SM10, SMOS data as well as other passive and active microwave measurements were collected by both airborne and satellite platforms. Ground-based measurements of soil (moisture, temperature, roughness, bulk density) and vegetation characteristics (leaf area index, biomass, vegetation height) were conducted close in time to the airborne and satellite acquisitions. Moreover, two ground-based in situ networks provided continuous measurements of meteorological conditions and soil moisture and soil temperature profiles. Two sites, each covering 33 km × 71 km (about two SMOS pixels) were selected in agricultural and boreal forested areas in order to provide contrasting soil and vegetation conditions. This paper describes the measurement strategy, provides an overview of the data sets, and presents preliminary results. Over the agricultural area, the airborne L-band brightness temperatures matched up well with the SMOS data (prototype 346). The radio frequency interference observed in both SMOS and the airborne L-band radiometer data exhibited spatial and temporal variability and polarization dependency. The temporal evolution of the SMOS soil moisture product (prototype 307) matched that observed with the ground data, but the absolute soil moisture estimates did not meet the accuracy requirements (0.04 m3/m3) of the SMOS mission. AMSR-E soil moisture estimates from the National Snow and Ice Data Center more closely reflected soil moisture measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper deals with the current state-of-the-art in interfacing issues related to real-time digital simulators employed in the simulation of power systems and power-electronic systems. This paper provides an overview of technical challenges encountered and their solutions as the real-time digital simulators evolved. Hardware-in-the-loop interfacing for controller hardware and power apparatus hardware are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]