An Anesthesia Display for a Space Station: Clinical Validation of Neuromuscular Blockade Models

An anesthesia drug display that shows the predicted effects of medication may be extremely useful on a space station and in situations where an inexperienced person could be performing experiments on animals or emergency treatments to fellow astronauts. Such a drug display shows drugs given and predicts their effects on the person or animal. In order for such a display to be useful, the predictions must be validated to ensure accuracy of and instill confidence in those who use the display. This study consists of validation of rocuronium which is a drug used for neuromuscular blockade (muscle relaxation). The effects of this drug have currently been studied on 12 patients. Qualitatively, the effects of this drug appear to be in line with the kinetic model predictions. Data will be gathered from more patients and will be statistically analyzed and compared with the model predictions for validation

Survey of the damage caused to trees by goats

The damage that goats can cause to trees is one of the major problems associated with their farming in the agricultural areas of Australia. It is also considered one of the main hindrances to the development of the goat industry. The Department of Agriculture s Goat Industry Development Unit surveyed mohair and cashmere producers to determine the prevalence of tree damage and its extent and severity; why producers believed goats damaged trees; and how producers minimised or prevented this damage

Efficient local behavioral change strategies to reduce the spread of epidemics in networks

It has recently become established that the spread of infectious diseases between humans is affected not only by the pathogen itself but also by changes in behavior as the population becomes aware of the epidemic; for example, social distancing. It is also well known that community structure (the existence of relatively densely connected groups of vertices) in contact networks influences the spread of disease. We propose a set of local strategies for social distancing, based on community structure, that can be employed in the event of an epidemic to reduce the epidemic size. Unlike most social distancing methods, ours do not require individuals to know the disease state (infected or susceptible, etc.) of others, and we do not make the unrealistic assumption that the structure of the entire contact network is known. Instead, the recommended behavior change is based only on an individual's local view of the network. Each individual avoids contact with a fraction of his/her contacts, using knowledge of his/her local network to decide which contacts should be avoided. If the behavior change occurs only when an individual becomes ill or aware of the disease, these strategies can substantially reduce epidemic size with a relatively small cost, measured by the number of contacts avoided

Balance Sheet Restructuring and Investment

This paper looks at the evolution of corporate balance sheets and investment over the past few years. (Lowe and Shuetrim (1992) also provide information on the evolution of corporate gearing in the 1980s. This paper focuses on the more recent experience of balance sheet restructuring and investment.) We find that many companies have significantly improved their balance sheets in this time. Leverage has been reduced, and this, coupled with lower nominal interest rates, has improved the interest cover and cash flows of the corporate sector. For many firms, the process of balance sheet repair has proceeded a long way so that the extent to which the financial position of firms will impinge on investment is much lower than it was a few years ago. However, in the short term, some focus on financial restructuring may remain given the extent of excess capacity in the economy and a shift in incentives away from debt financing. Looking further ahead, it appears that the rate of return to investing in capital is relatively high, at least when judged against the standards of earlier downturns. As the recovery picks up pace we should, therefore, see firms more inclined to expand their capital expenditure and less focused on financial restructuring.

Archaeology of Atafu, Tokelau: Some initial results from 2008

Surface survey, shovel testing, and stratigraphic excavations were done on Atafu Atoll in Tokelau during August 2008. Initial results suggest that Fale Islet has the most potential for further archaeological research. Dense cultural deposits on this islet are >1 m (39 in.) deep. Cultural material recovered includes food bone, fire-affected volcanic rock, tool-grade basalt flakes and tool fragments, Tridacna shell adzes, and pearl-shell fishhook fragments. Dog bone occurs from the earliest deposits through to the late prehistoric, while pig bone is found only in historic contexts. Fish bone is common throughout, and, with the exception of Tridacna, there are few edible mollusk remains. Initial EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence) analyses have found the basalt to be consistent with documented sources on Tutuila, Samoa. Basal radiocarbon dates from two excavation units are 660-540 cal. BP and 500-310 cal. BP (at 2σ)

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the pharmacokinetics of benznidazole in the treatment of Chagas disease

Chagas disease is a neglected parasitic illness affecting approximately 8 million people, predominantly in Latin America. Benznidazole is the drug of choice for treatment, although its availability has been limited. A paucity of knowledge of the pharmacokinetic properties of this drug has contributed to its limited availability in several jurisdictions. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review and a Bayesian meta-analysis of pharmacokinetic studies to improve estimates of the basic pharmacokinetic properties of benznidazole. A systematic search of the Embase, Medline, LILACS, and SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online) databases was conducted. Eligible studies reported patient-level data from single-100-mg-dose pharmacokinetic evaluations of benznidazole in adults or otherwise provided data relevant to the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters which could be derived from such studies. A Bayesian hierarchical model was used for analysis. Secondary data (i.e., data from studies that did not include patient-level, single-100-mg-dose data) were used for the generation of empirical priors for the Bayesian analysis. The systematic search identified nine studies for inclusion. Nine pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated, including the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), the maximum concentration of drug in plasma (Cmax), the time to Cmax, the elimination rate constant (kel), the absorption rate constant (Ka), the absorption and elimination half-lives, the apparent oral clearance, and the apparent oral volume of distribution. The results showed consistency across studies. AUC and Cmax were 51.31 mg · h/liter (95% credible interval [CrI], 45.01, 60.28 mg · h/liter) and 2.19 mg/liter (95% CrI, 2.06, 2.33 mg/liter), respectively. Ka and kel were 1.16 h-1 (95% CrI, 0.59, 1.76 h-1) and 0.052 h-1 (95% CrI, 0.045, 0.059 h-1), respectively, with the corresponding absorption and elimination half-lives being 0.60 h (95% CrI, 0.38, 1.11 h) and 13.27 h (95% CrI, 11.79, 15.42 h), respectively. The oral clearance and volume of distribution were 2.04 liters/h (95% CrI, 1.77, 2.32 liters/h) and 39.19 liters (95% CrI, 36.58, 42.17 liters), respectively. A Bayesian meta-analysis was used to improve the estimates of the standard pharmacokinetic parameters of benznidazole. These data can inform clinicians and policy makers as access to this drug increases.Fil: Wiens, Matthew O.. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Kanters, Steve. Precision Global Health;Fil: Mills, Edward. Mc Master University; CanadáFil: Peregrina Lucano, Alejandro A.. Universidad de Guadalajara; MéxicoFil: Gold, Silvia. Fundación Mundo Sano; ArgentinaFil: Ayers, Dieter. Precision Global Health;Fil: Ferrero, Luis. Fundación Mundo Sano; ArgentinaFil: Krolewiecki, Alejandro Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; Argentin

Quantification of gravity-induced skin strain across the breast surface

Background Quantification of the magnitude of skin strain in different regions of the breast may help to estimate possible gravity-induced damage whilst also being able to inform the selection of incision locations during breast surgery. The aim of this study was to quantify static skin strain over the breast surface and to estimate the risk of skin damage caused by gravitational loading. Methods Fourteen participants had 21 markers applied to their torso and left breast. The non-gravity breast position was estimated as the mid-point of the breast positions in water and soybean oil (higher and lower density than breast respectively). The static gravity-loaded breast position was also measured. Skin strain was calculated as the percentage extension between adjacent breast markers in the gravity and non-gravity loaded conditions. Findings Gravity induced breast deformation caused peak strains ranging from 14 to 75% across participants, with potentially damaging skin strain (>60%) in one participant and skin strains above 30% (skin resistance zone) in a further four participants. These peak strain values all occurred in the longitudinal direction in the upper region of the breast skin. In the latitudinal direction, smaller-breasted participants experienced greater strain on the outer (lateral) breast regions and less strain on the inner (medial) breast regions, a trend which was reversed in the larger breasted participants (above size 34D). Interpretation To reduce tension on surgical incisions it is suggested that preference should be given to medial latitudinal locations for smaller breasted women and lateral latitudinal locations for larger breasted women