Search

Background: Previously, many radiotherapy (RT) trials were based on a few selected dose measures. Many research questions, however, rely on access to the complete dose information. To support such access, a national RT plan database was created. The system focuses on data security, ease of use, and re-use of data. This article reports on the development and structure, and the functionality and experience of this national database. Methods and materials: A system based on the DICOM-RT standard, DcmCollab, was implemented with direct connections to all Danish RT centres. Data is segregated into any number of collaboration projects. User access to the system is provided through a web interface. The database has a finely defined access permission model to support legal requirements. Results: Currently, data for more than 14,000 patients have been submitted to the system, and more than 50 research projects are registered. The system is used for data collection, trial quality assurance, and audit data set generation. Results: Users reported that the process of submitting data, waiting for it to be processed, and then manually attaching it to a project was resource intensive. This was accommodated with the introduction of triggering features, eliminating much of the need for users to manage data manually. Many other features, including structure name mapping, RT plan viewer, and the Audit Tool were developed based on user input. Conclusion: The DcmCollab system has provided an efficient means to collect and access complete datasets for multi-centre RT research. This stands in contrast with previous methods of collecting RT data in multi-centre settings, where only singular data points were manually reported. To accommodate the evolving legal environment, DcmCollab has been defined as a 'data processor', meaning that it is a tool for other research projects to use rather than a research project in and of itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzymatic catalysis is characterized by multistage chemical reactions from enzyme-substrate complexes to products. In a number of cases, in the course of experimental studies, it is possible to characterize the structures and properties of intermediates of complex chemical reactions in proteins. The use of modern computer simulation methods makes it possible to significantly supplement the knowledge of the mechanisms of enzymatic catalysis reactions and provide detailed data on reaction intermediates, including structures with atomic resolution. The materials accumulated to date make it possible to create a unique dat-abase called ENIAD (ENzyme-In-Action-Databank). The article describes the principles of building the ENIAD database, as well as a multiplatform web interface for accessing data (https://lcc.chem.msu.ru/eniad/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In absence of comprehensive data collection on traumatic brain injury (TBI), the German Society for Neurosurgery (DGNC) and the German Society for Trauma Surgery (DGU) developed a TBI databank for German-speaking countries. Methods: From 2016 to 2020, the TBI databank DGNC/DGU was implemented as a module of the TraumaRegister (TR) DGU and tested in a 15-month pilot phase. Since its official launch in 2021, patients from the TR-DGU (intermediate or intensive care unit admission via shock room) with TBI (AIS head ≥ 1) can be enrolled. A data set of > 300 clinical, imaging, and laboratory variables, harmonized with other international TBI data collection structures is documented, and the treatment outcome is evaluated after 6- and 12 months. Results: For this analysis, 318 patients in the TBI databank could be included (median age 58 years; 71% men). Falls were the most common cause of injury (55%), and antithrombotic medication was frequent (28%). Severe or moderate TBI were only present in 55% of patients, while 45% suffered a mild injury. Nevertheless, intracranial pathologies were present in 95% of brain imaging with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhages (76%) being the most common. Intracranial surgeries were performed in 42% of cases. In-hospital mortality after TBI was 21% and surviving patients could be discharged after a median hospital stay of 11 days. At the 6-and 12 months follow-up, a favorable outcome was achieved by 70% and 90% of the participating TBI patients, respectively. Compared to a European cohort of 2138 TBI patients treated in the ICU between 2014 and 2017, patients in the TBI databank were already older, frailer, fell more commonly at home. Conclusion: Within five years, the TBI databank DGNC/DGU of the TR-DGU could be established and is since then prospectively enrolling TBI patients in German-speaking countries. With its large and harmonized data set and a 12-month follow-up, the TBI databank is a unique project in Europe, already allowing comparisons to other data collection structures and indicating a demographic change towards older and frailer TBI patients in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixing discrete fibers with soil creates a composite material, the fiber-reinforced soil (FRS), with improved mechanical properties. Despite recent advances, no model has been tested against results obtained for a wide range of soils and fiber types. In this study, a databank of 466 tests on fiber-reinforced soil is compiled including results of triaxial tests performed on different soils, reinforced by both natural and artificial fibers of different dimensions and shapes, which were analyzed to propose an empirical model to predict the effect of fiber reinforcement on the soil shear strength. The proposed model proved able to capture the general FRS shear strength behavior, presenting good agreement between the predicted and measured experimental results as well as well-balanced and normally distributed errors. Sensitivity analysis showed that soil grain size distribution and the length of fibers play key roles in the improvement of soil shear strength through reinforcement by fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CompreHensive Digital ArchiVe of Cancer Imaging - Radiation Oncology (CHAVI-RO) is a multi-tier WEB-based medical image databank. It supports archiving de-identified radiological and clinical datasets in a relational database. A semantic relational database model is designed to accommodate imaging and treatment data of cancer patients. It aims to provide key datasets to investigate and model the use of radiological imaging data in response to radiation. This domain of research area addresses the modeling and analysis of complete treatment data of oncology patient. A DICOM viewer is integrated for reviewing the uploaded de-identified DICOM dataset. In a prototype system we carried out a pilot study with cancer data of four diseased sites, namely breast, head and neck, brain, and lung cancers. The representative dataset is used to estimate the data size of the patient. A role-based access control module is integrated with the image databank to restrict the user access limit. We also perform different types of load tests to analyze and quantify the performance of the CHAVI databank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Linguistische Treffen in Wrocław is the property of Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The directions of development and implementation of a new scientific and information policy of development of the All-Russian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences are considered. The main goal is to show the potential capabilities of the Institute as a multifunctional information center that widely uses modern information and telecommunication technologies and electronic information resources. Promising approaches to deeper information processing and multidimensional analysis of accumulated data, as well as the possibilities of creating relevant types of information products and services oriented to support decisions in scientific, technical, and industrial spheres and, indirectly, in the economy as a whole are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Databank Systems was set up in 1967 by a consortium of New Zealand banks to share computing services. This was the first instance of computers being used to integrate the ledger accounts of all trading banks within a country, an innovation facilitated by the relatively small size of the country, the rising use of cheque facilities, and the realization that a joint effort would provide a more efficient service by enabling the pooling of resources to achieve scale from expensive computing technology. In 1972, Databank introduced time slicing, allowing nonbank customers to use spare capacity on the Databank system. This use of Databank outside the banking systems was controversial and the management of Databank was increasingly at odds with the Bankers Association. This article uses the example of Databank to address the tensions between consortium computing and the sale of spare time resources in banking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable data are needed to produce representative and useful conservation assessments for species. To this end, taxonomists and their unpublished, archived and unused databases—here called phantom databases—have great relevance for assessing the conservation status of species. Taxonomist's phantom databases are usually the result of a review work, and, if made available, they could be used to assess a species conservation status with greater accuracy, allowing for more effective conservation planning. Here we characterise these databases, provide examples of their relevance and recommend solutions to make these phantom databases available for conservation use. Databases of taxonomic and geographic information need not be phantom and could be made openly accessible to encourage their use in conservation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rechtsmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Modern systems have four basic components: hardware, software, organizational, and human. With the development of new technologies and systems, the hardware and software reliability has increased dramatically during the past decades, while in many cases the human reliability has remained either unchanged or even deteriorated over the same period as the result of complexity of systems. Human interactions are an important factor during the design, installation, production and operation, and maintenance phases of a product or system. The capacity of human beings to make mistakes and errors has been recognized since the beginning of recorded history. The new view on human error is that you can see the human error as the symptom of deeper trouble, in this case, human error is not a cause of failure. Human error is the effect, or symptom, of deeper trouble inside a system. It is not fair, logical and professionally ethical and sound for experts in the field of human factors and safety to say that human is recognized as the cause of as the matter of fact it is the failure of design and operation team and those who were unable to predict and mitigate source of human failure. This paper review was examined and summarized the history, significance, concepts, contributing factors, and all invented analytical methods and procedures in a systematic human reliability assessment (HRA). Furthermore, available human reliability data banks were introduced and elaborated. The challenges and issues in the field of human reliability field were later highlighted and emphasized. Lastly, the expected directions for future works by researchers and practitioners were suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 200 toxic substances (including narcotic drugs, psychotropic drugs, organic phosphorus compounds, carbamates, pyrethroids and other pesticides, veterinary drugs, rodenticides, natural toxins, and other drugs) were identified and quantified using an ion-trap mass spectrometer. The advantages of this technique—its selectivity, accuracy, precision, utilization of only small amounts of the sample, and short analysis time for a single sample (less than 30s)—render it a rapid and accurate methodology for toxin screening. Subsequently, an extractive electrospray ionization (EESI) mass spectrometry database was established by combining the Xcalibur data processing system with NIST database software. This allowed unknown toxicants in urine and blood samples, stomach contents, and liver samples, as provided by the Jiangxi Provincial Public Security Department, to be analyzed and identified. This EESI methodology and databank has the potential for widespread application to the large-scale analysis of practical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a part of continuing research, it is important for any country to identify technological advances in any field and create a national trust of information for use by researchers and general users. With reference to the marine sector, which is a prime sector for the development of any country, it is essential to create such data banks of information to cater to the needs of ship builders, ship owners and the researchers. This article discusses few of the processes involved for the creation of a maritime data bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a part of continuing research, it is important for any country to identify technological advances in any field and create a national trust of information for use by researchers and general users. With reference to the marine sector, which is a prime sector for the development of any country, it is essential to create such data banks of information to cater to the needs of ship builders, ship owners and the researchers. This article discusses few of the processes involved for the creation of a maritime data bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is the largest multi-industry source of exposure results available in North America. In 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the Chemical Exposure Health Data (CEHD) that contains analytical results of samples collected by OSHA inspectors. However, the two databanks only partially overlap, raising suspicion of bias in IMIS data. We investigated the factors associated with selective recording of CEHD results into the IMIS databank. Methods: This analysis was based on personal exposure measurements of 24 agents from 1984 to 2009. The association between nine variables (level of exposure coded as detected versus non-detected (ND), whether a sampling result was part of a panel of chemicals, duration of sampling, issuance of a citation, presence of other detected levels during the same inspection, year, OSHA region, amount of penalty, and establishment size) and a CEHD sampling result being reported in IMIS was analyzed using modified Poisson regression. Results: A total of 461 900 CEHD sampling results were examined. The proportion of CEHD sampling results recorded into IMIS was 38% (51% for detected and 28% for ND measurements). In the models, the detected sampling results were associated with a higher probability of recording into IMIS than ND sampling results, and this difference was similar for panel versus non-panel samples. Probability of recording remained constant from 1984 to 2009 for sampling results measured on panels but increased for sampling results of single determinations of an agent. Some OSHA regions had probability of recording two times higher than others. No other variables that we examined were associated with a CEHD sampling result being reported in IMIS. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the under-reporting of sampling results in IMIS is differential: ND results (especially those determined from the panels) seem less likely to be recorded in IMIS than other results. It is important to consider both IMIS and CEHD data in order to reduce bias in evaluation of exposures in workplaces inspected by OSHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the global archive for structural information on macromolecules, and a popular resource for researchers, teachers, and students, amassing more than one million unique users each year. Crystallographic structure models in the PDB (more than 100,000 entries) are optimized against the crystal diffraction data and geometrical restraints. This process of crystallographic refinement typically ignored hydrogen bond (H‐bond) distances as a source of information. However, H‐bond restraints can improve structures at low resolution where diffraction data are limited. To improve low‐resolution structure refinement, we present methods for deriving H‐bond information either globally from well‐refined high‐resolution structures from the PDB‐REDO databank, or specifically from on‐the‐fly constructed sets of homologous high‐resolution structures. Refinement incorporating HOmology DErived Restraints (HODER), improves geometrical quality and the fit to the diffraction data for many low‐resolution structures. To make these improvements readily available to the general public, we applied our new algorithms to all crystallographic structures in the PDB: using massively parallel computing, we constructed a new instance of the PDB‐REDO databank ( https://pdb-redo.eu). This resource is useful for researchers to gain insight on individual structures, on specific protein families (as we demonstrate with examples), and on general features of protein structure using data mining approaches on a uniformly treated dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Symposium on the Ethics and Epistemology of Big Data, we present four perspectives on the ways in which the rapid growth in size of research databanks-i.e. their shift into the realm of 'big data'-has changed their moral, socio-political, and epistemic status. While there is clearly something different about 'big data' databanks, we encourage readers to place the arguments presented in this Symposium in the context of longstanding debates about the ethics, politics, and epistemology of biobank, database, genetic, and epidemiological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gibbs energy of solvation measures the affinity of a solute for its solvent and is thus a key property for the selection of an appropriate solvent for a chemical synthesis or a separation process. More fundamentally, Gibbs energies of solvation are choice data for developing and benchmarking molecular models predicting solvation effects. The Comprehensive Solvation--CompSol--database was developed with the ambition to propose very large sets of new experimental solvation chemical-potential, solvation entropy, and solvation enthalpy data of pure and mixed components, covering extended temperature ranges. For mixed compounds, the solvation quantities were generated in infinite-dilution conditions by combining experimental values of pure-component and binary-mixture thermodynamic properties. Three types of binary-mixture properties were considered: partition coefficients, activity coefficients at infinite dilution, and Henry's-law constants. A rigorous methodology was implemented with the aim to select data at appropriate conditions of temperature, pressure, and concentration for the estimation of solvation data. Finally, our comprehensive CompSol database contains 21 671 data associated with 1969 pure species and 70 062 data associated with 14 102 binary mixtures (including 760 solvation data related to the ionic-liquid class of solvents). On the basis of the very large amount of experimental data contained in the CompSol database, it is finally discussed how solvation energies are influenced by hydrogen-bonding association effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural system experienced a strong abandonment of agroforestry in the 20th century, with agroforestry today taking place only on a few million ha in Europe. One of the aims of the AgroFE (Agroforestry Training in Europe) and the Agrof-MM (Agroforestry - Training - Mediterranean and Mountain Erasmus+) European projects is to build a knowledge databank to assist educational development and to provide experts and farmers with agroforestry knowledge. The KDB (Knowledge DataBank) is based on different professional vocabulary, metadata and thesaurus systems to build the content structure and help the users in their searches. A new tool will improve the knowledge management of agroforestry. The Agrof-MM project is creating an agroforestry thesaurus. The paper describes the knowledge databank system prototype for Agroforestry training and education. The knowledge databank is a component of the project training system. It aims to gather and share a set of documents and resources that partners, learners and public users can access in different forms: mono document objects and composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing numbers of cases of wound disease are now posing a big challenge in China. For more convenience of wound patients, wound management in community health care centers under the supervision of a specialist at general hospitals is an ideal solution. To ensure an accurate diagnosis in community health clinics, it is important that “the same language” for wound description, which may be composed of unified format description, including wound image, must be achieved. We developed a wound information management system that was built up by acquisition terminal, wound description, data bank, and related software. In this system, a 3G mobile phone was applied as acquisition terminal, which could be used to access to the data bank. This documentation system was thought to be an appropriate proposal for community wound care because of its objectivity, uniformity, and facilitation. It also provides possibility for epidemiological study in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aims to simulate restoration of anterior teeth appearance by using three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technique combined with computer image processing and 3D animation software. Methods The standard teeth model was scanned by cone beam CT, and the standard teeth model database was established. Using Windows XP, the language system of Microsoft Visual C++6.0 was used. Based on MS SQL SERVER2000, the maxillary anterior teeth computer simulation restoration system was developed with a 3Ds Max core. The system was used to simulate the rehabilitation of maxillary anterior teeth in the clinical setting. Results The maxillary anterior teeth computer simulation restoration system was easy to operate, and the simulation results were reliable. Conclusion The maxillary anterior teeth computer simulation restoration system can help patients understand treatment designs. The system provides an effective means of creating patient-desired dental prosthesis with personalized characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of El Profesional de la Información is the property of EPI SCP and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: The integration of vertical control programmes of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) aims to contain operational cost, simplify the application of the control measures and further extend the coverage of interventions. The Preventive Chemotherapy and Transmission Control (PCT) databank was established by the WHO to facilitate access and sharing of information from national programmes with stakeholders involved in NTD control. The PCT databank contains compilations of historical and current information on disease-specific epidemiological situations, the geographical overlapping of NTDs and progress of control activities in all the NTD-endemic countries. A summary of country-specific epidemiological maps and the progress of control activities are available from the online PCT databank and the Country Profiles. Annual progress of preventive chemotherapy interventions targeting specific NTDs is reported in the Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) published annually for each disease targeted. In this paper, the method of data collection and compilation used to establish the PCT databank is explained and the key features of the online PCT databank, the Country Profiles and WER are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Questions about the creation and functioning of a computer-assisted information system (CAIS) that includes an integrated databank on scientific research in geology are examined. The system serves the staff of scientific organizations with the use of multi-aspect request processing. Using the example of the CAIS for the scientific research of the Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the RAS (IGEM RAS), the basics of the interaction of the system infrastructure components, their composition, methodological principles of formation and functioning of a unified information communication system are presented. In particular, the CAIS carries out the spatial integration of documentographic and factographic heterogeneous data according to geographic information system technology. The composition, structure, and functions of the specialized linguistic support of the system are described. The methodological fundamentals for the solution of the task of ore deposit prediction in the CAIS are used as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the nutritional aspects and uses of feed is of widespread interest, hence systematic efforts of laboratories to obtain it. The way this information is currently being handled leaves something to be desired, underscoring the need to use computerized systems and statistical techniques that allow the management of large volumes of heterogeneous information. This project seeks to develop a structure that will facilitate the exchange and exploitation of information on feeds produced in Spain. To this end, metadata and data mining techniques have been adopted by the Feed Information Service at the University of Cordoba. The structure has been designed to work on the basis of a server-client architecture, in which information is stored on local software (Califa) by its own creators so that it can subsequently be incorporated into a database server where it can be accessed online. Various aspects of the structure are described in this paper: organization (participants and data shared), format (physical features), logistics (data description), quality (reliability of information), legality (correct use of data), and financing (revenue, and expenditure). An indication is given of the amount of information accumulated to date, now exceeding 200,000 numerical data and associated metadata, arranged in several thematic databases. The activities carried out highlight the heterogeneous nature of the information produced, as well as the large number of errors and ambiguities that slip through the normal filters and reach the end-user of the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress, i.e. excessive content of reactionary, oxygen, and nitrogen compounds (ROAC), including free radicals, is one of the causes of various dangerous diseases as well as premature aging. The adverse effect of free radicals can be neutralized by antioxidants. In order to carry out antioxidant therapy, one needs to know the contents of antioxidants in food products. We have created the databank for the contents of antioxidants in 1,140 food products, beverages, etc. Apart from water-soluble antioxidants, fat-soluble antioxidants in dairy and fish products, cacao, chocolate, nuts etc. were determined for the first time using an amperometric method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of species rarity considers local abundance (scarce or abundant population), habitat affinity (stenoecious or euryecious species), and geographic distribution (stenotopic or eurytopic species). When analyzed together these variables classify species into eight categories, from common species to those having small populations, unique habitats, and restricted geographic distribution (form 7), as proposed by Rabinowitz in 1981. Based on these categories, it is possible to calculate the frequency of the different forms of rarity of the species present in a given site. The Brazilian Atlantic rainforest is considered a hotspot of the world biodiversity harboring many endemic species, which have restricted geographic distribution. Our objective was to identify the forms of rarity of tree species and their proportions in the southern portion of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest using Rabinowitz’s forms of rarity. All the seven forms of rarity are present in the 846 tree species we analyzed: 46% eurytopic and 54% stenotopic, 73% euryecious and 27% stenoecious, 76% locally abundant and 24% locally scarce species. Eurytopic, euryecious locally abundant species accounted for 41.1%, whereas 58.9% were somehow rare: 4.5% eurytopic, euryecious locally scarce, 0.2% eurytopic, stenoecious locally abundant, 0.1% eurytopic, stenoecious locally scarce, 19.5% stenotopic, euryecious locally abundant, 8.0% stenotopic, euryecious locally scarce, 15.6% stenotopic, stenoecious locally abundant, and 11.0% stenotopic, stenoecious locally scarce. Considering that the most restrictive forms of rarity precedes extinction, the application of Rabinowitz’s system demonstrated that most tree species of the southern Brazilian Atlantic rainforest are threatened due to their restricted geographic distribution, restriction to a single habitat, reduced local abundance, or even to a combination of these variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions about the construction of linguistic tools of an integrated databank on geology on a unified basis considering the polydisciplinarity and comparison of generally adopted information retrieval languages are examined. A system model of thematic classification for the integration of heterogeneous geological information on the basis of research problems is offered. Using the example of the common rubricators at the bibliographic (VINITI rubricator of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and factographic levels (VSEGEI dictionaries) generalized models are presented, viz., the organization of a thematic polydisciplinary space, the integration of geoecological data, and the thematic classifications of radiogeological data, volcanic danger, and mineralogical-planetological subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fibres & Textiles in Eastern Europe is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of HNO is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background – Ethnic differences and vascular risk factors are the major determinants of stroke subtypes. Nevertheless, specific data from undeveloped countries is difficult to obtain. Natives from South America may have a higher frequency of penetrating small vessel disease and hemorrhagic stroke. However, there are few studies in South America supporting these findings. Objective – We analyze demographic, ethnic, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and stroke subtypes in all patients with acute stroke admitted to our hospital. Methods – We studied all consecutive acute stroke patients admitted to the Ramos MejÕa Hospital in Buenos Aires from 1997 to 1999. Our hospital serves a determined population of Southern Buenos Aires. Data were collected prospectively on patients' admission in a form especially designed for this study including vascular risk factors, clinical features, epidemiological characteristics, and neuroradiological findings. Stroke subtypes were determined according to the TOAST classification. Results – Among 361 acute stroke patients, 31% had hemorrhagic stroke. It was more frequent among Natives (34%) than Caucasians (27%) (P<0.002). Ischemic stroke subtypes were as follows: 105 (42%) patients had lacunar, 31 (12%) atherosclerotic stroke, 53 (21%) cardioembolic infarction, and 16 (6%) other causes of stroke. Forty-five (18%) patients were classified as undetermined. Small vessel disease was higher among Caucasians (35%) than Natives (24%). Conclusions – Penetrating artery disease (42%) and intracranial hemorrhage (31%) were the most common stroke subtypes, being more frequent than reported in the literature. Natives had significantly higher frequency of hemorrhagic stroke than Caucasians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular modeling of proteins is confronted with the problem of finding homologous proteins, especially when few identities remain after the process of molecular evolution. Using even the most recent methods based on sequence identity detection, structural relationships are still difficult to establish with high reliability. As protein structures are more conserved than sequences, we investigated the possibility of using protein secondary structure comparison (observed or predicted structures) to discriminate between related and unrelated proteins sequences in the range of 10%-30% sequence identity. Pairwise comparison of secondary structures have been measured using the structural overlap (Sov) parameter. In this article, we show that if the secondary structures likeness is >50%, most of the pairs are structurally related. Taking into account the secondary structures of proteins that have been detected by BLAST, FASTA, or SSEARCH in the noisy region (with high E value), we show that distantly related protein sequences (even with <20% identity) can be still identified. This strategy can be used to identify three-dimensional templates in homology modeling by finding unexpected related proteins and to select proteins for experimental investigation in a structural genomic approach, as well as for genome annotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thermophysical property databank for technically important gases and liquids has been created. It provides users with data for nearly 30 substances: monatomic and diatomic gases, air, water and steam, carbon dioxide, ammonia, some hydrocarbons, and refrigerants. The coefficients of the equations of state and equations for calculating transport properties, the ideal-gas functions, the saturated vapor pressure, and the melting pressure are provided for each substance. The system of programs allows the calculation of the compressibility factor, density, enthalpy, entropy, isochoric and isobaric specific heats, speed of sound, Joule–Thomson coefficient, viscosity, and thermal conductivity and some other properties. These values can be determined in the single-phase and two-phase regions and on the phase-equilibrium lines at temperatures from the triple point up to 500 to 1500 K and at pressures up to 100 MPa (for monatomic and diatomic gases, up to 2500 to 3000 K and 300 MPa). Properties can be calculated for the following nine combinations of independent variables: T, ρ; T, p; T, s; T, x; p, ρ; p, h; p, s; p, x; and h, s. The software of the databank has a modular structure and permits an increase in the number of substances, properties, and independent variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In attempting to promote safety for children through design, we can encounter a number of problems. Consequences of children's often unpredictable or uncontrollable behaviour, lack of hazard awareness, and susceptibility to injury may be compounded by designs which have not taken interaction with children into account. Frequently children may be excluded from the target population by designers, architects, or manufacturers, or others producing products, equipment and environments. This can occur through lack of care, knowledge, or anticipation, but the result will always be an unnecessary increase in the rate of child accidents. Fortunately, professionals involved in design in many countries are increasingly aware of the need to apply ergonomics data about children. However, even where there is such willingness, there still may exist a barrier in the form of the unavailability, inaccessibility, or inapplicability of data. If the information that is potentially helpful in improving the safety of children is to be effective then it must be communicated to the relevant users in a form that they can apply effectively. Some of these issues have been addressed during the production of a databank of existing physical, cognitive, and behavioural data, information, and principles relating to children. The problems encountered in producing a parsimonious yet usable ergonomics databank are discussed, as is the need for research to produce applicable data, prompted by real problems and not merely academic interest. The relevance of the approach to a non-formal design setting will be addressed also. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Rechtsmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A survey is given of the development and actual state of the prediction of outcome in severe head injury. Thanks to the data collection in some large databanks it has become possible, in a relatively large number of cases, to estimate reliably the chances of survival and the chance of developing an intracranial haematoma base on clinical data and CT obtained during the first 24 hours. Later during the posttraumatic course prediction is possible of the degree of remaining disability in survivors, and the chances of developing epilepsy and neuro-behavioural sequelae. Due to changing management-regimens further datacollection in international databanks is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]