Post-mortem toxicology: A pilot study to evaluate the use of a Bayesian network to assess the likelihood of fatality

The challenge of interpreting post-mortem drug concentrations is well documented and relies on appropriate sample collection, knowledge of case circumstances as well as reference to published tables of data, whilst taking into account the known issues of post-mortem drug redistribution and tolerance. Existing published data has evolved from simple data tables to those now including sample origin and single to poly drug use, but additional information tends to be specific to those reported in individual case studies. We have developed a Bayesian network framework to assign a likelihood of fatality based on the contribution of drug concentrations whilst taking into account the pathological findings. This expert system has been tested against casework within the coronial jurisdiction of Sunderland, UK. We demonstrate in this pilot study that the Bayesian network can be used to proffer a degree of confidence in how deaths may be reported in cases when drugs are implicated. It has also highlighted the potential for deaths to be reported according to the pathological states at post-mortem when drugs have a significant contribution that may have an impact on mortality statistics. The Bayesian network could be used as complementary approach to assist in the interpretation of post-mortem drug concentrations

Geologic and Hydrologic Controls on Reservoir-Scale Variability in Formation-Water Compositions

Subsurface formation waters exhibit regional trends in measured chemistries, but the data also exhibit marked local variance that has not been adequately described or explained. An integrated study of chemical, petrologic, and fluid-pressure data from a well-characterized natural gas field in the Gulf Coast basin will allow us to determine reservoir-scale controls on chemical and diagenetic variability. Understanding the controls on chemistry can provide insight into fluid flow and rock-water interactions in similar geologic settings. Knowledge of solute distributions will aid in the assessment of compartmentalization within reservoirs and fluid communication between reservoirs. Such assessment is relevant not only to improved hydrocarbon exploitation but also to the safe injection of chemical wastes. Finally, understanding small-scale chemical changes would further the interpretation of regional variations in water chemistry, diagenetic facies, and fluid flow within the Cenozoic section of the Gulf Coast basin. This interpretation is potentially important in the study of hydrocarbon migration and entrapment. We propose to sample in detail formation waters from Stratton Field in Nueces and Kleberg Counties, Texas, in order to map and interpret chemical variations within and between individual reservoirs. The results of water analyses will be mapped with respect to facies and reservoir geometries and features such as faults in order to determine stratigraphic, structural, and hydraulic controls on chemical variability. Hydrochemical data will be compared with mineralogic analyses of core, and geochemical modeling will be conducted. Results will be assessed in terms of the extent of rock-water equilibration to determine plausible reaction and mixing sequences along flow paths.Bureau of Economic Geolog

The Association Between Chronic Pain and Cardiac Disease: A Cross-sectional Population Study.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain may increase the risk of cardiac disease, but the extent to which confounding variables account for this association has yet to be satisfactorily established. This study aims to examine the possibility of an independent association between these 2 variables. METHODS: We applied logistic regression analysis to data from 8596 adults surveyed in a population study of the health of the population of England. The association between cardiac disease (angina and/or myocardial infarction) and chronic pain (pain lasting >3 months) was explored, taking account of 10 potentially confounding variables including the regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. RESULTS: Participants reporting chronic pain (n=3023) were more likely to experience cardiac disease than those without pain: odds ratio (OR), 1.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-2.07. Subsets of participants fulfilling various criteria for high-intensity chronic pain demonstrated stronger associations with cardiac disease suggesting a "dose-response" element to the relationship: chronic widespread pain (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.42-7.68); higher-disability chronic pain (OR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.71-3.23); and higher average chronic pain score (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.40-2.71). Adjustment for regular prescription of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs did not reduce the association of chronic pain with cardiac disease. DISCUSSION: Patients reporting chronic pain, in particular those most severely affected, may be at significantly increased risk of cardiac disease. Future studies should focus on determining whether reducing the impact of chronic pain can improve cardiac health

Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Vertical Cylinder Habitat

NASA's Constellation Architecture Team defined an outpost scenario optimized for intensive mobility that uses small, highly mobile pressurized rovers supported by portable habitat modules that can be carried between locations of interest on the lunar surface. A compact vertical cylinder characterizes the habitat concept, where the large diameter maximizes usable flat floor area optimized for a gravity environment and allows for efficient internal layout. The module was sized to fit into payload fairings for the Constellation Ares V launch vehicle, and optimized for surface transport carried by the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) mobility system. Launch and other loads are carried through the barrel to a top and bottom truss that interfaces with a structural support unit (SSU). The SSU contains self-leveling feet and docking interfaces for Tri-ATHLETE grasping and heavy lift. A pressurized module needed to be created that was appropriate for the lunar environment, could be easily relocated to new locations, and could be docked together in multiples for expanding pressurized volume in a lunar outpost. It was determined that horizontally oriented pressure vessels did not optimize floor area, which takes advantage of the gravity vector for full use. Hybrid hard-inflatable habitats added an unproven degree of complexity that may eventually be worked out. Other versions of vertically oriented pressure vessels were either too big, bulky, or did not optimize floor area. The purpose of the HDU vertical habitat module is to provide pressurized units that can be docked together in a modular way for lunar outpost pressurized volume expansion, and allow for other vehicles, rovers, and modules to be attached to the outpost to allow for IVA (intra-vehicular activity) transfer between them. The module is a vertically oriented cylinder with a large radius to allow for maximal floor area and use of volume. The modular, 5- m-diameter HDU vertical habitat module consists of a 2-m-high barrel with 0.6-mhigh end domes forming the 56-cubicmeter pressure vessel, and a 19-squaremeter floor area. The module has up to four docking ports located orthogonally from each other around the perimeter, and up to one docking port each on the top or bottom end domes. In addition, the module has mounting trusses top and bottom for equipment, and to allow docking with the ATHLETE mobility system. Novel or unique features of the HDU vertical habitat module include the nodelike function with multiple pressure hatches for docking with other versions of itself and other modules and vehicles; the capacity to be carried by an ATHLETE mobility system; and the ability to attach inflatable 'attic' domes to the top for additional pressurized volume

Renormalization group and perfect operators for stochastic differential equations

We develop renormalization group methods for solving partial and stochastic differential equations on coarse meshes. Renormalization group transformations are used to calculate the precise effect of small scale dynamics on the dynamics at the mesh size. The fixed point of these transformations yields a perfect operator: an exact representation of physical observables on the mesh scale with minimal lattice artifacts. We apply the formalism to simple nonlinear models of critical dynamics, and show how the method leads to an improvement in the computational performance of Monte Carlo methods.Comment: 35 pages, 16 figure

Combining Active and Passive Airborne Remote Sensing to Quantify NO2 and Ox Production near Bakersfield, CA

Aims: The objective of this study is to demonstrate the integrated use of passive and active remote sensing instruments to quantify the rate of NOx emissions, and investigate the Ox production rates from an urban area.Place and Duration of Study: A research flight on June 15, 2010 was conducted over Bakersfield, CA and nearby areas with oil and natural gas production. Methodology: Three remote sensing instruments, namely the University of Colorado AMAX-DOAS, NOAA TOPAZ lidar, and NCAS Doppler lidar were deployed aboard the NOAA Twin Otter during summer 2010. Production rates of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Ox&lsquo;(background corrected O3 + NO2) were quantified using the horizontal flux divergence approach by flying closed loops near Bakersfield, CA. By making concurrent measurements of the trace gases as well as the wind fields, we have reduced the uncertainty due to wind field in production rates.Results: We find that the entire region is a source for both NO2 and Ox&rsquo;. NO2 production is highest over the city (1.35 kg hr-1 km-2 NO2), and about 30 times lower at background sites (0.04 kg hr-1 km-2 NO2). NOx emissions as represented in the CARB 2010 emission inventory agreewell with our measurements over Bakersfield city (within 30%). However, emissions upwind of the city are significantly underestimated. The Ox&rsquo; production is less variable, found ubiquitous, and accounts for 7.4 kg hr-1 km-2 Ox&rsquo; at background sites. Interestingly, the maximum of 17.1 kg hr-1 km-2 Ox&rsquo;production was observed upwind of the city. A plausible explanation for the efficient Ox&rsquo; production upwind of Bakersfield, CA are favorable volatile organic compound (VOC) to NOx ratios for Ox&rsquo; production, that are affected by emissions from large oil and natural gas operations in that area. Conclusion: The NO2 and O3 source fluxes vary significantly, and allow us to separate and map NOx emissions and Ox production rates in the Central Valley. The data is probed over spatial scales that link closely with those predicted by atmospheric models, and provide innovative means to test and improve atmospheric models that are used to manage air resources. Emissions from oil and natural gas operations are a source for O3 air pollution, and deserve further study to better characterize effects on public health.</p

Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 - Part 1

Proceedings of the Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 Forward Dr Mark Dolling Manager, Sheep Industries and Pasture, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Keynotes Australian Wool Innovation Limited DR LEN STEPHENS AUSTRALIAN WOOL INNOVATION LIMITED (AWI) Commercialisation of Sheepmeat Eating Quality Outcomes, David Thomason, General Manger Marketing Meat & livestock Australia Limited PLENARY The Fitness of the Future Merino, Norm Adams and Shimin Liu, CSIRO Livestock Industries Ovine Johne’s Disease – Managing the Disease, Managing the Issues, PETER BUCKMAN, CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Animal Welfare – Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes, Michael Paton and Dianne Evans, Department of Agriculture Western Australian. Live Sheep Exports, JOHN EDWARDS. CHAIRMAN, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN LIVE SHEEP EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION MeCustomising to the Needs of the Customer – Insights from the New Zealand Merino Experience, DR SCOTT CHAMPION, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGER, THE NEW ZEALAND MERINO COMPANY LIMITED Agribusiness Sheep Updates Conference -Economic and Financial Market Update Alan Langford, Economist, BankWest Concurrent sessions - Meeting the Market Breeding Wool to Address Consumer Requirements in Fabrics A.C. SCHLINK CSIRO Livestock Industries, J.C. GREEFF AND M. E. LADYMAN Department of Agriculture Western Australia Fibre Contribution to Retail Demand for Knitwear Melanie LadymanA and John StantonAB ADepartment of Agriculture Western Australia and BCurtin University of Technology Sustainable Merino, is this the Future for Merino? Stuart Adams, iZWool International P/L Meeting lamb Market Specs from Crossbred Ewes Dr. Neal Fogarty, NSW Agriculture and the Australian Sheep Industry CRC Use of Serial Body Weight Measurements in Prime Lamb Finishing Systems Matthew Kelly, CSIRO Livestock Industries, James Skerritt, Ian McFarland Department of Agriculture Western Australia, Australian Sheep Industry CR

Mapping the effects of ozone pollution and mixing on floral odour plumes and their impact on plant-pollinator interactions

The critical ecological process of animal-mediated pollination is commonly facilitated by odour cues. These odours consist of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), often with short chemical lifetimes, which form the strong concentration gradients necessary for pollinating insects to locate a flower. Atmospheric oxidants, including ozone pollution, may react with and chemically alter these VOCs, impairing the ability of pollinators to locate a flower, and therefore the pollen and nectar on which they feed. However, there is limited mechanistic empirical evidence to explain these processes within an odour plume at temporal and spatial scales relevant to insect navigation and olfaction. We investigated the impact of ozone pollution and turbulent mixing on the fate of four model floral VOCs within odour plumes using a series of controlled experiments in a large wind tunnel. Average rates of chemical degradation of α-terpinene, β-caryophyllene and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one were slightly faster than predicted by literature rate constants, but mostly within uncertainty bounds. Mixing reduced reaction rates by 8–10% in the first 2 m following release. Reaction rates also varied across the plumes, being fastest at plume edges where VOCs and ozone mixed most efficiently and slowest at plume centres. Honeybees were trained to learn a four VOC blend equivalent to the plume released at the wind tunnel source. When subsequently presented with an odour blend representative of that observed 6 m from the source at the centre of the plume, 52% of honeybees recognised the odour, decreasing to 38% at 12 m. When presented with the more degraded blend from the plume edge, recognition decreased to 32% and 10% at 6 and 12 m respectively. Our findings highlight a mechanism by which anthropogenic pollutants can disrupt the VOC cues used in plant-pollinator interactions, which likely impacts on other critical odour-mediated behaviours such as mate attraction

Increasing boys' and girls' intention to avoid teenage pregnancy: a cluster randomised control feasibility trial of an interactive video drama based intervention in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland

Background: Adolescent men have a vital yet neglected role in reducing unintended teenage pregnancy (UTP). There is a need for gender-sensitive educational interventions. Objectives: To determine the value and feasibility of conducting an effectiveness trial of the If I Were Jack Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) intervention in a convenience quota sample of post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. Secondary objectives were to assess acceptability to schools, pupils (male/female, aged 14–15 years) and parents/guardians; to identify optimal delivery structures and systems; to establish participation rates and reach, including equality of engagement of different socioeconomic and religious types; to assess trial recruitment and retention rates; to assess variation in normal RSE practice; to refine survey instruments; to assess differences in outcomes for male and female pupils; to identify potential effect sizes that might be detected in an effectiveness trial and estimate appropriate sample size for that trial; and to identify costs of delivery and pilot methods for assessing cost-effectiveness. Design: Cluster randomised Phase II feasibility trial with an embedded process and economic evaluation. Intervention: A teacher-delivered classroom-based RSE resource – an interactive video drama (IVD) with classroom materials, teacher training and an information session for parents – to immerse young people in a hypothetical scenario of Jack, a teenager whose girlfriend is unintentionally pregnant. It addresses gender inequalities in RSE by focusing on young men and is designed to increase intentions to avoid UTP by encouraging young people to delay sexual intercourse and to use contraception consistently in sexual relationships. Main outcome measures: Abstinence from sexual intercourse (delaying initiation of sex or returning to abstinence) or avoidance of unprotected sexual intercourse (consistent correct use of contraception). Secondary outcomes included Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills and Intentions. Results: The intervention proved acceptable to schools, pupils and parents, as evidenced through positive process evaluation. One minor refinement to the parental component was required, namely the replacement of the teacher-led face-to-face information session for parents by online videos designed to deliver the intervention to parents/guardians into their home. School recruitment was successful (target 25%, achieved 38%). No school dropped out. Pupil retention was successful (target 85%, achieved 93%). The between-group difference in incidence of unprotected sex of 1.3% (95% confidence interval 0.55% to 2.2%) by 9 months demonstrated an effect size consistent with those reported to have had meaningful impact on UTP rates (resulting in an achievable sample size of 66 schools at Phase III). Survey instruments showed high acceptability and reliability of measures (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.5–0.7). Economic evaluation at Phase III is feasible because it was possible to (1) identify costs of delivering If I Were Jack (mean cost per pupil, including training of teachers, was calculated as £13.66); and (2) develop a framework for assessing cost-effectiveness. Conclusion: Trial methods were appropriate, and recruitment and retention of schools and pupils was satisfactory, successfully demonstrating all criteria for progression to a main trial. The perceived value of culture- and gender-sensitive public health interventions has been highlighted. Future work: Progression to a Phase III effectiveness trial. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN99459996. Funding: This project was funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 5, No. 1. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Sediment erosion and transport at the Rio Grande mouth : report for the National Border Technology Program and International Boundary and Water Commission.

The mouth of the Rio Grande has become silted up, obstructing its flow into the Gulf of Mexico. This is problematic in that it has created extensive flooding. The purpose of this study was to determine the erosion and transport potential of the sediments obstructing the flow of the Rio Grande by employing a unique Mobile High Shear Stress flume developed by Sandia's Carlsbad Programs Group for the US Army Corps of Engineers. The flume measures in-situ sediment erosion properties at shear stresses ranging from normal flow to flood conditions for a variable depth sediment core. The flume is in a self-contained trailer that can be placed on site in the field. Erosion rates and sediment grain size distributions were determined from sediment samples collected in and around the obstruction and were subsequently used to characterize the erosion potential of the sediments under investigation