Contamination and congener profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls from different agricultural top soils in a county of the Tailake Region, China.

Hundred topsoil (0-20 cm) samples under different land use types were collected from a county in the Tailake Region, China and analyzed for 18 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) including five dioxin-like PCBs. The mean concentration of total PCBs (SigmaPCBs) for all sites was 1.071 microg kg(-1) dry weight (dw) with a range of 0.016 microg kg(-1) to 4.050 microg kg(-1), and the concentration of total Dioxin-like PCBs (SigmaDioxin-like PCBs) was 0.352 microg kg(-1) about 33% of SigmaPCBs. The concentration of SigmaPCBs in paddy field (PF) soils with a mean of 1.63 microg kg(-1) was higher than that in vegetable soil with a mean of 0.882 microg kg(-1), but the concentration of Dioxin-like PCBs in PF soil was lower than that in commercial vegetable production soil. The concentration of heavier weighted molecular PCB congeners (> or = penta-PCBs) in vegetable soil accounted for 98% of SigmaPCBs, while that in Paddy field soil for 65% of SigmaPCBs.

Exergy-based efficiency and renewability assessment of biofuel production.

This study presents an efficiency and renewability analysis of the production of three biofuels: rapeseed methyl ester (RME), soybean methyl ester (SME) and corn-based ethanol (EtOH). The overall production chains have been taken into account: not only the agricultural crop production and the industrial conversion into biofuel, but also production of the supply of agricultural resources (pesticides, fertilizers, fuel, seeding material) and industrial resources (energy and chemicals) to transform the crops into biofuel. Simultaneously, byproducts of the agricultural and industrial processes have been taken into account when resources have to be allocated to the biofuels. The technical analysis via the second law of thermodynamics revealed that corn-based EtOH results in the highest production rate with an exergetic fuel content of 68.8 GJ ha(-1) yr(-1), whereas the RME and SME results were limited to 47.5 and 16.4 GJ ha(-1) yr(-1). The allocated nonrenewable resource input to deliver these biofuels is significant: 16.5, 15.4, and 5.6 MJ ha(-1) yr(-1). This means that these biofuels, generally considered as renewable resources, embed a nonrenewable fraction of one-quarter for EtOH and even one-third for RME and SME. This type of analysis provides scientifically sound quantitative information that is necessarywith respect to the sustainability analysis of so-called renewable energy.

Retroflexion of the urinary bladder associated with a perineal hernia in a female cat.

A case of retroflexion of the urinary bladder into a bilateral perineal hernia in a female domestic shorthaired cat, three weeks postpartum, is reported. The bladder was repositioned and a cystopexy performed. A pelvic ostectomy was also carried out in order to alleviate the narrowing of the pelvic canal caused by an untreated acetabular fracture. Bilateral perineal herniorrhaphy was performed.

Occupational therapy in the community: what, why, and how.

SUMMARY This paper discusses ways of defining community practice. It differentiates between the terms "community-based" and "community-built" and makes the argument that community-built occupational therapy practice is the best alternative.

Helping occupational therapy students and faculty develop cultural competence.

SUMMARY Given the need for health professionals, including occupational therapists, to be able to work with individuals and populations from a variety of cultures, this paper describes a qualitative study in which faculty and students from an occupational therapy program have been immersed in a community-built program serving African American, elderly citizens. Cultural competency and its measurement are addressed and used to assess positive results from the study.

Using chaos theory to understand a community-built occupational therapy practice.

SUMMARY Community-built occupational therapy programs interact with a wide range of systems. This interaction does not occur in an orderly manner, but in an unpredictable fashion. The use of chaos theory may help program developers understand actual and potential interactions that may occur. To illustrate the use of chaos theory, a case study is presented.

Quality of life issues in community occupational therapy practice.

SUMMARY Quality of life has long been purported to be an outcome of occupational therapy practice. Yet little outcome data is available illustrating the effectiveness of occupational therapy in enhancing quality of life. Recent authors have addressed health related quality of life issues. Community practice would also benefit from attention to global quality of life concepts and outcome measures. This article discusses global quality of life and reviews related outcome measures.

The experience of being an occupational therapist with a disability.

OBJECTIVE: This study addressed what it is like to practice as an occupational therapist with a disability. METHOD: Open-ended interviews using a phenomenological approach were conducted with 10 participants until data saturation was achieved. Each transcripted interview was coded for categories, and the common themes across transcripts were identified. RESULTS: These major themes were identified: "I am sensitive to their needs"; "The issue is how to cope with life"; and "Recognize your own strengths and limits." Each theme had several subcategories. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational therapists with disabilities approach their practice from a unique perspective and may be able to motivate and challenge clients in a different manner than therapists without disabilities. Therapists with disabilities perceive themselves as uniquely skilled persons who have developed successful strategies to cope with the experience of disability.

Clinical Reasoning of a Novice versus an Experienced Occupational Therapist: A Qualitative Study.

The clinical reasoning process is an important aspect of occupational therapy practice. The purpose of this critical, focused ethnography was to compare the clinical reasoning process of an experienced and novice therapist. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with an experienced and a novice therapist after each had reviewed a sample case study to help elicit the clinical reasoning process. Observations in the clinical setting were conducted. Themes which emerged include definitions of clinical reasoning, sources used when reasoning, factors influencing clinical reasoning, ability to prioritize, patient viewed as an individual, patients' role in treatment, and clinical reasoning as an evolving process. Similarities and differences between the therapists are noted and discussed. Implications for practice, education, and future research are identified.

Induction of cytochrome P-450b,e-type isozymes by polychlorinated biphenyls in rat liver. Molecular cloning of induced mRNAs.

We have studied the induction of cytochrome P-450b,e-type antigen and mRNA by phenobarbital, 4,4'-dichlorobiphenyl and 2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl in male Wistar rat liver. Chronic treatment of rats with 4,4'-dichlorobiphenyl leads to a relatively slow, 20-fold increase in the cytochrome P-450b,e-type antigen level and to an equivalent increase in the concentration of the corresponding mRNA. Treatment of rats with phenobarbital or 2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl results in a faster and more pronounced increase of cytochrome P-450b,e-type antigen and mRNA levels. Analysis of clones from cDNA banks showed that two types of sequences are induced by phenobarbital corresponding to cytochrome P-450b and cytochrome P-450e respectively. 2,4,5,2',4',5'-Hexachlorobiphenyl appears to induce primarily a cytochrome P-450b-type sequence. The implications of these results for the study of the mechanism of induction are discussed.