Pediatric vehicular heatstroke: An analysis of 296 cases from the National Fatality Review Case Reporting System.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the National Fatality Review Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS) as a new data source to (1) characterize pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH) deaths among children <15 years of age reviewed by Child Death Review teams, and (2) identify factors independently associated with common PVH scenarios and incident locations. METHODS: Data for 2005-2019 were used to characterize 296 PVH deaths. Frequencies and percentages were calculated to describe child, supervisor, and incident characteristics. Multiple logistic regression with and without imputation were carried out to identify factors associated with the two outcomes of interest: PVH scenario (left in vehicle vs. gained access) and incident place (supervisor workplace vs. other locations). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Most children had been left unattended in vehicles (N = 225, 76.0%) and 13.5% (N = 40) had gained access independently. Children were most often male (N = 168, 56.8%), non-Hispanic White (N = 131, 44.3%), and <2 years of age (N = 172, 58.1%). Disability or chronic illness was noted for 4.7% (N = 14), 13.9% (N = 41) had a history of maltreatment, and 6.1% (N = 18) an open CPS case at the time of incident. Children left unattended were more likely to be <2 years of age (adjusted imputed OR 26.7, CI 7.3-97.2) and less likely to have an open CPS case (0.2, 0.0-0.4) and for the incident to occur at home (0.2, 0.1-0.9) compared to children who gained access. PVH deaths occurring at the supervisor's workplace were more likely to be <2 years of age (6.2, 2.4-15.8), to have occurred on a weekday (5.9, 1.7-20.9), and to have been supervised by their parent at the incident time (2.7, 1.1-6.7) compared to other locations. CONCLUSIONS: The results align with previous PVH findings and added new information on child race/ethnicity, CPS action, disability/chronic illness, and maltreatment. With the exception of parents being more likely to be the supervisor in incidents occurring at home, which was expected, neither supervisor characteristics nor child race/ethnicity or sex were independently significant in multiple regression, suggesting that PVH is pervasive and that education campaigns should be similarly broad.

Impact of a hospital service for adults with chronic childhood-onset disease: A propensity weighted analysis.

BACKGROUND: Young adults with chronic childhood-onset diseases (CCOD) transitioning care from pediatrics to adult care are at high risk for readmission after hospital discharge. At our institution, we have implemented an inpatient service, the Med-Peds (MP) line, to improve transitions to adult care and reduce hospital utilization by young adults with CCOD. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effect of the MP line on length of stay (LOS) and 30-day readmission rates compared to other inpatient services. METHODS: This was an observational, retrospective cohort analysis of patients admitted to the MP line compared to other hospital service lines over a 2-year period. To avoid potential confounding by indication for admission to the MP line, propensity score weighting methods were used. RESULTS: The MP line cared for 302 patients with CCOD from June 2019 to July 2021. Compared to other service lines, there was a 33% reduction in relative risk of 30-day readmission (26.9% compared to 40.3%, risk ratio = 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55-0.81). LOS was 10% longer for the MP line (event time ratio (ETR): 1.10 95% CI 1.0-1.21) with median LOS 4.8 versus 4.5 days. Patients with sickle cell disease had less of a reduction in 30-day readmissions and longer LOS. CONCLUSION: Hospitalization for young adults with CCOD on a MP service line was associated with lower 30-day readmission rates and longer LOS than hospitalization on other services. Further research is needed to assess which components of the line most contribute to decreased utilization.

Highly restricted near-surface permafrost extent during the mid-Pliocene warm period.

Accurate understanding of permafrost dynamics is critical for evaluating and mitigating impacts that may arise as permafrost degrades in the future; however, existing projections have large uncertainties. Studies of how permafrost responded historically during Earth's past warm periods are helpful in exploring potential future permafrost behavior and to evaluate the uncertainty of future permafrost change projections. Here, we combine a surface frost index model with outputs from the second phase of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project to simulate the near-surface (~3 to 4 m depth) permafrost state in the Northern Hemisphere during the mid-Pliocene warm period (mPWP, ~3.264 to 3.025 Ma). This period shares similarities with the projected future climate. Constrained by proxy-based surface air temperature records, our simulations demonstrate that near-surface permafrost was highly spatially restricted during the mPWP and was 93 ± 3% smaller than the preindustrial extent. Near-surface permafrost was present only in the eastern Siberian uplands, Canadian high Arctic Archipelago, and northernmost Greenland. The simulations are similar to near-surface permafrost changes projected for the end of this century under the SSP5-8.5 scenario and provide a perspective on the potential permafrost behavior that may be expected in a warmer world.

Skin penetration of caffeine from commercial eye creams and eye creams designed and optimized based on Hansen solubility parameters.

Computer-aided formulation design can streamline and speed up product development. In this study, ingredient screening and optimizing software, Formulating for Efficacy® (FFE), was used to design and optimize creams for the topical delivery of caffeine. FFE was set up to optimize lipophilic active ingredients, therefore, this study challenged the program's capabilities. The effect of two chemical penetration enhancers, including dimethyl isosorbide (DMI) and ethoxydiglycol (EDG), were studied based on their favorable Hansen Solubility Parameter physicochemical input parameters for the skin delivery of caffeine in the FFE® software application. Four oil-in-water emulsions containing 2% caffeine were formulated, one without a chemical penetration enhancer, one with five percent of DMI, one with five percent of EDG, and one with 2.5% of DMI and EDG each (DMI + EDG). Additionally, three commercial products were used as reference products. The cumulative amount of caffeine released and permeated, and the flux across Strat-M® membranes were determined using Franz diffusion cells. The eye creams had skin-compatible pH, excellent spreadability for the application area, were opaque emulsions with 14-17 µm droplet size, and were stable at 25 °C for 6 months. All four eye creams formulated released over 85% of caffeine in 24 h, outperforming the commercial products. DMI + EDG cream provided the highest permeation in vitro in 24 h, which was significantly higher than the commercial products (p < 0.05). FFE proved to be a valuable and quick tool to aid in the topical delivery of caffeine.

Irrigated urban trees exhibit greater functional trait plasticity compared to natural stands.

Urbanization creates novel ecosystems comprised of species assemblages and environments with no natural analogue. Moreover, irrigation can alter plant function compared to non-irrigated systems. However, the capacity of irrigation to alter functional trait patterns across multiple species is unknown but may be important for the dynamics of urban ecosystems. We evaluated the hypothesis that urban irrigation influences plasticity in functional traits by measuring carbon-gain and water-use traits of 30 tree species planted in Southern California, USA spanning a coastal-to-desert gradient. Tree species respond to irrigation through increasing the carbon-gain trait relationship of leaf nitrogen per specific leaf area compared to their native habitat. Moreover, most species shift to a water-use strategy of greater water loss through stomata when planted in irrigated desert-like environments compared to coastal environments, implying that irrigated species capitalize on increased water availability to cool their leaves in extreme heat and high evaporative demand conditions. Therefore, irrigated urban environments increase the plasticity of trait responses compared to native ecosystems, allowing for novel response to climatic variation. Our results indicate that trees grown in water-resource-rich urban ecosystems can alter their functional traits plasticity beyond those measured in native ecosystems, which can lead to plant trait dynamics with no natural analogue.

The benefits of contributing to the citizen science platform iNaturalist as an identifier.

As the number of observations submitted to the citizen science platform iNaturalist continues to grow, it is increasingly important that these observations can be identified to the finest taxonomic level, maximizing their value for biodiversity research. Here, we explore the benefits of acting as an identifier on iNaturalist.

Pediatric Battery-Related Emergency Department Visits in the United States: 2010-2019.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of battery-related emergency department (ED) visits among children aged <18 years in the United States from 2010 to 2019 and compare with previous study findings. METHODS: Data on ED visits were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Using narrative descriptions and diagnosis codes, battery-related cases were coded into four exposure routes: (1) ingestion, (2) mouth exposure, (3) ear insertion, and (4) nasal insertion. RESULTS: An estimated 70 322 (95% confidence interval: 51 275-89 369) battery-related ED visits among children aged <18 years occurred during the study period, or 9.5 per 100 000 children annually. Button batteries were implicated in 84.7% of visits where battery type was described. A statistically significant increase in the ED visit rate occurred from 2010 to 2017 (P = .03), followed by a nonstatistically significant decrease from 2017 to 2019. The ED visit rate was highest among children aged ≤5 years compared with those 6 to 17 years (24.5 and 2.2 per 100 000 children, respectively). The mean patient age was 3.2 years (95% confidence interval: 2.9-3.4). Ingestions accounted for 90.0% of ED visits, followed by nasal insertions (5.7%), ear insertions (2.5%), and mouth exposures (1.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric battery-related ED visit rates continued to significantly increase from 2010 to 2017, with children aged ≤5 years having the highest rates. Prevention efforts have not significantly reduced injury rates; therefore, regulatory efforts are needed. Ultimately, hazard reduction or elimination through safer button battery design is critical and should be adopted by the battery industry.

Resolving and Predicting Neighborhood Vulnerability to Urban Heat and Air Pollution: Insights From a Pilot Project of Community Science.

Urban heat and air pollution, two environmental threats to urban residents, are studied via a community science project in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The data collected, for the first time, by community members, reveal the significance of both the large spatiotemporal variations of and the covariations between 2 m air temperature (2mT) and ozone (O3) concentration within the (4 km) neighborhood scale. This neighborhood variation was not exhibited in either daily satellite observations or operational model predictions, which makes the assessment of community health risks a challenge. Overall, the 2mT is much better predicted than O3 by the weather and research forecast model with atmospheric chemistry (WRF-Chem). For O3, diurnal variation is better predicted by WRF-Chem than spatial variation (i.e., underestimated by 50%). However, both WRF-chem and the surface observation show the overall consistency in describing statistically significant covariations between O3 and 2mT. In contrast, satellite-based land surface temperature at 1 km resolution is insufficient to capture air temperature variations at the neighborhood scale. Community engagement is augmented with interactive maps and apps that show the predictions in near real time and reveals the potential of green canopy to reduce air temperature and ozone; but different tree types and sizes may lead to different impacts on air temperature, which is not resolved by the WRF-Chem. These findings highlight the need for community science engagement to reveal otherwise impossible insights for models, observations, and real-time dissemination to understand, predict, and ultimately mitigate, urban neighborhood vulnerability to heat and air pollution.

Effect of Solvents on the In Vitro Sun Protection Factor and Broad-Spectrum Protection of Three Organic UV Filters.

Solvents play an essential role in the performance of ultraviolet (UV) filters. The goal of this study was to understand how the in vitro sun protection factor (SPF) and broad-spectrum protection of three organic UV filters (homosalate, ethylhexyl salicylate, and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane) and a combination of these are influenced by solvents. Twenty-four solvents were selected based on the ingredient active gap for testing. Mixtures of UV filters and solvents were formulated, and in vitro SPF, wavelength of maximum absorbance, broad-spectrum protection, and spreadability were evaluated. Results indicate that in vitro SPF of organic sunscreens can be significantly enhanced by solvents. Relying on solubility data only was not found to be a good approach in this study. The most efficient solvents shared multiple similar structural characteristics, including ester bonds, conjugated structure, aromatic rings, and -CN groups; however, the absence of some of these structural elements did not necessarily prevent a solvent from being a booster. The wavelength of maximum absorbance was significantly shifted in the UVA range by most solvents, whereas minimal or no shift was observed in the UVB range. Results of this study provide practical information that can guide sunscreen formulators in selecting solvents for UV filters and making more effective sunscreens.

Evaluation of alkenones, a renewably sourced, plant-derived wax as a structuring agent for lipsticks.

OBJECTIVE: Waxes are used as structuring agents in lipsticks. There are a variety of waxes combined in a single lipstick to provide good stability, pleasant texture and good pay-off. Due to a significant growth for natural, green and sustainable products, there is a constant search for alternatives to animal-derived and petroleum-derived ingredients. In this study, a green, non-animalderived wax, namely long-chain ketones (referred to as alkenones), sourced from marine microalgae was formulated into lipsticks and evaluated as a structuring agent. METHODS: Alkenones were used as a substitute for microcrystalline wax, ozokerite and candelilla wax, typical structuring agents. In total, 384 lipsticks were formulated: L1 (control, no alkenones), L2 (alkenones as a substitute for ozokerite), L3 (alkenones as a substitute for microcrystalline wax) and L4 (alkenones as a substitute for candelilla wax). Products were tested for hardness (bending force), stiffness, firmness (needle penetration), pay-off (using a texture analyser and a consumer panel), friction, melting point and stability for 12 weeks at 25 and 45°C. RESULTS: Alkenones influenced each characteristic evaluated. In general, lipsticks with alkenones (L2-L4) became softer and easier to bend compared to the control (L1). In terms of firmness, lipsticks were similar to the control, except for L4, which was significantly (P < 0.05) firmer. The effect on pay-off was not consistent. L2 and L3 had higher pay-off to skin and fabric than L1. In addition, L4 had the lowest amount transferred, but it still had the highest colour intensity on skin. Alkenones influenced friction (glide) positively; the average friction decreased for L2-L4. The lowest friction (i.e. best glide) was shown in L4. Melting point of the lipsticks was lower when alkenones were present. Overall, L4, containing 7% of 4 alkenones in combination with microcrystalline wax, ozokerite and carnauba wax, was found to have the most desirable attributes, including ease of bending, high level of firmness, low pay-off in terms of amount, high colour intensity on skin and low friction (i.e. better glide). Consumers preferred L4 the most overall. CONCLUSION: Results of this study indicate that alkenones offer a sustainable, non-animal and non-petroleum-derived choice as a structuring agent for lipsticks.

OBJECTIF: Les cires sont utilisées comme agents de structuration dans les rouges à lèvres. Un rouge à lèvres contient plusieurs cires, afin d'obtenir une bonne stabilité, une texture agréable et un bon transfert de matière. En raison d'une croissance significative de la demande en produits naturels, écologiques et durables, les chercheurs s'efforcent constamment de trouver des alternatives aux ingrédients d'origine animale et dérivés du pétrole. Dans cette étude, les cétones à longue chaîne (appelés alkénones), une cire verte qui n'est pas d'origine animale, mais provenant de microalgues marines, a été formulée pour les rouges à lèvres et évaluée comme agent de structuration. MÉTHODES: Les alkénones ont été utilisés comme substitut pour la cire microcristalline, l'ozokérite et la cire de candelilla, des agents de structuration courants. Au total, 384 rouges à lèvres ont été formulés : L1 (contrôle, sans alkénone), L2 (alkénones comme substitut de l'ozokérite), L3 (alkénones comme substitut de la cire microcristalline) et L4 (alkénones comme substitut de la cire de candelilla). Des tests ont été réalisés sur les produits pour évaluer la dureté (force de flexion), la rigidité, la fermeté (pénétration de l'aiguille), le transfert de matière (à l'aide d'un analyseur de texture et d'un panel de consommateurs), la friction, le point de fusion et la stabilité pendant 12 semaines à 25 et 45 °C. RÉSULTATS: Les alkénones ont eu une influence sur chacune des caractéristiques évaluées. En général, les rouges à lèvres contenant des alkénones (L2 à L4) sont devenus plus mous et ont présenté une flexion plus facile que dans le cas du contrôle (L1). En termes de fermeté, les rouges à lèvres étaient similaires au contrôle, à l'exception de L4, qui était significativement (P < 0,05) plus ferme. L'effet sur le transfert de matière a été variable. L2 et L3 ont présenté un transfert de matière sur la peau et le tissu supérieur à celui de L1. En outre, dans le cas de L4, la quantité transférée était la plus faible, mais l'intensité de la couleur sur la peau était toujours la plus élevée. Les alkénones ont eu un effet positif sur la friction (glissement) ; la friction moyenne a diminué pour L2 à L4. La friction la plus basse (c.-à-d. le meilleur glissement) a été observée dans le cas de L4. Le point de fusion des rouges à lèvres était plus bas lorsque des alkénones étaient présents. Dans l'ensemble, L4, contenant 7 % d'alkénones en combinaison avec de la cire microcristalline, de l'ozokérite et de la cire de carnauba, s'est révélée avoir les caractéristiques les plus souhaitables, notamment une facilité de flexion, une fermeté élevée, un faible transfert de matière en termes de quantité, une intensité de couleur élevée sur la peau et une faible friction (c.-à-d. un meilleur glissement). En général, les consommateurs ont préféré L4. CONCLUSION: Les résultats de cette étude indiquent que les alkénones offrent un choix durable, non issu de l'animal et non dérivé du pétrole comme agent de structuration pour les rouges à lèvres.

Solubility-physicochemical-thermodynamic theory of penetration enhancer mechanism of action.

The hypothesis for the investigation was that the overall mechanism of action of skin penetration enhancers is best explained by the Solubility-Physicochemical-Thermodynamic (SPT) theory. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the application of SPT theory in transdermal/topical/enhancer research. The SPT theory puts forward the concept that the mode of action of enhancers is related to solubility parameters, physicochemical interactions and thermodynamic activity. This paper discusses these concepts by using experimentally derived permeation data, various physicochemical and solubility parameters (ingredient active gap (IAG), ingredient skin gap (ISG), solubility of active in the formulation (SolV) and the formulation solubility in the skin (SolS)) generated by using FFE (Formulating for Efficacy™ - ACT Solutions Corp) software. These studies suggest that there is an inverse relationship between measured flux and IAG values given that there is an optimum ingredient skin gap, SolV and SolS ratio. The study demonstrated that the flux is actually proportional to a gradient of thermodynamic activity rather than the concentration and maximum skin penetration and deposition can be achieved when the drug is at its highest thermodynamic activity.

Motor vehicle towing: An analysis of injuries in a high-risk yet understudied industry.

OBJECTIVES: National fatality rates for commercial tow truck operators exceed those of other first responders who also perform traffic incident management services. The objectives of the current study are to (1) characterize causal factors associated with injuries among commercial tow truck operators engaged in roadside assistance through analysis of coded and free text data obtained from U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation files, and (2) utilize supplemental data sources to analyze environmental factors for injuries in which commercial tow truck operators were struck by roadway traffic. METHODS: Searches of OSHA's online IMIS database were performed to identify investigations of incidents in which tow truck operators were injured while performing roadside assistance duties. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were submitted to obtain full investigation files for each case. Coded and narrative text analyses were performed to identify causal themes across the identified cases. RESULTS: One-hundred and six cases of tow truck operators being killed or severely injured were identified in IMIS; 41 FOIA requests for related investigation documents were fulfilled. Two major event type themes were identified which accounted for 9 in 10 of the cases identified. These were (1) 'struck-by' incidents, which were primarily injuries resulting from contact with roadway traffic, rolling vehicles and equipment or other non-motorized objects; and (2) 'caught-in or -between' incidents, which were primarily injuries resulting from being pinned beneath and between vehicles and being caught in moving parts. CONCLUSIONS: The towing industry should provide initial and refresher safety training on vehicle loading and unloading, defensive techniques when exposed to traffic on roadways, and proper wheel chocking and braking procedures. States should include tow trucks as a first responder vehicle type in their "Move Over" laws and implement public awareness campaigns to protect all first responders, including tow truck operators.

Computer-based formulation design and optimization using Hansen solubility parameters to enhance the delivery of ibuprofen through the skin.

Trial-and-error approach to formulation development is long and costly. With growing time and cost pressures in the pharmaceutical industry, the need for computer-based formulation design is greater than ever. In this project, emulgels were designed and optimized using Formulating for Efficacy™ (FFE) for the topical delivery of ibuprofen. FFE helped select penetration enhancers, design and optimize emulgels and simulate skin penetration studies. pH, viscosity, spreadability, droplet size and stability of emulgels were evaluated. Franz cell studies were performed to test in vitro drug release on regenerated cellulose membrane, drug permeation in vitro on Strat-M® membrane and ex vivo on porcine ear skin, a marketed ibuprofen gel served as control. Emulgels had skin compatible pH, viscosity and spreadability comparable to a marketed emulgel, were opaque and stable at 25 °C for 6 months. Oleyl alcohol (OA), combined with either dimethyl isosorbide (DMI) or diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DGME) provided the highest permeation in 24 h in vitro, which was significantly higher than the marketed product (p < 0.01). OA + DGME significantly outperformed OA ex vivo (p < 0.05). The computer predictions, in vitro and ex vivo penetration results correlated well. FFE was a fast, valuable and reliable tool for aiding in topical product design for ibuprofen.

Albedos, Equilibrium Temperatures, and Surface Temperatures of Habitable Planets.

The potential habitability of known exoplanets is often categorized by a nominal equilibrium temperature assuming a Bond albedo of either ∼0.3, similar to Earth, or 0. As an indicator of habitability, this leaves much to be desired, because albedos of other planets can be very different, and because surface temperature exceeds equilibrium temperature due to the atmospheric greenhouse effect. We use an ensemble of general circulation model simulations to show that for a range of habitable planets, much of the variability of Bond albedo, equilibrium temperature and even surface temperature can be predicted with useful accuracy from incident stellar flux and stellar temperature, two known parameters for every confirmed exoplanet. Earth's Bond albedo is near the minimum possible for habitable planets orbiting G stars, because of increasing contributions from clouds and sea ice/snow at higher and lower instellations, respectively. For habitable M star planets, Bond albedo is usually lower than Earth's because of near-IR H2O absorption, except at high instellation where clouds are important. We apply relationships derived from this behavior to several known exoplanets to derive zeroth-order estimates of their potential habitability. More expansive multivariate statistical models that include currently non-observable parameters show that greenhouse gas variations produce significant variance in albedo and surface temperature, while increasing length of day and land fraction decrease surface temperature; insights for other parameters are limited by our sampling. We discuss how emerging information from global climate models might resolve some degeneracies and help focus scarce observing resources on the most promising planets.

Building flux capacity: Citizen scientists increase resolution of soil greenhouse gas fluxes.

Though citizen science programs have been broadly successful in diverse scientific fields, their adoption has lagged in some disciplines, including soil science and ecosystem ecology. Collaborations with citizen scientists may be viewed as a conundrum in these disciplines, which often require substantial labor and technical experience; citizen scientists could improve sampling capacity but may reduce sample quality or require training and oversight prior to and while performing specialized tasks. To demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating citizen scientists into soil biogeochemistry research, we conducted a proof-of-concept study in high-elevation meadows of the Sierra Nevada in California. A collaboration between university researchers and citizen scientists allowed us to assess spatial and diel patterns of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes with an intensity and frequency that would otherwise be beyond the capacity of a typical research laboratory. This collaboration with citizen scientists increased our sampling intensity by over 700% while only doubling the sampling error relative to that of full-time researchers. With training and support from project scientists, citizen scientists collected data that demonstrate spatial independence of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide at scales between 1 m and 175 m. Additionally, we found a lack of temporal variation over a 24-h period for all three GHGs. Citizen scientists participating in this one-day event reported levels of satisfaction commensurate with longer-term, immersive campaigns. The place-based event also proved an effective tool for teaching intangible concepts of soil biogeochemistry and promoting local conservation. Despite perceived barriers to entry, this study demonstrates the mutual benefits of citizen science collaborations in soil science and ecosystem ecology, encouraging adoption by disciplines that have been slow to take advantage of such collaborations. Short-term, local citizen science events can provide meaningful experiences for area residents and teach global biogeochemical cycles in a place-based context.

Application of Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) Questions for Sensory Characterization of Cosmetic Emulsions by Untrained Consumers.

The sales potential of cosmetic products is greatly determined by skin feel and skin sensory performance. To please the target audience, it is important to gather information about consumers' perception of products' sensory characteristics. In this study, six different emulsions were formulated. Samples represented three different types of emulsions, including steric-stabilized oil-in-water (O/W), liquid crystal-stabilized O/W, and water-in-oil emulsions, providing different skin feel and aesthetics. Emulsions within the same group differed in the emollients, providing similar sensory attributes. The aim was to have 50 consumers evaluate the emulsions' sensory characteristics. Using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) survey, consumers provided information about their perception of appearance, rub-out, pick-up, and afterfeel. Consumers effectively discriminated between the emulsions. Statistical analysis showed significant differences for 15 sensory attributes in the before, during, and after phases. Our findings suggest that emulsifiers, and not emollients, have the dominant role in determining the aesthetics of a skin care emulsion, similar to previous findings. The fact that untrained consumers provided similar results as trained panelists suggests the validity of the CATA survey and its reliability as a screening tool in the product development process. CATA questions may serve as a viable complimentary to descriptive sensory analysis performed by trained panelists.

Narrative and quantitative analyses of workers' compensation-covered injuries in short-haul vs. long-haul trucking.

Trucking remains one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S. Study aims were to (1) identify differences in worker injury types; (2) describer typical injury scenarios; and (3) recommend injury control measures, in short-haul vs. long-haul trucking. Narrative text analyses of Kentucky short-haul and long-haul trucking workers' compensation first reports of injury were performed. A higher percentage of lifting and cranking injuries were identified in short-haul trucking compared with long-haul trucking that had a higher percentage of securing/opening/closing/adjusting injuries that involved tarping, trailer door handling, and cab slippage. In contrast, a higher proportion of short-haul trucking injury scenarios involved roadway departures and rear-end collisions. Study findings can be used to inform intrastate vs. interstate trucking injury prevention control strategies such as an enhanced driver safety training and safe freight handling in short-haul trucking, and tarping, trailer safety, and cab safety in long-haul trucking.

Sea surface temperature of the mid-Piacenzian ocean: a data-model comparison.

The mid-Piacenzian climate represents the most geologically recent interval of long-term average warmth relative to the last million years, and shares similarities with the climate projected for the end of the 21(st) century. As such, it represents a natural experiment from which we can gain insight into potential climate change impacts, enabling more informed policy decisions for mitigation and adaptation. Here, we present the first systematic comparison of Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) between an ensemble of eight climate model simulations produced as part of PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project) with the PRISM (Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping) Project mean annual SST field. Our results highlight key regional and dynamic situations where there is discord between the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and the climate model simulations. These differences have led to improved strategies for both experimental design and temporal refinement of the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.

The US military experience with fresh whole blood during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since its introduction in the early part of the last century, fresh whole blood (FWB) has been used by the US military as a battlefield expedient resuscitation method, even after the development of component therapy in the 1960s. In the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, FWB was used once more, often collected in the setting of a walking blood bank (WBB). Considerable research and opinion from military circles has cited these experiences and sparked renewed interest in FWB as an effective resuscitation tool in the setting of trauma. Despite efforts by the US military to improve the effectiveness and safety of FWB through a series of widely published guidelines, transfusion transmitted infections (TTI) remain a vexing challenge. These experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan will help inform a larger discussion regarding the reintroduction of FWB in civilian trauma resuscitation.