Role of fracture toughness in impact-abrasion wear.

Two new low alloyed steels were developed with different fracture toughness values but at similar level of hardness with same composition and microstructural phase. The steels were subjected to impact-abrasion wear test. This work examines specifically the additional role of toughness during impact-abrasion wear, using a newly developed high toughness steel. Microstructural characterisation of the damaged samples revealed that better toughness helps resist both impact and abrasion damage.

Travellers returning with measles from Thailand to Finland, April 2012: infection control measures.

Countries with no autochthonous measles run the risk of the virus being imported by travellers and transmitted to unprotected citizens. In April 2012, two travellers from Finland and one from Estonia were diagnosed with measles after returning from Phuket, Thailand. They were contagious on their return flights and subsequently exposed several individuals, prompting extensive infection control measures. Two secondary cases were detected: one child who had received one vaccine dose and another who was fully vaccinated.

Dysphagia and dysphonia among persons with post-polio syndrome - a challenge in neurorehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: To study the occurrence of dysphagia and dysphonia in persons with post-polio syndrome admitted into the centre for neurological rehabilitation in Finland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-one persons with post-polio syndrome who were rehabilitated at Käpylä Rehabilitation Centre, Helsinki, Finland, in 2003-2004 were interviewed on problems with swallowing and voice production. Pulmonary function testing and grip strength measurement were performed. A clinical assessment of oral motor and laryngeal functions was carried out for those who reported daily problems with voice production or swallowing. RESULTS: Fifteen persons (29.4%) reported daily problems with swallowing or voice production. In the clinical assessment, the most commonly observed deficits in swallowing included decreased pharyngeal transit (n = 13) and the food catching in the throat (n = 4). The disturbance of co-ordination of breathing and voice production was seen in 12 persons. There were no significant differences in any of the potential predictors between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Professionals need to be aware of the routine evaluation of dysphagia and dysphonia in patients with post-polio syndrome.

Bread and tea: a study of the integration of low-income immigrants from other Caribbean territories into Trinidad.

PIP: This study examined the social integration of intra-Caribbean migrants within lower socioeconomic strata in Trinidad, in 1994. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews among 22 migrants. Integration means labor market participation, social interaction, political and organizational activities, and cultural encounters. Findings are not generalizable to the larger immigrant population in Trinidad. The target population was recruited through church organizations and schools. Migrants came from Grenada, St. Vincent, and Guyana. All were first generation labor migrants to Trinidad. Most located well-established circles of their own native countrymen. There were 6 males and 16 females, of whom 5 were aged 20-34 years, 8 were aged 35-64 years, and 9 were elderly. 8 had lived in Trinidad for up to 20 years and 14 lived in Trinidad over 20 years. Migrants lived in Laventille/Morvant outside Port of Spain, and in Roco, a rural village in the northeast. 16 lived in rental housing. Although all lived in low income areas, the housing ranged from substandard to adequate and pleasant. Primary support groups were friends, neighbors, and kin. Some felt social competition from Trinidadians who did not like to see migrants advancing economically. Four of the working age migrants were homemakers. Five were underemployed. The unemployed viewed themselves as work seekers and were similar to unemployed Trinidadians. Some elderly qualified for state old-age pensions. Pensioners supplemented their pension with informal activity. Migrants supported political parties. Religion and church attendance were important. Integration softened the problems of life. Social adjustment and marketable skills were not being transferred between generations. Social integration with natives was facilitated by 7 factors, including ethnocultural affinity, which promotes a sense of belonging.^ieng

Incidence of traumatic spinal cord injuries in Finland over a 30-year period.

STUDY DESIGN: Register survey. OBJECTIVE: To provide national Finnish data on the incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) over a 30-year period. SETTING: Käpylä Rehabilitation Centre, Helsinki, Finland. METHODS: Patients aged 16 years and older who sustained a TSCI between 1976 and 2005 were identified using the registers of the Käpylä Rehabilitation Centre. RESULTS: The medical records of a total of 1647 patients (1362 men and 285 women) were analyzed. The mean annual incidence rate for the entire population was 13.8/1 000 000. Age-adjusted incidence did not change among men or women during the three decades, but the mean age at injury of both men (from 34.7 to 42.4 years) and women (from 35.8 to 40.4 years) increased. The annual incidence of new TSCI rose significantly in persons 55 years and older. The proportion of tetraplegia and of incomplete injuries increased, too. CONCLUSION: Although TSCI is predominantly present in young men, more attention for primary prevention, medical care and rehabilitation in men and women aged 55 years and older is needed. An international uniformity in methodology to collect epidemiological data of TSCI is needed.

Data mining for regulatory elements in yeast genome.

We have examined methods and developed a general software tool for finding and analyzing combinations of transcription factor binding sites that occur relatively often in gene upstream regions (putative promoter regions) in the yeast genome. Such frequently occurring combinations may be essential parts of possible promoter classes. The regions upstream to all genes were first isolated from the yeast genome database MIPS using the information in the annotation files of the database. The ones that do not overlap with coding regions were chosen for further studies. Next, all occurrences of the yeast transcription factor binding sites, as given in the IMD database, were located in the genome and in the selected regions in particular. Finally, by using a general purpose data mining software in combination with our own software, which parametrizes the search, we can find the combinations of binding sites that occur in the upstream regions more frequently than would be expected on the basis of the frequency of individual sites. The procedure also finds so-called association rules present in such combinations. The developed tool is available for use through the WWW.