International challenge to predict the impact of radioxenon releases from medical isotope production on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty sampling station.

The International Monitoring System (IMS) is part of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty Organization (CTBTO). At entry-into-force, half of the 80 radionuclide stations will be able to measure concentrations of several radioactive xenon isotopes produced in nuclear explosions, and then the full network may be populated with xenon monitoring afterward. An understanding of natural and man-made radionuclide backgrounds can be used in accordance with the provisions of the treaty (such as event screening criteria in Annex 2 to the Protocol of the Treaty) for the effective implementation of the verification regime.

Performance of serum-supplemented and serum-free media in IFNgamma Elispot Assays for human T cells.

The choice of serum for supplementation of media for T cell assays and in particular, Elispot has been a major challenge for assay performance, standardization, optimization, and reproducibility. The Assay Working Group of the Cancer Vaccine Consortium (CVC-CRI) has recently identified the choice of serum to be the leading cause for variability and suboptimal performance in large international Elispot proficiency panels. Therefore, a serum task force was initiated to compare the performance of commercially available serum-free media to laboratories' own medium/serum combinations.

First-time mothers' perceptions of prenatal care services.

This study sought to uncover information regarding prenatal care services as reported by primiparas. Inadequate prenatal care has been linked with the delivery of low birth weight (LBW) infants and infant mortality. This secondary analysis of a larger study (N = 426) examined the need for and availability, accessibility, and use of prenatal care services by primiparas (n = 141).

Meeting the challenge of mandatory continuing education.

A state's decision to institute mandatory continuing education has ramifications for individuals involved in staff development and inservice education. In collaboration with the University of Delaware College of Nursing along with the Medical Center of Delaware, the Delaware Nurses' Association in 1990 assessed the continuing education needs and interests of a convenience sample of 547 registered nurse Delaware Nurses' Association members. Analysis of the data revealed a variety of interests within practice, education, administration, and research.

Millimeter-scale variations of stable isotope abundances in carbonates from banded iron-formations in the Hamersley Group of Western Australia.

Several diamond drill cores from formations within the Hamersley Group of Western Australia have been studied for evidence of short-range variations in the isotopic compositions of the carbonates. For a set of 32 adjacent microbands analyzed in a specimen from the Marra Mamba Iron Formation, carbon isotope compositions of individual microbands ranged from -2.8 to -19.