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This study investigated the impact of birthdate biorhythm on aviation accidents involving Hellenic Air Force fighter pilots. A list of names, birthdates, and the dates of accidents was compiled from accidents involving pilots who had flown fighter aircraft and have reacted improperly even though they had sufficient time to implement the proper procedures. The list was acquired from the History Office of the Hellenic Air Force. A computer program was acquired for the specific purpose of tracking the pilot's birthdate biorhythm cycles. The Standardized Statistic Test for Proportion was used for statistical inferences. The results suggest that the date of the aircraft accidents are highly related to the pilots' critical periods. Therefore, the results support the importance of considering the critical period when scheduling pilots and thereby minimizing the number of aviation accidents.

Despite the success of vaccines in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases, many infectious diseases, both newly emerging and well known, lack vaccines. The global capability for beginning-to-end vaccine development has become limited, primarily owing to a scarcity of human capital necessary to guide the development of novel vaccines from the laboratory to the marketplace. Here, we identify and discuss the gaps in human capital necessary for robust vaccine development and make recommendations to begin to address these deficiencies.

CRM(197) is a carrier protein in certain conjugate vaccines. When multiple conjugate vaccines with the same carrier protein are administered simultaneously, reduced response to vaccines and/or antigens related to the carrier protein may occur. This study examined responses of infants who, in addition to diphtheria toxoid/tetanus toxoid/acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) received either diphtheria CRM(197)-based Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (HbOC) or HbOC and a diphtheria CRM(197)-based combination 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine/meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine. Administration of conjugate vaccines with CRM(197) carrier protein load >50 microg did not reduce response to CRM(197) conjugate vaccines or immunogenicity to immunologically cross-reactive diphtheria toxoid.

Background and Purpose. Hip fracture is a major medical problem among older adults, leading to impaired balance and gait and loss of functional independence. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for falls 6 months following hospital discharge for a fall-related hip fracture in older adults. Subjects. Ninety of 100 community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years of age) hospitalized for a fall-related hip fracture provided data for this study. Methods. An observational cohort study used interviews and medical records to obtain information on demographics, prefracture health, falls, and functional status. Self-report of falls and performance-based measures of balance and mobility were completed 6 months after discharge. Results. A total of 53.3% of patients (48/90) reported 1 or more falls in the 6 months after hospitalization. Older adults who fell following discharge had greater declines in independence in activities of daily living and lower performance on balance and mobility measures. Prefracture fall history and use of a gait device predicted postdischarge falls. Discussion and Conclusion. Falls following hip fracture can be predicted by premorbid functional status.

Background and Purpose. The objective of this retrospective case-control study was to develop a model for predicting the likelihood of falls among community-dwelling older adults. Subjects. Forty-four community-dwelling adults (≥65 years of age) with and without a history of falls participated. Methods. Subjects completed a health status questionnaire and underwent a clinical evaluation of balance and mobility function. Variables that differed between fallers and nonfallers were identified, using t tests and cross tabulation with chi-square tests. A forward stepwise regression analysis was carried out to identify a combination of variables that effectively predicted fall status. Results. Five variables were found to be associated with fall history. These variables were analyzed using logistic regression. The final model combined the score on the Berg Balance Scale with a self-reported history of imbalance to predict fall risk. Sensitivity was 91%, and specificity was 82%. Conclusion and Discussion. A simple predictive model based on two risk factors can be used by physical therapists to quantify fall risk in community-dwelling older adults. Identification of patients with a high fall risk can lead to an appropriate referral into a fall prevention program. In addition, fall risk can be used to calculate change resulting from intervention.

The pharmacokinetic characteristics of ganciclovir were determined in neonates (age range, 2 to 49 days) after an 1-hour intravenous infusion of a single dose of either 4 mg/kg (n = 14) or 6 mg/kg (n = 13). Twenty-seven newborns with symptomatic cytomegalovirus inclusion disease were enrolled in this open phase I-II pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerance trial of ganciclovir at one of two doses. Ganciclovir disposition was best described by a one-compartment open model with zero-order input and first-order elimination. The mean elimination half-life (t1/2) for both dose groups was 2.4 hours. The mean apparent volume of distribution (Vd) was 669 +/- 70 ml/kg for the 4 mg/kg group and 749 +/- 59 ml/kg for the 6 mg/kg group. The mean total body clearance (CL) for the 4 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg groups was 189 +/- 28 ml/hr/kg and 213 +/- 21 ml/hr/kg, respectively. No significant differences were observed in Vd or CL between the two groups. The Vd, expressed in milliliters, increased with increasing patient weight (r = 0.689; p = 0.0001). The CL, expressed in milliliters per hour per kilogram, increased with increasing age (r = 0.413; p = 0.032). No significant differences were observed between the two dose groups for the area under the curve normalized for dose (AUC/Dose) or the maximum plasma concentration normalized for dose (Cmax/Dose), indicating that ganciclovir exhibited linear pharmacokinetics in these neonates.

One of the most bold attempts to extend theatre to the space offstage occurs in plays that foreclose any attempt whatsoever at direct enactment of people or events; the simplest examples of such dramas are those where one or more characters are thematicalfy central yet remain materially unrepresented. Waiting for Godot is certainly the most famous example of such works, its notoriety being such that it is sometimes believed that Beckett’s play is sui generis. But plays about characters who never appear on stage are far more common in theatre history than might first be thought. If anything, Beckett’s drama is not so much an exercise in novelty as a modern instance of a dramaturgical experiment that has been repeated numerous times throughout Western theatre history. Plays structured around a centralized “absent presence” include mainstream classical comedies such as Terence’s The Girl from Andros, or The Pot of Gold and Casina, by Plautus. Each of these three works features an important woman character who remains out of sight even as she is an object of active curiosity or gossip on the part of the people on stage.

Greek tragic playwrights typically dramatized violence or dying by means of so-called messenger scenes. Bustling on stage to report after the fact on events such as the slaughter of Clytemnaestra or the dismemberment of Pentheus, the messenger is one of the best-known conventions of ancient drama. One of the best-known and yet also one of the most hackneyed: the messengers’ elaborate narratives of disaster figured so prominently in ancient tragedies that they soon became objects of ridicule, even among contemporaries. The comic poet Aristophanes often makes fun of the messengers of tragedy for their habit of making short stories long. In his earliest play (Acharnians, 425 BCE), for example, a messenger comes on stage to deliver a parody of a retrospective narrative concerning a battle; the climax of his report comes when he tells how the Athenian general Lamachus stumbled into a sewage ditch. And in Lysistrata (411 BCE), Aristophanes’ best-known comedy, a play in which the women of Athens refuse to have sex with their husbands and lovers unless they agree to put an end to the Peloponnesian War, a messenger from Sparta appears on stage suffering from a stupendous penile erection, one so large and irrepressible it impedes his story-telling.

Near the end of The Winter’s Tale, after Leontes has been reunited with his daughter, Perdita, and with Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, three characters identified only as “gentlemen” come on stage to give a retrospective account of that joyful meeting. Superficially the scene is a thinly dramatized narrative of events which have taken place recently off stage; many find it odd that Shakespeare chose to tell about the reunion rather than show it, and for this reason the scene has not been much admired. Samuel Johnson, for example, attributed its recursive format to slothfulness on the part of its author: “It was, I suppose, only to spare his own labour that the poet put this whole scene into narrative, for though part of the transaction was already known to the audience, and therefore could not properly be shewn again, yet the two kings might have met upon the stage… and the young lady might have been recognized in sight of the spectators.” Here is part of the scene that caused Johnson to doubt Shakespeare’s energy: 1. Gentleman. Did you see die meeting of the two kings? 2. Gentleman. No. 3. Gentleman. Then you have lost a sight which was to be seen, cannot be spoken of there might you have beheld one joy crown another, so and in such manner that it seemed sorrow wept to take leave of them, for their joy waded in tears. There was casting up of eyes, holding up of hands, with countenance of such distraction that they were to be known by garment, not by favor. Our king, being ready to leap out of himself for joy of his found daughter, as if that joy were now become a loss, cries, “O, thy mother, thy mother!” then asks Bohemia forgiveness; then embraces his son-in-law; then again worries he his daughter with clipping her; now he thanks the old shepherd, which stands by like a weather-bitten conduit of many kings’ reigns. I never heard of such another encounter, which lames report to follow it and undoes description to do it. (5.2.40–57)

SUMMARY We suggest that inclination errors in detrital remanent magnetization (DRM) may be recognized and corrected by measurement of the anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM). ARM anisotropy reflects directional variations in the remanence capacity of relatively fine-grained magnetic particles in rocks or sediments, generally the same particles that carry the stable component of DRM. Relative vertical and horizontal DRM magnitudes are controlled by this directional remanence capacity, as well as by the alignment efficiency of the particle magnetic moments, which in turn is governed by the relative intensities of the vertical and horizontal components of the ambient magnetic field. Thus the respective vertical and horizontal components of palaeointensity, and therefore palaeofield inclination, may be obtained by normalizing the measured DRM components by parallel ARM intensities. Synthetic sediments containing silica, kaolin, and sized magnetite powders have previously been found to acquire experimental DRM with an inclination error that is a direct function of kaolin concentration. Further experiments have now shown that ARM anisotropy in the synthetic sediments is also a direct function of kaolin content, and thus a correlation exists between DRM inclination errors and ARM anisotropy. Multiplying the measured DRM vector by the inverse of the ARM anisotropy matrix yields an improved estimate of the actual laboratory depositional field in all cases. For samples with acicular 0.5 μm magnetite, this procedure reduces a mean inclination error of over 5° to less than 0.5°. Samples with subequant magnetite of slightly larger grain size (0.75 μm) exhibit similar ARM anisotropy (∼10 per cent), but somewhat larger inclination errors (∼10°). We interpret this in terms of stronger horizontal alignment but weaker particle anisotropies for the larger, more equant magnetites.

Hip fracture is a major medical problem among older adults, leading to impaired balance and gait and loss of functional independence. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for falls 6 months following hospital discharge for a fall-related hip fracture in older adults.Ninety of 100 community-dwelling older adults (or =65 years of age) hospitalized for a fall-related hip fracture provided data for this study.An observational cohort study used interviews and medical records to obtain information on demographics, prefracture health, falls, and functional status. Self-report of falls and performance-based measures of balance and mobility were completed 6 months after discharge.A total of 53.3% of patients (48/90) reported 1 or more falls in the 6 months after hospitalization. Older adults who fell following discharge had greater declines in independence in activities of daily living and lower performance on balance and mobility measures. Prefracture fall history and use of a gait device predicted postdischarge falls.Falls following hip fracture can be predicted by premorbid functional status.

Background and Purpose. This prospective clinical investigation examined the effects of a multidimensional exercise program on balance, mobility, and risk for falls in community-dwelling older adults with a history of falling. Factors used to predict adherence and a successful response to exercise were identified. Subjects. A total of 105 community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years of age) with a history of two or more falls in the previous 6 months (no neurologic diagnosis) participated. They were classified into (1) a control group of fallers (n=21), (2) a fully adherent exercise group (n=52), and (3) a partially adherent exercise group (n=32). Methods. Following evaluation, each patient received an individualized exercise program addressing the impairments and functional disabilities identified during the assessment. The control group received no intervention. Changes in performance on five clinical tests of balance and mobility and fall risk were compared among groups. Results. Both exercise groups scored better than the control group on all measures of balance and mobility. Although both exercise groups showed a reduction in fall risk compared with the control group, the greatest reduction was found in the fully adherent exercise group. Factors associated with successful response to exercise included degree of adherence to exercise program and pretest score on the Tinetti Mobility Assessment. Conclusion and Discussion. Exercise can improve balance and mobility function and reduce the likelihood for falls among community-dwelling older adults with a history of falling. The amount of exercise needed to achieve these results, however, could not be determined from this study.

The population pharmacokinetics of ganciclovir was investigated in a group of 27 newborns with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection by nonlinear mixed-effects modeling analysis. Individual characteristics including approximated creatinine clearance from serum (ASCC) and body weight (WGE) were identified to significantly influence total clearance from plasma (CL) and the apparent total volume of distribution (V) of ganciclovir, respectively. The regression equations used to model these relationships were expressed as CL (in liters per hour) = 0.262 + (0.00271 x ASCC) and V (in liters) = 0.627 + (0.437 x WGE). By using this model, typical values of the pharmacokinetic parameter CL and V were 0.428 +/- 0.079 liters/h and 1.773 +/- 0.320 liters, respectively. Upon validation with a larger number of newborns, this model should allow for the definition of possible relationships between the pharmacokinetic disposition of ganciclovir and pharmacodynamic events in neonates.

The population pharmacokinetics of ganciclovir was investigated in a group of 27 newborns with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection by nonlinear mixed-effects modeling analysis. Individual characteristicsincludingapproximatedcreatinineclearancefromserum(ASCC)andbodyweight(WGE)wereidentified to significantly influence total clearance from plasma (CL) and the apparent total volume of distribution (V) of ganciclovir, respectively. The regression equations used to model these relationships were expressed as CL (in liters per hour) 50.262 1(0.00271 3ASCC) andV(in liters) 50.627 1(0.437 3WGE). By using this model,typicalvaluesofthepharmacokineticparameterCLandVwere0.428 60.079liters/hand1.773 60.320 liters, respectively. Upon validation with a larger number of newborns, this model should allow for the definition of possible relationships between the pharmacokinetic disposition of ganciclovir and pharmacodynamic events in neonates.

The distribution of remanence coercivities in a rock sample can be obtained by differentiating alternating field (AF) demagnetization curves of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM); however, significant errors can be introduced by grain interactions and by the noise inherent in differentiation. We have found that 1) this error can be significantly reduced by measuring partial ARM's (pARM's) and 2) pARM patterns show a strong empirical correlation with grain-size. pARM's are imparted by exposing a sample to a small direct magnetic field in the presence of a large, decreasing AF; the direct field is switched on over a specified range of AF's, thus magnetizing a fraction of the magnetite grains in the corresponding coercivity range. We have further found in both synthetic and natural sediments that measurement of the anisotropy of pARM enables us to detect the preferred orientations of distinct subpopulations of magnetite particles, related to the size and shape of the grains.