Emergency department visits by pediatric patients sustained as a passenger on a motorcycle

Objective: Currently only 5 out of the 50 states in the United States have laws restricting the age of passengers permitted to ride on a motorcycle. This study sought to characterize the visits by patients under the age of 16 to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) for injuries sustained as a passenger on a motorcycle.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data were obtained from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) for the years 2006 to 2011. Pediatric patients who were passengers on a motorcycle that was involved in a crash were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) External Cause of Injury codes. We also examined gender, age, disposition, regional differences, common injuries, and charges.

Results: Between 2006 and 2011 there were an estimated 9,689 visits to U.S. EDs by patients under the age of 16 who were passengers on a motorcycle involved in a crash. The overall average patient age was 9.4 years, and they were predominately male (54.5%). The majority (85%) of these patients were treated and released. The average charges for discharged patients were $2,116.50 and amounted to roughly $17,500,000 during the 6 years. The average cost for admission was $51,446 per patient and totaled over $54 million. The most common primary injuries included superficial contusions; sprains and strains; upper limb fractures; open wounds of head, neck, and trunk; and intracranial injuries.

Conclusion: Although there were only about 9,700 visits to U.S. EDs for motorcycle crashes involving passengers less than 16 years old for 2006 to 2011, the total cost of visits that resulted in either ED discharge or hospital admission amounted to over $71 million.     

Vitamins,folic acid and neural tube defects: Comments on investigations in the United States

No clear answer concerning whether multivitamin/folate supplementation prevents neural tube defects (NTDs) is provided by three studies in the United States. All these studies are occurrence in nature, no recurrence studies having been conducted. The Atlanta Birth Defects Study is subject to pronounced memory and recall biases, the length between event and interview being as long as 16 years. In a second study (Boston University), objections can be raised to certain aspects of the experimental design, and the claim that 22 per cent of women started vitamins sufficiently early after pregnancy diagnosis to influence NTD formation is suspicious. Our NICHD case control study of 541 women in California and Illinois revealed no evidence for multivitamins or folic acid preventing NTDs. U.S. public policy-makers face difficulties in applying results of recurrence or occurrence studies in high-risk areas to low-risk areas in the U.S.     

Gas chromatographic separation and determination of chloroanthracene isomers on fly ash

An efficient, reproducible and rapid fused silica capillary column gas chromatographic method, in splitless mode, for analysing of the three chloroanthracene isomers is described. The method affords efficient separation and good linearity for each isomer in the range of 0.2 -200 μg/ml. The method can also be used in separation and determination of another thirty three aromatic and their halosubstituted compounds. This paper also presents the applications of the method in analysing of complex products mixture from reaction of the selected aromatic compounds with hydrogen chloride on fly ash surface from municipal incinerator.     

No evidence for genetic differentiation between Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna morphotypes

The extent to which genetic divergence can occur in the absence of physical barriers to gene flow is currently one of the most controversial topics in evolutionary biology, with implications for our understanding of speciation, phenotypic plasticity and adaptive potential. This is illustrated by a recent study reporting a surprising pattern of genetic differentiation between intertidal and subtidal morphotypes of the broadcast-spawning Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna. To explore this further, we collected almost 400 Antarctic limpets from four depths (intertidal, 6, 15 and 25 m) at Adelaide island, Antarctica, and conducted a combined morphometric and genetic analysis using 168 polymorphic amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) loci. Morphological analysis revealed not only pronounced differences between the two morphotypes, but also a continuous cline in shell shape from the intertidal zone down to 25 m depth, suggesting that the distinction between the morphotypes may be artificial. Moreover, genetic analysis using both F _st and a Bayesian analogue found no evidence for differentiation either between the two morphotypes or by depth, and a Bayesian cluster analysis did not detect any cryptic genetic structure. Our findings lend support to the notion that limpets can be phenotypically highly plastic, although further studies are required to determine unequivocally whether there is any genetic basis to the observed variation in shell morphology.     

CAUSES OF PEAK FLOWS IN NORTHWESTERN MONTANA AND NORTHEASTERN IDAHO1

ABSTRACT: Both catchment experiments and a review of hydrologic processes suggest a varying effect of forest harvest on the magnitude of peak flows according to the cause of those peak flows. In northwestern Montana and Northeastern Idaho, annual maximum flows can result from spring snowmelt, rain, mid-winter rain-on-snow, or rain-on-spring-snowmelt. Meteorologic and physical data were used to determine the cause of annual maximum flows in six basins which had the necessary data and were smaller than 150 mi². Rain-on-spring-snowmelt was the most frequent cause of annual maximum flows in all six basins, although there was a strong gradient in the magnitude and cause of peak flows from southwest to northeast. Less frequent mid-winter rain-on-snow events caused the largest flows on record in four basins. Mid-winter rain-on-snow should be distinguished from rain-on-spring-snowmelt because of differences in seasonal timing, the relative contributions of rain vs. snowmelt, and the projected effects of forest harvest. The effects of mixed flood populations on the flood-frequency curve varied from basin to basin. Annual maximum daily flows could not be reliably predicted from rainfall and snowmelt data.     

Effects of the mosquito larvicide GB-1111 on bird eggs

Golden Bear Oil (GB-1111; legal trade name for GB-1313) is a petroleum distillate used in the United States and other countries as a mosquito larvicide. As part of an evaluation of the potential effects of GB-1111 on birds, fertile eggs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) were incubated in the laboratory, and treated on day 4 of incubation with external applications equivalent to either 0, 1/3, 1, 3 or 10 times the maximum rate (X) of 47 l/ha (5 gal/A) of field application of GB-1111. Hatching success was significantly reduced in mallards treated at 3 and 10 times the maximum field application, with a calculated approximate LD50 of 1.9 times the maximum field application. Most mortality occurred within a week of treatment. Hepatic P450-associated monooxygenase activity (ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase; EROD) was negatively related to dose. In the 3X group there was a significant increase in the concentration of hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) but a decrease in protein-bound thiols (PBSH). Hatching success of bobwhite was marginally reduced at the highest level of treatment (10X). Other effects at this level in bobwhite included a significant increase in incidence of abnormal embryos or hatchlings, lower body and liver weights, and a two-fold increase in hepatic microsomal EROD activity in hatchlings. The recommended maximum rate of field application of GB-1111 is unlikely to impair the survival or development of bobwhite embryos but is potentially toxic to mallard embryos under conditions of larvicide drift or spray overlap.     

EFFECTS OF A RECREATIONAL IMPOUNDMENT ON NEARBY NATURAL LAKES: A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Completion of a 1270 acre recreational impoundment (Legend Lake) in the glacial sands of Menominee County, Wisconsin, produced geochemical and hydrologic alterations in some nearby natural lakes. The impoundment was produced by the construction of three dams, one of which proved to be temporary, connecting 9 natural lakes and ponds of 383 acres with 951 acres of flooded lands. Water levels were raised 3–15 feet within the impounded area. Much of the flooded area was peat rich wetland associated with the prior drainage. Water depths are less than 15 feet in 70% of the impoundment. Three seepage lakes, located less than 1/2 mile from the impoundment, experienced shoreline flooding, shoreline and soil erosion, some tree kills, and increased turbidity. These lakes also experienced concentration increases in several chemical constituents which indicate an influx of impoundment water through a regional alternation in the groundwater flow paths. The three lakes were connected by canals, and a 2.3 cfs gravity drain with an auxiliary pumping station was built to return excess water to the outflow of the impoundment. Future projects of this type would benefit from a more extensive hydrologic and geochemical analysis prior to initiation. Had environmental assessments been required at the time of this development, as they now are in Wisconsin for similar projects, some of the problems encountered might have been alleviated.     

Trace Element Concentrations and Bioindicator Responses in Tree Swallows from Northwestern Minnesota

Extremely high concentrations of cadmium (3.5 μg/g dry wgt.) and elevated concentrations of chromium (>10 μg/g dry wgt.) and mercury (1.6 μg/g dry wgt.) were reported in waterbird tissues at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota in 1994. Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were studied during 1998–2001 at three drainages into the Refuge, two pools on the Refuge, and at a nearby reference location to document whether high levels of contaminants were still present, and if so to quantify the source and severity of the contamination. Trace elements were measured in tree swallow eggs, livers, and diet. Reproductive success and bioindicator responses were monitored. In 2000, water was drawn down on Agassiz Pool, one of the main pools on the Refuge. This presented an opportunity to evaluate the response of trace element concentrations in the diet and tissues of tree swallows after reflooding. High concentrations of trace elements were not detected in swallow tissues, nor were there differences among locations. Less than 20% of swallow samples had detectable concentrations of cadmium or chromium. Mercury concentrations were low and averaged <0.25 μg/g dry wgt. in swallow tissues. Trace elements, including mercury, did not increase in tree swallows following the 2000 drawdown at Agassiz Pool. Hatching success and survival of nestlings to 12 days-of-age for tree swallows on the Refuge were similar to the national average and consistent with background trace element concentrations. Bioindicator measurements were within the normal ranges as well.     

Organizational change and the greening process at amoco

Implementing environmentalism in the internal operations of a firm requires a reassignment of responsibilities and functions. New job tasks are created while old ones are altered to incorporate new perspectives and responsibilities that reflect broader societal demands. In essence, what evolves is a new firm, but what exactly does this mean? After a broad analysis of the environmental transformation of American industry, four basic changes within the organizational framework of dealing with environmentalism are identified: an evolution of the environmental management function, alteration of the overall structure of the organization, expansion of the boundaries of the firm, and changes in corporate culture. The author shows how these shifts occur in sequential order as increasing uncertainty promotes the search for answers from more diverse sources. Ultimately, as environmentalism continues to evolve, it increasingly infuses itself into the corporate culture. The following article presents this model and a case study of the Amoco Corporation.