Stability of hard tissue profile after mandibular setback in sagittal split osteotomies: a longitudinal and long-term follow-up study

The aim of the study was to conduct a long-term follow-up on the stability of the hard tissues after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) with rigid internal fixation (RIF)to set back the mandible and to compare it with that of mandibular advancement performed by the same team of surgeons and with the same examination protocol. Seventeen consecutive patients (6 females and 11 males) could be re-examined 12.7 years (T5) after surgery. The previous examinations were before surgery (T1), 5 days (T2), and 6.6 (T3) and 14.4 (T4) months after surgery. Lateral cephalograms were traced by hand, digitized, and evaluated with the Dentofacial Planner software program. The x-axis for the system of co-ordinates ran through sella (point zero) and the line nasion-sella-line minus 7 degrees. The program determined the x- and y-values of each variable and the usual angles and distances. The effects of treatment were determined with Wilcoxon matched pairs, signed ranks test, with Bonferroni adjustment, and the relationship between variables with Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Relapse at point B was 0.94 mm or 15 per cent and at pogonion 1.46 mm or 21 per cent of the initial setback at T5. Relapse was mainly short-term (T4-T2), 13 per cent for point B and 17 per cent for pogonion. Gender correlated significantly with relapse (T5-T2) at point B (P = 0.002) and pogonion (P = 0.021), i.e. females in contrast to males showed further distalization of the mandible instead of relapse. No correlations were seen for age or the amount of surgical setback. The long-term results in mandibular setback patients were more stable when compared with the mandibular advancement patients examined previously. The initial soft tissue profile, the initial growth direction, and the remodelling processes of the hard tissues must be considered as reasons for long-term relapse. Growth direction positively influenced the long-term results in females: further distalization of the mandible occurred.

Adenovirus-mediated transforming growth factor-beta ameliorates ischemic necrosis of epigastric skin flaps in a rat model

BACKGROUND: Gene therapy has been recently introduced as a novel approach to treat ischemic tissues by using the angiogenic potential of certain growth factors. We investigated the effect of adenovirus-mediated gene therapy with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) delivered into the subdermal space to treat ischemically challenged epigastric skin flaps in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A pilot study was conducted in a group of 5 animals pretreated with Ad-GFP and expression of green fluorescent protein in the skin flap sections was demonstrated under fluorescence microscopy at 2, 4, and 7 days after the treatment, indicating a successful transfection of the skin flaps following subdermal gene therapy. Next, 30 male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups of 10 rats each. An epigastric skin flap model, based solely on the right inferior epigastric vessels, was used as the model in this study. Rats received subdermal injections of adenovirus encoding TGF-beta (Ad-TGF-beta) or green fluorescent protein (Ad-GFP) as treatment control. The third group (n = 10) received saline and served as a control group. A flap measuring 8 x 8 cm was outlined on the abdominal skin extending from the xiphoid process proximally and the pubic region distally, to the anterior axillary lines bilaterally. Just prior to flap elevation, the injections were given subdermally in the left upper corner of the flap. The flap was then sutured back to its bed. Flap viability was evaluated seven days after the initial operation. Digital images of the epigastric flaps were taken and areas of necrotic zones relative to total flap surface area were measured and expressed as percentages by using a software program. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in mean percent surviving area between the Ad-TGF-beta group and the two other control groups (P < 0.05). (Ad-TGF-beta: 90.3 +/- 4.0% versus Ad-GFP: 82.2 +/- 8.7% and saline group: 82.6 +/- 4.3%.) CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the authors were able to demonstrate that adenovirus-mediated gene therapy using TGF-beta ameliorated ischemic necrosis in an epigastric skin flap model, as confirmed by significant reduction in the necrotic zones of the flap. The results of this study raise the possibility of using adenovirus-mediated TGF-beta gene therapy to promote perfusion in random portion of skin flaps, especially in high-risk patients.

Prosthetically driven, computer-guided implant planning for the edentulous maxilla: a model study

OBJECTIVES: To analyze computer-assisted diagnostics and virtual implant planning and to evaluate the indication for template-guided flapless surgery and immediate loading in the rehabilitation of the edentulous maxilla. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with an edentulous maxilla were selected for this study. The three-dimensional analysis and virtual implant planning was performed with the NobelGuide software program (Nobel Biocare, Göteborg, Sweden). Prior to the computer tomography aesthetics and functional aspects were checked clinically. Either a well-fitting denture or an optimized prosthetic setup was used and then converted to a radiographic template. This allowed for a computer-guided analysis of the jaw together with the prosthesis. Accordingly, the best implant position was determined in relation to the bone structure and prospective tooth position. For all jaws, the hypothetical indication for (1) four implants with a bar overdenture and (2) six implants with a simple fixed prosthesis were planned. The planning of the optimized implant position was then analyzed as follows: the number of implants was calculated that could be placed in sufficient quantity of bone. Additional surgical procedures (guided bone regeneration, sinus floor elevation) that would be necessary due the reduced bone quality and quantity were identified. The indication of template-guided, flapless surgery or an immediate loaded protocol was evaluated. RESULTS: Model (a) - bar overdentures: for 28 patients (70%), all four implants could be placed in sufficient bone (total 112 implants). Thus, a full, flapless procedure could be suggested. For six patients (15%), sufficient bone was not available for any of their planned implants. The remaining six patients had exhibited a combination of sufficient or insufficient bone. Model (b) - simple fixed prosthesis: for 12 patients (30%), all six implants could be placed in sufficient bone (total 72 implants). Thus, a full, flapless procedure could be suggested. For seven patients (17%), sufficient bone was not available for any of their planned implants. The remaining 21 patients had exhibited a combination of sufficient or insufficient bone. DISCUSSION: In the maxilla, advanced atrophy is often observed, and implant placement becomes difficult or impossible. Thus, flapless surgery or an immediate loading protocol can be performed just in a selected number of patients. Nevertheless, the use of a computer program for prosthetically driven implant planning is highly efficient and safe. The three-dimensional view of the maxilla allows the determination of the best implant position, the optimization of the implant axis, and the definition of the best surgical and prosthetic solution for the patient. Thus, a protocol that combines a computer-guided technique with conventional surgical procedures becomes a promising option, which needs to be further evaluated and improved.

A survey of paediatric HIV programmatic and clinical management practices in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa--the International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA)

INTRODUCTION There are limited data on paediatric HIV care and treatment programmes in low-resource settings. METHODS A standardized survey was completed by International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS paediatric cohort sites in the regions of Asia-Pacific (AP), Central Africa (CA), East Africa (EA), Southern Africa (SA) and West Africa (WA) to understand operational resource availability and paediatric management practices. Data were collected through January 2010 using a secure, web-based software program (REDCap). RESULTS A total of 64,552 children were under care at 63 clinics (AP, N=10; CA, N=4; EA, N=29; SA, N=10; WA, N=10). Most were in urban settings (N=41, 65%) and received funding from governments (N=51, 81%), PEPFAR (N=34, 54%), and/or the Global Fund (N=15, 24%). The majority were combined adult-paediatric clinics (N=36, 57%). Prevention of mother-to-child transmission was integrated at 35 (56%) sites; 89% (N=56) had access to DNA PCR for infant diagnosis. African (N=40/53) but not Asian sites recommended exclusive breastfeeding up until 4-6 months. Regular laboratory monitoring included CD4 (N=60, 95%), and viral load (N=24, 38%). Although 42 (67%) sites had the ability to conduct acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smears, 23 (37%) sites could conduct AFB cultures and 18 (29%) sites could conduct tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing. Loss to follow-up was defined as >3 months of lost contact for 25 (40%) sites, >6 months for 27 sites (43%) and >12 months for 6 sites (10%). Telephone calls (N=52, 83%) and outreach worker home visits to trace children lost to follow-up (N=45, 71%) were common. CONCLUSIONS In general, there was a high level of patient and laboratory monitoring within this multiregional paediatric cohort consortium that will facilitate detailed observational research studies. Practices will continue to be monitored as the WHO/UNAIDS Treatment 2.0 framework is implemented.

Radiographic volume analysis as a novel tool to determine nasopalatine duct cyst dimensions and its association with presenting symptoms and postoperative complications

OBJECTIVES The aims of the study were to use cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of nasopalatine duct cysts (NPDC) and to calculate the diameter, surface area, and 3D-volume using a custom-made software program. Furthermore, any associations of dimensions of NPDC with age, gender, presence/absence of maxillary incisors/canines (MI/MC), endodontic treatment of MI/MC, presenting symptoms, and postoperative complications were evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study comprised 40 patients with a histopathologically confirmed NPDC. On preoperative CBCT scans, curves delineating the cystic borders were drawn in all planes and the widest diameter (in millimeter), surface area (in square millimeter), and volume (in cubic millimeter) were calculated. RESULTS The overall mean cyst diameter was 15 mm (range 7-47 mm), the mean cyst surface area 566 mm(2) (84-4,516 mm(2)), and the mean cyst volume 1,735 mm(3) (65-25,350 mm(3)). For 22 randomly allocated cases, a second measurement resulted in a mean absolute aberration of ±4.2 % for the volume, ±2.8 % for the surface, and ±4.9 % for the diameter. A statistically significant association was found for the CBCT determined cyst measurements and the need for preoperative endodontic treatment to MI/MC and for postoperative complications. CONCLUSION In the hands of a single experienced operator, the novel software exhibited high repeatability for measurements of cyst dimensions. Further studies are needed to assess the application of this tool for dimensional analysis of different jaw cysts and lesions including treatment planning. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Accurate radiographic information of the bone volume lost (osteolysis) due to expansion of a cystic lesion in three dimensions could help in personalized treatment planning.

Intervening to reach adolescents and affect health

Background. Assessing the health status of adolescents is challenging for health care providers. Personal disclosure has been associated with improved health outcomes. Story-centered care was examined as an intervention for promoting adolescent disclosure during an urgent care visit. ^ Objectives. This study explored: (1) the effectiveness of story-centered care for promoting adolescent disclosure; (2) health-associated words used by adolescents to describe pressing concerns after an urgent care visit when they had standard care (SC) or story-centered care (SCC) conducted by a Nurse Practitioner (NP). ^ Methods. Subjects were randomly assigned to SC or SCC. In SC, adolescent presenting concerns were identified and treated. In SCC, presenting concerns were treated and NP-adolescent dialogue, facilitated through a screening tool, queried matters of importance to adolescent life. After the visit, adolescents wrote about pressing concerns for 15 minutes. Written words were analyzed with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, a software program for analyzing narrative. Ratios were calculated for the number of words (adolescent: NP) used during the urgent care visit. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate gender-intervention differences in health-associated words. ^ Results. One hundred and six adolescents [Hispanic (65%), White (35%)] completed the study. Fifty-five were female; the average age was 17 (sd = 2.1) years. ^ Adolescents in the story intervention used more words (adolescent: NP, 1:1.3) than those in standard intervention (adolescent: NP, 1:2.7) in proportion to the number of words used by the NP during the urgent care visit. There were gender-intervention differences (p < .01) in positive emotion words and past-tense words in writings about pressing concerns. Males who received the story intervention used more positive emotion and less past-tense words than adolescent males with standard care. Females used more social words (p < .01) in their writings regardless of intervention group. ^ Conclusion. SCC enhanced adolescent disclosure during an urgent care visit. Adolescents will talk to health care providers during episodic visits and males may benefit more than girls may from this approach. Evidence suggests there is value in attending to both presenting and pressing concerns of adolescents. ^

Cultural competence in an HIV dedicated dental clinic: Application of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS)

This dissertation investigated perspectives on cultural competence among African-American women patients, staff, and the administrator of a dental clinic serving people living with HIV/AIDS; and evaluated the role of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS) in advancing the provision of culturally competent care in the clinic. ^ The study was qualitative with data collection via focus groups and individual interviews with a sample of African-American women patients, and individual interviews with a sample of staff and the clinic administrator. Transcripts were coded and themes identified using the software program ATLAS.ti. A cultural audit template was developed and applied to evaluate cultural competency. ^ Among attitudes and behaviors that contributed to the provision of culturally competent care at the clinic were respect and empathic communication. Formal cultural competency was not featured strongly in the methods by which the staff learned to work with diverse populations. Instead cultural competence among the staff was based on thoughtful hiring practices, natural aptitude and a climate that encouraged learning through informal sharing of experiences. The staff and administrator felt that an African-American dentist would be an asset in improving culturally competent care at the clinic. Previous research and national policy also promote the provider-patient racial/ethnic concordance to improve care. In this study, however, the patients were happy with the care provided regardless of the race/ethnicity of the staff, probably reflecting the well developed cultural competence skills of clinic staff overall. ^ The clinic administrator was unaware of the CLAS standards although the clinic was implicitly operated under their mandates. This occurred because the clinic is supported by federal funding and the CLAS standards were incorporated into the requirements. Incorporation into and monitoring of the CLAS standards in federally funded programs therefore appears to be an effective means for ensuring that they are implemented. ^ This study illustrates that cultural competence, though not universally understood, can be systematically investigated to identify what constitutes appropriate care and the factors that support or inhibit it. Among important elements of culturally competent care are respect and empathic communication. ^

Practice and attitude differences in physician cigarette use: A study of prevalence, physicians' role, and smoking policy awareness in Dubai, UAE

The use of tobacco products ruins the health of millions of people around the world. On average, tobacco users die nearly seven years earlier than non-tobacco users. n1 Cigarette smoking is a particular concern in the developing countries of the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region where smoking prevalence is expected to increase. This is due to the tobacco industry's vigorous commercial and marketing activities. n3 Smoking prevalence among physicians is considered to be an effective indicator of a society's readiness to identify the smoking epidemic and its related health diseases. n4 There is a lack of detailed data on the smoking prevalence among healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This cross sectional study is the first to address smoking practices among physicians working at the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS); in Dubai, UAE. ^ This study describes the cigarette smoking prevalence among DOHMS Physicians, physician attitudes towards tobacco use and tobacco bans; physician attitudes towards smoking cessation techniques (among smokers and non-smokers); and physician awareness of official anti-smoking policies. Data for the study was collected through the use of an adapted WHO standardized questionnaire, the Global Health Professionals Survey. The questionnaire was administered by the researcher to physicians (n=288) at their work place. Date was analyzed using the SPSS analytic software program. ^ Twelve percent of DOHMS physicians smoked cigarettes. Regardless of smoking status, the majority supported a tobacco ban in hospitals and public places, and a ban on tobacco advertising. There is a significant relationship between physician smoking status and discussing risks of tobacco use (p < 0.05). Non-smoking physicians reported spending more time with patients discussing hazards of smoking (p < 0.01). Non-smokers reported providing more counseling than their smoking colleagues. The majority of DOHMS physicians (63%) reported a lack of knowledge about 5As/ 5Rs. The majority of physicians also reported they are aware of hospital smoking policies that restrict smoking. Regardless of physician smoking status, DOHMS physicians are not very actively involved in smoking cessation activities. This cross sectional study is the first to address smoking programs, policies, and practices among physicians in Dubai, UAE. Findings support the need for increased physical smoking cessation training as well as the development of smoking cessation programs for tobacco control, and programs with a focus on physician participation in reducing tobacco and cigarette use among the general population.^

Simulation of the transmission performance for equalized holographic ROADM designs

A complete simulation of the transmission performance for Equalized Holographic ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) designs is presented in this paper. These devices can address several wavelengths from the input to different output fibres, according to the holograms stored in a SLM (Spatial Light Modulator), where all the outputs are equalized in power. All combinations of the input wavelengths are possible at the different output fibres. To simulate the transmission performance of the EH-ROADM, a software program, from Optiwave, has been used. The correspondence between physical blocks of the device (grating, SLM, lens...) and those simulated in the program (filters, losses, splitters...) has been defined in order to obtain a close agreement between the theoretical transmission performance and the simulated one. To complete the review about Equalized Holographic ROADMs some guidelines about its design have been done.

Sistema para la administración, control y seguimiento de reuniones institucionales

System for the management, control and monitoring of institutional meetings, is a software program for keeping documents by institutional meetings and store them electronically, speeding up the search for documents and organizing meetings , this software application is able schedule meetings of selecting date and place where the meeting take place , this type of action to be c arried out under the management of people registered software to do so, the administrator assigns permissions to each user, so you can schedule your own meetings , thus can avoid conflicts and develop in a timely manner. For a meeting, a process that includes everything from the type of meeting, status, agreements among other things will be.

Volume Haptics and Dendritic Spine Editing

Esta tesis se ha desarrollado en el contexto del proyecto Cajal Blue Brain, una iniciativa europea dedicada al estudio del cerebro. Uno de los objetivos de esta iniciativa es desarrollar nuevos métodos y nuevas tecnologías que simplifiquen el análisis de datos en el campo neurocientífico. El presente trabajo se ha centrado en diseñar herramientas que combinen información proveniente de distintos canales sensoriales con el fin de acelerar la interacción y análisis de imágenes neurocientíficas. En concreto se estudiará la posibilidad de combinar información visual con información háptica. Las espinas dendríticas son pequeñas protuberancias que recubren la superficie dendrítica de muchas neuronas del cerebro. A día de hoy, se cree que tienen un papel clave en la transmisión de señales neuronales. Motivo por el cual, el interés por parte de la comunidad científica por estas estructuras ha ido en aumento a medida que las técnicas de adquisición de imágenes mejoraban hasta alcanzar una calidad suficiente para analizar dichas estructuras. A menudo, los neurocientíficos utilizan técnicas de microscopía con luz para obtener los datos que les permitan analizar estructuras neuronales tales como neuronas, dendritas y espinas dendríticas. A pesar de que estas técnicas ofrezcan ciertas ventajas frente a su equivalente electrónico, las técnicas basadas en luz permiten una menor resolución. En particular, estructuras pequeñas como las espinas dendríticas pueden capturarse de forma incorrecta en las imágenes obtenidas, impidiendo su análisis. En este trabajo, se presenta una nueva técnica, que permite editar imágenes volumétricas, mediante un dispositivo háptico, con el fin de reconstruir de los cuellos de las espinas dendríticas. Con este objetivo, en un primer momento se desarrolló un algoritmo que proporciona retroalimentación háptica en datos volumétricos, completando la información que provine del canal visual. Dicho algoritmo de renderizado háptico permite a los usuarios tocar y percibir una isosuperficie en el volumen de datos. El algoritmo asegura un renderizado robusto y eficiente. Se utiliza un método basado en las técnicas de “marching tetrahedra” para la extracción local de una isosuperficie continua, lineal y definida por intervalos. La robustez deriva tanto de una etapa de detección de colisiones continua de la isosuperficie extraída, como del uso de técnicas eficientes de renderizado basadas en un proxy puntual. El método de “marching tetrahedra” propuesto garantiza que la topología de la isosuperficie extraída coincida con la topología de una isosuperficie equivalente determinada utilizando una interpolación trilineal. Además, con el objetivo de mejorar la coherencia entre la información háptica y la información visual, el algoritmo de renderizado háptico calcula un segundo proxy en la isosuperficie pintada en la pantalla. En este trabajo se demuestra experimentalmente las mejoras en, primero, la etapa de extracción de isosuperficie, segundo, la robustez a la hora de mantener el proxy en la isosuperficie deseada y finalmente la eficiencia del algoritmo. En segundo lugar, a partir del algoritmo de renderizado háptico propuesto, se desarrolló un procedimiento, en cuatro etapas, para la reconstrucción de espinas dendríticas. Este procedimiento, se puede integrar en los cauces de segmentación automática y semiautomática existentes como una etapa de pre-proceso previa. El procedimiento está diseñando para que tanto la navegación como el proceso de edición en sí mismo estén controlados utilizando un dispositivo háptico. Se han diseñado dos experimentos para evaluar esta técnica. El primero evalúa la aportación de la retroalimentación háptica y el segundo se centra en evaluar la idoneidad del uso de un háptico como dispositivo de entrada. En ambos casos, los resultados demuestran que nuestro procedimiento mejora la precisión de la reconstrucción. En este trabajo se describen también dos casos de uso de nuestro procedimiento en el ámbito de la neurociencia: el primero aplicado a neuronas situadas en la corteza cerebral humana y el segundo aplicado a espinas dendríticas situadas a lo largo de neuronas piramidales de la corteza del cerebro de una rata. Por último, presentamos el programa, Neuro Haptic Editor, desarrollado a lo largo de esta tesis junto con los diferentes algoritmos ya mencionados. ABSTRACT This thesis took place within the Cajal Blue Brain project, a European initiative dedicated to the study of the brain. One of the main goals of this project is the development of new methods and technologies simplifying data analysis in neuroscience. This thesis focused on the development of tools combining information originating from distinct sensory channels with the aim of accelerating both the interaction with neuroscience images and their analysis. In concrete terms, the objective is to study the possibility of combining visual information with haptic information. Dendritic spines are thin protrusions that cover the dendritic surface of numerous neurons in the brain and whose function seems to play a key role in neural circuits. The interest of the neuroscience community toward those structures kept increasing as and when acquisition methods improved, eventually to the point that the produced datasets enabled their analysis. Quite often, neuroscientists use light microscopy techniques to produce the dataset that will allow them to analyse neuronal structures such as neurons, dendrites and dendritic spines. While offering some advantages compared to their electronic counterpart, light microscopy techniques achieve lower resolutions. Particularly, small structures such as dendritic spines might suffer from a very low level of fluorescence in the final dataset, preventing further analysis. This thesis introduces a new technique enabling the edition of volumetric datasets in order to recreate dendritic spine necks using a haptic device. In order to fulfil this objective, we first presented an algorithm to provide haptic feedback directly from volumetric datasets, as an aid to regular visualization. The haptic rendering algorithm lets users perceive isosurfaces in volumetric datasets, and it relies on several design features that ensure a robust and efficient rendering. A marching tetrahedra approach enables the dynamic extraction of a piecewise linear continuous isosurface. Robustness is derived using a Continuous Collision Detection step coupled with acknowledged proxy-based rendering methods over the extracted isosurface. The introduced marching tetrahedra approach guarantees that the extracted isosurface will match the topology of an equivalent isosurface computed using trilinear interpolation. The proposed haptic rendering algorithm improves the coherence between haptic and visual cues computing a second proxy on the isosurface displayed on screen. Three experiments demonstrate the improvements on the isosurface extraction stage as well as the robustness and the efficiency of the complete algorithm. We then introduce our four-steps procedure for the complete reconstruction of dendritic spines. Based on our haptic rendering algorithm, this procedure is intended to work as an image processing stage before the automatic segmentation step giving the final representation of the dendritic spines. The procedure is designed to allow both the navigation and the volume image editing to be carried out using a haptic device. We evaluated our procedure through two experiments. The first experiment concerns the benefits of the force feedback and the second checks the suitability of the use of a haptic device as input. In both cases, the results shows that the procedure improves the editing accuracy. We also report two concrete cases where our procedure was employed in the neuroscience field, the first one concerning dendritic spines in the human cortex, the second one referring to an ongoing experiment studying dendritic spines along dendrites of mouse cortical pyramidal neurons. Finally, we present the software program, Neuro Haptic Editor, that was built along the development of the different algorithms implemented during this thesis, and used by neuroscientists to use our procedure.

An Evaluation of Applicant Tracking Systems for Recruiting Efficiency

The very purpose of a recruiting software program is to help the management of organizations, primarily the HR department to keep track of the job applications. An applicant tracking system can reduce an organization's overall recruitment cost, increase productivity, and raise the level of satisfaction due to faster and better completion of transactions and services. This project analyzes four software providers to discover an applicant tracking system which best suits an organization's recruiting needs. The capstone also highlights that great success an organization can be achieved by significantly improving the delivery of its recruiting services to employees, managers and applicants. The adoption of a well managed applicant tracking system can support this goal.

Boston, Massachusetts Region, Digital Elevation Model with Bathymetry

This raster layer represents surface elevation and bathymetry data for the Boston Region, Massachusetts. It was created by merging portions of MassGIS Digital Elevation Model 1:5,000 (2005) data with NOAA Estuarine Bathymetric Digital Elevation Models (30 m.) (1998). DEM data was derived from the digital terrain models that were produced as part of the MassGIS 1:5,000 Black and White Digital Orthophoto imagery project. Cellsize is 5 meters by 5 meters. Each cell has a floating point value, in meters, which represents its elevation above or below sea level.

Phase equilibria in the ZnO-rich area of the Fe-Zn-O system in air

The phase equilibria in the Fe-Zn-O system in the range 900-1580degreesC in air have been experimentally studied using equilibration and quenching techniques. The compositions of the phases at equilibrium were determined using electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA). The ferrous and ferric bulk iron concentrations were measured with a wet chemical analysis using the ammonium metavanadate technique. X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD) was used to characterise the phases. Iron oxide dissolved in zincite was found to be present principally in the ferric form. The XRD analysis and the composition measurements both indicate that zincite is the only phase stable in the ZnO-rich area in the range of conditions investigated. The solubility of the iron oxide in zincite rapidly increases at temperatures above 1200degreesC; the morphology of the zincite crystals also sharply changes between 1200 and 1300degreesC from rounded to plate-like crystals. The plate-like zincite forms a refractory network-the type of microstructure beneficial to the Imperial Smelting Process (ISP) sinter performance. The software program FactSage with a thermodynamically optimised database was used to predict phase equilibria in the Fe-Zn-O system.

mecA locus diversity in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Brisbane, Australia, and the development of a novel diagnostic procedure for the Western Samoan phage pattern clone

An emerging public health phenomenon is the increasing incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections that are acquired outside of health care facilities. One lineage of community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) is known as the Western Samoan phage pattern (WSPP) clone. The central aim of this study was to develop an efficient genotyping procedure for the identification of WSPP isolates. The approach taken was to make use of the highly variable region downstream of mecA in combination with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) defined by the S. aureus multilocus sequence typing (MLST) database. The premise was that a combinatorial genotyping method that interrogated both a highly variable region and the genomic backbone would deliver a high degree of informative power relative to the number of genetic polymorphisms-interrogated. Thirty-five MRSA isolates were used for this study, and their gene contents and order downstream of mecA were determined. The CA-MRSA isolates were found to contain a truncated mecA downstream region consisting of mecA-HVR-IS431 mec-dcs-Ins117, and a PCR-based method for identifying this structure was developed. The hospital-acquired isolates were found to contain eight different mecA downstream regions, three of which were novel. The Minimum SNPs computer software program was used to mine the S. aureus MLST database, and the arcC 2726 polymorph was identified as 82% discriminatory for ST-30. A real-time PCR assay was developed to interrogate this SNP. We found that the assay for the truncated mecA downstream region in combination with the interrogation of arcC position 272 provided an unambiguous identification of WSPP isolates.