Evaluation of Serum Vitamin D Levels in Older Adults who Fall and Sustain a Fracture: A Retrospective Chart Review

Purpose: This practice inquiry project was designed to (i) evaluate serum vitamin D levels in individuals aged 65 years and older who had fallen and sustained a fracture and (ii) identify if the serum vitamin D levels were within therapeutic range. Background: Older adults are at increased risk of falling and sustaining a fracture as a result of falls. Vitamin D has been shown to be effective in fall prevention yet vitamin D is deficient in the older population worldwide. Evaluating current serum vitamin D levels in older adults who fall and sustain a fracture may provide additional insight in to how to increase vitamin D levels with consideration for supplementation to reduce the incidence of falls/fractures in this population. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study of electronic medical records data from participants meeting the inclusion criteria admitted to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center from August 2010 through August 2015. Chi-square test and Fisher exact tests were used to test for significance of association between variables. Results: The sample consisted of 2,767 records of subjects aged 65 years and older, who had fallen and sustained a fracture. The mean age of the subjects was 80.99 years (SD 8.56); the majority of the sample was female and Caucasian. Of the 2,767 records reviewed serum vitamin D level were assessed in 208 subjects (7.5%). Of the 208 subjects whose serum vitamin D level were assessed 28% had an optimal serum level of vitamin D, 32% had an insufficient serum level of vitamin D and 40% had a deficient serum level of vitamin D, the mean serum vitamin D level was 24.32 ng/ml (SD 12.79). A vitamin D level of 30 ng/mL or above was considered optimal. There was a statistically significant association between age and vitamin D level, p = 0.004. There was no statistical differences between, gender and vitamin D level, p =0 .1, race and vitamin D level, p = 0.18, nor between fracture type and vitamin D level, p =0 .202. Conclusion: Vitamin D levels were assessed in 7.5% of the study sample. Of those 7.5% the vitamin D level was most often insufficient

Effectiveness of a nondestructive evaluation technique for assessing standing timber quality

The research presented in this thesis was conducted to further the development of the stress wave method of nondestructively assessing the quality of wood in standing trees. The specific objective of this research was to examine, in the field, use of two stress wave nondestructive assessment techniques. The first technique examined utilizes a laboratory-built measurement system consisting of commercially available accelerometers and a digital storage oscilloscope. The second technique uses a commercially available tool that incorporates several technologies to determine speed of stress wave propagation in standing trees. Field measurements using both techniques were conducted on sixty red pine trees in south-central Wisconsin and 115 ponderosa pine trees in western Idaho. After in-situ measurements were taken, thirty tested red pine trees were felled and a 15-foot-long butt log was obtained from each tree, while all tested ponderosa pine trees were felled and an 8 1/2 -foot-long butt log was obtained, respectively. The butt logs were sent to the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and nondestructively tested using a resonance stress wave technique. Strong correlative relationships were observed between stress wave values obtained from both field measurement techniques. Excellent relationships were also observed between standing tree and log speed-of-sound values

Segurança das hortaliças minimamente processadas.

A sanitização e os tratamentos utilizados para a manutenção da qualidade e para o controle microbiano durante o processamento mínimo não restabelecem a qualidade perdida no campo e no transporte das hortaliças.bitstream/item/171258/1/HR-ano-6-n-23-p-16-17-2017.pd

Improved flexibility and equity for airspace users during demand-capacity imbalance - an introduction to the user-driven prioritisation process

ATFM slot-swapping represents the first step towards the participation of airspace users (AUs) in air traffic management and airport collaborative processes. SESAR is advancing this through development of the user driven prioritisation process (UDPP) to achieve additional flexibility for AUs to adapt their operations in a more cost-efficient manner in the presence of unforeseen demand and capacity imbalances that require the application of delays to flights. The contribution of this paper is twofold: (i) to present the challenges achieved so far with respect to UDPP concepts, in particular regarding fleet delay apportionment and selective flight protection; (ii) to pave the way towards future UDPP concepts through the introduction of enhanced selective flight protection

Higher dimensional abelian Chern-Simons theories and their link invariants

The role played by Deligne-Beilinson cohomology in establishing the relation between Chern-Simons theory and link invariants in dimensions higher than three is investigated. Deligne-Beilinson cohomology classes provide a natural abelian Chern-Simons action, non trivial only in dimensions $4l+3$, whose parameter $k$ is quantized. The generalized Wilson $(2l+1)$-loops are observables of the theory and their charges are quantized. The Chern-Simons action is then used to compute invariants for links of $(2l+1)$-loops, first on closed $(4l+3)$-manifolds through a novel geometric computation, then on $\mathbb{R}^{4l+3}$ through an unconventional field theoretic computation.Comment: 40 page

Domino D3.1 - Architecture definition

This deliverable presents the concept of operation of Domino. It includes a description of the systems, subsystems and processes that will be taken into account in the model, as well as the general scope of the model. For each of the mechanisms suggested to be modelled in the project, the deliverable provides a set of possible operational concepts and uptake/scope to be deployed

Características genotípicas de Staphylococcus coagulase-negativos e taxas de cura da mastite ovina.

A mastite em ovelhas de dupla aptidão é reconhecida por afetar a qualidade do leite. Staphylococcus coagulase-negativos (SCN) são os principais micro-organismos responsáveis pela doença, e o tratamento ao final da lactação, pode contribuir para a cura e prevenção de casos subclínicos na lactação consecutiva. Entretanto, fatores de virulência e mecanismos de resistência apresentados por SCN podem reduzir as taxas de cura. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram identificar no leite de ovelhas tratadas e não tratadas à secagem com antimicrobianos, as espécies de SCN antes e após o tratamento e identificar nesses micro-organismos a presença dos genes mecA, icaA, icaC, icaD, bap, bhp, sea, seb, sec, sed e tsst-1, determinar o perfil clonal das principais espécies identificadas e relacionar os casos de cura após o tratamento com a presença/ausência dos respectivos genes. Sessenta ovelhas foram divididas em três grupos experimentais: G1, controle, metades mamárias que não receberam antimicrobiano; G2, metades mamárias em que foram administrados 10 mL de cloxacilina-benzatina 100 mg via intramamária / estrutura convencional; G3, metades mamárias em que foram administrados 86 mL de cloxacilina-benzatina 50 mg via intramamária / estrutura nanoencapsulada. As amostras de leite foram coletadas à secagem e aos 15 e 30 dias pós-parto da lactação seguinte. As análises para identificação das espécies de SCN foram realizadas por meio de testes bioquímicos e Internal Transcribe Spacer (ITS-PCR), e a pesquisa dos genes responsáveis pelos fatores de virulência e pela resistência à oxacilina foram realizados por meio da técnica de reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR). Dentre as espécies identificadas S. warneri prevaleceram nos três grupos experimentais. Nenhuma amostra foi positiva para o gene mecA. O único gene relacionado com a produção de enterotoxinas encontrado foi o sec. Dentre os genes relacionados com a produção de biofilme, icaD foi o único identificado nos três grupos experimentais. Staphylococcus warneri, S. simulans e S. epidermidis apresentaram clones na mesma metade mamária no pré e pós-parto das ovelhas. A cloxacilina benzatina nanoparticulada 50mg / 86 mL foi eficiente para reduzir a mastite subclínica no pós-parto de ovelhas (P= 0,0192). Staphylococcus warneri, S. simulans, S. epidermidis e S. xylosus foram as espécies de maior ocorrência. Os genes icaA, icaC, icaD e bap foram encontrados no momento da desmama e no pós-parto, os genes sec e icaD estão associados à ausência de cura da mastite subclínica no pós-parto. Ovelhas em que foram isolados SCN portadores de genes responsáveis pela formação de biofilme não apresentaram resultados satisfatórios quando submetidas a esquemas de controle e ao tratamento da mastite subclínica. Os genes sec e icaD, estão associadas à ausência de cura microbiológica da mastite subclínica no pós-parto. Staphylococcus epidermidis e S. xylosus portador do gene bap estão associados à reinfecção.Orientador: Luiz Francisco Zafalon, Embrapa Pecuária Sudest