Environmental monitoring of North Merritt Island

The environmental impact of the space shuttle operation on North Merritt Island was studied mainly by means of color infrared photos and field visits. An attempt was also made to generate character maps of the Island using LANDSAT data with a view to decreasing the cost of monitoring and making the process more flexible in terms of rapid estimation of the extent of selected ground features. It seems possible that the IMAGE-100 output can be improved by using it in conjunction with software systems which are used for generating character maps. All the methods for generating maps show six main plant associations on North Merritt Island. It was shown that the six associations are related by ecological succession, merge into their neighbors in terms of component species and can be observed for changes in terms of component species

Remote sensing over North Merritt Island

The author has identified the following significant results. For monitoring the surface environment of North Merritt Island, two methods are studied, namely, color infrared photography and machine processing of LANDSAT multispectral scanner data. C.I.R. photos made at a height of about 12,000 ft were found to define the borders of ground features around the space shuttle runway with a nonsignificant mean error of 0.138 meters but a wide range, which can be reduced with photos taken at about 6,000 ft. LANDSAT multispectral scanner data, transformed by use of the function f(g) = g1 + g2 -g3 -g4 where g1, g2, g3, and g4 represent reflectance or grey levels of multispectral channels 1,2,3, and 4, gave values which are classifiable into a relatively small number of categories

Pediatric ovarian torsion: Case series and review of the literature

Background: Ovarian torsion in children is an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain but mandates early surgical management to prevent further adnexal damage. The clinical presentation mimics other pathologies, such as appendicitis. We sought to more completely characterize ovarian torsion with respect to pain and ancillary studies, such as urinalysis. Methods:We performed a retrospective review of hospital charts of all patients aged 0-18 years with a diagnosis of ovarian torsion at the Children\u27s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, in London, Ont., from 1993 to 2008. Results:We analyzed 13 charts of patients aged 7 months to 18 years. Most patients presented with peripheral leukocytosis, vomiting and right lower quadrant pain that did not radiate or migrate. On urinalysis, about half the patients demonstrated pyuria without bacteruria. Pelvic ultrasound revealed an ovarian cyst on the same side of the pain in 11 of 13 patients. Most were found to have a hemorrhagic cyst or ovary and underwent salpingo-oophorectomy or cystectomy within 48 hours of presentation. Conclusion: Ovarian torsion should be considered in any female child with acute onset lower abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting. Pain can be characterized as constant or colicky, but unlike with appendicitis, does not typically migrate. Sterile pyuria is found in a substantial proportion of cases. Ultrasound is the most useful in - itial diagnostic modality, but the absence of flow on Doppler imaging is not always present. Conservative management with detorsion and oophoropexy is recommended. © 2013 Canadian Medical Association

Evaluation of an Artificial Estuarine Habitat -Initial Stage

In order to study the influence of an artificial habitat of discarded automobile tires upon the biomass in and around it, three sites were selected in the Banana River of which two will contain small groups of tires and one will not. Over a given period, the populations in and around the tires will be compared with those which existed initially or prevail on the natural site. Preliminary observations indicate that adequate numbers may be present in the lower trophic levels but that there are perhaps inadequate populations of upper level carnivores which it appears can be increased by an artificial habitat

Generalized vegetation map of north Merrit Island based on a simplified multispectral analysis

A simplified system for classification of multispectral data was used for making a generalized map of ground features of North Merritt Island. Subclassification of vegetation within broad categories yielded promising results which led to a completely automatic method and to the production of satisfactory detailed maps. Changes in an area north of Happy Hammocks are evidently related to water relations of the soil and are not associated with the last winter freeze-damage which affected mainly the mangrove species, likely to reestablish themselves by natural processes. A supplementary investigation involving reflectance studies in the laboratory has shown that the reflectance by detached citrus leaves, of wavelengths lying between 400 microns and 700 microns, showed some variation over a period of seven days during which the leaves were kept in a laboratory atmosphere

Pseudoaneurysm formation following a traumatic wrist laceration

Pseudoaneurysms occur secondary to partial disruption of the arterial wall. They are a commonly described complication of arterial injury, with penetrating injury and iatrogenic arterial catheterization being the most common etiologies in children. Many present weeks to months after the injury, and the initial vascular injury is often missed. The complications of pseudo-aneurysm, which include thromboembolism, neurapraxia, and compartment syndrome, underscore the importance of early recognition and management. Definitive therapy consists of ultrasound-guided compression or resection and possible graft interposition. We describe a case of pseudoaneurysm forma-tionin the radial artery of an adolescent girl 6 weeks following a penetrating injury. The patient\u27s injury was complicated by sensory and motor deficits consistent with ulnar nerve compression. This case attests to the importance of adequately ruling out arterial injury in penetrating injury and close follow-up if the history is suggestive. In addition, a high index of suspicion is warranted to facilitate imaging of a pulsatile mass to avoid confusion of a thrombosed artery with an abscess

Variables associated with intravenous rehydration and hospitalization in children with acute gastroenteritis: A secondary analysis of 2 randomized clinical trials

Importance: Despite guidelines endorsing oral rehydration therapy, intravenous fluids are commonly administered to children with acute gastroenteritis in high-income countries. Objective: To identify factors associated with intravenous fluid administration and hospitalization in children with acute gastroenteritis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This study is a planned secondary analysis of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) probiotic trials. Participants include children aged 3 to 48 months with 3 or more watery stools in 24 hours between November 5, 2013, and April 7, 2017, for the PERC study and July 8, 2014, and June 23, 2017, for the PECARN Study. Children were from 16 pediatric emergency departments throughout Canada (6) and the US (10). Data were analyzed from November 2, 2018, to March 16, 2021. Exposures: Sex, age, preceding health care visit, distance between home and hospital, country (US vs Canada), frequency and duration of vomiting and diarrhea, presence of fever, Clinical Dehydration Scale score, oral ondansetron followed by oral rehydration therapy, and infectious agent. Main Outcomes and Measures: Intravenous fluid administration and hospitalization. Results: This secondary analysis of 2 randomized clinical trials included 1846 children (mean [SD] age, 19.1 [11.4] months; 1007 boys [54.6%]), of whom 534 of 1846 (28.9%) received oral ondansetron, 240 of 1846 (13.0%) received intravenous rehydration, and 67 of 1846 (3.6%) were hospitalized. The following were independently associated with intravenous rehydration: higher Clinical Dehydration Scale score (mild to moderate vs none, odds ratio [OR], 8.73; 95% CI, 5.81-13.13; and severe vs none, OR, 34.15; 95% CI, 13.45-86.73); country (US vs Canada, OR, 6.76; 95% CI, 3.15-14.49); prior health care visit with intravenous fluids (OR, 4.55; 95% CI, 1.32-15.72); and frequency of vomiting (per 5 episodes, OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.39-1.99). The following were independently associated with hospitalization: higher Clinical Dehydration Scale score (mild to moderate vs none, OR, 11.10; 95% CI, 5.05-24.38; and severe vs none, OR, 23.55; 95% CI, 7.09-78.25) and country (US vs Canada, OR, 3.37; 95% CI, 1.36-8.40). Oral ondansetron was associated with reduced odds of intravenous rehydration (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.13-0.32) and hospitalization (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.21-0.89). Conclusions and Relevance: Intravenous rehydration and hospitalization were associated with clinical evidence of dehydration and lack of an oral ondansetron-supported oral rehydration period. Strategies focusing on oral ondansetron administration followed by oral rehydration therapy in children with dehydration may reduce the reliance on intravenous rehydration and hospitalization. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT01853124 (PERC) and NCT01773967 (PECARN)

Enabling Automation in Clinical Research Administration through Good Data Management

The amount of clinical trials moving through the clinical trial lifecycle pipeline continues to increase every year. From 2000 to 2013, the number of registered clinical trials increased by two orders of magnitude. Also increasing are the amount of steps and processes both scientific and administrative required for a clinical trial to proceed through the pipeline. This trend contributes to increasing study complexity and burden of work on clinical research administrators. Traditional methods of facilitating and completing clinical research administrative tasks may not be effective in dealing with increasing numbers of simultaneous trials and increasing number of required processes to complete. There is a risk of further increasing the time of the clinical trial lifecycle due to overloaded clinical research administration. In this paper, concepts of clinical data management are introduced in the context of clinical research administration. Key data points common within clinical research administrative activities are presented, along with application of that data in improving clinical research administration efficiency through both non-programmatic and programmatic automation, reducing administrative work burden, costs, and ensuring current turnaround time for work processes will not be impacted by increasing workload