THE PITTING TEST; AN INVESTIGATION OF AN UNSTANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT OF LYMPHEDEMA.

Soft tissue pitting is the occurrence of a temporary indentation on the body surface after the release of sustained thumb or finger pressure. In the management of lymphedema, presence or absence of pitting can contribute to clinical reasoning and guide healthcare management. However, the pitting test and its application has not been described consistently nor is it a standardized part of assessment. Therefore investigations are needed to assess the outcome measures of pitting identification and characterization of lymphedematous tissue. To determine valid testing parameters for a future study, we evaluated six therapists of varying lymphedema experience who assessed a range of locations on six patients with lymphedema representing the breadth of pitting assessment techniques used clinically. The consequence of an unstandardized assessment is demonstrated by the large variation in techniques observed for test duration (1.1 to 76.0 seconds), pressure (1.3 to 14.4 N/cm2) and contact area (0.2 to 6.8 cm2). Experienced therapists performed the pitting test with a significantly different technique from their inexperienced counterparts, involving a longer duration (p < 0.001), higher pressure (p < 0.001) and a larger contact area (p < 0.001). The results of this pilot study support the need for evaluation of the underlying tissue response to sustained pressure and release, in order to inform the development of a standardized procedure.

Temperature, Moisture, and Seed Treatment Effects on Rhizoctonia solani Root Rot of Soybean.

The effects of temperature and soil moisture on infection and disease development by Rhizoctonia solani on soybean were studied individually. In addition, the anastomosis group of R. solani isolates recovered from soybean from 35 fields in 15 counties was determined. All of the 44 isolates recovered in this study were AG-2-2 IIIB. Five isolates of R. solani were able to infect and colonize soybean roots and hypocotyls at 20, 24, 28, and 32°C in growth chamber studies. The temperatures evaluated in this study were not limiting to the isolates tested. In greenhouse studies, nine R. solani isolates and a noninoculated control were evaluated at 25, 50, 75, and 100% soil moisture holding capacity (MHC). Root weights were greater and percent stand averages higher at 50 and 75% than at 25 or 100% MHC; however, as percentage of control, the main effect on percent moisture for percent stand, plant height, or root weight was not significant. There were significant differences among the isolates for the percent stand, root rot rating, and root fresh weight of soybean in each study. In both temperature and moisture studies, the R. solani isolates could be separated as predominantly causing (i) seed rot, as detected by greatly reduced plant stand; (ii) root rot generally having no effect on plant stand but a high root rot rating and low root weight; or (iii) hypocotyl lesions, having no effect on plant stand, a low root rot score, and a high number of red lesions on the hypocotyl. In the greenhouse seed treatment evaluations of five fungicides, there was no fungicide by isolate interaction using these pathogenic types of R. solani. None of the seed treatments evaluated in this study provided 100% control of the four isolates tested. Due to the wide range of environmental factors that permit R. solani infection and disease on soybeans, other control measures that last all season, such as host resistance, should be emphasized.

Seated buttock contours: a pilot study of Australian senior high-school students.

Both posture and comfort of a chair are influenced by the contour and characteristics of the seat. Knowledge of seat contours of a student population could thus be useful in the design of school chairs. This study investigated seated buttock contours of senior high-school students in order to determine: (a) their general characteristics, (b) the effect of gender and sitting posture and (c) the relationship between the contours and selected anthropometric variables (stature and mass). A contour measurement device was developed and used to measure buttock contours in five sitting postures (typing, sitting up, sitting back, slumping and writing). Buttock contours were quantified by constructing anterior-posterior (AP) and lateral profiles from which six discrete profile dimension measurements were made. AP and lateral profiles were found to have a consistent shape across all participants. Five out of six profile dimensions were significantly different between genders, with just one significantly different between sitting postures (typing and sitting back). Correlations between anthropometric measures and profile dimensions were relatively low (r < 0.34) with no clear patterns evident. Overall results of this study suggest that buttock contours are influenced by gender to a greater extent than sitting posture.

Preferred seat orientation of senior high-school students.

The height of the front of the seat is the primary determinant of appropriate seat size in the school setting. In the present study, this dimension was fixed at 445 mm and, using a brief adjustment period, students adjusted the angle of the seat to their preferred rear seat height (PRSH) under three fixed and one adjustable desk height conditions and for one desk height, under two time conditions. PRSH was significantly greater at an 800 mm desk height (454+/-14 mm) compared to 735 mm (447+/-15 mm) and 720 mm (444+/-16 mm). When desk height as well as rear seat height were adjustable, PRSH was 446+/-15 mm and preferred desk height 751+/-25 mm. Taller students or those with larger popliteal heights selected lower PRSHs at all desk heights, with PRSH more strongly related to popliteal height (r = -0.54 to -0.59) than stature (r = -0.44 to -0.50). No differences were found in PRSH between short (<5 min) and long (30 min) adjustment periods for the 735 mm desk height. The nearly horizontal seat positions found in this study were between those recommended by other authors.

Desymmetrization of meso-hydrobenzoin using chiral, nucleophilic phosphine catalysts.

The desymmetrization of meso-hydrobenzoin is described using chiral phosphine catalysts 8b-d and 9-11. The best enantioselectivity at room temperature was obtained with the newly synthesized phospholane 8c and benzoic anhydride, but the reaction is very slow. Much faster reactions, but somewhat lower enantioselectivities were observed using the bicyclic phosphine catalyst 9. To obtain product 5a with >90% ee required conditions where the ee is upgraded due to the formation of the dibenzoate 6a. Among the new phospholane catalysts, 8b has the best selectivity in the kinetic resolution of benzylic alcohols, but not at the level observed previously with catalyst 11.