Carotenoid, colour and reflectance measurements in bovine adipose tissue to discriminate between beef from different feeding systems.

Our hypothesis was that carotenoids in bovine subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) together with colour and reflectance spectra could be used to differentiate between beef production systems based on grass, concentrates or combinations thereof. SAT was sampled from the carcasses of heifers fed pasture (P), a barley-based concentrate (C), silage followed by pasture (SiP) or silage followed by pasture with concentrate (SiPC). ß-carotene in the SAT from the C group (0.09 µg g(-1)) was lower (P<0.05) than that from the P (0.54 µg g(-1)), SiP (0.49 µg g(-1)) and SiPC (0.49 µg g(-1)) groups. Lutein in the SAT differed (P<0.05) between all groups with 0.13, 0.10, 0.08 and 0.04 µg g(-1) for the P, SiP, SiPC and C groups, respectively. Principal component analysis of the carotenoid data, SAT colour variables ['L', 'a', 'b', 'C', 'H'] and the reflectance data made it possible to distinguish between the animals fed a barley-based concentrate diet and the animals fed pasture-based diets, but not between different pasture-based groups.

Successful reduction of silica exposures at a sanitary ware pottery.

Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a joint survey with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) to measure crystalline silica exposures and evaluate the adequacy of the existing control measures for reducing these exposures at a sanitary ware pottery. This survey found that 95% of the personal and area samples from the Slip House, Casting, Glaze Spray, and Glaze Preparation Departments exceeded the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Level (87% exceeded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permissible Exposure Level) for crystalline silica. Three years later, a follow-up survey found statistically significant reductions in respirable crystalline silica exposures in two of four plant departments, and statistically significant reductions in area concentrations in all four plant departments. These reductions were accomplished through a combination of automating and enclosing the batching system in the Slip House and by replacing the mold parting compound with a nonsilica material, altering the method of dry sweeping, cleaning of castings while damp, improving exhaust ventilation at the spray booths, and improved housekeeping.

Health care consortia: a mechanism for increasing access for the medically indigent.

In response to poor coordination among health and social service providers, health care consortia have emerged in many areas of the United States. Consortia link multiple providers in a common structure to create comprehensive systems of care. They can be formally structured or informal combinations of providers that engage in coordination but otherwise do not comprise an independent organization. The functions most common among all types of consortia are shared services and service coordination; however, a number of consortia also operate outreach/education programs. Consortia represent an innovative response to the need both for vertical integration--case management of all levels of care--and horizontal integration to prevent duplication among primary care providers. We outline the history of consortia in which federally-funded community health centers have participated. We also suggest an analytical framework for the various types of consortia; discuss lessons learned about building and maintaining consortia; and provide preliminary outcome data.

Laypeople's attitudes toward drug treatment for behavioral control depend on which disorder and which drug.

One hundred four laypeople were asked to rate two vignettes describing the use of psychotropic medication to treat behavior problems in school-aged boys. These problems were described as a result of either an attention deficit disorder (ADD) with hyperactivity or a seizure disorder. Respondents considered the parents of the ADD child less justified in placing and continuing their child on medication than the parents of the epileptic child. They also thought that drug use would exacerbate the behavior problem more for the ADD child than for the epileptic child. It is suggested that by being aware of and acknowledging the existence of these attitudes, clinicians can better deal with concerns that parents may have regarding drug treatment for their children, possibly increasing the chances for a successful outcome.

Toronto multiagency child abuse research project: the abused and the abuser.

Information from 422 cases of child mistreatment in Toronto was gathered from the files of a child welfare agency and a children's hospital. These data were compared to patterns reported in previous studies and clinical writings on child mistreatment to investigate similarities and differences in families whose children have been abused in Canada, England, and the United States. Findings from the present study were similar to others in many respects. The differences were primarily in the area of lower incidences of such problems as perinatal difficulties in the children and intellectual limitations and social isolation in the parents; however, there was a higher incidence of single-parent families. The results suggest that clinicians should bear in mind that child mistreatment cannot be ruled out on the grounds that no serious problems have been noted for the child or the family.

Baby drops the rattle: asymmetry of duration of grasp by infants.

Infants of mean age 2.7 months maintained grasp of a rattle for a longer mean duration with the right than the left hand, developmentally the earliest instance of asymmetry of manual dexterity and/or preference.