BACKGROUND Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) requires prompt and appropriate treatment. Since methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a frequent pathogen in VAP, rapid identification of it, is pivotal. Our aim was to evaluate the utility of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a useful method for etiologic diagnoses of MRSA pneumonia. METHODS We performed qPCR fo...

The present recommendations for dune removal or dune retreat on the Great Lakes for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood mapping purposes are based on a simple geometric method as outlined in FEMA (2009). The simple procedure establishes a relationship between dune survival and storm intensity. The method was adopted several decades ago when numerical models were inadequate for pred...

We have developed a framework for flood mitigation risk analysis that applies generally to floods, and have applied it in this study of flood mitigation risk analysis for the Raritan Basin in New Jersey, USA. The framework we have developed involves a conceptual model of the relation among meteorological activity, hydrological models, infrastructure intervention, fine-grained topography, and ec...

BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus is a common and significant pathogen in cystic fibrosis. We sought to determine if quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing could provide a rapid, culture-independent approach to the identification of S. aureus airway infections. METHODS We examined the sensitivity and specificity of two qPCR assays, targeting the femA and 16S rRNA gene, using cult...

BACKGROUND To estimate changes in the cost and utilization of Medicare among beneficiaries over age 65 who have been impacted by a natural disaster, we merged publically available county-level Medicare claims for the years 2008-2012 with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) data related to disasters in each U.S. County from 2007 to 2012. METHODS Fixed-effects generalized linear models w...

This study was conducted published to investigate there liability of the equation pressure-impulse (PI) reinforced concrete column in previous studies. Equation involves three different levels of damage criteria known as D =0.2, D =0.5 and D =0.8. The damage criteria known as a minor when 0-0.2, 0.2-0.5 is known as moderate damage, high damage known as 0.5-0.8, and 0.81 of the structure is cons...