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PubMed1995

Advanced Crew Escape Suit.

Design of the S1032 Launch Entry Suit (LES) began following the Challenger loss and NASA's decision to incorporate a Shuttle crew escape system. The LES (see Figure 1) has successfully supported Shuttle missions since NASA's Return to Flight with STS-26 in September 1988. In 1990, engineers began developing the S1035 Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES) to serve as a replacement for the LES. The ACES was designed to be a simplified, lightweight, low-bulk pressure suit which aided self donning/doffing, provided improved comfort, and enhanced overall performance to reduce crew member stress and fatigue. Favorable crew member evaluations of a prototype led to full-scale development and qualification of the S1035 ACES between 1990 and 1992. Production of the S1035 ACES began in February 1993, with the first unit delivered to NASA in May 1994. The S1035 ACES first flew aboard STS-68 in August 1994 and will become the primary crew escape suit when the S1032 LES ends its service life in late 1995. The primary goal of the S1035 development program was to provide improved performance over that of the S1032 to minimize the stress and fatigue typically experienced by crew members. To achieve this, five fundamental design objectives were established, resulting in various material/configuration changes.

Astronauts↗

PubMed1979

The time scale of tooth development and replacement in Xenopus laevis (Daudin).

One hundred and seventy two larval specimens of Xenopus laevis were reared in such a way that their rates of development (as measured by external criteria) were similar, and so the course of dental development could be examined histologically in a cross sectional study. In this way the events of tooth development were observed, and a time scale constructed for these events. The teeth took an average time of 26 days to develop, erupt and become ankylosed to the bony pedestal, after which each tooth was in a functional position for only about 7 days. Individual tooth replacement was assessed to occur about every 16 days. By comparing the number and size of the odontoblasts responsible for dentinogenesis in 18 months old adult Xenopus laevis with the odontoblasts in the larval specimens, the conclusion was drawn that, despite the larger size of the adult teeth, the time involved in their development and replacement may well be of similar duration to the smaller larval teeth. The significance of the findings for the Zahnreihen Theory is discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Assessing psychopathology in individuals with developmental disabilities.

Individuals with developmental disabilities are at high risk for developing mental health problems. The prevalence of psychopathology is approximately 4 times higher than that found in the general population. Yet there is a tendency to underdiagnose psychiatric disorders in the developmentally delayed population because of diagnostic overshadowing, the lack of appropriate diagnostic criteria, and the paucity of appropriate assessment measures. Over the past decade, there has been an emergence of scales developed specifically to screen for psychopathology in individuals with developmental disabilities. In addition, advancements have been made in observation techniques, thus facilitating the ability to objectively observe behaviors often described as internal events. A description of a multimethod approach to assessing psychopathology in individuals with developmental disabilities is provided incorporating the recent advancements in the field, as well as suggestions for future research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

The effects of morphine on dyspnea and ventilatory function in elderly patients with advanced cancer: a randomized double-blind controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dyspnea represents a very frequent and distressing symptom in patients with advanced cancer. This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of morphine on dyspnea and its safety for ventilatory function in elderly advanced cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine elderly patients with dyspnea due to lung involvement were randomized to receive either morphine subcutaneously (5 mg in seven opioid-naïve patients and 3.75 mg in two patients on top of their regular oral dose of 7.5 mg q4 h) or placebo on day 1. On day 2, they were crossed over to receive the alternate treatment. Dyspnea was assessed every fifteen minutes using a visual analogue scale (VAS: 0-100 mm) and the ordinal scale developed by Borg (0-10 points). Pain, somnolence and anxiety were assessed using VAS. Respiratory effort, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were also measured repeatedly. RESULTS: Mean changes in dyspnea 45 minutes after injection were -25 +/- 10 mm and -1.2 +/- 1.2 points for morphine, versus 0.6 +/- 7.7 mm (P < 0.01) and -0.1 +/- 0.3 points (P = 0.03) for placebo on VAS and Borg scale, respectively. No relevant changes were observed in somnolence, pain, anxiety, respiratory effort and rate, and oxygen saturation. CONCLUSIONS: Morphine appears effective for cancer dyspnea, and it does not compromise respiratory function at the dose level used.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evolutionary redeployment of a biosynthetic module: expression of eye pigment genes vermilion, cinnabar, and white in butterfly wing development.

Ommochromes are common among insects as visual pigments; however, in some insect lineages ommochromes have evolved novel functions such as integument coloration and tryptophan secretion. One role of ommochromes, as butterfly wing pigments, can apparently be traced to a single origin in the family Nymphalidae. The synthesis and storage of ommochrome pigments is a complex process that requires the concerted activity of multiple enzyme and transporter molecules. To help understand how this subcellular process appeared in a novel context during evolution, we explored aspects of ommochrome pigment development in the wings of the nymphalid butterfly Vanessa cardui. Using chromatography and radiolabeled precursor incorporation studies we identified the ommochrome xanthommatin as a V. cardui wing pigment. We cloned fragments of two ommochrome enzyme genes, vermilion and cinnabar, and an ommochrome precursor transporter gene, white, and found that these genes were transcribed in wing tissue at relatively high levels during wing scale development. Unexpectedly, however, the spatial patterns of transcription were not associated in a simple way with adult pigment patterns. Although our results suggest that the evolution of ommochrome synthesis in butterfly wings likely arose in part through novel regulation of vermilion, cinnabar, and white transcription, they also point to a complex relationship between transcriptional prepatterns and pigment synthesis in V. cardui.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1987

Prospective study of course of illness in schizophrenia: Part II. Prediction of outcome.

In a prospective study of the course of illness of 86 schizophrenic patients (ICD 9), outcome data were obtained for 86 percent 1 year after clinic discharge. The Strauss-Carpenter Outcome Scale (frequency of social contacts, employment duration, symptomatology, and duration of rehospitalization) and the Clinical Global Impressions were used to assess outcome. The prognostic scales developed by Vaillant, Stephens, Phillips (in the abbreviated version by Harris), and Strauss-Carpenter were used as potential outcome predictors at the time of index admission. The findings were as follows: The outcome criteria used correlated at best moderately with one another. Between 60 and 90 percent of the sample were judged to have an unfavorable prognosis on the Vaillant and Stephens scales. In contrast, the outcome was relatively favorable for 50 to 60 percent of the patients. In prognostic validity, the Strauss-Carpenter scale was superior to all of the other scales investigated. However, a prognostic relationship was only established for social outcome. Social outcome dimensions showed the highest prognostic validity (e.g., employment and social contacts). The amount of variance explained by the best predictors was between 12 percent (symptomatology) and 55 percent (employment duration).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Occupational and environmental health problems of the developing oil shale industry: a review.

The American oil shale industry is on the threshold of commercial industrial development. Potential occupational hazards include shalosis or oil shale pneumoconiosis, dermatoses, cancer of the skin, lung, and possibly other sites, and accidents. Air, water, and solid waste pollution problems are complicated by the aridity of the Green River oil shale formation located in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. The region currently lacks the schools, health facilities, community services, and skilled labor required for large-scale development. The oil shale industry faces an opportunity and a challenge of prudently assessing and controlling exposures and contributing to the social development of the region.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Anterior segment complications after helium ion radiation therapy for uveal melanoma. Radiation cataract.

OBJECTIVE: To delineate the factors in the development of visually significant cataract after helium ion irradiation of eyes with uveal melanomas. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis with multivariate analysis using life tables and Cox proportional hazard models in addition to other nonparametric techniques. PATIENTS: All patients with a noncataractous other eye and adequate dosimetry data who were treated with helium ion irradiation. RESULTS: Significant cataracts (grade 3+ or 4+ on a 0 to 4+ scale) developed in 129 patients (44%). The risk of cataract development peaked at 3 years (25% per person-year) and then declined to a sustained level of 7% to 9% per year after 7 years. In multivariate analysis, the percentage of lens included in the treatment port was the predominant predictive correlate with time to significant cataract (relative risk of 2.97 for a 25% increase in the percentage of lens in the treatment port). Patient age, preexisting cortical opacity, and ultrasound tumor height were also significant; ciliary body involvement and tumor dose had smaller effects. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated an increased rate of cataractogenesis with each increment of the percentage of lens in the treatment port; when more than half of the lens was in the beam, the risk of cataract exceeded 90% within 7 years. CONCLUSIONS: Cataract development after helium ion irradiation is a function of the amount of the lens in the beam. Unlike neovascular glaucoma that develops mainly in the first few years after treatment, cataract continues to develop during the entire length of follow-up.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

A factor-analytic study of Tarter's "hyperactivity-MBD" questionnaire.

A number of studies have suggested a relationship between childhood hyperactivity and subsequent alcohol abuse. Research with alcoholics has utilized retrospective, self-report questionnaires to examine the relationship between childhood hyperactivity and alcoholism. Since it is now recognized that "hyperactivity" has been rather loosely and broadly defined, it would seem reasonable to determine the independent behavioral dimensions subsumed within it. The present study factor analyzed the data of 145 alcoholic inpatients on Tarter's 'hyperactivity/MBD' questionnaire. Four factors which included 26 of Tarter's original 50 items were derived--hyperactivity-impulsivity, attentional-socialization problems, antisocial behavior, and learning disability. These factors and the items contained therein were compared with four scales developed on a rational basis by the Hesselbrocks. Additionally, the factor scores of the subjects were cluster analyzed yielding six interpretable clusters. A number of these, such as hyperactivity-impulsivity alone, hyperactivity-impulsivity combined with attentional-socialization problems, and hyperactivity-impulsivity combined with antisocial behavior, are of considerable theoretical interest. Accordingly, further requirements for establishing the validity of the factor analyzed scales and the cluster analysis-based responder groupings were delineated.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The Community Balance and Mobility Scale--a balance measure for individuals with traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence for the validity and reliability of a new outcome measure of balance, the Community Balance and Mobility Scale, developed for the ambulatory individual with traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: A validity and reliability study. SETTING: Acute care, in- and outpatient rehabilitation and day hospital settings. SUBJECTS: Two convenience samples (n=36, 32) of ambulatory patients with traumatic brain injury. MAIN MEASURES: The content and construct validity, test-retest, inter- and intra-rater reliability and internal consistency of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale. RESULTS: Content validity was demonstrated by the involvement of patients with traumatic brain injury (n=7) and clinicians (n=17) in the process of item generation and by physical therapists' ratings of item relevance. Further support is the correlation of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale scores with physical therapists' global balance ratings of the patient (r=0.62). Construct validity was supported by the ability of the measure to differentiate between patients along the continuum of care and also by comparisons with maximal walking velocity (r=0.64). Patients who scored greater than or less than 50 on the balance measure demonstrated significantly different Community Integration Questionnaire scores (P=0.004). The Community Balance and Mobility Scale demonstrated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.977, 0.977, 0.975 and Cronbach's alpha of 0.96 for intra-, inter-, test-retest reliability and internal consistency, respectively. CONCLUSION: The Community Balance and Mobility Scale is a valid and reliable outcome measure for the ambulatory individual with traumatic brain injury.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

The safety and value of naloxone as a therapeutic aid.

The safety and value of naloxone as a therapeutic aid was demonstrated in a large population of narcotic dependent persons over a two-year period. Naloxone was used to precipitate the narcotic withdrawal syndrome. This withdrawal syndrome was rated according to a previously developed scale. Retrospectively, naloxone rating scores were correlated with the patients' initial dose of methadone. With patients who received 0.8 mg naloxone, good correlation was obtained between the naloxone test score and the optimum methadone dose (mg), as indicated by the patients' physical status during the initial three days of methadone treatment. Three hundred and sixty-three tests were administered to 343 persons and no individuals developed any serious effects such as convulsions, syncope or cardiovascular collapse.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Multimodal biometrics for identity documents (MBioID).

The MBioID initiative has been set up to address the following germane question: What and how biometric technologies could be deployed in identity documents in the foreseeable future? This research effort proposes to look at current and future practices and systems of establishing and using biometric identity documents (IDs) and evaluate their effectiveness in large-scale developments. The first objective of the MBioID project is to present a review document establishing the current state-of-the-art related to the use of multimodal biometrics in an IDs application. This research report gives the main definitions, properties and the framework of use related to biometrics, an overview of the main standards developed in the biometric industry and standardisation organisations to ensure interoperability, as well as some of the legal framework and the issues associated to biometrics such as privacy and personal data protection. The state-of-the-art in terms of technological development is also summarised for a range of single biometric modalities (2D and 3D face, fingerprint, iris, on-line signature and speech), chosen according to ICAO recommendations and availabilities, and for various multimodal approaches. This paper gives a summary of the main elements of that report. The second objective of the MBioID project is to propose relevant acquisition and evaluation protocols for a large-scale deployment of biometric IDs. Combined with the protocols, a multimodal database will be acquired in a realistic way, in order to be as close as possible to a real biometric IDs deployment. In this paper, the issues and solutions related to the acquisition setup are briefly presented.

Biometry↗

PubMed1996

The assessment of disability with the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. Conceptual framework and psychometric properties.

The conceptual framework, psychometric properties, descriptive statistics, and the rules for administration and scoring of the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS) for assessing disability in the area of ADL (Activities of Daily Living including mobility) as well as IADL (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) are presented. The result show that the GARS, which can be administered both face-to-face and by mail questionnaire, is an easy to administer, comprehensive, reliable, hierarchical, and valid measure for assessing disability in older people. By integrating previously developed scales measuring different domains of disability (ADL, IADL, and mobility) and the use of a four-category response format, an accurate and detailed measure of disability can be obtained and a broader range of needs of subjects can be described. The GARS manual, including detailed procedures for administration and scoring, encourages unambiguous administration and interpretation which results in more comparable research outcomes.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

Validity of DQ as an estimate of IQ in children with autistic disorder.

The purpose of the present paper was to test the validity of developmental quotients (DQ) on the Mental Development Scale for Infants and Young Children (MDSIYC) as an estimate of intelligence quotient (IQ). Correlations were carried out of its DQ with an IQ on the Japanese version of the Stanford-Binet in 94 children with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn; DSM-IV) autistic disorder. With IQ, DQ in the five MDSIYC areas (motor, play, socialization, self-help, and speech) and full-scale DQ (mean of five-area DQ) had significant correlations (Pearson r) of 0.46, 0.56, 0.53, 0.46, 0.85, and 0.68, respectively, suggesting that speech DQ is the most valid estimate of IQ.

Autistic Disorder↗

PubMed1987

Short-term dexamethasone therapy for bronchopulmonary dysplasia: acute effects and 1-year follow-up.

Eight ventilator-dependent infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were treated with dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg/day). Therapy was initiated at 19.3 +/- 3.9 days of age, continued at the initial dose for 7 days, then tapered over 2 weeks. The clinical course of these infants with BPD was compared to that of 8 similar ventilator-dependent infants with uncomplicated hyaline membrane disease (HMD). At study entry, the BPD patients had significantly higher ventilator rates, peak inspiratory pressures, mean airway pressures, alveolar-arterial oxygen gradients and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) values. After 7 days of dexamethasone therapy, ventilator rates, peak inspiratory pressures, mean airway pressures, FiO2 values and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradients improved significantly. At this time, ventilator rates, peak inspiratory pressures and FiO2 values were similar to those of patients with uncomplicated HMD. BPD patients were extubated after 6.5 +/- 2.4 days of therapy. The incidences of septicemia, rickets and retinopathy of prematurity were similar in the BPD and uncomplicated HMD patients. Most dexamethasone-treated patients developed arterial hypertension during the first 48 h of therapy. Blood pressures returned to normal within 7 days of stopping therapy. All BPD patients had cosyntropin responses tested 5.5 +/- 2.6 weeks after stopping therapy. Six were normal. Two had inadequate responses. At 1 year adjusted age, the dexamethasone-treated BPD infants and HMD infants had similar radiographic bone ages, similar growth patterns and similar scores on the Bayley infant development scale. Dexamethasone was useful in the treatment of early BPD. Used as short-term therapy, the drug had minimal complications and no long-term sequelae.

Apgar Score↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The development of a scale to evaluate the quality of life in stroke survivors].

INTRODUCTION: The selection of a measure that can be used to evaluate the outcome of therapeutic interventions in stroke patients has had a conceptual problem in that there is a need to detect a wide range of deficiencies, disabilities and handicaps as part of a patient-based model. It has also suffered from a methodological problem due to the lack of systematic attention given to the development of standard instruments. AIMS: We conducted this study with the aim of getting over these limitations by developing a scale to evaluate the quality of life in stroke survivors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We followed a methodology that had previously been standardised by other authors based on using the opinion given by patients and caregivers in the generation of the items to be included. This has several stages that include individual interviews with patients, caregivers and experts, focal groups with patients and experts, quantitative and qualitative analyses of these interviews, two panels of experts to actually draw up the instrument, and a pilot test carried out in a sample of 50 patients to reduce and group the items. This reducing and grouping process was performed taking into account the following: 1. The percentage of responses left unanswered; 2. A factorial analysis of the main components; 3. Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: We interviewed 20 patients and 12 experts; these results were later used to classify the above mentioned aspects in order of priority according to the frequency with which they appeared in the surveys. Then, we elaborated the questionnaire with four areas or subscales by including the questions or items in these categories: I. Physical status (17 items); II. Emotional status (13 items); III. Activities of daily living (13 items); IV. Social and familial functions (13 items). After the pilot study 38 items were reorganised into eight domains, according to the factorial analysis: 1. Physical problems; 2. Communication; 3. Cognition; 4. Emotions; 5. Feelings; 6. Activities of daily living; 7. Familial functions; 8. Social functions. They displayed high coefficients of internal consistency. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a new scale for evaluating the quality of life for stroke patients and it is now ready to undergo its validation process.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1989

Development of psychosocial scales for the assessment of adolescents involved with alcohol and drugs.

There are differences among adolescents who use alcohol and other drugs not only in the extent and pattern of their use, but also with respect to the factors that may have contributed to or accompany their involvement with drugs. The Personal Experience Scales (PES) is a new self-report inventory developed to assess psychosocial factors that may: (1) predispose or perpetuate adolescent chemical involvement, (2) complicate chemical abuse treatment, or (3) require treatment in their own right. This paper provides an overview of the development of the PES. Scale construction procedures, scale characteristics, and evidence of scale validity are reported.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

The fate of "small twins": a four-year follow-up study of low birthweight and prematurely born twins.

This follow-up study of twins includes 35 families from the Stockholm area. One section concerns the physical and mental development of the twins. The other sections compare the development of the children with their parents' expectations of them and the parents' feelings about the delivery. Seven twin pairs (20%) in the total group were born before 37 complete gestational weeks. Thirty-seven of the twins weighed less than 2,500 g at birth; of these, 23 (9 boys and 14 girls) weighed less than 2,500g, although they were born after 37 gestational weeks. At four years of age, 22 of the 68 twins still showed some impairment of locomotor, language/speech and emotional development, as assessed by the Griffiths Mental Development Scales. All the prematurely born and small-for-date infants were in this group. There also seems to be a relationship between developmental problems and the mother's negative or ambivalent expectations concerning the twin pregnancy.

Age Factors↗