In-house validation of the EpiOcular(TM) eye irritation test and its combination with the bovine corneal opacity and permeability test for the assessment of ocular irritation

In 2009, the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) test was accepted by the regulatory bodies for the identification of corrosive and severe ocular irritants (Global Harmonised System [GHS] Category 1). However, no in vitro test is currently accepted for the differentiation of ocular irritants (GHS Category 2) and non-irritants (GHS No Category). Human reconstructed tissue models have been suggested for incorporation into a tiered testing strategy to ultimately replace the Draize rabbit eye irritation test (OECD TG 405). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the EpiOcular(TM) reconstructed cornea-like tissue model and the COLIPA pre-validated EpiOcular Eye Irritation Test (EpiOcular-EIT) could be used as suitable components of this testing strategy. The in-house validation of the EpiOcular-EIT was performed by using 60 test substances, including a broad variety of chemicals and formulations for which in vivo data (from the Draize rabbit eye irritation test) were available. The test substances fell into the following categories: 18 severe irritants/corrosives (Category 1), 21 irritants (Category 2), and 21 non-irritants (No Category). Test substances that decreased tissue viability to ≤ 60% (compared to the negative control tissue) were considered to be eye irritants (Category 1/2). Test substances resulting in tissue viability of > 60% were considered to be non-irritants (No Category). For the assessed dataset and the classification cut-off of 60% viability, the EpiOcular-EIT provided 98% and 84% sensitivity, 64% and 90% specificity, and 85% and 86% overall accuracy for the literature reference and BASF proprietary substances, respectively. Applying a 50% tissue viability cut-off to distinguish between irritants and non-irritants resulted in 93% and 82% sensitivity, 68% and 100% specificity, and 84% and 88% accuracy for the literature reference and BASF proprietary substances, respectively. Further, in the EpiOcular-EIT (60% cut-off), 100% of severely irritating substances under-predicted by the BCOP assay were classified as Category 1/2. The results obtained in this study, based on 60 test substances, indicate that the EpiOcular-EIT and the BCOP assay can be combined in a testing strategy to identify strong/severe eye irritants (Category 1), moderate and mild eye irritants (Category 2), and non-irritants (No Category) in routine testing. In particular, when the bottom-up strategy with the 60% viability cut-off was employed, none of the severely irritating substances (Category 1) were under-predicted to be non-irritant. Sensitivity for Category 1/2 substances was 100% for literature reference substances and 89% for BASF SE proprietary substances.     

Untrained consumer assessment of the eating quality of beef: 1. A single composite score can predict beef quality grades

Quantifying consumer responses to beef across a broad range of demographics, nationalities and cooking methods is vitally important for any system evaluating beef eating quality. On the basis of previous work, it was expected that consumer scores would be highly accurate in determining quality grades for beef, thereby providing evidence that such a technique could be used to form the basis of and eating quality grading system for beef. Following the Australian MSA (Meat Standards Australia) testing protocols, over 19 000 consumers from Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland, France and Australia tasted cooked beef samples, then allocated them to a quality grade; unsatisfactory, good-every-day, better-than-every-day and premium. The consumers also scored beef samples for tenderness, juiciness, flavour-liking and overall-liking. The beef was sourced from all countries involved in the study and cooked by four different cooking methods and to three different degrees of doneness, with each experimental group in the study consisting of a single cooking doneness within a cooking method for each country. For each experimental group, and for the data set as a whole, a linear discriminant function was calculated, using the four sensory scores which were used to predict the quality grade. This process was repeated using two conglomerate scores which are derived from weighting and combining the consumer sensory scores for tenderness, juiciness, flavour-liking and overall-liking, the original meat quality 4 score (oMQ4) (0.4, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) and current meat quality 4 score (cMQ4) (0.3, 0.1, 0.3, 0.3). From the results of these analyses, the optimal weightings of the sensory scores to generate an ‘ideal meat quality 4 score (MQ4)’ for each country were calculated, and the MQ4 values that reflected the boundaries between the four quality grades were determined. The oMQ4 weightings were far more accurate in categorising European meat samples than the cMQ4 weightings, highlighting that tenderness is more important than flavour to the consumer when determining quality. The accuracy of the discriminant analysis to predict the consumer scored quality grades was similar across all consumer groups, 68%, and similar to previously reported values. These results demonstrate that this technique, as used in the MSA system, could be used to predict consumer assessment of beef eating quality and therefore to underpin a commercial eating quality guarantee for all European consumers.     

Salt Reduction Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Background

Salt intake is associated with hypertension, the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To promote population-level salt reduction, the World Health Organization recommends intervention around three core pillars: Reformulation of processed foods, consumer awareness, and environmental changes to increase availability and affordability of healthy food. This review investigates salt reduction interventions implemented and evaluated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods

MEDLINE and google scholar electronic databases were searched for articles meeting inclusion criteria. Studies that reported evaluation results of a salt intervention in SSA were identified. Titles and abstracts were screened, and articles selected for full-text review. Quality of included articles was assessed, and a narrative synthesis of the findings undertaken. PROSPERO registration number CRD42015019055.

Results

Seven studies representing four countries—South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania—were included. Two examined product reformulation, one in hypertensive patients and the other in normotensive volunteers. Four examined consumer awareness interventions, including individualised counselling and advisory health sessions delivered to whole villages. One study used an environmental approach by offering discounts on healthy food purchases. All the interventions resulted in at least one significantly improved outcome measure including reduction in systolic blood pressure (BP), 24 hour urinary sodium excretion, or mean arterial BP.

Conclusions

More high quality studies on salt reduction interventions in the region are needed, particularly focused on consumer awareness and education in urban populations given the context of rapid urbanisation; and essentially, targeting product reformulation and environmental change, for greater promise for propagation across a vast, diverse continent.     

A Comparison of Remote Sensing and Ground-Based Methods for Monitoring Wetland Restoration Success

Abstract Efficient and accurate vegetation sampling techniques are essential for the assessment of wetland restoration success. Remotely acquired data, used extensively in many locations, have not been widely used to monitor restored wetlands. We compared three different vegetation sampling techniques to determine the accuracy associated with each method when used to determine species composition and cover in restored Pacific coast wetlands dominated by Salicornia virginica (perennial pickleweed). Two ground‐based techniques, using quadrat and line intercept sampling, and a remote sensing technique, using low altitude, high resolution, color and color infrared photographs, were applied to estimate cover in three small restoration sites. The remote technique provided an accurate and efficient means of sampling vegetation cover, but individual species could not be identified, precluding estimates of species density and distribution. Aerial photography was determined to be an effective tool for vegetation monitoring of simple (i.e., single‐species) habitat types or when species identities are not important (e.g., when vegetation is developing on a new restoration site). The efficiency associated with these vegetation sampling techniques was dependent on the scale of the assessment, with aerial photography more efficient than ground‐based sampling methods for assessing large areas. However, the inability of aerial photography to identify individual species, especially mixed‐species stands common in southern California salt marshes, limits its usefulness for monitoring restoration success. A combination of aerial photography and ground‐based methods may be the most effective means of monitoring the success of large wetland restoration projects.     

Adjunctive strategies to enhance peripheral warming: Clinical techniques

This study investigates common successful strategies to increase peripheral temperature with biofeedback. Eighteen BCIA-certified therapists (average years of practice, 7.5) were interviewed by telephone for 30 to 45 minutes regarding successful peripheral warming strategies. The practitioners reported using multiple teaching strategies, either concurrently or sequentially. These responses were organized into an interrelated four-category model that consists of the following: (1) Attentional Category — shifting from active to passive attention; (2) General Arousal Category — shifting from hyper- to hypoarousal; (3) Proprioceptive/Kinesthetic Awareness Category — shifting from decreased to increased body awareness; (4) Self-Image/Self-Esteem Category — shifting from negative to positive self-image/self-esteem. These four categories and their corresponding techniques can be used to facilitate peripheral warming.We thank Jackie Myers for her helpful suggestions.     

A method for removal of low frequency components associated with head movements from dual-axis swallowing accelerometry signals

Head movements can greatly affect swallowing accelerometry signals. In this paper, we implement a spline-based approach to remove low frequency components associated with these motions. Our approach was tested using both synthetic and real data. Synthetic signals were used to perform a comparative analysis of the spline-based approach with other similar techniques. Real data, obtained data from 408 healthy participants during various swallowing tasks, was used to analyze the processing accuracy with and without the spline-based head motions removal scheme. Specifically, we analyzed the segmentation accuracy and the effects of the scheme on statistical properties of these signals, as measured by the scaling analysis. The results of the numerical analysis showed that the spline-based technique achieves a superior performance in comparison to other existing techniques. Additionally, when applied to real data, we improved the accuracy of the segmentation process by achieving a 27% drop in the number of false negatives and a 30% drop in the number of false positives. Furthermore, the anthropometric trends in the statistical properties of these signals remained unaltered as shown by the scaling analysis, but the strength of statistical persistence was significantly reduced. These results clearly indicate that any future medical devices based on swallowing accelerometry signals should remove head motions from these signals in order to increase segmentation accuracy.     

Incidence of caries and abscesses in archeological Eskimo skeletal samples from point hope and Kodiak Island,Alaska

The incidence of caries and abscesses in 246 archeologically derived skeletal specimens from the Ipiutak and Tigara levels at Point Hope, Alaska, and 79 specimens excavated from Jones Point, Kodiak Island, Alaska were investigated. All three collections span long periods of time. Only pre-white contact specimens were used. Each specimens was sexed and aged in five year groupings, using standard techniques. Caries and abscesses were recorded by type and degree of severity and correlated with age, sex, and site of origin. All samples displayed very low caries rates and few abscesses per tooth and per individual (both observed frequencies, and frequencies corrected for postmortem loss of teeth). DMF scores were tabulated using both observed and corrected frequencies. Very heavy occlusal wear in all three samples could account for the majority of abscesses and pulp exposures, while the low caries rates are attributable to traditional diets totally devoid of refined sugars, starches, and food additives.     

THE PSYCHOPHYSICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLOR AND SALT CONCENTRATIONS IN CHICKEN FLAVORED BROTHS

Taste panelists evaluated the effect of color on salt perception in chicken flavored samples using magnitude estimation. Samples were colored to simulate commercial chicken broth. Five color intensities were added to 5 NaCl concentrations ranging from 0.34 to 0.66% (w/v). Color had no influence on salt perception. Panelists were able to perceive color differences among samples (P <0.001) and these were correlated with the objective color function cot⁻¹ (a/b) calculated from the L,a,b values obtained from the Gardner XL-23. Overall flavor preference was evaluated by a taste panel using the technique of magnitude estimation. NaCl concentrations ranged from 0.52 to 0.80% (w/v). Overall flavor preference was unaffected by color. A reduction in NaCl concentration from 0.80% (w/v) to 0.52% (a 35% reduction) did not alter flavor preference. A 50 member consumer panel using a paired comparison test found no difference in flavor preference between an uncolored sample containing 0.80% (w/v) NaCl and a colored sample containing 0.72% (w/v) NaCl.     

Changes in archaeal,bacterial and eukaryal assemblages along a salinity gradient by comparison of genetic fingerprinting methods in a multipond solar saltern

Microbial communities inhabiting a multipond solar saltern were analysed and compared using SSU rRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based fingerprintings carried out in parallel by four laboratories. A salinity gradient from seawater (3.7%) to NaCl precipitation (37%) was studied for Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya, and laboratories applied their own techniques and protocols on the same set of samples. Members of all three domains were retrieved from all salt concentrations. Three fingerprinting techniques were used: denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), ribosomal internal spacer analysis (RISA), and terminal-restriction fragments length polymorphism (T-RFLP). In addition, each laboratory used its own biomass collection method and DNA extraction protocols. Prokaryotes were addressed using DGGE and RISA with different 'domain-specific' primers sets. Eukaryotes were analysed by one laboratory using DGGE and T-RFLP, but targeting the same 18S rDNA site. Fingerprints were compared through cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling plots. This exercise allowed fast comparison of microbial assemblages and determined to what extent the picture provided by each laboratory was similar to those of others. Formation of two main, salinity-based groups of samples in prokaryotes (4-15% and 22-37% salinity) was consistent for all the laboratories. When other clusters appeared, this was a result of the particular technique and the protocol used in each case, but more affected by the primers set used. Eukaryotic microorganisms changed more from pond to pond; 4-5% and 8-37% salinity were but the two main groups detected. Archaea showed the lowest number of bands whereas Eukarya showed the highest number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the initial ponds. Artefacts appeared in the DGGE from ponds with extremely low microbial richness. On the other hand, different 16S rDNA fragments with the same restriction or internal transcribed spacer (ITS) length were the main limitations for T-RFLP and RISA analyses, respectively, in ponds with the highest OTUs richness. However, although the particular taxonomic composition could vary among protocols, the general structure of the microbial assemblages was maintained.     

A novel validation and calibration method for motion capture systems based on micro-triangulation

Motion capture systems are widely used to measure human kinematics. Nevertheless, users must consider system errors when evaluating their results. Most validation techniques for these systems are based on relative distance and displacement measurements. In contrast, our study aimed to analyse the absolute volume accuracy of optical motion capture systems by means of engineering surveying reference measurement of the marker coordinates (uncertainty: 0.75 mm). The method is exemplified on an 18 camera OptiTrack Flex13 motion capture system. The absolute accuracy was defined by the root mean square error (RMSE) between the coordinates measured by the camera system and by engineering surveying (micro-triangulation). The original RMSE of 1.82 mm due to scaling error was managed to be reduced to 0.77 mm while the correlation of errors to their distance from the origin reduced from 0.855 to 0.209. A simply feasible but less accurate absolute accuracy compensation method using tape measure on large distances was also tested, which resulted in similar scaling compensation compared to the surveying method or direct wand size compensation by a high precision 3D scanner. The presented validation methods can be less precise in some respects as compared to previous techniques, but they address an error type, which has not been and cannot be studied with the previous validation methods.     

A comparative study of the TF-Test®, Kato-Katz, Hoffman-Pons-Janer, Willis and Baermann-Moraes coprologic methods for the detection of human parasitosis

This study compares the diagnostic accuracy of the TF-Test(?) (TFT) for human parasitosis with results obtained using the traditional Kato-Katz (KK), Hoffman-Pons-Janer (HPJ), Willis and Baermann-Moraes (BM) techniques. Overall, four stool samples were taken from each individual; three alternate-day TFT stool samples and another sample that was collected in a universal container. Stool samples were taken from 331 inhabitants of the community of Quilombola Santa Cruz. The gold standard (GS) for protozoa detection was defined as the combined results for TFT, HPJ and Willis coproscopic techniques; for helminth detection, GS was defined as the combined results for all five coproscopic techniques (TFT, KK, HPJ, Willis and BM). The positivity rate of each method was compared using the McNemar test. While the TFT exhibited similar positivity rates to the GS for Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (82.4%) and Giardia duodenalis (90%), HPJ and Willis techniques exhibited significantly lower positivity rates for these protozoa. All tests exhibited significantly lower positivity rates compared with GS for the diagnosis of helminths. The KK technique had the highest positivity rate for diagnosing Schistosoma mansoni (74.6%), while the TFT had the highest positivity rates for Ascaris lumbricoides (58.1%) and hookworm (75%); HPJ technique had the highest positivity rate for Strongyloides stercoralis (50%). Although a combination of tests is the most accurate method for the diagnosis of enteral parasites, the TFT reliably estimates the prevalence of protozoa and selected helminths, such as A. lumbricoides and hookworm. Further studies are needed to evaluate the detection accuracy of the TFT in samples with varying numbers of parasites.     

CONSUMER PREFERENCES OF BEEF TENDERNESS AND MECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS

The tenderness of carcasses of ten bulls of Norwegian Red breed was analyzed by sensory and mechanical analyses. Four samples representing the range of tenderness in the material were served to 118 consumers in an in-house test. The consumers rated the samples for the degree of tenderness. High correlation was found between sensory analyses and the consumer ratings of tenderness, r = 0.96 (P<0.0005), and between Warner Bratzler Shear force values and the consumer ratings, r =− 0.87 (P<0.005).
The consumers found it easier to evaluate the very tender and very tough samples, while the moderately tough samples were more difficult to evaluate, and were mixed up in both the sensory and consumer analyses.
A lower percent of women than men considered each sample as acceptably tender and women in general used a lower grade to describe the degree of tenderness of the samples. Indications of high variety of consumer acceptability at different levels of tenderness, suggests a need for a larger study of tenderness levels in the areas where large changes in acceptability are found, and of responses from different consumer groups.     

Gyroscopic corrections improve wearable sensor data prior to measuring dynamic sway in the gait of people with Multiple Sclerosis

Accelerometers are incorporated into many consumer devices providing new ways to monitor gait, mobility, and fall risk. However, many health benefits have not been realised because of issues with data quality that results from gravitational ‘cross-talk’ when the wearable device is tilted. Here we present an adaptive filter designed to improve the quality of accelerometer data prior to measuring dynamic pelvic sway patterns during a six minute walk test in people with and without Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Optical motion capture was used as the gold standard. Improved wearable device accuracy (≤4.4% NRMSE) was achieved using gyroscopic corrections and scaling filter thresholds by step frequency. The people with MS presented significantly greater pelvis sway range to compensate for their lower limb weaknesses and joint contractures. The visualisation of asymmetric pelvic sway in people with MS illustrates the potential to better understand their mobility impairments for reducing fall risk.     

A novel Real Time micro PCR based Point-of-Care device for Salmonella detection in human clinical samples

Our POC (Point of Care) device is intended to be a diagnostic tool for routine use in the clinical sector. The validation of the whole procedure, including bacterial genomic DNA isolation and the Real Time detection of Salmonella spp., was conducted on 29 clinical stool samples that had been diagnosed with Salmonella spp. by a routine culture technique. The entire process was achieved in a single microfluidic chip within 35 min. In comparison to the culture reference method that is used in the clinical laboratories, this new device performed well in regards to the analytical parameters of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Therefore, the POC device reported in this study proved to be very appropriate for the fully integrated analysis system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to report the sample preparation and followed by Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) on a single 2.5 μl chamber chip for the detection of Salmonella spp. bacteria in stool samples.     

High-resolution microanalysis of nitrite and nitrate in neuronal tissues by capillary electrophoresis with conductivity detection

Nitrites and nitrates are widely used reporters of endogenous activity of nitric oxide synthases (NOS), an important group of enzymes producing the gaseous signal molecule nitric oxide (NO). However, due to the great chemical heterogeneity of neuronal tissues, standard analytical protocols for evaluation of neuronal nitrite/nitrate concentrations are inefficient. We optimized a high-performance capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) technique to analyze nitrite/nitrate concentrations in submicroliter samples from mammalian neuronal tissues. The measurements were made using a PrinCE 476 computerized capillary electrophoresis system with a Crystal 1000 contact conductivity detector. Isotachophoretic stacking injection of 1000- to 10000-fold diluted samples, which had been pretreated with a custom-designed solid-phase microextraction (SPME) cartridge, was employed to assay micromolar and nanomolar nitrite and nitrate levels in the presence of the high millimolar chloride concentrations characteristic of many biological samples. In the presented technique, a 10-microl volume of diluted ganglionic sample was used for chloride removal and sample cleanup. The method yields high analytical performance, including good reproducibility, resolution, and accuracy. The limits of detection relative to undiluted sample matrix were 8.9 nM (0.41 ppb) and 3.54 nM (0.22 ppb) for nitrite and nitrate, respectively. In addition, this technique resolves other anions that are present in neuronal tissues at sub-nanomolar concentrations and can be broadly applied for high-throughput anionic profiling. In rat dorsal root ganglia, endogenous levels of nitrate (231+/-29 microM; n=6) and nitrite (24-96 microM) were found. These concentrations exceeded those previously found in neuronal tissue homogenates using different techniques.     

New computer-aided diagnosis of dementia using positron emission tomography: brain regional sensitivity-mapping method

Purpose

We devised a new computer-aided diagnosis method to segregate dementia using one estimated index (Total Z score) derived from the Brodmann area (BA) sensitivity map on the stereotaxic brain atlas. The purpose of this study is to investigate its accuracy to differentiate patients with Alzheimer''s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from normal adults (NL).

Methods

We studied 101 adults (NL: 40, AD: 37, MCI: 24) who underwent ¹⁸FDG positron emission tomography (PET) measurement. We divided NL and AD groups into two categories: a training group with (Category A) and a test group without (Category B) clinical information. In Category A, we estimated sensitivity by comparing the standard uptake value per BA (SUVR) between NL and AD groups. Then, we calculated a summated index (Total Z score) by utilizing the sensitivity-distribution maps and each BA z-score to segregate AD patterns. To confirm the validity of this method, we examined the accuracy in Category B. Finally, we applied this method to MCI patients.

Results

In Category A, we found that the sensitivity and specificity of differentiation between NL and AD were all 100%. In Category B, those were 100% and 95%, respectively. Furthermore, we found this method attained 88% to differentiate AD-converters from non-converters in MCI group.

Conclusions

The present automated computer-aided evaluation method based on a single estimated index provided good accuracy for differential diagnosis of AD and MCI. This good differentiation power suggests its usefulness not only for dementia diagnosis but also in a longitudinal study.     

The use of ETOH for the dilution of honey

Since the beginning of honey production, certain honey types are preferred because they taste better, are better for cooking, or do not rapidly crystallize. Pollen found in honey is used to determine the honey's type. Techniques used to extract pollen from honey vary in the amount of honey examined, the amount of water used to dilute the honey, and the time and speed of centrifugation. These variations address the disparity in pollen recovery that is due to the specific gravity and sinking rates of the different pollen types. Ethyl alcohol (ETOH) was used as a dilution liquid for honey and compared to two water-dilution techniques, one with a short centrifugation time (1?minute) and the other using a long centrifugation time (10?minutes). The ETOH samples were centrifuged for 3?minutes. All samples were centrifuged at 4000 r.p.m. Significantly higher pollen concentration values were found in the ETOH-diluted samples. Pollen concentration values of the ETOH-diluted samples were 5.26 times greater than water-diluted, short centrifugation samples, and 3.26 times greater than water-diluted, long centrifugation samples. ETOH-diluted samples produced 16% more taxa than the water-diluted short centrifugation technique, and 10% more taxa than the water-diluted long centrifugation technique. The pollen spectra were not consistent across the three techniques. Additional research is needed to determine the efficiency of other ETOH concentrations in recovering pollen from honey. We recommend that the ETOH-dilution technique become the standard technique for the extraction of pollen from honey for pollen analyses because of the improved pollen recovery.     

Molecular identification of Aspergillus and Eurotium species isolated from rice and their toxin-producing ability

Thirty milled rice samples were collected from retailers in 4 provinces of Malaysia. These samples were evaluated for Aspergillus spp. infection by direct plating on malt extract salt agar (MESA). All Aspergillus holomorphs were isolated and identified using nucleotide sequences of ITS 1 and ITS 2 of rDNA. Five anamorphs (Aspergillus flavus, A. oryzae, A. tamarii, A. fumigatus and A. niger) and 5 teleomorphs (Eurotium rubrum, E. amstelodami, E. chevalieri, E. cristatum and E. tonophilum) were identified. The PCR-sequencing based technique for sequences of ITS 1 and ITS 2 is a fast technique for identification of Aspergillus and Eurotium species, although it doesn't work flawlessly for differentiation of Eurotium species. All Aspergillus and Eurotium isolates were screened for their ability to produce aflatoxin and ochratoxin A (OTA) by HPLC and TLC techniques. Only A. flavus isolate UPM 89 was able to produce aflatoxins B1 and B2.     

Intermolecular electrostatics via molecular fragmentation: an application to crystal structure prediction

Molecular fragmentation is an attractive approach to the simulation of large molecules, in which calculations are carried out on small segments of the molecule, achieving linear scaling but reduced accuracy. Its application to crystal structure prediction (CSP) is challenged by high accuracy requirements. In this study, the applicability of a fragmentation scheme is tested for distributed multipoles, which are used in CSP to model intermolecular electrostatic interactions. Four test systems are investigated: a molecular salt, the highly conjugated molecule retinal, a model pharmaceutical molecule and the nonlinear molecule nitrotriacetanilide. It is demonstrated that fragment-based electrostatics reproduce, to an acceptable degree, a set of crystal structures generated using whole-molecule electrostatics. Inclusion of the molecular environment of each fragment out to four bonds separation is found to provide a sufficiently accurate set of distributed multipoles for the purposes of CSP.     

Analysis of motivation to contraceptive use applying the weighting procedure

This paper presents a technique for scaling contraceptive use motivation for the sample population of the Family Planning Health Services Project in Matlab. The project, which began in 1977, is conducted by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. The hypothesis of the research is that through the use of a scaling algorithm the power of demographic characteristics, attitudes, and intentions for predicting contraceptive use can be enhanced. The analysis shows that two factors explain use motivation. Scale 1 is weighted for demographic variables and desire for additional children, while Scale 2 is comprised of education and intentions of contraceptive use. Both scales have a pronounced independent predictive power. We conclude that scaling has improved upon the predictive power of indicators of reproductive motivations.