The purpose of the Kentucky Elder Oral Health Survey (KEOHS) was to assess the oral health status of Kentuckians 65 and older. The KEOHS consisted of a self-administered questionnaire and a clinical examination. Recruitment occurred from May 2002 through March 2005 of persons aged 65 and older (n=1386) whose functional ability was classified by residential setting. Independent elders living in their own homes were designated as “well-elders,” those who lived in skilled nursing facilities and who were functionally dependent were designated as “nursing home elders,” and those older adults who were considered frail were designated as “homebound elders.” Significant associations were found between the functional ability of the elders and demographic characteristics. While elders who were homebound reported the highest rate of barriers to care, dental insurance, affordability, and transportation were consistently reported as barriers for all groups of elders. This study has established the baseline oral health status of older adults in Kentucky and the data shows-differences that exist for various community living situations.

Adaptive sampling and analysis programs (ASAPs) provide a cost‐effective alternative to traditional sampling program designs. ASAPs are based on field analytical methods for rapid sample turnaround and field‐based decision support for guiding the progress of the sampling program. One common objective of ASAPs is to delineate contamination present in soils, either to support feasibility studies or remedial action designs. An ASAP based on portable gas chromatograph/ mass spectrograph (GC/MS) technologies developed at Tufts University combined with decision support tools created at Argonne National Laboratory was used to delineate explosives contamination in soils at Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, Joliet, Illinois. Tufts' GC/MS technologies provided contaminant‐specific identification and quantification with rapid sample turnaround and high sample throughput. Argonne's decision support tools estimated contamination extent, determined the uncertainty associated with those estimates, and indicated where sampling should continue to minimize uncertainty. In the case of Joliet, per sample analytical costs were reduced by 75 percent as compared to the cost of off‐site laboratory analyses for explosives. The use of an ASAP resulted in a much more accurate identification and delineation of contaminated areas than a traditional sampling program would have with the same number of samples collected on a regular grid. While targeting explosives contamination in soils at Joliet, the ASAP technologies used in this demonstration have much broader application.

The aim of the study was to compare synthetic monofilament suture materials with chromic catgut and silk in aural wound closure. Forty patients undergoing mastoidectomy or tympanoplasty were randomized to closure with either 30 PDS (Polydioxanone) to fascia plus 30 Prolene to skin, or 20 chromic catgut to fascia plus 30 silk to skin. Known or suspected factors affecting wound healing were recorded. Nine patients had post-operative wound infections. The infection rate was significantly lower in wounds closed with PDS and Prolene (χ2 = 6.05, p<.05), and in tympanoplasty operations (χ2 = 4.42, p<.05). Four patients suffered wound dehiscence, all four had been closed with catgut and silk. No other complication of wound healing was noted in the trial. In conclusion, PDS and Prolene are superior suture materials to catgut and silk in the closure of aural wounds.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for conducting the cleanup of radiologically contaminated properties as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. One property is the Rattlesnake Creek (RSC) portion of the Ashland sites. The RSC stream sediments are contaminated with thorium-230, radium-226, and uranium. The USACE is closing RSC using protocols contained within the MultiAgency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM). At RSC, the USACE developed site-specific derived concentration guideline level (DCGL) cleanup requirements consistent with the MARSSIM guidance. Because of uncertainty about the distribution of contamination within the creek, the USACE used the Triad approach to collect data and design remedial actions. Systematic planning helped target the areas of concern, develop a conceptual site model, and identify data gaps to be addressed before remediation plans were finalized. Pre-remediation sampling and analysis plans were designed to be explicitly consistent with final status survey requirements, allowing data sets to support both excavation planning needs and closure requirements in areas where contamination was not encountered above DCGL standards. Judicious use of real-time technologies such as x-ray fluorescence and gamma walkover surveys minimized expensive off-site alpha spectrometry analyses, and at the same time provided the ability to respond to unexpected field conditions.

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