Impacts of fire and prospects for recovery in a tropical peat forest ecosystem.

Uncontrolled fires place considerable burdens on forest ecosystems, compromising our ability to meet conservation and restoration goals. A poor understanding of the impacts of fire on ecosystems and their biodiversity exacerbates this challenge, particularly in tropical regions where few studies have applied consistent analytical techniques to examine a broad range of ecological impacts over multiyear time frames. We compiled 16 y of data on ecosystem properties (17 variables) and biodiversity (21 variables) from a tropical peatland in Indonesia to assess fire impacts and infer the potential for recovery.

THYROID PHANTOM MEASUREMENTS IN JOINT EURADOS-LLNL INTERCOMPARISON EXERCISE.

The European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS), in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) Thyroid Intercomparison Program (TRIP), conducted an intercomparison exercise consistent with the goals of EURADOS. In total, 35 in vivo radiobioassay facilities from 18 countries participated to evaluate the differences between the neck and thyroid phantoms specified in two standards issued by the American National Standards Institute. Radioiodine (125I and 131I) measurement results were compared to the traceable standard activity levels added to each phantom.

Historical review of lung counting efficiencies for low energy photon emitters.

This publication reviews the measured efficiency and variability over time of a high purity planar germanium in vivo lung count system for multiple photon energies using increasingly thick overlays with the Lawrence Livermore Torso Phantom. The measured variations in efficiency are compared with the current requirement for in vivo bioassay performance as defined by the American National Standards Institute Standard in ANSI Standard N13.30.

Meeting the challenge of managing vaso-occlusive crisis.

Quality improvement efforts in patient care are most successful when the entire healthcare team is involved in care planning. This article discusses a multidisciplinary approach to the development of a protocol for patients with sickle cell disease experiencing vaso-occlusive crisis. The protocol's goal was to improve the quality and consistency of care for these patients.