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Data Useful (data + useful)
Selected AbstractsOut-of-hospital Endotracheal Intubation: Are Observational Data Useful?ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2010Henry E. Wang MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Toxicity of oral exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis),ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2008Craig A. McFarland Abstract Contamination of the soil with the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) has been found at military sites, many of which are habitats used by reptiles. To provide data useful in assessing ecological risk for reptilian species, acute, subacute, and subchronic oral toxicity studies were conducted with the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis). Oral median lethal dose (LD50) values for TNT in corn oil were 1,038 and 1,579 mg/kg of body weight for male and female lizards, respectively. Overt signs of toxicity included chromaturia, abdominal enlargement, and tremors. A 14-d subacute study followed in which male lizards were orally dosed with TNT (corn oil) at 0, 33, 66, 132, 263, 525, and 1,050 mg/kg of body weight each day. Clinical signs of toxicity, while similar to the LD50 study, were more subtle and noted in lizards receiving TNT amounts of at least 66 mg/kg/d. Chromaturia was an early consistent sign, often preceding the onset of adverse effects. Male lizards in the 60-d subchronic study were dosed at 0, 3, 15, 25, 35, and 45 mg/kg/d with nearly complete survival (>90%) for lizards in all treatments. Changes in food consumption and body weight were observed at 35 and 45 mg/kg/d. Alterations in hematological end points; blood chemistries (albumin, total protein, alkaline phosphatase, calcium); kidney, spleen, and liver weights; and adverse histopathology were observed in lizards exposed at 25 to 45 mg/kg/d. Testosterone concentration, sperm count, and motility were variable between treatments. Although not significant, incidences of hypospermia and testicular atrophy were observed in some individuals. Together, these data suggest a lowest-observed-adverse effect level of 25 mg/kg/d and a no-observed-adverse effect level of 15 mg/kg/d in S. occidentalis. [source] Evaluation of the MODFLOW-2005 Conduit Flow ProcessGROUND WATER, Issue 4 2010Melissa E. Hill The recent development of the Conduit Flow Process (CFP) by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides hydrogeologic modelers with a new tool that incorporates the non-Darcian, multiporosity components of flow characteristic of karst aquifers. CFP introduces new parameters extending beyond those of traditional Darcian groundwater flow codes. We characterize a karst aquifer to collect data useful for evaluating this new tool at a test site in west-central Florida, where the spatial distribution and cross-sectional area of the conduit network are available. Specifically, we characterize: (1) the potential for Darcian/non-Darcian flow using estimates of specific discharge vs. observed hydraulic gradients, and (2) the temporal variation for the direction and magnitude of fluid exchange between the matrix and conduit network during extreme hydrologic events. We evaluate the performance of CFP Mode 1 using a site-scale dual-porosity model and compare its performance with a comparable laminar equivalent continuum model (ECM) using MODFLOW-2005. Based on our preliminary analyses, hydraulic conductivity coupled with conduit wall conductance improved the match between observed and simulated discharges by 12% to 40% over turbulent flow alone (less than 1%). [source] Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis of organophosphorus chemical warfare agents using ion mobility and tandem mass spectrometryRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 11 2010Paul A. D'Agostino Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) has been applied to the direct analysis of sample media for target chemicals, including chemical warfare agents (CWA), without the need for additional sample handling. During the present study, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers were used to sample the headspace above five organophosphorus CWA, O -isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (sarin, GB), O -pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate (soman, GD), O -ethyl N,N -dimethyl phosphoramidocyanidate (tabun, GA), O -cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate (cyclohexyl sarin, GF) and O -ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methyl phosphonothiolate (VX) spiked into glass headspace sampling vials. Following sampling, the SPME fibers were introduced directly into a modified ESI source, enabling rapid and safe DESI of the toxic compounds. A SYNAPT HDMSÔ instrument was used to acquire time-aligned parallel (TAP) fragmentation data, which provided both ion mobility and MSn (n,=,2 or 3) data useful for the confirmation of CWA. Unique ion mobility profiles were acquired for each compound and characteristic product ions of the ion mobility separated ions were produced in the TriwaveÔ transfer collision region. Up to six full scanning MSn spectra, containing the [M,+,H]+ ion and up to seven diagnostic product ions, were acquired for each CWA during SPME fiber analysis. A rapid screening approach, based on the developed methodology, was applied to several typical forensic media, including Dacron sampling swabs spiked with 5,µg of CWA. Background interference was minimal and the spiked CWA were readily identified within one minute on the basis of the acquired ion mobility and mass spectrometric data. Copyright © 2010 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prevalence and Characteristics of Vibrator Use by Women in the United States: Results from a Nationally Representative StudyTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 7 2009Debra Herbenick PhD ABSTRACT Introduction., Although vibrators are commonly recommended by clinicians as adjunct to treatment for female sexual dysfunction, and for sexual enhancement, little is known about their prevalence or correlates of use. Aim., The aim of this study was to determine the lifetime and recent prevalence of women's vibrator use during masturbation and partnered sex, and the correlates of use related to sociodemographic variables, health behaviors, and sexual function. Methods., A nationally representative sample of 3,800 women aged 18,60 years were invited to participate in a cross-sectional Internet-based survey; 2,056 (54.1%) participated. Main Outcome Measures., The prevalence of vibrator use, the relationship between vibrator use and physical and psychological well-being (as assessed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] Healthy Days measure) and health-promoting behaviors, the relationship between vibrator use and women's scores on the Female Sexual Function Index, and an assessment of the frequency and severity of side effects potentially associated with vibrator use. Results., The prevalence of women's vibrator use was found to be 52.5% (95% CI 50.3,54.7%). Vibrator users were significantly more likely to have had a gynecologic exam during the past year (P < 0.001) and to have performed genital self-examination during the previous month (P < 0.001). Vibrator use was significantly related to several aspects of sexual function (i.e., desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, pain, overall function) with recent vibrator users scoring higher on most sexual function domains, indicating more positive sexual function. Most women (71.5%) reported having never experienced genital symptoms associated with vibrator use. There were no significant associations between vibrator use and participants' scores on the CDC Healthy Days Measures. Conclusions., Vibrator use among women is common, associated with health-promoting behaviors and positive sexual function, and rarely associated with side effects. Clinicians may find these data useful in responding to patients' sexual issues and recommending vibrator use to improve sexual function. Further research on the relationships between vibrator use and sexual health is warranted. Herbenick D, Reece M, Sanders S, Dodge B, Ghassemi A, and Fortenberry JD. Prevalence and characteristics of vibrator use by women in the United States: Results from a nationally representative study. J Sex Med 2009;6:1857,1866. [source] Using simple species lists to monitor trends in animal populations: new methods and a comparison with independent dataANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 3 2007R. L. Roberts Abstract There is an urgent need to develop simple and inexpensive methods for monitoring wildlife populations in resource-poor countries. List-based methods have been advocated as simple yet potentially useful biodiversity monitoring tools, and systems have recently been launched in a number of countries to collect species lists. We attempt to advance the use of systematic list-based monitoring by (1) suggesting improvements to the way in which list reporting rates are calculated; (2) assessing the extent to which degrading effort-corrected measures of abundance into simple species lists results in loss of information on population trends; (3) comparing long-term trends in list reporting rates with population trends from a wholly independent monitoring scheme. Daily species lists of birds were derived from regular trapping at a nature reserve in southern England. Most species showed a strong correlation across years between the proportion of lists on which they occurred, adjusted for list length (adjusted list reporting rate; ALRR), and an effort-corrected measure of abundance (captures per unit effort; CPUE). ALRR revealed almost as much about annual variation in abundance as CPUE for all but the most frequently captured species. Long-term (>20 years) trends in ALRRs at the nature reserve were positively correlated with UK national population trends recorded over the same period by an independent, labour-intensive monitoring scheme that counted birds at a large number of widely spread sites. Our results support previous claims that simple species lists could generate data useful for monitoring long-term population trends, particularly where such lists are collected systematically. However, further research on the efficiency of list reporting rates relative to more sophisticated methods is necessary, before list-based methods can be advocated for dedicated monitoring schemes in resource-poor regions. [source] Distribution of several microorganisms and activity of alkaline phosphatase in sediments from Baihua LakeASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2009Jia-jun Deng Abstract The distribution characteristics of ammonifiers, ammonium-oxidizing bacteria, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and denitrifiers, and activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in sediments from Baihua Lake (a man-made deep plateau canyon reservoir in Guizhou Province, China) were studied. The results suggested that the population number of ammonifiers in the sediments was higher at sampling sites Pingpu, Laojiutu, Yapengzhai, and Jiangjiapu than at the other sites. Ammonium-oxidizing bacteria had the highest population number at sampling site Meituwan. The population number of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in the upper and middle sections of the lake was higher than that in the lower section. The population of denitrifiers was the highest at sampling site Jiangjiapu, and all the other sampling sites gave lower population numbers. Change in the activity of ALP was of a strong regularity, and the basic tendency was that the activity increased from the upper to the lower portion of the lake. Specifically, the activity at sampling site Yapengzhai was the strongest. The statistical analysis for four groups of bacteria, ALP, organic matter, and so on were carried out to shed more light on their correlativity. This research will likely provide relevant data useful for establishment of bacteriological and zymological indicator systems for environmental monitoring. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessment of sampling approaches for a multi-taxa invertebrate survey in a South African savanna-mosaic ecosystemAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010S. J. LOVELL Abstract Invertebrate diversity is seldom included in conservation assessments, primarily because information is lacking. Broad surveys may be too costly, difficult or ineffective. Here we assess a ,shopping basket' approach, targeting 17 taxa using a range of methods. We sampled 43 one-hectare sites stratified within 560 km2 of heterogenous African savanna. We achieved up to 80% sampling completeness for epigaeic fauna, but generally much lower completeness (around 50%) for plant-dwelling and flying taxa. For the former we identified duplication of methods, and for the latter, addition of methods and increased temporal variation rather than effort would improve completeness. Within a taxon, sampling 75% of species present required, on average, about 784 individuals. When considering the local richness, 75% completeness required about 27 individuals per species, but these figures require validation in other areas. About 58 sites were required to achieve 75% sampling completeness, translating to about one site per 10 km2. The percentage of species sampled only in a particular month ranged between 4% and 46%, with greater temporal effects recorded for flying taxa than for epigaeic ones. The trend was similar for species unique to a particular year, with the most extreme case being 67% of the butterfly species sampled one year not previously recorded. We demonstrated and evaluated the feasibility of a simultaneous multi-taxon survey approach to produce data useful for conservation planning and monitoring. We strongly recommend a quantified approach for surveys and inventories, with details such as specific methods decided based on the biome sampled, and taxonomic expertise available for identification. [source] Three-dimensional reconstruction of the ankle by means of ultrathin slice plastinationCLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 2 2007Mircea-Constantin Sora Abstract Computerized reconstruction of anatomical structures is becoming very useful for developing anatomical teaching modules and animations. Although databases exist consisting of serial sections derived from frozen cadaver material, plastination represents an alternate method for developing anatomical data useful for computerized reconstruction. Plastination is used as an excellent tool for studying different anatomical and clinical questions. The sheet plastination technique is unique because it offers the possibility to produce transparent slices series, which can easily be processed morphometrically. The purpose of this study was to describe a method for developing a computerized model of the human ankle using plastinated slices. This method could be applied to reconstruct any desired region of the human body. A human ankle was obtained, plastinated, sectioned, and subjected to 3D computerized reconstruction using WinSURF modeling system (SURFdriver Software). Qualitative observations revealed that the morphological features of the model were consistent with those displayed by typical cadaveric specimens. Morphometric analysis indicated that the model did not significantly differ from a sample of cadaveric specimens. These data support the use of plastinates for generating tissues sections useful for 3D computerized modeling. Clin. Anat. 20:196,200, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||