The performance of vibration-based damage identification techniques for current condition evaluation of existing bridges is studied through their application to dynamic response of an existing concrete bridge. First, in situ dynamic tests were performed and modal parameters (mode shapes and frequencies) were identified. As previous sets of in situ dynamic parameters were not available, the refe...

Objectives—To compare outcomes of care in selected neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) for very low birthweight (VLBW) or preterm infants in Scotland and Australia (study 1) and perinatal care for all VLBW infants in both countries (study 2). Design—Study 1: risk adjusted cohort study; study 2: population based cohort study. Subjects—Study 1: all 2621 infants of < 1500 g birth weight or < 31 ...

family of CRIB domain–containing proteins is represented by the nonreceptor tyrosine kinases ACK-1 (Manser et al., 1993) and ACK-2 (Yang et al., 1997), which are highly specific targets for Cdc42. While these tyrosine kinases have yet to be linked to a specific pathological condition, it is likely that they will play important roles in neuronal cell function as they are highly expressed in brai...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the mortality rate of very low birth weight babies born at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) during a specified period of time according to variations in CRIB (Clinical Risk Index for Babies) score, birth weight and gestational age. METHODS From January 1997 to December 2000, the CRIB score was prospectively applied to all newborn infants admitted to the NICU of an u...

Introduction: Low birth weight has a significant impact on the survival of a newborn. Low birth weight babies are at risk for a number of serious clinical problems and as such contribute to overall neonatal mortality and morbidity. Aims: The aim was to study the clinicoepidemiological profile and predictors of mortality in low birth weight babies in resource limited settings. Materials and meth...

Objective : To identify which factors can predict INSURE failure in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Study design : A retropective analysis of the prenatal histories, clinical courses and paraclinical data of all inborn infants (birth weight < 2000g) with respiratory distress syndrome treated with INSURE method. Infants were categorized into 2 groups : "INSURE failure group" ...

OBJECTIVE The Neonatal Individualized Developmental Care Program (NIDCAP) for very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants has been suggested by Als et al to improve several medical outcome variables such as time on ventilator, time to nipple feed, the duration of hospital stay, better behavioral performance on Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB), and improved neurodevelopmental outc...

Some surgical innovations are no-brainers. No randomized clinical trial was needed when Ann Miller awoke from her puerperal sepsis after an ‘‘off-label’’ injection of penicillin. The Institutional Review Board did not complain when Harvey Cushing, after a bloody initial foray, successfully resected a hypervascular parietal tumor using William T. Bovie’s new electrodesiccator. When Reuben Setlif...

-Many reservoirs in arid regions experience highly variable water levels caused by seasonal inflow fluctuations and designated outflow requirements. At Shasta Lake, California, managers plant cerealgrain grass beds on exposed drawdown shorelines to increase juvenile fish habitat, localize productivity, and increase invertebrate fish prey. To determine the efficacy of these plantings, the abunda...

BACKGROUND Serum phosphate is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease and the general population. There is accumulating evidence that phosphate promotes arterial stiffening through structural vascular alterations such as medial calcification, which are already apparent in the early stages of chronic kidney disease. AIM To dete...