Short-Term Study on the Effects of Rosemary on Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population

Andrew Pengelly,James Snow,Simon Y. Mills,Andrew Scholey,Keith Wesnes,Leah Reeves Butler 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.1

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) has traditional reputations that justify investigation for a potential role in reducing widespread cognitive decline in the elderly. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, repeated-measures crossover study was conducted to investigate possible acute effects of dried rosemary leaf powder on cognitive performance. Twenty-eight older adults (mean age, 75 years) were tested using the Cognitive Drug Research computerized assessment system 1, 2.5, 4, and 6hours following a placebo and four different doses of rosemary. Doses were counterbalanced, and there was a 7-day washout between visits. There was a biphasic dose-dependent effect in measures of speed of memory: the lowest dose (750mg) of rosemary had a statistically significant beneficial effect compared with placebo (P= .01), whereas the highest dose (6,000mg) had a significant impairing effect (P< .01). There were significant deleterious effects on other measures of cognitive performance, although these were less consistent. Speed of memory is a potentially useful predictor of cognitive function during aging. The positive effect of the dose nearest normal culinary consumption points to the value of further work on effects of low doses over the longer term.

Perioperative Anesthesia Lean Implementation Is Associated With Increased Operative Efficiency in Posterior Cervical Surgeries at a HighVolume Spine Center

Simon G. Ammanuel,Andrew K. Chan,Anthony M. DiGiorgio,Mohanad Alazzeh,Kelechi Nwachuku,Leslie C. Robinson,Errol Lobo,Praveen V. Mummaneni 대한척추신경외과학회 2020 Neurospine Vol.17 No.2

Objective: Lean management strategies aim to increase efficiency by eliminating waste or by improving processes to optimize value. The operating room (OR) is an arena where these strategies can be implemented. We assessed changes in OR efficiency after the application of lean methodology on perioperative anesthesia associated with posterior cervical spine surgeries. Methods: We utilized pre- and post-lean study design to identify inefficiencies during the perioperative anesthesia process and implemented strategies to improve the process. Patient characteristics were recorded to assess for differences between the 2 groups (group 1, prelean; group 2, post-lean). In the pre-lean period, key steps in the perioperative anesthesia process were identified that were amenable to lean implementation. The time required for each identified key step was recorded by an independent study coordinator. The times for each step were then compared between the groups utilizing univariate analyses. Results: After lean implementation, there was a significant decrease in overall perioperative anesthesia process time (88.4 ± 4.7 minutes vs. 76.2 ± 3.2 minutes, p = 0.04). This was driven by significant decreases in the steps: transport and setup (10.4 ± 0.8 minutes vs. 8.0 ± 0.7 minutes, p = 0.03) and positioning (20.8 ± 2.1 minutes vs. 15.7 ± 1.3 minutes, p = 0.046). Of note, the total time spent in the OR was lower for group 2 (270.1 ± 14.6 minutes vs. 252.8 ± 14.1 minutes) but the result was not statistically significant, even when adjusting for number of operated levels. Conclusion: Lean methodology may be successfully applied to posterior cervical spine surgery whereby improvements in the perioperative anesthetic process are associated with significantly increased OR efficiency.

Food Authenticity - Fighting Food Crime

( Andrew Cannavan ),( Zora Jandric ),( Simon Kelly ) 한국환경농학회 2016 한국환경농학회 학술대회집 Vol.2016 No.-

Food and Environmental Protection Laboratory, FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratories, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria Food quality, including food safety, is a major concern facing both the food industry and consumers. Current food production systems, including labelling and traceability systems, cannot guarantee that the food we eat is authentic, of good quality and safe. Recurrent food authenticity incidents and food safety crises endanger public health and provoke loss of public confidence. These incidents may also result in substantial economic losses by manufacturers of authentic products and discredit entire economic sectors, e.g. the Italian olive-oil industry, leading to barriers to international trade. Food crime - intentional mislabelling or adulteration of food commodities for financial gain - has become a major criminal activity, sometimes on an international scale. The need for analytical methods to help combat food crime by underpinning mechanisms for tracing the origin of food commodities, authenticating food products, detecting adulteration and verifying food traceability, has grown rapidly in recent years, and will most probably increase in the future with the continuing growth in the complexity of food supply chains. The Food and Environmental Protection Laboratory (FEPL) of the joint Food and Agriculture Organisation/ International Atomic Energy Agency Division carries out applied research and the development, validation, transfer and application of nuclear and related analytical methods for food authentication. The focus is on important commodities in international trade and targets for fraudulent practices such as counterfeiting or adulteration. A wide range of analytical techniques can be employed for these applications, including stable isotope analysis, untargeted metabolomics, trace element analysis and spectrophotometric methods. The actual techniques applied depend on the specific problem or question. For example, the stable isotope ratios of the bio-elements (H, C, N, O and S) vary according to different environmental drivers, and their measurement can provide a ‘fingerprint’ that is unique to the origin and production history of a product. The relationship of such isotope systems to environmental drivers is well understood, enabling predictive models to be developed. Nitrogen and oxygen stable isotope analysis, for example, can be used to help detect conventionally produced crops that are labelled as organic. The ratios of the stable isotopes of H, C, N and S in chicken meat can provide information to verify their country of origin labels (COOL). Untargeted metabolite fingerprinting using UPLC-QToF MS with multivariate data analysis has been applied in the FEPL to discriminate between various unifloral honeys. Data from honey metabolomics studies were also combined with isotopic, elemental and spectroscopic data to compare the discriminating power of the various techniques, alone or in combination. Metabolomics was also applied to identify biomarkers for the detection of fruit juice adulteration. A current research direction is the investigation of the application of rapid screening techniques for food authenticity. There is an on-going reduction in the cost of analytical equipment and a rapid increase in its portability. Some measurement devices that were previously portable have become hand-held, for example ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), near infra-red (NIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers, and some bench-top laboratory instruments have become ‘field’ transportable includinglaser induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS), laser ablation molecular isotopic spectrometry (LAMIS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS) and multi-spectral imaging (MSI).Examining foodstuffs by a range of rapid screening techniques and applying standardized field-deployable methods may provide substantial added value within food control systems in the future.

PACE: A FAULT AND FAILURE TOLERANT VLSI ARCHITECTURE FOR SUPPORTING GENERAL PURPOSE APPLICATIONS

Spray, Andrew,Jones, Simon 대한전자공학회 1989 ICVC : International Conference on VLSI and CAD Vol.1 No.1

Illuminating the in-house provision of emergency services: A test of organizational capacity hypotheses

정규진,SIMON A. ANDREW,Wei-Ning Wu 한국행정학회 2014 International Review of Public Administration Vol.19 No.3

While much has been written about the importance of organizational capacity, fewhave examined systematically the influence of organizational capacity on local service delivery arrangements. This paper highlights the importance of organizational capacity in influencing local government decisions to provide services in house in the realm of public safety (e.g., fire, police and emergency medical services). Our empirical study, conducted in Texas, provides evidence that a local government may reduce the risks of contract failure when it produces services in house, especially in the presence of institutionalized evaluation mechanisms. Instead of relying on alternative service providers to acquire, store and move emergency medical supplies and services, local governments are building capacity to better equip themselves to deliver emergency services and plan for disasters.

Fireclay bricks produced from lithomargic clay

Anthony Andrews,Simon K. Y. Gawu,Peter A. Olubambi 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2015 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.16 No.1

Lithomargic clay underlying Awaso bauxite deposits is non-plastic and therefore cannot be used to produce ceramic bodies. The plasticity of lithomargic clay has been enhanced by addition of 20 wt% of clay binder, moulded, dried and fired at 1350 and 1400 o C, respectively. The dwell time was varied from 30 to 120 minutes. Properties such as bulk density, apparent porosity, linear firing shrinkage, and compressive strength were investigated. Crystalline phases after firing were determined using X-ray diffraction technique. The results show the properties measured depends on both the temperature and dwell time. The optimum compressive strength for such bricks could be achieved either by firing at 1350 o C for 120 minutes or at 1400 o C for 30 minutes.

Restoring aboveground carbon and biodiversity: a case study from the Nile basin, Ethiopia

Wolde Mekuria,Simon Langan,Robyn Johnston,Beyene Belay,Dagninet Amare,Tadesse Gashaw,Abeyou Wale,Gizaw Desta,Andrew Noble 한국산림과학회 2015 Forest Science And Technology Vol.11 No.2

In Ethiopia, exclosures in landscapes have become increasingly important to improving ecosystem services and reversing biodiversity losses. The present study was conducted in Gomit watershed, northern Ethiopia, to: (i) investigate the changes in vegetation composition, diversity and aboveground biomass and carbon following the establishment of exclosures; and (ii) analyse the economic returns of aboveground carbon sequestration and assess the perception of local communities on land degradation and exclosures. A space-for-time substitution approach was used to detect the changes in aboveground carbon, species composition, and diversity. Exclosures of 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 7-years-old and a communal grazing land were selected. Household surveys, key informant interviews, and a financial analysis were used to assess the perception of local communities and the value of exclosure impacts, respectively. Significant (P D 0.049) differences in species diversity and considerable increases in aboveground carbon (ranged from 0.6 to 4.2 t C ha ¡1), CO2 storage (varied between 2.1 and 15.3 t CO2 ha ¡1), woody species composition, and richness (ranged from five to 28) were observed following the establishment of exclosures. Exclosures generated temporary certified emission reductions (tCER) of 3.4, 2.1, 7.5, 12.6, 12.5, and 15.3 Mg CO2 ha ¡1 after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 years, respectively. The net present value (NPV) of the aboveground carbon sequestered in exclosures ranged from US$6.6 to US$37.0 per hectare and increased with exclosure duration. At a watershed level, 51.4 Mg C ha ¡1 can be sequestered, which represents 188.6 Mg CO2 ha ¡1, resulting in tCER of 139.4 Mg CO2 ha ¡1 and NPV of US$478.3 per hectare. This result would suggest that exclosures can potentially improve local communities’ livelihoods beyond rehabilitating degraded lands if carbon stored in exclosures is traded. Communities in the watershed demonstrated that exclosures are effective in restoring degraded lands and they are benefiting from increased fodder production and reduced impacts of soil erosion. However, the respondents are also concerned over the sustainability of exclosure land management, as further expansion of exclosures aggravates degradation of remaining communal grazing lands and causes fuel wood shortages. This suggests that the sustainability of exclosure land management can be attained only if these critical concerns are addressed by a joint effort among government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and communities.

Population Genetics and Disease Ecology of Mosquito Species in Galapagos

Bataille Arnaud,Andrew A. Cunningham,Simon J. Goodman 한국응용곤충학회 2012 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2012 No.05

The introduction of new pathogens and disease vectors has been recognized as a major threat to Galapagos Island biodiversity. Here I focus on mosquito species of the Galapagos archipelago, using population genetic and phylogenetic data to understand their historical and current population dynamics. I show that two mosquito species found in the archipelago have very different historical and contemporary evolutionary histories: one species, Aedes taeniorhynchus, naturally colonized the archipelago 200,000yrs ago and is now found widely in the islands, having adapted and spread to a range of different habitats. It has also changed its feeding-behaviour and now frequently feeds on reptiles in addition to mammals, unlike the continental progenitor populat ions. These properties potentially make Aedes taeniorhynchus a key bridge-vector in the archipelago for any new invading mosquito borne diseases. In contrast, I show that Culex quinquefasciatus, a major vector of diseases such as West Nile virus and avian malaria, has been introduced on multiple occasions since 1985 via human transportation networks and that its distribution and movement in the archipelago depend greatly on human activities. These two species might play an important role in the introduction and spread of new diseases in the Galapagos archipelago.

Beyond vs Within the Farm Gate: Nutrient and Organic Matter Solutions to Resource-Constrained Agriculture in Africa

Johannes Lehmann,Andrew Simons,Garrick Blalock,Worku Chibssa,Dawit Solomon,Marie Zwetsloot,Rachel Hestrin,David Bluhm,Berhanu Belay 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6

Effect of Natural Disasters on Local Economies: Forecasting Sales Tax Revenue after Hurricane Ike

Ismayilov, Orkhan,Andrew, Simon A. World Association for Triple Helix and Future Stra 2016 Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia Vol.15 No.2

One of the main objectives of this paper is to provide insight to understand the effect of natural disasters on local government finance. That is, to analyze local governments' sales tax revenues after Hurricane Ike. Three Texas cities are examined: League City, Pearland, and Sugarland. Based on data collected from the Texas Comptroller's Office and the US Census, we found local governments experience a short-term increase in sales tax revenues and a long-term decline after the hurricane strike the region. On average, a major hurricane has a two-year impact on local government economy. The findings are essential for practitioners because in order to have a prosperous recovery after natural disasters, public managers have to prepare financially for short term changes in their sales tax revenues.