Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „320.5/4“

Pulmonary hypertension following cardiac surgery is an important factor affecting postoperative mortality, and its mechanism has not been thoroughly clarified. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can destroy pulmonary endothelium and aggravate pulmonary hypertension. This study is designed to investigate the impacts of CPB on vascular endothelium-dependent relaxation, and the relations of CPB to pulmonary hypertension. Forty patients undergoing valve surgery were involved. According to their preoperative pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), these patients were divided into pulmonary hypertension group (H group) and normal group (N group). The concentrations of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were measured at baseline conditions, after acetylcholine (Ach) injection, and during nitric oxide (NO) inhalation. Samples were taken before sternotomy and after weaning from CPB, 4 and 12 hours post-CPB. At baseline, the level of cGMP in the H group was lower than that of the N group by 33.9% before CPB. After initiating the CPB, although the level of cGMP continuously decreased in both groups until weaning from CPB (the N group decreased 33.3%, and the H group decreased 59%). At that point cGMP was higher in N group than in the H group (p < .01). The level of cGMP of both groups tended to recover 4 hours after CPB, but only the N group returned to baseline 12 hours after CPB. After injection of Ach, the level of cGMP of both groups followed the same change as in the baseline, except with different numeric value. The level of cGMP in N group rose ranging from 160.0–197.3%, while it rose ranging from 87.7–168.1% in H group. The levels of cGMP were higher in N group than those in H group at all times following injection of Ach (61.4, 173.3, 202.7, and 188.0%)(p < .01). After inhalation of NO, the level of cGMP of both groups followed the same change as the baseline. The level of cGMP in N group rose ranging from 194.8–320.5%. Although the levels of cGMP were higher in N group than those in H group (6.9, 25.3, 23.3, and 16.6%), significant differences were achieved at the 4 and 12 hour post-CPB periods (p < .05 or p < .01, respectively). It was concluded that the injury of vascular endothelial function caused by CPB was more critical in pulmonary hypertension patients.

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting small and medium-sized joints symmetrically, leading to poor functional outcomes and structural damages with time. The RA elementary inflammatory lesions, synovitis and tenosynovitis, have been associated with the development and worsening of bone erosions leading to loss of joint function and pain. The median age at diagnosis of RA patients, ranged between 50-60 years old, age at which degenerative and inflammation lesions relative to osteoarthritis (OA) damages may be present and interfere to establish a diagnosis of inflamed and/or structural RA disease.ObjectivesTo assess prevalence, topography and severity of inflammation and erosion on ultrasound (US) in RA and OA patients and to propose US thresholds to classify RA patients.MethodsPatients fulfilling ACR 1987 and/or ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria for RA or ACR criteria for hand OA were reprospectively included. Synovitis and tenosynovitis (TS) in B and Power Doppler (PD) modes on seven bilateral joints (carpus, MCP2, 3, 5, MTP2, 3, 5) were scored according to a four-grade scale of severity. Erosive disease was defined by the presence of at least one erosion >2 mm confirmed in 2 perpendicular plans on 30 targeted facet joints. Sensitivity, specificity and OR for the diagnosis of RA were calculated for each elementary (inflammatory and erosive) US lesion.Results153 patients were included: 107 (31 early <2 years) RA and 46 OA patients. Synovitis (B and PD modes) was observed in 92 (85.9%) RA and 12 (26%) OA patients, respectively (p <0.0001). TS (B and PD modes) was depicted in 61(57%) RA and 4 (8.7%) OA patients, respectively (p <0.0001). 71 (66%) RA and 5 (11%) OA patients responded to the definition of erosive disease (p<0.001). The combination of US erosion and PD+ synovitis provided the best compromise to classify RA patients: sensitivity 49.1% (39.7-58.4)), specificity 97.8% (87.4-99.5) and OR= 43.8 (CI95: 8.2-230.2). For early RA, PD+ TS provided the best compromise: sensitivity 54.8% (37.8-58.4), specificity 97.8% (87.4 -100) and OR= 54.6 (CI95: 9.3- 320.5).ConclusionThe combination of PD+ synovitis and erosion in RA and PD+ tenosynovitis alone in early RA offered the best compromise to classify RA versus OA patients.References[1]Scott DL et al. Rheumatoid arthritis. The Lancet.[2]Funck-Brentano et al. Prediction of Radiographic Damage in Early Arthritis by Sonographic Erosions and Power Doppler Signal: A Longitudinal Observational Study. Arthritis Care & Research.[3]Vlychou et al. Ultrasonographic evidence of inflammation is frequent in hands of patients with erosive osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.[4]Roux et al. Ultrasonographic criteria for the diagnosis of erosive rheumatoid arthritis using osteoarthritic patients as controls compared to validated radiographic criteria. Joint Bone Spine.[5]Sahbudin et al. The role of ultrasound-defined tenosynovitis and synovitis in the prediction of rheumatoid arthritis development.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared.

Abstract Introduction: Post-marketing studies provide important insight into the consistency of data from clinical studies and routine clinical use. This non-interventional, prospective, multicentre study (WIL-20) collected real-life data on the use of a human VWF/FVIII concentrate with the native VWF/FVIII complex in a physiological 1:1 ratio (wilate®; pdVWF/FVIII) in routine clinical practice. Here, we report the final results from this study. Methods: The primary objective was to document the safety and tolerability of pdVWF/FVIII in routine clinical practice, with a planned observation period per patient of 2 years. Secondary objectives were to document the efficacy in on-demand treatment of acute bleeding, long-term prophylaxis, and surgical prophylaxis. Male and female patients of any age and with any type of VWD who were prescribed pdVWF/FVIII were eligible for the study. pdVWF/FVIII was administered at the investigator's discretion. Data recorded included patient demographics, laboratory parameters, treatment details, and occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), including immunogenicity and thrombogenicity. Tolerability was assessed using a verbal rating scale; efficacy of on-demand treatment and surgical prophylaxis using a haemostatic scale; and prophylactic efficacy based on the frequency of spontaneous breakthrough bleeds. Results: The study enrolled 120 patients from 11 countries. Within the safety population (111 patients who received at least one dose of pdVWF/FVIII), 45% of patients had type 1 VWD, 29% type 2 and 18% type 3; disease type was unavailable for 8 patients, and 1 patient was diagnosed with haemophilia A during the study. Of the 111 patients, 33% were previously untreated with a FVIII/VWF product. A total of 7024 infusions were administered to the safety population over a median observation time of 2 years; median dose was 320.5 IU/kg. A total of 26 ADRs were reported in 8 patients; 4 were mild, 3 moderate and 1 severe. Three patients discontinued treatment and 1 stopped treatment temporarily due to adverse events. Using an experimental assay, 3 cases of VWF inhibitors were identified, with no impact on clinical outcome. No thromboembolic events were reported. Tolerability was rated for 6497 infusions, with 96.2% rated 'excellent', 3.7% 'satisfactory', and 0.1% 'unsatisfactory'. Of the 29 patients treated on-demand, 150 bleeding events (BEs), excluding menstrual bleeds, were reported in 25 patients; 18% of BEs were mild, 71.3% were moderate, and 10% were severe. 94% of treated bleeds (130/138) resolved with 1 or 2 infusions, with a median dose per BE of 33 IU/kg. The efficacy of treatment was rated as 'excellent' or 'good' for 100% of BEs. Of the 25 patients treated with pdVWF/FVIII for prophylaxis, 18 patients had a total of 233 breakthrough BEs; 37% mild, 44% moderate, and 9% severe (severity information was unavailable for 11% of bleeds). Of the breakthrough BEs that required treatment, 85% (149/175) were treated with 1 or 2 infusions of pdVWF/FVIII, with a median dose per BE of 55.4 IU/kg. Efficacy of pdVWF/FVIII was rated as 'excellent' or 'good' by investigators for 99% of 139 evaluable breakthrough BEs. For patients on prophylaxis (n = 25), the median annualised bleeding rate for spontaneous BEs was 1.5 (range 0.0-19.7). The efficacy of prophylaxis for prevention of spontaneous breakthrough bleeds was rated as 'excellent' or 'good' in 96% (24/25) of these patients. A total of 99 surgical procedures were performed in 62 patients; 56% with type 1 VWD, 29% type 2 and 13% type 3 (2% were type unknown). Of the procedures, 46 were major and 53 minor. All but one of the surgeries were managed with pdVWF/FVIII prophylaxis, and the efficacy was rated as 'excellent' or 'good' in 99% (96/97) of surgeries with assessments available. Conclusions: The final results of this non-interventional study indicate that pdVWF/FVIII is well tolerated and effective for on-demand treatment, prophylaxis, and surgical prophylaxis in patients with all types of VWD treated as part of routine clinical practice. The data are consistent with those from previous clinical studies and provide real-life evidence from around the world on the use of pdVWF/FVIIIfor management of VWD in all clinical settings. Disclosures Werner: Octapharma USA Inc.: Employment. Hashimoto:Octapharma USA Inc.: Employment. Knaub:Octapharma AG: Employment. Rodgers:Octapharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

1. The effects of plasma fractions from essential hypertensive subjects (n = 14) and normotensive subjects (n = 14) on Ca2+ transport in permeabilized human neutrophils was studied using an ion-selective electrode. 2. Plasma fractions were obtained by gel filtration and contained substances with a molecular mass in the range 1000–1500 daltons. This fraction isolated from essential hypertensive subjects has been shown to increase blood pressure after intravenous injection in the rat. 3. The rate of Ca2+ uptake by permeabilized neutrophils after addition of extracellular Ca2+ was significantly accelerated during incubation of the cells with the hypertensive fraction (1049.3 ±807.7% vs 242.5 ±320.9% of the control value, mean ± sd, P < 0.05). 4. It is concluded that the hypertensive plasma fraction increases Ca2+ accumulation in subcellular particles, so that under excitatory conditions Ca2+ release in arterial smooth muscle might be enhanced.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate 3 different starting techniques from the staggered stance with regards to sprint time, reaction time, linear impulse and power. 11 male amateur American football players volunteered to participate in a testing session consisting of twelve 5 m sprints, 4 in each technique (normal (NORM), backwards false step (BFS) and forwards false step (FFS)) in random order. Sprint starts were performed on force plates to investigate ground reaction forces, reaction time and total sprint time. Analysis showed significant differences in sprint times, with NORM (1.77±0.10 s) being faster than FFS (1.81±0.12 s) and BFS (2.01±0.13 s), and FFS being faster than BFS, although no differences were found in reaction time. In terms of mean force and power, NORM (331.1±39.2N, 542.2±72.3W) and FFS (320.8±43.2N, 550.9±81.4W) were significantly larger than BFS (256.9±36.2N, 443.5±61.1W). This indicates that when starting from a staggered stance, the BFS is inferior to the others and should be avoided. However, since the force profiles of the NORM and the FFS were similar, the differences in sprint time could arise from a technique bias towards the NORM start.

Objective.To assess radiographic progression, physical function, clinical disease activity, and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX) and who were treated with tocilizumab-MTX or MTX during Year 2 of a 2-year study.Methods.During Year 1, patients were randomized to placebo-MTX, 4 mg/kg tocilizumab-MTX, or 8 mg/kg tocilizumab-MTX. During Year 2, patients continued the initial double-blind treatment or switched to open-label 8 mg/kg tocilizumab-MTX. Co-primary endpoints at Week 104 were mean change from baseline in Genant-modified Total Sharp Score (GmTSS) and adjusted mean area under the curve (AUC) for change from baseline in the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Signs and symptoms of RA and safety were also evaluated.Results.At Week 104, mean change from baseline in GmTSS was significantly lower for patients initially randomized to tocilizumab-MTX 4 mg/kg (0.58; p = 0.0025) or 8 mg/kg (0.37; p < 0.0001) than for patients initially randomized to placebo-MTX (1.96). Adjusted mean AUC of change from baseline in HAQ-DI was also significantly lower in patients initially randomized to tocilizumab-MTX 4 mg/kg (–287.5; p < 0.0001) or 8 mg/kg (–320.8; p < 0.0001) than in patients initially randomized to placebo-MTX (–139.4). Signs and symptoms of RA were maintained or showed improvement. No new safety signals were noted.Conclusion.Compared with placebo-MTX, tocilizumab-MTX significantly inhibited structural joint damage and improved physical function in patients with RA who previously had inadequate response to MTX. An extension of this study is continuing and will provide additional longterm efficacy and safety data. National Clinical Trials registry NCT00106535.

Abstract The applicability of the time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP) to wood has been investigated aiming at the prediction of long-term mechanical properties of wood by both horizontally and vertically shifting of short-term stress relaxation data obtained by experiments. The expression of TTSP considering the vertical shift factor (bT) for wood is proposed the first time. The results showed that: (1) TTSP applied to poplar and the master curve that was obtained from 1 h of tests at 283.2, 303.2, 320.2, 343.2, and 363.2 K in a relative humidity (RH) of 60% could predict the stress relaxation behavior for approximately 42 years at 283.2 K and 60% RH. (2) There was a linear correlation between lgaT and T-1, lg aT=6590.40 T-1-23.64 (R2=0.994), which followed the Arrhenius equation well, while the apparent activation energy was 34.6 kcal mole-1. (3) The bT had a linear relationship with temperature, and the relation was lgbT=0.0013T-0.37 (R2=0.999). (4) The long-term relaxation curve of the long-term verification test had high goodness of fit with the master curve. The results can be interpreted that the TTSP expression considering the bT proposed in this paper is rational.

To assess anatomical and functional outcomes after switching from dexamethasone implant (DEXi) to fluocinolone acetonide implant (FAci) in 113 diabetic macular edema eyes, a multicentric retrospective observational study was conducted. Seventy-five eyes (73.5%) were switched 1–8 weeks after their last DEXi. The mean best-corrected visual acuity improved to 59.8 letters at month 4 and remained stable during the follow-up. The mean central macular thickness (CMT) significantly decreased during the follow-up, with a minimum of 320.9 μm at month 3. The baseline CMT was higher in eyes that received the last DEXi >8 weeks versus <8 weeks before the first FAci (p < 0.021). After FAci injection, additional treatments were needed in 37 (32.7%) eyes. A longer diabetes duration (p = 0.009), a longer time between the last DEXi and the first FAci (p = 0.035), and a high baseline CMT (p = 0.003) were risk factors for additional treatments. The mean intraocular pressure was <19 mmHg at all timepoints, with no difference between eyes receiving the last DEXi ≤8 weeks or >8 weeks before the switch. Switching from DEXi to FAci in DME is effective and safe. A short time between the last DEXi and the first FAci reduced CMT fluctuations and the need for early additional treatments.

The Huangshui River Basin (HRB) is the main grain production and key implementation region of the “Grain for Green Program” (GGP) of Qinghai Province, and has experienced a quick urbanization during the last 20 years. Therefore, identifying the farmland change and its ecological effects is significant for farmland and ecological protection in the HRB. To this end, this study analyzed the farmland change between 2000 and 2018, based on 1 m spatial resolution farmland data visually interpreted from Google Earth high-resolution images, and then estimated its ecological impact based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data of MODIS, using an ecological impact index of farmland change. The study found that: (1) The farmland area in the HRB decreased from 320.15 k ha in 2000 to 245.01 k ha in 2018, reduced by 23.47% or 1.48% per year, as mainly caused by ecological restoration and built-up land occupation; (2) from 2000 to 2018, the natural environment showed a greening trend in the HRB, with the mean NDVI increasing by 0.74% per year; (3) the farmland changes had a positive ecological effect, contributing 6.67% to the regional increase in the NDVI, but had a negative impact on grain production; (4) it is suggested to strengthen farmland protection by strictly controlling the urban land occupation and over-conversion of farmland in the HRB.

Sepsis may induce immunosuppression and result in death. S100A12 can bind to the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) and Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 following induction of various inflammatory responses. It is unclear whether S100A12 significantly influences the immune system, which may be associated with sepsis-related mortality. We measured plasma S100A12 levels and cytokine responses (mean ± standard error mean) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after S100A12 inhibition in healthy controls and patients with sepsis on days one and seven. Day one plasma soluble RAGE (sRAGE) and S100A12 levels in patients with sepsis were significantly higher than those in controls (2481.3 ± 295.0 vs. 1273.0 ± 108.2 pg/mL, p < 0.001; 530.3 ± 18.2 vs. 310.1 ± 28.1 pg/mL, p < 0.001, respectively). Day seven plasma S100A12 levels in non-survivors were significantly higher than those in survivors (593.1 ± 12.7 vs. 499.3 ± 23.8 pg/mL, p = 0.002, respectively). In survivors, plasma sRAGE levels were significantly decreased after 6 days (2297.3 ± 320.3 vs. 1530.1 ± 219.1 pg/mL, p = 0.009, respectively), but not in non-survivors. Inhibiting S100A12 increased the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-10 in stimulated PBMCs for both controls and patients. Therefore, S100A12 plays an important role in sepsis pathogenesis. S100A12 may competitively bind to TLR4 and RAGE, resulting in decreased IL-10 and TNF-α production.

The objective of this project was to perform an analysis of all of the major aspects of implementing electrical power generation using wind energy in a specific location. The project consisted of three main sections: location selection, turbine modeling and selection, and an economic analysis of the potential project as a whole. A limiting factor for a location was the availability of adequate wind speed data for analysis of the area’s potential. With these criteria, several locations were considered, and the Dominican Republic was selected because of high wind energy potential as well as high demand for electricity. There were several regions of the country with class 4 winds [1], and the average cost of electricity was very high at $0.15/kWh [2]. For the modeling and design of a wind turbine, a program named PROPID was used, which is a tool that takes design and wind parameters and returns simulated data such as power curves. The software was first validated for known configurations, to show the accuracy of the program, and it was then used to iteratively design new turbine configurations. The design of a popular 1300 kW commercial turbine, the Nordex N60, was scaled down to produce 1000 kW, and then gradually redesigned to increase the ratio of the power output to the surface area of the turbine, which was termed the design-factor, which would help to increase profitability of the turbine. The design-factor was increased from 320.9 for the original design to 466.2 for the final design. The final portion of the project was an economic analysis of a proposed wind farm. A software tool called HOMER was used, as well as Microsoft Excel’s internal rate of return function to calculate the long-term return of the project. Initial and annual costs were estimated based on available data for existing projects, and a 10 MW, 20 year life-span project was simulated using the newly designed turbine. Total levelized cost of energy was found to be between $0.042 and $0.057/kWh, depending on actual costs, and the overall annual return on investment in the project was calculated to be between a very conservatively determined value of 9.1% and a more general value of 12.9%. These values are limited in accuracy, and a more detailed study would be required prior to further project consideration, however they do indicate that this area is highly likely to have profitable wind energy resources.

The Big Thicket National Preserve (BITH) vegetation inventory project classified and mapped vegetation within the administrative boundary and estimated thematic map accuracy quantitatively. National Park Service (NPS) Vegetation Mapping Inventory Program provided technical guidance. The overall process included initial planning and scoping, imagery procurement, vegetation classification field data collection, data analysis, imagery interpretation/classification, accuracy assessment (AA), and report writing and database development. Initial planning and scoping meetings took place during May, 2016 in Kountze, Texas where representatives gathered from BITH, the NPS Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network, and Colorado State University. The project acquired new 2014 orthoimagery (30-cm, 4-band (RGB and CIR)) from the Hexagon Imagery Program. Supplemental imagery for the interpretation phase included Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) 2015 50 cm leaf-off 4-band imagery from the Texas Orthoimagery Program (TOP), Farm Service Agency (FSA) 100-cm (2016) and 60 cm (2018) National Aerial Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery, and current and historical true-color Google Earth and Bing Maps imagery. In addition to aerial and satellite imagery, 2017 Neches River Basin Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data was obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and TNRIS to analyze vegetation structure at BITH. The preliminary vegetation classification included 110 United States National Vegetation Classification (USNVC) associations. Existing vegetation and mapping data combined with vegetation plot data contributed to the final vegetation classification. Quantitative classification using hierarchical clustering and professional expertise was supported by vegetation data collected from 304 plots surveyed between 2016 and 2019 and 110 additional observation plots. The final vegetation classification includes 75 USNVC associations and 27 park special types including 80 forest and woodland, 7 shrubland, 12 herbaceous, and 3 sparse vegetation types. The final BITH map consists of 51 map classes. Land cover classes include five types: pasture / hay ground agricultural vegetation; non ? vegetated / barren land, borrow pit, cut bank; developed, open space; developed, low ? high intensity; and water. The 46 vegetation classes represent 102 associations or park specials. Of these, 75 represent natural vegetation associations within the USNVC, and 27 types represent unpublished park specials. Of the 46 vegetation map classes, 26 represent a single USNVC association/park special, 7 map classes contain two USNVC associations/park specials, 4 map classes contain three USNVC associations/park specials, and 9 map classes contain four or more USNVC associations/park specials. Forest and woodland types had an abundance of Pinus taeda, Liquidambar styraciflua, Ilex opaca, Ilex vomitoria, Quercus nigra, and Vitis rotundifolia. Shrubland types were dominated by Pinus taeda, Ilex vomitoria, Triadica sebifera, Liquidambar styraciflua, and/or Callicarpa americana. Herbaceous types had an abundance of Zizaniopsis miliacea, Juncus effusus, Panicum virgatum, and/or Saccharum giganteum. The final BITH vegetation map consists of 7,271 polygons totaling 45,771.8 ha (113,104.6 ac). Mean polygon size is 6.3 ha (15.6 ac). Of the total area, 43,314.4 ha (107,032.2 ac) or 94.6% represent natural or ruderal vegetation. Developed areas such as roads, parking lots, and campgrounds comprise 421.9 ha (1,042.5 ac) or 0.9% of the total. Open water accounts for approximately 2,034.9 ha (5,028.3 ac) or 4.4% of the total mapped area. Within the natural or ruderal vegetation types, forest and woodland types were the most extensive at 43,022.19 ha (106,310.1 ac) or 94.0%, followed by herbaceous vegetation types at 129.7 ha (320.5 ac) or 0.3%, sparse vegetation types at 119.2 ha (294.5 ac) or 0.3%, and shrubland types at 43.4 ha (107.2 ac) or 0.1%. A total of 784 AA samples were collected to evaluate the map?s thematic accuracy. When each AA sample was evaluated for a variety of potential errors, a number of the disagreements were overturned. It was determined that 182 plot records disagreed due to either an erroneous field call or a change in the vegetation since the imagery date, and 79 disagreed due to a true map classification error. Those records identified as incorrect due to an erroneous field call or changes in vegetation were considered correct for the purpose of the AA. As a simple plot count proportion, the reconciled overall accuracy was 89.9% (705/784). The spatially-weighted overall accuracy was 92.1% with a Kappa statistic of 89.6%. This method provides more weight to larger map classes in the park. Five map classes had accuracies below 80%. After discussing preliminary results with the parl, we retained those map classes because the community was rare, the map classes provided desired detail for management or the accuracy was reasonably close to the 80% target. When the 90% AA confidence intervals were included, an additional eight classes had thematic accruacies that extend below 80%. In addition to the vegetation polygon database and map, several products to support park resource management include the vegetation classification, field key to the associations, local association descriptions, photographic database, project geodatabase, ArcGIS .mxd files for map posters, and aerial imagery acquired for the project. The project geodatabase links the spatial vegetation data layer to vegetation classification, plot photos, project boundary extent, AA points, and PLOTS database sampling data. The geodatabase includes USNVC hierarchy tables allowing for spatial queries of data associated with a vegetation polygon or sample point. All geospatial products are projected using North American Datum 1983 (NAD83) in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 15 N. The final report includes methods and results, contingency tables showing AA results, field forms, species list, and a guide to imagery interpretation. These products provide useful information to assist with management of park resources and inform future management decisions. Use of standard national vegetation classification and mapping protocols facilitates effective resource stewardship by ensuring the compatibility and widespread use throughout NPS as well as other federal and state agencies. Products support a wide variety of resource assessments, park management and planning needs. Associated information provides a structure for framing and answering critical scientific questions about vegetation communities and their relationship to environmental processes across the landscape.