Determining bruise etiology in muscle tissue using finite element analysis.

Bruising, the result of capillary failure, is a common physical exam finding due to blunt trauma and, depending on location and severity, a potential indicator of abuse. Despite its clinical relevance, few studies have investigated the etiology of capillary failure. The goal of this study was to determine whether capillaries primarily fail under shear stress or hydraulic-induced tensile stress.

Water quality and management of private drinking water wells in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has over three million rural residents using private water wells for drinking water supplies but is one of the few states that lack statewide water well construction or management standards. The study described in this article aimed to determine the prevalence and causes of common health-based pollutants in water wells and evaluate the need for regulatory management along with voluntary educational programs. Water samples were collected throughout Pennsylvania by Master Well Owner Network volunteers trained by Penn State Extension.

INCREASING SAVING BEHAVIOR THROUGH AGE-PROGRESSED RENDERINGS OF THE FUTURE SELF.

Many people fail to save what they need to for retirement (Munnell, Webb, and Golub-Sass 2009). Research on excessive discounting of the future suggests that removing the lure of immediate rewards by pre-committing to decisions, or elaborating the value of future rewards can both make decisions more future-oriented. In this article, we explore a third and complementary route, one that deals not with present and future rewards, but with present and future selves.

Soil acidity and manganese in declining and nondeclining sugar maple stands in Pennsylvania.

For decades, the hardwood forests of northern Pennsylvania have been subjected to chronic atmospheric loading of acidifying agents. On marginal, high-elevation, unglaciated sites, sugar maples (Acer saccharum Marsh.) have experienced severe decline symptoms and mortality.

The influence of well construction on bacterial contamination of private water wells in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has a large population that relies on private water wells, but no statewide regulations govern the location or construction of the wells. Bacterial contamination occurs in nearly half of these water supplies, representing a health risk to rural residents. The role of large-scale aquifer contamination versus wellhead contamination from poor construction is poorly understood.

Nitrogen export from a watershed subjected to partial salvage logging.

Logging has been shown to induce nitrogen (N) leaching. We hypothesized that logging a watershed that previously exhibited forest decline symptoms would place additional stress on the ecosystem and result in greater N loss, compared to harvesting vigorous forests. We conducted a 10-year (1988 to 1998) assessment of N export from the Baldwin Creek watershed in southwestern Pennsylvania that was partially clearcut to salvage dead and dying northern red oak.

Hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Michx.) Moore) interference with growth of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings.

We assessed the impacts of hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Michx.) Moore) and subsoil liming (CaO amendments) on root and shoot growth of greenhouse-grown, first-year, northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings.

Randomised trial of oral morphine for chronic non-cancer pain.

Background: The use of opioid analgesics for chronic non-cancer pain is controversial. Some surveys report good pain relief and improvement in performance while others suggest a poor outcome with a propensity to psychological dependence or addiction.

Methods: We undertook a randomised double-blind crossover study to test the hypothesis that oral morphine relieves pain and improves the quality of life in patients with chronic regional pain of soft tissue or musculoskeletal origin who have not responded to codeine, anti-inflammatory agents, and antidepressants.

Water chemistry and fish community responses to episodic stream acidification in Pennsylvania, USA.

Five streams were studied on the Northern Appalachian Plateau of Pennsylvania from October 1988 through June 1989 to determine chemical changes that occur during episodic storm run-off and the responses of fish to these events. These second-order streams flowed through undisturbed, wooded, sandstone bedrock catchments with surface areas ranging from 500 to 1000 hectares. Median pH of precipitations was about 4.

The effects of acid precipitation runoff episodes on reservoir and tapwater quality in an Appalachian Mountain water supply.

The aluminum concentration and Ryznar Index increased and the pH decreased in a small Appalachian water supply reservoir following acid precipitation runoff episodes. Concomitant increases in tapwater aluminum and decreases in tapwater pH were also observed at two homes in the water distribution system. Lead concentrations in the tapwater of one home frequently exceeded recommended levels, although spatial and temporal variation in tapwater copper and lead concentrations was considerable.

Orthodontic relapse, apical root resorption, and crestal alveolar bone levels.

This investigation examined the relationship of postorthodontic treatment relapse to crestal alveolar bone support and root resorption. Thirty-six persons having completed the retention phase of orthodontics at least 10 years earlier were divided into two groups based on the amount of relapse crowding of the mandibular anterior teeth. Eighteen subjects (relapse group) exhibited 2 mm or more of mandibular anterior relapse crowding and 18 subjects (nonrelapse group) exhibited no mandibular anterior relapse crowding.

Potential health implications for acid precipitation, corrosion, and metals contamination of drinking water.

Potential health effects of drinking water quality changes caused by acid precipitation are presented. Several different types of water supply are discussed and their roles in modifying acid rain impacts on drinking water are explained. Sources of metals contamination in surface water supplies are enumerated.

Potential human health effects of acid rain: report of a workshop.

This report summarizes the potential impact of the acid precipitation phenomenon on human health. There are two major components to this phenomenon: the predepositional phase, during which there is direct human exposure to acidic substances from ambient air, and the post-depositional phase, in which the deposition of acid materials on water and soil results in the mobilization, transport, and even chemical transformation of toxic metals. Acidification increases bioconversion of mercury to methylmercury, which accumulates in fish, increasing the risk to toxicity in people who eat fish.

Chronic radium intoxication: radium osteonecrosis and cancer in relation to 226Ra burdens.

Histologic examination of 35 femora from 25 New Jersey radium workers with measured preterminal 226Ra burdens between background levels (less than or equal to 0.0042) and 1.78 muCi demonstrated that 10 of the 11 whose burdens exceeded background had radium osteonecrosis, including 6 of 7 whose burdens were above background levels but below 0.