Home  About us  Contact
 

Regional Basis (regional + basis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences40%
Life Sciences40%

Selected Abstracts

Dental Caries Status and Need for Dental Treatment of Pennsylvania Public School Children in Grades 1,3, 9, and 11

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2004
Robert J. Weyant DMD
ABSTRACT Objectives: This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the caries status and provide a general evaluation of the level of dental treatment need of Pennsylvania public school children in grades 1, 3, 9, and 11 on a statewide and regional basis. Methods: Between September 1998 and May 2000, caries status and treatment need were assessed using a school-based dental examination, performed on a representative sample (n=6,040) of public school children in grades 1, 3, 9, and 11 (age range=6 to 21 years). Children's caries status in the primary and permanent dentition was assessed. Need for treatment was scored on a three-level categorical scale,no treatment need identified, routine treatment need, and urgent treatment need,and was based on the presence and severity of caries and other oral conditions. Population estimates of the prevalence of untreated dental caries, DMFT and dft scores, and treatment need were calculated by grade and geographically, using the six Pennsylvania health districts and the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The inequality of caries distribution in the population was assessed for both permanent and primary caries using Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients. Results: Dental caries has remained highly prevalent among Pennsylvania's public school children. Caries levels varied considerably by health districts and city. Urgent treatment needs were significant and also varied by health district and city. Conclusions: Dental caries remains the most prevalent disease affecting Pennsylvania's schoolchildren. Caries status varies significantly by region of the state, suggesting that environmental, social, and demographic contextual factors may be important determinants of disease prevalence. [source]

Development and validation of a simulation model for blowfly strike of sheep

MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
R. Wall
Abstract A comprehensive simulation model for sheep blowfly strike due to Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), which builds on previously published versions but also incorporates important new empirical data, is used to explain patterns of lamb and ewe strike recorded on 370 farms in south-west, south-east and central England and Wales. The model is able to explain a significant percentage of the variance in lamb strike incidence in all four regions, and ewe strike in three of the four regions. The model is able to predict the start of seasonal blowfly strike within one week in three of the four regions for both ewes and lambs, and within 3 weeks in the fourth region. It is concluded that the accuracy of the model will allow it to be used to assess the likely efficacy of new control techniques and the effects of changes in existing husbandry practices on strike incidence. The model could also be used to give sheep farmers advance warning of approaching strike problems. However, the ability to forecast future strike patterns is dependent on the accuracy of the weather projections; the more long-term the forecast, the more approximate the prediction is likely to be. When applied on a regional basis, model forecasts indicate expected average patterns of strike incidence and may not therefore be appropriate for individual farmers whose husbandry practices differ substantially from the average. [source]

Climate drivers of red wine quality in four contrasting Australian wine regions

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008
C.J. SOAR
Abstract Background and Aims: The understanding of the links between weather and wine quality is fragmented and often qualitative. This study quantified and integrated key weather variables during ripening, and their influence in red wine quality in the Hunter Valley, Margaret River, Coonawarra and Barossa Valley. Methods and Results: Long-term records of published vintage scores were used as an indicator of wine quality. A ,2 analysis was used to compare good (top 25%) versus poor (bottom 25%) vintages in relation to the frequency of defined weather conditions. Using maximum temperature as an example, better quality was associated with temperatures above 34°C throughout most of ripening in the Hunter, below 28°C in early January in the Margaret River, 28,33.9°C towards harvest in Coonawarra, and below 21.9°C in late January and early February and 28,30.9°C towards harvest in the Barossa. Conclusion: Our quantitative assessment allows for the timing and magnitude of weather influences on wine quality on a regional basis. Significance of the Study: The improved specificity of the links between weather and wine quality will help in the development of a risk analysis framework for wine quality across Australia. [source]

Achieving positive change in people's lives through the National Learning Disability Strategy: an invitation to partnership between higher education and the world of practice

BRITISH JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2000
David Towell
Summary The launch of the National Learning Disability Strategy (NLDS) in England (and parallel initiatives in Scotland and Wales) provides the best opportunity for a generation to close the huge gap between the aspirations of people with learning disabilities and their families for a full life, and most people's current experience. The implementation of the NLDS is a complex challenge, requiring new forms of partnership among a wide range of stakeholders to deliver sustainable change. The present paper describes an enhanced role for universities as champions of local progress, promoting, supporting and evaluating informed change through a range of functions which go well beyond the traditional focus on research and teaching. It is also an invitation to relevant centres, or coalitions of centres on a regional basis, to explore with people, families and public agencies the optimum form of their contribution to these new partnerships. [source]

Technoreview: Molecular imaging of host,pathogen interactions in intact small animals

CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
David Piwnica-Worms
Summary Characterization and non-invasive measurement of host,pathogen interactions in living cells, animal models and humans at the cellular and molecular levels is now possible using remote imaging detectors. Positron emission tomography scanners, highly sensitive cooled charge-coupled device cameras for bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging as well as high-magnetic-field magnetic resonance imaging scanners can be used to study such diverse processes as pathogen tropism, pathogen life cycle, signal transduction, host response, cell trafficking and gene transfer. In many cases, images from more than one modality can be fused, allowing structure,function and multifunction relationships to be studied on a tissue-restricted or regional basis. These new instruments, when used in conjunction with targeted contrast agents, reporter substrates and radiopharmaceuticals, enable ,molecular imaging' with enormous potential for elucidating host,pathogen interactions in intact animal models. [source]