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Information Pertaining (information + pertaining)
Selected AbstractsThe role of soil in the collapse of 18 piers of Hanshin Expressway in the Kobe earthquakeEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 5 2006George Mylonakis Abstract An investigation is presented of the collapse of a 630 m segment (Fukae section) of the elevated Hanshin Expressway during the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The earthquake has, from a geotechnical viewpoint, been associated with extensive liquefactions, lateral soil spreading, and damage to waterfront structures. Evidence is presented that soil,structure interaction (SSI) in non-liquefied ground played a detrimental role in the seismic performance of this major structure. The bridge consisted of single circular concrete piers monolithically connected to a concrete deck, founded on groups of 17 piles in layers of loose to dense sands and moderate to stiff clays. There were 18 spans in total, all of which suffered a spectacular pier failure and transverse overturning. Several factors associated with poor structural design have already been identified. The scope of this work is to extend the previous studies by investigating the role of soil in the collapse. The following issues are examined: (1) seismological and geotechnical information pertaining to the site; (2) free-field soil response; (3) response of foundation-superstructure system; (4) evaluation of results against earlier studies that did not consider SSI. Results indicate that the role of soil in the collapse was multiple: First, it modified the bedrock motion so that the frequency content of the resulting surface motion became disadvantageous for the particular structure. Second, the compliance of soil and foundation altered the vibrational characteristics of the bridge and moved it to a region of stronger response. Third, the compliance of the foundation increased the participation of the fundamental mode of the structure, inducing stronger response. It is shown that the increase in inelastic seismic demand in the piers may have exceeded 100% in comparison with piers fixed at the base. These conclusions contradict a widespread view of an always-beneficial role of seismic SSI. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The correlation problem in sensor fusion in a possibilistic frameworkINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 11 2001Michel Grabisch This paper addresses the correlation problem which is central in sensor fusion, from the viewpoint of possibility theory. This problem aims at separating pieces of information pertaining to different objects and to gather those which are likely to pertain to the same object. We present two different views of the problem, one based on similarity relations, while the other discusses the problem in a logical framework. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] RNA editing in plant mitochondria: 20 years laterIUBMB LIFE, Issue 12 2009Michael W. Gray Abstract In 1989, three laboratories (in Canada, France and Germany) independently and simultaneously reported the discovery of C-to-U RNA editing in plant mitochondria (1,3). To mark the 20th anniversary of this finding, the leaders of the three research teams have written personal essays describing the events leading up to the discovery in each of their laboratories. These essays are intended not only to capture historical facts but also to illustrate unexpected convergence in the process of scientific discovery, with different groups coming to the same conclusion, often very close together in time, drawing on different types of evidence and via sometimes quite different hypotheses and approaches. Essential background information pertaining to RNA editing in general and RNA editing in plant organelles in particular is provided in this overview. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 61: 1101,1104, 2009 [source] Sensitivity of superficial cultures in lower extremity wounds,JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue 7 2010Chayan Chakraborti MD Abstract BACKGROUND: Superficial wound cultures are routinely used to guide therapy, despite a lack of clear supporting evidence. PURPOSE: To conduct a systematic review of the correlation between superficial wound cultures and the etiology of skin and soft tissue infections. DATA SOURCES: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus. STUDY SELECTION: Articles published between January 1960 and August 2009 involving superficial wound cultures and deeper comparison cultures. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently searched for abstracted information pertaining to the microbiology of lower extremity wounds sufficient to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of superficial wound cultures versus comparison cultures. DATA SYNTHESIS: Data pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis model. RESULTS: Of 9032 unique citations, 8 studies met all inclusion criteria. Inter-rater reliability was substantial (Kappa = 0.78). Pooled test sensitivity for superficial wound swabs was 49% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37-61%], and specificity was 62% (95% CI, 51-74%). The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) were 1.1 (95% CI, 0.71-1.5) and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.52-0.82). The median number of isolates for surface cultures (2.7, interquartile range [IQR] 1.8-3.2) was not significantly different than that for comparison cultures, (2.2, IQR 1.7-2.9) (P = 0.75). CONCLUSION: Few studies show a strong relationship between superficial wound swabs and deep tissue cultures, and the current data demonstrate poor overall sensitivity and specificity. The positive and negative LRs were found to provide minimal utility in influencing pretest probabilities. Results of this analysis show that wound cultures should not be used in lieu of local antibiograms to guide initial antibiotic therapies. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010;5:415,420. © 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine. [source] Informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues: A critical review of researchJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 5 2004Troy D. Sadler Socioscientific issues encompass social dilemmas with conceptual or technological links to science. The process of resolving these issues is best characterized by informal reasoning which describes the generation and evaluation of positions in response to complex situations. This article presents a critical review of research related to informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. The findings reviewed address (a) socioscientific argumentation; (b) relationships between nature of science conceptualizations and socioscientific decision making; (c) the evaluation of information pertaining to socioscientific issues, including student ideas about what counts as evidence; and (d) the influence of an individual's conceptual understanding on his or her informal reasoning. This synthesis of the current state of socioscientific issue research provides a comprehensive framework from which future research can be motivated and decisions about the design and implementation of socioscientific curricula can be made. The implications for future research and classroom applications are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 513,536, 2004 [source] Origins and treatment of airway inflammation in childhood asthmaPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue S21 2001Robert F. Lemanske Jr. MD Abstract Several early events and risk factors are associated with the development of childhood asthma. Two significant risk factors are viral lower respiratory tract infections and atopy. Studies suggest that imbalances in TH1/TH2 cytokine responses in relationship to viral infections may play a role in the development of the childhood asthmatic phenotype. Airway inflammation is now recognized to contribute to the inception, persistence, and severity of asthmatic symptoms. The majority of information pertaining to airway inflammation in asthma has been derived from adult studies, but recent evaluations have been done in children. Available data are inconclusive as to the right medication to be used at the inception and during the evolution of the asthmatic phenotype in children. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS( are not consistently effective in young children for a variety of reasons, including underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms that are unresponsive to the pharmacologic properties of ICS. The leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs), recently approved for children as young as 2 years of age, address the relationship between leukotriene production and airway inflammation or remodeling in asthma. Therapeutic trials using LTRAs in children should prove beneficial. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2001; Supplement 21:17,25. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Modern human cranial diversity in the Late Pleistocene of Africa and Eurasia: Evidence from Nazlet Khater, Pe,tera cu Oase, and HofmeyrAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Isabelle Crevecoeur Abstract The origin and evolutionary history of modern humans is of considerable interest to paleoanthropologists and geneticists alike. Paleontological evidence suggests that recent humans originated and expanded from an African lineage that may have undergone demographic crises in the Late Pleistocene according to archaeological and genetic data. This would suggest that extant human populations derive from, and perhaps sample a restricted part of the genetic and morphological variation that was present in the Late Pleistocene. Crania that date to Marine Isotope Stage 3 should yield information pertaining to the level of Late Pleistocene human phenotypic diversity and its evolution in modern humans. The Nazlet Khater (NK) and Hofmeyr (HOF) crania from Egypt and South Africa, together with penecontemporaneous specimens from the Pe,tera cu Oase in Romania, permit preliminary assessment of variation among modern humans from geographically disparate regions at this time. Morphometric and morphological comparisons with other Late Pleistocene modern human specimens, and with 23 recent human population samples, reveal that elevated levels of variation are present throughout the Late Pleistocene. Comparison of Holocene and Late Pleistocene craniometric variation through resampling analyses supports hypotheses derived from genetic data suggesting that present phenotypic variation may represent only a restricted part of Late Pleistocene human diversity. The Nazlet Khater, Hofmeyr, and Oase specimens provide a unique glimpse of that diversity. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Acute Hepatitis Associated with Treatment of Peyronie's Disease with Potassium Para-Aminobenzoate (Potaba)THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 12 2008Joey Roy ABSTRACT Introduction., Potassium para-aminobenzoate is an agent used in the treatment of sclerotic diseases including Peyronie's disease of the penis. It has been reported that this medication may have been responsible for cases of acute liver injury. Aim., To inform clinicians of the possibility of an adverse drug event associated with the oral intake of potassium para-aminobenzoate by reporting an additional case and compiling information from previous reports. Methods., The affected patient's medical records were diligently reviewed; all available and relevant information pertaining to this adverse event is reported. Similar case reports were analyzed and compared, and relevant information was compiled in this report. Results., The patient enjoyed a full biochemical recovery from his hepatitis 4 months after discontinuation of potassium para-aminobenzoate. Conclusion., To date, the oral use of potassium para-aminobenzoate has been reported to be linked to acute liver injury in six individuals. Appropriate management of this adverse drug event is the immediate discontinuation of the offending drug and general patient support measures. Roy J, and Carrier S. Acute hepatitis associated with treatment of Peyronie's disease with potassium para-aminobenzoate (Potaba). J Sex Med **;**:**,**. [source] Modeling Flow in a Compromised Pediatric Airway Breathing Air and HelioxTHE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 12 2008Mihai Mihaescu PhD Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to perform computer simulations of flow within an accurate model of a pediatric airway with subglottic stenosis. It is believed that the airflow characteristics in a stenotic airway are strongly related to the sensation of dyspnea. Methodology: Computed tomography images through the respiratory tract of an infant with subglottic stenosis, were used to construct the three-dimensional geometry of the airway. By using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to capture airway flow patterns during inspiration and expiration, we obtained information pertaining to flow velocity, static airway wall pressure, pressure drop across the stenosis, and wall shear stress. These simulations were performed with both air and heliox. Results: Unlike air, heliox maintained laminar flow through the stenosis. The calculated pressure drop over stenosis was lower for the heliox flow, in contrast to the airflow case. This lead to an approximately 40% decrease in airway resistance when using heliox, and presumably causes a decrease in the level of effort required for breathing. Conclusions: CFD simulations offer a quantitative method of evaluating airway flow dynamics in patients with airway abnormalities. CFD modeling illustrated the flow features and quantified flow parameters within a pediatric airway with subglottic stenosis. Simulations with air and heliox conditions mirrored the known clinical benefits of heliox as compared with air. We anticipate that computer simulation models will ultimately allow a better understanding of changes in flow caused by specific medical and surgical interventions in patients with conditions associated with dyspnea. [source] Dizziness Presentations in U.S. Emergency Departments, 1995,2004ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2008Kevin A. Kerber MD Abstract Objectives:, The objectives were to describe presentation characteristics and health care utilization information pertaining to dizziness presentations in U.S. emergency departments (EDs) from 1995 through 2004. Methods:, From the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), patient visits to EDs for "vertigo-dizziness" were identified. Sample data were weighted to produce nationally representative estimates. Patient characteristics, diagnoses, and health care utilization information were obtained. Trends over time were assessed using weighted least squares regression analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to control for the influence of age on the probability of a vertigo-dizziness visit during the study time period. Results:, Vertigo-dizziness presentations accounted for 2.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.4% to 2.6%) of all ED presentations during this 10-year period. From 1995 to 2004, the rate of visits for vertigo-dizziness increased by 37% and demonstrated a significant linear trend (p < 0.001). Even after adjusting for age (and other covariates), every increase in year was associated with increased odds of a vertigo-dizziness visit. At each visit, a median of 3.6 diagnostic or screening tests (95% CI = 3.2 to 4.1) were performed. Utilization of many tests increased over time (p < 0.01). The utilization of computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) increased 169% from 1995 to 2004, which was more than any other test. The rate of central nervous system diagnoses (e.g., cerebrovascular disease or brain tumor) did not increase over time. Conclusions:, In terms of number of visits and important utilization measures, the impact of dizziness presentations on EDs is substantial and increasing. CT/MRI utilization rates have increased more than any other test. [source] | |||||||||||||