Ground-water levels and pumpage in the East St. Louis area, Illinois, 1978-1980

Cover title."ISWS/CIR-165/86."Bibliography: p. 32

An Internet for Water: Connecting Texas Water Data

The Connecting Texas Water Data Workshop brought together experts representative of Texas’ water sectors to engage in the identification of critical water data needs and to discuss the design of a data system that facilitates access to and the use of public water data in Texas. Workshop participants identified “use cases” that list data gaps, needs, and uses for water data and answered questions on who needs data, what data do they need, in what form do they need the data, and what decisions need to be made about water in Texas. They described desires for future water data management and access practices and articulated key attributes of a comprehensive, open access, public water data information system. Next, steps were described to include a subset of workshop participants meeting regularly to further define the goals of a Texas public water data hub, develop a strawman of the hub’s structure, characterize several use cases, and facilitate development of pilot projects that demonstrate the value of connected public water data for improved decision making

Evaluation of in-plant ergonomics training

Plant personnel involved in a joint labor-management Ergonomics Pilot Project attended an introductory ergonomics course. The training was developed to provide trainees with the ergonomic knowledge necessary to perform their functions as part of the Ergonomic Pilot Project. A Train-the-Trainer program for Introductory Ergonomics was developed and implemented to provide Pilot Project plants with in-plant Introductory Ergonomics trainers. Trainee course satisfaction, ergonomic knowledge, and performance did not differ significantly for those trained by in-plant trainers compared to those trained by University instructors. This suggests that the Train-the-Trainer approach is a viable way of meeting the increasing demand for ergonomics training in industry.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29101/1/0000137.pd

Volume 19. Article 2. Aspects of oceanography of Long Island Sound.

https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/bulletin_yale_bingham_oceanographic_collection/1166/thumbnail.jp

Consensus of the definitions of the OMERACT glucocorticoid impact core domain set for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases

Background: The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Glucocorticoid (GC) Impact Working Grouphas been working to develop a core domain set to measure the impact of GCs on patients living with rheumaticand musculoskeletal diseases. The mandatory domains previously identified for inclusion in all clinical trialsmeasuring the GC effects include infection, bone fragility, mood disturbance, hypertension, diabetes, weight,fatigue, and mortality. Before progressing to instrument selection, the Working Group sought to establish precisedefinitions of all mandatory domains within the core domain set.Methods: OMERACT methodology was applied with the use of evidence and consensus-based decision making ofall stakeholder groups (patient research partners, health care professionals, clinician researchers, industrymembers and methodologists) to develop detailed definitions for the broad domain, target domain and domaincomponents, taking into consideration sources of variability that could affect measurement of the domain. Theworking group synthesized prior qualitative studies, quantitative work, and results from Delphi rounds, todevelop a rich definition of ‘what’ is to be measured.Results: Between 2021 and 2023, the OMERACT Working Group on GC Impact conducted virtual meetings toestablish domain definitions. First, we mapped each domain onto an OMERACT Core Area. All domains wereprimarily represented within the Pathophysiological Manifestations Core Area, except from Fatigue which wasprimarily Life Impact and Weight which spanned both Core Areas. Sources of variability included cultural factors, age, gender, education level, socioeconomic status, personal experiences, emotional state, and languagebarriers. The domain definitions will form the foundation for instrument selection and the initial step of domain /concept match and content validity in the OMERACT pillar of ‘truth’ before moving on to feasibility anddiscrimination.Conclusion: The OMERACT GC Impact Working Group has developed and agreed upon detailed domain definitions for core domains. Future steps of the working group are to select instruments and develop the core outcom

Advanced EFL learners' beliefs about language learning and teaching: a comparison between grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary

This paper reports on the results of a study exploring learners’ beliefs on the learning and teaching of English grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary at tertiary level. While the importance of learners’ beliefs on the acquisition process is generally recognized, few studies have focussed on and compared learners’ views on different components of the language system. A questionnaire containing semantic scale and Likert scale items probing learners’ views on grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary was designed and completed by 117 native speakers of Dutch in Flanders, who were studying English at university. The analysis of the responses revealed that (i) vocabulary was considered to be different from grammar and pronunciation, both in the extent to which an incorrect use could lead to communication breakdown and with respect to the learners’ language learning strategies, (ii) learners believed in the feasibility of achieving a native-like proficiency in all three components, and (iii) in-class grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary exercises were considered to be useful, even at tertiary level. The results are discussed in light of pedagogical approaches to language teaching

Low-cost, high-resolution imaging for detecting cervical precancer in medically-underserved areas of Texas

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer rates in the United States have declined since the 1940\u27s, however, cervical cancer incidence remains elevated in medically-underserved areas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border. High-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) is a low-cost, in vivo imaging technique that can identify high-grade precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2+) at the point-of-care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of HRME in medically-underserved areas in Texas, comparing results to a tertiary academic medical center. METHODS: HRME was evaluated in five different outpatient clinical settings, two in Houston and three in the RGV, with medical providers of varying skill and training. Colposcopy, followed by HRME imaging, was performed on eligible women. The sensitivity and specificity of traditional colposcopy and colposcopy followed by HRME to detect CIN2+ were compared and HRME image quality was evaluated. RESULTS: 174 women (227 cervical sites) were included in the final analysis, with 12% (11% of cervical sites) diagnosed with CIN2+ on histopathology. On a per-site basis, a colposcopic impression of low-grade precancer or greater had a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 45% to detect CIN2+. While there was no significant difference in sensitivity (76%, p = 0.62), the specificity when using HRME was significantly higher than that of traditional colposcopy (56%, p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in HRME image quality between clinical sites (p = 0.77) or medical providers (p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: HRME imaging increased the specificity for detecting CIN2+ when compared to traditional colposcopy. HRME image quality remained consistent across different clinical settings

Low-cost, high-resolution imaging for detecting cervical precancer in medically-underserved areas of Texas

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer rates in the United States have declined since the 1940\u27s, however, cervical cancer incidence remains elevated in medically-underserved areas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border. High-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) is a low-cost, in vivo imaging technique that can identify high-grade precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2+) at the point-of-care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of HRME in medically-underserved areas in Texas, comparing results to a tertiary academic medical center. METHODS: HRME was evaluated in five different outpatient clinical settings, two in Houston and three in the RGV, with medical providers of varying skill and training. Colposcopy, followed by HRME imaging, was performed on eligible women. The sensitivity and specificity of traditional colposcopy and colposcopy followed by HRME to detect CIN2+ were compared and HRME image quality was evaluated. RESULTS: 174 women (227 cervical sites) were included in the final analysis, with 12% (11% of cervical sites) diagnosed with CIN2+ on histopathology. On a per-site basis, a colposcopic impression of low-grade precancer or greater had a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 45% to detect CIN2+. While there was no significant difference in sensitivity (76%, p = 0.62), the specificity when using HRME was significantly higher than that of traditional colposcopy (56%, p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in HRME image quality between clinical sites (p = 0.77) or medical providers (p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: HRME imaging increased the specificity for detecting CIN2+ when compared to traditional colposcopy. HRME image quality remained consistent across different clinical settings

NOMINAL VALUES FOR SELECTED SOLAR AND PLANETARY QUANTITIES: IAU 2015 RESOLUTION B3

In this brief communication we provide the rationale for and the outcome of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) resolution vote at the XXIXth General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2015, on recommended nominal conversion constants for selected solar and planetary properties. The problem addressed by the resolution is a lack of established conversion constants between solar and planetary values and SI units: a missing standard has caused a proliferation of solar values (e.g., solar radius, solar irradiance, solar luminosity, solar effective temperature, and solar mass parameter) in the literature, with cited solar values typically based on best estimates at the time of paper writing. As precision of observations increases, a set of consistent values becomes increasingly important. To address this, an IAU Working Group on Nominal Units for Stellar and Planetary Astronomy formed in 2011, uniting experts from the solar, stellar, planetary, exoplanetary, and fundamental astronomy, as well as from general standards fields to converge on optimal values for nominal conversion constants. The effort resulted in the IAU 2015 Resolution B3, passed at the IAU General Assembly by a large majority. The resolution recommends the use of nominal solar and planetary values, which are by definition exact and are expressed in SI units. These nominal values should be understood as conversion factors only, not as the true solar/planetary properties or current best estimates. Authors and journal editors are urged to join in using the standard values set forth by this resolution in future work and publications to help minimize further confusion

Language and social/emotional problems identified at a universal developmental assessment at 30 months

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD