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Various Steps (various + step)
Selected AbstractsManaging the Unique Size-related Issues of Pediatric Resuscitation: Reducing Cognitive Load with Resuscitation AidsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2002Robert Luten MD Abstract A resuscitation is a complicated event that requires for its optimal outcome the effective completion of a distinct series of actions, some simple, some complex, most occurring simultaneously or in close proximity. In children, these actions are determined not only by the clinical situation, but also by a series of age and size factors particular to each child. Different tasks require different levels of cognitive load, or mental effort. Cognitive load describes the mental burden experienced by the decision maker and will be higher when the task is less familiar or more demanding. In the setting of resuscitation, it refers to the cumulative demands of patient assessment, the ongoing decisions for each of the various steps, and decisions around procedural intervention (e.g., intubation). In children, the level of task complexity and, hence, cognitive load is increased by the unique component of variability of pediatric age and size, introducing logistical factors, many of which involve computations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of age/size-related variables on the pediatric resuscitative process and to explore how these effects can be mitigated using resuscitation aids. The concept of cognitive load and its relation to performance in resuscitation is introduced and is used to demonstrate the effect of the various aids in the pediatric resuscitative process. [source] The Probability of War, 1816,1992INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2004March 2, New Orleans, Presidential Address to the International Studies Association What factors increase the probability that a pair of states might go to war is the focus of this study. Six hypotheses, derived from the steps to war explanation, are tested by comparing pairs of states that go to war with each other at least once in their history (from 1816 to 1992) with those that do not. It is found that as two states take the various steps to war that have been posited, the higher their probability of going to war. States whose relations are dominated by territorial disputes have a higher probability of having had a war if both sides have had outside allies, have had recurring territorial disputes, have been engaged in an enduring rivalry, and have had an arms race. As each of these factors becomes present, the probability of war progressively increases. Pairs of states whose relations are dominated by nonterritorial disputes also have their probability of war increased if these factors are present, but at a lower level. Of the various factors that increase the probability of war, outside politically relevant alliances seem to have the weakest impact. [source] Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, regulation of exocytosis and their relevance to neurodegenerative diseasesJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2008Damien J. Keating Abstract A common feature in the early stages of many neurodegenerative diseases lies in mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and reduced levels of synaptic transmission. Many genes associated with neurodegenerative diseases are now known to regulate either mitochondrial function, redox state, or the exocytosis of neurotransmitters. Mitochondria are the primary source of reactive oxygen species and ATP and control apoptosis. Mitochondria are concentrated in synapses and significant alterations to synaptic mitochondrial localization, number, morphology, or function can be detrimental to synaptic transmission. Mitochondrial by-products are capable of regulating various steps of neurotransmission and mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress occur in the early stages of many neurodegenerative diseases. This mini-review will highlight the prospect that mitochondria regulates synaptic exocytosis by controlling synaptic ATP and reactive oxygen species levels and that dysfunctional exocytosis caused by mitochondrial abnormalities may be a common underlying phenomenon in the initial stages of some human neurodegenerative diseases. [source] Ultratraces analysis of organochlorine pesticides in drinking water by solid phase extraction coupled with large volume injection/gas chromatography/mass spectrometryJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 17 2005Silvia H. G. Brondi Abstract This study describes an SPE coupled with large volume injection (LVI) analytical method for the analysis of organochlorine pesticides, BHC (,, ,, ,), aldrin, endosulfan (,, ,), endrin, dieldrin, and DDT, from aqueous samples. Determination was carried out by GC with MS. The LODs of organochlorine pesticides were determined at 10 ng/L concentration levels, and the results show that SPE-LVI-GC/MS has the potential to accurately determine organochlorine pesticides in water, as it avoids analyte classes in the various steps of a typical extraction procedure. [source] Multivariate exploratory analysis of ordinal data in ecology: Pitfalls, problems and solutionsJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 5 2005János Podani Abstract Questions: Are ordinal data appropriately treated by multivariate methods in numerical ecology? If not, what are the most common mistakes? Which dissimilarity coefficients, ordination and classification methods are best suited to ordinal data? Should we worry about such problems at all? Methods: A new classification model family, OrdClAn (Ordinal Cluster Analysis), is suggested for hierarchical and non-hierarchical classifications from ordinal ecological data, e.g. the abundance/dominance scores that are commonly recorded in relevés. During the clustering process, the objects are grouped so as to minimize a measure calculated from the ranks of within-cluster and between-cluster distances or dissimilarities. Results and Conclusions: Evaluation of the various steps of exploratory data analysis of ordinal ecological data shows that consistency of methodology throughout the study is of primary importance. In an optimal situation, each methodological step is order invariant. This property ensures that the results are independent of changes not affecting ordinal relationships, and guarantees that no illusory precision is introduced into the analysis. However, the multivariate procedures that are most commonly applied in numerical ecology do not satisfy these requirements and are therefore not recommended. For example, it is inappropriate to analyse Braun-Blanquet abudance/dominance data by methods assuming that Euclidean distance is meaningful. The solution of all problems is that the dissimilarity coefficient should be compatible with ordinal variables and the subsequent ordination or clustering method should consider only the rank order of dissimilarities. A range of artificial data sets exemplifying different subtypes of ordinal variables, e.g. indicator values or species scores from relevés, illustrate the advocated approach. Detailed analyses of an actual phytosociological data set demonstrate the classification by OrdClAn of relevés and species and the subsequent tabular rearrangement, in a numerical study remaining within the ordinal domain from the first step to the last. [source] Kinetic analysis of thermo-oxidative degradation of PEEK/thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer blendsPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006M. Naffakh The thermal degradation behavior of blends of poly(aryl ether ether ketone), PEEK, with a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP), Vectra®, were investigated in an oxidative atmosphere, using thermogravimetric analysis under dynamic conditions. The theoretical weight loss curves of the blends were compared with the experimental curves in order to explain the effect of blending on the thermal stability of the pure polymers. The thermo-oxidative degradation of PEEK/Vectra® blends of different compositions takes place in various steps and the characteristic degradation temperatures and the kinetic parameters such as activation energy are strongly influenced by blending. Polymer blends based on this TLCP polymer had not been previously studied from kinetic viewpoint. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:129,138, 2006. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Retroviral Restriction Factors and Infectious Risk in XenotransplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 7 2010Y. Meije The clinical application of xenotransplantation poses immunologic, ethical, and microbiologic challenges. Significant progress has been made in the investigation of each of these areas. Among concerns regarding infectious risks for human xenograft recipients is the identification in swine of infectious agents including porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) that are capable of replication in some human cell lines. PERV replication has, however, been difficult to demonstrate in primate-derived cell lines and in preclinical studies of non-human primates receiving porcine xenografts. Endogenous ,retroviral restriction factors' are intracellular proteins and components of the innate immune system that act at various steps in retroviral replication. Recent studies suggest that some of these factors may have applications in the management of endogenous retroviruses in xenotransplantation. The risks of PERV infection and the potential role of retroviral restriction factors in xenotransplantation are reviewed in detail. [source] Race and Ethnicity in Access to and Outcomes of Liver Transplantation: A Critical Literature ReviewAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 12 2009A. K. Mathur Racial/ethnic disparities in access to and outcomes of liver transplantation are an important topic given the increasing diversity in the United States. Most reports on this topic predate the advent of allocation based on the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD). For many patients with a variety of lethal conditions, liver transplantation is the only effective therapy, signifying the importance of equitable access to care. Racial/ethnic disparities have been described at various steps of the liver transplant process, including liver disease prevalence and treatment, access to a transplant center and its waitlist, receipt of a liver transplant and posttransplant outcomes. The purpose of this minireview is to critically evaluate the published literature on racial/ethnicity-based disparities in liver disease prevalence and treatment, transplant center referral, transplant rates and posttransplant outcomes. We identify the shortcomings of previous reports and detail the barriers to completing properly constructed analyses, particularly emphasizing deficits in requisite data and the need for improved study design. Understanding the nature of race/ethnicity-based disparities in liver transplantation is necessary to improve research initiatives, policy design and serves the broader responsibility of providing the highest quality care to all patients with liver disease. [source] Interpretation of the Thermogravimetric Curves of Ancient Pozzolanic ConcretesARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 4 2001F. Branda Pozzolanic concretes submitted to thermogravimetric (TG) analysis show a continuous weight loss starting from about 400 °C. In order to reconcile these observations with those from other analytical methods, it is necessary to attribute this weight loss to CO2 removal. It has been proposed, in the literature, that silicates and CaCO3 react at lower temperatures, producing calcium silicates and CO2. In this paper, the FTIR spectra collected on samples submitted to TG analysis, stopped at conveniently selected temperatures, provide direct evidence that the continuous weight loss recorded with thermogravimetric analysis of the pozzolanic concrete in the temperature range 400,900 °C is to be attributed to the reaction between the silicates and calcite, with the formation of CO2 and of a silicate that is richer in CaO. Therefore it is justifiable that the whole weight loss, in the temperature range 400,900 °C, should be taken into account in the calculation of the CaCO3 content of the concrete. Moreover, the described procedure,of recovering small samples (2 mg) from the sample-holder of the TG apparatus at various steps of the heating rate and comparing the FTIR spectra,can help in identifying the pozzolanic nature of a concrete that, in general, is not easily recognizable from the trend of the thermoanalytical curve. [source] Effects of chlorpromazine on excitation,contraction coupling events in fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibres of the ratBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2004R Wagner Single mechanically skinned fibres from the rat extensor digitorum longus muscle, which allow access to intracellular compartments, were used to examine the effects of 0.5,100 ,M chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPZ) on the major steps of the excitation,contraction (E,C) coupling to elucidate the involvement of skeletal muscle in the neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). At 1 ,M, CPZ caused a 20,30% increase in the force response induced by t-system depolarisation and a marked increase in the rate of caffeine-induced SR Ca2+ release. At [CPZ]2.5 ,M, there was an initial increase followed by a marked decrease of the t-system depolarisation-induced force responses, while the potentiating effect on the caffeine-induced SR Ca2+ release remained. These effects were reversible. CPZ had no effect on the maximum Ca2+ -activated force, but caused reversible, concentration-dependent increases in the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile apparatus at [CPZ] 10 ,M, with a 50% predicted shift of 0.11 pCa (,log [Ca2+]) units at 82.3 ,M CPZ. CPZ did not alter the rate of SR-Ca2+ loading at 1 and 10 ,M, but reversibly reduced it by ,40% at 100 ,M by reducing the SR Ca2+ pump. Nevertheless, the SR Ca2+ content was greater when fibres became unresponsive to t-system-induced depolarisation in the presence than in the absence of 100 ,M CPZ. The results show that CPZ has concentration-dependent stimulatory and inhibitory effects on various steps of the E,C coupling, which can explain the involvement of skeletal muscle in NMS and reconcile previous divergent data on CPZ effects on muscle. British Journal of Pharmacology (2004) 141, 624,633. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705655 [source] Dissecting in vitro host cell infection by Plasmodium sporozoites using flow cytometryCELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Miguel Prudêncio Summary The study of the liver stage of malaria has been hampered by limitations in the experimental approaches required to effectively dissect and quantify hepatocyte infection by Plasmodium. Here, we report on the use of flow cytometry, in conjunction with GFP-expressing Plasmodium sporozoites, to assess the various steps that constitute a successful malaria liver infection: cell traversal, hepatocyte invasion and intrahepatocyte parasite development. We show that this rapid, efficient and inexpensive method can be used to overcome current limitations in the independent quantification of those steps, facilitating routine or large-scale studies of host,pathogen molecular interactions. [source] Robust Monetary Framework for ChinaCHINA AND WORLD ECONOMY, Issue 5 2006Takatoshi Ito E52; E58; F31; F32 Abstract China faces rising current account surpluses and foreign reserves. Maintaining the fixed exchange rate runs the risk of overheating of the economy. It is desirable to pursue greater flexibility of the exchange rate regime in the short run, and gradual liberalization of capital account transactions in the medium run. Proper sequencing of various steps is recommended to prevent financial crises. Japan's transition from the dollar peg to a more flexible exchange rate system in 1971,1973 is considered to be a mistake, whereas the gradual capital account opening from the mid-1970s to mid-1990s is considered a success. The present study also analyzes Korea's mistake in opening its capital markets too far ahead of exchange rate flexibility, and liberalizing short-term capital rather than long-term capital. The challenge before China is similar to Japan's of 1969,1970, in the sense that the transition from the dollar peg is inevitable and desirable for the country, but decisive actions with proper sequencing are important. (Edited by Xiaoming Feng) [source] | ||||||||||||||||