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Selected AbstractsHuman Factors Programs within Contra Costa CountyPROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2009Michael Dossey Abstract Starting in 1999, regulated industrial facilities in Contra Costa County, California were required to develop Human Factors Programs as part of the Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO). Human Factors Programs within the County are designed to be a thorough assessment of the interactions between equipment, work processes, procedures, practices, work environment, people, and management systems as they relate to health and safety. Committees were established at each facility to oversee the development, training, and execution of the site-specific programs. Primary areas of focus in the ongoing implementation of an effective Human Factors Program are periodic assessments and resolution of Latent Conditions, and performance of Management of Organizational Change Assessments before staffing changes. This article describes the steps that facilities in Contra Costa County have taken to develop comprehensive site specific Human Factors Programs. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2009 [source] Will photosynthesis of maize (Zea mays) in the US Corn Belt increase in future [CO2] rich atmospheres?GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004An analysis of diurnal courses of CO2 uptake under free-air concentration enrichment (FACE) Abstract The C4 grass Zea mays (maize or corn) is the third most important food crop globally in terms of production and demand is predicted to increase 45% from 1997 to 2020. However, the effects of rising [CO2] upon C4 plants, and Z. mays specifically, are not sufficiently understood to allow accurate predictions of future crop production. A rainfed, field experiment utilizing free-air concentration enrichment (FACE) technology in the primary area of global corn production (US Corn Belt) was undertaken to determine the effects of elevated [CO2] on corn. FACE technology allows experimental treatments to be imposed upon a complete soil,plant,atmosphere continuum with none of the effects of experimental enclosures on plant microclimate. Crop performance was compared at ambient [CO2] (354 , mol mol,1) and the elevated [CO2] (549 ,mol mol,1) predicted for 2050. Previous laboratory studies suggest that under favorable growing conditions C4 photosynthesis is not typically enhanced by elevated [CO2]. However, stomatal conductance and transpiration are decreased, which can indirectly increase photosynthesis in dry climates. Given the deep soils and relatively high rainfall of the US Corn Belt, it was predicted that photosynthesis would not be enhanced by elevated [CO2]. The diurnal course of gas exchange of upper canopy leaves was measured in situ across the growing season of 2002. Contrary to the prediction, growth at elevated [CO2] significantly increased leaf photosynthetic CO2 uptake rate (A) by up to 41%, and 10% on average. Greater A was associated with greater intercellular [CO2], lower stomatal conductance and lower transpiration. Summer rainfall during 2002 was very close to the 50-year average for this site, indicating that the year was not atypical or a drought year. The results call for a reassessment of the established view that C4 photosynthesis is insensitive to elevated [CO2] under favorable growing conditions and that the production potential of corn in the US Corn Belt will not be affected by the global rise in [CO2]. [source] The International Quotidian Dialysis Registry: Annual report 2005HEMODIALYSIS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2005Gihad Nesrallah Abstract The International Quotidian Dialysis Registry was designed to collect data describing treatments, characteristics, and outcomes of patients treated with quotidian hemodialysis (HD) worldwide. In July 2004, North American centers were first invited to enroll patients. By March 1, 2005, a total of 70 nocturnal and 8 short-daily HD patients from three Canadian and two US centers were enrolled. As recruitment continues, projected enrollment for 2005 may exceed 200 patients from North America alone. Preliminary analyses indicate that the current registry cohort is younger (mean age, 49.5 ± 1.6 years) and carries a lower burden of comorbidity than the overall North American HD population. The low event rate expected in this cohort underlines the need for a large sample size if an appropriately powered survival study is to be undertaken. Increasing recruitment in the United States by including HD centers owned or managed by large dialysis organizations, and beginning overseas collaborations to include Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South America will be the primary areas of focus for 2005. [source] Bioceramic Bone Graft Substitutes: Influence of Porosity and ChemistryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Karin A. Hing Bioceramics have been considered for use as synthetic bone graft substitutes (BGSs) for over 30 years, throughout which there have been two primary areas of research: (i) optimization of the physical pore structure and (ii) formulation of an appropriate bioceramic chemistry. While it is well recognized that both the rate of integration and the final volume of regenerated bone are primarily dependent on the macroporosity, there still seems to be some dispute regarding the optimum "type" of porosity. The rate and quality of bone integration have, in turn, been related to a dependence on pore size, porosity volume fraction, and interconnection size and interconnection density, both as a function of structural permeability and mechano-transduction. Moreover, the role of strut microstructure and pore geometry have been considered with respect to their influence on entrapment and recruitment of growth factors (GFs) in addition to its influence on scaffold mechanics. Deconvoluting the relative affects of these parameters is complicated by the use of both resorbable and nonresorbable bioactive bioceramics, which are believed to mediate bioactivity in the osseous environment through two principal mechanisms: (i) directly through dissolution and release of ionic products in vivo, elevating local concentrations of soluble species that interact directly with local cells or influence cell behavior by their effect on local pH, (ii) indirectly through the influence that surface chemistry will have on protein adsorption, GF entrapment, and subsequent cell attachment and function. This article aims to review some of the recent developments in bioceramic BGSs, with a view to understanding how the various physiochemical parameters may be optimized to promote bone healing. [source] Current methodological approaches to the study of sleep disturbances and quality of life in adults with cancer: a systematic reviewPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Ann M. Berger Abstract In recent years, sleep disturbances and the health-related quality of life (QOL) experienced by adults with cancer, during and after cancer treatment, have received increasing attention in the scientific literature. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review current methodological approaches to the study of sleep disturbances and QOL in adults with cancer. Databases were searched to identify longitudinal studies of adults with cancer that measured sleep disturbances and QOL in the past 10 years. The review was focused in five primary areas: trends in publication, measurement of sleep and QOL, study design, changes in sleep disturbances and QOL, and the level of this evidence. Of the 40 studies that met the authors' criteria for inclusion, 75% were descriptive in design and 25% were intervention studies. Studies on sleep and QOL among cancer patients have become more common since 2000, include a range of sample sizes and settings, use a variety of measures of sleep and QOL, and examine patients undergoing many types of cancer therapies. No programs of research have been developed in sleep disturbances and QOL in adults with cancer. The ,evidence' that can be drawn from such studies is obviously weak. Current approaches usually describe changes over time, but have not described whether a relationship exists between sleep disturbances and QOL in adults with cancer. Directions for future research are suggested. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||