Unit In Year Research Articles

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Age spread in the star forming region NGC 6530 from the HR diagram and gravity indicators

Context. In very young clusters, stellar age distribution is empirical proof of the duration of star cluster formation and thus it gives indications of the physical mechanisms involved in the star formation process. Determining the amount of interstellar extinction and the correct reddening law are crucial steps to derive fundamental stellar parameters and in particular accurate ages from the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Aims. In this context, we seek to derive accurate stellar ages for NGC 6530, the young cluster associated with the Lagoon Nebula to infer the star formation history of this region. Methods. We used the Gaia-ESO survey observations of the Lagoon Nebula, together with photometric literature data and Gaia DR2 kinematics, to derive cluster membership and fundamental stellar parameters. Using spectroscopic effective temperatures, we analysed the reddening properties of all objects and derived accurate stellar ages for cluster members. Results. We identified 652 confirmed and 9 probable members. The reddening inferred for members and non-members allows us to distinguish foreground objects, mainly main-sequence stars, and background objects, mainly giants, and to trace the three-dimensional structure of the nebula. This classification is in agreement with the distances inferred from Gaia DR2 parallaxes for these objects. Finally, we derive stellar ages for 382 confirmed cluster members for which we obtained the individual reddening values. In addition, we find that the gravity-sensitive γ index distribution for the M-type stars is correlated with stellar age. Conclusions. For all members with Teff < 5500 K, the mean logarithmic age is 5.84 (units of years) with a dispersion of 0.36 dex. The age distribution of stars with accretion or discs, i.e. classical T Tauri stars with excess (CTTSe), is similar to that of stars without accretion and without discs, i.e. weak T Tauri stars with photospheric emission (WTTSp). We interpret this dispersion as evidence of a real age spread since the total uncertainties on age determinations, derived from Monte Carlo simulations, are significantly smaller than the observed spread. This conclusion is supported by evidence of the decrease of the gravity-sensitive γ index as a function of stellar ages. The presence of a small age spread is also supported by the spatial distribution and kinematics of old and young members. In particular, members with accretion or discs, formed in the last 1 Myr, show evidence of subclustering around the cluster centre, in the Hourglass Nebula and in the M8-E region, suggesting a possible triggering of star formation events by the O-type star ionization fronts.

The role of epigenetic aging in education and racial/ethnic mortality disparities among older U.S. Women

BackgroundHigher mortality experienced by socially disadvantaged groups and/or racial/ethnic minorities is hypothesized to be, at least in part, due to an acceleration of the aging process. Using a new epigenetic aging measure, Levine DNAmAge, this study aimed to investigate whether epigenetic aging accounts for mortality disparities by race/ethnicity and education in a sample of U.S. postmenopausal women. Methods1834 participants from an ancillary study (BA23) in the Women’s Health Initiative, a national study that recruited postmenopausal women (50–79 years) were included. Over the 22 years of follow-up, 551 women died, and 31,946 person-years were observed. Levine DNAmAge (unit in years) was calculated based on an equation that we previously developed in an independent sample, which incorporates methylation levels at 513 CpG sites. ResultsAs previously reported, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics were epigenetically older than non-Hispanic whites of the same chronological age. Similarly, those with less education had older epigenetic ages than expected in the full sample, as well as among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics, but not among non-Hispanic blacks. Non-Hispanic blacks and those with low education exhibited the greatest risk of mortality. However, this association was partially attenuated when accounting for differences in DNAmAge. Furthermore, formal mediation analysis suggested that DNAmAge partially mediated the mortality increase among non-Hispanic blacks, compared to non-Hispanic whites (proportion mediated, 15.8%, P = 0.002), as well as the mortality increase for those with less than high school education, compared to college educated (proportion mediated, 11.6%, P < 2E-16). ConclusionsAmong a group of postmenopausal women, non-Hispanic blacks and those with less education exhibit higher epigenetic aging, which partially accounts for their shorter life expectancies.

DNA methylation GrimAge strongly predicts lifespan and healthspan.

It was unknown whether plasma protein levels can be estimated based on DNA methylation (DNAm) levels, and if so, how the resulting surrogates can be consolidated into a powerful predictor of lifespan. We present here, seven DNAm-based estimators of plasma proteins including those of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and growth differentiation factor 15. The resulting predictor of lifespan, DNAm GrimAge (in units of years), is a composite biomarker based on the seven DNAm surrogates and a DNAm-based estimator of smoking pack-years. Adjusting DNAm GrimAge for chronological age generated novel measure of epigenetic age acceleration, AgeAccelGrim.Using large scale validation data from thousands of individuals, we demonstrate that DNAm GrimAge stands out among existing epigenetic clocks in terms of its predictive ability for time-to-death (Cox regression P=2.0E-75), time-to-coronary heart disease (Cox P=6.2E-24), time-to-cancer (P= 1.3E-12), its strong relationship with computed tomography data for fatty liver/excess visceral fat, and age-at-menopause (P=1.6E-12). AgeAccelGrim is strongly associated with a host of age-related conditions including comorbidity count (P=3.45E-17). Similarly, age-adjusted DNAm PAI-1 levels are associated with lifespan (P=5.4E-28), comorbidity count (P= 7.3E-56) and type 2 diabetes (P=2.0E-26). These DNAm-based biomarkers show the expected relationship with lifestyle factors including healthy diet and educational attainment.Overall, these epigenetic biomarkers are expected to find many applications including human anti-aging studies.

ДИСПЕРСІЯ ДОХОДІВ В ПОЛЬЩІ НА ОСНОВІ АНАЛІЗУ ДОХОДІВ ПОЛЬСЬКИХ ГМІН (ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНИХ ОДИНИЦЬ) ЗА 2005 - 2018 РОКИ

Presented paper addresses the issue of income inequalities among regions in Poland. Although the topic is broadly discussed both in scientific literature and public debates, the problem of territorial cohesion still remains important for many scholars and politicians. In the article the main attention is focused on the measuring the wealth and its dispersion which is coherent with the current public data state and enables following the phenomena in all statistical units of NUTS nomenclature and local administrative units (local self-government entities: poviats and gminas). In the calculations presented in the paper gminas’ own resources are taken into consideration as a measure of welfare, then Theil index is employed to identify the dispersion for aggregated date on NUTS 1,2,3 units for post-accession to European Union structures period. Authors used the data delivered by the Central Statistical Office. Referring to the goals of the article, conducting of the research enabled to draw two following conclusions. Measures of wealth used in the convergence analysis are derived from national/regional accounts statistics. They are mainly depended on the place of creating value (like GDP). On the local/regional level it is recommended to analyze the situation of residents. So, other measures like gminas’ (basic local administration unit) own resources, based on personal and commercial income tax should be at least parallelly taken into consideration. An analysis of the convergence process inside the country, carried out for Polish NUTS 1, 2 and 3 administrative units in years 2005-2018, based on gminas’ own resources as a standard of living measure, showed different (opposite) patterns than the results of studies using national/regional accounts measures. Starting from the year 2006 the convergence process (sigma type) is observed in all levels of statistical regions in Poland.

Salvage Stereotactic Radiosurgery is Associated with Improved Overall Survival Compared to Whole Brain Radiation in the Setting of Progressive Brain Metastases

Brain metastasis velocity (BMV) is a recently defined metric that is highly prognostic for overall survival (OS) after distant brain failure (DBF) following stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). At time of first DBF, BMV can be calculated by dividing the number of brain metastases (BrM) by the amount of time (unit of years) since initial SRS. A proposed utility for BMV has been to help triage patients to proper salvage therapy after SRS failure based on low (BMV of <4), intermediate (BMV 4-13), and high (BMV>13) risk groups. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of salvage modality (SRS or whole brain radiation therapy [WBRT]) on OS at the time of first salvage therapy for each BMV risk group. Patients from nine academic centers were treated with upfront SRS alone for BrM. BMV was defined as the number of new BrM at first DBF divided by the time (years) since first SRS for to create a unit of BrM/year. Patients were classified by BMV into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, consisting of <4, 4 to 13, and >13 new BrM/year, respectively. Time-to-event outcomes were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. For patients in the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups, OS was calculated by stratifying by salvage SRS or WBRT. A univariate and multivariate model (MVA) was created to evaluate OS after first DBF based on patient characteristics and salvage treatment with SRS vs WBRT. Two thousand and eighty patients were included in the study. Median OS from initial SRS was 10.2 mo (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 9.7-11.0 mo). Nine hundred and thirteen (32%) had a DBF treated with salvage SRS or WBRT. The median OS after first DBF for patients who received salvage SRS was 13.1 mo (CI 11.2-16.5 mo), 9.6 mo (CI: 7.8-11.9 mo) and 6.0 mo (CI: 4.9-9.2 mo) for patients with BMV < 4, BMV 4-13, and BMV > 13, respectively. In contrast, for patients who received salvage WBRT for DBF, median OS after initial DBF was 6.6 mo (CI: 5.0-12.7), 4.7 mo (CI: 3.9-8.6) and 3.9 mo (CI: 2.8-5.2) for patients with BMV < 4, BMV 4-13, and BMV > 13, respectively. Compared to patients who received WBRT as salvage therapy, SRS was associated with improved OS after first DBF for BMV < 4 (log-rank p=0.005), BMV 4-13 (p=0.005) and BMV >13 (p=0.0006). Salvage with SRS (vs. WBRT) remained a significant predictor of survival after DBF in multivariate models that included the covariates of age, recursive partitioning analysis class, number of BrM at time of first DBF, and histology for BMV <4 (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.56, p=0.002), BMV 4-13 (HR 0.60, p=0.005), and BMV >13 (HR 0.48 p<0.001). Salvage SRS after progressive BrM was associated with a higher OS compared to patients treated with WBRT. This was observed across all BMV risk groups and remained significant on MVA. Initial steps have been taken to validate these findings in a multi-institutional prospective randomized trial.

Supporting high school student accomplishment of biology content using interactive computer-based curricular case studies.

Research into the efficacy of modules featuring dynamic visualizations, case studies, and interactive learning environments is reported here. This quasi-experimental 2-year study examined the implementation of three interactive computer-based instructional modules within a curricular unit covering cellular biology concepts in an introductory high school biology course. The modules featured dynamic visualizations and focused on three processes that underlie much of cellular biology: diffusion, osmosis, and filtration. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to assess knowledge growth across the unit. A mixture Rasch model analysis of the post-test data revealed two groups of students. In both years of the study, a large proportion of the students were classified as low-achieving based on their pre-test scores. The use of the modules in the Cell Unit in year 2 was associated with a much larger proportion of the students having transitioned to the high-achieving group than in year 1. In year 2, the same teachers taught the same concepts as year 1 but incorporated the interactive computer-based modules into the cell biology unit of the curriculum. In year 2, 67% of students initially classified as low-achieving were classified as high-achieving at the end of the unit. Examination of responses to assessments embedded within the modules as well as post-test items linked transition to the high-achieving group with correct responses to items that both referenced the visualization and the contextualization of that visualization within the module. This study points to the importance of dynamic visualization within contextualized case studies as a means to support student knowledge acquisition in biology.

Multi-institutional Validation of Brain Metastasis Velocity, a Recently Defined Predictor of Outcomes Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery

In this study we attempt a multi-institutional validation of brain metastasis velocity (BMV), a recently defined predictor of overall survival (OS) and distant brain failure (DBF) following stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastasis. Patients from nine academic centers were treated with upfront SRS alone for brain metastasis. Of these nine centers, data from the eight institutions not previously used to define BMV were used to construct the validation dataset. BMV was defined as the number of brain metastases at time of first DBF following initial SRS divided by the time (in units of years) to first DBF, consistent with the definition as previously described. Time-to-event outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards methods were used to estimate the effect of BMV on OS following first DBF, with BMV defined both as a continuous variable and also as stratified into low (<4 metastases/yr), intermediate (4-13 metastases/yr), and high risk (>13 metastases/yr) groups. Simple and multiple linear regression were used to identify predictors of BMV (as a continuous variable) from baseline / treatment-related patient variables. Of a total 2829 patients, 737 patients were treated at the institution at which BMV was initially defined, while the remaining 2092 patients were treated at one of the eight other institutions comprising the validation dataset. Of these 2092 patients, 921 (44.0%) experienced DBF, with 786 (37.6%) patients also having a quantifiable number of metastases at time of DBF. Median OS from initial SRS was 11.2 mo (CI: 10.4-11.9 mo). Cumulative incidence of DBF at 6, 12, and 24 mo was 26.7%, 36.6%, and 42.8%, respectively. Median OS following DBF was 7.2 mo (CI: 6.4-8.2 mo). BMV was predictive of OS following DBF, with median OS of 12.5 mo (CI: 11.0-14.8 mo) for BMV < 4, 7.0 mo (CI: 5.9-9.4 mo) for BMV 4-13, and 4.6 mo (CI: 3.8-5.3 mo) for BMV > 13 (log-rank p < 0.0001). BMV was also predictive of OS following DBF as a continuous variable (HR: 1.010, CI: 1.008 - 1.012, p<0.0001). Predictors of BMV on simple linear regression included melanoma histology (p<0.0001), number of initial brain metastases (p<0.0001), progression of systemic disease (p=0.01), diffuse systemic disease (p=0.02), and lowest SRS dose (p=0.02). On multiple regression, only melanoma histology (β: 10.10, SE: 1.89, p<0.0001) and number of initial brain metastases (β: 1.52, SE: 0.34, p<0.0001) remained predictive of BMV (adjusted R2 = 0.06). The results of this multi-institution study validate the previous single-institution finding that BMV at time of initial DBF is a dominant predictor of OS following DBF. Melanoma histology and number of initial brain metastases were validated as predictors of BMV, although these account only for a small amount of variation in BMV.

Initial Brain Metastasis Velocity: Does the Rate at Which Cancers First Seed the Brain Affect Outcomes?

Brain metastasis velocity (BMV) is a novel metric used to describe the rate of development of new brain metastases (BM) after initial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). BMV, as defined in a previous publication, is a valuable tool to help guide the decision for WBRT vs SRS for salvage therapy. A limitation in the application of BMV is that it requires the number of metastases at time of treatment failure after initial SRS. By investigating patient characteristics at time of first SRS, we developed initial brain metastasis velocity (iBMV), a new metric that takes into account factors that influence the BMV prior to treatment failure. Particularly, it incorporates the rate at which cancer seeds the brain from time of initial cancer diagnosis. We retrospectively reviewed patients with BM treated at our institution from 2000-2013 with upfront SRS without WBRT. BMV for each patient was calculated as the cumulative number of new metastases from initial SRS divided by units of years. We defined iBMV, a new metric for patients who were diagnosed with BM after their primary cancer diagnosis. iBMV was calculated as the number of BM at the time of initial SRS over the unit of years from initial diagnosis to first SRS. Thus, representing a rate that the primary cancer seeded the brain. We performed a linear regression to assess the relationship of iBMV to BMV and overall survival (OS) after first SRS to death and other oncologic outcomes. iBMV was not calculated for patients who presented with stage IV disease with BM or for patients who developed BM <2 months from initial diagnosis. From 2000-2013, 736 patients were treated at our institution with upfront SRS without WBRT. Median OS was 8.6 mos (IQR 7.9-9.6). The presence or absence of BM at initial cancer diagnosis was not predictive of survival after first SRS, neurologic death, or BMV and the median number of BM at first SRS was similar (median BM = 1.0, IQR = 1-3, P = 0.71). Four hundred forty-three (60%) patients developed BM ≥2 months after initial diagnosis. In these 443 patients, the median time to first SRS from time of initial diagnosis was 27.2 mos (IQR = 24.7-31.4). Median iBMV was 0.73 (IQR = 0.30-1.74). Lung histology was associated with a higher iBMV compared to breast (β = 0.09 SE = 0.02, P < 0.001). Renal cell, melanoma, and other histologies did not have significantly different iBMV rates compared to breast. The iBMV was predictive of both BMV after treatment (β = 23.87, SE 6.92, P<0.001) and OS (HR = 1.11; CI: 1.03-1.20, P = 0.006). The iBMV was not significant for predicting neurologic death (HR = 1.07; CI 1.00-1.15 P = 0.07) or time to WBRT (P = 0.18). The iBMV ≥4 metastases/year was predictive of distant brain failure per Gray’s test (P = 0.02). The iBMV is a metric that predicts for BMV and OS. A higher iBMV was associated with a worse OS and numerically higher BMV. Lung histology was associated with a higher iBMV than breast. The presence or absence of BM at time of initial cancer diagnosis was not predictive for survival, as calculated from time of first SRS to death.

On seasonal and semi-annual approach for flood frequency analysis

As a supplementary method to the conventional flood frequency analysis based on annual peak flows, we propose an approach in this paper to infer the flood frequency distribution on quarterly and semi-annual time scale, which are then converted to annual time scale to obtain the floods corresponding to return periods in unit of year. Two criteria for test of data independence, namely, minimum 7 and 15-day interval between two consecutive peak flows, are tested. The proposed approach was applied to Des Moines River at Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA using its 62 years of observation daily flows. The results show that the estimated floods for given return periods from quarter-annual data series are in general higher than the corresponding estimated floods from semi-annual data series, which is further larger than estimated floods from annual peak flows. The floods estimated from semi-annual data series agree well with the results of previous US Geological Survey study.

DAMPAK INDUSTRI PT. GLOBAL COCONUT TERHADAP MASYARAKAT DI DESA RADEY, KECAMATAN TENGA, KABUPATEN MINAHASA SELATAN

The purpose of this study to determine the impact of the presence of Coconut Flour Industry (PT. Global Coconut) to the community in the Radey Village. This research was carried out on members of the village community Radey as respondents. Total respondents 32 people consisting of workers in the industry (25 persons), who did not work in the industry that ordinary members of community (5 persons) and community leaders (2 persons). The study lasted for 3 months from September to November 2016. The sample selection using snowballing method. Types of data collected in this study are primary and secondary data. Primary data is data obtained by direct interview to the respondents. Secondary data is obtained from the Village Office. The data collected concerning Identity Respondents, namely: (1) Name of Respondent, (2) age, expressed in units of years, (3) Level of education, measured by educational level already attained (elementary, junior high, high school, diploma, and University). Data regarding positive or negative impact of the presence of Industry on the community in the village of Radey regarding: (1) Income received before and after working in the company, (2) employment opportunities, (3) business opportunities. The analytical method used in this research is descriptive analysis method qualitative and quantitative modest presented in tabular form. The results of this research showed that the presence of PT Global Agro-Industry Plant in the Radey Village has gave positive and negative impacts for rural communities in the form of increases in income, employment and business opportunity, the new procurement of agricultural roads better and their support for the national celebration activities in the village. The negative impact of such a foul odor had happened only when the management of the rest of the selection in the form of broken coconut and waste production is not done well.Keywords: impact, agro-industry, community, village Radey, South Minahasa District

Impact of Health Policy Changes on Trends in the Pharmaceutical Market in Turkey

BackgroundThe implementation phase of the Turkish Health Transformation Program (HTP) began in 2003, with the aim of organizing, financing, and delivering health care services effectively, efficiently, and equally. The HTP impacted all clinical and economic outcomes of health, including pharmaceutical sales, by improving access to health services. ObjectivesTo understand the impact of five selected major policy changes that made an impact on supply, demand, or price in the pharmaceutical market between 1998 and 2012. MethodsMonthly sales data (in units and value in US $) of a total of 180 pharmaceuticals covering the period between 1998 and 2012 were used for statistical analysis. Five major policies that could affect health expenditures and the demand and supply of pharmaceuticals were selected and led by the Ministry of Health. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered as the cutoff value for statistical significance. ResultsThere was a growing trend in pharmaceuticals value and units in years, possibly as a result of the HTP implementation. Supply- and demand-related policies had a negative impact on the trends for value, whereas the pricing policy had a positive impact. ConclusionsIt could be said that the HTP had an impact on units for improved access to health care services. Although this access increased the consumption of pharmaceuticals in units, the policies implemented were successful in controlling pharmaceutical expenditures.

Geology: In All Modesty

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Febrile neutropenia in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: single center experience.

An important life-threatening complication of intensive chemotherapy administered in children with leukemia is febrile neutropenia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and consequences of febrile neutropenia attacks in children who were treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nighty-six children who received chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in our center between January 1995 and December 2010 were included in the study. The data related to demographic characteristics, treatment features, relapse and febrile neutropenia incidences, risk factors, culture results and prognosis were retrospectively evaluated from the patients' files. A total of two hundred-ninety nine febrile neutropenia attacks observed in the patients during initial treatment and relapse treatment were evaluated. When the incidence of febrile neutropenia was evaluated by years, it was observed that the patients treated after year 2000 had statistically significantly more febrile neutopenia attacks compared to the patients treated before year 2000. When the incidences of febrile neutropenia during initial treatment and during relapse treatment were compared, it was observed that more febrile neutropenia attacks occured during relapse treatment. Fifty-nine percent of all febrile neutropenia attacks were fever of unknown origin. Eighty microorganisms grew in cultures during febrile neutropenia throughout treatment in 75 patients; 86% were bacterial infections (50% gram positive and 50% gram negative), 8% were viral infections and 6% were fungal infections. Coagulase negative staphylococcus (n=17) was the most frequent gram positive pathogen; E. Coli (n=17) was the most commonly grown gram negative pathogen. In this study, it was found that an increase in the incidence of febrile neutropenia occured in years. Increments in treatment intensities increase the incidence of febrile neutropenia while improving survival. Evaluation of febrile neutropenia results by hematology-oncology units in years will be directive in early and successful treatment.

Analysis of the aircraft accidents occurred in units of the Polish Air Force Academy in the years 1970–1994

The article was written on basis of Flight safety brochures published by the Polish Air Force Academy from 1975 to 1998. The first part is dedicated for actual training process of the Polish military pilots. The second component focuses on the main causes of the occurrence of aircraft accidents in units of the Polish Air Force Academy in concerned period of time. The further part of the article is dedicated to analysis of aircraft accidents occurred in military aviation training units in years 1970–1994.

Teaching Games Level Design Using the StarCraft II Editor

Level design is often characterised as “where the rubber hits the road” in game development. It is a core area of games design, alongside design of game rules and narrative. However, there is a lack of literature dedicated to documenting teaching games design, let alone the more specialised topic of level design. Furthermore, there is a lack of formal frameworks for best practice in level design, as professional game developers often rely on intuition and previous experience. As a result, there is little for games design teachers to draw on when presented with the opportunity to teach a level design unit. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of a games level design unit in which students use the StarCraft II Galaxy Editor, reflect upon our experiences with respect to student feedback and peer reviews, and outline our plans for improving the unit in years to come.

Computer protocol for the electrodiagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected median neuropathy at the wrist

Patients with median entrapment neuropathy at the wrist (MEW) present a large burden to electrodiagnostic (EDx) services. We report here our experience with a computer protocol for EDx standardized evaluation of these patients. The computer program guiding the examiners through the history, focused clinical examination and nerve conduction studies (NCSs), and automatically generating the report was employed in patients with suspected MEW referred to our unit in year 2010. Included were 1,935 patients (3,870 hands) with suspected MEW. Median motor study had to be performed in 100 %, a ring finger sensory comparison study in 99 %, a thumb study in 23 %, wrist study in 3 % and a middle finger study in 19 % of hands with cumulative sensitivities of 45, 68, 73, 74, and 82 %, respectively. In conclusion, our computer program helped to relieve some burden, standardized NCSs and provided data needed to further develop evidence-based protocol for the NCSs in patients with suspected MEW.

기후변화의 영향을 고려하기 위한 비시나리오 기반의 중단기 유출 전망에 관한 연구

전지구적으로 발생하는 기후변화는 강수, 지하수 함양 및 유출, 저류량, 증발산량으로 연결되는 물순환 평형의 균형을 파괴하고 있다. IPCC는 미래 기후변화가 인간 환경의 영향에 미칠 수 있는 가장 취약한 부분으로 기후시스템 변화로 인한 강우 패턴의 변화를 선정하고 있다. 이에 최근 국내외에서 강우의 경향성과 특성변동에 관한 연구 및 유출량 변동에 관한 연구가 폭넓게 수행되어 오고 있다. 본 연구에서는 한반도의 기후변화에 따른 강우와 유출량 변동 특성의 분석을 위하여 경향성 분석 및 탄성도 분석기법을 선정하였다. 이를 이용하여 전국 24개 지점에 대하여 1966년부터 2001까지 장기 관측 자료를 수집하여 중단기 수문 전망의 기초자료로 하여 2020년까지 수문 전망을 실시하였다. 과거 관측자료를 이용하여 중단기 수문전망을 실시한 결과 탄성도기법을 이용한 결과가 더 신뢰성이 있으며 중단기 수문전망에 효율적인 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 GCM-RCM 기법과 달리 과거 장기 관측자료를 기반으로 유출량을 산정함으로써 가까운 미래의 변동 예측을 통하여 수자원 분야의 대응방안을 마련하는데 그 목적이 있다. Climate change occurring globally destroys the balance of equilibrium of water cycle connected to precipitation, ground water recharge, outflow, storage, and evapotranspiration. IPCC said that change of precipitation pattern generated variation of climate system in the weakest part among the impacts of future climate change on human environment so researches on the tendency of runoff and precipitation for the variation of characteristics are carried out globally. These have studied a wide of tendency for analyzing the variation of precipitation characteristics due to climate change in Korean. By collecting observed precipitation and runoff data from 1966 to 2001 at 24 points in the country, extracting at the units of year, these were used as basic data for predicting mid-term runoff by 2020. The result of mid-term hydrological prediction from observed data was the better than other and more effective to predict. This study on the basis of long term observed hydrological data contrary to GCM-RCM method on the primary purpose is to develop hydrological prediction model using non-scenario methods over the mid-term.

Practices and Results of Two Years Service from a single UK Renal Transplant Center

End stage renal failure is a common condition requiring renal replacement therapy in the form of haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis as a short-term measure with renal transplantation as a more definitive treatment option. The aim of this study was to evaluate the set up of a renal transplant unit in a developed country and compare its results with other centers of the world. A retrospective observational study was conducted to see the results of two years activities of a well known renal transplant unit in the United Kingdom. A description of the setup of a renal transplant unit has been made and its results have been discussed. Of the total patients, who had transplants in the renal transplant unit in year 2006 and 2007, 209 were renal, 14 were simultaneous kidney pancreas and two were pancreas after kidney transplants. Our one year graft survival rate was 93%, delayed graft function was 15%, early rejection rate was 11% and mortality rate was 3% in one year follow up. To attain good results in renal transplantation surgery, a multi-disciplinary team approach is crucial. Our set up is an example where the results are comparable to published and unpublished data from other established units world-wide.

Hyperbaric oxygen in the management of late radiation injury to the head and neck. Part I: treatment

Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) is a serious condition following treatment for head and neck cancer with serious associated morbidity and mortality. While the use of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in treating established osteoradionecrosis has been standard practice in many units for years, the evidence base for this remains remarkably weak. The published evidence has been made even more controversial by trial protocols that do not use HBO as it is generally advocated. This review describes the classification, incidence, and treatment of ORN, and explores the available published evidence with particular emphasis on randomised trials of treatment with HBO.

Abatacept inhibits progression of structural damage in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the long-term extension of the AIM trial

Objective:Assess the effect of abatacept on progression of structural damage over 2 years in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had an inadequate response to methotrexate.Methods:539 patients entered an open-label extension...