A sensitivity analysis of a human exposure model using the Sobol method.

The Air Pollutants Exposure Model (APEX) is a stochastic population-based inhalation exposure model which (along with its earlier version called pNEM) has been used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for over 30 years for assessment of human exposure to airborne pollutants.

A multipollutant evaluation of APEX using microenvironmental ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter (PM) concentrations measured in Los Angeles by the exposure classification project.

This paper describes an operational evaluation of the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Pollution Exposure Model (APEX). APEX simulations for a multipollutant ambient air mixture, i.e.

Air Pollution Exposure Model for Individuals (EMI) in Health Studies: Evaluation for Ambient PM2.5 in Central North Carolina.

Air pollution health studies of fine particulate matter (diameter ≤2.5 μm, PM2.5) often use outdoor concentrations as exposure surrogates.

GPS-based microenvironment tracker (MicroTrac) model to estimate time-location of individuals for air pollution exposure assessments: model evaluation in central North Carolina.

A critical aspect of air pollution exposure assessment is the estimation of the time spent by individuals in various microenvironments (ME). Accounting for the time spent in different ME with different pollutant concentrations can reduce exposure misclassifications, while failure to do so can add uncertainty and bias to risk estimates. In this study, a classification model, called MicroTrac, was developed to estimate time of day and duration spent in eight ME (indoors and outdoors at home, work, school; inside vehicles; other locations) from global positioning system (GPS) data and geocoded building boundaries.

A review of air exchange rate models for air pollution exposure assessments.

A critical aspect of air pollution exposure assessments is estimation of the air exchange rate (AER) for various buildings where people spend their time. The AER, which is the rate of exchange of indoor air with outdoor air, is an important determinant for entry of outdoor air pollutants and for removal of indoor-emitted air pollutants. This paper presents an overview and critical analysis of the scientific literature on empirical and physically based AER models for residential and commercial buildings; the models highlighted here are feasible for exposure assessments as extensive inputs are not required.

A new method of longitudinal diary assembly for human exposure modeling.

Human exposure time-series modeling requires longitudinal time-activity diaries to evaluate the sequence of concentrations encountered, and hence, pollutant exposure for the simulated individuals. However, most of the available data on human activities are from cross-sectional surveys that typically sample 1 day per person. A procedure is needed for combining cross-sectional activity data into multiple-day (longitudinal) sequences that can capture day-to-day variability in human exposures.

Comparison of rates of potentially inappropriate medication use according to the Zhan criteria for VA versus private sector medicare HMOs.

Background: Inappropriate prescribing in the elderly is common, but rates across different health care systems and the impact of formulary restrictions are not well described.

Objective: To determine if rates of inappropriate medication use in the elderly differ between the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system and the private sector Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design compared administrative pharmacy claims from 10 distinct geographic regions in the United States in the VA health care system and 10 analogous regions for patients enrolled in Medicare HMOs.

Estimates of Sulfate Deposition in the Middle Eastern United States: 1975, 1990, and 2010.

Deposition of airborne sulfates and nitrates is considered to be an important factor in the decline of certain fish populations and of forest health in the eastern United States. A solution has been sought through legislation that mandates significant reductions in anthropogenic emissions of oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, precursors of sulfates and nitrates. This paper looks at the changes in sulfate deposition in the middle eastern United States from 1975 to 1990 and 2010 due to SO2 emission reductions brought about by 1970, 1977, and 1990 clean-air legislation.

Meeting the needs of women living with HIV.

HIV research, treatment, and support programs in North America have been based on the premise that HIV is a gay man's disease. HIV also affects women. The purposes of this study were to: (1) examine the feelings, concerns, and needs of HIV infected women in a mid-sized Canadian city; and (2) determine whether a community agency for HIV positive persons was adequately supporting women.

Planning French-language health services: a case illustration of Niagara region.

Niagara's health plan for the '90s includes a French-language service component and is a joint effort of the Niagara District Health Council (NDHC) and l'association canadienne française de l'Ontario (ACFO), whose mandate includes the promotion of francophone objectives and perspectives in Ontario. The planning process undertaken contains traditional "hard" elements of planning such as the collection of data, data analysis and recommendations. It also contains the "soft" elements, which are discussed by a review of the major tasks: designing the project structure; designing the research method; formulating a network of health and related social services; and building consensus toward the final plan of action.

Messenger RNA turnover during bone marrow erythroid cell differentiation.

Incubation of bone marrow cells from anaemic rabbits in the presence of actinomycin D led to a decrease in total protein synthesis and an increase in the relative synthesis of globin. This increase in the proportion of globin was observed with in vivo labelling of cellular proteins and in vitro translation of isolated RNA, which indicates that the messenger RNA for globin is much more stable than the other bone marrow cell messages. This was further shown by pulse-labelling the RNA and characterization of the different species by separation on a cDNA-oligo(dT)-cellulose column.

Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure During Aqua Dynamics.

In brief: The heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy expenditure of three young women were measured during 20-minute low-gear, 30-minute middle-gear, and 60-minute high-gear aqua dynamics workouts. All three workouts were moderate in intensity, eliciting average heart rates of 132 to 143 beats min(-1) (70% to 77% HR max), average oxygen uptakes of 1.2 to 1.

The effects of experimental inflammation on turnover of fatty acid synthetase and levels of fatty acid synthetase messenger RNA in rat liver.

Suppression, by experimental inflammation, induced by subcutaneous injection of oil of turpentine, of the usual increase in liver fatty acid synthetase (FAS) activity resulting from fat-free feeding following starvation (adaptive synthesis) was shown to result entirely from lowered hepatic content of FAS protein. Comparison of changes in the relative rate of synthesis of FAS, determined radioimmunochemically during adaptive synthesis with and without inflammation, with concomitant changes in FAS activity, revealed that inflammation partically suppressed the increased rate of synthesis characteristic of adaptive synthesis, but insufficiently to account entirely for the suppression of enzyme activity. Inflammation accelerated the relative rate of degradation of FAS, causing a 50% decrease in enzyme half-life and a corresponding increase in kd and turnover index.