Self-evaluation using data effectively

Our laboratory has been involved in over 50 field studies evaluating the usefulness and effectiveness of hair analysis in the nine fields listed in Table 1. Most of these studies were performed on a blind basis. The role of our laboratory in these studies has been to develop and provide the appropriate analytical technology and to establish whether a positive result was caused by drug use or external contamination. The objectives, design, and publication of these studies were the responsibilities of the independent investigators. In many instances, the results of hair analysis were validated by comparison with urinalysis and self-reports. The majority of these studies were funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) or the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Although preliminary reports are available in most cases, we will focus our selective review on those studies which have been published or where preliminary data are available at least in abstract form. 

Classical methods are designed to obtain thermodynamic and transport information, for example molar volume, density, viscosity, and surface tension. The effects of pressure and temperature on these properties can also be evaluated, and thus phase transition information such as melting points and glass transition temperatures. If molecular dynamics (in contrast to Monte Carlo) is used, data relating to reorientation of molecules, self-diffusion and residence times are all available. Information can also be obtained from the simulation equations on the contribution made by kinetic, coulombic, intramolecular and dispersion energies to the total potential energy. However, because the charges are fixed and there is no explicit wavefunction included in the classical methods, no electronic information can be obtained. 

Regularly evaluate the compan/s controlled substance- and alcohol-related inspection results via the FMCSA s Website at http //ai.fincsa.dot.gov/SMS. Assess violations for process breakdowns and how to remedy them. Use data to help implement an effective process beyond self-reporting to monitor, document, and evaluate comphance with controlled substance and alcohol regulations and company policies. 

There are several botanicals that have purported immunostimulating effects. These include Panax ginseng and Echinacea purpurea (74), which have both been used as an immune stimulant. Any potential adverse effect on the pharmacological activity of immunosuppressants has not been reported in patients or evaluated in clinical studies. Given the lack of data, it would be prudent to advise against concurrent intake of these botanicals, and closely monitor changes in efficacy in patients who self-administer these botanicals. 

To summarize the analysis to this point, the saturated growth rate K has been estimated from available data and its temperature dependence established. The reduction to be expected from nonoptimum light intensities has been quantified and used to calculate the reduction in growth rate, to be expected in each volume element V as a function of the extinction coefficient and the depth of the segment. The mechanism of self-shading has been included by specifying the chlorophyll dependence of the extinction coefficient. It remains to evaluate the effect of nutrients on the growth rate. 

Before results from a new calibration are accepted, it is essential that the accuracy over the full calibration range is validated independently. Although the intensity response of a WD spectrometer is expected to be linear over six orders of magnitude (subject to corrections for counter dead-time effects), the accuracy of the calibration function is as sensitive as that for any other instrumental technique to the effects of bias, which are likely to be most significant in the analysis of samples at the extremes (low or high) of the calibration range. Discrepancies of this nature are sometimes caused by the use of inaccurate values in reference samples. These discrepancies can only be overcome satisfactorily by a critical evaluation of all calibration data. If the analysis of independently characterized reference materials cannot be used in this evaluation (because, for example, these samples have had to be used as primary calibration samples) then it is possible, though not entirely satisfactory, to evaluate the self-consistency of calibration data in order to identify discrepant points. 

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