Satellite-derived sandy shoreline trends and interannual variability along the Atlantic coast of Europe.

Monitoring sandy shoreline evolution from years to decades is critical to understand the past and predict the future of our coasts. Optical satellite imagery can now infer such datasets globally, but sometimes with large uncertainties, poor spatial resolution, and thus debatable outcomes. Here we validate and analyse satellite-derived-shoreline positions (1984-2021) along the Atlantic coast of Europe using a moving-averaged approach based on coastline characteristics, indicating conservative uncertainties of long-term trends around 0.

Why Reduced Inspiratory Pressure Could Determine Success of Non-Invasive Ventilation in Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure.

The magnitude of inspiratory effort relief within the first 2 hours of non-invasive ventilation for hypoxic respiratory failure was shown in a recent exploratory clinical study to be an early and accurate predictor of outcome at 24 hours. We simulated the application of non-invasive ventilation to three patients whose physiological and clinical characteristics match the data in that study. Reductions in inspiratory effort corresponding to reductions of esophageal pressure swing greater than 10 cmHO more than halved the values of total lung stress, driving pressure, power and transpulmonary pressure swing.

A computational cardiopulmonary physiology simulator accurately predicts individual patient responses to changes in mechanical ventilator settings.

We present new results validating the capability of a high-fidelity computational simulator to accurately predict the responses of individual patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome to changes in mechanical ventilator settings. 26 pairs of data-points comprising arterial blood gasses collected before and after changes in inspiratory pressure, PEEP, FiO, and I:E ratio from six mechanically ventilated patients were used for this study. Parallelized global optimization algorithms running on a high-performance computing cluster were used to match the simulator to each initial data point.

Ct Values Do Not Predict Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Transmissibility in College Students.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious and has caused significant medical/socioeconomic impacts. Other than vaccination, effective public health measures, including contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine, is critical for deterring viral transmission, preventing infection progression and resuming normal activities. Viral transmission is affected by many factors, but the viral load and vitality could be among the most important ones.

Realization of a Novel Free-Piston Engine Generator for Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Applications.

Free-piston engine generators (FPEGs) have huge potential to be the principal energy conversion device for generating electricity from fuel as part of a hybrid-electric vehicle (EV) powertrain system. The principal advantages lay in the fact that they are theoretically more efficient, more compact, and more lightweight compared to other competing EV hybrid and range-extender solutions (internal combustion engines, rotary engines, fuel cells, etc.).

Inorganic arsenic inhibits the nucleotide excision repair pathway and reduces the expression of XPC.

Chronic exposure to arsenic, most often through contaminated drinking water, has been linked to several types of cancer in humans, including skin and lung cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying its role in causing cancer are not well understood. There is evidence that exposure to arsenic can enhance the carcinogenicity of UV light in inducing skin cancers and may enhance the carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke in inducing lung cancers.

SEER*Educate: Use of Abstracting Quality Index Scores to Monitor Improvement of All Employees.

Integral parts of the Seattle-Puget Sound's Cancer Surveillance System registry's continuous improvement model include the incorporation of SEER*Educate into its training program for all staff and analyzing assessment results using the Abstracting Quality Index (AQI). The AQI offers a comprehensive measure of overall performance in SEER*Educate, which is a Web-based application used to personalize learning and diagnostically pinpoint each staff member's place on the AQI continuum. The assessment results are tallied from 6 abstracting standards within 2 domains: incidence reporting and coding accuracy.

The effect of high intensity mixing on the enzymatic hydrolysis of concentrated cellulose fiber suspensions.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass in a high shear environment was examined. The conversion of cellulose to glucose in samples mixed in a torque rheometer producing shear flows similar to those found in twin screw extruders was greater than that of unmixed samples. In addition, there is a synergistic effect of mixing and enzymatic hydrolysis; mixing increases the rate of cellulose conversion while the increased conversion facilitates mixing.

Interventions for improving communication with children and adolescents about their cancer.

Background: Communication with children and adolescents with cancer about their disease and treatment and the implications of these is an important aspect of good quality care. It is often poorly performed in practice. Various interventions have been developed that aim to enhance communication involving children or adolescents with cancer.

The use of health information technology in seven nations.

Objective: To assess the state of health information technology (HIT) adoption and use in seven industrialized nations.

Design: We used a combination of literature review, as well as interviews with experts in individual nations, to determine use of key information technologies.

Main Outcome Measures: We examined rates of electronic health record (EHR) use in ambulatory care and hospital settings, along with current activities in health information exchange (HIE) in seven countries: the United States (U.

Improving quality through effective implementation of information technology in healthcare.

Objective: To describe an implementation of one information technology system (electronic medical record, EMR) in one hospital, the perceived impact, the factors thought to help and hinder implementation and the success of the system and compare this with theories of effective IT implementation. To draw on previous research, empirical data from this study is used to develop IT implementation theory.

Design: Qualitative case study, replicating the methods and questions of a previously published USA EMR implementation study using semi-structured interviews and documentation.

Implementation of electronic medical records in hospitals: two case studies.

There is evidence that health information technology can improve quality, safety and reduce costs but that health care providers needed more information about how to implement these technologies to realise its potential. This paper summarises the research and proposes a theory of implementation based on the research evidence. The second part describes two implementations of electronic medical record systems and compares the theory against the findings of these two case studies.

DNA repair pathways and hereditary cancer susceptibility syndromes.

Every living organism is exposed to numerous genomic insults on a daily basis as a consequence of cellular metabolism and exposure to environmental agents capable of interacting with the genome (e.g. chemicals, toxins, pollutants, UV and ionizing radiation) (1).

Kaiser Permanente's experience of implementing an electronic medical record: a qualitative study.

Objective: To examine users' attitudes to implementation of an electronic medical record system in Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.

Design: Qualitative study based on semistructured interviews.

Setting: Four primary healthcare teams in four clinics, and four specialty departments in one hospital, on Oahu, Hawaii.

Killing me softly: myth in pharmaceutical advertising.

In studies of how drug advertising influences doctors' behaviour, little attention is given to visual and linguistic imagery. The authors argue that myth is often deployed in drug adverts to depict exaggerated therapeutic efficacy and that doctors should be aware of this

The quantitative measurement of organizational culture in health care: a review of the available instruments.

Objective: To review the quantitative instruments available to health service researchers who want to measure culture and cultural change.

Data Sources: A literature search was conducted using Medline, Cinahl, Helmis, Psychlit, Dhdata, and the database of the King's Fund in London for articles published up to June 2001, using the phrase "organizational culture." In addition, all citations and the gray literature were reviewed and advice was sought from experts in the field to identify instruments not found on the electronic databases.

Does organisational culture influence health care performance? A review of the evidence.

Objective: To review the evidence for a relationship between organisational culture and health care performance.

Methods: Qualitative comprehensive review: all empirical studies exploring a relationship between organisational culture (broadly defined) and health care performance (broadly defined) were identified by a comprehensive search of the literature. Study methods and results were analysed qualitatively to provide a narrative review with integrative discussion.

Assessing the information needs of post-myocardial infarction patients: a systematic review.

We systematically reviewed studies examining information needs of post-myocardial infarction patients and their families. Electronic databases and bibliographies of relevant papers were searched and experts in the field contacted to find relevant studies. A standardised data form was used to extract data on study populations, instruments and results.

Implementing culture change in health care: theory and practice.

Objectives: To review some of the key debates relating to the nature of organizational culture and culture change care organizations and systems.

Methods: A literature review was conducted that covered both theoretical contributions and published studies of the processes and outcomes of culture change programmes across a range of health and non-health care settings.

Results: There is little consensus among scholars over the precise meaning of organizational culture.

Primary care trusts. The human touch.

Research with six primary care trusts, started in 2001, suggests that many lack access to relevant expertise in human resources management. Where PCTs do have human resources directors, they are often being asked to act on strategic issues which are outside their experience. PCTs required to rely on acute trusts' HR departments for HR expertise find this unsatisfactory as the issues facing the two sectors are so different.