Development of a laser heterodyne radiometer for regional methane leak detection.

We have developed and tested a laser heterodyne radiometer (LHR) for detecting methane leaks from upstream oil and gas infrastructure and landfills that uses the Sun as the signal light source, demonstrating here sensitivity sufficient to detect "super-emitter" leaks (>50/, 1166 slm). Tracking optics follow the Sun during its apparent daily transit across the sky, and the system collects direct absorption data and optionally the 1f and 2 wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) signals. The direct absorption data are processed in real time using a retrieval algorithm with a 5 s update rate to reveal the methane concentration versus altitude for each measurement line of sight.

Development of a passive optical heterodyne radiometer for near and mid-infrared spectroscopy.

We have developed a novel laser heterodyne radiometer using a fiber-coupled distributed feedback laser as the local oscillator to perform spectroscopic measurements of small molecules in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region. Here, we demonstrate measurement of HCN and in the lab and and in the atmospheric column. In addition, we demonstrate detection of a neutral iron, Fe(I), Fraunhofer line in the spectrum of the sun, at a vacuum wavelength of 1559.

Implementation and integration of microbial source tracking in a river watershed monitoring plan.

Fecal pollution of water bodies poses a serious threat for public health and ecosystems. Microbial source tracking (MST) is used to track the source of this pollution facilitating better management of pollution at the source. In this study we tested 12 MST markers to track human, ruminant, sheep, horse, pig and gull pollution to assess their usefulness as an effective management tool of water quality.

Capacity to provide informed consent among adults with bipolar disorder.

Background: Identifying correlates of capacity to provide informed consent among individuals with bipolar disorder is essential for patient protection. As part of a clinical trial involving approved, standard treatments, we investigated relationships between clinical characteristics and capacity to provide informed consent in adults with bipolar disorder using the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR). After administering the MacCAT-CR, continuing participants in the trial were capable of and provided informed consent.

Evaluating a microbial water quality prediction model for beach management under the revised EU Bathing Water Directive.

The revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) requires EU member states to minimise the risk to public health from faecal pollution at bathing waters through improved monitoring and management approaches. While increasingly sophisticated measurement methods (such as microbial source tracking) assist in the management of bathing water resources, the use of deterministic predictive models for this purpose, while having the potential to provide decision making support, remains less common. This study explores an integrated, deterministic catchment-coastal hydro-environmental model as a decision-making tool for beach management which, based on advance predictions of bathing water quality, can inform beach managers on appropriate management actions (to prohibit bathing or advise the public not to bathe) in the event of a poor water quality forecast.

Assessing the water quality response to an alternative sewage disposal strategy at bathing sites on the east coast of Ireland.

A three-dimensional model is used to assess the bathing water quality of Bray and Killiney bathing sites in Ireland following changes to the sewage management system. The model, firstly calibrated to hydrodynamic and water quality data from the period prior to the upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW), was then used to simulate Escherichia coli (E. coli) distributions for discharge scenarios of the periods prior to and following the upgrade of the WwTW under dry and wet weather conditions.

Depression and pain interference among patients with chronic pain after ED encounters.

Introduction: Patients with chronic pain who frequent emergency departments present a challenge to health care providers. Mental health, substance abuse, and pain issues are difficult to distinguish in fast-paced clinical settings, and significant symptoms may remain unaddressed. This pilot study sought to determine whether electronically delivered screening tools measuring pain and mood could identify areas to target for improving emergency care.

Environmental consequences of a power plant shut-down: a three-dimensional water quality model of Dublin Bay.

A hydro-environmental model is used to investigate the effect of cessation of thermal discharges from a power plant on the bathing water quality of Dublin Bay. Before closing down, cooling water from the plant was mixed with sewage effluent prior to its discharge, creating a warmer, less-saline buoyant pollutant plume that adversely affects the water quality of Dublin Bay. The model, calibrated to data from the period prior to the power-plant shut-down (Scenario1), assessed the water quality following its shut-down under two scenarios; (i) Scenario2: continued abstraction of water to dilute sewage effluents before discharge, and (ii) Scnenario3: sewage effluents are discharged directly into the Estuary.

Pain care management in the emergency department: a retrospective study to examine one program's effectiveness.

Introduction: No clear consensus exists regarding the most appropriate approach to reducing repetitive ED visits for pain complaints. These visits create a burden on health care resources and may contribute to inappropriate and excessive use of opioid medications. The purpose of this study was to examine the pain management program in 1 emergency department (1) to determine whether ED visits significantly decreased among program enrollees; (2) to quantify program interventions applied to enrollees; and (3) to explore relationships between enrollee characteristics (sex, age, comorbidities, health coverage plans) and the program's interventions and outcomes.

Prospective evaluation of specialist inpatient treatment for refractory affective disorders.

Background: Little data exist to inform the treatment of severe and resistant affective disorders. We report here the effectiveness of specialist multimodal inpatient treatment for refractory affective disorders.

Methods: Prospective evaluation of 225 consecutive patients admitted to the National Affective Disorders Unit between 2001 and 2008.

Depression 2: Exploring management options for adults with moderate to severe symptoms.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recently updated its guideline on treating and managing depression in adults. The first part of this two part unit covered the identification, assessment and initial management of persistent subthreshold depressive symptoms and mild to moderate depression. This second part looks at the core treatments for moderate to severe depression, as well as mild to moderate depression and persistent subthreshold symptoms that have not responded to low intensity interventions.

Depression 1: identifying the condition and offering initial treatment for adults.

Nurses must ensure their practice remains up to date and that they are aware of changes in the evidence base for managing depression. This two part unit on the updated National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on depression outlines some of the main areas that were updated and the implications for nursing practice.

A multidimensional tool to quantify treatment resistance in depression: the Maudsley staging method.

Objective: Treatment resistance is a common clinical phenomenon in depression. However, current unitary models of staging fail to represent its complexity. We aimed to devise a model to stage treatment-resistant depression, taking into account the core factors contributing to treatment failure.

School children's use of computers and teachers' education in computer ergonomics.

A national survey to investigate the education of teachers in computer-related ergonomics was carried out by postal questionnaire. The use of computers by primary school children (age 4-12 years) was also investigated. Data were collected from a random sample of 25% (n = 830) of primary schools in the Republic of Ireland.

Validation of host-specific Bacteriodales 16S rRNA genes as markers to determine the origin of faecal pollution in Atlantic Rim countries of the European Union.

The recent implementation of the Revised Bathing Water Directive in the European Union has highlighted the need for development of effective methods to differentiate between sources of faecal contamination. It had previously been shown that amplification of 16S rRNA genes of host-specific Bacteriodales species using the HF183F and CF128F primers could be used as markers for human and bovine faecal contamination in the United States. This paper determined the sensitivity and specificity of these markers in four Atlantic Rim countries (France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom) to evaluate their usefulness in determining the origin of faecal contamination.

Regulation of NMDA receptor trafficking and function by striatal-enriched tyrosine phosphatase (STEP).

Regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors is critical for the normal functioning of the central nervous system. There must be precise mechanisms to allow for changes in receptor function required for learning and normal synaptic transmission, but within tight constraints to prevent pathology. Tyrosine phosphorylation is a major means by which NMDA receptors are regulated through the equilibrium between activity of Src family kinases and tyrosine phosphatases.

Impulsive aggression with irritability and responsive to divalproex: a pediatric bipolar spectrum disorder phenotype?

Background: The objective of this retrospective chart review was to evaluate the phenomenology and response to divalproex in a sub-population of children admitted to an inpatient setting with severe impairing symptoms of irritability and aggression. In addition, we examined whether the symptomatology of this group was consistent with a pediatric divalproex-responsive bipolar spectrum disorder.

Methods: The charts of 46 child and adolescent patients with prominent impulsive aggression with irritability admitted to a crisis stabilization center were assessed retrospectively.

An assessment of the impact of the proposed EU bathing water directive on Irish coastal bathing area compliance.

An assessment of the impact of the new microbial water quality standards of the proposed EU Bathing Water Directive on the classification of designated Irish coastal bathing areas is presented. The new standards are applied retrospectively to the microbial water quality results for the bathing seasons of 1999, 2000 and 2001, and the outcome is compared with that recorded under the present Bathing Water Directive. A Microsoft EXCEL application was developed to generate the retrospective bathing area classifications according to the proposed Directive (Excellent, Good, Poor).

Using models and data to support optimization of the Military Health System: a case study in an intensive care unit.

Optimizing healthcare delivery--improving processes to reduce impediments to care--is an important goal of the Military Health System. Models and data can be effective tools to assist managers in achieving this goal. This paper illustrates this utility with a case study of the intensive care unit (ICU) at the US Air Force's Wilford Hall Medical Center.

Specific interference with gene expression and gene function mediated by long dsRNA in neural cells.

Double-stranded (ds) RNA-induced sequence-specific interference with gene expression, RNA interference (RNAi), has been extensively used in invertebrates, allowing for efficient and high-throughput gene silencing and gene function analysis. In vertebrates, however, use of RNAi to study gene function has been limited due to non-specific effects induced by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent protein kinase and interferon activation. dsRNA-induced specific inhibition of vertebrate gene expression has only been shown in embryonic and non-differentiated mammalian cells.

Psychopharmacological treatment of delirium to restore mental capacity.

The authors report four patient cases of delirium in which medications were used to restore mental capacity when life-or-death treatment decisions were required. Although extensive literature on substituted judgment exists for delirium and depression compromising capacity to make competent decisions, the authors could locate no articles proposing aggressive delirium treatment for restoring patients' capacity to participate in their own care. Without surgical intervention, all four of the authors' patients faced imminent death.

Measurement of Parity Nonconservation and an Anapole Moment in Cesium.

The amplitude of the parity-nonconserving transition between the 6S and 7S states of cesium was precisely measured with the use of a spin-polarized atomic beam. This measurement gives Im(E1pnc)/beta = -1.5935(56) millivolts per centimeter and provides an improved test of the standard model at low energy, including a value for the S parameter of -1.